#and last year they were suuuper small

[guinevereslancelot]

acquired some small apple trees for $10 each and now i have a little orchard 🥲

[claritys-silly-things]

It’s that time again yall

Headcanons! It’s a long one this time

Emetophobia tw

- (I think I can classify this as modern) Rip sodapop curtis you would’ve loved saying “I’m just a girl 🎀”

- Soda never liked haircuts. When he was a small feral child his long hair would get tangled a lot, but he’s tender headed as FUCK so he would scream and cry when his momma brought the brush out. Darry put sodas hair into braids sometimes just for fun and soda didn’t mind bc it kept his hair from getting tangled, and then it didn’t hurt to brush. He’s always had really soft hair and it grows super fast.

- Jealous little soda asksjks (this was about soda being jealous over pony getting attention as a baby but I don’t wanna edit the original ramble I wrote down)

- When ponyboy was born he just kind of STARED. No crying or anything just 👁️👁️. Even Darry cried when he was born. Soda cried a lot.

- Adding on, Darry and pony were pretty quiet babies. They still cried for food and stuff sometimes but not a lot. Soda was a LOUDDD crier, and a frequent one too. It was the type of crying that sounds like it hurts the baby’s throat cause they’re shrieking their head off. Also soda would cry for, like, the first year of his life if he was ever handed to his dad.

- If Johnny survived the fire and got a wheelchair, he’d be running over people’s feet. Constantly. Just because. Or bc they asked for it. Either way, the moment he gets a hang of that wheelchair it is OVER for yall. And probably before that too.

- Ponyboy gets the same. Goddamn. Thing. At EVERY restaurant. Partly because it scares him to order anything else, partly because he’s picky asf. He makes sure it’s there on the menu and has his order memorized by now. “Chicken tenders, fries, and a Pepsi please.” He’s tried to ask for other things in the past like eggs, cuz he likes those, but the moment they asked him “how would you like them done” he just stared at Darry because he didn’t know what all the different types of eggs were, and now he’s scared bc he’s taking longer, and the server is still there, so he just got sunny side up eggs and they were slimy and he wanted to go home and cry (based on a true story sadly)

- Basically pony has anxiety and probably autism (so me)

- Ponyboy likes avocado. That’s it that’s the headcanon. It’s like one of the only healthy-ish things he’ll eat.

- Soda gets suuuper nauseous really easily, and pony gets carsick on occasion. So the first time pony went to a theme park, his family was scared that he would throw up like soda. They go on a ride and he’s like “yall im fine dawg.” Soda is jealous bc pony can go on rides unaffected (soda will still go on rides anyways, he just throws up afterwards)

- Pony is the most PALE ASS BITCH you’ve ever seen. He burns soo easily. His face gets red really quickly, no matter what’s going on. The only time he gets the slightest bit darker is when he burns and tans. Two-bit has been like “you ain’t white you translucent” multiple times because in the right lighting you can see pony’s veins. It’s even worse because soda and Darry tan so wonderfully, and pony looks like he had an allergic reaction if he doesn’t reapply his sunscreen when he’s supposed to. I feel like Mrs Curtis is the reason for this, she didn’t tan. Mr Curtis did tho.

- Pony has mild (severe) ocd

- Marcia’s last name is smith she is white-Hispanic on one side and Native American on the other thank you for coming to my TED talk

- Marcia is Cuban and Native American

- Marcia’s full name is Marcia smith that’s it that’s the end

It’s funny cuz I listed these things like three times and just forgot about the other two

- Twobit is Brazilian end headcanon

- Mr Curtis had autism and Mrs Curtis had inattentive adhd

- Mr Curtis was half Mexican on his mom’s side and half Irish on his dad’s side. Mrs Curtis was full Italian-American.

- Darrys the typa guy to make pony and soda turn off a show or movie if it talks about possession or like demonic stuff/soul stealing stuff

- (Modern au) Darry will get a text from ponyboy about something, like “can I go in your room rq” and he sees it but doesn’t actually open the text message until later and like, two hours later he’ll just respond “no” and thinks it’s the funniest shit ever

[twilightmalachite]

Esu Sagiri - Idol Story 3

Characters: Esu, Kanna

Translator: Mika Enstars

Proofreader: 310mc

"You can say that so casually only because you don’t know how insane Yume is… Please reflect on it, reflect deeper than the sea and reconsider higher than the mountains."

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Summer

Location: Toy Store

ES’ second year of establishment. A small way out from the ES Building, in the downtown area by a toy store…

Kanna: ……

Esu: I’ve found you at last, Kanna! It only took a million light years!

Kanna: “Light years” are not a unit of time, though.

Esu: Ahaha! You are so “Natsu Kanna” right from the get-go! Oh how I’ve missed it (natsukashii)! Na~tsu natsu natsu Natsu Kanna! Thank you so much! (?)

Kanna: What business do you have with me?

Esu: Ooh, and as calm and collected as ever…! You’re like that in person too?! Do you get through daily life alright?!

We had only communicated online up until recently, so I’d assumed you came off emotionless ‘cause it was through messages!

Kanna: Conversely, you are interminably loud in person.

Esu: Well, ‘cause I’m excited!

Maaan, it was a surprise getting to see you again yesterday, but to think I’d end up becoming an idol with you, Kanna! Even Indians wouldn’t be able to see it coming!

Kanna: …I deduce that statement was the result of mixing the sayings “Even Buddha wouldn’t be able to see it coming” and “Even Indians would be amazed”.[1]

Esu: What deduction! Are you a robot?!

Kanna: I often get that assessment. Anyhow, Esu-san, do excuse me for continuing to press the question—what business do you have with me?

Esu: Ah yeah, could you be Esupuri’s leader?

Kanna: Huh?

Esu: So~, apparently the guy who was supposed to be leader dropped out last second or something, and now I’m the leader of Esupuri for some reason.

But I’m not the type to be a leader, y’know?

Kanna: I find you to be perfectly suited for it. Out of all the members of Esupuri, the one with the most knowledge regarding idol activities is you, Esu-san.

Esu: Huh, where did you get that impression?

Kanna: Through the internet, I’ve gathered that your father was an idol.

Esu: Ahh~, and so that must mean I’ve inherited his idol-ness?

Kanna: Not quite. If you had an idol as your parent, then you’re likely familiar with the entertainment industry.

At the very least, more so than Raika-san, who we have little clarity on what they were doing prior, myself, who is simply a child, and Yume-san, who appears to have been a hobbyist cosplayer.

Esu: I dunno, before this I was just an adventurer traveling the world. I know little about idols, if I’m being honest.

It’s just the kind of work that my father used to do.

If anything, I’d say that Yume-san would be the most compatible, as someone who’d do commercial work as a cosplay suuuper once in a while—With that industry, I mean.

Kanna: Is that so. Then the role of leader should be left to Yume-san.

Esu: You can say that so casually only because you don’t know how insane Yume is… Please reflect on it, reflect deeper than the sea and reconsider higher than the mountains.

Kanna: What reason makes you think I would be more qualified to be the leader than anyone else?

It was you who Nice-san appointed to be leader. Presumably as you are the eldest member of Esupuri, and have both initiative and looks.

Esu: Oh, you’re complimenting me! I’m happy, even if it’s just flattery!

Kanna: They are objective facts.

Anyhow, I am the converse, as Esupuri’s youngest—Likely amongst the youngest active members in ES, in fact.

Are you certain you want a child to take on the important and responsible position of a leader? Even if you are fine with that, Esu-san, what would the public think?

They may find us unreliable, and wonder what the adults are doing apprehensively.

Esu: There aren’t any adults in Esupuri though, huh… We’re all kid newcomers.

Esu: But, back when I was an adventurer, you were my partner and you saved me countless times!

More than once or twice, you rescued a life that otherwise would’ve been inadvertently lost. I believe in your judgement, your intellect, your talent, and your humanity.

Kanna: ……

Esu: That’s why I wanted to entrust being leader to you. Any doubts in my judgement?

Kanna: Yes. You largely overestimate me.

As you can see, I am still a child who wants toys.

Esu: Ooh, this is a toy store, huh~! What did’ja get? I’ve shut myself away for so long I have no idea what’s in nowadays! Urashima Taro![2]

Kanna: I have purchased a popular handheld console alongside some exclusive games for it.

Esu: Yeah, yeah! You really are amazing, huh Kanna!

Kanna: …?

Esu: You’ve predicted my actions and acted accordingly, haven’t you?

You’ve got information processing skills that rival a computer’s, skills that’d not only put an adult to shame, but send a professional in the field running!

You’d be able to predict the actions of someone as simple as myself with ease! After all, you saw how much I hated it when I was appointed leader!

Kanna: ……

Esu: And so, analyzing my personality, you concluded that I would try to delegate the role of leader to someone else. That’s why you prepared a reason to decline in advance.

Isn’t that right, Kanna!

Here you are, buying a slightly-outdated game console that every toy-loving kid would have only just now.

The three games of your choosing completely lack cohesion, they look like you just randomly picked up whatever was nearby.

Kanna: ……

Esu: You anticipated that I would reach out to you, and bought a toy as proof that you are ��too young to assume the role of leader”.

And now here you are, showing those games off to me.

Am I wrong, Kanna?

If I am, then explain to me what these games you wanted are about. Tell me, what made you want to buy these?

Kanna: ……

…Is it really that strange?

Esu: Huh?

Kanna: I said. Buying an RPG with a lot of cute girls, a hard-core old-fashioned shogi game—

And a party game I could enjoy playing with everyone. Is it really that strange?

Esu: Wha, but, but—You don’t seem all too interested in girls, and you do seem like you’d like shogi, but don’t we live in an age where you can download as many as those things you want for free? And—

Kanna: And I don’t seem like the type of person who is sociable and would want to have fun with other people?

What a cruel assumption to make. I’m hurt. …I really did like them, and I really did want them.

Esu: Huh wha? Uaaaagh! I’m sorry?! I’m such a despicable Onii-san I should just go and die!

I’m sorry I’ll think about what I’ve done! I was being presumptive! And I was acting upon an adolescent impulse to out the truth with a smug look on my face!

I’m seriously so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you at all, Kann—

Kanna: —If you didn’t intend to hurt me, then don’t try to put a heavy burden of responsibility like a leadership position on a child younger than yourself.

Esu: Huh…?

Kanna: Please perform your appointed job properly, Onii-san.

Esu: R-Right… I’ll do my best, even if I hate it. I’ll be the leader.

Kanna: I am relieved to hear that.

Ah, I won’t be needing this game console or these games, so you can have them.

Esu: Huh? Wait, you mean you—

Kanna: Yes. Your guess was correct. I’m a little surprised; I’ve always thought you can be strangely sharp at times, despite looking like a complete idiot through and through—

I had thought that part of you might have dulled while you shut yourself away, but that part of you hasn’t changed at all, huh, partner.

Esu: Ooh—Whuh? Could you not just walk away satisfied, Kanna-kuuun?

Kanna: No. I’m tired of having walked around fruitlessly, so I’m going back. I have some specialized books I would like to read.

