#hiking in the rain today with them was not fun

[queenbirbs]

hiked the channels yesterday ✌🏻

[myokk]

fast sketch of Sebastian and my mc, Eloise💓💓💓 I love them so much 🤧

Also!! You guys 😭😭 thank you so so so much for all the love, I can’t believe you like my sketches so much♥️♥️♥️🥰💓😘 I love reading all of your comments, hashtags, etc. it makes me smile so much so thank you !!💓

[musubi-sama]

Rainy Day Dropoff

How some of our favorite JJK men would handle a little downpour and getting your toddler off to daycare.

A/N: The bike in question is in the header image, a standard mamachari. The kid seat sits over the front forks, they're really easy to ride and control, especially if you have a battery-powered one. I love mine. I also deeply abhor morning drop-off when it's raining. Pickup is fun because puddles and playtime!

WC: 844

The morning drop-off, a routine you and your toddler have down to a science, a well-oiled machine. You leave the house at the same time every day, say “bye bye, papa!” and the two of you toddle over to your mamachari. It’s a nice ride through the neighborhood over to daycare. Peaceful, quiet, a lovely time to teach your child about what they see and listen to their adorable attempts to repeat your words.

But this morning, it’s pouring rain with no signs of stopping. You steel yourself for the wet trip there and back, knowing that despite a rain poncho, a hat, and hood, you always come back giving your best drenched cat impression.

Ah, but your dear husband has heard your grumbling and decided to handle the drop off today.

Nanami Kento - Kento wakes up first and sees the weather. Immediately, he adjusted his morning routine to get both him and your toddler out the door and into both daycare and work successfully and on time. He doesn’t often do drop-offs, but he knows how much you hate going out in the rain. Pulling out his waterproof hiking and rain boots, he sits by the door, and you watch little hands grab the tops of his boots as he tugs them on with exaggerated effort. You help both put their raincoats and helmets on (most adults eschew a helmet, but not your husband!) and see them out the door.

Kento quickly gets everyone situated on the bike under the parking space cover and sets off cautiously. Once at daycare, he sits your toddler on the spacious porch and runs back to zip up the rain cover on the bike seat, ensuring it stays dry for pickup in the afternoon. Luckily, your usually energetic toddler stays put under the overhang instead of bolting off. Dropoff is quick, everyone stays dry, and no accidental wet feet after taking off their boots and storing for the afternoon return trip.

Suguru Geto - Suguru checked the weather in advance and set his alarm slightly early to make sure he could get the bike moved over to a dry spot closer to the front door of the apartment building. Once everyone is out the door, he grabs an extra umbrella to provide extra coverage. Not a drop on either him nor your toddler as he gets them situated in their seat and the rain cover zipped down. He makes sure to draw a little flower in the fog forming on the plastic window. Hitting every puddle just to pull laughs from your toddler along the short journey.

Pulling out the extra umbrella at daycare, again a quick and dry transfer into the daycare. He repeats the routine at pickup and even brings a set of rain pants to let the little one splash around and remain dry before returning home.

Satoru Gojo - Satoru sees the rain and calls Ijichi to drive you and your toddler into daycare. On a normal, dry day he doesn’t mind you biking the kids in. Even though everyone else arrives by car, you insisted that you use your mamachari. It’s a gentle exercise, the view is stunning (especially in the spring while riding along the sakura-lined river), and the two of you strike up adorable conversations about what you each see. But in this weather, you easily relent and hop in the car.

Hiromi Higuruma - Your dear Hiromi has the best of intentions, both in boots, but oops the jacket is forgotten because it’s warm outside. The bike is parked under cover, sure, but there’s a hole in the roof drainage right next to the bike, exactly in the spot he needs to stand in to put your toddler in their seat. While the ride is quick, his poncho hood flies off his head immediately, the wind buffeting you both. And despite his best efforts, he hit a few puddles along the way. At least someone finds them fun.

Once he arrives, he quickly grabs the bag of clothes and daily supplies and reaches into the seat, picking up the almost-2-year-old. As soon as he places them standing on the ground he hears-

“Papa, shoe! Papa, shoe!”

“Shit, ah fuck, I mean, sorry!” failing to control his language knowing that that little toddler brain will absolutely pick up on those words and use it later. He looks down to see a little one-footed hop and a missing boot. Ah ha, it was in the bike seat. Quickly, but not fast enough, he manages to stuff the little, wet, foot back into the boot.

He picks up the bag and toddler and jogs over to the front patio at daycare. Shedding his poncho and punching in the door code, he sits your toddler down to take off boots and socks. And then he notices how wet the front of your toddler’s clothes is. Right, wet poncho. After handing them off to the staff, he just gives a lopsided smile as they look over the wet patches on the toddler, running to see their friends.

[padfootagain]

Only An Almost (VII)

Chapter 7: Tender Bitterness

Hello!! Here is another chapter! So much angst in this fic, I’m sorry (no, I’m not).

I hope you’ll like this chapter! Please, tell me what you think!

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

Pairing: Hozier x fem!reader, friends with benefits AU

Warning: No explicit smut or nsfw content, but there are sexual themes and heavy make-out sessions (it’s a friends with benefits AU, I can’t really escape it), so 18+ only!

Summary: Andrew has been in love with you for years, and yet he has never confessed his feelings. But a night out celebrating the engagement of his best friend changes everything. However, you don't seem ready to be with him just yet. You make him an offer that he can't refuse... but will certainly regret.

Word Count : 1759

Masterlist for the series – Hozier’s Masterlist – Main Masterlist

“Stop cheating!”

“I’m not cheating!”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m not!”

“You can’t use the same word twice.”

“Since when?”

“Since it’s in the rules.”

“You’re just a sore loser.”

“I’m not, you’re simply cheating!”

You gave him a toothy grin, the kind that made you absolutely adorable, that melted Andrew’s heart…

“It counts.”

“It doesn’t.”

You pouted, gave him your most adorable gaze…

God, you were so fucking annoying…

Andrew heaved a frustrated sigh, hiding his smile and reddening cheeks by grabbing the pen and paper set next to your game of scrabble and your cups of tea.

He counted in silence the points that belonged to you and wrote them down. When Andrew looked up again, you were grinning, clearly proud of yourself. You were so fucking annoying…

… he wanted to kiss that smirk off your face.

It was raining, you were both too lazy to go outside. You had eaten lunch with some friends, including Sam and Daphne who were being unbearably cute together, although the stress of the wedding was growing week after week. You were the one to offer Andrew to drop by to play some boardgame or just watch TV, or whatever. ‘Hang out’, that’s how you called it. You wanted to spend time with him. And Andrew hesitated at first, he thought you meant that you wanted to have sex. And it sounded crazy, knowing how he felt for you and how lovely you looked today and how he wanted to touch you right now… it sounded crazy to think that he didn’t want to have sex with you. And actually, he did want you. If you offered now, he would definitely say yes. But this conversation of yours during your hike was keeping him up at night. He didn’t know what to make of it.

You would never give him a proper chance, he knew that now. The only choice that remained was to enjoy having you by his side for as long as he could, or stop seeing you altogether. He wouldn’t be able to be your friend now. Not after losing all hope, not after learning what it felt like to be yours and for you to be almost his… he couldn’t do it.

So he tried to put more distance between the two of you this past week. It didn’t really work, for the friends part of your relationship. But the ‘benefits’ were down to zero. Andrew wasn’t sure whether he felt good or bad about it.

“Thanks, Andy!”

He mumbled some incoherent answer, playing off annoyance, when the words had simply remained stuck in his throat as you beamed up at him.

Yeah, he wasn’t doing too well…

You both grew quiet as Andrew was thinking, staring at the letters displayed before him. He was losing, by a lot, but then again, his head was everywhere but on the game at hand. It was fun though, you were fun.

He laughed at another stupid joke you said, and forgot the word he had thought of to play. You were laughing as well, and he bathed in the warmth of your smile, in your witty remarks, in how much fun he was having. For a moment, the weight of your relationship was lifted from his heart and shoulders. After all, you could have shared such a moment being friends, or even in a relationship. You could have laughed with him like this too, if you loved him…

“And that is how I will die of boredom… you’re no craic!” you complained, pouting dramatically to make him laugh.

And you easily succeeded, he giggled and it made him blush, the way his heart skipped a beat at how adorable you looked.

“If you stopped talking, maybe I’d be faster.”

“Are you blaming me for your lack of vocabulary?”

“Sorry, who writes lyrics here?”

“Sorry, Mr. Poet. I know your art demands patience and devotion.”

“Exactly, so please, be quiet from now on. I must summon the Muses.”

“If I shove the letters into your mouth, will that help, Virgil?”

“So violent…”

He was struggling not to laugh too loudly all the same.

“Feed the board. It demands your offering.”

“You’re fucking mad.”

“Says you!”

“Says me… here you go.”

He placed a word on the board, nothing too fancy, nothing that would allow him to win. You glanced over at the letters he had left and frowned.

“You could win more points if you moved your word and used the plural.”

“Really? I didn’t see it. Too late now.”

But you picked up the letter, moved his word around.

“Isn’t that cheating?” he chuckled.

“I’m just helping. You’re not focused today.”

Your voice was infinitely gentle as you spoke, there was worry tainting your tone. Andrew looked up at you with a questioning frown.

“I just… you look… you seem a little off these days, Andy,” you went on, clearly cautious in the words you chose. “Is everything okay?”

He struggled to swallow.

“’Course. I’m fine.”

“You know you can talk to me if something’s wrong, right?”

But Andrew shook his head, offering you a reassuring smile.

“I’m perfectly fine. There is no need for you to worry.”

The look you gave him pierced his heart. You looked at him like you… like you were hurting with him. How ironic, considering that you were the reason his body and soul were aching now…

“I’m worried about you. I hate seeing you sad.”

He let out a bitter scoff, he couldn’t help it.

“Like you care,” he spat with more venom in his tone than he meant to let out.

You looked at him with wide eyes, blinking in surprise.

“Of course, I care… why would you say that?”

“You…”

He heaved a frustrated sigh.

“Never mind,” he mumbled under his breath.

“What’s wrong with you? We’ve been friends for years, you’re… you’re one of the most important people in my life… how could you say that? God, we… we’ve slept together. And you think I don’t care?”

His jaw clenched, he struggled to blink tears away. He took in a deep breath.

“I… I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m a little lost. In my life, I mean. In… in everything… I don’t know what to do.”

You silently invited him to keep going. The rain was louder outside, the sky so dark you could have turned on the lights.

“I… I don’t know… I have a decision to take, and I don’t know what to do.”

“You don’t want to tell me the specifics?”

“No… honestly, no, I don’t want to.”

“Okay. Well… what would make you happier? I reckon that’s all you need to ask yourself.”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’m gonna be on the losing side no matter what.”

Slowly, you nodded, but your frown was enough to tell him that you had no clue what he was talking about. You pondered his words for a moment.

“Y/N… I don’t think you can help anyway. I just have to figure this out on my own. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m fine. I’m simply worried about something, that’s all.”

Slowly, you nodded, although you seemed unconvinced.

“Can I do something to make you feel better?”

You opened your arms for him.

“A hug?”

He chuckled fondly at you. Even if he tried to be mad at you, he simply couldn’t. You were too sweet for that…

“Sure, come here.”

You yielded easily, standing up to hug him. Sitting in his chair you were a little taller than him, for once. He breathed deeply your scent as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. He felt his bones melting under your touch as you stroked his hair, a palm splayed reassuringly across his spine, as if to support his frame. You kissed his forehead, and he almost cried with the tenderness of your gesture.

He held you tightly, more so than he should have, but you didn’t seem to mind, accepting the way he clung unto you.

