#how to easy eat extra veggies

[johnbrand]

Normal, SC

With @mrrharper

Officer Justin O’Shaughnessy reluctantly hopped into his patrol vehicle. He had been transferred out of South Carolina’s capital to the tiny town of Normal, population definitely under a thousand. When Justin had enlisted to the new town, he had not dreamt of it being so traditional. Less than 45 minutes away, Columbia had a thriving queer community that Justin and his boyfriend were well involved in. Even their police force was welcoming. But this new position in Normal felt anything but.

Before Officer O’Shaughnessy had even entered the building, he already received sideways glances. He appeared nothing like the other overly manly men there, his more androgynous appearance colliding with the two genders established by the town. But through his worry, Justin did feel a sense of pride by bringing a bit of diversity to the town, at least in terms of sexuality. And now here he was, on his first assignment with his new patrol route.

Unaccustomed to the height of his new vehicle–a literal truck rather than the typical sedan–Justin took a deep breath before grabbing the keys. His job was easy today. The Chief wanted him to get adjusted to town, harmonize himself with it. “Things work a little differently around ‘ere,” the Chief’s Southern twang sticking out a bit at the end. “The quicker you learn to fit in and be like all the other men, the better.”

It took Justin a moment to figure out how to get the truck started, after all he drove a Prius–wait, a foreign car? Heck no, he only drove American vehicles. Shaking his head, Justin started the engine and pulled out of the station. He was feeling confident, the Chief’s words flashing through his mind as he began his patrol.

Unsurprisingly, there were not that many streets in town to check out. The main road, the side roads, the business versus residential roads. It was not anything like Columbia, that beautiful, expansive, expensive, crowded, woke wasteland. Nah, Justin liked the speed of this town a lot better. It was quaint and slow, everything moved at its own pace. It was not influenced by those protests or silly parades.

After a while, Justin decided to pull over to stretch. His body was already aching, although he could not explain why. He had kept himself slim over the years through marathons and–running? Justin chuckled to himself. Yeah right! He worked out at the local gym everyday, pumping each of his muscle groups to their fullest capacity. He wanted to be big after all, just like all the other guys on the force. So he must have been sore from the nightmare of a workout Chief had dumped on him earlier to get a gauge of his abilities. Justin had perfectly met the average.

Justin peered at the time from his dashboard when he reentered the truck, noticing it was already time for his lunch break. Excited, he pulled out his bag and started grabbing items. Tomato sandwich, baked veggie chips, hummus…wait, was this his lunch? He went through the items again. Thick club sandwich with extra meat, two bags of potato chips, can of cheap beer. Yeah, that seemed a lot more appropriate. A real man needed to eat a real man’s lunch after all. Justin was relieved his wife had not packed him some vegetarian or vegan bull crap.

Justin paused for a moment, demolishing his meal before starting the truck up again. He had a wife? Well sure he did! Just about every man in town had one. He fiddled with his ring finger subconsciously as he daydreamt about his beautiful bride. Eventually, Justin began fiddling with the plumper, bloated “finger” in his pants too as he daydreamt about his beautiful bride. What was her name again? Marcus…Markie…Margie! Lovely, pregnant Margie.

Justin refocused on the job at hand, he was to become a father soon after all. All the other men in the small town were already dads, and he was slacking! He was about to turn 24 and had no kids to show for it. Luckily, he was spared with some mature masculine features. Justin had grown out a beard as soon as he could, and a fluffy mat of body hair only accentuated this fact. Of course, he was not mature all the time. He had no problem roughhousing and dutch-ovening the other officers–it was just men being men after all!

Justin laughed to himself, waving to a few men as he passed by them. It was funny how all the men in Normal looked pretty similar. Even Justin was fitting the mold. All a couple of inches over six feet; those packed, muscular builds sustained by home cooked Southern meals from the misses; dressed in either similar work clothes, home clothes, or church clothes. Their interests and morals were so well-aligned too. It was like the town had its own personal standard for everyone to follow.

Registering the time once more, Justin sighed…Jared sighed disappointedly as his shift had once again come to an end. Pulling back into his spot in the station’s parking lot, he was not surprised to see all the other almost identical officers fraternizing. 

“Hey O’Shaughnessy, you comin’ to the bar for some beer with us?” one of them shouted.

“You betch’I’m comin’!” Jared confirmed in the same deep, Southern twang. Hopefully the missus would not mind too dearly, he was just being normal after all!

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

I wish you'd write a fic where reader is xadens younger sister and dating Garrick. But they date in secret (obviously xaden wouldnt be super thrilled at first when finding out) for like 2 years or so before they leave to go to Basgiath . Maybe when reader goes to cross the parapet Xaden notices garricks extra instruction. Maybe a slight brush on the back of the end before stepping on. And then Garrick and reader are caught by xaden and then his mad at first but relaxes off after watching Garrick protect her through out the year

When?

Xaden felt like an idiot. One big absolute idiot. He couldn’t believe that he was able to lead the rebellion but was quite literally fooled by the people closest to him. How did he miss the signs? Why didn’t his consciousness wave red flags back and forth. And he didn’t even figure it out on his own. No, no, fucking Imogen spelled it out for him.

“What are you smiling about all day?”, he had asked her as they counted up the weapons. Getting ready to distribute them overnight. Imogen shook her head as her smirk deepened, “Just Garrick”, she breathed. Xaden frowned, “Why are you smiling over Garrick? You don’t smile over a man”. Imogen rolled her eyes, “it has nothing to do with me, you idiot”, she snorted.

“Out with it, I don’t have time to play”, Xaden grumbled. Imogen placed down the dagger in her hands before looking up at her friend. “Didn’t you notice that he’s been different?”, she questioned. “Is he sick?”, Xaden smacked a question of his right back at her. “You are unbelievable”, she shook her head, “Do you seriously don’t see it?” Xaden blinked a couple of times. Nothing seemed off about his oldest friend. He was fine. Better than ever actually. “Xaden, Garrick looks at your sister as if she hung the moon up in the sky”, Imogen muttered, “He greeted me with a smile today”, her hands met Xaden’s shoulders as she shook him slowly, “A smile. S. M. I. L. E. Do you understand? That man hasn’t smiled ever since I met him”. But Xaden’s mind had clung to the first part of her words. Garrick liked his sister. No, this had to be a joke. Just Imogen didn’t look as if she was joking.

Ever since had made it his task to keep an eye out. Following you both. Sorting out through memories of you both. You had barely crossed the parapet six months ago. And yes Garrick had pulled you from the line when you came up. “Show me your shoes”, he had ordered, bending down to check them himself. Xaden hadn’t thought anything of it then. Had simply muttered, “Fuck you, I got her the shoes myself”, but he was so frightened to lose you that day that nothing else counted. Not the way Garrick had gripped the side of your face right before you stepped on. Not even the fact that Garrick had broken the board the names were scribbled on. Or how they had embraced each other when you were safely on the other side.

“Stop piling food on my plate”, you chuckled lightly, as Garrick spooned more veggie bake from his owl plate onto yours. “You need to eat more”, he stated, “You did well in training today”. Your eyes sparkled as you looked up at him. “You probably just went easy on me”, you shrugged. “I never go easy on anyone, love”, he reached out, brushing strands of your hair behind your ear, “Especially not when I want to impress you”. You hit his chest lightly, as your cheeks went pink, “You’re such a flirt”, “Only for you baby, only for you”, he traced the corner of your lips before picking up a for once again.

Xaden brooded in the knowledge of seeing it with his own two eyes. And then it’s as if someone had ripped the blindfold from his eyes. It was everywhere. Xaden saw it everywhere and it was so obvious. Garrick who was always first to leave the meeting now stood there, waiting for everyone to leave. Every time he walked past the girls he always made sure to brush his fingers along your back. Find contact with you no matter what. In a sea of cadets, his eyes were always on you.

“When?”, Xaden asked, yanking the back of Garrick’s shirt as the male left one of the meeting halls. Garrick didn’t miss a beat at batting his long-time friend’s hands off him, “Shit man you nearly got me”. But Xaden only puffed his chest more, “When?”, he repeated. Garrick frowned because Xaden was tiptoeing on the edge and he never lost his cool. A fear ran down his spine. What if something happened? What if you got hurt? Taken?

“What the fuck is going on?”, Garrick barely managed to grunt as Xaden’s left fists collided with his jaw. “Answer the fucking question goddamn”, he growled, clearly getting more and more frustrated. Garrick shoved him back slightly, “What in burning dragon shit has gotten into you?”.

A bitter laugh slipped past his friend’s lips, “I should be asking you that”, Xaden’s eyes were burning with anger, “you’re the one screwing my sister behind my back”, his voice raised ever so slightly. Garrick’s face blanched for a heartbeat before a wave of frustration ripped within him as well, “Don’t you dare put it like that”, he pointed a warning finger at Xaden who leaped forward, “You didn’t deny it, shitface”.

He wasn’t so sure if he wanted to punch or choke his long-time friend until a voice split the growing. “Stop this right now”, you called out, reaching to move for them but Garrick moved his free hand up, “Step aside Yn”. Yet another huff echoed, “Don’t tell her what to do”, Xaden bit back and it’s as if something shifted in Garrick, “I will because you are insane and I ain’t taking chances with you”, there was that primal almost frustrations in him. One that Xaden recognized because he too got overtaken by it when anyone got involved with Violet.

Yet still, Xaden pushed through, making sure to back Garrick against the wall, “I will make sure you die a painful…”, “Don’t you finish that Riorson”, you hissed from behind him, as you pulled at your brother’s upper arm. “You are grounded”, Xaden yanked his arm out of your grip, turning his frustration back on you.

“Listen to yourself, you sound like a child”, you said through gritted teeth. “Why was I not informed about this”, Xaden pointed between you and Garrick, before shaking his head, “This can’t be happening”. Garrick let out a low chuckle, “It has been for the past year and then some”, “Garrick”, you huffed pinching the bridge of your nose as he shrugged.

“She’s my sister! My”, Xaden shouted right at his friend's face, “And my girlfriend get in the line of being important to her”, Garrick said with a smirk. “I will choke you in your sleep”, Xaden leaned to tower over Garrick but he didn’t miss the beat doing just the same, “You can try”.

“Boys, please”, your voice was barely a whisper now, you could hear the sadness in it. Garrick’s head wiped in your direction instantly, “Don’t you dare get upset over this”, he hated it. Hated the sight of you sad. Of you upset. He could handle anything just not your tears. “Stop telling her what to do”, Xaden howled but this time Garrick was the one to shove him back before pointing a warning finger at him, “Riorson you are starting to get on my nerves”.