Esu: You don’t care about things like games after all, huh?

So even though you searched up the toy store’s address on the web, you couldn’t figure out the exact location and tired yourself walking around in circles, didn’t you? Right?

Kanna: Yes, what of it.

By the way, Esu-san, I have recorded all the statements you made earlier, including ones such as “I’ll be the leader”. They have already been uploaded to the online cloud.

How unfortunate. Now you have no choice but to take on the role of leader now, Esu-san.

Esu: That’s fine… Besides, I know it’s a bit too late for me to say this, but I don’t like the idea of imposing such a heavy load onto a child like you, anyway.

Kanna: You are also just a child, though.

Esu: Yeah. So, I think I’m gonna enjoy playing these games you imposed onto me.

Or actually, you should play with me, Kanna-ku~n! Let’s have fun playing this party game~! We’ve finally gotten the opportunity to be companions, after all!

Kanna: It’s a hassle so I don’t want to.

That being said, I’m also aware from experience that entanglement with you will bring forth countless hassles.

So I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to get used to it now.

Esu: Exactly! We’ll be idols together from now on, so please get very used to me! Let’s get you introduced to Yume too! And invite that Raika-kun kid too!

Let’s all play together, and deepen our friendships with everyone in Esupuri!

Kanna: We didn’t join together just to play.

Esu: It’s fine~! Usually, the job of children is to play!

I mean, didn’t you also buy something like a party game because you wanted to play together? Am I wrong?

I’m not, right? This also gotta be another prediction of yours unfolding—

Kanna: No. I truly did not predict for it to get to this point.

You are far more intense, and far more obnoxious, than I predicted.

Esu: You’re saying that with a straight face?! You’ll hurt this Onii-san of yours! That’ll make even an adult cry, you know?!

[ ☆ ]

story directory

The tagline used in an old Special S&B Curry commercial in the 1960s, meant to mean that their curry is so good that even those from India, the birthplace of curry, would be amazed. See a commercial for it here!

A tale where a fisherman, Urashima Taro, rescues a sea turtle and is brought to a palace as a reward and entertained by a princess for several days, only to realize upon returning home that he was gone for at least 100 years. Esu calls himself like “Urashima Taro but for real” in VS★PRINCESS too.

[quigzahhutt]

🖤 lolex for ask game 👀?

ain’t nothing like putting fictional logan sargeant in a situation

For the kiss prompt game <3

The number 2 decal on the door was peeling, as if the building itself was kicking the younger man out just how James had, and Alex found himself rubbing his left wrist raw; the wrinkles at the joint turned red and angry. A hiccupping sob pierced the thick, uneasy air in the room. Alex hadn't been all that helpful in his attempts at tidying up; the room was tiny, and being here was probably making this much more difficult for Logan, in all honesty. Before he could stop himself, the older man was pushing off the wall, preparing to leave, clearing his throat of the sand that had wiggled it's way in, “Logan– I'm.. I'm sorry, I shouldn't..–” Alex trails off, the stilted motion of Logan shaking his head interrupting his thought, “I didn't even… I tried so hard, Alex,” the American suddenly says, his voice hollow and croaky, “I did the best I could, I just–” Logan continued, and Alex saw where this spiral was leading, and the smoldering hot need to halt it as soon as possible hit him like a freight train. Instead of replying verbally, the older man sauntered over and wrapped his arms around Logan, hugging him from behind and resting his chin on top of his head. Logan just started shivering and began crying harder, sharp, gasping sobs forcing themselves from his throat. His reaction intensifying immediately sent Alex into overdrive, the desperate need to fix it settling in his chest like hot lava. Alex twisted the younger man around, shushing him before cradling him in his arms like he used to do with his siblings when they were young; sometimes they'd get an ugly scrape on the knee, or they'd simply be lonely, and would eventually end up as an inconsolable heap of snot. Holding them usually fixed it right up; hugging them tight and making sure they knew he was there, even for the smallest, silliest things always helped. He hoped the same applied to Logan. The pair stood there for a while, just swaying as the younger man’s sobs persisted, before he began wiggling around in the older man's grasp, pulling away to wipe his face. The wrinkle in Logan's brow was painful; his lip caught between his teeth, creating a dam so no sound could escape from his mouth. Inexplicably, Alex leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the crease between Logan's eyebrows, a desperate attempt at smoothing the pained expression from his face. When Logan didn't react, save for a small, shaky whimper, Alex started to panic again. He reached out to brush his hair back and began peppering kisses along Logan's cheeks; under his eyes, over the bridge of his nose, and finally, the corner of the younger man's mouth. That's when Logan tilts his head to catch Alex's lips as they were moving to brush themselves along the opposite corner of Logan's lips. Alex had a salty taste on his tongue from the younger man's tears that were dried on his face, but Logan didn't seem to mind; the kiss was soft, and yet it was charged with every emotion that had been building up over the last year and a half. Logan wrapped his arms around Alex's torso in a tight squeeze, slipping his arms inside of the older man's jacket and sneaking impossibly closer. It was as if Logan wanted to become a part of him; slither his way into Alex's ribcage and never leave.  When Alex felt tears streaking down Logan's face again, sticky against the older man's cheeks, he immediately pulled away; a sickly, swirling guilt churning in his gut. Logan immediately whines, a strained, sobbing noise bursting out of his chest as soon as the older man leaves his lips. Alex kisses away Logan's tears– the salt on his lips tasting like a goodbye.

ah of course, the inevitable 'logan leaving williams' moment

sorry this is suuuper sloppy but I wrote this at like 2 am last night and I had to wake up at 8am for the gp today so😭😭

[ellsjoint]

Demosthenes Part 1 - Ellie Williams x Reader

Synopsis: Two British university students decide to go to their online friends’ university – what could go wrong? A lot, considering the reader has absolutely no social skills.

A/N: Hi! This is my first TLOU fanfic, and I haven't written fanfiction in years so I hope this is good. This part's pretty much just setting the scene, there's no interaction with Ellie and the reader YET (and it's short as)... But I hope you enjoy this for now! P.S I won't be writing any smut in this just because I don't want to, and at parts this is pretty much just going to be a comedy and me imagining me and my best friend being awkward in this situation.

Future Content: college!ellie, loser!ellie maybe, slow burn, angst (because I'm funny like that), fluff, not really sure yet but we'll see!

Your POV:

This conversation had repeated itself time and time again for the last month.

‘At this point, why not?’ your best friend laughed lightly, ‘this place is a shithole. We should put ourselves out there!’.

‘Do you really think going to uni with these people you’ve never even met is a good idea?’ you stared at them, shaking your head. ‘My family’s here, my dance team’s here, all the small gigs I do are here. Everything is here - I can’t just drop that.’ To you, the idea was laughable. How could you just move across the globe to what, play house with your best friends’ online friends that you’d spoken to maybe once? It seemed silly, and you knew you’d struggle to interact with new people – not because of any form of anxiety you had, but because you sucked at socialising to the extent that you just stopped at one point. Some people didn’t even know you could speak, whereas those you were closer with (like your close friends and dance team) were well aware of your predicament.

‘That’s why you should go! Bro, you hardly speak to anyone here. In a new environment, you could just… I don’t know, maybe try and develop some social skills? Plus, they’ll be starting their first year too.’ your friend shrugged. ‘Please! It’ll be so much fun! Oh, and you can visit your family, and your family can visit you! And there’s probably another dance team at this uni!’ They continued to ramble, trying to persuade you that dropping everything would be worth it. You weren’t exactly convinced, even if you did think her friends seemed okay from the little you had seen of them from your friend’s phone screen.

Continuing to mull the idea over in your head, your friend continued to rant about the situation. ‘You’ve talked to them once! Give them a chance. They think you’re suuuper cool, which is why you should come! You’d be iconic at their uni. And the girls would be all over you! Maybe Ellie would. Did you know Ellie’s gay?’ You’d seen what, 2 memes that this Ellie person had sent your friend on their phone? You knew literally nothing about her other than a portion of her humour.

‘Good for Ellie…?’ you sighed. You knew they weren't going to stop.

‘Come on, you need to give the world a chance. This would be so good for you to just get yourself out there!’ your friend pleaded.  Of course, they tried to focus on its benefits for you (repeating theirself in the process) instead of the large benefit it would have for them – a meeting with their online friends. ‘Please, I don’t want to go by myself. I can’t leave my best friend, and think about it, all my friends getting on? That would be so cool.’

Once again, you let out another sigh, before nodding. ‘Fine, I’ll try it. But if I don’t like it, I’m going home.’

Your friend let out an excited squeal, and you stared at her, a deadpan look on your face. What were you signing yourself up to? Nobody knew, and only time could tell.

[toasterdrake]

aaaaa ok i really hope im not bothering you bc i'm requesting two times in a row, but can i have another yelena oneshot with some hurt/comfort? maybe r gets a life-threatening injury and yel mother-hens r back to health? if that's too specific you can do whatever you want for the 'hurt' part of hurt/comfort

my friend, the day has finally arrived. this beast has sat in my drafts for many many months -- years, even, i think? -- and i have finally accepted i'm never going to finish it. i went suuuper off-script so i've condensed it into just this block before things go haywire. other than that, this is entirely unedited as i last left it, notes and gaps and all. i hope the rest of it (of which there is too much) never again sees the light of day.

if i can even say this any more, enjoy. with this, my time in the mcu fandom truly comes to an end.

Angel

Yelena Belova x Avenger!reader

word count: 4K

Engine malfunction, systems failure, hull compromised, oxygen leakage, proximity alert, eject failure -- every alarm blared impossibly loud in the tiny cockpit, barely audible over the rushing vacuum of wind. 

A stream of creative curses spilled from your mouth as your fingers flew across the sparking dashboard, trying desperately to make something, anything work as your jet's descent steepened, plummeting through low-lying clouds.

Coming up with no other option than to try to limp to a nearby island, you yanked the control stick as hard as you could, bracing your legs as you strained with all your might to pull the plane out of its nosedive. 

You fought gravity itself: your arms feeling as if they were about to be ripped from their sockets. You were trying to lift tonnes of metal with one human's strength alone.

You let out a patriotic scream, blood pumping gloriously. Your cry to the heavens was drowned in the violent wind, the strain of the wings in the wrenching of your shoulders.

Alas, the jet wobbled and shook, breathing black smoke.

The cockpit was beginning to feel like a furnace due to the engine fire below. You were burning up in your heavy aviator's gear despite the cracked canopy's icy flood of air. Your breath came in short pants, crackling in your mask, and the broken radio screamed in your ears.

Land -- no, you'd failed, water -- rushed up to meet you. From the cockpit's window, the lake was a giant gaping blue maw opening wider to swallow you whole. And it would; given the chance, the slightest wavering of will.

Not one to simply accept fate, you struggled out of your buckles and into an emergency parachute, fingers shaking as they worked frantically in your small window of time.

The parachute cord caught on a displaced hunk of metal just as you ripped off your helmet. Masses of white fabric filled your vision. 