“What if I ordered some pizza and we watched some disgustingly sweet movie together tonight?”

He hummed in approval.

“Sounds nice,” he answered in a sigh.

“If you’re nice to me, I’ll let you have some of my favourite whiskey.”

“When am I ever not nice to you?”

“When you try to prevent me from cheating at scrabble?”

“It’s called being a law-abiding citizen. You should try sometimes.”

“Huh, huh…. No thanks. I’d rather remain a rascal.”

He chuckled into your neck, sending vibrations through your skin, and he noticed the way it made you shiver.

God, if you held him like that, if you reacted this way to him… it ought to mean something… despite his job and the odds, perhaps one day you would…

He looked up at you when you gently pulled on his hair to guide him away from your neck. He thought you wanted to break free from the hug, and he almost protested, but then both of your hands were gently cradling his face, your thumbs brushing his bearded cheeks. Before he could realize what you were doing, you were pressing your lips to his, in the gentlest, most tender kiss he had ever been given. It was loving. He was shocked by the intimacy of it, how much care and love you were putting into the gesture. Andrew couldn’t remember ever being kissed so lovingly…

When you pulled away, he had to blink a few times to force his brain back into action.

And you looked down at him with so much fondness in your smile, as if you felt the same adoration that coursed through every fibre of his being every time he looked at you, every time he as much as thought of you.

And what if he could change your mind?

None of you said anything. Andrew buried his face into your neck again, held you tight, and you welcomed him in your embrace with a pressing of your lips to his hairline. Not a kiss, just a resting of your lips onto his skin. You inhaled deeply enough for him to hear it, to think that perhaps you were committing his scent to memory too, the same he did with yours. And all the while, there was nothing sexual in your gestures. Only comfort and kindness and maybe even love, Andrew was foolish enough to think of the word.

There was no way you could have held him like this, and not feel a thing… right?

[jaefluenza]

Mountain High | Jjh.

genre: adventure, fluff

characters: jeong jaehyun x reader, jungwoo, taeyong, mark, winter, giselle

3,890 words

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🍃˚.⛰️⋆☁️

The sky above the mountain was a deep, clear blue when two hiking groups set out on their journey. The sun beamed down on the verdant trails, promising a day filled with adventure. Little did they know, the mountain had other plans.

Jaehyun, Taeyong, Jungwoo, and Mark were the epitome of camaraderie as they led the charge up the trail. These four were seasoned hikers, their banter and laughter ringing out like a steady drumbeat as they navigated the rough terrain.

Not far behind them was you, Giselle, and Winter. The three of you were no strangers to adventure, having tackled trails from the rugged to the serene. But today, something felt different—there was an edge to the air that none of you could quite place.

“We should catch up with the boys,” Winter suggested, glancing back at you and Giselle as you paused at a scenic overlook. “It’ll be fun to hike together, don’t you think?”

Giselle smiled mischievously, “Or maybe we just want to hear more of their ridiculous stories. Mark’s got a new one about Taeyong and a goat, apparently.”

You chuckled, rolling your eyes. “I’m sure that’s exactly what we need on this hike. Besides, I think they’re trying to outpace us.”

The three of you pushed on, determined to close the gap. The trail wound through dense forests, each step a rhythm in the heartbeat of the mountain. The air was crisp, the scent of pine mingling with the earthy aroma of the soil beneath your boots. But as you climbed higher, the trees thickened, and the sky became less visible through the canopy.

Unbeknownst to any of you, dark clouds were gathering in the distance.

Jaehyun slowed his pace, allowing the others to walk ahead. Something about the shifting wind didn’t sit right with him. He paused, scanning the horizon, noticing the ominous clouds creeping over the peaks.

Taeyong caught Jaehyun’s gaze. “What’s up, man? You see something?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun replied, his brow furrowing. “Weather looks like it’s about to turn. We should be careful.”

Mark, ever the optimist, laughed. “It’s just a few clouds. We’ve handled worse.”

Jungwoo shrugged, but Jaehyun’s unease lingered. The group continued on, their conversation growing quieter as the sky began to darken.

By the time your group caught up with them, the first rumbles of thunder echoed through the mountains. You could feel the change in the air, a tension building with every step. The lighthearted atmosphere from earlier was replaced by a collective sense of unease.

“Looks like we’re in for a storm,” you remarked, drawing closer to Jaehyun. His expression was serious, his eyes fixed on the clouds that now dominated the sky.

“Yeah,” he nodded, his voice steady. “We should think about finding some shelter soon, just in case it gets bad.”

Winter glanced around nervously. “Do you think we’ll make it back down before it hits?”

Giselle looked up at the sky, biting her lip. “Maybe, but it’s a long way back. We could be caught in the middle of it.”

Just then, a sudden gust of wind whipped through the trees, sending a shiver down your spine. The storm was coming fast, too fast. The six of you exchanged glances, silently agreeing that the best course of action was to keep moving, but at a quicker pace.

As you continued up the mountain, the storm descended. What began as a drizzle quickly turned into a downpour, the rain relentless as it soaked through your clothes. The wind howled through the trees, making it hard to hear anything but the storm’s fury.

It wasn’t long before the trail became treacherous, the ground turning into a slick, muddy mess. The once steady rhythm of your steps faltered as each of you struggled to keep your footing. And then, as if to emphasize the mountain’s power, a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky, followed by a deafening boom of thunder.

Panic set in as the realization hit: you were all in serious danger. The storm was far worse than anyone had anticipated, and the trail was quickly becoming impassable.

“We need to find cover!” Jaehyun shouted over the wind, his voice barely audible. “We can’t stay out in this!”

The group scrambled to find shelter, eyes darting through the rain-slicked trees. But in the chaos, it was hard to stay together. The rain obscured your vision, the storm disorienting, and in the confusion, you were separated from the others.

You looked around frantically, trying to locate your friends, but the storm was too strong. The rain pounded down, the wind whipping your hair into your face. You couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of you.

Then, out of the corner of your eye, you saw a figure moving through the trees. You called out, and when they turned toward you, you recognized Jaehyun. Relief washed over you as he made his way toward you, his expression mirroring your own concern.

“We got separated from the others,” he shouted over the storm. “We need to find some kind of shelter until this passes!”

You nodded, trusting him to lead the way. The two of you pushed forward through the storm, your hearts pounding in your chests as you searched for anything that could provide some cover. The storm was relentless, the wind so strong it felt like it could knock you off your feet at any moment.

After what felt like an eternity, Jaehyun spotted a small cave nestled into the side of the mountain. He grabbed your hand, pulling you toward it. You stumbled inside, grateful for the temporary respite from the storm.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🍃˚.⛰️⋆☁️

The cave was small, but it was dry, and that was all that mattered. You collapsed against the wall, catching your breath as Jaehyun crouched beside you, his gaze still wary.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice softer now that you were out of the storm.

You nodded, though your heart was still racing. “Yeah… I’m okay. Just… I didn’t expect it to get this bad.”

“Neither did I,” he admitted, running a hand through his wet hair. “But we’ll be okay here for now. We just need to wait it out.”

The storm raged outside, the wind howling like a wild beast. You could hear the rain hammering against the rocks, the occasional rumble of thunder echoing through the cave. But in here, it was almost peaceful—safe, even.

As the adrenaline from the escape began to fade, you became more aware of your surroundings. The cave was dark, the only light coming from the occasional flash of lightning outside. You could feel the chill seeping into your bones, your wet clothes clinging to your skin.

Jaehyun noticed your shivering and immediately shrugged off his jacket, offering it to you. “Here, take this. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

You hesitated for a moment, but the cold was too much to bear. “Thanks,” you murmured, accepting the jacket and wrapping it around yourself. It was warm, carrying the faint scent of pine and something distinctly Jaehyun. It helped, but the cold wasn’t the only thing making you shiver.

There was a tension between the two of you now, a silent understanding that you were alone together, isolated from the rest of the world by the storm. The cave, small as it was, felt intimate, and you couldn’t ignore the way your heart skipped a beat when Jaehyun’s gaze lingered on you a little too long.

To break the silence, you forced a smile. “Well, this is one way to make a hike memorable.”

Jaehyun chuckled, his smile easing some of the tension. “Yeah, not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up for this, but I guess we’re getting the full experience.”

“Surviving in the wilderness with just our wits and whatever we can scrounge up?” you teased. “I feel like we’re in one of those survival reality shows.”

Jaehyun grinned, his dimples appearing. “Except without the camera crew. We’re on our own here.”

The storm raged on, but the conversation brought a sense of normalcy to the situation. Jaehyun’s presence was comforting, his calm demeanor grounding you. Even as the wind howled and the rain pelted the cave entrance, you felt a little less afraid knowing he was there with you.

After a while, the conversation died down, and the two of you sat in companionable silence, listening to the storm outside. Your mind began to wander, thoughts drifting back to the rest of your group. You couldn’t help but worry about them, hoping they had found shelter as well.

Jaehyun seemed to sense your concern. “They’ll be okay,” he said softly, as if reading your thoughts. “Taeyong, Jungwoo, Mark… they’re all experienced. And your friends are tough too.”

You nodded, but the worry lingered. “I know. It’s just… this storm came out of nowhere. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Me neither,” he agreed, his voice thoughtful. “But storms like this can blow over quickly. Hopefully, it’ll be gone by morning, and we can find the others.”

His optimism was infectious, and you found yourself hoping he was right. For now, though, there was nothing to do but wait.

As the storm continued its relentless assault outside, you and Jaehyun both realized that spending the night in the cave was inevitable. The temperature was dropping, and the cold, damp air was beginning to gnaw at your bones.

Jaehyun, always practical, decided it was time to do something about it. He reached for his backpack, which had somehow remained mostly dry, and began rummaging through it.

“Let’s get a fire going,” he said, his tone determined. “We’ll need it to stay warm through the night.”

You nodded in agreement, though you weren’t sure how he planned to start a fire in such conditions. The rain had soaked everything, and it seemed impossible to find anything dry enough to use as kindling.

But Jaehyun seemed undeterred. He pulled out a compact, waterproof case from his bag and opened it to reveal an array of survival tools. There was a small hatchet, a flint striker, and even a few packets of tinder.

“Wow,” you remarked, impressed. “You came prepared.”

Jaehyun chuckled, glancing up at you with a grin. “I’ve done a few hikes like this before. It pays to be ready for anything.”

As he began to arrange a small pile of tinder and sticks, you knelt down beside him, eager to help. “What can I do?”

“Here,” he handed you the flint striker, showing you how to use it. “Try getting a spark going while I find some more dry wood.”

You took the striker, feeling the cool metal in your hand, and began striking it against the flint. It took a few tries, but eventually, a spark caught on the tinder, and you blew on it gently, encouraging the small flame.

Jaehyun returned with more wood, which he carefully placed around the growing fire. The flames crackled to life, filling the cave with warmth and a soft, flickering light. You both sat back, watching as the fire grew stronger, casting long shadows on the cave walls.

“Not bad,” Jaehyun complimented, smiling at you. “You’re a natural.”

You smiled back, feeling a sense of accomplishment. “I’ve always been good at following instructions.”

The warmth from the fire was a welcome relief, and you could already feel the chill fading from your bones. You both moved closer to the fire, sitting side by side as the flames danced between you.

For a while, the two of you sat in comfortable silence, the fire providing a sense of security in the midst of the storm. The flames flickered, casting a warm glow on Jaehyun’s face, highlighting the thoughtful expression in his eyes. There was something different about this moment—something that felt more personal, more intimate.

You shifted slightly, feeling the need to break the silence. “You know, I’ve been thinking about our first year in college together. Remember that time we both got detention?”

Jaehyun chuckled, the sound rich and warm. “How could I forget? We were both late to Professor Kim’s class.”

