#dark wood bracket beams

[moresnowbots]

Indianapolis Roofing Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts multicolored two-story stone exterior home design with a shingle roof

[theclassyhuman]

Kitchen (DC Metro)

[radioactivepeasant]

Free Day Thursday:

"Responsible Adults", the sequel: Jak tries to do a regular Jak Stunt and is shocked that it doesn't go over well

(Roughly a week after this one ends. Long post warning, as most of these are lol)

Night terrors were not an uncommon experience for Jak. They may not have been his nightly companions anymore, but when he did have them, they were intense. He woke up in a corner of his room, wedged beneath the sink. There was a vague sense that he was taking cover from something, or someone.

Blessedly, he remembered no details of the nightmare. But the terror still sent his guts quivering the way they had in the prison. Huddled under the cot both for warmth and silently praying the boots wouldn't stop at his door. That he wouldn't end up Tyber's new punching bag when he got bored of the old man in the cell above Jak's.

Tyber is dead. Errol is dead. Praxis is dead. I watched them die.

Jak repeated the words like a mantra until he could move his limbs again. He crawled out from beneath the sink, but the lingering fear made his room feel claustrophobic. Smaller than it really was.

At least he hadn't woken Daxter this time.

Jak put on his boots, but didn't bother getting fully dressed. He didn't even know what time it was. Why bother if the doctor and the king guy were just going to nag him about being sleep-deprived anyway?

It must have been early morning, before dawn; the moon had vanished and people were outside doing repair work on houses and fog-catchers.

Early morning was the best time to get any outdoor work done in Spargus. A small girl led a flock of caprids out of the stables and towards one of the other districts to graze on the cactus there, and a gang of trainees only a little older than Jak were taking advantage of the temperature to do an endurance run around the city.

Personally, Jak didn't see the good of such things. You learned to be fast enough or smart enough to escape your enemies, or you didn't. He'd learned through life and death experience, not a footrace with no winners.

"Easy with the straps there!" A stocky man backed into Jak, calling up to a team of three people.

"Ope-! Scuse me there, pipsqueak." The Wastelander stepped to the side as if Jak was barely worth noticing.

"Howland, that thing ain't cinched tight enough!"

They seemed to be trying to remove a corroded beam from the supports of one of the multi dwelling houses. It was already leaning at a precarious angle, as big around as a grown man. If that beam came down the wrong way, it would take a lot of the adobe structure -- and probably a lot of people -- with it.

"It's fine, Daru!" Howland complained, "I just cinched it!"

"Well cinch it again! That sucker’s leanin'!"

Jak frowned, but let his curiosity wash away the dregs of the night terrors.

"What's wrong with it?"

The unofficial foreman tugged at a bushy red mustache and shook his head. "Don't rightly know yet. Could just be age. Sand storms and salt air will do a number on this kind of metal after a while."

Jak wondered if that had anything to do with Sandover using wood and stone almost exclusively. He was about to ask why it had been anchored to a mud wall when there was a loud metallic clang. The last bracket holding the beam snapped under the weight, and the straps weren't enough to hold it.

Jak didn't remember moving. But then he was there, with the beam on his shoulders and the foreman on the ground, having narrowly avoided being crushed to death. Cold metal dug into his hands, pressed down against his head, and Jak knew that by rights he should've been dead.

There was a thrill of revulsion in his chest when he reluctantly acknowledged that the only reason he was standing right now was that the dark eco experiments had lengthened his muscle strands to twice the size of a normal hu'men's. It wasn't just in his dark form. That element of...unnatural...was just with him. Every moment.

"Frith! Oh my- HOWLAND! GET DOWN HERE!" Daru roared, "YOU COULDA KILLED SOMEBODY!"

"I got it," Jak said through gritted teeth. "Is there a place to put this thing down?"

"Not yet," Howland admitted as he shimmied down a ladder.

"We were going to cut it into pieces once it was secure, transport it that way to be recycled."

Jak craned his neck, but the motion jarred the beam. Hastily, he adjusted his grip.

"What's- What's around me?"

"Too much," said Daru grimly. "Just- Hold on, kid."

He winced at the boy's flat stare.

"Er...no pun intended. We're gonna, gonna get you out from under there, I promise!"

"Get it cut up first," Jak grunted, "And you won't have to worry about getting me out."

"And what if your hands get sweaty, huh?" Daru demanded, "Fat chance, little man! We're going to find something to hold this up!"

The other two men hurried down from the roof with saws in hand.

Oh gods. Handsaws. This was going to take a while.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Honestly, Damas should have been expecting trouble when he didn't start his day with a free heart attack after seeing eyeshine in the kitchen. The kid was diametrically opposed to the concept of sleep, so he wouldn't have been in bed. If he was off his routine -- and by now Damas had learned to dread something interrupting the kid's self-imposed routine -- then there was probably going to be trouble later.

When he refilled the fuel in the Beacon, fed the birds, and actually had a cup of coffee uninterrupted, he was suspicious.

When the sun rose and there were no echoes of truncated curses in the halls from guards running into Jak, he started to wonder if the kid had decided to work outside. Unusual, but as long as he didn't do anything that would make Dr. Petros yell at them both, more power to him.

But when the talking ottsel showed up in the throne room about an hour after dawn, frantically demanding to know where Jak was, Damas was concerned.

Those two were attached at the hip! Jak wouldn't have gone to look for work without Daxter.

There was a small crowd forming by the time Damas stepped outside. People were shouting encouragements, or conflicting advice about pulleys and snatchblocks. Had something fallen? Damas hadn't heard any impacts. As he began to pick his way through the crowd, the shouts took on new meaning.

"He's slipping! Somebody get under there!"

"How many more hands do you want? There's ten people holding the beam up!"

"Why won't he just let go?!"

"Standing this long, maybe his arms locked up-?"

A beam? People holding a beam-?

An accident. There'd been an accident and night watch hadn't caught it.

Thoughts of crushed citizens and mangled houses circled Damas’s imagination as he pushed through the rest of the crowd, close enough to hear the rasp of handsaws and the buzz of a lone angle grinder.

"Get the cart back in!" Someone yelled, "Next piece is almost off!"

From the looks of things, a crew of four had reduced a two-story high support beam by a third.

Ten Wastelanders were beneath the colossal pole, hands and shoulders braced against the metal as it shrieked and groaned. If even one of them slipped-!

Damas threw down his staff without thinking to join them, racing to catch the end beginning to slide.

"What happened?" he demanded, straining with the others to keep it from crushing the houses and themselves.

"Tie straps broke!" a man three people down called back, "If it weren't for the kid, it woulda come down right through the roofs of a couple houses!"

Kid?

Oh gods don't tell me...

Jak was standing in the very center of the line. His arms trembled, and sweat poured down his face. He didn't seem to hear anything happening around him, too focused on keeping his grip. He was beginning to pale.

"What's he doing here?!"

"Dunno!" A woman to the left answered. "He was already there when me and the girls showed up, but that was two hours ago."

"Hours?!"

Jak had been out here for hours, trapped, and Damas had been none the wiser?

"Why hasn't anyone gotten him out yet?!"

"We tried! The poor kid froze up!"

Damas gritted his teeth and pushed away images of the kid standing alone under that crushing weight for hours until help had woken up.

"Get a truck and winch out of the pit!" He ordered, "Forget damage to the streets, we'll fix it later! I want this thing taken care of now."

It took a full twenty minutes to get the Dozer through the narrow streets of the tower district. By that time, those who had been holding the beam first had cycled out for fresh arms to allow for water and eco. All except Jak. He'd accepted some water that someone poured into his mouth earlier, but still seemed to be unable to let go. He was at the fulcrum point, he insisted, and he wasn't going to let it tip. (Not that he thought he'd actually be able to move at this point.)

Fifteen people attached pulleys and cables to the beam from above, careful not to dislodge the hands of those below. When the cables had all been hooked to the Dozer's winch, the weight began, at last, to lessen.

There was a ragged cheer from the assembled Wastelanders as the end of the beam tipped up and the rescuers eased the other end to the ground. There would be extensive damage to infrastructure to deal with. But nobody had died, and there were no major injuries, and Damas would count that as a victory. Shaking out aching arms, he hurried to the center of the line, where someone was physically holding Jak upright. Damas took hold of the boy's stiff arms carefully.

"It's gone," he said, easing the limbs down, "It's gone, let go, Jak. Come on, you're done."

The kid made a sound, a soft rasping whine that might’ve been words. Then he collapsed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When the world drifted back into focus, Jak didn't know where he was. The smell of eco lingered around him, confusing the other scents that could have identified his location. He couldn't move his arms. Why couldn't he move his arms?!

It took a massive effort just to pry his eyelids up. Jak’s breath caught harshly between his teeth as he forced himself onto his side.

Well, that explained the lack of mobility in his arms. He ached like he'd been fighting beyond his limits again. The injection sites would be agitated again, he knew without looking. The pain radiated from his shoulders to his fingertips, skin, muscle, and bone.

The room was a blur. Brown and yellow slowly settled into more colors, ending in something either white or pale blue in front of his nose. The longer he stared at it, the more detail he could see. Pills of thread, clinging to loosely woven fabric. The texture and shape of the warp and weft shifted as he tried to move his hand.

He hissed in pain.

"Well that's what happens when you try to make a career as a load-bearing wall."

Jak tensed. Not alone. Not with Daxter.

Biting down on the pain, he dug his fingers into the pallet beneath him and forced himself upright.

This wasn't the hospital -- small blessings -- but it wasn't his room either. There was a low wooden bedframe on a wall a few feet away, on the other side of some kind of half partition full of plants.

"Where...?"

"Well you're about to think of it as prison," Damas answered from the opposite direction.

He was sitting at a table, hunched over a cup of coffee. The empty pot beside him was a story of its own.

"By the way, you're grounded."

"What?!" Jak sputtered. He started to get up, but fell back onto the pallet with a grunt of pain.

"Like rot!"

Damas glanced back over his shoulder. "Take it up with the doctor. He put you on bedrest, not me. Better yet, blame your own self! You could've let go at any time once the rest of the district turned up to help!"

"The whole...district?"

Jak blinked.

"I don't...remember that..."

Damas sighed and peered into into his mug.

"You've been sleeping most of the day, I'm not surprised. Even with the eco you'll probably be sore for a while."

"How -- ow! -- long was I out there?"

Jak cringed at the look in Damas’s eyes when the man turned around fully.

"Four. Hours. Four hours! Why didn't you let go when others arrived?!"

Was this a trick question? It had to be a trick question.

"Be...cause...I'm not supposed to let other people get hurt?" Jak answered with slow confusion.

Damas stared in complete silence for several seconds. Then,

"You're insane. My foster-son is insane. That's insane! In what world is "throw the youngest under the pillar" a rational solution?!"

"Uh. Haven?" Jak muttered peevishly. He tried to sit up again. "Look, just. Tell me which way my room is and I'll get out of your hair."

Damas pushed his chair back with a scraping sound.

"Mn. No. What part of "bed rest" didn't you hear?"

In brusque motions, he knelt and pulled the blanket back over Jak.

"You are not to do anything even mildly strenuous, or Petros will strangle me. And since I apparently can't trust you not to willingly walk into harm's way unsupervised, you get to camp out in here, and I get to work from home for the next few days to make sure you don't go try to lift a car or something!"

Jak was appalled. "You can't do that!"

Dry as dust, Damas retorted, "First of all, I'm king. Secondly, I'm your legal guardian. Yes I can."

Jak groaned in frustration.

"Where's Daxter?"

"Not grounded."

"Oh come on!"

[kalevalakryze]

Scary Whatnow?

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types  Pairings: Shin Hati/ Sabine Wren, Ahsoka Tano/Hera Syndulla, Baylan Skoll/Morgan Elsbeth, Admiral Holdo/Leia Organa Characters: Shin Hati, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, Ahsoka Tano, Baylan Skoll, Morgan Elsbeth, Garazeb Orrelios, Professor Huyang, Marrok, Admiral Holdo, Hamato Xiono, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Leia Organa  Tags: Spooks and Frights and Gaslights! Bullying, Babysitter Chopper, Jacen Syndulla is Tuckered out behind the scenes, Scary Godmother 2003, Vampires, Werewolves, Monsters, Skeletons, (Is That A Fucking Twink?), Feral Shin Hati, Sabine Wren Needs a Hug, Protective Ahsoka Tano, Protective Hera Syndulla, Alternate Universe - I Don’t Know What To Call This One, No Powers, Marrok Redemption Story, My Little He/Him Lesbian Fart Boy, Vape God Marrok , Graphic Description of a Reanimated Corpse, Violence Notes: For Ahsoka Events; Halloween Party! Based on the 2003 film “Scary Godmother”  Word Count: 5,764 AO3 Link: Here!

Sabine’s boot scuffed against the dirt and leaves piled against the crickety wood to the porch of the old mansion, the rumors around the building were numerous and varying, all the Mandalorian had been able to gather had been some old war General snapping and killing his wife, Skywalker something or another. It was before Sabine’s time, leaving the local kids to fill the gaps in the police reports with all kinds of stories of aliens, ghosts, and small green goblins of all kinds. 

Apparently, it was some kind of tradition to make the new kid on the block offer candy to the spirits that still roamed the halls of the old family home, and Sabine was unfortunate enough to be the newest addition to the small Coruscanti cul-de-sac when Thrawn found out she didn’t have any plans (or friends) that Halloween, he was quick to sink his talons into her calendar. 

Golden eyes flickered back to the group of teenagers by the rusted gate, huffing at the mirth in red eyes Thrawn watched on. “You’re not… scared, are you?” Xiono called, the cardboard of his starship costume creaking as he waved his arms.

“Di’kute…” The young woman grumbled, pointedly ignoring the way Leia and Holdo ganged up on the pilot and the devil to quiet their taunts. Several pairs of feet soon shuffled to join her on the porch, under Leia’s scrutinizing gaze. 

“All together, if you’re going to be a Moof Milker about it, Thrawn,” She scolded as they stomped up the stairs together. 

“Can we get this over with already?” Amilyn called from the back of the group as she worked her way to Leia’s side, purple-painted lips drawn into a pout as she moved to Leia’s side, fingers brushing the cheap felt of the cat tail pinned to black pants. “Some of us have plans tonight,”

“E chu ta,” Sabine huffed, not bothering with the older woman’s reaction to her language as she turned the knob and shouldered the front door open. 

Dust was disturbed from the wooden door creaking against moldy carpet; Sabine had the foresight to tuck her mouth and nose into the dark orange bandana around her neck, smiling to herself at the round of hacking and wheezing coughs from the older kids behind her. 

The floorboards groaned and complained under her feet as she stepped into the entryway, leaving imprints in the shaggy maroon carpet as the gaggle of teenagers pushed onwards. “They say the senator’s spirit still lives in the basement,” Thrawn called in a low whisper as they moved through dilapidated halls, veering out of the way of sagging wallpaper and broken beams the whole way, occasionally reaching with her plastic Nerf revolver to swat away at various webs. 

The basement door sat off the kitchen, bubbling tile warping the floors, where termites ate away at the wooden doorframe, the metal of the dozen padlock brackets just barely holding on to the feeble supports. When Thrawn spoke next, it was from further away, Sabine didn’t have the foresight to notice that the others hadn’t followed them this deep inside, didn’t notice that the moment her hand wrapped around the dirty bronze knob to pull the door open, she was alone. 

The festering lamination of the tiles made it hard to wrench the door open, and there was a gross squish as she finally got it to swing forward on corroded hinges. The smell that floated up to meet her was vile, making her wish she’d followed her gut and snagged her respirator from the garage before she’d left, even if it didn’t go with the costume. 

Something slammed near the front of the house, shaking the whole building; She couldn’t hear anything but the groans of the old house, no shuffling of feet or smacking of lips from Holdo and Organa, not even snickering laughter from Xiono. Fear sparked into her veins in silence. She was no stranger to being alone, or even the prospect of death that hung in the air with the tragedy of the old family legacy. 

Rifling through the cheap leather pouches on her bandolier, Sabine pulled the inexpensive treat from the melty confines of her belt, chucking it down into the abyss with a sigh. 

She wasn’t expecting any kind of spiritual response, the dollar candy bar wouldn’t rewrite the wrongs committed to these people, wouldn’t somehow prevent tragedy worldwide; she was just appeasing some jackass kids so she wouldn’t have to be entirely alone this year, with Tristain going off to some fancy Saxon academy, and her father away for the year for his art. 

Of course, nothing ever seemed to work out the way Sabine thought it would when the foundation of the house rumbled with the predatory sound of a growl rumbling through someone’s chest.

Sabine turned tail immediately, not waiting to stick around when she caught sight of glowing blue illuminated in the basement stairwell, or the quickening thuds of two pairs (?) of feet rushing up the steps. The entire gang was gone, as Sabine made a mad dash for the front door, heartbeat thudding so loud in her ears that she couldn’t make out the exasperation of someone’s voice calling out.

“Ahsoka! Stop! You’re scaring her!” 

Sabine’s hands fumbled with the knob to the front door, twisting and pulling to no avail, she could make out the faint snickering of Thrawn and Xiono on the other side of the wood, and knew they were holding the heavy door shut for whatever prank they were playing; That’s all this was-

Sabine turned to reprimand the older teenagers that decided to play tricks, to kick their asses and show them why you didn’t mess with a Mandalorian; and was stopped dead in her tracks.

