#but at least you learned something about frogs

[aychama]

Can we get more catnip story’s?

Alrighty!

Heket nudged her only little brother to listen to what Shamura was saying to them in the carriage.

"-since you three aren't old enough yet you will only be allowed to watch from the sidelines." Shamura finished cleaning the final arrowhead they needed for the hunting competition.

"No need to fret my dear young siblings! You get to watch me and Shamura show off our expertise in catching our prey!" Kallamar beamed with confidence not noticing Shamura's competitive side glance.

"Booo! Boring!" Leshy yelled with a pout, jumping up with the carriage as the sturdy wheels hit a small bump. The newly crowned worm was pretty small and light after all.

“I wanna join too! Let us wield weapons too!” Leshy continued, not caring one bit about the warning Shamura had just given younger ones.

“We could get injured during this hunt.You must listen more carefully brother.” Heket laid back with a straight posture exuding a solemn light. If only one of her four eyes weren't looking for approval from Shamura, she would look like a model lady every noble wished to have as a daughter. 

“Ugh, yuck! You are a frog, why are you trying to act like a swan?” Heket’s red skin darkened “Wha- You little-!” She clutched her dress as she yelled flusteredly. 

A light chuckle sounded from her right. She turned to the mocking sound with slight surprise and annoyance “Don't laugh at me you three eyed freak!”

The chuckling from him stopped as the irritated thumps of Narinder tail took its place.

But before he could fight with his sister for the fifth time today, Kallamar cut in.

“You three are the future kings of your respectful kingdoms. You must learn to not fight with each other for any little word any of you utter can be used against you.” Kallamar lectured as he usually did. 

Teaching his little siblings to be civil had turned out to be more of a hassle than he originally thought it would be, he was the only one born into nobility among his siblings after all so it was only natural that he would be the one to teach them about the rules of courtesy and the heaviness their roles held. 

“If you aren't gonna give us big weapons, at least give us knives so we can play!” Leshy did not relent.

“Dear brother it is not-” Kallamar was cut short with the rustling by his side as Shamura tossed a sheathed hunting knife at the youngest of the five. Despite being eager, Leshy was caught off guard and almost dropped it. Almost.

Everyone's demeanor in the carriage changed into one of alert with Shamura’s move.

“Shamura, why would you give him a knife! It could be dangerous!” Kallamar half got off of his seat as he panicked. Leshy took the knife out of its sheath and started inspecting it with his small hands. Both Heket and Narinder, despite their previous spat, scooched over to look at the knife as well. 

“We are kings brother, we deserve what we want and we must get it no matter what.” Shamura said matter of factly as Kallamar deflated.

“W-well yes. But he is still a child-”

“They will learn to transform their crowns soon anyway brother. They should know their way with real weapons so the transformation goes smoothly.”

“Right…” Kallamat sat down, still feeling a little anxious about leaving a knife in his younger chaotic siblings' hands.

The journey to the hunting grounds continued without issue. 

Well, Leshy almost stabbed Heket in the eye but since it was prevented by Shamura it was all still water.

After arriving at the hunting grounds Kallamar immediately started to socialise with the young nobles children that would be attending the competition while Shamura stayed behind to watch Heket and Leshy being escorted to the waiting area.

Narinder took a little longer to get off the carriage.

“Is something the matter brother?” Shamura asked as they picked up their belongings.

“Hmm… no. I just thought I smelled something.” Narinder said as he rubbed his nose and jumped off the carriage after Shamura.

Narinder was about to follow after Heket and Leshy when Shamura stopped him.

“Brother. I fear our younger siblings will try to pull something. As the oldest of the three, could you guard them?” Shamura asked with a kind voice.

“Sure!” 

With a newfound mission and a feeling of protectiveness of his sister and brother, Narinder gave Shamura a big smile before running off towards the waiting area.

Shamura looked at Narinder’s running form with a smile.

.

.

.

The trumpet was blown with the start of the competition and the whistling arrow was shot, signaling that the first prey had been caught. 

Heket and Leshy were almost forced to sit down with a weirdly on duty feeling Narinder who was looking around. 

The two younger siblings whispered among each other without the knowledge of the feline.

With everyone focused on the competition, talking and some even betting on who would win, the young kings slowly sneaked off of the platform they were on easily since everyone was so energetic about the hunt.

Narinder, to his surprise, didn't notice his siblings missing at first. But when he did, he immediately started searching for the two frantically.

As soon as he turned around the corner for the carts almost empty with weapons, he spotted Leshy’s bushy, wagging tail.

“What the hell are you doing?!-” Narinder ran up to them, yelling and not expecting the puff of smoke to hit his face.

“Ugh!- What?!” he coughed, doubling over in panic more than pain. No, he was not feeling any pain at all.

“Hah! Look! I told you it would work!” He heard his sister exclaim with delight as she peeked over the cart, holding an empty, delicately designed pouch.

Narinder rubbed his eyes. “What was that?”

“Catnip!” Leshy joined with the same excitement as his sister while holding a big crossbow that looked funny in his small hands. He couldn't even balance it properly.

“Where the hell did you find catnip?” Narinder tried to fight off the calming effect. But it was too late, he had already forgotten his worry and anger as his pupils got bigger.

“I brought it from Anura. I'm tired of you guarding me as if I'm a little flower so I came prepared.” Heket said proudly. 

So that's what he smelled in the carriage…

Well, he didn't really care about it right now. He kneeled and then lay down, rubbing his face on the ground where the catnip had scattered to and purring. 

He only faintly heard the laughter and the mocker his little siblings threw at him as they got what they needed from the cart and ran into the hunting grounds…

.

.

.

The news of the Green Crown’s young King getting lightly injured on hunting grounds spread like wildfire amongst the nobles.

Some had even talked about the embarrassing situation Red Crown’s young king was in and his outburst against his younger siblings…

[greenfrogartist]

Batman looking a little red there, isn't he @the-stove-is-divorced ? Must be a trick of the light

[headspace-hotel]

How to begin a sustainable way of life

This is a draft of something I've been writing for a couple months. It is mainly focused on the culture of the USA. Feel free to repost or otherwise share, with or without credit.

Do not tell people what to do—help them do it! 

Give the gift of relief from being forced to engage in society’s unsustainable ways of life. 

“People need to eat more plant-based foods.” ->Talk about your favorite recipes, give others recipes, cook for them, and grow vegetables and plants in your garden and give them away as gifts. 

“People need to repair their clothes.” -> Offer to repair others’ clothes, and teach people how to repair their clothes. 

“People need to buy less clothes.” -> Give them old clothes that you don’t want, help them repair their clothes

“People need to buy less plastic stuff.” -> Learn to make things that can serve the same purpose, such as baskets, and give them as gifts. Let people borrow things you own so they don’t have to buy their own. 

“People need to stop using leafblowers and other gas-guzzling machinery.” -> Offer to rake the leaves. You can use them as compost in your own garden. 

“People need to be more educated about nature.”-> Learn about nature yourself. Tell people about nature. Be open about your love of creatures such as snakes, spiders, and frogs. Do not show awareness that this could be strange. You are not obligated to quiet down your enthusiasm for creepy crawlies to demonstrate awareness that it is weird. Point out at every opportunity how these animals are beneficial. 

“People need to use cars less.” -> Offer rides to others whenever you must go somewhere. Whenever you are about to go to the store, ask your neighbor or your friend who lives along the way, “Is there anything you need from the store?” 

You cannot control others’ behaviors, but you can free them from being controlled. 

If you think to yourself, “But this would be so difficult to do!” ask yourself WHY? Why does your society coerce you into less sustainable ways of living, forcing you to consume excessively? After thinking about this, consider that it is less simple and easy than you thought to make more sustainable choices, so why would you judge others for not doing it? 

Do not act alone—act with others! 

Environmentally friendly behaviors that can be done alone, without collaborating with or consulting another person, are the least powerful of all. Whenever an “environmentally friendly” behavior is suggested, figure out “How can I give this as a gift?” or “How can I make this possible on the level of a whole community?” 

“Personal choices” do not work because every single person has to make them individually. If you are focused on making your own personal choice, you are not focused on others. If you are not focused on others, you are not helping them. If nobody is helping each other, most people won’t be able to make the “personal choice.”

