#and two bit really is the third older brother to pony

[greasegotahold]

The thing abt Dar-Bit is that on the one hand it's an easy pair the spares of the greaser gang. You have johnnyboy/purly for pony, johnyboy/jally for Johnny, jally/tally for Dally, and obv stevepop for soda and Steve, so what's left but darbit for darry and two bit.

But also it's things like:

They're both oldest brothers

Two-Bit is the member of the gang not related to pony who actually seems to look out for him as an older brother figure

Darry trusts Two-Bit to spend the day watching Pony

Two-Bit told Darry abt hiding Pony's fever and it being his fault Pony got sick

Two-Bit was willing to leave the state to look for Pony (and Johnny) after they ran off and Dally fed the cops a fake story

Two-Bit makes a gentle attempt to push back on Pony's Darry shit talking while walking Cherry and Marcia home

That scene before the rumble where Darry runs out the door to show off some gymnastics right as Two-Bit shows up and Two-Bit compliments his physique with a cocked eyebrow

[alittlebitofloveliness]

PLEASE write more mini fics about ponyboy and curly i love them together

Hi anon! This is the first of the PaperCut asks I'm cooking up, so I hope you like it. Sorry it took so long!

****************

Curly Shepard knows he’s the hottest person alive, which is good, because he needs this to go well. 

He’s got a pair of Tim’s jeans on- they’re a bit long, but unlike his own they don’t have any stains- and he might pay for that later but right now it doesn’t matter. His muscle shirt might’ve belonged to Tim at one point or another too, but right now the important thing is that it shows off his arms. Gotta show off his gains if he’s gonna get a date for the rodeo this weekend. 

He really needs a date for the rodeo this weekend. Angela had bet him three dollars and a pack of kools he couldn’t find one and he was determined to prove her wrong. Also, he doesn’t have the scratch to spare if he loses- he’s trying to save up for a nail gun. Dally Winston told him a week ago about a guy in New York who used a modified nail gun as a weapon, and Curly wants to try it.

So, the date. He’d considered asking Catalina Perez- she’s been making eyes at him for weeks, and despite what Angela thinks he isn’t completely clueless- but he doesn’t really want to take a girl out. Girls are fine, but he’s gotta be like…nice and gentlemanly and shit and it's so boring. Besides, Angela just said he had to find a date. She didn’t say it had to be with a girl. 

There’s only one person he actually wants to ask out. Of course, Ponyboy will probably tell him to fuck off, but he tells Curly to fuck off a lot and only means it like a third of the time, so it’ll probably be fine. 

Curly flexes once more in front of the mirror (for confidence) and sticks his switchblade in his pocket. Momentarily he considers grabbing a jacket, but he didn’t spend the last three months beefing up his arms just to cover them with sleeves. Besides, it’s not that cold yet.

Angela’s in the living room with Sylvia, and he promptly decides he does not want to hear them rip him to shreds for his very cool outfit, so he climbs out his bedroom window instead. It’s good practice for gang stuff, he tells himself, because saying he doesn’t want to feel the sting of Angel’s judgemental gaze feels a lot like cowardice.

Once he’s outside he runs into a problem: he’s finally psyched himself up enough to ask Ponyboy out, but unfortunately he doesn’t have any idea where to find him.

Ok, that’s not completely true. Truth is, the guy is pretty predictable on account of his grumpy ass older brother keeping him on a leash shorter than Angel’s temper. Tim didn’t keep half so close an eye on him, and he’d done things Ponyboy probably hadn’t even dreamed of.

It wasn’t like Pony was any sort of goody two shoes. No, Curly didn’t like teacher’s pets and he liked Pony something awful. Pony just…wasn’t as dumb as him, that was all. And he had more to lose, with the state breathing down his neck and all. Curly could respect that.

He’d try the movie house first, he decided. Shit Ponkid liked movies, and anytime he went with him Ponyboy would get all pissy if he said anything about Paul Newman. (What did Pony like so much about that guy anyway? He wasn’t even that tuff looking and he talked like a soc.)

When he shows up, the movie house is empty except for a pair of socs getting handsy in the back row, so he makes his way to the library instead, hoping the old lady behind the desk has forgiven him for time he spilled Pepsi over half the books in the history section (it's not his fault ok? He got distracted.)

This time, his detective skills are as flawless as his face, and he spots a familiar head of reddish hair in the back corner near the biology section, Pony’s shoulders curled in his familiar slouch. The sight of it makes a familiar warm feeling start in his chest, like how good whiskey goes down, a feeling Angela had explained to him two days ago was ‘what a crush feels like, dumbass’ with an eye roll and a not so gentle swat on the head. Much as he hates to admit it, it’s a fairly common occurrence. He’s good at describing feelings but not naming them. Angela feels nothing, but knows what things are supposed to feel like. It works for them, even though Tim calls them weird for it. 

“Hey Ponykid!” His voice is too loud for the library and he knows it, but what’s the old bitch behind the desk gonna do? Kick him out? He could kick her ass.

Ponyboy scowls. “Shut up!” 

“You goin’ to the rodeo this weekend?” Shit. Curly had meant to build up to that, honestly he did, but Ponyboy Curtis has a way of getting him to act like a prize idiot instead of his usual cool, suave self. He hates what this crush is doing to him, and also never wants it to stop.

“No.” 

He goes back to his book. 

Rude.

“Why not?” Curly presses, leaning on the table in a way that makes his arms flex just the way he practiced. The moment is wasted though, because Pony doesn’t even glance up.

“Because.”

“Because why?” He should’ve known better than to come to the library. The only time Pony ever gets proper mad at him is this godforsaken hellhole.

“Because Angela told me you were gonna ask me out,” Pony shuts his book, a shit eating grin crossing his face, and fuck this was not part of the plan. Curly can feel his cheeks flushing and he’s not for the first time he’s glad his skin is dark enough it won’t be obvious. If Pony- or anyone else for that matter- had any idea how much he made Curly blush he’d never hear the end of it, “and she paid me a pack of kools not to say yes unless you ask again after this weekend.”

“She- she what?”

That had to be cheating. Even Tim would have to agree that was cheating, or racketeering or- or something. She was rigging their bet against him. Worse than that she’d told Ponyboy he was gonna ask him out, and now Ponyboy was prepared with his smirk and that face and whatever cologne he’s wearing which smelled so good it should probably be illegal.

“Sorry,” Ponyboy grins, not sounding sorry at all. He climbs to his feet, and Curly is suddenly acutely aware of how close they are, almost chest to chest. Pony’s maybe three inches taller, and Curly finds himself having to look up a bit into his eyes, “guess you’re gonna have to try again next week.”

Then he leans in and kisses Curly on the cheek. 

Curly’s brain melts. 

Pony must see it, because despite the slight flush on his pale cheeks, he manages to look completely smug as he turns away.

“Now fuck off, would ya Curls? I’m tryin’ to read.”

[alaskan-wallflower]

I need any and all headcanons you might have about darry and paul

Ooooh okay!

They became friends in third grade

They were both competitive little shots and they were from different classes (like say there were two third grade teachers, Darry was in one and Paul was in the other)

They were both picked as captains for field day and as soon as they saw each other they were glaring at each other because they were competitive as fuck-

Things kinda escalated when they started getting physical with each other and yelling insults at each other and the teachers made them sit out for a bit

They actually kinda got to talking and Darry’s just like “I have a little brother named Ponyboy” “Is he an actual Pony?”

They became good friends after that one

Darry of course used to go over to Paul’s like…every other day. The dads even started talking and getting closer because their sons were best friends and it was kind of nice

They used to go out and watch movies together.

Wheneve r they hung out, Paul would get Darry the VIP stuff or whatever that he couldn’t afford so Darry could have some luxuries

Paul never wanted to go to Darry’s place though and would kinda make backhanded comments about his house being small lol

I kinda imagine Paul was naturally a bit spoiled-or a lot spoiled. Especially because he doesn’t have any siblings to share with

Pony and Soda didn’t like him much, especially because Darry acted like Paul was his brother too

Like Pony and Soda would have full on gossip sessions 😭(it was more out of jealousy that he spent more time with Paul than them, at least that’s how they felt)

I remember my school held a fake prom for the eighth graders who were moving up to high school and there they were both tied for prom kings

As they got older their friendship started fragmenting though because the two were a bit different

I feel like Darry was rather intimidating in high school-I mean, dude’s 6’2’’ and a pure tank of muscle. The resting bitch face doesn’t help. But he was the absolute sweetest boy ever-like he would help anyone out who needed it, he would be so sweet to the freshmen too, he was Boy of the year for a reason. And maybe even one of the top in his class.

Paul on the other hand was kind of the opposite. He was the one football player who was really just a jerk to everyone. People were afraid of him honestly and he’s probably managed to coerce Darry into doing some really shitty things with the excuse “boys will be boys”

I feel like he would give Darry things to kinda keep him under his spell a little-hence why he gave Darry his Madras shirt

I love the idea of Paul having an unreciprocated crush on Darry. I feel like that also fueled his jealousy honestly because Darry attracted girls like flies with honey and he HATED watching Darry even jokingly flirt back

Things finally shattered when Darry got the quarterback position-something Paul had been jonesing for since freshman year.

I mean…Paul had a private instructor! And what did Darry have? His dad? Yeah, that just toppled everything

A twisted part of him was even happy when Darry lost everything. In his eyes Darry had everything he ever wanted. A good family. Good friends. Chicks swarming him. And Paul didn’t see the good things he had. And he managed to get Darry to open up

And that’s when he pulled the train prank.

He waited for Darry to cross the tracks one night (maybe the night after the funeral?) when he was with Pony and Soda and he blared flashlights at the car. Darry swerved into a ditch and both him and his brothers got hurt (not too hurt-Darry broke his shoulder, Pony broke a collarbone and Soda needed stitches) but the damage was done. And he saw Paul run away.

That was the end of their friendship.

Bonus:

Darry’s lying in the hospital bed watching his brothers sleep, Pony in a sling and Soda with severe head cuts and he just whispers “you two were right about him.” and promptly busts into tears

[intrstellarhearts]

the tuffest chick in tulsa - the outsiders x curtis sister!reader

fandom: the outsiders

type of writing: headcanons / scenario

word count: 1094

request: yes / no  

characters: reader, darry curtis, sodapop curtis, ponyboy curtis, dallas winston, johnny cade, two-bit mathews, steve randle

original request: do you mind doing the outsiders crew with a curtis sister!reader where she’s older than ponyboy but younger than soda. basically, the reader is short and the gang (except her brothers) don’t expect her to be very strong but in reality she’s really strong and does roller derby, baseball, wrestling, etc. just a little scenario or headcanons of the boy’s reactions to being shown up by a 15 yo :)

a/n: ty for this request!! i forgot how much i loved writing for the outsiders lol. just wanted to say that requests are super helpful, bc i often have writer’s block lmao. just send me an ask & i’ll write it!! (rn i have a lot of motivation to write for the outsiders, dead poets society and house md!!) again, these could be scenarios or headcanons, and can include the reader or not! the only rule i have is no nsfw :)

taglist: none right now for the outsiders!! (message me or send me an ask if you’d like to be included!!)

--------------------✰--------------------

“alright, c’mon ace! you can do it … go go go!!”

you bit back a smile at the loud cheers coming from your brother sodapop. a quick glance told you that he was right there, next to the dugout, with your other brother, ponyboy. you wondered if maybe darry got off of work in time to see you, but the quick call of the umpire quickly snapped your attention back to the task at hand. the sun was beating down on that hot april afternoon, and a bead of sweat came down your forehead. you adjusted your stance on home base, making sure your grip on the bat was tight. the game was tied, and you it was up to you to win. then the pitcher made his move, and there you were, swinging your bat. 

“y/n! run! c’mon!!” 

you were running alright. and now you ran even faster, having heard darry’s voice cheering you on. this was where you belonged, on the diamond. you could see the other team scramble for the ball, your own teammates cheering as you rounded the bases easily. one of the outfielders tried to throw the ball to the boy on third base, but it wasn’t going to phase you. gritting your teeth, you had an explosion of speed, and slid onto home base just in time. your teammates erupted into cheers as the game ended. you took off your helmet, a big grin taking over your face. you nodded to your brothers, and went over to get a drink of water.

you teammates were there to congratulate you, slapping you on the back and mussing up your hair. as the only girl on your school’s baseball team, you had quickly shown the boys that you were nothing to be messed with. growing up with three brothers, as well as the pseudo-brothers in your gang, you were way tougher than anyone thought. although, many of the boys in your gang still thought of you as fragile and delicate, despite years of showing them otherwise.

“aw, y/n, that was an AMAZING game!!” came the excited yell of your brother ponyboy as he bounded over to you, followed close behind by ponyboy and darry. 

“thanks, soda.” you said, and you couldn’t hide a smile. you took a hand to your cheek, trying to wipe some of the grease paint off. 

“here, use this.” darry said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a couple tissues. one glace at him told you that he had come straight from work. he looked tired, but happy. “good job, kid. now give me that bat. we need somethin’ to eat.”

“how about the dingo?” you asked, handing darry the bat and your helmet, then taking a swig of water.

“aw, y/n, i don’t wanna go to the dingo.” ponyboy said, shaking his head.

“did you hit the winnin’ run today, pony?” you grinned, nudging your younger brother. “i didn’t think so!!” you, darry, and soda began to walk away, towards the road that would get you to the diner. ponyboy hung his head, kicking the dirt on the diamond, but he followed the three of you after a moment. 

the dingo wasn’t exactly the BEST place to hang out, but they could make a damn good milkshake and fries. plus, without steve there, you would finally be able to have food to yourself, instead of him stealing it all the time! it was a short walk from the diamond -- only about ten minutes. however, as you got closer, a familiar truck in the parking lot caught your eye.

“oh n-” you started, but they were already runnin’ towards you. of course the gang was here. of course. in the blink of an eye, two-bit and steve had already tackled soda and pony, and dally and johnny came over to you.

“how come your forehead has that bruise, shortcake?” dally said, leaning in to check it out. you had almost forgotten about it yourself, since it had happened earlier in the week.

“oh, nothin’, dal.”

“doesn’t look like nothin’.” johnny muttered, brow drawn with concern.

“aw, tell ‘em, y/n. it’s a good story!!” pony spoke loudly, dusting himself off as he got up, finally. you shifted your weight, suddenly seeming a bit less confident than usual.

“lemme guess.” two-bit started, and you turned to face him, an amused smile on your face. “you probably slipped or somethin’.”

“aw, lay off two. she ain’t that bad on her feet!!” steve said, punching him in the arm. the gang turned towards you expectantly, pony flashing a huge grin.

“well, i had a baseball game. not the one from today, it was a couple days ago. this guy on the other team started callin’ me names. y’know, stupid stuff. i didn’t think it would bother me. well, the ump started to tell me to shut up, all i was sayin’ was for him to stop!”

“and then what’d ya say?” johnny asked, completely invested.

“so then i get to third base. i decide not to go to home, ‘cause that would be too close of a call, y’know? so i’m on third base, and this jackass…” you quickly fixed your words after a stern look from darry. “this… guy thinks he’s all tough or somethin’. i try to go and run, but he trips me! i fell and hit my head and everything. the ump didn’t catch it, so i got up. he’s laughin’ so hard, and all i’m thinkin’ is that i wish he would shut up. so then i punched him.”

steve did a double take at that, and your smile grew. 

“that shut him up pretty quickly.”

“shut him up?” pony began, excitement boiling over. “shut him up??? he was about to cry!”

