#and what he is is. sweetest precious caretaker boy

[valofhearts]

Funny system moment where when left Val does rp he'll do rape and abuse scenes but does NOT want to get into that fucked up man's head or see him cry or interrogate Why Is He Like This. But me on the other hand I love to get in that fucked up moth's brain and pull it apart at the seams that shit's crack to me I want him sobbing weeping wailing I want him fucked beyond belief I want him backed in a corner yo-yoing between white and black splits I need him served medium rare on a dinner plate also he is Literally Me so idk what that says about me

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

As promised, links to my crossposted fics (at least as many as I could find), in chronological order.

Mother Bruce And His Baby Birds [multi-chapter]

Much That Once Was Is Lost [multi-chapter]

Nature and Nurture [multi-chapter]

The Robin Manual

Dry Drowning

Breathing

Battle Royal

It Wasn't Real (But We Were Happy) [multi-chapter] - apparently not crossposted??

I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts - not linked; each chapter is a new prompt, so it's too unwieldy

By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

Trapped

Little Thieves

Teenage Mutant Power Rangers

Choco Bombs

With a Chance

Single Dads Club [multi-chapter]

Safe House

A Walk Up the Road

He's Shorn We're Torn

Look for the Helpers

Stop! It's Fanon Time - not linked; each chapter is a new prompt, so it's too unwieldy

Jason's First Christmas

Precious Fragile Little Thing

Caring for His Boy

Carried

If the Sky Comes Falling Down (For You) [multi-chapter]

Kitten

Choose - Lose

No Lifeguard on Duty

Shoulder to Shoulder

Listening

O'er These Mountains I Would Fly

Wishes & Dreams

Blue Eyes and Moth Wings - did not crosspost

Sunrise

Why Should a Star, a Star Ever Be Afraid of the Dark - did not crosspost

You've Always Been the Sweetest Song

Even When the Words Went Wrong

Hello from the Other Side - did not crosspost

You Are the Sun and I—

My Head Is Stripped - apparently did not crosspost in full

Catch Me

In My Arms

Chicken Bones - previously posted under a different title

Bang

With a Whimper [multi-chapter]

The End of the World

Bloody Brilliant

Collapsing Star with Tunnel Vision

Busted

Mended

Take the Spade from My Hands

Hay Is for Horses

Hidden

A Child of the Manor

To See the Stars

Yes Ma'am

Steel Blues

Resonant Frequency

Sentinels - apparently did not crosspost in full

I'm Done With Having Dreams - apparently did not crosspost in full

Oh You Drain All the Fear From Me

Emergency Contact

The Return [multi-chapter]

What's a Penny Worth

Old Blood

Hello Fadduh

Pup

A Quick Pinch [multi-chapter]

Ghost [multi-chapter]

Can't Let Me Go

The Caretaker and the Night

The Cave

Last of a Dying Breed

Write Our Names in the Wet Concrete

Professional Distance

Mr. Wayne, We Have Your Son

Fix This

White Lights / Afterglow

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Hood

And After the Storm

The End of Infinity (With You) [multi-chapter]

Sleepyhead

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

Ulcers

(S)kittish

Call From

Red to the Wrists

The Rain Again

Hey, Sister [multi-chapter]

May Tomorrow Never Come

It might be your wound, but they're my sutures

Hounded - did not crosspost in full

There's an Endless Road to Rediscover - did not crosspost in full

Nowhere Safer - did not crosspost in full

Satisfaction - did not crosspost in full

[nerdsleaze]

SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES NEW MANGA AND ART BOOK RELEASES FOR SPRING 2025 😍

English Translated Editions of New Manga Titles, The Apothecary Diaries Art Book, and FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Poster Collection Available for Pre-order Starting July 6

SQUARE ENIX® has announced seven (7) new manga series for English-language publication from the Square Enix Manga & Books imprints in Spring 2025. The hotly anticipated The Apothecary Diaries Art Book and the FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Poster Collection were also announced for release in 2025.

The Otaku Love Connection, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

A hilarious slice-of-life rom-com about one high school's gorgeous power couple and the romance otaku who stan them! Life has its simple joys, and for geeky fanboy Wataru Otonari, that’s admiring his gorgeous classmate Yuzuru Kakoi and her equally gorgeous boyfriend, Chihiro Kawai. As Wataru encounters other students who stan his favs just as much as he does, every day turns into a rollercoaster of emotions for this obliviously beautiful boy failure!

Wash It All Away, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

With an endearing protagonist and luscious art, this seaside slice-of-life story offers tranquility in the chaos of the modern world. For two years, Wakana Kinme has run a laundry service in the seaside resort town of Atami, where she’s built a fulfilling life making friends with the locals and visiting hot springs. Although Wakana has no knowledge of her own past, her cleaning services safeguard memories imbued in customers' precious items.

The Emperor’s Caretaker, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

A statesman's daughter finds herself swept into the world of palace intrigue when she's chosen to be a court lady in this richly illustrated period fantasy! Linhua, daughter of the Chancellor of the Right, is as gifted with caring for children as she is at playing the ehru. Her talents catch the eye of Souren, the highest-ranking regent, and suddenly Linhua is swept into the vibrant world of the inner palace as a new court lady—and the young emperor's personal caretaker!

Assassin & Cinderella, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

A sexy spy and an elite assassin enter into the world’s sweetest, deadliest marriage of convenience! Neneko is a spy blessed with catlike charms. Her mission? Seduce the ace assassin of a rival organization and expose his weaknesses. The problem? She’s blown her cover before learning a thing! But rather than dispose of her, the target makes an indecent proposal: marry him, since he can’t keep his hands off her body!

The God-Slaying Demon King, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

The strongest demon king in history returns from the dead and embarks on a grand adventure to find the god of all demons...and kill him! When demon king Hiram defied the demon god, resulting in divine punishment, he cast a spell that would reincarnate him years later with all his powers intact. With his life restored, Hiram begins a grand adventure to find the demon god and kill him once and for all!

On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

A lolita boy and a punk girl form a fashion-forward bond without realizing they already know each other from work! Outside the office, coworkers Sotaro Amata and Akira Hanku don outfits that metamorphose them into completely different people. So what happens when they form a connection after hours…without recognizing who the other person is?

Love in the Palm of His Hand, Vol. 1 (English Edition)

Through sign language and acting, two young men seeking their places in the world discover a connection that transcends the spoken word. Fujinaga is a university student who dreams of becoming an actor. When he meets Keito, a fellow student with congenital hearing loss, he’s introduced to the world of sign language. In a place beyond verbal limitations, can two people yearning to be understood forge a bond they never expected?

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Poster Collection  (English Edition)

A collection of 32 premium-quality removable posters featuring the stunning character art of FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH. Printed on heavy, press-varnished card stock, this compilation of frameable, full-color art prints showcases artwork of Cloud, his comrades, and other unforgettable characters encountered in this thrilling installment of the FINAL FANTASY VII remake project.

