#howdy folks super excited to be here!!!

[allseeingportrait]

IMPERA ALBUM ADOPTABLE SET!

$35 each, fcfs, TOS link is on my tumblr page, DM here or comment on the Toyhouse listings to claim!

Howdy! I’ve been working on this batch behind the scenes for about a week and it’s finally done!! Mostly I’m just super excited to have gotten a full 12-adopt batch done and that I pulled through to finishing them all.

Ghost is probably my favorite band as of late, and Impera really gripped me! It’s probably the first album from anywhere I’ve listened to all the way through- I’m super excited to potentially do more Ghost album batches if people like these!

Also just in case folks haven’t seen my update post, I’ve got a new job now but the pay’s such a steep drop down I’d like to keep making adoptables to be able to keep myself afloat and save up more money to move, so I’ll be posting more adopt batches like this! Next one up should be a pride-themed demon set if we’re interested in that!

As always I’ll update the post as designs get claimed! Have a wonderful day!

[gaybananabread]

Hii!!! This is gonna be a long one lol and also I feel a bit weird so sorry in advance🙏🙏 had this random idea about day 11 where it was hurt/comfort, percy jackson heroes of olympus, lee!leo ler!will and leo has to stop by the infirmary after coming back to life to just make sure everything’s alright and he was having a shit day and Will notices and asks him about it and he tells Will about all the things he’d been through (throughout the books or what we’re told previously), and Will gives him a hug and is comforting him and stuff and he accidentally tks him and asks for confirmation if it’s okay and then hugs him and tks him

I KNOW THATS A LOT SO I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND IF YOU CAN’T TAKE THIS ONE OR IF YOU’D PREFER NOT TO BUT WHICHEVER WAY THAT ENDS UP BEING THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE. AGOOD DAY/geN

TickleTober Day 11 - Hug

~Uhm, HELLO?!? I LOVE this prompt! Never feel bad for giving me a lot; I love hearing y'all's ideas! (⁠ ^w^ ⁠) It's been a hot second since I've read the books, so I'm sorry if they feel OOC. This takes place in The Hidden Oracle when Leo shows up at Camp HB. Thank you so much for requesting, and I hope you Enjoy!~

Lee: Leo Valdez

Ler: Will Solace

Summary: Leo is feeling like flaming garbage after returning to camp. He visits Will to make sure everything inside him is how it should be. Luckily, the healer knows just how to mend his broken spirits.

Warnings: spoilers for HOO and TOA! This is a tickle fic, so if you don't like that, scroll away!!

“Please keep off that leg for a few days, okay? I know it feels fine, but I don't want you damaging any tissue that didn't fully heal.”

Will smiled tiredly as he sent off the last injured camper from his medical tent. The Colossus had done quite a bit of damage; he'd been helping folks almost the entire day.

With a groan, the blonde collapsed on a clean cot, running a hand down his face. He missed the sound of the tent flap opening, keeping his eyes closed.

“Uh…howdy, stranger.”

The boy jolted upwards, grabbing the nearest item and pointing it at the intruder somewhat menacingly. His face fell when he noticed that, one, he was holding a glove balloon he'd made for an upset camper, and two, Leo was the one in the opening.

“Oh…Leo! Hey, sorry about…yeah. I'm just frazzled.” Will lowered his “weapon,” hopping off the cot to greet the boy. “What's up?”

“You're cool, man. Just wanted to get a checkup, make sure all my insides came back right.” Leo chuckled, poking his own side in an attempt to lighten the mood. He and Will weren't super close; he didn't want things to be awkward.

“Right…right! How could I forget?!” Will immediately sprung up, reinvigorated by guilt and frantic panic. What if Leo's intestines didn't come back right?! It was a godly cure, and they weren't always keen on demigod safety…

“Woah- hey! It's cool, man, it's cool! You've been busy; we're good.” Leo smiled, though it was a little off-putting to Will. He seemed…less. Less excited, less energetic, less snarky.

Less himself.

After he had Leo situated on the cot, he tried to sneakily ask him how he was doing during the checkup. The fiery demigod didn't seem like the type to readily discuss his feelings.

“So how have things been since…ya know.” Will awkwardly asked as he checked Leo's reflexes. The boy's leg kicked out healthily.

“Interesting, I guess. Wish I'd gotten a cool scar or something. Would've been worth it,” Leo joked, though a small part of him was serious. A sick, bad-boy scar wouldn't have been the worst side effect.

“Hmm. Alright…” Now Will was worried; jokes like that weren't a sigh of good mental health. He'd sacrificed himself to save them, but he'd done it pretty secretively.

“Can I touch here? I need to give you a quick physical.” Will pointed to his middle, not wanting to move forward until he had consent. With Leo's nod, he continued.

“I mean, it wasn't horrid, ya know?” Leo began to ramble, trying to fill the semi-awkward silence. It was suffocating. “Sure, it hurt, but… I didn't see the underworld or anything. No real damage done!”

“Leo…” The blonde paused, furrowing his brows. Nope: that was getting addressed.

“Are you okay? Mentally, physically, all of it?”

The brunette bit his lip, feeling his eyes water. Damn it! He'd been trying so hard to stay upbeat; he'd just have to lie.

“I…” Leo's voice broke, and he cursed himself for it. Before he could bury his face in his hands and combust, a strong pair of arms wrapped around him.

“It's okay, Leo. You don't have to be perfectly happy. You're allowed to feel broken.” Will's voice was steady and soothing as he reassured the shorter boy, squeezing him just tightly enough to feel secure.

For a few minutes, Leo just melted into the embrace, letting the tears and the sounds that came with them flow. He'd been bottling up so much since he was revived, and even beforehand.

When it felt like his lungs weren't trying to kill him, Leo attempted to speak. He hated how weak his voice sounded.

“Sorry, I…yeah. Didn't mean to fall apart.” Leo's gaze fell, though quickly snapped back up when he fell Will pull away. The other boy's hands remained on his shoulders, grounding him.

“There's nothing to be sorry for, Leo. You needed to cry after literally dying and coming back to life. That's completely valid.”

How could that boy be so calming, yet make him so sad?! Leo blamed Apollo children's poetry skills.

“O-okay, okay, I get it! Quit making me all mushy, you jerk,” Leo snapped, though he instantly melted back into the hug when Will pulled him in.

“Just making sure you remember.” Will chuckled fondly, feeling a protective urge wash over him. He wanted Leo to feel safe and secure. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I…yeah. Yeah, actually, I do.” Leo nodded, feeling a bit surprised by himself. He usually hated talking about his feelings, but Will was such a nice friend; he felt secure enough to open up.

Leo told him about everything: his mother, the Wilderness camp, the fear of making his decision, the guilt from lying to his friends on the Argo II, the all-encompassing agony he'd endured during his death, the guilt he still felt from making his friends cry and coming back after Jason was gone.

Will listened to all of it, still holding Leo and helping him vent. While most of the content was saddening and serious, the blonde was happy Leo was getting it out.

“I just don't know what to do, ya know? How do I stop feeling so…ick?” Leo splayed his fingers out, trying to show his general unease with his hands.

“There's a few ways, though everyone copes differently. What're you hoping to feel instead of ‘ick’?” Will spoke gently, trying not to use too many big, mentally-concious words. It was still a miracle that Leo opened up at all.

“I dunno…happy, I guess? Less heavy. I wanna go back to feeling like I'm alive, rather than…well, ya know. Burdened.” Leo laughed at that; it felt weird to actually say “burdened” in context.

Will searched his mind, trying to remember something that would help. His thoughts wandered to one of Nico’s bad days, remembering how he'd cheered the boy up. That could work…

“Do you trust me?”

“What?” Leo tilted his head, wondering why Will just suddenly asked that. Random… “Uh, yeah. Why?”

“Hold your arms out. If you hate it, tell me to stop, and I will.” Will's words were cryptic, of course; he didn't wanna spook Leo by outright asking for the goofy permission. He really did think it would help.