You laughed, the memory bringing a smile to your face. “Yeah, we thought we could sneak in without anyone noticing. But then the door creaked, and everyone turned to stare at us. I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.”

Jaehyun shook his head, still smiling. “And then Professor Kim decided to make an example of us. Detention for both of us—right after class. I remember you were so mad.”

“I was,” you admitted, shaking your head at the memory. “But it turned out to be one of the best detentions ever. We spent the whole hour just talking about random stuff. I learned so much about you that day.”

“Like what?” Jaehyun asked, his tone playful, but there was a genuine curiosity in his eyes.

“Like how you can’t stand the sound of people chewing with their mouths open,” you teased, earning a laugh from him. “Or how you have a secret talent for drawing, even though you never show your sketches to anyone.”

Jaehyun smiled, his gaze softening as he looked at you. “And I learned that you’re a night owl who survives on coffee and late-night study sessions. And that you’re one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met.”

You pretended to be offended, but the warmth in his voice made it impossible not to smile. “Hey, stubbornness can be a good thing. It’s what gets me through those tough classes.”

“It’s one of the things I like about you,” Jaehyun said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone.

Your breath caught in your throat at his words. The fire crackled between you, but the atmosphere had shifted, the lighthearted conversation giving way to something deeper.

“Jaehyun…” you began, but he cut you off, his gaze intense.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “I’ve liked you for a while now. I just… I never found the right moment to say it.”

His confession hung in the air, the weight of it making your heart race. You had always sensed there was something more between you two, but hearing him say it out loud made it real—tangible.

“I slowed down my pace earlier on the trail,” he continued, his eyes never leaving yours. “I wanted to be near you, to make sure you were okay. I kept an eye on you and the girls because I care about you. And when the storm hit… all I could think about was finding you.”

The vulnerability in his voice, the honesty in his words, made your heart ache in the best possible way. You reached out, your hand finding his in the flickering firelight.

You could feel Jaehyun’s gaze on you, his eyes warm and intense as they traced your features. The way he looked at you made your heart race, and despite the warmth of the fire, you felt a different kind of heat rising within you.

“Jaehyun,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire.

He leaned closer, his breath warm against your skin. “Yeah?”

For a moment, you hesitated, your heart pounding in your chest. But the look in his eyes, the way he was so close you could feel the heat radiating from him, made you brave.

You reached up and gently placed your hand on the side of his face, feeling the warmth of his skin under your fingertips. You could see his breath hitch, his gaze flickering down to your lips. The tension between you was palpable now, a magnetic pull drawing you closer together.

“Can I…?” you began, but Jaehyun didn’t let you finish.

He closed the distance between you, his lips meeting yours in a soft, tentative kiss. It was gentle at first, a question in the way he kissed you, as if he was giving you a chance to pull away if this wasn’t what you wanted. But when you responded, pressing back into the kiss with equal tenderness, it was like a dam broke.

Jaehyun’s hand came up to cup the back of your head, his fingers threading through your hair as he deepened the kiss. His lips were warm and soft, moving against yours with a sweetness that made your heart swell. The world outside ceased to exist; there was only the two of you, the warmth of the fire, and the feeling of Jaehyun’s lips on yours.

The kiss was slow, unhurried, filled with the emotions that had been building up between you for so long. You could feel everything he was trying to say in the way he kissed you—the longing, the care, the affection that he hadn’t been able to put into words until now.

When you finally broke apart, both of you were breathing heavily, your foreheads resting against each other’s as you tried to catch your breath. You could see the way Jaehyun’s chest rose and fell rapidly, the same way yours did, and the sight made you smile.

“Wow,” you whispered, your voice still a little breathless.

Jaehyun chuckled softly, his thumb brushing over your cheek in a tender gesture. “Yeah… wow.”

For a moment, you just looked at each other, the firelight reflecting in his eyes, making them look even warmer than usual. His smile was soft, his dimples appearing as he looked at you with an expression that made your heart flutter.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” Jaehyun admitted, his voice low and filled with emotion. “But I never knew if you felt the same way.”

You smiled, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I did… I do. I’ve liked you for so long, Jaehyun. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

He sighed softly, pulling you closer so that you were nestled against his chest. “I guess we were both too afraid to say anything. But I’m glad we finally did.”

You nodded, feeling the steady beat of his heart under your ear. It was comforting, grounding you in the reality of the moment. This was real—Jaehyun’s feelings, your own, the warmth of his arms around you. It was all real, and it made you feel like you were exactly where you were meant to be.

For a while, you stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, the warmth of the fire and the intimacy of the moment making everything else fade away. The storm outside was still fierce, but inside the cave, with Jaehyun by your side, it felt like nothing could touch you.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🍃˚.⛰️⋆☁️

The next morning, the storm had finally passed, leaving the forest drenched and glistening under the pale morning sun. The air was crisp and fresh, the sky a clear, brilliant blue that felt like a promise of better things to come. The birds were singing again, and the world seemed to have come back to life after the chaos of the previous night.

You and Jaehyun had slept in short shifts, keeping the fire going and listening for any signs of the storm easing. As dawn broke, you both packed up what little you had taken out, dousing the remnants of the fire with water from Jaehyun’s canteen.

Despite the trials of the night, you felt lighter, a warm glow in your chest from everything that had happened between you and Jaehyun. There was a new kind of closeness now, a bond forged in the heart of the storm and sealed with the gentle kisses you had shared.

“Ready to head back?” Jaehyun asked, shouldering his backpack and giving you a reassuring smile.

You nodded, smiling back. “Ready. Let’s go find the others.”

The hike back to the base camp was much easier now that the storm had passed. The trail was muddy, and the ground was slick in places, but with Jaehyun by your side, it felt like a walk in the park. You both moved quickly, eager to reunite with your friends and let them know you were safe.

It didn’t take long before you started seeing signs of other hikers—muddy footprints, a few discarded wrappers, and the sound of distant voices.

“Over here!” a voice called, and you turned to see Winter waving frantically from the edge of the camp. Giselle and the boys—Taeyong, Jungwoo, and Mark—were with her, all of them looking a little worse for wear but otherwise unharmed.

“There you are!” Giselle shouted, rushing over to pull you into a tight hug. “We were so worried when we got separated!”

“We’re okay,” you reassured her, hugging her back just as tightly. “Jaehyun found me, and we took shelter in a cave. What about you guys?”

“Once the storm hit, we all hunkered down in our tents,” Taeyong explained, walking over with a relieved grin. “We stayed put until morning. But when we realized you and Jaehyun weren’t with us, we started to worry.”

Mark smirked, glancing between you and Jaehyun. “Looks like you two had quite the adventure.”

You felt a blush creep up your cheeks, but before you could respond, Winter’s eyes widened as she seemed to piece something together. “Wait a minute—are you two…?”

Jaehyun, ever composed, wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close with a grin. “Yeah, we’re together now.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the camp erupted into cheers and laughter. Jungwoo clapped Jaehyun on the back, a wide grin on his face. “About time, man! We’ve all been waiting for this to happen.”

Giselle’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she nudged you. “So, a stormy night in a cave, huh? Sounds like the perfect setup for romance.”

You laughed, shaking your head at her teasing. “It was… unexpected, but it brought us closer. We finally admitted how we feel about each other.”

“And now they’re officially a couple!” Winter cheered, clapping her hands in excitement. “This trip really was a success in more ways than one.”

Taeyong, always the leader, stepped forward with a proud smile. “Well, I’d say this hiking trip turned out to be quite the matchmaking adventure. Who knew a storm could bring two people together like this?”

Mark grinned, slinging an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders. “Maybe next time we should plan for a storm on purpose. Might help more of us find our soulmates.”

The group burst into laughter at Mark’s suggestion, the mood light and celebratory. It was clear that everyone was relieved to be back together and safe, and the fact that you and Jaehyun had finally confessed to each other was the icing on the cake.

As the group gathered their gear and prepared to head back home, Mark couldn’t resist one last comment. “So, how are we going to top this on our next trip? It’s going to be hard to beat a stormy night romance.”

Jaehyun chuckled, squeezing your hand. “I think we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But no matter what, I’m just glad we’re all safe and that I got to be with someone special.”

You smiled up at him, feeling a warmth spread through your chest. “Me too. This was definitely a trip to remember.”

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🍃˚.⛰️⋆☁️

fin

jaefluenza; navigation

[terramythos]

FFXIV-tober Days 22-24 (Glamours) (aka an excuse to figure out gpose)

22 is a certified BANGER. to me

anyway the post is a little late today so i'll reblog it tomorrow morning too ^^

Day 22 - Color Palette (Swap)

i was a little stumped on this one but thank you @flame-of-tar-valon for inspiring me! since reapers are tied to the void i thought a sin eater/lightwarden take would be fun, especially since i already had the potd scythe laying around. since sin eaters are feral i incorporated talons and claws to contrast the more traditional angelic look. white and gold is definitely not a go-to combo for me so it was a challenge making something that didn't look like a white mage knockoff.

i LOVE how this turned out, i'll probably keep the glam in rotation to be completely honest lol. it's a shame you can't use fashion accessories in instances or i would have gotten some shots in Mt. Gulg or the Innocence trial arena.

Day 23 - Hike

got caught in the rain mid-hike, but our bunny always comes prepared!

this area of DT is so pretty, i knew pretty much instantly i wanted to do this prompt here

Day 24 - Childhood

not like canon or in character or anything but i wanted to capture a picture some kid's parents might take of them playing... promptly vandalized decorated by the kid in question.

i am a little embarrassed i didn't know there were stickers in gpose for the prompt literally called Sticker LMFAO

[putschki1969]

2024/11/11 Blog post by Wakana おしゃべりガーデン第15回目‼️〜みんなの素敵な旅のお話と、Wakanaと母が行く！日光の旅のお話その①〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Talk Garden Vol.15‼️~Everyone’s Amazing Autumn Trip Stories! Join Wakana and her Mum on a Nikko Trip ①~

Here's a photo of the "Salted Salmon Set Meal" that I talked about in my podcast🐟 It was delicious...😍 Well, speaking of which, Vol. 15 of my podcast "Wakana's Talk Garden" has been uploaded today. This time, I asked about places you want to go this autumn😊 Just reading everyone's travel stories made me feel better~🤤 Going to an unknown place away from your everyday life is a little nerve-wracking but the fun outweighs all that! ! Because we're trying to make the most of every moment, it's sad when the trip comes to an end, you just don't want to go home...😿I always struggle with that particular feeling of sadness. I always end up thinking that I want to start my journey all over again..."😂 But it's the same as when I'm on my way home from hanging out with friends or when I'm alone after meeting my family. To feel a bit better, I try to remember the great time I just had. I'll cherish those memories and come back to them whenever I feel down. In that sense, adding many fun memories is very important for your life😊 It's very nice to be able to increase the number of happy things you experience♪ Thank you so much for all the messages!! ＼(^o^)／

The next podcast will be posted on December 10th which is my birthday, so the talk theme is 【Everyone's recommended ways to spend your birthday】 !! 🎂🎁🎉＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Please tell me about your birthday routine, things you do every year, things you eat, places you go, and other favourite ways to spend your special day!! Please tell me what you would want me to eat, and do〜😆 The deadline is November 30th! I'll be waiting for your submissions~🤗

Well, the main reason I chose the talk theme for this time's podcast is because I went on a trip to Nikko with my mother. I would like to post some photos from my Nikko trip in this blog post📸 The title is "Join Wakana and her Mun on a Trip to Nikko"! This post will cover just the first day of our trip. We arrived in the light rain at Nikko Toshogu Shrine＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ (These kanji were apparently written by Eiichi Shibusawa) And it seems that we had hiked to an altitude at approximately the same height as Tokyo Skytree without even realising it. I felt dizzy~（；゜０゜）