You inherently share an ecosystem with your neighbors  

            Start with your neighbors, the people physically close to you. You live on the same patch of land, containing roots from the same plants and trees. You can speak to them face to face without traveling, which means you can easily bring them physical things without using resources to travel. 

            Always talk to your neighbors and be friendly with them. Offer them favors unprompted and tell them about how your garden is doing. Do not be afraid to be annoying—a slightly annoying neighbor who is helpful, kind, and can be relied upon for a variety of favors or in times of need is a necessary and inevitable part of a good community. If you make the effort to be present in somebody’s life, they will have to put up with you on some occasions, but that is just life. We cannot rely on each other if we do not put up with each other. 

Simply spending time with someone influences them for good 

Every hour you spend outside with your neighbor is an hour your neighbor doesn’t spend watching Fox News. Every hour you spend talking with someone and interacting with them in the real world, eating real food and enjoying your real surroundings, is an hour you don’t spend only hearing a curated picture of what reality is like from social media. 

            Isolation makes it easy for people to become indoctrinated into extremist beliefs. When someone spends more time alone, watching TV, Youtube, or scrolling social media, than they do with others, their concept of what other people are like and what the world is like comes more from social media than real life. TV and online media are meant to influence you in a specific way. Simply restricting the access these influences have to yourself and others is helpful. 

A garden is the source of many gifts 

If you grow a garden, you can give your neighbors and friends the gift of food, plants, and crafted objects. This is one of the foundational ways to form community. When you give food, you provide support to others. When you give plants, you are encouraging and teaching about gardening. It is even better when you give recipes cooked from things you grew, or items crafted from things you grew. You can also give the gift of knowledge of how to grow these plants, cook these recipes, or craft these objects. 

More on gift-giving

            Some people are uncomfortable with receiving items or services as gifts. They want to feel like they are giving something back, instead of having obligation to return the favor hanging over them. 

            It can help to ask a simple favor that can be easily fulfilled. People generally like the feeling of helping someone else. 

When you give someone a gift, it can help to say something like “Oh, I have too many of this thing to take care of/store/eat myself! Do you think you could take some?” This makes your neighbor feel like they are helping you. 

When allowing others to borrow items, you might not get them back. Don’t worry about that. It just means the item found a place where it was needed the most. You can ask about the item if you think it might have been forgotten, and this can create an opportunity for a second meeting. But don’t press. 

If the person you give to insists upon some form of payment, this is a good opportunity to negotiate a trade. 

Ask to be given compostable or recyclable things 

Ask your neighbor to save compostable scraps, biodegradable cardboard and paper products, and any other items that might be put to use. Use them in your own compost pile. Or, start a compost pile at the edge of the yard where you both can add to it. Remember that “wet” compost like vegetable and fruit bits needs to be mixed with twice as much of “dry” and “woody” compost like cardboard, leaves, small twigs, paper and wood bits. 

Use the front yard for gardening

Overcome the cultural norm that the front yard is only decorative. Use the front yard for gardening so you can be seen by others enjoying your garden, and others can witness the demonstration of the possibilities of land. In the front yard, anything you do intentionally with your land can be witnessed. It also makes you a visible presence in your community. 

Grow staple foods 

Don’t just grow vegetables that cannot be the core component of a meal themselves. Grow potatoes, dry beans, black eyed peas and other nourishing, calorie-dense foods. Grow the ingredients of meals. You could even build a garden around a recipe.

Invite neighbors and friends over to eat food made from things you grew 

Be sure to send them home with leftovers.  

Grow plants for baskets 

Containers are one of the fundamental human needs. If we had more containers, we wouldn’t need plastic so much. You can learn to make baskets, and to grow plants that provide the raw materials for baskets. 

If someone rakes their leaves, ask to have the leaves  

If you see someone putting leaves in bags, don’t be afraid to ask if you can have the leaves. More likely than not they will be happy to agree. 

Collaborate with neighbors to plant things in the no-man’s-land of the property line 

In the border land between your neighbor’s yard and your yard, it is almost always just mowed grass because no one can plant anything without it affecting their neighbor. But these border lands add up to a lot of space. It would be much better if you talked to your neighbor about what would be nice to plant there, and together created a plan for that space. 

Give others the freedom to wander 

Make it clear that you will not get mad if the neighbor’s kids play in your yard or run across it. Invite the neighbors onto your land as much as possible. Tell them they are allowed to spend time in a favored spot whenever they would like.  

The power of the hand-made sign 

If there is a yard sale, you always know about it because of the hand-drawn signs placed around. Therefore, a cookout or unwanted item exchange can be announced the same way. In rural areas I have seen hand-made signs that say: FIREWOOD or WE BUY GOATS or EGGS. This is one of the few technologies of community that remain in the USA. If someone who looks to buy and sell can put up a hand-made sign, why shouldn’t you?  

Religious people or people with strong political opinions like to put signs everywhere. If they have the confidence and courage to do so, why shouldn’t you? 

So if there is a message you would like everyone to see, use the simple power of the hand-made sign. Proclaim “BEE FRIENDLY ZONE!” above your pollinator garden with all the confidence of a religious fundamentalist billboard. Announce to the world, “VEGETABLES FREE TO ALL—JUST ASK!” “WE TAKE LEAVES—NO PESTICIDES.” Instead of YARD SALE, or perhaps in conjunction with YARD SALE, you can write, PLANT EXCHANGE or SEED SWAP or CLOTHING SWAP. Who can stop you? 

Someone has to do it for society to change  

Some of these ideas might be eccentric, strange, or even socially unacceptable, but there is no way to change what is normal except to move against it. Someone has to be weird. It might as well be you. 

[svtswhorehouse]

DATING MINGHAO INCLUDES…. — sfw

• indulging in his tea parties lollll.

• you actually never liked tea — always considering yourself a coffee girl until you met him. now, it’s your drink of choice.

• you’re the only person he never catches an attitude with.

• he won’t EVER judge you, even if the things you do are questionable sometimes.

• you learned how to make his favorite dishes from his hometown and it was one of the most heartwarming things anyone has ever done for him.

• you’re actually a terrible cook, but it’s the one thing you can do right and perfectly (shoutout to his mom and countless youtube videos for teaching you.)

• you raid his closet from time to time, letting him know that his fashion taste is superior whenever he complains about it.

• he secretly loves seeing you wear his clothes.

• you bought him one of those frog hats. he doesn’t necessarily like the hat, but wears it anyways because it makes you giggle.

• calm bf x hyper gf dynamic for sure. even if you are also calm, he’s a lot calmer.

• he has the habit of buying tea cups as souvenirs for you whenever he’s on tour.

• he insists that you try meditating whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed or have a bad day.

• he looks at you so fondly, it’s almost as if he has stars in his eyes.

• minghao was never one to see himself as a lovey dovey person until he met you.

• when you can’t sleep at night, he turns on ocean or rain sounds to help soothe your brain.

• when you two get into arguments, he’s a very good listener. he takes your side into account and tries to see where you’re coming from. you learned that he’s very level headed and because of this fights never get out of hand and are normally resolved very quickly.

• he always asks if you wanna come with him whenever he goes back home to china. (his parents love you and told him they wouldn’t allow him in the house if you weren’t with him.)

• your favorite dates are the ones in which he chooses and yall go to a museum. you actually don’t know what you’re looking at, but at least you’re spending time with him so you’re okay with it.

• if someone is ever rude to you, best believe minghao is not having any of it. he’s very quick to snap back, especially if it’s to protect you.

• he’s always buying you clothes. he’s quite the fashionista himself and considers himself an expert so best believe he’s going to use you as his model and dress you up.

• always looks at you questionably when you suggest something crazy, but nevertheless goes along with it just to see you smile.

• your outfits won't exactly match, but they would be coordinated somehow.

• he always finds a way to subtly include you in his instagram feed.

• definitely the type to soft launch your relationship on social media.

• he acts cool and calm when he finds out you're learning his native language for him (he's actually giggling and kicking his feet on the inside.)

• he's the logical one in your relationship.

• he knows you almost as better as you know yourself.

