#i just need a bit of a trim and i'm golden

[seismologically-silly]

"Never promise to do the possible. Anyone could do the possible. You should promise to do the impossible, because sometimes the impossible was possible, if you could find the right way, and at least you could often extend the limits of the possible. And if you failed, well, it had been impossible.”

[lou-struck]

Pancakes for Dinner

Izuku Midoriya x reader

~ For some people, moving about the kitchen is effortless. You are not dating one of those people, but you appreciate Izuku’s efforts.

Wc:1.1k

a/n: I wrote this for pancake day but ended up having other things to do.

You think these cold, late winter days are starting to last just a bit longer. 

The evening drive home from work that usually has you chasing the sunset is now much brighter, and as your vehicle pulls into your driveway, the sky is just beginning to darken with rich shades of purple, pink, and orange.

Taking a deep breath in, you inhale the savory scent of someone using their grill the smokiness makes your stomach rumble as it yearns for a home-cooked meal. Between Izuku's hectic patrol schedule and your unorthodox work schedule, you cannot remember the last time you took the time to make a nice meal.

You hunger for something made with love and not just convenience.

But have not the energy to make it happen.

Tiredly, you reach your front door. You are about to put your key in the lock, but then you notice that it has already been unlocked. 

Tiredly, your lips form a small, fond smile when you realize that Izuku had gotten home before you. Maybe the two of you could order food and finally catch up on that show you've been meaning to watch.

"I'm home."

The front door closes behind you as your call remains unanswered. There is a doughy smell in the air, and the clanging of pots and utensils can be heard down the narrow hallway where your kitchen is located.

"Zuku?" you call again, following the noise with light steps, your socks pressing into the fluffy carpet. Your boyfriend's unmistakable sign reaches your ears just as you peer through the fluorescent-lit doorway. 

To say the kitchen is a disaster is an understatement. A creamy batter is splattered all over the countertops, and the cabinets and mixing bowls are piled high in the sink. But in the middle of the disaster, Izuku stands determinedly, his strong shoulders hunched over the stovetop poking at a skillet with a rubber spatula in complete concentration mode. The flames coming from the burner are ridiculously high as they lick the side of the pan.

The Sugarman apron you got him for Christmas secured snugly around his trim waist, tied with a lopsided bow. You wait to get his attention until he is a bit farther away from the dangerously high flames. Next to the stove, there is a plate piled high with crumbly bits of what you assume to be his attempts at making crepes. Some pieces are golden brown and paper-thin, while others are slightly thicker.

His phone is propped up against the ceramic flour jar, and when you see what covers the screen, your heart overflows with affection. It's the crepe video you sent him earlier while scrolling on your lunch break. You thought the recipe looked amazing and wanted to save it for later. 

But Izuku Midoriya, aka Mr. Acts of Service Is My Love Language, must've thought that you were craving them tonight.

"Izuku?" you call again. You voice much louder when he is out of arm's reach of the stove. You don't need to see his face to know that he is disappointed in how his crepes turned out as the one falls apart onto the plate. 

This time, the green-haired man turns with a bit of a jump in your direction. A bit of an embarrassed flush on his freckled cheeks as he runs his hand through his hair. 

"Y/n!" he smiles, glancing down at the mess. "You're home early today."

You walk in and lean in for a kiss. "Nope, right on time today." you hum playfully as he leans in for the kiss. Subtly, you reach behind him and turn the stove off, the flames dying quickly as you deny them of their fuel. Without the potential fire hazard, you shut your eyes and give his lips the full attention they deserve.

"Sorry about the mess," he murmurs against your lips. "I promise I'll clean it up when I am done.

You nod thoughtfully, knowing that he will. Izuku may be a bit clumsy when it comes to cooking, but he would never destroy the kitchen and leave you to pick up the pieces. "What are you up to here?" you tease, wetting your thumb with your tongue and wiping a bit of pancake batter that has somehow splattered onto his forehead.

"I- uhh." the tips of his ears turn pink as he looks sheepishly at the splatter marks on the cabinets. "I saw that video you sent me and wanted to surprise you by making some for you when you got home. I followed every step of the recipe, but making them was a lot harder than I thought it would be. As for the batter, I was a bit too strong when I was stirring everything together and it kinda went...everywhere."

You notice the way he awkwardly scans the room. But when he notices the plate from what he considers failed attempts out on the counter, he steps subtly to the side, trying to shield it with his body. But in truth, they may not look like the ones in the video, but they still look edible. 

"They really don't look bad," you say honestly. "This was your first time making them, so of course they wouldn't turn out perfect. 

"They are just broken little pieces," he mumbles more to himself than to you. His hand cupping his chin as he gets lost in his reflections. "Maybe I should've used a different pan or used oil instead of butter. The recipe only called for flour, but since they are breaking apart, I should've accounted for some sort of binding agent like yeast. Do they even use yeast in pancakes? I really tried to make them according to the recipe, but no matter what I did, they just kept tearing apart."

As he murmurs to himself, you reach over and pinch off a piece of one of the crepes to try. It tastes nice. The pieces are fully cooked, and the taste isn't too sweet at all. Overall, it's a solid first attempt. They were made with love, and that's all that matters.

"A-are they bad?" he asks, his eyes inspecting your face carefully as he waits to see your reaction. 

Leaning in, you place a soft kiss on his cheek, a simple act of reassurance that never fails to make your heart flutter. "Don't worry, they're perfect."

~

A bit later, the two of you find yourselves curled up on the couch, finally catching up on your show. In your laps are two bowls filled to the brim with scraps of crepes and toppings as you eat them with spoons.

Enjoying the sweet, sweet taste of breakfast for dinner.

Tagging: @enchantedforest-network

[lollytea]

(About the Dana post)

ALSO LIKE. THE WAY HE WAS PROBABLY IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING ELSE AND THEN JUST. DID THAT.

Like he's holding a clipboard! I'm willing to bet Willow just slid under him with some encouraging chant to hype up the team, and Hunter just went "ah yes spot for me"

What if I explode

YEAHHHHH!!! Talking about this sketch and the implications makes me very unwell. Also the little gesture of happily resting his chin in her palm is just like something a sweet doggy would do before looking up at you with confused yet earnest eyes and then wagging his tail hopefully. He's so doggy like to me. Do you know what I mean? You know what I mean <333

Agsbdjnk the clipboard. A silly little sketch but with visual storytelling. It's absolutely tryouts or something similar. I imagine that Willow is the only EE player that is dedicated to playing longterm while the others have a lot of fun during their time on the team but eventually move on to other ventures after a year or two. Once Boscha improves her behaviour after FTF, I could see Skara wanting to return to playing grudgby. She seemed to really love it. So Willow and Hunter are on the ball near immediately to find a replacement. And with the Flyer Derby renaissance Willow has lowkey started at Hexside, there's a way bigger turn out than the last time she needed recruits.

Judging by Hunter's level of relaxed contentment and Willow not giving it much notice, a good chunk of time has passed since the events of W&D. They're very attuned to each other, having probably been joined at the hip for a while now.

(We're gonna ignore the fact that Hunter doesn't have his post TTT scars. Presumably Dana just forgot agsbdjk.)

Definitely post grom I imagine. If you compare Hunter's body language in both pics

In the left pic, I don't think he's unwilling to be touched. He's definitely excited about wherever the FUCK this is going. But he looks stiff and his smile is twitchy, clearly nervous. Which implies that he's not that used to Willow being so touchy with him and he's a little out of his depth. My headcanon is that grom was when they officially got together, after months of situationship shenanigans. With that little idea in mind, this is just the beginning of their relationship.

When it comes to the pic on the right, I imagine it's also quite early in the dating stage. Early enough that they've only just broached the exciting world of more intimately affectionate touches. Which Hunter has evidently not built up an immunity to yet. Still melts every time.

Yeah that is definitely a boy who has only been in a relationship long enough to discover that he loves the feeling of his face being held, but also a boy who's so comfortable in his relationship that he's not shy about seeking out affection when he wants it. Even in public.

So he's still swoony but not shy about it anymore. So I'd say a few weeks-a month or two into dating.

(Also the haircuts align with this little timeline I've made up in my head. Willow has cut her hair short for grom, while it's in the season 2 short stubby braids during tryouts. So it HAS grown out but only a little. Meanwhile Hunter's hair has grown out a bit during grom, but looks recently trimmed during tryouts. There's no real significance to this. I watched a Dana livestream once where she said she'd rather just draw short hair Hunter because the long hair noodle is annoying to draw. But asgbknk! I like to make up implications where there are none. Anyway my hc is that Willow and Hunter do not just decide on a signature hair length and keep it forever. They spend the next three years bouncing back and forth between long and short styles.)

ANYWAY Willow is absolutely hyping Hunter the fuck up as the Golden Star of her team!! The best and the brightest!! Her pride and joy as a Captain. The purpose is to get the candidates all excited to do their best to get a spot on this epic team so they can play alongside him, but Hunter misinterprets Willow's praise as sweet talk and smiles and blushes appropriately.

Agsbdjnk it's so funny. He totally understood that the goal was to get their potential players PUMPED and he was excellently playing along with riling them up. But that glowing review of his character distracted him and now he thinks they're flirting. So the super cool badass disposition he had adapted for the newbies was promptly thrown out the window because hehehehe my girlfriend is so nice to me 🥰 Bro has forgotten where he is. Head empty.

So when Willow juts out a hand to aggressively present ✨️Him✨️ to the audience, Hunter's already gooey brain just says put chin in hand because sweet girl soft girl my girl.

Willow is a little thrown off but when she feels the weight of his face but just rolls with it and keeps going. She even gives him an affectionate little caress. I think she recognizes that he's misunderstood the tone a bit and has decided to not tell him. He usually gets very embarrassed when its pointed out that he's made a social error and she doesn't wanna do that to him. It's harmless and its cute, who cares? He's a little confused but he's got the spirit.