The Apothecary Diaries Art Book (English Edition)

Experience all the gorgeous art from the first fourteen volumes of the best-selling The Apothecary Diaries light novel series, which inspired the hit manga and anime! This jacketed, hardcover volume includes more than 300 lavish pieces of art from light novel illustrator Touko Shino, as well as previously unpublished character designs, promotional and exclusive art, and an interview with the artist.

You can get more information on the releases by visiting nerdsleaze.com. I honestly want them all 💘

[apparentlyaswarmofbees]

Quick request... what do u think the brothers would have been like as kids 🤔

We kinda know about what mammon was like but what about the others?

Lol

Lolololololol

Lololololololololololololololol

Though I personally believe none of them were ever kids in their lives, I shall write this with ☆°.•pleasure•.°☆

.

The Seven Demon Brothers as Childrem

Warning: lots of uncensored swearing

.

Lucifer

Little shit

He is above you, it doesn't matter if he can barelly reach your waist, he is above you.

Has a nasty tendency of getting violent if another kid tries to impose dominance on him.

He is the kid that talks back to adults, he won't throw a tauntrum but you can bet he will say some nasty shit, and loudly.

And it's incredibly infuriating how despise his ego he is actually pretty damn smart, yes he is the kid in that vine that says she knows more about dolls that the adult she's talking to.

In the end he still clinges to his caretakers, and absolutelly refuses to share, he's more important, fuck off.

.

Mammon

Precious shit

This boy is always doing things for his caretakers, they're cooking? He wants to help. They're cleaning? He can help! They're just reading a book?? He can read it for them!

But on the other side, he also drags his caretakers to do whatever he wants to do and will pout and give them like, 5 minutes of silent treatment if they don't go with him.

Yes if you haven't realized he doesn't exactly socialize with other kids, whenever he does he pulls a Lucifer and tries to make himself the most important. But he can't put others bellow him for shit and is a bit of a pushover so he easily loses his crown.

Still keeps coming back to play, mixed answers if asked if they are his friends, ranging from "they're my peasants!" to a shy "yea I guess".

.

Leviathan

Precious little shit

Don't take him to a crowded space with tons of adults, he will get overwhelmed and cry a lot.

He is the kind of kid that belittles you in games, teaching you things you probably already know and not liking it when you do something outside of what he does like: "and then you do this- no! You can't just jump straight away you gotta do this *demonstrates a very painfully long way of achieving the exact same thing* see? Now lemme help you do it!"

It's better to let him win or he is going to hate you for the entire day.

The one kid that despises being asked to show his drawing or to tell whatever he is doing, that is something only those he is very close with will get to see and know.

And that someone is definetelly a best friend.

.

Satan

Piece of shit

You can't trust him, if you do you're going to regret it.

He hates everything and everyone and will make sure it's very explicit how much he does.

He kicks, screams, throws tauntrums, throws his toys and proceeds to cry if they appear in any way broken, breaks your things and cries even harder if you get angry at him.

It's hell.

It's either you give him what he wants or he will give you a reason to wish you were anywhere else but there.

The only way to solve it is to put him in front of a tablet/phone/tv and put some kind of show that has cats for him to watch.

Those are the only moments you can wish for a few hours of peace.

.

Asmodeus

Sweetest little shit

Contrary to Mammon he doesn't do things for you for the good of his heart, he wants a reward. But seriously who wouldn't want to give his squishy cheek a big smooch after he gives you a shoulder massage after he sees you are tired?

He clinges to his caretakers and will throw a tauntrum if they are giving another kid more attention.

The type to fall on purpose and cry extremely loudly to call other people's attention because he wants said attention.

Also he has no filter, if he thinks someone's hairstyle looks bad he will say so to their face, if they smell he will say so right away, and will proceed to try and help them do better but in the end just humiliates them further like: "if you want to smell good like me you have to actually take a shower silly!" or "you should cut your entire hair! It will help erase your mistakes!"

Savage.

.

Beelzebub

The cutest shit

Though he doesn't impose his help in every action his caretakers take he is always willing to help, but he also doesn't mind if he's not needed and just do his own thing.

The type to steal cookies even after being told not to eat them, sneak a candy out of the birthday table at a party even though no one is supposed to eat yet, taste tests cake batter when no one is looking, takes sip out of other people's drinks, and even though he will apologize if scolded, he doesn't stop doing it.

Poor baby is too strong and may have made other kids cry on accident, could end up playing more with older kids because of it.

Extremelly kind and gentle with animals, plants and even insects, the only time you will make him mad at you is if you try to kill a spider instead of throwing it outside.

.

Belphegor

Fucking shit

Will groan and not get up when you try waking him up, you either drag him or he is not getting out.

The type to start whinning and become dead weight in your arms or hand if he needs to go somewhere he doesn't want to go.

And he bites if you aren't carefull where you place your hands to drag him.

Pulls on your clothes and specially your hair for attention, takes great care of his own things and the things of the people he knows and likes, but otherwise he couldn't care less.

Someone he dislikes gave him a boring book? It's not even the next day and he has already dumped it in the toiled and called it "a piece of poop". Right after he relieved himself in the same toiled.

He's also picky with food and bratty, but at least he is a damn good sleeper, so that's a plus.

[rottingflovver]

Nikolai and fyodor with a female s/o who has a child and the father like left them- like how would they react and take care of them- idk if that made sense but if you somehow end up doing this thank you wjbskqhq 💖💓💞💞💛💞

PLEASE THIS IS SUCH A CUTE ASK

I misunderstood for the first half and thought you wanted an s/o that left the boys alone with a child like 💀 I thought you had a death wish or something geez, but this is way cuter and way more precious!!!

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs

Characters: Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor M. Dostoevsky

Format: headcanons

Tw: minor blood mention

A/N: dbejdhs this is very wholesome but my mind hit a blank with most of it

A child, huh?

Nikolai literally loves children so much

"You have a child?? Can I see can I see can I see can I-"

I'm so sorry, you don't exist anymore, he will just be a doting mother to the kid now, it's like you evaporated out of existence

He's doing every trick he knows 一 from pulling a bunny out of a magicians hat to making his hand appear at a random place, disconnected from his body, he's going all out

If possible (and if you allow him) he's going to teach basic magic to the kid

He's also making sure they have enough to eat and get enough rest every night, it's very important after all

Although...he can be just a tad bit frightening

Sometimes he gets so excited to come home to the two of you again, he'll barge into the house covered in blood head to toe

Horrifying

"Oops! I'm so sorry my little doves... I'll go clean up right away."