• your apartment hallways are filled with endless canvases that he painted for you.

• he's the type of person you can sit in a comfortable silence with.

• he always lets you do your own thing, but is a quiet protector. he always has his eyes on you whenever you two go out together and is ready to step in if you're ever uncomfortable.

• slow and sensual kisses !!!!!

• minghao takes the most perfect photos of you. he knows all your angles and how to do you justice through a camera lens.

[the-ancient-dragons]

The last Overcomplicated Pantalan tribe; LeafWings!

You know how it goes. I'm just me and Joy and Tui are awesome and amazing.

Details and explanation below.

Otherwise, next week is something new! You'll get to meet one of my fantribes >:)

More overcomplicated dragons.

With the LeafWing, I struggled to decide what approach to take. Should I do something closer to canon or go crazy and do 100% my go-to headcanon?

Because my go-to headcanon is that LeafWings should have four wings. I found it odd that they and SilkWings both come from Pyrrhia, but SilkWings (technically BeetleWings) were the only tribe that evolved four wings? I hesitated to even mention this in my HiveWing post because idk how popular this opinion is, but even the fact that Clearsight's arrival somehow split the BeetheWings into two WILDLY different tribes is astounding, with how long dragons live.

But that's not the point of this post. We're here for LeafWings and buckle up, it's a doozy.

So first of all, the reason I justified a four-winged LeafWing is to help it camouflage as a plant better. I'll eventually provide a sheet of this, but it would have two main defence modes, the first being a single-leaf version where they lie flat on the ground or stand still with their wings drooping, creating the silhouette of a single leaf, or a version where they hang on the end of a branch and hold their wings and tail out.

It isn't just their wings that creates this look. I took the original single sail and split it in two, based on the ribs of a draco lizard, and had them run along the sides of its neck. When spread, they are a part of the single-leaf camouflage and bridge the gap between the head and shoulders. They would also have more similar frills on their front and back legs in case they need to camouflage standing up. They could use this for hunting or hiding...

Continuing with the bug-avian beak mix, I referenced african parrot species and leafcutter ants. The highly altered head is based on horned frogs and leaf geckos, and I obviously based the colouration and patterning on leaf insects (though the lighting kind of hides it on the back of the head, lol). Last but not least, I wanted to preserve and enhance the leaf cell design Joy used for the scattered body scales (at least, I'm 90% sure it's for that purpose, it seems most obvious). So, like any sane human, I found photos of plant cells under microscopes and used the rectangular-ish shapes for the main body scales.

I had so much fun making this series. It seems like a lot of people enjoyed it as much as I did. I learned a lot about external anatomy and mixing different creatures to achieve unified designs.

School is doing its best to murder me (I can't do big pieces) so from now on I'll have to stick to loose sketches I can do in-class or doodle within an hour. But once we learn more about bones and muscles I'll be able to take a crack at analyzing the full bodies of some of the tribes. I'll go in whatever order I see fit.

In the meantime, I've got some Fantribes for you, starting next week! See you then!

[anifever]

omggg I love ur Lottie!reader hc’s! Could you do one where the reader acts like Tiana? A super independent, great cook and no-nonsense gal with good humor is someone I think the whole gang would rlly love

Gang w/ a Tiana!Reader ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

The Outsiders x Fem!Reader

୨୧ : Curtis gang with a reader who’s like Tiana from ‘Princess and the Frog’

A/N : Why does my theme mess up when I do requests kms. Once again, sorry if these are a bit short <\3 I have so many other requests I’m working on so bare with me

˖⁺‧₊˚ 🐸 ˚₊‧⁺˖

Darry

୨ IMO, he’d be the best choice for someone with that personality to be paired with

୨ The gang is terrified of pissing either of you off

୨ My ongoing hc/scenario of him = throwing flour at each other whilst cooking together continues to hold up

୨ He thinks you’re the perfect mix of sweet with a bit of sour

୨ If you have a little restaurant, etc; he’s always gloating about it

୨ He’s honestly a little shy about it like one of his coworkers asks abt you during a lunch break and he’s just like “Well….🤭🤭🤭”

୨ You guys both share your parents recipes with each other

୨ He’s the one who’s always cooking for his brothers/the guys, so it’s helpful when he gets a bigger range of things to make

୨ Also helpful that you offer to cook with him or just do it yourself sometimes

୨ He gets pretty worried when he notices you overworking yourself (ironic.)

୨ You both try to help each other through it and take some burdens off one another’s shoulders

୨ You’re both super independent; power couple

Two-Bit

୨ You love to cook, he loves to eat

୨ You’re his saving grace

୨ You also match his sense of humor which makes you the full package in his eyes

୨ He can’t compliment you without you brushing him off and he hates it LMAO

୨ He just wants to butter you up but you’re so humble

୨ Then again, he gets all shy when you start sweet-talking him back

୨ You spoil him with food constantly

୨ “Baby, you’re an amazing cook ‘n all, but I’m gainin’ a bit of a belly-” then you just shut him up by stuffing his mouth with more food

୨ You don’t gaf about his weight you just like coddling your funny lil’ handsome guy

୨ Like I said, he cannot stop complimenting you, like it’s impossible for him

୨ He thinks you’re perfect and feels the need to constantly rub it in other people’s faces that they don’t have someone like you

୨ Like he bagged a woman who can cook, is funny, nice, gorgeous, and stays humble about all of it????

୨ It will forever be his greatest achievement

Steve

୨ You keep him in check

୨ He can be such a smartass sometimes but he learned not to mess around with you fast

୨ Just sits and watches you cook sometimes because he’s so mesmerized by it

୨ He debates on stealing ads for your restaurant he sees around town since he’s so proud of you but then he decides it’s probably bad to lower your promo

୨ He says “There’s my favorite chef 😋” with the dumbest grin on his face whenever he sees you after a while of being apart

୨ If anyone dares to say something bad about you or your food, etc- his ass is NOT having it

୨ His smart-ness comes in handy in cases like that

୨ Like I said, you can handle your own and he’s lowkey giggling and kicking his feet on the inside whenever he gets to witness it

୨ He’s like yes!!!! That’s my girl!!! 😣😣

୨ Borderline moans when he tastes something new of yours and you can’t tell if he’s playing it up or being serious

Dallas

୨ You walk him like a dog I’m crying

୨ You’re really kind most of the time, but he loves that you’re also able to handle yourself

୨ Like going to Buck’s together and some guy is being weird, he thinks he’ll have to step in but you handle it just fine on your own

୨ He wanted you to have his children after that.

୨ Anyways, you’re also really caring over him

୨ Not to mention super loyal which he’s not used to

୨ You always clean him up after fights (not without scolding him tho)

୨ Once again, if you own a place yourself or at least work somewhere, he’s always showing up out of the blue

୨ He reluctantly agrees to be on his best behavior when he visits

୨ That being said, when he hangs out with Pony and Johnny, he’s always bringing them there for food

୨ He tries to flirt with you whilst you’re on-job and you do not have any of it

Soda

୨ He’s always ready to be a taste-tester whenever you try a new recipe

୨ He’s just so supportive I’m sobbing I love him

୨ You pack him lil’ sweets for him to snack on during his shifts at the DX

୨ He watches you passionately talk about cooking/your job with hearts in his eyes

୨ Whenever girls come into the the DX to flirt with him, he takes the chance to promote your business/the place you work LMAOO

୨ He worries a bunch when you start working more than normal

୨ He tries to get you to take breaks but then you’re like “?? You do the same thing with your job” and he’s just like “Ah.. well, you got me there.”

୨ Realistically though, he gets where you’re coming from about “the only way to get what you want is through hard work” and relates to it

୨ That still doesn’t stop him from pouting when you seem more tired than usual when you take longer shifts, etc

୨ You start helping him and his brothers out financially once you start making more money

୨ He cries.

Johnny

୨ You try to help him with his confidence since you’ve got a lot of it yourself

୨ You make him feel secure

୨ You’re also a pretty big inspiration for him

୨ He doesn’t eat great considering his living conditions other than when he goes over to the Curtis’, so he’s basically getting full course meals when he’s with you

୨ You encourage him to get multiple helpings/take a few bites before the food’s done but then scold the other guys when they try to LMAO

୨ “Oh, so Johnny can eat it early but not us??”

