#homes for rent wake forest

[thehavenwake]

Benefits Of Luxury Living

Explore the numerous advantages of luxury living in Winston-Salem NC apartments near Wake Forest University, where comfort and convenience seamlessly intertwine!

[gremlingottoosilly]

Cabin in the woods (yan!slasher!Konig x fem!Reader x yan!slasher!Horangi) part 4

You wake up in the murderer's den. Things can only go downhill from here - especially when one of the killers expresses an unusual interest in you. WARNINGS: Blood, dub-con, threats of intimacy, general slasher-y, a bit of knife play

All things considered, Horangi has won at life. 

He has a boyfriend – an amazing boyfriend, a bit older, a soon-to-be-husband, and his best friend in one tight package. They share hobbies, they share views on the world – practically everything that they can talk about, they share with each other. It’s a perfect relationship, especially considering where they met and how they were at first. 

He has an amazing job in doing private contracts with his boyfriend – some people may call them killers for hire, war criminals, and monsters draped in a uniform, but Horangi likes to call himself a promising immigrant entrepreneur who works for no one but himself and enjoys having most days off. 

He has an amazing, big house in the middle of picture-perfect Austrian wilderness, with every room dedicated to his or his partner’s tastes and hobbies, and that is literally four times as big as any of the apartments he rented previously. 

He has an amazing hobby that allows him to combine hiking, shooting, and socializing – and König shares this hobby with him, actively supporting and engaging with it. 

So, when he drains the blood from his knife – too bad the perfect lil’ victim isn’t here to clean it with her tongue – and starts to look for the remaining group of dumb tourists, deciding to head home just for a minute or two, to see if some of the prey would accidentally found it, he…

Fuck. 

*** You woke up with a throbbing headache. Not surprising, considering you were hit in the back of your head with a force that would be enough to turn your brain into a scramble. You slowly opened your eyes, surprised that you weren’t blindfolded, and gently, slowly tried to move your head around to see the room better. Bright light coming from the doorway immediately made you ill, nauseous. You close your eyes and groan, feeling the pain only intensifying. 

You’re very surprised to feel a cold cloth being slowly put on your burning forehead – you’d expect to be hanging from a meathook and have your buttocks eaten by a pack of wild creatures beyond your comprehension. 

— Tssh, Scatzi, don’t move. Hit you in the head too hard, ja? Good thing you won’t need it anyway. 

You hear the voice – not masked, not changed from multiple layers of different material – clean, unfiltered voice. That familiar boyish tone and deep gruff of a man from the corner shop – the tall one, the most mysterious one, the one that made you paranoid for the whole journey with his remarks. 

God, you feel stupid. 

It’s just like in slashers – the killers are always the weird guys who you meet at the start of the movie or some force from the legends you hear about this place. You feel dumb, you feel weak, you feel like you’re going to throw up because the big man – the one that shot Marty with a fucking crossbow – is gently caressing your forehead with his hands, smearing blood and grime all over your skin. You want to puke. 

— Wh…whatever you’re doing, m…make it quick. 

You can on ly master this, your lips are too dry for something else. You wanted to ask him different questions – where are you, who the fuck are he, what are his goals and mommy issues that made him prey on innocent young adults just having a shitty getaway in the forest, but you remember the other guy’s reaction to dumb questions – you want to die quickly, not slowly and painfully. 

— Ach, Hase. Eager, are you? 

This…isn’t the answer you were hoping for. His hands slowly creep down your face, pinching your cheeks – he touches the softer parts of your mouth, and your nose, tugs on your ears, and does whatever he can to just feel your features in his fingers, which makes everything only creepier. He pushes a finger past your lips – you want to bite it, but he only laughs at your pathetic attempts. 

He tells you something through a laugh that makes your head hurt more. Something about how Horangi was right about you being a kitten – that you bite just like one. You feel embarrassment spreading across the heat of your cheeks, knowing that your best attacks are only an amusement for your captor. 

His hands then move down, slowly. He pushes it under your shirt – and here is where you really start to panic. You’re mostly fine with getting killed, even in a weird and somehow funny, theatrical way, but you don’t…you don’t want to handle this before he eventually strangles you to death. You sob, your face twitches in pain-stricken expressions – tears only make your head hurt more, but you just can’t stop yourself. 

The guy – he still wears a hood, just not the weird thing that makes his voice change – only laughs and plays with your chest, squeezing and touching it with his huge, bear-like hands. He is relentless in not caring about your well-being, and you don’t want to give him the satisfaction of breaking you, but tears just won’t stop flowing, and the heat in your belly, provoked by that unwanted affection, grows more with every second. 

His touches aren’t painful – but you wish they were. He is observing your body, studies it with his hands and you don’t like it one bit. Too rough, too strong for you, he has manners of a forest troll and, to be honest, in that stupid hood of his, he looks just like one. You’d jump from the bed and run to the  nearest exit, but your head is still throbbing, and you still tied up to the bedpost. God, this is embarrassing. 

— You’re trembling like a virgin, Schatz. Are you sure that your friend was a whore and not you? 

König laughs, looking at the perfect display under him. Yes, yes, he knows that Horangi will be pissed with how he sped up the story and decided to keep you in their house, but he is sure he can't convince his pretty boyfriend that it’s all for the best. They need a toy – precious darling, something weak and helpless, something innocent to bite into. You are a good runner, to his surprise, but your fight is as miserable as your expression – you can’t put up a good fight and he fucking lives for each second of that. 

— Stop touching me! — Are you going to stop me? — I…

— I love trembling prey. You look so perfect under me, Hase, I don’t think you’d stand a chance.

Of course, he is a hunk of a man – a wall of muscles, brutal strength, and nothing but raw power, so even if you were an Olympic champion in fistfights, you probably wouldn’t stand a chance against him anyway. He is trained to kill, he is training everyone else to kill – and he needs some snacks for how good the hunt was. Two dumb tourists, killed on the first night in the woods – and with others still having no fucking idea. God, it makes his dick hard. 

König pushes his hand under your shirt and finds where your tits are concealed with a bra – sports one, really nice, he thinks, but you’d look much better in blood-stained lace. He yanks that stupid thing off your chest – your nipples are hardening almost immediately, even under your shirt. Ah, looks like he forgot to turn on the heater. 

Well, you have to get the heat from his body then. 

— S…stop, please. 

— You like it. Why should I stop? 

— I don’t like it! 

His other hand goes to run a finger across your soaked, heated panties. The rough texture of the glove fabric is grazing your labia, and touching your gentle, wet folds makes you squirm and cry even more under him – he knows you hate it, embarrassed to be this aroused for the hands of a killer, but he just can’t fucking resist. He knows your hands are tied firmly to the bedpost, he knows you won’t be able to escape even if he’d leave the room right now – so he slowly removes his hand from your panties, showing you the glistening, wet material of his gloves. 

He licks your wetness from his fingers – and you let go of a half-moan, half-cry, disgust mixed with fear and pouring into delicious feelings of complete devastation. Poor thing, so scared under him – so embarrassed of your arousal, he just fucking knows you aren’t like your friends. You’re still dumb, of course, with how you agreed to go to this forest even after all of his attempts to say that this is dangerous, but you’re also pretty, adorable, and don’t try to either attack or seduce him or Horangi – and he had a fair share of people who were trying to do both, until they’d found out he is a masked killer for real, and not just for the slasher season atmosphere. 

You’re a little rabbit on his slicing board – and the knife appears in his hand too quickly for you to even start panicking. The blade lingers on your skin, slowly removing such silly, useless things like shirts and modesty, closing your skin just enough to burn a little, but not enough to do real damage. He killed more than 100 men with his knife, and skinned alive more than at least a dozen – König knows how to operate, especially when you’re bound and scared into submission. 

— Ko, what the fuck are you doing? 

Ach, Horangi is here. Finally, he just started to worry that those dumb tourists have learned how to fight back and now are trying to fuck with his partner. It would be funny to look at, of course, but he still doesn’t want anything to happen to him – so he sighs with relief when he sees a familiar masked figure in the doorframe. Then he remembers that he wasn’t supposed to take in pets so soon. 

Fuck. 

— I thought we agreed to not take her so quickly. 

Horangi takes a step further, watching as your eyes are pleading with him for help. You’re adorable – praying for help from your tormentor, so sweetly broken already that he can barely contain himself. You’re adorable, but he isn’t in the mood of playing with victims nicely, and he is still a bit pissed off at König for ruining the promise he gave him. Not the best attitude in an honest relationship, especially when you are trying to introduce a new member of those relationships. Honestly, sometimes Hong-jin was thinking about hiring a couple of therapists. And then killing him after extracting every answer. Totally normal behavior. 

— I know, but…she fell into my hands. Couldn’t say no to an opportunity. 

He knows that König is grinning under his hood – his eyes are gleaming with happiness as he just got his new favorite toy on a silver platter. Horangi melts a little bit at seeing him this happy – the latest couple of missions weren’t the best, so this hunt got to be good. And so far, it is. 

— You killed the stoner? 

— Ja, was easy. Surprised he died from a bolt in the head, he didn’t seem like a guy who has much up there. 

God, his sense of humor is fucked up – Horangi laughs for a good few seconds, not even trying to contain his emotions. You are still on the bed, your hands are tied to the post, rough ropes sit too tightly on your wrists, already angry red from all of your struggling. God, you’re looking delicious, covered in the blood of your friends, crying and looking like their own little death goddess. He knows he shouldn’t give up on temptation – and he also knows that he wants to fuck you. 

Laying here, without a top, with a wet stain on your jeans from your own arousal, you don’t even know how delicious you look. How hard it is for both of them, to stop looking at you like a horny dog and just do their thing. Killing thing, that is. Yes, they suppose to kill their victims, not tie them up to the bed and think about burying their cocks deep in your welcoming, wet pussy. 

Fuck, he has to be stronger than this. Killing is okay, torturing is okay, maybe kissing his boyfriend on top of the rotting, dead bodies is okay, but he just knows that he can’t start touching you because he would lose control and they might spend the whole night taking you from one dick to another, instead of doing what they have to. 

Maybe, just a little touch would be okay. Like a gamble, russian roulette in trying to see if he would be able to contain himself. Like Horangi had such great luck at anything that is connected to gambling. 

— We can’t keep her here. 

— Why? I would feed her and walk her once in a while. 

You whine, and König immediately goes to cover your mouth with his hand. You cry even more, feeling the filthy taste of your juices, blood, and dirt enveloping your tongue and making you want to gag. This is digesting, he is disgusting, you hate nature, wilderness, and this fucking country. If you were to get out of this place, you’d beg every oil company in the world to make the biggest fucking gasoline refining factory out of this forest. 

— What about the police? She can call them. 

— No signal. 

— She could scream for help. 

— We can cut off her tongue. 

— She wouldn’t be able to suck our dicks then. 

— Oh. Scheisse. 

— Exactly. We can’t keep her here. 

— But you said that we can…

— Not now, I mean. Having a kitten like ��er at home makes me want to stay inside and fuck her whole day, not running around after her stupid friends. 

König finally gets it – and Horangi is right, much to his dismay. You are a distracting little thing, getting into the killer’s layer too early. Adorable and weak, keeping you inside would be the best option – but they still need a bit of space to guy your friends in the basement, so keeping you inside would make you…nervous. Scared. Not a pleasurable type of scared, you can go crazy from horror and then turn into a useless, empty sex doll. König would still brush your hair and love you nonetheless, but it would be a waste to keep you like this. 

Then, again, it would make it easier for you three to have sex…

— That’s also true. But I already cut her clothes. 

— We can let her run for a bit. Make her friends panic, fuckin’ civvies aren’t even aware that two of their friends kicked the bucket. 

— Doubt they care about each other that much. 

— Good thing we got involved, right? 

Horangi’s hand gently pats on your head – you wince from pain and he slightly moves the cold cloth on your forehead. The movement is similar to how people are petting cats – you hate it, you feel your legs preparing to kick him in the direction of his dick – but König presses on your ankles before you could do anything. Asshole.

— Need to do something with her shirt tho. 

— She’d look adorable in mine. 

— Yeah. Would cover her too much tho…I miss looking at boobs like this. 

— You have them, no? 

— It’s pecs. if anything, yours are bigger than mine. 

They both laugh – you are munching on König’s hand more actively, trying to get this out of your mouth. They talk like you aren’t even here and your eyes are filled with tears again – from humiliation, from fear, from desire to run away because they don’t even consider you an enemy and you just want to get out, as soon as possible. They look almost normal together – like two loving partners discussing the latest news and hobbies, not a pair of psycho killers who almost made you hot and bothered for their stupid, definitely not attractive, masks. 

You’re topless, barely wearing your jeans and panties – not exactly the best outfit for running through the forest. Would attract attention, of course, but you could also catch a cold, and they can’t exactly fuck a sniffing, coughing darling who is too sick to understand which hole are they using and what type of knife is plunging in her tender, open skin. 

König throws a shirt on you – it’s musky, covered in mysterious stains, smells exactly like him, and a bit of pine tree. It’s such a typical red flannel that it makes you gag from the stereotype – but it covers your boobs and he is even polite enough to slowly untie one of your hands, firmly keeping it in place to get you into the sleeves and…

Once he had two of your hands in his grasp, you bit on his glove especially hard, kicking him in the groin again – this time, not even bothering to hear his moans. You jump to the floor, barely seeing anything as your view is darkening with a throbbing headache. You have to master everything you have to not throw up on their boots – and you ignore their disappointed yelps as you duck under the shorter guy’s hands and run to…you don’t even know where to run, you just know that you are not staying with the people who are treating you like a fucking lure to get the rest of your friends. 

You can’t go to your friends – you already saw just how much they don’t want to listen to you. You can’t call the police and you can’t return to the camp because then the killers would know where all of your stuff and your friends are. The only chance you have is to fight them off – which is already proved itself as a Bad Fucking Idea(™. All right reserves to Amazon, you got your critical thinking skills during an online sale), so you need to find a distraction ��� or a weapon. 

You’re literally in the house of murderers. If horror movies taught you anything, it’s that those kinds of houses are usually filled with the weapons of crime – or extensively sharp deer antlers. 

You run to the second floor, dropping something behind your back – trying to get as much distance between you and them as possible, you crawl on the stairs, holding your head in poor attempts of soothing the pain. Their house is…normal. 

Posters, paintings, some weird fucking shit like anime girls with cat ears staring at you with their bigass eyes and even bigger boobs – one of them had a knife plunging right into her chest, kinda making you feel it was more like target practice than fap material. You drop a big Lego set behind you, and the guy – bigger one, you still don’t have their names and you don’t want to know them – is yelling something about 12 hours put into that thing. Good. You can at least do psychological damage. 

The house is as normal as a killer’s den can be – no weapons lying around, no knives just kinda lying there, much to your disappointment. Inflation is real, even serial killers can’t afford to just have their guns lying around like they used to. Fuck, this used to be a proper country. Fuck, you used to spend your days at home, not running away from masked killers who are keeping their houses cozy and tidy and honestly kinda clean even if this has sort of man cave vibe, which is totally understandable and adorable if…

Shit, you got distracted. Dead people, dead people, dead people, you can’t allow your natural drive to strong partners and masks to make you forget about the…death of very annoying and honestly plain mean people who were making your life worse actively every day and who had it coming anyway, but they still didn’t deserve such horrible death without even letting their parents know where their remains lie and…

Before your brain could master more annoying thoughts, you pushed to an open door. There has to be something you can use – pills, knives, guns, remains of the previous victims that can be sharpened and used against them so you can let them how it is to be violently penetrated for once! Come to think of it, judging by how cozy they were with each other, they probably already get penetrated a lot…ah, diversity wins, your murderers are bisexual and fine with polyamory. 