“Uh, okay?” Leo did as he was told, holding his arms out by his sides. The scenario felt vaguely familiar, though he couldn't place why.

Will wrapped his arms around Leo's middle once again, holding him close. Before the son of Hephaestus could question him, he felt ten wiggling fingers on each of his sides.

“Pfft- whahahahat?! Wihill!” Leo squirmed in place, his arms snapping down to his sides. Will's were already blocking the way, so he couldn't really protect himself from the tickles.

“What? Everyone needs a good laugh sometimes. These are a good way to lighten up.” Will shrugged, settling his chin on Leo's shoulder. He could feel the abnormal heat radiating off the boy, but it only made him even more comfy.

“S-seheheriously? Thihis is duhuhumb!” Wriggling around, Leo tried to pry Will's hands off. Thanks to their position, he could really only swipe at the blonde's forearms and complain.

“If you don't like it, just tell me to stop. You know I will.”

Ugh, that wasn't fair! Leo didn't actually want him to stop, but he was basically making him admit that! It was ruining his bad boy image!

“Shuhut uhuhup, Solace!”

That made Will's dumb grin double in size. Leo couldn't see it, but the sunshine boy was really happy that he was enjoying the tickles. One, he found another friend that enjoyed them, and two, he was actually helping Leo feel better. Two birds, one stone!

“I wonder if your ribs are ticklish…” Will thought out loud, moving his hands up to scribble on the backs of Leo's ribcage. He wasn't disappointed; belly laughter quickly replaced the giggles, filling Will's ears.

“CRAHAHAHAP!” Leo's warm hands settled on Will's shoulders, squeezing as he tried not to violently squirm. A very not-nice word slipped through his laughter, making Will gasp.

“Leo Valdez! Language!” Will pretended to be angry, doubling down on the rib tickles. Okay, maybe that was hypocritical—he’d said much worse during stressful moments—but it was too fun to pass up. “I won't tolerate profanity in my med bay!”

Leo snorted—dear gods, snorted—as the sensations intensified; he was losing control of himself. His hands were heating up more and more, and that only led to one thing.

“OHOKAHAHAY! *snort* STOHOHOP!”

Will immediately stopped the tickling, switching to rubbing gentle circles on Leo's back. His palms rubbed over the backs of the giggly boy's ribs, helping to ease the phantom sensations.

Leo flexed his hands as he calmed down, feeling the heat recede back into his arms and deep into his chest. Despite nearly losing control, he felt…really damn good.

“W-wohow.”

“See? Told you it would help.” Will's fond tone was appreciated, though it appealed to Leo's more mischievous side; he was already plotting revenge.

“Fihine, yeah, you were right.” Leo tried to be sarcastic, but the weight had been lifted off his chest. Even if it was only temporary, he felt relieved. “Thanks, Will. Seriously.”

“No problem, Leo. If you ever need another quick dose, I'm always here.” Will gave Leo's side a little poke, earning a giggly growl.

“Watch it, Solace. You've got one coming.” Leo gave the blonde one last hug before heading out of the tent, feeling ten pounds lighter than when he entered. He was definitely going to return the favor…

Will smiled, quickly sanitizing the cot Leo was on before allowing himself to fully relax. Man, that was fun; the stress from before was gone, leaving him tired, but happy.

After a few minutes of rest, he hauled himself out of his cot and went to find Nico. Some cuddles would be the perfect way to end such a busy day. And hey, maybe he'd drop a few hints about Leo's treatment.

Laughter is the best medicine, after all...

[dcafanzine]

Hi everyone! We’re super excited to start introducing our contributors! Let’s let them introduce themselves!

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Hi y’all! I’m Plum (@pure-plum) and I’m joining G&GG as a spot artist, and I will be in the Backstage Pass as both a page artist and spot artist! It feels pretty ambitious for my first step into the zine scene but I’m very excited to be working with so many talented artists and writers all sharing stories and ideas about the DCA. The DCA and the community around them pulled me out of some intense burnout, and they reminded me how much fun it can be to create and to enjoy being as silly or as serious about it as you want! How lucky to find so many wonderful stories and adaptations of Sun and Moon, and so many cool folks to share them with!

Tumblr

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Howdy! I'm YourFriendlyDCA (@/yourfriendlydca everywhere!) I'm a page artist for both the main and bonus zines. I've done zines in the past, and I always have a blast on projects like these. Security breach pulled me into FNAF as an interest first. I couldn't tell you when my brain started fixating on the DCA, but once I realized, I was in too deep. I love sympathetic characters in horror games. So when I saw a robot character doomed to be in a franchise about killer bots while trying his best to be Mary Poppins and failing miserably, I was hooked. Yes please. And throw in his murder gremlin alter.

I'm everywhere people are posting art, and I do cosplay too! Hope to see you around!

Carrd

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Howdy hey, yall can call me Lemon! I'm a page artist and spot artist for the G&GG Backstage Pass. I've previously made a comic spread for Welcome Again an Omori Black Space fanzine, and I'm so excited to partake in my first ever Fnaf fanzine! I knew from the first Security Breach trailer that I'd be head over heels for these silly celestial jesters, and low-n-behold here we are still, nearly 3 years later <3

Fnaf Tumblr | Main Art Tumblr

[foibles-fables]

What's that? Random asks? Don't mind if I do!

How did you hear about Horizon that made you want to play it, and how was that first time?

Howdy hello and HECK YES! I love this question.

So--summer 2020. I'd just come back from a decade-long hiatus from fandom in general, and was starting to learn the new ropes and spaces (this former livejournal clown breaking into discord and twitter, etc.). One night, I was scrolling through my twitter timeline and happened to stumble upon the freshly-posted E3 announcement trailer for HFW. And even though I hadn't really played a narrative video game since the PS2 era, I decided to watch it. And, huh! I remember saying, "Badass freckly redheaded archer...seems relevant to my interests." The graphics were absolutely gorgeous and what little hints of the story were present in that trailer (especially for someone who knew nothing of the narrative background presented so far) were compelling.

So I looked up some info and found out that it was a sequel to a 2017 game. Cool. Filed that away for later, deciding to get a PS5 when they released later that year.

Jump-cut to late December. I managed to get my hands on a PS5, and it was delivered a couple days before Christmas. Which was awesome, because life was not going super well and I needed a heavy-duty distraction. At this point I had kind of pushed Horizon to the backburner and was instead excited to play AC Valhalla as my first game! But when I booted up, I learned that my mother had bought me the disc version as a Christmas gift. I was left with a couple of days to try other stuff out before I could dive in to ACV.

So, I shrugged and downloaded HZD instead. And the rest is kind of history.

Went into it kind of ambivalent and really hoping I would like it. I had tried to play BotW and was completely overwhelmed by the open-world aspects, and not in a pleasant way, and I hoped that wouldn't be the case here. I'd also never really been into a ton of action games before, as most of my old faves were turn-based. The gameplay itself wouldn't be the clincher for me--that would be the story.

WELL, good news is, I was hooked from the prologue. I would equate playing HZD to not just watching a narrative masterwork unfold, but being in the driver's seat of one. Each discovery Aloy and I made was enthralling and exhilarating, and I legitimately could not stop playing. Could not stop exploring. Every side quest, every collectible, every corner of the map (besides the hunting grounds after earning my Suns at the Nora one, SORRY TALANAH). The entirety of "Deep Secrets of the Earth" had me staring into the darkness of my gaming room in a mix of existential horror and pure amazement. I wept at the ending. The HZD cast left an indelible mark on my heart, and it really reminded me of just how powerful game stories can be. Still trapped in hyperfixation hell (affectionate) over it.

The fun didn't stop there, though. By the time I finished the game (I took my time!), it was early February 2021. I feel very lucky to have sauntered in when I did, because it really seems like it was the perfect time to join the fandom. Folks were coming out of hibernation from both 2017 and the 2020 PC release, hyped with excitement and theories for HFW. Within those first months I met some of the most fabulous and now-lifelong friends (and more <3) I've ever had.