You tell your kid it's ketchup

They don't believe you

Even though he's the absolute sweetest and super ecstatic to spend time with the kid, please, never leave them alone with one another

Nikolai has strange philosophies, and he wouldn't be opposed to making others adapt it, especially little children with how easy to influence they are

He also has no filter, and will start talking about anything in front of them

By that point it's best to cover his mouth, but be careful, he can bite

Being around a child constantly has awoken his inner playfulness, a genuine one, and he definitely enjoys every minute of it

He would offer to kill the guy for you

It's not a problem for him; a simple few hours spent typing away at his laptop and he will know everything there is to know about the guy: name, last name, address, embarrassing child secrets, you name it

If you agree to it, well, the man that left you will no longer roam this earth

But if you refuse, Fyodor will understand, but don't expect him to be completely docile about this. He'll send a member of the Rats to mess with the man's life in one way or another

He's not...the friendliest towards children

Aka he doesn't know how to act in front of them 一 he treats them like tiny adults, which is hilarious, but Fyodor please, a five year old can't drink coffee and discuss philosophy with you

Somehow though, since he's very still, if your child is a baby he's very gentle when holding them

+ will probably fall asleep, along with the baby

It's very precious

He claims to not like children, but they somehow flock to him

Your child will immediately adopt to Fyodor being their father, with little or no complaints

However, all of the actual caretaking, save for babysitting, will have to be taken care of by you

He doesn't know what children eat? How could he? Plus he's not washing them, that's gross

If you do complain about wanting more help regarding them, he can always ask Ivan to help out; he's a butler after all (essentially)

Also, for some strange reason, he always seems to finish his work earlier more frequently 一 coupled with going on fewer dangerous missions. A genuine smile can be found on his lips, if you look at him while he thinks he's alone. He can try as he might, but it's obvious that both you and the child have significantly grown on him (almost as if the three of you were a real family)

🥺🥺🥺

[fictionadventurer]

Top 5 unpublished stories (unfinished, in-progress, etc. yours or others' - things posted on tumblr fit, but not indie or traditional publishing)

To be clear, I’m limiting this to:

Works that have at least a partial scene drafted. If it exists only in outline or in idea form, it’s ineligible. There has to be some writing for me to reread and like.  

Stories that are not current WIPs.

So, in no particular order, here are five favorites that I’m fond of.

(Warning: Very Long Post)

1. Airship Sleeping Beauty.

In this world, parents buy fairy gifts for their children at birth. Most people are limited to two or three. Seraphina Crowne (please call her Sara) was gifted with twelve. Her impoverished parents had friends among fairy kind who were able to bend the rules to give this child enough gifts to survive in their harsh environment. Thus, Sara has everything from enhanced beauty and grace to strength and speed and musical skill, which makes her an unstoppable force of (super)nature. She loves a challenge and decides to support her parents by becoming a sailor on a flying sailing ship, where she rockets up through the ranks.

Our POV character is Jack Sanders, who serves under her as second lieutenant. Jack has spent years struggling through the ranks with only one unsuitable fairy gift. The father who chose his gift was an insomniac, and gave his son the gift of helping people fall asleep. Surrounded by people with more useful skills like strength or navigation, Jack languished as a midshipman for years until he served under a captain who realized the greater uses of his gift. Jack hates Seraphina Crowne, assuming that she’s the daughter of a rich man who has enough money to bend all the fairy gifting rules for his precious princess.

As they travel through a tropical land, they run into many adventures, and Jack starts to respect Sara. He learns that she comes from a much less privileged background than he’d assumed, and they slowly become friends. Then one day, they’re taking a day of shore leave on a flying island when they get into a fight with some local ruffians. Sara falls over the edge and is impaled on one of the metal spikes that serve as a barrier between the island and the open sky. But she doesn’t die. She climbs up with a gaping hole through her torso, and the should-be fatal wound heals within hours.

Sara is forced to tell Jack her greatest secret--she actually has a (highly illegal) thirteenth gift. Her mother’s greatest friend among fairy kind was a fairy who was banished from the guild for giving gifts that were too powerful. This fairy wanted to make absolutely certain that her friend couldn’t possibly lose this child at a young age. Her gift to Sara was that she would die by being pricked on the spindle of a spinning wheel--which means that nothing else can kill her. Not disease, injury, old age--she is invulnerable as long as she stays away from spinning wheels, which is easy to do in this industrialized age when your average person has never seen such a thing.  

Jack promises to keep Sara’s secret and they return to the ship. But Jack isn’t the only one who heard her confession. There’s a local airship pirate who supports his business by adopting infants and getting them the illegal fairy gift of being able to transform into birds. One of these bird-children also heard Sara’s story, and they inform their pirate father, who make plans to attack the ship and take out its most powerful asset.

I never finished the story because the climax falls apart. The pirates were going to attack and stab Sara, but Jack is able to stall her death by putting her to sleep--and I could never figure out a way to save Sara without it feeling cheap and predictable and/or detouring into a completely different plotline that takes us away from the story. But I think of the rest of it as one of the best fairy tale retellings I never wrote.

2. Faraway House

This one is my middle-grade portal fantasy for adults. Mara meets Adrian, a mysterious, magical man whose house sits in a space that connects to three different universes--ours, one that has a more medieval fairy tale vibe, and one that’s more steampunky and involves lots of chimeras and people with animal traits. People in need of help tend to fall into this in-between space, and Adrian lets them stay at Faraway House for as long as they need.

There are tons of characters who drop into this story and provide little subplots, but my favorite part was an overarching plotline involving Adrian and Mara. Adrian, who was originally from the fairy tale world, was the evil magician of every childhood nightmare, a powerful man who did all sorts of horrible things to people. He became obsessed with immortality and eventually got it--at a great price to the rest of the world and to himself. He was caught, stripped of a lot of power, and left to live his long life and see the consequences of his actions. He spent a few centuries wandering the three different worlds and undergoing a ton of character development. As a newly humbled man, he was given charge of Faraway House, since his magical talents would be valuable to keep the area and the portals stable. Now, he’s the nicest, sweetest guy you’d ever want to meet. He rarely tells anyone about his past, and most people wouldn’t believe it if you told them.

Anyhow, after Mara’s been staying at Faraway for a long time, she and Adrian go through a portal that links to Adrian’s home universe. They soon realize that it links to his world several centuries in the past, when Evil Adrian was at the height of his power. And he’s very interested in Mara, because her adventures in Faraway have given her some kind of magic that will help him reach the Well of Immortality (or something like that--it’s a very nebulous, fairy tale idea). Unfortunately, taking this magic will kill Mara, so Older Adrian does all he can to save Mara. He succeeds and gets her back home. But his younger self is still on the lookout for her, and he eventually makes his way to Faraway, where he drains the magic and escapes, leaving Mara dying.

And I know this is the most cliche way to end this, but I like my stories predictable and cheesy, and Older Adrian ends up saving Mara by giving up his immortality, which kills him. It’s all very Disney-moving. The story ends with Mara being made the new caretaker of Faraway. And I give away the ending because I’m never going to write this, but I’m still fonder of this story than it deserves.

3. The Island

Anne of Green Gables meets fairy tales.

The Island is a place full of magic. Amphibious mermaids swim along its shores. A fairy forest fills the heart of the Island. Selkie live on the tiny islands off its shore. Pixies cause trouble in the farmyard’s back garden. It’s amazing to the relatively low-magic areas of the rest of the world, but it’s all part of daily life to the farmers and fishermen who live here.