[snek-panini]

Happy Halloween! Have a book:

This is Siren's Song by @kedreeva (Hi! I asked to bind your fic months ago, sorry it took so long XD). It's an incredible Good Omens siren AU, which needs no introduction from me but it gets one anyway. It's one of the most in-character fics I've ever read, tackles a lot of the most resonant themes of the original (love in the context of aromanticism and asexuality, human labels in the context of non-human perspective), and has incredible world-building. Later parts of the fic always make me cry but they're good tears. You'll see. When I first learned that fanbinding was a thing and started looking into how to do it, this was one of the first fics I thought of. It just took me a while to learn the skills I needed before I could do it.

More pics and process talk under the cut!

So the cover up there is black faux leather and momi paper that I bought...about two years ago? And just kept on hand till I was ready to do this project. This is the first time I've worked with it and it was fairly nice, though harder to get a nice crease into than lokta or chiyogami. It felt very fragile when I was handling it but I didn't have any issues with tearing or glue bleed-through like I thought I might. It did bleed some color when I got it damp with the glue, and it took way longer to dry than normal, but once that was done it's been fine. Which is nice because I have a lot left over, so it'll probably be making many future appearances in my binds.

Look! It's rounded! I got a backing setup recently and this is my first time using it. It was Very Hard and I am not very good at it yet. But I think it looks pretty good for a first attempt, and there was really no other way to mitigate the spine swell on this one. I used a thick paper so I've got a thick book. I also tried something new with the case, though it isn't visible. Usually I make the text block and the case separately and then attach them as the last step, but for this one I actually built the case around the text. Like, boards attached to mull/tapes (sandwiched between thinner boards, with grooves cut for them so there are no bulges), then covered with momi, then leather corners and spine, then paste down the endpaper. It's got an oxford hollow, too! The tapes and mull actually wrap around the outside of the boards instead of the inside like I've done before. Endpapers are my favorite feather chiyogami. Combined with the marbled momi they make for a very opulent look, and I had just barely enough to do this. Like, down to the millimeter. I had to trim the edges and then glue the endpapers after to be sure they were right. I'm glad they were, because I didn't have a backup plan. Handmade endbands, colors picked to match the cover. Also, last note, I got the corner bits right for the first time. Measured properly, with no weird pointy bits that come out at funny angles. Very proud.

Title page and bookmark/interior shot. Did you know that some basic fonts in MS Word look different when you use a huge font size? Because I didn't until I made this title page. That's Parchment for the title, and it only gets those swirly bits around the capital letters if you take it to 26pt or higher (I used 72 here). Now I wonder if any of the other fonts have easter eggs in them like that. The ribbon is very fancy, to go along with the rich endpaper/cover combo. I think it's pretty appropriate for a mythological golden age of piracy story, as are the text ornaments:

Chapter header image, chapter end image, and section break image. It was a very image-heavy typeset. I was originally planning to only have a header and a section break, but I couldn't decide whether I liked the ships or the book/shell/feather better, and they both suited the story so well that I just went with both. Again, opulent, but I think it fits. All the images came from rawpixel, all I did was resize them.

There was a small error in the trimming process. Comes of having to calculate so closely the exact amount you can trim off, that you have to trim off so your slightly-too-small endpapers fit. I think something got misaligned when I poked the sewing holes because only the first signature is like this. The rest of the book has a more appropriately-sized margin between the page number and the edge. I got very lucky here, and I know it, and I'm never cutting it this close (lol) again. Next time we just order another sheet of chiyogami.

And that's it! I have one author's copy and one new bind in progress right now (that's taking a while because I'm learning more new stuff for it), and then I have two Christmas gift books to do, so it might be a bit before I have another book to share.

[decadeduo]

Helloooo welcome, call me Decade or Impostor or just about anything you want! This blog is for a Ask Goldie Anything au I've been working on ever since I found the now discontinued comic back in 2019!

I have ADHD and multiple other projects, so if I'm quiet for a bit feel free to poke me because I probably just forgot to update the blog. I also have a tendency to over-explain, so if you have trouble with reading long blocks of text then the colored text is there to highlight the important stuff! I believe you can only read the colored text and still understand the post, if I did it correctly. I'm sorry for people that struggle to read with colored text, but uh, I'm sure this paragraph alone shows how much I yap vs how much information is useful - it's kinda necessary. Alt descriptions of images are also available for all of the important posts, usually with some side notes about making said drawing or giving some context.

dms and asks are always open! This au only relies on asks about 30% of the time, but I'll always answer asks 100% of time (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠) that number will change as we get further into the story, mostly the introductory act and the last act is gonna need asks, as well as asks in-between each act to pass in universe time :]

In order to hold myself accountable and actually keep. Working on this thing, as well as to let everyone know I'm not dead, where am I currently in making this au?

Plot: it's been complete for 2 or 3 years and atp im making DLC for it whenever im bored, right now I'm aiming to complete the story with 4 - 6 Acts (⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠)

Timeline of said plot: it's roughly laid out, and I'm currently working on fixing any plot holes [since originally this au was more like 14-17 segmented scenarios I've stitched together]

The actual comic: I'm currently working on the first comic pages! I'm also working on the cover art for each act, and after the first page is posted I'll work on asks (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

More info below!

What is this au about you may ask, so far I've said nothing about it you say? basically I looked at aga, and then looked at actual FNaF lore with the crying child and Cassidy possessing golden Freddy and decided the more ghosts the merrier. When Evan died, he started possessing Goldie, and gave him the ability to float, teleport, etc. Goldie can also exit the suit and be a ghost at any time, but he tends to stay inside unless he needs to be alone or do something that Evan can't.

If you send me any asks that are non-canon or spoilery, I'll just redirect you to my main account @impostorsshow and answer it there anyway. No asks will go unanswered [like said dlc I mentioned (⁠?⁠・⁠・⁠)⁠σ I might post about said non-canon stuff unprompted since I like my phasmophobia and shadow Bonnie au alot] Also I just like yapping so if you go to #fnaf ranch dip on my main account, you can find some old posts about this au (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)

Every time I edit this post I try to trim it down and make it less wordy and fail horribly. It'll get better one day. Maybe. Anyway here's some extra stuff <3

Bonnie: why does he always do weird stuff....

[stellocchia]

Hallo I saw ur post and if the offer is still up, can you please do Asgore x Papyrus? Platonic or romantic can be up to you. Thank u

I'm pretty much always up for requests, it may just take me a while to get to them 'cause I don't usually have that much free time 😅

---

Life on the surface had been... calm.

There was no other way for Papyrus to describe it. He'd been so used to something happening at all times and something needing to be done at all hours of the day that he'd found himself uncomfortable with the slower pace of his new life.

There was an itch right at the center of his bones. A need that kept going unsatisfied.

Perhaps because of that, he decided to answer an announcement the ex-King posted on the Undernet (despite having access to the greater internet now, monsters still enjoyed the safety of the space they'd carved for themselves and kept maintaining it). It was something silly, Asgore just wanted some help with his garden.

Papyrus knew going in that what the old King probably truly wanted was some company. Kindred spirits often recognized each other and he was well acquainted with loneliness himself. He didn't struggle with putting himself out there as much as his older brother did, but people tended to say that he was a lot. Too loud, too energetic, too optimistic... just too much.

Keeping that in mind, he wasn't surprised when the first thing Asgore did when he showed up at his door was to offer him a cup of golden flower tea.

He lived in a cute cottage now. It was in the woods up the sides of Mount Ebbot. It had a nice garden that was in pristine condition, with well-kept flower arrangements and artistically trimmed hedges. The inside of the house was another matter entirely. It certainly was... lived in. It looked like Sans' room.

Papyrus cringed when seeing the unsanitary conditions of the place. That itch inside his bones worsened, but he suppressed the urge to voice his complaints.

"I apologize for the small mess, I haven't had guests in a while" the fallen King must have noticed Papyrus' discomfort because he now looked incredibly embarrassed.

Papyrus hurried to fix his mistake. "Nonsense! The Great Papyrus is here to help. And, since the garden looks so good, perhaps I could help do some chores in here instead?".

"I wouldn't want to bother you-".

"It's no bother at all!" he assured him. "I do chores all the time at home... well, I had to do more Underground. Sans has finally quit a few jobs and has actually been helping now. Which is great! But- uh- it does leave me with very little to do and a lot of time...". Perhaps they both needed the company. He hadn't fully realized yet how restless he'd been feeling.

Asgore smiled gratefully. "Well, if it truly is no trouble... I've always struggled to keep up with this stuff. And I can't pay a full-time assistant anymore now... maybe you could teach me?".

Papyrus beamed at him. It was rare for him to get recognized for his strengths by anyone but Sans and Undyne. And even those two sometimes tended to baby him a bit. So having good ol' King Fluffybuns asking him to teach him anything felt like a great success. He would undoubtedly brag about it later.

"I'd be honored!".

He hoped that would be the start of a beautiful friendship. He had a good feeling about it.

[unironicallycringe]

they are gay

UPDATE: I fixed it, apologies, today is filled with a lot of pain meds. Anyways. I wrote the oneshot finally. Ghirabeck crackfic, written as seriously as possible to produce silly fluff, in...

The Real Treasure Was The Unlikely Romantic Bond We Developed Along The Way

Rated:T Word count: 2,024 Pairing: Ghirahim/Linebeck No content warnings

If there were an onlooker to observe, they might have thought that the Famed Adventurer Captain Linebeck had gone entirely mad.

