#if this flops it never happened 😅

[hero-deserves-to-be-happy]

Hero Ficlet Requests Open For A Limited Time Only

Hello friends and fellow Hero enthusiasts! We feel that there could always be more Hero-centric content in the world, so, for a limited time, we've decided to open up some requests for Hero-centric ficlets.

Please send in an ask with your ficlet request. You can specify a genre, topic, and/or Hero-centric situation or relationship (either platonic or romantic as long as it satisfies our blog rules), and we will write you a short story between 500 and 1000 words in length (possibly shorter or longer but most likely somewhere between 500 and 1000 words).

We will be opening 6 request slots.

Rules & Considerations for requests are listed under the cut. Thank you so much for participating in our small, limited-time event! 💙

Some request Rules and Considerations:

All requests must be Safe For Work.

Requests can be made anonymously.

All requests must include & prominently feature Hero, but you can request a ficlet about relationships with Hero in them (i.e. Hero and Sunny's friendship, Hero and Kel as brothers, or HeroMari"). Unless otherwise specified or in the case of HeroMari (which we know was canonically romantic), all relationships will be taken as platonic.

We will only take requests for romantic ships in which the other character is confirmed in the canon to be Hero's age since he is canonically an adult [i.e. Mari (who is the same age as Hero) or Brandi (who is confirmed to attend university with him) would be acceptable]. Requests including any ships between Hero and a canon character with an ambiguous age will be politely declined.

To make this blog super inclusive for all Hero appreciators regardless of their ship preferences for the other OMORI characters, we will not accept any requests that involve undeniably/explicitly romantic ships for Sunny, Kel, Aubrey, or Basil.

We are generally not comfortable creating content for specific AUs that we did not create ourselves and with which we are unfamiliar.

You may specify a genre (i.e. Hurt/Comfort or Fluff) and/or a situation (i.e. going shopping or having a picnic) in your request if you'd like something specific.

We reserve the right to politely decline a request (but we probably won't if you respect our rules). 😊

Please see our "Blog Considerations" listed on our pinned post for more information. Thank you so much for participating!!

[acacia-may]

[ahgasegotarmy116]

He Doesn't Deserve You | Intro | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: You husband Taehyung is anything but loving but that doesn't keep him from trying to hold onto you. But what happens when a kind stranger shows up and reminds you of your worth? Pairing: Noona reader x Jeon Jungkook (She's 28 and he's 22) Word Count: 388 Warnings: yändere, manipulative, domestic violence, self harm, cheating, explicit language, eventual smut, idk what else lol this is just the intro a/n: Hey guys I got this fic request by the lovely @euphriajjks so I hope you guys will all be looking forward to it! I guess this will kinda make up for the fact that oc didn't end up with Jungkook in difh like some of you wanted 😅 p.s. as always barely edited lol (I wrote this in one sitting so I hope it doesn't flop)

I open my eyes to sunlight beaming through the blinds in our room. I stretch and reach out on impulse to see if Taehyung ever came home, but it the same way it always is...

Waking up to an empty bed without my husband beside me has been something that has become a reoccurring theme in our marriage. I scoff at the fact that I even bother to call what we have a marriage anymore. I'm simply a warm body that he comes home to whenever he bothers to show up. 

When he's here there's always a turbulent dichotomy of emotions throughout the place we call home. He's either ready to jump my bones or getting into a fight about the smallest of things. Our love or lack there of is poisoning us from the inside out and it's times like these that I wake up ready to pack a bag and run. But I have no place to go. 

After getting ready I look at the faint purple handprints still noticeable on my neck from our last argument. It was a bad one and I wasn't sure if I was even going to make it out alive with what he was doing to me. I shiver at the memory and decide to change from my v neck tee and resigning to something with a higher collar, knowing already that it covers up the mistakes he's made before.

Because all those were were mistakes right? He never actually meant to hurt me. He always comes back and says sorry after he's calmed down and realizes what he's done. He always tells me that he didn't mean to call me 'that' and that he doesn't know how he got so lucky marrying the girl of his dreams but his actions say otherwise. 

Things weren't like this at the start. We were young and in love and things with him just felt right! We were each other's other half. Key word: Were.

Now it just feels like we're strangers tied together by some stupid pieces of paper and a string of broken promises. 

My life wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to be happy, build a family and a house full of love. 

Now all I'm left with is an empty bed and bleeding heart that still beats for him.    

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[cloudy-em]

Hi, that's me again😅

So... my other idea for Lip is: (again with relatively shy reader, because I love the thrope a lot) the reader and Lip are already in a relationship, one day someone teases her a little too much on the sexual theme (they haven't had sex yet so she's a bit insecure about it) he notices, he defends her, and once they're alone he starts to joke around, teases her in a sweet way, to make her feel more comfortable to talk about it. (She is not a virgin, she's just not that experienced)

Hope you like this one, if not. It's okay, I promise😂

another great idea! <3

personally i don't celebrate thanksgiving but i remember an episode from one of the earlier seasons of them doing a thanksgiving meal which is very convenient for this so it's loosely based on that

warnings: sexual comments, innuendos, Mickey's kinda being an ass but his comments aren't ill-intended

xxxxxxxxxx

The Gallagher household was bustling with activity. Fiona and V were in the kitchen, finishing up some last minute food preparations while Kevin was entertaining Carl and some of his friends in the yard with games. Ian was fixing drinks for everyone, desperately trying to find Debbie to figure out what she wanted (she was in her room, Mandy braiding her hair for her so she could impress Little Hank). Lip was finishing up a project for some sophomore who'd offered to pay him $100, and Liam was sitting patiently in his high chair. Y/N did her best to help out by setting the table, ensuring there were enough chairs and that everyone had all the proper utensils.