“Shut it, both of you”, you hissed, pushing your way between them and putting them at arm's length. “Garrick, I love you but please just stay quiet for a moment”, you glanced at your boyfriend, silently pleading with him, before your eyes turned to your brother.

“I’m sorry i should have told you”, you muttered. “Fuck yeah you should have”, he huffed. “But we had so little time. You both could have died, I could have died. We took a gamble just in case we survived and here we are”, you intertwined your fingers with Garrick’s and he instantly brought your joined hands up to his lips. Xaden inhaled sharply. “I’ve been really happy, Xaden”, you muttered quietly as your eyes glassed over with tears. Xaden reached out, pulling you closer to him, glaring at Garrick over your shoulder as he kissed the side of your head with a low whisper, “I know”.

You pulled back, hopeful eyes looking right into his soul. His little sister. The other half of his world. He only pushed through for you and Violet. A frown deepened between his brows before he managed to pull somewhat of a smile for you, kissing your forehead. “I will serve you your ass on the mats tomorrow”, Xaden shot a tight look Garrick’s way. He wasn’t ready to have a proper conversation with him yet. He will. He will put him from hell of his own. Just not now. “I’m looking forward to it”, Garrick nodded in agreement. Xaden turned to walk away before stopping. “A single hair breaks on her head and I am scattering you in ribbons”, he threatened, turning back to hold a warning stare with him. Garrick simply pulled you closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around you, “Believe me”, he breathed out, glancing down at you for a moment, “If a hair breaks I will go willingly”. And that was enough for Xaden. Because even if he was angry he knew that Garrick would fight till his last breath to make sure that you were okay and for that alone, he couldn’t bring himself to hate him.

[centaurisolarflare]

König Headcannons

Someone tell me what absolute crack they’re sprinkling these masked Call of Duty men with. I’ve got major König brainrot and this got wildly out of hand, like a five-page word doc out of hand – I had to just stop because it got so long. Might do an NSFW one, lmk if you’d want that. I love you all dearly, enjoy!

- He’s really good at Tetris. Don’t ask me how or why I arrived at this conclusion, I myself have no idea. Dude just likes Tetris. It’s fast paced and demands his attention so he can usually sit still if he’s focused on the game.

- Compulsively chews the skin off his lips and the inside of his cheeks. Can’t help it. Used to bite his nails but that faded throughout his military involvement as he wears gloves pretty much all the time.

- This man has a list of things about you memorized. He covets each piece of information. He knows not only your favorite kind of tea but exactly how you like it prepared. Knows every single favorite you’ve ever mentioned – foods, flowers, books, movies, weather, what songs or types of music you’ll listen to depending on your mood, the colors you like and the colors you think you look best wearing, if you prefer gold or silver jewelry, etc. etc.

         -- Started keeping this list long before he ever actually really spoke to you with things he overheard you say. He was so worried he’d slip up and you’d think he was creepy.

- Fucking loves giving you things. Like I said, he has all your favorites memorized, so it’s easy for him to grab things when he sees them. MFer would give you a rock if it made you happy, he just loves seeing your face light up.

         -- Toward the beginning of you two, when he knew he liked you but was still too anxious and shy to really interact with you, it was so much easier for him to pack all his sentiment and feelings into the things he gave you. He could push them into your hands with maybe a word or two — sometimes literally just saying “here” or “for you”, though often it was without saying anything at all — and hope you got the intended messages of “I thought of you; this suits you; I want you to enjoy this; I care about you”.

         -- He heard you mention some obscure recently published book you wanted to read one time and he immediately began looking for it. When he found it, he bought it with an intensity that scared the bookshop owner; he nearly slammed it on the counter and shoved a handful of money at them, he was just so damn excited to be able to give it to you. And yet, he still carried it around in one of the bigger pockets on his gear for days because he was nervous to actually give it to you in person

         -- Gives you food all the time. Just appears next to you holding out something or another and vanishes before you’re even done saying thank you. You could be stationed anywhere and somehow this man has found? made? acquired? something delicious and he will be giving it to you.

- On that topic, he’s a really good cook. Like legitimately everything he even attempts to make comes out amazing. He loves when you hang out with him in the kitchen while he cooks.

         -- The first time you offered to help he was so startled he nearly dropped a knife. He comes to loves how seamlessly you two work together and move around each other in the kitchen.

         -- He gets to listen to you talk but the tasks at hand give him something to focus on and do, which makes the heat of your attention and his supplying the other half of the conversation easier to bear.

         -- Plays quiet music as he cooks, asks you for songs to put on and loves hearing you sing along as you work

         -- He loves when you hop up on the counter, you look so cute swinging your legs and watching what he’s doing.

         -- Will absolutely do the nonna thing where he swats at your hand if you try to steal something before the dish is ready but he also does the nonna thing where he’ll chop extra veggies so you can eat a few, or he’ll give you a handful of chocolate chips before using the bag. Basically, snacking is fine as long as it’s König approved snacking.

                   ---- One time, when he walked back into the kitchen to see you sneaking bites out of the pot on the stove, he reflexively swatted your backside with the dishtowel he’d had over his shoulder. He turned bright fucking red when you whipped around, shock written all over your face and the wooden spoon still in your hand. Immediately began stumbling over his words trying desperately to explain himself, god he was so fucking stupid and he felt like a chasm was opening up in his chest, until you broke out in a grin and started laughing so hard you got tears in your eyes. He was still mumbling apologies as he went to add spices to the pot, still bright red because you were leaning against his side trying to catch your breath.

         -- Loves sharing the things you make together, loves sitting down and having meals with you

         -- I also think he has a sweet tooth and he’d love it if you liked to bake

         -- While we’re talking about food, I think he really enjoys clementines for some reason. The fruit looks extra small in his hands as he takes the rind off, he’ll always pull it apart and offer you half

- Loves snow. Like kid-rushing-to-the-window loves snow. Stands outside with his head tilted back watching it fall.

- Rarely gets cold, he’s like a walking furnace.

- Trust issues af. Distanced himself from you, especially when he found himself liking you.

- Dude is big. Really big. He’s aware of that. But he never really thought about certain applications of his size; like how your hand fits in his, how your eyes shine when you look up at him, how his fingers fit around your waist/throat/wrists/thighs, how you look wearing his clothes, etc.

- You’re his first kiss and he is nearly shaking out of his own skin when it happened, but he makes up for the nerves and inexperience with hesitant enthusiasm and pure adoration.

- His phone screen is cracked. Badly.

- Good with animals, the type of person to be going about his day with a cat perching itself on his shoulder. Oddly loves waterfowl – birds like ducks and geese and swan.

- Good with kids in a quiet way. He’s a little awkward with them, they’re so unpredictable and don’t really have filters so they’re a little terrifying, but they adore him. He listens and nods as they babble, lets them hang off his arms, and gives as many piggyback rides as he’s asked for.

         -- Would love it if you were good with kids. If you were playful and indulged their imaginations, yet you took them seriously when they had questions and concerns. It’s a bittersweet thing to see you being so attentive and caring because he would have done anything for someone so kind when he was younger.

- Loves when you sit close to him and press your thigh against his, or when you stand and lean against him

- Either cannot make eye contact or stares. If you’re doing something that requires your visual attention but still talking to him, like driving, he’d be staring directly at you the whole time; until you glace at him in the passenger seat and suddenly he’s looking at anything else

         -- When he gets flustered, he tends to look upwards and trys to even out his breathing

- Speaking of driving, he absolutely says “horses” or “cows” when you pass a field of animals. Totally monotone and watches them as you pass by.

- Took him a while to get accustomed to casual touches from you, even longer for more intimate touches, but once he’s comfortable he cannot get enough. Touchstarved.

- Opens every single door for you

- Talks too fast and gets flustered when he trips over his words, which doesn’t help him speak any slower. He has poor volume regulation and either talks either way too quiet – and mumbles when he does – or way too loudly.

- He doesn’t usually stutter but it happens a lot around you. He wants so badly to talk to you but you’re so kind and pretty and his thoughts are going a million miles an hour in about four different directions, and he just ends up so nervous. He tries to say two things at once and stutters through his sentence, he tries to say one thing but abandons it half way through to say something else, repeats certain words, and of course stutters on certain letters.

         -- He’d be so so grateful if you didn’t laugh or mock him. He’s used to people finding ways to get out of talking to him, inventing reasons to cut conversations short, for a whole host of reasons – his accent, how intimidating he looks, the way he talks, the tripping up on words – and he remembers when he was younger and either no one wanted to speak to him or he’d get bullied for speaking at all.

         -- He loves that you’re patient and let him work through his sentences – and he will, because he really does want to talk to you if he could just sort his brain out.

         -- The effort you put into making him comfortable, making him feel at ease talking to you, knocks the air out of his lungs. The attention sometimes makes his anxiety flare up, but he can’t help but love your dedication to talking with him.

- On kind of the same topic, he will make noises or hand gestures to communicate. Sometimes only responds with a “hmm” or “mmhm” but he is paying rapt attention and wants you to keep talking, he just can’t make his own words work right then.  

- If you are outwardly confident, maybe even a little cocky, he eats that shit up. Winking while telling him you’ve got it, grinning after an impressive display of competence.

         -- If you speak up for him or defend him, he’ll lose his mind

- He loves playing with your hands. He’ll do it absentmindedly – rubbing circles on the back of your palm, toying with your fingers, tracing over the ridge of your knuckles – and always blushes when he realizes, no matter how many times you tell him it’s alright.

         -- If he gets more comfortable and in a relationship with you, he’ll lace your fingers together and pull your hand to his mouth so he can kiss the back of it.

         -- Also, if you put your hand on his face and hold his cheek he’ll grab your wrist – fingers wrapping all the way around it and then some – press your hand more firmly against his face, and turn his head to kiss your palm.

- Never feels like he’s allowed to touch you and will kind of linger around you until you initiate something or ask him what he needs (embarrassed as hell when you make him tell you exactly what he needs in a more NSFW context, but he loves it). Will always always always ask before touching you if he’s the one initiating. Once you do give him permission, he’s on you like a shot.

         -- Clingy as fuck. Always wants to be near you. If he can’t be next to you he’ll keep his eyes on you, you’ve lost count of the number of times you’ll look at him to find he’s already watching you.