The man was prowling through the old wreckage of a capsized ship run aground. The broken vessel bridged the rocky intertidal, its stern having lodged itself in a sandy berm where the shore blended from sea to land. He balanced across half-submerged masts and algae-slick rocks as the tide came in, speaking aloud as though having a full conversation with no one in sight.

The captain's presence lent a colorful splash to an otherwise dull shore. He was obviously a man of fame and wealth, and one who took great care to look the part. He wore his signature blue mariner's coat, its brass buckles gleaming under a recent shine job, while his bright red neckerchief adorned the space under his chin. Right above, a trimmed goatee and mustache gave him just the right dash of roguishly-handsome flair. The style was intentional, portraying a proper gentleman while still entrancing the imagination with hints of adventure. Of curious note, however, was the large sword strapped to his back. A man like Linebeck was more suited to a thin rapier, perhaps a scimitar at the very most; an obsidian, spiked greatsword was not his style, nor should he have even been capable of lifting it. The weapon's incongruity was more than a little noticeable.

"First Mate, a report please! Where did you say you got that treasure map from, exactly?" Linebeck asked aloud.

There was the slightest shimmering sound in response, quiet enough to make the captain seem as if he answered his own question moments later.

"The merchant from the shop ship? Ohh, I don't trust that, not one bit, you know!"

He paused, and in the silence came another breezy shimmer before he continued.

"It's not to be rude, I just don't think that he can verify the integrity of a ware like that. He doesn't have the treasure-hunting know-how, the hands-on experience, the keen-eyed passion! Not like us! I don't think he ever even leaves his ship. For all we know, he could have been sold a fake, and then we look like fools for buying it…"

There was a titter like the rustle of leaves. Linebeck rubbed at tired eyes with the heel of his palm.

"Oh, darling, won't you just come out and help me, then?"

In a flash of golden diamonds, another man suddenly appeared from inside the sword. This newcomer was gray-skinned and white-haired, and he was tall enough to tower over the captain. His garb was just as meticulously coordinated as the captain's. He wore a billowy, crimson blouse with ruffled cuffs, and a single, diamond-shaped earring dangled from his right ear. When he spoke, his voice was lilting and haughty.

"As you wish, Captain," this new entity chuckled. "Though, I had hoped a simple hunt like this would be no match for such a man of the sea as yourself…"

"Alright, alright, no need for that now, Ghirahim! Besides, I'm only having trouble searching because…well, because…" Linebeck quietly glanced around for an easy excuse. He frowned up at the sky through holes in the ruined ship's overturned hull. "Why, it's because the weather is just so dour! It's giving me a headache. Barometric pressure and all that, you know."

"Current barometric pressure shows no indication of a coming storm," Ghirahim remarked, casually cleaning his nails. "Nary a cloud in the sky, too."

Linebeck simply fell back on stubborn confidence, his pretense of choice.

"Right, well, I just know these things by instinct even before a storm blows in. You see, I'd been out sailing while you were stuck in your sword in that temple after all. I have fresher experience with these seas and her stormy temperaments."

"Oh. He just knows these things, he says," the sword spirit scoffed melodramatically. "I suppose that makes me mistaken then, and you don't need any of my other wisdom. I'll just have to pack my little rucksack and take my leave from this scavenger hunt then, for Captain Linebeck just knows these things far better than a sword spirit..."

"Now, now, I didn't mean it like that! No need to be like that!" the captain backtracked. Ghirahim's threat had no teeth whatsoever, and it was obvious he just wanted to be paid his fee of compliments. "Let's just forget about it and focus, darling? Why, I think you're quite wonderful at, uh…forecasting the weather! And countless other things! Really, you're perfect in so many ways."

That resulted in an approving hum from the playful demon. "Hmmm…fine, it's all water under the bridge. I just think you're funny when you put your foot in your mouth."

Ghirahim twirled his hair in a finger with a long, thoughtful look. Then, he turned on his heel, moving towards the upside-down cabin towards the stern.

"Why don't we check over here again?" he said abruptly.

"Certainly, I was just thinking that."

"Great minds think alike, then."

Linebeck eagerly trailed behind him. His eyes darted over the area with renewed vigor now that he had his exploring buddy fully present.

"Do you imagine it could've been buried in the sand during the wreck?" he suggested. "I was wondering, but I've no shovels on hand."

"Perhaps! Orrr… maybe it was stowed securely enough as to stay aboard while the wreck drifted," Ghirahim returned. He offered a knowing smirk before directing Linebeck to the ceiling - or rather, the ceiling that used to be the deck floor. The sand here sloped steeply upwards, bringing them within such easy reach of it that Ghirahim had to crouch to avoid bumping his head. "Did you know that pirates often use secret compartments to hide their stolen goods and jewels? Now that's a good start."

Linebeck's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, yes, you're quite right!" he smacked a hand to his forehead and laughed a little, then proceeded to check each of the planks above their heads. "Of course! There could be a secret trapdoor on the floor of this very cabin! I'm sure I would have thought of that, had it not been for this dreadful headache…"

With his morale boosted, Linebeck analyzed the old floorboards attentively. He didn't notice Ghirahim wasn't actually looking very hard, instead only smugly observing. Eventually, the demon subtly shepherded them to a space where Linebeck pointed out a hidden, rusty lock that caught his eye.

"A-ha!! Ghirahim, look there! I think I've found something promising!" he sang.

"I'm looking! Good eye, Captain, well done."

"Let's hope the reward will be well worth the splinters…"

Linebeck produced a lockpick and fiddled with the old mechanism briefly. It clunked and scraped in protest before it yielded, allowing the trapdoor to fall open with a creaking groan. He stepped handily out of the way just as a large chest tumbled free from above. But instead of landing still like well-behaved loot, it bounced and rolled down the sandy slope in a bid for escape, headed towards the rising tide.

"Gah! An escape artist, eh?" Linebeck called, scrambling after it through loose sand. "Come back here, you slippery eel!"

Linebeck slid and sprang forward, catching the rogue chest just as it leapt from a rock towards the waves. Far from his earlier frustration, he laughed aloud in the triumph and fun of it all. The chest was surprisingly lightweight, but it didn't dampen the success. Regardless, treasure was treasure. He dragged it safely back to dry land and waved up to Ghirahim.

"Got it!" he cheered.

"A stunning display of dexterity, Captain," the demon yelled back. "Now what's inside?"

Linebeck's fingers searched for the chest's latch. With no lock in sight, he wrenched the lid open and peered inside…

…only to tilt his head in bewildered confusion.

"Huh? What's this?" he blurted. "Did some ruffian get to most of it first? There's just this paper hat and note left...oh, hold on, Ghirahim come look. There's some jewelry that looks exactly like your earring…"

Ghirahim appeared beside him suddenly in another shower of diamonds. The demon tapped his chin, trying very hard to look puzzled.

"How curious! 'Tis almost like … a matching piece to mine," he said innocently. "That's a paper crown, by the way."

Linebeck narrowed his eyes at Ghirahim in suspicion.

"Curious indeed," he said. A smile began to tug at the whiskered corners of his lips as understanding quickly dawned on him.

"Well? What other plunder is there? Does the note share any fanciful tales, Captain?"

Captain Linebeck did his best to fight off that growing smile and look serious.

"Ahem. Let's not get too hasty! We'll do this properly, shall we?" He began pulling each item out to appraise it, standard practice for the record-keeping of his hauls. Ghirahim summoned up quill and parchment to complete the scene.

"First Mate, if you'd please log Item #1 as Suspiciously Familiar Earring Which Certainly Wasn't Left By Anyone I Know." He hooked it into his left ear, opposite the one worn by the demon.

"Mhm, yes, counted and logged. What luck! Blue is definitely your color."

"Item #2: Paper Crown Belonging To A… " –Linebeck stifled a snicker as he read the cursive script across it– "...To A 'King Sexyman'. A historic find and a valuable artifact, I'd say."

"Logged with amendment: Well-Folded Paper Crown. Fine craftsmanship."

"Where did you even get this?"

"Who, me?" Ghirahim feigned ignorance poorly. "Why, I've never seen this treasure before, Captain, on my honor, cross my gem."

"You're not very good at lying…"

"That makes two of us. What's next?"

"Other than the note, there's more jewelry." Linebeck showed off a few other gifted trinkets one by one. Then, he came to two additional golden rings inlaid with sapphires. "You're giving me quite a few earrings, darling."

"Those aren't for ears. But worry about that later, handsome." Ghirahim shot him a wink. "Anyways, I'm simply dying to know what that note could possibly say, aren't you?"

Linebeck sighed, having already given up his play in favor of flushed cheeks and his persistent grin. He unfurled the parchment scroll to read aloud. Its writing was calligraphy of gaudy flourishes typical to a certain sword spirit.

"To My Dearest Captain Linebeck:

I hope you don't find the contents of this chest disappointing, for it was already empty when I got here. It seems our friend Beedle sold us a useless map. But fear not: I procured some other baubles to place inside for your enrichment and amusement! Besides, should you choose to look again, you may find that the real treasure was in front of you all along..."

Linebeck snorted. "Did you draw a winking face at the bottom here–?"

He turned to look at his companion, but the demon wasn't by his side anymore. So expectedly, he returned his attention to the emptied and open chest.

Ghirahim was now sat inside it, fluttering his eyelashes prettily with a hand under his chin.

Seemingly at a loss for words, the captain buried his reddened face in his hands.

"This is…wow…" His shoulders shook with muffled laughter. "Oh, how in the world did I end up finding someone who is so … well, so …"

"So clever? Beautiful? Creative? Excellent at designing surprise bonding activities? Please, take your time."

Bending forward, Linebeck merely captured the demon's lips with his own. His companion's mischief briefly melted into something softer, quieter. When he pulled away, he found that his had, too.