The entrance. Wahhh~! Here!! Here it is! I got to sing here! (at the Kalafina World Heritage Live) It's a view from above. Here we have the five-story pagoda. On the left side as you enter, there is the famous see-no-evil, hear-no-evil monkey♪ And some elephants🐘 It was raining heavily at that time. This is Yomeimon Gate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So impressive...😭✨ A beautiful and majestic appearance. The epitome of gorgeousness... Next up is the sleeping cat😻 A close-up...!! Going past the sleeping cat, you will continue on to the approach the inner shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu's grave is located. A steep staircase!! (I was impressed by the magnificent cedar trees!!) There were also guardian lion dogs. The atmosphere reminded me a lot of Spirited Away. I bought a souvenir, a cedar keychain made of wish-granting cedar (^-^) It's so cute, like a Christmas tree 🎄 For lunch, we had the "Yuba Soba" before going to Nikko Toshogu Shrine 🍜 The yuba was juicy and delicious 😻 And some beer ♡ Well, these were the photos from Day 1 of our Nikko Toshogu Shrine trip 📸

I'll write another blog post about our adventures on Lake Chuzenji ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Please be patient a little while longer 😊

All right, that's all for today! Until next time~ ☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

Wakana’s Talk Garden #15

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Episode #15 »»—— CLICK ME 🎁 CLICK ME ——«« ・Everyone’s Ideal Autumn Trip ・Anything you’d like to ask Wakana/Anything you’d like Wakana to talk about

For next month’s episode which is scheduled to air on December 10th, the following two topics have been chosen: ・Everyone's Recommended Ways to Spend your Birthday ・Anything you’d like to ask Wakana/Anything you’d like Wakana to talk about

The submission deadline is 11/30.

[xxsksxxx]

Almost Heaven

Summary:

Mulder’s attempt to find more exciting cases to investigate while stuck in the bullpen turns into another weekend trip to the forest.

Meanwhile, Scully is faced with a tempting offer that could change both her future and their lives.

This story is complete, and I’m going to post one chapter a day.

AO3 | Back to the Beginning | @today-in-fic

Chapter 4: Life is Old There, Older Than the Trees

Falls State Park, West Virginia Saturday, November 28th, 1998, 12:17 pm

Scully was done. Absolutely done. They’d been traipsing through the West Virginia woods in the rain for hours. Mr. Murphy, an older gentleman, had taken them to a remote clearing in what felt like the middle of the forest, pointing at a tree stump with excitement. Scully hadn’t been sure what she was supposed to see, but Mulder took it as an invitation to inspect the piece of wood thoroughly.

After that, they’d followed a trail deeper into the woods while Mr. Murphy had pointed out that he wasn’t really all that interested in meeting the famous West Virginia Mothman and had sensibly turned back.

So now the day was creeping by slowly, and Scully pulled her jacket closer around herself. Just dead ends everywhere, as far as she could tell. It was freezing cold in the forest, even though it had stopped raining before they’d set off to meet with Mulder’s source.

She was following Mulder—as always—feeling the heels of her leather shoes sink into the wet dirt. She scowled. If she had known that this would turn into a hike, she’d have chosen more appropriate footwear. But Mulder had been his mysterious self and kept that—among other important details—to himself. Of course, he was wearing his Land Rovers, she noticed with disdain. Probably water-resistant as well. She scowled. And now he was already way ahead, following his Mothman trail with long strides she just couldn’t keep up with.

“Mulder!” she called after him, and he raised his hand in acknowledgment, waving her forward without turning around.

It was a shitty day already, and the day wasn’t even halfway over. She shoved a tree branch away from her face and ducked around a hole in the muddy path. This was not what she had imagined when he’d called her last night.

You thought this would be just an excuse for looking into an intriguing, albeit harmless mystery, and then you’d get to spend time together, walking around, relaxing, and having fun, her inner voice chimed in once again. Scully brushed a strand of wet hair inside the hood of her jacket and ignored her thoughts. She gritted her teeth and accelerated her steps, trying to catch up with Mulder instead.

“Mulder! Wait!” With a weary exhalation, she watched as Mulder disappeared behind some bushes in front of her, only to hear him shout out excitedly. “Scully! Scully, come here! I found something! You have to see this.”

She wasn’t sure she even wanted to see what Mulder had found but determinedly lengthened her steps in his direction.

“Scully? Scully, where are you?” Mulder called out impatiently, his voice slightly higher than usual because of his excitement.

“I’m on my way, Mulder!” she called back, exasperated.

Scully stepped around the bushes Mulder had disappeared behind earlier and stopped. Her partner was kneeling in the mud, excitedly inspecting a brown, mushy lump lying in front of him. Yes, I definitely don’t want to see what Mulder has found. With another sigh, she joined him in front of the Mothmen droppings—or whatever Mulder thought it was—and bent closer to get a better look.

2:47 pm

They were walking in circles; Scully was sure of it. That tree with the bent branch going down into the ground instead of up? I’ve passed that one at least three times in the last hour, Scully thought grimly.

She turned her head to see whether Mulder had also come to this conclusion, but he seemed undeterred, happily looking around, trying to find further clues that the famous Virginia Mothman had been here as well. She watched as he scratched the back of his head, and hoped, he wasn’t thinking of any more surprises they could explore.

All her earlier excitement had left at this point, and what she had found charming only a few hours ago was a Mulder trait she couldn’t care less about right now. “Mulder, don’t you think that tree looks familiar?” she asked, pointing at the gnarled branch with her right hand while stretching her back out at the same time. This little adventure is going to cause me sore muscles all over my body—and not the good kind of sore, she thought grumpily.

He turned to her in surprise and looked at where she was pointing. “You think?” He contemplated the tree for a moment before turning to the left and starting walking again. “You’re probably right, Scully. Let’s try this direction, then. I can feel we’re close.”

“The only thing I’m feeling is the blisters on my feet. Come on, Mulder. There is no Mothman. Mr. Murphy probably saw a flying squirrel or a bat or something.” She stepped around another tree stump and tried not to twist her ankle in the soft piles of leaves surrounding it.

Mulder didn’t respond, his attention already back on his surroundings, eagerly walking towards more scrub to their left.

Scully shook her head and followed, her feet aching and her clammy jacket itching uncomfortably.

4:11 pm

The light was getting dimmer by the minute, and Scully looked up in the direction where the sun should be above the cloud cover. She was trying to judge how much longer they’d have before it would start to set behind the trees. Scully could already feel the temperature dropping even further. It was close to freezing now, and she shivered in her jacket, not appropriate for hiking in a late-fall forest in West Virginia. Once again, she cursed Mulder for not giving her clearer information of where they were going. But she couldn’t help but be angry at herself as well for thinking Mulder’s invitation had been mostly about enjoying the weekend with an added intriguing mystery to solve.

He could’ve at least told me to bring warmer clothes and shoes for cross-country hikes in the forest, she grumbled to herself, trying not to stumble on the muddy underground. They had found nothing, of course. No sign of a Mothman, and no evidence of any other paranormal event. Just trees, freezing weather, and mud.

Mulder stopped suddenly in front of her, and she bumped into his backpack—something Scully would’ve liked to have taken as well had she known they were going hiking.

“What now, Mulder? Why are you stopping?” she blew into her hands, trying to warm up her fingers.

Mulder slowly turned in a circle, then let out a long breath. “I think you were right earlier, Scully,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Isn’t that where we met Mr. Murphy this morning?” He pointed at a large stone, overgrown with moss, on the side of the path.

Scully didn’t reply. There wasn’t really anything to say. They both knew they were back where they had started. At least we aren’t far away from the car, Scully thought. And we won’t get lost in the dark and freezing forest.

They stumbled towards where they had left the car on the side of a small road, both exhausted and cold. The rain had started again, a steady drizzle that fit perfectly with Scully’s mood.

[lynne-monstr]

hi blog it's friday! in an ideal world I would be in the midst of a 4 day weekend. too bad for me, my client decided a holiday weekend was a great place to put their big deadline and so instead I am potentially working this weekend. yuck.

anyway on a happier note, things are busy busy this summer. I went for my big yearly appalachian trail hike with my friends last week. 50 miles in 5 days, and this time I did NOT injure myself! yay! I did, however, not position my rain fly correctly one night, and sadly discovered this fact at 1am when it started pouring and dripping water onto my hammock. blog, let me tell you, feeling around for a poncho in the dead of night and repositioning all the ground stakes of a rain tarp while not having a headlamp and needing to juggle a cell phone in one hand to use the flashlight app is NOT FUN. and then I spent the rest of the night worrying I didn't do a good job. it was not my most fun hiking night, I admit.

(I made up for it several days later when I slept with just my sleeping mat and bag under the stars. it was beautiful)

it was a very fun trip but I'm glad to be back and chilling and having some much needed alone time. next week is another business trip to toronto and them maybe west coast long weekend to visit family and then a beach weekend with more family. (I already had my once-a-year pina colada but I might make an exception and have another!)

I just got back from a lunchtime gym class and I feel great. I'm going to try to do zero more work today because I am still resentful about my nonexistent long weekend lol.

this weekend is more spirealm show and maybe I'll finally download the link click live action show for bestest boy jiang long. and I continue on my goal to try at least one new nyc restaurant per week! I have a few contenders for this weekend, we'll see how it goes.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

[rosemaidenvixen]

Leaf Peeping

Ao3

Vee peeked her head into the kitchen, watching mo– Camila packing bags into a cooler.

Now that she knew the truth it felt weird to still call her mom. Sure she’d done it for months while pretending to be Luz. But doing it now, now that Camila knew she was a basilisk, that meant something…

Camila noticed her watching and smiled “Hi Vee, are you up for going somewhere fun?”

Vee cautiously stepped the rest of the way into the room “But…what about Luz and the others, they’re still out exploring the town?”

They’d offered to let Vee come with them but she’d declined, not wanting to be a sixth wheel. It wasn’t like Luz and the others were mean or anything, all of them were very nice, but the five of them clearly had their own thing figured out. And whenever they invited Vee to join them, which they did quite frequently, it was clear that she was the tacked-on extra. Inside jokes sailed over her head and relaxed casualness was replaced with awkward politeness. She knew that with time they’d get closer and things would get easier, but today Vee didn’t just couldn’t take feeling like the odd one out again.

“It’s fine I already talked to Luz,” Camila finished packing the cooler and zipped up the top “We’re going to be scouting for a good location today, and next week we’ll all go,”

Scouting, scouting for what, what did Camila want her to do?

She slung the handle of the cooler over her shoulder and shot Vee a grin “So what do you say, are you up for an adventure today?”

Camila’s expression was sunny, but Vee couldn’t help but feel a little twist in her belly.

But after Camila took her in, took care of her, let her stay even after learning the truth, how could Vee refuse her anything.

“Sure,” she did her best to smile with enough brightness to match Camila “Let’s go,”

A short while later the two of them were sitting in the car heading out of town, having passed the ‘Now Leaving Gravesfield’ sign five minutes ago.

Vee leaned against the glass of the window, watching the trees rush by in a flame colored blur. What were they doing this far out of town? From what she understood there really wasn’t much outside Gravesfield until you got to Springfield, but Camila said the drive wasn’t that far. 

Abruptly Camila turned and pulled off onto a small side street, driving a little further before coming to a stop in a small parking lot nestled deep inside the trees. 

Camila stepped out of the car and moved around back to grab the cooler, slinging it over her shoulder, Vee cautiously followed her “What is this place?”