 You open the door, pushing it with all of your body weight – and you fall, only barely able to protect your face with your trembling, shaky hands. God, you’re miserable. 

— Shatzen found a way into our bedroom. You sure we can’t keep her, Tigeren? 

— It would be boring, no? 

— We can use her for a bit and then let go. Make her show us where her friends are.

König sits right next to you, patting your head. 

— Braves Mädchen, so smart. Didn’t know such smart girls were going on such dumb field trips. 

— Can she be the smart one in the group then? 

— Well, she did go to the woods alone. So smart. 

They both laugh again – you grit your teeth, saving every bit of strength you still have in your body, to just push from the ground and get on your legs again. You can do this, you can still run away, you just need to try and push further, a little bit, just a few steps more, just…

König slaps your ass, hard enough to send you on the floor again. You groan, both from pain and humiliation. 

— Dumb girl. Do you really think you can be this adorable and expect us to just contain ourselves? 

— I…I…

— What is that, kitten? You want to apologize for running away? Want to beg us to save your friends? 

— I…f-fuck you. Both of you. 

Another harsh slap – the other guy gets his hand in your hair, tugging it just enough to make you groan from the headache again. 

— Oh, this is exactly what you are going to do. 

A noise from outside of the house startled you both. You hear Max’s voice – annoying as always, that know-it-all tone that usually makes your blood boil, but what sends happy shivers down your spine. You were found! Finally, at least one of the group is smart enough to find you and distract the killers so you can both run away and…

Oh god, Max is outside and yelling, he is definitely alone and they both are muscular, big gues with a bunch of weapons and you as a hostage and…shit. 

— Go on, Katzen. Scream for him, ja? Lure the mouse in. 

You grit your teeth, yelling out the best “Get the fuck out of here, it’s not safe” as you can. 

They laugh. 

The world finally turns to black with another season of silly girl falling conscious in the best plot moments. 

[d0llcuries]

do u have a masterlist !!

D0LLCURIEʼS MASTERLIST!!

﹫ NETEYAM X READER︰☆꒰꒰

one-shots ↴

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ⭑ ( NOT SO MIGHTY WARRIOR ) .ᐟ

in which you're his unexpected peace

𝟎𝟎𝟐 ⭑ ( LUVVSICK ) .ᐟ

hcs (sorta) of neteyam having a crush on you and him lolly-gagging around until finally pulling it together to court you officially!

𝟎𝟎𝟑 ⭑ ( LOVE YOU LOUDLY ) .ᐟ

in which neteyam and you take a walk you're not supposed to be on

𝟎𝟎𝟒 ⭑ ( TWO FLYING FAN LIZARDS ) .ᐟ

alongside a boy destined for greatness only, you suffer

𝟎𝟎𝟓 ⭑ ( LYING HAS TO STOP ) .ᐟ

neteyam is haunted by memories he shared with you before he left for awa'atlu

𝟎𝟎𝟔⭑ ( LYING HAS TO STOP PT.2 ) .ᐟ

grief stricken, you learn to cope with neteyam's absence. after five years it is finally time for the family to return to the forest, will you still be waiting for him?

𝟎𝟎𝟕 ⭑ ( WHEN YOU WAKE ) .ᐟ

when neteyam is gravely wounded in battle, everyone braces for the worst—except his childhood love, who refuses to let him go. determined to save him, she risks everything, but when he finally wakes, her greeting is… less than gentle. love, stubbornness, and a well-deserved (?) slap.

𝟎𝟎𝟖 ⭑ ( TIDES THAT BROUGHT ME TO YOU ) .ᐟ

the sullys arrival to awal'atu causes a stir among your people, though you could care less about their presence. that is, of course, until a certain forest girl changes your mind

𝟎𝟎𝟗 ⭑ ( KISS YOU BETTER ) .ᐟ

healing is a process. a slow, lonely and frightful one. you do what you can to be there for him, forever thankful to eywa that he still has breath in his lungs.

hcs ↴

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ⭑ ( HOME IN HIS ARMS )

living with the sully family hcs

𝟎𝟎𝟐 ⭑ ( HOW HE SHOWS AFFECTION ) .ᐟ

yea.

﹫ LO'AK X READER︰☆꒰꒰

one-shots ↴

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ⭑ ( NOTHING LIKE YOU ) .ᐟ

lookatyougoijustadoreyouiwishthatiknewwhatmakesyouthinkimsospecial after a particularly rough lecture from his father, lo'ak is overwhelmed by self-doubt. a shame he can't see himself the way she does.

hcs ↴

NOTHING YET!

﹫ ROXTO X READER︰☆꒰꒰

one-shots ↴

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ⭑ ( JEALOUS, JEALOUS, JEALOUS GIRL ) .ᐟ

you never thought roxto to be an ignorant person. and he isn't! maybe just a little oblivious..

hcs ↴

NOTHING YET!

﹫ OTHER STUFF I DID︰☆꒰꒰

one-shots ↴

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ⭑ ( ORION PAX X FEM! CYBERTRONIAN READER ) .ᐟ

you caught him red-handed! fortunately for him, he doesn't seem to mind at all.

𝟎𝟎𝟐 ⭑ ( REINER BRAUN X FEM! READER ) .ᐟ

you hated him for dragging you to marley, for every stolen chance at freedom. you expected the feeling to be mutual as you rented him for four long years but it wasn't. what better way to address this than ice-cream!

hcs ↴

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ⭑ ( TSUʼTEY X FEM! DAUGHTER READER + TRUDY X FEM! DAUGHTER READER ) .ᐟ

being tsu’tey and trudy’s daughter means living between two completely different worlds, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

thank you guys sooooo much for all the love abd support on my fics and all the requests and stuff i really appreciate all of it!!

[miseria-fortes-viros]

what if your best friend was annoying. what if he took every opportunity he had to make fun of you. what if he kept trying to pick off your scabs even when you pushed him away. what if you caught him looking at your bruises for too long. what if he hated your girlfriend. what if your best friend took you to a magical place and spoke to the forest. what if you recognized his messy handwriting scratched into a boulder. what if he drove you home. and again. and again.

what if he lingered in the driveway too long and watched your father’s fist land. what if in the time it took you to fall and smash your head on the railing he was there. what if it took three cops to pull him off of your father. what if he snarled like a dog and the look in his eyes was wild but he still managed to check if you were okay while they shoved him in the back of the cop car. what if you finally told them the truth about your father to keep your best friend out of jail.

what if your best friend could take things out of his head and make them real. what if he almost never slept because he was afraid of what he would wake up with. what if your best friend went to mass every sunday to apologize to god and he told you the nuns had an apartment they would rent to you for cheap. what if it was cold and cramped and bare but for the first time you slept somewhere without fear. what if your best friend knocked on your door most nights and slept on your floor. what if you thought it was because he knew you kept a gun somewhere and you didn’t want to think about what else it might mean.

what if your best friend started hanging out with someone awful. what if he stayed out all night racing and drinking and doing god knows what with this guy. what if you wanted him dead. what if you had a hand in his death. what if you couldn’t bring yourself to feel bad about it because your best friend was safe sleeping on your floor again. what if your best friend asked you for help. what if he took you back to the church and you could just imagine him in there with his family before it broke. what if he closed his eyes and turned ideas tangible in one of the pews and you thought maybe there were two gods in this church. what if he looked at you like he thought there were three. what if the nightmares got him. what if your best friend bled out on the floor while you held him and panicked. what if you watched him take his last breath. what if you looked up and he was watching you cradle his head from where he sat on the altar. what if the scope of his power hit you just then. what if he told you to leave and you did. what if you let him dispose of his own corpse alone. what if you sat on your bed unable to stop thinking about the blood dripping from his mouth.

what if once you started noticing the curve of his lips and the cut of his cheekbones you couldn’t stop. what if you’d never truly felt safe in your life except when he was with you. what if your best friend was tall and strong and sharp and cruel and he made you smile like nobody else could. what if you were quiet and calculating but he made you loud and reckless. what if he radiated danger but you trusted no one else to walk behind you. what if everyone else kept forgetting which ear your father deafened you in but your best friend always remembered.

what if you went up to his childhood bedroom at the house where his father died and looked at all of his old things. what if you sat on his bed and thought about all the times he must have woken up staring death in the face. what if you looked up and he was standing in the doorway. what if he came over and sat beside you. what if there were bad memories here but also good ones. what if when he finally kissed you he did it slowly and carefully like he knew he was devilishly handsome at best and terrifying at worst. what if his big strong hands held you like he thought you might fall apart and you couldn’t remember the last time someone had touched you so softly. what if he left after that because he knew you would have a lot to think about. what if you went back to him that night and kissed him like you were starving for it. what if the second room you slept in without fear was also the second room your best friend had given you.

what if something demonic invaded your body. what if it used your eyes to spy and your hands to manipulate. what if the most important thing in the world was your autonomy. what if the demon knew it and made you sit helplessly as it stole it from you. what if it let you see just enough. what if your hands closed around your best friend’s throat and there was nothing you could do to stop them. what if you begged him to fight back. what if he just kept looking at you even as his lips turned blue. what if his hands still held you with love even while he was dying in yours.

what if the demon released you. what if you couldn’t stand by yourself. what if your best friend kept you up. what if you fell back against his chest and his arms kept you from falling and he whispered in your good ear something meant only for you and you gave in and began to cry. what if the bruises circled his neck for weeks. what if you could see the shape of your thumbs on his throat and couldn’t bear to look at it. what if you wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted you near him again. what if he kissed your fingers instead.

what if you thought you never wanted love or a home or a family. what if your best friend gave you all three. what if you woke up with his arms around you in the house where his father died and he made you breakfast and you laughed over coffee and his little girl gave you sticks and leaves and his bird gave you bottle caps. what if you wanted to go to college but you didn’t want to leave and he wanted you to go but he wanted you to stay. what if nobody had ever wanted you to stay before. what if you never thought you’d have anything worth coming home to. what if you never thought you’d call anywhere home. what if your best friend gave you an apartment. what if he gave you his home. what if he gave you his heart.

[justhereforsomethingnice]

It is ridiculously hot for this time of year where I’m at which reminds me of the climate crisis. So here, have a prompt where Danny takes over the body of a billionaire to fix first his country’s problems and then branches out to the world.

They had planned it for a long time. If it ever came to a time where Danny had to run for his life, he was going to pull out some big moves. Who would expect someone trying to lay low and not be found to take over a billionaire? Plus, with all the money he had at the tips of his fingers, who would tattel on him. With him having escaped the GIW just a day ago and his parents in prison for trying to raid a federal government lab (saving him) he had no where else to go. Besides, if he possessed someone he would ping as human, because the person was.

Chosen person? With 264 billion in the bank, it was of course Elon musk. Go big or go home! He did everything very carefully. First observed the man for two weeks, every waking moment, then he took him over. After a week of seeing if anyone would notice, he acted.

He said he had a new interest. He financed an entire city in the United States that ran off of all the new green energy initiatives and innovations. Plant electricity, solar, wave, roofs covered in greenery, amazing public transport, bike and walking safe roads, sand battery’s, red light to go against light pollution and for the first ten years, the rent would be $1. Many were suspicious, yes, but also, no rent in this economy? They’d risked it.

He branched out, paying millions into research of the climate crisis, making the field have leaps and bounds not seen in many years. Organized contests to keep the people’s competitive spirit going and awarded every brilliant mind handsomely. He hadn’t even spent 5% of his wealth yet.

With that project rolling, he moved on to affordable health care and education to keep the health care and care of the land up so when he was gone, people would still profit. That world wide mission made his wealth drop down to a measly amount of 254 billion. He bought up buildings and rented them out in many mayor cities of the world for just 10-20% of the average rent in that country (he would’ve made it free, but apparently appearances are important to upkeep). By now the world accepted that he was weirdly doing this for the betterment of the world. So he started his new projects, reforesting the entire rain forest and giving all the illegal lumbers and farmers a nice well paying job and resources to live comfortably now replanting the rainforests. Every single thing that got discovered had to be taken into account in every new restoration project world wide.

Great, the planet was healing, the people had great healthcare and the creatures on earth consumed less plastic due to alternatives he pushed through. Sam would be proud. And he still had a couple billion left to spend. Bye bye anti ecto acts. You will not be missed.

The end. This was more self fulfilling ranting about climate change and universal health care while also shitting on billionaires then a fic or prompt. But those assholes need to get off their high stacks of gold and actually do something good with it for once. Fucking asshats >:(

Also, if you want to make it a cross over or if this does already exist like with Danny trying this while taking over Bruce, Oliver, Aquaman or hell even ra’s al ghul, Lex luthor or vandal savage I will read that. Over all take home message: Fuck billionaires, eat the rich

[fancyfeathers]

Yandere Kaveh/Alhaitham & Yandere Cyno/Tighnari (Normalized AU)

Imagine you and your best friend came to Sumeru to become scholars. You two have worked so hard to get here and you finally have made it, you two became friends with the other scholars there. You lived together in a small house in the city, leaving every so often for trips to visit ruins or other sites and meetings, and of course these do not go unnoticed

During one of your trip to study ancient architecture you meet an architect, Kaveh. He became friends with you quickly and after that trip you two went out on friend dates, lunches to discuss your latest projects, and afterward he would go home and talk the ear off of his roommate, Alhaitham. Alhaitham would get so annoyed at some point about hearing Kaveh go on and on about you. Then one day he meets you, you’re returning blueprints Kaveh left at your home when he visited and finally Alhaitham understood what Kaveh saw in you, sensible, kind, funny…

Meanwhile your friend went off to study Sumeru’s wildlife to compare it to your homeland’s nature. But while she was taking a photo with the camera from Fontaine she got, her foot slips on the branch she was standing on and the last thing she remembers is falling from the tall tree branch. She wakes up with someone bandaging her wounds from the fall. Cyno had found her unconscious on the forest floor when he was tracking down a rogue scholar so he brought her to the nearest person who could tend to her wounds, Tighnari. She had broken quite a few bones in the fall, so she wouldn’t be going anywhere for the time being. Tighnari would nurse her back to health and Cyno would visit her as she recovered but they never told her roommate and when she writes a letter later on and gives it to Cyno give to her friend he never actually told her he would deliver it…

After weeks of your friend going missing and not having her half of the rent you don’t know what to do, that’s when Kaveh comes to your rescue, you can stay with him and Alhaitham since your roommate shows no sign of returning. You had been avoiding them recently since uncomfortable topics and behavior have come up with them, being rude to your friends, Kaveh’s hugs being to tight and lasting to long, Alhaitham not letting you go off on research trips on your own saying that you could get hurt. But now you aren’t in a position to refuse so you accept and move in, but when the lock clicks in place after Kaveh closes the door is when you sealed your fate.

Meanwhile your friend had recovered and was ready to go back to the city, but when she arrived she saw your shared house abandoned, all your belongings thrown to the curb by your landlord with them saying you left weeks ago and no one has seen you since. Her heart breaks as she tries to gather the broken scraps of her belongings, tears streaming down her face. She has no where else to go, but hey Cyno and Tighnari are here to listen, and keep her safe, keeping her safe in a forest she doesn’t know how to navigate out of. She safe, loved, and the perfect darling, just like you to the sweet Kaveh and the strict Alhaitham

[pillow-priestess]

The Ever-Growing Garden

/cw hypnosis from flowers and fruits and generally a nice life, dubcon, death as circle of life written for #bunbothypnovember 2024, Day 19: Flowers!