"...so perfect, actually," he finished. "Quite wonderful at many things, really, including surprise bonding activities."

Ghirahim grinned widely, but his voice was only a whisper. His fingers found Linebeck's to intertwine in.

"Speak for yourself. I dare say, you're the one with a new crown to boast of your perfection." He snapped the silly craft into existence and placed it atop Linebeck's wispy olive hair. That earned another shared snicker and the captain nuzzled his nose into the sword spirit's cheek.

"You know, in truth," Linebeck admitted. "I do believe you're my favorite treasure to have found."

[starsandink13]

The White Crow Game Chapter 3

Your reflection glinted in the polished white marble floor as crystal chandeliers hung above you like glittering blades from the impossibly tall ceiling. The walls were pristine porcelain-white with the occasional oil portrait or marble statue of Corvin breaking up the long stretches of white.  You shivered looking at the artworks, you could feel their empty, soulless gazes piercing right through your soul, almost as if they would suddenly spring to life and chase after you.

They're just decorations, it's not like they're going to actually come to life.

After walking for what felt like hours through a white blur of statues and portraits, it didn't take long for you to realize that you were lost. You sighed as you shook your head and clenched your teeth.

Oh come on! Are you serious? I really got lost this early?! You stamped your foot in frustration and put a hand to your forehead. 

Way to go, idiot.

As you chastised yourself, you suddenly remembered the trick that you learnt from your mom during a first-grade field trip to a corn maze: always go left and put your hand on the left-hand side of the wall. If you do this for long enough, you'll eventually you'll wind up at the exit.

You weren't sure if it would apply to a mansion that you've haven't been in before, but you supposed it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. You gingerly put your hand on the wall and shivered at the cold touch of the wallpaper. With a small step, you began to walk.

Every now and then, you looked over your shoulder to see if anyone or anything was following behind you. You jumped at every slight sound, making you walk a little bit faster. Occasionally, you ran into a dead end only to turn around and go further down into the main corridor. The threat of marrying that fairy loomed over you like the Grim Reaper, making your stomach turn.

Just keep going. At this rate, you're sure to find it by now. Keep moving in a single direction and don't make any turns until you reached the end of the hallway. You'll win this game and never have to deal with that fairy ever again or become its...

Cold sweat dropped down your cheek, you didn't dare to even bother with finishing that thought.

After groping the left side wall for several minutes, you came across a massive lobby that had a large peacock-blue carpet with gold trim taking up most of the floor. But what actually caught your eye were the golden front doors that looked as if they were twinkling from the crystal chandelier above. Relief overcame you and you sprinted towards it without a second thought. You pulled on the doorknob with all of your might, but it didn't budge. Confused, you jiggled the knob and pulled at it a little bit harder.

"What?" You stammered and took a step back.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Corvin sighed behind you.

"B-but I found the front door!" You protested.

"Yes, but you didn't get the key to unlock the front door," he retorted, walking his slim fingers on your shoulder like a spider.

"Are you going to give me a hint as to where I might get it?" You asked.

"Of course not! That would make it easy for you!" He chuckled. "And that's not going to be interesting for either of us, now would it?"

You gritted your teeth and narrowed your eyes, "If by 'us' you mean yourself, then you'd be right."

"But isn't life a bit more interesting for you humans if there was some sort of adversary or challenge to face? Isn't that the purpose of every story you tell?"

"Well this isn't a fucking fairytale," you smacked his hand away from you and spun around to face him.

"You sure?" He breathed. "I'm sure there's a lot of them that have some parallels to your current situation."

"If you're here to make fun of me, then shut up. You stupid, disgusting piece of--"

Corvin suddenly leaned in towards you, his smile turned into a cold expression as his sclera turned black. "Need I remind you what you're dealing with? So if I were you, I'd be a little more careful with how you address any member of the fair-folk."

Fighting the urge to make a sarcastic retort, you settled to glaring back at him. Even if you were terrified, you wouldn't give in to him. Corvin leaned back, his sclera reverting back to white and he tapped his cane against the floor. He turned his head westwards with his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Anyways, I wouldn't stay here for much longer. You don't know what else is going to wander in here." He said and walked away from you, receding into the shadows of the hallway.

You stood there in silence for a few moments before you began to move. You didn't want to stay and find out what else would come in here. As you were about to head right, you heard something walked towards you from that direction. You ran into the left hallway and entered a random room. You quietly closed the door shut and listened.

Your heart pounded against your chest like a rabid animal. The drumming of it was the only thing you heard before the distant sound of a raspy, rattling groan followed by what sounded like shuffling feet that broke the silence. Your throat closed up as the groaning and shuffling became slightly louder. Closer.

Don't let it find me! Just keep calm and don't make any noise. If it comes close, swing the door in its face and make a break for it!

You waited for hours as it inched closer to where you were. Your body stiffened with dread and your heart felt like it was about to explode. The groaning and shuffling became more grating to your ears and felt like someone was slowly twisting a knife into your head.

Wait for it...

The being stopped for what you assumed was mere feet away from the door. Your fingers tightened around the doorknob. The thing, whatever it was, let out one last groan before it started to retreat. You pressed your ear against the door and waited until you could no longer hear it.

Is it gone?

After waiting for several minutes, you finally opened the door slowly. You glanced around to make sure that nothing was there before sticking your head out. When you were sure that nothing was following you, you carefully got out and took a look around at your surroundings: nothing but an impossibly long hallway that seemed to continue for miles.

Throwing a quick glance behind you, you began to make your way down further into the halls; praying that you wouldn't have to face that creature again.

---

After wandering in this grand and flawless labyrinth for several minutes, you noticed a door that was different from the others. Instead of it being as sterile and white as the surrounding environment, it was in a state of disrepair. The wood was splintered, the paint was cracked and peeling in places with the doorknob covered in dark stains as a result of the passage of time.

Taking a deep breath, you ironed yourself for whatever was behind the door; praying that maybe the key was in there so that the nightmare could finally be over for once. With a soft push, the door creaked open and the smell of dust and mildew hit you like a sudden slap to the face. You coughed and put a hand to your neck as the stench wafted away. When the last of it was gone, you pushed the door open a little bit more before entering.

The room was completely dark, save for the orangey-yellow glow coming from the lit fireplace on the right side wall, casting long and writhing shadows. The dark brown walls were decorated with disturbing watercolor paintings of creatures with abnormal features: some had limbs far too long for their bodies, others the mangled heads of animals for faces, or eyes that glowed like hellfire. The once luxurious furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust, making the fabric appear it was taking on a deathly-gray hue. The frayed rug had clusters of dark mold growing, distorting the original patterns of it. On the far right was a cards table with a white lace tablecloth and a pale wood chest sitting right in the middle of it as if waiting to be opened.

You approached the chest and gave it a closer look. The wood had small scratches on its surface, as if someone had hacked it with a knife. You flipped up the latch and the cover flew open, releasing a cloud of a sweet-smelling powder. You waved your hand in front of your face as the powder dispersed before you took a look inside. Glinting within the silk cushioning, was a white gold medallion in the shape of a fork and knife. Confused, you flipped the emblem on the other side to see that there was a small square peg in the center of it.

"So how is it going so far?" 

You whipped around to see Corvin's face mere inches from yours, his gold and red eyes glittering like gems with amusement as he leaned on his cane.

"Why are you here?" You demanded, not bothering to hide your annoyance and put the emblem inside your jacket's pocket before he could notice it.

"Just to see how you're progressing, besides this is my home. Well, one of many." He laughed to himself.

"Just how many do you have?"

"I lost count after the thirteenth or so."

"And how do you afford that many?!"

"Being a count helps."

"Fairies have governments?"

"Well, even we recognize the importance of them." He answered coolly and adjusted his coat.

You were about to make a bitter comment about comparing fairies to politicians, when the air felt static. As if all of the oxygen in the room was sucked out. Corvin noticed the expression on your face and his smile dropped.

"Something wrong?" He asked, his voice sounded to be of genuine concern. "You look a little unwell."

"No. I'm fine." You shook your head and tried to steady yourself.

That's when you heard the same pained groaning and shuffling from before.

"Oh, so it's here," he grimaced.

I-is that the thing from the main--

"In case you were wondering: yes, that was the thing from the main entryway," Corvin responded, his voice was laced with the slightest bit of disgust. "If you want to resign already, you can."

"I'll take my chances," you spat out.

"Alright then," he shook his head. "But don't say that I didn't warn you."

Before you could ask what he was talking about, Corvin stepped into the darkness and began to fade away. The thing banged against the door. Wood splinters flew in the air from the force. You crouched down low to the ground and carefully hid behind an end table. Your terror grew stronger as the door splintered more under the creature's force. You flinched as the door gave way and the monster stumbled into the room.

The thing-- whatever it was-- let out another groan as it limped towards where you were a moment ago. In the low light of the fireplace, you could see it was human-shaped and hunched over. Long, tangled hair covered most of its gaunt, warped face. Thin, deathly-pale skin was stretched over the jutting bones underneath. The dirty and faded remnants of a cotton tunic barely covered its mangled body. Its long, cracked nails nearly dragged across the ground as it sniffed the air every now and then.

You pressed yourself closer to the wall, daring to not draw a breath. The monster let out a heavy wheeze and headed towards the left side of the room. Quietly, you took another small step towards the fireplace. Never taking your eyes off of the creature as it slowly walked around the room. As you were about to reach the end of the wall, the floorboard underneath your foot squeaked.

The monster stopped and slowly turned its head towards you. Its jaw was barely connected by a string of sinew, making it hanging down to its chest. The gaping mouth was lined with crooked and yellowed needles for teeth. In place of eyes were empty sockets with dark brown sludge leaking from them.