୨ “What- was I supposed to let him STARVE?!?! 🙄”

୨ You care about him so much and always make sure he’s away from his parents as much as possible

୨ You’re aware he can also handle himself the same way you can, but you’re still protective over him nonetheless

୨ You have confronted his mom before and desperately tried to keep your usual down-to-earth and kind demeanor, but it didn’t work. At all.

୨ You and Two-Bit are one in the same when it comes to that woman

Pony

୨ He is SCARFING your food down

୨ I’m dead it’ll be gone so fast, he can’t help it

୨ Loves that you’re so headstrong since he’s the same way

୨ Anyways, imagine he brings home a small box filled with something you made him from school & Steve’s like “Where’d you get that from?? 🤨” and he gets all smug about it

୨ He refuses to let him have even the smallest bite

୨ You get along really easy with everyone and he loves that about you

୨ You’re always sticking up for him if he’s getting made fun of at school, on the street, etc

୨ It makes his lil’ heart hammer in his chest

୨ He visits you during your waitressing shifts

୨ Like he studies and does homework up at the counter while you work and he takes glances up at you every now and then AHHHHH

୨ He also probably does yours for you depending on how busy you are

୨ You repay him with food on the house though 😊

୨ Darry’s always asking him where he’s been and he’s like “… the diner in town…🧍” and he’s still suspicious but he’s just glad he’s not getting into trouble

[ellecdc]

ELLE !! OMGGGG i read a fanfic based on the movie flipped and i immediately thought of you and how you would eat this trope up or more specifically a childhood best friends to lovers !!

like one day either one or all of the marauders are spending the day with reader then all of a sudden the boys’ hearts start beating a little faster at reader’s laughter or they’re mesmerized by their little subtle quirks and now they’re like “oh fuck… i think i LOVE them love them”

this is not necessarily a request but if you decide to write something like this then YIPPIEEE FLUFF but if not then its just a cute little scenario to think about !!

this was such a sweet idea 🥹 thank you so much for your request 🫶

Sirius Black x gn!reader who he's - oh shit - in love with

Life hadn’t been particularly easy for Sirius.

He was born into a family not out of love but out of obligation.

In fact, he hadn’t ever really known love outside of whatever affection he held for his baby brother until he met his friends. 

He’d been beaten, starved, ignored, and tortured into compliance all before the age of 11; and it only continued tenfold upon his return from school after having been sorted into the wrong house. 

In fact, a lot about Sirius was wrong.

He had the wrong opinions, the wrong hair, the wrong style, the wrong language, the wrong grades, the wrong loyalty.

Sirius was wrong.

At least that’s what his family would have said.

However, Sirius eventually learned that it wasn’t him who had been wrong all this time; it was them.

And whilst removing them from him was very difficult - seeing as they were the ones who bred and raised him - he felt he was doing a pretty decent job of it.

Unfortunately, that meant leaving his baby brother Regulus, and you, behind. 

From as far back as Sirius could remember, everything was always chosen for him; his friends, his interests, his hobbies, the volume of his voice, the clothes he wore, the way he presented himself etcetera, etcetera. 

And though that was technically still true of his dedication to his brother and his companionship with you; the two of you were the only good things to have ever come from his life as a Black. 

His friendship with you was a cherished one.

Perhaps one of the only people who truly got it; who knew what Sirius went through. 

You were the silver lining at every grey and dreary Pureblood Gala and Sacred 28 dinner party.

You were his biggest advocate and protector when it came to his older cousins and the other older Purebloods. 

And you were the only reason Sirius could bring himself to flee that horrid night in the summer before sixth year; he could only leave knowing that Regulus would at least still have you.

But it hurt. 

It hurt knowing he had left you and Regulus to fend for yourselves.

He felt like a coward; like he betrayed the two people who he cared for most.

And he was still so scared; even now, albeit for different reasons.

He was scared because he was certain that when he returned to Hogwarts that September, you and Regulus would hate him.

But apparently, his fears were wrong too.

Because two weeks before the end of summer; two weeks before you would all be piling onto the Hogwarts Express to return to Scotland, you and Regulus showed up to Potter Manor wearing matching timid grins, yet seemingly no worse for wear. 

Somehow, you had gotten yourself and Reggie out of the terror that was your familial homes, and were staying with friends up in Ottery St.Catchpole. 

Sirius never really imagined getting to have his cake at all, let alone getting to have his cake and eating it too. 

Yet, here he sat on a warm summer evening at Potter Manor with James, Remus, Peter, Reggie, and you around a crackling bonfire among the sounds of peeping frogs and chirping crickets as you told some grandiose story about you and Regulus trekking through a vast field where Regulus stumbled in a hidden hole in the ground and cursed for five minutes straight in both English and French before the two of you laughed so hard that you cried. 

Your face was flushed and you were slightly breathless as you narrated your tale; arms flying wildly as you drew a rather descriptive picture of both your surroundings and your actions. Every so often you would reach over to shake Regulus’ shoulder as he hid his face behind his hands, laughing along with you and daring to interrupt if he felt you were overexaggerating some details or not painting him in a flattering enough light. 

What was likely a rather stressful and arduous journey across the Southern half of the country seemed to be nothing but a grand adventure as you retold your experience.

Sirius liked that about you; everything was an adventure with you. You never let Regulus or Sirius feel too poorly for themselves for too long, telling them it was going to be great for their character development.

“I think I’m rather well developed already, sweetheart.” He’d grumbled at you once. You laughed like he had something truly funny. 

And this was no different. From looking at Regulus, Sirius would never guess he’d just absconded from his volatile, abusive, and downright scary family; Regulus rather looked like he was retelling the happenings of a juvenile prank-filled slumber party (which Sirius would know a thing or two about). 

And he looked good. Not like Sirius looked when he first arrived at the Manor; bloodied, bruised, starved, and soaked to the bone. Regulus was healthy, vibrant, and bright. Hopeful. 

That’s the effect you had on people; you filled them with hope. Hope that it would be okay, hope that it would be better, hope that one day you might actually deserve the things you so desperately craved.

You had certainly done that for Sirius.

And looking at how good Regulus appeared, he couldn’t deny the same of you.

You were bright, animated, overflowing with a crackling energy and excitement that might even rival James’.

Sirius realised then that you were everything Sirius ever hoped to be.

Bold, assured, daring, caring, vivacious, kind, and so full of love.

And it seemed to him that the way the firelight was currently reflecting off of your face, as if the fire was somehow brighter from just simply being within your proximity, that you were far more beautiful than Sirius remembered you.

He hadn’t realised he’d been remembering you.

He had missed you; quite terribly, at that.

He missed your reassuring words, he missed your soft gazes, he missed your gentle hugs, and he missed the way that just knowing you were within his vicinity eased a ball of tension he hadn’t even realised resided deep within him. 

And he missed getting to see you; like this most of all.

Lovely, happy, carefree, and beautiful.

He wondered how he’d gone so long without it.

Was a little over a month considered long? He supposed it didn’t much matter, seeing as it certainly felt that way.

Too long.

Sirius never wanted to go that long without you again. You were too important to him, too precious, too sacred, too-

Oh.

Oh. 

Oh.

Sirius Black was bloody in love. With you.

Sirius Black was in love with you.

What likely should have sent Sirius spiralling (and certainly would have a little over a month ago) did nothing but cause him to smile softly as you let out a rather boisterous laugh that sounded like a symphony to Sirius’ ears.

And so, it should be commemorated for future generations to come:

Here sat Sirius Black… having his cake and eating it too.

[thewertsearch]

CG: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FROG BREEDING, I THOUGHT WE WERE ON A ROLL WITH THAT GG: yes, we still are! GG: this little detour was related to that task. we should be nearly done.

Echidna is located on the frog planet, so I guess it would make sense if she offered Choices that related to frog breeding. Maybe she needs to 'approve' the nascent universe, just like she did the Scratch.

CG: WHAT WAS SHE EVEN SAYING TO YOU, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD OF THAT HORRIFYING GIBBERISH. GG: i can understand her just fine!

It’s reasonable to assume that only the Denizen’s designated Player can understand their speech.