“yeah!” soda agreed, illustrating by mocking the bully’s crying. “just like this. he ran off to the umpire, who totally called him on his problems.”

“hey, good for you, kid.” dallas spoke, nodding approvingly.

“wow.” johnny remarked, nodding as well.

“i didn’t even think you had it in you!!” steve spoke, messing up your hair. you made a fist to him, and he flinched. 

“yeah, you better watch it randle!!” darry cleared his throat, and you put it down. “sorry.”

“maybe you should be our bodyguard from now on!” two-bit remarked, throwing an arm around your neck as you all made your way to the entrance of the dingo. “y/n curtis, the tuffest chick in tulsa!"

"and don't you forget it!" you remarked, grinning from ear to ear.

--------------------✰--------------------

[mayblossomss]

Whumptober Day 29: Fatigue

Four in the morning came and went, and soon the sun was rising, seeping into Ponyboy's window from between the large skyscrapers of the west side. Ponyboy groaned as the first lights of sun hit him, realizing that he'd forgotten to go the bed once again.

This seemed to be a new trend that he'd started. Ponyboy would procrastinate all of his work until it was fairly late at night, say eleven. Pony would then force himself to stay up until all of his work was completed, which usually was until three or so in the morning, then he'd go to bed for however many hours were left before six, when Darry would tell him to wake up for school.

Closing his notebook just as his door opened, Ponyboy didn't even get a chance to pretend like he was sleeping before Darry walked in. His older brother glanced at him, eyebrows knitting together as he caught his brother awake before he would have to wake him up for the third time that week. It wasn't like Ponyboy to get up early, causing Darry to know something was wrong right away.

"You're up early," Darry said in a monotone voice, looking him up and down, certainly noticing the dark bags beneath his eyes. "Again."

Ponyboy nodded, brushing hair from his eyes and risking a glance at Soda, who was sleeping peacefully in bed. "Yeah, Soda's snoring woke me up a few minutes ago."

"Did it?"

Humming, Pony got to his feet and stretched his arms behind his back, yawning. "Yeah. Say, what's for breakfast?" Ponyboy was quick to change the topic, and thankfully, with Darry's packed internal checklist, he would forget within minutes.

Days turned into weeks, and Ponyboy's sleeping arrangements didn't fix themselves. He continued going to bed anywhere from three in the morning to not at all, but every morning having to get up at six. Weekends were his only days off, but those really only consisted of two days. Not nearly enough to make up for the rest he'd missed.

Desperate to rack up any and all sleep possible, Ponyboy's body began to shut itself off at any chance it could. During class when the lecture got a bit too boring, while watching TV on the couch, and even being driven simply from school to his house. Of course, the gang noticed, it was hard not to. While they were all mostly amused, it only piqued Darry's concern.

On a particularly tiring day, Ponyboy had been out all day with Johnny, and when the pair finally got back to Pony's home, he said he needed a quick smoke before going inside. Johnny, focused on watching the stars twinkle in the sky, didn't notice as his friend fell asleep beside him on the porch until he'd finished his cigarette and put it out.

Turning to face his friend, he saw Ponyboy resting against the rail, the cigarette that had been in his fingers lying on the floor, and his eyes closed as small snores come from his slightly opened mouth. For a moment, Johnny wasn't sure what to do, but then he gave Pony a gentle shove.

When he didn't stir, Johnny realized he'd have to involve Muscles. Going inside, he spotted Darry in the living room, and nervously shouted, "Darry? I need your help."

Darry looked up, frowning at Johnny's nervousness, then walked over. Before he could ask what happened, he stepped outside and saw his brother, fast asleep on the porch. "...What?"

"I was looking at the stars," Johnny confessed softly, playing with the hem of his shirt. "When I looked back over, he was asleep. I couldn't wake him or nothing."

Sighing, Darry wasted no time hoisting Ponyboy into his arms and carrying him inside his bedroom. Johnny trailed, watching as Darry dropped Ponyboy on his bed and took his shoes off.

"Why's he so exhausted?" Johnny asked after a beat.

"I'm not sure," Darry replied, tucking his brother in, then carrying the shoes over to the front door. "I don't think he's been sleeping much."

"Why not?"

"Couldn't tell you, maybe he's been having nightmares," Darry pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and frowning. "Lord knows he doesn't tell me nothin'."

Johnny frowned, understanding the strain in the two brothers' relationship. "Maybe Soda knows?"

"Maybe. I'll ask when he gets off work."

Nodding, Johnny looked over at the closed bedroom door. "What if he just hasn't been sleeping?"

Darry looked at him, confused. "What? Why would he avoid sleeping?"

"He's been real into keeping his grades up," he murmured, shifting on place at Darry's intense stare. "What if he, I don't know, stayed up real late every night studying and all that?"

Darry's eyes hardened as he turned to face the door as well, mind racing as he recognized the probability that Johnny was right. How many times had he caught Ponyboy awake at six in the morning, a notebook in his hands, and papers spread across his desk?

His only question, one Darry doubted he'd be able to ask, was why? A nagging part of him told him that he knew exactly why Pony felt the need to study throughout the early hours of the morning, but he refused to accept it. He was hard on Pony because he loved him, but what if Ponyboy didn't see it like that, he thought for the first time.

What if I'm the reason he hasn't been sleeping? All because he wants to get good grades to appease me?

[the-writing-artist]

In Defense of Ponyboy Curtis

I feel like some people are too hard on Pony because he can't take a slap from Darry, and then think Pony is being too insensitive as he pours his feelings about it to Johnny. I also feel like those people don't really understand Pony's perspective, which is telling because the entire book is written in his point of view.

I know how Pony feels, which is definitely the main reason I'm coming to his defense now. Due to our parental situation, my sister has always more like a mother to me than a sister, and she's only two years older than me as opposed to Darry and Pony's six year gap. So you can imagine how angry I'd get whenever she tried to boss me around, and I'd always tell her "you can't tell me what to do, you're not Mom!", an insult that only stung a lot worse after our Mom passed away (I was 13, same age as Pony was). Other people, including kids younger than me, would always tell me to be nicer to her. I was 18 when Dad finally told me why my sister always acting more like a mother than a sister: before we were adopted, my sister would be the only one available to take care of me, a baby at the time. Therefore, she's always felt like it's her job to look after me. We've gotten much better now, and now you guys can probably see where I'm going with this.

Now, let's focus on Pony:

First, at the very start of the book, he thinks that Darry would rather give him up to a boy's home. This is because the two probably now fight more in a single day than they ever did in the span of the time their parents were alive, with Darry trying to parent him as best he knows how. To add insult to injury, it's only been eight months, not even a full year since the death of their parents, so all three brothers are definitely still mourning their loss, especially Pony, who is probably the most sensitive character in the book. The two are said to have gotten along just fine before this tragedy, but now all they seem to do is fight. On the other hand, Darry never fights with Soda (which probably stings), so Pony, at this point, has reasons for his fears here.

Second, the book outright states that no one in his family as ever hit Pony before, which heavily implies that the Curtis family doesn't believe in physical punishment. While falling asleep in the lot and forgetting curfew is definitely Pony's fault (whether or not that’s the only thing he did wrong is a post for another day), Darry hitting Pony is not. Considering this is the first time a family member has hit him, Pony is understandably shaken up, enough to run out of the house. And once again, adding insult to injury, considering Darry was the one who slapped him probably confirmed Pony's worst fears, as mentioned in Point #1 above.

Third, Pony spills his feelings to Johnny, who doesn't raise his voice even once and instead uses his own experience with abuse to calm Pony down. Pony going to Johnny was probably the best choice in this situation, as Pony had just run away from home (so Darry and Soda both are out of the question) and there's no guarantee that Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally would help him feel better at all (in fact, Two-Bit had slapped him earlier for being mean to Johnny). They probably would've just told him to 'suck it up' (like some of you do), which is the opposite of what Pony needs in this moment. So, Johnny is the best choice, especially since Pony states that the two have wordless conversations because they understand each other that much. Johnny succeeds, and Pony suggests walking to the park and back, stating outright: "Then maybe I'll be cooled off enough to go home." Meaning he was planning on going back (in fact, the previous paragraph outright states it). Meaning he just needed some time to simmer down before facing Darry again, even if it meant not speaking to him ever again. Pony was only forced to run away thanks to Bob's death (again, who's all to blame for this is a post for another day).

Not to mention, all of this happens when Ponyboy is one month into being fourteen. Do any of y'all remember what you were like at fourteen? I do; I wasn't as nice as I claimed to be.

[seyenna]

Philza and/or Techno and/or Ranboo fic recs

just some of my fav dsmp fics, mainly phil, techno or ranboo bc i’m biased but also a bunch of sbi and others

this one goes out mainly to zablr discord my beloved

pls tell me if the links don’t work

all of these are on ao3

rating\status(complete/ongoing)\warnings\word count\misc tags

ichor flows free amongst the iron by summer_rising

T\o\violence\13k\series\gods AU

Summary:

A gods and goddesses AU of the Dream SMP, dramatized for all our benefits.

First work:

  "Two gods meeting on a mountaintop overlooking the stormy sea? Very classy, Dream, I appreciate your taste."

  Dream didn't turn to look at him, but the faint shake of his shoulders let Techno know he had heard.

  "Scar's healing up nicely, I see," Techno mumbled with a light nod of his head.

  "Mhm. Cut nice and clean. Not that I expected any less from you, of course."

   ~~

   The god of power and the god of luck meet on a mountaintop to discuss Luck's standing in the ongoing political disaster.

We're Only Young by ImperialKatwala

G\o\-\66k\series\Dream & Technoblade

It's easy to forget amid the chaos and bloodshed how similar - and how young - Dream and Technoblade really are.

And when the sun comes up, you'll find a brand new god. by SkyboxZoo

M\o\violence\19k\gods AU

Summary:

The wounds from the fight had healed nigh instantly, but the golden blood still soaked Techno’s shirt. His cloak had gotten torn off and his hair had fallen out of its pony-tail. Ichor pooled in his boots. The man left a trail of golden, bloody footprints in his wake.

old gods (new gods) by WriterWinged

T\o\-\9k\series\gods AU

Summary of first work:

Survival, Blood, Madness. Philza, Technoblade, Wilbur Soot. Three gods who have never cared for mortal life, who play with them when they want to, who kill their toys just as easily. How, then, did a mortal end up in their hands?

This House Is A Fucking Nightmare by SilverWing15

T\c\-\17k\series\sbi

Summary:

AU Where Phil isn't quite as willing to stand by while his sons drop like flies

Summary of third part (my fav):

Does lingering too long in the shadow of a god make you a god? The voices in his head seem to think so.

His brothers know he's older than them but they don't know how much

OR: Technoblade doesn't think his brothers realize how different they are from ordinary men. After all, ordinary men may fight the gods, but they don't win.

It's been a long day. by BecausePlot

G\c\-\3k\Philza & Ranboo

Summary:

Sides are bad: he knows that much. He’s seen it tear people apart time and time again, so when he decided to separate himself from Tubbo and keep his distance, he knew he was in the right.

Well. He thought he was in the right, at the time. Sitting all by himself on the steps to the Prime Path, he’s not so sure anymore.

Yes, the sides might have torn the others apart, might have made them so weak that they have no choice but to fold under Dream’s hand, but at least they aren’t lonely.

So are sides bad?

‘I don’t know.’

~*~

Or, Ranboo looks out at the ruins of L'Manburg, feeling more lost and lonely than he ever has.

But, as he soon finds, he's not as alone as he thinks.

the voices in my head, they say a lot of things by rosyasteria

-\c\violence\1k\Technoblade-centric

Summary:

Some days the voices didn’t listen. They didn’t let up. They screamed instead of whispered, relentless, assaulting his ears until they bled.

tell them i was the warmest place you knew and you turned me cold by rosyasteria

-\c\-\2k\Techonblade-centric

Summary:        

Technoblade cared. But in the end it just fucked him over.

For the majority of his life, Techno felt like less of a companion, less of a family member, and more like a weapon to be wielded. 'The Blade' they called him; never 'friend'.

It Leaves Little Time for Anything Else by mirandible

M\c\-\1k\part of series\Dream & Technoblade

Summary:

   A young man aims for the top, but fate has other plans for him. So does Technoblade, apparently.

   (Or: answering the question of “Why does Techno hide his scars if they’re supposed to be some sort of trophy? Why keep your point of pride a secret?”)

the best requiem is a bar of silence (and I'll sing it, even if I must hold back my tears) by jello12451

T\o\-\10k\Philza & Technoblade

Summary:

   He can’t help the noise of celebration that escapes him. Techno- this means that Techno’s free, and he got his horse back, and everything is alright-

  Tubbo, filled with rage at Phil’s cheers, turns and impulsively shoots an arrow.

   He doesn’t expect to hit his target.

---

  Alternatively: What if Phil didn't have a bucket of water when Tubbo shot him?

Change fate by being aggressively kind by sircantus

T\o\-\13k\sbi, Philza-centric

Summary:

   “You do understand that you’re caring for the thing meant to bring destruction and chaos to our world, right?” The woman asks, Phil looking behind him fondly as Techno grabs at the ends of his wings.

   “He’s just a child.” Phil answers distractedly, humming as his wings get gently yanked at.

   “He’s the first of three to destroy life as we know it! Shouldn’t we, well, get rid of him?!”

   “Oh, no.” Phil raises his eyes with a sharp glare. “Believe me, I have my own way of preventing the apocalypse.”

   ---

   Or, Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy are basically chaotic forces of nature, destined from birth to end the world and bring destruction. Most who hear of the tale of them are trying their best to track them down, and to end the monsters while they’re still young, still just children.

   Phil has a different plan.

   (In which Phil raises the minecraft equivalents of the anti-christ with love and support, so much so to the point where the world ending is really just a funny thought, and Phil has three kids who casually have powers that are bit more extreme than anything else in the world)

I promised you that everything would be fine by findingkairos

G\c\-\6k\Technoblade-centric

Summary:

   manifestation: (n.)

1.     an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something abstract or theoretical;

2.     a version or incarnation of something or someone;

3.     an appearance of a ghost or spirit;

4.     the Blood God.

When he's young and still alone, still establishing his reputation as the immortal warrior, Technoblade makes up an imaginary friend.

Years later, the blood god is very real and very much a god: one that is prepared to do anything for their first and only friend.

the inner mechanism of a black box by Bee_4

T\c\violence, self-harm\Technoblade-centric

Summary:

   Technoblade lets himself get imprisoned for Philza’s sake. He doesn’t plan on being there long. Unfortunately, he’s underestimated Pandora’s Vault.

   There are things that will make even the Blade fall apart in due time, as it turns out.

carry all my sins by BananasofThorns

T\c\-\4k\Ranboo-centric

Summary:

Ranboo swallows. “All my armor and weapons and stuff are missing. Fundy and I were gonna go looking for them after the festival, I think.”

“I see.” Tubbo smiles again, but this time it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine, it’s just a festival. We could probably find someone to lend you a sword or an axe or something.”

He starts towards the stage, waving at people when they call his name, and Ranboo follows. The original panic has dulled to a cold buzz in his chest, but apprehension still wraps itself around his body like chains. He doesn’t like being without his armor and tools; he feels too exposed, and if something happens, he’ll be helpless.

“Ranboo?” Tubbo calls, glancing back.

Ranboo shakes his head and hurries to catch up. “Yeah, it’ll be fine,” he repeats. “Everything’s gonna be fine."

Tubbo grins. “That’s the spirit.”