Mickey walked in the front door, beer in hand and flopped down, watching as Y/N reached across to the other side of the table to put a fork next to the plate. Mickey whistled like a boy in a 60s tv show.

"Damn, I bet you're used to that position," he quipped, taking another swig or his beer. Y/N looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows.

Mickey shrugged. "You know, cause I'm sure Philip bends you over pretty often." Y/N realized his implications, blushing and looking away. Mickey laughed, much more comfortable on the subject of sex than she was. "I'm sure Fiona's had to schedule time out of the house with the rest of the kids just to give you two some 'alone time'!"

Y/N grew increasingly uncomfortable. She wasn't a virgin or a puritan, but she and Lip hadn't had sex yet. They hadn't had a conversation about it or anything, but she wanted to wait a while and Lip had never brought it up with her.

Mickey laughed, "Look, kid, don't have to hide anything, we've all walked in on Lip with one of his hookups before." He paused for dramatic effect.

"Besides, it's always the shy one's who are the kinkiest!"

Y/N looked away, trying not to pay him any more mind and focus on her task. Lip walked down the stairs having finished with the sophomore's project, and immediately noticed something was off. His girlfriend was shy, sure, but she never bowed her head as low as she had.

"Hey, Lip!" Mickey called, teasing. Lip looked at him, eyebrows raised in expectation. "Maybe you should go out back and have quickie with your girl, get 'er to stop bein' such a priss." Lip realized what was wrong, walking over to his blushing girlfriend and placing his arm around her waist.

"Fuck off," Lip sighed. "Y/N isn't a priss, she just doesn't think the whole world needs to know about her sex life like you and Ian seem to."

Mickey raised his arms in surrender, "'Kay, fuck, Gallagher, it was all teasing, no harm meant!" He got up from his seat and went to the kitchen, presumably to grab another beer.

"C'mon, baby," Lip said softly, squeezing Y/N's waist and guiding her up to his room. He sat with her on the edge of Ian's bed, holding her hand and rubbing his calloused thumb on the back of it.

"I'm sorry he was messin' with you, baby," he whispered. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Anything I can do for you?" He emphasized his apology by pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

"No, just," she paused, thinking about how she wanted to phrase her next sentence. "Do you ever, I don't know, feel like I'm holding you back?"

Lip had a puzzled look on his face. "Whatd'ya mean, hon?"

"Well with like, you know," she sighed, pulling her hand away from Lip to hide her face. "We haven't had sex and I feel like that's my fault." She heard him chuckle quietly, her embarrassment seeping into her soul even more.

"Baby," he cooed, wrapping his arms around her in a hug as she continued to hide her face. "It's nobody's fault. We haven't talked about it yet! That's the most important part of any relationship, and that's taken me a while to learn. I figured you'd bring it up when you were ready. I didn't want you to feel pressured."

She looked up at him, eyes wide and glazed over, on the verge of tears because of her embarrassment. "Really?" she asked.

"Really," he nodded like he had given an order to the universe.

"I thought that maybe you weren't attracted to me or that you thought I wasn't good enough," she whispered.

"Me? Not attracted to you? Aw babe!" he laughed, nose touching hers in a loving exchange. "A pretty thing like you deserves to be worshipped. When we have sex, I'm takin' my time with you."

She giggled at his compliment, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

"Oh, what you don't believe me? I've wanted to sleep with pretty girl forever, I just wanted to make sure she's ready for me," he smiled at her. The more he complimented her, easing in sex references, the more comfortable she felt on the subject. He had waited for her! He didn't think she was a prude or anything, he just had respect for her; he cared for her. She felt warmth in her chest as she processed the conversation. Lip kissed her nose briefly, helping her stand up from the bed.

"And try not to let Mickey get you down. He's just like that and assumes everyone else is comfortable talking about their sex life the way he does. I'll warn him to dial it down when he's around you, though," Lip told her, looking into her eyes to make sure she knew he was serious.

"Thanks, Lip. I love you," she told him, hugging him again.

"I love you, too, Y/N. Now, we'll talk more about us and our boundaries and moving forward later," he told her, trying to help her be more comfortable discussing sex with him. "But right now I think we've got a dinner to be at."

xxxxxx

thanks for reading! sorry about me projecting a lil bit in lip and reader's conversation lol, i just think it's really important to have these conversations with your partners and i think lip, despite being all tough and "not sappy" (but he totally is) really cares about discussing boundaries with his partner

have a great day!