The Fairy’s Daughters, a retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”, had the most words written in it, but I think I’m fonder of some of the shorter sketches set a generation earlier that highlight little bits and pieces of the world. I started with the tale of Lizbet, an ordinary orphan girl living with her aunt who befriends Gideon, a half-fairy boy who eventually becomes the town’s magical doctor. Their friends include the widow lighthouse keeper who tries to adopt an orphan boy and is surprised to get Amy, who’s a girl--and a mermaid. There’s Captain Avery, a fierce-looking old sailor with a gentle heart and a surprising amount of experience with magical creatures. There’s Auberon, a fairy prince and eventually king who’s racist against humans, spends some of his younger years traveling in human lands to import human-made products, and becomes even more racist because of it.

I think my favorite thing in this universe are the sylphs. I borrowed Andersen’s idea of the “Daughters of the Air”, and made my sylphs into invisible, benevolent creatures who do good deeds for people, and can accomplish magical feats far beyond what any fairy can do. The sketch I reread most often is a scene where Amy, out for a swim in a storm, is rescued by a sylph who has taken a human (though translucent) form, and gets invited in for tea by Amy’s grateful friends.

It’s a fun universe to play in, but not one that I’m very good at finishing stories in, so I think it needs to stay as a pretty aesthetic and a fun sandbox.

4. Clever Anne

A retelling of “Kate Crackernuts” set in a non-magical Regency-esque setting. Anne is the beautiful, intelligent daughter of a duke. Kate is her bold, daring stepsister. They are deeply devoted to each other, but Kate’s mother hates Anne for being so much more beautiful than her daughter. She gets one of the servants to push Anne into the embers of the fire, leaving her face badly burned. Kate throws a veil over Anne’s face and gets her out of the house, insisting they’ll go off to make their fortune.

Anne was childhood friends with a young man who, through a convoluted succession crisis, unexpectedly finds himself on the throne. They stumble upon him in their travels, and find themselves able to help him by investigating the mysterious behavior of his half-brother, who resents that he was passed over for the throne and may be plotting something sinister. I was never able to figure out a good political-intrigue parallel to the “dancing all night with fairies” portion of the plot, so it never got written. The only really good scene I wrote from this story was the moment where Kate finds out about Anne’s injury and insists on leaving the house. But even in that one scene, their relationship is so strong and so vivid in my mind that I love their story even if I never finish it.

5. The Beast’s Mechanic

This is the one on the list that’s closest to being a WIP. I actually edited some of the beginning in March. It’s a sci-fi take on “Beauty and the Beast” set in a world where two planetary empires are at war. The war destroyed Monique’s father’s shipping business, forcing the whole family to move to a desert planet where they run a small spaceport. Monique is a top-notch mechanic, her sister Gemma is a pilot, Gemma’s twin Joanne stays at home to take care of the house and the two youngest siblings, and Leo is a seventeen-year-old rapscallion who is desperate to join the war as soon as possible.

Their world is upended when, for the first time in years, their mother wants to meet with them. A former starship captain, she and her husband disagreed over the war, and she left the family years ago to join the war effort. But now her starship is in for repairs and she wants to take some time to reconnect with her family. There’s some controversy among the family--do they really want to open these wounds again when they’ve finally moved on?--but Monique the peacemaker insists that, even though it’s impossible for the whole family to make the trip, her father should take the chance. He goes to meet his wife, but on the way there, his spaceship breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and he’s rescued by the Beast, an infamous cyborg outlaw. He also breaks important equipment on the Beast’s ship, and is only able to keep from being thrown out of the airlock by insisting that his daughter can fix it.

Monique nearly does, except that the authorities show up just before she’s done with repairs, forcing the Beast to take off with her in the ship. She comes to learn that the Beast is far from an evil criminal and has been helping people wronged by the government, and she helps him get home to his family (in the enemy empire), but her patriotic starship captain of a mother takes all of these events in very much the wrong light.

I’m very fond of this story for the ways that it avoids some of the usual BatB retelling tropes. There’s much more to this story than the romance, and little focus on the mystery of how the Beast became a Beast, and there’s much more focus on family. The Beast hasn’t even shown up yet, but I’m just incredibly fond of Monique’s family and their everyday working-class life on a desert planet. I hope I can make more progress on it someday.

[ilovemygaydad]

punk!patton is adopted by single parent logan part 1/?

short little backstory: this is something I planned up while going to sleep last night because I’d run out of fics to plan (because I haven’t actually wrote those things down... and need to not get too ahead....), but I actually got inspired to write it down and share it? also shout out to the fic miraculously their own because it made me think about adoption fics, and thus this idea

tl;dr: i made a fic about punk!patton being adopted. that’s it.

warnings: really awful people, bad parents, bullying, swearing, physical/verbal violence, homophobic slurs, homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault threat, patton’s honestly a bit of an asshole sometimes, fatalism, possibly something else?

pairings: eventual moxiety, maybe eventual logince

part two - part three - part four - part five - ao3 version - masterlist (includes asks)

patton is orphaned at three years old. he’s got fluffy brown curls, and these beautiful brown eyes, and a soft, round face, and so much soft pudge. he’s the cutest little thing. he seems like the kind of kid who would immediately be adopted

except he’s not

problem is, he’s just got so many emotions

and these prospective parents want the kids who are happy all the time, not the one who feels things so intensely

so he isn’t adopted

a few years later, he’s got these prospective parents who find him just precious. he’d been sitting in the corner of the playroom and reading winnie the pooh. the sweetest, quietest little boy.

and they set up a second time to come meet him

but when they arrive, he’s wrestling with the older kids and laughing and screaming and being a rambunctious child

those parents don’t come back after that...

fast forward to patton’s tenth birthday, and the older kids corner him after the celebration

“you know, once you hit double digits... it means you’re never going to be adopted.”

it just hits patton that no one wants a loud, excitable kid who’s over the age of ten, and he just kind of gives up

he loses himself in music and books and shuts himself off from the world

(the rest under the cut because this is obviously going to get long)

by sixteen, patton is dressing in all black and painting his nails and wearing dark eye makeup and lashing out at everyone

he’s the oldest at the orphanage by about four years

he also has his own room because he got in too many fights with the caretakers and other kids

he doesn’t mind. it gives him more privacy if anything

besides, it isn’t like he comes out of his room unless he’s forced

and when he’s forced, he absolutely fucking hates it

he sits in the corner of the playroom in a chair that isn’t comfortable for anyone over the age of five and stares at his phone, refusing to acknowledge anyone or anything

he’s so wrapped up in whatever’s on his phone that he doesn’t notice when someone comes up to him until they start talking

“hello. that chair seems rather uncomfortable.”

patton nearly falls right out of that damn chair at the sudden acknowledgement

he looks up and sees a man in his thirties sitting on an empty milk crate that previously had toys in it. the man looks like he stepped straight out of some stuffy office--tie and all

“yes, and?”

the man’s neutral expression doesn’t waver as he says “I’m Logan Summers. what’s your name?”