         -- Uses his strength to his advantage when he wraps his arms around you and won’t let you get out of bed in the morning.

         -- Loves when you hug him so tight he thinks maybe you’ll crack his ribs, it feels so safe and he’ll rest his head on top of yours. I also think he’d be the type to hug so than his arms are under yours; yes, he knows it makes the whole thing less convenient because he has to lean down more, but he wants to be able to draw you in against his chest as securely as he can.

- He has stretchmarks on his arms/back/thighs from growing so much so fast. He’s really self-conscious about them.

         -- I also think as a result of growing so fast there was a period of time when he was young where he’d faint in the mornings. There’s a type of syncope that can occur during the years growth spurts happen, especially when a child grows a lot, caused by a lack of blood (oxygen) to the brain; it’ll happen especially after getting up from sleep, due to slow blood circulation, and in the shower, due to the warm temperature and humidity. He’d just space out, get black spots or narrowing vison, and pass out. Wake up quickly, maybe with a little vertigo, and be fine.

- Remembers and treasures every single complement and nice thing you’ve said to or about him. Complements and praise make him a mess.

- Can weave flower crowns.

- If you wear makeup, he loves watching you put it on. Maybe one day you’ll doll him up with it and tell him how pretty he is.

- Not fond of needles, doesn’t have any tattoos or piercings.

- Not super comfortable with PDA.

- In private, he loves kissing your forehead and the top of your head. When he’s more comfortable with you he’ll stoop over to kiss to the back of your neck, gently brushing your hair out of the way to press his lips right above the last knob of your spine.

         -- Loves kissing you when he’s sitting down and you’re straddling his lap, his thighs splayed out and you raised up on your knees to accommodate for his height, one hand on your waist and one up grasping at the back of your neck, and you kiss him filthy and tell him how good he is. He’s inexperienced so he gets overwhelmed quickly, resting his forehead on your shoulder and panting while he tries to focus on anything other than how badly he wants to pull your hips down and rut against you. He’s definitely cummed in his pants befo- *I am forcibly removed from the stage*

- Babyboy gets flustered and embarrassed so easily, has a blush than spreads down to his chest.

- Loves having inside jokes with you. Loves the side glances you shoot him, your suppressed smile, the little nudge you give him with your shoulder or elbow

         -- Loves that you two talk enough to have these jokes and references, and that you remember them. It reassures him that you enjoy talking to him.

         -- He especially, maybe selfishly, loves when someone asks about the glances and the snickering and you tell them that it’s an inside joke, that you refuse to offer any further explanation, that you want these little jokes to be yours and his alone.

- Loves when you play with his hair, lets out very contented hums when you scratch your nails over his scalp.

- Gives you massages. He’s really good at it, big hands, okay, and he’s so warm. Especially likes relieving your shoulders, back, and hands but will give diligent attention to any of your sore muscles.

- Doesn’t wear any jewelry but is absolutely the type to wear a little woven threads or beaded bracelet forever just because you gave it to him

- Because of how tall he is, he’s used to being cramped up when he sleeps so he sort of always curls up as much as he can when he sleeps, even if he has room to stretch out.

         -- If you’re near him while he’s asleep there’s a good chance he’ll wrap himself around you.

- He has so many little fun facts on an absurdly large number of topics and could ramble for hours about the subjects that particularly interest him.

         -- If you mention something you’re interested in he will do extensive research to learn about it. He wants to show you he cares and he also wants to be informed so he doesn’t make himself look like an idiot in front of you.

- Loves teaching you things, he feels more sure of himself when he’s instructing you through something he’s knowledge about.

         -- Loves being taught as well, he’s very good at following directions and always wants to impress you.

- Never forgets birthdays, anniversaries, or any other important dates. This man will remember your pets birthdays. 

[katskitoshi]

"sheepy!" with twisted wonderland 

synopsis: an accident it alchemy class tuns [name] into a sheep! how do the dorms react to sheep! [name] when they are tasked with taking care of them?

characters: heartslabyul, savanaclaw, octavinelle, scarabia & pomefire x sheep! gender neutral! reader

includes: imagine sheep mc! from obey me as you,

heartslabyul: riddle, trey, cater, ace & deuce.

you will be in pretty good hands with these five most of the time in heartslabyul. it's a nice dorm with it's pretty roses and a nice big rose maze to get lost in. you get along well with the hedgehogs and gossip about the flamingos with them! the halls are all twisty-turvy so it's easy to get around.

riddle is a good caretaker surprisingly. he is a stickler for the rules and has never collared you because he says it's animal cruelty even though you're still human(and he has a big fat crush on human you). he leaves you with the hedgehogs sometimes and like i said, you and the hedgehogs get along pretty good. he enjoys you in this form because he's now severely taller that you!

trey is so nice! he's a good caretaker too and makes sure to make special cups of tea for you to drink during unbirthday parties. he also lets you sit on the counter while he bakes, he might even let you attempt to crack open some chestnuts! he even gives you a mini chef hat to wear!

cater is fun to be around. he takes lots of pictures for magicam with you because you're so cute and lovable. he styles your wool sometimes to match his hair and puts it in cute little hair pins in the shapes of diamonds! (his top post on magicam is a picture of you in a teapot with the teapot lid on your head.) you are always held in his arms because its super magicam-able. he makes sure you see all the pics once you turn back human.

ace is very troublesome. he should never be trusted alone with you because he is very troublesome. he has (more than once) lost you, kicked you by accident, hit you with a basketball by accident, gotten you stuck in tree, spilt tea in your wool, cut your wool, and so many things. he gets his caretaker privileges revoked when he accidentally left you with floyd, who almost drowned you. he is currently doing all the chores of heartslabyul as punishment. he doesn't apologize after you turn back so you might need to look for a new friend.

deuce is mid when it comes to his caretaking skills. he sometimes forgets about you, but other that that, you are pampered! he distance himself from ace every time he has to watch over you. he avoids fights when he's with you.

savanaclaw: leona, ruggie & jack.

savanaclaw is a scary dorm to be in! despite all the beastmen who live here, it is not safe for a small sheep such as yourself. it is a hot dorm, so hopefully you can handle the heat under all the wool! luckily, you have three very good beastmen to take care of you.

leona is lazy. "[name]"? who's that? he only knows herbivore. he does the bare minimum if anything at all. he might let you have the veggies that are in his lunch if you're lucky and it proves his point that you're a herbivore. you live 24/7 as a pillow for him. when he's up, you're up. when he's sleep, you're sleep. being honest, he probably just throws you (literally) at ruggie to take care of you.

ruggie is a very good caretaker. he is very happy about taking care of you because leona is throwing extra money at him to buy you food. taking care of a tiny sheep and a lazy lion isn't too hard since you're always trying to help! leona probably forgot that you can't eat a full serving but ruggie will gladly eat for you! he leaves you in the botanical garden if he can't watch you.

jack is such a good boy about it. he is such a good care taker. he knows just the right way to take care of your wool and feed you and clean you and everything like that. when he's tasked with taking care of you, he's the only one who takes care of you unless he can't. and when he can't he always trusts you with someone responsible. when you revert back to human form, his old habits die hard and it takes a while. make sure to give him lots of head pats for his help!

octavinelle: azul, jade & floyd.

trust me on this, octavinelle might not be the safest place for you. it's bustling with students almost all day and some of the dorm members enjoy making your life living hell during your time in the dorm! shady characters try to make contracts with you or even try to use you as promotion for sales! also watch out for eels, some like to drown unsuspecting sheep like you...

azul always has you in his office or in the lounge for promotion. a cute little sheep who happens to be the prefect of ramshackle dorm loves the food, so you should too! he may or may not try to convince you into a contract. your human form for the rights to ramshackle, how does it sound? despite all the shady business he uses you for, he usually keeps you out of harms way!

it's hilarious to jade. he loves watching you scurry around the bustling floors of the monstro lounge avoiding customer's and staff. and it's so funny watching the fear on your face as you have to strain yourself to look up at him and literally anyone else. he will forcibly bring you along with him on his hikes for mountain lovers club. don't worry, he has a really pretty leash for you so you don't get lost!

floyd is happy with your change but is horrible at taking care of you. while you're in your sheep form, you only get called "sheepy" and never "shrimpy" even if you're more shrimp-like now than before. you're always scurrying away from him and that makes him sad. but in all fairness, he has almost drowned you, dropped you from on top of his head, stepped on you, lost you, dangled you over the deep-fryer and a lot of other crimes he should be accounted for.

scarabia: kalim & jamil.

scarabia is a very hot dorm so you'll probably sweat under your wool. at scarabia, you're treated like royalty and always pampered with gifts and food! this dorm is great and you have two caretakers to take care of you! well, how do they do?

kalim is barely taking care of you. if he isn't doting on or spoiling you, he's probably forgotten about you. but while he is taking care of you, you luckily have many sheep items and food at your disposal. you could literally be in this sheep form for like 2 hours and been in his care for 30 minutes and he's already spent over 3,000 madol on you. in short words, kalim is bad caretaker but you are a very spoiled sheep for however long he's watching you.

jamil is your main caretaker and honestly one of the best people you can end up with. he knows how to take care of you. he makes you delicious sheep-friendly food for you to eat! it tastes really good, promise! as long as you're not bothering him, he's fine taking of you.

pomefiore: vil, rook & epel.

the dorm of pomefiore is a is perfect for a sweet sheep like yourself! the dorm is filled with pretty things such as its students and leaders - oh, and the scenery too it seems. but don't worry, you have the three prettiest pomefiore residents to watch over you. you're in good hands with their perfectly manicured hands.

you are treated like royalty anywhere on pomefiore land. that's what vil schoenheit has made required. you will look like nothing but the fairest sheep while under his care. if he can't find sheep-care products for your wool and hooves and horns and whatever, he would mix something up with his amazing potion skills. i promise you, you will look like the prettiest sheep in all the twisted wonderland.

rook is having a bit too much fun with you in this form. he's not a good caretaker. he is instead chasing you around the pomefiore courtyards and such. you're unleashing his natural hunting instincts! run little sheep, a hunter is coming for you! he takes a billion photos of you like this and he has to make a whole new photo album of you in sheep form because the other 188 photo books he has of you are full.

epel is so sweet to you. he cuts you little apple slices. he lets puts you in the water and watches you swim around while practicing his singing. he finds your little "bah"'s and belts really cute! don't worry, epel is a really good caretaker when he has time. he even carves a sheep replica of you from an apple! he uses a preservation spell and gives it to you once youre back in human form!