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

hear me out. high ranking fatui harbinger reader who's known for being cold and closed off that absolutely hates childe, who finds him annoying and thinks he's bad at his job. then one day reader just happens upon foul legacy in a secluded area and immediately adores the abyssal moth, completely unaware that it literally shares a body with childe. sorry if i worded this weirdly😅

OH YESSSSS, Harbinger reader is ALWAYS a plus!!!!

before you met Tartaglia, or Childe, as his codename was, you could safely say that you never HATED any of your coworkers. bored and often irritated by, yes, especially by those like Dottore or Pantalone, but never hatred... before you met Tartaglia. BEFORE. now your streak was unfortunately broken, every encounter with the Eleventh Harbinger filled with bickering and sarcastic comments from both you and him- you swear the other Harbingers are placing bets on who breaks first, but you can't help it! he's just so annoying, always caring more about getting into fights than actually doing his diplomatic work. the only bright side is that he often gets injured and has to stay in the medical wing, giving you a few blissfully quiet, free days before returning to pester you more, much to your dismay

thank the Archons that something else comes along to brighten your already-tedious days a little, an odd creature lurking in the rooms of the Headquarters. no one else seemed alarm by it- either that, or they didn't know- and when you had first come across the towering Abyssal monster it had tilted its head with a soft chirp, tentatively creeping closer before bumping against your outstretched hands. with none of your coworkers nearby, you had smiled as bright as the stars, giving the peculiar beast headpats and scritches behind the twin horns on its head as it purrs and nuzzles happily into your touch, eventually flopping over and snuggling its head into your lap. you return the next evening, and the next, and the next, and the monster is always there, waiting just for you

Foul Legacy has to prevent himself from chittering with delight when he hears your laugh for the first time, sees the smile of the person he and Childe have been pining for, in love with your quick wit and skill on the battlefield. Childe, on the other hand, is muttering curse words in the back of his head- HE wants your pats and smiles as well!!

[nvrsaidiwasinurcloset]

part 2 of feeling this?

Hi! I hope you like this! I want to turn it into an actual series as long as people like it:)

Feeling This - Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader - Part 2

Part 1

No warning, just Fluff and Ethan being a sweetie pie🥹

Summary: Ethan helps you study

Ethan was so giddy as he walked back to his dorm that night, he felt like he was floating instead of walking. Chad high-fived him when he mentioned how he went back for the kiss.

“Yes, dude! I’m proud of you!” Chad said, as Ethan sat there beaming. “You never know, you might not be a virgin forever after all.”

Ethan’s face dropped a little, “I don’t want her to think that’s what I want from her, ya know?”

Chad took in the tone change, looking over his friend’s face, “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying, most people in relationships sleep together. If you guys get serious, it could happen.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. I just want to get to know her, and hopefully she doesn’t think I’m a total fucking loser,” he sighed, flopping onto his bed.

“She doesn’t. Saturday will be great,” Chad said, Ethan’s face starting to perk back up.

He heard his phone ding in his pocket, he pulled it out to see a text from an unknown number. After reading it over, he realized that it was you.

You: Hey, I got your number from Mindy…I hope you don’t mind.

You: Thanks for walking me home😊

Ethan: Of course😘

As soon as he sent the kiss-face, he felt like an idiot. The last thing he wanted to do was come off too strong.

You: Goodnight😘

His heart skipped a beat in his chest when you responded with the same emoji, but he decided to lock his phone before he did anything to actually embarrass himself.

You woke up earlier than you normally did the next morning. You usually don’t have time to stop for coffee on the way to class, always having to settle for your roommates Keurig to get the energy you needed to get through the first half of the day.

As you walked into the coffee shop, you bumped into Chad.

“Hey, good morning!” he greeted, and you started to wonder why he was here. He seemed like he already had plenty of energy before 8am.

“Good morning,” you said, the groggy tone in your voice making him laugh.

“Not a morning person, huh?” he asked, grabbing the cup from the barista.

“Not really. I woke up early today, so I have time to get coffee before class,” you said, before placing your order.

“Well, I gotta go. I need to get this to Tara before her first class,” he said, you sticking your bottom lip out at how cute that was.

“That’s so sweet! I’ll see you around, Chad,” you said, waving to him as he made his way towards the door.

After you got your coffee, you went to your first class. You listened to the professor talk about how so many of the students failed the last test, and that a lot of people are going to be surprised when the grades are posted. You started to feel sick as you thought back to the test, knowing that you were most likely one of the students that didn’t pass.

After making it through the rest of your morning, you decided to go to lunch with Mindy. That’s when you got the notification that your new grade had been posted.

“Fuuuck,” you groaned, seeing a 54 in bright red.

“What’s wrong?” Mindy asked as she sat across from you.

“I just bombed this test for my Philosophy class,” you sighed, as Mindy started to smile.

“Ethan took that class last semester. Ask him to study with you,” she said, taking a bite of your food.

You pulled out your phone, pulling up the message thread with Ethan.

You: Hey, how did you do in Philosophy last semester?🧐

Ethan: It was hard, but I passed it.😅

You: Wanna help me study?

Ethan: Of course. When?

You: I don’t have any morning classes tomorrow, if you’d maybe want to meet in the library?

Ethan: I have a morning class, but I could meet you at 10?

You: Perfect, I’ll see you then😊

“You’re a genius, and I love you,” you said to Mindy as you locked your phone.

“So…Ethan walked you home last night. How’d that go?” she asked, desperately wanting some details.