A beautiful flower garden deep within an enchanted wood, tended by an unusually sedentary clan of fairies. They pollinate the trees and bushes, bring in new seeds, convince spirits for favors, and lovingly decorate the whole clearing.

Over time, the garden becomes a minor landmark of the forest. A bubbling brook of fresh, healthy water is diverted through. Adventurers and wanderers stop for a night, leaving fruits and trinkets as rent. Birds and beasts live and die here, their bodies subsumed by earth spirits to feed the flowers.

Throughout it all, the fairies remain. Most of their kind are nomadic, flitting between trees and groves and happily whiling existence away. But those who visit the garden tend to stay and watch it grow. The flowers are sweeter here, the fruits tastier, the company more entertaining.

Years pass. The garden continues to grow, more inward than outward. The variety of plants and fruits intermingling in such a small place is unheard of, as is the friendliness of the fae who tend to them. They don't hide from any intruders, going as far as to greet newcomers and welcome them 'home.'

A rare few of the wandering big folk are convinced to stay here. The garden provides food and shelter, and the caretakers make better company than certain adventurers with a chip on their shoulder could ask for. Life in the grove isn't terribly exciting, but it's… comfortable. Made with love.

The fairies learn to care for their guests as deeply as they care for the flowers. Some folk may have expected a rather chaste existence here, but the little ones are more than happy to prove them wrong. An elven sage once retired here, believing herself past her prime, but her moans filled the forest as loud as any other once the fairies worked their magic. A strong, loyal warrior rested xer head on the grass for but a few hours, and even that was enough for them to 'convince' xer to desert xer master, to live in a pleasant daze and tend to the plants instead.

A lovely assortment of residents across decades and decades of growth. Each gave to the flowers in their own way, but near all were pleasured by the gardeners every day. They were gorged on fruits and nectar so that their own could soak into the fertile soil. The fairies grew very experienced.

Several spent their remaining days here. Their existence was made a pleasant one, and when they passed, they gave all of themselves back to the garden. Their bodies, their souls, their magic, their experiences. All of it fed the flowers.

And with enough time, it evolved into something new.

The fairies already arranged the plants in beautiful patterns, ones that changed by the year as they grew and overlapped. Soon, both fae and flora were compelled to spiral towards the center of the grove, arranging a natural path to one great, growing bulb, and the life coalescing within it. Memories of countless lives flowed into the nascent entity, feeding it, sustaining its growth, informing it of every microscopic action that led to its creation. It gained form as much as it gained ego, and began to unconsciously develop an appropriate identity.

The already loyal fairies grew infatuated. Their excitement grew as spring approached, the redecoration constant as individuals argued amongst themselves of the best display for it to wake up to. The more heated ones nearly came to blows, but always seemed to devolve into nights of passion instead.

When the day finally came for the Bloom, all were in concordance. The small legion of gardeners assembled around the flower, and began to gasp and cheer as its petals spiraled outwards, slowly revealing the feminine form within. They hung in the air, giddy to approach, but waiting for her to wake.

And wake I did.

When my eyes opened, it was to a sea of colors and little faces, all utterly devoted to Me. Praise hung from their lips, desperate to worship Me in My new form. When I graced them with My first smile, some nearly swooned out of the air, giddy that their goddess was proud of them.

For that's what I am. A minor goddess, true, but a deity nonetheless. I am this grove given form. I am the culmination of several hundred years of love and care in service to the beauty of the earth. They've always worshipped Me, and the only thing that's changed is I now have a mind to direct them.

I don't have dreams of expanding My domain. This garden has stood for many years, and I'm content to stand for many more. My gardeners are perfectly happy in their purpose. They've spent centuries cultivating their green thumb, all to be wrapped around Mine. We are happy here. And now, so are you.

…Look at that pretty smile. You blissed out about halfway through that story, didn't you? I don't blame you. The fruits here are nearly as intoxicating as the experiences, and you've certainly indulged aplenty so far.

You'd like to stay here, wouldn't you? Nod your head for Me, dear.

That's right. That's a good little gardener. Just settle into your role here. Let My fairies kiss your skin, let My aromas fill your lungs, let My love guide you down.

Down, down, down, deep into the earth with Me.

You'll be as much a part of Me as they are. And you'll be happy.

Good…

Good…

I'm proud of you. Leaving behind what you once knew takes heart. Your heart will serve you well, here, where all can indulge in your passion.

Let Me guide you down, little gardener. Down between My legs. I've got a beautiful flower for you to tend, right here…

[goddess-aelin]

Stuck In Love

For day 3 of Rowaelin Month- idiots in love @rowaelinscourt

Masterlist

Word count:

Warnings: language

Another day, another sticky note. It had become the commonality of each day, the thing she could absolutely, without a doubt, count on. She would wake up each morning, have a small breakfast bar, feed and let her dog out for a potty break, and be on her way to work 10 minutes later than she should have been. And each day as she stepped outside her door, a new neon colored sticky note would be stuck on her front door.

Today’s read, ���Clean up your dog’s shit or you’ll find it in your mailbox.” Aelin breathed in a sharp breath of the crisp, autumn air. There was nothing like the sweet scent of neighborly annoyance on the breeze. Because, oh yes, she absolutely knew who this note was from: 13B, her neighbor to the east. Aelin’s apartment was 13A so naturally, she not only shared a wall but also a small portion of yard, a driveway, and a porch with 13B on the small half-house she rented. And 13B was a true, verified, pain in her ass.

Rowan was the man’s name. She couldn’t deny he was beautiful. She had thought so from the first moment she laid eyes on him. And then he opened his big, fat mouth, berating her poor, precious dog. It was war from then on.

Looking back down at the note, she scoffed. She always cleaned up Fleetfoot’s shit. Always. Her neighbor could suck it up if the one time she accidentally missed a single log of poop was when it was torrentially raining and, in her opinion, freezing fucking cold outside. She, of course, did her best to clean everything up, but she was human.

While annoyed, there was still a small part of Aelin that was internally smug with the fact that her neighbor deigned to take time out of his very busy day to write a note to her. Gods, she was as bad as a school girl with a crush.

Taking out the pen she kept in her purse that was absolutely under no circumstances for this purpose specifically, she began writing her dear neighbor back. Her handwriting would have been elegant and understated, a penmanship that would certainly put 13B into a tizzy. That was, if she had written anything. Instead, a vulgar gesture just happened to draw itself onto the neon pink sticky notes she whipped out of her bag. She had nothing to do with it. In fact, she was not responsible for her reaction to anything her neighbor said or did. He deserved every bit of ire she threw his way.

She decided the drawing conveyed just the right amount of irritation and judgment, crossed the porch, stuck it in her usual spot- her neighbor’s forest green door, and went on her merry way. She knew that when she got home there would be another new sticky waiting for her. She couldn’t wait.

Only when she got home later that day, there was no sticky on her door. Her day hadn’t been bad, per se, but she was definitely looking for the small, insignificant fight the sticky note war gave her. It was her one constant, something she knew she would come home to. Hmm, he must just be running late coming home from work. That was all.

Sighing, she went through her nightly routine- unlocking her door, dealing with her overly energetic dog, taking her out for her afternoon stroll, and laying on her couch until her take-out order got delivered. Today’s order was a heaping bag of tacos and she was so ready for the yummy greasiness.

A doorbell rang, signaling that her order was there. She waited until the delivery person left and opened her door to pick up the bag of goodies. Before closing the door, she made sure to check for any sticky-notes she might have missed but to her chagrin, there was nothing there.

This was very unusual for Rowan. Typically he had a note waiting for her by 4:30pm at the latest. Aelin checked her watch for the time. 6:55pm. Should she check on him? No, no. She was sure he was fine. Maybe her drawing of the middle finger got her point across a little too well. Maybe Rowan took that as a sign that she hated him. Good.

Nevermind that a pit was slowly forming in her stomach at the thought. She went to open her bag of food but hesitated. Mala screw her guilty conscience.

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Aelin trudged over to her door, ripping it open and stomping the 10 feet it took to get to 13B. She didn’t care about her neighbor. She didn’t. But for some reason, she also couldn’t live with herself if Rowan thought the worst of her.

She knocked three times on his forest green door, thinking how the color suited Rowan and his moods. He reminded her of the pine forests back home, cool yet comforting. After waiting a minute, she knocked again, slightly harder this time.

Within a few seconds, she heard footsteps and a muffled “yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” ring out from inside.

With a whoosh of air, her silver-haired neighbor opened the door, scowling slightly. Aelin’s defenses were up, ready for a verbal sparring based on the way he opened the door. Yet when she really took a moment to take Rowan in, she noticed other little tells. His nose was red, as if he was constantly blowing it, he had dark shadows under his eyes, and his hair was a mussed mess. She also didn’t let herself think about the fact that he was shirtless. That was completely irrelevant.

Because these things set a warning bell off in her head, what came out of her mouth instead was, “Gods, are you okay?” Smooth, Aelin. Real smooth.

Rowan sniffled. Or at least tried to. He flinched as soon as the air reached his nostrils, pinching his nose and rubbing his sinuses. “I’m fine.”

Aelin raised her eyebrows in return. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. Do you need something?”

“I came over to check on you since there was no passive aggressive note on my door, actually.” She shrugged. “Thought it was weird that you didn’t have a response to my note.”

Rowan squinted slightly, looking at the front of his door. To Aelin’s horror, she missed the bright pink sticky note that was pasted there from earlier. Gods, she was an idiot. He hadn’t even seen the note and here she was making a mess for herself.

“I must have missed this when I came home earlier.” Rowan snatched the note, looking at it quickly and setting it down on a side table behind the door that she couldn’t see. This was very unusual for him. There was no bite behind his words, no fight to be found.

“Rowan, are you sure you’re ok? You don’t look so good.” To her alarm, Rowan actually stumbled forward a step.

“Fuck.” He muttered it so softly she wasn’t sure she heard it at first. “I’m fine.”

When he stumbled again, Aelin caught his forearm, helping him to stand upright. Slowly, as not to scare him, she brought her wrist up to his forehead, feeling the burn of his skin. “Shit, Rowan! You’re hot!”

“Thanks, but now really isn’t the time.”

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the quip. “No, I mean you’re burning up. Have you taken any medicine to help with your fever?” A shake of his head seemed to be all he could manage. “Why don’t you go lay down and I’ll bring you some soup and medicine?”

She let go of his forearm and gently pushed him back inside the house. Quickly shutting his door, she rushed back to her house, rustling through her cabinets until she found a can of chicken noodle soup. Aelin was no chef but she could heat up this little bit of soup without ruining it for him. Hopefully.

A tub of soup and some advil in tow, Aelin quickly made her way back over to Rowan’s house. By her luck, the front door was still unlocked and she pushed her way into his house. She had never been inside before but wasn’t overly surprised by what she found. Rowan had a tidy space, furniture that looked comfy yet practical, a few pieces of art that matched the room well, and no overabundance of knick-knacks or personal pictures. She was surprised, however, when she came into the living room and found floor to ceiling shelves around three of the four walls. This room was her dream.

She found Rowan laying on the grey couch, a blanket thrown haphazardly over him. He looked so peaceful in the moment that she needed to take a second to just look at him. He looked younger in his sleepy state, more peaceful, and sweet. She found she was endeared by this new picture of Rowan that she had never seen before.

Shaking his shoulder slightly, Aelin roused him from the half-sleep he was in. Groggily, he rose and took the warm soup from her, not knowing what to do with her kindness.

“Let me just get you some water too, hang on.” She blindly opened cabinets to find his glasses and brought him the filled water, a few advil, and a spoon to eat his soup with. He took the medicine without any fuss and hesitated at the soup, staring a hole into it with skepticism.

“This isn’t poisoned is it?”

Aelin scoffed. “Of course not!”

Rowan shrugged and dug in. “How would I know considering you drew me a middle finger to start my day.”

“That was only after you said that you’d shove dog shit into my mailbox. And besides-” Aelin cut herself off at Rowan’s sleepy smirk. “You asshole.” Rowan just chuckled as he slurped another spoonful of soup.

While he ate, Aelin decided to browse his incredible shelving. “Where did you get all these books?”

“I love to read so most of them are mine but some also came from my parents when they died.” Aelin said nothing but gave him a look that she hoped expressed what she felt- that she knew and understood his pain, however long ago it may have been. “I needed more shelving so I built the living room into a veritable library.”

“Do you loan books out? Do I need to sign up for a library ID card?”

“You can borrow whichever books you’d like, Aelin.” The softness in his tone took her aback. She’d never heard him speak so…genuinely and kind. Though, she shouldn’t have been surprised since she also hadn’t spoken to him much at all apart from their daily sticky-note battles.

She ran her fingers over the spines of the books until she met the end of the shelf nearest the door. What she hadn’t noticed on her way in was the small end table beside the door where Rowan had presumably laid her note. Except it wasn’t just one pink sticky note that made it’s home on that table, it was many. Most likely all of the ones she had ever written to him.

She could feel his stare on her as she made her way to the table. “You saved them?” Her voice sounded so small, even to herself.

Rowan let out a huff of breath. “I did.”

“Why?”

He shrugged, “first to fuel my rage at having such a disorderly neighbor.” Despite his words, she could tell he was joking. “And then because those sticky notes started to become one of my favorite parts of the day.”

Aelin didn’t respond. Couldn’t. It was as if she took those sticky notes and shoved each one down her throat. So instead, she left the table, coming back to Rowan’s bed on the couch and his half empty tub of soup.

Finally, she asked the one question that had managed to bubble its way up her throat. “I thought you hated me?”

“Hate you?” He said the words with so much more conviction than he seemed to have the energy for. “No, I never hated you, Aelin.” He looked at her as if this was the silliest thing anyone had ever said to him.

Aelin was again at a loss for words. Things were feeling too…intimate for Rowan’s current state. He was sick and here she was, feeling things for her neighbor. She stood from her place on the edge of the couch, taking the bowl from him and setting it on the floor. Reaching out, she felt his head once more, which was feeling slightly cooler than the flames it held earlier. Gently, she brushed his short hair out of his face and dropped her hand. “Get some sleep Rowan.” Her voice was just above a whisper as her words lingered and she walked toward the door.

- - - - -

The next morning, Aelin went through her normal routine with the exception of her expectation for a sticky-note being posted on her door. She knew Rowan was likely still out of commission and made a mental note to check on him later that day. She ate her breakfast, took Fleetfoot out for a potty break, and left 10 minutes after she should have for her job.

When she stepped out onto the porch, she almost tripped over something laying in front of her door. It was the bowl she put the soup for Rowan in last night. And attached to it was a bright green sticky note.

Thank you.

Dinner friday?

-R

Aelin couldn’t help the smile that made its way across her face. Yes, she thought. Dinner sounds fantastic.