“nunya”

“nunya? that’s an interesti--”

“nunya business”

“oh...”

and they just kinda sit in awkward silence for a few seconds before logan speaks up again

“how much older are you than the other kids here?”

and patton just kinda stops because he thought that this dude would ditch when he gave him attitude, but he didn’t, and he doesn’t know what to do, so he just... answers honestly

“four,” he says

and logan gives him this knowing look and makes an offer that he can’t refuse:

“i’m sure that you’ve lost hope in being adopted, but i’d like to take you with me and at least give you some place to fall back on if you need it. i won’t try to be a martyr parent, but i’ll definitely try to make you feel accepted”

so he lets logan adopt him

summer passes, and it’s time for school to start up for the year

and it’s patton’s first school experience (he’d been homeschooled at the orphanage for his whole life), so logan gets really excited and takes him back to school shopping and buys him some new (all black) clothes and school supplies

logan even offers to drive him to school, even though the school that he teaches at is all the way across town

patton refuses and just takes public transport

he gets to school and absolutely hates how fucking busy it is, so he heads straight for his first class and sits in the back corner of the classroom and messes around on his phone until attendance is taken and his teacher starts talking

and the teacher is talking about the class, it’s american english, and they’re expected to try because they’re juniors, blah, blah, blah

but then

but then

she tells them that they have to do a little ice breaker project with the person sitting next to them

so she explains it and tells everyone to go talk to their neighbor

patton being the edgy teenager that he is doesn’t move at all, letting his partner move their desk over to his

and they do

so patton looks over and finds this tiny boy in a soft lavender oversized jumper and translucent lavender glasses that take up half of his face. he has freckles dusting his rosy cheeks and nose, and he looks what patton imagined that he would’ve turned out like if he’d been adopted as a kid

“uh,” the boy says in a shy, sweet voice. “my name is virgil... you are...?”

patton really doesn’t want to have to deal with people, so he scowls and says “look, i’m not really here to make friends and exchange pleasantries, so let’s get this thing done and move on to never speaking again”

and the kid just deflates and nods, not speaking again for the rest of the class except to offer a few words here and there

patton’s fine with that

eventually, the class ends, and patton takes his sweet time getting to his second period class because--shocker--he still hates this damn school and the damn people

so the final bell has rung, and he’s walking in the empty hall

but, as per usual, there’s a catch

three jocks are trailing behind him, exchanging some quote-unquote witty banter

“ohhhhh, fresh meat! wonder what rock he crawled out from...” “who cares, have you seen him? he’s wearing all that makeup to pretend to be a girl!” “or he’s just gay! wouldn’t that just be hilarious” “wouldn’t he just love it if we took him to the locker rooms for some fun...”

patton ignores them in hopes that they’ll get bored and leave him alone

they don’t, and not a second later, he’s pinned against a locker by one of those jocks, and their wicked grins are almost enough to make him scared

luckily enough, he’s been in enough fights to know some self defense techniques

but he isn’t able to use them because he hears someone shout from a little down the hall

“hey! you leave him alone!”

and that voice is virgil’s for some godforsaken reason

and one of the jocks snarls and goes to take care of their interruption

a few moments later, patton sees virgil flung into the lockers by a punch to the face, followed by a few choice slurs, and something in him just fucking snaps

he sharply kicks up at the same time that he pushes forward, successfully dislodging the boy holding him to the lockers with a shout

one of the teachers finally comes out, but it just so happens that it’s at the same moment that patton breaks one of the jocks’ nose...

and they all get in so much trouble

logan scolds the hell out of patton when he arrives to pick him up because it’s only the first day of school, damn it!

but patton isn’t listening because he hears these adults--the parents of the jocks--screaming things like “how dare you do this to or baby boys!” and he sees them yelling these things at virgil and he does That Thing again

he storms up to them and just shouts at them

“listen here, you shit stains! virgil did absolutely nothing wrong! he was trying to protect me from those asshole sons of yours! they physically and verbally harassed me, and they threatened to sexually assault me! your ‘baby boys’ are nothing but menaces to society!”

and with that, he stomps out of the school, brushing past logan, who witnessed the whole rampage

to be continued....... IN PART TWO

@residentanchor, you wanted to hear this idea..... so!

[writings-from-the-hart]

Happy Meet and Greet Monday! How would your characters handle one of those "fake baby assignments", where they have to take care of an egg for a week? Do they partner up? Name it? Boil it to keep it safe, totally missing the point?

Ooh, this one was really fun to think about. Thank you! 

If one person is given a “fake babe assignment” EVERYONE in the House of Cards has been given a “fake baby assignment” because let’s be real.....They all share one coherent brain cell. So everyone would take “shifts” in taking care of the baby. 

Eric: Stone cold and often seen as a machine of a human being Eric would actually pour his whole self into this one tiny being (egg/child). He keeps it as a tightly sealed secret but he’s actually super paternal and protective of all children. “They are our future and deserve to live a life of happiness, not suffering.” So you bet he would name the egg/child and keep it swaddled in some kind of super-soft blanket to keep it warm and hide it from everyone else. 

Valentina: “I have to do what?” Quite the polar opposite of Eric, Valentina will do everything she can to distance herself from children so if she had to look over something that resembled a child she’d avoid it. She’d try to have one of the Stark’s cover her “shift” of looking over the egg/child and would probably “accidentally” forget to take care of the egg itself. “I don’t see the point in this assignment.” 

 Brazen and Eris Stark: They would declare themselves godparents, no arguments, if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. And they would be the best godparents the world has ever seen! End of story. “I would do anything for this child, including murder.” “Especially murder.” 

Xavier: The kid is nineteen and a tech/medical genius there isn’t anything he can’t figure out...Except how to take care of a baby. Xavier would be a mess, bags under the eyes, and hair everywhere because he spent a week in advance researching on how to care for a child properly and programming Nova with a brand new Nanny Mode. Still, the boy stresses everything in hopes of being perfect and he would honestly be the sweetest caretaker. “I have researched all the best ways to make a child comfortable and see that it is happy.” 

Adira: Mother of the year goes to this woman because she is honestly always the most levelheaded person in the House of Cards at all times, so when she’s told to look after an egg/child she does it amazingly. Just as her sensei passed on the lost art of sword fighting and what it means to be a samurai she would do the same to this child as well as nurture it so that it would be ready for the life ahead of it. She would read books, paint, and teach the child. “A child should learn both the basics of survival and happiness to live a fulfilled life.”

Mallory: “Kids aren’t really my specialty.” If there is anything Mallory and Valentina have in common (other than their hate for one another) it’s that they don’t really “do children.” Unlike Valentina, Mallory would make some kind of attempt to take care of the egg/child, it wouldn’t be the best and Xavier would be internally screaming every time he had to hand the egg/child off to her for a shift rotation but it would be an attempt nonetheless. “If it’s still alive I call that a win.” 

Dante: Sure scars and being a total badass macho man is cool, but being a huge softie and sweetheart is top tier manly. Dante is known for being a gladiator and always stoic as well as a bit of an alcoholic (who can blame him though), but when it comes to kids he’s a total and 100% dad. Dante would softly sing Russian lullabies he learned from his parents, rock/cradle the child/egg, and give anyone who tries to pry the thing from his arms the scariest death stare anyone has ever seen. “It is too precious.”  

And that’s the House of Cards as “parents” you could say lol. Like I said they all kinda share one brain cell so it gets a little chaotic, but they mean well and try their best. 

Happy Writing! 