Senses clouded, the great boom of impact told you you'd hit water. It rebounded like astral ascension through your bones.

With the whiplash, you jerked forward, slamming into the centre console hard enough to elicit an intense ache in your chest. Your head connected with the dashboard. 

You pulled yourself upright, star-crossed for a moment, darkness clawing at the edges of your vision.

A sharp pain blossomed at your hairline; a thousand needles drove into your skull and twisted. You groaned as the dizziness sent you reeling a second later.

Something hot and wet and dark dripped down your forehead. You wiped it from your stinging eyes. You didn't have time for this. Through dancing stars, the jet was sinking rapidly into unfathomable depths; dragging you down with it never to be seen again.

Shaking off the disorientation, you scooped up your helmet from the floor and began attacking the glass canopy. Your movements were hindered by the limp parachute crowding what little space you had, but still the crack grew. 

Water spilled in faster, faster, sloshing around your shoulders. Finally, the entire pane collapsed into shards. You inhaled the deepest breath of air you could muster milliseconds before--

A great puff of depressurising air thrust you bodily out of the cockpit, as water flooded the jet entirely, wholly conjoining it to the lake. 

You tried to yank your rucksack free of where it was wedged, but it was stubborn and you didn't have seconds to spare. You abandoned it in favour of surging upwards.

You kicked your legs wildly, reaching above your head for filtered sunlight in a desperate bid for fresh air. The pressure in your lungs mounted and mounted.

Your heavy clothes and tired limbs weighed you down. You couldn't struggle out of the woolen aviator jacket; couldn't spare the few moments to let it drag you deeper in freefall.

Still, it was as if you had never left the jet. 

The light above didn't seem to be any closer, your progress like revving with the handbrake on. Your desperate kicks and thrusts weakened, bubbles streaming from your nose, dancing to the sky like ash as time trickled out.

It was dark. So dark. Cold. Lonely. You were thrashing. Water was filling your lungs. You were drowning. You were about to be lost to nature's most powerful force, and no one would know.

A muffled splash above echoed through the dark expanse of water. 

An angel from the surface had come to save you. 

Her form was silhouetted by dancing sunlight wings. Golden ringlets of hair splayed around her head in a halo. She swam down to you, powerful limbs propelling her down in an illusion of ease; a true display of power. 

The strength of her arms was reassuring.



Coughing and spluttering, you jolted upright. Water gushed from your mouth, spilling down your already soaked chest as you sat up. You found curious chartreuse eyes. Somehow, instinctively, you knew they belonged to the angel who saved you.

"Where are your wings?"

"What?" Her accent was dark velvet: authentic slavic, you recognised vaguely. It sent shivers down your spine as much as the chill of the water.

"Cause," A wet cough, "Cause you're an angel -- oh shit that's blood." 

"You have internal bleeding, probably," She said, smoothing back darkened blonde hair, peeling it from her shirt by the disturbance. She was just as soaked as you, as was the patch of grass you occupied.

Frothy, bright red spots of blood littered your hand. A sharp pain in your abdomen made itself present. Dizziness washed over you, but you pushed through to pull up your slick shirt and reveal a deep red discolouration on your chest. 

For some inexplicable reason, you poked it, and winced when a wave of pain crashed through the area. You blushed upon noticing her scrutinising gaze, clearing your throat. Your ribs ached in complaint.

You gratefully took the hand she offered, letting her display that strength again as she hauled you from the ground. She led you from the shore up to a cabin, which dominated what appeared to be an island.

"What's your name?" You asked.

A quiet moment of debate. "Yelena. You?"

You owed each other that much. "[Y/N]."

She hummed in recognition.

"Lie down. It'll help your blood flow more naturally," She said, tone not unkind.

You obeyed, then swallowed awkwardly around the dryness in your throat, piping up, "Could I have a drink of water?"

"Not until you've been treated," Yelena said, words accompanied by a privately playful smirk, to which you pouted. 

You drummed your fingers against your leg, looking around at what of the room you could see, as Yelena became otherwise occupied attending to her dog.

A goatskin rug had been draped over the back of a rocking chair in the corner, almost like hotel decoration. A blazer hung from a peg next to the door. A perfectly pruned arrangement of flowers sprouted from a ceramic vase shaped like a stylised duck, something that looked glittery lacing shards together. A misshapen candle's flame flickered cheerily on the windowsill.

Contrast of lived in and new. Yelena trying to make a home and not knowing how.

Yelena reentered, throwing a set of fresh, baggy clothes at you.

"So, you live here?" You said conversationally, looking out a window at the pine forest outside as you changed painstakingly slowly around his injury.

You could just make out a distant shore beyond the mist-obscured treeline, the grey lake lapping at a dark gravel beach.

Yelena stiffened. You watched out of the corner of your eye as she chewed her lip, face turned away from you. "No," She said, wary. "I'm only here to look after the island for my parents."

You nodded, even though she couldn't see you, and returned to gazing outside. Maybe her parents are in hospital or something? Whatever the depth of her reason, it sounded personal. And complex. You shouldn't pry.

And you shouldn't take advantage of an innocent woman's hospitality, your conscience scolded. No choice, you rebutted.

Just then, someone knocked at the front door. Yelena shot you a look that carried a strange cocktail of warning, concern, and apprehension, before disappearing to attend to the visitor.

You weren't left alone for long. Yelena re-entered the room, biting her lip before glancing away and standing awkwardly in a corner. She was followed by a man slightly taller than her, whom you assumed was the doctor by his discoloured beige clinical coat and briefcase.

The doctor himself could have been anywhere between thirty and fifty. He introduced himself as Dr. Graham in his warbly, squeaky voice. His face was mottled by acne scars, his chin weak and bare as if it had never borne a single hair. His babyish eyes popped out of their sockets, making him look like an eternally frightened rabbit. His hairline had already climbed up his forehead, leaving only wispy fawn tuft behind his ears.

Puberty must've hit him like a plastic toy car, you mused.

Dr. Graham did his necessary medical things quickly enough, diagnosing you miraculously concussion-free. You provided an easy lie about falling down the stairs when moving boxes, which the doctor accepted with a degree of coldness and Yelena listened to with something like caution in her eyes.

"You need four weeks of bedrest," Dr. Graham sternly gave his departing orders, crossing his arms over his chest in tepid persistence.

"But--"

"No buts."

"But--" Yelena tried.

"No. Buts. Good day to you." He stressed, glaring at each of you -- the effect somewhat disheartened by his buggish eyes -- before striding out the door.

"We'll see if your hairline lasts four weeks," You grumbled darkly. Yelena snickered at that, which drew your attention to her. 

"So."

"So," Yelena prompted when you trailed off, looking at you quizzically.

"So, is it okay for me to stay with you that long? I can't exactly go anywhere else; the jet had all my money and cards in it." The bandages wrapped around your chest flexed uncomfortably with stretching muscle.

Well, Tony's cards.

"Sure, why not. I don't plan on going anywhere for a while," There it was again; that cautious reservedness showing itself to maintain the simmering distance between you. "I will need to pick up some groceries from town though. Will you be alright here with Fanny?" Yelena said, moving to the doorway again.

"We're on one of the Thousand Islands, right? How does an entire town fit? I mean I can understand a doctor, but--"

Yelena rolled her eyes. "The town is on the mainland. I'll be taking my boat, Paučók." She said, a hint of motherly pride slipping through at that. "Also, the doctor used his own boat. We're alone on this island."

"Oh," Heat rose to your cheeks.

She rolled her eyes again and strode away. An unmistakable bulge in her pocket caught your eye. Your mood darkened. Maybe her parents aren't in hospital after all.

With that fun revelation, you decided to do some harmless snooping once Yelena was out of sight. The front door clicked shut, the lock twisting with anxious finality.

Pulling yourself off the chair, you leaned against the wall, riding out an immobilising wave of pain for a few long moments, your eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted. A little internal bleeding wouldn't stop you!

Fanny fretted at your heels, seemingly unperturbed by your being a stranger. You petted her reassuringly, and she scampered off down the hallway, leaving you to trail behind her at a snail's pace.

Y comes back, confesses past nervously, R guilty, reveals snooping, Y angry, trust lost, R works to apologise and reopens wound



A week later, Dr. Graham called requesting you go to the clinic for a check-up. You took the call since Yelena was in the boat shelter doing maintenance on Paučók. Because you had started a streak of regaining trust, you decided you would obey the doctor. Just this once. 

You didn't like pissing people off, contrary to popular belief -- it was messy to fix and sent you completely out of your depth -- even if it was endlessly amusing to annoy the doctor. Besides, Yelena would give you an earful if you hurt yourself again.

Heading out to find the aforementioned Russian and inform her, you took a plated stack of the pancakes you'd made, just in case she hadn't eaten yet. She'd been up and gone by the time you got moving, just dumping a used coffee cup in the sink as you appeared in the kitchen.

Walking through the bracing early morning mist, you got the sensation it wasn't going to shift for the rest of the day. The icy vapour stung your cheeks and whipped you into full vigilance: a hard slap from Mother Nature. You pulled your aviator's jacket tighter over your shoulders.

Stepping into the boat shelter, you went unnoticed by Yelena. This was strange, considering that in the time you'd known each other she'd always seemed to have a sixth sense for detecting your presence before you'd even walked through the door.

The cause of her distraction was soon revealed, as the whirring of machinery permeated the workshop.

Oh shit. Okay. She's ripped. Damn. Okay. Cool. Okay. Okay. Take a deep breath. One, two, three, release. Okay. Now use your words.

"I-I brought you, um, cakespan -- no, uhm -- pancakes!"

...What?!

You cringed.

(Gae muscle panic)

The doctor's clinic was, for whatever reason, not located on the mainland. Instead, it inhabited one of the larger islands alongside a few other residences -- enough to form a hamlet -- that sat just a few hundred metres into the lake, near the main feeding river's mouth. The clinic itself was a converted gothic mansion, all arching stone masonry and high, gilded ceilings that made rooms echo eerily.

The place wasn't busy; you were seen after just a few minutes, the only other patient being a pregnant woman accompanied by her wife. Yelena trailed after you into the examination room, stuck on the boundary of limiting your association and keeping you in her sights at all times.

You exchanged an apprehensive look upon noticing an unfamiliar boat moored to the island's jetty.

Yelena pulled in quietly, killing the engine and letting Paučók drift into place on the current. You both stepped out onto the platform, gaze locked on the stagnant house through sentinel trees. Its dark windows gazed back steadily with quiet amusement. 

Yelena bent to secure Paučók's ropes. She reached into her pocket and handed you a loaded semi-automatic handgun, as well as drawing a revolver for herself.

You handled the handgun with familiarity. "God, how many guns do you have on you?"

"Enough to be prepared."

Together, you crept up the beaten dirt track to the house, guns poised to react. The building waited for you patiently.

A bird swooped low over your heads, flapping hurriedly to ascend. You and Yelena startled at the abrupt action. The desperation in its wake left a strange, almost oppressive tension heavy in the crowding mist. 