Rule 5: be loyal. L'manberg doesn't do well with supposed traitors. Ranboo deals with the consequences.

Sojourn by Lacy_Star

T\o\-\13k\Ranboo & Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

“Well…” Ranboo started slowly, “You see, uh… I kinda… don’t have a house anymore, obviously. Um… Phil found me in—“ He paused, cutting himself off and squinting at the floorboards— very discreet, “Phil… found me. And… um… He said I could stay by you guys. Like, um, by the dog house he wants to build?” He paused, then began to ramble, “But, uh, if you don’t want me here, I understand— and I’m sorry for coming in your house when you weren’t here, I swear I didn’t touch anything— it was just cold outside and—“

Techno just stared at him. And how, how was this the second time this had happened to him? How was this the second time he returned home after battle to discover an injured teenage boy waiting for him, seeking assistance with nowhere to go? And how badly had that ended last time, in nothing but betrayal and insults?

---

AKA: Phil drags a half-enderman home after Doomsday, and Techno decides that they can keep it. For now.

can an axe count as rent? by aboutfivebees

T\c\-\4k\Ranboo & Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

Ranboo’s struggling to settle into his new life on the Arctic Anarchist Commune, but at least he’s got bread.

or the struggles of an enderman hybrid to come up with a housewarming gift to give to his friends, who are just trying to adopt him

The Caged Bird Sings of Freedom by StarPrince_Punk

T\o\-\25k\Ranboo & Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

The Blade's stance was still tense, his body prepared to fight at a moment’s notice if need be. “What’s your name?” Phil asked “My… name?” The Blade asked. “Yeah. Your name isn’t actually The Blade, right? That’s like a stage name?” Phil tried to keep his tone light. “What’s your real name?” The Blade hesitated. “No one… No one’s called me by my name in a long time.” ------- When Phil comes across Ranboo in his panic room after L'Manberg's destruction, it reminds him of when he first met Technoblade. And just like when he met Techno, Phil's first instinct is that he has to help this kid. While living together, Techno and Ranboo learn that they're much more similar than they had previously thought, and Phil learns that it's not too late for him to be a better dad.

This already feels like more of a home by H3118ENDER

T\o\violence, death\18k\Ranboo & Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

As the ashes of L'Manberg settle the conflict continues to come to life setting the stage for a new wave of blood shed. Stuck slam in the middle of past and present friends Ranboo is coming to learn that even without nations to their names feelings and feuds don't die but people, people do.

A Shadow of a Shadow by unappetizingegg

T\c\-\4k\ Ranboo & Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

There were a few beats of silence, and then- “What are your plans, now? Do you need a place to stay?”

That caught him off guard. Surely he’d heard incorrectly. Phil was offering him a home, right after he’d orchestrated the destruction of his past one? It didn’t make any sense, none of it did. Why would Phil say that?

Then he remembered, he remembered Techno stopping him in the fight. He remembered being handed his book, the question in Techno’s gaze. He swore, in that moment, Technoblade, the Technoblade, had been worried about him. He remembered that he had been told to leave, to run, to get away and preserve himself. He had spared him, he remembered that Techno had spared him.

Techno had helped him. Phil had tried to protect him, to get him away from the danger.

They were there for him.

 ---

alternatively:

Ranboo is alone. But he really isn't.

Meritocracy by oddsbodkins

G\o\-\18k\Dream & Technoblade, sbi, medieval AU

Summary:

Dream is more successful than he'd ever imagined - but there's one thing that's been bothering him. Technoblade, his biggest rival, the Acolyte of the Blood God and King of the Arena, went missing last spring, just before Dream got the chance to duel him. Without that one achievement to pave his way, all the following victories have felt cheap.

So, Dream hired some goons to dig Technoblade up and pester him into coming back to the Capitol, for one last showdown. Easy enough, right?

Interlude I: "Promises to Keep" by Ozzyyy

T\c\-\1k\part of a series\Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

These woods are lovely, dark, and deep But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep.

--

Techno has a plan. It's crazy. It's insane, it's actually just batshit bonkers. But if chaos cannot be enjoyed together, then what's it worth, yeah? There's a certain beauty in watching the world burn from the center of the flames. Phil intends to be there.

I Don't Want To Start A Fight (wouldn't you rather start a riot?) by KryOnBlock

T\c\violence, death\15k\Technoblade & Philza & Ranboo

Summary:

An universal ping rang out from behind him, the third and final he knew, and Phil sobbed, clutching the body tighter.

Techno didn’t move.

It always has been Technoblade and Philza, Philza and Technoblade. Take on half, and you shall never go back.

Sheltered by Lulatic

G\c\-\6k\Ranboo & Technoblade

Summary:

It was cold outside. But Techno never heard Ranboo complain.

That was the best excuse he could muster to keep him out.

Antarctic Princes 'verse by BirchWrites

T\o\-\15k\series\sbi

Summary:

Loosely-connected one shots set in an AU where the Antarctic Empire and the Dream SMP are in the same world. Ordered chronologically, but each fic can be read as a standalone thing

Summary of first part:

Oh shit. Forget arrested; Dream’s going to have to tell Wilbur that he watched Tommy get stabbed for being terminally stupid.

May we cross paths again by QueenLunaFreed

G\c\-\1k\Dream & Technoblade

Summary:

“Even if tomorrow it’s just us versus the entire server, Dream, I’m telling you right now - I have confidence.”

---

Dream couldn’t comprehend the pacing contradiction in front of him, the weakness he could clearly see, but would never comment on. Because this man has been defying Dream's expectations since they first met, because despite them not being friends and having no reason to trust each other, Dream knew that Technoblade is the only person who he’d trust to do this right. To destroy L'Manberg alongside him yet again, this time for real.

leave me your starlight by findingkairos

T\o\-\18k\Technoblade & Philza

Summary:

For you the world, Phil.

Once upon a time, Philza Minecraft is the only person who does not shy away from the bloody teen that regularly turns the tide of war.

This cements a friendship that will last wars, empires, worlds, and lifetimes.

 ---

(Featuring: Back to Back Badasses, healthy relationships, accidental deification, intentional world domination, and Phil's past coming back to haunt his best friend.)

[dallaswinstonsleatherjacket]

Concussion-Ponyboy Curtis 

(Im actually kind of excited about this one)

Most of my fanfics you can also read on my AO3-if you like that format better!

Taglist: @pepsi-and-cigarettes @chaotically-cas @sylvia-supremacist @darrys-toolbag @otterfire @i1-800-555-trash-1i @queen-of-the-outside @isasbaguettes @steveiskoreanfuckit (lmk if you want to be added or removed)

It had all started three days ago, when Richard Astor, one of the more commonly seen Socs, pushed me against the lockers after third period so hard I hit my head. He made it out to be an accident, but I knew that was only ‘cause Ol’ Mrs. Lowell was standing right there.

I don't know how Steve or Two didn't see it, since they were both there that day and usually were in the same halls as I was, but I didn't see either of them, and they must not have seen me either, cause Soda and Darry didn't say anything when I got home. I was glad, too. The whole gang fusses too much over me, and I know it's ‘cause my brothers are all scared of losing me after losing mom and dad. I get it, I’d go nuts if anything happened to them either, but still.

Anyway, good old Curly Shepard, a kid from a neighboring gang of greasers happened to see. He and I are pretty close, I tutor him with math sometimes and we get along pretty well. Our gangs might not, at least not all the time, but two kids like us have to stick together in a Soc-filled school.

Curly raised an eyebrow as I passed him, but didn't comment until after lunch. He had dragged me to the bathrooms and made me do that concussion test that his older brother Tim always makes him do after he hits his head real hard. I didn't feel real bad, I just wanted to get to English, so he let me go.

I didn’t feel anything at all besides a pain in my head until I got to the DX later that day. Steve had driven me there somewhat begrudgingly, but there was no getting out of it, because he had a shift there anyway and I was supposed to walk home with my brother.

Soda walked out to the front to meet us, and I tried to get out of the car but only narrowly avoided falling to the ground because Soda caught me just in time.

“Hey, Pone, you okay there?” Soda's voice was cheerful but his eyes were worried. He reminded me of Darry at that moment, and I shivered.

“Yeah, sorry. Just-stood up funny.” I wrenched myself to my feet, deciding that this was not the time to be dizzy.

Soda walked close behind me as I stalked indignantly through the DX and took a seat near where Soda usually sits. There were no cars Steve needed to work on, so he refrained from heading to the garage and instead stayed in the air-conditioned store, grabbing himself and Soda a coke before taking a seat on the stool next to me.

Steve and Soda started talking about some old convertible that came in the other day, and I started to doze off, to be honest. My head hurt a whole hell of a lot, and I wanted nothing more than to be at home in my bed.

“Pony. Pony, hey, kid-”

My eyes flew open and I was still at the bar stools around the counter at the DX, and both Steve and Soda were looking at me.

Soda reached as if to feel my temperature, and I tried to swat him away and nearly fell off the stool. As I caught my balance, Soda managed to press the back of his hand to my forehead.

“You feel a little warm…” I pulled away and managed a glare at both of them, cause they were looking at me like I was a little kid.

“I should take you home-Steve, can I take the truck?”

I would have liked nothing more than to drive home and sink into my bed, but Steve's glare, whether about the truck or having to man the register and the garage, made me resist.

“Soda-I’m fine, honest. I'm just tired-school today-”

“No one hurt you, did they?” Soda's eyes widened and he looked over at Steve, who shrugged and looked at me.

“No-I just feel fine-I’m fine, right Steve?” I looked over at Steve, and decided if he wanted his truck or his friend for the afternoon, it was his choice.

Steve raised his hands as if to ask to leave him out of it, but Soda raised his eyebrows and Steve looked between the two of them.

“I mean, Kid, you know how you feel-and Soda, if you think he caught something, take him home. I can manage here”

Soda tried to feel my forehead again, but I ducked this time, and Steve clicked his tongue at me. “Little Curtis, if I knew you were going to be such a damn pain-”

That's the last thing I remember before I fell off my stool.

*

When I opened my eyes next it seemed like I wasn't at the DX anymore, and I recognized the wallpaper of our living room.

“Oh, god, Pony-” Soda whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

If I had enough strength to hold any sort of conversation I would have asked him what for, but instead I forced myself to keep my eyes open.

Soda must have sensed I didn't want to talk because he continued. “You fell off your stool at the DX-I don't know why, I think you were dizzy, and you only blacked out for a bit, and then you woke up and started mumbling before falling asleep-god, Pony, I’m awful sorry.”

I still couldn't speak well, and my head felt heavy to hold up, but I watched out of the corner of my eye as Steve walked into the room, coming over to the couch and leaning over the back of it to look at me. My face felt hot and I wanted to turn away.

“That was some performance, huh Little Curtis?” Steve grinned.

Soda glared at him and turned back to me.

“You need anything, Pony? Darry’s almost home and he-”

I could feel all my muscles tense and I almost sprung up, only stopped by Steve holding my shoulder down.

“Darry? Darry can't come home, you shouldn't have called him-I'll rest, I promise, tell him I’m okay-”

The front door slammed and Darry walked in, work boots caked with mud and drywall, and he didn't even take them off by the door as he hurried over.

“Ponyboy, Pony, are you okay?” Darry’s hands were surprisingly gentle, one on my forehead and the other holding my hand loosely.

“I’m fine, honestly Darry.”

Darry shook his head. “You definitely have a fever, Pone, you're slurring your words, Soda says you were all dizzy at the DX-”

I shot a glare at Soda, which he didn’t return and instead looked up at Steve, who shrugged again.

“Kiddo, you have to tell me what happened.” Darry’s voice was stern, and he pushed my bangs back and adjusted the pillows behind my head.

“I hit m’ head” I let myself close my eyes, it hurt to keep them open, the light seemed too bright. I let my head rest back on the pillows and I kept quiet, not offering any more detail.

I could feel Darry's eyes searching me for more, but I lay still and didn't make a noise, until he either decided he would try later or that was all I had to say.

“Alright. Pone, we’re gonna get you to your bedroom, okay, so you can rest?”

“I can walk, Darry” I said, and tried to sit up.

Both Darry and Soda helped lift me to my feet, and I took about three steps before feeling like I wanted to throw up and sitting back down on the couch.

I pretended not to notice as Darry lifted me up easily and started down the hallway. I still felt so dizzy from even trying to stand up, and having Darry carry me was about equal embarrassment to falling, without the pain.

Steve and Soda followed Darry, although I'm not sure why Steve was even still here. It's not like he cared about me anyway, although I did notice he looked more concerned, and the smirk was wiped off his face.

Soda pulled the covers back and Darry lay me down gently and covered me with them, arranging my head on the pillows. Steve hovered awkwardly by the doorway, as if he were unsure whether to stay or go.

The door slammed shut and I winced at the noise, turning my face into the pillow. Steve used it as an excuse to go meet whoever was at the door, and Darry sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hey, kiddo. I'm so sorry, Pony, I know you feel like shit.”

My eyes were fluttering closed, but I reached for Darry’s hand, wanting suddenly nothing more than to have his arms around me.

“Rest, okay? I’ll be right here, I promise.” Darry’s voice was getting softer, and I could feel myself falling asleep.

*

“You think it's a concussion?”

My eyes fluttered open for a second, just enough time to see Darry and Two-bit seated at the edge of my bed, talking to each other quietly.

“I dunno, Two. It looks a lot like the one I got when I played football-he's all dizzy and everything, and really tired..” Darry sighed. “If it's a concussion all we can do is wait anyway, and get him to rest.”

It was silent for a minute.

“I should have been with him..I skipped school today to go down to that race with Dally, I could’ve driven him straight home and avoided a lot of this mess…” Two-bits voice was sober, the most serious I've ever heard him.

Darry seemed to have shook his head, and I heard him sigh again. “It's not your fault. I don’t think he just hit his head either, he seems off in general. He might have a cold along with whatever else. I just wish he didn't feel like this, like he needed to hide things from me.”

I shifted a little, turning more on my side and groaning quietly. My head hurt like hell, and I felt sick to my stomach, so I kept my eyes closed. I could feel Darry and Two-bit watching me, but they must have thought I was still asleep.

“So what did your work say?” Two-bit asked in a quieter tone, and I stiffened. What if he was let off because of me?

“I told my boss what happened. He told me it was no problem-he has kids, he understands. I just need to be with Pony if anything happens. I wish-I wish I had enough money to take him to get properly checked out but…”

They were both silent again, and I was filled with anger at myself, for being so dumb and causing so much trouble, and Soda for calling Darry, and stupid Socs and stupid school and-

“Pony?” Darry spoke quietly still, and I turned and pushed myself up on my forearms, forcing my eyes open.

“Yeah?” Golly, my head hurts.

“You need anything to eat or drink? It's past dinnertime, kiddo, you were asleep for a while.”

My stomach turned at the thought of eating anything, and I turned back over to face the window. Sure enough, it was dark outside, and I could hear the chatter of Soda and Steve, and maybe Johnny and Dally, coming from the living room.

“Not hungry.” I said finally, and Darry nodded. Then I said “Is everyone here?” I knew Dally wasn't, he never comes for dinner or stays over, but everyone else could be.

“Everyone but Johnny.” Darry said, and then rubbed his face with his hands like he does when he’s stressed. I didn't know whether he was stressed about me, or Johnny, or something else.

Darry stood up, walking over and sitting on the edge of my bed, closer to me. Running the back of his hand over my forehead, he managed a grim smile.

“Fevers down.”