Her oppressors, a Twi’lek and a Togruta, were stopped just six feet away. 

From the decaying, rotting, green skin that clung to the remains of a skeleton on the Twi’lek, Sabine was forced to face the fact that maybe these weren’t some special effects majors playing into Thrawn’s games. 

“What the kriff is going on,” She gasped, out of breath and exasperated, unable to get the door open and escape the slow advance of the reanimated corpse and the samurai-coded beast beside her. “Don’t move,” She ordered with a snap, back pressing into the frigid coolness of the door, hands curling into fists as she raised them to defend herself. 

“Hey, hey! It’s okay, we aren’t going to hurt you,” The zombified woman started, holding her hands out in a soothing manner, which may have been the case if it weren’t for the missing and splintered pieces of bone all across her dead hands. 

“I’m,” A mottled elbow into the thin space between rusty armor plates. “We’re your scary godparents,” The Togruta’s growl had finally ceased; her voice was raspy from the continued sound, eyes dulling as they reacquainted with the moonlight pouring in through the dusty paned glass. 

“My fucking what?”

“Told you she wasn’t going to believe you,” The zombie cackled, earning a roll of predatory eyes. 

The Togruta took another step forward; Heart beating faster than her brain, the Mandalorian moved, one foot planting firmly in the squishy carpet as she wound up, sending her fist flying towards the orange woman.

“Mandalorians,” The zombie groaned with a sigh, stepping back just in time for golden eyes to catch the quirk of full lips around bloody fangs, just before the world went black. Her body dropped like a sack of bricks under the Samurai wanna-be’s hand, slotted up under the leather of her vest to press into her pulse points. 

Something wet was sniffing at her arm, fast inhales around flaring nostrils as they moved up her body, too close to her ear.

“Zeb, cut it out, I’m not going to stop her from kicking your ass if she wakes up to you being weird,” 

“What? I’m starving, and you know how good they make food in the West.” A gruff voice whined too close to her ear. 

“She’s Mandalorian, not your weird Wild West barbeque.” The Togruta from earlier chimed in. The sound of a scuffle roused Sabine further from the thick haze of sleep, eyes cracking open to the sight of a hairy, dirty… something being dragged away from her. 

“Aww, come on!” He complained loudly as he was pulled away from his meal, large arms crossing over his chest in a grotesque version of a pout as the orange woman easily manhandled him into another cobweb-ridden couch.

“What the kriff is going on?” Her voice was painfully thick in her mouth, pain spreading noticeably from her jaw. The small gaggle of noise around her came to an immediate halt.

“Lady Tano, I thought you said she would not be awake any time soon,” Someone from behind her chimed in. 

“I also said your read on her was wrong, Huyang,”

Sabine was forcing herself to sit up, blinking away the dizziness that came with the pounding in her head. She’d been knocked out more than enough times to understand by now that she’d been pretty effectively put down. “If someone doesn’t start talking-”

A cold, dead hand settled on her shoulder, freezing her words in her throat as her head turned, reminded instantly of the corpse that had been in her weird, fucked up, apparently not-a-dream memories. “I wouldn’t try that again, kid. Really,”

“Hera, you’re givin’ the kid a heart attack- er… humans still have hearts, right?” The purple…. Thing called from the other couch, rubbing at the thick hair on the back of his neck as he sat up, unsettling orange-green eyes peering almost through Sabine. “You good, kid? Or am I getting dinner tonight?”

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck… yeah, and… what the fuck?” Sabine whispered under the attention of three sets of eyes. 

“Hey, that’s no language someone your age should be using!” The zombified Twi’lek reprimanded, though her hand did finally raise from her shoulder to rest back in her lap, the remains of bony fingers picking at what was left of the skin on her hands. “I know this is a lot, and we definitely did not go about this the right way-”

The Togruta was too close, now, though she chose to crowd the corpse instead, large, lively, warm hands encasing pale green comfortingly, almost breathing life back into a long-dead body, Sabine had to tear her eyes away, finding the rooting wood leg of the coffee table to press the scuffed up toe of her boot into, watching the give of the dampened material to avoid the intruding feeling of the mushiness beside her.

“What Hera’s trying to do is apologize on my behalf. How’s your face?” Her fingers linked through green, preventing the Twi’lek from picking at her skin further. “I didn’t expect to lay you out like a baby getting drop-kicked by a gundark.”

“ ‘m fine, but some answers would be nice,” Her fingers raised to prod at what was probably already an ugly bruise, skin twinging under the press against abused flesh. Her elbows planted firmly into her knees, her body doubled over as she studied her still swaying surroundings. “What the kriff is that?”

“Oh, that’s just Huyang,” The zombie, Hera, corrected with a dismissive shrug. The… Huyang must have been a droid, at some point in its existence, though now, it resembled a human skeleton in all the worst ways, with its not-so-internal hardware dangling in the design of organs, caged in by durasteel bones that seemed to barely want to stay attached. Glowing yellow eyes watched her with something like disdain.

“Lady Wren,” The droid creaked out in an echoing voice that grated at her eardrums. 

Sabine’s weight shifted uncomfortably on the couch, hands laying flat against her thighs, wiping sweat from her palms as she tried to subtly inch her hand towards the bowie knife her Buir had given her before he’d left for his tour. 

“Sabine,” The Togruta called, the next thing the teenager knew, a large hand was laying on her hand, halting her slow ascent for her weapon.”If you’d like, I can take you back; I know we didn’t handle this one great;”

“An understatement,” Hera grumbled under her breath.

“Every now and then, a child will be picked, and assigned to somebody on the fright side,” Finally, some answers. Sabine allowed her attention to focus entirely on the almost ethereal woman before her, sinking back into the cushions under the warm press of a large hand against her own; Maybe the woman really was breathing life back into people. “We got you a little late, most of the time, they give us kids that believe in monsters-”

“Like that Ezra kid on Lothal,” Zeb grumbled with a throaty chuckle. “Five years later, still screams like it’s day one,”

“You know Ezra?” Sabine butted it, brows knotting as she glanced between them. 

“He was one of our first contracts; We get sent to kids when they need us most.”

Sabine scoffed, pulling her hand from Ahsoka’s to cross over her chest. “Not all the time,”

“You were very difficult to get a track on, on the other side. Mandalore-” Sabine flinched visibly. “Was never the easiest place to connect to.”

“So what, you’re like a fairy godmother or some Bantha shit?”

A smile cracked the woman’s lips. “Scary godmother, yes. I suppose you may have gotten hit a little too hard to remember...”

A ringing yell startled the Mandalorian as it echoed through the building, “Oh! Royalty’s here!” Huyang called, allowing Sabine a reprieve from the overwhelming presence as she turned to shoulder past him for the front door. “Excuse you, I’ve known Lord Baylan longer,” The droid protested as he was bumped with a hip out of the way.

“Yeah, that probably explains a lot,” Ahsoka remarked teasingly as she pulled several locks from the door.

Leaning towards Hera, Sabine watched the droid and Togruta bickering. “Who is she again?”

“Ahsoka Tano, but your world might know her more as Fulcrum,” The woman replied warmly as her hands twisted together in her lap once more, yellowed nails skirting harmlessly off her skin to both ease the desire to pick at her hands, and to avoid pulling away more skin, for Ahsoka’s sake. 

“Yeah, she eats kids, ya’know,” Zeb husked with a twitch of purple lips, sharp canines peeking past his lips. 

“Garazeb Orrelios, you know that isn’t true.”

The Lasat waved his hand dismissively, pushing himself off the couch with a groan. “Is there any food?” He grumbled, rubbing his stomach as it growled. “I’m starving.”

Sabine met his gaze with daggers of her own as he looked at her, her own lips twitching into a victorious smile as he grumpily looked away under the burning gaze of the woman beside her. “Last year, you annihilated the buffet before half of our guests even arrived!” The droid called, glowing yellow eyes narrowing as he rolled up a paper plate to smack the Lasat on the arm.

“Kids,” Ahsoka chided as she stepped through the open archway that divided the living room from the main house. “Best behavior,”  

Behind her stood a towering figure that demanded more attention than any of the variety of beings in the home. White hair with equally pale skin, eyes redder than sin itself, and a jawline that could cut ancestral beskar.

Next to the strange man, a much shorter woman stood, poised in a similar way that demanded her attention. Her hair, brown and blonde and peppered with grey, was pulled into tight, intricate braids across the top of her head. Black ink wove together to create half-moons in her skin, namely, at the base of her head, though Sabine could see the tip of more ink breaching out across her chest, under the blood-red silk wrapped around her frame.

Tucked behind them both stood a blonde teenager, lanky and brooding, hands shoved into the dark leather wrapped around their waist, style taking on a minimal earth tone compared to the two adults closing them in. Choppy blonde hair was adorned with a braid and a green gem woven into the strands where it fell past her collarbone. 

Really, the group looked almost like the most normal ones there, besides the lone human brought into the fold. When the man smiled to the room, Sabine felt unease stir, warm lights reflecting off the tip of sharp, white fangs. 

Her ears rang, too loud to hear the shorter woman as she greeted the others, but again, golden eyes didn’t miss the similar set of fangs in her mouth. “ ‘think I need to go,” She half grumbled to Hera as she shot to her feet, feeling eyes settling on her that made her queasy. “Bathroom?”

“Down the hall, here,” Hera tried to point her in the right direction, though Sabine was only half paying attention as she stumbled across the expanse of the living room and to the hall.

“Going somewhere?” The voice was light, haunted with hunger, hidden in the false intentions of genuine interaction. 

Golden eyes raised to meet sanguine, bristling under the memory of a man draped in black, a man who’d chased her people from their homes and left drained corpses in his wake. “Far away from you,” Sabine hissed, trying to shoulder past the blonde. She could hear the grumble of the adults in the room at the end of the hall, and knew that even their proximity could not save her if this vampire desired; she’d seen the stories, knew what had happened to her uncle Paz, right in front of Mandalore’s ruler. 

“Shin,” A strong voice called from the end of the hall. It was the man from earlier, another bloodsucker. His frame took up the entire hall, yet, he did not seem over-imposing, even offering Sabine a look of almost sympathy. “She is not from this world, you must remember to play nice.” 

Red eyes looked her up and down once, twice, and once again before realization dawned on the teenager’s face. “You’re a human?” They questioned in morbid curiosity, brows pinching together as she stepped back.  They looked to Baylan with uncertainty, though the slow dip of his head seemed to convey his silent confirmation. 

“What the fuck else would I be?” Sabine shot back, heckles still raised even as the vampire regarded her with a morbid curiosity

“A pain in the ass, apparently,” They grumbled, lips twisting sourly at the sharp red gaze of who, Sabine could only assume, was their father, sent her way. 

“Shin, come. Leave Sabine Wren to her devices, Marrok is due to arrive shortly,” His hand extended to the young vampire, who bowed her head in turn and stepped readily to his side. 

Sabine released a slow breath as her path was reopened, only nodding her mild appreciation to the Vampire Lord for the save, before pushing bodily into the creaky door of the bathroom. 

The mirror was dirty and streaky, with green and brown lines seemingly permanent across the glass, distorting the woman in the mirror as she stepped into it. 

Ahsoka really did deal a number on her, the olive skin around her jaw was mottled with purple, blue, and green blossoming across her jaw in a morbid canvas. “Karabast,” She groaned, turning her head this way and that with a frown. That was going to be a hard one to explain… or not, since Thrawn and Xiono practically trapped her in the Skywalker’s home; Hell, maybe she was even going to wake up and find out she just fell down the stairs.

When Sabine swung the door open, she jumped at the sight that met her. A man, towering over her like the Vampire had, with a murky aurora and a helmet covering his entire face from view. Wisps of green smoke filtered from the mask as he seemingly stared listlessly at her. 

“Fuck!” She jumped, shoulder smacking painfully into the doorframe as she smacked into it to get around him. “E Chu Ta!” She spouted as adrenaline filled her veins, urging her hurried steps down the hall, contrasting the slow, purposeful steps he took to follow her. 

Back in the living room, Sabine made quick work of getting Ahsoka between the daunting figure and herself, even reaching to fist her fingers in the fabric of the cloak that sat around her shoulders. “Marrok, down boy,” She teased with a soft laugh as his steps slowed to a halt. “You’re scaring her this time,”

“I am not scared,” The Mandalorian disagreed vehemently, brows pinching in annoyance as she peered around the predatory warrior’s shoulder, allowing the Togruta to shield her from the ghastly figure’s gaze. 

Marrok shifted to meet her eyes again, The Mandalorian bared her teeth, shoving her hand into her pocket and whipped out the pocket flashlight that her mother had made her grab before leaving. The light shined into his face, yellow-white peering into a mask… except, there was no face, or eyes, or anything solid to be seen through the small slit. 

“What the fuck?” It was quickly becoming her favorite phrase, at least, in this weird… Monster House. 

“Eh, that’s just Marrok,” The Lasat called as he stuffed a handful of candied meiloorun into his mouth, chewing loudly as he lounged next to Baylan, seemingly undisturbed by the vampire Lord’s disturbed gaze. “He’s a fart,” 

“Why hasn’t she come out yet?” Leia called, worrying at the skin of her lip as she peered towards the door. They’d heard Sabine pounding on it almost an hour ago, when Thrawn was insistent on holding it closed despite the Mandalorian’s best efforts. 

“You don’t think something might have actually been in there…” Holdo started, brows furrowing up at the gloomy porch, kicking the toe of her shoe into the overgrown grass. 

“Trick or treating is almost done, Thrawn, can’t we just leave her here?” Xiono complained, hooking his thumb under the nylon strap keeping his costume up, shifting the weight where it pressed against his shoulders. 

“No,” Thrawn hissed, resting his chin against his knuckles as red eyes flickered across the building. 

“This isn’t funny anymore,” Xiono shook his head, arms crossing over his chest and crinkling the cardboard tubes of one of his turrets in his pout. 

“We’ll go in and get Wren, then.” He decided ultimately, brushing fuzz from the cheap blue horns on his head. “Organa, you lead,” The young Alderaanian glared at him, but still bravely forged on to the front door.

It took time for Sabine to calm down and get into the vibe of the party, but between the different monsters, she found that they were genuinely more fun to hang out with than any of the friends she’d made in the city so far, except for maybe Ketsu, but she moved. 

Shin sidled up to her with a minor look of disgust pulling at her normally impassive features. “My parents are necking again,” She explained, red eyes casting towards the corner; the sight of the towering man practically folded over his wife was almost comical, though Sabine cringed sympathetically.

“Gross,” 

“So what is a human doing at the fright night party this year?” They were turned towards her fully, arms crossed over the grey angular tunic across her chest.

“Really? I have no clue. Went into an abandoned house, got decked in the face,” Sabine nodded her head towards Ahsoka with a sheepish smile, though her demeanor faltered when gloved hands rose to her face. “What are you..?”

Shin stilled, seemingly surprised by the way they were reaching out for Sabine with two fingers. Brows pinching, they forged forward, until the cool leather of her gloves brushed across the bruised skin of her jaw, skin covering the blossom of blood beneath the surface. Sabine watched with bated breath, weight shifting between her feet as the blonde finished her inspection in silence. “Why would you go into an abandoned building?” They questioned, breath just above a whisper, head cocking cutely to the side in a way that didn’t make butterflies flutter in the Mandalorian’s stomach. 

“Just a stupid kriffing dare,” Sabine grumbled, stepping away from the wall she’d made herself at home against to drop down into one of the open couches, tucking her feet up under her as her lips twisted into a scowl. The young vampire perched on the cushion on the opposite end, fingers twisting up the woolen fabric of her kama where it came to rest at their knees. “They wanted to ‘trap’ me in the house to see how scared I’d get,” Her eyes rolled as she sunk back into the couch, arms crossed moodily over chest. 

“Have you considered revenge?” Shin questioned, eyes narrowed dangerously as the tight-knit group of party-goers not so subtly listened into their conversation.

The Mandalorian scoffed pathetically. “Try going against Thrawn? Alone? Might as well move into massacre mansion alone,” 

“There is…. Another way,” Huyang perked up, looking between his companions with something as close to devilish mirth as a neutral droid face could muster.

“Revenge is groovy,” Baylan remarked, thumbs awkwardly extended as he glanced at the younger compatriots to their grand scheme. 

“This is so embarrassing, I could just live.”  Shin’s face dropped into her hands, groaning at the laugh that bubbled past Sabine's lips, freely into the night as everyone began brainstorming the best revenge. 

“Alright, Thrawn, stop playing around, where is she?” Leia demanded as her flashlight cast shadows across the walls, eyes narrowed in growing frustration as she followed the imprinted footsteps across old carpet. 

“How am I supposed to know?” He hissed back, following the tracks with a contemplative look. “Sabine was not the only one in here,” He declared, following the dirt tracks into the old kitchen, where the basement door was wedged open. 

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Sabine whispered, staring up at Shin as the vampire’s fang pressed into their pale wrist, painting dark blood across the shorter woman’s forehead and chin as she went.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing,” They grumbled lowly, tongue poking past their lips as she worked in the dark, making Sabine out to look as roughed up as possible. “Though it would be easier if you let me take a bite,” incarnadine eyes followed the path of her jugular, hidden beneath layers of skin that made her teeth itch to think about. 