[ssahotchnerr]

going in a babymoon with aaron 🥺 going to greece or somewhere else in europe for like months and documenting how ur bump changes over those months. u end up running out of clothes that fit bc u werent expecting ur bump to get so big 😭 and every month being like “baby is the size of ___!!!” and buying the fruit/vegetable to show aaron 😁

- 🍓

omg that is EVERYTHING cw; fem!reader, descriptions of pregnancy

UGH a babymoon with aaron 🥰🥰🥰 he'd be so so so sweet and even more attentive if it were possible - making sure you're hydrated, that you're getting your steps in, which is SO easy due to sight seeing and it's so exciting seeing new places!!! but he makes extra sure you're not overexerting yourself, insisting you sit and take a breaks here and there, and again, staying hydrated - the man has an extra water bottle on him at all times. and once you get back to the hotel, he's gently massaging your ankles and feet after a longgg day of walking 😭 and as the baby grows, it becomes a nightly ritual too because of your ankles swelling up, and aaron is more than happy to dote on you 🥺 you're doing all the hard work, so he'll help in any way he can <3

if you're nauseous :( aaron's more than willing to spend the day in the room with you <3 just laying in bed, giving you kisses, rubbing your belly gently and talking to the baby, saying sweet words and sometimes says something like "ease up on your mom please🥺" 😭😭 because you've just been in the bathroom all morning :( BUT you're literally not going to lift a finger on his watch. he fluffs your pillow, makes sure you're comfy in bed, draws the curtains if you need a break from the sun, makes sure the temperature of the hotel room is just right. and if you get nauseous while sight seeing :((( aaron pulls you to the side, finds a shady spot, and gives you some water - his eyes are full of concern and a tad touch of guilt - he feels bad because he wishes there was more he could do :((( because he greatly contributed to the newest member of the hotchner family, but yet you're the one dealing with the not-so-great parts of being pregnant :((( he gives you a second to see if it passes and if you feel alright/want to keep going, or if you prefer to go back to the hotel, that's perfectly okay too <3333

late night cravings? he'll run to the store if room service doesn't have what you want/is closed, regardless if he even knows where a store is due to being in a different county - he will find one 😭 AND!! before you even left for the babymoon, aaron does his research when it comes to restaurants, and makes an itinerary of places to go 😭 so you're getting all your necessary nutrients while away, what food options there are that you can eat while pregnant, etc..

finding out the gender while there too 🥰🥰🥰 hehe the two of you make a lil date night out of it - dressing up, a fancy dinner, and then finding a reallyyyy romantic place at sunset to open up that little card that has the baby's gender on it 🥰 or!!!! you find a local bakery and have them put blue or pink frosting inside 🥹🥹🥹

and after showing the fruit/veggie to show aaron once, just a cute - "hey look! this is the size of our baby :D" he has to download that app himself too for his phone - the one tells you what size fruit the baby is hehe 🤭 he'll consistently report the current size to you over breakfast <33333 he checks it like social media hehe <3

AND every month aaron insists on taking a polaroid of your baby bump progress 🥹🥺 hehe he loves comparing all the pics throughout the months and once the lil baby is a bit older - aka old enough to sit up hehe - he has them on their lap, and is showing them the pictures <3333 and tells them "that's you growing in momma's belly :D" 😭😭😭😭 and he takes sooo many pics of you sight seeing!!! hehe you have that pregnancy glow and he loves it, so he wants as many pics as he can get of you showing off that bump where your little one is growing <3333 so he'll show the baby those too!!! and tells them just look at all the places you've already been!!! while we were celebrating you!!! 🥰💓💞💕💓

[retrochannie]

If I break my wings, will I certainly crash?

wooyoung angst, hurt/comfort fic

pairing: no specific pairing genre: angst, hurt/comfort, found family, sickfic wc: 2,185 summary: Jung Wooyoung can't seem to take a break - until his body forces him to

Jung Wooyoung was a lot of things.

A talented performer to fans, a beloved idol to many and an absolute menace to Hongjoong.

He wasn’t, however, all that smart.

Okay maybe that’s too blunt - Wooyoung wasn’t very considerate about his health. He did a decent job most of the time, attending all his doctor appointments and eating a healthy serving of veggies everyday. He just had the tendency to… not know his limit. Or rather, make a repetitive effort to completely neglect his limit in an attempt to go above and beyond. 

It only seems noble when you ignore the consequences.

Exhibit A; the idol in question found himself again in their dance practice room at an ungodly hour of the early morning. With a comeback approaching, Wooyoung felt the familiar pressure of needing his dancing to be absolutely perfect - not only for his self-satisfaction, but to ensure he could be a good help for his members if they had their own tribulations.

That’s how he found himself leaving the dorm in secret while his fellow members rested peacefully, completely none the wiser to his actions. A good thing for Wooyoung, he knew the chastising he’d receive from them if they found out and with that aforementioned comeback on the horizon, he really didn’t want to be the cause of any extra stress.

Besides, it’d be fine! A couple all-nighters on the build up to their comeback and then he’d sleep like the dead. Easy peasy.

He stumbled somewhere in the middle of the dance and cursed. That was the fourth time now and it was starting to piss him off. Walking over to the computer in the room, he started the song from the beginning once again before hurrying over to get into his starting position.

Stumble.

He landed on all fours this time, having been unable to catch his balance. 

Embarrassing.

Wooyoung was starting to think someone was playing a prank on him, perhaps one of his members had found out about his late night practising and decided to tell him off for it without actually saying anything.

Definitely Yeosang. That’s absolutely a Yeosang move.

Wooyoung looked around him for any sign of foul play from his position on the floor, only to come up short. He checked his shoes - also nothing. 

It didn’t make sense, why was he stumbling all about the place if someone wasn’t messing with him? Had he started regressing in his dancing skills? The thought worried him, hastily moving to get up and restart the music again, needing to get it right. 

Maybe he was more tired than he thought, because as soon as he stood a sudden headrush brought him crash landing back down. 

Oh yeah, he could really feel it now. Rolling onto his back, he felt exhaustion seeping from the pores of his body and Wooyoung partially regretted trying to pull not one but two all-nighters back to back.

He looked over at the clock on the wall to the right of him that read 04:43am and sighed. There wasn’t much he could do about it now, even if he walked back to the dorm at that very second and slept the moment he got there, he would maybe get a maximum of one hour sleep time before he’d have to be up again. 

If it isn’t the consequences of my own actions…

Cursing at himself again, he forced himself to stand, much slower this time to prevent him from passing out then and there before getting back to work. 

He’d let himself sleep well tonight, he’ll be fine.

The other members started filing in a few later, some yawning while others had more energy. Namely Yunho and Mingi who followed behind Hongjoong doing a little dance. Hongjoong, on the other hand, looked at Wooyoung with a frown.

“Yah why are you here so early again? You’ll get sick, you know.” Hongjoong made his way over to him after discarding his bag and coat in the same corner of the room Wooyoung’s own stuff had been sitting since around midnight. Any longer and his stuff will have cobwebs on them when goes to pick them, he joked inwardly.

“Awh hyung~ you care so much about me” Wooyoung teasingly pinched the leader’s cheek, only to have it swatted away as Hongjoong grimaced.

“When did you get here though Woo? I didn’t hear you leave.” Seonghwa looked concerned, but Wooyoung threw him a reassuring grin “I haven’t been here that long! Must’ve left just before you woke up.”

He wasn’t that great of a liar, but Seonghwa seemed to accept his answer (though with the look of concern still present on his features) as he went back to stretching. An activity the rest of his group were busying themselves with too. It made him feel a little out of place, so he decided to go over a couple steps he had gotten stuck on earlier to distract himself until the rest were ready.

Ten minutes later and the group stood in their respective starting positions for Crazy Form, Hongjoong stood by the computer quickly pressing play before running to his own position.

It went okay. Kinda. Wooyoung absolutely skipped a beat at one point and threw himself off a little, but he played it off well and carried on smoothly. When the music ended and it was pointed out he wrote it off as joking around, which got a laugh out of most of them and an exasperated chuckle out of others.

He prayed they didn’t see the way his jaw clenched in frustration. The way he wobbled on his feet.

It wasn’t good enough.

They voted to go through it again before moving onto another track and Wooyoung found himself nodding along in agreement. Except, he was really starting to feel at his limit. His eyes felt dry, heavy and so utterly tired. His head was fuzzy and every step he took to get into position was done in some sort of auto-pilot mode - not quite processing what he was doing as he was doing it. 

He was dead on his feet.

The music started again and this time Wooyoung didn’t know who hit the play button.

Now credit where credits due, Wooyoung didn’t drop immediately. He’d argue he made it a solid minute and a bit before his vision fizzled out - not even registering hitting the floor. One minute he was trying to watch his reflection, desperate for his moves to come across as anything but sloppy and the next…

Well the next second he was laying there, staring up at Jongho and Seonghwa’s panicking faces.

Ah, he was gonna be in so much trouble.

“He’s awake! Hyung, are you alive?”

“Yah, he’s obviously alive, Jongho!” That was.. San? Maybe?

Twisting his head back indeed revealed San’s face too, making him realise he was actually laying with his head in the man’s lap. A sweet action really, but Wooyoung couldn’t but notice that San’s legs were probably just as solid as the wood floor beneath them.

“Wooyoungie? Can you hear me?”

Ah how long had he been spacing out for? 

Seonghwa brushed the bangs back that had been stuck to his head with sweat. The older man’s cool hands feeling like a luxury in that moment.

Feeling a little more himself, Wooyoung made a wobbly attempt of sitting up, only to get pushed back down by Jongho. He let out a groan in protest, “come on I’m fine I just fell over.”

“Fell over? Wooyoung we all just witnessed you stop and full on pass out in front of us!” Hongjoong was here now. Where had he gone?

“To call our manager and let him know you’re sick. He’s gonna come and drive you home” Hongjoong squatted down by Seonghwa, worry imprinted on his features, “and yes, you asked that out loud.”

“Wait I’m not sick-” 

“We’re back!” Yunho announced as he and Mingi skidded into the room, both carrying a handful of… protein bars?

“We didn’t know which one to get so we just got a couple of all of them,” Mingi unceremoniously dropped his haul on the floor next to them with Yunho following suit. “He should have some water first though,” Yeosang all but materialised from next to Jongho, practically shoving a water bottle in his face before Seonghwa took it from him and opened the lid, offering the water more gently to Wooyoung.