A/N: the sticky note prompt was sitting in my drafts from LAST years rowaelin month… do with that what you will

Tagging:

@cretaceous-therapod @morganofthewildfire @tomtenadia @live-the-fangirl-life @charlizeed @violet-mermaid7 @euphoric-melancholyy @kritical24 @rubyriveraqueen @dealfea @wellofnothing @ayaashryver @moonknight-spector @leiawritesstories @whoever-you-choose-to-love @holdthefrickup @heirofflowers @thecrispypotatochip @shanias-world @rowanaelinn @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @hanging-from-a-cliff @fantacysoup @swankii-art-teacher @thegreyj @fromthelibraryofemilyj @westofmoon @lovely-dove-zee @books4eva04 @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @mariaofdoranelle @dreamer-133 @elentiyawhitethorn @writtenonreceipts @shyvioletcat @aelinchocolatelover @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @athena127 @tothestarsandwhateverend @highqueenofelfhame

[storm-flyer]

Unrelated to any possible upcoming live action adaptations, I'm rewatching the first movie.

I haven't actually seen it since it came out way back when, so this will be interesting. The movie as I remember it:

Dragon attack on berk, hiccup is bad at it, other teenagers are there somewhere?, another dragon attack, hiccup shoots down toothless, joins dragon fighting lessons (maybe this happens later idk), tries to finish off toothless but doesn't, hiccup and toothless bond, astrid shows up at some point, they see terrible terrors, some plot about the dragons starving, and then the finale where stoick kidnaps toothless on a boat and the teenage gang get some dragons and they go after them. Really big red dragon, fighting happens, hiccup falls, toothless catches him, and hiccup wakes up later with a prosthetic foot

We'll see how accurate that series of events is.

- it feels like years since I've seen the fishing DreamWorks logo (probably has been)

- 'This is Berk. It's 12 days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death.' ah, beloved berk. Kind of shitty (affectionate)

- oh my god I forgot the sheep looked like that, I love them so much

- monstrous nightmare my darling 💛

- this is terrible. I'm a fake fan. I don't remember what meatlug's species is called

- 'Nice of you to join the party! I thought you'd been carried off' I love gobber so much

- 'They need toothpicks don't they?' 💀💀

- Ah the idiot gang

- You know, I think hiccup has a crush on Astrid. Idk, it's very subtle, who can say-

- 'If you wanna get out there and fight dragons, you need to stop with all of this' 'Wha- you just gestured to all of me!' this scene has lived rent free in my head for over a decade now, but for some reason I thought it was in dragons riders of berk

- GRONKLE

- man toothless is cool

- damn nice shot hiccup

- I'm already wrong on one thing, somehow I thought this singular dragon attack was two different ones

- 'Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't you think?' hiccup buddy I am begging you to read the room

- 'He never listens!' 'runs in the family' again, gobber.

- 'When I was a boy, my father told me to bang my head against a rock. I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question it. And you know what happened?' 'You got a headache' ok Im done listing gobber's lines now

- 'He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there right now!' I LIED.

- 'Some people lose their knife, their mug. No, not me, I manage to lose an entire dragon!' I mean, dragons can move, hiccup. Not really a problem with knives

- Hiccup: *searches the forest for the nightfury he shot down*

Also hiccup: *gasps in shock when he sees a nightfury*

- Hiccup. Real cool of you to free toothless. But could you have thought it through even slightly?

- 'You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning.' 'Aw man I should've gone first-'

- 'Cause you know, we have a surplus of dragon fighting vikings, but do we have enough bread baking vikings? Small home repair vikings?' it's a joke but they really do need more small home repair vikings

- 'I don't wanna fight dragons' 'Pfft yes you do' Stoick doesn't listen as a rule, but to be fair here, hiccup was VERY gung ho about killing dragons the last time they spoke

- 'Welcome to dragon training! 'No turning back'. Man I really thought these guys were already doing dragon training, but that's not what the dialogue implies

- 'Im hoping for some mauling, like my shoulder, or lower back' ruffnut that is extremely specific

- 'Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it' ok so they HAVE done dragon training before. I guess it's just been a while?

- 'Wait wait, aren't you gonna teach us first?' fair question snotlout, but have you guys done this before or not I give up

- 'So, I guess it's just you and me huh?' 'Nope, just you' gotta love Astrid

- 'I've read it like seven times! There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face and, and there's this other one that buries itself-' fishlegs you nerd. Keep going.

- whispering death

- 🩵🩵stormfly🩵🩵 my precious girl

- 'Im really beginning to question your teaching methods' as you should fishlegs

- 'Watch out babe, I'll take care of this' *misses completely*. Ah boyfailure snotlout. Gotta love the guy.

- 'Is this some kind of a joke to you? Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on' damn don't hold back astrid

- Considering hiccup isn't great with weapons, that was some pretty good knife manouvering

- Good old really, really big cat toothless

- Ah, the not interacting with but sitting near a creature to befriend them. A good move.

- head pat... the head pat...

- prosthetic tail time

- now that's a memorable first dragon flight

- 'Not that there's anything wrong with a dragoness fig-' *snotlout is punched in the face*

- Breaking news: Local boy discovers zoology

- Bringing the dragon into town hiccup?? A bold fucking move

- 'Everything we know about you guys... Is wrong.'

- 'Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?' STOICK. What a way to say you're proud of your son my god

- 'All those years of the worst viking berk had ever seen!' stoick...

- Ooh that is not a happy Astrid

- 'Are you training with someone?' like who Astrid? The trees?

- 'You got me, I've been making outfits!' hiccup not even snotlout would but that one

- 'You just scared him.' 'I scared him?!'

- 'Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile.'

- 'It looks like they're hauling in their kill.' 'Uh, what does that make us?' Astrid asking the important questions

- 'Ah, it's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole' with lines like this, you can tell who hiccups mentor was

- 'No, no, it totally makes sense, it's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their queen!'

- 'And you want to keep it secret, to protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?' 'Yes.' '...Okay' these two are great

- 'Im not one of them *throws helmet*' I'm not sure the dragon can appreciate the symbolism here buddy

- 'Toothless stop, no!' ooh hits different after movie 2

- 'Did I say nest?' hiccup the hole is already far too deep

- 'Youve thrown your lot in with them' Stoick, get a fucking grip? They are reptiles, not some sort of rival tribe

- 'You're not a viking. You're not my son.' STOICK???

- Berk seems to have more boats than they'd need, considering the amount of adults

- 'You must feel horrible. You've lost everything' Astrid... Girl... I love you and I get the sentiment but come on.

- '300 hundred years, and I'm the first viking that wouldn't kill a dragon!' '...First to ride one, though.' I cannot express enough how much I love these two

- 'So what are you gonna do about it?' 'Eh, probably something stupid.' 'Good, but you've already done that.' 'Then something crazy.' 'Thats more like it.'

- 'If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely go with the gronkle' 'You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon. it's me.' 'I love this plan-' 'You're crazy... I like that' the cavalry idiots have arrived!

- ooh the terrible terrors and flaming rock is a cool shot

- 'Is that it? *Shrugs*' gobber continues to be the best

- 'Odin help us' maybe you shouldve listened to your son stoick

- 'I think I'll stick around, just in case you were thinking of doing something crazy' 'I can give them a few minutes if I give that thing something to hunt!' '*grasps hand* Then I can double that time' hmm...

- 'Every bit the stubborn, boar headed viking you ever were.'

- Yay stoick! Never doubted ya for a minute buddy

- 'Hiccup... I'm sorry. For everything.' 'Yeah, me too.' 'You don't have to go up there.' 'We're vikings. It's an occupational hazard.' 'I'm proud to call you my son.' I'm not crying... Youre crying...

- fly stormfly fly!

- 'That thing has wings... Let's see if it can use them!'

- 'Oh son... I did this...' why am I crying I know he's not dead

- And toothless steps right on hiccup's abdomen. He really is a cat.

- 'Thats for scaring me' 'What, what wait is it always gonna be this way cause- ...I could get used to it.'

- 'This is Berk. It snows nine months of the year and hails the other three. Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so. The only upsides, are the pets. While other places have ponies, or parrots, we have - Dragons.'

Well, it was just as good as it remembered it.

Did I remember it accurately? I guess? I forgot most of the plot to do with dragon fighting lessons, kinda misremembered the dragon nest plot and I couldn't help but notice the massive dragon was not red.

Anyway, guess I have to rewatch the TV series now.

[missmilkie]

The Ninja From Another Land

Part One

This is a Naruto various x fem!reader fic.

wc: 1.1k

As a twenty year old young adult you lived alone. You tried having a roommate that first year you were out on your own, but you decided it wasn’t worth it. You found an apartment with cheap rent that wasn’t too bad. Yeah, you were pretty sure your neighbors did hard drugs, but not all of them. You weren’t going to get mugged or anything, so it was alright.

You didn’t make a ton of money, but you made enough. It funded your anime addiction on top of paying for your necessities. You saved money by making most of your meals at home. You had an anime cookbook that you were trying meals from. One of your favorites was the Ichiraku Ramen.

Your apartment had one bedroom and one bathroom. The living room and kitchen were a decent size as well as your closet. Your furniture wasn’t anything to brag about, but it was simple and comfy.

Your bed was a plush queen size. You spent the extra money on silk sheets and pillowcases and it was definitely worth it.

After doing your skincare, you decided to put something on while you drifted off to sleep. You took a few minutes going through different shows on your streaming service before settling on Naruto. That show was everything to you growing up, and is still one of your favorites to rewatch. The first episode played in the background as you lost consciousness.

“Who is she?”

“What are those clothes is the real question.”

“Quit being so superficial, something bad could have happened to her.”

“Probably just got lost in the woods. It shouldn’t be hard to find her parents when she wakes up.”

“Let’s hope so.”

When your eyes opened, warm sunlight blinded you. You brought your hand up to block it. You thought you left your curtains closed before you went to bed. Grunting in annoyance, you sat up.

Wait a minute. This wasn’t your bed. This wasn’t even your room. How did you get here? Where were you?

“You’re finally awake.” You turned to see a nurse at the door.

“Yes. What happened?” You didn’t feel hurt or ill.

“You were found unconscious in the forest outside of the village.” The nurse explained, “If you’re feeling alright, I’m supposed to send you to see the Hokage.”

“The Hokage?” Your head whipped around to check for cameras. “Are you messing with me?”

“Perhaps we should check you for a concussion…”

“No!” You regained your composure. “Take me to the Hokage.”

“Alright, your escort is on the other side of this door.”

You swung your legs off the bed, your pajamas wrinkled. You had no shoes, so you wore the hospital slippers out.

On the other side of the door was a tall man wearing the Konoha standard uniform. You immediately recognized his silver hair and covered face, only revealing one eye.

“Kakashi Hatake.” You murmured in surprise.

“Hm?” He looked up at me from his book.

Whoever was pranking you was good.

“Oh, um, you’re taking me to see the Hokage?”

“Yes. Follow me.” They got his voice down to a tee!

Kakashi led you out of the hospital and across the village. It looked just like the anime. Maybe this wasn’t a prank, but a dream. People looked at you funny as you made the short walk to the Hokage’s office. Your pajamas made you stick out like a sore thumb, and the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

When Kakashi stopped, it was at a large wooden door. You weren’t sure which Hokage would be behind it.

“Right through there.”

You nodded before opening the door.

The sight of the Third Hokage made your eyes widen. You knew what point in the story you were at. Orochimaru hadn’t killed Hiruzen Sarutobi yet.

“Hello, Lord Third.” You gave an awkward bow.

“It seems you know where you are and who I am. What is your name, young lady?”

“(Y/n) (L/n).”

“Where are you from?” His drooping eyes held a piercing gaze.

“Not here…I don’t think I could find it on a map.” Your eyes dropped.

“You have nowhere to go then?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you have knowledge of ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu?” He asked, to your surprise.

“Some, yes.” You looked back up at him.

“If you would like to, you may take a placement test for our ninja academy.”

“I would be honored to be given the chance to be a hidden leaf ninja.”

“Your first test will be on your chakra nature. Focus it onto the paper, and we will deduce your results.” Iruka instructed, looking up at you from his clipboard.

You were given money for clothes, so you wore a cute ninja outfit. Being reverted back to being physically 12 years old meant you had to try things on because you couldn’t remember what size you were. Iruka had gone shopping with you so that you wouldn’t be alone in a new place.

Paper in hand, you closed your eyes and focused to feel your chakra running through your body. The flow was akin to electricity, and you felt more alive when you focused on it. Then you directed it to your hand holding the paper. Chakra pooled at your palm before you let it flow into your fingertips and then the paper.

If your zodiac is:

Aries: Fire and Earth

Taurus: Earth and Water

Gemini: Wind and Earth

Cancer: Water and Fire

Leo: Fire and Lightning

Virgo: Earth and Fire

Libra: Wind and Lightning

Scorpio: Water and Lightning

Sagittarius: Fire and Wind

Capricorn: Earth and Lightning

Aquarius: Wind and Water

Pisces: Water and Earth

“Looks like your chakra nature is both (your first nature) and (your second nature). You’re dual natured.” Iruka gave you an assuring smile. “Now, can you perform a transformation jutsu?”

“I’ve never done it before, but I can try.” You put your hands up in the sign that you recalled from the screen several times.

Chakra surged throughout your entire body. When you heard the poof, you looked at yourself. You resembled Iruka.

“Very good. I think you can be placed in the graduating class. If it’s too hard, you can go down a class. There’s no shame, especially since you’re not from a ninja village.”

Your heart damn near burst out of your chest. You couldn’t believe it. You had caught on to jutsu so quickly. Maybe you would be in the Rookie Nine’s class.

To celebrate your placement, Iruka took you to Ichiraku Ramen. You were finally getting to try the real thing!

“Um, don’t you think she’s a bit young to be your girlfriend, Mr Iruka?” You instantly recognized Naruto’s voice.

“Naruto, you idiot!” Iruka had a vein popping out of his forehead.

“Oh, I’m a new student at the ninja academy, not his date.” You explained.

“A new student? I’m Naruto Uzumaki, and I’m gonna be Hokage!”

“(Y/n) (L/n). I look forward to class.”

The three of you ate delicious ramen. It was even better than the stuff you made back in your world!

[thehavenwake]

Apartments In Winston-Salem NC

Benefits Of Luxurious Comfort: Discover Upscale Winston-Salem, NC Townhomes At The Haven Wake

Nestled in the heart of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, The Haven Wake presents a collection of upscale townhomes that redefine the essence of luxurious living. Offering a seamless blend of opulence and comfort, these townhomes present a haven that elevates the standard of living to new heights. Experience the charm of living in Apartments In Winston-Salem NC, situated near Wake Forest University for easy access to education and amenities.

Aesthetic Elegance and Architectural Excellence:

The townhomes epitomize architectural finesse, showcasing modern designs and upscale aesthetics.

Premium finishes, attention to detail, and stylish elements contribute to an ambiance of refined elegance.

Spacious Sanctuaries for Modern Living:

Experience a world of spaciousness within the townhomes' interiors, offering ample room for your lifestyle needs.

The layout and design prioritize comfort, ensuring that each room is optimized for functionality and beauty.

High-End Features and Finishes:

Revel in the luxury of high-end features, from top-of-the-line appliances to elegant fixtures.

Immerse yourself in a world of sophistication, where even the smallest details reflect the pursuit of excellence.

Well-Appointed Amenities for Elevated Living:

The upscale townhomes offer a spectrum of amenities that cater to your well-being, from fitness centers to communal lounges.

Indulge in luxurious amenities that transform your daily routine into a remarkable experience.

Prime Location, Unmatched Convenience:

The townhomes are strategically situated in Winston-Salem, providing convenient access to urban conveniences and cultural attractions.