Bottom line: after playing HZD, Horizon and the fandom pulled me through a very very very difficult time in my life. I'm eternally grateful to this series and the meaning I derive from it. Especially from the first game--its vibrant narrative, and its absolutely fantastic characters. Lightning in a bottle, man.

And no, I still haven't finished AC Valhalla. lmao.

[dragonfruitghosts]

back at it again with the Artfight as well as a silly little intro for some artfight folks just for fun

Howdy hey I’m Larry, though I go my a multitude of other names that are all listed out somewhere. I also have a hoard of pronouns but my current main ones are He/Him, It/Its, Ve/Vem, Wolf/Wolfs, Comet/Comets, Sylv/Sylvs and Shadow/Shadows pronouns. I’m a genderqueer nonbinary trans man, I’m fictionkin and a self shipper, my special interest is Sally Face and I have a large collection of hyperfixations and interests (but mainly Sally Face lol). I’m planning on uploading all my attacks here on Tumblr this year and I’m part of Team Stardust!

I’m hoping to attack all y’all lovely folks on the site and I’m very excited (I’ve been super excited for this year lol), I hope you guys like my silly little critters

also as a little bonus here’s some silly art of one of my main sonas, Ace, and a link to my Artfight page, that’s all I got for now :)

[radiation-station]

Howdy folks! Don’t mind me, just here to let you know that I’ve started writing a fanfic about my impaired air mare extraordinaire, Airflow!

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/535897/any-way-the-air-flows

It’s been up for a couple days and reception so far has been great! I’m SUPER excited to keep writing chapters for this, hopefully I can keep this momentum going and drop a chapter every two weeks!

[bottlecaprabbitgames]

Weekly Update for 10 April, 2023

Howdy, folks! Let's get into the weekly update! I got some exciting news!!!

Mind Games: Trepidation

I have super exciting news about Chapter 6! I quite literally only have TWO branches left on a choice section before I can release it to the betas! However, there will be a version of a scene missing when it first gets released, mainly so I don't get bored while writing atm.

What this means is... Chapter 6 will be in with the betas at some point this week!!! Very likely, early this week. I'm shooting for a weekend release for Chapter 6 to the public! Here's to hoping it turns out well.

Right now, Chapter 6 is sitting at 15,500 words, so I'm hoping we hit 16,000 even with that version missing, as that'd be pretty damn awesome! So, be on the look out for a "Soon" announcement, heheh!

Other than that, I still have some pretty cool news. There is one day left to get on over to Patreon for the Spring Scenario poll! The TOP TWO will be chosen as definite ROs coming out this month, and some other exciting news: if you sign up at the $10 tier or higher, you will get an Advocacy of Peace stamp sticker as a merch reward after three months of being signed up! I've been sitting on it for a while now, but I'm excited to finally release it! (The art is not my own, but I had a dear friend of mine draw it up like a year or two ago, for when I eventually got to a space I felt good about releasing it on Patreon.) I also have two other designs I've made myself that will be released when we hit certain milestones. (I have one for The Orchard to be released when Trepidation is FULLY finished, and one that's heavily inspired by B2's events that'll release when 1. B2 has at least TWO chapters published, and 2. I hit $50/month on Patreon). AND! One of the monthly bonuses this month will be released on the $3 tier as well! And, lastly, don't forget Patreon gets early access to updates!

You can find my Patreon here.

And, one last thing: I'm super excited to announce that I applied to go back to college! I'm going for an LPN, or Licensed Practicing Nurse. I'm super hopeful that I'll get accepted.

That's all I got! See you guys soon with more news on Chapter 6!

[the-foolish-scholar]

Three of Cups

In the Three of Cups, three youths are dancing with each other in a circle, raising their cups high in the air in a toast of joy and celebration. They look to one another with appreciation, honor and respect, and are bound by their emotional connection and friendship. There is a sense of lifting each other up and celebrating each other’s unique contribution to the group. The ground is layered with flowers, fruit and a pumpkin, symbolizing the celebration of an abundant harvest and the goodness in life.

-

Yowdy. Mix of y’all and howdy. I was super tired but then I made the mistake of drinking pop and now I’m Hannah Horvath coded post tweeting “All adventurous women do.” IFYKYK.

Life continues to play out like an episode of Fleabag but I try to channel Barbie energy throughout all of it.

I’m in the process of moving out of my current apartment into a new one farther away from my comfort zone. It feels strange and kind of scary but it’s time. Mao made some points and that’s all I’ll say…

I’m gonna miss the San Luis because every time I walked around the neighborhood, I felt like I was with my younger self. I know that sounds crazy. But I think that there was such a healing aspect to living here as an older and wiser version of myself. It was like I got to do what I did at 18 all over again but actually be present and feel in control during it.

The new place is actually going to work out better for my budget too… The irony is that I picked this place because I thought it would be better for my budget… But in reality I just forced myself to suffer?

But also, it wasn’t suffering living here. It was just a different version of suffering. Oh to be a Camus girl surrounded by Sartre fans!

What I mean is that, I’ll be trading my frequent bucket showers and beautiful view for breathtaking foliage and surveillance… So maybe I’ll be a Foucault girl by the time the new lease is up! Yes, my new apartment has cameras in the common areas! It’s like living in the panopticon (:

I know, I know, I’m too paranoid for my own good. But Orwell wrote 1984 for a reason!

Ahhhh yeah. What else? I got contracted to teach for a big chunk of February which is good because I need money to survive but also because my new place is just a block away from the school! My other job is going well too and things are actually playing out quite harmoniously because I’m helping my boss restart her SAT tutoring business that went on hiatus during the pandemic. I’m extremely thankful that I’ve been able to foster the relationships that I have because I really wouldn’t be able to do anything without my community down here.

It’s all so beautiful. And so reassuring. To know that you can travel anywhere and meet kindred spirits.

Speaking of kindred spirits! I got to spend some time with the folks from Marquette! I got some DCs and swam and played with the kids and it was so good for the soul. I recommended we go to this one restaurant that I like a lot but every time I’ve been there I’ve been the only person eating in that restaurant… We had the whole place to ourselves when we went out there again and it was an experience for sure! The adventure didn’t end there though, somehow, I ended up exploring the tunnels underneath the Sheraton! It evoked the memory of when the janitor took us into the bomb shelters underneath Anderson at the Valentine’s Day dance…

But yeah… The shenanigans should probably stop… The semester is about to start for my master’s program…

It’s so nerdy but I’m so excited to be in classes again. It feels so good to be challenged in an academic environment. And to have the opportunity to learn about the bible from empathetic academics and not some homophobic and patriarchal nun… With a developed frontal lobe… Oh, the symbolism will do me so good!

Also, I’m stoked to work on projects with my contacts from the Political History of El Salvador program! We’re going to professionally record songs written in memoriam of martyrs from the civil war and lay the foundation for future projects.

I guess that’s it really? I don’t know what else to tell y’all. I miss you all back home. The few of you that actually read this, lmao. I’m crafting a digital footprint, for you! Be grateful! It terrifies me! But on the brightside nothing I post will ever be as embarrassing as my rendition of My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean… Which is quite meta as someone living abroad if I may say…

[squidsbee]

Howdy, folks!

I guess im stepping on over here from Twitter with all the insane updates they are doing.

Anyways, its me, Squid! Here to share my art., process, and any updates on literally anything (I have rat brain). <3 I actually miss using tumblr so im super excited to be here :>

I'm an illustrator and designer with a love for Fantasy work and cozy vibes. I do digital art and traditional art so you may see a mix of both going around. I also stream on twitch, if anyone is interested in hanging around ^^ I love working to some cozy music and chatting!

[idleloves]

࿐         * ₊  donny pangilinan. cismale. he / him.  ⋆ *    —    i heard our new guest NICHOLAS “NICO” MANALO is here from SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA because HIS HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART PASSED AWAY. it’s good to have a fresh face around. they give off these IDEALISTIC, CONSCIENTIOUS, HEDONISTIC vibe who does SURFING during their free time. they are a TWENTY THREE year old who took a long break as a FILM INTERN just for this. i hope they find their peace in here during their stay. 