Before Sabine could reply, Shin’s hand was pressing into her mouth, body covering Sabine’s as she was shoved back up against the wall. “Game time,” They husked into her ear, eyes flickering back to signal the advancement of her peers. 

Their hand carded through her hair harshly, though the restraint was tangible as they ‘forced’ Sabine’s head back. “Hey!” She shouted as the gaggle of teens passed, shoving harshly against Shin as she reached for her belt, where her flashlight was tucked into easy reach.

Noticing the struggle, Holdo and Leia were the first to rush to her aid. “Get off of her!” Leia shouted, yanking on the vampire's shoulder to break them apart. Even knowing the plan, the hunger that took over Shin’s face scared even Sabine, frozen for a millisecond as the blonde turned to advance on her four ‘saviors.’

Slipping the flashlight from her belt, Sabine flashed it at the side of Shin’s head, fighting off the smile on her lips from the overdramatic way the other teenager flung themselves back, trying to avoid the light as her arm raised to shield sensitive eyes from overbearing light. 

Their back hit the wall next, shrinking into the cape around their shoulders with fangs bared, their own blood still smeared against their lips to create a horrifying visage. “What are you waiting for?! Run!” She shouted to the group, forcing her own feet to move, shoving into Thrawn and Xiono to kickstart the process. 

Bursting from another hall came the towering figure of Baylan, fury in his eyes as he looked between his crumpled daughter and the frantic teens. Morgan moved swiftly between him and the doorframe to step in their path, the pair all but closing them in as more activity started in the house. 

With lightning speed, Sabine flashed the light to shine against the predatory creatures of the night. Like mother-like daughter, Morgan dramatically fell back into Baylan, knocking him off balance and sending both vampires careening to the floor with a loud thud. “Don’t stop!” She shouted again, thighs burning as they scrambled through the winding halls of a half-deconstructed building, fighting to find the exit. 

Again, a predatory growl seemed to permeate the structure of the home, the rumble from the Togruta’s chest casting across the halls, overpowering the sound of the group's feet as they raced down the back stairwell. Thrawn stopped, eyes searching in a way that was almost frantic as Ahsoka prowled closer. 

Before he knew it, a hand shot through the drywall, green and decaying, bones scraping against the rough material of his jacket, blue-hued blood staining the fabric in a way Sabine knew would eventually blend into the blue devil costume he’d donned that day. 

Sabine threw herself into the green forearm, wincing internally at the crack; Apparently, the zombified Twi’lek wouldn’t be hurt, and reattaching the limb was an easy process, Sabine just had to trust that her impact wouldn’t ruin the recovery, as the woman’s arm gave way under her body weight, snapping with a sickly wet sound before going limp again the door. “You need to keep moving,” She hissed darkly in Thrawn’s ear, shoving him through his paralysis as the growling grew nearer. 

The next stop on their haunted escape room tour was be the dining hall; Sabine wound up running into Leia’s back and stumbling, hand shooting out to catch herself on the table. In front of the only entrance, the ghastly form of Marrok stood to greet them. He was silent, now, but green smoke poured from his mask like a machine at a cheap Imperial Academy dance. 

If he’d scared her before, seeing him in his prime was enough to put genuine fear in her bones. His fingers flexed around nothing as the empty helmet gaped at them, though when he took his first step forward, Sabine shoved between Organa and Holdo, once again shining the flashlight into his face.

This time, instead of finding amusement in her actions, Marrok froze, the leather of his suit bubbling grossly, like the flooring in the kitchen, before he popped like a swollen balloon, green mist escaping into the air, just to be swept back into the dark, leaving only his helmet behind. “Is he dead?” Xiono questioned, weight shifting awkwardly as he tried to hide himself behind Thrawn.

“How about we don’t stick around to find out,” Sabine hissed as the growling grew closer. “There’s the door,” Once again shoving harshly at their backs, Sabine herded the group back into the entryway. If the portrait of the old Senator moved to watch Leia pass by it, the Mandalorian heeded it no mind, heralding everyone to the door. 

“It won’t budge!” Thrawn called, his brows furrowing as he pulled on it. Through the darkness of the glass window, Sabine saw an outline of a skeletal droid, and knew Huyang was offering revenge in the simplest form his morality would allow. 

“Gotal’ad, you’re a dink!” She hissed, shoving past him to tug on the knob. Brass gave easily under her hand, though she swung the door inwards slow enough to give the droid on the other side a chance. 

“Sabine!” Leia called, turning with eyes widened in fear; Ahsoka stood at the end of the entryway, eyes narrowed and fangs bared, muscles taut like a predatory ready to jump on its prey.

“Get out of here!” She shoved the others behind her, stepping forward to meet Ahsoka halfway. 

Before her first connected, she saw a sparkle of mirth in the Togruta’s eyes; It wasn’t a hard hit by any means, but the woman played it off perfectly, crumpling to the ground the moment the Mandalorian’s fist hit her face. 

Sabine turned, kicking out the toe of her boot to swing the door closed one last time. “Are you okay?” She whisper yelled, crouching down beside the woman.

“Hey, you heard Lord Baylan, revenge is groovy,” A toothy smile crossed her face as she forced herself to sit up, the other monsters started slowly making their way into the entry way. 

“Well. That was… Wizard.” Morgan commented as she brushed off her robes, pointedly ignoring the look of utter disgust and horror that crossed the blonde’s face. 

“You better get out there, Lady Wren,” Huyang spoke up, lifting Marrok’s helm from the floor and holding it out until the green mist shot back into the room and swirled inside it, returning the monster to his corporeal form. 

“Will I…” Golden eyes flickered around the room; To Hera, who was straightening her broken arm and flexing her fingers to be sure she was working again, Baylan, who was fussing over the incision Shin had bitten into their arm for the blood, Morgan, still laughing at her joke, Huyang and Marrok, being general terrifying, and Ahsoka, still sat on the floor, rubbing at the blossoming bruise on her cheek.

“Will I ever see you guys again?” She asked finally, scuffing her boot into the carpet and averting her eyes. 

“Of course!” Hera stepped forward, cold hand resting on Sabine’s shoulder. “Ahsoka, do you have the key?”

“I thought you had it?” She teased, reaching into a pouch on her belt to produce a small key. “Fit this into *any* door, and you’ll be home.” Ahsoka handed it up to Sabine, letting the purple-haired woman turn it around in her hands for a moment. “We’ll always be here when you need us, but right now, I believe they need you.” 

Through the door, Sabine could hear Xiono shouting. “Nuh-uh! I am not going home without the Mandalorian,” 

When the door forced open again, Thrawn was met with the sight of Sabine standing over the ‘corpse’ of the venomous Togruta, and nothing more. “Lady Wren, would you do us all a favor and see us back to our dwellings?”

Staring down at Ahsoka, she caught the twitch of the woman’s lips. “Yeah, let’s go,” She turned, folding the key into her pocket as she pulled her flashlight back out. “I’ll keep you safe, Thrawn.”

Translations: Di'kute - Idiots (Mando'a) E Chu Ta - along the lines of 'fuck you' (Huttese)

[best-kirby-character-tournament]

Round 1 Bracket!

This was mostly randomized, but mod tried to make it as fair as possible (while also making some of them as funny/angst-inducing as possible)! If you think anything should be changed, let mod know! They'll take everything you say into consideration!

As of now, the bracket is:

Official tournament Round 1A:

Wave 1 (Complete!):

Kirby vs Whispy Woods (Winner: Kirby)

Rocky vs Noddy (Winner: Noddy)

Kracko vs Elfilin (Winner: Elfilin)

Gooey vs Demon Frog (Winner: Gooey)

Wave 2 (Complete!):

Meta Knight vs Sir Percival/Sir Falspar (Winner: Meta Knight)

Fecto Elfilis vs Zero (Winner: Fecto Elfilis)

Prince Fluff vs Yin-Yarn (Winner: Prince Fluff)

Waddle Doo vs Captain Waddle Doo (Winner: Waddle Doo)

Wave 3 (Complete!):

Bandana Dee vs Animal Friends (Winner: Bandana Dee)

Weapons Shop Waddle Dee vs Waddle Dee (Winner: Waddle Dee)

Morpho Knight vs Zero^2 (02) (Winner: Morpho Knight)

Sir Arthur vs Chilly (Winner: Chilly)

Wave 4 (In Progress):

King Dedede vs Dark Matter

Chaos Elfilis vs Void Termina

Daroach vs The Meta-Knights

Galacta Knight vs Samus

Official tournament Round 1B:

Wave 1 (Complete!):

Shadow Kirby vs N-Z (Winner: Shadow Kirby)

Chef Kawasaki vs Knuckle Joe (Winner: Chef Kawasaki)

Void vs Kabu (Winner: Void)

Taranza vs Queen Sectonia (Winner: Taranza)

Wave 2 (Complete!):

Dark Meta Knight vs The Paint Sisters (Winner: Dark Meta Knight)

Sailor Dee vs The Fairy Queen (Winner: Sailor Dee)

Escargoon vs NME Salesman (Winner: Escargoon)

Plugg vs Bronto Burt (Winner: Plugg)

Wave 3 (Complete!):

Marx vs The Mage Sisters (Winner: Marx)

Galactic Nova vs Dark Matter Swordsman (Winner: Galactic Nova)

Susie vs Star Dream (Winner: Susie)

Gryll vs NESP (Winner: Gryll)

Wave 4 (In Progress):

Magolor vs Landia

Beam attack Waddle Doo Vs Dyna Blade

Sword and Blade vs Lololo and Lalala/Fololo and Falala

Adeleine and Ribbon vs Tiff and Tuff

During the round 1 polls, two pairs of Waves will be released every day at 3pm EST! (Clarification: both Round 1A and 1B Wave 1 polls on Monday, both Round 1A and 1B Wave 2 polls on Tuesday, etc.)

The final Wave of Round 1 has started! It will end tomorrow, March 31st at 3pm EST!

[logarhythm-bees]

To Unearth and Back Again; ⛅Chapter 9

Chapter Eight | Table of Contents | Chapter Ten

A very merry unbirthday to you! Who, me? Yes, you! Oh, me! Let's all congratulate us With another cup of tea A very merry unbirthday to me!

-The Unbirthday Song, Alice in Wonderland

See ronithesnail's absolutely wonderful art for this story!

Janus groaned, lifting his head up. Ugh, he had a headache. What happened? He was definitely sitting up, and he didn’t usually sleep sitting up unless he was extremely tired, which was entirely possible considering he didn’t remember falling asleep, but he didn’t feel particularly rested despite his evidently deep sleep, which was rare.

He realized also that he felt rather cold, which was definitely out of the ordinary, because any time he fell so deeply into slumber it was because he was being held by one or both of his partners, and he didn’t feel any sort of warmth around him- not even the residual warmth of someone who had gotten up for coffee or to go to the bathroom.

Scrunching his face up, Janus blinked his eyes open to a dark room, faintly lit by the small scratch of sunlight that was making it through the blackout curtains. All he could see in the din was a plastic table in front of him and his own arms on the chair’s armrests, which he noted, resignedly, had been tied to the chair with cooked spaghetti. 

To anyone else, this would have been an insane hostage situation. To Janus, this was just one of the many unfortunate side effects of sharing a mindscape with Remus.

“It’s rather dark in here, if you wouldn’t mind opening the window,” Janus called, because he did enjoy being able to see.

In the quiet, a sharp blast of confetti took him off guard, leaning back and blinking rapidly in his chair. The curtains shot open, overviewing a rather beautiful landscape, especially considering Remus’s standards. The side himself stood on a chair across the room, wearing a party hat and doing jazz hands in front of a banner that seemed to have once read ‘Congratulations, It’s a Boy!’ but now said the words ‘Congratulations, It’s A Kidnapping!’

“Surprise!” Remus grinned, jumping off of the chair and blowing a party horn at Janus. “Did it work? Did I surprise you?”

“Everything you do manages to surprise me, Remus,” Janus said sarcastically, lifting his arms experimentally. The spaghetti came off unceremoniously, splitting into pieces of limp noodle as Janus shook them off of his hands and sleeves. He rubbed at his wrists, more for drama than anything else, as one cannot be restrained to a chair particularly tightly when said restraints are made of boiled strands of wet flour dough. “Any particular reason for kidnapping me this time, or am I just here for the fun of it?”

“Oh!” Remus exclaimed, beaming at him semi-maniacally. “Yes! I’ll be right back!”

Janus watched as Remus darted out of the room, which he now saw was made of marble brick, polished into a clean, round space. The door and window were bracketed with wood, almost medieval, and Janus realized that they must have been in a castle. Another glance out the window confirmed his suspicions, and judging by the view, they were in a rather high tower.

The twins had always liked those stories of prisoners held in high castle turrets, he thought distantly. Rarely for the same reasons, but the same fairytales nonetheless. 

His train of thought was interrupted by a clatter of plastic and ceramic as Remus rushed back into the room with a plate holding a teapot and various cups stacked on top of saucers. He placed it almost gingerly on top of the table and set a mug in front of Janus, pouring the tea in before Janus managed to even speak. 

“I- ah.” Janus exclaimed. “Tea party?”

“Tea party!” Remus confirmed extremely enthusiastically, setting the rest of the saucers and mismatched cups around the table, which Janus realized was encircled by various inanimate objects sitting on chairs. Remus quickly placed and poured a cup of tea for each, before slowing to a stop and carefully picking up the one matching ceramic teacup and saucer and setting it before a bucket with googly eyes glued to it. 

“Your tea, Your Highness,” Remus said, tilting the teapot’s contents elegantly into the cup, which shocked Janus the most out of the whole scene. Before this moment, he hadn’t known Remus was even capable of being elegant.

“Hey, how come the bucket gets the matching set?” Janus asked, trying to get past the bafflement of seeing Remus doing something gracefully.

Remus gasped in offense, drawing his hands to his chest. “How dare you! That is the queen you’re talking about here, and you are a mere peasant in her realm! Of course she gets the matching set over you!” Remus huffed indignantly, leveling Janus with a stare that implied what he’d just said made any sense whatsoever.

“Right.” Janus said. He was still utterly astonished by whatever was happening here, but he could deal with the astonishment of Remus naming a bucket the rightful queen of his land more than he could deal with Remus showing genuine elegance, so he let it be. 

Remus huffed in affirmational agreement, pulling his own chair up to the party and across the table from Janus. He picked up his own plastic neon green cup of tea and took a sip, smacking his lips dramatically and making an exaggerated “Aah~” noise.

Janus lifted his own ‘Don’t talk to me until I’ve eaten this mug’ cup cautiously, sniffing at the liquid inside. He flicked his tongue out, snake side showing through his senses. It didn’t smell weird– it just smelled like normal green tea, in fact– but that didn’t mean anything when it came around to Remus. He squinted at Remus suspiciously, gesturing towards the tea, and Remus rolled his eyes, drinking the rest of his tea down with a grotesque slurping noise. 

“It’s normal tea,” Remus said. “How am I supposed to get you to stay and chat if I serve you anything else?”

That gave Janus pause. “You want to…chat?”

Remus rolled his eyes again, even more exaggerated than the first time. “Well duh. What else are tea parties for?”

Janus blinked at him, thinking. “I…suppose you’re right.”

Janus leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. He hummed as warm green tea flooded his tongue, considering the flavor of the leaves. Considering what else it could have been, it wasn’t half bad. It was rather good, actually.

“I think you should introduce me to your friends,” Janus said, gesturing around the table.

Remus beamed. 

[modapraxau]

Enhance Your Outdoor Environment with Pergola Free Standing- Concept, Advantages, and Motivation

In terms of outdoor enjoyment, a pergola free standing has the power to turn an average backyard into a magnificent haven. The free-standing pergola is one of the most popular varieties of pergolas due to its visual appeal and adaptability. This article explores the factors that make free-standing pergolas a popular alternative, as well as their advantages, available designs, and practical and stylish ways to incorporate these structures into your outdoor area.

How Do Pergola Brackets Work?

Brackets for Pergola are wood or metal fasteners that are used to fasten the rafters, pillars, and beams that make up a pergola. These brackets supply stability, offer structural support, and contribute to the pergola's structural integrity. According to the specifications for construction and personal taste in design, they are available in a variety of sizes, forms, and styles.

The days of pergola brackets being only parts are long gone. These days, they stand out as attractive design elements. These adaptable attachments offer creative options by accommodating a variety of post sizes and materials. Imagine a combination of dark metal brackets and beams that combine modern refinement with rustic charm. Pergola brackets, however, are not only for looks; they offer structural support, creating a strong foundation for your pergola.

Better Load Management and Easy Installation

Pergola brackets assist in distributing the weight uniformly throughout the structure by securely fastening beams, columns, and rafters. This increases the pergola's longevity and lowers the chance of it drooping or collapsing. Pergola brackets offer pre-engineered methods for connecting components, simplifying the construction process. This can save work and time, particularly for do-it-yourself tasks.

Pergola brackets, which come in a variety of styles and coatings, may enhance the pergola's overall appearance. The aesthetic attractiveness of your outdoor space may be improved with brackets, regardless of your preference for a modern or rustic look.

Brackets for pergolas are vital parts that contribute significantly to the stability, use, and beauty of a pergola. Investing in superior brackets and paying close attention to detail throughout installation will improve the general condition and lifespan of your outdoor structure, whether you're setting up a new pergola or renovating an old one.