“Stop stop!” Wooyoung forced himself up this time, ignoring the reluctance of those around him, “I said I’m not sick! And I definitely don’t need to go home, I’ll call the manager right now and tell him myself!” 

He got to his feet through sheer dumb determination alone, but didn’t make it even half a step before he felt himself stumbling again, destined to land flat on his ass had it not been for San who had sprung up with him.

Wooyoung rubbed at his tired eyes in annoyance, hating that had it not been for him putting most his weight on San, he’d fall over again. 

All he did was pull a couple all-nighters! Why was his body acting like it’d been through war and back?!

“Wooyoung-ah if you don’t sit down-”

“I need to get it right, Hongjoong-hyung. Just a couple more tries,” he tried to argue, but didn’t stop San and Seonghwa from lowering back to the floor.

“Wooyoung… how long have you actually been here for?” The annoyingly observant Yeosang asked slowly, brows furrowed.

Wooyoung hung his head, both in shame and exhaustion.

“Got here a little after midnight maybe.”

The silence said everything.

“We finished at eight last night Woo… with the time it would’ve taken to get home, shower and eat.. Did you sleep at all?” Wooyoung really hated how unnaturally shaken Yunho’s voice sounded. 

“A couple nights without sleep is nothing guys, we used to be tired all the time as trainees!” 

Yeah, bad answer apparently.

“A couple nights? Wooyoung you haven’t slept in two days?!” Oh Hongjoong really wasn’t happy with him. Peaking at the older man through his too-long bangs revealed the leader’s eyes being the size of saucers as he looked over Wooyoung.

“It’s not that big a deal-”

“Not that big a deal? We’ve been practising this dance for days now which means you’ve been dancing non-stop without any rest! Do you know how dangerous that could be?” 

“Joong,” Seonghwa planted a hand on the leader’s shoulder, “he knows now, okay? Take a breath.”

Listening to the eldest, Hongjoon took a second to collect himself as the remaining members purposely avoided eye contact to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“What did you need to get right?” Yeosang asked tentatively, causing the troublemaker to finally raise his head. “The dance, I keep stumbling through it… My moves aren’t sharp enough, I- I don’t know why I can’t just do it.”

“Because you’re tired, Youngie,” Hongjoong’s voice was considerably calmer now, warmer, it made Wooyoung feel a little better. “Of course you won’t get it right if you’re half asleep the whole time.”

“To be fair, you were still doing it pretty good!” Mingi pitched in, “imagine how pristine it’d be if you did it with a full night's sleep.”

Playing with the hem of his t-shirt, Wooyoung felt himself accepting that his members were, likely right - though he still couldn’t help but feel disappointed in himself. Not just for messing up practice, but now for causing everyone to worry over him and for lying to them.

Sneaking out behind their backs? What sort of teenage loser did he think he was?

He was brought out of his thoughts by a hand in his hair, looking up to see Seonghwa smile at him warmly. “Don’t think about work right now okay? Focus on that nice rest you’re gonna get when you get back to the dorms.”

“I’m sorry.”

Hongjoong sighed before chuckling a little, “you worried us, Woo, I’ve never heard Mingi squeal so loud-” “hey!” “-but like Hwa said, just focus on getting better okay? No one’s angry at you.”

“I mean you did sound kind of mad earlier, hyung,” Yeosang reminded jokingly.

“Yah, Yeosang do you want a lecture too?”

The conversation was cut short by their manager entering the room, huffing and puffing, clearly having rushed his way there. Somewhere in his gasps for breath he asked if Wooyoung needed to go to the hospital which was immediately shut down by the man. 

Hospital for a case of the eepys? No way.

The members helped him gather his things which, luckily, did not have any cobwebs on them and San and Jongho helped Wooyoung to his feet once again. It all felt like overkill, a little embarrassing even, but there was no denying the warm feeling blossoming in his chest.

San walked him to the car in the building’s parking lot as the manager handled the bags, giving Wooyoung one last ruffle of his hair before leaving the pair to go back to practice.

Wooyoung was asleep before the car was even in motion.

[phantoms-planet]

Barred Protection

Chapter Three

AO3 Here

First | Prev | Next

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Sometimes he would try to count in his head. “One, two, three, four…”

He never got past four. He knew that he should be able to, failing math or not he knew how to count, but somehow after four was…impossible.

Danny’s eyes had blurred. For how long? He wasn’t sure. But they were blurred. His ears were blurred too. He knew that wasn’t the right term but thinking a lot was hard anymore.

Something about it was peaceful. No more screams or blood or sad faces; just a constant droning buzz and splotches of color. A part of him wondered if it was permanent. Maybe a part of him hoped it was.

His core felt…

…

His core felt like almost nothing. It should feel like something, right?

A deep breath. Nothing felt good anyway. It felt better than the unbearable white-hot burn and sharp jabs. Soothing like going to sleep after a long day.

“One, two, three, four…”

Danny’s eyes trailed the white mass that appeared in front of him. Was it on a screen? It was big and- Oh. He opened his mouth as he realized who it was. Warm, tasteless mush slid in on a spoon. Danny was met with a snap as his mouth closed too hard again. For a moment he only swished the plastic to get it clean before opening his mouth to let the broken chunk fall.

Moments later another spoonful was delivered. This time he kept from breaking the utensil.

The first few times this had happened his feeder had left to get new spoons, but after that the feeder always had extras. Danny didn’t know how many though.

“One

Two

Three

Four

…”

Had Danny already finished eating? His feeder was gone so he must have been. A sigh slipped out.

When he was sick as a child Jaz would tuck him in and sometimes she would read him to sleep, running her fingers through his hair to soothe him. She would give him tea, and soup, and find nice ways to get him to take medicine that tasted awful.

He felt sick.

“One

Two

Three

Four

…”

He missed Jaz.

“One

Two

Three

…”

Tucker brought games over when he was out of school sick. They’d spend the day trying to beat each other before Tuck inevitably faked losing so Danny would smile. He’d slap Tuck in the arm and tell him not to go easy on him just because of a cold. Danny always secretly liked that he did. Playing with him, the distraction, always made Danny feel more sane.

Sam would bring veggie soup. Tucker would try and argue about it. Their fights would serve as another distraction. Danny always ate the veggie soup. It was no chicken noodle like his mom could make but it was still good.

Sam would sit in a chair near him, black mask with skeleton teeth covering her face, and read him facts about space. Even if he knew most of them it was still comforting. She would read and read, with a soft time that made his eyelids droopy.

“One

Two

…”

Danny yawned. He felt…tired. His eyes had closed long before. It was so peaceful without the sounds of crying.

“One

…

Two

…”

He missed Sam and Tucker.

“One

…”

He wanted Jaz.

“One”

And Sam.

“…One”

And…

Tucker…

-The feeder flinched as another loud crack came from the glowing boy. It was like ice threatening to take you under, drown you in the water it came from. A promise that his breaking point was only getting closer. She prayed she wouldn’t be there when it happened.-

[invisibleraven]

It's that time again: Inny prompts a Ray Is The Best Dad prompt because: keeping a few of their favorite snacks in the house for when they visit. makes me soft.

Grocery day was not Ray’s favourite day of the week. For one it was less fun without Rose who liked to race the charts, do silly puppets shows with the fruit when testing their ripeness, and indulged his love of trashy food.

For two, he had a lot more mouths to feed now.

Not that he minded the extra mouths, but it got to be a lot remembering all their restrictions, dislikes, and still keep their nutritional health in mind.

He started with the staples; bread, eggs, and milk. Making sure to get oat milk for Alex whose lactose intolerance he learned about in the worst way. Plus it was always handy to have on hand if Carrie and Willie decided they were vegan this week.

He stocked up on veggies-he had become an expert on hiding them in food so the gaggle of teenagers who frequented his home would eat them. He had better luck with fruit, and Luke loved to help him make weird smoothie combinations but hey, at least he was enthusiastic about that part of healthy eating.

He couldn’t say the same for Flynn who would survive on soda and pizza if she could. Though given her mother liked to brew up meatloaf containing wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts, he didn’t really blame her.

Julie was easy to please, as she had started cooking for the group and gave him a list. She had been working on recreating some of Rose’s recipes to introduce her friends to Latin food, as well as the desserts. Ray was more than happy to be her guinea pig for those experiments.

Plus it made Carlos (and Victoria) from complaining about his spaghetti for the third day in a row.

At first Ray had thought Reggie was the easiest as he would happily eat anything and everything placed in front of him. That is until he found out that he probably wasn’t getting much to eat at home, and rarely indulged in buying food since he was saving up to move out as soon as he could.

Ray had offered him the guest room more than once, but kept getting denied. “Well can you at least tell me what you actually like to eat? We can even make it together.”

Reggie lit up at that. “Can you teach me to make ribs?”

Now Ray had never really attempted ribs-they weren’t a staple in the Molina household. “How about we learn together?”

The end results were pretty damn good if he said so himself, even if Reggie was far better at the grill than Ray was. With that in mind, Ray grabbed another pack-plus some chicken and impossible burgers and wondered if he could convince Reggie they should have a cook out this weekend.

With all the healthy options done, Ray gathered snacks; savoury and salty snacks for the boys, chocolate and candy for the girls, sour stuff for Carlos and a pack of cookies for himself-one he would be hiding because he learned the hard way about not doing so with seven teenagers in and out of the house.

He also grabbed some of those nasty rice cakes for Tori-just because she spent enough time with them, he wanted to have options.

He approached the register, hunting for his wallet-he knew Julie handed it to him after he couldn’t find it with the mail. It was in his jacket pocket, and within it there was a pile of coupons, courtesy of Flynn the Coupon Queen. Plus a points card that he knew belonged to Willie that gave Ray some savings and would give Willie a discount on the movie he wanted to take Alex to the weekend.

Ray shook his head softly and smiled at the weird situation he found himself in. Widowed and the father to eight kids, only two of which were his.

He wouldn’t trade any of them for the world though. Even if the bill after it all was starting to get ridiculous. But the kids-his kids were worth every penny.

[notalwayscommonsense]

Drinking Water & Staying Hydrated

On this account we cover how to do things that are "common sense" for the people who dont know. Shame-free. Today, we'll be covering some tips and tricks for drinking more water when you're unmotivated to or simply forget.

If you were to ever find yourself lost in the wilderness, the first thing you would wanna look for ASAP is a source of water. Humans need around 8 glasses (~2L) of water a day that our bodies can function right! It's very important, as dehydration can lead to constipation, kidney stones, overheating, exhaustion and generally a really bad mood!