                                              𝒅𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓 . 𝒃𝒊𝒐 . 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒔                                                                 * tw: mentions of a vehicular accident and death

*:･ﾟ 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑺

full name: nicholas manalo nicknames: nico ( prefers to be called this, only his parents call him nicholas ) age: 23 date of birth: july 12, 1997 hometown: sydney, australlia gender & pronouns: cismale, he/him  orientation: heterosexual, demiromantic religion: raised as a christian, now agnostic occupation: film intern at an indie company languages spoken: english, tagalog, ilocano

*:･ﾟ 𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫

born and raised under the bright sun in sydney, australia, nico had a comfortable upbringing in the seemingly perfect nuclear family consisting of both his parents, him, and his three younger siblings. 

he’d often be the one taking care of the kids as his mother and father were workaholics. as much as he adored them, his reprieve was being at school and partaking in after school club. he found that making friends came easy to him and easily slipped into a close knit friend group in secondary school, where he met who he thought was the love of his life. 

 they started dating right before high school and kept it a secret from their parents. 

it was puppy love at first, and everyone around them always mentioned how perfect they were together, though none of them knew what went on behind closed doors. she was manipulative, possessive, reprimanding him whenever he got too close with other girls. she only ever allowed him to talk to their friend group and dictated most of his life decisions, something even his parents weren’t able to do. 

he stayed because he loved her, he stayed because he didn’t know any better. 

upon graduating high school, she made him apply to a local college and refused to let him try for other places, despite there being a film school in los angeles he was interested in. the entire group promised to attend together to preserve their friendship, but come the month before university started, he had found out that they all lied to him and were attending schools in different cities / countries. he felt left behind as he watched them all, even his girl friend, board their planes. 

she’d often call him, and he had hope that things would be fine despite the distance. he felt her pulling away from him and he felt helpless on the situation. she’d come to visit him and her family on the holidays, the visits becoming more sparse as time went on. the day of his graduation she didn’t answer any of his calls. 

tw: mentions of a vehicular accident and death 

it came suddenly, in the middle of the night. the call and the break down right after. he was nearly inconsolable, losing the only person he’s ever felt truly close to, who knew him more than anyone. they said she got into the car intoxicated. 

tw: end

it was then that their friend group decided to come clean to him, revealing all the secrets they kept from him of how she purposely plotted to make his life miserable because of how easily he went along with what she said, and that she cheated on him multiple times. he refused to believe them, the wounds of her passing still fresh. 

the depression he fell into greatly affected his newly accepted internship, despite his parents hating the idea of him not being a doctor or a lawyer and pursuing film, they hated to see him self sabotage like this. 

his little sister showed him camp zarafa, something she happened upon while helping them plan for their family vacation to the philippines. they all supported the idea of nico revitalizing himself somewhere new, somewhere with opportunity, and with little hope for himself, he agreed.

*:･ﾟ 𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀

grew up putting everyone before himself, it became a habit. he’s actively working on regaining more control, trying to set boundaries and practicing saying no more often but its still a work in progress

is slowly coming to terms with things, though his trust is completely broken and absolutely refuses to let anyone in his life again lest they leave / betray him again. 

used to enjoy large group settings / had many acquaintances but now considers himself friendless after cutting ties with everyone from his past. 

the type to immerse himself in hobbies in order to distract himself from his real life problems (insert this is fine meme here) 

due to his reflex on keeping people at arms length, he’s the type to laugh through his pain and make jokes of things in order to keep the mood light and not go too deep into his own introspection. 

generally very active, likes to keep moving in order not to think too much

the type to play blond in a dark room and cry while singing along to self control when hes sad. 

the only passions he’s made for himself are filming, he likes bringing around a multitude of different cameras in order to film little snippets of his life. he currently has a small youtube channel where he puts his creations at, many vids are now unlisted as a lot contained his high school sweetheart. 

*:･ﾟ 𝑷𝑳𝑶𝑻𝑺 / 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

a confidant ( though it wasn’t easy getting to that point, he made it difficult to get past his walls )

sibling like relationship

you walked in on him in the lounge listening to sad music and felt weird just leaving him alone like that

he’s craving a specific dessert his mom used to make back at home but his baking skills are dog water and you come running to the kitchen when a plume of smoke reached your villa 

they leave him in charge of music during a party and your friends volunteer you as the one to tell him to switch the music up because you cannot shake your ass to sad music 

one personality trait he cannot shake is his competitiveness and he’s chosen you as his new rival 

neither of you are friends in the way that you know each other’s favorite colors much less your middle names but the second alcohol is involved, you two are definitely the dynamic duo 

he’s always had to be the responsible one, and now that he’s lost he finds you and you’ve become something like a role model to him

bad influence 

[ceilingcow]

Howdy, folks! I’m Hoff or Wes, and you might know me as the mod for @yeehawgust, as the merch mod for @falloutghoulzine or from around the Fallout fandom here on Tumblr.

I have a top surgery date set for early December, and though I was able to pay for the surgery itself, it was more expensive than I’d anticipated so I’m going to struggle paying for the day-of hospital fees, travel and food. I’m super excited about finally being able to get this surgery, but I could really use some help! I’ll try to keep things brief, but here’s how you can help, aside from just donating to my Ko-Fi. I won’t stretch this post with a ton of merch examples, you can check them out at the links below.

I’m doing a pre-order for Benny Gecko stickers over at my Ko-Fi shop. Stickers will be 4″ tall and professionally printed on clear, waterproof vinyl. Preorders will be open until noon CST on November 25th. See the full art and details at the link above.

My Ko-Fi Shop has buttons, stickers, and PWYW Mystery Packs if you want to donate more than the cost of the pack.

Check out my main Etsy shop, Tigers Eye Adventure Co, where I have tons of LGBTQIA+ buttons, including custom name and pronoun buttons, plus artisanal glitter options. I’ve got gift packs that make great presents!

Check out my new Etsy shop, Stranger Pastures, where I have Fallout and other video game buttons and stickers.

Reblogs and support are greatly appreciated! I hate to be asking for help like this, but I’m coming up short on the final stretch on my journey. Thank you! <3

[nebu-laika]

Howdy folks! I don’t post here terribly often but I wanted to drop by and let you know I’m running a pre-order on some Hashira stickers over on my Ko-Fi! You can find the link in my bio!

End Date will be 9/16 (Friday, September 16th)! So if you’re interested in some cute lil stickers make sure to hop in on it! If they do well enough I hope to be able to sell them more regularly!

Please bear with me throughout this whole process! This is my first time running a shop and I’m very excited but still learning! If you’re not interested in a sticker or two, I’d super appreciate you slapping that reblog button to get the word out! Thank you !

[wsparker]

howdy folks! super excited to be here with crescent’s maknae, parker. ya boi gave up fencing to be an idol to rebel against his parents after accidentally pushing his younger brother into oncoming traffic. his parents verbally don’t blame him for it but through actions— they do, oop. thinks he’s the bees knees, only because he grew up spoiled and buying everything from nice socks to loyalty. only to find out that he’s in fact— not the bees knees when he debuts with crescent and everyone thinks he bought his position and how much he sucks at everything. he’s trying hard to be a good person, but it’s hard out here for a pimp jks kjgkejrifj ANYWHO! hopefully that synopsis will tickle your pickle or drop a like and i’ll slide into your dms for some plotting! 

profile — career — plots

[mementofloreo-archived]

@sorrowmarked || lightly plotted starter || Finnegan and Byleth!!

Finnegan isn't particularly pious, really. In fact he's never really put much thought to religion in any form. He thinks, probably, there's some kind of higher power out there, but after that he doesn't think it's all that important. He thinks good morals and ethics are a lot more important than following the right scriptures.

Still, he hasn't got anything against people who are very religious. Faith can be a source of strength for folks, a source of comfort.

