#and see some of the damage their causing by being so hell bent on their ship

[ultratradmalewife]

I feel like something is shifting… kinda

The Buddie shippers on Twitter are backtracking but not fully. They all of a sudden care about Buck’s bisexuality and don’t care if he’s with a man or not, but still don’t like Tommy (not that it matters I’m glad they’re finally waking up to celebrating Buck, but this after all the homophobia they spewed), and they’re telling each other not to pay attention to interviews and for reporters to stop asking about Buddie… What’s happening?

[writingoddess1125]

The Jessica Rabbit Effect (Shorts)

Buggy Headcanon+story. Buggy x Reader

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This is a series of random thoughts from the Jessica Rabbit Series

Buggy likes to be the little spoon at times, so if he's had a bad day will cuddle against his darling wife and let her take care of him.

You often have to do Buggy's hair. Since its a wild mess at the best of times when he returns from see its a bit of a ritual for him to shower, get into his favorite pants and sit between your thighs as you brush out his hair.

Has bitten your Thigh- earning a playful smack of the comb

Sometimes he will sing for you- He actually has a lovely singing voice but you'll be the only one to hear it.

Surprisngly decent at cooking- Hes no chef but sure as hell can make one hell of a breakfast sandwich.

YOU are the secret Perv of the relationship, Most would assume its Buggy but its actually You.

You had been stalking your prey for the last 5 minutes, Buggy was currently going through some crates he had kept in the closet- saying something about a old hat of sorts. It was the perfect angle however-

However he was unaware of his wife slowly stepping forwards him as he bent over once more to dig deeper in the box-

Closer...

Maybe right overrr..

Buggy Yelled suddenly as he felt fingers dig into the flesh of his ass as he turned and heard you cackle and quickly dash away as he gives chase.

He often returns from his sailing with gifts of whatever you like. Jewlery? More Sewing stuff? Books? Whatever you want he will snag for you.

You two secretly read raunchy novels together, Sometimes you will send him a book while he is away and he will read it at night before bed. Before sending one of his own-

Often resulting in the two of you speaking about the books in depth when together good or bad-

Buggy Takes care of you since you are more likely to burn out-

EXTRA! (Short Story)

You'd been hard at work, it seemed your business had been really taking off with now your two most demanding customers Sir Mihawk and Sir Crocodile. Who seemed to not only be picky about their fabrics but also seemed to damage their clothes constantly! You'd been busy to say the least.

Right now was no exception, You were standing in the Livingroom of yur home adding a few final buttons to a coat of Sir Crocodile, Letting your mind wonder as you worked tirelessly to have it completed before the morning-

As you worked you felt a hand touch your waist, giving a loud shrill yell as you spun around and swung-

"OW! What the hell!?" Your husbands voice sounded as you managed to whack his nose with a open palm. Buggy seemed to have just sailed in, still in his hat and coat and now rubbing his now sore nose with a frown-

"Im so sorry darling! I didnt realize it was you here let me get a pack for your nose-" You started, still coming down from the fright your husband had given you and went to flutter away to get a ice pack, However Buggy stopped you and pulled you close. Examming your face closely and frowning.

"Forget it- What are you doing up so late anyway? You should still be asleep.. You look tired-"

He grumbled, catching your look of confusion.

"Early? Its only- Um" You look to the large clock and blink in surprise at seeing the time. 1:37am!?

"O-Oh i guess I lost track of time an-"

"Did you eat dinner!?" Buggy cut you off again seeing your little work table and spotting only half finished tea and almost a finished pastry, most likely from the morning before- You bit your lip in embarrassment not even having the voice to say anything at being caught.

With a etched frown Buggy suddenly hoisted you up to his shoulder causing a loud yelp to leave you.

"Buggy!" You yell as you are carried like a sack to your shared master bedroom, red faced from the action.

"Buggy I still have to finish Crocodiles Coat an- EEP!"

A full palmed smack hit your behind from, Buggy- Cutting off your tirade as you felt your brain short circuit for a moment. Buggy walked into the master bathroom and set you on the counter, grumbling to himself as he started up a bath and went to your bedroom to start grabbing clothes.

"Buggy Boo-"

You started again but his hand floated to you and placed a finger to your lips.

"Id start undressing if I were you! Cause If I do it I may get handsy!"

Buggy called out from the bedroom as he grabbed more clothes. His free floating hand making a grabbing motion to your chest as if to give warning- You couldn't help but let a laugh out at this as you pushed his hand away playfully and slid off the countertop and getting undressed.

Setting your clothes in the hamper as Buggy came back in the bathroom with fresh PJs and already in his boxers only. He eyes looking over your figure in desire, Making you blush of course. Setting the clothes down Buggy removed his Boxers with dramatic flare of course and climbed in the water first, turning it off in the process as his other hand detached and guided you in with care. You leaning back against Buggy's chest and sighing in delight at the hot water. The stress already melting away as the two of you sat and soaked.

After a little while the two of you began to wash up, Buggy putting your hair up as the comforting silence and occasional splash of water from rinsing could be heard.

After the two of you smelled like sweet apple soap and the hot water had cooled to warm the both of you got out. Buggy taking the time to dry you off with a big fluffy towel while you braided his hair so it wouldn't tangle.

Getting dressed you walked into the bedroom and plopped onto the bed, starting to finally feel tired as Buggy laid next to you. His hands however leaving the room-

"Better?" Buggy asked as he looked at you, you leaning over and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Much, Thank you darling" You smile, just to glance over and see his hands returning with a series of items half hazard. A box of crackers, some cured meat, a few apples and some random half eaten cheese blocks. Paired with a knife of course you assume from his belt.

"Dinner of champions!" Buggy boasted, cracking open the wine bottle and handing it to you, rolling your eyes playfully as you took a sip.

The two of you seated on your marital bed, drinking straight from a wine bottle and eating the simple meal, chatting away about random topics.

"So you think the treasure is further south?" You ask, Buggy nodding as he took another bit of cheese and crackers in his mouth as he spoke with his mouth full cutting some meat for you and passing it over. "I 'Hink Cap Jo'n hit it und'er som' seri's of i'slands sout-" (I think Capt John hid it under some series of islands south).

"A Yellow VELVET Shirt!?" Buggy said dramatically making you laugh as you took some apple into your mouth and nodded. Buggy face scrunching up in disgust. "Come On, I'm a clown and I think that's tacky! Even for Crocodile!" You start to laugh as buggy passes the now half empty bottle to you.

Laughter and Chatter filled the bedroom till around 3am, when Buggy set the leftovers of the impromptu meal on the nightstand, the empty wine bottle on the floor and cuddled you close. Pressing you against his neck as you two felt exhaustion take you.

"Your not working for the next few days.. Gonna Burn Out-" Buggy mumbled as he felt your breath even out and cuddle closer to him. You nod "Fine.. But same goes to you" You yawn, Buggy patting your arm in agreement.

"Deal.. Now sleep" He grumbled closing his eyes.

"I love you Bugs"

"I love you More.."

[hana-no-seiiki]

SOME YANDERE FLUFF TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY.

// fantasy creature cruelty. yandere themes. heteronormative society (sort of?? both your paternal and maternal grandparents come in hetero pairs)

I don’t know if you guys read my yan! father fic yet but do go check out @yoru-no-seiiki for it (Unless you’re a minor cause that acc doesn’t allow those) as it happens in the same universe(ish) as this one.

So by now you’ve already met yan! father.

BUT WHAT ABOUT CUTE HIGH FANTASY YAN! GRANDPARENTS AND OLD MENTOR.

(honestly would love to see my moot’s takes on yan! grandparents so if ya’ll see this. it’s not only a sign but a call to aid plez)

mostly based off of mairimashita iruma kun’s sullivan, your YAN! PATERNAL GRANDPA and GRANDMA spoil you a shit ton.

YAN! P! GRANDPA is more on the type to spoil you physically/monetarily. If you have a need or even the slightest hint of desire for something, consider it received. He has saved so much of your drawings and if you happen to be the kid who drew monsters/weird abominations as a child then ya boi definitely has frankensteined some into being. His creations happened to net him a ton of money which he spent all on you as ‘thanks’ but everyone knows it’s just cause he’s infatuated with his cute grandchild.

YAN! P! GRANDMA leans heavily on the ‘unhealthily allowing this kid(you and yan!dad) to do whatever you want and even encouraging it’ sort of parenting. She taught how to kill and do it efficiently as a young child. Uncaring of whatever prophecies schmofeces oracles have of your future. She will make you into an indestructible machine and is hell-bent on it. … You have probably ingested a lot of poison from her cookies as a way to built immunity to the stuff.

Now your maternal grandparents are a lot let on the damaging side but are still pretty over the top.

Your YAN! MATERNAL GRANDPA loves showing off. He’s probably like a war general with many wives and sees love as ‘you worship/admire me’ which he sorta maybe passed unto you. He’s kind of like a caveman and believes a show of strength is in order to be successful. So there’s a lot of him flexing and challenging YAN! PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS to a duel.

Only for YAN! PATERNAL GRANDMA to swiftly have his ass wipe the floor.

YAN! MATERNAL GRANDMA is a jaded woman. She never loved her husband and had always wanted to flee the family and high society until you came along. I see her as the old version of those Manhwa female protags that have rebirthed multiple times and is just tired of the shitty life they’ve been dealt with. She’s incredibly knowledgeable on fashion, trends and the industry as a whole. She’ll make sure you look good at every turn. Maybe even start trends of your own. It doesn’t matter your body type and if isn’t what’s in at the moment, she’ll make it the moment. Unlike the paternal grandma and her husband, she would never put you in harms way. Even extending your time with her so you don’t have to do those barbaric acts with the others.

And then there’s YAN! MENTOR who swore to never have another child under him ever again. The last time he did that, said child (your father) destroyed his precious astrology tower and had him imprisoned for 5 years for a thing he never even did. Sure, 5 years is nothing for thousand or so year old man but boy was he pissed off.

YAN! MATERNAL GRANDPA had to threaten him to have you and YAN! MENTOR is almost thankful that he did.

YAN! MENTOR believes you to be his best student. It definitely did not start off that way. He thought that a prissy, spoiled brat like you would leave the moment he gave you a difficult task but you surprised him with your tenacity. Throughout all his trials for you, you always came out at top, if not persevered until your body couldn’t handle it anymore.

He definitely wants you to kill your dad as compensation though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up writing him as the reason why you plotted to end the dude’s life.

To keep things fluffy, let’s say in this timeline, he saves you from your dad’s entourage and adopts you.

Your YAN! GRANDPARENTS definitely riot but all are mature enough to understand the situation in the end.

will write more on this on the future but for now, i gotta go! byeeee!!

[teufelsabbiss]

Story-idea: de-aged OG!SQQ

(eventual Liu Qingge/Yue Qingyuan/Shen Qingqiu)

Can't be the only one who'd love to see a de-aged, amnesiac Shen Qingqiu bite someone's hand out of possessive over-protectiveness, because they dared to threaten (or just touch) Yue Qingyuan. Especially if most of the other peak lords see this.

Anyway, this is what sparked this story idea.

Shen Qingqiu hasn't been well for a while already and then gets into a big argument during a peak lord meeting, which causes him to suffer a qi-deviation. He ends up de-aged to his 12 or 13 year old self and only remembers what happened up to that point.

And holy shit, this is very clearly the opposite of a spoiled rich kid. He's malnourished, neglected and possibly mistreated. He also clearly speaks (and curses) like a street urchin. It's a pretty big shock to his fellow peak lords.

Except for Yue Qingyuan, who immediately tries shielding him from the others. Which isn't going too well at first, seeing how tall, strong men usually spell danger to Shen Jiu. Some of the others try with the best of intentions to get a hold of him to prevent more harm, like him tripping off the rainbow bridge or having an even worse qi-deviation etc. But naturally he's trying to run away from everyone who does. It gets very chaotic, until Yue Qingyuan draws Xuan Su an inch out of its sheath and stops any further shenanigans.

After that, Shen Jiu has a good look at his face and recognizes him as the adult Qi-ge. That Shen Jiu is still wearing (and tripping over) his own too big robes makes it easier for him to believe that he somehow de-aged. Then he pretty much hides in Yue Qingyuan's embrace.

Everyone always questioned why the sect leader is so partial toward Shen Qingqiu and how they first met. Now, with how they interact, they strongly suspect the two grew up together. Which means everyone realizes that Yue Qingyuan is likely a former street child as well. Contrary to Yue Qingyuan's expectations this actually makes them more appreciative of his accomplishments and friendship.