In the next moment, it was dispelled like a river bursting as Fanny came sprinting after the bird through the trees, barking freely. She skidded to a halt at Yelena's feet, who quickly bent to attend to her dog. She slipped Fanny a treat and ruffled her thick coat, speaking to her as if she could answer.

"What happened, Fan? What are you doing out of the house, huh?" Yelena cooed. Fanny panted happily in response.

"Fanny!" A new voice called jovially through the opaque mist. 

A second later, a hazy humanoid solidified into an approaching silhouette striding toward them. With every muted step, their features sharpened to reveal fiery red hair draped over slim shoulders, a vest secure over a dark bodysuit, green eyes eclipsed by the dreary surroundings.

"Fanny," Natasha said again, scolding this time with a playful lilt, coming to a stop in front of the three.

"Natasha," Yelena answered, wide-eyed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Yeah, Nat," You piped up. "What are you doing here?"

Natasha looked at him, surprise evident in her expression. "[Y/N]? What are you doing here?"

"Okay, we're getting nowhere with this. Let's go inside." Yelena said, leading the way up to the house. Fanny ran ahead eagerly, twirling in impatient circles as everyone traipsed behind her.

Once inside, the frigid mist shut out behind a heavy wooden door, you immediately moved to the fire. You rolled up the sleeves of his jacket to expose your forearms, but didn't shrug it off, still feeling the chill in your bones. You stirred up the glowing embers; feeding them another log and coaxing a true, strong flame out of it.

Meanwhile, Yelena hung up her overshirt on a peg and stepped into the adjoining kitchen, shuffling through cupboards. The kettle's whistle crescendoed cheerily a few moments later. 

Natasha kicked off her boots at the door, falling into an armchair with a grateful sigh. She produced a dog toy from a pocket when Fanny jumped onto her lap, teasing the Shepherd with it but neither wanting to move too far.

Accepting the mug of coffee from Yelena when she padded back into the living room, you took the other armchair, leaving her to claim the plush loveseat. Fanny jumped off Natasha's lap as she received her beverage, instead lying down on a rug in front of the resplendently roaring fire.

You inhaled the steam, the soft fragrance providing gentle caresses of nostalgia. You blew on the hot liquid until it was cool enough to sip safely, smiling at the taste. 

Yelena and Natasha sipped quietly from their own mugs -- labelled 'blood of my enemies' and 'keep it up and you will be a strange smell in the attic' respectively -- while staring introspectively into the fire. Well, Natasha was. Yelena was admiring Fanny. As she rightfully should.

"So, Natasha," The blonde finally said, facing the other woman with a somewhat annoyed expression, "What has brought you here?" 

Drizzling rain began to fall outside. Fresh symphonies of pine wafted in through a cracked open window, condensation forming in the corners of its rustic frame.

Natasha tore her gaze from the fire to meet her sister's over the rim of her mug. "Mason called me to say you'd requested extra time. He wanted me to make sure you hadn't gotten yourself into trouble."

Yelena nodded absently. Her hazel eyes were glazed over; distant in thought. You looked between the sisters, utterly lost. 

"Mason? Is he your landlord? Are you leaving soon?"

The log crackled and popped, jolting hard enough to cause everyone in the room to startle. Yelena stared into her mug guiltily.

"No. He's… this a safehouse. I'm waiting for some media controversy to blow over." She confessed to the hot chocolate.

"Controversy surrounding the death of an important army benefactor?" You asked.

She looked up at you, clearly surprised and a little wary, but nodded. You sank a little deeper into the armchair, trying to make yourself smaller. Yelena looked to Natasha for an explanation. The avenger smirked.

"[Y/N] here had to leave the states pretty urgently after being framed for that benefactor's murder," She supplied, clearly enjoying every moment of what was to come.

Yelena gaped for a few moments, mouth opening and closing soundlessly, before she finally managed coherency. "Shit, I'm so sorry! I promise I wasn't the one to point any blame at you."

You waved her off, red-faced. "It's fine. We know who it was. Unfortunately, no official will even consider it, and demand I be put behind bars."

"Tony's working on the legal stuff," Natasha reassured you, before returning her attention to her drink. 

"Tony? As in Tony Stark of Stark Industries? Iron Man? You know him?" Yelena gushed, eyes shining.

"WellI'mkindofanavenger," You mumbled sheepishly. Natasha snorted in amusement.

"[Y/N] is one of the cool kids I run around with," She said in answer to Yelena's confused frown.

The Russian was struck speechless. Fanny sighed and shifted, briefly drawing her attention from blank staring, which gave you a breather to compose yourself.

"Yes. I'm an Avenger," you said; steady and strong. You were proud of your occupation. You'd saved lives -- the entire planet! -- countless times, and you'd do it again in a heartbeat. Yelena had every right to understand that.

"So," Natasha said, finishing her drink in one gulp and standing, "I'll be calling Mason to tell him everything's fine, and the other safehouse in Yukon is free since you're both staying here. That right?"



Natasha ended up staying with you. 

In a quiet conversation by the patio firepit after Nat had gone to bed, you and Yelena both agreed that the avenger needed this more than she cared to admit. 

The next morning, Yelena invited her sister to stay with you for the whole run of your supposed bedrest, to which she reluctantly agreed. 

(Honestly, your insistence swayed her more than her own volition. She couldn't resist three sets of puppy eyes.)

It was hard for Natasha to let go of work.

The boys and Wanda were a mess without her, and she received numerous disgruntled or chaotic calls throughout the day. She talked herself into flying back to the states multiple times, but you wouldn't let her. 

Yelena tried telling the team to back off -- to just let her relax -- but they failed to learn how to function without Natasha. 

Eventually, Pepper intervened and the calls stopped. 

Before this, you had put Nat's phone on silent and hidden it while she was showering. Yelena returned with clothing flown over from the compound (she'd been lending hers to her sister until now since Nat didn't bring any) to find you taped to a wall and Natasha in a frenzy.

That day, her paranoia swiftly devolved into a panic attack, which turned into a full breakdown. 

It was heartbreaking to watch your friend fall apart. Yelena helped her through it, and after a therapeutic cry Nat was more willing to ignore the others. The team knew the emergency code. She was finally ready to accept a break.

Released from the tape by a sheepish Natasha, you gave her a loving hug to melt into, then texted Pepper.

Nat was much happier after that. Her soul sang free like the spring songbirds for the first time. Even during the three years in Ohio, the shadow of the Red Room had bound her wings, and the recent ordeal of taking down Dreykov, of Antonia -- coming face-to-face with her greatest nightmare -- had been emotionally intense. To say the least.

Finally getting a true break allowed the reality of those horrors to be released. A huge weight took flight from her shoulders. 

Of course, healing takes time, and is not a linear journey. You and Yelena were there for Natasha every day.

Yelena's mood improved with her sister's, and soon the two were acting as if they'd never been trained assassins separated for twenty years. They were just a normal family. Happy, content.

Mealtimes were filled with cheerful banter and laughter, the result of weaving around bodies crammed into the kitchen and steam clouding cracked open windows.

Mornings were spent lazing in bed, followed by sunbathing on the porch with a coffee. Nights were either filled with alcohol and stumbling to bed; or books, cozy blankets and a roaring fireplace. The rest of their day was occupied with chores, exploring the island, and swimming in the lake. Natasha mostly played with Fanny around the island. She was almost more infatuated with the dog than Yelena, if that was even possible.

At some point, you ended up gravitating into Yelena's bed.

[tinyidle]

Hi I'm the one that asked if you'd write for blackpink, could I please request a cute and smutty Poly one shot with Chaennie where they surprise reader for their birthday

(Idk why I asked on anon the first time lol I was shy ig)

Happy Birthday, Baby - KJN x YN x PRS/PCY

first of all, im suuuper sorry for taking so long! secondly, i hope you enjoy this fic.

wc: 1.2k

WARNING: smut, fluff, threesome, foreplay, facesitting, tribbing, mention of toy usage but nothing comes from it, dom!jennie, dom!rose, switch!reader, fem reader, all fiction ofc

you weren't the happiest for your birthday, but you were glad that this year you would able to celebrate with your girlfriends. jennie and rose have been with you for a few months, but it felt like you were together for years. life was dull until they came in, and now you find yourself smiling more than once every day-- something that, before meeting them, barely happened during the week.

you came back from work and were surprised with the big "SURPRISE!!" from the two for your favorite girls in the world. they held a lightly ablazed cake with your name on it. "happy birthday!" the exclaimed, smiling and laughing at how you instantly shed tears of joy and appreciation for having two wonderful girls by your side.

you wiped your tears as you laughed along with them before blowing out your candles. as the two cheered and clapped (to the best of rose's ability because she was holding the cake), you watched as jennie went to the kitchen to grab some plates and forks. "thank you, guys, really," you said with full gratitude. "work was great as usual, but you always know how to make my nights better than the last."

"of course," rose said as she put the small heart cake on the coffee table. "we always want to make our special girl feel extra special on her special day."

you giggled as jennie finally came back with the cutlery and napkins. "and what better way to make our special girl feel special than to have her favorite cake and favorite position?" as rose nodded along, agreeing with the words jennie chimed in with, you were confused. position? what does she mean by-

"when you're finished, baby, take off all the clothes you can while we take care of you, okay?" rose's thick accent was laced with something else all-too familiar with you: lust. now all you could think of was wonder what type of position they would put you in that was supposedly your favorite.

while you three were eating your slices of the heart cake, you couldn't help the thumping in your ears from your heart beating out of control. the only thing on your mind weren't necessarily things, but rather your two lovers as they seemed to be eating the cake a lot slower than you wanted. as much as you wished to stuff yourself and them with the rest of your slices, you had to be patient. they planned a special night for you, and you are not going to let impatience ruin it for you.

an hour of slowly eating your slice (as you watched jennie swirl her tongue on the frosting and rose sensually lick the plate to further agitate you), you went upstairs and did what was instructed with you. as quickly as your clothes were off, your eyes were met with the most beautiful sight of your naked girlfriends. each one standing in front of you, as if daring you to look away from the stunning display in front of you. both jennie and rose took your hands and led you to the bed.

"spread your legs for us, baby," jennie told you. the girls smiled as you lay down and spread your legs. both gently kissed you on each cheek as their as hands explored every inch of your body. the love and passion between you three was clearly visible in the expressions on each other.

jennie's mouth went down to kiss along your jawline, sucking a bit on it before reaching your lips, starting a mind-numbing makeout session. as you were busy with your mouth, rose was busy trailing her kisses from your neck down to your nipples. she blew on them, making your visibly shiver, before latching on to them with her tongue and the roof of her mouth. your moans mixed with jennie's turned to whines as rose was giving your breasts the attention they truly deserved.

soon enough you wanted to be fucked, no longer being played with as the two then took turns making your center the wettest its ever been in a while. "please," you begged while breaking away from the kiss as jennie's fingers were rubbing your clit and rose was two knuckles deep. "i want you to fuck me."