...Still, the Church of Seiros sure does pompous and overstated to a professional degree. (Why does a church have a military force, anyway? Sketchy.) Uppity noble kids everywhere, all of them so caught up in status and wealth that a fair majority have never done anything to earn(nor have the past many generations of their equally uppity families). Noses turn up at his cigarettes, his always dusty coat and boots, faces frowning in disapproval at the way his bearing remains casual no matter the rank or status of the person he's speaking to(in his defense, he does at least use a more formal tone where necessary).

He's not the only one of the 'gang' who feels like an elephant in the room here. But any place can be home enough to be livable if you give it a chance, right? The room he's been given isn't big or fancy, but it's clean, dry, warm and has all the basic amenities. There's a lot less work on his plate now, of course- he's not a knight, so he can't officially serve under the boss- er, Captain Jeralt- the way he used to. He and the rest of the troop have been employed to help with security and grounds upkeep, though, particularly defensive points, weapon maintenance, that sort of thing. It's mostly busy, mundane chores. But while the lack of excitement can be understimulating, the security of a fair paycheck, decent meals and a safe place to sleep every night makes it a lot easier to stomach.

He hasn't seen much of the boss's kid- of Byleth- since they arrived. Muscled into a teaching position of all things. He thinks she must feel pretty out of her depth. She's always been kind of...spacy. Easily distracted. The heat of battle is where she's most honed in and focused- Jeralt's noted he's a little worried about whether she's adjusting well, himself.

And so while he wasn't intending to look for her on this day off, Finnegan still slinks over and drops lazily to sit next to her when he happens to see her on a bench near the fishing pond.

"Howdy," he singsongs, "Bell-leth," he draws out her name, intensifying the slight drawl of his regional accent.

"Nice weather ain't it?" He asks, looking out at the water, "The kind of sunny day I'd be lookin' for some field to sack out in and play harmonica and skip out on afternoon drills. Think I might've dragged you along on a couple such excursions a few times when we were kids."

He doesn't wait for a reply. "How's teaching?" He asks, "You've never been super chatty, so I gotta admit I've worried teaching lectures might be a rough adjustment for you...but, you seem to have grown on the students, at least, so I guess it hasn't been torture."

[thiswasinevitableid]

For mermay, #25 siren for Sternclay, rating up to you? Thank you so much, I love your fics!

Here you go! I went with SFW and it's set in the same universe as the other siren prompt I got this year

Joseph has sailed so far over the horizon of regret that he’s landed right back on the shores of resolve.

The highway curves through low mountains, extends in interminable straight lines of super-heated asphalt, and he drives both stretches with purpose, eyes fixed on his goal so as not to see the last forty-eight hours lurking in his rearview mirror.

When the sign reading “Kepler: Population 3,000 on land, 50 in water” reflects the setting sun he slumps back in the driver seat, too tired to be glad, excited, afraid, or anything else at all.

He passes the Cryptonomica, proclaiming itself the premier place to learn about the Roadside Sirens. Rolling his eyes means he nearly misses the drawbridge warning, the barrier dropping and bridge rising to allow a small sailboat to pass. It’s aboard this he sees his first siren; dappled tail hanging in the water as she converses with the other passenger and waves to the siren working the bridge.

The bridge lowers and he continues forward as the early evening overtakes the main road. Neon crackles to life, creosote and rabbitbrush drift through the window when he rolls it down. The sign on Amnesty Lodge declares vacancies, so he pulls into the parking lot. It’s a strange lay-out, little cabins dotting the patches of pools that, once upon a time, must have been enclosed in rooms. Now they glisten under the emerging stars, some surrounded by lawn chairs and set ups to play horseshoes or cornhole. The building housing the lobby is precariously perched on the bank of the slow flowing river, another building whose neon is unlit sitting beside it. He pays the young lady at the counter for a week to week cabin and lugs the remainders of his life inside.

In the bathroom mirror, the wear of this trip is clear in the wrinkles on his suit and the dust on his shoes. He strips down, rinses off, and heads into the night in his shorts and T-shirt from Puget Sound. On a whim he turns right, follows a trail that leads him into the state park. He pays the five dollar fee in a little envelope as he continues on his way. Just as he reaches a scenic viewpoint, the singing starts.

Joseph can’t see any of the singers, can only pick up six or so distinct voices swirling around him.

It’s said the roadside sirens will tell you what you need.

It’s said the roadside sirens are the only way Kepler gets new residents

It’s said the roadside sirens will lead you to your hearts desire.

It’s said the roadside sirens are not always gentle.

All that tugs at Joseph’s heart is exhaustion. When footsteps creak across the boards behind him, he turns to find a man in a ranger uniform. Their eyes meet a moment and the man nods in greeting, “Evenin sir, you got any questions?”

“What do you hear when they sing?”

The ranger shrugs, “I hear them singin’. Never been all that susceptible to ‘em. Well, except for one, but he don’t sing all that often and the last time it was to tell me he missed me while I was out here workin’.”

Joseph raises an eyebrow. The man comes close enough for him to see his name tag. All it says is, “Duck.”

Duck chuckles, leans his arms on the railing, “S’okay, most folks don’t believe me when I tell ‘em that. See, thing about sirens is, you gotta have unfulfilled desires for the song to take hold. First time I was in Kepler, didn’t have a goddamn clue what I wanted from life. When I came back, found the two things I wanted right away. Been pretty content since.” He glances at Joseph, “why, you hear somethin that worries you?”

“I don’t hear anything besides-”

A burst of blue and orange light spills across them; the building beside Amnesty Lodge has come to life, and Joseph can see a line out the door from here. More importantly, someone is singing and his body moves towards the source without him noticing.

“I mean, if your main want is you’re hungry, Lodge is a damn good place to start. Put Kepler on the map. Or, uh, guess the sirens put it there and the Lodge kept it there once the novelty wore off.

“Uhumm” Joseph nods, waving an absentminded goodnight as he follows the path back to the Lodge. He’s about to join the others waiting to get through the door when he gets a flash of an image; a draft on a desk, announcing the Lodge needed a cooks assistant.

What the hell, it’s worth a try right?

A knock on the back door summons an older man in a “Joshua Tree” shirt.

“Howdy, if you’re lookin for the line-”

“I’m here about the assistant job.”

“Uhh, o-kay. Not the best time for it, but follow me.”

The man leads him down a set of stairs to a kitchen that is half in and half out of the water in a way that defies logic and physics. Swimming about are several sirens, plus two humans on the shore, cooking and sending food up to the main building in a dance that borders on chaos. In the middle of it all is a siren with a deep copper tail that matches his short beard and long hair tied back in a bun.

“Barclay! You got a minute?”

“Not really!”

“Okay then. I’ll just have this fella wait in your office until dinner rush is over.”

“Sure great yeah Moira wheres the crawfish for table ten?”

Which is how Joseph finds himself sitting in a cabin, twiddling his thumbs. His manners fight his boredom until he pulls a paperback from the nearby shelf and loses himself in the exploits of a someone recreating dishes from ancient civilizations. Doesn’t look up until the door opens and the same man, now with legs instead of that beautiful tail, walks in.

“Phew” he shuts the door with a satisfied smile, rests his head on the wood, then whirls and slams his back against it when Joseph clears his throat.

“GAHWHATTHEFUCK”

“I’m, I’m so sorry, I thought you heard, um, Thacker, tell you he was having me wait here.”

“W-wait here for wh--Oh, oh right, the assistant thing.” The siren scrubs his face, “yeah, uh, guess Mama must've put the ad out. Uh, would you say you’re organized?”

“Extremely. But honestly it doesn’t seem like you need that much help on that front.”

A deep, rich laugh, “I cleaned this morning, last night it looked like an earthquake hit this place. Guessing from the fact you didn’t freak out in the kitchen you’re cool with the supernatural?”

“Yes. It’s an area of interest for me.”

There’s suspicion in Barclay’s voice, hidden but very much present, “why’d you end up in Kepler?”

“I came here on purpose. I wanted to be somewhere where strange things were celebrated and out in the open. Not...not kept from the world.”