Source

[vancouverkitchenrenovation]

French Country Kitchen Ideas 2023

The kitchen is one of the most versatile rooms in your home. It’s the hub of your house, where you can cook, entertain guests and spend time with family.

French country-inspired elements can add a warm and elegant atmosphere to your kitchen space. Whether you’re building a new kitchen or redesigning your existing one, consider these key elements of a French country design for 2023.

1. High Ceilings

High ceilings are a key feature in French country kitchen designs. They make the room feel bigger, especially when combined with wooden beams to draw the eye up to the ceiling.

Using arched windows is also a great way to bring nature into your home. This will allow you to incorporate a lot of natural light into your space and add elegance into your design.

2. Arched Stove

An arched stove is a great way to make a kitchen feel more unique and French country. It’s also a classic piece of equipment that you can find in many homes and is a symbol of the French lifestyle and gastronomic culture, which are linked to the conviviality of a French country kitchen.

‘It’s a must-have for anyone looking for an authentic French country look,’ says Maxime Gossiome of La Cornue. ‘A set of copper pans hung from a bar above the stove, a rotisserie and the smell of delicious dishes simmering for the next meal complete the experience.

3. Creamy White Interior

The soft palette of a French country kitchen is often based on traditional French colors. These include soft, muted tones of whites and blues.

A creamy white interior is a classic choice that works in any style of home. Here are a few tried-and-true options you can try in your next remodel:

4. Shelving for Books

Shelving for books isn’t exactly cutting edge, but it does make for an efficient kitchen storage area. A well designed unit will keep your kitchen clutter free and looking good. Keeping your kitchen in order is a top priority for most homeowners. With a little ingenuity, your kitchen can be the heart of your home and the envy of the neighborhood. It can even spawn a new era of entertaining family fun.

5. Pops of Color

Pops of color are an important part of a French country kitchen design, particularly in a neutral palette. Adding an unexpected hue like light mint in a cabinet is an easy way to liven things up.

A soft shade of green like mint is a great choice for a kitchen because it’s soothing and calming while also bringing in a bit of an uplifting tone. Alternatively, you could go with dark hues that add depth to the space.

6. Window Near the Sink

Adding a window near the sink in your French country kitchen design is a great way to bring in more natural light. It also helps promote air circulation to keep humidity and smoke down when cooking or cleaning.

In addition, placing a sink under a window can help maximize storage space and make it easier to wash large items. This is especially helpful for families that have kids.

7. White Subway Tiles and Wood Accents

White subway tiles are the most classic of backsplash options and a timeless choice for your kitchen design. They’re also very versatile, working well with all styles and colors.

Wood accents can add a rustic feel to your French country kitchen. Look for open wood shelving and vintage-style metal brackets to accentuate the rustic theme.

8. Interior Brick Wall

A brick wall is a unique design element that can help your kitchen look warm and inviting. It can also add a touch of historic charm to any modern decor.

In this French country kitchen design, the brick wall serves as a focal point and gives the space a unique look. To make the wall stand out, paint it a color that matches the wood tones in the room.

9. Rustic Tile Backsplash

The quintessential element of French country kitchen designs is a strong tile backsplash. This can be a simple graphic design that adds interest to the space or an intricate pattern that’s cohesive and modern.

Adding a backsplash of colorful rustic tiles at the back of the stove or behind the sink can bring color and naive charm to your kitchen. There are plenty of backsplash ideas that would work perfectly for a French country kitchen.

10. High-End Appliances

The eye-catching chrome range cooker in this design by Devol makes a splash against navy tongue and groove panelling and matching cabinetry.

Copper cookware and brass accents also make a splash in French country kitchens. This look is especially attractive in a smaller space.

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Metro Vancouver’s Premier Kitchen and Bath Renovation Company

The kitchen is often the heart of the home, so it makes sense that it would play such an integral role in your house’s overall look and feel. It’s also a space that people spend a significant amount of time in, so it must look its absolute best. That’s why Vancouver Kitchen Renovation is proud to offer Kitchen Design and Renovations in Vancouver, BC. We believe that a well-designed kitchen can transform the way you live, and we’re committed to helping you create the perfect space for yourself and your family. Whether you’re interested in updating your existing kitchen or building a brand new one, we can help you achieve your dream kitchen. We’ll listen carefully to your ideas and preferences, and together we’ll figure out which options will work best for you. Once we’ve determined what you’d like to see in your new kitchen, we’ll put together a detailed proposal outlining everything we propose, including a breakdown of the estimated budget and timeline. If you decide to move forward with our proposal, we’ll begin working immediately to bring your vision to life.

We understand that to be successful is to stay ahead of the curve. That means staying current with the latest technology and design trends. We always want to improve our products or services without breaking the bank. That’s why we stay connected to the latest technologies of NKBA, National Kitchen and Bath Association. In addition, at Vancouver Kitchen renovation, our primary focus is providing sustainable kitchen design and renovation packages, and we believe in sustainable living. Sustainable living is a way of life in harmony with nature. It is a lifestyle which focuses on the preservation of our environment. Sustainable living is a philosophy emphasizing respect for the environment and concern for its well-being. This means we should take care of the planet and treat it as if it were our home. We should try to preserve what we have and protect it from destruction. If we do this, we will enjoy the benefits of the earth’s resources for many generations. Whether you’re planning a major remodel or adding finishing touches to your current kitchen, we’d love to discuss your project. Book your showroom consultation online.

Main Areas of Service in British Columbia:

Vancouver

North Vancouver

West Vancouver

Burnaby

Coquitlam

Squamish

Whistler

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make white kitchens more interesting?

There are a few ways that you can make your white kitchen more enjoyable. Another way to make your white kitchen more appealing is to use coloured backsplash tiles and appliances. Wood elements can also be used to warm up a white kitchen. For a warm, natural glow to white surfaces, you can use warm LED lighting. Whatever your choice, remember that personalizing your kitchen will make it unique.

What Do I Really Need to Remodel My Kitchen?

Remodeling a kitchen can be costly so make sure to do your research and consider what it will mean for your home. Remodeling your kitchen requires you to take into account many factors, such as its age and condition, your family’s requirements and lifestyle, and your finances.

Remodeling can be a great idea to bring your kitchen up-to-date and make it more useful. If your family grows, a remodel may provide additional storage and counter area. A well-designed and designed kitchen can increase the value of your home.

A kitchen remodel is not always the right solution. A kitchen remodel is not necessary if your kitchen is in good order and you are happy with the layout. Focus instead on small, affordable changes that will make the space feel more spacious.

So, how do you know if a kitchen remodel is right for you? Here are some questions to consider:

Is your current kitchen functional? Remodeling can be a great option if your kitchen is outdated, inefficiently stored, or not functional.

Are your kitchen cabinets in dire need of repairs? You may need to remodel your kitchen if your cabinets are deteriorating or your appliances are out of date. A complete kitchen remodel will likely be necessary to fix these problems.

Do you wish to increase the home’s worth? It doesn’t matter if your goal is to sell soon, a kitchen renovation can be a substantial investment. A well-designed and planned kitchen will increase your home’s appeal to potential buyers as well as its resale values.

What’s your budget? A kitchen remodel can be costly so it is important to establish a realistic budget. When estimating your project’s total cost, make sure you include the costs of labor and permits.

If you answered yes, a kitchen renovation might be for you. Talk to a qualified contractor about the details of your plans before you start. Careful planning and execution are key to creating the kitchen of dreams.

How do you figure your budget for a kitchen remodeling project?

Here are some tips to help you decide on a budget.

The first step is to estimate the cost of materials you will need for your remodel. These materials include countertops, cabinets, paint, tile and lighting.

Check out the average cost for labor in your area. Add these numbers to your total budget.

Add up all labor and materials costs to finish your project. Divide that number with the square footage of your kitchen. The cost per square feet is then calculated.

Add the savings you anticipate from doing some DIY work or purchasing materials at discounted prices.

For unforeseen expenses, you can add an additional contingency of 10-20 percent.

These are estimates only. For a more accurate estimate of your kitchen remodel cost, contact a professional.

With these guidelines, you can create a budget to renovate your kitchen. Keep in mind that costs will vary depending on what materials you use, how big your project is, and other factors.

Should cabinets be lighter than walls?

There are no rules for This. This will be a personal decision and will vary depending on the dimensions, shape, and design of your kitchen. A general rule of thumb is that dark cabinets can make your kitchen feel smaller, cramped and unorganized. You can brighten up the space by using lighter cabinets to make it seem larger.

A large kitchen can be made more intimate by using dark cabinets. Lighter cabinets will allow the space to feel larger and open.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what look and feel you want for your kitchen and choose the cabinet colour that will help you achieve that. Talk to a professional designer for guidance if you’re not sure.

What should I choose first when renovating a kitchen?

There is no single solution to this question, as everyone has different priorities. However, some things to consider include the room’s layout, the type of appliances you want, the style of cabinets and countertops you prefer, and any storage needs you have.

Once you’ve decided on your must-haves, you can look at different kitchen designs to see what options are available. If you’re working with a limited budget, it’s often best to start with the big-ticket items like appliances and cabinets, then fill in with minor details like paint colours and light fixtures.

Your kitchen remodel will be completed by taking each step one at a.

What should the duration of a kitchen remodel take?

Once the cabinets have been made, it should take approximately three weeks for the work to be completed. However, custom cabinet design and manufacturing can take up to months. This means that the whole process from start-to-finish can take several weeks.

Statistics

Your most significant cost investment for a kitchen remodel will usually be cabinets, typically comprising 25 percent of your budget. (hgtv.com)

Followed by cabinet cost, labour, and appliance costs consume 20 percent each of your budget. (hgtv.com)

It’s a fantastic thing about most home improvement projects: no matter the job. It often seems like the last 20% is the most difficult. (familyhandyman.com)

This is rather grim, but according to Business Insider, 12 percent of couples consider getting a divorce while renovating their home! (familyhandyman.com)

According to Burgin, some hinges have this feature built-in, but it’s an add-on cost for other models of about $5 retail, adding up to $350 to $500 for an entire kitchen, depending on size. (hgtv.com)

External Links

homeguide.com

2022 Kitchen Remodel Cost Estimator

Add A Room per Square Foot

familyhandyman.com

Do’s and Don’ts for a DIY Subway Tile Backsplash Installation

Create an Open, Craftsman-Style Kitchen (DIY)

homeadvisor.com

Learn how much it takes to remodel a Kitchen. Compose, SEO.

How does a kitchen renovation increase my home’s worth? – HomeAdvisor

thespruce.com

Open Floor Plan History, Pros, and Cons

Find Professionals to Estimate Kitchen Remodeling Prices

How To

Ten small kitchen remodels you can make yourself.

Ideas for small kitchen renovations you can do yourself. DIY Home Improvement Tips For the Average Joe

A small kitchen remodeling project is not always something you’d like to tackle. This is a great way to transform your home into a modern, beautiful space. There are many ways to make your kitchen more beautiful without spending a lot of money. Here are some easy kitchen renovation ideas.

You can add a backsplash to your kitchen. This adds style and colour, and can make your kitchen appear bigger and more spacious.

Replace old cabinets – Cabinets add a lot of value to your kitchen. Cabinets protect walls from spills, splashes, and stains. They can also give your kitchen an elegant look. You should replace your cabinet doors if they look tired.

Paint your Kitchen – This will make your kitchen look better and save you money. You can give your kitchen a new look and make it more modern by painting it. You will find it much easier to clean.

You should update your appliances. This will not only increase their longevity but also make them appear newer. You can update the appliance that you are most familiar with if you have a specific appliance in mind. Otherwise, you can ask someone who knows how to install these appliances.

A bar is another great idea. You can entertain your guests by adding a bar to your kitchen.

To create a breakfast spot, you don’t need to spend a fortune. A small table and a few chairs are all you need. You can even add cushions to make the experience more comfortable.

Add a pantry – A pantry is a necessity in any kitchen. It’s a great place to store food, dishes, and other things.

Install an island. It gives your kitchen a spacious appeal and provides ample work surface. When combined with wood flooring, it can look very appealing.

Add a wine shelf – Wine racks usually can be found at wine bars or restaurants. They can be used in your home, however. There are many options for sizes and designs. You can choose which one best suits you kitchen.

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[lvebug]

the man jolts awake at andie's touch. that's good. a better sign than unconsciousness, for sure. somewhere along the way he seems to have lost his oxygen mask—it's been replaced by a dark mask of soot streaked across his cheeks and forehead. but he's alive. alive means hope.

the fire roars around them, a living thing of heat, and over the sound is his smoke-hoarse voice. whatever stumbled question the man is trying for, andie both can't parse it and doesn't have time to. they need to get out of here. her spider-bite-enhanced senses provide sharp detail to the groan-whine of wood, the acrid, thick smell of smoke, even the distant shouts of the firemen outside. this building won't remain standing for long. "you're gonna be okay," she says, and when he says we gotta get out of here, kid, she doesn't spend time arguing about who technically was just unconscious and who wasn't, if it means they'll be on the move sooner.

lovebug sticks her arms out to bracket the man as he stands, but he seems steady enough. he's technically the one who's been in this building already, andie's happy to follow his lead as long as he can move fast enou—

above the roar of the fire, drowning out the yells from outside, even louder than the loud groan-creak-splinter of wood above them, andie's spider-sense blares like a cacophony of alarm bells in her head.

with one bright burst of heat, the ceiling crumbles in right above their heads.

there's no time, she's gonna have to catch it.

catching a rapidly falling large wooden beam that used to belong to part of a building is never easy. and this one's on fire. andie sucks in one quick breath to steady herself before it slams into her. the impact ricochets through her body and it's only thanks to her sticky fingers that it doesn't slip from her grip, but it still threatens to crush her. gritting her teeth, she grunts out a "go, get outta here!" to her new friend "i'll be right behind you!"

she teeters the beam to the side—the side away from the firefighter and their planned exit—until she can tip it to the floor. it catches on her shoulder and she can't hold back a quick, sharp yell in pain. it rips her suit and probably scrapes up a good chunk of skin too. but they're gonna be safe. she looks to the man, bringing her good arm up to her shoulder, and nods at him. lead the way.

They say that when your life's almost over, that when your breathing is suddenly placed on a timer and ticks, that you see your whole life flash before you. And Eli's never believed in that sort of thing because a) he thinks it's a crock of shit, and b), every time he had thought he was going to die, it never happened. And there have been plenty of times in his decades' worth of living where he has thought this is it. Bullets in him, blood running out of him.

But he has to go back on what he thought, because at this moment, in this burning building, he finds himself remembering things he'd buried deep inside. The dank smell of the Hudson River along Hoboken Park on Sunday walks. The magnolia petals that scattered throughout the football field at Hoboken High School. The way Ebon spiked the punch at his own bar mitzvah and got his Nana drunk.

Hava nagila, hava nagila. Hava nagila ve-nis'mecha!

The shadowed choir of those memories echoes in his mind, pulling him away from the present, tearing him away from the flaming red reality, lulling him toward sleep.

Then he feels it.

A jolt of life. Well, it's not as miraculous as God opening the golden gates or anything, but it's a jolt and Eli has to follow it. Because he's still got to believe that seeing your life flash before your eyes is a crock of shit.

His eyes rip open and he gasps, thick smoke filling his lungs. It feels like his organs are made of rubber. He remembers, all at once, where he is, what's happening to him, and what's going to happen if he doesn't get out of here. And in the next second, he processes that there's a person in front of him, the one who pulled him out. They're a masked figure, someone he's only heard tall tales of. He's not even sure he's not dreaming right now.

The confusion swirls for an instant longer before it disappears, and Eli musters enough strength to pull himself onto his feet with the aid of the masked figure. "How did you—when did you—" But none of that matters.

"We gotta get outta here, kid," he says, switching into savior mode, like he's not the one who had just passed out and this person isn't the one who's known for rescuing people. "There's probably another exit, like a fire escape, down this way." But a crumbling from above—and then, a sudden cracking of wood from the ceiling—stops his plan. // @lvebug

[portfolio-of-dreams]

summer mornings with you. | junpei yoshino x gn! reader

content: fluff, slice of life || warnings: none

w/c: 1.6k

a/n: this is for @sweetsbysatori “summer of love” collab! this was so cute and i’m really happy with the outcome! thank you for hosting this and allowing me to participate! also huge thank you to @h-shibas & @kazububs for being my beta readers<3

A soft golden glint whispered its way through the translucent glass of your 3rd floor apartment bedroom. New white rays shift through the window and curtain just the same, pouring out in tanned hues that weave together and fall across the white bedspread. Varied shades of brown like sand dunes at dawn, as alluring as the lightest of timber carried ashore upon windswept waves in the crescent gleam of the moon. Amid the light, the beams move as if to wave with the undulating pleats, yet in truth they are strong and true, giving structure and form. As the moments pass the intensity rises and softens, valiant yet gentle, telling of the day that passes in the world beyond. 

The summer air has fully hit and the slight humidity in the air makes your hair stick to your forehead. The only sound is the slight whir of the small fan on the side table as it whirs and tetters against the wood from not being sat flatly. You’re still dazed as you slide your hand across the bed to only feel a warm empty space. You slowly sit up, knitting your eyebrows in confusion over the missing presence. You tossed the thin bed sheet off of the only leg it covered and pulled on a pair of cotton shorts to tread through the apartment.