“He walked me to the door, and came back a few minutes later to kiss me,” you said, smiling as you thought back to it.

“I don’t know if he actually needed Chad and I’s help,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “He’s had a thing for you for months. He never shuts up about you.”

You blushed at her words, loving how sweet he was.

After lunch, the rest of the day flew by. The exhaustion set in as you tried to work on your assignments, passing out on the bed with your laptop in front of you.

When you woke up the next morning, you checked your phone, noticing a goodnight text from Ethan. You were a little bummed that you weren’t awake to respond, but once you noticed the time, you jumped out of bed and quickly changed. You had fifteen minutes to get to the library to meet with Ethan, and you didn’t want to be late and waste his time.

You ran into the library, scanning the room for the curly-haired boy. He was sitting at a table, working on his computer.

“Hey,” you said, taking a seat beside him.

“Hey, this is for you,” he said, handing over a coffee.

“You got me coffee?” you asked, taking a sip. “You got me my favorite drink.”

“Yeah, my roommate is a stalker and listened to your order yesterday to pass it along to me,” he laughed, as he started to type again.

“It’s really sweet that you did this for me,” you said, pulling out your computer. “And it’s really sweet that you’re taking time out of your day to help me.”

His cheeks had a pink tint to them, “I get to spend time with you. I don’t care if it’s just to study.”

Your heart swelled at his words as you pulled up your assignments, showing Ethan the most recent score on your test.

“Holy shit,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s okay, we’ll get your grade back up. I’ll study with you every day if we have to.”

“I hope I can get it back up. My scholarship kind of depends on my GPA being at least a 3.5,” you sighed, as Ethan looked over to you.

“It’ll be fine. Okay, Introduction to Philosophy…”

You studied with Ethan for over two hours, the both of you accidentally skipping lunch. He was a great tutor, but every time he got closer to you to explain something, you felt your heart race.

“I’m sorry, but I have to get to my next class. My day is full tomorrow, but we can spend some time studying before our date on Saturday if you want,” Ethan said, putting his laptop in his backpack.

“That sounds great. Thanks again, Ethan,” you said, standing up and giving him a hug. He pecked your lips as he pulled away, the simple gesture giving you a severe case of butterflies.

“I’ll text you later,” he said, walking towards the exit.

Your smile was huge as you stood there, taking a second to enjoy the feeling before packing your stuff to head to your film studies class.

[davnittbraes]

Teleportation and Blue Whiskey

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x F!Reader

Rating: Explicit (eventually)

Word Count: 1500

Warnings, etc.: descriptions of a panic attack, claustrophobia, annoying coworkers, brief description of desire for self-amputation due to shitty footwear, mention of cotton-poly blend clothing

Reader-insert physical descriptors: nothing in this chapter but hair long enough to tangle fingers in/comb fingers through in future chapters, just in case that’s not your jam

Notes: this is for @burntheedges Roll-A-Trope Challenge, I got Stuck in an Elevator with Dieter Bravo (something I wish I could actually say happened to me irl 😅) It was only supposed to be a couple thousand words for a fun writing challenge but here I am, splitting it into multiple parts, because as with everything I write it’s taken on a life of its own and has become impossible to control. Everyone hang on, I have no idea where this ride will end. Let’s go 💃🥳

There’s a headache forming at the back of your head - no, right between your eyes - nope, it’s both.

A band of pain slowly throbbing to life, wrapping your skull in the weight of ten consecutive hours of socializing with people you’d just met two days ago.

Fucking. Perfect.

This conference is going to kill you.

It’s the first time you’ve attended, and you’re definitely not coming back next year. Despite what looked like a robust presentation itinerary, the whole vibe seems to be less of an educational event and more of an excuse to spread gossip, get intoxicated to the point of obliteration, and rack up charges on company credit cards.

Who knew clinical pharmacists were such party animals.

It’s just not your scene. You’d rather be back in the hospital, consulting with other medical practitioners, patients, generally helping people, instead of shooting tequila at 3am in the VIP section of some poorly lit club you’ve never heard of.

Sighing, you shift your feet as you wait for the elevator. This pant suit feels stuffy, the cotton-poly blend scratching your skin. The shoes that look so good with your outfit are pinching your pinky toes in a way that makes you want to cut them off and be done with it. If it wasn’t for those damn pinky toes, you’d be taking the stairs - much more preferable anyway, elevators made you uncomfortable.

You’ve never liked them, always hated the inability to just get out whenever you wanted to, the need to rely on something out of your control to give you a chance to escape. And there was always the threat, the possibility that everything would fail, that the elevator would fall, plummet down and you’d be shattered into a dozen pieces.

But your feet might just rebel and call a mutiny if you try to force them up five stories.

So, elevator death-trap it is.

The hotel lobby is starting to fill up with people heading out for a night on the town, including some of your colleagues. They haven’t looked your way yet, but if they see you, they’ll definitely try to rope you into whatever shenanigans they’ve got planned for tonight.

Shit.

You push the elevator call button again, and once more for good measure.

Come on, come on, please -

The ding of the elevator pulls your attention, your aching feet moving even before the doors start sliding open, and you duck inside and out of view of the lobby.