Water helps to..

• keep your joints flexible

• regulate your temperature

• clean your insides via sweat/urination

• digest, salivate, transport nutrients

• carrying oxygen to your cells

• maintaining electrolyte balance

And much more. We're made up of around 60% water, after all. Though, drinking that much water every day can be a very tiresome chore for many of us, especially those who struggle with executive dysfunction and mental illness. Never fear: we've compiled a big list of little actions you can take that might help you drink a little bit more water in a day. Don't worry if 2 liters of water sounds like a big step! Even a few sips more makes a big difference. Progress is not linear!

────────────

1) Switch it up - Water is obviously tasteless and for many people this deters them from staying hydrated when they could opt for something more sweet or exciting like a juice or soda. Luckily, there are dozens of ways to spice up your drinks. Hundreds of artificial flavorings exist; MiO, Sunkist, Starburst and other more affordable off brand water enhancers can transform your drink into something more flavorful. Whether you want something tart like lemonade, savory like iced tea or sweet like fruit punch, there's an enhancer that will fit your taste.

If you would prefer something more natural, there's countless recipes for fruit infused water. Cucumbers, lemon slices and mint can give your water that subtle boost you need to encourage hydration. Below we'll link some recipes if you'd like to try them.

For some people, its not so much the taste, but more so the texture. If you're a soda lover, opt for some sparkling water instead, flavored or unflavored. Brands like LaCroix, Sparkling Ice and Bubly can all give you the same smooth sipping of a soft drink while helping you meet your water quota for the day.

If none of these sound like something you're interested in, you can always opt for making tea instead, hot or iced. If you like cold drinks, you could make a whole pitcher and keep it in your fridge for easy access, whether its chamomile, matcha or plain old Lipton.

2) Make it fun - Making yourself genuinely want to do something is a great way to tackle executive dysfunction. If you're able and open to spending some extra money, buying yourself a fun new water bottle can make you want to use it and carry it with you. Personalization is another way to make a new water bottle even more fun or enhance one you already have. Add dishwasher safe stickers, customized beaded/braided handles and marked timestamps.

A free, more low effort alternative to make drinking water fun is to download an app such as Plant Nanny. Its premise is simple - drink water and in return you water an adorable plant in app. With your help, they'll grow up and you can slowly collect them all. Its a bright, colorful, interactive game that will help you visualize your needs and be rewarded for taking care of them.

3) Eat your water - If the action of drinking is something you struggle with, opt for eating water-rich foods. On top of being a great way to meet your water goals, it comes with more nutrients, vitamins and fiber than regular water while leaving you feeling filled. Below are some fruits and veggies you can snack on that will leave you feeling more hydrated.

Cucumber - 96% water

Celery - 95% water

Spinach - 93% water

Watermelon - 91% water

Cantaloupe - 90% water

And much more!

For something more fun, you can always make some popsicles with coconut water (94% water) and fruit. Pop those in the freezer and have delicious ice pops ready to go in a few hours.

4) Reminders and Encouragement - If you dont have an issue with drinking water but you often forget, a gentle push in the right direction may be all you need. Ask your friends or family for motivation and reminders. You can even challenge them or work towards goals together! Theres nothing better than some friendly competition.

Apps like Waterminder, Waterllama and Habit Tracker can all send reminders to your phone and help you track your progress. If you dont want to download an app, you can always just set some alarms as well. Plant Nanny, as mentioned above, is a fun alternative to this that brings gaming into the picture.

5) Passive Influence - Making some small changes to your routine can make drinking water passively a lot easier. Keep your water bottle on you, carry it from room to room, that way its always easily accessible when you're thirsty.

Switch out your regular snacks for something spicy or salty. Get a bowl of pretzels and a glass of water at the same time and you'll find yourself drinking it with ease. Potato chips, lays, fries or salted nuts are all great options.

If you cant find yourself able to replace your regular beverage with water, challenge yourself to drink a glass of water before you have one. Keep water bottles (plastic or reusable) next to your regular drink in the fridge so you remember to grab both. Another quick way to get some added hydration is adding extra ice to what you usually drink. About 8 cubes is a cup of water!

Always get a glass of water before bed so you have something to sip on, and in case you wake up feeling thirsty. Its a good habit to also get a glass of water right when you wake up. Thats already knocked two glasses out of the way for the day.

Another great idea as a passive, unscheduled reminder, is to drink water every time you use the bathroom. Theres no shame in leaving your water bottle in there as a gentle reminder when you walk in.

────────────

Most importantly, more important than drinking 8 glasses of water a day, is to be gentle with yourself. Its okay if you struggle with drinking even one glass a day. Just trying to take small steps in the right direction takes a lot of strength. Try some of these tips out, even if you don't think they'll work for you. Who knows, one might change your relationship with water before you know it!

Products, Recipes & Articles:

8 Infused Water Recipes

MiO Liquid Water Enhancer

Plant Nanny

[whentherewerebicycles]

top 10 things i cooked in 2023

this year i made 104 unique recipes (plus lots of duplicates when i liked something enough to make it multiple times). the places i went to most for recipes were feasting at home + the NYT recipes app, although i very much liked the weekday vegetarians, love and lemons, cookie & kate, nora cooks, and the foodie takes flight.

my top 10, in no particular order:

NYT ricotta pasta with roasted broccoli and crispy chickpeas (super simple but a great yummy pasta to make real quick for friends. I roasted the broccoli instead of broiling and added lots of extra lemon zest, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a tray of oven-roasted chickpeas)

moroccan vegetable tagine (i blended a bunch of recipes but the one linked was my starting point. this is the one form i like butternut squash in lol. modifications: i went heavy on all the spices but especially the cinnamon and cardamom, added chopped dried apricots to the stew for extra sweetness, and threw in a bunch of extra veggies. yum)

indian-ish nachos with cheddar, black beans and chutney (do NOT skip the multiple chutneys and sauces. it will seem like too much work you will say can't i just make one and be done with it but those sauces are where the magic lies. the great tragedy of these nachos is that i wanted to eat them for DAYS but they do not reheat well. but godddd they were good)

ottolenghi's green pancakes with lime butter (these are SO easy. great for brunch but also make delicious additions to your lunch for a couple days after. also it's a perfect way to eat a pound of spinach and feel very virtuous about it when really you just ate delicious jalapeno-y scallion pancakes. the lime butter is great but it's a lot of work so i usually just top these with some sour cream mixed with a lil bit of lime zest & lime juice)

cauliflower shawarma with spicy tahini sauce (YUM! the tahini sauce as written was too bitter for me with the cholula mixed in. i think i'd try it with sriracha next time so it was a little sweeter. i also added chickpeas yum)

roasted cauliflower daal with chickpeas (my notes say this was "OUTTA THIS WORLD DELICIOUS" but also note that it will "really clean you out GI-wise" lol. lentils always have that effect on me though so ymmv. i added bell pepper, roasted the cauliflower first, cooked the lentils most of the way soft in the rice cooker instead of on the stove, and added two chopped serrano peppers with seeds to give it a lil extra kick. i would recommend halving the recipe if you are cooking for one as there were TONS of leftovers and my GI system could not handle being cleansed that many times lol)

pasta with corn, tomatoes, "onion-bacon," and basil (this method of preparing onions really should not taste like bacon and yet it sort of does????? this was a summer recipe i made multiple times for a range of audiences and it was a hit every time. originally from the weekday vegetarians)

creamy corn pasta (THIS HAS NO RIGHT BEING AS GOOD AS IT IS. IT'S SO SIMPLE AND YET IT'S THE BEST THING I'VE EVER TASTED I COULD EAT IT FOR DAYS. WE ATE IT ALL SUMMER)

ottolenghi's very full roasted veggie tart (it will take you hours to make and no time at all to consume but oh my god it's so good and SUCH a satisfying way to spend a long weekend afternoon. liz and i loved this so much we had to have a serious sitdown to discuss how we would divvy up the leftovers because we felt it could seriously damage our friendship if one of us ate all of it)

bombay burritos (the little sauces and things take a long time to make but you can prep a lot of the stuff a day or two in advance and gosh these are so tasty!! the curried mashed potatoes YUM)

honorable mentions:

ottolenghi's mango soba noodles (skip the eggplant i'd do tofu or something instead)

braised tofu with basil (i made this with a veggie-loaded stir fry and topped it with a fried egg)

this carrot cake (it took forever to make but it was the best carrot cake i've ever had and the only thing i'll ever make on my bday from here on out). she also has a pumpkin cake recipe that is so good and much simpler to make (no grating required)

momofuku's ginger scallion tofu with crispy coconut rice (the recipe is for a shrimp version but we made it with tofu and it was very yummy. i made this at a friend's house and it was so good i wanted to ask to take home some of the leftovers but decided that was too rude ahaha)

and then of course i gotta give a shoutout to my #1 comfort foods this year, SHAKSHUKA (my beloved) + a caprese sandwich with balsamic glaze served on really good bread.

[agerexmlmboys]

Ranking BG3 Boys From Least to Most Bratty

Gale:

Is the furthest thing from a brat. He regresses to a sweet, sensible 6/7 year old.

Is the perfect angel for his caregiver and loves to be helpful. He understands quiet time and, if given a book or some toys, he's fine. He also makes for a good big brother to other littles, especially needy or brattier littles.

Would cry if he vaguely thought he was doing something that would upset his papa/mama. He has cried over thinking he broke the rules only to be told he hasn't done anything wrong.

Is very good with following rules and will ask for permission before doing anything, no matter how unnecessary it may be.

He loves bedtime and will go down only if he gets to read a story with you, and Tara curled up next to him.

Wyll:

He is also an absolute angel but also has a bit of a bratty side. Is a helpful little for his caretaker and lives to be told he's a good boy. He regresses to an age of aboyt 4-7

Can be a very picky eater and has to be coaxed into eating his veggies. Has to be goven extra minutes after bedtime in return for eating his veggies.

Stubbornness is his worst trait as a little. If he does or doesn't want to do something, his caregiver will definitely know.

Cries when he is called a naughty boy for doing something bad and will spend all of his time trying to get his caregiver to call him a good boy.

Bedtime is surprisingly easy. Being the son of a duke does mean that he's a tad spoiled when it comes to where he sleeps. If the bed isn't up to his liking he will be fussy.