But now Mu Qingfang has to make sure drawing Xuan Su didn't cause lingering damage. Which in turn makes Shen Qingqiu question what's wrong. He's only getting an abridged version, but that's already enough for extreme concern and vile curses against Yue Qingyuan's shizun. Everyone is really shocked and baffled how much he actually cares about the person he usually couldn't even speak five phrases to before flying off the handle.

As for Shen Qingqiu, his qi-deviation was severe. No one can say for sure whether the de-aging will revert back or is permanent. For the time being it's best to assume it's the latter. He has to completely start over with his cultivation. And here comes the next big surprise for the others – Shen Qingqiu has outstanding talent. No wonder he was so salty about his comparably mediocre abilities before...

He can't perform his peak lord duties until he trained up to it again. Qing Jing is run by teachers, hallmasters and occasionally the other peak lords. There are no new disciples accepted and Shen Qingqiu is re-tracing and re-learning most things from his personal library. Most of the time he is on Qiong Ding, partly because he wants to be close to Qi-ge and partly because Yue Qingyuan is too worried to leave him alone on Qing Jing. It's also awesome for both to just enjoy being together without the misunderstandings and resentment poisoning them. Finally everything seems to go well.

Shen Qingqiu can't help admiring his Qi-ge. He's become so much more attractive as an adult. He already was in love before, but now these feelings get a lot more pronounced over the years.

Then Liu Qingge decides to teach Shen Qingqiu proper fight etiquette and gets more than he bargained for. Because Shen Qingqiu unexpectedly develops feelings for him as well. Instead of a treacherous viper threatening to kill him, he now seemingly has a smitten troublesome gremlin hell-bent on future marriage to deal with. Hearing that Shen Qingqiu is exclusively into men is yet again flipping assumptions about him.

Shen Qingqiu is rather torn about having feelings for someone other than Qi-ge in the beginning. But then he decides he wants both! He has always been greedy, why stop now? It doesn't take much convincing for Yue Qingyuan to agree to marry him later. Liu Qingge is a harder nut to crack, but he's immortal and Shen Qingqiu will be soon again as well, so he's ready for a long courtship.

When Luo Binghe joins the sect, he's accepted into Qiong Ding. He and Shen Qingqiu have a complicated relationship. Luo Binghe is very confused and a bit intimidated by knowing this teenager, who is only a few years older than him, is a peak lord who had an accident. And Shen Qingqiu thinks Luo Binghe is too naive and a pushover who needs to learn to stand up for himself. His brand of tough love and help is sadly sparking feelings in Luo Binghe that will ultimately stay unrequited.

Shen Qingqiu's courtship of Liu Qingge naturally includes gifts. Among other things a trinket of some kind that alerts him should Liu Qingge be in trouble. He has to more or less be bullied into taking it with him into the Lingxi caves, but it ends up saving his life. Shen Qingqiu knows something bad happens the moment the qi-deviation starts and he can alert Yue Qingyuan to go in and help. This finally fully convinces Liu Qingge that the courting isn't a long-running ploy. He's more receptive to the courting after this, even though the whole situation is still very strange.

Sha Hualing attacks the sect and is pretty handily defeated in the three matches. Shen Qingqiu wins the first fight, Luo Binghe is eager to impress him and barges in to fight Sha Hualing. Since he's very well trained, he wins. Shen Qingqiu sent a message to Liu Qingge as soon as the attack happened and he rushes out of seclusion to arrive just in time to easily win the third match and, with the combined attack of the others, chase the rest of the demons away.

Shen Qingqiu is drawn into Luo Binghe's dream realm and aids him, thus inadvertently strengthening Luo Binghe's romantic feelings towards him. Shen Qingqiu has no idea this is the case.

Shen Qingqiu accompanies Liu Qingge on his hunts and missions quite often. It's good practice for Shen Qingqiu's duties and opportunity to get closer. Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge get more fond of each other as well during this time. This makes Shen Qingqiu stress over losing both at first, but once they reassure him they intend to marry him as well as each other, this is alright for him.

Years later, both Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe are attending the Immortal Alliance Conference. Binghe's seal breaks and a cultivator from another sect attacks Binghe upon seeing him. Shen Qingqiu by chance arrives and knocks the cultivator out from behind. After thinking of ways to get Binghe out and realizing there's no way this could work without others noticing that he's a demon and getting the wrong ideas, he urges Binghe to jump into the Endless Abyss. His main concern is not so much Luo Binghe staying alive, but keeping Qi-ge and Liu Qingge safe. He's sure that would be in jeopardy with the sect under scrutiny for harboring a demon and consequently being suspected of responsibility for sabotaging the conference. Eventually Binghe does as he says.

When Shen Qingqiu turns 20 or 21 he is ready to take charge of Qing Jing peak again. Soon after, he, Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge marry.

Binghe comes back after three years and intends to propose to Shen Qingqiu, only to find he's too late.

Obviously this could lead to more drama or even another addition to the marriage. But I personally am really fond of Binghe/Vinegar and him pining in vain, so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[villainsimpqueen]

Blood of the Barren

A what if story,

Basically what would Spiders life be like if he was raised in the Barren Lands.

The Idea had excited me, so i wrote "Blood of the Barren." which is roughly 9 google doc pages long of how Spiders life would've been if he was Raised by A Barren Lands Na'vi woman in the Barren Lands.

Some notes- His mother is an Oc i made for this story.

He seeing this as an alternative universe is not named "Spider." But still named after a venomous insect.

Enjoy!

------

One's first moments of life should be brought in love, excitement and with a little exhaustion.

It was the way many were born, with higher spirits and surrounded with unconditional love.

Yet the screaming and wailing of one so freshly born, and the sounds of the helicopter that was to get them away from the war the young ones Father was hell bent on causing got hit and starting to fail and swerve over among the pandorian landscape.

The little one did not get such luck, I'm his mothers failing consciousness and panic. She clung to his small form in hopes to shield him from pain as the pilots and other escapees of war screamed and shouted.

“We're going down! we're goin down! Brace for impact!”

How the noise was entirely deafening and so very stressful for one just freshly intaking air so young. Not even comfortably wrapped in a blanket and still stained from fresh blood and ambanic fluids from his mothers womb.

Air only thing staying clean as the Ecopact filtered poisonous air that would have killed him slowly by suffocation and from the smoke of the crashing. He could only wail and scream for his non moving mother, his wails and cries ignored as growing winds started to transform the air just outside of the crash site. Wind and sand swirling around the damaged shelter that only halfway protected him, and his wails drowned out by the storm oddly concealing his wayward cries from teeth and claws that may have found him.

No this boy was not born in a room filled with love, no room for excitement, his mere first hours born was filled with panic, fear and death around him.

Such a tragic beginning for one so small.

His wails slowly starting to die out, his fresh throat finally growing raw and exhaustion filled him as the nights freezing air had take place in solidifying parts of his little limbs, the warmth of his deceased mothers body long gone, and by the time a great warmth started to roll over in the next day dawning, the small newborn could only let out the tiniest and raspy of sounds as the heat started to surrender a warm blanket of inescapable exhaustion seemingly going unheard.

And yet at all odds,

She had heard him when passing through the crash site in curiosity. The site being new and completely alien from her otherwise sand filled lands, the destroyed alien machine blowing out smoke from burnt and collapsed engines stained the normally clear skies bringing attention to nearby travelers.

She had approached after watching the smoking site after an hour when she approached it early in the morning. The precaution to make sure it too was truly empty and no other may deliver an attack should she approach was strong. It seemed to be a high reward to her as the strange foreign thing had many other things she could use, scattered among the crash site. Her long ears twitched as every so often a wheezing noise sounded making her eyes dart to the nearing dunes in looking for an approach, eyes finding none making her more alert when that faint wheezing sound called again, her head turned sharply to a half buried helicopter cabin. Her steps were filled with caution as she neared easily jumping up on its tipped side and peering down.

Bodies were not what she expected, even ounces of such strange nature, creatures she had never seen before all laying and dangling at unnatural bent ways, blood that had dripped stuck in place on unnaturally pale and gray skin. There seemed to be nothing but death, and left her questioning what were the strange creatures.

Her ears flicking as she went to leave until a they flicker at another raspy faint wheeze causing her to turn eyes falling one of the dead creatures, hair curled and dark brown, a strange thing around the creatures face but its arms curled around something where once again a noise sounded once again.

She moved crouching over the cabin's entrance reaching in her arms pulling the creature's arms apart and finding an even smaller creature.

As if her moments seemed to force life into him a desperate and yet pathetic wail cracked from it, making her pause, a sound she hadn't heard in many years of her life, not since she had left her own parents nearly a decade ago. Yet muscle memory took over her, from the few years she would aid with her Father and Mother with younger siblings her hands found way gently over the little one, picking him up with a smaller strange thing around his face.

The small thing barely moved in her giant hands, another pathetic wail weakly leaving paling lips as its small.face scrunched up.

A creature child.

She should leave it.

Yet her eyes found gazing down on the many other dead creatures, showing that despite everything this small little thing had survived, and judging by how weak it seemed, Even the Great Mother had deemed it able to be strong enough to survive. She was confused, She momentarily questioned the great mother. Why had the Mother led her to a strange child before a mate?

Yet the pitiful rasps from the small thing encaptured her attention. It was so small, ugly looking and yet, as her larger eyes took in the little thing in her hands, it was undoubtedly cute.

She did not know why the Great mother decided to make her a mother before a wife, but if she deemed her to have a strong child of some strange creature rather than a possibly weak mate, she would accept the child.

And in many ways the child had also accepted her. Almost immediately the child had taken to her as if he had come from her, and she found herself struggling with being indifferent for each time she suspected the child to be frail, he had shown strength.

It was a mere week with the child bringing him small bowl foods of fleshed, killed blood to keep him from drying out in the sun until she could quickly make way to the nearest pool of crystalline waters. A dangerous task for she saw how the child was nearly always reliant on the strange thing on his face. She saw it as a hindrance to him and went out of her way to travel to find things to make an offering to the great mother.

“You bring this child on my path, If you wish for me to raise him Great Mother, then you will make him breathe as me, See like me, hear like me, you will make him be as if my own blood. For Now he will have it in him as well.”

She had made her offer and demands as she left it on the highest dune she could find and slit her finger for her little son to suck on before his face would turn colors and she slipped off the mask, a task she would start daily from now on out. She started to take the mask off of her tiny son, introducing him to the air and to feed him.

She tended to keeping his pale skin shielded entirely under her cloak, leather wrapped to make a pouch to keep him near her chest when the little one seemed to try to start latching onto her, the small action is needed for nutrition and his small now much rarer cries had pushed her body into accepting him as one she had birth. Rich and thick milk had taken place, bringing her a moment of confusion before relief as her body had allowed her this small blessing to be able to provide the new son a rich and nutritional meal that would speed his small state to a larger one. She still had to make haste to the cooling pools, for her body could only provide so much before it will cut off the child's supply, her body would put her own needs above his, but some inkling told her that she would need to keep producing her milk longer for this small child than she would have for her own.

While against her nature Lizara had made a den within a rock structure in the oasis, it was purely out of the new forming mothering instincts that had enraptured her to stay somewhere where she could easily eat and drink, packing on more and more body weight for her body to burn while still providing her small son. And yes while that brought many invaders, for no one could make true claim to an oasis, She showed no mercy in protecting the little den she had made home for the little son.

As time went on the more her little son would grow, seeming as her offering and demand were granted for each day she removed her son's mask from his face, he would be able to go longer without it seeming to breathe more and more air. His strange pointy nose came flatter and flatter akin to her own, strange patterns started to appear on his pale skin and the more quicker he seemed to grow, It was hard for her instincts to differentiate him from one from her own womb.

Her favorite growth was his hair, as golden as the sands around them, and how his hair would curl and wave like the rare clouds that took to the sky.

She loved playing with her tiny son's hair, twisting it and braiding it, only whispering nothing but best fourchants in each twist of her hands.

Then came his first steps, bringing a sense of pride in her eyes as he learned to walk on the sandy lands, slowly his feet became thick with padding allowing her little son to to run across the hot sands without burning them.

She had mended a cloak for her little son, allowing him to explore around at a small distance from her, as she worked on building her sons independence away from her for she could not keep him coddled despite him being a different species, she would not, She would treat him as always her own and she needed him to continue to prove to the lands he was meant for them.