Barclay leans back on his desk, arms crossed, “Where’d you work before now?”

“The…” he sighs, resigns himself to finding somewhere else to go, “the FBI. UP branch, I was at Nellis when they, um, relieved me of my duties.”

For a long moment, Barclay studies him. Then he turns to his desk, setting stacks of papers in order as he hums. Joseph closes his eyes, takes calming breaths; all he wants is to be safe, to not have to run. All he wants is for Barclay to hold him, he’s never seen a man so handsome and a useless, primal part of him fixates on that fact. Also he’s starving, god, he hasn’t eaten since his breakfast of black coffee.

Barclay stops humming, “Come with me.”

Joseph follows him back down into the strange kitchen (“couple of friends of mine are pretty powerful magicians. They rigged up the kitchen for me”). All the lights are off, and without them he discovers Barclay’s eyes glow an eerie yellow-green. When he smiles, Joseph sees only the points on his teeth, not the crinkle at the edge of his eyes.

“Hungry?” Barclay rumbles.

“Starving.”

“You eat fish?”

“...Yes?” Will the wrong answer get him drowned.

The cook leaps towards the water, tail appearing and clothes vanishing at the last moment before he hits the dark surface. Joseph stands, on edge and curious, until the siren emerges, newly-dead trout in his hands.

“Tastes best fresh.” Barclay swims to his grill, turning it on in a click of a knob.

“Why not just stay human when you cook?” Joseph makes his way over to the station as Barclay butchers the fish and sets it into a heavily buttered pan.

“The charm only holds for so long before I need to be back in the water, and I get so busy during meals I don’t want to risk passing out because I went too long on shore. Besides” he spins elegantly to grab two spice jars, “I learned to cook in the water, so this is the most natural way for me.”

“Fascinating.” Joseph sits down, keeping himself out of arms reach of the water. Barclay seems nice, but sirens did not become famous for offering people things and then following through; hundreds of dead travelers prove that much.

“Where are you from?”

“Chicago, originally.”

“Ever see the great lake mers?”

“No.” He can’t help but feel disappointed that he’s only learning of their existence now.

“Quite a few out there. Sirens too.”

Well, that introduces some new reasons for all the shipwrecks.

“How do you know? Are you from there?”

“Nah. Been in Kepler my whole life. Even during the bad years, singing people into that godawful, overpriced casino buffet. Convincing them the shitty cold cuts were prime rib.” His hand stills a moment, clenches and then releases, “yeah. Every now and then” he starts chopping shallots, “one of the drunks would get it into their heads to pet the sirens tail or hair and I had to sit there and let them. My tail” he shudders, swipes the shallots into the pan so roughly Joseph starts.

“Sorry.” Barclay mumbles.

“Don’t be. I’m on edge, that’s all. And you have every right to be angry. Being forced to do something you know is wrong is....there’s no winning.”

“That why you just want a place to feel safe?”

It’s so easy to confess in the darkness of the cave.

“I put up too much of a fight about something. Refused to do something that went against my conscience. They let me go, which I feared but expected. Then I found my bank accounts were cut off and someone had manipulated the records to say I’d been fired for criminal activity so it’d be harder to find a job.”

A clink of metal on china, and then Barclay is holding a plate out to him with tenderness in his eyes, “I’m so sorry, Joseph. Here, at least you won’t be hungry.”

Joseph murmurs out his thanks.

“You a wine drinker?”

“Right now I could certainly go for some.”

A few flicks of that stunning tail and Barclay returns with a glass of white for each of them.

“To getting free of shitty pasts.” The cook raises his glass and Joseph bumps his against it. Barclay brings it to his lips, but smiles rather than sip, “and by the way: you got the job.”

-------------------------------------------------------

Being Barclay’s assistant is fifty percent clerical work and fifty percent following the siren around as he gathers ingredients or tests recipes. On Ned Chicane’s recommendation, Barclay had published a cookbook of both traditional siren foods and his own creations. It became a bestseller which, among other things, means Joseph has a brand new wardrobe, regular deliveries of gourmet food, and his cabin is now full of books. Whenever he points out that Barclay is already paying him and doesn’t need to buy him things, the siren simply rubs their cheeks together (a thing Joseph is only now getting used to) and tells him he likes doing it.

So when he’s not getting his recipes in order or typing up scribbled note cards into something legible, he’s following Barclay on foot or in a boat while he harvests or buys ingredients. Sirens have permission to fish and forage in areas, including the park, that humans don’t, which means he runs into Duck and his siren husband, Indrid, on more than one occasion while hauling lines into the boat.

The one time it gets stuck, Barclay pulls it out all on his own. Almost like he’s showing off the muscles in his back, arms, and tail.

The only thing Joseph won’t do is get in the water with the siren. He can’t get the images of drowned sailors, of fishermen torn to shreds, from his mind. Barclay is powerful, sharp-toothed and slit-pupiled, dangerous yet so gentle he once purred when Joseph complimented his food. And if Joseph never goes in the water with him, he’ll never have to confront the fact he wouldn’t mind if those pointed teeth dug into his skin and that tail trapped his legs while he thrashed in Barclay’s hold.

He assumes Barclay doesn’t notice; after all, swamps and marshes, even the river, are far less suited to a human swimming in them than an ocean or lake. This conclusion is bolstered by Barclay never, ever asking him to join him in the water. The siren is less careful about singing; he usually just hums as he works, but sometimes he sings wordlessly and Joseph nearly dives head first into the water (Barclay’s lap, if they’re on land).

Tonight, he’s cleaning up after Barclay’s test session of new recipes in the kitchen. The cook went out to visit some friends who live further in the state park, so when his voice drifts across the stones Joseph is surprised.

Cool, calloused hands on his cheeks, a tail stroking his thighs, his lips tracing up a sturdy leg. Copper hair twined in his fingertips, a heart beating in time with his own, teeth sinking into his skin, marking him, claiming him.

Water fills his nose and his body jerks back to the present, standing up in the shallow water that he stepped and stumbled face-first into.

“Joseph? Oh fuck, are you okay?” Barclay rounds the corner, swimming over to look up at him with concern.

“Yes. I, um, I think I got caught up in your song.”

“I’m sorry, I thought you were already upstairs or I wouldn’t have sung so loud. I know you can’t swim.”

“I can.” Joseph kneels, face down-turned in shame, “I was scared to, um, to be in the water with you. It’s, I was afraid of what might happen.”

Barlay swims back, “you thought I was gonna eat you?”

“No! Or, um, at first I didn’t want to foolishly assume that sirens in Kepler were harmless, since death isn’t high on my to-do list. Then I thought suddenly starting to swim would tip you off to the fact I’d been suspicious and I didn’t want to hurt you.” He runs a hand through his hair, “that song, though, Barclay, lord almighty is that what I want?”

“It’s what I want, I never sang it to bring you to me.”

“Oh.”

Barclay swims back to him, rubs their cheeks together, “Can I try something?”

“Anything” is all he gets out before he’s pulled into deeper water. He gasps for air, his own moans ricocheting across the room as Barclay bites his shoulder. On instinct his body tries to tread water, but copper scales trap his legs together, keep him flush against Barclay’s body.

“It’s okay babe, you can relax. I got you, I could keep us both afloat in my sleep.” He hums as he trails his lips across Joseph’s throat, “you’re safe. You’re with me.”

“Don’t make me leave.” The song pulls it out of him, because he wants to say it, wants to admit that losing what he has in Kepler terrifies him, just so he can hear-

“Never. You make me so fucking happy.” Barclay kisses him tenderly, keeps tracking his bite marks with a finger, “please stay. Stay for as long as you want."

"What if I want forever?" He rests his face on Barclay's shoulder as the siren spins them, dance-like, in the water.

"I think we can manage that."

[the-awkward-outlaw]

Howdy. Can you write fem reader resembling Mary who Arthur feels extremely intimidated by? He later finds out, she's not as manipulative as Mary or nasty. She's understanding and very supportive of his outlaw life that she'll try to help him as best as she can. ( Reader isn't an outlaw btw. Just some rich girl.)