It let out a raspy cry and staggered towards you. You screamed and stepped away in time to avoid the ghoul crashing into you. Scrambling away, you nearly tripped over a fallen chair. The monster let out another screech and lunged at you with its talons. You stepped aside and slammed the chair over its head. The ghoul froze up briefly and you scurried away from it. 

The creature let out an ear-splitting screech and made a leap for you. You stepped to the side in time to avoid its reach and kicked it in the back. Without wasting a moment, you smashed a chair leg over its head. The wood splintered from the impact and the ghoul flinched. It swiped the weapon out of your hand and made another grab at you. Its claws narrowly scrapped by the tip of your nose as you backed away.

Panic pounded against your bones as you looked around for another weapon. By the light of the fireplace, you caught the gleam of a fire poker. You ran towards it, only to trip over the broken seat. You fell to the floor and let out a sharp cry of pain and shock. You turned on your back in time to see the monster creeping towards you, thick strands of saliva dripped from its jaws as it came closer.

You jolted your foot away from its talons as you reached for the poker. The monster's twitching movements became more frenzied, like a shark that smelled blood. Sweat rolled down your face as it inched closer. Your stomach twisted as you finally saw the dark brown splotches that coated its teeth.

Just a little more! Come on!

The ghoul grabbed hold of your leg and began to pull you towards it mouth. You screamed in terror and kicked it in the nose. A sharp CRACK! filled the room as the monster's head flew back. Immediately you kicked it again-- this time even harder. The creature let out a feral screech and held its broken nose. As you were starting to stand up, the monster grabbed your ankle again with a much harder grip than before. It felt like your bones were about to snap under its hand.

"No, no, no!" You yelled and tried to shake the monster off of you. It let out a low, husky laugh that made your stomach drop. You watched wide-eyed as it slowly raised its hand in the air; the dagger-sharp claws aiming directly for your eye.

As the thing's talons began to descend, your fingers wrapped around the poker and you swung it into the monster's face. It screamed in pain as its flesh sizzled from the red-hot metal. As it squealed and grabbed its burnt cheek, you stabbed your attacker right between the eyes. The creature screamed and feebly tried to pull the weapon from its head. You grunted and pushed the poker in deeper and deeper, cringing at feeling the metal scrapping against bone and brain. Still you pushed until the poker had fully pierced through the other side of the ghoul's skull. The monster fell limp, its eyes facing the ground.

You gagged slightly at the dark gore that coated the metal. Readjusting your grip, you grunted as you struggled to pull the weapon out of the skull. When it was dislodged, you fell backwards a bit as the poker flung out of your hands from the force. You watched the creature fall to the side. Dead.

Panting as cold sweat dripped down your face, you watched as the corpse begin to crumple in on itself into dust before the the particles dissolved into nothing.

"It- it's over now," you gasped and wrapped your arms over you. "It's finally over."

"That was impressive," Corvin admired. "Although judging by how weak it was, it must have been a more recent addition. Regardless, you held up much better than I'd thought."

You reached for the poker and pointed it at his chest, "You are--"

"Don't even bother with threatening me with that thing," the fairy shook his head. "It isn't even made from iron. Do you really think that I'd be so foolish to have the one thing that could harm fairies in my home?"

"B-but why is it--"

"It's made from brass, my dear."

You clenched your eyes and took a deep sigh. "Let me guess: there's much, much worse things in this house besides that thing, right?"

"Yes. But your chances of running them are very low."

"I have a feeling that there is more to this, isn't there?"

"There indeed is, as they do tend to stick to only certain places in the mansion. So long as you avoid those areas, then you shall be perfectly fine."

"And how would I know if they're near?"

"You'll know it when you do."

"I see," you nodded your head and turned on your heel. Thanks for your very specific and useful information, jackass.

"Oh (Y/N), there's one more thing that I'd like to talk to you about before you leave," Corvin said.

"What?" You turned around.

"What are your favorite flowers?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking so I know what kind of flowers you want for your bouquet, so what kind do you want me to get?"

"Doesn't matter." You spat out. Because I'm getting out of here.

"You sure?" He blinked, "Aren't weddings supposed to be the bride's big day?"

You ignored him and stepped out of the room.

"I guess I'll come back to that later," he said as you trudged away without sparing a second glance at him.

---

"Think, think, where would it be?" You paced back and forth in the front lobby. "Where would that fairy put it?"

If I didn't want a key to be found by anyone, where would I put it? Maybe on my person? If you had it on you, then it would be nearly impossible to find it since then the location of it would change as you go to room to room. But that would be too obvious!

You put a hand to your chin, the frustration bubbling in your mind growing stronger with each passing moment. You glanced at the locked front doors, it seemed that these golden doors were mocking your imprisonment. You threw your head up in the air and let out a wail before flopping down onto a nearby couch.

"Having trouble?" A croaky voice asked.

You looked up to see a crow with ghost-white plumage looking down at you from the banister. Its eyes were wide with curiosity as it tilted its head a bit to the right.

"W-what?" You blinked.

"Something seems to be bothering you. Care to tell a little old bird like me?" The bird stuck its head towards you to get a better look at your face.

"Well I'm stuck in this hell house of horrors for starters," you sighed.

"This house doesn't seem so bad," the raven remarked.

"That's because you didn't nearly get killed by some monster-ghoul-thing that was once human!" You groaned.

"Goodness! What happened?" It asked.

"I was in this really old and musty room an- and then this thing bust down the door and I had to kill it!" You exclaimed.

"Oh my, that must've been quite frightening." The corvid ruffled his feathers. "But why were you in that situation to begin with, if I may ask."

"It's because I have to play this game and win!"

"Why can't you quit?"

"If I forfeit I have to get married to the fairy that put me here!"

"That doesn't seem that bad," the crow shuffled a bit. "Especially since it sounds like that fairy you're going to marry sounds so handsome."

"Wait a minute...Corvin!?"

"Who else?" He chuckled as transformed back into a human, and leapt down in front of you. "Did you think this was going to be like a fairytale where some friendly talking animal would come to the downtrodden maiden's aid? Remember, one of the rules of this game was--"

"That no one is supposed to help me and to do this by myself," you rolled your eyes.

"Just making sure that you remembered," he sat besides you and fluttered his hand on your shoulder. 

You flinched at his touch and ducked away from him. The fairy's lighthearted smile turned into a small frown and he began to lean in closer to you. His eyes seemed to glow under the heavy shadow casted by his hat, reminding you of a hungry wolf.

"How many forms can you take, anyways?" You eyed him.

"Quite a number," he responded.

"That's very specific," you scoffed.

"Your sarcasm wounds me deeply," he said.

"And you're annoying like a crow that won't shut up." You shot back.

He put a hand over his heart, his face wrought with faux hurt. "How could you say that to me, my dear?"

"Because it's true, anyways standup."

"Hm? What for?" He tilted his head.

"Just do it."

Corvin stood up and you begin to pat down the sides of his coat and his legs, putting extra attention to the pockets. You felt nothing and sighed as the fairy looked at you with a smirk.

"Did you think that I would have it on my person?" The left side of his smile twitched further up.

"Not really, I just wanted to see if my hunch was right or not." You shook your head.

"I see," he nodded. "So where else do you think it may be, if not that?"

"I'm not telling you that!" You snapped. "Because then you'd try to find another hiding place for it!"

"Clever girl," he smiled wider, revealing his brilliant white teeth. "For a moment, I thought you'd be as foolish like the other humans I've encountered in my centuries of existing."

You didn't speak, knowing that he was probably trying to make you overconfident and use it against you. So you simply nodded your head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Well then," he sat back down next to you. "Have you finally given any thought about what kind of flowers you want for the--"

"No. Now shut up about it," you growled.

"How about the size of the wedding? Personally, I was thinking maybe at least half of the members of the court. Although I'm willing to do a smaller one."

You closed your eyes, fighting the urge to make a derogatory comment and shoved your hands in your jacket's pockets. Your hand felt something cool and you pulled it out. Shining in the chandelier's light was the emblem from the chest.

"That's for the dining room." Corvin said.

"Huh?" 

"It unlocks the dining room's door," he clarified.

You gave a slight nod of your head and put the medallion back in your jacket. Maybe there's a clue in there.

"And where's that?"

"It's on this floor, down one of the halls in the right hallway," he answered and stretched out his arms. "Anyways, I need to be somewhere right now. I'll see you again to see how you're holding up."

You watched as he went upstairs and ascended into the darkness above. You pulled yourself from the couch and began to walk towards the right hallway, your hand clutching the medallion.

---

Your feet were beginning to ache a bit after all of the walking that you've done. You watched carefully at each door that you passed by to see if it had an imprint that matched the shape of the dining room's emblem. The portraits and statues looked even more sinister than before, you could have sworn their smiles were smaller beforehand.

You looked away from the artwork and pulled your jacket closer to you. Remember, it's just some really creepy and egotistical artwork, not some horror game! 

You caught a glimpse of a macabre painting of the fairy holding a skull in his hands, as if he was admiring it like it was a fine jewel. However the painted eyes were facing you, as if it knew that you were looking at it.

Then again, given what has happened, I probably shouldn't put it past it that these stupid things are enchanted and would start chasing me down at any moment.

You flinched when a shadow darted from the corner of your eye. You turned around to see that the figure was gone, you clenched your fist and shook your head.

Calm it down, it's probably him trying to mess with you. Just focus on finding the dining room, finding the key, and getting out of here.

As you were about to turn a corner, you caught sight of a pair of oak doors with brass handles on them. Above one of the handles was a plate with the silhouette of the emblem imprinted in it. You stopped and turned towards the door. Taking out the medallion, you gently pushed it into the imprint. With a quick twist of your hand, the door was unlocked with a soft click.