“It’s a trailhead for a lot of local hiking trails, it’s really popular for leaf peeping this time of year,”

Vee trailed after her as Camila walked across the parking lot towards where a small dirt trail led into the trees “What’s…leaf peeping?”

“People come and look at the leaves changing colors,” as they stepped into the shady shelter of the trees, heading deeper into the forest, Camila turned back and flashed her a grin “I thought that the two of us could come and find a nice spot for a picnic today and next weekend we can all come out and enjoy the fall colors together,”

Vee’s gaze scrolled around the trees “Fall colors….”

She knew that leaves on trees in the human realm changed color, the same way she knew that the sky was blue and rain was cold. It just wasn’t something she’d given much thought.

But being out here, with nothing around but Camila and trees, she really started to take in the colors. Orange and yellow, red and gold. Each in every possible shade surrounding her in a whirl of warm color.

“Do you have a favorite tree?” the question tumbled out of her without thinking.

“Yes my favorite is Maple, like that one over there, it has the bright red leaves with the three points,”

“Those are where we get maple syrup, right?”

“Yup, now how about you, do you have a favorite tree?”

Vee had to think about it for a second before pointing towards a thin tree with brilliant yellow, fan shaped leaves “I like that one,” 

“A ginko tree! Those are lovely, and ginkos are one of the oldest tree species that exists. They’ve been around for at least 200 million years,”

“Whoa…”

A canopy of copper and gold covered them as they stepped through the shadow of a massive that smelled faintly spicy, Camila pausing mid step to glance at it “Oh, this is the sassafras where I saw a family of foxes,”

“Foxes?” Vee glanced around, glee bubbling up in her chest. She knew what foxes were from watching nature documentaries. They were wild animals that you shouldn’t try to touch, but not super dangerous as long as you didn’t bother them. They were so cute and she always wanted to see them in real life “Do you think there might be more around?”

“I’m sure there are, maybe we’ll see one today, but they are pretty shy, but we’ll see some birds for sure,”

From there Vee kept a careful watch, eagerly looking to spot any human realm animals. They didn’t see any foxes, but she did see some crows, a few blue jays, and even a cardinal. After a while they came to a stop at a wide open spot in the trees, numerous smaller trails leading away to various metal picnic tables. 

“Alright Vee, which one do you think is best?”

She looked around for a few moments before making her choice “That one,” Vee pointed to a table tucked away near a grove of maples.

“Excellent choice!” Camila stretched out her arm, palm open and fingers spread wide “Lead the way brave explorer of the human realm,”

Unable to help the giddy smile that spread across her face, or the giggle that bubbled out of her chest, Vee darted ahead, Camila right behind her as she rushed to the table and took a seat.

Camila plunked down the cooler on the table, unzipping the top and reaching inside “Ok I’m still figuring out what the best human food for demons is, so let me know what you–”

“Are those anchovies!” Vee all but shot out of her seat when she saw Camila pull out the small can.

“They most certainly are. I also packed pickled eggs and dulce de leche squares, and  turkey sandwiches if you’re still hungry,”

The joy inside Vee’s chest bubbled over “This all looks amazing! Thanks mo–”

She froze, the word halfway out of her mouth.

Camila didn’t so much as twitch, watching her from across the table, her gaze gentle.

Vee swallowed and reached inside to find her voice again “Thanks…mom,”

“You’re welcome,” Camila said with a soft smile “Now I think I have some anchovies with your name on them,”

Smiling back, Vee reached out and accepted the can, heart so full it was nearly bursting.

[magnolix]

The Road Home | a kny isekai { 1 }

Synopsis: Once upon a time, you were just a normal girl taking a normal trip with your normal friends. But one day, after a shrine offering gone wrong, you find yourself in Taishō-era Japan.

+ warnings: gn!reader, adhd!reader, insomniac!reader, cursing, violence, mentions of nudity, mention of trauma, pain (inflicted/received), weapons, mentions of taking sleeping medication, mentions of taking medication,

+ word count: 4.2k

+ categories: gn/m, gn/f (partially), isekai, fanfiction

+ hashira, hashira family, kagaya ubuyashiki, kamaboko squad, made up slayers

✩ author's note: this fic is heavily inspired by @kingkyoujurou's "Another Era, Another Universe". please go give it a read because without them I wouldn't have any idea of what I'm doing

chapters: one, two, three, four, five

Compared to others, you had a good life. You were almost done with college, you had a loving family, and you lived in a cute little town in the countryside. But today was different, today, you and your friends were traveling through Japan. And as much as you wanted to go and keep exploring, the sun was setting, and you couldn't risk the wrath of all your friends.

"Come on, just two more stores! I can see a ramen store right there!" You whined as you and your friends all walked into the hotel lobby. They all laughed as you got into the elevator with them.

"Come on Y/n, we went across half of the entire city. That's a lot of walking!" One of them said as she yawned. "Besides, you almost went bankrupt, it's day two and you've already spent two-thirds of your spending." Another commented, wrapping his arm around you to lean on.

You sighed as the elevator doors opened up with a ding. The four of you begrudgingly all walked down. But, nevertheless, you steeled yourself, grabbed your raincoat, your hiking boots, your bag filled with all of your necessities, and your old froggy umbrella. You smiled as you took in a deep breath and opened the door.

You made sure to lock your door and pull against the handle a few times just in case before you took your shoes off. The rest of your friends all undressed as you looked at your phone to see what you had done.

"Maiden Road, raccoon cafe, anime store, maid cafe, oh!" "What is it?" "We missed that shrine near the forest! Can we go now? They say it's best at night!" "Hell no! It's gonna start raining soon and I don't wanna get swept away!" Your other friend said as she let her hair down and snatched up a towel.

You hummed to yourself as you thought about what you all would do tomorrow. But the promise of the shrine visit was killing you. You wanted to see it, no, you NEEDED to see it. You looked back at your friends. You were still in your clothes and had the location up on your phone but you had to come up with a good excuse. After a few minutes, finally, one appeared.

"I'm gonna go downstairs to the little convenience store and buy some food. I'll be back in a second!" Your friends all waved you off as you grabbed your hotel key and made your way downstairs and hailed a taxi. This was gonna be fun.

Ever since you were little, you had always wanted to go to Japan. The food, the culture, the colors, and the people. Anything and everything made you so excited. But most importantly, you wanted to see the shrines. Of all the books you read about Japan, they always mentioned the unique and mystical shrines dotted across the country. And you were gonna try your damndest to visit every single one, no matter what it took.

You paid the driver and got out near a street lamp so you could get your barrings. You slowly began to follow your map which led you through a massive, and eerily quiet, forest. The lack of noise creeped you out and made you wish you had your headphones.

Finally, after what felt like hours, you spotted a paper lantern with the kanji "参道" on it. You followed it until it led to one lantern after another and then, in all of its glory, was the shrine. It was a tall pillar of white stone that was surrounded by smaller statues and beautiful wisteria trees. Each flower was a beautiful purple and seemed to almost glow in the moonlight.

You sighed and took a moment to catch your breath, silencing your phone and rolling up your sleeves. You walked up, bowed, clapped your hands twice, and went to reach for your--

oh,

oh no,

"HOW DO I NOT HAVE ANY COINS?" Your scream caused a stir in the forest. You panicked and patted down all your pockets. Surely you had at least one 10 yen coin, but none were found. "I can't turn back. I'm not gonna turn back." You thought about what you could offer. Paper money wouldn't be okay, nor your credit card, and then you thought about a different offering.

You walked over and pulled off a wisteria flower. You knew it was wrong and not the right offer, but you were desperate. You placed it down and yawned. You were more than ready to go back to the hotel and get some sleep, but you still had one more thing to take care of.

As you turned your heel to walk out, a twig snapped somewhere in the dark forest. How cliche, You thought to yourself. You scrambled to get your phone and turn on your flashlight but it was knocked out of your hand by a hand full of claws. You looked up and were face to face with a...a...

"HOLY SHIT IT HAS TEETH!" Your fight-or-flight instinct kicked it, and you chose flight. You ran into the forest, not caring about staying on the path, you just needed to get away. You ran past trees, jumped over rocks, and eventually tripped over a large root before landing on your face. The creature grew closer, breathing heavily and making noises like a wild animal. You turned over to meet your fate, but before you could, sleep clouded your vision and a moment later, you were out.

・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・

As you started to stir, you could hear voices and a soft, flickering noise. You opened your eyes expecting to be surrounded by your friends and hospital equipment but instead were surrounded by empty beds, a few strangers, and the stench of old bandages. Your nose stung from the smell alone. You did your best to sit up but felt a pair of tiny hands push you back down.

“No no no! You need to stay down Miss L/n!” The little girl whined. She looked as if she was going to pass out, her little worried expression was precious. But that still begged the question…

“How do you know my name?” “Oh no, Miss L/n have you forgotten?” “And who are you?” “I-I’m Terauchi, don’t you remember? I work with Nakahara-chan and Takada-chan. Oh no, do you really not remember?” Terauchi looked as if she were about to cry. All of the others in the room looked at you with concern. Some even looked with pity. Could these be your friends? Did you just wake up from a coma? Have you been living in Japan the entire time? Was life a simulation? You did your best to remain calm but couldn’t.

Terauchi ran out of the room and came back with two others who you could only assume were Nakahara and Takada, following behind was a slightly older girl with big blue eyes and short hair. She walked over and held your hand as your breathing returned.

What felt like only a few minutes ago, you had been running for your life in a forest from some sort of thing. And now, you’re waking up in a whole new world surrounded by people you didn’t recognize. Even worse, these people somehow knew you. You needed to calm down.

You took in a deep breath as the girls around you all smiled and let you take your time. You did what you could to calm down as your heartbeat slowed and your pulse went to normal. Terauchi hugged you while she and the other little girls left, leaving behind the older girl.

“Can you really not remember anything?” Her voice was surprisingly stern for someone so young. Like a mom but…teenier.

“No, I can’t. And who are you?” “Aoi, and you’re in the butterfly mansion.” “That’s a weird name.”

Aoi groaned and reached into her apron, pulled out a small paper bag, opened it, poured out some medicine into a small cup next to you, and mixed it thoroughly before handing it back. “Drink this three times a day, morning, noon, and night. Don’t move around too much, you’re still too weak to be walking. And for the love of God if you need help just shout and someone will come.” As you drank, your eyes wandered around the room.

It was large enough to fit at least 8 patients but small enough to still be manageable. It was bright as well. All of the windows were wide open letting in a nice, cool breeze. The smell of the gravel and the sound of the trees reminded you of your home. You managed to take a deep breath as Aoi gave you a nod and left.

After that, it took you a while to realize this was no dream. Actual weeks went by. So much so that you had to start training. You had only ever picked up a sword to do cosplay or just to drool over the idea of having a big piece of metal in your hands, but this was new. This was going to be your life now. You were a demon slayer, more specifically a Kanoe, just like one of the other inhabitants of the mansion. Her name was Kanao from what you remembered. This meant two very important things.

First and foremost, this was not your first injury. You had been here before, fighting demons and kicking ass. Secondly, it meant that you had survived. Somehow, you and your dumbass self had survived a dozen or more demons, multiple times. However…

It also sucked.

The others around you that you had come to learn were your friends all started to leave you out of sessions. Your memory loss wasn’t enough to prove to them that you weren’t the same person they thought you were. You were left to figure out what you could do on your own. And, surprisingly, you were able to figure a little out. You learned how to block and how to swing. That was it. Just enough so you could defend yourself and run like hell away.

But even if you had learned a lot, you still had the issue of going back to the butterfly mansion at the end of the day to sleep in a room that wasn’t yours. Your phone was gone and you were slowly going insane. Plus the infinite amount of books you could find wasn’t gonna be enough for you.