Anon, I am so sorry this has taken so long!!!! I feel bad because I took my super long hiatus not long after you submitted this. But good news is this one turned out better than I thought it would, and definitely has a lot of openings at its end. I hope it’s a fun read for you as well. 

Masterlist

Read on AO3

What Lies Ahead

You walk down the dusty street of Blackwater, your mind focusing on nothing in particular as you make your way down to the store. However your eyes wander over to the west, where you can just make out the tips of Tall Trees. Something about it has always drawn you, and you’ve always wanted to go out there. Instead you’re forced to stay in town in order to uphold your father’s reputation. After all, the mayor’s daughter is expected to act a certain way, and living the life of a nomad or an outlaw is not how a mayor’s daughter is expected to act. 

After you finish buying your things in the store, you begin heading out the door. You aren’t paying attention to where you’re going and you smack right into a person. You grunt and look up to see a rugged, rather handsome man. The first thing you notice about him is his blue eyes. 

“Sorry the-” he begins, then his eyes widen. “Mary?” 

“Mary?” you say. “That ain’t my name.” 

He blinks and steps back. “No, I reckon it isn’t.” He looks oddly disappointed. 

You give him a strange look and then start to go around him, wanting to get back to your (in your opinion) boring life. Suddenly you hear footsteps running up from behind you and when you look to see who it is, it’s the man. 

“Ma’am, I apologize. You just… ya look like someone I know.” 

“I look like someone you know?” you ask skeptically. 

“Yes. Um… I doubt you’d know her. Mary. She was a… well, never mind. Sorry, wastin’ your time.” 

He tips his hat and then leaves, almost as though desperate to get away. You watch him intently until he’s out of sight. Something about him intrigues you. Perhaps it’s his rugged style, telling of his wild, unbridled life. Something you don’t have. Or perhaps it’s just that he mistook you for someone he knows and when he realized you weren’t this Mary, he almost seemed nervous of you. It’s probably best you put it out of your mind. 

A few days later, you’re standing near the dock of Blackwater along with most of the town. You’re only doing it to pretend to support your father, who’s addressing the town in order to try and convince them to vote for him in a couple of months. You hate these stupid speeches of his. How full of lies he is. 

You’ve always hated your father being the mayor. His lies don’t permeate just through his politics, but in his home life too. He was an absent father even before his current position. However back in those days he was just another Joe sneaking off in the night to cheat on your mom or go off drinking. Now he still does those things but instead of people thinking how despicable he is for those behaviors, they let him get away with it because of his position of power. 

As you stand here now, ignoring your father, you look over and see the man who mistook you as another woman not too far away. He doesn’t look too interested either and as he’s standing in the back of the ground, it looks more like he just wandered over to see what was going on. 

You can’t lie, you haven’t been thinking about him since you saw him last. Perhaps the thing that’s drawing you to him is that you’ve always wanted to know what it is like to live wild and free, and he’s a person who does that and the ice has already been broken between you. 

The man turns to walk away, so you quickly begin pushing your way through the crowd to catch up to him. Damn your father, he doesn’t need you around anyways. Finally you’re out and you jog up behind him. 

“Hey mister!” you say. He turns and his eyes widen again. 

“Oh, uh, hello miss. How are you? Sorry again for the other day.” 

“Oh don’t be. But… but maybe we can go for a drink at the saloon and you can explain why you thought I was this Mary?” You hold your breath, waiting for him to turn you down. He probably will. After all, you’ve obviously intimidated him. 

However he smiles softly, an addition that makes him even more handsome. “Sure. Wouldn’t mind that.” 

When you’re both seated at the saloon, he looks surprised when you order a shot of whiskey and even more surprised when you toss it back like it’s nothing. You find him looking. 

“What?” you ask. 

“Nothin’, sorry. Just… guess I didn’t think you could do that, but it just stems from that person I thought you was.” 

You shuffle in your seat a bit. “Really? So tell me. Who’s this Mary?” 

He looks down at his drink, hiding his eyes and holding a soft smile. “She’s a… well, she’s… she and I was gonna be married, but that was years ago.”  

“Oh. She, uh, she didn’t die, did she? I mean, if you need to talk-” 

“What? No, no she ain’t dead. She just, uh, she… she didn’t like my lifestyle so we broke things off.” 

“Your lifestyle?” you ask. “What lifestyle?” 

He looks around to make sure no one’s listening. “You won’t tell no one, will ya?” 

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” you joke. 

He huffs a small laugh. “Well, okay, I’ll take your word for it. See, I’m an outlaw.” 

You look at him for a second. An outlaw? He’s one of those people who stands for that thing you’ve always yearned for: freedom. That ability to live how you want, do what you want. 

“An… an outlaw, you say?” 

He looks at you as though he expects you to be angry. His hand shifts a little on his shot glass. His eyes drop to it. 

“Yeah. Only like I said, don’t tell no one.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir. But… well, what’s like?” you ask enthusiastically. 

He looks back up at you as though surprised. “You.... you’re askin’ me what it’s like to be an outlaw?” 

You nod and shift a little closer to him, wanting to know. He huffs a small laugh. “Well, I don’t really know how to describe it to someone who’s never been one. It ain’t easy though. Most nights you spend wonderin’ if someone’s gonna slit your throat, rarely gettin’ to spend a night in a bed. You live rough and hard, knowin’ you’re likely to leave this world with a bullet hole.”

Although you know his words should be putting you off, you find something about his words that draw you. “But it’s exciting, isn’t it?” 

“Excitin’?” he asks skeptically. 

“Yeah! You know, people who live like me, y’know law-abiding citizens,” you put on an exaggerated accent as you say it, “we live knowin’ we’re gonna have long and boring lives, and we’ll die white haired and wishing we’d died a long time ago. But you get to live free, with every day being different from the last. And instead of just being given a life you get to squander away like most of us, you get the chance to actually fight for it! That in itself is a rare gift, if you ask me.” 

He shakes his head a little and looks away, his face saying he doesn’t quite agree. “I don’t know about that. You make the idea of it all sound so romantic. It ain’t nothin’ of the sort.” 

“That’s because it’s all you know, mister. But me… all I know is this boring lifestyle. Everyday’s the same and I always know what’s going to happen. And I gotta tell ya, it’s not what I want.” 

You look down at your empty shot glass, realizing now the depth of your dull life. The outlaw shakes his head again. 

“Thing is, miss, we don’t choose the outlaw life. It chooses us. Folk like me, well, we all come from bad backgrounds and all we can do is decide what to do with what we’re offered. It ain’t somethin’ I’d wish on anyone.” 

“You think folk like me haven’t suffered too?” you say. He looks at you curiously and you know you need to tell him more. “Mister, I have to watch my mom tiptoe around my dad every day that he’s home. Not only that, we both go around, knowing he’s happily sleeping with other women. I hate having to see the pain in my mom’s eyes, knowing there’s nothing I can do. I’ve felt my dad’s harsh hand on my cheek more than once. You think it’s an easy life? Going through that and thinking you have no way to defend yourself?” 

He sighs and looks at his drink again. “Well, maybe not. But it ain’t a good life, miss.” 

“Maybe not, but it’s surely better than the one I have now. The only thing I got to look forward to is a marriage to a guy my daddy’s likely to pick for me, and raising the bastard’s kids. Not something I’d call exciting.” 

You realize now you sound almost as though you’re pleading this man to offer you a different future. The fear of what you have coming to you seems to be hurtling at you. The man smiles a little.

“Well, maybe I don’t wanna ingratiate you into a life like this, but.... If you’re willin’, maybe I can give you a few pointers on how to defend yourself from the nasty folk in your life.” 

You smile at him and he feels his heart flutter. Damn it, why do you have to look so much like Mary? It makes it that much harder to be around you, but it’s your nature that truly intrigues him. You have a spark that he’s rarely seen, an almost naivety he can’t help but find sweet. Mary had that naivety at one point, until she’d witnessed his violent side and it scared her off. He wonders now if things will get to that point with you and you’ll end up running as far as you can. 