Muzak and a soft golden light fills the small space. It’s welcome, quiet and soothing.

Leaning against the wall, you take a deep breath and let it out, eyes half closing with weariness as the doors start to slide shut. Almost there, a few floors and a dozen steps and then you can flop face forward on the double mattress your company had paid for.

The elevator stutters to a halt, doors sliding open again.

A groan almost slips out and you have to bite it back.

Fucking. Perfect.

The last thing you want right now is social interaction.

A man shuffles onto the elevator.

Your exhausted mind notes tiny details about him - the way his dark green crocs catch on the elevator door track, the frayed hem of his navy and red checked pajama pants, the bulky dark grey hoodie with the hood pulled low over his eyes so all you catch is a glimpse of plush lips twisted into a downturn. He’s carrying a couple reusable bags, well-used and wrinkled, whatever is in them clinking softly together.

He moves to the far corner and slumps against the wall, keeping his head down so you can’t even see his face anymore.

A curl of apprehension mingles with relief in the pit of your stomach.

Okay, well, you didn’t want someone who would talk your ear off on your way to your floor but you’re also not particular on sharing an elevator ride with someone obviously attempting to hide their features.

Whatever. It’s less than a minute to the floor.

The elevator doors slide shut. And nothing happens.

What -

Shit.

The elevator’s broken, you’re stuck in here -

No no no -

Your chest tightens instantly, every muscle in your body drawing up in panic.

This is it, exactly what you’ve been dreading, this elevator has stopped, and there is no escape, and -

Oh.

You didn’t push the button for your floor.

Embarrassment prickles along your skin and you lean forward, punch the number six with your thumb, probably a little too forcefully.

The man in the corner doesn’t move, but social convention prompts you to ask anyway. “What floor?”

“Hmm?” His voice is low, smooth, slightly detached as if he’s lost in his own thoughts. “Oh, yeah. I -“

He shifts the bags in his hands, digs into the pocket of his hoodie and pulls out a hotel room key card. Fingers fumbling, he steps toward the elevator buttons, hesitating just a moment before he holds the card up to the reader at the top of the keypad while pressing the button for the penthouse. The button illuminates and he quickly steps back into the corner, shoving the card back in his pocket.

His free hand tugs his hood lower over his face. “Hate those things, radio frequency waves or whatever. What’s wrong with old-fashioned keys?”

The last word clips off hard, as if he just realized he was speaking and regretted it.

Confusion blooms, and you keep your gaze forward, your expression blank.

Who is this man?

Dressed like he had just rolled out of bed, huddling in the corner of the elevator, trying not to be seen while rambling about radio frequency waves on his way to the penthouse suite?

Mentally shaking yourself, you focus on watching the numbers flash on the floor indicator above the elevator door.

Doesn’t matter who this weirdo is. Just get back to your room and try to forget about this entire day.

The steady, rhythmic white glow of the numbers is comforting, in some way. A reliable beat, marking the path to the solitude you’ve been craving all day.

2.

3.

4.

The elevator shudders to a stop.

Silence.

You wait.

The door doesn’t budge. Nothing moves.

Above your head, the lights flicker, then steady. Still.

The silence is too heavy, too much, it’s not right.

It’s actually happened, now.

The elevator has stalled, and you’re stuck in it.

Panic, hot and sharp, wells up in the back of your throat, and it takes effort to swallow it down.

Breathe. Deep breaths.

It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.

These things happen all the time.

Think it through. Use that technique from therapy - work through the next steps instead of focusing on the panic threatening to overwhelm you.

The hotel will have someone on staff to fix it - they must, a five star hotel this size? For sure they do. They have to.

They have to.

It won’t be long, maybe a bit longer if the - what are they called? - elevator maintenance person, whatever, is on a break.

But it’s nowhere near a meal time, the Whatever Person is probably not on a full break, maybe just a fifteen or something.

Yeah, okay. So once they get done their break they’ll -

“Are you freaking out? Because you look like you’re freaking out.”

The question whips through your anxiety, yanks you out of your thoughts and you sway a little, dizziness making the elevator tip as it comes back into view.

Trapped trapped you’re never getting out

“Whoa hey you - hold on -“

A hand grasps your shoulder, presses your back against the wall of the elevator.

The air is thin, it’s hard to fill your lungs and you can’t -

breathe -

“Breathe -“

Muffled voice, deep, speaking quickly, syllables skimming the surface swells of panic, pulsing in your mind with the same rhythm as your heartbeat.

It’s too fast, too loud, can’t breathe -

The world slants suddenly, your feet stumble to adjust. Heart pounding, hard, it hurts -

It’s happening, the elevator is dropping -

Too fast too loud -

It’s falling -

No you’re falling -

Crashing -

Landing on something solid but yielding -

Warm -

Your fingers grip, squeeze, hold tight. Time blinks, once, twice.

Panic freezes.

Hands. You feel hands on your body.

Large hands, soothing, gentle.

One on your back, resting between your shoulderblades, warmth seeping through your clothing and into constricted lungs, loosening tension. The ache there lessens, lungs filling.

The other hand cups the back of your head, thumb stroking small circles over your scalp. A tiny, almost insignificant motion, and it pulls your focus immediately.

Again and again, soft and soothing circles.

Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

The white-heat of panic subsides, slowly pulling off of your senses and your thoughts run an inner monologue, a mantra, grounding you back into your own body.

In. Out. Good, just like that. How are your elbows so sharp? Ow.

Wait. It’s not an inner monologue, it’s -

The man. In the elevator with you.

It’s his words drawing you out of your panic, his hands on your body.

Fresh panic washes over you, your eyes flying open to see -

The stranger’s gaze, watching you closely, a rich, deep brown that makes your pulse skip.

Tousled brown curls falling over a brow creased with concern.

Full lips, drawn down at the corners, soft and plush and only inches from yours, parting slightly, and that voice, so beautifully comforting -

“Oh thank fuck you’re not dead.”

[velnna]

Since you probably use more social media than most people, I was curious on what you think of the ones u use, especially now that blue sky is open to the public

Eh, I'm not super well versed on them these days because I mostly use them to respond to notifications, post and disappear, plus I have notifications filtered everywhere so I don't keep track of engagement. ESPECIALLY with bluesky, I've never even opened the general timeline there 😅

Twitter is still my favourite social media and the one I use more seamlessly. I think I see value in it because it's not primarily meant for visual posts and there's people from a bunch of different fields and industries engaging with whatever all at once, plus the line between commenting on a post and making a post yourself is blurred which gives for some funny interactions. It used to intimidate me but now I'm just chilling.

Bluesky I guess is supposed to be the same thing? But I can't bring myself to engage with it idk. Back when it started I could see that the most active people there were the ones actively hating twitter, while.. doing the exact same things on bluesky they did on twitter 🤷‍♂️ so I think Elon Musk aside it's basically the same thing with less users.

I used to be big on instagram but basically stopped using it when they introduced reels, now I just post and disappear. I hate that they couldn't just leave it simple and uncluttered and the fact that reels became so popular pissed me off lmao.

Tiktok is a tricky one for me because I go "viral" easily there and it's my biggest platform BUT it's very addicting and you sorta have to scroll through the main page to find content to make + a lot of the time you need to make content specifically for it. Which is a time sink for me in a lot of ways :') I tend to open it every other month to maybe post something then ghost again

Tumblr is... fine? Idk tumblr definitely feels like both the most useless and the easiest social media to use. Useless in the sense that I never expect anything that happens on tumblr to materialise into anything outside of it. Easiest in the sense that it's just chill for me to post and engage with what people send me without needing to think about it too hard. Trying to get original content to take off here was in vain but fanart does particularly well as expected.. which means it only started being fun for me when I got into BG3 as I'd never been in a fandom before lmao. I like that, just like twitter, it's not only for visual posts, but get overwhelmed at the idea of blogs and formatting and sorting posts, so I only use it barebones and tend to not engage with the main page/timeline either

Engagement-wise, I honestly couldn't tell ya. I think that comes down to you paying attention to each social media's trends and how people interact with it. Personally I'm (very luckily) at a stage where 99% of the time I don't care about whether a post makes numbers or flops, and my platforms are big enough that if I REALLY needed something to do well I could probably find a way to make it loud enough so yknow

Hope this answers your question :'D

[hbyrde36]

WIP Something

Last Thursday @dreamwatch tagged me in a post that for her counted towards a Seven Sentence Sunday tag and a WIP Wednesday tag. And I was ill and not really writing for a few days there, but today—TODAY I made words happen and a pretty big push towards finally getting the next (THE PENULTIMATE) chapter of a WIP out.

And oh haha look we're back at Wednesday which was totally on purpose! 😅

So, anyway

Words:

“Huh,” Eddie huffed, flopping down onto Chrissy’s neatly made bed. It jostled the carefully arranged mountain of pillows that were stacked up against the headboard, sending several of them tumbling to the floor. Why did girls always have so many goddamn pillows? “So that’s why you never let me come in here before. You do live in a two bedroom!” Chrissy bent to retrieve her fallen children and put them back in their proper place, except for the last, a bright pink fuzzy number with a cross-stitched peace sign on its front that she wacked him in the back of the head with. “I thought we’d moved past this. Haven't I apologized enough for the setup?” Eddie stuck out his bottom lip, arms crossing over his chest. “Will the lies never cease, Christine? I feel robbed! You and Robin were never sharing a bed?!” “We are now and that’s what matters, right?” “Yeah, yeah,” Eddie waved a hand through the air. “But where’s the pining for the person lying right next to you night after night?! Where’s the lovesick staring at the other person’s face while they sleep and wishing you could just tell them how you feel?! Where’s the drama?!” “I think we've had more than enough of that around here—for life. Maybe now it’s time for us all to just be happy.”

from chapter 11 of No Vacancy

No pressure tags for whatever flavor of WIP game strikes your fancy: @penny00dreadful @pearynice @rocknrollsalad @momotonescreaming @sidekick-hero

@shares-a-vest @griefabyss69 @kikidoesfanfic @thefreakandthehair @medusapelagia

[ronancexists]