That would probably prevent any Player from completing a Quest that wasn’t assigned to them, which was one of my suggestions for ways to ‘break Sburb’, a million billion years ago.

CG: I STILL DON'T REALLY GET IT. CG: WHY MY DENIZEN WAS SUCH A NIGHTMARE WHILE YOURS APPARENTLY GIVES YOU GUTTURAL PEP TALKS IN SOME BYZANTINE MONSTER LANGUAGE. GG: we already talked about this GG: echidna and i have an understanding now ;) CG: OOH, VAGUE BULLSHIT, IT'S THE EXACT FUCKING THING I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF. GG: well maybe if you werent in such a grumpy hurry all the time you wouldnt have killed your denizen so quickly GG: you might have actually learned something!!!!!!

I'm willing to bet that Karkat shot first, aggroing his Denizen before it had even opened its mouth. Just like Eridan and his angels, the possibility that this NPC wasn't an enemy simply didn't enter Karkat's head.

...granted, the Consorts do to tell you that your Denizen needs to be slain, so the messaging is a little all over the place. Perhaps the game straight-up lies about how the Denizens work, in order to test the Players in some way.

After all, a species which shoots first and asks questions later might not have an ideal temperament to rule over a universe...

...so maybe Sgrub ensures that they can't.

GG: did you ever talk to kanaya about it? […] GG: her situation was very similar to mine

If the kids needed to activate their frog, then so did the trolls. It sounds like Kanaya, at least, had the wherewithal to listen to her Denizen before immediately popping a Fraymotif.

CG: I THOUGHT SHE KILLED HER DENIZEN TO LIGHT THE FORGE OR SOMETHING GG: it doesnt sound like you got the whole story

You seem to have overlooked the fact that Jade’s Forge is lit - and yet, Echidna was available for a second visit. Keep up, Karkat!

[aestheticanimegirl15]

Decided to make a second part for the Ghoap × reader thought I had the other day anyway. Mainly cause I can't get this idea out of my head- (the frog has taken over, everything is on fire and its laughing maniacally as it slaps it hands on the keyboard)

___________________________________________

The only logical course of route after finding you and Soap together, in Ghosts mind, at least, was to punish you both, right? After all, the two of you should have waited until he was around before you played, both of you knew how rough you could get and he didn't want his two mutts to end up getting hurt.

So that's how you ended up here, sprawled out again across the bed. But this time, Soap was using his mouth on you while Simon watched from his spot on the chair in the corner. You couldn't remember how long he had been going at it, licking and sucking your puffy little clit while his fingers massaged your silky walls. But all you knew was that as soon as you would get close, Simon would make Soap stop. It was torture, for both you and Johnny, whose hips had been rutting against the bed while he ate you out until Simon forced something under him, you didn't see what, so he couldn't get any friction.

"Not yet. Mutts like you need to learn a lesson in patience. Couldn't even stop your hips when I found you, could you?"

But the times when Soap couldn't physically pull himself away from your sloppy entrance, Ghost would stand up, grab a handful of his mohawk and pull him away. Causing both of you to whine and plead even though it fell on deaf ears.

"No! No, please, please. Need it, need it so bad. I'm so close, please!"

It wasn't until you saw Simon tug his own, almost scarily massive, cock out of his pants did you know that you would finally get to cum. For a price that is.

And the price? Is that you had to watch Simon take Soap first before he took you. Mainly so you knew what you were getting into and a part of you was thankful for that. Cause once you saw just how rough and harsh Ghost was on Soap, absolutely destroying the poor mans ass while simultaneously jerking his cock at the same pace, you felt a slight hint of nerves. Would you even be able to take all that? But you never were one to back down from a challenge, especially one that made your entrance flutter and clench.

And thank God for that, because once Simon got done with you, every thought was erased from your mind and all you could think about was how you would never be able to go back to that little peice of plastic that was tucked away in your nightstand.

Not to mention the aftercare? What could be better than being sandwiched in between two massive men while your brain was absolute mush?

[fluff-n-cookies]

Hey, love! I’m new to this, so sorry if I’m doing this wrong :) You can call me Moon btw. I love your writing and appreciate how it’s all platonic!!!! I was wondering if you could do Aizawa (and maybe Mic or whoever else you want) with an introverted teen he took in asking to braid his hair, and getting lost in thought and humming while listening to him complain about work or something. It’s fine if not <3333

Hi Moon! It's nice to meet you! I am so so so so sorry for replying so late. I was feeling burnt out and just really needed a break. I hope you understand. I was also hoping I could use this prompt for other characters so if you’ll give me permission I’d love to use your idea again for different characters. :)

Aizawa never liked coming home. He never liked the blinding white light bulbs that came with his crappy apartment and was too lazy to change, he didn’t like the smell of coffee and dirty dishes he felt were too overwhelming to do. He used to only have the energy to eat some soggy cereal and pass out on the couch before getting up to do hero work in the morning, or 2 am, or come home at 11 pm but that didn’t matter, it was just the same thing every day. 

But now, he had you. Being the sole survivor of a strange house fire at 1 am and having no memories whatsoever and having been considered shy and introverted. You were one with no guidance, no past and a future unknown and uncharted. And while you had been proven to have the intelligence of a child your age and then some, you had little to no knowledge of much else. You were a young girl in need of love and protection. (at least to him.)

So he took you in, begrudgingly, at first, but he soon felt a sense of comfort in your presence, a sense of happiness even. 

He even decided to pick up a parenting book or two, and found some mommy bloggers as well. I mean, what else is a man to do except try and be a good parent to a child he loves ever so dearly?

He learned he needed to make food for said child, instead of living off take out and what he can find at the convenience store next door. Children also need to live in a clean environment, so that is what he did, he tries to at least do the dishes and laundry regularly now. 

Guess he needs to listen too, because he often finds himself listening to your rants about school and homework, as well as the rants of your hobbies, about what you did today, how you felt today, so many things. And I guess, just a hunch, that his life was finally falling into rhythm. 

But it remained mostly the same.

Tonight was no different.

It goes;come home, take off shoes and coat, check if you’re awake, make some ramen (and some for you too if you are awake.) complain, go to bed. 

So here he is, tiptoeing to your room at the end of the hallway, careful not to wake you if you are asleep. Only to find that you are, in fact, awake. The warm light bulbs he installed in your room peaked through the crack in the door you had left for the cat to come at the ungodly hours of the night. You could also see the various trinkets and hobbies you had picked up over your 4 years of living together and made your room the heart of the whole apartment. Lively and bright. And there you were, hunched over your desk watching a video on your computer, fiddling with a piece of origami paper, attentively following the instructions from the video to try and make an origami frog. 

It took about 10 seconds to recognize he was there, smiling, happily at your antics. You smiled a little, but that smile made it all worth it to do what he does, be a hero and a single parent both at the same time, a smile that could light up even the darkest of nights. You did a little run too, you ran a little run to get to him but still tried to be light on your feet so as not to bother the neighbors.

Always so considerate. He thought. 

It was a regular routine really, for him to get you from your room and make some ramen, but as you two sat on the couch, TV was buzzing with the latest new stories (who needs a dining room table? Just use the couch! Why waste the space? It is the perfect space for your plants so for your plants it will be!) Something different happened today. 

For in the smallest little voice, he heard you squeak out,

 “c-can I braid your hair.” a slight tremble in your voice 

Now that was a surprise,

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m sorry, I meant it as in can I do your hair, I’m sorry I shou-”

“Sure.” he replied nonchalantly.

“What?” 

“You can braid my hair. Go on, the hair ties are in the bathroom.”

“Oh.” there was a pause. “Okay.”

Here he was, out in the dead of night at 12 in the morning, a young girl braiding his black locks of hair while he complained about PresentMic’s antics while eating convenience store ramen. For once in his life he felt at peace, as the world slowed down he felt himself slowly understanding. Understanding that it may be over, the repetitive nights of the never ending loneliness. It’s over.

And it starts here, with you, with tonight where you braid his hair and listen to him rant about the outside world. But here it’s safe, in this crappy apartment with the cool light bulbs and the distant stench of dirty dishes and the coffee he had this morning. It's okay. Life is okay.