Toddler years had gone quickly, soon she had a young adventurous boy, no longer wearing the mask from wherever he had originally come from, for he no longer needed it.

She spent these years showing him the ways that her mother before her had shown her, she had her challenges, like the extra finger on his hands, how to show him the correct way to read the stars to find the oasiss that were scattered in the lands. The sun seemed to do very well on her son, his pale complexion from birth vanishing deepening to match the sands around them, the strange patterns he had lightened and with the aid of his cloak he blended into the surroundings which was an Eywa's blessing for the increase of running into ambushers had grown.

Each day Lizara grew more concerned that an ambusher would spit and attack her small son, and so she taught her son how to protect himself with a blade he could keep at his hip.

By his sixth year it was time for his join along hunt, where she would focus on teaching him how to hunt and provide for himself and perhaps his future family, whenever that may occur.

Her son had been eager, for he had watched his mother for years to hunt and now his opportunity had come he felt well prepared, crouching low to not be spotted by the prey animals, sneaking up while listening, hearing their calls before his mothers echoed above the animals calls.

He prepared eyes watching the animals intently watching as the boar like creatures scattered running, he took took off managing to slam himself into one like how he saw his mother do before so many time and drag his blade into the beasts stomach, a weak point and easy, something his mother had advise before hand that may be more successful for someone his size.

His mother had looked at him with pride and taught him how to skin the animal and prepare his first offering to the great mother and watched her son hike up the tallest sand dune they could find to leave it for the great mother before returning back to her.

They found their temporary shelter where she allowed him to make the night's fire on his own and prepare supper with the boys killed. They enjoyed the meat raw and seasoned with the spices and herbs gathered from oasis.

Both enjoyed their meal and his mother would tell him the story of how she had found him a creature far from the people and now he was one of the barren lands.

It would be a few days after that hunt before she found a name that fitted him for in the morning Lizara had woken up to find her son missing from their temporary den had made her rush out of the den.

She had found him, playing near some uncovered rocks, in his hands small creatures that would cause a harsh and poisonous sting.

She had watched her boy hold these creatures and despite their stingers stabbing into his fingers the boy did little to react, moving busy picking them up and moving around.

Almost entirely immune to the small creatures' venom.

Kali'weya

The boy was named Kali'weya after the scorpion creatures he seemed so fascinated with playing. And like the small creatures who became ferocious and cunning hunters, Kali'weya had become one himself, Lizara found her sons eagerness to hunt bringing down beasts larger than his size and make new cloaks for them both or pouches, her son seeming to live mending together wrappings and necessities for them both, amd she took pride in knowing she had taught him well at being self sufficient.

Her favorite moments with her son were when she would fix his hair, untangling and reweaving the strands, fixing each strand before taking a strand that framed his face, her boy looked at her curiously before hope and eagerness filled them as she pulled out his first carved bead fixating it on the strand.

“This will be the strand where you will mark every important thing on.” she had whispered to him, watching how her boy would smile showing off his sharper k-9 teeth, his eyes seemed to shine brighter than the stars and suns.

It would be later in his teenage years still staying by his mother's side, while now mostly caring for himself, the boy saw no need to leave his mother just yet.

Traveling along still learning whatever lessons his mother would share, he enjoyed the days. While mostly predictable they brought him peace it was the same that his mother had on her face with each breaking down to falling dust.

Kali'weya would be the one to spot a new occurrence, the sounds of beating wings hitting his ears and his mothers. They both would share a look before creeping amongst sand dunes hearing sounds of voice echo as they peer down.

The new occurrence made the young adult's eyes widen, animals that he never saw in the deserts before landed, on them were outsiders of the lands, two of his mothers age and a group of them his age and younger it seemed.

They all seemed exhausted and hot, Weariness in them that seemed to make it to their teeth.

The noise they all made, had hurt his ears and he heard his mother snort a sound before sliding down the dunes.

“Best to leave, they'll draw in only trouble.” His mother had spoken and yet as he followed his mothers lead he had paused.

“Shouldn't we help them?” He had asked his mother, watching as she turned to look at him.

“We do not speak to outsiders Kali'weya.” She had said promptly but her boy's face had turned as he looked back at the sand dunes.

Perhaps it was that he was truly not of this world for her son always had this sense of need to help others.

“Would it not bring us good chances later on a hunt?” He asked her, looking back at his mother with a softness in his eyes.

Her son was good. sometimes too good nature and she worried that would be used against him one day, but she would not crush his nature.

Lizara had relented and led her teenager around sand dunes making herself and her son known to the outsiders.

The first meeting had not gone well, but it was the older man that had stopped his mate from acting out too rashly to them. He brought attention to her son, which had made the woman pause and stare along with their children.

“What demon blood is that child from?” The woman had hissed causing his mother to snarl standing in front of Kali'weya protective.

“He is of these lands, He is of mine. Ewya gave him to me and that is all that matters. You will not bare fangs at him again if you wish to have your head on your throat.” A promise was What Lizara had made before her mate Jake Sully he had called himself had intervened.

“I apologize for my mate, she is hot and wearily.”

“Do not apologize for me.”

“We have found ourselves lost, trying to find the sea, please, we have gone in circles, any aid is appreciated.” He continued.

Lizara had every right to refuse such a thing.

But her son had stepped from behind her nearling the sully children who were soaked in sweat and were using the animals wings for shade.

“You have to dig in sand in the shade of a dune to cool.” He had spoken up towards them before waving a hand.

“Come.” He spoke much like his mother had done when he was a tot heading around the dunes, the sully children following after approval of their parents, as they seemed to stay behind with their strange animals and speaking to his mother.

Kali'weya had showed them to dig in the first layers of sand and lay in the pocket exposing their burning skin to cool sand.

“I am Neteyam..These are my younger siblings Kiri, Lo'ak and Tuk.” The oldest of the sully's had been introduced as he layed in a fresh exposed pocket he had dug.

Kiri, in the example one Kali'weya had dug out for them.

Kali'weya had stood up moving to a dune and started digging, preparing a den, somewhere where the sully's could take shelter from the high standing son, he let out a grunt near and here.

“I am Kali'weya.” He had spoken before starting to crawl into the dunes kicking out the sand hollowing it out.

There was a brief silence and the boy poked his head out making sure they were okay as the sully kids stared at him.

“Like the bug!?” The smallest sully Tuk had exclaimed as she smiled at him, her ears perked up, it had brought a smile to his own features and he nodded.

“Yes. My mother had found me playing with them after I had proved myself strong for the lands, my first hunt. Their stings do not bring me pain for she chose them to be my name. Mother says they are my family because I act much like them.”

“Who are your real parents? You know the Sky demons. You came from them. How'd you end up here? And how do you look..that..” The third youngest, Lo'ak had questioned earning a slap against the back from his older brother.

“You are a prick.” Kiri had hissed and scolded their brother.

Kali'weya had rose his brow, His mother had told him about she had found him, knowing he came from some other kind of creatures, but with Eywas accepted offering he had became like his mother.

“My mother had found some strange rocks held in the arms of a dead strange woman and by corpses of others. My mother had taken me as her own, and raised me on her own.” He told them leaning onto his hands from the opening of the den to the dune he was working on.

“Eywa had changed me to be one of my mothers own. As far as I care I am from these lands, and I am from my mother. No other blood.” He had told them watching their faces change in many emotions.

“You said you're one of these lands..does that mean you had done all your trails?” Neteyam had asked, Causing Kali'weya to tilt his head.

“I do not understand you entirely…to be one of these lands you must prove that you are not weak starting at birth until you can hunt entirely on your own then leave your parents entirely. I have done all of this, but I have not left my mother. I worry she will grow lonely, The great mother had never led a mate to her to guide. If I leave she has no body.” Kali'weya had explained yet their earlier words had made him look more so at his hands.

“Some of you have hands like mine…Even your father ... .You said Sky demons.” He had looked the sully kids in their eyes.

“Are we of another great mothers blood?”

The sully kids explained what they could about the sky demons, but when the adults had finally come and joined them it prompted Lizara to side eye the one named Jake Sully and it led to him explaining everything, and why they are fleeing.

“You have the face of the one who brought death to many many people.” Jake had spoken to the boy, “I believe he is your father.”

It had caused Lizara to tense and caused the boy to freeze.

“The one you run with your tails in your legs from? You dare filth my son's name with such an accusation.” Lizara had snapped.

which caused Jakes to make Neytiri snarl back.

“A face never betrays one's blood.” Neytiri barked out, ignoring what pai. might have been sent back.

The sully kids eat slicked back as they watch the New friend of theirs face fall.

He moved a hand to his mothers arms bringing Lizara attention to him.

“I wish to find myself.” He had softly spoken watching the emotions form through his mothers eyes.

“But I wish you to be there as I find it and learn what I once may have been.”

He made sure his mother Knew he would not leave her, for he was not ready and that the call to find his origins still called him.

his mother grasped his hand holding it tightly.

“I will aid you as I always have my son.” She whispered.

That night they had joined the sully's in their flight out of the Barren Lands which was his home, aiding in rerouting them over the golden sands over the small mountains to the lands of red sands, past and far far above the death forest and swamps where he took in the sights of lust rich and bright green forests.

The sully's had told Kali'weya that this was their home, and they flew over it not stopping as they tasted salt in the air.

Kali'weya would later meet the one that had sired him in another life, found washed up on another side of the island after the destruction and death he had brought to the sully's once again.

While he had anger and hatred for the man that showed him what monstrous origins that were in his veins, the nature his mother had kept in him still held true as he dragged the man out of the sea and onto the sands of beaches.

He would make this man tell him of his other mother, where she was and for him to see if she too was truly a demon like his blooded father.

But his blood was thicker with the one that raised him, than the ones that sired and birthed him.

And should this demon ever raise a blade against the ones Kali'weya loved, he would strike him down like the very thing he was named.

[feralfather]

If you're taking requests, could I have something with Spider being manhandled by the recoms and Quaritch? Like, he's literally just being carried around over Quaritch's shoulder bc he wouldn't go when he was told to, or he's just held in the air until he tires himself out when he's trying to attack them, etc. Just the recoms taking advantage of their size and Spider being about as effective as an actual child against them (hopefully inspiring some Dad!Quaritch feels as well?) Sorry if this is too detailed!

Oh yes yes yes! I accept requests! I love it!

If there’s one thing Spider got from his father, it was his stubbornness and anger… definitely his anger. That boy could blow up like a grease fire when provoked; try and douse it out with water, and it’ll only grow. You have to smother it.

Now, that isn’t to say Quaritch actually smothers the boy whenever he gets mad. He wouldn’t never.

No, instead he’s found it easier to snatch the kid up by his armpits and hold him at arms length while he screams curses and tries to punch and kick Quaritch in the chest. He learnt the hard way not to hold him close, after receiving a hearty kick to the chest, resulting in Spider rocketing himself backwards out of his grip and onto the floor, nearly giving the Quaritch a heart-attack while the other Recoms burst into laughter. Sometimes it was easy to forget how strong Spider was, but his bruised chest left him with a reminder of that strength for the following week.

Even if he had scolded Spider’s ear off for it, he couldn’t help but feel pride at the boy’s strength. He’d never say any of this, of course. He didn’t want to encourage Spider’s violent behavior towards him… but it made Miles feel better to know his son could wipe the floor with anyone who made the mistake of thinking he was an easy target.

And if Spider could bruise a Na’vi, he could only imagine the damage that kid could do to another Human with a single kick.

Maybe he should be more concerned with the amount of anger Spider seems to fall in, but he had his fair share of anger issues in his youth, and still does, so when someone pushes Spider’s buttons a little too much, Miles isn’t too hard on the kid when he blows up.

But none of this matters, as currently Miles is dealing with a different kind of situation. This isn’t angry Spider, this is stubborn Spider.

Z-Dog had been messing with the kid all day as they traversed through the jungle, like the absolute child she is, and Miles could only roll his eyes at the immaturity of it all. They taunted, poked, and argued with each other like children.

Spider eventually got fed up with her, and planted himself defiantly on the next large root they passed.

Miles had an ear tilted back towards the kid, so when he heard the crackling of Z-Dog’s laughter, he expected his kid to snap something back, but was met with resounding silence.

Brows furrowed, he turns his head to make sure he was alright, only to come to a halt at the sight of Spider sitting grumpily on a root, arms crossed over his chest, and Z-Dog bent over and snickering at his expression as she popped a bubble in his face. The rest of his squad paused at the sound of Miles’ growl.