“Jun? Junpei?” Your words echo through the empty hallway.

You two didn’t have much, but what really did you need? You had a bed to sleep on, a small bookshelf with your favorite books on the bottom two shelves and his favorite movies on the top two shelves. He did it that way so it was easier on you to reach your novels when you needed them, and he was taller, so it made sense. You had a TV to watch the movies on but no couch. The two of you would drag the mattress from the bedroom to the living area and end up falling asleep to whatever movie he decided on that night. You had the basics and you had each other, which is all you really needed.

You eventually made your way to the kitchen where you finally found Junpei. He had pancake mix stained across his shirt and face, broken eggs on the counter and a small bowl of poorly cut fruit. He was bent over the sink, nursing his finger- probably more dramatically then he should. He was running it under the water and blowing air puffs onto the skin when you cleared your throat behind him.

“Oh, you- uh, aren’t supposed to be up yet…” He spoke with a soft smile as his free hand rubbed nervously at the back of his neck before wrapping a bandage around his index finger.

“Jun, it’s not even 9am and you’ve made a mess of the kitchen.” A soft chuckle leaves your lips as you pick up a piece of an egg shell. 

His cheeks dusted a soft pink as his dark hair fell over both eyes in defeat. You smile at him, still, as you look at the mess. Cracked egg shells on the corner of the counter that are stained with coffee rings from uncleaned spills. The tops of strawberries sit around his feet and in the sink and a pure white flour lightly dusts the floor and Junpei’s cheek. You brush your thumb over his skin to wipe it away which only makes his blush grow darker. The small window above the sink was cracked and beaked choruses of birds sang through the opening. The soft hum of the seasonal sun sizzled against the screen as the transparent cotton clouds bracketed themselves to the eternal summer sky.

“I appreciate you, Jun.” - You place a kiss to the spot your thumb was, warm and soft against your lips- “Let’s clean this up and I’ll help you make something for us.”

He nods in response and gets the old wicker broom from the closet to sweep up the strawberry hats and eggshells. You took the old kitchen towel from where it was hung over the bar on the oven, red spaghetti sauce stains littered the edges from last night. You wiped the countertops and put the dishes in the sink to wash later. You finally scrubbed those stubborn coffee rings off the vinyled top. After everything was cleaned up, it turns out you had no butter left, three eggs and one was cracked at the top; but you did have fruit and a few pieces of sponge cakes left from the visit to your grandmother's last weekend. You walked over to the fridge and found you still had whipped cream- that would be breakfast.

“Hey Junpei, can you bring the mattress and the fan to the TV room? I just want to have a movie day- it’s too hot to go anywhere.” You smiled at him over your shoulder as you closed the refrigerator. 

“Sure, sweetheart.” He spoke as he walked down the hall to your shared bedroom. 

He walked back in from the bedroom, dragging the full sized mattress behind him. Small veins snaked up his biceps, and his hair fell down over his eyes as it stuck to his forehead from the humidity in the room. He dropped it down flat, with a plop against the floor that echoed in the small space. You put together little fruit cakes on a paper plate using the fruits Junpei cut and washed earlier; strawberries, blueberries, raggedly cut apple chunks (he did his best), and kiwi.  You grabbed the container of whipped cream from the shelf in the door of the refrigerator, and made your way to the living room.

“We can order take out later. I don’t want to try to throw anything together with what we have left in the kitchen.” You giggled at him as you sat down on the mattress.

He blushed, again but offered you a warm smile. One that, even though he was embarrassed, you could feel the love radiating from. It pulsated in strums and enveloped you like a plush blanket. It was inviting and felt safe- like home. He was becoming your home. You could live in boxes that wilted like lilies in the rain, or mansions on high hilltops that echoed the autumn winds- nothing mattered as long as you got to keep him at your side. He leaned down, resting his hands against his thighs, right above his kneecaps and opened his mouth. 

“Give me a bite! Please?”

“Sure” He missed the coy grin that captured your lips as you feigned innocence.

You took one of the cakes in your hands and started to bring it up to his agape mouth. Right as he was about to take a bite- you squirted the whipped cream onto his face, only getting some into his mouth. You couldn’t help but fall onto your back laughing as he moved his tongue up his cheek to try to get the sweet treat. Your eyes were closed as you tried to stiffen your giggles and in that unsuspecting moment Junpei quickly stole the container from beside you and pressed down on the nozzle, covering your cheek. He hovered over you as he rubbed his face against yours, peppering your skin with open-mouthed, sticky kisses.

“Jun! You’ll get us both gross with that!” You breathlessly said in between laughs.

“Guess you should’ve thought about that before you challenged me.” - He places one more kiss on your warm cheek before pulling away- “I’ve got an idea. Stay here.”

He swiftly got up, grabbing a sheet, a few of the boxes that cluttered against the back wall of the room and the broom from the kitchen. He unscrewed the bottom broom piece from the wooden stick and stacked the boxes at the front corners of the mattress. He fluffed out the sheet over the top and stood the pole in the middle to hold it up. He plugged the small fan in the outlet in the wall in front of you and turned it on to the middle setting- blowing in to keep the sheet up. 

“Ta-da! A fort thing.” He smiled triumphantly, peering into the opening at you, before turning his back to pick a movie. 

You smiled to yourself as you took a bite of a strawberry. You were sure he’d pick an action movie because it was one of the genres you both agreed too. He was a true horror movie fanatic but you were a true scaredy-cat. He slid the disk into the dvd player and crawled up next to you under the sheet. The infamous title screen cast across the small boxed television you owned that was set up on a stand you found on the side of the road for free and refinished one lazy Sunday afternoon. You curled up next to him, laying your head in his lap as he began to run his fingers absentmindedly through your hair- the way you always watched movies.

You glanced up at him, as scenes of the movie reflected and danced in mirrored images in his eyes. He was fixated on the screen- seeing the cars race along the dirt roads on the film. He really did love movies and found so much joy in them. You could feel your heart, calming beats erupting through your chest as kindling heat spread through your body. After a while, he noticed you were staring.

“Something wrong?” he looked at you, concern laced in his amber honey eyes.

A soft smile spread across your face as you reached over to brush his hair off of his forehead, tracing the outline of his scars with ghosted fingertips, “You promise you’ll always watch movies with me?”

He places a soft, lingering kiss to the center of your forehead and whispers against your skin, “I promise.”

tagging: @islascafe @akihaya @arlertslove @aces-high @wakasasucker @rxmera @kisakiapologist​ @ry0m3n​ @blueparadis​ @fairyfuyu @koucaine @bokuroskitten @momoewn @planetonet @tokyometronetwork @downtown-roponggi

[yandere-daydreams]

Request for yandere hunter with a werewolf darling, please?

The whole ‘cabin in the woods’ aesthetic is already too creepy to resist, honestly, but it’s nice to give your Yandere a good reason to be so mean, sometimes. Even if they still take advantage of it.

TW: Kidnapping, Violence, Mentions of Injury and Blood.

~

The cellar was cold.

It wasn’t the nice, pleasant chill of a light breeze on a hot summer day, or the bite carried in by the wind on the first day of winter. No, this was an unforgiving, endless cold, one that seeped through your skin and wrapped around your bones, so unrelenting you can’t even find it in yourself to shiver, after a few days. You’d fought it off, at first, following the thin, singular beam of sunlight allowed into the basement by its only window, but now it was all you could do to ball yourself up in a corner and try to huddle under the thin sheet your captor provided. He’d mentioned a bed, a few days ago, something more substantial than a mattress and a handful of blankets, but you doubted you’d ever get one.

For whatever reason, Orion didn’t strike you as a generous provider.

Even now, he made a point of staring you down before speaking, standing at the top of the old, wooden staircase and glaring down into the darkness, the door behind him still hanging open. It didn’t matter, though. Even if you made a run for it, even if you managed to snarl and snap your way past him, the iron collar wrapped around your neck would’ve stopped you, a chain thicker than your wrist keeping you attached to the floor. You’d already tried to bite your way through it, and pull the bracket from its stone confines, but you’d always been one of the weaker members of your pack. If the damned thing was going to budge, you couldn’t tell. You’d stopped trying when Orion threatened to tear your teeth out for looking at it the wrong way.

“You’ve been scratching again,” He started, drawing your attention back to him as he descended the staircase. Each step sent another creak through the small space, but if he noticed, he was content not to show it, his lips pursed as he scanned over the new array of thin, white indentations in the wall next to you, They were pitiful, dull little things, but they were symbolic of your rebellion, your will to do anything but follow his rules. You curled into yourself, and Orion sighed, coming to a stop in front of your crumpled form. “Another instinct thing? Do I need to bring a scratching post down here before you stop trying to scrape your way out of this?”

“I’m not a cat,” You mumbled, weakly, your voice muffled by your own reluctance to indulge him. “It’s boring, down here. I don’t have anything better to do.”

He chuckled, crouching down to your height. Even then, he towered over you, a mountain of a man in a uniform of flannel and denim. You did your best not to look at him, but it was impossible not to, especially when you had so few sources of stimulation. “Does the mutt need a chew toy?” He asked, a mocking drawl dripping from his tone. “Or, is the puppy finally ready to play? I’d hate for you to go and pout again, like the last time I tried to have a little fun with you.”

“Your fun hurts.” You hated how childish your voice sounded, how whiney the words came out. You were still unused to depending on words, having lived with those who relied on body language for so long, before you were thrown into the arms of a man who delighted in misinterpretations. You shifted uncomfortably beneath your blanket, and Orion seemed to notice, a fist soon clamped around one corner and jerking your last defense away, if only so he could better evaluate your pathetic state. You continued, if only out of spite, attempting to fight away the cold as you went on. “You’re a sick fuck if you think anyone could enjoy this. I want to go outside, Orion, I want to leave. I don’t like being trapped, or threatened, or-” You stopped, abruptly, taking your cable in one hand and reveling in the resulting rattle. “-chained to the fucking floor. I’m not some… some pet you can steal and expect not to fight back.”

Another laugh, this one throaty, obvious. He squared his shoulders, a wide, careless grin spreading across his lips as he watched you glower and glare. “Can’t I, sweetheart?” Nimble fingers reached out, entangling themselves roughly in your hair and pushing it back, letting you squirm and bat at his arm as he scanned over you. “You’re a threat, to yourself and others. Remember how I found you? All bloody and helpless, stuck in one of my snares without an ounce of strength left. This is for the best. You can’t get yourself killed, here. You can’t hunt down real people, when you’ve got your collar on.”

You growled, baring your teeth. Orion’s smirk only broadened. “My pack needs--”

“Your pack should be grateful.” Suddenly, he pulled you forward, away from your protective wall and into his chest, an arm looping around your waist to keep you from writhing. You struggled, bucking and fighting as best you could, but Orion just held you tighter, closer, as if suffocating you would help to establish his dominance. “I took in a runt and gave it a proper home. If anything, they should be thanking me for getting rid of such a little nuisance.” You felt his warm breath fan over your neck, the sensation quickly followed by a short, playful kiss, ending as quickly as it was initiated. “You should be thankful, too. And pack that relies on someone who can’t even take care of themselves isn’t a pack you should want to be part of.”

Of all things, that was your breaking point, the pride in his voice and how badly you wanted to tear his arrogant tongue out. Without thinking, you threw your weight against him, knocking the man off balance as you scrambled to maintain your own. Without moonlight, you were trapped as a graceless mess of odd angles and vulnerable flesh, but you made the best of what you were given to work with, forcing your elbow into his diaphragm and slashing at his face with your sharpened nails. You broke through the skin of his cheek easily, and the feeling of hot, thick blood running over your fingertips filled you with confidence. Foolish, impulsive confidence.

You didn’t make a sound as you locked your jaw into place and lunged for his neck, but Orion was faster, more used to petty limitations. He caught your shoulder, using your propulsion to redirect your path, slamming you into the floor and pinning you on your chest, knocking the air out of your lungs. You panted breathlessly, attempting to recover, and Orion took the opportunity to pin your arms to your back, restraining you with a practiced ease. “Bad dog,” He muttered, the words barely audible. “Bad dog. All I fucking do is spoil you, and you still go and get it into your dumb little head to bite the hand that feeds you.”

You opened your mouth, a plea for forgiveness clashing violently with a vile insult, but Orion didn’t give you the chance to spit either out, only putting more pressure on the small of your back, letting something underneath his hand crack before he thought to fill the silence. “Clearly, you haven’t figured out which one of us is in charge, yet. That’s my fault, too.” He let up, but his grip didn’t loosen. Instead, it grew stronger, more firm.

More authoritative.

“I can’t expect you to behave before I take the time to train you properly.”

[livingcorner]

Transform Your Kitchen with a Fresh Coat of Paint

DAVID A. LAND

Are you building a new house and planning your dream kitchen? Or maybe you’re craving a fresh, new look for your existing kitchen. It’s true what they say: The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where you and your family will spend lots of time, and where your guests will likely end up congregating. It should be a space that feels inviting and relaxing and also delivers the style and personality you want your home to reflect. Do you want a light and airy kitchen? A happy and whimsical space? Or a cozy, rustic kitchen? No matter the look, your starting point should be in establishing the color palette. An all-white kitchen will always be a classic, timeless look, but don’t be afraid to bring in some color, even in a small kitchen. The paint color—even the exact shade of white—you choose for the walls will instantly set the tone.

You're reading: Transform Your Kitchen with a Fresh Coat of Paint

One of the ways to make the biggest impact is to paint your kitchen cabinets. Whether it’s painting a dark wood a bright white to lighten your space, or taking white cabinets to a deep, saturated hue that creates a warm, cozy kitchen, or even a new coat of a bright yellow or blue to add a punch of personality, changing the color of your kitchen cabinets will instantly transform your room. (If you’re planning to go the DIY route, read this article for tips on how to paint kitchen cabinets. Yes, even laminate cabinets!) For even more inspiration, check out some of our favorite kitchens for many more kitchen decorating ideas, including kitchen island ideas, hardware inspiration, lighting, and even some ways to use wallpaper.

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Pale Blue and White

This blue and white combination brings us all the cool, calm coastal vibes in this kitchen designed by interior and textile designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas.

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Blue-Black

This moody hue is making us crave a rainy day indoors with a cup of tea while bread bakes in the oven. It is the perfect dull blue that still feels warm and rich.

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Historic Blue

This timeless blue is be a part of Benjamin Moore’s historic collection. It feels traditional but fresh in this kitchen designed by Grace Mitchell, especially off of the copper and bronze lighting.

Get the look: Kitchen cabinets: Philipsburg Blue by Benjamin Moore

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Green and White

The white walls of this kitchen designed by James Farmer feel fresh and bright off of the rich green cabinets and pair perfectly with the natural wood shelves and oven hood.

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Dark Teal

These dark cabinets work beautifully off of a bright white marble sink and earthy green tiles.

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Gray and White

We love gray in any room and especially in this kitchen designed by Sara Davis. The soft gray cabinets pop against the dark brown wood floors, creating a modern yet simple combination.

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Canary Yellow and Blue

Read more: Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan – Wikipedia

Look no further than the classic yellowware bowl for proof that blue and yellow make for a timeless country combo, as seen here in this 98-square foot galley kitchen that features canary-yellow cabinets and quilt-like cement tiles. The petite 20-inch range maximizes cabinet space in the small kitchen.

Get the Look: Cabinetry Paint Color: Honey Bees by Sherwin-Williams. Backsplash Tile: “Tangier Primero” by Villa Lagoon; wayfair.com

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Pure Black

When homeowner Bailey McCarthy moved into her century-old Texas farmhouse, the wall were a boring beige and the cabinets, which vary in height, were white. “Painting everything black seemed like a good way to make the cabinets blend in with the wall,” says Bailey. She balanced the dark statement color with butcher block countertops and brass hardware and lighting.

Get the Look: Cabinetry Paint Color: Pitch Black by Farrow & Ball

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Soft Taupe

When you want to add little color but don’t want it to overwhelm, look to a soft taupe. The appealing neutral adds a warm, but airy, swathe of color. It’s a color that also pairs well with stained wood cabinets.

Get the Look: Kitchen Cabinetry Paint Color: Smoky Ash by Benjamin Moore

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Bright Blue

One Kings Lane designer Sarah Blank opted for a calming blue for the shelves, brackets, and walls, of this kitchen, lending more cohesion to the space.

Get the Look: Cabinetry and Wall Paint Color: Lulworth Blue by Farrow & Ball

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Sunny Yellow

Designer Alison Kandler and homeowner Jenn Chiarelli found the perfect sunny shade for the kitchen island in Jenn’s bright California farmhouse by pulling paint chips of colors that simply made Jenn feel happy. Then they found ways to incorporate the hues into the kitchen to create a look that is as colorful as it is cheerful. The black woven stools add a grounding element to the candy-colored space.

Get the Look: Island Paint Color: Tropical Moss by Dunn-Edwards Paints

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Gray Green

Designer Heidi Caillier chose a soothing green—that is a little bit gray and a little blue—for the Shaker-style cabinets. “It changes with the light,” Heidi says. “It also feels traditional to me, which is what I really wanted.” The color pairs particularly well with soapstone countertops and unlacquered brass bail pulls and knobs. Six-inch terra cotta hex tiles add distinct richness to the artfully layered kitchen.