Your shaking hand slowly wrapped around the crystal doorknob. The unpleasantly cold touch of it made a chill run down your back; and with a slow breath, you opened the door.

[kissorkill16]

When We Were Once Happy: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: A story before Trinity moved to Raven Brooks.

Chapter 22

A month went by after Lucy's funeral, and the mayor is already working on building a statue in the middle of the square in her honor. It was a nice gesture, but to Nicky, it only made him miss her more.

Nicky was staring at the statue right now, trying not to cry, but it was kind of hard not to cry when you miss someone so much. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Nicky. I miss her too. We all miss her.", said Enzo.

"I know.", said Nicky. "It's just so hard to forget someone who was so close to you.", Nicky sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Enzo took Nicky's hand, and pulled him away from the statue, "Why don't we go to my house? I have video games and snacks. Would that make you feel any better?"

Nicky smiled at Enzo. "It might."

When they got to Enzo's house, Nicky was shocked at how well-off these people were. Seriously. These people had such a big house, a nice and freshly mowed lawn, trimmed hedges, and a freaking fountain in the center.

He took a step inside, and he immediately calmed down a little bit. At least the inside looked a little normal.

Enzo pulled him to the couch, "What do you want to play? I have it all.", he said.

"Do you have Final Fantasy VII?"

Enzo pulled out a case, "You know it."

Soon enough, the two boys had aching fingers and sore eyes from playing so much Final Fantasy VII.

"That was so much fun.", Enzo giggled. "I can't believe we've been playing for two hours."

"Me neither.", said Nicky. He tried sitting up a little, then he saw out of the corner of his eye, a newspaper. He got up and grabbed it, and he immediately wished he hadn't.

7 YEAR OLD LUCY YI, VICTIM OF GOLDEN APPLE AMUSEMENT PARK, ROTTEN CORE

They already made a freaking newspaper article about it.

Enzo snatched the article away from him.

"Please don't read this, I don't want you to start crying again.", he said.

Nicky looked Enzo dead in the eye, "Well what do you expect, Enzo? All week, I kept getting reminded that my friend is dead and there's nothing I can do about it.", he said, then he sat back down on the couch. "Don't tell me you don't feel a wave of tears coming whenever you think about her."

Enzo sat down beside him. "I do, Nicky. Lucy was very important to all of us. We all cry when we think about her, but we know we can't bring her back.", he said. "But you know what?", Nicky turned to look at him, "Lucy may be gone from life, but she's still in our hearts.", said Enzo.

Nicky didn't even feel like crying, he just felt like he needed a hug. Enzo pulled him close, and gave him the biggest hug in the world.

"If you don't mind me asking, where's your sister?", asked Nicky.

"She's at the square, but nowhere near the statue, she just wanted to go for a walk somewhere.", replied Enzo. "What about you? How's your life?"

Nicky buried his face in Enzo's shoulder, "My parents are doing okay, they have to work a whole bunch now, but they're doing okay. I'm not talking to my Bubba anymore, and she does her best to avoid me."

Nicky broke away from the hug, "I feel kind of bad for freaking out at her at the funeral, but I still think I did the right thing. She's been scaring me for my whole life, and I finally show bravery,...only for her to think I'm cursed."

Enzo pulled Nicky in for another hug, "You did do the right thing."

Another week went by, and Nicky had been doing many different things with his friends to forget about his sadness. Playing video games with Enzo, playing soccer with Maritza, building things with Ivan, and playing Hide & Seek with Aaron and Mya. He enjoyed being with Aaron and Mya more, not like he was playing favorites, he just liked them so much.

Nicky couldn't help but read the article he found from Enzo's house later, maybe he just wanted to see Lucy's face again.

Most of the stuff he read was about how Lucy went on the ride with her friends. Half was about how angry the parents were at Mr. Peterson for allowing the ride to operate before passing basic safety tests, even though Mr. Peterson had pleaded that he did do safety tests and he still has no idea how the ride could've failed.

Nicky stopped reading when he got to that part. He didn't really blame Mr. Peterson for the death of Lucy, even though he was the one who built the ride. He didn't like to think that Mr. Peterson purposely made the ride unsafe. Mr. Peterson wasn't insane.

Mr. Peterson felt like a second father to him, ever since that one sleepover at his house, where he carried him back to bed and tucked him in, like he was one of his own children.

He didn't want to think that a saint like him could ever kill someone on purpose.

One day when Nicky was at his house, getting ready to go to Aaron and Mya's house, he heard a knock at the door.

He went to open it, and he was shocked when he saw Mya's crying face, holding a newspaper in her hand. Mya ran into Nicky and wrapped her arms around him, crying into his shoulder.

"Mya, what's wrong?", Nicky asked, concerned for one of his friends.

"Nicky! It's t-terrible! My-! My-!", Mya couldn't finish her sentence as she broke down crying again. When she calmed down enough, she handed the newspaper to Nicky.

Nicky took it without another thought, and he was absolutely shocked at what the headline said.

WIFE OF WORLD FAMOUS ENGINEER AND THEME PARK DESIGNER, DIES IN CAR ACCIDENT

And right in the corner of the paper was a picture of Mrs. Peterson.

[somethingclevermahogony]

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Novels or Epic Poems (Odyssey, Iliad, Aeneid, Epic of Gilgamesh is the GOAT (the officiant literally quoted it at my wedding)).

What genre do you prefer reading?

Fantasy or Epic Poetry. I haven't actually sat down and read a book in a while though, my life has been pretty overwhelmed with academic papers and such.

What genre do you prefer writing?

Fantasy, preferably High/Epic Fantasy, turn world-building up to the max.

Are you a planner or a write-as-i-go kind of person?

I do a ton of planning for the world (I'm a lore nut) and I plan out broad narratives and directions, but I tend to let the path to get there just sort of happen.

What music do you listen to while writing the story?

That depends on what I'm writing. I actually don't tend to listen to a lot of music when I'm actually writing because it distracts me. I listen before I start to write, what exactly I listen to changes.

Sometimes I listen to the same song from Little Shop of Horrors, Epic the Musical, or whatever. For awhile I was listening to Prom Queen by Beach Bunny over and over and over and over again. I don't know why I do that, it just scratches my brain.

Fav books/movies

I love the Gregor the Overlander Series. It balances silliness and fantasy with darkness. The worldbuilding is complex enough to be intriguing and yet so ridiculous that you just sort of accept it. Giant talking rats and Victorian Rats living in a massive subterranean world underneath NYC? Why not! The books made my mom cry over a cockroach so there's that.

As previously stated, Epic of Gilgamesh is great, its so interesting to see all the tropes and story beats already developed thousands of years ago. I love my two big burly bronze age queers.

Saying the LOTR movies feels like a cope-out, but I genuinely do love those movies.

Any Current WIPs?

The Testaments of the Green Sea series! I'm sure you've seen random tidbits on Tumblr if you've been in any of the worldbuilding or fantasy writing places.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Reading glasses worn too far down my nose, a button up shirt (probably blue checkered) with the sleeves rolled up, baggy jeans, and black shoes. Looks like a young chubby and scruffy caveman cosplaying as a 45 year-old English teacher.

Create a character description of yourself.

He was of average height, though he looked taller than he actually was owing to the mane of hair which surrounded his head and covered his shoulders and upper back in a blanket of brown curls. His beard and moustache were both of medium length, though his moustache was in need of a trim. A pair of fingerprint smudged, wire-rimmed glasses sat on the tip of a crooked and humped nose, as far away from his heavy brows and green eyes as they could be while still maintaining their grip on his face. He wore a checkered blue and white button up, the sleeves hastily rolled up to his elbows. His jeans were baggy, and though he hated to admit it, were swiftly developing a hole on the inner thigh. He's was normally a quiet man, prone to sit and nod, rather than to speak. The exception of course, was with his wife, in which case he could hardly be made to shut up.

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

Literally putting people I know into my writing? No, I don't think it would really work to randomly insert my friends and family into my fantasy setting. I do like taking bits of inspiration from people though!

Are you kill-happy with the characters?

I guess that depends on what this means...because my series takes place over vast lengths of time, almost everyone in my stories does die eventually, but that's just nature. I don't shy away from killing my characters, that's for sure, though I try to make sure it adds something to the plot, I don't like killing characters just for the sake of it.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Tea (The real answer is wine)

Slow or Fast writer?

Fast writer, sloooow editor.

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

Lots of things. A big part of my inspiration comes from the ancient civilizations that I study, like the Hittites and Mycenaeans. I also take inspiration from my family and my wife. Myths are a big inspiration too, I've said plenty of times that my MC, Narul, is Gilgamesh with social-anxiety.

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

Dead....or less pessimistically probably the local baker/cook.

Fave book cliche?

Found Family! Honorable mention for Gentle Giant characters!

Least fave book cliche?

Dark/High Fantasy including explicit depictions of SA or underage stuff because its "accurate", just the implication will suffice, I don't need that nonsense playing in my ear while I'm at work, thank you very much (Looking at you GRR Martin, or as my wife and I call you, JarJar Martin)

Fave scenes to write?

Scenes with nature or monsters! Trying to be descriptive and convey what the characters are seeing and feeling is really interesting to me!

Most productive time of day for writing?

Between 1:00 and 4:00 in the morning, unfortunately. That's also when my typos are the worst.

Reason for writing?

To bring my characters to life and to share their stories and scenes with other people.

I don't know how many people have already done this so I'm just gonna leave this one open!

Blank list under the cut:

Short stories, novels, or poems?

What genre do you prefer reading?

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

What music do you listen to while writing?

Favorite books/movies?

Any current WIPs?

Create a character description of yourself:

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Slow or fast writer?

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche:

Least favorite cliche:

Favorite scene to write?

Reason for writing?

[real-life-senshi]

10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 4: The Costumes!