[ezilyamuzed]

Baby

Summary: Who better to give a the Tale of the Winchester’s than the one who has been there through it all?

Warnings: SPN spoilers. Language. A little angsty/fluffy I guess- I don’t know how really to define it.

A/N: This is for @ain-t-bovvered 800 Follower “Tales of a Winchester” challenge. She said that it could be from anyone, and I chose the one that many of us have fallen in love with throughout the years. This is her side of the story. No pairing and includes the last 13 years. 

Any grammatical mistakes are all my own, because I am human & don’t do the beta thing. Remember all comments and feedback are welcomed! If you want a tag in future posts regarding this series or other writings please send an ask! As always thank you for reading! Enjoy!   

*gifs/photos are not mine-obtained from google*

Most of you have already heard the tale of Sam and Dean. The two wayward sons of John Winchester, carrying on with their family’s legacy: Saving people, hunting things. The family business, as Dean likes to call it. Well, I am here to tell you my side of the journey on the road so far. Let me start by introducing myself to you now, I’m Baby.

Now I know this may seem strange to some, an old and worn down car illustrating to you what it is really like alongside the brothers, but as a wise man once said, “Family don’t end in blood”. From their beginnings I have watched them grow, only to become the men they had been destined to be. Through all the trials and tribulations they prevailed, as I watched in the distance awaiting for them to come back to me. To come home. There are endless stories that i could tell, but first, let’s go back a little further to my beginning.

April 24th, 1967 was the day that I rolled through a small town assembly line, unknowing and ready for the adventures to come that would define my purpose within the world. Sal Moriarti was the first family I had known. Although he wasn’t perfect, he trusted me to carry on his purpose he had found in life. Providing bibles to the poor to “get folks right for judgement day” as he would say. He was a good man.

After Sal had died, I found myself once again alone, awaiting my next adventure. Rainbow Motors, a small used car lot in Lawrence, Kansas in 1973 was when I met John. A young, love stricken Marine hoping to find the perfect vehicle for his intended bride. After a little encouragement, from a face I would not see again for many years, he picked me to be apart of his family.

Mary had been a little reluctant with me at first, but it didn’t take long for her to welcome me with the same love that John had shown me. The two of them would sit together, closely on my leather clad seats, holding each other’s hands for hours as I took them wherever they wanted to go. Allowing the wind to blow through their hair, as they exchanged loving smiles. Those are the days I still hold dearly within my memory. They did this for many years, while sometimes even slipping towards the smooth leather of my backseat, holding onto one another through the night. That is where their love for each other would truly come alive, and where Dean’s story really began.

Dean. The freckled faced little boy that was full of mischief, adventure, while also exhibiting a sense of wonder and amazement to the world around him as he stared through my windows. I watched him grow, from a wide-eyed infant, as I carefully welcomed him home from the hospital, to the man you know today. Loudly singing along, off key to the radio with his parents, he would always smile. I wish I could have never let that smile fade, but that was out of my control.

Sam had been born just a few years later. The curious little Winchester, who often would be seen in later years with his face buried in another book while his father and Dean prepared for their next adventure. Although Mary was gone, I could see a lot of her in him. His bright smile and tender care for others let me know that she was still here.

I remember John sitting on my hood that fateful night, clenching his two sons close to his heart while watching the life he knew disappear within the flames. John did what he could for them, but he had been broken after she was taken. That was when I was given my new purpose, as their stories continued. I was no longer just a car to them. I was home. I would shelter and protect them as the tread on my tires wore thin with every mile traveled.

Now being the home of two rambunctious boys, they were bound to add their own marks on me. The little green army man that Sam had decided to place in my ashtray, is still there to this day, reminding my of my little soldier. Dean, being the silly boy that he was, added his own touch of legos within my vents, that still do this day will rattle as the heat from my engine warms them on the cold nights. Then there is my favorite part, the initials carved within my body by the two boys I had already loved so much. They placed their mark on me forever, and forever it will remain.

There have been years of heartache, often moving from one sad ending to another, but there has been laughter as well. Like during the times when Sam and Dean allowed themselves to act like the silly children I had known, pulling pranks on each other often with some assistance from me. No matter what was happening in the world around them, I was there. Parked under the night sky for them to lay across my hood to just stare up at the stars, or to provide shelter when they had grown tired and weary.

Every twist and turn of the winding road brought us all closer together. They all instilled their most precious treasures with me, and a few other items that no other family car would have. But none of that is important right now. What is important is the journeys that have led us to here.

Some of the nights on the road so far would be peaceful, with the only sound heard was the purring of my engine moving swiftly throughout the night. There were others when I pushed myself with the help of one of the boys to get them out of danger, sometimes feeling the blood soak through my interior, only fueling me more to get them towards safety. Those nights were the scariest, but they always kept fighting. Never faltering in their quest to save the people they had met along the way. All while killing some evil son of a bitches and raising a little hell, I was there.

There had been times when I thought my story was going to end, as I struggled to protect them inside my four walls. Every time it would be Dean that would bring my back from the brink of death, leaving all my perfect imperfections in place because, as he said once, it was what made me beautiful. He was the one who was the first to affectionately name me Baby after John had handed him my keys, because the journey and the memories of Mary sitting next to him on the bench seat were just too hard to keep remembering. Since then it has been Dean, with a little help from Sam that has made sure that I was always taken care of. Always ready for the next fight.

It can become tiring, moving constantly from one side of country to another, often only stopping out of necessity before reaching our destination. When Dean had chosen to try the civilian life after Sam had fallen into the pit, trapping Lucifer with him, I knew it was for the best. I have to admit that for a little bit the sound of BBQ’s and him teaching little Ben how change a spark plug would make me smile, knowing that he was finally allowing his weary head to rest. But I missed my family. I missed the adventure.

I have to say that there was some jealousy that came from me when I saw Sam pull up in that newer model sports car when he returned. I may have enjoyed it a bit when Dean and I put on a little show, proving who was the fastest and sweetest car around. I knew that Sam would turn around again, once he remembered where his home was.

The months where I stood, parked away and hidden by that old worn tarp while the boys fled from those after them was the hardest. Not knowing if they were ever to return, brought ache throughout me as I felt the dust growing heavier upon me. When I saw Sam’s solemn face, I knew that Dean had been in trouble, but I never gave up hope that he would return back home.

Family is something you never give up on. While the Winchester’s have been mine, now for the last 45 years, there have been others that I include on that list. Old drunks, youthful rebellions, strong-willed women, mothering caretakers, prophets of the lord, as well as a few angels and demons have all been included. They are the epiphany of what family looks like, through all the laughter, anger and tears. I enjoyed knowing them all, and saddened as I drove most of them to their final resting places, laying down their weary heads to rest for the last time.

What is my life like now? Well we have all found our home along the road we have traveled. I sit resting and waiting for when the boys need me to go on another epic adventure together. I will never complain that the hours are rough as well as the road when we hit a few bumps because I am with them.

I am with my family. I am forever a Winchester. I am Baby.