"oh?" rose teasingly asked. "which one? my cock or jennie's?" even though they knew that they could both fuck you at the same time, with or without toys, they both knew your favorite position required one person at a time so that you could catch your breath.

"both of you." without asking any questions, although they had a lot at the time, nodded.

"how do you want us?" jennie asked. you motioned that you wanted one woman's cunt on yours while the other's cunt sat on your face. "aren't we supposed to be seeing you though, baby?" you didn't answer, but instead pulled them over the spots your motioned them to with a whine. "okay," jennie obliged, "anything for the special girl on her special day."

with your ass on the edge of the bed and your two best friends sitting above you, jennie began to ride your center while rose rode your face hard. the soft slapping sounds of skin-on-skin was music to your ears as the friction increased from thrusts. your hands found your slightly older lover's breasts while the oldest squeezed and rubbed your nipples. it felt like heaven.

before long, the room was filled with your moans and their groans as jennie's hips were bucking harder than normal, trying to reach that sweet release as well as you and rose. "fuck, im about to cum," you declared through your muffled mouth, causing rose to moan louder as her ass constantly bounced atop of your tongue. "cum for me rosie, jen. pleaseee~"

your request made them both move faster as your mouth started to become numb and your clit being overstimulated. rose came first, shivering as her cum dripped into your awaiting lips. "fuck," she whimpered, shaking her hips a bit before getting off your now drenched face.

jennie came straight after, thrusting forwards one more time before cumming directly on your pelvis, your center now sticky with each other's essence. both girls' orgasms left them panting and breathless. you panted too, barely able to keep your eyes open as you laid there, completely. the three of you just laid there, taking deep breaths before jennie spoke up again. "did you have fun, darling?"

you looked at her with a smile as you hummed. "yeah, i did." jennie gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. you turned to rose. "is this everything you wanted for my birthday?"

the bleached red head bit her lip before running her fingers against your stomach. "we were expecting to fuck you individually. but this was so much better. right jennie?"

jennie nodded. "right. we're just glad we got to celebrate you the way wanted us." both girls wrapped their arms around you and kissed you before kissing each other. then you kissed each woman before sighing in their love.

"happy birthday, baby. we live you so much."

[aibouart]

can. can i request a red infodump perhaps? :3c ive seen them around a bit before but i have uh no idea what their lore/story is at all and im v curious!!!

WWWWWWWYAYYAYAYAYAYAYA !!!

i'm gonna gon on abt his species first cuz ........

i half jokingly refer to red as a "walking content warning" cuz he has a SUPER BAD home life. i made him to cope over 10 years ago, now, so he has a looong history of being used to get through my childhood and as such, his backstory is insane.

all you'd need to really know abt his backstory is like...

His father is a super shit person, his mother is basically missing but she was also not good in her own weird way, he has a sister he rarely speaks to because he's stuck at home and doesn't know how to leave, and he has a brother (red is the youngest) who is stuck in a baby's body and is usually being cared for by his sister (lore below explains why he's like that).

red lives primarily alone as his father is usually not home anymore, and he hates being a vampire or hurting people, and gets suuuper awkward around any pop culture vampire talk which is think is funny.

so red's vampiric species is very simple compared to human made vampiric lore and a lot of things are considered misconceptions, or things that could be attributed to *other* vampiric species that were blanketly attached to the concept of "vampire" by humans who are largely uneducated on them (and tbf most vampiric species aren't super knowledgeable abt each other either in my verse).

their primary biological traits aaare:

they are cold like normal vampire lore, and have fangs (retractable but doesn't need to be extended usually), and will often have very light coloured eyes. they can easily die due to illnesses that normally don't kill humans because of their lower body temp, to blood loss, and can only really be called immortal due to not dying of old age.

they also have a "starvation mode" where if they've been without food for too long, will become animalistic in nature and hunt humans. Red's hair turns near-black and his eyes become red when he is in this mode. they gain incredible strength and even heat vision to hunt down humans so they don't perish. after eating a meal (usually they do it with little care for the person's well-being while like this) they will revert back to their normal selves and have little memory of what happened during this state. although the state itself can store basic memories to help hunt later (such as if certain places are dangerous last time they went there, or if they got attacked for one reason or another). this separation of memories isn't meant to be an allegory for systems btw so i hope no one is thinking that i'm doing that!! ;__;;b!

these vampires start off looking and eating like normal humans, but eventually something within them hits a timer and they turn vampiric naturally (they can convert humans if humans drink their blood though). the process can be seen coming as their appetite lowers and they become a bit sluggish and lower body temp before the process kicks in full swing and they painfully turn to a vampire. after that, their body stops aging.

this specific species of vampires are meant to co-exist with humans and live along side them. humans provide a source of food, and the vampires can help provide protection and even mingle well socially. the vampire species can breed with humans and human-vampire babies on average will usually turn vampiric later in adulthood, but vampire-vampire children (especially vampires with little human lineage) tend to turn too quickly.

his vampiric species was doing well within small human communities and living how they're supposed to, before humans from far away locations came, saw the vampires and how they fed off of humans, and drove them away. plenty of vampires lost their lives to this invasion, and the other humans were too easily switched over to an aggressive mob mentality towards them, so they were forced to live isolated and prey on humans in the dark. it's def possible not all of them turned against vampires, but it was too dangerous for them to stay.

Red was born around the time this happened (he's abt 2000 yo usually)........

during the time humans and vampires slowly started to be reintroduced to each other, vampiric based pop culture started to become popular in human societies so the vampires weren't too keen on the whole, slay vampires thing media was doing a lot of. because of the focus on vampires as a pop culture thing, humans started applying a lot of concepts to them on a broad scale (unable to be in the sun, garlic allergy, etc). red typically only went into human cities or villages out of curiosity, but was terrified of saying anything to them in case he was found out (esp seeing as the whole.. kill vampire thing was a popular thing in media.......)

a lot of these ideas were applied due to sightings or findings of vampiric persons by humans, but were individualistic traits that were then applied to all vampires (my fav is like, the garlic thing straight up just being one guy's allergy). (the bat turning thing is not possible for red's species of vampires, but it is possible for a fey vampire combo species that dwell in the forest. they are shapeshifters that shift between an animal/furry form and a human form).

red's species, originally being a pretty small group in a small area, has a long history of vampires taking leadership positions and even being strict about their culture and stances on interaction between them and humans (especially after the drive to exterminate them, they developed a lot of strict rules to protect their kind and youth). red's father is part of these leaders, and red was supposed to be the heir as he's the only one who turned late enough to be an actual adult, but because of his pacifist nature and generally meek demeanour he was already on his father's bad side growing up.

the day of his turning was to be held with the other leader dudes, but when provided a person to have as his first meal, he refused to hurt them and was quickly labelled a disgrace and no longer allowed to be the heir.

red's father, and plenty of the other old guys appointed leader of the species, typically regard humans as nothing more than food things and to not be considered with compassion and especially not to be mingled with. red has made a number of human friends over the centuries but learned pretty fast to make sure his dad never. ever. finds out he has them.

despite the seemingly strict ruling on their vampiric society, a lot of young vampires (and especially those from turned humans) have a large disconnect from them and usually just know they exist and have these rules, but it's not like they can do anything about their spread out community doing what they want.

my favourite part of the modern age for them is that they have a vampiric social media and the only way to be able to sign up is to be vetted by a confirmed vampire of their species. they have their own memes and whatnot, and my fav one is "the vlad". the lovingly chosen name for the human stereotype of a vampire. a lot of them use it mockingly, but there's a tonne of them who also genuinely love the vlad and make groups for being fans of it. count chocula gets posted every halloween, ofc.

red isn't super active on vampiric facebook but he is signed up. he's not good at the whole technology thing in general, but he is aware of the vlad and will often mutter "a vlad..." when he sees one, mystified.

one time a guy who was signed up was found out not to be an actual vampire and it sent the community into a frenzy cuz how tf did they get on the site when it's so strict. it instantly became a classic meme for them, the one time a vampire kinnie joined somehow (obviously im not mocking kins, i am also a kinnie). they only found out cuz the guy actually confessed and was quickly banned. no one knows who vetted them, either.

i think im done w this dump for noooow even tho im sure it's not everything just cuz my net went down like 3 times while typing this GOD

if u wanna know more abt red himself tho i could rant abt his friends and their polycule tho hee hee hoo hoo

[birdybirdnerd]

Midnight for spence, secret for Nance, wound for raph-nce (I had to keep the bit going)

ALRIGHT sorry i had to wait till i could be somewhere with wifi to do this

oc asks: not so nice edition!

Midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

changes over the course of parable actors. before meeting up with the brigade, spencer has a lot of anxieties about his parable, nightmares about endless looping hallways and being alone and not mattering to anyone. nightmares about waking back up there specifically, all the hard work hes put into becoming his own person erased like it never happened. he uh, did a lot of late night wandering whenever it kept him up, or drank himself unconscious. not good!

after basically adopting gidget, his anxieties turned towards 'oh god oh fuck this person needs someone put together to help them and im a mess, this is a mistake, im gonna fuck them up irreversibly and just continue to traumatize this poor traumatized kid and that is the LAST thing i want'

things get a lot better for awhile there, until, of course, the end of reset the actors, when his fucking narrator returns and now spencer needs to handle this and deal with this and figure things out and he cant impose this bastard on other people, he can take care of it himself, and god hes so annoying and awful but hes too pathetic to just drop off on the street and wipe my hands of the whole thing, and id feel like a fucking fraud if i didnt give him a second chance but now the nightmares from when i first left the parable are back and theyre mixing with new ones where nansen somehow figures out how to go back and drags me back and it was all for nothing, ill never see the others again, oh god-

so uh. yeah. he quit drinking for awhile there for gidget, but nancys return marks a return of his alcoholism (for a bit. they all get their shit together again thank god and spencer never, ever again touches the stuff except for a Single glass of champagne/wine at a particularly fancy dinner or party, maybe once a year at most)

Secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

nancy admits this to dr joy one session, and no one else.

when he first saw spencer in the falling-apart parable the coalition had made their base, when the rescue attempt for the narrator was in full swing, when hed spent years with a slowly dawning horror at what the other versions of him had done, and what that corrupted parable leading the charge was doing,

he was so, so close. seconds away, even. from grabbing spencer and running and not stopping until they were back, safe, in their own parable

he would have done it, if spencer hadnt interrupted him to demand his help in finding gidget

Wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

raph is a HUUUUGE drama queen and makes a mountain out of a molehill to cope. the more dramatic she is about something though, the less serious it actually is

but when shes really, actually hurt, she tends to retreat. hide it. put on a smile and act like nothings wrong, what are you talking about? this goes for both physical and emotional hurts, too; shell work on a twisted ankle or a pulled muscle until the pain is literally too much for her to even move, and keep forging onwards when her head is a disaster zone until the depression is so thick and murky she cant see a way out of bed in the morning

dont think shes had any suuuper serious physical injuries, maybe needed stitches from falls on set or casts for fractured bones. shes pretty hardy, even if she can be kind of a clutz

emotionally, the worst shes been would have to be... hm. sometime maybe a few months before the brigade formed, i can see her having started her transition months prior. shes been part of this theater/drag group for almost a year now, surrounded by people so, so much like her that love her so much. helping her figure her way out in the world, and in herself. odette dotes on her, is supportive, helps her get on hormones and become more comfortable with herself.