Maybe he wasn’t doomed to have the same routine every day over and over again.

[nandermoenthusiast]

The coffin lands with a crash, Nandor already out of it gracefully as his vampiric nature grants him.

“Have you survived the fall Guillermo, are you allright?” he asks haughtily and with a barely concealed predatory grin at the yelping heap of limbs and clothes that is Guillermo right now. Of course he was never truly worried for his well being, Guillermo might be human, but he is no regular human, if his van Helsing blood has anything to say about that. Nandor just likes to tease.

“Yes master, im fine, i just wasnt prepa-“

Nandor offers him a hand out of the coffin, the way Guillermo has done so many times before for him. Nandor looks at him curiously, Guillermo looks all flustered right now, hes cute. Hes always cute of course, but damn. He hasn’t even realised the obvious parallel yet, just took his hand absent-mindedly as he was rambling about something. His hair is all mussed up too. Cute.

Probably the moment registers into Guillermo’s mind as Nandor hears his muttering protests suddenly cut short. He’s looking at their gingerly intertwined hands and kinda looks like hes about to swallow a frog, or maybe like he’s about to start crying again. This fucking guy. Always a theatrics with him. But Nandor has learned to lean into his little guy’s moods. He leaves him to his maybe horny maybe emotional thoughts and finishes helping him out of the coffin.

The air is thick between them now. He can sort of hear Guillermo’s heartbeat from this distance, the little guy probably has a concert thumping in his ears right now. Nandor enjoys playing with his food, always has, and today is no different. He takes a step closer. Guillermo takes an infinitesimal step back. There is a wall very close to his back. Right where Nandor wanted him.

“You know as i was saying about the cameras, Guillermo…” he starts feign-casual as he very not casually hovers over him, black eyes boring into him with the fire that only very rarely comes out in front of the crew. Guillermo looks like he’s a mixture between disbelieving and like he’s gonna pass out from hyperventilation at a moments notice. It’s an endearing mix.

“Y-yes, you -were saying something about your hair…” Guillermo couldn’t physically look away from Nandor if his life depended on it right now.

“And other reasons”, very seriously.

“- Yeah”, an exhale.

Just look at his eager little eyes. Should he put the guy out of his misery? Well come to think of it, should he put himself out of his own misery? He’s been in love with the guy for the better part of a decade now. Of course he’s not about to say that now. Let him play the part of suave vampire for his Guillermo, let him fullfill any fantasy he’s ever had, at the very least this very first time they do this dance. There will be time for the mushy stuff later. Come to think of it, what is Nandor doing?? Acting on years of pent up sexual and romantic tension, of course, but what is he setting himself up to? Heartbreak.

Violent, earth shattering heartbreak. Maybe not today, maybe not in 10 years, but soon. Soon to a vampire anyway. No- you don’t know that. If Guillermo loves me, he might find a way to not leave me like he always does. He always does leave. But then he also always comes back. Doesn’t he? Nandor loses himself in these thoughts for a moment, and Guillermo seems to notice his mind is suddenly somewhere else.

Oh, to be known so completely. Oh, to have a worthy partner, a partner who knows everything about you, a Lazlo to your Nadja, a Charmaine to your Sean, a Sire to your Baron. And to have to lose it in a matter of years. Just his luck. But also like Colin Robinson said, dont be sad cause its over, smile cause it happened.

Nandor’s eyes keep searching Guillermo’s as he draws closer and closer, eyes intensely registering every microexpression on his beloved’s face, the little crinkle between his brows and the small nervous smile that’s forming around his lips. His hands land seamlessly and delicately on either side of Guillermo’s face, and he feels his breath hitch. He really doesn’t give a flying fuck if he’s gonna suffer for a thousand years, Guillermo is here right now and he looks like he’s gonna break under his touch. One hand goes to cradle his head, thumb delicately swiping over Guillermo’s ear and pulse point, as Nandor brings their noses together and they breathe the same air for a moment. The other hand is held gently across his cheek, just there, a reassuring weight. “I’m going to kiss you now”.

And Nandor kisses him.

[puzzled-pegasus]

more WoF tribe hcs because I feel like it

SandWings often swallow their prey whole like a snake

RainWings, when telling stories, subconsciously change their scales to vaguely match those of the dragons in the story. They find it hard to follow stories told by non-RainWings because they rely somewhat on visual cues. Ex: Kinkajou telling Moon about something Winter said and her scales turning white and blue without her thinking about it.

Dragon wing gestures are something not enough ppl talk about but I love thinking about wing movement as it relates to body language. Wings flared to try to intimidate or to convey excitement, wings swept outward and horizontally to gesture to their surroundings, wings used to point at things, to wave hello or goodbye, RainWing wings outstretched and turned red in a gesture not unlike a middle finger, wings pulled back in shock, wings poised to launch into the air in a fight or flight response when startled, etc etc just WING RELATED BODY LANGUAGE/GESTURES!

SkyWings also 100% have at LEAST 30 rude gestures you can do with ur wings

LeafWings have prehensile tails like RainWings

RainWings as well as IceWings have an incredible ability to right themselves in the air when knocked off balance, kinda like cats lol

SandWings would too bc sandstorms

SandWings are actually really good swimmers

MudWings don't swim but walk along the bottom of the lake/river like a hippo

When RainWings trip on frog poison, their scales turn neon colors

SkyWings have extremely well developed vision and can see insane detail from very far away, like an eagle.

RainWings have courtship dances.

Typically, male RainWings and SkyWings have brighter colors and male SkyWings are more commonly red.

Similarly, blue SeaWings are more commonly male.

HiveWings can be hot pink. (Inspiration from that one kind of grasshopper)

Procreation between NightWings and SeaWings sometimes creates children with bioluminescent black lights.

RainWings can learn to speak Aquatic through scale color changes, though it only works with daylight because their scales are only color changing and not bioluminescent.

SeaWings can get high from pufferfish poison, like dolphins.

SeaWings get sick when they transfer from fresh water to salt water and vice versa, similar to altitude sickness.

SkyWings anatomically have the largest hearts of any tribe. (Ah, the irony)

If they eat too many shrimp or similar seafood, IceWings can turn pink. (It's not cute though, it's often a sign of malnourishment.)

RainWings, LeafWings and NightWings are the only tribes able to eat chocolate without getting sick.

Many NightWings are colorblind, but can see colors in visions of the future.

RainWings can mimick sounds and even voices with bonechilling accuracy.

Pantalan dragons do not have forked tongues.

[sarahghetti]

missing piece; j.l.

pairing: jake lockley x reader centric, marc spector x reader, steven grant x reader

summary: how you and jake get together.

warnings: literally all fluff, a little insecurity from jake, a lot of nuisance from marc and steven, female!reader.

word count: 2.4k

MOON KNIGHT MASTERLIST | ALL MASTERLISTS

out of the three of them, jake is the one you meet last.

marc and steven have mentioned him, of course: the third alter, a little sarcastic and a little aggressive, but who will still make kissy noises at every cat they pass even though his success rate is… quite low.

for a while, the extent of your knowledge about him is just tidbits like that—the things that jake lets the others share from the safety of their headspace.

he’s a cab driver. he likes 2% milk, the leather gloves laying on the corner of the coffee table are his own, and he thinks that steven is a better cook than marc.

(steven might have made that last one up. all you see is him looking into the reflective surface of the pot before he snorts, claiming, “yeah, jake definitely agrees, love, trust me.”)

but that’s not to say that jake doesn’t know anything about you.

he’s always been there throughout your relationships with marc and steven, watching as you smile and laugh and kiss them with so much light in your eyes that they might as well as hung the sun in the sky.

marc and steven have learnt about what you like, what you dislike, which means that jake learns these things as well, and even steps in sometimes to remind them.

marc’s on a grocery run, trying to recall which salsa you liked the most the last time he made tacos. “the one with a green label, pendejo.”

steven’s packing your lunch for work, signing off on a note to stick at the top when—"hey. draw a frog on that.”

“what?” steven felt jake watching, but didn’t actually expect him to speak up. “what are you talking about?”

“she’ll like it.”