Two-bit grinned at me cheerfully, and stood up, leaning over to ruffle my hair. “Hey, Pone, all banged up again aren't ya?”

I winced at the touch but smiled back, and Two-bit headed out to the living room. Darry stayed.

“You'll call me if you need anything?”

“Yes, Darry.”

“Alright.” Darry started to leave, but then turned back. “Hey-was Johnny at school today?”

I shook my head.

Darry's eyes changed, but he nodded and closed the door.

*

I must have dozed off again because the next thing I knew it was dark outside, and a hand on my shoulder was gently waking me.

My eyes didn't hurt quite so much, and I blinked a couple times before turning.

Johnny was there, his hair almost invisible in the dark except for where it fell in wild curls over his face. He looked as though he had been patched up recently, I assumed by Darry, he had a bandage across his face and a couple more that disappeared below his collar.

“Hey,” he said softly, and I grinned.

“Darry said you should take this-I think you fell asleep before he could give it to you earlier.” He handed me a small pill and a glass of water, which I swallowed, and set the cup on the nightstand.

We sat there in silence for a minute. Johnny and I can do that, we can sit without talking and still understand everything the other is thinking.

I shifted so I was sitting, and then I moved over enough so Johnny could lay next to me. He clambered onto the bed and we both lay down and stared at the ceiling.

He didn't ask what happened, and I didn’t ask either. We both knew.

That's how I fell asleep that night, Johnny curled up beside me. I’m sure he would be gone the next morning, slipping out at the break of dawn before anyone woke up, meeting Dally at the lot or around Bucks. I could picture Darry padding down the hallway and settling into his bed, I could picture Soda curling up in Darry’s big easy chair, and Two-bit and Steve flopping down onto the couch.

My head started to hurt again, so I closed my eyes. Johnny’s soft breathing beside me and the quiet chatter from the living room lulled me to sleep.

[thestruggleisdaydreaming]

OK SO, @sugarcoatedsadism, here’s my paracosm (sorry, this will be long, don’t feel obligated to read the entire thing):

I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma with my three older brothers, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy (yes I know these are funny names) after our parents died in a car crash. Sodapop and Ponyboy are their real names. Says so on their birth certificates.

(Photo of my brothers for reference)

Darry (right) is the oldest; he’s my favourite of my brothers, he’s extremely overprotective and he’s grown up too fast after having to take care of us after our parents passed. He works too much, but it’s for our family. He’s 6’10 and very muscular. He is pansexual. Despite looking tough, he’s a big softie. He’s 21. Don’t underestimate his brain, though, Darry is also super smart. Played football in high school and was Captain. Nicknames include: Superman, Dar.

Soda (middle) is the second oldest; he is a high school drop out, he dropped out and got a job at the DX because 1. to help Darry with bills; and 2. because the only things he was passing were auto mechanics and gym. He’s like me; extremely energetic and can’t stop moving or talking. He’ll be 18 in October. He’s 6’2. Nicknames include: Pepsi, Pepsi-Cola, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, etc. Soda is also pansexual.

Pony (left) is the third oldest; he is very artistic (like me). He’s quite the “I’m 15 and no one understands me.” He likes poetry, art, and he LOVES watching movies. He’s kinda silent, but Soda or I can get him talking really quickly. He kind of thinks Darry hates him because they’re always fighting, but Darry just wants what’s best for us (I understand that, so me and Darrel don’t fight often.) He’s 15 and 5’8. Nicknames include: Pone, Pone-bone, and Horseman. Pony is bisexual.

Then… there’s me! Liam Curtis, the youngest of the four brothers. I’m 5’4, and I have shoulder length blonde hair (much longer than most boys). 14, very sarcastic, and a giggly bastard by nature. Wants to be an actor/singer, and a very animated child. Knows gymnastics (not a big flex, everyone else in the gang does, too). Has a stutter, but it’s gotten much better and it only sometimes happens and usually it’s not too bad. Is very gay and unapologetic. Darry is my favourite brother and I’m his favourite, too. Has night terrors and is part of a tv show. Nicknames include: Lee.

So we move on to the rest of the gang >:)

Here’s Dallas Winston. He’s the criminal of our gang. He’s real tough and has been to jail several times. He’s really scary and a little hotheaded, but like Darry, he has a soft side to him if he likes you. He’s gonna be 18 in December. He’s around 6’3 (but claims he’s 6’4). He lives with his friend Buck in the upstairs of a bar. He’s from New York and had a rough childhood. Nicknames include: Dal, and Dally. He’s also pansexual.

Here’s Johnny Cade! He’s Pony’s best friend and also part of our gang. He looks like a cinnamon roll (he kinda is) but he’s a fucking bad ass and isn’t afraid to defend himself. That scar on his cheek he got from getting jumped from a gang of Soc’s (Soc’s are the rich kids of Tulsa, us greasers are not so well off). His home life is rough, so the closest thing to real family is the gang. Johnny is 17 and 5’6. Nicknames include: John, Johnnyman, Johnnycake/Johnnycakes. Johnny is bisexual.

Here’s Steve Randle. Steve is Soda’s boyfriend. Steve works at the DX with Soda. Steve fucking LOVES cars. Like. Knows everything about them. Steve is um… kind of a hothead and is quick to anger. He once called Darry “all brawn and no brain” and he almost got his jaw shattered by Darry. Will challenge you to an arm wrestle. Has an eagle tattoo on his arm. He’s 18 and he’s 6’0. His mom left him when he was 8, and hasn’t seen her since she left him with his (verbally) abusive father. Steve is bisexual. Nicknames include: Stevie.

And… Two-Bit Mathews! Two-Bit is, uh, kind of an alcoholic. Really likes beer. Anyway, his real name isn’t Two-Bit, it’s Keith, but everyone calls him Two-Bit. Why? Because he always has to put his two bits in. He’s always cracking jokes, 24/7. He’s awful to get arrested with because he’s always smarting off to the cops. He’s turning 19 tomorrow and he’s 6’1. Two-Bit is pansexual. Nicknames include: Two.

We’re all in a greaser gang together, and we all are very protective of one another. Life has been kinda difficult since our parents passed, but we know we’ll get through it.

(This was a lot longer than planned I’m so sorry).

[tulsa-trash]

Bob Sheldon Headcanons

WARNING(S): Mentions of alcohol abuse, physical abuse, death; got angsty towards the end there god damn—

Has an older brother named Gordon who moved away to go to law school, they’re a little over 4 years apart. They were never really close, due to their father creating unnecessary competition between them since they were younger. He doesn’t like talking about him much.

Mr. Sheldon would always compare Bob to Gordon, saying that Bob “ought to be more like his big brother instead of screwing around all the time.” Overtime Bob grew to resent his old man a whole lot.

Mrs. Sheldon is a chain smoker, she tried her best to hide it from the family but eventually Bob found out. Most of the time after she gets into a fight with her husband, she locks herself in one of their bathrooms, opens the window, and silently lights a cigarette as she stews by herself. One night she forgot to lock the door and Bob walked in on her. He promised he wouldn’t tell dad.

He tended to favor his momma over his daddy, she spoiled him more and he felt she was always easier to talk to than dad.

His parents have a decent age gap, his mother being eleven years younger than his father. They’d known each other since they were kids, his dad was best friends with one of his mom’s brothers growing up.

Being spoiled rotten with tons of cash throughout life has its pros and cons. Despite always coming off as cocky and entitled, deep down bob hated being a soc. At the age of 18 he already had all the money, nice clothes, popularity, and dr*gs he could ever want, so why even try?

He had no goals for himself, didn’t want to go to college, didn’t want to work, he could really care less about all that. He had a tuff car and he was dating one of the hottest gals in school, that was all that was important to him.

He met his best friend, Randy, in kindergarten. They went to catholic school together, they’re parents even get along well. Both of their childhoods were spent visiting each other’s houses and going to family cookouts often.

His dad forced him to join a baseball league in seventh grade, even though Bob expressed he didn’t like it his dad made him stick with it for a few years. He was eventually kicked off the varsity team his sophomore year in high school for excessive drinking, along with constantly butting heads with his teammates and the coach.

The only good thing he got out of baseball was watching Cherry Valance preform with the cheerleaders at his games, that’s how their relationship started.

He’s secretly blind as a bat, but he refuses to wear glasses. Bob found out he desperately needed glasses in the third grade. once all the kids in his class seen him with those thick-brimmed, magnifying glasses it was all over. he was teased ruthlessly to the point where he just stopped wearing them and never put them on again.

“What happened to those god awful goggles, Sheldon?”

“Psh. They were fake I wore em as a joke.” 😅

^ That forced him to sit in the front of class a lot so he didn’t have to struggle as much to see the board. Even though the poor b*stard was blind the entire time, it made him used to getting called on by the teachers and chatting with his classmates. He was one of the most popular boys in town in no time.

Mr. Sheldon slowly became an alcoholic as his boys grew up. He went from one glass of scotch at night to taking a shot immediately when he wakes up in the morning and being plastered by the afternoon. Usually he’s a sluggish drunk, but god forbid he gets to drinking when he’s mad.

His old man was terrifying when he was both intoxicated and livid. He never put his hands on his wife but there have been multiple drunken episodes where he either destroyed sh*t in the house... or he’d beat Bob.

If you were to ask Bob if he would rather get hit with a belt or his dad’s hands, he would pick the belt. Even the metal part hitting him was no where near as painful as his father’s closed-fist strikes with his gold rings. If Bob had a good buzz on it numbed the pain a bit, so he tried his best to be hammered before he got home most nights.

His mother never stepped in or said anything about it, she’d clean up her husband’s mess and go to bed. The next morning the family would act as if it didn’t happen. They had to maintain their pristine reputation of course, wouldn’t want the neighborhood to know both Mr. Sheldon and his youngest son had drinking problems. Bob eventually couldn’t even stand his mom anymore. He hated them.

Mrs. Sheldon hated herself too, and her husband. She knew her baby boy was f*cked up because of them, the guilt ate away at her every day. Deep down in her heart she knew her son was drinking and causing trouble because of how he was brought up— how he was being treated at home... and she did nothing about it.

The mixture of bullies at school and his own personal bully at home molded him into being the arrogant and angry a*shole we’ve come to know. No one would be able to hurt him if he just beat them to it and hurt them first... right?

One night things got really bad, Bob’s report card came in the mail while he was out on a date with Cherry. His daddy was displeased, to say the least, 3 bold F’s sat on the paper.

“That no good son of a b*tch is lucky he ain’t home.” Mr. Sheldon spat as he slammed the report card on the dining room table, his wife visibly flinched.

When Bob got home that night he was already fired up, some greasers were trying to make a move on Cherry and Randy’s girl, Marcia, at the Nightly Double. The last thing he expected when he got home was to see his mother sweeping up broken glass while nursing a busted lip and a black eye.

They held eye contact for a long moment, neither of them said a word. His mother looked at him with so much pain, so much regret in her eyes, tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Bob turned around and left wordlessly.

He picked up a few of his friends, stopped by the liquor store, then began to look for some trouble. He immediately drove to the east side of town to look for some greasers to mess with, and after only fifteen minutes of cruising his eyes landed two younger boys from the drive-in earlier that night.

“Jackpot.” He slurred to himself as he turned his car onto the grass and pulled up to the park.

Whoever wasn’t helping Bob restrain the greaser he was drowning was beating the second boy in the grass. Every now and then Bob would pull the kid out of the water only to shove him back in almost immediately. He held him under the water, the cold liquid splashed everywhere managing to soak everyone near the fountain but he didn’t care... he couldn’t feel a thing.

The other greaser was shouting, his pals continued to egg him on as he continued swing the greaser’s head back and forth wildly under the water. He didn’t even know what anyone was saying, he wasn’t paying attention, all his focus was directly on hurting the individual in his grasp.

Red. Everything was fine until Bob noticed the water was changing colors. His ears were ringing, all he could hear was the faint sound of footsteps rapidly getting lower and lower, farther away. There was no more yelling, no more voices.

“Did I k.ill him?” He thought to himself, immediate regret and fear flooding over him.

He let go of the kids shirt and fell over with a soft thud, a sharp pain erupted from his torso. His hand lightly touched the left side of his ribs and there it was... warm, red liquid coated his fingertips after he pulled his hand away. It was then he noticed the other greaser, the tan boy frantically pulled his friend out of the water and laid him down on the cold concrete.

“P-Pony? Ponyboy?” He shook violently, his right fist held a switchblade tightly. “Oh god... what did I do... what did I do.”

Bob watched him slowly sink to the ground, his back resting against the side of the fountain as he began to sob. His eyes flickered to the unconscious kid, Ponyboy. He didn’t understand how his body went from hot to cold as fast as it did, the reality of the situation was crashing down on him like a ton of bricks, he knew he was going to die.

He looked up at the sky and took in a strangled breath before wincing in pain. To his left he noticed his flask— his dads old flask, it was his eighteenth birthday gift. The thought of his father’s proud face as he handed it to him that day made Bob sick. He reached for it, the cold metal on his palm soothed him a bit. He weakly unscrewed the cap and went to take a sip, only to realize it was empty. Johnny watched him the entire time with a horrified gaze, but Bob didn’t seem to notice.

“Damn... that’s a shame.” The Soc grumbled to himself.

He tossed it, making it land a few feet away in the grass. His attention returned to the starry sky, a light feeling crept its way in his chest. He couldn’t tell if that was just him dying or if it was something else, but after eighteen years of being in this world his finally took the time to stop and look at how beautiful the sky was for the first and last time. He was scared, he didn’t want to go so soon, yet at the same time... he was relieved.

“Wow...” Bob sighed, “Ain’t this something else.”

His vision began to blur, tears— or was that also death? He felt the salty streams creep past his eyelids and run down the corners of his eyes. He was ready.

With one final breath, he passed away. His eyes never closed, he died looking at the stars.