“Zdinarsk!” Miles snapped, causing her to shoot up and snap to attention, looking like she got caught doing something she shouldn’t have. “The hell happened?” He continued as he quickly walked over to the two, frowning as he scanned Spider for any injury.

Z-Dog tried to keep a straight face. “He refuses to move.”

Miles couldn’t see anything wrong, but his tail still lashed in worry as he leans down to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You hurt?”

Spider only huffed, giving Zdinarsk a side-eyed glare. “No, she’s being a stupid butthole!”

Miles deadpans at the boy, ear twitching at the sound of Z-Dog’s snort of laughter. “Whatever you say, Tarzan.”

“I don’t even know who that is!” Spider snaps back, snarling up at the woman, who only popped another bubble at him.

Quaritch finally blinked, letting out a harsh sigh. “You’ve gotta be shitting me- alright, enough! Both of you!” He scolds them, letting his hand slip from Spider’s shoulder as he stood. “Get up.” He orders the kid, motioning for him to stand.

The boy only sneered and shook his head. “Not until she leaves me the fuck alone!”

Miles took a deep breath in through his nose. Lord, give him patience. “Zdinarsk, go bother Lopez.”

Said marine perked his ears. “What? Why me?!” He protested.

He was ignored.

“Yes, sir.” Z-Dog salutes.

“Liar!” Spider hissed, puffing up when she sticks her tongue out at him.

“What did I just say?” Miles growls, to which Zdinarsk raised her hands in surrender before leaving to pester someone else. He turns back to Spider. “There, now get up. We gotta get a move on before we run out of daylight.”

Spider didn’t move, still not convinced Z-Dog wouldn’t bug him again the moment they start moving again.

“Spider. Don’t test me, boy.” He threatens, eyes narrowing and a stern frown in place as his tail flicked in agitation.

The boy didn’t budge.

Lyle made his way over. “Maybe we should set up camp, night will be on us in a few hours.” He tries to pacify, but Quaritch only hissed as Spider side-eyed them.

“No. I ain’t givin’ in to this tantrum. We’re moving.”

With that, he swooped down and snatched Spider up before the boy could properly react, throwing him over his shoulder as he strides forward back to the front of the squad. He held tightly onto the back of Spider’s legs and ignored the kid’s hissing, cursing, wiggling, and kicking as best he could. He also ignored the other’s snickering coming from behind him.

It took about half an hour, but Spider finally tired himself out enough to allow Miles to slightly loosen his grip on his legs, and the boy rag-dolled against his back, head pressed into Miles’ vest and arms dangling in defeat as he tried to catch his breath.

… With Spider calm and not fighting him, Miles began to feel a light feeling building in his chest, like the weight of the word was slipped from his shoulders and replaced with the comforting weight of his son… he didn’t want the feeling to leave. It felt.. nice, oddly enough.

They carried on like this until Spider grew bored.

Quaritch jolted slightly when little fingers brushed against his tail, causing it to lash away from the touch. He clears his throat as some of the others chuckled. “The hell you doin’, kid?”

“I’m bored. Put me doooowwwn.” Spider whined into his back.

“Hell no. Can’t have you tryin’ another stunt like that and slow us down.” Was the excuse Miles came up with, unwilling to admit that the idea of putting the kid down was feeling more and more unappealing by the second. He didn’t realize how much he would enjoy holding his son, until this moment, and he was unwilling to part with the boy.

Spider only groaned and went back to trying to catch his tail.

… and if Miles indulged the boy by flicking his tail near his grabbing hands, no one said a word against it.

[orcasoul]

Am I too late to love you?

Summary: Reader and Joel are in an unestablished relationship. Joel breaks her heart when being asked to admit his feelings and she leaves their shared home. Reader gets into trouble while on patrol without Joel causing him to face his own truth and go in a desperate search for her.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, Joel being well.... Joel lol, clicker attack. Use of Y/N.

Italics indicate inward thinking.

Word Count: 4,200

"I love you Joel.... and I know you love me too!"Joel's expression turned cold. "I don't love you! I never have and I never will," he hissed, fixing you with an icy stare. Even though you know Joel was the type person to bury his feelings deep down, hardened by 20 years of grief, a part of you believed (somewhat foolishly) that maybe you meant enough to him for him to finally let his walls down and allow you into his heart. It seems you were wrong. "I don't believe you," you reply, trying to stop your lower lip from trembling. "I've seen you take down infected and other people to protect me. I've seen genuine care and concern from you countless times, and the way you look at me. People don't do that for people they don't love!" You realise how pathetic you sound right now but you're past caring. Your mind is awash with confusion and disbelief at his hostile reaction. A part of you expected him to react with some form of hesitancy, being Joel and all but you didn't expect him to look at you like he is now; with anger and scorn.

Since meeting Joel and Ellie a few months ago you began to feel that maybe there were things worth living for. And after all the dangers the three of you faced to get Ellie to the Fireflies and to get back to Jackson you realised that you loved these two people more than anything in this world and would do anything for them. Shit what have I gone and done? You were sure that if you told him how you really feel that he'd finally admit his feelings for you too. You'd both been through so much together for whatever this was between you two to mean nothing. Surely saving your ass on numerous occasions and fucking you until you're a trembling mess in his arms meant something to him! "I've watched your back just like you've watched mine. That's what it is, nothing more." The tone of his voice cold and distant. "And fucking me every night?! What's that to you Joel? what?... Was I just a way for you to blow off steam?!" "That's right" he retorted emotionlessly. Your eyes widened and your heart dropped to your stomach at that revelation.

All you could do was stare in disbelief as his words sank in, crushing your very soul. "I thought...." you chocked out but Joel cut you off "What? You thought we'd fall in love, get married and play happy families? You've been reading too many of those romance fairy tales. This isn't a fucking fairy tale darling, you need to grow up!" A loud sob escaped you as your head dropped and you brought your arms in to wrap around yourself, as if to somehow find comfort in your own embrace. If you had looked up at that moment you would have seen Joel's expression turn from indifference to sorrow, his eyes beginning to fill with tears at seeing your own, knowing he alone is responsible for them. But as soon as he felt the sting behind his eyes he blinked them back, keeping them locked away with the feelings he has for you. Feelings he won't admit even to himself so how could he admit them to you?

It was easier for him to just ignore what his treacherous heart harboured. Deep down he knew he loved you, more than any woman he'd ever known. He'd do anything for you. Anything to keep you safe, to hear you laugh, to make your life as comfortable and happy as possible. So why is he so hell bent to break your heart now? He know's why; He's not good enough for you. He's done things, terrible things in the past to survive and he knows without a doubt he'd do them again if he had to. He's damaged goods and you deserve so much better than him. He's also nearly 20 years older than you. How much longer could he protect you for? You deserve someone younger and stronger who can keep you safe and someone who's not emotionally closed off. He hates himself in this moment for hurting you, for making you cry. He never should have let things go this far. If making you hate him meant you could move on with your life he would do it, even if it would torture him for the rest of his life. After all he would do anything for you.

You've never felt heartache like this before, except for when you lost your family not long after outbreak day. But that was different, they had no choice but to leave you alone in this world once they became sick, but this man whom you loved and foolishly believed loved you is choosing to leave you as if you mean nothing to him. You could physically feel your heart breaking. It was like he had ripped it out of your chest and cruelly smashed it to pieces in front of you. How could you have been so stupid? How could you have been so naive to believe those moments of what seemed like tenderness meant anything? Anger begins to rise in you as you contemplate everything that Joel has said. How dare he treat me this way after everything!

Glaring up at Joel through puffy and strained eyes you thought you saw a glimmer of.... sadness? But you don't care now. He's made it clear where you stand. "Fuck you Joel!" you scream at him while pushing him back by his shoulders. But him being much bigger and stronger than you he barely moves, making you feel even more insignificant to him! "I thought we had something here. I thought the three of us were a family.... or the closest thing to a family. You used me and made me believe you were somebody you're not! I'm done, I'm fucking done with you!" The room suddenly felt suffocating and in that moment you needed to be anywhere he wasn't. You storm out of the house grabbing your coat as you leave.

The night is quiet. Snowflakes are gently falling making Jackson look like a picture from a postcard. Walking down the lit street, kicking the freshly fallen snow on the ground, your mind begins to drift back to all those mornings you'd wake up with Joel's arms around you. Feeling the warmth of his bare chest against your bare back and feeling that there's no where else you'd rather be. You remember all the times he made you feel loved and wanted. You sigh and shake your head realising none of it was real. You wipe away the tears and rub your cheeks in an effort to warm them up in the chilly air. As you approach the main street of the town your hear the familiar sounds of music and laughter coming from the Tipsy Bison. Even now you sometimes can't believe that life can carry on as normal (or as normal as normal can be in a post apocalyptic world) and you find yourself appreciating these moments more and more.

Having walked almost the whole length of the town you decide to sit on a boardwalk sheltered from the snow outside the grocery store. Lost in your thoughts you didn't even notice Ellie and Dina approach you. "Hey Y/N, you missed a great movie tonight," Ellie beamed at you but her smile dropped when she saw your bloodshot and weary eyes. Clearing your throat you force your most cheerful voice passed your lips. "What one was it this time?" you ask while looking over to the movie hall which was beginning to empty, the sounds of happy children making their way home with their families. Ellie glanced worriedly at Dina before sitting next to you. "Oh, it was just about a kid who travelled back in time in a car and crazy scientist who had to help him get back to his own time," she said as if it was no longer important. "Huh..." you laugh halfheartedly. "I always loved that film growing up."

After a few moments of silence Ellie asks "Are you okay?" "Yeah I'm fine." You couldn't sound any less convincing if you'd tried. "You're obviously not fine Y/N. What happened? Is Joel being a dick again?" At hearing his name the floodgates opened. Ellie wrapped her arm around you as you leaned into her shoulder. "Ellie I'll see you tomorrow," Dina awkwardly said with a wave over her shoulder; Ellie nodded in reply. "Tell me what happened," she whispered softly. "It's over. Whatever me and Joel had... it's over. I told him Iove him and he ...." The tears won't stop flowing and you bury your face in your palms. "He told me he never loved me and that he was basically just using me. He made me feel so fucking stupid for believing he actually loved me." "I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Ellie was seething. "No." you gently grab her wrist before she can get up. "It's pointless Ellie. There's nothing you can do. It's over and that's that." Ellie shook her head in disbelief. "It can't be over. Anyone can see how much you love him and how much he loves you!" "He doesn't." You sigh in defeat. "I thought he did but I was wrong the whole time."

Ellie furiously jumped to her feet pulling your hand with her. "Come on, we're going home and you two can talk this through," she demanded but you remained sitting. "I'm not going going back." Ellie dropped your hand "What?.... but that's your home Y/N! Where else would you go?" Her voice began to crack when she realised how serious you are, and your heart started to break again, this time for her. "I'll go to Tommy and Maria's. I'm sure they'll put me up for a few nights and we can arrange for me to have one of the empty properties. I'm so sorry it's come to this." "Joel's the one who should apologise, not you!" she replied, her fists balled at her sides. "You should get going, Ellie. You know how Joel worries when you get home late." You muster a small smile for her. "That's gonna be the least of his fucking worries tonight!" There was a promise in her tone and you couldn't help but chuckle quietly to yourself. That kid could be so fierce when she wanted to be. She turned her head towards you with a sadness in her eyes. "I'll come and see you tomorrow morning."

Joel tossed and turned all night, replaying not only every moment of your conversation but also Ellie's reaction when she barged through the front door. She was so angry she almost knocked it clean off it's hinges. "What the fuck have you done, Joel?!" Ellie roared at him but he just sighed "Ellie, just leave it...." "No I won't. I just spoke to Y/N, she's devastated! Why would you say those things to her?" Joel shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes "I just told her the truth." "That's bullshit and you know it!" Ellie spat the words out "I know you by now Joel. I know you push people away when you start to care for them. She's the best thing that's happened to you in a long time. She's done so much for us both and you've thrown it back in her face and broken her heart. You've ruined everything!!" Joel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He couldn't argue with her when he knew every word she had just said was true. "Where is she?" He asked calmly, trying to ease the tension simmering in the room. "She's gone to Maria's and she's not coming back!" Ellie stomped upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her, leaving Joel alone to drown in his guilt and sorrow.