Astarion:

Is definitely a brat, but he can be less of a brat given time. His regression age is between 2 and 3.

Will definitely cry if he doesn't get his way or gets dirty. He only wants his mama/papa to make everything perfect for him.

He gets very hungry and is very food oriented as a little. It's almost never enough and his constant hunger leads to constant crankiness.

His brattiness is only put in check with the threat of a time out, which will send him into a spiral, which then ends up with him sucking his thumb in his caregiver's lap because he's scared of time out.

He either goes out like a light when put down, or he's throwing a tantrum about going to bed. The latter scenario ends in Astarion tiring himself out.

Rolan:

Is a bigger brat than Astarion, regresses to an age of about 4/5.

He doesn't eat his veggies unless forced, and he definitely tries to eat cookies before dinner.

He will give the sweet puppy dog face, and when he looks at his caregiver with those eyes he normally gets what he wants.

Will ask to read magic tomes with his papa/mama and Gale so he can practice magic. Regressed Rolan and regressed Gale have a big bro/little bro dynamic with Rolan learning from his cool older bro, that is the literal Wizard of Waterdeep and Mystra's chosen. Honestly, it's those moments with Gale that teach him to be less bratty.

Bedtime is met with some resistance. But with some warm milk and a nice bedtime story, along with Gale, he would be out like a light.

Gortash:

Is literally a brat from hell. No seriously blame Raphael for his distinct lack of child rearing, which has now culminated in the brat that is Enver Gortash. He regresses to the age of a 2 year old.

At first, one would think he was a very demure, very mindful little. Especially in public where he is always on his best behavior.

He will pout, scream, and throw a tantrum if he doesn't get his way. His favorite word is definitely no.

All that being said, he does understand when he's trying his luck if his caregiver gives him a stern look or worse raises their tone at him. In which case, he either acts up or starts crying, saying he'll be good.

Bedtime is a nightmare. This boy will not go to sleep unless you're directly holding him and reading him a story. Otherwise, he will try to get out of bed to continue play time. But when he sleeps, he looks so peaceful and cute.

[crypticjackal13]

Testing out these hc's and also NSFW. Don't like, don't read. What you do on the internet isn't my fault. (CW: mentions of trauma, food, drinking, and s3x)

My Ghost(Simon Riley) Headcanons

He's not addicted to his mask. The dialogue between him and Soap about it is funny as hell("bet you sleep with that thing" "soundly.") But like he probably takes his mask off once he's home alone and what not. Sometimes forgets to wash it but he keeps a reminder on his phone to do it at least once a week. Has a few extras with his stuff, and carries at least one baclava in his uniform's pocket just in case.

He's not super insecure. He's confident, he knows he's hot. I could see him being a bit self conscious about his scars, and he likely doesn't like anyone touching them. But other than that, he doesn't mind how he looks(like his body weight, his height, etc)

Doesn't smoke(or very rarely does it). But he does drink. It's very controlled, though, and he refuses to have any more than 3 drinks because he doesn't want to be irresponsible. Some nights he's actually likely to be the designated driver if the team heads to a pub.

Eats regularly. At least two good meals a day, and he's fairly mindful about what he's eating. Sometimes he doesn't have the time or resources to get like a bunch of veggies or whatever, so he does settle for fast food or junk food. He doesn't starve himself, he knows he won't be able to do his job efficiently if he does.

I think he's not cold and emotionless all the time. He likes jokes and witty banter!! He probably doesn't mind listening to someone ramble for a while!! It might take him a bit to warm up to someone on his own, but he might feel better if there's a mutual friend(i.e. Soap). But he isn't a robot all the time it just takes him a minute to adjust to a new person. (He does always have that lingering fear of betrayal, though. He wishes it wasn't there always nagging at the back of his mind.)

Did go through a lot of therapy. Both for his physical health(after being hung by his ribs and what not) and his mental health(for basically everything). He wouldn't have been considered fit to serve if he hadn't done it. (I also think this would make him the type to make jokes about his own trauma sometimes just for the hell of it)

NSFW. It takes a solid couple of weeks/months into a relationship for him to feel comfortable with sex. He doesn't mind kissing/hugging/holding hands/cuddling, but in terms of intimacy he needs to know that he's safe with someone to actually do that stuff.

He's very nice about it. Checks up on his partner multiple times throughout to make sure he's not doing anything to upset them. If he is, he immediately backs off.

Manhandles by accident. Tends to get lost in the moment and so he just kinda,,, moves his partner around. Quickly apologizes and chuckles and asks them if they're alright in this position.

He's a little kinky. Not a whole lot, but I imagine he'd be okay with things like easy bondage, light impact play, and maybe some stuff with toys if that's what his partner likes. If his partner wants to do something new he does hella research first. Also he may be more leaning dominant but he's not gonna be a hard Dom.

Tends to pass out right after the fact. To combat this he usually tries to keep some snacks, drinks, and wipes in the room in case his partner wants any. Of course he'll make it up to them in the morning--I think he's really good at making proper tea and coffee.

TL;DR I see way too much mischaracterization of him. He's a little guy and he deserves better. :)

[advice-to-try-8d]

What you can outside the internet

With no or almost no money for entertainment:

Mancala: Search Mancala Rules and how the game looks online dig some small holes on the ground or instead of holes draw circles on paper get some small stones or other small stuff and that's an easy 2 player game

Diy Bowling: get a couple of empty bottles you can take from a recycle bin if you have non fill with sand and throw a ball in that direction and call a couple of friends

Library: they don't only have books but some have free movies free computers comics or free events check them out!

Park

Make Belive: you can play pretend almost anywhere in the world with enough imagination you can pick up some sticks to add extra stuff or use building as part of the story if you get kicked out make it a part of it and move to a diffarant location! With some time and diy you can even make extra props look online for advice!!

The Apricot Pit Game: It's a game where you dry naturaly apricot seeds (after you finish the fruit) and try to throw them to score the most point into a predetermined area harder to throw more point for example you can cut holes in a shoebox and the hardest to score is more points or from farther away etc etc

Meeting at a friend place

Free art galleries schools may have more of those made by the students

Diy arts and crafts when your about to throw away something if you think it cam make a nice craft save it for later to have extra metirials to have fun with don't save all to not start accidently hoarding stuff but yes some an empty cardboard box can make a nice fairy house with some colors as I say

Planting stuff many ppl eat fruits and veggies that have seed when you finish you can plant some and see how it goes maybe search tutorials online and use the water from outside to not higher the water bill

Water Fight: if there's any hoes or chip balloons or even bowls you can fill with water you can start throwing water at each other good for a hot fay

Snowball fight: if you have opposite weather

Sand castle: If you have any sand near ya you can get some water maybe some spoons or even just your hand and start building sand castles aren't just for beaches they can be made anywhere there's sand

Going for a walk and following a random safe animal see where it goes maybe it will interact with you too ^^

Draw: if you have some paper and a pencil or even your finger and sand you can do that you can even look outside for inspiration and draw in the street

free outdoor games search that phrase online you will find there's more than you think!

Go visit ikea play pretend there or hide and seek the place is huge and cool

Invent games look at what you own what's near your home and do stuff inspired by it! Just keep it safe

Go visit a mall try on some clothes as you would play dress up with buying non or explore teh area

Search free event near me just eat beforehand cause the food is probably not cheap to cover it

You have old clothes your not happy with or don't fit you anymore make them into something new! If a jacket gloves crop top tank top doll clothes pillow case new bag whatever you pls! It's free fabric now same with old bedsheets or curtains your about to change if you want even more free fabric tell your friends taht if they are about to throw away clothes pls give them to you!

Ask for specific birthday gifts many ppl want to start hobbies they can afford or go on a specific adventure but sometimes if you ask for your birthday from a bunch of ppl to come togather fir the same gift you may be able to have it!

Picnic: if everyone brings a bit from home you can have something fun togather!

And there are many more! Just search the internet and use your imagination!

Humans are not ment to be trapped inside a digital world at all times so let's change it!

By letting ppl know they have options to live outside of it too!!!

[being-addie]

How to bounce back after vacation

I just came back from a long holiday trip right now, and it's been pretty easy falling off the wagon while vacationing, I'm not gonna lie. Our first stop was extremely hot and humid and I don't do well in those conditions so I was blowing through bottles of soda and bowls of ice cream. During the road trip we took I snacked constantly. Then we went to a spot that was below freezing. I didn't take care of my hair at all so it's frizzy and dry. You can imagine how badly sticking to a routine went.

It's challenging to stay disciplined while holidaying, so I cut myself some slack. Four flights and 17 hours of driving combined in a week? Of course I wasn't going to be able to follow my routine. But now that I'm back, I've been actively working to get back on track ASAP.

Here's how to recover from a long trip and get back into the flow as efficiently as possible.

Recover: Keep a few days to just relax at home. You'll probably think it's counter-productive, but recovering from a late-night flight or a 10-hour road trip is vital if you want to do anything with full productivity. I usually take 1 day to recover, but I recommend limiting them to 2 days maximum (otherwise you're going to feel lazier)

Try to ease into it: Do not jump into your routine. Your body will not be used to a 3-hour study session or 10 kg dumbells after it's not kept up. Be gentle with yourself. Do a 1-hour study session, instead of 3. Go for a walk, rather than an intense HIIT workout.

Eat properly: If you haven't had any good, healthy food during your trip, eat some goddamn veggies. Your body will be happy. Although I ate light, like soup and chicken during my trip, eating normal, home-cooked food worked wonders for me

Nap: Catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, I drank a large coffee before my 9pm flight back home, so I got zero shuteye. I've been napping in the afternoons to get back to normal.

Clean: Unpacking always makes a huge mess, and my room can testify to that. Make sure during the process, you don't mess up the rest of your (already clean) room. Wash your clothes, and rearrange your skincare products back where they belong.

Prep: Since my classes are starting next week, I've been restocking my supplies, filling my sketchbook, and completing any extra college assignments due. Staying prepared will help you manage time better when work or school starts again. Complete any time-consuming work, like meal prep, or laundry.

Pamper yourself: Traveling doesn't suit everyone, so yesterday, I took out time to have my Everything Shower, I put on music and read while I treated my body to some much-needed TLC. My hair looks much better.

Feeling frazzled after holiday isn't unusual. We're expected to come back to work with 100% productivity. If you're not able to do that immediately, don't beat yourself up about it. Take it easy, and you'll be back in your routine after no time. xoxo

<3

[kaladinsspear]

I thought of a metaphor for what it’s like to struggle with destructive/addictive behaviors.