Get the Look: Cabinetry Paint Color: Oil Cloth by Benjamin Moore. Hardware: unlacquered brass bail pulls and knobs; classic-brass.com.

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Off-White

When you have a lot of natural wood in your kitchen, pure white walls can feel too stark, especially if you’re going for a rustic kitchen look. Instead, choose a warm white that has just a touch of gray in it for a color that complements wood tones and works well with other warm neutral colors.

Get the Look: Wall Paint Color, Fleur de Sel by Sherwin-Williams

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Turquoise Blue

You couldn’t pick a better blue than the color of the original paint found on these salvaged tongue-and-groove boards. The turquoise tone compliments the buttery-yellow appliances, knotty pine floors, and barn wood cabinets to create a charming rustic farmhouse-style kitchen.

Get the Look: Appliances: bigchill.com

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Pure White

There is nothing more timeless, yet completely fresh, than an airy all-white kitchen. The look works especially well with kitchens that have varying textures (both literally and visually), such as the shiplap planked walls and open shelving in this dreamy kitchen, which keep an all-white space from feeling stark and sterile.

Get the Look: Wall and Cabinetry Paint Color, White Dove by Benjamin Moore

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Washed Turquoise & Buttery Yellow

To give her kitchen cabinets a slightly weathered look, Jolie Sikes of the Junk Gypsies first coated the cabinets with blue interior oil stain, then used a rag to apply and partially rub off a layer of wood stain. “Embrace color,” says Jolie. “Just because kitchens are utilitarian rooms doesn’t mean they should be quiet, sterile, or boring.” The buttery walls, combined with the natural wood stain on the windows, trim, and beams, create a warm backdrop for the room’s bold cabinetry and accents such as Jolie’s barstool mix—a pair of swiveling red tractor seats plus a vintage vinyl-covered number.

Get the Look: Cabinetry Stain: Aquarius by Sherwin-Williams plus Provincial Wood Finish stain by Minwax. Wall Paint Color: Canyon Cloud by Behr. Wood Trim Stain: Pecan by Minwax

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Read more: Hell’s Kitchen: What Happened To Head Waiter Jean-Philippe Susilovic After Season 12

Bright Green

In her South Carolina home, homeowner Lauren Northup looked down for her color play. Taking her color cue from the grass green floors at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, she choose to paint the kitchen floors a striking green. “Blues and greens mean rest, home, and happiness to me,” says Lauren. “This color on my kitchen floor is a good balance with the bright white walls and cheerful checked curtains.”

Get the Look: Floor Paint Color, Arsenic by Farrow & Ball

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Sky Blue

In their cozy converted schoolhouse project, designers Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke of Madcap Cottage looked outside for the kitchen’s color inspiration. They removed the small room’s drop ceiling and installed tongue-and-groove rafters, now swathed in a dreamy shade of sky blue—a design trick seen on Southern porches. “The color draws the eye up,” says Jason, “which makes the room feel like it stretches to the sky.”

Get the Look: Ceiling Paint Color, Blue Ground by Farrow & Ball

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Crisp White

Don’t feel badly if you’re a bit picky. Marsha Ahearn, the owner of this summer retreat in Martha’s Vineyard, painted her kitchen with a 50/50 blend of two shades to get her ideal white. It’s the perfect backdrop to let your brightly colored accessories pop.

Get the Look: Wall Paint Color, 50/50 blend of China White and Linen White, both by Benjamin Moore

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Cheery Yellow

This sunny kitchen proves there is no such thing as too much of a good thing. Its Shaker-style cabinetry, as well as its walls and those of the adjoining breakfast nook, are all awash in a bright and cheery yellow. Glass cabinet fronts and white trim, fixtures, and appliances add a punch against the solid color and help keep the space feeling light.

Get the Look: Cabinetry Paint Color, Convivial Yellow by Sherwin-Williams

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Forest Green

Most people opt for white in the kitchen, but this rustic kitchen is bathed in moodier hues. The paneled cabinets are painted in an earthy forest green while the fir beadboard is a golden brown—giving the 75-square-foot small kitchen a jewel box feel. An ivory apron-front sink offers a burst of brightness.

Get the Look: Cabinetry Paint Color, Mohegan Sage by Benjamin Moore

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Celadon Green

In this Massachusetts beach house kitchen, the Wood-Mode cabinetry is painted a pretty celadon green that is crisply set off by a white subway tile backsplash. It’s a pairing that brings a kitchen pretty color without overpowering. Cape Cod artist Tim Dibble custom-carved the kitchen’s slate apron-front sink to incorporate local icons: a windmill, whale, lighthouse, and the word “riptide.”

Get the Look: Cabinetry Paint Color, Coastal Plain by HGTV Home for Sherwin-Williams; lowes.com

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Bright Yellow and Blue

There’s nothing more appealing than a blue-and-white kitchen. And you can’t beat a yellow kitchen for a happy setting. We say combine the two for a true win-win. This Kentucky kitchen proves the point beautifully with its pairing of a warm blue-and-white quilt-patterned tile backsplash and a light and bright yellowy-green painted island. White wall cabinets and butcher block countertops keep things balanced.

Get the Look: Tile Backsplash: Snowflake in Azul; cubantropicaltile.com. Island Paint Color, Sweat Pear by Benjamin Moore

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Pale Pink

If you want to bring some color to your kitchen, but aren’t quite ready to fully commit, keep the backgrounds timeless and white, and then turn to appliances and accessories to add punches of color.

Get the Look: Wall Paint Color, Ultra Pure White by Behr. Refrigerator, SMEG; wayfair.com.

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Kitchen

source https://livingcorner.com.au/transform-your-kitchen-with-a-fresh-coat-of-paint/

[rhnuzlocke]

Chapter Ten: Street Fighting

Slateport was a bustling port city that had slowly taken over the entire cape and began to creep inland. It wasn’t as built up or modern as Kogane, in whose shadow Ren had spent her childhood. Instead it reminded Ren of the more distant Asagi, complete with a towering lighthouse shining above it all.

Ren bought them fresh Carvanha fritters and kumara chips in the crowed market by the fishing docks, then picked up a bag of ginger-coconut biscuits at a bakery as they wove their way south. She’d been missing fish and there was nothing like getting the morning’s catch before noon—even if it wasn’t quite the same as the Koiking korokke and roast yakiimo she used to pick up on her way into town.

Slateport’s beaches were enormous—the largest Ren had ever seen. They wrapped two-thirds of the way around the city and stretched at least a hundred meters beyond the dunes and smooth slate walkway. There were sandbars out further still that people and pokemon had swam to. Ren took off her boots and let her feet sink into the dry, shifting sand. She winced at the scorching heat until it was up to her ankles, but Tāraki flopped down and let out something akin to a purr as he splayed out.

“According to the visitor’s guide, all the battling in the city takes place out here,” Ren told her team.

Māia gave a few experimental flaps on her shoulder. “Excellent! The wind is perfect!”

Panahi clacked her beak in agreement.

“Akahana, you should still be taking it easy, so just let me know if you’d rather rest in your ball.” She nodded. “Iki.”

The Surskit startled out of Ren’s shadow. “Y-yes?”

“I want you to take the lead, if you feel up to it.”

“What?”

Ren rubbed at her shoulder. “Sometimes it seems like you still don’t think you’re a battler. But that’s my fault for neglecting your training. If you give me another chance, I bet I can prove to you that you can be.” Iki fidgeted. “What’d ya say, little bug? Want to give this a go?”

Iki glanced at Akahana before squaring up to Ren. “Y-yeah, let’s do it!”

Was it hope, or did you see potential in her?

“I knew she could be great. Even though it scared her, she always had such unshakable dedication. It ran deeper than even I knew. She threw her all into every fight. The fear never made her freeze, it only made instincts keener. There was no way she wouldn’t become a top battler.”

I see.

“Is that why I chose her in the first place? I thought…”

Do not doubt yourself. The way you have sought to heal and empower all of those bonded to you—to use your strength to protect even strangers—is why I chose you. It is at your very core, Ren.

“You’re right. I’ve always wanted to do good with my abilities, even when I still wanted to do great things.”

It is my belief that you will do both.

Trainers were scattered all around and battles took place wherever they could find enough open space between the other beachgoers. Much to Tāraki and Māia’s delight, there were more than enough opponents around the right badge level for Ren’s entire team to get some practice between Iki’s bouts.

The matches by the seaside were particularly exciting and informative. Water moves could manifest so differently with a source so readily available, and fully aquatic pokemon could maneuver in in wholly new ways. And Iki could skate across the waves with a speed and grace that blew her movements across dry land out of the water.

But high on the beach, where the sand was loose and drifting, her spindle legs sunk beneath the surface and her speed fell behind the Slugma she was facing. It glided across a layer of glass melted by the heat of its magma, and Iki only managed to escape by turning more sharply than it was able. She zigzagged away from a Rock Throw only to be driven further into the sand by an Ember. Ren could see her trembling.

“Dig deep, Iki! You can do this!”

The shaking stopped as the Slugma surged forward, but instead of ducking down for a Fell Stinger, Iki stood tall and released a rushing stream of bubbles from her open mouth. They burst and hissed upon impact, splattering the Slugma’s viscous skin asunder until is disappeared in a cloud of steam.

The sea breeze cleared it a moment later, revealing a sunken puddle of black rock with magma glowing through the cracks

“Oh,” Iki murmured in shock.

“That was Bubble Beam!” Ren cheered. “You have a water move now! This is gonna change the game for you!”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, little bug!” Ren grinned wide and Iki smiled tentatively back.

The other trainer stood back up from inspecting her Slugma, and withdrew it. “I’m gonna take Mote to the Pokemon Center.”

“Thanks for the battle!”

“Oh, uh, you too.” The trainer almost turned to go, but hesitated. “You said this was your first time in Slateport, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Then you might not have heard, but they hold tourneys at the Seashore House every Friday. It’s a bar just down there on the west end.” Ren followed where she was pointing and spotted a blue roof a ways off on the beach. “It’s worth a go if you’re still in town tomorrow. I always go.”

Ren threw her an appreciative smile as thanks. “Sounds great! We’ll be sure to check it out.”

“Maybe I’ll see you there then bye!” She said in a rush before jogging off.

Ren turned immediately back to the task at hand. “This is perfect! We just need to do a little target practice and we’ll be ready for thing!”

Iki looked over at the sunken hole where the Slugma had been. “If you say so.”

...

The pink and orange of sunset painted the horizon and set the sand alight as Ren and her pokemon set out the next evening. The Seashore House was packed when they entered—filled to the brim with trainers and their pokemon. A smiling middle-aged man and a Tentacool bustled behind the long bar serving up drinks while one harried waitress took orders from the seated patrons. Buoys and lifesavers splashed bright color across the slatted wood walls, and the smell of fried seafood wafted powerfully from the direction of the kitchen. The room was buzzing with conversation and pulsing with excitement. Ren felt her heart beat a little quicker and a grin overtake her face.

She drifted outside with the rest of the mingling trainers to find the large stone patio being cleared. She grabbed the end of one of the remaining picnic tables with some of the others and set it down in the sand in line with the rest now encircling the patio.

“Hey, y’all! Listen up now!” A voice boomed from an amp near the side door. The buzz quieted and everyone’s attention turned to a girl who couldn’t have been over twelve, mic in one hand and the other thrown in the air, standing on a crate to see over the sea of heads.

“This is your Master of Ceremonies, your Officiator of Fun and your ultimate Judge of Battle Badassery, KAT KORRAAAAA!”

The regulars roared their approval while some of the new initiates clapped unevenly in confusion. Ren whooped. After an appropriate amount of adoration, the girl lowered her hand and all fell quiet.

“Let me lay out the rules for the new blood and all them that’s just passing through. All matches are one v one, standard League rules. The first tournament is for greenhorns through two badges. Next is for three and four badges, so on and etc. You get the idea. Winner of each tourney gets as many free drinks as they can knock back! Remember, you can only lose once, but you can win again and again so step right up hopefuls, gather round spectators and prepare yourselves for the BEATDOWN!”

Ren waded through the crowd and wrote her name in the bracket beside the building. Spectators filled the picnic tables while pokemon took the edge of the patio for a better view. Ren and her competitors surveyed each other appraisingly.

“I’m seeing a lot of plant, dark, and fire-types.” Ren whispered down to her team. “This is yours to win, Iki!”

Iki was trembling, but she nodded resolutely.

Pride mixed with excitement rushed through Ren’s veins and had her tingling down to her toes by the time her first match was called. Her opponent sent in a Houndour against Iki, and Ren glimpsed Akahana don a matching grin.

Ren had Iki douse the ring with Water Sport to dampen its fire and use the puddle to hydroplane around its jaws. A Quick Attack to each flank had it staggering and third to its shoulder brought it down before it had managed to land a single hit. The swiftness and decisiveness of the victory caused a moment of quiet before Kat shattered it with her judgement and sent Iki skittering back between Ren’s legs.

They faced a Seedot in the next round, which proved tougher. But Ren correctly guessed that its joints were the most vulnerable, and Iki had the precision to follow through with Fell Stinger. The third round was a Numel whose combination of Magnitude and Flame burst had Iki quaking, but once again she didn’t freeze and it succumbed. The fourth was a Cacnea, whose troublesome Sand Attack they beat back with Bubblebeam. It was difficult to land any effective hits without getting in range of its Needle Arm, but they managed to distract and encumber it enough to get a decisive hit on its vulnerable crown.

The crowd grew more and more raucous as each successive tier of the bracket filled until the final battle was announced. A trainer with a mohawk and piercings stepped into the ring with his Boldore opposite Ren and Iki.

Finally a real challenge! Ren felt her body lower and her hands come up like she was preparing for a judo bought, and Iki mimicked the stance in front of her. The other trainer sneered and his Boldore postured to play to the crowd. It was about four times Iki’s size and must have been near ten times her weight. They would have to be quick and careful to beat it, but that was where they excelled.

You seem to think of your confidence as a weakness of late, but to my mind, it is perhaps your greatest strength.

“Thinking I could handle things I couldn’t has gotten pokemon killed! You know that! You’ve seen it!”

I disagree. Look again, Ren. Look harder.

Ren and Iki waited for the opening move they knew was coming, and the Surskit sprang to the side to dodge the rock launched at her. It shattered by Ren’s feet, but she felt rather saw it as her eyes followed Iki’s zig-zagging path around the edge of the ring. Three more rocks narrowly missed before the attack was spent, but by then Iki had lined up a clear shot and hit it square in the leg with Bubble Beam.

The Boldore stumbled in surprise, but then leapt back at her with a Smackdown. Instead of running, Ren had Iki parry with Fell Stinger, which unbalanced and sent it stumbling back.

The crowd roared almost as loud as Ren’s heart in her ears, the pitch of it climbing at her audacity. But Iki paid the price when her own unsteady legs failed to carry her out of range of a Headbutt. The crowd gasped as the force of it pinned her to the ground. There was no getting away this time, and the Boldore raised a leg to stomp her.

But Ren didn’t reach for her ball or call their surrender. Instead her command rang out in the relative quiet as the audience anticipated the end. Iki raised her head and blasted the Boldore point blank in the face with Bubble Beam. It staggered as the first bubbles exploded against it, wobbled as Iki pressed the attack, and collapsed as Ren and Iki’s strength outlasted it.

The crowd went absolutely wild. People and pokemon were jumping and screaming and cheering. Iki didn’t jump this time. Instead, light suffused her and a breeze rushed out from her, quieting the crowd.

Iki emerged from the shell of light looking unlike any of the many Masquerain varieties in Ren’s Pokedex. Her head was crowned with a pointed, golden helm with a plume of red rising from the back. Her false eyes were a stark and hypnotizing contrast of black and white, and her mask was a deep shade of pink. She was amazing.

“What a tournament! What an upset!” Kat yelled over the mic. “Folks, it looks like we have our winner! Give it up for Ren Kosugi and her MVP, Iki the Surskit!” The crowd cheered wildly again and the girl waited for a lull to continue. “Or should I say Masquerain? Let’s congratulate her on that awesome evolution!” The cheering picked up again, but this time with more applause and a few lycan-whistles. “I think we can all agree we’ve never seen a bug quite like that folks! What a sweep! Be sure to collect your reward, Ren!”

Iki’s head was tilted down, trying to catch her reflection in the sheen of water over slate.

“Iki!” Ren called.

Iki turned and looked up, but her eyes found Akahana instead. The Poochyena’s black lips curved upward in a rare smile. Iki’s wings began to beat furiously, propelling her up several feet before she got them under control. Ren ran to her rescue, scooping Iki up and hugging her in her arms.

“You look awesome, little bug! I’m so proud!”

Ren felt Iki press her face into her shoulder. “Thank you.”

In another moment, Ren loosened her grip enough to look down at her pokemon “So do you believe me yet?”

Iki took a moment to answer, but there was hope and happiness in her eyes.

“Yeah.”

...

Later that night in their room in the Pokemon Center, Ren was drifting off on a bunk with Akahana already snoozing beside her, when a low whistle pulled her back to consciousness. It repeated, sharper this time.

“Iki!” It was Māia.

Ren cracked an eye open and saw Iki’s red plume jolt in the shade-filtered moonlight.

“Y-yes?”

“The others and I wanted to congratulate you on your evolution,” said Panahi gently.

“Really?”

There were murmurs of ascent all around.