Enjoy the best of both worlds: the tranquility of a sophisticated enclave and the vibrancy of a thriving city.

Connected Community and Sense of Belonging:

Foster a sense of community through shared spaces and planned events.

Experience the joy of building connections with like-minded neighbors, creating lasting memories.

Smart Home Innovations:

Experience the future of living with smart home innovations that offer convenience and efficiency.

From smart thermostats to integrated security systems, modern technology enhances your lifestyle.

Proximity to Winston-Salem's Charm:

Revel in the cultural richness and artistic heritage of Winston-Salem, with theaters, museums, and galleries just moments away.

Embrace the city's culinary scene, shopping destinations, and outdoor activities at your doorstep.

Professional Management and Peace of Mind:

The professional management team ensures that your living experience is seamless and stress-free.

Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with responsive service and a commitment to resident satisfaction.

Your Invitation to Upscale Living:

The townhomes present an invitation to indulge in upscale living, where comfort, sophistication, and convenience intertwine. Explore the floor plans to delve deeper into the exquisite offerings that await you.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Lifestyle:

In conclusion, upscale townhomes at The Haven Wake redefine luxurious living in Winston-Salem, NC. With a combination of elegant design, upscale amenities, and a prime location, these townhomes offer an unparalleled living experience. Visit the floor plans page to embark on a journey of discovering the benefits of luxurious comfort in the heart of Winston-Salem. Elevate your lifestyle with the epitome of upscale living. Your haven of comfort and luxury awaits!

[shallow-wordsalad]

January 31, 2004 (Morning)

(I guess I'm just writing Fate OC fanfiction now. Sorry for not knowing any formatting tricks or tags or anything. If you're sensitive to dark content don't read any of this, I have no idea what's gonna be in it. I'm just vibing this out sentence by sentence. Sorry in advance.)

—Bii, bii, pii.

—Bii, bii, pii.

My eyes open in one immediate motion, then flutter a few long blinks. Gentle daylight streams in through my bedroom window and my pillow smothers my face. It's morning. Or at least that's what the sound beside me is saying.

—Bii, bii, pii.

—Bii, bii, pii.

Yes, yes, I know.

I swiftly find the button to silence the alarm oh-so-sharply telling me that it's 6:30. It takes some effort to acknowledge this and push myself out of the warmth of blankets and pillows. Squinting through blurred vision, I stare at the clock as it ticks by for a full minute, sorting waking thoughts from sleeping ones.

Two and a half weeks isn't long enough for this borrowed house to feel like I belong here. Maybe that's why I'm still having these nightmares. They say your body knows home as well as your mind, after all.

...

Well, enough sitting here with eyes glazed over. I grab my glasses from beside my bed as I rise to greet the day.

—My name is Kolyastavia Marie Zofastria. My name is a bit of a mouthful for the locals, so most people call me Kolya. I've come to this town from my home just east of Vladivostok, Siberia.

By "this town", by the way, I mean this out-of-the-way city in Japan.

—Fuyuki.

If my studies are right, the name is spelled with the kanji for "winter" and "wood." Fuyu, Ki. It's a snowy place this time of year, and there's a very impressive forest all around it, so it's a good and appropriate name in my opinion.

The name might have deeper significance, but I'm still learning Japanese and picking up on the finer nuances is difficult for me. I should've done more prep work in regards to learning the language of the land, but I know enough to get by, and a spell or two glosses over the gaps.

By the way, I'm a magus. To explain the entirety of that title would be a bit complicated, but suffice it to say I'm a magic-user like you see in books. I can do all sorts of things with magic, but in accordance with rules set out by other magi, I have to keep normal people from learning about the existence of magic. That is to say, I try not to flaunt magic about for no reason.

…

A long hot shower energizes my body against a chilly January morning's efforts to put me back in hibernation.

While drying myself off, I check myself for burns or scratches.

Because of a certain condition I'm dealing with, I need to do this regularly.

Medically, it's called analgesia. I can't feel pain.

It sounds like the sort of thing that would give a fictional hero the courage to fight endlessly, but for me it mostly means I trouble others when I hurt myself and don't notice. Heat is a particular problem, since I often get burned without noticing, and it can get rather serious. Seems like I'm getting the hang of the shower in this old house, at least.

Cleaned, dry, and free of accidental injuries for the time being, I button up my blouse, straighten my skirt, tie a neat bow in my collar's ribbon, and pin my braided hair into a tight bun. The woman in the mirror is the very image of nobility and class. I smile at her, and she smiles back. We're on good terms, that woman and I.

This creaky, western-style home I live in is apparently owned by an elderly couple who once lived in the area. Seems like they moved to England to be closer to their grandson after he went to university. They happily rented the land to me when I told them I was here on business.

It's definitely taking some getting used-to, though.

I'm from a rich family, so a small house like this feels cramped no matter how I try to frame it. My shoulder touches the walls of the stairway for goodness sake! How could one person live like this, much less two? Or three now that I think about it. Heaven forbid someone taller than I am try to keep their head from hitting the doorframes.

…

If it seems like I'm getting caught up in trivial things, it's actually because I'm trying to. Moving across countries to this city wasn't done on a whim. I'm here to do some rather dangerous work as a magus, and while it's yet to start, it's not far off at all.

Therefore, I'm taking this precious time to enjoy little things before I start having to concern myself with important ones.

Being annoyed at my accomodations, having coffee with breakfast, watching the gentle snow falling outside, and reading a book about Arthurian legend. Trivialities like these keep me from needlessly stressing about things yet to come. The fretting would be pointless anyway - I've made all my preparations as it is.

Well, not all.

I've made myself a serviceable workshop here in this tiny house, but I still need to get the lay of the land in full. Find all the leyline intersections, establish rapport with the keepers of the land, and find strong vantage points or defensible locations.

—That probably sounds odd. It is a bit odd.

The short explanation is that I'm going to be getting into something of a fight with some other magi over the next two weeks or so. A battle between magi is no trivial matter, and this one will likely be quite a spectacle.

Naturally, it's a life-or-death endeavor, so taking half-measures is a surefire way to get yourself killed. I'm especially worried about the possibility of someone local getting involved, so I'd also like to scope out my opponents if possible. You usually can't tell a magus from a normal person until they cast a spell, so getting the names and faces of some locals will allow me to make a few more educated guesses.

All of that is what I mean to do today. I've made a travel plan for locations I want to inspect, and I left myself enough room to account for small troubles. Not that I expect anyone to make trouble, you understand. More that I expect things to go poorly.

I've got terrible luck in that regard.

※

[foundtherightwords]

Same Streets, New Memories

Pairing: Eddie x Chrissy (No Vecna/No Upside Down AU)

Summary: Sixteen years after he got his diploma and ran like hell out of Hawkins, Eddie is forced to return home. Disappointed and disillusioned, he broods over his past failures, until a chance meeting with a certain former Queen of Hawkins High puts things into perspective for him.

A/N: This is mostly inspired by the song I Finally Love This Town by Tired Pony. Also, I've seen a lot of "rock star Eddie" fics, so I wanted to explore the opposite of that - what if he never made it big at all?

Warnings: angst (quarter-life crisis stuff - they're all in their mid-30s though, is that too late for a quarter-life crisis?), mentions of drug dealing, drug use, and drinking, some violence

Word count: 6.5k

"Hawkins!" the driver called out amidst the hissing of the brakes, jolting Eddie from the stupor he'd sank into since the Greyhound left Indianapolis. He sat up in his seat and rubbed his aching neck, trying to suppress a groan. Sometimes he'd forgotten he could no longer fall asleep in any position and wake up just fine. For one thing, he wasn't nineteen anymore; for another, all those years spent pretzeled up into all sorts of shapes in the van, on the floor, or on the couch of anyone kind enough to let him crash at their place, were catching up with him.

The bus door clunked open, and Eddie stepped off, blinking in the watery spring sun. It took him a while to recognize that Hawkins' Greyhound station was still in the same place—the parking lot of Palace Arcade and Family Video—because Family Video had been taken over by a Blockbuster, while a Starbucks had replaced the Palace.

It had been sixteen years since he left, and he wasn't prepared for the changes. They say you can never go home again. But what if the place had never felt like home in the first place?

He was one of the few that got off the bus. There were no familiar faces among the passengers or those that came to pick them up. All the better. He didn't want to see anyone he knew.

Hoisting his bag over his shoulder and picking up his guitar case, Eddie trudged toward Forest Hills Trailer Park. It was early March, yet the air was already muggy, even more uncomfortably so after the cool dryness of Los Angeles, and he ran an irritable hand through his fizzy hair, again regretting his decision to come home. Well, what were his options? Stay in LA and work some shitty job with shitty pay that couldn't even afford him a shitty apartment, or return to Hawkins and work some shitty job with shitty pay, but at least he could stay with Wayne in their shitty trailer so he could save money on rent? The second one was an obvious choice, even if it made his insides shrivel up in shame every time he paused long enough to think about it. The prodigal freak of Hawkins, slinking home with his tail between his legs... It'll be OK, he told himself without conviction. Humiliation rarely causes death.

As he walked through Hawkins, Eddie noticed all the changes in the landscape and the people, some subtle, some obvious, but changes nonetheless. Compared to the constant flux of LA, Hawkins seemed older, more tired, the people wearing a harsher look on their faces. He wondered how much of the changes came from himself.

At the turnoff, he almost collided with some spotty-faced kids rolling past on their skateboards. "Watch it, old man!" one of them yelled. The word stung. Eddie thought about giving them a piece of his mind, but thought better of it once he got a closer look at them. Jesus, did he ever look that young? He must have. And thirty-six is not old. Yet, watching those kids, with their frosted tips and the hems of their jeans dragging in the dust, he felt ancient, like Rip Van Winkle returning from his twenty-year-long sleep in the mountains.

But that feeling waned, the closer he got to the trailer. In fact, by the time he pushed open the door, it was as if no time had passed at all, and he was ten years old, getting dropped off by Hopper after Al got arrested yet again. By that point, Eddie had gotten used to staying with Wayne whenever his old man got into trouble, and neither of them had noticed when that particular stay had extended from days into weeks into months and finally years.

The trailer was a time capsule. There was the prehistoric TV by the door, the old faded rug on the floor, the cramped, messy kitchen. All the mugs and hats he'd given Wayne for Christmases and birthdays still lined the walls. It had started sort of as a joke one Christmas, when Eddie first started living with Wayne and couldn't think of a present for him. He had found a Garfield mug and bought it with the little money he had. Wayne had laughed upon opening it and given it the place of honor on the shelf over the TV. And so for Wayne's birthday next year, Eddie had bought him another mug, and another for Christmas, occasionally throwing in a hat just to keep Wayne on his toes, until it had become a tradition and Wayne had to put up new shelves around the living room for the mugs.

Eddie still remembered the Christmas he'd given Wayne a "World's Best Dad" mug.

"I'm sorry, they didn't have a 'World's Best Uncle' one," he'd mumbled apologetically. Wayne had said nothing, only clearing his throat and giving Eddie a tight hug.

And there was Wayne himself. Eddie looked at his uncle with sadness. When had Wayne become so worn out? Ever since Eddie knew him, he had seemed to have been born old, always of some undetermined age between forty-five and sixty, yet full of a quiet energy that never went out. Now, slumped in the rocking chair in front of the droning TV, he looked shrunk, a tired old man. Guilt pricked at Eddie's insides. He'd promised himself the first thing he'd do when Corroded Coffin got big was to get Wayne out of the trailer park and into a decent house, and not only had he failed, but he also had to ask Wayne to take him back.

Eddie sighed and gave Wayne's shoulder a gentle shake. The old man opened his eyes, blinking at his nephew.

"You're home," he said, as if Eddie had just left the previous day.

Eddie wondered if he'd ever really felt at home anywhere. Here, in this rundown trailer, with his gruff but kind uncle, was probably the closest he'd ever gotten. "Yeah," he said simply. "I'm home."

***

Eddie got a job as a bartender at the Hideout.

He suspected that Lenny, the owner, gave him the job for old times' sake more than anything, but it suited him just fine. It meant he got to go to work when most of the townspeople were already on their way home, so fewer chances of running into people he knew. Besides, those that knew him and might mock him didn't usually frequent the Hideout.

It didn't pay that well, and Eddie wondered if the idea of raising enough money to self-produce and release the next Corroded Coffin album was even plausible. He briefly considered dealing again. But even back in high school, he had never made much money from it, mostly just enough to buy a new record now and then. And he couldn't risk getting arrested. Plus, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't even know where to begin now.

"I had to get out, man," said Reefer Rick, when Eddie dropped by his house on Lover's Lake one afternoon. "Kids these days, they're so much tougher. Cannier. And they deal with the hard stuff. I couldn't keep up. I had this place. I had a nice bit of money put away. So I got out while I could." Rick was well on his way to middle age now, spending most of the time sitting on the porch drinking or even fishing on the lake, like those bozos they used to make fun of back in the day, and, oddly enough, he seemed content. Eddie envied him that.

Rick was one of the few old friends that Eddie saw. Eddie found his initial fear about running into people he knew laughable now, because there was almost no one left. All his friends from high school had moved away. His bandmates, Jeff and Grant, had gone to LA with him after graduation, but Gareth, who'd graduated a year later, never made it. "Sorry, man, my mom wants me to stay close," he'd said. They had found a replacement for him, but it was never quite the same.

One Sunday, Eddie ran into Gareth at the store. Gareth recognized him first, and no wonder—Gareth's hair was now cropped short, making his cherubic face look tired and much older than his thirty-three years.

"Holy shit, man, when did you get back?" he asked, giving Eddie a bear hug.

"Gareth, language!" hissed the woman holding a baby, standing just behind them at the check-out line.

"Sorry, hun," Gareth muttered and gave Eddie an embarrassed grin.

They caught up at the Hideout that night. Eddie was relieved to be able to unload to Gareth all about the band's struggle, as he knew no one else would understand. Gareth was understanding, but Eddie couldn't help feeling that his old friend was congratulating himself for not following them to LA and subjecting himself to such hardship. A boring life with a boring job and a boring wife in boring Hawkins was preferable to that. And then Gareth's pager beeped and he excused himself to get home because his wife needed help with the baby, and that was that.

The rest of Eddie's Hellfire buddies, all those lost sheep he'd taken under his wings, were gone too. Henderson was in MIT, working on his PhD. He still sent Eddie a Christmas card every year. Byers, the only one who could rival Eddie as a DM, was in California after Mrs. Byers and Hopper got married and moved the whole clan there, but they were in San Bernardino or somewhere, and Eddie never ran into them in LA. Wheeler had also gone to school there—he was dating Hopper's daughter at the time, if Eddie remembered correctly—and stayed. Sinclair, who had turned out better than Eddie had expected, given his association with the jocks, was working in Indianapolis. They had all done well for themselves.

So perhaps it was a good thing that they weren't here to see their fallen leader.

***

But not everyone left Hawkins. Some stayed. And sometimes, those who stayed were the fucking worst.

It was a usual night at the Hideout, with the regular crowd of five drunks. Nobody paid attention to the band, some lame punk cover act. Eddie wanted to feel bad for the band, remembering that Corroded Coffin had once been in their shoes, but he couldn't muster up the sympathy. Looking at their carefully ripped clothes and perfectly coifed hair, he knew this was just a hobby for them, a pastime to make themselves look cool, and could be easily left behind when they went back to the safety of their parents' houses and their cushy little lives. Then he caught himself and shook his head. Jesus, when did he become so bitter?