The moonlight spilled through the bedroom window illuminating your empty side of the bed. It was as if nature itself was torturing Joel, taunting him with the obviousness of your absence. He slowly rubbed his hand over your pillow as if doing that would somehow bring him closer to you. He missed seeing your calm silhouette beside him in the dark, hearing your gentle breaths as you slept. All he wanted right now was to have you back in his arms but he realised that would be selfish of him. This is for the best, he kept reminding himself. He found it impossible to relax. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was your heart wrenching expression. Eventually exhaustion overtook him and sent him into a fitful sleep.

Waking the next morning, groggy and heavy lidded, it took a moment for you to remember where you were. The memories of the previous night hit you with a fresh wave of grief and you can't keep the tears at bay. KNOCK! KNOCK! "Y/N?" Maria called to you from the other side of the door. "Breakfast is ready if you're hungry." "Thank you," you call out trying to steady your voice. "I'll be down in 5 minuets." After visiting the bathroom and donning the same clothes you had on yesterday you make your way to the dining room. Tommy and Maria were waiting for you at the table. Judging by the sympathetic looks they were giving you, you realised you must look like shit! Not surprising after spending most of the night crying into your pillow. Tommy broke the silence. "Did you sleep okay?" You just shrugged and gave him a small smile.

He sighed, rubbed his hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. Something you had seen Joel do a million times. The familiarity of that action made your heart clench and you missed Joel all the more. "I'm gonna talk to my asshole brother later and sort this out," he exhaled in frustration. "It won't change anything Tommy," you reply in a small and tired voice. "He made his feelings... or lack of them very clear." Tommy looked at you with raised eyebrows "I just ... I just can't believe he'd go and do this. We all thought you guys had something solid." "So did I," you shrugged with a small, wistful smile. "I want to thank you two for letting me stay here. I'm sorry I came to you both so late. I just couldn't go back there last night." "Hey..." Maria spoke softly while placing her hand on yours. "Joel or no Joel, we're family." Tommy nodded in agreement.

Tears pricked at your eyes at that reassurance, only now realising how much you needed to hear that. That you hadn't lost them too. "You've both already done so much for me but I'm afraid I have to ask more of you," you say almost ashamedly. "Anything," Tommy replied gently. "Could you prepare one of the vacant houses and give me a new patrol partner? Please, I just can't face him again." "Are you sure you want to make these decisions right now?" Maria asked worriedly "Yes, I have to." You almost break into tears again. "Okay, we'll see what we can do," Maria soothed as she gently squeezed your hand. "Thank you," you whisper squeezing her hand in return.

You tried to keep yourself busy all morning and true to her word Ellie came to visit. She brought over some of your clothes and toiletries. You couldn't help but laugh when she told you how she 'ripped Joel a new one when she got home. "You know Ellie, no matter what happens between me and Joel I'm always here for you. Nothing will ever change between us," You gesture between the both of you. Ellie nodded with a look of relief on her face as you continued "And I don't want things to be awkward between you and Joel. Just because he doesn't care for me it doesn't mean he doesn't care for you. You know you mean the world to him, right?" "I guess," she mumbled. "I'm just so angry with him right now!" her voice raising in intensity causes you to put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay." You're not sure if you're trying to reassure her or yourself.

Joel made his way to the gate, ready for his patrol shift and ready for the shit storm that Tommy would inevitably rain down on him as soon as they were alone. After he and Tommy separated from the larger group to patrol different areas Tommy spoke, his tone accusatory and judgemental. "So, you wanna tell me what the fuck happened or are we going to pretend Y/N didn't show up at my door last night bawling her eyes out?" "It's nothing." Joel gruffly replied, shrugging his shoulders. He knew this was coming and between the lack of sleep and the resulting headache he was in no mood for a lecture. "Didn't seem like nothing Joel," Tommy pressed. "Look i'm sure she already told you everything so why are you asking me?" Joel's patience was wearing thin. "Because I want to hear it from you. I want to know what the hell you were thinking," Tommy scolded.

Joel answered him with silence. "Joel!" Tommy shouted, clearly annoyed at his brothers stubbornness. "You're such an asshole on times! Don't you realise how much she loves you and after everything you two have been through together, this is how you treat her. She deserves better than that!" "Exactly!" Joel snapped, turning in his saddle to face Tommy. "She does deserve better and she's not gonna get that with me. That's why I let her go. She should be with someone who doesn't have the blood of countless people on his hands, someone who can protect her and make her happy." Silence hung in the air for a few moments, the only sounds being the chilly winter wind and birds in the distance.

Tommy knew what Joel was doing.... again. He knew Joel had been plagued with self doubt and hate since he lost Sarah, so he chose his next words carefully, hoping to drill some sense into his brothers' thick skull. "You think you can't protect her but you've kept her and Ellie safe all this time. You think you can't make her happy but I've never seen you both as happy as when you are together, and who doesn't have blood on their hands these days?" Joel remained silent, contemplating Tommy's words when the next question made his heart freeze and his body tense. "Do you love her?" Joel straightened in his saddle, gripping the reigns tighter and wishing for a distraction right about now so he wouldn't have to answer. Hell he'd even take a horde attack just to avoid that million dollar question.

After a few moments and with a shake of his head he replied "It's not that simple, Tommy." "Actually it is," Tommy said drily "Either you do or you don't." Joel sighed. "Jesus Christ Joel, just tell me!" Tommy barked slapping his hands on his thighs in annoyance. "Alright I love her! Is that what you want to hear?" Joel couldn't hold it back any longer. The usually cold and emotionless man began to crack... "I love her so much that it physically hurts knowing the pain I've caused her." Tommy looked understandingly at Joel, realising they were finally getting somewhere. "So why did you do this?" He asked softly but it was more of a disappointed statement than a question.

"Why did you tell her you don't love her? She's heartbroken." It's just better this way," Joel replied in a cold tone. "Better this way?" Tommy repeated his words "Tell me how this is better for any of you. Even Ellie has been hurt in this." A new wave of guilt coursed through Joel. He knew Tommy was right and he hated himself for hurting Ellie too. "Look..." Tommy sighed. "I know how easy it is to doubt yourself. We can be our own worst enemy on times and even if you don't have faith in yourself I do. You are allowed to be happy, Joel. We all deserve a second chance. Just talk to her before it's too late." Joel didn't answer him. He knew he had a lot to think about tonight when he got home.

Beep! Beep! Beep! "Fuck sake..." you groaned while reaching over to the bedside table to switch the alarm clock off. You hated the 5am patrols in the dead of winter, at least in the summer it was warmer and lighter. Swinging your legs over the side of the bed you at least felt relieved that you had a new patrol partner, even if it meant taking the earlier shifts. You'd been paired up with a new guy called Andy, tasked with teaching him the ropes. He still had a lot to learn but he seemed more than eager when Tommy suggested you both patrol together. You know he did this for your sake so you wouldn't have to face Joel and for that you were grateful. After dispensing with the usual pleasantries and saddling up you and Andy left for patrol.

"Where are we going again?" Andy asked "We're patrolling by the river today. It's one of the easier routes. Tommy thought it would be the best one for you to learn the basics," you informed him "Well, I don't mind where we start as long as you're the one showing me what I need to know," Andy replied with a wink. He was obviously flirting but you just nodded silently, not encouraging him to continue in any way. He got his horse to match your horses pace, riding silently side by side. Looking at him from the corner of your eye, you couldn't help but miss Joel. It felt so wrong to not have him beside you. You'll have to get used to this you sadly told yourself.

The patrol went well.... at first. You showed Andy the route and how to check and reset the traps. He seemed to learn quickly and he talked, a lot! Or maybe it seemed that way because you hardly spoke a word. You were honestly in no mood for chatting so you just let him do the talking while nodding along. After resetting the last trap it was time to head back to Jackson. But before you could tell him it was time to go you heard a sound that made your blood run cold. Click...click...click! You both snapped your heads up, looking at each other wide eyed. Click...click from another direction and then another. Shit! how many of them are there?! "Quick!" you whispered, pointing to the horses.

It would be safer to shoot them from horseback in case you had to make a quick escape. The clicking got closer as as you both mounted your horses but before you could grab your rifle in the saddle holster the horses began to panic. Deafening, high pitched, inhuman screeching filled your ears. "Shit!" you cursed while reaching for your rifle as one of the clickers charged at you, no doubt attracted by the horses' whinnying. More screams echoed as another three clickers ran towards you both from different directions. "Go!" you screamed desperately, still fumbling to get your rifle out. Andy's horse took off in panic. You kicked your horses sides but it rared up, throwing you to the ground as it sped off.

The impact on the hard frosty ground took the breath from your lungs but as your adrenaline kicked in, giving you a much needed burst of energy you immediately sprang to your feet. Your only thought was to get to your rifle but that damn horse had run off with it and now you are defenceless. You look around in panic, your heart beating out of your chest as you see your death approaching fast. Death with rotting skin, infested with fungus and gnarled teeth. You had always hoped that this wouldn't be the way you'd go out. Before you had the chance to run gunfire echoed as a clicker dropped to the ground, staining the frost and mud crimson. "Y/N run!" Andy called out, Riding back to you from a distance.

The only direction you could run was to the river. You run as fast as you can, trying to ignore your screaming muscles and the tight burn in your chest as you heave desperate, deep breaths. Bang! Another clicker down but there are two more hot on your heels. Andy fires again but misses. They're still coming, that horrendous screeching drowning out the sound of your frantic heartbeat. You stop for a moment as you reach the river bank, looking behind to see how close they are. That's when you're faced with a hard decision: Either be torn apart or jump into the river! In this moment of desperation drowning seemed like the better choice. With Joel and Ellie's faces flashing in your mind you jump!

Part 2

[istadris]

We all know how Luigi adopted Polterpup and how everyone finds it ironic since he's scared of ghosts.

What if he found an abandoned and hurt baby bat (not Antasma) while visiting Pi'illo Island and decides to adopt it too because he can't possibly let the poor thing suffer like this, the bat getting attached to him after he cares for it and sees him as its parent. Grew attached too but is hesitant to take it with him since he doesn't know if it'll survive in a whole other habitat and he's reluctant to ask Prince Dreambert for permission. In the end the bat goes with him.

I feel like this would benefit him because he naturally loves taking care of others and so having someone new added to the family who's a bit more dependent on him really allows him to let those urges out. Also, it helps his guilt because while he will fight villains to save his loved ones and stop evil schemes that can damage the world, he still feels bad for hurting others and making their urges for evil worse due to hatred.

So he has Polterpup for King Boo, who despite all the terrors he's put him through, he feels bad for trapping him so many times and keeping him away from his boos. The baby bat for Antasma, because he feels guilty for fighting him after he was betrayed and the fight resulted in his death. (Dimentio doesn't count here for obvious reasons-). I just think it'd really fit.

Also, I keep picturing the baby bat being albino, no idea why, but I do.

My only objection to all of this might have been that Luigi is such a disaster magnet, animals often end up hating him or biting him, on the exception of Polterpup, or that he's too much of a mess to take care of a pet that's not already a ghost.

But then it hit me. Of COURSE Luigi would end up looking after a scary-looking, ghost-like, bitey little thing ! How much do you want to bet that he met it when it flew right into his face during a walk, and Luigi spent several minutes screaming and trying to get it off his hair while screaming "GHOOOOOOST" ? He's only allowed to have a pet if he goes through hell before adopting it XD

Plus, I'm thinking about Partners in Time where, even if sometimes he messes up, he has very nurturing instincts, always taking care of the babies and having his baby self grow so attached to him he doesn't want to leave adult Luigi...And also Polterpup himself! Puppy was a little troublemaker when he first met Luigi, causing trouble just to play, and at the end, despite all the trouble caused, all it took was a sad puppy look for Luigi to forgive everything and bring back puppy home!

I also love very much the idea that it's his way of making up for hurting some of his ennemies. He's a forgiving type, our Luigi, much like his brother; despite the ghosts harassing him in every Luigi's Mansion, the moment they stop being hostile or brainwashed, he's all up for putting the past behind and having fun with them. If King Boo wasn't so bent on ending his game, maybe Luigi would give him a chance too.

Anyway, back to baby bat : yes to it, and also imagine Antasma coming back with a whole plan to get into Luigi's good graces and obtain his powers by manipulating him...

And then he finds Luigi cuddling an adorable little bat and calling it sweet names.

The screech ! The outrage !!

[coastxlwaters]

What happened to ur thumb?!