“Of course, dear. You worked very hard, and you did so well. We were all impressed.”

Iki fidgeted in her cushion. “Oh, wow, thank you. I-I mean that’s very kind. I didn’t think I was doing that great…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” hissed Māia. “That tournament was awesome!”

“Especially that last battle!” Tāraki gushed. “The way you received that Smackdown with your head spike!” He was on his feet, imitating the motion with the frond sprouting from his head.

“That took guts!” Said Māia. “And I would know.”

Iki was quiet for a moment, then ventured: “because your ability is called Guts?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh.” Then Iki let out a little tinkling sound that might have been a giggle.

Ren pressed her hands over her mouth to stop herself from squealing and giving herself away.

“You see?”

Yes. I see a trainer who cares very deeply about her pokemon and their happiness.

“I—You!—Don’t laugh at me after being so kind!”

Only if you cease mocking your virtues.

“Personally I liked the way you used Water Sport to speed yourself up and Bubble Beam to slow the others down,” said Hakeka. “I didn’t know you were so clever.”

“Ren helped me with—”

The Shroomish interrupted before Ren could: “still, props on the execution.” Iki did not deflect again and Hakeka continued. “Now that you’re talking to us, I’ve got a question for you—if I may?”

“Um, sure. What is it?”

“Why do you hang out with the grumpy Poochyena so much?”

Ren saw Iki rise up off her cushion, false eyes flaring. “Aka is not grumpy! She’s really nice!”

“Yeah, lay off her, Hakeka!” Māia chirped. “Akahana defeated me in battle. She’s super cool!”

“Whoa! Alright, okay. Clearly I’ve been missing out on something.”

Tāraki started giggling, and soon the rest of them joined in until Panahi gently shushed them and made them go to sleep.

...

Ren wove between the colorful stalls of Slateport’s central market, laden down with bags and Panahi perched on her shoulder. The crowds dissipated as she made her way north to a small park in the shadow of a large, gaudily decorated building. She collapsed onto a bench by a fountain that shot elegant arcs of water from the snouts of patinated copper Horsea, Seadra, and a single Kingdra atop the rest. Panahi hopped down to float in the pool and Ren leaned back to let the mist cool her face.

“I hate shopping.”

“Well I love it!” Panahi declared, paddling around placidly behind her.

“Happy you’re a trainer’s pokemon now?”

“I can no longer deny it has its benefits.”

“That necklace was one pricey battle item, so I’m glad you’re happy with it.”

Panahi huffed. “You think I got this for me? Please, Honey, this is a service to humanity! Just look at me. I’m radiant!”

Ren craned her neck at an awkward angle to watch the Wingull puff out her chest with pride. The cerulean jewels twinkled in their web of delicate silver chains like the warm shallows off the beach. Ren hoped the rest of her team was half as pleased with their gifts as Panahi seemed to be.

Ren sat up as people began to pour out of the building opposite, their excited murmuring overtaking the peaceful splashing of the fountain behind her. Some of them dispersed, but many hung around—in anticipation of what, Ren couldn’t be sure.

“Goodness, that’s a sizable flock,” Panahi commented.

Ren shaded her eyes and squinted to read the golden lettering above the doors. “Oh, it’s a contest hall. One must have ended.”

“Are contests where pokemon put on performances instead of battling?”

“I think so? I’m not so sure exactly what happens. We don’t have them in Johto.”

The crowd suddenly parted to make way for a news crew as a woman in a frilly costume and her equally adorned Altaria emerged. She smiled wide as she answered questions and the pair posed for pictures.

“Must be some life,” Panahi sighed.

Ren turned back to her, and all bubbly satisfaction from earlier was gone. Panahi absently preened  one of her primaries that was nicked by a move the day before.

Ren sucked on her tongue as she fought with herself about what to say. “Ahi, you know you don’t have to be a battler, right?”

“Don’t worry about me, Honey,” Panahi said, brushing the thought aside with a wing. “I don’t mind pulling my weight, even if I’m not as enthused as the chicks.” She yawned. “I could use a nap though.” Ren pulled Panahi’s pokeball off her belt. “Send one of the others out to keep an eye on the shopping,” Panahi instructed sternly before tapping the button and flowing inside.

Ren turned the ball over in her hands. She’d have to think of something. But maybe now wasn’t the time.

Does this Ren seem selfish to you? Impulsive?

“I suppose not. No… I guess I have been a little hard on myself lately.”

Ren stowed Panahi’s ball and tapped Iki’s. The Masquerain emerged in a flash of red light.

“Do you mind being out for a bit? It’s fine if you’re still tired from last night.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

She drifted on whirring wings and landed with the tips on the surface of the pool, hydrophobic coating keeping her afloat while Ren set up her vapor box. She lowered her purchases into it, watching them melt into the wood one by one. Behind her, Iki was staring down at her reflection. She raised her false eyes for a moment and then slowly let them droop. Ren opened the last package instead of stowing it and held it out for Iki to see.

“These are for you.”

Iki snapped out of her contemplation and peered at the pair of polished blue stones instead. “So pretty.”

“They’re mystic water gems. You can wear them in battle to boost the power of Bubble Beam.”

“Oh, that’s so kind of you. Thank you, Ren.”

“I thought we could mount them on your helmet instead of a necklace. What do you think?” Iki tilted her head, watching the sunlight play through them. “I’d like that.”

“Great! The vendor said we could go back and she’d help me attach them.”

Someone passed by them, and Ren’s eyes caught on a dark, tattooed forearm. She glanced up and, even in profile, the broken nose and scared lip were unmistakable. Ren jumped to her feet.

“Josh!” The tall, gangly teen startled and stopped in his tracks, shoulders hunching. “What are you doing here?”

He turned around slowly. “Hey, R-ren.”

Ren’s cheeks puffed out as she bit back whatever she was planning to say. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “How do you know my name?”

“They, uh, s-s-said. On the news.”

“Right. Shit.”

“I d-d-d-d—” He stopped, took a breath. “Your f-father is a gym leader?”

“Yeah, um—”

“Wow, your M-m-masquerain is—wow.”

“I know! Isn’t she beautiful?” He nodded and Iki glanced between them, pink mask flushing redder. Then Ren remembered who she was talking to and the warm feeling vanished as quickly as it had come over her. “Wait! Stop that right now! We are not friends, Josh. Remember? I didn’t call you over for small talk!”

Josh flinched and looked down at his feet. “R-right, yes, yeah, of course… Sorry.”

“Good. Now, what are you doing here?”

“N-n-nothing! N-not st-st-stealing! J-j-j-j-j—I’m running some errands!”

“You can’t even lie properly? Why did they hire you?”

Josh swallowed hard, eyes scrunching closed for a second as his adam’s apple bobbed. “Who? What—”

“Cut the crap! You aren’t just some thief trying to make a quick buck.”

“No!” His brows lowered into a scowl, then his eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

“You work for Magma. You’re here for them. What are they doing here, Josh?”

“I’m not—They—N-n-nothing illegal! A n-normal errand! I have to go!” Josh took off running and Ren ran after him.

“Ah, so this is why we’re here?”

You would rather move on?

“I know our first two meetings were important but— I’d rather not dwell on this one. Makes me feel stupid. I should have seen that stunt he pulled on Mt. Pyre coming.”

I had thought his actions there might have gone some way towards mending things. But perhaps you did not see?

“See what?”

He followed you to the peak. He risked his life to make sure you were unharmed and in safe hands.

“Oh… I suppose that makes us even again. But, uh, what did you want ask about this moment?”

Why did you confront him?

“Ah, that’s fair. Of course I wanted my involvement with Magma to be over after what happened in Granite Cave. But it also made it hard for me to [i]not[/i] be involved. I couldn’t just let him go and learn later on that I could have helped but did nothing… Oh, I think I see your point.”

Before Josh had run thirty feet, he stopped abruptly and Ren nearly crashed into him. He pulled something out of hip bag as she recovered her balance and pressed it into her hands.

“This is for you.”

Ren was so startled that took it without thinking. It was something light and flat in a brown paper bag. She reached in and pulled out a TM.

“What—?” She meant to ask him, but he was already gone. “Ugh! What the hell was that? He just—and I—I can’t believe he tricked me into taking this! He probably stole it!” She flipped the TM over and growled in pure frustration. “Smackdown? What kind of joke is this? Why that beanpole son-of-a—”

“Maybe it’s not a joke,” said Iki by her ear.

“What?”

“Maybe it’s a gift. You did save his life.”

“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t just trying to…” Ren trailed off and took a breath. “You know, you’re probably right.” Ren cast around one last time before returning to her abandoned vapor box on the bench. She stowed it and Iki’s gems in her shoulder bag. “Let’s go get you fixed up!”

[best-kirby-character-tournament]

The Official Season 2 Bracket!

These matchups are (mostly) randomized, but mod had to edit a few to (attempt) to make them fairer. Mod doesn't think it worked >.<

Anyway- This is the official Season 2 bracket for Round 1 of the Best Kirby Character Tournament! You can see some team names, while other characters in a team may not have one (mod couldn't think of anything for them >.<) Team names are subject to change if mod or someone else thinks about a better one!

Round 1A

Wave 1 (Complete!):

Taranza vs Elfilin (Winner: They tied!)

Chaos Elfilis vs Susie (Winner: Susie)

Team Flying Hazards (Dyna Blade and Landia) vs Batafire (Winner: Team Flying Hazards)

Team Flowery Beasts (Sectonia Soul and Clawroline and Leongar) vs Gooey (Winner: Gooey)

Wave 2 (Complete!):

Meta Knight vs Team One-Eyed Fighters (Captain Waddle Doo and The Magolor Epilogue Final Boss [name censored to prevent spoilers]) (Winner: Meta Knight)

Drawcia vs Papi (Winner: They tied!)

NESP vs Team Floating Bombs (Lololo and Lalala and Poppy Bros Jr.) (Winner: Team Floating Bombs)

Team Friendly Faces (Tiff and Tuff and the Animal Friends) vs Adeleine and Ribbon (Winner: Adeleine and Ribbon)

Wave 3 (Complete!):

Bandana Waddle Dee vs Mabel (Winner: Bandana Waddle Dee)

The Mage Sisters vs Beam Attack Waddle Doo (Winner: Beam Attack Waddle Doo)

Tropic Woods and eNeMeE vs Galacta Knight (Winner: Galacta Knight)

Sailor Waddle Dee vs Awoofy (Winner: Sailor Waddle Dee)

Wave 4 (Complete!):

King Dedede vs Team Important Figures (Yabui and Mayor Len) (Winner: King Dedede)

Team Deadly Paint (Necrodeus and Elline) vs Chisp (info on Chisp here) (Winner: Chisp)

Dark Daroach vs The Meta-Knights (Winner: The Meta-Knights)

Melman vs Samo (Winner: They tied!)

Round 1B

Wave 1 (Complete!):

Shadow Kirby vs Dark Matter Swordsman (Winner: They tied!)

Dark Taranza vs 02/Zero^2/Zero Two (Winner: Zero Two)

Yin-Yarn and Nightmare vs Queen Sectonia (Winner: Queen Sectonia)

The Fairy Queen vs Morpho Knight (Winner: Morpho Knight)

Wave 2 (Complete!):

Dark Meta Knight vs Daroach (Winner: They tied!)

Game Waddle Dees vs Waddle Doo (Winner: Game Waddle Dees)

The Squeakers vs Escargoon (Winner: Escargoon)

NME Salesman vs Commentator Waddle Dee (Winner: Commentator Waddle Dee)

Wave 3 (Complete!):

Marx vs Marx Soul (Winner: Marx)

Team 2/3's of a Trio (Garlude and Knuckle Joe's Father) vs Knuckle Joe (Winner: They tied!)

Lady Like vs Buttercup (Winner: Lady Like)

Galactic Nova vs Spikehead and Sir Ebrum (Winner: Galactic Nova)

Wave 4 (Complete!):

Magolor vs Magolor Soul (Winner: Magolor)

Anime Waddle Dees vs Team Toys and Cars (Gengu and Gus) (Winner: Anime Waddle Dees)

Prince Fluff vs Gryll (Winner: Prince Fluff)

Wolfwrath vs Sirica (Winner: Sirica)

Round 1 is complete! Thanks for voting everyone! ^-^

[reddielibrary]

Wrapped in You (Is Where I Long to Be)

Written by @patroclusandachilles

Gift for @eddieneedshisinhaler

Pairing: Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak

Word count: 1699

Rating: Teen

AO3 Link

Summary: Eddie and Richie make a happier tradition on the anniversary of Eddie's (temporary) death...in a pillow fort.

Eddie walked in the door to his apartment with a frown on his face for the millionth time in what seemed as many weeks.  The weight of nursing classes, his internship at the hospital, and his actual paying job as a risk analyst causing him to shuffle dead-eyed and hunch-backed through life.  Yeah, he could have quit his job and let Richie the famous comedian pay for everything, but he would never let himself live that down.  He was done relying on other people to take care of him- nightmares of Myra and his mother’s suffocating overprotectiveness plagued what little sleep he did manage to get.  It was hard, but he would get through it himself with only emotional support accepted from his partner.  

Emotional support that he wasn’t expecting tonight.  

It was the anniversary of It’s (and his own) death.  

Eddie leaned against the door, eyes closed and mind screaming at him to just sleep.  But he couldn’t.  Richie needed him tonight as he did every year.  After everything Richie had done for him- from being by his side for every second of his hard earned recovery to showing him what it truly meant to be held and loved and seen every day since he opened his eyes to a new life- Eddie owed him his support on his hardest day of the year.  

He may not have the energy, but by Maturin, Richie would be none the wiser.

He dropped his keys into the dish by the front door and dragged himself down the hall, ready for a cold shower to wake him up and about fifty cups of coffee.  But when he turned the corner from his hallway, he didn’t see his spotless living room and empty kitchen.  He saw a giant mess of pillows and blankets and furniture piled together in the middle of the room.

And in front of it all stood a beaming Richie, practically bouncing from his excitement.

« Eds Spaghads, love of my life!  You’re finally home! »  Richie rushed over to him and bundled him into a whole body hug, Eddie’s face crushed against Richie’s chest, his arms wrapped tightly around Richie’s back.  

« Whatrudonghre, » was all Eddie could manage to squeak out as the breath was lovingly squeezed out of him by his partner.  

« I’m here to surprise you, of course. »  Richie loosened his grip, making it easier for Eddie to look up at him.  « You’ve been so stressed lately, I thought we could have some silly childish fun to make up for it. »

« Childish fun? »  Eddie looked back at the fort.  It was rather impressive, though much too small for two grown men to fit in simultaneously.  « But I thought that you’d need me to…?  The anniversary.... »

Richie squeezed him again, but only briefly before letting him go entirely and turning to work his way into the masterpiece of furniture and comfort.  « Uh-uh, I think we’ve both had enough sadness for one lifetime.  I’m sick of dwelling on everything that came before.  It brought us here, it brought us together, but that’s all it was good for.  I’m done thinking about it.  I think it’s about time we make a new tradition!  Only fun and love and cuddles forever! »  Richie got tangled in the hanging blankets comprising the entrance and nearly took down one of the support beams.  He managed to duck and dodge and untangle himself, but not before face planting right into the sea of pillows.

Despite his exhaustion, Eddie couldn’t stop the laugh from bubbling up.  Watching Richie try to maneuver his giant body into the childish tent was better than any restless sleep he would have gotten on his own.  Every wide smile Richie sent his way was doing more to loosen his muscles than any shower ever could.  And the big goofy giggles Richie was now singing into the pillows made his heart pound faster than the strongest cup of coffee.  « Eds!  Get in here!  What good’s a super secret hideaway without someone to share it with? »

« You aren’t supposed to share secrets, asshole, » Eddie replied, affection clear in his tone.  « Then it’s not a secret anymore. »

Richie, having turned himself around, was now resting against the back of Eddie’s couch and patting the pillows next to him.  « Secrets aren’t any fun without you, Eds. »  He pretended to pout, trying to lure Eddie in with his big puppy-dog eyes, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face.  

Eddie felt the same way, large smile now permanently plastered to his own face.  Yet, ever the practical half of the relationship, Eddie wasn’t ready to join Richie just yet.  « Let me get my pajamas first.  There’s no way I’m wearing a suit while you’re sitting there in sweatpants and a ripped 20 year old t-shirt. »  

Walking to his bedroom, he heard shouted behind him, « Hurry up or I’ll eat all the popcorn without you! »  

Eddie walked faster.

By the time he was in a comfortable set of clothes and back out in the living room, Richie had managed to eat all the popcorn anyway.  « I was hungry, » he said with a shrug, tossing the empty bowl outside the fort.  

« Whatever, dork, » Eddie said, rolling his eyes fondly and dropping to the ground to begin his own perilous climb into the tiniest blanket fort ever seen by man.  He dodged the support beam and managed to get halfway turned around to sit next to Richie when a stray pillow caught his foot and sent him sprawling right into Richie’s lap.  « Mmph, » was all he could say.  

« Not so easy, is it Eduardo?  And to think, you were laughing at your poor giant boyfriend not ten minutes ago.  Aren’t you supposed to be the small one? »  Richie pulled Eddie up by his arms, maneuvering them both until they were face to face, Richie’s legs bracketed by Eddie’s own.  