Yes, I'm serious. No, I'm not necessarily talking about the Senshi costume, though they aren't bad especially once you can appreciate the bulkiness is due to the necessity to protect the cast wearing them - let's be honest, wearing a skimpy sailor fuku isn't that realistic for battles (yes, I said it). And they get points for being more faithful to the manga material than ‘90s anime was.

Thematic, colour-coded, stylistic choices for the Senshi

Many fans know that Takeuchi Naoko is a fan of high fashion, just look at many of her official art that uses runway fashion! While the live-action isn't about that, the costumes team was certainly phenomenal in providing the Senshi with a stylish and thematic selection of everyday clothes that speak to their respective personalities. And frankly, the girls' daily wear feels pretty timeless for a series that's 20 years old.

Their costume choices were even explored in the "PGSM Complete Edition Memorial Book". As a treat, I translated the comments here:

In addition to this, generally speaking, Usagi, Ami and Minako's outfits are pretty feminine, next is Rei's which is a bit more of a mix of feminine and unisex, and Makoto's is mostly unisex, though I wouldn't go as far as say it feels masculine.

Symbolism in colour!

While the girls supposedly are matched with their own signature colour and stylistic choices for casual wear, they do switch up the colours often. The girls' costume per episode is occasionally symbolic of their dynamic and relationship when there's significant character interaction in the episode's plot. Some examples:

I’d also say that Minako's general style of black and white is quite symbolic as well given her character story in PGSM. But I'll leave that for another time when I introduce PGSM's spin to Minako's character later.

Seriously, this show is one where you can rewatch time after time, and you'd still find MORE symbolistic things slipped into the product, either subtly shown right in front of your face or hidden in the background. It brings me much joy when I feel like I caught another glimpse of symbolism in costume choices.

Past life Earth Kingdom style(?)

The Shitennou, Queen Beryl and Prince Endymion's costumes all got a huge upgrade in their design. The overall designs are a lot more ornate with golden or silver trims, and the intricacies seem to be of the same design, suggesting that royalties and guards of the Earth's Kingdom from the past life get their uniforms designed by the same designer?

I truly love that they colour-coded the Shitennou! The original manga/anime design was so plain it almost makes me think they feel more like foot soldier's uniform, only Kunzite had a cape to be fancy. In the live-action, all of them have capes and they are well-used! There are many mighty and flashy cape-flicking in the series!

I especially appreciate Beryl's costume, the ornate design just seems a lot more befitting of the queen. They managed to make the costume sensual but not sexual and also found ways to make the random horn on her shoulders stylish without making it seem like she's grown horns. Honestly, it was an amazing casting choice too!

Fun random costumes:

Similar to Usagi's gadgets allow her to transform into different costumes and personnel for sneaking into situations in the manga/anime, all Senshi have the means to copy any costume/clothing for situations as needed.

This leads to some hilarious and generally awesome scenes with the ladies dressing up in all sorts of random clothes. Some examples:

Like I said, the show doesn't take itself too seriously, despite some twists and turns they added to the storyline!

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

7 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

[eolewyn1010]

Amateur sewing - Red Riding Hood

So, uh... I've sewn a thing.

I'm reusing an old curtain here, it's polyester. It looks nice in theory, but I'm not even going to try and pretend it's anything else than 100% plastic. 140 cm x 140 cm square for the cloak, approximately an eternity of hemming.

Behold! Two different sets of lines that don't actually say anything because I can't do math and had to do the pleating, like, a dozen times.

First half of a box pleat in the making, 7 cm wide. I wanted a pretty drape for the back, and we're getting there.

Box pleat in the middle, additional knife pleat on either side. When I realized that the cloak was still too wide to fit into the shoulder capelet the way I wanted it, I cartridge-pleated the outer several centimeters up to the knife pleats.

Speaking of, shoulder capelet! I started out with two 40 cm x 40 cm squares outer fabric and the same size of lining. The lining is the rest of a duvet cover I began slaughtering for lining a while ago, cotton, because I may be cheap but I'm not suicidal. Don't want that much polyester directly on my skin. I sewed the squares together and hemmed them all around except for the corners where I still had to figure out how much I needed for my neck, and that got me to the yoke shape you can see above.

Could I have gotten away with a more practical closure than buttons? Yeah, definitely. Especially since this "fabric" frays like a bitch. I can actually do a darling buttonhole stitch, but you wouldn't be able to tell from this because I was working against the fabric. Then again, I had these buttons lying for around for far too long; they were presents from a friend and I never got a use for them. A fantasy-ish Red Riding Hood cape with zero historical basis seemed like the way to go, and I love them.

The finished capelet was kinda uselessly bunching around the neck, but I didn't much bother with that because there's still a hood waiting to go there. The way it fell over the arms when I didn't spread them was a bit more annoying, so I took in a tiny lil dart on each side, back and front.

I wanted a huge-ass hood for this. In the end, it would have probably been wiser to use the bigger squares for the shoulder capelet, but I have no regrets. Same story as with the capelet, just a lot less complicated; off with the corner and in with the lining.

That's how the whole mess looks on the inside of the capelet, the back of the hood cartridge-pleated down until it fit the neck opening. It's not pretty, but I really fastened every tuck twice and thrice. Then the cloak... oh boy, that nearly broke me. But I sewed it in around the back half of the neck opening so that it came out in the centers of my shoulders, and from there in a 90 degree-angle down the back. It ran out in that L shape you can see up there, not so much because I intended it but because I didn't have the best control over the cartridge-pleated outer part of the cloak.

And after I sent around the poll... I just went and did the opposite of its result ^^' I did end up putting the fancy golden trim around the capelet instead of the hood bc 1st, people I asked live said it'd look better there, and 2nd @kittycatalex made a pretty good point for sensory issues. And it looks so nice. Look at this big hood. I can play such a shady figure in this. The whole cloak is a bit top-heavy because the hood is bigger than the capelet, and the cloak doesn't have any lining, but that only means that the back can dramatically go whoooosh when I move. And when I don't move - behold that drape! So worth the bother!

[msfcatlover]

Batman Cass

I think this one will be shorter, since I'm iterating on a canon costume rather than creating an identity from scratch.

I know I'm giving Dick his discowing colors (several artists have actually given them to the Flying Graysons over the years, to keep Dick's costume being inspired by them without him just running around Gotham in his performance costume. I think Robin should be the tribute rather than Nightwing, but I'm happy to steal that as an excuse to put Dick in the blue & gold.) Cass's Batman costume was basically designed in tandem with the Moonbeam suit, so the two should compliment eachother.

Cass's cape is jet black, but the underside has a yellow-to-black gradient (ombre) where it's bright up high & fades out towards the edge. I'd actually make that highly reflective, since as Moonbeam Cass learned to use light as a weapon, and it makes her look downright angelic when the cape flares out, like she has a golden sun caught under her cape.

(This is definitely inspired by the fic Loading & Aspect Ratio, whose use of colors makes me rabid. Read it, please.)

(Have a quick & messy bit of concept art I threw together from the "Mark of Cain" cover to show what this cape might look like. Ignore the rest of the suit, we're getting to it.)

Next, Batman is losing about a foot of height. Cass will be compensating for this with ears. Not the super-absurdly-long ears Batman sometimes has, but still big.

(Thanks to broosepayne for literally collecting these. Very handy.)

She'll also be wearing lift-boots. Not platforms, not heels, those both threaten to seriously twist your ankle. But Cass is used to running around in lifts as Black Bat, and it helps make up the difference. Based on my observations of her costumes over the years, Cass genuinely likes fitted knee-high boots. (Is it a "make it more feminine" sexist command from on high? Probably. But it's a consistent part of her design, and I'm using it.)

(Something like these, probably. Maybe with a more emphasized/rugged sole, like these.)

For the cowl itself, I think Cass would probably still stick to her mouthless look. So probably something like Batman 1,000,000's cowl:

...which, now that I'm looking at it, I love the detail of the cape-clasp. And the shoulder pads kinda work too? She needs to add some breadth/bulk to her build, and their almost pauldron-like look is a nice callback to her Moonbeam days. Cass does wear more traditional shoulderpads under the suit, and then these pauldrons over the cape. I'd make them matte black, just slightly lighter than the cape. The little golden clasp should be bat-shaped, obviously. (This detail probably gets ignored a lot of the time, but it lets her have a bat visible even with the cape closed.)

Solid black body suit (also seen in the 1,000,000 pics) but I do think Cass should have a bat-symbol on her chest. After consulting my favorite chart, I think a slightly stretched version of the 70s bat symbol with a perfect circle behind it would probably be best.

(Quickly thrown together in GIMP. I really, really like the way the gold outline turned out, even though I wasn't leaning towards just an outline when I started.)

I think her utility belt is black, but the pouches are yellow/gold.

(Okay, this is the best version I can find, but I do want to draw everyone's attention to this comprehensive breakdown of every bat-belt because it's very impressive.)

Finally, rather than gauntlets, Cass wears black gloves with a folded cuff. Kinda like the Zero Year purple gloves, but with a much thicker cuff. The top & bottom of the cuff has a gold trim, but I'm going back & forth on whether there's more details (like capped knuckles or wire-thin fingerstripes) or if they're just plain aside from that trim.

(Here's the two best pics of these type of gloves I could find.)