So, this happened yesterday

0. I had a low level of light headedness and a stomach ache but I needed to get out to the barn to exercise autumn

1. Autumn wasn’t ridden for 2 days and was energetic

2. My crop and saddle felt off, I later learn they were used and modified slightly without my permission (I’m not mad at whoever did, just confused on why they did it as well have that stuff at the barn)

3. My crop and set being off, shifted my normal no anxiety routine to a “oh god, do I need to check Autumn’s back and legs for injuries?” Routine.

4. My legs were awkward trying to reposition correctly, and since autumn is used to me being a quiet and relaxed rider and caretaker that probably ticked her off, her ears were pinned back but flopping, no fucking idea what that means but I have seem some horses do it when anxious or stressed, but idk

5. The crop kept hitting the wrong place on the shoulder, I hound be able to tap once and she goes, and since I’m a rated-shows rider I can’t look down as it’s frowned upon, and have to keep my head up until the lesson or atleast course is over. So I wasn’t able to see what the difference was other than the slightly off feeling.

6. Ticked her off more that I continued to try to use the crop. MY fault, I have no fucking idea what I was doing there other than me failing to follow proper barn rules.

7. We start the course and I she goes speed demon and I could tell she was abt to do SMTH, whether it was a buck or rear I honestly don’t know nor want to find out. I just cut off and out of the course halfway through

8. I got called a coward, (JOKINGLY) so I laugh and say “fuck you than, let’s see what shit I can do now that her energy is out” and get back on.

9. Same thing as 7 but this time I don’t cut off the course and the literal next jump she bucks

10. I land HARD on her neck, I really need to check it out but my friend said she looks fine for now.

11. My hand obviously hits her neck first, my thumb taking the most damage

12. I stayed on, THANKFULLY, cause if I fell off I have no fucking idea what would have happened

13. The rest is kinda like, foggy ig, I remeber making my usual “it can’t be to bad, I lived!” And then my thumb started hurting. At first thought it was SMTH I could ride off. I was wrong and for the next 15 mins I was a mess from it, both being my birthday and smth bad happening on my birthday for th 3rd time in a row. I get home, see my finger and go “damn I’m overdramatic as hell, it’s only a minor jam”

14. Just ice it and kept it elevated the entire night

(Today)

14. No sleep last night

15. It looks weird so I prob need to get it checked for possible infection

16. I get to the doctors and expect to be laughed at for coming in with a minor jam

17. I get X-rayed cause they wanted to see if it’s fractured, told I did amazing for being actively hurt and staying still and calm during it

18. I get to the actual office, Hear I shattered the tip of my thumb and it will forever be slightly bent, get banned from horse riding for a month, (sucks for them as I won’t listen to that)

19. I pull the cancer joke on @stormbreaker-290 again while walking to the room I’m supposed to go to, since I’m MEAN-

20. I get measured for a 1 finger cast as the injury is not severe in the sense I would need a full handed cast, but apparently shattering your tip of your thumb is relatively severe, since it doesn’t happen often and will leave me with my thumb being bent slightly forever unless I decide to do an overpriced surgery. Spoiler alert, I’m broke. Doenst hurt like what I expected tho, it’s only in that category I think for a longer healing process (I wasn’t listening but it was MENTIONED) and a permanent difference in my thumb even if it’s barely noticeable.

So, yeah it’s not severe in the sense of pain, it might take a bit to heal, I’m gonna take care of autumn still obvi and completely ignore the no-riding rule. I MEAN, ILL ONLY DO WORKOUTS AND NOTHING TO BIG OR SHOW PRACTICES OK?!

It’s also on my left hand, and I’m a boring right handed person so I’m fine lol. Gonna use it to hopefully get out of school obvi, but like yeah

Preppy cast✨

[medicinemane]

Search engines are such useless shit, literally just ads

I'm taking another crack at bother trying to get my data off my old phone/get the phone I was giving so it's working

Starting with the new phone... it's network locked. Honestly I think that should be illegal, if I (or anyone) buys something, they should be able to do whatever the hell they please with it

You should be able to use whatever phone you want with whatever network you want, and there shouldn't be any ability for companies to restrict access in any way shape or form, either locking your phone to their network or denying your ability to use a phone on their network

...but this is the US so real people can get bent, we need to protect corps (cause like... if we gave a damn about consumers forced arbitration wouldn't be legal, like the fact it is means why on earth would they care about something smaller like this?)

Old phone... so it doesn't react other than buzzing when stuff is plugged in, right? Can't turn it on or... I can't get a response that I recognize... maybe the screen's dead and it's turning on great, but... I don't think so and functionally that doesn't matter

My computer says both Galaxy S8 and Qusb_Bulk in my devices when I connect so... it must not be like it's fried... it must be communicating in some way

(I mostly have screenshots from conversations with people on there and my contacts... that's the two things that aren't backed up, all my photos from before my trip are, but there's some good ones of Bart that aren't that I want back)

And here we come to what I was saying, both these things when I search for an answer I just get ads for phone recovery software (that the ones I grabbed the free trial for don't have S8's only S8 notes) and adds for network unlockers

...both of these things have to be things that there's ways to do. Like, people do data recovery... this seems like something... something a phone repair person should have no trouble at all with... it seems like it honestly should be a pretty basic thing... but... it's impossible to find documentation on it... any more technical sites tend to just have users being like "lol, you're screwed" or "take it to the manufacture" and... I get the feeling they don't actually know anything about phone repair

(Meanwhile the network locked stuff... if they make software that can unlock it, that means there's ways to unlock it... I want the skills to do that myself, not just to pay someone for their proprietary black box software... it's just changing who has the chains on me)

Best I've found for the network is to ask my friend who gave me the phone if he can call his phone company and ask them about unlocking it

Best I've found for my old phone, is someone leaked some samsung software (absolute hero) called Odin, and maybe I can use it to flash an update on to my phone and basically force a reboot... I'm just... holding off on that cause while it's not supposed to damage your data... you can see why I'm being cautious and not just leaping on that... want to see if I can't find other options first

My core point though is that... it's just so damn frustrating that instead of being able to find actual repositories of info on this stuff... it's all literally just ads, every "article" is just native advertising

[ultratradmalewife]

I fear I may have spoken too soon. I made a post thinking there would be a turn around in the attitude certain Buddie shippers have towards anyone who doesn’t validate their ship, but I just don’t think they quite understand what they’re doing. Some of them are downplaying their homophobia to only the cutting Lou out of the stills, but when I make claims about that it’s something serious, and not really about some stills. How they handle situations like this will and is affecting real life queer people who aren’t secure in their sexuality.

I’ve seen damaging words tossed around about not just a character but a real man, calling him predatory. I’ve seen real fans slinging the word fetish to other queer fans. These fans have almost always done nothing wrong, most of it only comes from one side (I would know I’m chronically online). And we have major accounts like that deranged Samantha girl (who only recently started celebrating Bucks bisexual journey, wonder why) on Twitter amplifying one single shipper who had a really bad take, and these fans know what they’re doing because they use that one take as a weapon to talk about a fictional relationship, a relationship that is currently in the spotlight with general audiences, and all that audience is seeing is that one rotten apple, that one rotten take, and they’ll form an opinion on not just the ship (I don’t care about the ship), but the community itself. That’s where the homophobia comes in.

Do you really think some still is what would cause us to finally be vocal about how our community is being dragged by these fans who can’t think beyond their ship??? We’re being tagged by these accusations and malice, and you expect us to be quiet about it? I defended my trans sisters all last year on Twitter because transphobes made the same accusations, and none once did I think I would have to see this repeated when entering the fandom.

If anyone is actually here for the right reasons I urge you please shut these people up. It’s getting more personal and more nasty now. Ryan’s racist past is re-emerging because Buddie fans are so hell bent on always calling a fictional man (Tommy) racist whenever they can. It’s not my place to forgive Ryan, but none of this would’ve happened if you gave a new character the same decency you gave an actor. Obviously the real human should always come first, but when it comes to race this is a situation that is too real. It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s Buddie shippers actively trying to find something of Lou’s past to smear him, and if they do that’s on him, but this back and forth will only grow more intense by the minute to the point this show will become unenjoyable to everyone. The show brought us together for a reason and I will like to keep it that way, and I urge those bloodthirsty shippers to find that reason again.

(And Buddies what is it with you calling anyone who doesn’t like your ship racist? I’m a Mexican who doesn’t like Buddie because of the stereotype of a catholic gay. Does that make me racist?)

[jodilin65]

So Tom thinks you should be able to move to another country. This is when I asked him what he thought of the immigration situation which I do not support. He has a point but I think there should be limits. Too much is simply too much. We only have so many jobs, doctors, and housing here.

Slept horribly again. Strange sounds woke me up that Tom said he didn’t hear, then I had to get up and pee, and then I couldn’t breathe out of my nose because part of my nose strip came off. Tom swore he didn’t hear any loud bangs and he checked the camera for the time I thought I heard a loud engine of some kind and didn’t see anything. He told me the other day when he was napping that he could have sworn he heard someone knocking on the door, got up and checked, but no one was there. Then he checked the camera to see if he missed anyone and he didn’t. So I guess that sometimes these things are in our dreams. I swear whatever is up there is hell-bent on doing whatever it can to fuck with my sleep!

Well, I can’t fight back against the imagined sounds, the occasional nightmares, or the screaming bladder, but I’m now pretty sure that my nose - which is getting stuffier by the minute - is because of the losartan. It makes no sense that after being here for over two years, I would develop allergies like this or that it would be from the rat even though she’s close to the bedrooms when we had two to four rats in the other place and I didn’t have this problem. The only animals I’m allergic to are cats and they affect my lungs, not my nose. So I think the losartan is responsible for the stuffiness and the snoring as well, which also started around the same time.

It’s not dangerous to stop BP meds for a while and couldn’t cause the problems that stopping my thyroid meds would cause so I’m going to hopefully have an answer within a few days to a week, according to my research. I might have to try something else or not take anything and really watch my sodium intake and hope I don’t get kidney damage from the high blood pressure if I’m not able to get the weight off, or if I am and it doesn’t help. Not everyone with high blood pressure gets kidney damage, though, just like not everyone with high cholesterol has a heart attack, and not all fat people become diabetic. There’s just an increased risk, but not a guarantee.

I still expect to have some fatigue because my thyroid still isn’t perfect and I’m still older but I’m pretty sure I never had sleep apnea. Dozed for an hour earlier which helped a bit but I’m still quite exhausted. I’m very grateful for speech-to-text because sitting up typing all this would be a bit of a drag on those really tired days.

Sleep was horrible, as I said. I had to have woken up at least half a dozen times and one of the times it was hard to get back to sleep. First I thought I heard or at least felt a couple of thumps, then a loud engine, then I had to pee, then it was my nose, and then I had an awful dream about getting ready to move back to my home state with my parents. I didn’t know Tom in the dream. I’m not sure where my parents and I were living but we weren’t living together at the time. They were in the process of looking for a place up north for the three of us and I made them a tearful video trying to explain my sleep disorder to them, knowing they wouldn’t get it.

As for the diet, I was horribly hungry and tired yesterday, so I’m going to take today off as Tom suggested and then rethink how I’m going to approach it from there. I can definitely say that 1200 calories is too low for me in this day and age. It takes more calories for me to feel good than when I was younger. So if I feel comfortable with 1600 calories a day as I usually do, that’s probably what my body needs. Besides, I’m not that big so there’s no point in being obsessed over my weight other than in Andy’s imagination, lol. The question is what direction do I want to go? Do I want to add 100 calories at a time until I feel better but might still be able to lose weight, or start at something like 1500 a day and deduct 100 calories at a time till I’m not feeling as good and adjust from there?

It might rain today. This is definitely the wettest winter since we’ve been here. Seems a bit colder too but if there’s any good in it it’s that it’s keeping the honker off his motorcycle more often.

I was in the bathroom in the evening when I heard those dogs going off and I swear they sounded like they were in the field behind the house. Then the barking quickly faded away as if they ran around the corner of a building which makes me think even more that they’re behind us and not coming from that subdivision. Because sounds travel easier in cooler weather they were almost to the point of being annoying.

[videcoeur]

Pistols were the weapons of the weak- even Usopp, their sniper, barely ever used them, favoring instead a weapon of his craft that was far more efficient, less loud, and less likely to cause damage to the surrounding scene. Of course, destruction was sometimes unavoidable. She'd come to learn that, being the underling of a rather spunky rubber brat who cared only about one thing: saving the living.

Maybe that's why she'd mellowed down so much and hadn't murdered people over vases in a couple of years. Because someone saved her and gave her back her life when all she wanted was to die.