“I—”

“nevermind, just give me control of our hand.”

it’s terrible. it’s ugly. the faintest depiction of a frog that’s ever lived, marked with a little “- j” so you know exactly who it’s from.

you absolutely love it.

he doesn’t mean to fall in love with you. truly, he doesn’t. to him, you’re theirs, and he’s still hesitant to get involved with their lives any more than necessary.

but how could he not? not when they spend so much time with you, and he feels that aching warmth in their chest whenever marc or steven look at you.

he finds himself laughing at your jokes even if he’s not the intended recipient, admiring how you look even when you’re not getting dressed up for him.

marc and steven know, of course they do, and accept his feelings far before he does.

because I think at the beginning, jake is nervous to front around you.

you fell so easily for marc and steven, and though he’ll never say it to their faces, he gets it.

marc’s a real softie once you get past the ten-foot tall wall he’s erected around himself, and steven’s… well, steven.

but jake? jake “protector of the body” lockley, who’s sole self-imposed purpose is to keep their heart beating? he’s not a “people-person.” he doesn’t know how to love someone, at least in not the way you deserve to be loved.

“so dramatic.” marc rolls his eyes as he finds himself fronting on their doorstep. jake heard rustling from inside, indicating that you were home, and immediately relinquished the hot seat to one of the others. “you can just talk to her, you know.”

“I know.”

even steven scoffs at him.

“oh, yeah?” to his credit, jake manages to maintain eye contact as marc stares at him in the reflection of a picture frame. “you wanna get back in here, then? say hello to our girlfriend like a normal human being for once?”

when jake doesn’t respond, he continues.

“that’s what I thought. it’s not complicated, you don’t gotta fuckin’ sweep her off her feet or something—"

marc’s words are cut off as you open the door, eyebrows furrowed. “marc? are you just going to… stand outside all day?”

he gives one last pointed glare to his reflection. “nope, we’re coming.”

jake is only coaxed out once you start asking the boys about him.

you don’t want to push him if he really doesn’t want to talk to you, but with all the little things he does, you can’t imagine that that’s the case.

“pass this along to jake for me, would you?” it’s the frog drawing that he made for you some time back, but now with the addition of your own smiling frog beside it. “I’d give it to him myself, but…”

marc can see you deflate a little as you trail off, and that’s illegal in this household. his heart sinks, and he knows that the others can feel it too.

fortunately for everyone, guilt is a wonderful motivator for jake—particularly where you’re involved.

so it starts off small. when it’s time for him to work a cab shift, he doesn’t wait till they’ve already left the apartment to front, instead taking over just before in order to say goodbye to you.

“I’m heading out for work.”

the voice—so clearly your boyfriends’ but a bit flatter than marc’s, more softly accented than steven’s—makes your head snap up from the couch. a flat cap, light jacket layered over a button-up shirt.

black leather gloves.

“jake!” you can’t even bring yourself to be embarrassed about how excited you sound, jumping up to your feet. your enthusiasm to finally see him has his face heating up, and he ducks his head to hide it before you can see.

he fiddles with his sleeves. “don’t be awake when I get back.”

“uhm.” you ruminate over that for a second, confusion so plain that jake has to hold back a grimace. then it hits you—

oh. he just doesn’t want you to stay up on his behalf.

“okay.” you smile. “have fun!”

he snorts. “I’ll try. good night, querida.”

those few minutes before he leaves has you looking forward to his shifts, even if it means that you have to go to bed alone.

initially, jake doesn’t let himself think that you always being around when he’s fronting is anything more than a coincidence.

but then one night, you’re out hanging out with friends, and he gets a text as he’s stepping out the door: be safe! have a good shift :)

jake can’t really argue with himself after that.

(that, and the other two heckle him about it so much that he has to accept it. steven already has to deal with marc’s self-confidence issues—dealing with jake’s are much easier in comparison.)

still—

“don’t even know if she likes me,” jake grumbles as he enters their building, hands stuffed into his pockets. he’d already parked his cab for the night, not too far from the flat, and the walk home has been the three of them running around in circles on the topic.

“don’t even know if she likes me,” steven repeats, not unkindly, but still very much annoyed. “mate, do you hear yourself?”

“she’s just kind, that’s all.”

“she remembers your schedule better than marc or I do, and we’re all in the same body!”

jake clicks his tongue as he rides the elevator, avoiding the reflections around him, lest he comes face-to-face with his alters.

marc chimes in. “you do know if you ask her out for dinner or something, she’ll say yes, right?”

he misses inserting their key the first time, swearing under his breath.

“I’m serious. we’ve talked about it before—”

“don’t be stupid—” jake opens their door a bit more harshly than intended, and the sound stirs you from where you dozed off on the couch.

“jake?” you rub your eyes, yawning. the sound of your voice shuts them all up, and you sit up just enough to look at him. “welcome back.”

“what are you…?” jake gestures vaguely and you shrug.

“wanted to surprise you, but I guess I fell asleep,” you chuckle softly, and his heart clenches.

“a-ha! you see? our poor girl was staying up late just to see you! how are you going to say that—”

jake tunes steven out as he walks towards you, pretending to be unaffected when he extends a hand.

“come on, let’s get you to bed.”

he doesn’t ask you about a date that night—you’re far too tired to be thinking about that, after all—but he turns the idea over in his head.

asking you out to dinner seems so formal, but it’s not like he can just buy you a coffee, either. what’s the protocol for asking out your alters’ girlfriend?

”you’re thinking about it too much.”

yeah, he knows, marc—that doesn’t make things any better.

gradually, he starts to front more during the day.

not as often as marc and steven, but enough for you to learn a bit more about him: how he likes his coffee (black, as expected), his favourite breakfast (eggs in a basket), and that he likes playing ABBA in the flat while doing other things.

jake is very much a ‘fake it till you make it’ kind of guy—is he nervous about spending time with you? of course not—how could he be, when he flirts and jokes around with you so easily?

and flirting with jake is fun. it’s all surface level—he refuses to touch the elephant in the room that is your obvious feelings for each other with a ten-foot pole—but he’s shameless in a way that marc and steven aren’t, making you hot in the face at the most inopportune times.

he might be wearing a smirk the entire time, but he means every compliment, every word that he says to you.

sometimes you hold his gaze for too long and see how his eyes soften when he looks at you, and it takes your breath away.

jake wants you so hard it hurts. he knows he’s digging himself a hole with how (little) he expresses himself, and although it fills him with anxiety, he knows that he’s going to need a different approach in order to actually let you know how he feels.

your hand is nestled in the crook of marc’s elbow as you walk past storefronts on the way home, pointing out the things you see in the window displays.

“those are the pots you were talking about, right?” marc gestures towards a set of expensive ceramics in all their glory, and while he’s correct, you shake your head with a sigh.

“’s not the colour I want.”

“your dedication to colour coordination in the midst of steven’s mess is admirable.”

you laugh, continuing on ahead until you stop in front of a boutique. in its display case is a sleek, form-fitting dress that falls so beautifully on the mannequin that it makes you suspicious as to how it’d actually look on someone. “oh, that’s pretty.”

marc hums from above you before stilling suddenly. you know what comes next; you’re ready to greet steven when—

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you in that, querida.” the corner of jake’s mouth curls and you roll your eyes, grinning.

“hey, jake.”

“hey.” his smile is lopsided, almost boyish. “don’t suppose you wanted to pop in now to try it on?”

“you’d like that.” he shrugs, guilty as charged. “but nah, I’m getting kind of hungry.”

jake gently tugs you with his arm. “then let’s go get something to eat.”

it’s a reoccurring joke between the two of you, and it’s your turn to deliver the punchline. your voice is teasing, “you asking me on a date, lockley?”

“yes.”

his tone stops you in his tracks. gone are any traces of humour as he holds your gaze. it’s the most serious you’ve ever seen him for a while.

that’s not right. he’s supposed to smirk, full machismo, and say something like obviously, princesa. your brain lags. “I—what?”