Forever's:  @waywardbaby @snffbeebee @curly-haired-disaster @waywardnerd67 @dean-winchesters-bacon @jaylarkson @ladywinchester1967 @wildefire @hobby27

[mythologygirlfanfic]

The Art of Lying: Chapter Two

Story Summary:

I was reborn as a coward and a liar, yet I was alright with that because that is what I had been.

Rating: T

                                                                   Chapter One: The Art of Baby Life

Being a baby again was more than a little traumatizing and I was extremely thankful I didn’t remember my initial test run. I had the soul of an old woman, old enough to be my new caretakers grandmother, so having them change my soiled diapers and the breastfeeding was all sorts of uncomfortable.

The biggest nightmare however was delivered messily wrapped to me by whom I assumed was my new father. The man meant well, that was easy to see. (And wasn’t that the fiasco when my vision developed enough to see, the first thing greeting me was a monstrous seeming man, thanks to my own miniscule height, hanging over my crib and making horrific faces. He was certainly startled when I started screaming like a banshee.) He was apparently very excited to have a progeny as he loved to tot me everywhere to brag to anyone who would listen and even those who really didn’t want to. At least, that is what I was assuming he was doing as he had a huge small his face and constantly gestured towards me where I hung helplessly in the sling across his narrow chest. I still didn’t really have a grasp on the language to be one hundred percent sure.

Heck, sometimes he would even boast to me about himself. Taking me out to the backyard and propping me up against a mountain of fluff, slightly musty pillows as he shoot down can after can from a rather great distance. I was duly impressed, though I had never really been one for guns. My gurgles of awe and happy shrieks never failed to make my father’s grin grow even wider as he preened. The man lived for praise and it was even better if that praise was coming from his wife or daughter.

Yet, those were the good times. The times were I didn’t have to contain my sobs of absolute terror and wish that eye-bleach was an actual thing or that my faulty memory would kick in and just erase it from my mind. Oh, how I wish I were just being dramatic here.

One of the things I failed to consider when I first realized I had been reincarnated was any and all possible cultural differences. It was something I rarely thought about in my past life and not something that I thought would be important in this new one. I had been proven wrong. Many times over, in fact.

My skin crawled just thinking about it.

“Usopp-chan,” my father practically crowed as he all but danced into my view. “It’s bath time!”

I swore.

It was a shame everything just came out in babbles, drool dripping down my chin like a leaky faucet. I doubt my father would have understood English anyway. As it was he was simply cooing over how adorable I was, as he gently picked me up from the blanket I was set upon earlier.

‘Bath time’ were some of the only words I had picked up so far in this world, mainly because I dreaded it so much that I didn’t want to be surprised anymore when it was going to happen. The first few times had been enough, I craved the extra seconds needed to get my mental preparations set.

Plus, I would know when to close my eyes.

In my previous life I had been born in America to a family that was pretty much ‘no touch.’ We didn’t ever really hug or give congratulatory pats on the back and we certainly didn’t bathe naked together with our parents, which was what was going on right now. My original upbringing in no way prepared me for this. I closed my eyes and tried not to cry.

I could still recall the first time this had occurred. I was unsuspecting and naive, not to mention totally unprepared. I wailed like a broken alarm clock with not only no off button, but with a full-charged battery to boot. That had actually almost put a stop to this ‘bonding event’ as my father dubbed it entirely. I would have happily let it end to, if I had not noticed how upset and off put he was about me apparently hating him. Honestly, I was rather easy to guilt trip, even if I could lie better than the world’s greatest con man.

So, as my father jabbered happily to me in a language I was nowhere near fluent, I let myself drift off, just waiting for it to be over. All the while praying this wouldn’t turn out like it had for Kazuma in KonoSuba , I certainly didn’t remember making any deals with a stuck up goddess, but I didn’t want to count anything out.

I could only take so much misfortune.

My mother, while wonderful, had a nose longer than Pinocchio's after he lied once or twice. It was that facial feature that brought light to not only who I was reborn as, but to where exactly I had been reborn. Well, that and my name.

I was in the quiet, uneventful  place known as Syrup Village. As well as the sole child of Yasopp, a future pirate sailing under ‘Red-Hair’ Shanks, and Banchina, a woman fated to die, her one wish to see her husband again remaining unfulfilled. It was a punch to the gut when I realized both parents would eventually leave me. I had been becoming very attached to them and their easy expressions of love.

Truthfully, it made a small ball of resentment towards my father to start to roll in my gut. I made every effort to suppress it. He hadn’t left yet and I shouldn’t hate someone for something they have yet to do, this wasn’t Psycho Pass, it was One Piece. Perhaps, now that he had a daughter instead of a son, he wouldn’t leave at all. It was wishful thinking, yet I let myself hope.

It was a fragile hope, especially when on rare occasions my father would cradle me in his arms, taking me to the outskirts of the village, just to sit on the shore for hours. The waves lapping at his feet and a longing in eyes that almost hurt to see. Still, it was a hope I desperately clung to.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind, getting back to the more pressing ‘here and now’ problem - my nose.

I was roughly five or so months old now, just having learned to sit up on my own. Which was a humongous chore in itself with the amount of strain I had to put on my weak muscles to do so. Of course, the first thing I did was check my appearance and, let me tell you, getting yourself placed in front of a mirror was not easy.

I had hoped that now that I was a girl version of Usopp, I wouldn’t have inherited my mother’s nose. Truth was, while in the show, his nose never bothered me, in fact, I found it kind of endearing, I had a lot of insecurities about my appearance that jumped lives with me. Before I had been on the chubby side with acne that refused to leave me, even well out of my teens. It didn’t really do much for my self-confidence, especially when in middle school boy’s started to ask me on fake dates, never showing up, while their supposed girlfriends’ would sometimes come by to mock me instead. I couldn’t really remember any of their faces or names, just that it had hurt  - a lot. Scars had been left behind and I’m not just talking about the ones caused by the pimples, but people held more power to harm others then I think most teenagers knew.

It was during this time, appearance became a huge deal to me. I felt inadequate compared to other girls, causing me to not only stress eat, gaining even more weight, but to throw myself into my hobbies, subjecting myself to self imposed solitary confinement. I didn’t dig myself out of that dark cell for a long time after, never truly escaping.

It made me feel like some sort of dastardly villain now, especially since I knew looks didn’t mean everything. Yet, knowing and accepting  were two completely different things. It didn’t help the twistedly grotesque feelings I had that Banchina was the sweetest mother anyone could ask to be reborn to. I truly, deeply loved her and her calm, affectionate manner. It was easy to comprehend way exactly Yasopp was so smitten with the gentle woman.

Still, I couldn’t help how I felt, often finding myself wishing I took more after my father in the facial features department. While, he had nothing distinctive about him, there was more of an appeal to being a ‘Plain Jane’ than a girl version of a living puppet.

Mother seemed to pick up on my agitation as she swiftly swooped me up into her arms, rubbing the tip of her nose against mine. I withheld a cringe. “Why such a frown, my little seashell?”