A group of men burst through the door, their raucous shouts and laughter putting an end to his dark thoughts. Eddie barely glanced at them. He'd seen enough of those, both in the few weeks he'd been working at the bar and back when he was playing here with Corroded Coffin. Suburban dads, most of them, out on their allotted once-per-week guys' night. Bored with the usual, they decided to check out the Hideout as the most underground place Hawkins had to offer. Ha. They wouldn't know underground even if they woke up buried in a six-foot grave.

Silently, he filled their orders and gave them to Trish, the server. She was one of the new hires—just out of school, barely old enough to be working at a bar—so Eddie made it a point to watch out for her when he could. "You'll be OK with those?" he asked, indicating the men sitting in their booth.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," she replied, though her face was grim.

The group stayed for a long time. As the night went on, they became louder, more obnoxious, and the grim set of Trish's mouth started to waver. She tried to act tough, but she was just a kid, really, and she was no match for those men.

After Trish brought the men their third rounds of tequila shots, Eddie heard a yell coming from the booth. "Get your hand off me!" It was Trish. She was grappling with one of the men, who was holding her by the waist, trying to pull her into the booth with him.

Eddie looked around. The band was gone, having finished their sets more than half an hour ago. Lenny wasn't even in. With a sigh, Eddie left the bar and approached the booth.

"Do we have a problem here?" he said.

"Damn right we do," said the man holding Trish. "You'd better teach your staff to be friendlier to the customers!"

"They are friendly. To those who can keep their hands to themselves," Eddie said, taking Trish's hand and pulling her up. She gave him a grateful look and scurried to the back.

The man got unsteadily to his feet. "Watch your fucking mouth," he snarled, giving Eddie a shove.

Eddie seized the man's wrist. "What did I say about keeping your hands to yourself?"

The man winced, and his friends glanced at each other, worried. "Fuck," the man said. Then he took a closer look at Eddie, and his eyes popped. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "Munson? Eddie 'The Freak' Munson?"

Eddie's stomach dropped, and his grip on the man's wrist loosened. He stared back at the man. Square jaws, a low forehead, and small, arrogant eyes. Loathing stirred his memories. His mind's eye added a letterman jacket and a baseball hat, and the man's features solidified. One of Jason Carver's cronies from the basketball team. What was his name?

The man's mouth lifted in a mocking smile. "Well, well, well. What happened to 'fuck this town', Munson?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Eddie said, ignoring the question.

"What are you going to do, kick me out?"

"Yes."

The others exchanged glances again, and Eddie was aware of how he looked in their eyes—a tall, intimidating guy in a leather jacket. Someone you don't want to mess with. One of them put his hand on the square-jawed man's shoulder. "Come on, Andy." Andy. That was it.

Andy jerked his shoulder away. "Don't let this freak scare you. All bark and no bite, aren't you, Munson?" he said, grinning at Eddie. "Just like in high school."

Eddie tried to swallow the hot gust of anger rising to his throat. "My bark is actually worse," he said evenly. "If you refuse to leave, I'm going to call the police."

Andy's friends had had enough. "Let's go, man. It's getting late anyway."

They filed out of the booth, throwing down money as they went. Andy still stared at Eddie, his already small eyes narrowed into angry slits, while his friends dragged him away.

***

After the bar closed, Eddie made sure that Trish was picked up by her boyfriend. It was four in the morning by the time he finished cleaning up and locking the door. As he walked through the parking lot that was still steeped in darkness, a voice called out, "Munson!"

Eddie turned around. It was Andy, standing by a car. What the hell?

"You really humiliated me tonight, you know that?" Andy said. By the slurring of his voice, his drinking hadn't stopped after he left the Hideout.

"You must have a really fragile ego, if that was enough to humiliate you," Eddie said, continuing to walk.

"Don't act all high and mighty with me, freak," Andy growled. "You were nothing in high school, and you're nothing now."

A haze of red came over Eddie's eyes, but he tried to keep it in check as he turned around.

"Hey man, I don't know what your problem is—" he began, but before he could finish, a fist landed on his cheek. Since said fist belonged to a guy who wasn't even standing straight, it didn't hurt much, but the surprise threw Eddie off his balance. Andy used the momentum to grab Eddie's shoulder and yank him down. Eddie's face collided with the car's side-view mirror.

Dazed, Eddie sat on the ground and touched his cheek. It stung where the mirror cut him, and his fingers came away wet with blood.

The haze of red slammed over his eyes again.

He jumped up and lunged at Andy.

What followed was a blur of punches, some connecting, either with flesh or metal, but most didn't. The more he missed, the angrier Eddie got. As if this bastard hadn't made his life miserable enough back in high school, he had to come to his work and attacked him as well. And for what? For ruining his night out with his buddies? As far as Eddie could see, Andy was doing a pretty good job of that himself.

Finally, Eddie had Andy by his neck against the car.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" he roared.

"Fuck you, fucking freak!" Andy spat out.

Suddenly the fight went out of Eddie. What the hell were they doing, two grown men having a pathetic drunken brawl over some imagined animosity nearly twenty years ago? He let go. Andy sank to the ground, and Eddie staggered away.

***

His cheek throbbing, Eddie found his way into the woods surrounding Hawkins. He couldn't let Wayne see him in this state. Better to walk off some steam and come up with some excuse before facing his uncle.

At this hour, the sun was not up yet, but it was no longer pitch dark. The woods lay silent under a cold gray half-light that sapped everything of color and life. The only sound was the squishing of the wet, dead leaves of many winters under his feet, and the only movement, other than his own, was the drip-drip-drip of water, either rain or dew, from the new buds onto his head. Irritated, he reached up to rub the wetness out of his scalp, and winced as he accidentally touched the cut on his face.

He shouldn't have let Andy get to him. The encounter left a sour taste in his mouth and a heavy weight, like a lead ball, in his guts. It wasn't simply anger or shame, or rather, it wasn't his usual shame of being a failure. It was the shame of feeling like he and Andy were similar. He hated the idea that he could have something in common with that jerk, but there it was. It was like they were still teenagers, ready to use their fists at the merest hint of an offense, always trying to prove themselves, trying to be cooler than this or that person. Eddie thought he'd grown out of that high school mentality, but apparently not. It only took coming back to Hawkins, being amongst these people, to bring out that aggressive side of him.

Perhaps coming home was a mistake.

A rustling made him look up. It was light enough now for him to glimpse, through the trees, a figure in a tracksuit, a jogger, a woman, blond hair bobbing along with her steps, running toward him. Shit. He didn't want to run into anyone, especially not right now, skulking through the woods with dry blood down his face and caked on his knuckles. They'd think he was a serial killer or something.

Eddie whirled around, trying to blend into the trees before he and the jogger crossed paths. A branch smacked him in the face, blinding him, making him lose his footing. He took a stumbling step back. The embankment he was standing on, already weak from the endless rain of the past week, gave way, and before he knew it, Eddie was plummeting down a slope, dead branches and rocks scratching at his face and arms as he went.

For a moment, he lay sprawled at the bottom of the slope, blinking up at the green dome above him, too stunned to move.

Then a face appeared in his view. A woman's face, full of concern.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Then the concern on her face slowly dissipated, replaced by surprise and recognition.

"Eddie Munson, as I live and breathe," she said. "I almost didn't recognize you with that beard." When Eddie didn't answer, she gave him a teasing smile. "Don't you remember me?" She extended a hand to help him up.

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could sink into the earth and disappear right there and then. But when the trees remained above him, and the musty earth remained underneath him, he had no choice but to accept the helping hand and get to his feet.

"Hi, Chrissy," he said.

***

Chrissy Cunningham. The last person he'd want to run into, especially in his current state.

Though her hair was shorter and held back with a headband instead of pulled into a ponytail, she still looked exactly as he remembered, as she had in high school, those wide blue eyes, that bright smile showing a hint of her crooked front teeth. Next to her, Eddie felt like a tramp. Probably looked like a tramp too.

"You OK?" she asked, taking in his bedraggled and bloodied appearance.

"Uh, yeah."

"That's a nasty cut right there," she said, pointing to his elbow. It was only then that Eddie felt the searing pain. He must've snatched it on a rock or a broken branch. "You should get that cleaned up, or it'll get infected." Without waiting for an answer, she took his other elbow and guided him up the other side of the slope. "Let me go grab a first-aid kit from school, and I can take care of that for you."

"What school?"

Chrissy stared at him. "Hawkins High, of course."

"Are we that close?"

"Don't you recognize this part of the woods?"

They were up on the opposite side of the slope now, and Eddie saw an old picnic table and bench set, all rusty and weather-beaten, by a tree stump that stood like a sentinel over the place. He immediately recognized it. He must've been too pissed off about his encounter with Andy to realize where he was walking.

"Wait here," Chrissy said. "I'll be back in a minute."

As she jogged off, Eddie thought about running away himself. But that would be ridiculous. She'd already seen him. How embarrassing would it be if she came back and found out he'd ran away like some coward? Besides, the fall had left him too sore to move. He gingerly sat down on one of the benches, afraid it would collapse from his weight, and cast a look around. Back in his schooldays, this had been the hangout for the stoners and the burnouts, and there had always been some empty beer cans and cigarette stubs scattered about. Now add to that some old needles, and he could've sworn he saw a used condom too. Jesus. Even this place had gone to the dogs.

What twist of fate had sent him here, and into the path of Chrissy Cunningham, of all people?

Of all the drug spots in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine...

Before he could contemplate that, Chrissy was back, bringing with her a first-aid kit. "So when did you get back?" she asked, lifting Eddie's elbow and cleaning the wound with practiced hands.

"A few weeks ago," Eddie replied, trying not to hiss at the sting of the rubbing alcohol.

"Are you just visiting? You're some big rock star out on the West Coast now, aren't you?"

Eddie was glad that her face was bent over his elbow, so she couldn't see the half-downcast, half-furtive look on his face. But his honesty won out. "Hardly," he mumbled. "Our albums sold like twenty copies each, and I think Jeff's mom—you know Jeff, right?—I think his mom bought most of them." He chuckled to show that he was joking, and Chrissy smiled back.

"I'd love to have a listen," she said. He knew she was just saying that to be polite, but it didn't stop butterflies from fluttering in his stomach. "I know it's not the same as seeing you guys live..." She lifted her eyes briefly to his face, before looking down again. "I always regret not making it to one of your shows at the Hideout, you know."

Eddie stared at her bent head, not knowing what to say. Being here with her and talking about Corroded Coffin and the Hideout brought back memories of another day in March, sixteen years ago. Back then, he'd felt, if not on top of the world, then at least pretty near it.

And that night... if he hadn't felt on top of the world that afternoon when he made Chrissy Cunningham laugh, then he'd certainly felt it that night.

It felt just like yesterday, the two of them driving back to his trailer after the successful conclusion of his Cult of Vecna campaign, trying the Special K, and then just staying up and talking. He couldn't remember what they'd talked about. All he remembered was a sense of... not happiness, exactly, but contentment, and it wasn't because of the Special K. No, it was because Chrissy had been there and she'd felt safe with him, and he with her.

He had never asked why she'd wanted to try the Special K. Later, as he drove her home, she'd asked him to drop her off a little further away so she could walk to her front door, and he'd guessed the reason, but hadn't pressed her about it.

"Sure, no problem," he'd only said, watching the way she twisted her fingers in her lap and fighting the urge to reach out, to put his hand over hers, and tell her everything would be alright. "I'll stay here and keep watch until you're inside."

She'd said thank and leaned over, perhaps to plant a kiss on his cheek, but at the same time, he'd turned his head to tell her "You're welcome", and the kiss had landed on his mouth instead. They'd both jolted back, embarrassed, only to be drawn back toward each other, inexorably, irresistibly, until her lips had found his again, deliberately this time. He still remembered the softness of her mouth, the taste of her lip gloss, the way she'd melted into his arms as he pulled her close...

He should've known it was too good to be true.

Queens of Hawkins High don't go around kissing freaks.

Chrissy had pulled away from him abruptly, ran out of his van, and disappeared into the night. When they got back to school after spring break, she'd actively avoided him.

Looking back, he realized that had been the first in the long string of disappointments that was to be his life for the following sixteen years.

And now here she was, talking as if nothing had happened.

It still stung, but he tried not to let it show.

"I didn't know you were in town," he said, changing the subject.

"Oh, I moved back a couple of years ago."

That surprised him. After leaving Hawkins, he'd tried hard not to think about Chrissy, but when he did, usually after some heavy drinking or after a late gig, when he felt particularly lonely, he'd imagined that she was leading a perfect life somewhere. Moving back to this shithole didn't seem that perfect.

And if she was here and Jason wasn't, that meant...

Eddie found himself glancing at her hand. No ring.

"My dad's passed, and my mom's had a stroke, so I moved back to help out," she explained. Eddie could feel all the years apart stretching out between them like a gulf. Their lives were so separate, so different.

"Shit. That's rough. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Moving back was a relief. I wasn't doing great in Chicago anyway. Divorced, working a dead-end job..."

"Oh. Sorry." Then, because he couldn't help himself: "Jason?"

She actually laughed, but there was no bitterness in it. "No. We broke up right after graduation. Just a few days after you left, in fact. He's married with a couple of kids now, living in Bloomington, I think."

She remembered when he left? Nah, don't be stupid. She only remembered 'cause that was when she broke up with that prick...

"What about you?" Chrissy asked.

"Me?"

"You married?" Was it his imagination, or did her nonchalance seem a little forced?

Eddie smiled ruefully. "Almost did, once."

"What happened?"

"She wised up." After that, it was just a string of fleeting relationships and meaningless hook-ups. More disappointments.

They talked about their classmates for a while—Nancy, Wheeler's sister, Miss Valedictorian, now a journalist in New York, Robin Buckley and Vickie Ryan, who shocked Hawkins when they started dating after graduation and then moved away together, and Billy Hargrove, the bad boy of their class, who was killed in a car accident in '92.

"Shit. Sounds like everybody left Hawkins," he said.

"Some stay. Some even came back," she said, gesturing to him and herself.

"That's only because they have no choice."

"No, I think it's nice to come back to a familiar place. You always know where you are. And if the place's changed... well, you've changed too, so that's even."

He hadn't thought of it like that. Suddenly the whole moving back home thing didn't seem so bad after all.

"You should be a motivational speaker, Cunningham," he said, trying to sound dry. "Have you considered that as a career?"

"I already kind of am, with the cheer squad."

"You're still cheering?"

"No, coaching." She perked up. "Didn't I tell you? I'm the cheer coach at Hawkins High now. Hard to believe, right?"

"No, not at all. You were always good at that." He remembered Chrissy in middle school, how young they'd been, how enthusiastic—how long ago was that, over twenty years? Jesus. No wonder he felt old.

"The only thing I'm good at, you mean."

"No, no," Eddie quickly said. "Well, you're good at this too," he added lamely, indicating the first-aid kit.

"I did study to be an RN." She finished bandaging up the large wound on his elbow and moved on to his other cuts and scrapes.

"So why—"

"Dropped out my third year." There was an awkward silence, but Chrissy didn't seem embarrassed. "I just couldn't cope with the stress, and there was no one to sell me half an ounce of weed at a discount," she said, twinkling at him, and he couldn't help smiling back at her.