Eddie gently swatted at Richie’s chest.  « Well, if there wasn’t already a huge ass in here, maybe I would have had more luck. »  He rested his hands against the couch behind Richie’s head. 

« You wound me, Eddie!  And to think, I went through all this trouble just to be called names...the ingratitude of it all! »

Eddie let out a quick chuckle.  « Who’s the one calling names, Trashmouth?  That’s the first time you’ve used my actual name tonight. »  

Richie smiled up at him.  « Yeah, but you love it, don’t you darling, dearest, honey bunches, sweetheart, spaghetti man of my life? »

« I will admit nothing. » 

Eddie tried to deny how much he loved Richie’s nicknames for him, but his eyes gave everything away.  They softened more and more with each endearment spoken by Richie.  « Light of my dark. »  Eddie blushed.  « My treasure. »  Eddie’s face melted into a tender gaze.  « My little Chewbacca of the woods. » 

« What the actual fuck, Richie? »  Eddie was laughing again, burying his face in Richie’s chest.  « Jesus, dude. »

Richie’s chest shook him in time with Richie’s own laughter.  « I read it in a list of endearments online, thought I’d give it a try.  Not doing it for you? »  He brought his arms around Eddie, pulling him impossibly closer.

Eddie pushed his face against Richie’s neck.  « I fucking knew it.  I knew you couldn’t possibly come up with all those names yourself. » 

Richie merely shrugged beneath him, his hands travelling up Eddie’s back and moving around to rest over his chest.  They sat like that for a minute, still chuckling softly, just breathing each other’s warmth.  Eddie lifted his head and looked into Richie’s eyes, conveying his adoration through the gentleness of his expression.

His hands moved of their own accord, moving to cup Richie’s face, feeling Richie’s own adoration through his fingertips.  They both quieted and leaned in closer, breaths the only noise now shared between them.

‘I love you,’ the caresses of Eddie’s hands said, smoothing over Richie’s cheeks.

‘I love you,’ the tender slope of Richie’s mouth said, sighing contentedly into the silence between them.

« I love you, » Eddie said, voice barely higher than a whisper.

« I love you, » Richie said, lips barely brushing Eddie’s own.

‘I love you,’ they both said, through a soft meeting of lips and sharing of breath.

They kissed for what felt like hours.  One breathing out and the other in, sharing their souls through gentle kisses.  Finally, Eddie pulled away, burying his face in Richie’s chest and yawning.  Richie started laughing again.  « Aww, did I wear you out already, Eddie my love? »  He pulled Eddie in, cradling him against his chest.

Eddie shifted around until he was snuggled up against Richie comfortably.  « Yeah, sure, you’re quite the…, » He yawned again.  « Quite the casanova there Rich. »  

« All right, sounds like it’s bedtime for little Eddies everywhere. »  Richie shifted them both again, laying down amongst the sea of pillows.  

Eddie resisted closing his eyes, even though he desperately wanted to, the comfort of being with Richie drowning out the pressures that had so overwhelmed him mere hours ago.  « But it looks like you had a whole night planned- movies, snacks, comics.  I don’t want to ruin it. »  

« Nah, those were just an elaborate excuse to lure you in here.  I’m fucking exhausted, Eds.  Writing this new comedy special is kicking my ass, I could probably sleep for days wrapped in your arms. »  He batted his eyelashes jokingly at Eddie. 

Eddie gave him a half-hearted tap.  « You can be so weird sometimes, do you know that? »  

« I love you too, sweet cheeks. »

« Yeah, yeah, love you, » Eddie murmured into Richie’s chest as he closed his eyes.  « Love you forever and ever and ev.... »  He didn’t finish his thought as he slipped quickly into an easy sleep.  Richie smiled one last time for the night, burying his face into Eddie’s soft hair before drifting off himself.  

Both of them dreamed of nothing but happiness and each other, setting aside the past, content with the future laid out before them in each other’s arms.

[mamabearcat]

Into the Woods - Part Five

Hey! I’m having trouble blocking out my big ass fight scene - I want it to be awesome sauce, so I’m spending extra time on it. But, because the first half of the chapter is an entirely different pace, I thought I’d let you have that now. So, short chapter, but sooner! Thankyou so much for all the love this fic is getting - seriously, I’m so flattered and amazed. 

Also, a quick explanation - in this AU, I’ve decided youkai age the same as humans until they hit their peak physical strength at around thirty, and then their aging process slows down (makes more sense to me anyway - who would wanna be stuck in their awkward teen years for decades!) Inu’s in his mid twenties, a couple of years older than Kagome.

Tagging my two main cheerleaders for this @clearwillow and @keichanz and also @redflamesofpassion​ @xxracheyxx @mcornilliac@inuyashasnook @cstorm86 @xfangheartx @wenchster

Song inspiration for this one is The Last of the Real Ones - Fall Out Boy

I was just an only child of the universe And then I found you And then I found you You are the sun and I am just the planets Spinning around you Spinning around you You were too good to be true Gold plated But what's inside you But what's inside you I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you But not as much as I do As much as I do, yeah'

Cause you're the last of a dying breed Write our names in the wet concrete I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me I'm here in search of your glory There's been a million before me That ultra-kind of love You never walk away from You're just the last of the real ones

Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four

 Kagome couldn’t stop smiling as they walked away from the dojo and back down the darkened hallway. She was still scared, terrified even, of the confrontation still to come, but suddenly her whole existence made sense.

 She’d made sure to never reveal to her family and friends how utterly disconnected she’d felt from her life in Tokyo. No matter how hard she’d worked, how hard she’d studied, how hard she’d laughed to cover the existence of that small soft voice, she’d always felt that she didn’t fit. A weirdly square peg in a teeming city of smooth round holes. The discovery that she made sense here in this place was a little overwhelming, but in a good way.

 She tightened her fist around the grip of the bow; it was comforting feeling the roughness against her palm, the weight of the quiver on her shoulders. She had purpose. And discovering it had rather a lot to do with the gruff but good hearted hanyou walking beside her in the darkness. She gave the large calloused hand that was safely leading her through the gloomy hallway a grateful squeeze.

 A sudden thought occurred to her. “Hey Inuyasha?”

 “Yeah?”

 “You said before that you grew up knowing what you were destined for. How did you know exactly?” The gloom was lessening, she could just about see his silvery hair now, and she was relieved. She had always been a little afraid of the dark, and it helped to have something to focus on. She could see his pointed ears swivelling back towards the sound of her voice, and she pushed down a sudden urge to reach up and touch them, find out if they were as soft as she hoped they might be.

 “My father was a Guardian, so I grew up here in this house. There was no way of escapin’ it. And then when I was ten, I was chosen by the Tessaiga”, he said, reaching back with his free hand and fondly patting the axe handle near his shoulder. Light from the onsen was filtering down the hallway now, making it easier for her to watch her step, but in the shadows behind his back she saw a pulse of yellow light surrounding the axe, as if in response to his touch. “The Tessaiga originally belonged to the first youkai that battled alongside Midoriko, and it’s passed down to each new Guardian to wield after they’re chosen. Each generation pours more youki into it – it’s sentient to some extent; knows who the best match for it would be. And it chose me.”

 “Wow!” breathed Kagome. It was so fascinating to learn that outside her regular boring existence in Tokyo there was a place where something this magical continued. Especially now that she had found out that she had some part in it.

 “Was there some sort of ceremony when you found out?” she asked eagerly, moving up to walk beside him now that she could see better. She could just picture it; a crowd of Youkai children all reaching out to touch the axe with no response. Then Inuyasha laying a small clawed finger on the handle and emerging triumphant, holding the axe up over his head with those cute puppy ears standing up straight on his head, a proud beaming smile on his face. It made her happy to just think about it. She was surprised to hear his cheerless sigh.

 “Not exactly”, he shrugged, guiding her past the onsen and back into the main room. “About fifteen years ago, Ichiro and my father were asked to help at another shrine – the Guardian’s never usually leave the shrine unprotected, but a dragon youkai clan moved down from Tokyo causing trouble. The bastards thought they could run some sorta yakuza style drug smuggling operation outa the port in Fukuoka, and it would have been bad if it had escalated to include our area. My father and Ichiro didn’t want to take the risk of a physical attack on the shrine, in case it released Naraku. There ended up being a massive battle with several shrines involved. My father never came home.”

 “Oh, Inuyasha”, gasped Kagome, squeezing his hand gently, “I’m so sorry!”

 “Can’t change what happened. He was a great dad, and I missed him for a long while; still do, but I’ve learned to live with it”, he said, shrugging again. “Anyway, Ichiro made it home relatively unscathed; he’d managed to bring the Tessaiga with him. Said that a choice would have ta be made between me and my brother, seeing we were the only ones left from the original youkai blood line. Everyone was expectin’ Tessaiga to choose Sesshomaru, me included.”

 “Why?”

 He scratched the back of his head self-consciously. “Well, he’s the eldest – he’s nearly ten years older than me, and he’s full youkai. His mother is an inuyoukai, like my father, and comes from a very influential family in Kyoto with a lot of political clout in youkai society. My mother was human, just a local girl from the village, with no other family of her own. My father fell in love with her and after I was born, they got married. Sesshomaru and his mother had already moved back to Kyoto. They’d been divorced for a while before he met my mother.”

 Inuyasha stooped to tip a ladle of water over the fire pit, dousing the embers. The only light in the room came from several covered lanterns which hung from brackets in the wall at regular intervals, and the round full moon rising over the mountain, shining through the large window behind them. Inuyasha’s hair gleamed like polished silver in the moonlight, and Kagome noticed his amber eyes glowed, cat-like in the semi-darkness. She supposed that made sense, seeing he could see well in the dark.  

 “So Sesshomaru didn’t live here with you?” She put down her bow and quiver and picked up the empty teacups and saucers, placing them back on the black enamel tray with the teapot and tea caddy. She followed Inuyasha as he took the tray from her and carried it and the kettle over to a small sink with a hand pump.

 “Nope. Just me and my Dad”, he said, pumping water into the sink and adding the remainder of the hot water from the kettle and a small squirt of detergent. “Mama died when I was eight, from a fever.” He picked up a teacup almost reverently, stroking around the gold rim and over the hand painted image of dainty plum blossoms before he placed it in the hot water along with the other teacup and saucers, washing each carefully. 

Kagome swallowed a small noise - she realised with a pang of empathy that the tea set must have belonged to his mother. She had wondered earlier why such an obviously rough and ready outdoorsy type of male should possess such a thing, but now it was perfectly clear. Spying a dish towel on a hook, she took it down and dried each cup carefully after he’d washed them, placing them back on the enamel tray next to the ornate tea caddy. Smiling his thanks, he rinsed the teapot, and passed it to her for drying.

 “Sesshomaru only came back from Kyoto because Ichiro called him to let him know about Dad’s death. Both a them thought Tessaiga’s choice would be a formality - they were pretty pissed when it chose me.”

 “But why would my Great Uncle be mad if the sword chose you?” she wondered, placing the dry teapot on the tray. “I mean, you were obviously meant to be the Guardian?”

 “Uh…” Inuyasha paused, looking sideways at Kagome, who smiled in understanding and patted him on the arm.

 “You can say whatever you like about him. I only met him once, when I was much younger, and I didn’t like him, not at all.” Kagome hung the dish towel back on the hook and crossed her arms, glowering at the memory. “He came to my Father’s funeral, tried to get my Grandpa to turn me and my very pregnant mother out of my father’s house so it could be sold, seeing my father had left no will. Grandpa refused, and they yelled at each other. I think it caused some sort of rift between them, because Grandpa stayed in Tokyo to help look after us, even though he didn’t really like living in the city at all. And Mama told me when I was older that Papa had moved away from Takamori village because he didn’t like the way the Higurashi family controlled everything.” She startled at Inuyasha’s rumbling growl.

 “That explains a lot actually. He said he wanted to wait until he’d spoken to your grandfather before choosing a successor, but if they weren’t talkin’ to each other at all… keh! It sounds just like somethin’ he’d do. Whenever my Dad wasn’t around, he spoke to my mother like dirt. Misogynistic bastard.” He growled, pulling the plug to empty the sink. “He never liked me either. Didn’t let a day go by without lettin’ me know how Sesshomaru would a been a better choice. He didn’t like youkai much, but he liked half-breeds even less.”

 His eyes widened suddenly and he swung around abruptly, turning to face Kagome. “Wait, you said that he came to your father’s funeral?” Kagome nodded. “And you said that the first time Midoriko spoke to you was just before your father died?” Kagome nodded again, and Inuyasha’s sudden roar of anger made her jump.

 “Fucking bastard!” he yelled. “He would a known! He would a been able to tell that Midoriko had chosen you, and because he was a narrow-minded bigot, he chose to look the other way! You could have been here Kagome, all those years ago!” He paced the length of the room, snarling, clenching and unclenching his fists spasmodically. His voice deepened, his previous pleasant baritone gravel becoming harsh and rasping. “Always knew there was somethin’ wrong. I couldn’t trust him. We never worked well together; our spiritual energies never blended. And he always said it was cause I was a hanyou, that Tessaiga made a mistake. That I was a mistake.” He roared his anger towards the window where the shrine on the mountain was just visible in the light of the full moon. “YOU’RE LUCKY YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD ALREADY BASTARD, OR I’D TEAR YOU APART!”

 “Inuyasha?” said Kagome uncertainly. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up in response to the pure rage rolling off him as he paced around the room. She understood why he was so angry. She would be upset too if they didn’t have much bigger problems to handle at the moment. She had to try and help him calm down.

 “Inuyasha!” As he strode past her, she reached out her hand, tugging on his sleeve, and squeaked in surprise as he flicked his gaze toward her with a snarl, his teeth shutting with a loud snap. The sclera of his eyes was a deep ruby red, and jagged purple marks snaked across his cheeks. He looked savage and wild in his anger, ready to hurt anyone who opposed him.

 But instead of doing the obviously rational thing and running away, Kagome threw herself toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burrowing her face into his chest. She could feel the frantic pulse of his heartbeat and the vibration through his chest from his increasingly loud growls of anger. The axe on his back seemed to pulse too, a heavy dominating presence against her own, demanding that she submit and cower. His clawed fingers wrapped around her upper arms with bruising pressure, but she refused to pull away.

 “Inuyasha, it’s okay!” she shouted, tilting her face to the side, trying to be heard over his anger. “We found each other, and it’s all going to be okay. Please, I need you to calm down! I don’t know how to do this by myself!” The snarls grew less intense, and the pressure around her arms lessened. She felt Inuyasha’s head drop to hers, his cheek resting on her hair, heard him struggle to calm his breathing. She tried to squeeze her arms around him even tighter, rubbing her face against his chest, the buttons on his shirt hard against her cheek.

 “It’s okay”, she repeated softly. We’re together now. It’s okay.” The growling stopped altogether, and his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

 “Sorry”, he sighed heavily, still trying to calm his breathing. “Sorry you had to see me fly into a battle rage like that Kagome. That should only happen when we’re in mortal danger. I lost control a myself. ” He rubbed his cheek against her hair, and Kagome made a soothing sound. “Kagome”, he sighed wearily, his voice still a low and rasping. “It’s just, for the last fifteen years I was told that I wasn’t enough. I thought there was something wrong with me. And you said before you had felt the same way. And to find out it was because we were meant to connect and had been deliberately kept apart… I’m sorry Kagome.” His hands moved to rub up and down her upper arms gently. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

 Kagome looked up and shook her head, relieved to see the anger fading from his face. “There’s no need to apologise - I’m glad I could help. We’re meant to be a team, remember?”

 She reached up hesitantly to stroke feather light touches over the fading purple marks on his face, smiling a little as a blush flooded his cheeks to cover the jagged lines. “Inuyasha? I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but… before, there was this moment where I felt… like a link… a… a…” Her own cheeks flushed, and her expression twisted in frustration, groaning at her inability to put what she felt into words. She pulled her hand from his face to clutch at his shirt, hiding her face in his chest again.

 “I felt it too”, he said softly, resting his chin on the top of her head. “It was our souls accepting each other as a guardian pair. A bond formed – you accepted me as your protector, and I accepted you as the heir of Midoriko’s spiritual power. It don’t always happen like that Kagome.” A short rumbling growl vibrated against Kagome’s chest. “You only gotta look at how well me an Ichiro worked together to see that.” He swallowed; Kagome could feel the movement of his Adam’s apple near her forehead. “Part of my training was reading the shrine records. They said sometimes, a pair of guardians is reborn, wanting to find each other again. They said it only happens when it was a very strong pairing, a true friendship.”

 “A friendship?” repeated Kagome, unable to hide the slight tone of disappointment in her voice.

 “Sometimes friendship, sometimes… more”, breathed Inuyasha, the blush on his face intensifying.

 Kagome tipped back her head and beamed at him, her eyes lighting up, a blush still pinking her own cheeks. Then she looked at him seriously, standing up straighter and releasing him from her hug. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself away from him a little, creating some space between them. “But first, Naraku”, she said in a very serious voice.

 “Of course”, agreed Inuyasha, in the same serious tone. And they both walked over to the genkan, sitting down to put on their boots in a determined way, lacing them tightly, securing weapons, ready for the fight to come. But Kagome couldn’t help the small smiles and glances she continually sent his way. And she couldn’t stop her heart beating faster and the swooping feeling of pure joy she felt when he returned each little gaze with a beaming fanged grin.  

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Part Six