Life, in general, is a juggling act. You have to manage your work balls, your family balls, friend balls, health balls etc. Some balls are glass and if you drop them you may do damage to yourself or someone else - like forgetting to take an important medicine or missing an important deadline - and some are plastic - like exercising every day and eating enough veggies. You can pick them up again, but if you drop them too many times they might break. It also might be difficult to pick up if you are juggling a lot of other balls at the time.

You have to keep everything moving, but it’s pretty normal to drop plastic balls sometimes - especially to catch a glass one. Sometimes your work balls are all glass and you feel yourself slipping, so you drop a friend ball and forget to text back and trust that your relationship can handle dropping that ball. Once your work balls are back to manageable numbers, you pick up the friend ball and put it back into the pattern.

Everything is a juggling act, and you always have to pay attention to keeping all your balls moving. An addiction or self destructive behavior pattern is like adding a permanent glass ball to the mix. It’s always something you have to manage. Even if you get really good and managing that ball becomes part of your muscle memory, you now have an extra glass ball taking up space in your arrangement and consuming your attention.

If work hands you 7 glass balls, you might be able to drop a few plastic hobby or leisure balls, but you can’t drop the addiction ball. If family issues come up and add extra glass family balls to your pattern, you may drop a few plastic friend or work balls, but you can’t drop the addiction ball.

Addiction balls also come in a variety of shapes and weights. For me, the nicotine ball is heavier than my other balls and takes a lot of concentration and focus to keep moving in the pattern with everything else. I can’t handle as many glass balls as I use to because I have this one awkward, heavy, glass addiction ball that requires my frequent attention. For some people maybe their ball is bigger, or weighted unevenly, or it’s an odd shape.

Point being, overcoming a self destructive behavior pattern is trying to add another glass ball to your pattern, and it stays there forever as far as I can tell. My self harm ball is not one that I have to think about very often anymore, but it’s still there. It’s something that I can’t ever drop no matter how overwhelmed with other balls I am. It gets easier with practice, but it’s been about 7 years now and I am still juggling that ball.

I dropped a lot of balls recently. Some shattered, some just cracked. I had a long conversation with my therapist yesterday about coming up with a plan for how I’m going to pick everything back up and make repairs in the areas of my life that need them.

But yeah. Managing addiction is not easy, and though it gets easier, it always requires work.

[swords-of-a-soilder]

The Healing Process

Chapter 10

Child of the Sky

Philza the young crow-hybrid felding awoke at the sound of and all too familiar voice calling for him. He peered down from his treehouse to observed the Goddess, much taller and wiser than the felding. She look around as he called from his attention, noting his absence.

Philza ran down to the ramp with quiet feet as he sunk up on Rose, effectively scaring her in the process. She grasp her chest as she caught her breath, laughing off the scare.

Philz circle her as he ran back and forth cheering in excitement, "Mom's home, mom's home, mom's home!" He repeated as he ran around.

"Ok ok, I'm back." She mused. The Goddess was a thing of beauty; wearing a crown of roses over her head and a strawberry dress, she had skin like chocolate and a strawberry blonde hair, she stood out among all the flowers in the Garden.

"You took forever!" Phil complained, "you said two weeks you were gone all month!"

"I know I know, I'm so sorry." She began, she rest her hand on his shoulder then scoot down to meet his level, "Father underestimated how much there was do." She informed.

Phil's eyes feel half lid at that information, clearly not Impressed therefore Rose decide on changing the topic, hoping they would avoid dewling on her absence.

She ran her finger though his hair with a raised eyebrow, "your hair change." She noted

"Yeah... you don't mind do you?" Phil inquired "Uncle has been looking after me while you were gone, it wasn't really on purpose."

"Not at all, blonde is a much better look on you anyways." She dismissed as she messed up his hair then got back to her feet.

"Oh you made more crows." She noted observing the crows on the structure of the treehouse

Phil fixed his hair as he observe the birds along side her, "well yeah I was lonely." He explained. "And you took much longer than You said you would!"

"Honey I have nothing against you making birds, it's just..." Rose allowed a lone crow to perch on her finger. "How are you even making this many?"

"It's easy, see!" Phil pick up some of the loss feathers of the ground the clasp his hands as he breath deeply; his wings ruffled up on their own before he even open his hands to relieve a crow felding in his hand. "There's four thousand, two hundred and thirty..three." he informed

"Dear I don't think you should make a crow everytime you're lonely, that's a lot of responsibility!" Rose attempt to explain.

"You have a bunch of hummingbirds!" Phil debated

"Those hummingbirds are three generations down, They mostly reproduced on their own." Rose informed, she then watched as Phil shoulders drop in annoyance, he let his hand fall as the felding took flight.

Rose release a sigh before Turing his face to her, "Child of the sky all I ask is you don't create life soly to cope, I promise I'll do better to get her on time okay?"

Phil eventually nod his head solely, however his mood change quickly as recolliion flashed in this eyes. "We can go to the Garden, let's have a picnic!"

"Of course, let's stop by the market on the way." Rose suggested

"Why, we already have lots of veggies and meat!"

"Well we could use some bread and fruit!"

"We have fruits growing on the tree, and uncle made lots of bread!" Phil insisted, he observed the Goddess tilt her vision, seemlingly deep in thought. "If you're looking for Auntie Sandy, she already left. She went to a royal meeting."

"Ah..I'm that transparent, am I?" Rose began, "very well, let's go!"

The two soon sit on top a plaid blanket with the picnic basket in the center. Rose watch with a mix of emotions as Phil chewed his steak.

"I don't know how you can stand to eat those things." She finally spoke.

"Meat ...? It's good!" Phil debated

"That's your uncle blood line speaking, not mine!"

Phil started down at his plate in misery, he could understand why Rose was a herbivore, but he couldn't say he was the same.

He needed that extra protein he couldn't just not eat meat, seriously he tried. "It's not my fault I'm a omnivore.."

Rose expression soften at Phil statement, the possibility that she was being too cruel bare face in her head. She released a sigh as she prepared to back track, "Darling, what I meant was "

"Goddess of Life!" Before Rose could finish she was interupped by the Ocean lord, a normally livingly fellow with Sea form hair and emerald eyes, was in a much different mood as he approached them.

With focus on his face he would spear a quick soft glance at Phil before falling back into his serious behaviour. "Your presence is required by the high council." He informed

"Couldn't the high council spear me the mercy?" She began, "I have just returned, I've hardly gotten to spend time with my Felding."

The Ocean Lord bow in a gesture of apology, "Forgive me my Highness, but your long absence makes your attendance all the more important."

Rose released a second sigh, before standing to her feet, she lightly dust her clothes before turning her attention to Phil, "apologizes my child, I won't be long, please stay in your domain."

"What, but you just got back!?" Phil insisted

"I know, and I am so sorry, I promise I will be back before you kno-"

"Why can't I come, I'm a god too!" Phil interupped

"No way little man, the council considers thou an abomination. They've been wanting to be rid of you for years, don't give them the opportunity."

"You don't think there's a better way you could say such?" Rose pleaded

"Ah yes, sorry my highness!"

"And stop calling me that, you know my name!"

"It's disrespectful, my father would strike me down if he hard me call thou Rose, Oh No I've said it!" He exclaimed as he covered his mouth.

Rose rolled her eyes at the information, "You now better than this Perseus, your father isn't as cruel as mine." Rose defended, she turn her attention back to Phil, "I'll be back soon, promise me you'll stay in your domain."

Phil started at the ground before sighing in defeat, "..okay.." he accepted.

Rose dismiss him with a pat on the head , then turned away to attend the meeting. Philza would soon miserable return to his domain, where he sat angrily in his tree house, many crows surround him.

The crows would jump from shoulder to shoulder or simply danced around him, insistant on putting the young God in a better mood, they were failing miserably.

"This isn't fair, she just got back!" He debated, "besides I should be involved in the meeting, I'm a god too!"

The crows shukled in annoyance, unsure how to improve his mood, Phil rolled his eyes at the notion. "Maybe I should just go, I have all right, I'm on of them!"

The crows quicky flock around him, vocalizing their disapproval but Phil seemed unbrotherd as he pushed himself upwards and made his way to exit his domain.

The crows would block the exit hopping to stop him, but we're only pushed out the way. "No, if you come I'll be caught!" He warned as he exit.

The crows seemed unsettled by this and thus followed from a distance. Phil would soon enter the passage of the gods, marble floors, vendors selling treats, colorfully banners and all stores of unworldly beings wondering around.

Men with lone necks, sheep with connecting horns being drag by massive woman with starslight eyes. It was a place that would make an unfamiliar being terrified.

Soon enough he'd come across the main hall, where he sneaked in so he could evesdrop on the meeting. He would hide at the entrance, listening to the statements made.

"Now Goddess surely you understand our concern." The host of the meeting, He Began.

He was a darker man, he body engulfed in flames, with patches of orange all over his skin, his eyes stared through the darkness of his way.

"My concern is that you're wrongfully accusing him of action he did not commit. " Rose debated

"No such thing!" She interrupted. "Your bother is the only one with the abilities to steal domains.

She was only slightly different to He, as she had many shields orbiting her. In addition to this, the flames that surrounded her was a much brighter Red.

"Oh I'm not sure of that."Rose began, "I could think of a few others who could."

"Becareful of your tongue!" Him interupped "don't fall to your brothers level, when our entire universe could fall apart!"

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no wa-" Rose cut herself off as she noticed the ground shaking everyone quickly noticed this as well.

Soon enough the celling started to crack, pillers fall to the ground, one of which almost knock Rose down. Philza in a panick ran out to her, however the floor beneath him spilt in uneven halves ristircing his ability to go further.

"Child!" He yelled, "your neglect to your domain has doomed us All!"

Phil continued to call for his mother, only to be met with with more chaos as more and more piller fall to the ground. The crows soon flew down, attempting to drag him away.

They attempts would go poorly as Phil refused to leave. "Philza!" He heard Rose call, as she finally came closer. "My hand, grab my hand!" She plead as she offer her hand to him.

Phil immediately reached his hand out, unfortunately the floor broke apart under his feet causing him to fall to his death.

Philza finally awoke In his current state, pulling himself out the water with his death grip on Forever's arms. immediately he buried his face on Forever's chest, snobbing as he proceed the reality.

Forever would do his best to offer comfort, stroking his back as he pulled his closer, Philza would melt into the touch.