“I’m asking you out. do you want to go get dinner?”

you stand there, gaping like a fish as you internalize what’s happening. it takes everything in jake to not fidget on the spot or backtrack with another teasing comment. no, he has to make you see that he’s serious about this, even though his heart is racing a mile a minute.

slowly, a smile grows on your face until you’re beaming at him, and all the tension releases from his body. “yeah. yes, let’s—let’s go, jake.”

it’s nothing fancy. it’s not even new, either. he leads the way to one of your go-to places whenever nobody wants to cook, and though it’s your first official ‘date’, a sense of comfort settles over you.

begrudgingly, jake admits—the solution has always been a simple one. you don’t need him to be marc or steven, or to plan the perfect date. you’ve always just wanted to know him.

he can see as much in your barely constrained excitement as you both take a seat, legs brushing up against each other under the table. so, what else can he do but let his guard down for once?

finally, finally jake’s opening up to you, and he absentmindedly traces patterns on your hand with his thumb. “what do you want to know?”

well—lots of things, but there is something that you’ve been meaning to ask him…

you tilt your head, curious. “do you actually think that steven’s better at cooking than marc?”

 “dios, are you kidding me?” his lips curl up with so much distaste that you can’t help but laugh, and you bury your head in your hands; the sight warms him from the inside out. there’s so much jake wants to tell you, but—

there’s no rush. you have all the time in the world, after all.

[the-curious-butterfly]

Merry UnBirthday to You.

My Dearest Daughter,

I am sending you this letter for it has been too long since I saw you last. Yes, I know you'll groan out how it's only been two months, but time moves rather quickly for an old Queen. Literally, I had to run just to keep up with him, perhaps I should stop going to his castle and have him come to mine if it's really so important. He has been going on and on about something rather odd concerning cupcakes and paradoxes lately, but I digress. The matters of Time are not for the concerns of youth.

What is of concern however is your birthday coming up next week. Oh, I've just been so excited I already had the frog and fish butlers start planning it despite not knowing if you'll even be able to attend. I do hope you can and will, you can even bring that little friend with you, the one you fancy so much. Chloe Charming. You know, Ella really knew what she was doing when she raised that girl, lives up to her name in every way. Unlike Charming himself, no matter what Ella claims he was all face, personality speaking he was a mess. I was definitely the better choice.

Ahem, I probably shouldn't have said that. Wait, oh quill, please don't write that either. Drat, I really should get into the habit of writing my own letters instead of dictating them out to stationary. You know how feathers are, no mind for things that really should be omitted. As straightforward and as honest as an ostrich. Please do not show this letter to Chloe, I would hate for her to know what I think of her father. He really was good to Ella.

Anyway, I'd love to hear back from you soon, with confirmation that you and the young Charming will indeed be capable of attending. Oh, it's going to be so much fun, and don't worry. I'll have something special planned for the two of you. You can always count on your mum.

With warm regards,

Bridget of Hearts

The proudest mum in the world to have you as a daught-

Wait, no no no you don't have to write that last par

Long after they finished reading it Red and Chloe, whose head was on her shoulder, could only stare at the letter in Red's hands. It was certainly a letter to say the least. Though what had both of them glued to its contents were vastly different things. For Chloe, it was the confirmation of seeing that Bridget did indeed once have a crush on her mother (perhaps still did) and harbored a mini grudge on her father for being the one she chose instead. Couldn't blame the Queen of Hearts for that though, her mother was a catch and deserved only the best. Even if her younger self was a little difficult to be around sometimes.

For Red it was learning the fact that she has a birthday now. Something she never had before since her mother from her original timeline outlawed them long before she was born. Though the letter didn't specify the day apparently it's in October, and also she's getting a party.

A party just to celebrate her existence. Something other children in other places got but she could only ever dream to have.

...

"Wow, I didn't know your birthday was so soon."

"I didn't either." There wasn't really much else to say but the truth, though if Chloe understood the nuance she didn't bring attention to it. "Should we ask Principal Uma for permission to leave?"

Red nods then shakes her head, finally folding up the letter but still holding onto it. "I don't know."

Which is fair so Chloe gives an understanding hum in response. "We'll have to find some way to figure out what day it is first, so you can think about it in the meantime. Just so that you know it's whatever you decide, Red, no one is going to make you."

Red wants to say she knows but "She's already planning it, Chloe, how am I supposed to say no."

"Of course she is, she's excited and she's missing you. But, I also know that the Bridget I remember would never hold it against you if you decided you couldn't show. She loves you too much."

Red wants that sentiment to mean something she really does, but the Bridget she remembers also managed to turn into the one they left behind.

"I'll give it some thought."

"Great, oh and Red."

"Yes, Chloe?"

Chloe takes one of Red's hands and brings to back of it up to her lips. "Happy Birthday, my princess."

This did indeed manage to bring a hint of a smile back to Red's face, just as Chloe had hoped for.

"In Wonderland it's Happy UnBirthday if it's not the right day. I really do have to find out what the right day is, so that you can do this again on the correct one."

"I'll do it every day for the rest of our lives if that's what it takes."

Clocks, that was so cheesy how was Red not supposed to shove her away.

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Rewatching S1 makes me realize how important Anne making friends with other children was for her growth and development. Especially when you compare it to Marcy and Sasha. They were both surrounded always exclusively by adults, forced to take on adult responsabilities, becoming high-ranking members of their respective military factions. Anne's most adult responsability was helping out Hop Pop with the farm and the market stand, something Sprig and Polly did too. For the most part, she could freely goof around. Her adventures involved trying to set up her bestie with his crush, sneaking out with him to ride some games at a fair, adopting a cat, going to the spa, camping with her frog family, looking for cryptids in the woods, watching TV shows... it's not that she never did anything more serious than that, but can you imagine Sasha or Marcy being allowed to lose time like that? They never got to make friends who were close to them in age, and I'm sorry, but a preteen girl having for her only friend an old man hell-bent on conquest and domination (oh look! Applies to both of them!) is bound for disaster. At least Anne's token old man friend acted not like her bestie, but as a responsible adult actually looking out for her, trying to educate her, protecting her whenever he could, treating her like what she was: a child. Not a soldier. Hop Pop doesn't send Anne on dangerous military missions. Doesn't make her to train with weapons. Doesn't expect her to make herself useful beyond what's reasonably expected - he asks her to help out with the farm in the exact same way his grandchildren do, but when he thinks she's sick, he lets her rest, even if it means more work for the rest of them.

This is part of why Anne developed a level of emotional intelligence Marcy and Sasha didn't reach. She learned about friendship mostly through her relationship with Sprig, an equal, and she later applied her newfound knowledge in her friendship with Marcy and Sasha, who were also equals. Marcy and Sasha, being at the mercy of two old war-mongering men, learned about manipulation, control and domination - and yes, Marcy too. Andrias encouraged her most dishonest and controlling behaviors. She might not look like it, but she's almost as manipulative as Sasha.

The contrast between Anne and her two friends is brilliant. Gosh this show is so well-written. She's leagues ahead of them and the more I think about it, the clearer it becomes. True Colors was the moment in which she looked at them and saw them for who they really were - two girls who had fallen behind, who expected Anne to be her old lazy, selfish, docile self. That's why she tells Sasha in The Dinner that she needs her to understand that she's changed. Anne's arc is great in itself already, but putting it next to Sasha and Marcy's negative arcs really makes it POP

[ostrichchariot]

I just. He was ten. He was TEN. When he turned back, he'd been a frog for as long as he'd been a human.

And firstly, obviously, Elody's right - someone can behave badly when they're ten, but you know what that means? It means that the adults who are responsible for their well-being should try and understand why they're behaving that way, and address it! Not take their entire childhood from them as a punishment!!

And Elody tries to say it wasn't justified and he deflects, and says that no, he really was bad, implying that he thinks maybe he deserved it, actually. He told Ylfa a few episodes ago that he was cursed because he was a rude and selfish child, unlike her. It's different. She didn't do anything to deserve it.

He doesn't hold a grudge against the blue fairy - not for the frog curse, at least. He straight up told her he isn't mad about it.

And you know what I think? I think that he thinks if he did deserve it, if it was his fault for being rude and selfish, if it made him better, then at least there IS a reason. It's not just meaningless pain that he could never have done anything to prevent. At least then it was was for something. But it didn't make him better. It just made him more scared.

This, having people who help him learn and grow, is what makes him better, and it's what he deserved to have back then too.