estrogen therapy comes with increased mood swings, heightened emotions, and raph already has bipolar disorder. she feels so much all the time, and the hormones make that stronger, and one day she realizes all the good she has and how different everything is and shes faced in the mirror with the face of someone she can actually love-

and she suddenly feels like a fraud. shes a fake. shes not human, shes not one of these girls. she was made to press buttons, was made as a vessel for the players enjoyment of a game that wasnt even fun anymore, none of them had to go through what she did and she cant even tell them, shes crazy, shes nothing, her narrator was right-

big bad mood swing. bed bound for weeks. raph loses a lot of weight, burns some bridges when the only energy spikes she gets are to yell at the people she loves with all her heart (those bridges reform, i promise, amends are made and therapy helps all). its bad, and the only reason she didnt fully waste away was that odette never once gave up on her, despite rows and no responses.

raph still feels so terribly guilty about this, but has worked to be at peace with herself over it since then

[colorisbyshe]

Hey! I just found some of your posts bc I was searching scleral buckle in the search bar… you had one post that said retinal detachment is usually for people in their 50s+ but I am 27 so heeeeyy ❤️ I just had surgery last Wednesday and was wondering how things are for you since it seems like it’s been like 10 or so months since you had yours done? Maybe im wrong idk but I literally do not know anyone irl with this, or online either. Hoping for some words of advice and also maybe to hear that there’s light at the end of this horrible thing im going through rn

Hi!

It’s actually been a couple of years since my surgery, I got mine riiiight as hospitals were getting overcrowded and restrictive cause of Covid so it’s been a hot second!

In the immediate wake of my surgery, I had double vision. A freak out about puss that had me going to my specialist just to affirm that it’s okay. And I hated the recovery period and spent time trying to remove the arm off al old pair of glasses so I could lie on my side and watch tv lol. I wasn’t in a good place, it sucked. Eye horror affected me very badly for the first ~2 years because the sight of my scarred eye freaked me out

But most of the awful bits were over within a month, maybe bits lingered for two but I honestly don’t remember.

As for longterm consequences, my right eye (that experienced the holes/detachment) is slightly worse than my left eye prescription wise but it’s not a major difference. Some peripheral vision is weaker in the sense that there are small patches at are a bit blurry. I can feel a bump where the incision was when I’m rubbing my eye sometimes.

And when I’m suuuper tired or my eyes are suuuper dry (which happens more often now but I might just be aging lmfao), sometimes the dread Black Curtain around the edge of my eye sight comes back. My specialist says it’s fine.

I went from monthly check ups to every three months to every six months but I will likely be going to some specialist at least yearly, if not twice a year, for the rest of my life.

But otherwise… life is normal. My eye doesn’t look weird, though they’re never been even even before this. I can read with both eyes open or even with my good eye closed, though perhaps the text is SLIGHTLY blurry. I can drive safely. No more holes have appeared.

Just don’t do anything that will involve potentially hitting your head. Head injuries, even mild ones, are high risk. That said I went on some roller coasters that threw my head about and I’m fine. I have no other advice—listen to your surgeon and know it’ll be okay on the other side.

We are higher risk in general for some issues down the line but four years in I haven’t hit ‘em yet so. I think we’re both gonna be okay for a while yet!

[dark-elf-writes]

So for you PYT AU, how do Inko and Oboro get married, do they just go down to the courthouse with a few people because that's all they need for their love? Or is it a sweet little backyard deal? Or is it further into Oboro career so he is making bank and they do a big do where he spoils Inko? Please I need details. Also I am envisioning Izuku as flower child.

At first I wasn’t sold that they would actually get married or if they would be the couple that just dates forever and calls each other husband and wife, but then I thought about benefits and possible issues with hero work if she isn’t his wife so yeah it would make more sense for them to be married.

The strike me as a couple that still wouldn’t rush into marriage though. Like Inko got massively screwed over in her last marriage and wasn’t even technically divorced until several years into her relationship with Oboro so I can see them having like a suuuper long engagement during which izuku just starts referring to Oboro as their dad because “my mom’s fiancé” is a god damn mouthful when you’re like ten and trying to tell a story and it’s not like they remember Hisashi being around anyway.

Oboro proposed in the most over the top way possible while still keeping it rather private. I’m talking a big family dinner at a restaurant he rented out completely, a nice walk where they were a bit in front of everyone else, candles, rose petals, biodegradable glitter and confetti poppers that Hizashi and Izuku aimed directly for both of their heads when she said yes. Incredibly romantic. Oboro is filmed on patrol with glitter stuck in his hair and the biggest grin on his face for DAYS.

The actual ceremony they would probably keep pretty small/pretty much a hero only affair. Both for security reasons and because Inko doesn’t really have any civilian friends and a lot of her coworkers weren’t the kindest after the news of their relationship dropped. Jokes on them though because after one too many glasses of wine at a gala it was learned that she, Jeanist, and surprisingly Snipe get along like a house on fire and no one knows peace again.

It is a backyard affair in the house that she and Oboro bought and he tends to the gardens on his time off as a stress relief thing. Izuku is the flower child looking completely adorable in their dress and flower crown even as they purposefully pelt their family members with flower petals because Oboro told them they could and Shouta definitely deserves it for some reason or another. Nemuri so the one that marries them as there would have been a fight trying to get her on one side of the wedding party over the other as while she might have been Oboro’s friend first her and Inko become like sisters over the years. There’s a lot of laughter and happy tears throughout the ceremony. Izuku is all but sobbing into Jeanist’s shoulder from the moment their mom gets to the altar because she looks so fucking happy. Their first kiss is with smiling lips and tears on both of their faces. Oboro immediately pulls back to grab Izuku like some sort of weird lion king scene because he did it. This is his family now.

The reception is a lot of terrible dancing and videos that get posted to social media that go viral because no one expects to see heroes act like normal fucking people/ what the hell is Lunch Rush doing that does not count as a dance but the ceremony is just for them.

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

Writer Asks!

Tagged by @stellarspecter! thanks for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

153! 142 of those are JatP, and I'm working on one that would be a really cool number 150... so maybe I gotta write 7 short ones first...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

651,798. Since 2021. Yes I have a problem.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Julie and the Phantoms and The Bright Sessions almost exclusively at this point, but I also have Percy Jackson and Supernatural fics on Ao3. Back in the day, I wrote a ton of PJO on fanfiction.net and then a handful of fics in like 8 other fandoms.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

far from hurt is where healing occurs -- JatP, Rayvor Reconciliation, 276 kudos

a crack in the ceiling (trace it back to my heart) -- JatP, juke sickfic, 237 kudos

i was fine until it was time to feel -- JatP, alex sickfic, 230 kudos

as long as i am here (no one can hurt you) -- JatP, reggie sickfic (anyone seeing a trend here?), cowrite with someone iii no longer speak toooo, 203 kudos

say what you want (but it's hard when you're young)-- JatP, other alex sickfic, 187 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! Often several months after I received them, but I always catch up eventually!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

My latest! In which I give Mark Bryant a Better Life and Different Trauma!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

My JatP Big Bang fic from last year! A lot of shit happens before we get to the happy part but it actually does end really nicely for everyone :)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I feel like I did... once... I do not remember what it was for or about and i'm pretty sure I deleted the comment. which is probably good in the long run that it happens rarely enough that i forget the details.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I occasionally write smut. I do not consider myself good at it. So I often don't post any. Closest I've got is the above linked mark bryant's different trauma fic and its like. five paragraphs in one scene.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I do! Haven't posted a ton, I don't think I have any on ao3, and a lot of what I call a crossover in my head and google docs is just a fandom crossed with ocs @joyandthephantoms and I made up and like to put places.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, and thank god, I think that would destroy me.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that would be really cool if anyone ever wants to!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Quite a few. Gonna shout out time travel with @a-tomb-with-a-view and toxic besties with @weneedglitter

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

this is an impossible question to answer. Whichever one i'm currently thinking about at any given moment :)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

this is a trick question. there are WIPs i want to finish and i probably will because i'm stubborn, and there are WIPs i doubt i will finish but mostly because i don't want to.

16. What are your writing strengths?

dialogue, character, Concepts and Images

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

description, exposition, action, setting. basically all the things you don't need in good fanfic which is why i like writing fanfic :)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

fine if the translation is really obvious from context, fine if in small doses where it wouldn't be suuuper annoying to google the translation. whole conversations i will inevitably skip, although i did read a really cool Captain America fic once where there was some German dialogue and on ao3 the paragraphs were hyperlinked so that you hovered over them and saw the translation.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Percy Jackson! my fanfiction.net accounts are still up, but don't look at them, they're not good /lh.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

not sure there's an easy answer to this! sometimes i write things just to write them and post them just to get them out of my google docs, and sometimes i write things cause the idea won't let me go, and i post them cause i'm really proud and want some validation from strangers (and friends!) on the internet. my favorite one is whichever one I'm most proud of in the moment, which is usually the one I just finished, but even the ones I feel don't hold up as well or that i could've written better, i'm still really proud of, cause i made a hat! This was fun! i haven't been active on this account for a while, but i liked getting back into the swing of things, so if anyone still looks at this blog and actually read this, feel free to send me an ask with more questions/comments about my fics! i always like talking about them :)

no-pressure tagging: @joyandthephantoms

[tleeaves]

Hi! I’m trying to befriend my favourite mutuals so I’m asking a bunch of questions to get to know you all better

What was/is your favourite subject in school? Were/are you good at it?

What country do you live in? What do you like/dislike about it?

Are you currently writing/planning an original story? If so, what is it about?

What genres of media do you usually consume? What books would you recommend to people?

What is your favourite poison?

what is your favourite method of murder (both to read about and what you would actually use)?

What patterns do you usually notice in the people that you hang out with?

Can I message you?

Hi, darling!! Love these questions, thank you so much for sending them through 🥺 Honoured to be considered a favourite mutual.

My favourite subject was absolutely English. It was my top subject when I graduated as well, and I was definitely good at it. I wasn't always though. I actually had trouble reading as a kid. I didn't even really like reading until I got to around 10 years old. And I had a few rough years in high school where no matter how hard I tried in English classes, I could have sworn two teachers in particular were out to give me a hard time for a couple years (to the point where I was nearly averaging on a D in their classes, whereas all other years I was a straight A student in English, including my final years, so the contrast is still weird to look back on, considering nothing substantial actually changed in my learning between those years).

Australia! I like the environment here, generally, not just in terms of vibes from folk but also nature. I do like that where I am in particular they seem to try and incorporate more greenery into built up areas. I dislike our education system deeply and the fact that geographically we're split off from much of the world.