[open-three-inches]

ponyboy’s coming of age headcannons🤍🤍

when he’s fourteen his favourite songs are my generation by the who and don’t think twice it’s alright by bob dylan

 the gang tease the hell out of him for liking bob dylan

 they call him a hippie

 this changes when he first hears led zeppelin on the radio in the late 60s, his soul literally ascends from his body when he hears robert plants voice for the first time 

 he shoots up in height at around fourteen and half

 by 15 he’s taller than Soda

 Soda hates it lmao

 grows to be about 6′1

 is terrified of spiders

 soda always gets rid of them for him

 but soda will also chase ponyboy around the whole house with the spider

 ponyboy once gave soda a black eye after he got a spider thrown on him

 he says in was an accident but honestly didn’t feel guilty about it lmao

 darry thought him how to drive

 sodapop came for��‘entertainment purposes’

ponyboy did eventually learn how to drive but it cost him almost losing his life

not from almost crashing or anything, just from darry almost strangling him out of frustration

also has a real dirty mouth

like cursing

he's the worst out of the whole gang for it 

he is such a pretty boy and has most of Tulsa in love with him

he’s pretty dumb and doesn’t realise how good looking he is though

 for example curly flirting with him for years before they got together

 disaster bisexual omfg

 lowkey a hopeless romantic too

 will think nonstop about the boy who held the door open for him or the girl who served him in a restaurant lmaooo

 HE’S A LITTLE SHIT AS WELL

 HIS SMARTMOUTH FUCK

imagine the sass of eric forman, harry potter and jess mariano all rolled into one

that’s ponyboy

everyone thinks he’s really nice but then he’ll hit someone with a roast that is so fuckin good that they will cry for the person who was insulted 

its steve getting roasted most of the time

 he’s really really witty

 becomes a lot more outspoken as he gets older

 very talented at hot wiring cars

still hates fighting but has and will break anyone’s nose if he feels the need to

 has his first kiss at 14 with a girl named betty

 he dated her for a while 

 he dated a good few people in his teenage years

 once he went skinny dipping with his then boyfriend and got caught by police and was brought home in a cop car

 darry hit the roof 

 steve claims the greatest moment of his life was ponyboy being led into the curtis house by a policeman soaking wet and half naked

 never really fell madly in love with anyone he dated though

 until his junior year when he suddenly couldn’t get curly shepard out his  head

 loves animals

 darry wont let them get a pet but ponyboy feeds stray dogs and cats around tulsa

 he has a name for every single one

he considers them his pets.

 in 1967 he cuts school to listen to sgt pepper by the beatles 

 he figures its the greatest album ever made

but he’s really stubborn and won’t admit for months that he likes the beatles after all the shit talking he did about them.

 he gets high for the first time with curly and they listen to the album again

 a stoner. 100%

 he cuts back on smoking cigarettes but gets high all the fucking time 

 has a stash under his mattress for when darry or steve are really pissing him off

has a really good group of friends 

they’re the same age as pony so it’s different to the curtis gang

he considers them brothers anyway so they don’t count

 they get into a lot of shit together

 soda thinks all the stuff they get up to is hilarious 

 darry is tired

 his best friend is a girl named juliet

 lesbian + bi duo

 juliet has common sense, something which ponyboy lacks, so they work well together.

 they talk about girls together

 juliet has a girlfriend named flo and they’re very much in love <3

 ponyboy will third wheel them sometimes lmao

 like he did with johnny and dal

him and curly finally start dating when ponyboy’s 16 going on 17

it surprises him how quickly he fell in love with curly

they’re both absolutely whipped for each other

darry and soda don’t really like curly but pony makes it clear they have to just put up with him

curly doesn’t exactly help, pissing darry and soda off seems to be his favourite pastime

they open up to each other about everything 

pony tells curly all about windrixville

 he thinks about johnny and dally a lot still

 he still has johnny’s letter inside the gone with the wind

 it’s really important to him, it comes with him to college.

 speaking of which, he goes to columbia university in new york

 full scholarship bby

 wasn’t going to go due to the fact it was so far from home, and he didn’t want to be that far from his family

 darry found out and almost killed him

 they had a talk about it though

 it was sweet and it helped pony feel better about leaving tulsa

 he also graduated from high school top of his class

 sodapop bawled at his graduation and two-bit made a poster for him

 he went to see his parents after his grad

 he really did wish they had been there for it

 curly didn’t see him graduate either which really hurt ponyboy

 they had gotten into a big fight a week or so before

 the reality of ponyboy leaving tulsa had been the elephant in the room for a while, but both of them were just avoiding it

 eventually tensions rise and both of their emotions explode

 they say things they regret and curly storms away from ponyboy

 curly later gets hauled in for getting into a bar fight

 so he misses ponyboy’s graduation

ponyboy loves curly more than anything and he knows curly loves him just as much

but he also knows it won’t work

so he visits curly in jail 

he keeps his emotions under control while he’s there like he always has had to do living on the east side

he tells curly that he’s leaving in a few weeks 

curly, who has always been closed off about his emotions, pleads with ponyboy to stay through tears

ponyboy loves curly but he can’t stay in this town anymore

and curly can’t seem to bring himself to leave it

so they break up

he cries himself to sleep most nights after

sodapop helps him through it 

he tries not to think about it though, making himself busy with packing and getting ready to leave for new york

he sees curly once more before he leaves

he’s out with his friends for the last time before he leaves when he sees curly, fresh out of jail, with some of the shepard gang

their eyes meet and they hold each others gaze for a few moments

ponyboy breaks it

he can’t quite find the strength to talk to curly

he finds himself wondering for months after what would have happened if he had just talked to curly that night

ponyboy can’t help but hope that curly will show up the day he’s meant to leave for college and everything will be okay again

he doesn’t

both of them are to stubborn for their own good

he leaves new york just after his 18th birthday

his brothers hug him tighter than ever and ponyboy almost changes his mind about leaving right there and then

sodapop, through his tears, swears that if ponyboy doesn’t call them everyday he’ll hunt him down in new york and kick his ass

steve wishes him well and looks almost misty eyed

ponyboy of course makes a smart comment about this which leads to steve rolling his eyes instead

not in a mean way though, almost sentimental, like he’ll actually miss ponyboy 

he drives around the town one more time before he leaves taking in everything and the memories, good and bad, he associated with his home

it’s a bittersweet feeling to leave behind his childhood but ponyboy thinks he’s ready

he almost drives to curlys just to see him one last time

Almost.

[the-wereraven]

To the anon that asked about Blackberry’s scars in the mlp au, and everyone else who wants to read: Enjoy.

 A red rubber ball bounced in the air as two foals used their magic to bounce it back and forth between each other, at times jumping in a random direction to catch it before it could fall out of their magic’s reach.  ‘How long have we been going on for?’ Sparkling asked, eyes trained on the ball as it bounced back and forth.  ‘Uh…’ Blackberry muttered, ‘I think almost two minutes?’  ‘Hey! That’s a record!’

  Blackberry chuckled as she leapt forward to bounce the ball back to Sparkling, tail wagging. ‘Finally!’ she said, ‘We’ve been stuck at what, 1 minute and a half since forever!’  Sparkling laughed, but it quickly turned into a surprised gasp when the ball flew over his head and when bouncing and rolling away. ‘The ball!’ he exclaimed, and went running after it.  His magic wasn’t as powerful as the adults’, but he still tried to grab the ball with it. He was unsuccessful, no surprises there.  Eventually, the ball rolled into the forest bordering the town, and Sparkling skidded to a halt. Blackberry eventually caught up to him, trotting to a halt next to him as they stared into the forest.  Blackberry let out a small hiss, ‘Crud…’  Sparkling turned to her, ‘What do we do?’ he asked, ‘That’s our third one this month…’  His friend had no reply. Stars almighty, they were terrible at keeping track of their toys outdoors, weren’t they? Blackberry knew that her parents wouldn't be happy to hear that she and Sparkling had lost yet another ball…  ‘Let’s hurry to my place,’ Sparkling was saying, ‘I have enough bits saved from last week to get another one. We’ll just find a red ball from the shop and no one would know.’  ‘What? No, that would never work.’ Blackberry said, turning to look at Sparkling. ‘My parents keep a crazy track of their stuff, there’s like a 99% chance that they’ll notice we bought a new ball.’  ‘They can’t be that nitpicky.’  ‘You wanna try them?’  Sparkling huffed, ‘So what? You want to go find the ball in the Selvage Forest?’  ‘Yeah.’  ‘WHAT?!’ Sparkling didn’t think Blackberry would be serious, but she didn’t laugh it off or mutter another suggestion. Was she seriously suggesting to go look for their ball in the Selvage Forest?  One of the most repeated rules of the town was to never enter the forest without an expert or adult supervision, for the forest acted as a wall that blocked the town from the deadlands, a large region that once held a grand kingdom, but fell into ruin when mysterious sinkholes started to appear all around the kingdom.  That was thousands of years ago, and plants eventually covered the holes, but ponies can and have fallen into sinkholes that were ages old and ended up lost in an underground catacomb of ruins. And some said the forest has those sinkholes too, you just can’t see them.  And yet Blackberry wanted to go in.  ‘Are you sure we can’t just get a new ball? We can throw it around at the playground to make it look a little more beaten up.’  Blackberry shook her head, ‘No one’s gonna buy that. Come on, the ball shouldn’t have rolled that far.’  Sparkling was about to protest as Blackberry stepped towards the forest, but she turned to him and said ‘Look, we might get grounded for like, ever, if we don’t get the ball back. Like you said, it’s our third one this month.’  And with that, she entered the forest. Sparkling wasn’t sure if he should follow, and for a moment bounced between going to get his bits to buy a new ball or following Blackberry.  But in the end, he followed her into the forest and caught up with her quickly.  ‘Lights,’ Blackberry said, summoning a small ball of light on the tip of her horn. Sparkling nodded and followed her lead, lighting a small area around them in gold and blue and pink.  The Selvage Forest wasn’t just a border, but it was home to unknown creatures. Unknown only because they hid in the shadows, never stepping out into the daylight. They could just be rabbits for all they know, but the two foals weren’t going to risk it.  Together, Blackberry and Sparkling walked in a straight line, trying to find their missing ball or at least a faint path in the ground from where the ball had rolled or bounced.  But there was no sign of their ball anywhere. Did it roll off somewhere else? Or had a creature taken it? Would creatures play with a rubber ball?  ‘Uh… BB…’ Sparkling muttered, eyeing what he thought might be fur in the dark, ‘Maybe we should head back. We’ll just get the new ball, and if your parents know we bought it, maybe they’ll let you go since we bought a new one anyways.’  Blackberry sighed, she didn’t like the idea of Sparkling spending his diligently saved bits to buy a toy she lost, but if there’s really no other option…  ‘Alright, let’s head ba-’ Blackberry’s sentence suddenly turned into a scream as she suddenly fell.  ‘BLACKBERRY!’  She tumbled down a steep slope, unable to grip onto a root or dig her hooves into the dirt. She fell and rolled and tumbled until she finally hit the bottom and crashed into a wall.  Dust and dirt fell as Blackberry recovered from the shock and the impact, shaking her head as she slowly propped herself up into the sitting position. She groaned as her body screamed in protest.  As she rubbed her head and tried to get rid of the pain, she noticed that the dust and dirt hadn’t stopped falling… And something was groaning behind her.  She turned around to see what was once a majestic statue of a unicorn draped in waffle-patterned cloth. The dust and dirt rained from the statue as it groaned, then it moved.  At the top of the sinkhole, Sparkling trotted in place, worried and scared. He opened his mouth to try calling for Blackberry again, but before he could, he suddenly heard a loud crack, then a crash.  And soon after, Blackberry screaming again.  But she wasn’t just screaming from fear like she did when she fell into the hole, she was screaming from pain, and she was screaming Sparkling’s name.  ‘BLACKBERRY!’ Sparkling prepared to slide into the sinkhole, hooves digging deep into the dirt. But he stopped himself just before he could.  He wouldn’t be able to do anything if he went down, he didn’t know what happened to Blackberry, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to help. He had to go get the adults.  ‘Ha-hang on!’ he shouted down the hole, ‘I- I’m gonna get help! Ju-just h-hang on! Keep your light on!’  And with that he ran off as fast as his hooves would allow, retracing his hoofsteps out of the forest.  When he left, Blackberry could hear his hoofsteps fading, and for a moment she started to panic. She had been pinned down by the broken statue, and it felt like the heavy stone was going to crush her sooner or later.  But if the statue wasn’t going to crush her, the many bleeding cuts she sustained from the stone would do the job instead.  Blackberry wanted to try wiggling her way out, but moving was already painful, even if it wasn’t a wounded hoof. She couldn’t do anything, she was trapped. Trapped and alone and feeling weaker and weaker by the second.  But through her panic, she suddenly remembered Sparkling shouting at her to keep her light on.  That’s right, she was still in the forest… Sparkling went to get help, he’ll be back soon. But she needed to keep her light on and ward off any creatures that might enter the hole and find her.  So Blackberry concentrated on doing just that, trying her best to ignore the pain she was in and the fact that she had a high chance of dying. Light flickered into existence on her horn, but it was dim, and it would get dimmer by the second.  She hoped Sparkling would arrive soon… Did he get out safely? What if he fell into another old sinkhole? He would be trapped, and no one would be able to help him, or help him get an adult to help.  Blackberry hoped he was okay, she hoped that he got out of the forest unscathed. Maybe he was on his way to fetch one of their parents, maybe he was looking for someone right now, and she’s worrying for nothing.  The light on her horn flickered despite Blackberry’s best effort to keep it on. She was getting dizzy, and her eyelids felt heavy. She wouldn’t be able to keep the light on for any longer.  She was about to close her eyes when she suddenly heard a faint voice, then the voice became louder and louder, until Blackberry was able to discern that it was Sparkling who was shouting, and he was calling her name.  ‘Here!’ Blackberry shouted, hoping she was loud enough to be heard. But she wasn’t sure, so she shouted again, ‘Here!’  ‘Blackberry!’  Sparkling stood at the top of the sinkhole, he turned to her family and pointed down the hole, ‘She’s in there!’ he said.  Her older brother, Cinnamon, nodded and ushered Sparkling aside. ‘It’s okay,’ he said to the colt, ‘We’ll get her out. Keep your light on.’  Sparkling nodded, watching as Cinnamon and his parents levitated themselves down the sinkhole. He really hoped they would be able to help Blackberry.  When Blackberry saw the light from her brother’s magic, all the panic and fear she had felt washed away with a wave of relief. She was safe now, her brother was here, Sparkling had gotten help.  The light on Blackberry’s horn finally faded out, and she closed her eyes as her family rushed over to lift the broken statue pieces off of her.  Cinnamon, who had always been a little awkward and flustered, was surprisingly the calmest out of the three. And though he was an shocked as his and Blackberry’s parents when he saw the wounds that Blackberry had sustained, he was calm as he carried her out of the rubble with his magic, and despite her whines and shouts, he took his cape and wrapped her in it, trying to stop the bleeding.  When he turned to their parents, their father said in a curbed panic, ‘Come, we need to get her to the hospital.  Sparkling, seeing the three older unicorns levitate themselves out of the sinkhole, was more than relieved to see that they had Blackberry with them. But his relief was short-lived when he saw the blood covering the right side of her head.  Cinnamon turned to Sparkling and gestured for him to follow. He then galloped off, his parents and Sparkling in tow.  The group emerged from the forest and switched directions towards the town’s hospital. It was late in the evening, so the group were fortunate enough to not encounter any sort of traffic, and were able to reach the hospital without a hitch.  Cinnamon burst through the doors and galloped in. Sparkling tried to follow too, but he was stopped by Cinnamon and Blackberry’s father.  ‘Not so fat young colt.’ the father said, ‘You’re going home.’  ‘Home?!’ Sparkling exclaimed in shock, ‘But I wanna follow! I need to know she’s okay!’  ‘No! You are going home. End of story. You’ve caused enough trouble as it is. You’ll be lucky if she even wants to see you after this.’  Sparkling tried to argue back, but the father stepped back and slammed the door shut in the colt’s face, shocking the colt enough for him to stumble back and fall. And all Sparkling could do was stare in shock.  Was it really his fault that Blackberry was hurt…? Maybe it was. If he hadn’t wanted to play today, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.  But he couldn’t do anything. So he stood and made his way back home, ears brushing his cheeks.