Seashell. Mother loved to call that, a cute nickname she had dubbed me with long ago. She had told me the story why, and, while my understanding of the language still wasn’t supreme, I got the gist of it. Father had proposed to her with the prettiest seashell he could find, combing the small beach encasing our island for weeks, before settling on one. It was a conch shell, a mix of blue and pink, and when the sun hit it just right it glittered so much one could easily mistake it for a precious jewel. It was beautiful.

Mother said it reminded her of me. At first I had been confused because there was no way I believed I was that pretty. The confusion most have shown on my face as she explained how, like the shell, I represented the love between father and her. Pure and unconditional.

It was the most mushy thing I have ever heard, but mother told it with such stars in her dark eyes, that I couldn’t help but to believe her if only for a second.

Leaning back slightly in her arms, ignoring the way her hold tightened in fear of dropping me, I reached up and carefully gripped her nose. A gummy grin splitting across my face. Mother gave me a smile brighter than the sun in return, a finger gently looping around my own nose.

It was at that moment I vowed, for this woman, I would try to get over my inferiority issues.

[mypinkchapter]

Top 3 Favorites.

Hi friends! I am feeling so thankful because we can now count on ONE HAND how many treatments I have left... FIVE more weeks/rounds to go!!! Praise Jesus! I feel great! #happydance

In the perfect timing that comes only from the Lord, our women's ministry began a new fall Bible study over the book of Job by Lisa Harper; it is a seven week study & when we started up, I had seven weeks of chemo left! How sweet to wrap up these chemo rounds studying a book about finding unlikely joy in the midst of suffering... suffering that isn't even comprehend-able for me. My suffering in comparison to Job's is literally a drop in a bucket. 

With that in mind daily & with the excitement of seeing even more slivers of light at the end of this tunnel, edging closer, I thought it would be fun to reflect on my favorite parts of cancer. Yes -- favorite! In such a crazy turn of events from the diagnosis in April, as we carry on now, this has been such an incredible blessing. I fully believe gratefulness in the midst of the journey has been a huge part of my healing. So, without further ado: lists of my top 3 favorites, cancer edition! 

Top 3 favorite: head coverings

Nothing. Way more people than I would have originally wanted have seen my bald head because hello, it's been a hot Arkansas summer, & I actually like showing off my teeny tiny hair growth to anyone who wants to see!

Baseball caps -- in particular my simple breast cancer baseball cap that was a gift from my bestie, Natalie. Pretty sure I wear it at least 3-4 days of the week, but it's neat how many conversations that one hat has sparked because it answers the pressing question everyone has when they notice my bald head, wondering what cancer I have. So many new survivor friends now!

Multicolor/turquoise scarf from my fellow breastie, Savanah. This was her favorite headwrap during her journey & I think she seasoned it up just perfectly for me because it is truly the only headwrap I feel comfortable/happy in. It's like the scarf just knows how to make a bald girl feel a little better! ;)

Top 3 favorite: perks of having a bald (but really now a "fuzzy") head

I can get ready in under 10 minutes! 

I walk out of the shower & have dry hair in quite literally no time. 

Back in the day, straightening my hair was no simple task & I certainly don't miss all that time in front of a mirror, but I also can't wait for the day I get to turn my straightener back on! #lovehaterelationship

Top 3 favorite: things about the St. B's Cancer Center

My NURSES... unbelievably precious humans that I actually get excited to see weekly. I am so blessed to have our sweet Aunt Sandra looking out for me like no other; she loves like I'm her own & has been the absolute best caretaker. Plus, so many other sweet folks have brightened my days & have taken top-notch care of me. I don't want to forget their names one day -- Mandy, Jyl, Mr. Jack, Tasha, & such a kind volunteer, Ms. Dorothy.

I've had a wonderful oncologist, Dr. Durrani, but my PA, Callie, is someone I have grown to think of as a friend -- she's just a friend that talks cancer with me! And fun fact: we're only four days apart, so to have someone relate-able & my age walking with me through this has been quite the comfort. 

The hours spent in those recliners inside the infusion room have been truly priceless. I have cherished conversations with my “chemo buddies” each week. Between my husband, Mom, Dad, & Gran (plus a few new chemo buddies coming up in my last few rounds!), I have loved the catch-up sessions with those I love the most!  

Top 3 favorite: things about my Riverside family since diagnosis

My kids. Cancer or no cancer, I love my kids. The love, compassion, & respect has been unmatched by both my Jr. High & Sr. High students. The world could use way more kids like the ones I am honored to teach.  

The family I work with on the daily. Something that many don't know is the fact that the sweet, sweet faculty & staff have all been providing dinners three nights a week for my family. Three nights a week, y'all. There is a care calendar in place where we have been provided for since the beginning of the school year until my treatments wrap up in early October. How humbling to have so many people spend time & effort to lovingly prepare a meal or provide a gift card to make our lives easier... I will never forget the generosity & support shown by those I am blessed to work alongside.

Mr. Priest, Mr. Ziegler, Mr. Durham, & Mrs. Priest -- my administration has gone above & beyond with their support. There hasn't been a moment when I had to put my health on the back burner; they have been so encouraging & willing to stand in the gap for me to ensure I can be back to 100% when I am ready & able.

Top 3 favorite: Scriptures since diagnosis 

My go-to & the reference on my Team Erin bracelets: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

This past Wednesday night, a sweet friend, Nicole Arbuckle, prayed Psalm 57 over our Bible study & gracious, it was good... so good. I loved verse 1, "Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes." 

Top 3 favorite: funny moments since diagnosis

Meeting Chris Harrison at the FedEx St. Jude Classic & he thought I was a St. Jude patient. I told him that aged me backwards 10+ years so I would gladly take that "compliment" of sorts! 

Elly holds onto my head & we both giggle when she does as I get her dressed in the mornings. :) 

Ryan cracks jokes about my bald head & people legitimately have no idea how to react! Example: "Oh yeah, last time you met her she probably had hair but she definitely doesn't now!" *cue awkward laughter* So funny every time!

Top 3 favorite: lessons learned since diagnosis

Embrace the spontaneity. Random ice cream runs with Elly & Ryan. Living in the moment & not fretting so much over what's next, whether that be a big life change or just a simple monkey wrench thrown in an evening plan. Texting your best friend at 2pm that the Backstreet Boys are in town that night & somehow making the arrangement to go & dance way past your bedtime at the very last minute. Modifying & adjusting in the classroom, on the spot, because lesson plans aren't realistic every single day. Y'all, this idea of spontaneity just never came natural & not to say I'm so great at it now, but I sure am learning that some of the sweetest/best memories live in the unplanned moments. 

Trust Jesus. He is good. He has a plan that rivals no other plan I could make for myself. Know that every single moment in stormy seasons is worth it, is purposeful, & I pray will be used to glorify Him. There is NO way I could walk this walk without Jesus living in me & walking in-step with me. 

Savor the days. I have spent 28 years of life truly sweating the small stuff, as the cliché goes. Cancer sure knows how to strip that away & has served as a reminder these past five months that time is far too short & fleeting to waste my days. This has been the greatest perspective shift I could have ever hoped for & never knew I needed. Gratitude has truly washed over me & fortunately, I will never be the same.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song." Psalm 28:7

All my love from my pink chapter, Erin