Yes, I am! Both writing and planning (have done so much planning over the years, vaguely, went to write, and realised I needed an outline, and I'm still finishing that up so I can continue the writing part). It's about the sacrifices we make to protect what we care about, essentially. It's also what I would consider high fantasy (though it's technically a blend between high/historical fantasy and low fantasy). Also, horror and romance elements because it's not my work without a bit of horror and some romance at this point (sue me, this stuff goes hand in hand so well sometimes).

Genres of media: dark fantasy (so not outright horror but also too dark to be purely what you might just call fantasy), historical drama, aaand romance (but it's usually mixed in with something else because I struggle to read straight up romance). Books I recommend people are usually tailored to what I know of their interests. Will usually try to squeeze in something by V.E. Schwab though.

Ooh. Good question. Assuming you're talking about actual poison and not just a drink (drink: mocha) it would have to be mistletoe. It's not suuuper effective in small doses, I know, but hear me out: it's a hemiparasitic plant and there's been debates over whether it can be considered a carnivorous plant because of how it feeds off a host plant (tree). I can't remember whether it was argued that it could have been a passive or active trap, though I guess it doesn't really matter, because in the end it's really not carnivorous at all. Still! Toxic to consume. Vomiting and so on. Possible death etc.

Hmm, favourite method. I love poisonings, actually, because they're interesting to orchestrate in stories and can make for dramatic symptom reveals and realisations (and I've written them before too, but reading is just as fun). And, to be honest, I'm pretty shitty at writing other sorts of death scenes BUT oh you know what goes hard?? A good old fashioned stabbing where Character A leans into it and Character B to whisper one last thing -- usually something that holds a lot of weight. THAT is brilliant. I have one of those planned to write. Really excited for it.

People I hang out with are massive nerds. Okay, more seriously... I don't know. I hang out with a variety of people, because I also have a wide array of interests and so I tend to meld into different groups at a time. That's why I say nerds. I like to be around people who care a lot about Very Specific Things. Oh, well, they're also often neurodivergent, so there's that. I find it difficult to get along with people who are so chill about everything and give off the vibe that they have no personality and or passion.

Absolutely you can message me!!

[pink-pony-grrrl]

femcel loser complains about her friends

So basically last year my friend group had a huuuge fight. it used to be 10 of us but the fight split us up and now there's 4 of us. Me, Sophie, Aster and Noah are the ppl in mu current junior friend group. Sophie and Noah started dating literally on the first day of school this year. Ever since they started dating, sophie has stopped talking to me. Like not completely but they literally have no clue whats going on in my life rn. We used to be suuuper close and now we're js so distant and its almost painful to talk to them bc its so dry and our convos have 0 substance. Aster has had a crush on this one girl for like months and sophie didnt find out until yesterday bc they literally ignore aster and i at lunch and play fucking ROBLOX. Today aster was taking the APUSH exam nd wasnt at lunch. My mom works in the area and i asked her if she wanted to have lunch w me. We sat down at this small dominican restaurant and had lunch tg. It was quiet but not awkward. some kids from my sch were there and i literally could have not cared less. I went back inside the building w ten mins left and sat w sopha (sophie and noah). They were ignoring me and not talking to me and i felt so bad. they were playing roblox the entire time and didnt even ask me how i was. i dont see myself talking to either of them after highschool. ive tried talking and it literally didnt work. i have a group of senior friends and theyre the only friends i hang out w (minus my band and library friends) i hang w outside of school. theyre the only people who have acc cared ab me even if they do make me feel broke af. they acc are wondering how im doing and ho my life has been. siiiiigh i wish i went to sch my w spacehey friends instead. literally my junior friends dont care ab me. if i was prettier i think more people would care about me and not brush me off as some weirdo whos always listening to music. i wish i was normal and pretty i hate this!!!

[cyanlastride]

can i tell you a story? for my own good, not yours. you have no obligation to listen.

im warning you now, its an unpleasant one.

the summer before grade 10, i made the best choice of my life. i was feeling a bit lonely, and inspired by my dad to try playing D&D. finding myself lacking real-life friends -- it was the summer, you see, the most barren and socially isolating time of the year, beating even christmas break -- i took to Roll20, an online forum where people meet and start TTRPG groups, dnd5e being chief among them. now, i grew up very closely to the internet. club penguin, nexuiz/xonotic, planeshift, i grew up socializing with people online quite often. but internet forums, even as dull as reddit, werent really my thing. hell, i only got this tumblr account recently. so, making the spur of the moment decision to make a roll20 account and reply to an LFG for new players was really quite a leap for me. a complete shot in the dark.

but it paid off. we had a bit of a rocky start after our first GM ran off never to be seen again, but one of the players stepped up to be our new GM and we played almost every week for almost a year and a half. i forged a strong bond with both the players and the characters -- at the time, i didnt really distinguish between the two. we had some close calls, a lot of near misses, and my character even died once. our party had two paladins, and i was one of them, so resurrection wasnt too big of a deal. eventually, though, we bite off more than we could chew, and land in some pretty hot water. specifically, an underground church full of rats. how we ended up there and the mighty battle that took place are wonderful and thrilling stories for another day. we had to stop the session mid-battle, i dont remember why, but we picked it up the week after. when we came back, we were prepared to fight to the last. if either myself or the other paladin survived, we could resurrect the party with the diamonds on the iron band i had forged around my wrist. if any of the other party members survived, they could bring the bodies up to the surface and get help. we just had to win the fight.

now, being a new player playing pretty much a pre-gen'd paladin, i went the standard plate armour plus sword and board. this made my AC suuuper high, enough that enemies could only really hit me on a roll of 18+. also, if they rolled a nat 20 against me, i had a magic shield that would absorb some of the blow and actually heal myself and my allies for a couple turns. so the only way they can actually hurt me reliably is if they rolled 18 or 19. i was facing off against some random rogue that i didnt know and didnt care to know. if i landed one solid hit on this lady, i could smite her into oblivion. she was a goon, basically.

a goon that rolled three 19s in a row.

a goon that killed me, and any chance i had of saving my friends.

rolling an 18 or a 19 on a 20 sided die is 1/10. rolling three in a row is (1/10)^3, or 1/1000. one in a thousand. that sounds small, right?

fate and chance make mockeries of our lives more often than anyone cares to admit.

we kept playing after that, made new characters, but the loss was real. that probably sounds stupid, especially to people that have had real people close to them die, but to me, my closest friends of the past year were gone because of a stupid chance.

ive taken small risks more seriously since then. i dont drive, and i stare drivers in the eye when i cross the street. im not scared of dying, but i want to see it coming.

when covid started, i spent a lot of time staring death in the face.

not my own death. i was/am unlikely to die from covid. i barely even go outside enough to be at risk of catching a cold. im young, and im healthy.

my parents are older, and less healthy. my mom is a highschool teacher.

ive spent the last 4 years thinking every so often about what i would do if they died. ive treated it as a real possibility that something could happen to them. ive been mentally preparing myself. even now that we're mostly out of the covid danger zone, that preparation remains.

i never considered what might happen if only one of them fell ill. when my dad messaged me that my mom was going into emergency surgery, i could handle that. when my mom was moved into the ICU, i was glad. she is getting the care she needs from experts and professionals, and shes doing okay.

when we get the call that my dad's father, who lives in a resthome in another city, hasnt been seen in two days and that the ambulance just drove away without loading anyone in the back, i can handle that. to be honest i really didnt know my pappa that well.

when my dad, my stoic old dad, breaks into tears after starting the sentence "they can't both die..."

thats harder.

one in a thousand.

its not as small as you think it is.

thank you for listening. my mom, my dad, myself, we're going to be okay.

[sweetsweetnothin]

Best Laid Plans pt. 2

Remus Lupin x Reader (gn)

Read part one here!

Summary: After successfully sneaking out of the house, reader and Remus take a stroll down to the shore to watch the sunrise. This is very gentle and fluffy. If u live by or frequent the coast you'll know this is just the feeling of autumn by the ocean. Enjoy part 2, this got quite long :)

Warnings: None, maybe like thalassophobia (the ocean). Very slight angst, Remus misses his mum.

Wordcount: 3.2k

Before Remus realises, you’ve led him to a small break in the treeline that borders your vast property. He notices that this is the entrance to a proper trail as he spots a small hand painted sign nailed to a tree on his right. It has a bright floral border and a simple arrow indicating that they move forward. 

“So this is like, a hike or something? Or are you taking me out here at the break of dawn to murder me?” he says looking down at you. 

“I’m murdering you, yeah.” you respond, swaying your hands between his as you walk past the sign and into the mossy trail. The sky was changing again. Now a dull blue-grey that was becoming slowly obscured by the thick cover of the canopy above.  

“Aw. Damn today? I think I’ve got plans later.. Think we could maybe push the murder to tomorrow? My schedule is suuuper tight right now..” He says, glancing at you with that silly smirk on his face. You huff and decide to play along.

“Oh.. oh okay. Hmm you know what you should get in contact with my secretary.” you pretend to think for a second. “He’s super busy though, great guy you might actually know him… tall scruffy bloke.” You look at him and he chuckles at your description. “I think he has a thing for me though.” you respond. 

When you look at him again his eyes are forward, on the trail but glossy, and he’s smiling through his speech when he answers. 

“Wow. Super unprofessional. You should do something about that.” 

“Yeah you know how workplace relationships go. Would be awkward for sure.” You say, watching the trail as well. You bump his shoulder familiarly and continue walking in comfortable silence. Just the two of you like this is nice, away from the house you relax a little and adjust your grip on Remus’ hand. You feel him shift slightly beside you and glance up at him, catching his gaze. His head snaps forward sharply and blushes, his ears going slightly red.

“What.” you ask coyly.

“Just you.” he says, looking away bashfully. 

That’s always his response when you catch him staring. Just you. 

You never really know what he means, it’s different every time but you know that asking him to elaborate would be silly, sure that he wouldn’t be able to put all that he’s thinking into words. You shake your head like you always do and Remus squeezes your hand for a moment. A wordless I love you. 

Continuing forward, you remember your way well enough but of course the trail is slightly different each time you walk it. Plants and trees slightly larger than last time you were there, the moss under your feet was slightly fuller. It was truly beautiful this time of year, you’d come at just the right time. The leaves were just starting to change, most still green and yellow but others a deep orange, every once and a while a stray leaf would float down from the canopy and land on the trail ahead of you. In addition to the rest of the house, your Nan had also put love and care into the maintenance of this trail. You knew there were some complicated charms that kept the path in line, never letting it become too overgrown, and every few trees, she had strung great big clam shells to smaller branches as trail markers. There were smaller things strung up through the trees as well. Little bottles, shells, holes with stones, and anything else that had washed up on the shore over the years. 

You had been walking for nearly ten minutes, and you knew there would be one last turn before you reached your destination. As you neared a fork in the trail you couldn’t help but glance at Remus every few seconds, watching him crane his head up at the gentle tinkle of sea shells suspended from the branches overhead. 