Despite the logic staring him in the face that he should just leave you where you are in your boring yet safe life, he decides to offer you how to defend yourself with a gun. You impress him again by heartily agreeing. 

A few weeks go by. You and the man named Arthur Morgan have become fast friends. He’s been teaching you how to shoot. He denies it to himself that he’s not growing feelings for you. Despite looking so much like his beloved Mary, you act nothing like her. You don’t hold a superior attitude of yourself. You’re open to his ideas, his instructions when he’s teaching you, but most of all, you don’t look down on him or criticize him for his way of life. 

You’ve been thinking about Arthur over the past week or so. It’s pretty obvious Arthur likes you, you’ve noticed the subtle flirting. The way his eyes dart to your lips and away when you’re standing close, how he blushes when you pat his shoulder. Although he’s handsome, you don’t really know how you feel about him just yet. 

It doesn’t take long though for you to finally begin feeling the same things towards him. You start lingering your hand on his shoulder, wanting to stand close to him. He’s been in town a lot more lately, stating he’s working on a real estate scam with someone from his gang, and you’re happy to have him around more often. 

There was an evening when the two of you had been fishing when things had been just right. You’d been out all day with the outlaw, the air was warm but not too hot. The sky was a beautiful gold and one thing led to another and you kissed Arthur. He’d kissed you right back. It was then that he decided you needed to know more about his life and how he ran with a gang. You almost asked him then to take you with him to meet them, but a challenge had risen recently. 

Your father is starting to catch wind that you’re up to something and he doesn’t approve. He knows you’ve been running off with a stranger, folk in town who’ve seen you have told him as much. They don’t know what you’re doing with him though and he assumes you’re off doing ungodly things with him that are unbefitting of an unmarried woman who was his daughter. 

He’s been trying more and more to get you to mingle with the men in town that, in his opinion, would make a more fitting husband, and he’s been trying to restrict your time out of the house, claiming your mother needs the help. She, however, always pushes you out when your father leaves and tells you to be with your man. You have a suspicion she’s trying to encourage you to go against your father’s wishes as her own form of revenge on him. Or maybe she doesn’t want you making her mistakes. 

A few days have passed since you last saw Arthur, and you’d agreed to meet here by the post office in Blackwater today. He’s late though. Never before has Arthur been late, and you feel a little worried. You doubt it’s anything serious though. He’s always running around; he’s a busy man. 

You have to admit though, there’s a strange feeling of anticipation in the air today. Maybe you’re just being silly because Arthur’s late. No one else seems to notice it. 

You sit down on the bench and wipe some dust off your new pants. Ever since you started dating Arthur, he’s been encouraging you more and more to be your own person, to do what you want and wear what you want. You’ve rarely worn pants up until recently, but they’re far preferred over skirts and dresses. Riding horses in them is far easier as well. 

More time passes and still Arthur has not shown up yet. Is he blowing you off? Maybe… maybe he finally decided you’re not worth it anymore. Not that you blame him. Boring person like yourself must be mediocre at best for a man like him, whose life is full of excitement. How you envy him. 

You sigh and begin to stand up. It’s obvious he’s not coming, it’s been well over an hour now. Feeling hurt and confused, you begin walking away from the post office when all of a sudden, people in the city begin to scream and yell. Horses begin running all over, urged by their riders. An officer hollers out, “Ferry’s being robbed!” 

Your gut suddenly sinks and your mind immediately goes to Arthur. His gang is the only one you know about, and they must be the ones doing this. Is he with them? Is he going to get shot? 

You panic and begin running towards the town, towards the doc to see the ferry. You have to make sure he’s okay. 

Just as you set off, a hand suddenly grabs your arm and pulls you into an alleyway. As you’re about to scream, sure that some predator is about to take the town’s panic and attack you, you look at him. Relief floods you as you gaze into Arthur’s eyes. 

He’s sweating and panting a little, and he’s tense. You can see it in his shoulders. 

“Don’t go that way, darlin’. It’s a goddamn mess.” 

“Arthur, what’s happening?” you demand. “Did… did you do this?” 

“What? No. I mean, not directly.” He looks around, making sure no lawmen are coming. Then he looks at you and you see his brows contract as though he’s about to do something he really doesn’t like. “Darlin’, I didn’t do this, but I ain’t gonna lie to you. Most of my gang is on that boat. I was tryin’ to pull some more of that scam me and Hosea been doin’. Sounds like everythin’s gone wrong though. I… I don’t know what’s gonna happen to us.”

“What are you saying, Arthur?” 

He looks at you again and you feel another surge of panic, already knowing what he’s going to say. 

“Darlin’, I have to run away. There’s Pinkertons huntin’ us now. My only choice is to run and… I just wanted to see you one last time before-”

“No,” you interrupt. “No, I’m not letting you go that easily, Arthur Morgan! I’m coming with you!”

“What? No. No, you ain’t. This ain’t no life I’d wish upon you.” 

“But it’s what I want, Arthur! I want you! If that means I have to join a group of criminals to do it, then I will. I’m not leaving you! Besides, you’d be freeing me of my prison.” 

“It ain’t a vacation, darlin’! This life is hard. We’re guaranteed to leave with a bullet!” 

“Better than dying old and worn out, wishing you’d done more than you did. Arthur, I already know how my life is going to play out if I stay here, and I don’t want it! Take me with you! If you don’t, I’ll just follow you on my horse.” 

Arthur would never admit it, but his heart soars when you say this. He’d hated himself when he realized he had to break things off in order to protect you. He still wishes you’ll change your mind, this really isn’t an easy life that he lives. 

“It’s gonna be rough and hard, sweetheart,” he says, trying to convince you differently. 

“Better than boring and dull, Arthur. Take me with you.” 

He sighs, seeing the fire in your eyes. It’s clear he will not win this fight. With a resolved nod, he takes your hand and leads you out of the alleyway and then runs for his horse. Right after helping you onto the back, he mounts up and begins galloping towards the edge of the city. 

Just as he’s approaching the farm houses on the borders of Blackwater, Pinkertons come around. They yell to each other, demanding Arthur be shot. He kicks his horse harder but she suddenly whines and her legs collapse under her, throwing both you and Arthur. 

“No, no. You goddamn bastards!” Arthur roars, whipping out his gun and firing at the Pinkertons. He’s outnumbered though, so you grab his gun from his other holster and fire. Your aim isn’t even half as good as his as you’ve just begun to learn how to shoot a gun, but you manage to shoot two Pinkertons down. 

By the time the weight of what you’ve just done begins to sink onto you, the remaining Pinkertons have fallen. Arthur grabs your hand and begins to run. Behind one of the ranch houses is a pasture with a horse, slightly panicked from the gunshots. 

“Arthur,” you whine behind him as he calms the horse so you both can mount. “Arthur, I just… those men… I killed…!” 

“Shhh, shhh. I know, sweetheart. I told you, this life is rough. I can’t even count how many men I killed.” 

He turns to you with guarded eyes. “You sure you still wanna do this? I promise you will kill more men if you come with me. Every single one of us has. It’s a weight you’ll have to get used to if you come. I won’t blame ya or think less of ya if you change your mind.” 

You square your shoulders, telling yourself you’ll cry about it later when you’re alone. “You ain’t getting rid of me so easily, Mr. Morgan.” 

He smiles, impressed by your determination. Then he grabs you and puts you onto the back of the horse. He climbs on in front again with some difficulty as there’s no saddle or bridle, but he manages to guide it just fine. 

As Arthur runs, you feel a certain exhilaration fill you. It seeps into your lungs and then permeates through your whole body. Ahead lies the freedom you’ve been chasing for so long, that wildness and untouched and unknowable future. Although you know that what Arthur said about this life being rough and hard is true, you’d rather have it than what you’re leaving behind. You wrap your arms around him, the knight guiding you to what lies ahead.