I'm actually really pleased with this look. It helps Cass bridge the gap between her Black Bat (Batgirl) look and Batman, compensating for the difference in build decently well (especially when you remember most people aren't going to see Batman for very long or very well.) The wing-shaped shoulderpads & touches of glittering gold add a hint of showmanship, which means both thematically & color-wise she'll look good standing next to Moonbeam!Dick. The gloves then bring it back down to earth, looking like slightly fancier work gloves, emphasizing utility over flair or combat. Personally, I think the gloves soften the whole look a little, helping to show this is an older, more mature Cass who has taken an apprentice of her own, and especially how much she's healed & grown since donning the stitched-up Black Bat (Batgirl) suit after Steph's death. I even got to bring back my idea of the Shadows wearing Moonbeam's circle to represent their connection, very specifically with Cass's golden ring, to show that Cass is once again part of a matched set---it's just that this time, Cass is the shadow to Dick's light.

[rainbowchibbit]

Just a fan here to say hi!

I'm thrilled to see you have moved and things are calming down a bit for you. I hope The Many Muses should strike you again.

I've followed SoulFell for a long time, found it via the voice overs during the undertale golden era on YouTube. It brings me a lot of happiness to see it continue. You make something beautiful from my first venture into fandom.

Thank you so much!!! I also hope soon that the many muses will Grace me with their presence again. Or beat me over the head with inspiration LMAO I’m still waiting for the final sale of the condo so that’s still stressing me a little bit even though closing should be done by Thursday but I’m still like @_@ please mister buyer sir take this condo out of my hands I’m dyin scoob jabdkdnfkfj

BUT YEA hopefully soon I will start posting Soulfell stuff again! I think I said this in another post at one point but I need to sit down with my outline and really trim it down because I want to bring the story to its proper conclusion but I also don’t want to be doing it for another like 5 years or smth JBDKVAB I want to FINISH A PROJECT and I also want to then move on to a new project of some kind! No idea what but probably a bunch of way smaller things than soulfell hahaha 💖💖

[winterdeepelegy]

The Grumpus

Glace hadn't been looking for an excuse to visit Ciel, or that's what he told himself, but he arrived at her door nonetheless and was invited in for coffee. Something about her home matched the atmosphere outside. Although it was cozy, her parlor fairly shimmered with Starlight Celebration finery. A large tree, as well, stood decked out in shiny bits and bobs, and strands of gleaming silver. Surrounding its base was a pile of plush dolls and toys nearly as wide as it was deep.

"You're just in time," chirped the songstress upon returning with said coffee, cups, and adornments therefore.

She too dressed for the festivities in a mint green dress trimmed with fur, stockings adorned with snowflakes, and a red silk ribbon in her hair which bore golden charms at the end.

It would be a lie to say he didn't find the look at all adorable but this was a thought to which he would never lend voice. "In time for what? And what's with all the toys? I never would have assumed you the sort to collect dolls." Ciel filled his cup and presented it with her explanation. "Oh, they're not for me. I do collect them every winter, but they're for children in orphanages and less fortunate situations. I could use some help delivering them." He clasped his hands around the cup of coffee and lifted it to inhale the rich aroma. Neither coffee nor cream would find their way into it. It had to remain pure... bitter and dark like his heart.

"You know, I've never paid Starlight much mind," he said. "Never really had time or interest to get into it, and it wasn't so much a thing in Garlemald. Most of the holidays revolved around the Emperor's nameday,  or the date of a historic conquest..." "But there's nothing to stop you, hm? Do you know aught of the holiday's history?" He took a slow sip of his drink while considering the possibility, lowered it a few ilms and looked in her direction. "No, now that you mention it. I mean, I know the history, I had to learn it for immersion... but you're right, there's nothing to stop me now and I like kids well enough. I'm just... not the jolly type."

"But do it for them!" Ciel dropped a sugar cube and a dribble of cream into her cup, followed by a stream of coffee. "And the more the merrier, as they say. They'd love you for it." He turned his eyes downward to stare into his cup. "Gods, I've done enough pretending for a lifetime. You want me to pretend more?"

She feigned a pout, "I'm not asking you to pretend to be joyful, I'm just asking you to help bring joy to people who need it. Did they truly have nothing like this in Garlemald?" "Well... not while I was there. Something like it but not like it, a very long time ago, before it ever became the Empire." "Oh?" "They had a Grumpus." He said this much and lapsed into silence, again taking from his cup while Ciel waited moments for more details. "Well, out with it, Glace. You can't just drop something like that and not tell me what a 'Grumpus' is," the woman prodded. He grumbled in response, "I'm thinking... Like I said it's old history, fell out of favor after the military evolution began." Another brief pause for consideration, but he did piece together an explanation.

"I don't know how much you know about Reapers and their origin... the Grumpus comes from that. Supposedly, anyroad, it was the result of a farmer who was tired of his sons not helping around the farmstead... so to instill some fear and respect into them, he made a pact with a Voidsent and let it take over his body temporarily. When that happened, he sprouted aldgoat-like horns, his feet turned to hooves, his hands turned into claws..." Ciel lofted an eyebrow, "Well that hardly sounds joyful..."

He continued, "But it worked. The Grumpus, as it was called, threatened to drag them off into the snows and feed them to the Almastys if they didn't stop shirking their chores. And for every instance of disobedience, it would steal something they enjoyed - including the love of family. They never disrespected their father again after that, and the family was happier for it." She stared. Perhaps she had missed the part where there might have been anything truly joyful beyond terrified obedience. "Alright then..." She slowly sipped her coffee but inquired no further, figuring it better to leave the tale alone.

"Now what of your siblings? Do you think some of them might wish to help, too? It might be good to have them meet people this way."

Something in the Duskwight's expression brightened at that. He could think of several who might have loved the idea. "You're right, Plum. Let me finish this cup and I'll see how quickly I can gather them."

[astridhoff03]

A new Life & the Beat of Young Hearts - Part 1 (Epilouge to the Pregnancy Troubles Chapters)

The sun was setting over the mountain peaks of New Berk, casting everything in a rich golden light. Astrid was now eight months pregnant and already quite tired from the long months of carrying her third child. With a good book that Hiccup had given her for her thirty-first birthday. It was a beautiful book in a beautiful leather strap with the Deadly Nadder's mark on the cover and filled with everything that reminded Astrid of her wild teenage years on Dragon's Edge up to the time when Zephyr was born. She traced over a heart of cobbled-together onyx and sapphire scales of Stormfly and Toothless that framed a drawing of her engagement necklace and above it was a small note:

Entry 23

Today is the day I can finally give Astrid her engagement gift, I hope she likes it. It's hard to believe that I asked for her to marry me two weeks ago and she actually said YES.

She smiled to herself and thought back to the many adventures she had spent out there with the love of her life and their mutual friends. She felt the baby moving in her stomach. She gently stroked her round belly and felt the little human inside her stirring. “Well, what do you say, my darling, are you as hungry as I am?” She felt a gentle kick against the skin of her stomach and she smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She clumsily pushed herself up from the sofa and walked towards the kitchen. “Let’s see if we can help your daddy prepare dinner for your two siblings.” Astrid leaned against the doorframe and watched as her husband served the soup and then took care of cutting four slices of bread. Zephyr and Nuffink sat at the table, which was already set, and painted small dragon figures that they tried out for the badge from the Book of Dragons. Astrid put an arm around Hiccup's shoulders, she immediately saw a smile on his lips as she snuggled up to him. “Can I help you with something?” He stroked her back. “I have everything under control.” Astrid gave him a kiss on the cheek and tickled his beard, making him giggle while she nuzzled him a bit. “It needs some trimming again.” Hiccup smiled. “The few centimeters. But if you really want to? As long as you don't cut it off completely." "Don't worry, you look really sexy with that beard. I just don't want it to look like a possum died on your face." Hiccup could only grin at that. Hiccup took the soup spoon and stirred the freshly seasoned vegetable soup, giving his wife a conspiratorial sideways glance. Astrid walked over to the table and picked up the soup bowls so Hiccup could fill them with the freshly made soup. As she put the soup down, she stroked Hiccup's soft fabric of his tunic and listened to the beating of his strong heart beneath her fingers. Their eyes collided. "I hope everything will be okay," Hiccup whispered to her, his hand resting on her stomach. Astrid sighed: “I hope so too. I'm so tired already." "I know you're tired, Honey. Just hold on for another week, then the baby should come according to your mother." Astrid nodded and she and Hiccup sat down on the table where their children were already waiting impatiently so that they could finally eat. After dinner, the family decided to sit outside for a while every evening and enjoy the beauty of the warm summer night. But thousands of stars glittered above them in the deep black of the night like glistening salt crystals in mines. Zephyr jumped up and down excitedly as a shooting star flashed through the night. “Look Nuff, now we can make a wish for a shooting star!” “Oh, I wish for a shield for the next Snoggeltog,” gasped the little boy. “And what do you want?” Astrid asked curiously and nudged her husband on his biceps. "I'm not allowed to say birthday wish rule." Astrid rolled her eyes with a smile and leaned back. “How long have we been married now? And you don't tell your wife, who you've lusted after since we were little children, what you want." Hiccup laughed and stroked her thigh. “You know I’ll tell you everything. But...if I say it out loud, it usually doesn't come true." "Sure," Astrid said, watching carefully as Hiccup proudly smoothed his beard and looked at her with that conspiratorial look again. “But what if I want my beautiful wife to dance with me now?” He was immediately on his feet and held out his hand to her, of course Astrid couldn’t say no and let him pull her into his arms . "Hiccup, I'm not sure if dancing is right, I feel like a whale." He leaned closer to her, hugging her waist protectively. "And whales can sing beautifully." "Hiccup, darling, I can't sing," she corrected him with raised eyebrows. “Then you’re much more like a killer whale. Strong, intelligent, social and an unpredictable warrior of the ocean." Astrid laughed: "Fishlegs' new hobby of finding out everything about sea mammals must have rubbed off on you a bit." Hiccup sighed. "I'm just glad Snotlout has to listen to most of it now that they're married."

Sequel will follow…again

Sry for doing This again But I Haven’t figured out yet how to make more space in the document.