Ronance/Platonic Stobin drabble that may become a story if I have the motivation for it (and if enough people that like it and actually want more) 😅

~~~

Robin huffed exhaustedly as she flopped onto Nancy's bed, ignoring the other woman's huff of annoyance as the sudden movement jostled the papers that had been spread out on the cover.

"Rough day?" Nancy asked, gathering the papers she had been using to study for her upcoming calculus test in her arms and setting them on the nightstand. She then shifted her gaze to Robin, who had flung an arm across her face while Nancy adjusted herself so she was lying on her back, turning her head to stare at Robin.

"The roughest," Robin agreed.

"Want to talk about it?" Nancy offered.

Robin merely shook her head, removing her arm so she could meet Nancy's gaze.

Nancy's entire demeanor softened when she noticed the red-rimmed and teary eyes. "Come here," she murmured, holding her arms out as an invitation.

Robin accepted the invitation, diving into Nancy's arms just as a fresh round of sobs escaped her. Her entire chest was heaving as tears streamed down her face, creating a wet spot on one of Nancy's favorite shirts.

The journalist would worry about that later. For now, her sole focus was on her beautiful yet devastated girlfriend who was an inconsolable mess in her arms.

"It's ok Robs, I'm here," Nancy whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Robin's head as her arms tightened around the younger woman. "I'm here, I've got you."

Robin let out a choked whimper, nails digging into Nancy's arms. She wanted to tell Nancy, she did, but she couldn't get the words out. The memory had been replaying in her mind on a loop since she had left Family Video in a rush.

~~~

Robin arched an eyebrow as Steve sighed in boredom for what had to be the millionth time since their shift started less than an hour ago. "Knock it off, dingus," she said.

"But Robbie, I'm sooooo bored," he said, looking at her with sad puppy dog eyes.

She merely rolled her eyes at the childish man. "Really? I couldn't tell."

"You're so mean," Steve said, sticking his tongue out as Robin flicked him off.

"But you love me anyways," Robin said through a grin, ignoring the flicker of guilt that passed through her at the fact that Steve still didn't know that she and Nancy had become a thing.

After everything that happened at Starcourt, Steve had been the one to drive Robin to the Byers home, where everything about the Upside Down had been explained to her, starting from Will's disappearance all the way up to what she had just witnessed at the mall.

Of course, it wasn't an easy explanation to get through as everyone wanted to contribute and pitch in their own versions of what they had experienced, but they managed to get through it with a question here and there from Robin.

Much to everyone's surprise, she had taken everything in stride. Though they supposed it was much easier to take in after you had witnessed the Mind Flayer and been drugged and tortured by evil Russians.

Everyone spent that night at the Byers, dispersed throughout the living room. The older teens took the couches while the younger ones piled onto the floor in a mountain of blankets and pillows and intertwined limbs.

Steve and Robin fell asleep a few inches apart on the couch, but when they woke up, Steve's arm was around Robin's waist and his head was resting on her shoulder, puffs of breath hitting the freckled woman's neck. They sprang apart rather quickly, but after a few nights, it became their thing.

And a few days after that, Robin unofficially moved with Steve. With both of their parents never home, she was practically at his house every day. She got her own bedroom, but one of them always ended up in the other's bed. Steve started driving her to and from work, even on nights they weren't scheduled together (which was a rare occasion).

A few weeks later, Nancy had called out of the blue to check up on Robin and see how she was handling everything. The younger woman confessed that she was still having nightmares and sought out Nancy's advice on how to make them disappear. Nancy offered to come pick her up and take them somewhere to go eat, and Robin readily agreed.

Their friendship was tentative, but after everything that had happened with Vecna/Henry/One, it blossomed. Nancy had never met anyone like Robin, who so easily went along with her ideas, never doubting her for even a second. Someone who was sarcastic and intelligent and quite the rambler. She had also never met a woman as beautiful as Robin, and it made her question everything she thought she knew about herself, especially when Robin finally worked up the courage to tell her that she was into girls.

After Robin's nervous confession, it was like everything clicked into place for Nancy. Without hesitation, she cupped Robin's cheeks in her hands and leaned in, pressing her lips against Robin's as she had been dreaming about for days. She had thought she had made a horrible mistake and was on the verge of pulling away when Robin finally reciprocated the kiss. Electricity crackled between them, running through their veins and leaving them absolutely breathless and dazed when they finally pulled apart.

Shortly after, the two began dating, though not without a thorough conversation about everything that had happened between Nancy and Steve. Nancy confessed that yes, she had hurt Steve, but he had also hurt her by trying to pretend as though nothing ever happened, as if her best friend in the entire world, Barb, hadn't been murdered by some vicious creature in a haunted world that mirrored their town.

Robin told Nancy that Steve was her best friend, her platonic partner, and that yes, she really, really liked Nancy and absolutely wanted to date her and be her girlfriend, but she didn't want to do anything that would hurt him or make him feel as though Robin had betrayed him.

Nancy reassured Robin that Steve wanted nothing more than for the both of them to be happy, and that he wouldn't have a problem with the two of them being together. She understood that if Robin really believed they shouldn't be together because of him, she would step away from the younger woman, as heartbreaking as it would be to do so.

Robin was certain she fell even harder for Nancy in that moment, and pressed a firm, loving kiss to the journalist's lips. "Wish me luck," she said.

"Good luck," Nancy said, chastely kissing Robin before she escorted her downstairs and to the front door, where Steve was waiting to pick her up so they could head to work together.