That smile disappeared when Chrissy asked, "So, any exciting new project with Corroded Coffin coming soon?" Seeing Eddie's face fall, she sobered up. "I'm sorry, was that—"

"No, it's OK."

Eddie felt like opening up to her. Perhaps they weren't so different after all. Perhaps she'd understand.

"Well"—here Eddie took a deep breath, and the truth he'd been hiding came out in a rush—"there won't be any new stuff. Not for a while anyway. We got dropped by the label. The last album didn't sell that well, so they dropped us."

And there it was. The reason why he had to come home, the reason he felt like a failure. It had taken them years to get signed, and when it was only to an indie label, he and the guys had told themselves it was for the best, it would give them more independence. As it turned out, an indie label was less likely to interfere with their creative process, it was true, but it didn't interfere much with anything else either. They were left floundering, having to do almost everything themselves. Ten years of that would put a strain on anyone.

Without Gareth, they went through a string of replacement drummers, none lasting more than a few years, since they had never been part of Hellfire and didn't share their camaraderie. Then, when the label dropped them, it had been the last straw. They had held on for as long as they could, but eventually, when Grant and Jeff quit, Eddie had no choice but to quit as well. Grant had gone back to Hawkins for a while, then left again, having found a job in Detroit. Jeff, the rock of their group, was the only one who stayed in LA, working as a session musician. He had tried to convince Eddie to stay as well, but Eddie couldn't stand watching some other bands hit it big while he was forced to play someone else's music. To him, it would be a special form of Hell. So he'd gone home, feeling like he'd failed his bandmates, his uncle, and himself.

Chrissy listened to all that in sympathetic silence. No judging, no mocking, no clichéd advice or words of encouragement, just a softening of her eyes and a gentle squeeze of her hand on his arms as she placed Band-Aids on his cuts.

"Do you ever feel like you're a failure?" he asked, by way of a conclusion.

She peered at him for a moment before answering. "Oh just... you know, on a daily basis."

Those words rang a bell in Eddie's mind. He looked up to see Chrissy grinning crookedly at him, but there was some self-deprecation in that grin that made him realize how tactless his question had been.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean—"

"No, it's OK." Her smile got a little brighter. "I don't mind being a failure. Takes a lot of pressure off." When he raised a questioning eyebrow at that, she continued, "When you're already a failure, people don't expect much from you. You're free to live your life how you want, no need to live up to anyone's bullshit standard."

Eddie tilted his head to look at Chrissy more closely and realized his first impression of her had been wrong. She had changed. He could hardly recognize her from the nervous girl who jumped at the mere cracking of a branch when they met at this very bench sixteen years ago. She seemed... not exactly more confident, but rather, she no longer cared what others thought of her. Still, even back then, there had been a wild streak in her, a devil-may-care attitude that had driven her to buy drugs from him and agreed to come back to his trailer with him. Time and experiences had mellowed it, but it was still there. The same wild streak that had drawn him to her in the first place.

Chrissy finished with his arms and stood up so she could clean the cuts on his face.

"Do you remember that night before spring break, back in '86?" she said.

Their eyes met, and he held his breath. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I ran off like that. I'm sorry I ignored you in school afterward. It was—stupid of me. I cared too much about what other people thought."

So she remembered. And understood.

Eddie let out a breath, not just the one he'd been holding, but also the one that had his chest in a tight grip ever since he moved back home. With that breath, he also let go of all the heartache, guilt, and shame of the past. None of it mattered anymore. If he kept clinging to them, he would be no better than Andy.

He reached for Chrissy's hand, which was resting on his cheek. "You're not the only one," he said.

As she looked into his eyes, he would've given anything to be able to stay like that forever, with Chrissy standing over him, her face bent toward his, their hands intertwined, and the sun shining softly through the trees behind her, turning her gold hair into a perfect halo.

A branch snapped somewhere in the woods, breaking the spell.

Eddie cursed under his breath. His only consolation was that Chrissy was looking slightly flustered and disappointed, while she packed up the first-aid kit.

As she turned to leave, Chrissy blurted out, "Why don't you come to the game this Friday night? It'll be a walk down memory lane—oh, sorry." She winced. "I forgot that you don't care about—what did you call it? A game where you—"

"—where you toss balls into laundry baskets," Eddie said with a rueful smile. "I did say a lot of stupid shit back then. No, you don't have to apologize. It's just that—I have to work Friday night."

"Oh."

"But you're welcome at the Hideout anytime," he said, emboldened by her crestfallen look. "Drinks are on me."

Her face brightened. "I'll hold you to that."

"So... guess I'll see you around then?" he asked.

"Looks like it." She flashed him another crooked smile and walked off, while Eddie remained at the bench, feeling like he was fourteen again.

***

Wayne came out of the bedroom to find his nephew sitting on the fold-out bed. When Eddie first came home, Wayne had tried to give the bedroom back, saying the fold-out had served him well for ten years and would serve him well again, but Eddie had vehemently refused. His reason was that he was the one working nights now, and he didn't want to wake Wayne up when he came home early in the morning. In the end, Wayne had relented. He knew Eddie's guilt about having to move back in with him; no need to make the boy feel worse than he already did.

Eddie's face was bruised and bandaged, but he was looking more content than Wayne had ever seen him since he came home. And he had taken his guitar out of its case and was strumming a soft melody, occasionally stopping to jot something down in a battered old notebook in front of him. Wayne took that as a good sign.

"Mornin'," he said, shuffling toward the kitchen, making no comment on Eddie's late return or injuries. "You want some breakfast?"

"Hmm," Eddie replied distractedly, his attention still on the notebook.

It was his first attempt at writing a song in about eight months. He was a little rusty, but it felt good to pick up the guitar.

They say you can never go home again. But what if you can make the place feel like home? By peopling it with those that you know and love, and those that know you and, perhaps, if not love, then at least like you back?

She'd asked him to a game.

She'd said she'd see him around.

Maybe he could get someone to cover his shift...

"Hey Wayne," Eddie said, looking up from his guitar. "You ever watch a basketball game at Hawkins High?"

Wayne turned away from the pan of sizzling bacon to eye Eddie suspiciously. "Since when did you become interested in high school basketball?"

"Since today."

"Why?"

"No reason." Eddie shrugged, then he grinned, that familiar ear-to-ear grin that Wayne hadn't seen in a long, long time. "Just wondering if I could suffer through it this Friday night."

A/N: OK, I meant for this to be a one-shot, but my brain kept screaming at me to add more, so maybe I will expand on it later… not as a full multi-chaptered fic, but as a series of interconnected one-shots. We'll see.

[fatehbaz]

Scientists use a refrain to sum up in the impact of earthworms [...]: “Good in your garden, bad in the forest.” It’s a quip that can sometimes come as a surprise to people used to thinking of earthworms as symptoms of healthy soil.

In Canada’s northern forests, there’s increasing evidence of a worm problem.

According to research from 2013, tiny soil invertebrates, like mites and springtails, decrease in abundance by more than 50 percent when earthworms are present. These minute creatures play an important role in the decomposition and nutrient-cycling of plants, and their decline can likely be attributed to the rapid way earthworms devour leaf litter. [...] And earthworms, it seems, are spreading everywhere. Research on their presence in northern US forests, where invasions are more advanced, suggests that they could have cascading effects including everything from more severe drought to greater human allergies. [...]

[N]early all native species of earthworms in Canada were wiped out over 12,000 years ago, during the last period of glaciation. Earthworms, we now know, have been present in southern Canada for only a few short centuries, the first having hitched a ride with colonizing Europeans [...].

---

Lumbricus terrestris -- the common earthworms people find in their gardens, which are often called dew worms or Canadian nightcrawlers in fishing circles -- are one of the worm species that were transported from Europe and have settled into their new home so successfully that they’ve emerged as a valuable commodity. According to Steckley’s later research on the subject, demand for these worms as fishing bait exploded as recreational fishing became popular in the wake of the Second World War. But earthworms defy attempts at commercial cultivation and have to be plucked from the wild.

In the 1980s, southwestern Ontario, with its rich soil, abundant volume of introduced nightcrawlers, and steady supply of immigrant labour, quickly eclipsed the other worm-producing regions of North America. By the time Steckley drove past the worm pickers,

Ontario had become the epicentre of global nightcrawler production, with an estimated 500 million to 700 million worms picked and shipped across North America every year.

---

Steckley, who is now a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto researching Ontario’s bait-worm industry, says that he was actually right about his initial impression: there were bags of money in that farmer’s field, at least in the figurative sense. Worm pickers usually make around $30 per 1,000 worms, and a picker in the right conditions can scoop up to 20,000 worms a night.

“Farmers who rent their land [for an entire year] can make more from worm pickers than any other crop that they feasibly plant,” says Steckley, who’s heard of rents of up to $1,500 an acre. The industry is worth around $230 million today, Steckley estimates.

Despite the spread, Steckley says there have been few efforts to regulate its downstream environmental effects -- in fact, most people he’s encountered have been unaware that earthworms are invasive. [...]

---

But, in the boreal forest, most of the carbon is stored in organic matter -- that thick layer of fallen leaves, roots, moss, and rotting wood that, under normal conditions, decomposes slowly. But deep-burrowing earthworms feed on this material [...]. Justine Lejoly, who is conducting doctoral work with the University of Alberta and the Canadian Forest Service, found that, in some invaded parts of the Canadian boreal, 96 percent of this layer has disappeared. “Most of the forest floor is gone, so that means a lot of carbon is gone,” she says. This finding, which Lejoly made alongside her supervisor Sylvie Quideau is striking because 28 percent of the boreal forest is found in Canada and as much as one-third of terrestrial carbon is stored in the boreal worldwide. [...]

---

Text by: Moira Donovan. “Revenge of the Earthworms.” The Walrus. With illustration by Joey Ng. 13 June 2022. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: “Just As Much As I Do”

Notes: This is another little one shot I originally wrote in the summer after Season 3 of OuaT.  Post Season 3 finale, this one is meant to be the very next day, waking up back in the present, the Wicked Witch defeated,and Pirate and Princess maybe - just maybe - stealing a quiet moment or two in the afterglow. Rated T, though the reasons for that are only implied. Title and song lyrics included are from Snow Patrol's "Crack the Shutters", and of course I don't own that lovely song any more than I do OuaT or its characters. Enjoy – and please leave a review!

Also available on AO3 or ff.net, if that’s more your preference

Summary: The morning after the finale, waking up in his room at Granny's, for Killian Jones, it seems like his wildest dreams have come true magnificently.

“Just As Much As I Do” 

by: @snowbellewells 

Sunlight pours in through sheer white curtains, bathing the small room in golden glow and warming the darkness into hazy morning. As the sun's rays fall across the tangled sheets on the bed and heat the bare skin of a pirate, Killian Jones' eyes ease open, blinking in the sunrise and slowly regaining his bearings.

He rubs a hand over his face and back through his tufted, disheveled hair, confused and disoriented for a moment, not sure how he is once again in his familiar room at Granny's when yesterday he was sitting at a campfire in the Enchanted Forest of his past. Memory filters back to him with the same sort of gilded pleasure as the morning light. 'Emma,' his mind whispers, 'I brought her home.'

Turning from where he sits up in bed, bare to the waist as the sheets pool at his hips, he sees her lying beside him drenched in the wash of gold through the window, that cascade of blond hair lit up as if on fire. She is still fast asleep, splayed out luxuriously on her stomach, pale, flawless back on display for his perusal. As Killian gazes on her, admiration swirling within him, Emma mumbles drowsily and smiles without conscious thought, looking so much more peaceful and satisfied than he believes he has ever seen her while awake. She scoots closer to him, seeking contact in the depths of her slumber.

He reaches out to brush a lock of hair off her shoulder, smoothing it down her back with its fellows and letting his fingertips trail along the graceful path of her spine. That he can touch her at last, after so long – after so much wanting and denial – seems almost a dream. Killian's breath catches for a moment as he wonders whether he is awake at all.

Smiling to himself, he cannot help snuggling back into the mattress, studying every relaxed, glorious inch of Emma Swan while she is still unaware, knowing she would be blushing and trying to hide from such frank adoration, ducking her head self-consciously to avoid his gaze, if she were awake. Somehow he has earned his place beside his golden goddess – and no one or nothing, not even the sun itself gilding her in splendor before his very eyes, can worship her as much as he does.

Crack the shutters, open wide

I wanna bathe you in the light of day

And just watch you as the rays

tangle up around your face and body

I could sit for hours

finding new ways to be awed each minute

'Cause the daylight seems to want you

just as much as I do

The peaceful quiet of morning's first light is broken before he wishes as Emma's cell phone rings from the nightstand of his rented room and stirs her from her slumber. Her hand shoots out blindly to snag the offending object, and she mumbles "Hello?" blearily.

Emma sits up as she listens to the voice on the other end, bringing the sheet to wrap around her body as she does. Killian can tell already that it is someone needing something from either the Sheriff or the Savior, but she doesn't seem to mind the duty settling back onto her shoulders as she has in the past. Instead, she seems pleased, as if she finally knows that this is not a curse or a burden so much as her calling, part of belonging to people and a place of her own at last. She glances at him over her shoulder, a sly smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes; even as she nods and goes back to assuring the person on the line that she will be right there.

Once she has hung up, she glances at him sheepishly. "Back to work," she says with a shrug and that quirk of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Aye, Darling, so it would seem," he replies, reaching out to run his fingers through her hair and pull her in for a quick kiss.

To his surprise, she nuzzles into his touch, eyes closing for a few precious moments, savoring the warm expanding feeling rising in her chest. He half expected her to pull away – push him back and shut him out once again – when she woke this morning. It would seem instead that his Swan has bested him one more time, and his devotion to her only grows.

"No rest for the wicked, as they say," she murmurs affectionately, pulling back with reluctance to stand and begin redressing in the clothes they had shed in such haste the night before.

"And just which one of us are you calling wicked, Lass?" he questions, brow arching and grinning at her in a way that he hopes will sorely try her resolve not to crawl back across the bed and let the dwarves deal with their stolen trash bins on their own.

"Oh, I meant both of us," she teases back, mischief in her expression, "but those lips and that hand of yours leave no doubt where you're concerned."

He laughs, taken so by surprise that he tips his head back with it, a full-bodied, strong chortle. "Oi, Swan, what would you have had me do, you vixen? You were practically begging me!"

She actually giggles, looking so happy and completely pleased with herself that he wishes to keep that expression on her face forever. The flush that colors her cheeks and spreads down her neck to disappear in her shirt is so fetching that Killian is hard pressed not to haul her back into his arms and refuse to let her go.

"Shall I accompany you, Swan?" he offers, moving to get up as well and already scanning for where she had flung his shirt and vest.

"No, you stay put," she says with a hungry glint in her eye. "Go downstairs and have breakfast or something. It shouldn't be long before I can get back here."

"Oh," he smirks, looking terribly proud of himself, "I see. Am I under house arrest because you cannot get your fill of me, Sheriff?"

"More or less," she grins evilly.

"Insatiable minx," he returns, tongue peeking out to brush across his lower lip in a way that sends sparks along her veins and graphic images flashing behind her eyes.

"You've got no one but yourself to blame, Pirate," she throws out, giving him one last playful look before she slips out the door. Inside, her heart is swelling while she marvels at the absence of panic, at the fact that she truly wants to stay in the perfect little cocoon the two of them have created, and yearns to be back with him as soon as possible.