 The next day, Sparkling left his house with a card and a flower.  He wasn’t quite sure about this, but his father had encouraged him to go visit Blackberry, and Sparkling didn’t want to just show up and ask how she was doing empty hooved.  He hoped she liked peonies.  Sparkling trotted to the hospital, wondering if Blackberry would be awake. Ponies who had to recover often slept from what Sparkling saw. Like when his dad had a fever, he slept a lot. Or when Sparkling’s mom injured her leg, she rested a lot too.  Oh well, if Blackberry wasn’t awake, he’ll just leave the card and flower. She’ll see it when she wakes up.  Once he reached the hospital, Sparkling went up to the reception desk and stood on his hind hooves. ‘Excuse me,’ he called to one of the ponies behind the counter, leaning against the wood as the pony turned to look at him.  ‘Oh, hello there.’ the pony said, smiling kindly at Sparkling, ‘How may I help you?’  ‘Can you tell me which room Thorny Blackberry is in?’ Sparkling asked through the card and flower in his muzzle.  ‘Thorny Blackberry huh? Alright, let me take a look.’  Sparkling watched as the pony picked up a clipboard from the side, flipping to some of the last pages and scanning the names written there. His tail wagged when she went ‘Aha!’  The pony turned to him and said ‘She’s in room 10 on the third floor. You should reach it when you turn left from the elevator.’  ‘Sweet! Thank you so much!’ Sparkling said. He turned away from the counter and trotted along, with the pony behind the counter waving goodbye.  ‘What a nice colt.’ she muttered.  Following the pony’s instructions, Sparkling took the elevator up to the third floor, watching the floor counter tick to 3 before the doors opened. He walked out and turned left as he was told, and scanned the numbers on the doors as he walked down the corridor.  At the room with the number 10 on the door, Sparkling stopped and looked through the little window on the door.  It was a private room, as expected of Blackberry’s parents. And much to Sparkling’s dismay, they were in the room, talking to Blackberry. There was no way he would be allowed to enter.  Maybe he should try again later.  ‘Sparkling?’  Sparkling jolted and dropped back down to all fours, turning to look at a curious Cinnamon.  ‘Are you here to see Blackberry?’ Cinnamon asked. When Sparkling nodded, he raised his head and looked through the window. ‘Oh…’ he muttered, understanding why Sparkling had been staring when he arrived.  Even Cinnamon knew that his parents didn’t quite like Sparkling, though he wasn’t too sure why. Blackberry absolutely loved to play with Sparkling. She would be happy if he visited.  Cinnamon hummed in thought, turning away from the window as he wondered how on Earthbread he could convince his parents to let Sparkling pay Blackberry a little visit. Then he had a brilliant idea.  ‘How about this,’ Cinnamon turned to Sparkling, lowering his head so that the colt didn’t need to look up, ‘I’ll show you a magic trick that’ll let you visit Blackberry. Would you like that?’  Sparkling didn’t quite understand what Cinnamon meant by magic trick, but he nodded in agreement anyways.  ‘Okay, hide right here,’ Cinnamon said, gesturing to the side of which the door opens, ‘Get ready for the best trick you ever saw.’  Sparkling did as he was told, and watched as Cinnamon entered the room. He pressed his ears up against the wall, and could vaguely hear Cinnamon talking to his parents.  After a couple of minutes, Cinnamon left the room with his parents in tow, leading them the opposite direction of Sparkling.  Quickly, Sparkling held the door open and quietly tip-toed inside, then let the door close on its own as he trotted to the bored filly in the room.  Blackberry turned away from the windows, and a smile appeared on her face as soon as she saw Sparkling. ‘Sparks!’ she exclaimed in joy.  She was covered in bandages and a cast had been wrapped around one of her legs, but they didn’t seem to bother her in the least.  ‘Hi Beeps!’ Sparkling greeted, he put the card and flower on the bedside table and hopped onto the chair that one of the adults had occupied before. ‘How do you feel?’  Blackberry shrugged, but then flinched when she did. Still, she smiled at Sparkling. ‘Could be worse. But I’m fine! I’ll be out of this place in no time!’  Though Blackberry giggled, Sparkling’s ears drooped. ‘Yeah… about that,’ he said, ‘I’m really sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn’t mean for it to happe- Hey!’  Sparkling almost fell off his chair when Blackberry pawed his nose. He covered it with his own hooves and looked at her, confused. ‘What was that for?’  ‘What are you apologizing for?’ Blackberry asked back, ‘I’m the one who went into the forest right? You were the one who said we should just buy a new ball, and I went into the forest anyways, right? I’m the one who should be apologizing, dummy.’  Sparkling lowered his hooves, ‘Well… I guess you’re right.’ he said. Then he regained his posture and smiled, ‘In that case, apology accepted.’  Blackberry chuckled. She turned to look at the card and flower Sparkling had brought her. ‘Did you really bring these for me?’  ‘Of course!’ Sparkling said proudly. ‘I didn’t wanna come empty hooved.’ He picked up the card and opened it to show Blackberry, ‘Look! I even drew in it!’  And indeed, there was a simple crayon drawing of Blackberry smiling on the card, with the words “Get well soon!” written above it, also in crayon of the same colour.  Blackberry giggled and leaned over to nuzzle Sparkling in thanks, but again flinched when she leaned too far. Seeing this, Sparkling leaned forward to meet her halfway, and she happily gave him a nuzzle. ‘Thanks,’ she said.  ‘Anytime.’  When the foals withdrew, Blackberry yawned, and Sparkling took that as his cue to leave her be to let her rest.  ‘I should get going, ‘ he said to her, ‘Don’t wanna ruin your resting.’  But when he jumped off the chair, Blackberry blurted out ‘Wait.’  Sparkling stopped turning away and looked back at Blackberry, who looked a little sheepish. ‘Can you stay? It’s so boring here.’ she said.  ‘You want me to stay?’ Sparkling asked, turning around to fully face Blackberry, ‘You serious?’  ‘Uh… yeah?’ Blackberry replied, ‘It’ll be like one of our sleepovers! Just… not in one of our places, I guess.’  Sparkling couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head, ‘Alright,’ he said, ‘I’ll stay.’

 Cinnamon made his way back to Blackberry’s room with his parents, listening to them talk about how the malfunctioned vending machine could have been handled quicker if ponies didn’t panic and think it would explode.  It had been tricky to distract his parents long enough for Sparkling to spend some time with Blackberry, and frankly, it got a little out of hand. But Cinnamon considered it a job well done.  ‘I’m sure this will make a great story for little BB,’ Cinnamon said to his parents, opening the door to the room Blackberry was in.  When he turned to greet her, he stopped short with a surprised expression on his face. But then he smiled.  ‘What are you standing there for?’ his mother asked as she and her husband peeked over Cinnamon’s shoulder. They looked at what he was looking at and seemed surprised as well.  Blackberry was fast asleep, head resting on top of Sparkling. He was fast asleep as well, curled up on the bed so that his friend had more space.  Cinnamon thought it was cute. And though his parents might disagree, he knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. So he ushered them out of the room with the excuse of letting the foals rest, leaving the two foals in peace with each other’s company.

[erosofthepen]

A Dwarf and his Child

So this is the second chapter of my OC fic, and I think it’s pretty good. Dwalin and Clara travel to the Blue Mountains.

Chapter One

Dwalin didn’t speak very much. But once Clara warmed up to him, he had no choice but to listen. She spoke very openly and it rarely ceased. But it wasn’t as annoying as it was endearing. She would ask very inquisitive questions for such a young girl, and Dwalin could tell she was very bright. In two weeks he learned much about her. And she learned much about where she was going to live.

“Are there any other children I can play with?”

“Aye. Actually, I’ve made arrangements with my friends sister, and you’ll be with her and her two boys while I am away.”

“Boys?’’ Clara said with a face. Dwalin chuckled.

“That bother ye?’’

“Boys are yucky.”

“Indeed they are. But these two are plenty of fun to be around and no doubt you’ll get into all sorts of trouble with them.”

‘’How old are they?’’

“One’s about your age. 32, no? His name is Kili. The other is just a few years older, he’s 38 and named Fili. You’ll be thick as thieves.”

“Thieves are bad!”

“Just a saying lass.”

“Oh. Wait. Kili and Fili? They sound just the same!”

“You’ll tell them apart, no worries.”

“How?’’

“Kili has brown hair, Fili’s a blond.”

Claira narrowed her eyes and was quiet for a bit.

“I’ve got it! Fili the fair! Because he has blonde hair. Now I won’t forget. Though, i’ll have to think of something for Kili. There’s no words for brown hair that start with K.”

Dwalin smiled and nodded before leaning back and taking a draw from his pipe.

The Blue Mountains looked very intimidating to a little one. Clara and Dwalin rode their way through different villages and rocky paths. Finally, just after noon one day, the two of them arrived at a village populated with mostly dwarrow. They stopped on the outskirts of town at a little house made of oak.

“Is your hole underneath?” Clara asked.

“Hole?”

“Yeah, your hole. Where you live.”

“Ah. Lass, we live in houses. Not holes. Holes are for hobbits and rabbits.’’

“Oh.”

“You’ll get used to it lass, don’t ye worry.”

“Alright.”

“Afternoon Brother! How was the journey?” A voice called. Clara looked over at the house and standing in the doorway was a grey-haired dwarf with a long beard and red robes.

“Afternoon! We fared just fine.” Dwalin called in return, getting off the pony before helping Clara off.

“Is this the wee lass then?” The grey dwarf asked, making his way over.

“Aye. Clara’s her name. Clara, this is yer Uncle Balin, or Irak’adad Balin, if you will.”

“Earackadad?” She questioned, jumbling the word.

“Irak’adad. It means uncle in the language of dwarves. You’ll learn.”

Clara narrowed her eyes and looked Balin up and down.

“I’m just going to call you Uncle Balin.”

The older dwarf chuckled.

“That’s quite all right. Tell me, did you have a good journey Clara?”

“Indeed I did. I didn’t think the mountains would be so big, but they were absolutely huge. In Hobbiton, there’s no mountains at all, did you know that? But there’s plenty of hills. I lived in the biggest hill, Bagend. Well, sometimes I did. Mostly I lived in Tuck-burough, but my family there didn’t like me very much. They kept calling me a bastard, whatever that means. I don’t think it means something very good. We also live in Holes, but I suppose dwarves don’t. Are houses very cozy?”

Balin looked a bit taken back by her speech, but smiled nonetheless.

“Aye, I think ours is cozy enough. I’ve made up a room for you, and made sure to find the warmest blankets in Ered Luin.”

“I get my own room?” She asked with wide eyes.

“Aye, would ye like me to show ye?”

“Yes indeed!” She said excitedly.

Balin looked up at his brother.

“We’ll meet inside?”

“Aye, shouldn’t take long to unpack.”

Balin took Clara’s hand and led her up the steps. The inside of the house was large, and there were three rooms on the bottom floor. One was the bathroom, another was the study, and the third was Balin’s room. The space that wasn’t closed off was the hearth, table, pantry, and kitchen. There was a stairway that led up to the upstairs.

“That’s where ye and Dwalin be sleeping. He has a room and I’ve added yours.”

Balin eagerly led her up the stairs and opened the door to her room. There was a small bed in the corner and a wardrobe, as well as a vanity with a mirror, with a handsomely woven rug on the wood floor. But Clara wasted no time in letting Balin know her favorite part.

“That’s a ginormous window!” She said, letting go of his hand and crawling up on the bed to press her nose against the glass. It was chilly in the autumn weather but she could see the mountains and forrest’s.

“Aye, I installed it just last week. You like it lass?”

She nodded vigorously.

“I’ve never seen one so big! Not even in the Brandybuck’s lands!”

“I’m glad ye like it.”

They heard thumping coming up the stairs and Dwalin came in with her pack and lambie.

“Right. Let’s get you unpacked and then some luncheon.”

Balin had fished for lunch and they had some nice, plump, rainbow trout. When Balin was dishing the meal out, Dwalin interjected.

“She’s going to need a bit more than that, brother.”

“It’s already a plenty large portion!”

“She’s half-hobbit. Their appetites are something to be feared. And she is a growing girl.”

During luncheon, they spoke of taking Clara to the markets the next day to get fitted for warmer clothes.

“This isn’t the Shire, after all. Those dainty wee dresses won’t do much to keep out the frost.”

“Aye. And we’ll have to get her a pair of boots. Did she go bare-foot this whole way?”

“That’s the way of hobbits. Though, she has more cuts and bruises than I like to see. Seems like she didn’t inherit the hobbit feet.”

“Seems so. Oh, did ye tell her we’re dining with Thorin, Dis, and the lads tonight?”

“No, but might as well tell her now.”

“Can I meet Kili and Fili?” Clara asked, interrupting them.

“Of course lass. You know of them already?”

“Dwalin told me. Are they really princes?”

Balin and Dwalin exchanged a look.

“Aye, they are. In title at least.”

Clara shrugged and bit into a roll before letting her mind wander while the brothers talked.

After luncheon, Balin and Dwalin agreed to draw with Clara.

“Bilbo and I always drew after lunch, while Aunt Bella was cleaning up. She got me some fine charcoal from a craftsman and a sketchbook. They should be up in my room, Let me go get them!”

The brothers were certainly impressed by Clara’s skill. It wasn’t as if she could draw portraits, but it was far better than your average 32 year old.

“Ye must get it from your Adad,” Balin commented. Indeed, despite Dwalin’s fierce manner, he always was the most careful with crafting, and patterns and art in silvers and golds were his specialty.

They spent much of the afternoon drawing (with a snack or two in between), before they got ready to sup. Balin helped Clara choose an outfit and Clara sat patiently as Dwalin braided her hair half up, down the back. At 5 o’clock, they left the house and walked to the other side of the village, coming to stop at probably the grandest of houses. Balin knocked thrice and soon the door was flung open and they were greeted by a Dwarrow with beautiful brown hair. She hugged both the brothers and kissed their cheeks before smiling broadly at Clara.

“And what’s your name Lass?’’

“My name is Clara Took.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Clara. My name is Dís. I hear you are the same age as my son Kili, is that so?”

“Dwalin said he’s thirty three, and I’m thirty three, so it is true!”

A sudden shriek and shouting came from somewhere in the house. Dis closed her eyes and sighed.

“There be the boys now. They’re playing fox and rabbit, but I’m sure they have room for one more.”

“I love fox and rabbit! I always got chosen to be the fox whenever I played with my friends in Hobbiton.”

“That’s very well, my dear. Come in, come in.”

Clara, Balin and Dwalin stepped over the threshold and were nearly run into by two blurs of blue and brown.

“Boys!” Dis scolded. The two of them stopped and turned to look at their mum and the guests.

“Is that the girl?!” Kili asked excitedly. Dis was about to reply when Clara answered for her.

“I’m Clara! You must be Kili, since you have dark hair. Dwalin said you have dark hair and Fili has blonde hair!”

“Hi Clara!” Fili and Kili said as one.

“We’ve never had a friend our age! I mean, a friend whose a girl our age! A girl who is our age! You’re pretty special! What’s your favorite game? I hope you like hide-and-seek! That’s my favorite. Fili likes fox and rabbit, but he always wins because he’s a whole lot stronger and faster. But he won’t be for long. I’ll bet I’m taller than him one day!”

“You wish! I’ll always be taller than you, because I’m older than you!” Fili said.

“Boys,” a new voice said. All three of the children turned to look at a dwarf with black curly hair and piercing blue eyes.

“Hi.” Clara said shyly. The dwarfs glare turned into a smile as he met Clara’s eyes.

“Hello there lass. What’s your name?”

“My name is Clara. And you have got to be King Thorin! Adad said you’re the bravest King ever born!”

Thorin smile faltered for but a moment and his eyes flickered to Dwalin’s before coming back to Clara.

“He exaggerates. You may just call me Thorin.”

“Oh, alright!”

“Why is your voice like that?” Kili asked.

“Like what?”

“The way you talk, it’s so different!”

“That’s because she’s from a hundred miles away Kee!” Fili said with a sure nod, “All people from far away sound different.”

“Oh okay.”

“You sound different to me too. No hobbits talk like you!” Clara said.

“Hobbits are like rabbits, right?” Kili asked.