“Brilliant.” he says softly. His pupils are wide again and he stops in the middle of the fork. One path to the right, one to the left. 

“Which way.” he asks and you pause with him, putting a finger to your lips and hugging his arm rightly in your own. 

“Just listen for a second.” you say and look around. He does, closing his eyes for a moment to focus. You can hear it if you really listen, the dense, rhythmic crashing of great waves on the rocky shore. From this distance the slight echo through the woods sounds like a great voice, but gentle. A hush of a mother to a fretting child. A feeling of great calm comes over you and you see the moment he hears it too and glances to the right, looking at you brightly. 

You nod in reply and move to follow him down the new path, adjusting the bag on your back slightly. It’s gotten heavier, you think as you catch up to his long strides, slipping your hand easily back into his. 

“Suppose we must be getting close to this mystery spot soon,” he says after a moment. 

“Though I am enjoying this walk, don’t get any ideas.” 

“Yeah not long now, I feel like the moment isn’t going to be as cool as I thought it would, I've hyped it up too much.” you say lowly, looking at the ground.

The trail was changing slowly from dirt and moss to a clover spotted grass, seemingly freshly cut. You see the path start to curve slightly to the left and the trees become even more sparse. A gust of salty sea wind suddenly surged up the path from a break in the trees, ruffling yours and Remus’s hair and jackets, you shiver slightly and begin to feel the electric pull of the ocean. A few more paces and as the path straightens out the trees on your right side fade out completely, revealing the startling view. Remus stops suddenly and gasps, taking it all in. 

The view was astounding, Remus had hardly noticed the trail sloping uphill, at least it must have as the two of you were now standing on the edge of a great rocky cliff. The path ahead twisted and turned down and down to a small beach carved into the little inlet. He understood now the reason for the early wake up call too, and mentaly noted how precisely you must have timed this. The sun was only just creeping up over the grey expanse of ocean ahead of him, slightly fuzzy in the morning fog, it lit the whole scene in a gentle pink glow. This is how the world looks in dreams, he thinks. Fuzzy and warm, and you’re there looking up at him, eyes round and expectant. He looks out again and is suddenly overcome with emotion. Tears prick the corner of his eyes and he stares into the horizon, eyes glossy.

 Maybe it’s the sheer vastness of the landscape, or the power of the ocean, or the fact that you planned this all for him. A sunrise walk to a special and very private place, one that clearly meant a lot to you. Perhaps it was the fact that you knew him well enough to know that he would genuinely enjoy this. A quiet outing without any particular purpose or meaning,  completely (seemingly) spontaneous. A giant, nonverbal loveletter from you to him. Here’s how well I know you, how much I love you. 

You sigh contently beside him and bump his shoulder lightly. 

“What’s up doc? You okay?” you ask gently, already knowing his answer. It comes out with a gentle sigh as he takes your hand again and starts to lead you down the path towards the small beach. 

“Yeah. Just you.’”

The walk down to the shore could be treacherous at times, you remember, but with Remus’s steady form beside you, you both make it down unscathed. Letting go of his hand, you break away, twirling around a few times, arms outstretched and face to the sky. You move further down, stopping in an area where the sand is more sand and less rock. You draw your wand and with a flourish, conjure a small patchy quilt. It flutters slowly to the ground and lands evenly, the edges staying put with the help of some clever spell tweaking despite the occasional gust of sharp wind. Another flick of your wrist and two plates, glasses, cutlery, and napkins appear. You lug the bag off your back and set it down in the centre of the quilt, sitting down cross legged in front of your own table setting. You watch Remus observe, a fond smile on his face, then move to join you. 

He sits down with a huff and moves to open your rucksack, then stops, glancing at you for a silent go ahead. You smile and nod slightly. He reaches inside and pulls out the smaller paper bag, chuckling at the note scribbled on the front. He pulls the small bottle first, freshly squeezed orange juice you had picked up from a local bakery yesterday, along with two crisp and flakey croissants, shining with a butter glaze. He smiles and shakes his head as he pulls the last two items from the bag. A small container full to the brim with various cut fruits, and another container of brie. The simple food of generations of poets, philosophers, artists and muses alike, he could think of no greater place to indulge in this simple pleasure.

“You spoil me, darling.” He says deeply, setting aside the bag and moving to arrange his goods across the blanket. He opens the container of fruit and grabs a shining, almost black cherry. You watch him eagerly, pupils wide, as he leans over and taps your chin gently with his unoccupied hand. You oblige and open your mouth, maintaining steady eye contact as he places the fruit gently on your tongue. You pull away, and with a gentle pop, leave him holding the thin stem between his fingers. He pauses, looks at it for a moment before smirking and putting it in his own mouth. 

You watch him, amused, as he manoeuvres it around with his tongue, using his teeth as a brace, attempting to tie a knot. You didn’t know he could do this but weren’t surprised. He  steadily held your gaze as he triumphantly pulled the stem from his teeth. Holding it out for you, dropped the small heart shaped knot into your open palm. 

“That was obscene, love.” You say and toss the cherry’s pit to the sand behind you. You look down at the stem for a moment again, then place it delicately in your pocket. 

“And you deserve this. All of this. I mean it.”  you add, poking him gently. And his smug smile is coloured slightly with the blush creeping over his cheeks. He looks down. Remus could  get so down on himself sometimes, and you knew that he just needed reminding every once and a while, that he was worth it. 

“You know, you’re the first person I’ve ever brought out here.” You tell him, gazing through your lashes. 

“Besides my family of course. I don’t know… it sounds silly to gatekeep, like, a place but yeah, couldn’t take just anyone out here.” You say, blushing slightly. 

“To murder, you mean.” he responds quickly, gazing out into the now bright sky. 

“Ha.” you say dully. 

“How about thanks babe! For the wonderful picnic and sentimental moment we’re sharing! You should be worried, you know, out here all alone on a trail you don’t know, far away from civilization… anything could happen.” you add sarcastically, earning you a small poke in the ribs. 

“Thank you.” He says, gazing now directly at you. He does this sometimes, looks extra long and hard at you to let you know that he really means what he’s saying, a softness in his eyes that only comes out when he looks at you. A warm smile returns to his face as you nod and motion to the spread in front of you. 

“Alright. Let's eat then.” 

And you do, polishing off the fruit, cheese, and bread quickly. All the while looking out at the sky and sea and each other, occasionally pointing out a bird diving sharply into the water, or the soft lap of an ambiguous fin slapping waves into the tide. After magically vanishing any stray crumbs, Remus stands and swipes the sand off his hands. He holds out a lean hand and you take it, standing with him and following his gaze. Even with the sun fully risen, the weather had stayed stubbornly grey and foggy. Not unusual, but you had never been out at  this time of day. The sky and water had blended together almost perfectly with the help of the morning mist. It was surreal and slightly unnerving, a perpetual sea that stretched up and up, all encompassing. 

“It’s just so compelling, I can’t explain it.” he says softly, you almost couldn't hear him over the waves. 

“Like, I understand why sailors sing about the sea and all her wonders, you know? And there is something, like, super feminine about it too. I don’t know.” he says, not looking at you. His eyes are shiny, and you’re about to ask why when he mumbles softly. 

“Making me miss my mum, i- i can’t really… explain it.” 

You let out a soft “aw” and move quickly to face him directly, placing your hands softly on his waist and looking up at him. He stares past you a moment longer before meeting your gaze, eyes full of unshed tears. He blinks them away quickly then takes your face in his hands. 

“Not in a sad way, don’t worry, just. Feeling-feeling that everything is going to be okay. Feels like being with mum.” he looks out again and smiles, pulling your head into his chest. He kisses the top of your head fondly, and you decide you don’t need to say anything at this moment. Just being here would be enough. 

After a moment he lets go and sighs. 

“Thank you.” he says.

“Again?” arch a brow, looking up, glad his temporary sadness seems to have passed. 

“Yeah. Always. Every day. Thank you.” 

He looks down at his watch and raises his brows. 

“Christ! It’s nearly eight!” he looks at you, a wide grin creeping across his face. 

“Think they’ve noticed we’re gone yet?” you ask, drawing your wand and with a swish and vanishing the quilt and dishes. You move to pick up the now empty backpack but Remus beats you to it. You shoot him a mock glare but don’t complain when he takes your hand and responds. 

“Doubt it. Lily might be up soon but the others will probably be asleep. Lazy gits.” 

As the two of you walk slowly hand in hand back up the beach you feel a warm weight in your chest, grateful all your planning had paid off and grateful that Remus had gotten a chance to enjoy himself. He stops before you get to the established trail, now a daunting, twisty walk uphill, and turns toward the sea one last time. With misty eyes, he looks back at you and nods forward. You comply, wordlessly following,beginning  the upward trek back to your sleeping friends. 

Before you know it you’ve passed the fork in the road and have emerged back into the meadow. The hill slopes slowly downward toward the old house, a single window you knew to be one of the upstairs bathrooms lit up in the misty grey morning. 

“Thank you for the outing, darling.” Remus says quietly as you near the back door. 

“I’d absolutely do it again, just give some notice next time it’s that early, yeah?”

“Really? Wasn’t too boring? We should bring the gang out there if we get some sun any time soon.” you ask, and swing open the back door, standing back to let Remus through first. 

“Boots please,babe” you say softly, toeing off your own now muddy boots.

 He does as you say and opens his mouth to respond when he's interrupted by a creak in the floorboards, then soft footsteps and Lily’s soft voice from the direction of the kitchen. 

“Bring us out where?” She chimes cheekily, emerging with a cup of steaming tea in hand and a paper tucked under her arm. 

“Sneaking out, were we?” she asks, mock stern. “Thought you could just get back in without anyone noticing?” 

“Well we got out all right, didn't we?” you quip. “Relax mum, we were just over the hill. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I’m bringing the rest of you lot out there soon.” 

Lily hums and gives the two of you a knowing smile, shaking her head slightly before going back upstairs, no doubt to read more comfortably in bed. 

You stifle a yawn and turn to Remus yawning as well, the early wake up and long was starting to catch up to the two of you, and you blinked slowly at each other a few times. 

“We could go back to bed, you know, catch up on those crucial few hours of sleep we missed.” You say through a yawn. 

“Sounds good to me, honestly.” he yawns back through a smile. 

“Actually think we’ve got a crucial appointment in there later on. I'd have to check that schedule I so dutifully arrange for you, though. Could go into the office early… get a head start.” he adds, guiding you slowly back up the stairs, that boyish smirk back in his face.  

“I suppose I could allow it.” you say blearily as you follow him back to bed. You were satisfied that the morning played out exactly as you had planned, and knew that Remus was as well. In the now dull grey light of your room you plop down heavily into the bed and gaze, dazed, up at the ceiling. 

The day had only just begun and already, you felt more content than you had in a long, long while. Curled into Remus’s strong embrace, you close your eyes and finally drift off into an easy sleep, dreaming of soft leaves falling gently into the swirling tide beyond your window. 

Thank u so much for reading! Is my first fic complete so feeling very accomplished. PLS let me know what you think and thanks again:)