But finally, after a few weeks of training and getting yourself back together, another one of the demon slayers approached you. He seemed excited as he approached you in the hallway.

“L/n! L/n! Guess what?” “Hmm?”

You struggled to remember his name before pronouncing it slowly. “Ez..ume…right?” The boy’s eyes lit up and nodded. A smile appeared on both of your faces as you listened.

“We’re heading to Swordsmith Village! We’re finally gonna get our Nichirin blades!” You raised one of your eyebrows in confusion.

“Don’t we already have swords?” “The training ones? No! Those are wooden, they could never kill a demon.” He hit the back of your head in a friendly manner. “Come on, L/n, you need to keep up.”

You let out a chuckle and rubbed your head. “Well, when do we leave?” “Before daybreak, tomorrow. Your crow should be here any minute to give you more info.” Ezume looked back down the hall at a smaller group of slayers who were waving for him to join. He smiled and waved at you before running over to join them before they all disappeared further into the mansion.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, your crow arrived practically screaming at you about your mission. As it did, you took your uniform off and cleaned it up for tomorrow. You left your room to go and eat before you and Ezume chatted for a bit; even going outside to practice your skills before you both parted ways.

The moon above you glowed in the middle of the night sky as you finally entered your room. Your face was washed, your uniform was cleaned, and even your crow was fast asleep. You pulled the covers up and held them close as the sounds of crickets and the trees waved. Yet, you couldn’t sleep. Usually, you have the option of taking some meds to help you out. But now you were forced to lay awake as the moon’s glow filled your room.

Hours went by and you continued to lay awake in your room. You didn’t have a clock but considering how late or early it was you got up and readied your uniform. But you couldn’t help but hear the faint noise of conflict a few doors down. You walked over and pushed open your door before sneaking off and creeping down the hallway. The two voices were entirely different. The first one was soft and gentle with a sad undertone, a female’s voice. The second was husky and filled with anger. A male voice.

As you approached a corner you paused and stuck your ear out to listen to the two.

“Please, Y/n just needs more time. I’m sure that they’ll be back to their duties very soon.” “You don’t understand, they’ve never been like this. Ever! Something happened in Akigawa \valley, something bad.” You could feel the house shake as you heard what sounded like a punch to the wall. “They’re practically a different person!” “Y/n has been learning, they’re getting better. It’s a memory issue--” “Repeating it to me won’t change my mind Shinobu! They had enough skills to become a Hashira!”

You let out a small yawn, it was barely above a whisper but somehow caught the attention of the two. You felt a big hand grab your wrist and pull you into the light. The man holding your wrist was tall and had white, spiky hair and surprisingly pretty, pale purple eyes. The other was more familiar to you, Shinobu, the head of the mansion. A little ravenette with purple eyes and short hair. She frowned at seeing you listening in but instead walked over and pulled the man away.

“Sanemi, that’s enough. You’re hurting them.” Shinobu smiled at you as she looked over at you. “You’re healing, that’s good! Are you excited to go to the village?” You nodded at her words only to get shouted at by Sanemi.

“Don’t speak to them as if they’re a child, they’re a demon slayer. They’re practically a Hashira--” “I am a Kanoe and I fucking enjoy it!” You said with a strange sense of pride. You stared the white-haired hashira dead in the eyes as a sadistic smile crept onto his face. He grabbed your collar and lifted you up with ease. His eyes burned red like burning hot daggers.

“What did you just say? Did a weakling just speak back to me? I must have misjudged you, maybe you aren’t ready to be a Hashira. Maybe you’re dead meat.” “And maybe you’re a bitch.” You could feel your heart racing as you said those words. A sick comeback you would only think of in the shower, you couldn’t wait to tell the others. If you were still alive at that point.

“Why I outta--” “Caw! Wake up, wake up! Caw! You must leave for Swordsmith village!”

Your crow screamed from your room as you heard several others wake up and scurry to get their uniforms on. Shinobu separated you from Sanemi before you fell down, bowed to both of them, and ran to your room, putting on your uniform and getting a small bag ready. You followed your crow out to the gates of the grand estate where you met up with the others and set off on your journey.

“Hey L/n, you don’t look so good, are you-” “Later, Ezume. Later."

.・。.・゜☂・.・☽・゜・。.・。.・゜☂・.・☽・゜・。.・。.・゜☂・

The trek to the village had been long and rough. You all had tried to stay happy and kept morale up but it was no use. The mountains you had to climb over, the valleys you had to walk through, and the stupid paths you kept getting lost on made you want to rip your hair out. Sure, it had been pretty, there were birds and stuff but it was still almost a full day of traveling.

So by the time that you arrived at the village with your company in tow, you were ready to rest. The entrance was a tall group of houses that led to a long narrow road. The sound of clanging metal and the scent of steam was almost too much for you but you went on. The others all seemed to have a designated location to go to. Some of the smiths opened their doors and gave them their blades almost immediately. Others welcomed them with open arms and offered them food and drink. Ezume walked to a small house and was led in to go and see his swordsmith, leaving you alone to stand awkwardly for all to see.

You walked around the rows of buildings, listening to the sounds of laughter and work mixed together. The smell of sake and steam drifted through the air making your nose twitch, you never really enjoyed alcohol. And as you rounded the corner, you felt an oddly familiar hand touch your shoulder.

“Y/n! It is very good to see you! How are you?” Standing next to you was a tall man in a clown mask, you hopped back a bit as you didn’t recognize him. He tilted his head and lowered himself, holding up his hands in a friendly manner. “Y/n? Are you okay?”

“Ah- Uhm..” “L/n lost their memory!” Ezume shouted as he walked up to you, at his hip was a long sheath which you assumed held his new sword. “They what?” The man shouted in a rageful voice. He looked between you and Ezume. “When did this happen? Was it a demon? Where is your sword?”

You put your hands over your ears as the man went on, expressing not just anger about what had happened to you, but also anger about his swords. Some of the other villagers had to practically come out and hold him back while he calmed down. As he did, another stranger appeared. He was much older, and frailer too.

“Ah, young L/n,” He said with a bow “I see that you have come for your blade, yes?” “Yes sir?” You offered him a weak smile, he let out a soft chortle and walked over to the screaming ball of rage. 

“Hotaru, you are an esteemed sword maker, please act as such.”

“Yes, Chief Tecchin.” Hotaru managed to calm himself down, stand up and took your hand to lead you to his home. He opened up the sliding doors and you were met with the sight of a busy workspace. A barrel of water, a large anvil, and several sticks of Dango everywhere, both clean and unfinished. He let your hand go and reached up to a tall shelf before pulling down a long, elegant blade.

Your eyes sparkled as you looked at it. It was long and completely black with a unique hilt. It was a lavender-colored oval-shaped hilt with a dark purple rim, on the top was a detailed etching of a familiar-looking tree next to what looked like a statue of sorts. Hotaru took a moment to admire his work before carefully handing you the blade. You took it with a grateful bow of your head before holding it in both hands. As you did, the blade began to take a beautiful greyish-pink and purple color, much like the trees that had surrounded the master’s estate when you had visited last. 

“The handle is a mixture of wisteria and cork as per your request. I understand that your hands tend to sweat during battle so the cork will be able to absorb the residue until you clean it next.” Hotaru reached over and pointed at the hilt and opened his hands as if asking for it. You gave it to him and he reached into his pocket to pull out a long piece of fabric. He set the sword down and tied the fabric across the hilt in a unique pattern before handing it back to you once more. “Try holding it.”

Because of how it had been wrapped, the blade fitted perfectly into your hands with ease, familiar and comforting ease. You stood up and twirled it around a bit, smiling and laughing like an idiot the whole time. Hotaru cleaning enjoyed seeing his work admired.

“Welp, that does it for us. I’m delighted to have seen you and hope your memory returns.” Hotaru gave you a nod as you gathered yourself and walked out, offering him a wave before walking toward the rest of the slayers.

“Yep, me too…”

.・。.・゜❋・.・⍋・゜・。.・。.・゜❋・.・⍋・゜・。.・。.・゜❋

Darkness had fallen faster than anticipated forcing the slayers to run. They still had a while before they were close to the roads but that wasn’t their main worry. Their main worry as of now was surviving, and Y/n wasn’t helping. So, with blades held tight and their minds focused on getting the hell back to the butterfly mansion, they ran as fast as they could through the tall brush, unable to see if they were heading the right way.

Darkness had fallen faster than anticipated forcing the slayers to run. They still had a while before they were close to the roads but that wasn’t their main worry. Their main worry as of now was surviving, and Y/n wasn’t helping. So, with blades held tight and their minds focused on getting the hell back to the butterfly mansion, they ran as fast as they could through the tall brush, unable to see if they were heading the right way.

“Keep going, I think I see a clearing up ahead!” Shouted Ayako, one of the others in the group of five. Sure enough, she was right. Just ahead you could see a small space surrounded by massive trees. You pulled your shit together and ran up to the open space, looking back and watching for both the others to see if anything was chasing you.

Ezume was last to follow, heaving and collapsing once he made it to the clearing. Ayako was having none of it. She kicked his side, forcing him up.

“We need to keep going,” Ayako shouted. “We need to take a break!” Ezume shouted back. “We need to get our bearings.” Yelled another. “We NEED to Shut the fuck up!” You screamed. The others went dead silent as you listened to the forest. This felt all too similar to something else.

The moon was in the middle of the sky and the forest was eerily quiet. You held up a finger to your mouth, having the others quiet down and taking up defensive positions as Ezume got himself up as well. The lack of noise creeped you out and made you wish you had your headphones. Headphones… Headphones.

“What’s the nearest landmark to us right now?” “What?” “Ayako, listen to me, where are we?” “The uh- the valley.” “WHICH FUCKING VALLEY?” “DON’T SHOUT AT ME!”

“Akigawa!” Ezume screamed as he looked around frantically. “Why? What’s wrong?” His question was answered by a twig snapping and a clicking of some hollowed mouth sounded out from the dark forest. You turned to face your enemy. A tall and gangly demon with long limbs and a tongue hanging loosely from its mouth. Its eyes were glossy as if it had been blinded and its body was covered in sparse hairs and battle scars. You went dead quiet, moving ever so closer to your group and whispering as quietly as you could.

“Everyone, don’t panic. I think it can’t see us so whatever you do, don’t-” "HOLY SHIT IT HAS TEETH!"

Your fight or flight kicked it, and you chose flight. You ran into the forest with your comrades, not caring about staying on the path or out of danger, you just needed to get away. You ran past trees, jumped over rocks, and eventually tripped over a rock before landing on your back. A loud crack broke some of the silence and you felt your leg come undone. The footsteps grew closer, breathing heavily and making noises like a wild animal. You turned over to meet your fate, not sure if you were ready to die or not.

You could hear the others running past as you locked your sight on the demon. It approached slowly, sticking its long arms out and waving them like it was using a cane. You had an advantage this time and a good one at that. Your fight or flight kicked it yet again, and this time, you chose to fight.

You managed to get up and got into a battle stance, doing your best to remove as much weight from your broken leg as possible as you held your sword, took a deep breath, and listened to what was around you.

Silence.

Heavy footsteps.

Distant screams.

And a strange sense of power coursing through your body.

You opened your eyes and spoke quietly.

“Wisteria Breathing. First Form: First Spring.” Your body lunged forward and you side-slashed the demon from the right to the left at an angle, taking its head off with a satisfying and clean cut. The demon fell to its knees, turning into ash.

You let your guard down for a moment, stumbling back and falling down, your injury getting worse as you landed on your ass. You let yourself roll onto your back and let out a deep and heavy sigh as the night air washed over you.