“Not at all!”

“Don’t you live in strange burrows?”

“No, we live in hobbit-holes!”

“In the ground?’ Fili asked.

“Yes, In the ground.”

“Then you are a rabbit!”

“No I’m not!”

“Oi!” Dwalin called. “That’s enough I think. Best to stop arguing.”

“Aye,” Thorin agreed. “How about you two show Clara your toy chest?”

“Great idea!”

The older dwarves all watched in amusement as Kili and Fili both grabbed Clara’s hands and dragged her away down the halls.

Chapter Three

[everlarkficexchange]

The Change

Written by: @alliswell21

Prompt 59: Growing up Peeta started loving her. It was a gradual thing that happened throughout his childhood and into his teens. But something changes when he hits puberty. Her scent has heightened, he can spot her from miles away. He gets a bit possessive. But the biggest thing is when his body starts to heat up and even just the thought of you gets him hard for days. He finds out the family secret of his werewolf genes, something his parents thought passed him. How can he go by with his day and be with her without scaring her away by humping her because of his heat. [submitted by @animekpopxx]

  Rated M: for language and “adult-y” situations.

  Tags: Underage. No-Games AU. In Panem AU. Tags/Warnings will be added accordingly. Un-beta. All mistakes are mine. 

  Author’s Note: I really tried to write this as a one shot, but since the quarantine brought my husband and kids to work/do schooling from home, I’ve been busier than ever… and I really wanted to have something to post before the exchange was over. So here’s the first part of this story, around 2500 words.

  As always, thank you to the moderators of the Exchange, you ladies are terrific as usual. Thank you to @animekpopxx for her awesome prompts, I swear your prompts are my catnip and kryptonite rolled into one. 

Heads Up, there’s no verbal interaction between Everlark in this chapter.

Stay safe, everyone. Enjoy! 

Chapter One:

  Is ten fifteen in the morning when I start feeling feverish and thirsty. We’re in the middle of a social studies test, and I can’t keep from squirming in my chair, shaking the whole desk everytime I try to hold on to it for stability. 

  I catch the teacher’s eye and wince when she screeches in her affected accent for me to stop twitching. 

  I try to tell her I can’t help it, but before I get one word out she’s flying upon me from her own desk at the very front of the class. 

  “Mr. Mellark, you have exactly 5 seconds to—“ she gasps when her cold hand grasps my shoulder like a crow’s claw. “You’re burning up, Mellark!” She sounds concerned for a Capitolite, but by the way she extracts her bony hand from me, I have to think I must be burning through my thin cotton shirt. “Why did you even come to school if you were so sick, boy?” She snaps eyeing me suspiciously.

  Against my better judgement, I roll my eyes. “We have a test, Ms. Greer.”

  “A note from your father would’ve suffice.” She snips.

  “I didn’t feel sick this morning.” I explain, embarrassed when my voice cracks lamely and the other kids try to hide their quiet chuckles, so the teacher doesn’t turn on them. The boys in my year have already grown into their adult voices, and some of them even have facial hair. Not me. I still sound and look like a baby. “I don’t feel sick right now.” I almost whine, which actually disproves my statement, because I’ve never whined about anything; whining it’s a sure way to get on my mother’s bad side, so is the first thing we Mellark’s learn to suppress and avoid at all costs. 

  Ms. Greer huffs impatiently, “Well, you have a terribly high fever, and you’re starting to sweat all over the place, Mr. Mellark. I’m going to have to ask you to go home until you are well again. The last thing this district needs is some epidemic tearing everything apart.” She sniffs out the last phrase, probably more concerned about missing her fat paychecks every week she stands here feeding us Capitol propaganda that’s supposed to pass as schooling, than actually worried about the district’s well being. 

  I try to protest about the missing the test, but this time Ms. Greer rolls her eyes and waves me off, saying that I can make it up with a two page report on coal production and its impact in District 12’s economy… as if she herself doesn’t know that our local industry is a joke, District 12 is still the poorest district in Panem, even after the Reformation a few years back, when the Capitol dissolved the Hunger Games and promised to open fair Inter District negotiations. It never happened, at least not with us, yet the whole country uses our coal. 

  Ms. Greer’s glaring at me though, so I pack up and start shuffling out of the classroom, only stopping to grab a note she hands me to bring to the front office. 

  As I footslog to the door, strange things happen that startle the shit out of me: first, a rush of smells like pine needles, sun and wildflowers invade my nose leaving me disoriented and frenzied; is a combination like nothing I’ve smelled before, but somehow, instinctively my eyes lock with the gray orbs of Katniss Everdeen, who somehow I know in my bones is the owner of the aromas filling my nostrils— I already knew she was sitting there of course, I deliberately chose my seat so I could steal glances at her long, dark braid, during class, but… I’ve never stared at her so boldly and openly, and for a moment I think she is staring at me with some interest… concern, maybe? It’s gone as soon as her gorgeous eyes fly away. That’s when the third thing happens. I growl deep and low at her dismissal, a possessive and animalistic sound that rumbles in my chest, making the rest of our classmates stare at me… great! As if the other kids need any more reasons to giggle and whisper behind my back.

  I’m the shortest boy in my class; I still have what can be considered as baby fat in this District, holding on to my thick frame, and while my older brothers are wrestling champions, I’m too heavy and uncoordinated to wrestle myself. Is not that I’m at any risk of being bullied or anything, I learned to be witty and funny a long time ago as a self preservation mechanism, and everyone likes me well enough, but I still don’t want to give anyone any munition to use against me.

  Yet, I can barely control the noise rumbling in the back of my throat, an worst of all, I’m fighting this unbearable urge to stomp to Katniss’ desk and plant myself there until she turns her eyes back to mine and acknowledges me. 

  She scowls at her notebook and rubs her nose with her knuckle. There’s a spike of some strange smell— reminds me of discomfort, I think— mingling in with her original scent, and that’s what finally makes me snap to reality, and force my legs to trudge to the office to get me an official excuse for missing school for the next few days.

  I’m loathe to admit it, but I’m itching so badly all over my body, I’m glad Ms. Greer kicked me out of class for having a fever. I don’t feel sick, but the itching is just killing me, and I want out of my clothes now… maybe a layer or two of my skin as well, but that just sounds kinda gross. 

  To my surprise, when I arrive home, Mother’s hands stay put at her sides instead of flying up to scoff the side of my head for skipping school, as if I where stupid enough to come home if I was skipping for real. She looks at me oddly though, almost like she’s sad or disappointed I came down with this fever. 

  Father on the other hand, looks mildly alarmed for a moment, but after feeling my forehead, he cups my face and pulls the skin under my eyes downwards with the pad of his thumbs, tilting my head around like he’s checking their health. Then his thumbs let go of my cheekbones and hike up the skin over my upper lip, bearing my teeth to him. He tilts my head again studying my mouth like I’m some prized pony he’s hoping to buy. His thumbs slide the length of my canines and then prods the tip for sharpness. An uncharacteristic blank expression takes his face, then he nods seemingly done with his examination or whatever he was doing; he lets go of my face and asks in his usual, quiet voice, “Are you hungry?” 

  My stomach growls in response. I’m surprised at the sudden feeling of voracious appetite unfurling in my belly. “Yeah.” I mutter, watching him pin the school note to the board by the bakery door with all the operational permits, just in case someone comes asking about me missing school. The Hunger Games might be abolished, but school attendance is still compulsory and any unauthorized absences are punishable by hefty fines, no one can afford to pay.

  Father points at the dining table with a thick finger, and I sit down heavily in my usual chair. I’m very surprised when out of nowhere, my mother plops a plate heaped high with food— mostly fresh stuff too— but I ignore the serving of vegetables and the freshly baked roll, in favor of the few meats lining the plate. I know Mother keeps certain meats she can reheat and repurposed in other meals, so it’s disconcerting seeing this abundance in front of me.

  I only pause to look up at my parents standing side by side near the wall, watching me eat with some strange interest.

  “Eat, Peeta, before the food gets too cold,” My mother orders without her usual verb when they notice I’m staring back.

  I dig in unceremoniously, inhaling first a piece of goat meat, then a pigeon leg, and lastly a bite of fried squirrel that somehow makes me growl as soon as my teeth sink into the morsel. There’s an overwhelming taste of pine needles and flowery woods mixed in with the savory flavor of the squirrel; my mind is suddenly full of images of a long, dark braid swishing against a brown leather jacket. 

  “More squirrel!” I demand in a grunt. 

  My father’s eyebrows arch for a second, and again my mother is the one to bring a piece of meat, no bigger than the pigeon leg I just ate, and tosses it on my empty plate. 

  I throw myself at it like a savage beast.

  “After you’re done eating, you can go lay down.” Says my mother flatly. 

  Well, now I’m worried! 

  My eyes snap at my parents, anxiously. “Why?” I ask cowed. 

  The last time my mother encouraged any of us to rest during a work day was… never. They did send my middle brother to stay with our aunt once; he had chicken-pox. My brother got to stay in bed for as long as he wanted, until he wasn’t contagious anymore and Mother dragged him back home. 

  My father sighs, “So you can sleep off your fever, son. You can’t handle dough while you’re sick. We could get fined for a safety code violation. If the peacekeepers think you’re working while sick, we could get in a lot of trouble.” 

  “Oh… okay.” I’m relieved. But I still have to ask, “And you’re both alright with that?” 

  My mother snorts. “Eat up, Peeta. Then go to bed. We’ll see how you do in the morning.” She crosses her arms over her chest and shakes her head, dislodging a few blonde hairs from the tight bun at her nape. She leaves the room muttering to herself something about not being ready for any of this shit, leaving my father to stare at me alone. 

  We just stay there, mutely watching each other for a second. 

  “You like the squirrel meat best?” He asks, awkwardly pointing at the piece of food still clutched in my fingers. 

  “Yeah. I mean, everything is tasty, but this stuff is just great.” I take a big bite out of my piece to illustrate, and as soon as the flavors invade my mouth, I shudder involuntarily, even body parts that usually lay dormant during meals stir at the thought of the huntress this particular animal came from. 

  My father makes a noise at the back of his throat, then he asks, “How are you feeling? Any weariness? Tiredness? Lethargy?” 

  I shake my head, “Nah. I actually feel great. I feel like I should be outside chopping wood, or running laps for wrestling practice.” It’s true too, even the itchiness driving me insane earlier, is gone. 

  Father’s eyebrows arch, “Wrestling, huh?” 

  I shrug and go back to finish up my lunch. It’s the first time I’ve actually voiced my interest in the sport, but I don’t know why it should come as a shock? After all, everyone in town knows Mellark’s are somewhat legacy wrestlers. 

  “Well, we can figure it out if you still feel so energetic after your nap.” Father says before making his way back to the bakery, leaving me to my own devices. 

  I finish up my meal, returning to the icebox the vegetables and bread I didn’t eat, then wash my plate and put it away. Sick or not, Mother would throw a fit if there is a dirty dish in the sink when she comes back to the apartment. 

  I lay down, not expecting to find sleep since I’m so wired up. I’m tempted to fetch my sketchbook— really, it’s just a bunch of scrap paper I’ve put together in an ancient folder I keep under my mattress— and draw for beat, but I’m a 16 year old boy… lay in bed, idly. My mind wanders back to the stupefying smell I’m convinced belongs to Katniss Everdeen, and as usual, thoughts of her lead to stirrings in my nether regions, only this time my body heat increases to furnace temperatures, my mouth goes dry as a bone, my skin itches like crazy and I’m trembling with aching want like never before. 

  I don’t understand what the hell is wrong with me, but I only start to panic when my dick starts swelling in my trousers, and it keeps growing and growing and growing, until the crotch of my pants feels like it’s shrunk three sizes on my body. I tear at the buttons until the fly is open and hastily try pulling myself out of my boxers, but goddamned near impossible to do, and I desperately shove at bottoms freeing myself after squeezing and twisting like a maniac. 

  I’m a little disturbed at how purple and swollen my dick looks. There’s some kind of protuberance bulging at the base of my cock. I’ve never noticed it before, and I’m freaking out it may be some nerve end or some of those tiny veins that pop when pressured… I silently beg the universe my I didn’t break my dick while pawing at it to pull it out. I’m still pulsing with want, and my brain is screaming to go back to remembering the aroma of pine needles and freedom that’s Katniss… but at the same time, I can’t unsee the strange meaty ring at the base of my dong. 

  I bring my fingers to it apprehensively. I’m curious, so I poke it and hiss at the zap of pleasure I felt as soon as my fingertips grazed the turgid skin. 

  I chance another touch, just to see if I can recreate the sensation, and moan pitifully at the feeling. The head of my cock bobs dripping precome. I close my eyes and wrap my hand around myself, so I don’t have to look at how angry red my penis is. Images of Katniss come unbidden into my mind’s eyes, and before I know it, I’m pumping my fists and groaning like a wounded animal, lost in sensation. 

  I can’t keep a rhythm to save my life, but as soon as the heel of my hand makes contact with the strange, swollen ring around my cock, my body jerks violently; I double over at the waist, gasping, “Katniss!” Just as cum starts pouring out of me like a fucking fountain.

  I saw a kid in school convulsing once, it scared the shit out of me then, and the way I’m twitching and spamming in bed right now, vaguely reminds me of it. I wonder if this is what it would feel like to convulse? 

  My cock is still spewing ribbons of semen in every direction, but my erection keeps hardening and swelling; I try pinching the head of my penis to staunch the flow of cum to no avail and I’m getting anxious and scared enough, I consider calling my father for help, but the mess in my bed is embarrassing, and I can’t stop eyaculating. Suddenly, out of nowhere my mind is conjuring up memories of that sweet smell of Katniss’. 

  The phantom smell of pine and flowers tickles the roof of my mouth and start panting into my pillow. I’m lightheaded and out of breath, copious sweat covers my entire body and an overwhelming need to squeeze the base of my cock takes over my body. My hand wraps around the weird protruberance above my pelvic bone and I fucking howl on contact. 

  My vision goes dark, and I only have one more thought before passing out: “I have got to hide this filthy mess from Mother.” 

  To be continued…

[mlpdestinyverse]

Chapter extension to: “Always There” Related: Loneliness, Early Days,  Breaking Point

In the aftermath of her family’s conflict, Daring Do breaks out of her reminiscing to the reality of seeing her child off. 