She raised a brow as he was being coy, her eyes leaving him to check the temple and assess the damage. It didn't mean she wasn't looking at him anymore - but she'd opened an eye on her shoulder, then on the back of her neck to watch him while still doing her archeologist job. Being a strawhat didn't change who she was at her core. The reason she was so fussy over this temple was that the Strawhats heard there might be a clue to the next poneglyph.

Hell, one of these vases could be a map for all she knew. But by the time she'd arrived at the temple, there was already a brawl going on. She hadn't had the time to check anything.

At least, the man didn't seem to want to attack her. Smart choice, she'd have him bent in at least 16 different ways before he could blink at her wrong.

"I see." She didn't know if she could trust his word, but it wouldn't be the first time some rare medication was found on the steps of history. That said, he was now inside the temple. Maybe he'd heard the commotion caused by the thieves and got there before her?

"I'm afraid I haven't, but we have an incredible doctor on our ship, and I know he's been foraging around here the past few days. He might not have made it here yet, however. Shall we go and find this rare flower, or would you rather talk to our doctor?" Either way, she was not leaving him alone around all those artifacts. No matter how sweet her smile was, her gaze was steely enough to let him know she wasn't giving him a choice either.

He couldn't quite admit that he knew why she valued these vases so much, but then again education wasn't something someone of his status was privy to. His formative years was spent as a deckhand, living the life of a cabin boy on a marine ship. Whatever he learned was because the Navy deemed it necessary for a ship crew member. Unfortunately, that rarely involved history outside of a naval units and key battles.

He moves his foot from off the back of one of the men, uncocking the firing mechanism of the flintlock pistol. No need to spill blood in front of a lady, no need to be a murderer over vases either. Instead he gives a soft kick to their ribs.

"Bloody thugs." He'd mutter as his eyes went to her as she spoke to him, blinking briefly. He wasn't sure if he was caught off guard by her abilities, her question, or her beauty. Probably a mixture of the three, being the devil-dog that he is.

"I ask myself that enough times, I don't even know." He'd reply coyly as he went to place the pistol away, raising his hands up in a defensive manner. His palms facing her it show'd he had no intention of trying to rob her.

"But for this specific place, there's an couple some ways back that I owe a favor. Old man is sick. Herbalist said some root grows near these ruins which they brew into a tea to help. Bit dangerous he said, didn't know it be this dangerous."

He says it as if it would have dissuaded him. Truthfully, he knows it wouldn't have.

"You wouldn't have seen it would you? Grows in a big bushy tree, low to the ground, supposedly yellowish flowers bloom from it?"

@videcoeur

[thewanderingbutler]

Travis Hackett x Reader WIP : PART 1

I wrote the first two chapters and wasn't sure if I was going to continue. Because people have expressed such support I have found the motivation to continue. More Chapters out now!

Fast Click to Chapter list

Background info: I’ve basically inserted (Y/N) into Laura and Max’s situation but with a twist. I’ve tried to keep much of the game dialogue the same in some scenarios so you can actually hear Travis Hackett saying it.

Chapter 1: An Impromptu Meet

“Fuck. It’s gotten really dark out” you say as you survey the road. 

Maybe driving in a day early wasn’t such a good idea. Especially this late at night. You did call ahead… kind of. You left a voicemail saying you’d be in later so that should have been good enough. I mean, Mr. Hackett always talked about how welcoming the town of North Kill was to new counsellors so this shouldn’t be that… bad.

“Shit. Did I miss the exit?”

You swing your head to look behind you in case you missed any signs. Your eyes shifting from one side to the other. When you turn back around you see something in the road, and you’re approaching it - Fast. You grab the steering wheel and swerve hard to the left. You feel a slight bump and skid off the road. The car crashes through the wooden fence, veering off into the forest. Hitting a stump you lose control of the wheel. The car twists and turns through the forest jostling you in the process. Next thing you know the car has skidded to the side and come to a stop.

You sit there for a time being, processing just what the fuck has happened. Your car makes puttering sounds in the silence.

“Oh my God… Oh my fucking God.” You say in disbelief.

Slowly regaining your composure you unbuckle your seatbelt. It hits your arm slightly as it zips up back into its regular place. You’re amazed that your airbag didn’t deploy after all that. You reach for the car door and open it with a shaky hand. As you take a step outside the vehicle you realize you’re a bit dizzy. Holding onto the car you steady yourself while taking in your surroundings. Yup. You are in the woods. Fuck. You take out your phone from the car and put on the flashlight, walking to the front to check out the damage. Shining the light you see where your front bumper is bent and that the right headlight is out, glass broken around it. 

“Shit…okay…okay. Not bad.” You move your flashlight a bit more, now seeing a bit of blood on the car. “But not great”. You say exasperated.

What the fuck was that? It was low to the ground but it looked… hunched? Fuck, how badly could it be hurt? I didn’t hit it straight on…

The wind blowed, rustling the leaves of the forest. For a moment you almost forgot how far you are from the road. Staring into the darkness you feel a sense of unease, as if there was something more than you in this neck of the woods.

Yeah. I gotta get the hell out of here

You open up the hood, hoping that you don’t see any damage you can’t fix easy. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary… or so you hoped. It was kind of hard to even examine the car in your shaken state. As you close the hood you take a step to your side and catch yourself on a tree root, falling flat on your face.

“Oh God damn it.” You say, struggling to get up.

You wipe the mud off your phone first and then attempt to wipe down part of your shirt, making the stain worse in the process. You sigh out loud and make your way to the driver’s seat. As you open the door you hear a noise. Looking back slightly you hurry into the car and immediately lock it. You relish in the safety of your car, slowly realizing the soreness in your neck. Bringing your hand up to the nape of you twinge. Seems like your little adventure caused some slight whiplash. Although you don’t feel great it’s not as bad as it could be. You sigh once more as you get the keys to start the car up. As you turn the keys the car spits out rapid clicking noises but doesn’t catch.

“No, no, no! Come on!”

A sense of dread fills your stomach. You try again but it’s just the same sound over an over. You put your head down on the steering wheel. Closing your eyes you lift your head up.

“FUCK!” You scream as you hit both hands on the steering wheel. 

You grip the steering wheel for a few seconds before opening up your eyes and tilting your head back. Out of the corner of your eye you see a man in the window.

“FUCK!”  

The man stands there calmly. You notice the police uniform and you place your hand on your chest, centring yourself.

“Jesus fucking Christ…. Oh my God you scared me”

After you finish swearing and your heart beat isn’t going a million of miles per second the officer speaks.

“Roll it down.”

“Of course officer”

Rolling down the window you can see him more clearly. He’s got short dark hair, a slender face, and piercing eyes that look black in the darkness of the forest.

“Are you injured”, he says in a serious tone.

“No”, you say immediately. “Well, my neck hurts a bit but I’m okay. Just a little shaken up.”

“Mmhmm” he says, looking at you before drifting his attention to the front of the car. 

He walks up to where the damage is and you watch him. He slowly approaches where you’ve damaged the car and bends down. After a second of scanning the front he stands back up.

“You wanna tell me what’s happened here?” He says in a very straight to the point tone. 

You gulp as he makes his way back to your window. You can’t look him straight in the eyes so you look literally anywhere else as you muster up your answer.

“Yeah, uh, I-I was driving along the road and took my eyes off for just a second a-and when I looked back there was an animal or something right in front of me so I swerved to avoid it but ended up losing control and…” you pause to compose yourself. “And now I’m here.”

You finish your rambling, shaky response by looking at the officer. His facial expression hasn’t changed at all, fully focused on only what you are saying.

“What did this animal look like?” He’s dead serious, it causes you to shiver a bit.

“I couldn’t really tell, it was so dark and it happened so fast that I don’t know what I hit.”

The cop pauses, closing his eyes for a second before speaking. He looks back at you.

“Can you get your car running?”

“No officer. I don’t know why but it won’t start up… Here I’ll try again.”

You reach for the keys, give them a turn and the same clicking sound starts up again with no sign of stopping. He visibly sighs.

“Alright ma’am please exit the car. Let’s get to the road.”

“Oh okay” you say as he takes a step back from the vehicle.

Fuck. Honestly I’m just glad there was someone out here. I did not like the idea of being here all alone.

You open the car door, placing your feet on the ground. Standing next to him felt more intimidating than when you were in the car. Maybe it’s because he’s a few inches taller than you and so the height difference is more apparent. The fact that he looks extremely serious probably doesn’t help though. Before closing your door you speak up, catching his attention.

“Um, would it be possible to grab my bag from the back? If I’m leaving my car I’d like to take my belongings with me….”

He pauses for a second before replying. “Yeah. We can do that.” He waves his hand nonchalantly towards your car then to the police vehicle. “You can put in the trunk. Let’s get a move on. ” He starts walking.

“Thank you.” You say as you turn to your seat.

You take your backpack from the passenger seat with your water bottle and sunglasses. Pressing a button you pop the trunk and close the driver’s side door. Grabbing your bigger bag from the back you shut the trunk. You pat the vehicle, hoping you’ll see your car sooner than later. You fast walk to the cop car and lug your bigger bag into the back, choosing to keep your backpack by your side. You look to the cop. He’s shuffling some things from the front to the back seat area so you can sit. He bends back up, his hand on the passenger side door waiting for you. Closing the cop car's trunk you make your way over. You can feel him staring at you so you mostly stare at the ground while you walk. Near the door you decide to look up at him.

“Thank you again for all your help”, you say giving a slight smile.

You see his facial expression change, he’s not making eye contact but focusing on the side of your face. You’re a bit perplexed but you keep the smile. He reaches to his side.

“Hold still please.”

Now you’re even more confused. Your smile starts to drop and your eyes dart to his hand. He’s taking something out of his pocket. 

“What are you doing…?” You say with apprehension.

He brings out a handkerchief, shakes it once to unfold it and brings himself closer to you, arm outstretched. You step back.

“I said, stay, still.” He says assertively.

You freeze. Closing your eyes not knowing what to expect until you feel the cloth at the side of your face. 

“Just….yeah…” he says in almost a whisper. 

He’s wiping your face. You totally forgot about the fall you had earlier. You must have had some dirt on your face.

“Mhmm…there.” He mutters as he steps back, taking away the handkerchief from your face leaving you with only the tingly sensation of the cloth.

You open your eyes again, meeting his.

“Fresh as a daisy.” He says to you in an almost friendly tone. “Now, let’s get going.”

“Oh yeah, um, okay…” You say as you sit down, still wondering why he did that for you. 

He shuts your passenger door. You put your backpack down between your legs and reach for the seatbelt. He walks to the drivers seat and closes the door once he’s in. Without even looking at you he starts up the car and puts it into reverse. He turns his body towards you, reaching his hand toward your headrest and begins to back up. You til your head slightly so you’re not right next to his arm. You try not to look at him directly but as he shuffles in his seat you can’t help but notice the profile of his face. He’s actually quite attractive. He’s got a strong yet lean face, making his other facial features quite distinct. His hooded eyes are what initially caught your attention. Every time he looks at you it’s like he can see right through you, which is a bit unnerving on your side. The police uniform collar fits his neck perfectly, making his Adam’s apple quite pronounced. You realize you’ve probably been staring for a while so your eyes wander away from his frame. He definitely fits the role of tough rural police officer with a face like that. As he reaches the road the car ride starts to smooth out. Rolling to a stop he bring his hand back and puts the car in park. With one hand on the wheel and the other on his thigh he exhaled, looking right at you.

“Now, you wanna tell me, just what in the HELL you are doing, all the way out here, this late at night?”

The tone change made you jump a bit. Now we’re back to serious cop.

“Oh, yeah, I-I was headed up to Hackett’s Quarry summer camp, I’m a new counsellor.” You say with minimal stuttering. 

Visibly raising his eyebrow he takes a second to pause, zero-ing in on your face.

“You’re one night early.”

“Yes, yes I am. I called ahead so they knew I was coming. Thought I’d get in early and scope it out”. You turn your head back to where your car ran off the road. “Of course that hasn’t worked out great.” You say with a bit of an exasperated laugh at the end.

The officer doesn’t laugh back. You stop smiling and clear your throat slightly. He looks down and presses his lips together as if he was contemplating something. He looks up at you for a second, focusing of your face and your expression before looking back down.

“You’re not going to make it to Hackett’s Quarry.” Looking up he shakes his head. “Not Tonight.” He turns, focusing on the road ahead.