It's been minutes, it's been days

It's been all I will remember

Happy lost in your hair

and the cool side of the pillow

Your hills and valleys

are mapped by my intrepid fingers

And in a naked slumber

I dream all this again…

The next morning dawns in much the same way, and Killian's eyes crack open with the sunrise once more; years ever-alert from life on the high sea never failing to pull him into early wakefulness. He is stunned all over again by his good fortune: Emma is with him still. This time, instead of a sprawl, she is curled up into his chest, head tucked under his chin.

Still reverent as he touches her, almost afraid to shatter the illusion, he lets his fingers ghost over the apples of her cheeks, along the line of her nose, and twine themselves in her hair, cradling the back of her head, his handless arm tucking her even more securely into the shelter of his body, stump gently caressing her lower back. Her sleep seems calm and dreamless, which she had confided in him is new and rare, and Killian dares to believe that he has helped to make it possible. Her presence is soothing to him as well, banishing haunted nightmares he never thought to lose. There are no creases of worry marring her forehead, and the tiniest smile rests on her senseless lips, tilting them upwards in a captivating, if unknowing, manner.

Killian places the softest of kisses to her smooth brow, loving her just as he has ever since she stared deep into his soul in the diner when Storybrooke faced oblivion and offered him a second chance – a way to belong to something, to someone…to her. He had seen it then, desired it so ardently that it has fueled every action he has taken since. The intensity of this love, now that Emma recognizes and even welcomes the power she holds over him, and is even trying to give herself to him in return, is overwhelming in its power.

He simply rests here, ignoring the sun's rays spreading across the covers and attempting to rouse him from the most peaceful moment he has ever known. He has traveled a dark, harrowing road to reach this place and moment in time, searched lifetimes for the feeling of completeness in someone who loves him, who will fight for him as fiercely as he fights for her. He can see the warm wash of light over Emma's skin and appreciation for her steals his breath anew. A vision forms of each new day beginning like this one: the pattern of their future together.

Allowing his eyes to drift closed, Killian gladly disregards the dawning day for staying beside his love a little longer. He does not need the sun's help to adore the sight of Emma in his arms; she is branded on the back of his eyelids and in the depths of his soul, every detail of her safeguarded in his heart.

I could sit for hours

finding new ways to be awed each minute

'Cause the daylight seems to want you

just as much as I want you…

Tagging a few who might enjoy:  @jennjenn615​ @kmomof4​ @searchingwardrobes​ @jrob64​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @laschatzi​ @apiratewhopines​ @spartanguard​ @therooksshiningknight​ @tiganasummertree​ @optomisticgirl​ @jonesfandomfanatic​ @xarandomdreamx​ @cosette141​ @stahlop​ @sotangledupinit​ @elizabeethan​ @donteattheappleshook​ @the-darkdragonfly​ @gingerchangeling​ @gingerpolyglot​ @xsajx​ @teamhook​ @revanmeetra87​ @winterbaby89​ @hollyethecurious​ @thislassishooked​ @drowned-dreamer​ @wefoundloveunderthelight​ @zaharadessert​ @caught-in-the-filter​ @ineffablecolors​ @let-it-raines​ 

[ihni]

Here we are

For @mungroveweek, day 3. Prompt: "first time" (no sex though, fair warning).

(Read on AO3)

~~~

Eddie never thought he’d end up here; in California of all places. While many of his classmates had often talked about going to live at the sunny coast, he’d never dreamed of going. Had never felt the need to see the ocean or frolic in the sun. Back when he used to plan his campaigns for game night, he always had his head in the clouds, but when it came to real life, he hadn’t ever dreamt that big. Sure, he’d entertained the thought of someday making it; becoming one of the great musicians of his time and get to travel the world … and yes, maybe California had been a part of that, vaguely. But he’d never actually thought he’d make it out of Indiana.

Well, he’s here now. With strict orders to not make a splash, so there goes his dreams of becoming a rock star, he supposes. Which is just as well. There’s too much sun here, and he’s got a pale complexion. Being out in the sun for too long – which in his case means more than half an hour – makes him resemble a boiled lobster, and no one wants to see a rock star who looks like a crustacean.

They’re in San Francisco. It’s busy, and hot, and has too many hills for his liking. But there are upsides to it, too; the most important one is that at least here, he’s not being hunted for sport. The people are nice and welcoming, the sea breeze is always soothing on his sunburnt face, and best of all: everything – the trip here, the little house they share, their car – is paid for by the government. Or the shady organization above the government. Beside the government. Behind the government? Whatever. The agreement is that whoever they are will keep sending their checks, and in return Eddie and Billy will stay under the radar, and simply let the men in black know if they decide to move.

And subject themselves to a bi-monthly check-up, but hey. Free health check. Eddie will take it. It beats being stuck in a nightmare dimension or a lab. Or, you know, being dead.

Another good thing about their new home is the effect this place has on Billy.

Billy. Billy who found Eddie back in Darktown, and brought him back to life. Who kept him alive in there for over three months, despite Eddie’s penchant for finding trouble. Who dug his way out of hell with Eddie by his side as soon as they figured out how, and then continued to keep him safe during the time they spent in the lab.

Eddie’s initial hero-worship for the guy had quickly turned into genuine admiration for his strength and determination, and that admiration had inevitably turned into a crush. And then, instead of fizzling out into friendship (or nothing) like usual, that crush had mutated into something much deeper, which meant that when the doctors finally cleared Eddie for release, he flat-out refused to leave Billy’s side. Figured he’d stay for as long as Billy let him – which proved to be … well. It’s been a year since then, and here they are. Still together.

Honestly, Eddie’s so gone on Billy, it’s ridiculous.

They’ve been to hell and back together, and Eddie has seen every facet of Billy Hargrove (who is now officially Billy Samson, which is fucking hilarious considering the fact that he grew out his hair so it now reaches between his shoulder blades). Eddie has seen Billy in survival mode in Darktown, and he has seen him cry (the first time was when they finally got back to the real world and dug their fingers into the dirt of the forest just outside Hawkins, and the last time was the day before yesterday, when they rented Stand By Me). Eddie has seen Billy angry and defensive and distrustful, and sad and lost and scared. He has seen him hyper-ventilating in a dark corner after waking up from a nightmare, and he has seen him standing stock still with silent tears running down his face, without moving a muscle.

But he has also seen Billy smile, and laugh, and try so hard not to laugh at Eddie’s antics that his whole face scrunches up adorably. He has seen him drowsy and relaxed in the morning when he’s just woken up, and has seen his eyes light up in excitement when he’s heard a new song from one of his favorite bands. And he’s seen the soft looks that he reserves for Eddie and Eddie alone.

Since they moved to San Francisco, there have been more smiles than sadness. More laughs than tears. It’s like this place – the sun and the people and the ocean – has thawed something in Billy that had been iced over up until now. Something that makes it easier for him to let the parts of himself that Eddie knows and loves – the soft, funny, caring parts – out.

For that alone, Eddie loves California.

He’s sharing a space with the man he has grown to love. They’re both alive against all odds, and living their happily ever after. They hang out together, eat together, sleep together.

Sleep together. As in, catching some shut-eye in the same bed, at the same time. Nothing more.

Or, that’s not entirely truthful. They kiss, like, all the time. There has definitely been some intimate touching going on, on both parts. But they haven’t had sex. Yet. And at this point, Eddie’s not entirely sure that they ever will. Because every time they move past making-out territory, Billy tenses up. Sometimes, it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it thing, before he shakes himself out of it and moves to continue. But Eddie’s attuned to him or something by now, and he doesn’t want to force Billy into anything, ever, so he usually goes back to kissing or cuddling, or makes some excuse about needing to do something else. He knows that Billy sees through him, but Billy has also never said anything about it or called him out on it – if anything, there has only ever been hints of relief – which tells Eddie that he’s done the right thing.

It isn’t that he doesn’t want to have sex with his boyfriend (because he’s pretty sure that they’re boyfriends, if they had to put a label on it). He does! At some point. But also, he’s been with Billy for what, a year and a half now? If you count Darktown, which Eddie definitely does. And Eddie hasn’t ever felt the lack of anything in their relationship.

They kiss, they cuddle, they fool around. He makes Billy coffee in the morning just the way he likes it, and Billy remembers to bring sunscreen for Eddie’s skin every time they go outside together. They’re financially stable, have a growing circle of awesome friends in their neighborhood, and a little house that has turned into a home, which is big enough that uncle Wayne and his new girlfriend Linda (and who thought uncle Wayne would get a girlfriend at the ripe age of fifty-nine? Eddie sure didn’t, and doesn’t know if he should be proud or weirded-out about it) can stay with them when they come to visit.

Point is, everything in Eddie’s life is already great. Sex would be a bonus, sure, but it’s not something he needs to survive.

But. Eddie is aware that he might be in the minority with those kind of opinions. And Billy is important to him – arguably the most important person in his life – and the way he tenses up when things gets serious speaks of something. Something that should perhaps be addressed.

It takes a while for him to work up the nerve to bring it up, though. He’s been known to avoid difficult topics in the past, and Billy straight-up shuts down if there’s something he doesn’t feel like talking about. It’s not an optimal combination, in a relationship. But they’re working on it.

So one night when they’re curled up close in their couch, kissing – the TV droning on, volume low, in the background – and Eddie’s hand drifts from its place on Billy’s hip to the hem of his pants, and he feels that now-familiar tension in his boyfriend … he puts both of his hands on Billy’s face and makes sure he’s looking him in the eyes as he says, “You know we don’t ever have to do anything you don’t wanna do, right?”

Billy’s eyes widen, and he opens his mouth to no doubt protest or deny or claim that he can take it, whatever it is – because Eddie’s boyfriend is nothing if not predictable – so Eddie leans in and kisses him again to shut him up, before he even starts talking. It works, in that this time when Eddie leans back, Billy just blinks, thrown off-guard. Eddie sits back in the couch, and stretches his legs out over Billy’s lap so he can’t run from this.

Not that Billy couldn’t run from this, if he wanted. Billy is strong and he could throw Eddie around like a wet dishtowel if he wanted to. Which Eddie might not be entirely opposed to. Not that he’s been thinking about it. Much.

Focus, Eddie.

“I just want to make sure you know that, babe.”

“I … I know that.”

“Do you?” Eddie barges on, and reaches out for Billy’s pants again. Predictably, Billy takes a little breath at the motion, and Eddie raises one eyebrow. He doesn’t even have to say anything, but he does anyway. “Because you tense up like I’m gonna ravage you or something every time we get past a certain point.” It sounds a bit accusatory, which won’t do. “Which I won’t, obviously! Unless you’re into that. But if you’re not into that, I’m not either.” He racks his brain for something to say to smoothen out the wrinkle between Billy’s eyebrows. “And like, I don’t mind? That we’re not having sex. It’s totally okay, you know, if you don’t want to, I totally get it, I –“

“I want to,” Billy blurts, probably mostly to make Eddie stop rambling.

It works. “What?”

“I want to,” Billy repeats, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He’s adorable. Eddie wants to kiss him silly, but in a rare show of situational awareness, he stops himself. Now might not be the time for kissing. Now is the time for listening. And indeed, Billy continues unprompted. Licks his lips and gently places his hands on Eddie’s legs in his lap. “I want to … have sex. With you.”

“Oh,” Eddie says. “Well … good. I want that too. Have sex, I mean.” He adds, for clarification, “With you.” He throws in a pair of fingerguns for emphasis and regrets it deeply for a whole second, before it pulls a smile out of Billy, at which point it starts to feel like an accomplishment instead.

“I just …” Billy starts, and then trails off. Talking about things has never been his strong suit. He’s trying, for Eddie, but –

“Hey,” Eddie says, softer. “I meant what I said. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. That includes explaining. I love you anyway, you know that.”

“I know,” Billy says, and there’s a pause that is just a little too short for Eddie to make a Star Wars joke before he adds, almost shyly, “I love you too.”

It has Eddie grinning, like every time he hears those words. Normally he’d make a show out of blushing and squirming in delight, but there’s something about the way Billy holds himself that makes Eddie think he’s not done talking. So he waits. And it pays off, when Billy takes a deep breath as if steeling himself.

“I … My first time? It wasn’t … good.” Eddie doesn’t say that no one’s first time is good, because he suspects there is more to it than that. “I mean. First time with a girl was …” Billy shrugs. “Not good, not bad. It was just something that had to be done, you know?”

Eddie understands. He lived in Hawkins, too, and knows how stifling – and dangerous – a small town can be if you’re anything but straight as a ruler.

“I’ve done stuff with guys,” Billy continues, and doesn’t look up from where his hands are gently grabbing Eddie’s left shin. “Just. Kissing and, you know. Stuff.” If it’s the same thing that they’re currently doing, then yes, Eddie knows. Billy licks his lips again. “But I’ve only … had sex,” he takes a steadying breath before continuing, “with a guy, one time. And it didn’t – It wasn’t –“ He takes another deep breath. “It sucked. It hurt, and I tried to tell him that, but he didn’t listen. Didn’t s-stop.” He’s not looking at Eddie as he powers on. “And after, he just … left. And never spoke to me again.”

There is something simmering under Eddie’s skin. Like bugs. Thousands of angry bugs, itching to burst out of him and devour whoever hurt Billy before.

“Who?” slips out of him before he can stop it. “Who was it?”

Billy tenses up, but his voice is indifferent – too indifferent – when he says, “Doesn’t matter. You don’t know him.” It sounds forced, and his half-shrug looks anything but natural.

It makes Eddie take a deep breath to calm himself down. Anger is not what Billy needs now, not when he’s been so brave and told Eddie all this. Told him with words, even though he hates talking about shit.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie says, “that sucks.” Because he can write a ten page exposition monologue for a quest, but he’s not exactly eloquent when it comes to feelings. The biggest words always feel so small when they have to matter.

But Billy huffs out a breath, and there’s a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Eddie doesn’t stop himself this time, and leans forward to press a kiss to that exact spot.

“I’m sorry your first time was with a tool like that.” Another kiss. “Who didn’t appreciate you properly.” Another. “Who didn’t see how goddamn sexy –“ kiss, “– strong –“ kiss, “– compassionate –“ kiss, “– protective –“ kiss, “– and adorable you are.”

Billy’s smiling for real now. And blushing. His ears are tinted pink. It feels like a win. “You’re a dork.”

“Your dork.”

“… my dork.” He pulls Eddie closer and after some scuffling, they situate themselves so that Eddie’s sitting with his back to Billy, between his legs, and with Billy’s arms under his own. Their fingers are lacing together on Eddie’s stomach.

They sit in silence for a while, idly watching the TV, before Eddie says, “This? This is good too. Better than sex.”

“How do you know?” Billy says in a low voice, close to Eddie’s ear.

“Hey, I’ve had sex! … kinda. It was that one time with that girl in eight grade, remember? I told you about that.”

“But with a guy?”

“Well, no.”

Eddie waits, and eventually Billy speaks again. “I want to do it, with you. But I want your first time with a guy … our first time … to be good. And I don’t know … I don’t know how to do that.”

Leaning his head back so it rests on Billy’s shoulder, Eddie turns his head awkwardly so he can press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “We’ll figure it out,” he says, simply. Because it is that simple, really. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve sort of planned to spend the rest of my life with you.” He ignores Billy’s wet intake of breath, and gets comfortable half-lying on his boyfriend’s chest. “So we have all the time in the world to figure it out together.”

“I,” Billy starts. Swallows when his voice breaks, then tries again. “Yeah. We do.”