Feat. Monochrome

Story and Description Under The Cut

Two figures sat together, underneath the overcast dawn sky. The Ponyville train station was vacant in the early weekday hours. Daring Do and Monochrome had arrived nearly an hour earlier, to ensure that they would catch the first train available. However, only one of them would be leaving that day. A chill hung in the spring air, accompanying the grey clouds that desaturated the world around them. Daring had eased herself out of the far recesses of her mind, where she too often found herself time after time. Old memories were lingering clear as if they had only transpired within the past year. Happy memories. Bittersweet memories. Though now they were clouded by a layer of heartache. Ever so slightly she tilted her head towards her eldest child beside her, chancing a glance. But she only found a tight, unreadable expression as Monochrome focused on the wooden boards beneath them. Her violet eyes then apprehensively drifted towards the horizon. There, the train tracks faded into a thin point in the distance. At any moment she knew a city train would be rolling into the station. And even now, despite the acceptance, a heavy pit sat uncomfortably in her stomach. "You didn't bring a book..." The question broke the long, dense silence, almost startling Daring. Monochrome's gaze remained fixated away from their mother. After seemingly feeling her eyes on them, Daring watched them angle their head to finally make eye contact. It was a casual remark. But the mare could sense a second layer beneath it; an open question. Monochrome's gaze fell away. "You...always bring a book when you have to wait." Daring managed a small smile and shrugged. "It's a little hard to read when you're lost in thought." She admitted. There was a hint of a laugh in her voice as she spoke. She wasn't sure if it was for them, or for herself. Monochrome's brow creased, shifting their body to face her better. With the melting tension, it was as if they were jumping on the chance to give her their undivided attention. "What were you thinking about...?" Daring could tell from the hesitation in their voice that Monochrome was bracing themself for something. And with how quietly the weeks had passed since their last real conversation, even with Daring's assistance with moving preparations, she knew why. The elephant was right there. She wanted to promise them things were fine. But they both knew well that was far from reality. "I'm just reminiscing a bit...it's silly, but I guess this just feels a lot different from when you first moved out," Daring explained. Her smile saddened. "You won't be on the other side of town anymore...it'll be something to get used to." Monochrome nodded lightly to themself. "Yeah...we'll be miles apart." Their soft words hung in the air, bringing about another length of silence. "...I'll visit..." They assured quietly. But there was unmistakable uncertainty and guilt in their face. "I just..." Daring smiled. Weakly. Knowingly. "When she's not here?" Monochrome winced, immediate discomfort visibly taking hold. Daring couldn't help her shoulders from slumping at the confirmation. But of course she knew. It was near unspoken the moment Monochrome had chosen to plan and carry out their move while their mother and brother were away. Daring sighed, her eyes falling close as she leaned her head back against the station wall behind her. "....you can't be around her right now. And it feels suffocating to stay here after everything. I know...I get it." In the blackness of her mind, she could see bleary images. Old faces that had earned her own bitterness and ire once upon a time. She slowly reopened her eyes, staring up at the wooden boards of the station above her. "It's not like I never left home for similar reasons, you know...?" Distantly, even with open eyes, she could rewatch her household's conflict play out again from that doorframe. Fury and grief, regret and confusion, all contained in one room. Her wife had a good heart. She could never be compared to the discriminative, controlling caretakers Daring's own grandparents had been to her in her youth. But Rainbow Dash was flawed like anybody else. Including herself. Daring Do had solved plenty of puzzles during her treasure-hunting days, but one that concerned her family left her at a complete loss. It had taken her days to rack her brain, desperately grasping at some understanding over the drastic decision her eldest had brought before her. While Rainbow Dash's mistake had been immense, and Monochrome had every right to be as furious as they were, a single grievance couldn't possibly be enough of a catalyst to force them away from their own hometown. Daring originally had tried to convince them to wait a while longer, to break their winter-long isolation and at least attempt an open dialogue with their mother. But once she thought back deeper, analyzing every interaction and past event, a series of unfortunate memories began resurfacing. And then it clicked. They connected to one another, escalating unnoticed by her to the fractured relationship that now existed before her eyes. Sitting back up, Daring noticed Monochrome's eye silently - even uneasily - follow her. She offered a warm albeit tired smile. "Time to yourself away from your roots will be good for you. I know you'll do great out there." Daring averted her gaze, then, out towards the grassy field beyond the station, and then towards the mountains beyond that. She felt a sad laugh bubble out of her, and an ache accompanied it in her chest. "But I suppose now I'm just... wondering if I've really done all I could for you." Daring lowered her head and slouched, feeling a weight to her muscles. There was newfound uncertainty and shame in light of her realization; in only now seeing the long-term consequences of Rainbow's absence and the accumulated disappointments made in their foal's life. Why did she think a child could move pass each one? Why did she always assume Rainbow's heroism made up for any of it? To think she had convinced herself that she knew her foal better than anyone. And now she sat here, feeling like an oblivious fool. Daring squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry if I didn't do enough...I've been so short-sighted. There were things I should've seen sooner. And if I'd done more, maybe you wouldn't be hurting now-" “It was more than enough.” Daring's head shot up just as she heard Monochrome's hooves clack from rising up to their hooves. Their green eyes were wide with disbelief and bewilderment. In seconds their expression grew intense, with Monochrome taking a heavy step forward towards their mother. "Nothing was your fault," they spoke slowly and firmly, staring intently into her eyes. They held her gaze, and Daring felt too astonished to look away. But it didn't take long for Monochrome's expression to soften, their eyebrows narrowing back. "You...were everything I ever needed." Daring involuntarily sucked in a breath. It took a moment, and a fluttering of her eyelids, to realize that tears were beginning to prick the edges of her vision. She quickly moved to swipe them away, and this time, a genuine laugh escaped her. "Shut up and come here..." The golden Pegasus didn't wait to wrap her forelegs around her foal's neck and tug them down into a snug hug. The way she felt them tense gave her the impression that she had caught them off guard. But within a few beats, Monochrome slowly and wordlessly hugged her back. A bump against her hoof had Daring pull away to look down at their momentarily forgotten third party. Tank's beady tortoise eyes greeted her, an affectionate beam spread across his wrinkly green face. It wouldn't have surprised her if it had taken him all this time to walk around Monochrome just to reach her. Resting his leathery head against her foreleg, he released a grunt up at her. Daring smiled warmly, kneeling down on her forelegs to meet his level. "Say, I can trust you to keep looking after our kiddo, right?" she playfully asked. As she expected, Tank nodded back earnestly, and that gesture somehow helped alleviate some of the worry that she couldn't bring herself to shake. Upon looking up to meet Monochrome's eye, she noticed the pale Pegasus quietly studying Tank. There was a subtle crease to their brow, one that had Daring frowning and opening her mouth to speak- -chik chik CHIK CHIK Returning to her hooves, Daring followed her perked ear to catch a new sight in the distance. As if on cue, the multicolored train released a sharp whistle into the air, piercing the morning atmosphere to signal all in its vicinity. Almost immediately, Monochrome had straightened their posture, and that serious demeanor Daring had grown accustomed to washed over them. It was vastly different from her memories of a far more timid foal, clinging anxiously to her leg. But if that wasn't an indication of how much they had grown into adulthood and changed, she didn't know what was. Strangely enough, time seemed to quicken. As the train grew closer, a few other ponies arrived at the platform, seemingly living closer or perhaps having less to pack. Within minutes the train was pulling into the station, and a conductor and porter were stepping out of its opened doors. "ALL ABOOOARD!" the older stallion bellowed. Daring went on to assist in handing over Monochrome's baggage to the young porter, who gave a friendly salute as she piled the luggage in the caboose. And as they stepped back from the train, creating a space for themselves away from the small few preparing for boarding, Daring willed time to slow down. Because now came the moment she had been dreading. How funny it was, to realize how much she herself had changed. A long time ago, Daring Do lived a life of few attachments, leaving her a hardened, fearless adventurer with very little that daunted her. Yet here she was, restless over watching her child head off on their own personal journey. "Write me when you're all settled, alright?" "Yeah." "And don't worry about your brother. I'll handle everything here." "Thank you." The two stiffly stood before one another. Daring searched her mind for anything else she could say during this last brief moment. There had to be more she could say. Surely there was some sort of advice or assurance to part with as their mother, to make up for where she had lacked. "See ya..." She jumped as Monochrome's hooves slid away, their body turning to move towards the sizable structure of the train. Her hoof shifted, wanting to reach out. Despite parting her mouth, no words formed. And so she forced her lips to press into a firm line. Soon, they would be out of her immediate reach, hours of travel away. But at least they would be happier. At the very least, a new life away from their family was what they wanted. Monochrome's hoofsteps stopped. Turning her ears forward, Daring stared quizzically at the motionless Pegasus. She would have thought that they'd forgotten something- In a flurry of motion and feathers, Monochrome galloped back and threw their arms around their mother, clutching her in an all-encompassing embrace. Their outstretched wings followed after, with black and white plumage enclosing the two of them, creating a warm barrier that blocked out any prying eyes or noise. Daring could only sit there, stunned and confused, before Monochrome gave her one last squeeze. Pulling back, they pressed their forehead against hers with eyes shut tight. "I love you, mom..." They gently murmured. Slowly, their eyelids rose. And there, Daring saw something somber, and anxious, and familiar in those soft, misting green irises. Emotions flooded Daring Do at that moment, realizing just how silly she felt. Taking in her foal in front of her, she let out a watery laugh while tears gathered in the creases of her own eyes. 'You dummy...putting on a tough face for me. You haven't changed after all...' Somehow she felt better, knowing Monochrome looked just as nervous about the move as she felt. It made her realize just how long they'd cherished each other's company, and how much they had relied on one another during times of unspoken loneliness. And even after all of her lamenting over her failures as a parent, maybe there was some merit, knowing her kid would miss her as much as she'd miss them. Daring cupped Monochrome's face in her hooves. The pale Pegasus leaned into her hold. She smiled fondly at them, pecking a kiss onto their nose. "I love you too, Momo." With that, she pulled the younger Pegasus into one final hug, one relaxed and comforting. It was strange how she was only realizing new details now. Such as how their height dwarfed her own, leading to a face full of chest feathers. With a teary sniffle, a laugh shook her shoulders. "Where in the world did you get your height from? Honestly...you used to be so tiny." A rumble of a chuckle sounded from Monochrome's throat. Pulling away, playfulness danced within their own eyes. "Who knows...unless there's something you're not telling me." Daring lightly rolled her violet irises, smiling. "That is not unveiled until book thirteen, honey." Monochrome smiled back and shook their head, just as the loud whistle sounded off once more. "LAST CALL! ALL ABOARD!" the conductor shouted. Monochrome planted a quick kiss on their mother's head, lightly nudging her temple with their muzzle. "I'll see you." "See you soon," she answered, giving a lop-sided smile as she motioned her head towards their carry-on bag. "And don't forget those dried peppered pears I packed you! Canterlot is a ways away." Smiling back gently, Monochrome reached down to rev Tank's enchanted 'copter, wrapping the leash attached to the contraption's strap around their hoof. And just like that, Daring was quietly watching Tank and her Pegasus board the train. They spared her one last glance, holding it for a second longer, before walking further into the car and out of sight. Once the doors closed behind the conductor, the steaming train picked up speed. Daring was left waving them farewell until the vehicle was but a speck on the horizon. Her heart felt worn. But now there was also warmth and, more importantly, hope. If she had learned anything from her own experiences, this was Monochrome's time to heal and learn far more about themself than their small world of Ponyville could ever offer. The well-traveled voyager in her wished them nothing but the best in traversing that unknown. And the mother in her was ready to support them however way she could. Daring Do wanted to believe with every fraction of herself that Monochrome would find what they needed to return and face this. She herself did in time, after all.

[revisitingstoneybrook]

#6 Kristy’s Big Day: Chapter 1

Ann Martin knows nothing about planning weddings, does she?

Ugh, right off the bat, we're hit with Karen's stupid Ben Brewer story. Kristy tells Karen to stop her ghost stories because she's terrifying Andrew. Remembering that there's another kid in the family besides her, Karen shuts up, but not before warning Kristy that she better not get a room on the third floor in Watson the Millionaire's mansion. Kristy says that Karen makes the third floor sound like Frankenstein's Castle but admits that she's getting a little spooked. Come on, Kristy - getting scared by a six-year-old? I thought you were the tough one in the BSC! Getting scared of everything is Mary Anne's personality trait! Well, besides crying.

They're all hanging out in Kristy's backyard, as Elizabeth has invited the Brewers over for dinner. Kristy ponders over the pros and cons of her mom marrying Watson the Millionaire. Pro is obviously he's loaded, her brothers can finally have their own rooms. Or, according to Kristy, their own suites of rooms. Geez, how big is the mansion?! And David Michael won't be living in a refurbished closet anymore.

Since Kristy already has her own room, she can't really benefit from that. Her cons about this are moving away from all her friends and she says Watson the Millionaire can be a jerk. I've never gotten any “I'm a jerk” vibe from him; indulgent and buys his children's love with toys and ponies and stuff but not a jerk. Anyway, Elizabeth calls them inside for dinner and Kristy tells Karen and Andrew that they're having spaghetti. Karen's excited, and Andrew's grossed out because his classmate Jody Jones told him ‘pasketti’ is dead worms.

Kristy reassures him that spaghetti's noodles and that's the end of that. They go inside and the dining room's all fancy. Kristy wants them to eat outside, since it's June and it's nice out. Elizabeth gives her the Carol Brady-esque response, “Oh honey, eat spaghetti on our laps? That sounds like the start of a Tide commercial!” lolz! I'm waiting for the freeze frame and the BSC theme song to start up before the commercial break.

In a rare moment, Karen shyly approaches Kristy's brothers and says hi to them. Charlie calls her ‘kid,’ as he's riding the high of getting his driver's license. Forever sealing his fate as Kristy's personal chauffeur. And Sam's scarfing up olives. There's a dirty joke in there somewhere.

Kristy tells us that Elizabeth's worried over things getting ugly between Karen and David Michael. David Michael's used to being the baby, now he's got two younger siblings. Karen's used to being the oldest, now she has four older siblings. And yeah, things get ugly. Karen and her friends start the We Hate Boys Club!

“We hate you boys, we always will, we hate you boys, you’re such big pills!”

David Michael acts all grossed out when he realizes that he's going to have two sisters now. And he gives us an unintentional rhyme that sounds like a Vanessa Pike reject: Oh yick, yick, yick. Pew, pew, pew. One sister's enough. Now I'll have two. Kristy says he makes a horrible Halloween face, and I always pictured this:

ANGRY PUMPKIN!

Oh, and Andrew stays quiet for the rest of dinner. Karen really does talk enough for both of them. Watson the Millionaire and Elizabeth bring the spaghetti and sauce in from the kitchen, Charlie whines a bit when Elizabeth won't let him have any wine. See what I did there? He starts in with “All the kids...” but lets it drop. Don't worry, Janine will comfort you later.

Elizabeth announces they've set a date for the wedding, the third Saturday in September. Wait wait wait. It's the middle/end of June...they're giving themselves three months to plan a wedding?! Unless Elizabeth and Watson the Millionaire have been getting stuff ready this whole time or are planning something small, they really think they're going to pull it off in three months? Especially when booking a caterer and photographer and stuff, you've got to get that done far in advance.

Andrew asks “What's a battle wedding?” and Watson the Millionaire silently wonders why he's been cursed with a bratty daughter and stupid son. Karen explains to Andrew what a wedding is again and reminds of how she demonstrated it for him by putting on a white dress and kissing Boo Boo. Wow, Boo Boo let her near him without going nuts? I guess the relationship didn't last, as she went to Ricky after this.

Watson the Millionaire announces that everyone's going to be in the wedding party and Elizabeth asks Kristy to be her bridesmaid. Kristy has a very un-Kristy reaction. “Like in a long, fancy dress with flowers in my hair?” Sam teases her but Kristy ignores him and says she'll do it. Wow, I'd expect that reaction from Mary Anne. Only her's would involve a lot more crying.

Charlie agrees to give his mother away, Sam is going to be Watson the Millionaire's best man and David Michael the ring bearer. Karen, upset that the spotlight is no longer on her, demands to know what she gets to do. Yeah, she's flower girl. She is a wedding expert, after all! I remember her calling herself that when she was Ms. Colman's flower girl.

Elizabeth and Watson the Millionaire want Andrew to escort Karen and Sam makes a joke about him being the flower boy. Andrew refuses to be in the wedding as he's incredibly shy (and I'm sure that flower boy comment didn't really help either) and that's the last we hear from him for awhile. Kristy gives no thought to this, as she's still squeeing over being a bridesmaid.