He taps his fingers on the steering wheel, probably thinking about what to do with you. As he’s taking a moment to pause you look down the road too. You turn your head a bit too fast making you wince from some slight pain. The cop notices this too, looking you up and down as you put your hand to the back of your neck.

“I’ll take you to the station tonight. It’s closest and I need to be out tonight.” He’s taken his hand off his thigh and placed the car in drive before you could respond.

“Oh…okay… that should be fine…” you say hesitantly. He starts a u-turn and begins to drive down the road.

“If you’re worried about what’ll happen to your car I’ll make sure to get it out first thing tomorrow. I’ll bring it to the scrapyard to get looked at.” 

“Oh, that’s fine. Thank you.” You say a bit off-put. “I was just wondering… you said you’d be out? Will you leave me alone at the station?” 

“Yup. I have things to take care of but I’ll give you a a bed ‘till morning. I’ll take you to the camp tomorrow. Do you understand.” The way he said it was more of an order than a question.

“Yes. Absolutely. Thank you Officer.” 

“Mhmm” he replies. 

For the rest of the drive you both sat in silence, filling the car with steady breathes and racing thoughts.

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Chapter 2

BTW- this is the first fanfic I’ve ever written. Let me know what you think!

[icyowl]

Twisted Words

Pairing: Toge Inumaki x reader

Request: none

Synopsis: Inumaki’s cursed speech places the emphasis on curse when a mishap forces him to confront the idea that he could hurt you, and what it would mean to avoid such a thing.

A/N: sorry if it kinda fell apart at the end, had to finish before I got ready for work. Gotta love some Inumaki.

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Deep within the confines of his room, deeper still in the recesses of his mind, Inumaki grew restless at the horrors of his own imagining. He knew little of the blisteringly cold air crawling in from the open window, the heated sweat on his skin, the sheets kicked off his body and hanging limply off the bed. All Inumaki could see was a macabre creation, his body flinching under the stranglehold of fear. In his dream, he called to you, a taboo in itself given his cursed speech.

He knew what he was doomed to endure before it even began happening. The exact command he uttered was irrelevant–explode, die, blast away, flatten, crush, it didn’t matter–all that did matter wasn your body grotesquely disfiguring itself under his words. Pain; Inumaki was causing you pain, a fact that made him physically ill. He tried to stop it–to undo the damage he caused–but it just made your screams worse. His worst fears were being brought to life not by an enemy but by himself.

They lingered even after he opened his eyes to see his bedroom. The sun had risen higher now, the time clearly past the early morning. 9:32 am confirmed he’d slept longer than usual. Inumaki rose from the bed, his skin cold from sweat even with the warm weather and his hands weak when he reached for a shirt and collar.

You were nowhere in sight, thank god. It was a small consolation, given how his throat still stung with emotion and his heart labored along in his chest as if chained to the bottom of his ribcage. In the confines of his room it was all but impossible to harm someone that wasn’t there.

Then his eyes landed on it.

His desk lamp, now a castaway on the floor of his room, lie sideways, bent and twisted and entirely broken. That could have been you–hell, that was you, just in his dream and not out here in reality… arguably sometimes the worst of the two. Inumaki picked up the unusable object and turned it over in his hands for some time before placing it back on his desk. Even while sleeping he must have spoken aloud and though the lamp only required a trip to the shops to replace, it only worsened his emotional and physical discomfort. Something like this hadn’t happened since he was a child first learning to control his new yet powerful abilities.

That could have been you; so easily could have been you. The two of you had never spent the night together, but… he wanted to someday. The accidental naps you’d taken at his desk when classwork became too much weren’t the same. Would he never have the privilege of holding you at night? Keeping the winter chill off your skin? Staving off the nightmares or listening to your gentle pillow talk? He knew you, you’d try your hardest to work out a solution, but he also knew himself–he’d never let you win that battle. If there was a risk even your finger could end up like this lamp, he wouldn’t risk it.

How could he even dream up something like that? What was wrong with him? It was new and uncomfortable and his stomach gurgled not with hunger but apprehension. He had to find you.

In the food hall you conversed intermittently with Panda and Maki around a late breakfast. It was mundane and slow until Inumaki’s approaching presence brought your attention to him.

“Sleep well?” Maki joked, referencing his unkempt hair, late arrival, and far-away gaze.

Inumaki straddled the bench you sat on and promptly acquainted his face with your shoulder. His arms were cold when they hung around your shoulders and the exhale you felt at your throat could only be described as relieved. The sudden closeness was awkward for everyone apart from Inumaki but there was nothing to do other than accept the embrace. Clearly Inumaki wasn’t himself and you considered it your job to help ease his troubles.

“Uh, let’s go talk somewhere, okay Inumaki?”

A tiny nod was all you got.

You waited until you were back at the dorms to continue the ‘conversation.’ Thankfully Inumaki had separated himself from you for the walk over. It didn’t mean he looked any better; he only upgraded to some kind of stray animal by following so diligently behind you. Inumaki was never this outwardly clingy.

“What’s up?” You said, apologetic at the darkness under his eyes. He’d been fine yesterday. “You okay?”

Inumaki looked at the ground, then opened his door and walked over to his desk. You weren’t sure if he wanted you to follow or not, so you stood out in the open hallway like a loiterer until he turned to you with something in his hands. The object was one you didn’t recognise until you closed the distance–a lamp, what was left of one, anyway.

“You did this?” Was the only reasonable explanation for the lamp’s shape. It looked like what happened to curses on the receiving end of his commands. His eyes, though downcast, told you enough. “Did something make you angry?”

The weakest, saddest Bonito flakes was your reward and if you hadn’t gotten used to his language you’d have laughed..

“I’ve never seen you do something like this before. Was it an accident?”

“Salmon,” Inumaki said, turning and pointing to the bed with its sheets still unmade.

“While you were in bed…”

Finally it was all coming together. Inumaki still didn’t want to look at you, so imagine his surprise when it was you this time who took him into a hug.

“You must have been pretty upset to do this by accident, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help.” In truth you weren’t 100% sure that was what happened, but you thanked whatever deity was listening that you seemed to be right when Inumaki heartily returned your embrace. His cologne made a home in your welcoming senses and he even nestled his head against your own just that little bit more–even now you seemed just a bit too far away from him. Sometimes it was hard to communicate with Inumaki even at the best of times, but he kindly shrugged off the awkward moments and made the special ones worth the occasional struggle. “It’s okay Inumaki, you didn’t–”

“Bonito flakes.” He interrupted.

“No? What’s not okay?”

Inumaki grabbed your wrist and held it up, then took the lamp and held it next to your arm such that the bent, twisted body was in line with your forearm. They were of comparable size and length… at least, before it got disfigured. Your heart nearly cracked in two at the realization of everything along with the eyes of pure dejection that looked off shamefully. “Oh… Inumaki… you could never do that to me. You’re so careful around everyone; this only happened because you were sleeping. There was no one around to hear.”

He shook his head.

“No? What’s no?”

In a rare moment of frustration spurred on by stress and all the other overbearing emotions, Inumaki groaned quietly and rubbed his temples. He would have to write this out, wouldn’t he? Eyeing the lamp made him grimace again, but he ignored it to find whatever scrap of paper and writing utensil he could secure.

I don’t want to be away from you every night.

Your mind went through a couple years worth of future scenarios in the span of a few seconds while the thundering in your chest returned to a somewhat normal rhythm.

“I… didn’t know you were thinking that far ahead.”

Fear bloomed in his eyes, and heartache. You rushed to recover the trust swiftly disappearing from his gaze.

“I’m okay with it! I just… it surprised me, that’s all. I’d,” this next breath was hard so you rushed it out quickly, “I’d like to do that too.”

Inumaki’s shoulders slouched, relieved, and his eyes had their light returned to them. You thanked whatever deity that you managed to salvage the situation, but that still left him feeling vulnerable. Inumaki still believed he’d hurt you, that it was inevitable, and you knew him well enough to surmise that he’d push you away if you didn’t come up with something soon. The idea that came into your head made you nervous–after all, it sounded a bit kinky–but the need to ease his woes overcame the chance of embarrassment.

“Well, if we can make it so you can’t talk, then that’s problem solved, right? How about we get you a mouthguard or some kind of cloth? You can try to speak when no one’s around, and if it works, then you don’t have to worry. How’s that sound?”

Well, let’s just say Inumaki was glad his collar went above his cheeks.

[coonhoundcat]

Schedule It | Villain x Hero Snippet

-I didn't have a plan for this, so it didn't really go anywhere in particular. And I'm okay with that.-

"Woah, there buddy--what are you doing?"

Hero whirled around, aborting their inter-rooftop leap, losing their footing, and nearly careening over the parapet wall anyway.

"Oh GOD-" they jerked back, slipping and scrambling to get their legs under them properly. Failing that, they slammed fully into the roof tile.

With a gasp, they were up on their hands and knees, staring wildly up through a disheveled mane.

A gloved hand appeared in front of their face. The owner smiled, though it looked more worried than anything else. "You alright, bud?"

"Uuuuuuhhh yep! All good!" Hero flushed, recoiling a bit from the offering. "Just- peachy!" They shakily pushed themselves to their feet, only staggering a little on bruised shins. The damage to their brand was a lot worse than anything physical, anyway. They pressed a hand to their burning temple before they remembered- "SHIT- Superhero--" they spun back around to face the far rooftop battle raging on without them- "C'mon-- we've got to help-"

"What? NO. You can't- that's Supervillain."

"Yes! So we've gotta help Superhero!"

A leather-clad hand snapped to their arm, fingers locking around their wrist.

"Absolutely not. What the fuck is wrong with you? They're matched! You aren't scheduled for this!"

"Scheduled? What-" Hero tried to tug away, but the grip tightened. They narrowed their eyes. ".... Who are you?"

The stranger met their gaze. "Villain 98. Who the hell are you?"

The villain's gaze dipped down--lingering--and up again, eyebrows creeping up to their hairline. "Oh shit... they really did add a new one. When did you roll in, Boots?"

"... You're the villain?"

"Yeah? 98. That's what I just-"

Hero socked them in the face.

"HOLY-"

Finally breaking free, Hero ducked a blind swing, and launched themselves at the villain.

Hero's shoulder rammed into their gut, sending both of them staggering. Arms started to wrap around-- they slid under Villain's bear hug, popping out just slightly behind-

And Hero was yanked backwards, dragged by their own cape; fingers dug into their shoulders, their arm, twisting it up and behind their back, forcing them down--

Hero slammed into the floor, on their knees for the second time that night, bent over and panting through the burn. Arm locks fucking hurt.

Villain kept them in place, one hand pressed to the back of the hero's shoulder, and the other keeping a constant, painful angle to their wrist.

"What the hell, Boots? Don't you know what a fucking schedule is? 'Cause I don't remember seeing your name next to mine."

Hero grit their teeth, uncomfortably contorting to glare over their shoulder in a haze of sweat. The sight of blood running down Villain's face was worth it. "What. Schedule."

"Oh... my god. Is this your first day here?" They looked bewildered. "What's your number?"

".... I don't-"

"Fucking hell. Not even from your hometown? What, were you Hero of the Tules? Only had one hero in Sheepsville, Middle of Nowhere? How the fuck did you end up here?"

"... The village counsel was very impressed-"

"Oh. My. God." Villain was wheezing. "You are going to be eaten alive."

Hero looked to the ground, the tips of their ears coloring. They weren't exactly in a good position to argue. It hadn't been a day, and they were already getting far too familiar with the local architecture. The roof-work really needed some renovations. And the city seemed so dark. And hostile, and cold. They shivered. Who were they making proud?

There was a heavy sigh behind them. "Look. You're weak. I'm not the strongest villain here by a long shot-- and you can't even get out of a wrist grab. That being said, you're actually pretty quick. It's almost impressive. You can work with that. If you're not already planning to go make nice with the cows."

".... 'M not going back."

"Good. 'Cause you're actually kind of fun to fight."

Villain released the hold, and Hero fell forward with a groan, immediately bringing a hand up to rub at their abused shoulder and arm.

"Don't do anything else stupid tonight, 'Hero'. Stay out of fights; wait until you get put on a list, please. We do have schedules for a reason."

The hero turned in time to see them whisk off to the other edge of the building, and glance back. "I might even request you as an opponent. I usually go at it with 36.... but I'm not too attached." They gave a last wink, and stepped over the edge.

Hero remained kneeling for a minute, staring. A gust of wind bit through their clothes, sending their cape whipping to the side.

"... Thank you...?"