“sleep now, young one”

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✩ author's note pt2: HOLY CARP! FOUR THOUSAND WORDS! I guys, it's ya girl, Magnolix. I first off want to say thank you to everyone who's supported me, liked, commented, reblogged, and all of that stuff. It means the world to me ♡ In the future, I'll be doing smaller stories as well as continuing this larger story. I've never written Isekai before so this had been fun. I hope you all enjoyed this fic and I'll see ya later,

~Ciao

[delta-orionis]

Tuesday Again No Problem 6/25/24

A bit wordier than usual.

Listening

I've been listening to a lot of The Worst of All Possible Worlds this week. I find it very entertaining to listen to people talk passionately about something that I know next to nothing about.

I listened to their episode on Death Stranding earlier today while I crocheted. I knew basically nothing about the game beforehand, besides the fact that it had lukewarm reception upon release. The hosts all loved it, and the guest in particular related their enjoyment of the game to their love of hiking and meditation. I thought it was an interesting take, especially since a lot of the modern videogame landscape is dominated by a focus on instant gratification.

I definitely recommend this podcast if you like listening to people talk for several hours about obscure pieces of media.

Watching

Among the several video essays I watched/listened to this week was Dan Olson's (of Line Goes Up fame) new video about the Angry Video Game Nerd:

It's an interesting self-reflection through the lens of AVGN, specifically focusing on nostalgia and AVGN's legacy. It's a bit meandering at times, but I think that comes from the fact that it's a more stream-of-consiousness and personal than some of Dan Olson's other videos. I'll admit that Olson isn't my favorite video essayist; his videos are certainly a bit more dry than those of other essayists like Hbomberguy, but when I'm in the right mood his videos are a pleasant listen. His video on Flat Earthers is another one I come back to every once in a while.

Playing

More Rain World expedition, who could have guessed.

I've been playing as Spearmaster a bunch. They're fun to play as, especially with expedition perks like high agility turned on. (The lack of a stomach to store pearls in is very annoying, though.)

I've noticed that I'm developing a better lay of the land by playing expedition- I find myself going to the wiki to look at maps less often.

While technically not playing, I've also been messing around with mods on my PC copy of Rain World again. I was excited that Iteratorkit (the mod that lets you make custom iterators) got an update, until I found out that a bunch of things in my own iterator broke. I unfortunately don't know enough about Rain World modding (or C#) to diagnose exactly what broke, so I think I'm going to just roll back to an earlier version of the mod and wait until the author fixes the new bugs.

Making

I've been working on some more answers for my ask blog, mainly focusing on drawings. I haven't finished it yet, but here's a preview of one answer that I'm working on:

Am I using this ask blog as a mouthpiece to do fantasy scicomm? Yes, absolutely.

I also finally bit the bullet and finished sewing the last details onto my latest amigurumi, based on my Rain World OC.

I also finally got around to taking well-lit pictures of Pebbles and Moon. I'll make a post about them soon.

---

This week was a weird one. The end of June is approaching much more quickly than I realized.

Thanks for reading, as always.

[spookyshipperfics]

Fascinating

Find it: a03 / Fandom: The X-Files / Rating: M

Tagging: @today-in-fic

Part of the Do You Like Scary Movies? series

What is it About? An awkward hiking scenario results in Mulder and Scully sharing a tent. The problem... Skinner is also there.

*This could probably pass for T, but I went with M just to be safe.

Read it: “What do you mean you forgot the tents?” Mulder’s voice competed against the distant rumble of thunder. His eyes bounced accusingly between Scully and Skinner.

“I thought you packed them, Agent Scully?”

“I thought I did, Sir.” Scully was all innocence and raised eyebrows. “When you said the tents were ‘ready to go’ in your garage, I assumed you meant in the backpacks.”

“You know what they say about assuming,” Mulder muttered.

Scully whipped her head in his direction, her gaze hot daggers. Mulder knew her patience was thin. That if Skinner wasn’t here, he could very well be a victim of homicide at her capable hands.

“At least one of us is prepared,” Mulder added, smirking despite Scully’s wrath. There was something cute about her annoyance. Rosey cheeks and exaggerated eye rolls were a secret treat.

“Shut up, Mulder.”

“Maybe it’s the witch. Tearing us apart. Creating chaos.”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to blame this on some outlandish folk myth,” she shot back. “If that’s the case, I’d have to declare your theory—”

“Fascinating,” he intruded. The bickering was always fun, even with Skinner there to bear witness. He almost felt guilty as a raindrop hit her forehead. The weather had soured as quickly as the mood. Still, Scully wasn’t supposed to be here. Neither was Skinner.

It had started as a slide show presentation on the Burkittsville disappearances. It wasn’t an X-File, not really. Dating back to the 1880s, the mystery had no federal call to action. The missing persons reports were never verified. The idea that a witch was behind it all seemed even more unlikely. Mulder wasn’t surprised when Scully shot him down. It wouldn’t stop him from investigating on his own time, and he’d told her so. What Mulder hadn’t expected was for Scully and Skinner to follow him. The excuse: Skinner was an avid hiker when he wasn’t pushing pencils. The truth: they were worried he’d go rogue again. After all, it hadn’t been that long since he’d jumped ship, quite literally, off of the Queen Anne.

Now, Mulder was shoved into a tent with Scully and Skinner, the avid hiker who apparently couldn’t be bothered with double-checking he’d packed pertinent survival gear. It had been too far to hike back. The impending rain demanded they make camp quickly, none of them considering what the next steps would look like. With the tent erect and raindrops pelting, the next steps were… rough.

Awkwardness invaded the space, which was not quite big enough for two people, never mind three. They took turns stripping off heavy jackets and boots while avoiding eye contact. No one was getting into pajamas. That much was clear.

After pulling off his sweatshirt, Mulder’s nighttime attire would consist of jeans and a cotton T-shirt. Skinner—well, he didn’t actually care what Skinner would be sleeping in because Scully had been hiding skin-hugging leggings and a baggy sweatshirt beneath her coat. The reveal stole Mulder’s attention, and he forced himself to avert his eyes as she took to hands and knees to spread thermal-insulated blankets across the tent floor.

Mulder cursed and thanked the universe when they decided he would occupy the middle spot. It makes the most sense, Skinner had rationalized, and Scully had agreed while worrying her bottom lip.

God, that lip.

Mulder couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like between his own teeth. The image haunted him to the tent floor where he realized sleeping between his beautiful partner and his boss would be just as this-can’t-be-happening horrible as he hypothesized. But it was happening. Just like a restless, dead asleep Skinner was scooting closer to him and, in turn, sending him nearer to Scully. It was cruel, really. Of all the times he’d fantasized about getting Scully into bed, it never accounted for Skinner snoring behind him. If it weren’t for the steady thump of rain or his sheer exhaustion, irritation would have kept him awake like caffeine.

The next time his eyes fluttered open, the pinky beginnings of sunrise had invaded the tent just like he had invaded Scully’s space. Wrapped around her like a cat, his hand had slipped under her shirt, fingers resting just beneath the swell of her breast. He startled at the realization, his heart reeving to life like a chainsaw. Scully shifted and stiffened. The universe’s second sinister joke. Mulder had his hand up Scully’s shirt, and now she knew.

He pulled away extraordinarily slow like he wanted to extract the pin from a grenade without triggering an explosion. His palm barely moved two inches when she stopped him. The grenade might not have exploded, but he nearly did. To his total disbelief, Scully’s little hand tugged his upward until it returned to where it started.

Hesitant fingers extended to caress soft skin with this new permission. He explored the warm space beneath the weight of her breast as his thumb stretched higher until he couldn’t take it anymore and cupped her fully. Scully whimpered. His jeans got tighter. Skinner still snored from behind him, the sound far enough away that he must have rolled over.

Mulder could care less. Scully’s breast was in his unworthy hand. He squeezed. He fondled. He teased her nipple until it hardened beneath his touch. Scully wiggled backward. Her back rammed into his chest, her backside against his eager groin. Her sweet-smelling hair muffled his groan.

There were thousands of words on the tip of his tongue. Questions. Assurances. Dirty sentiments. All of them were lost in the moment. Instead, he chose greed. His hand slid from her breast to the band of her leggings. He needed to feel her. To know if she was as wet and warm as he suspected. His fingertips dipped beneath the elastic of her pants just as Skinner’s heavy arm slammed across his waist.

Mulder almost screamed from the suddenness. He’d just gone from rounding third base to Skinner intercepting the ball. If Mulder listened closely enough, he could practically hear Skinner shouting, “You’re out, loser.” Mulder cuddled Scully. Skinner cuddled Mulder. If anyone had walked in, the three of them would surely be filing for unemployment. Maybe they’d even have to settle for jobs slinging peanuts at his metaphorical baseball field.

“Mmmm,” Skinner mumbled. “Shit. Sorry.”

Mulder grumbled a bitter “Don’t worry about it,” but nobody was there to hear it. Scully fled the tent with mutterings of “getting breakfast” while Skinner scooted away like he’d been electrocuted.

When Skinner requested privacy to change, Mulder exited the tent. Scully had a few protein bars in her hand and tossed him one with a shy smile. The forest smelled like rain. A dampness hung around them, dark and gray. There was something else there, though.

Hope.

The sun’s rays warmed the higher they got. Bright light penetrated the tree line. Birds chirped, hinting at good things to come. He felt the same about Scully, standing there with mussed hair and peach-colored cheeks. Energy had shifted. Their weather pattern had changed. The forecast, he hoped, was bright and sunny.

“Hi,” he offered.

“Hi.” Scully dropped her gaze before resettling on his eyes and then his lips.

“This morning… I…” Bright and sunny, he reminded himself. “I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen. That there isn’t something there.” He almost slapped a hand over his mouth.

Scully’s cheeks blazed pink, and his stomach flip-flopped. Suddenly, the need to apologize rose like bile in his throat. They were partners. Co-workers. “Scully… listen,” he stumbled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay, Mulder,” she interjected, chin proud and shoulders back. Her stare was still glued to his lips. “I liked it.”

Mulder nearly fell to his knees, but then he noticed Skinner had appeared. The assistant director strode up with a brow-furrowing expression on his face. “Liked what?”

Mulder couldn’t help the glower that consumed his face. In one poorly timed second, Skinner returned to public enemy number one. “Scully… uh… was just saying how much she liked my theory on the Burkittsville witch.”

“Really?” Skinner’s eyebrows arched in disbelief.

“Really,” Mulder echoed. “What were you just calling it, Scully? You used a very particular adjective.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she was always quick to play the part. His partner. His friend. The woman who had stolen his heart the moment he’d met her. “Fascinating,” she grumbled.

And just like that, Mulder was grinning again.

Come show some love on a03 here.

[faithfromanewperspective]

these are a few of my favorite things (unfortunately not raindrops on roses and brown paper whatevers)

thanks to @thevagabondexpress and @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone (if i remember correctly) for the tag!

movie: i don't know. i don't really watch movies much. last one that made me feel something and still inspires what i do today is hacksaw ridge (saw it last 6 years ago and have to admit this may be Romantic Secondhand Appreciation but. i still think of it when i fight climate change. so it stays)

character: no character exists in a vacuum. i'm nominating all four merry thieves

animal: i know too much ecology to nominate a single one. i love all birds and large herbivorous marsupials as well as echidnas. guinea fowls (current pfp) really do reflect my personality a lot though

drink: smoothies. you can make them as delicious or as gross but healthy as you want. preferably both. no two smoothies are ever the same but rarely is a smoothie bad, they eliminate all the inconsistencies of fruit by simply pooling the sample pool together and averaging it out.

song: technically 2 songs but they're one track on the album so: has to go to outer space/carry on by 5 seconds of summer. creates such an atmosphere that goes perfectly with the story it tells, is terribly nostalgic, and ends in such an optimistic and encouraging way. tells of open ocean (did i once help design a space city with this inspo?) and the loneliness that's as if you're in space, longing for rain (i love rain okay you will see me in a raincoat taking photos of everything because it looks cooler when wet) just to feel something. longing for lost love. and the fact that through anything you can go on and life keeps going and you can survive it all but the way the (double) song sets it up you feel like you've gone on an adventure by the time you get there.

season: i love autumn and spring in equal measure for different reasons. i love brisbane winters when i don't have a 9-5 job but i also love sydney summers.

book: once you see it: 7 temptations of the western church by jeff christopherson. answering @tleeaves question from a while back (finally), have you done one of these? fully fangirled hard enough to message the author on facebook, we're somewhat friends now. but it tells the story of a bunch of different people from different backgrounds and uses narrative to drive its points, ending with them making something (i could talk about it for hours) that i long to emulate. while moving through organisations that embody these 7 temptations/mistakes and fail because of it, except they look exactly like the churches we know and yes. this is why they are failing in many ways if we just open our eyes to it we can do much better.

color: purple of some kind. maybe a darker purple?

hobby: all the things i do that connect me with nature and other people. from building recycled things for a purpose to taking care of birds to arranging poppunkrock songs for my viola and whoever else i play with to analysing the way fictional characters interact and applying it with real life people to canyoning (google it, it's incredibly fun) and hiking and rock climbing and of course designing civilisations for humans as well as other species

tagging (only if you want to of course): @completeanduttermess and @failempires and @what-ho-christopher-put-in

[transformers-platonic]

For Prime: What if a puppy somehow ended up at the base?

I wrote this as an imagine since I think it would work better as one. Fair warning, the dog in the story is a stray so they do talk about why people abandon dogs but the dog is fine.

Team Puppy

“Thanks for picking us up, I would have gotten soaked out there.” Raf said, staring through the window. “Still, the hike was fun until that point.”

“No problem.” Bee replied. The Base’s door opened and as they were driving though, a small puppy ran into the base.

Bee stopped in confusion once Raf left, knelt down to get a closer look.

“It’s a puppy!” Miko exclaimed. She picked the dog up.

“You’re not supposed to pick up dogs you don’t know.” Jack said. “It could…”

Jack’s warning was cut off by the puppy yawning. The puppy moved to a more comfortable position being held by Miko.

Raf laughed at that.

“Well, some dogs would bite.” Jack said, though he smiled.

“Are you sure? He seems pretty tame.” Bulkhead asked.

“Jack is right; some dogs are reactive to strangers. It doesn’t seem like he is though. I wonder if he has an owner?” Raf asked, tilting his head thoughtfully. The dog mimicked his action. Raf laughed at that. He checked but didn’t see a collar.

Jack walked closer and gently pet the dog. “Its fur is pretty matted up; maybe it’s a stray?”

“Wait… are you telling me that some people leave these creatures to fend for themselves?” Bee asked.

“Well sometimes.” Raf replied, “It’s not really fair.”

“I’ll go get something to feed the dog.” Jack said, looking where they keep the snacks, “None of these are really good for dogs.”

“Humans and dogs don’t eat the same food?” Smokescreen asked.

“No.” Jack said, “Some foods are good for both but it’s not quite the same.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” Bulkhead offered, “The rain hasn’t let up.”

As Jack and Bulkhead left, Optimus allowed a warm smile to appear on his face at how gently the children were taking care of this small being.

Jack and Bulkhead returned a few minutes later and the dog jumped right from Miko to the food. He drank the water just as Jack finished putting some in the bowl and ate the food quickly, spilling it at the end.

“What kind of scrapheap would abandon a dog like that?” Arcee asked, leaning backwards.

“People decide they can’t take care of them. Instead of taking them to a friend or shelter they just leave them, it’s not right.” Jack said.

The dog than started running around. Miko laughed. The dog got onto Ratchet’s table and grabbed a wrench.

“I needed that!” Ratchet shouted and went to grab the dog. He went to grab the dog but he turned sharply, causing Ratchet to miss.

Miko was filming it while Jack and Raf was trying to help catch the mischievous puppy.

Ultra Magnus calmly grabbed the dog while it ran past him. He then took the wrench. “You are not to take things that don’t belong to you.”

“Dogs don’t understand as much as people do.” Jack explained. The dog fell asleep.

Fowler came in a half hour later.. “So, bringing children into the mess wasn’t enough?”

“He entered the base on his own. We believe he is a stray.” Optimus said.

“Do you want me to find a home for it?” Fowler asked. “You are right, it looks like the dog has been on its own for months.” The puppy moved closer to Optimus.

“It looks like he wants to stay.” Wheeljack said.

“Well, that would be your choice. Puppies need a lot of care.” Fowler warned.

“We can teach them everything they need to know about taking care of a dog.” Jack said.

“Alright, I’ll check around if the dog is lost. If it is we’ll have to have to return him to his owners.” Fowler said.

- Weeks later-

There was no owner found.

“So, are you guys going to keep him?” Fowler asked.

“Yes, this puppy deserves a home and he seems to be doing well here.” Optimus said. He smiled watching Ultra Magnus pet the dog.

“You did well at ‘sit’ training today.” Ultra Magnus said to the dog.

“So what did you name it?” Fowler asked.

“Zoom, as he does enjoy running around.” Optimus said. With that Zoom woke up, let out a small bark and began running around. He ran to Fowler.

Fowler chuckled, “Looks like you’re staying here, Zoom; try to keep these Bots out of trouble will you?”

[cryptidsurveys]

Thursday, October 17th, 2024.

Do you know anybody who is ambidextrous? My sibling was somewhat ambidextrous when it came to sports, but I think they were otherwise predominantly lefthanded.

Have you ever been 4-wheeling? I haven't, but it sounds like a fun time.

What’s the weather been like today? Cloudy and breezy and currently 75*F. Ideal weather for hiking at the Mountain Park. The leaves are really starting to change now, and I felt fully immersed in the autumn spirit.

What was the last exam you sat for? I'm not sure.

Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? No.

Do you currently have any unread text messages, and who from? I have a technically unread message from Oliver on Instagram, but I already know what it says because it popped up on my phone notifications.

Speaking of text messages, what colour is your cell phone? Black.

Do you live anywhere near the woods? We live a couple of blocks away from the Fountain Creek, which does have some woodsy areas, but I don't think I would call it "the woods."

Would you ever consider a career in the tourism industry? No.

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? There aren't any that I celebrate, but speaking of anniversaries, today marks one year since I started driving again.

When was the last time you used q-tips? I have no idea.

How does your hair react to humid weather or rain? It doesn't. Even when I had longer hair, I didn't notice any reaction.

What’s your favourite flavour of iced tea? Just plain ol' regular iced tea is fine with me.

Do you understand music theory? No. Well, that is to say, I've never learned about it. I might understand it just fine if I cared to.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Somewhere between 8-9 hours.

Are you expected to act professionally at your job? I'm not employed at the animal shelter, but I am "basically staff" at this point. I'm not expected to behave super professionally around my immediate coworkers (in fact, there are times when we can get downright ridiculous), but with most of the rest of the staff/management, I try to maintain a fairly professional standard.

Infomercials: entertaining or stupid? They were my source of late-night sanity during my late teens/very early 20s when I couldn't sleep and nothing else was on TV.

What’s your favourite brand of energy drink? I don't have one.

Do you have (or have you ever had) acne? Yeah. My skin is looking pretty good lately, though. I swear it's that new lotion I bought. It's made a remarkable difference in such a short time span.

When was the last time you got pins-and-needles? A few weeks ago, I noticed that my hands were ever so slightly tingly. At the time, for lack of a better explanation, I figured it could be anxiety-related. However, things have calmed down significantly since then, yet the feeling still persists. Now my best guess is the way I rest my forearms on the edge of the computer desk while typing - which I just noticed thanks to this question. So, thank you, lmao. You may have just solved this mystery. ;D

Why did you click to take this survey? It's one I haven't taken before, and the questions looked interesting enough. It's also a good length; something I can finish before having my afternoon snack.

If you have glasses, have you ever smashed them? No.

How do you get new music? Buy or download or what? I don't buy or download music. If I want to listen to something, then I just use YouTube.

Have you ever sent someone an abusive text message? Yeah.

Do you require a lot of time to do things or are you quick? It depends on what it is. It takes me a while to read a book or fill out surveys (always pondering/getting nostalgic/etc), but I'm fairly quick when it comes to housecleaning or tasks at the animal shelter (unless we have more than adequate staff - then I tend to replace efficiency with attention to detail because I know I have the extra time to do so).

What will be the next concert you attend? Concerts aren't really my thing.

Turn the nearest television on, what’s on? I doubt the nearest television even works anymore. It's the one in the living room and it hasn't been turned on for years now.

How often do you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed”? As in grumpy? Almost never. But exhausted and a bit sad? Almost always.

Can you rap? Naw.

What do you usually order when you’re at McDonald’s? I don't have a usual order, but if I was to order something now, it would most likely be something Halloween-themed.

Are there any textbooks near where you are right now? No.

What’s the time? 2:43pm.

Do you know how to use a DSLR camera? I've never used one before.

How’s your body temperature right now? My hands are a bit cold, but the rest of me is comfortable.

Do you use Celsius or Fahrenheit? Fahrenheit.

What was the last thing you got a really good deal on? I'm not sure.

Have you ever studied any ancient societies? Not seriously, like not on a scholarly level or anything like that, but I love learning about ancient history, so…!

Do you like to wear long, dangling earrings? No. My ears aren't pierced.

What was the last reason you took medicine? Oncoming migraine.

Do you exercise regularly? I get a fair bit of exercise at the shelter because I'm on my feet for most of the day, but as for deliberate/specific exercise, no.

What is your coffee of choice? (flat white, cappuccino, etc.) If I'm ordering it from somewhere, then probably a cappuccino or macchiato. At home, either black or with almond milk + creamer.

Do you pay any attention to your country’s politics? A bit.

Are you feeling worried about anything right now? I'm not worried about anything related to the near future.

Are you a gossipy type of person? Sometimes.

When will your next meal be, and do you know what it will consist of? Dinner, and it will most likely be a chicken salad.

Tell me about the sickest you’ve ever felt. Probably the flu I had in late 2016.

What’s your opinion on your in-laws, if you have any? I don't have any in-laws. My sibling does have a partner (not married), but I've never met them.

Do you make excuses often, or do you just get things done? I've started making more excuses when it comes to housecleaning. I'm tired. I'm busy. If I do that, then I won't have time to do this, etc. Aside from that, I tend to just get things done.

Have you seen your best friend today? We chatted briefly over IG.

What can you smell right now? Nothing in particular.

Any important birthdays coming up? No.

Fireworks: yay or nay? I am fully aware of the reasons why they're awful, but since I can't stop them, I just enjoy them.

Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? Nothing much. Just the usual activities, plus finishing up the rest of the most recent Belief Hole podcast.

How about tomorrow? Any plans? I'll be at the animal shelter all day.

Do you know how to do your own laundry or does someone else do it? I do it.

If you could eat or drink anything right now, what would it be? I'm going to make a fruit and yogurt bowl after I finish with this survey.

What colour are your headphones? Black.

Think of the last long car trip you had, where did you go? I'm not sure.

Do you have a Twitter account that you use regularly? No.

Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! Only in pictures/videos.

What was the last movie you saw at the theatres? Wild Robot.

Are there any new movies that you’d really like to see? Wicked.

If you could play one instrument flawlessly, what would it be? Guitar or harp.

Do you overthink a lot of things? Unfortunately. I wonder what it's like to not overthink everything to death.

Is there anybody you miss but can’t see again? Yeah.