That had been earlier in the day, and now, Robin's heart was beating ferociously in her chest. Her hands felt sweaty, her eyes were zeroing in on everything except for Steve, and her mouth felt extremely dry. She couldn't help but to fiddle with her rings, inhaling and exhaling deeply to try and calm her nerves.

Of course with Steve being an expert on everything Robin, he instantly sensed the shift in the air, a concerned frown adorning his face when he noticed Robin was playing with her rings. She only did that when she was extremely bored or when she was utterly nervous about something. "You alright Robbie?" he asked, brow pinching in concern as she looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Y-yeah, yeah, of course. Everything is completely and totally fine. Why wouldn't it be? I'm working with my absolute best friend in the entire world who happens to be none other than Steve "the Hair" Harrington. Hey, don't you think it's funny that your nickname also matches your last name? Because I do. I think it's absolutely hilarious, actually. Even though it's not spelled the same as the type of hair that's on your head, it still makes for a really funny thing. God, it's really hot in here. It's making my head spin. Is your head spinning, Stevie? Because mine is."

"Robin," Steve interrupted, placing his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Breathe with me. In, and out. In, and out," he instructed, exaggerating his own breathing until Robin's breaths were slowing down and matching his. "There ya go. Nice and easy."

"Thanks," she whispered, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him tight.

"You're welcome," he replied, hugging her just as tight. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" Steve questioned as they pulled apart, looking at her expectantly.

"Not particularly, no," she said, slender fingers instantly going to twist her rings around and around and around.

"You know you can tell me anything," Steve insisted, staring directly into Robin's eyes to prove he was serious, his frown returning when Robin tore her eyes away from his own.

"Promise you won't get mad? That you'll let me explain?" she asked, and Steve absolutely hated how her voice trembled.

"I promise Robbie, I swear it."

Robin inhaled sharply, steeling herself before meeting his concerned gaze. "I'm dating Nancy."

She flinched away from Steve as though she was expecting him to hit her. What she didn't expect was for Steve to brace himself on the counter, in absolute tears due to how hard he was laughing.

"You! A-and Nancy!" he spluttered, gasping for air as he continued to chuckle. "That's a good one. Really, that was fantastic. Oh, you just made my day."

Robin scowled, hands on her hips as she sent a death glare his way. "I'm being serious, you asshole."

Steve looked up at Robin, his amusement fading into confusion. "You're serious?"

"Yes, dingus. I'm serious. Nancy and I have been together for a few weeks now. I've been dying to tell you but I didn't know how to. I know you guys hurt one another and you're slowly becoming friends again and I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that but God, Steve, Nancy is absolutely amazing. She's passionate and brilliant and kind and a badass and cares so deeply even though she's been so badly hurt in the past and she doesn't even—"

"You and Nancy?!" Steve exclaimed, his voice rising in pitch. "You and Nancy Wheeler?! The very same Nancy Wheeler you declared was a priss in the bathroom at Starcourt?! The Nancy Wheeler you know tore my heart up before stomping on it?! Nancy Wheeler, Mike's older sister Nancy Wheeler?!"

"Yes Steve, that Nancy Wheeler!" Robin shouted back in exasperation. "Do you know another badass woman named Nancy Wheeler?!"

Steve's mouth flailed open and shut as he tried to come up with a response.

Robin softened as she took notice of how confused and hurt Steve was. "I never meant to hurt you, Stevie. That's why I'm telling you. I'm just a girl whose in love with another girl who happens to be your ex. That's all."

"That's all?" Steve repeated sarcastically, venom dripping off every word. "Robin, you know what she did to me. You know how much she hurt me and how devastated I was. Hell, you were the one to comfort me when I would get down on myself about our relationship and talked me out of calling her like the drunken idiot we both know I can be! Was that all just some ploy to keep me from her so you could have her all to yourself?!"

Robin narrowed her eyes at her friend, ignoring the tears that were beginning to gather due to Steve's accusation. "No, Steve, it's nothing like that. I fell for Nancy because of who she is, not because it would hurt you. That's the whole reason I wanted to talk to you. I didn't want to keep this from you any longer because I knew you would react like this!"

"Like what?!"

"Like this! Accusing me of shit you know I would never do! You're my best friend, Steve James Harrington, and I would never do anything that would jeopardize our friendship!"

"Well you did, Robin! Out of all the girls in Hawkins to date, you chose Nancy!"

"You know that I have to be careful and that I actually don't have many options in this small, homophobic, bumfuck of a town," Robin growled, practically nose to nose with Steve.

"Well it's not my fault that it's unnatural, now is it?"

Both of them froze in place as soon as the question dropped from his lips, Robin heartbroken and in disbelief while Steve was horrified and shocked.

"Rob, I—"

"Fuck you, Steve," she spat, ripping her Family Video vest off her person and slamming it onto the counter, enjoying how it made Steve flinch.

Steve faltered as he reached out for Robin, the devastation and resignation in her eyes breaking his heart more than Nancy ever did.

"You are the one person I trusted," Robin said, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "I never thought in a million years that you of all people would be the one I trusted with that part of myself, because you were an absolute douchebag in high school. But you managed to get me to open up to you and despite all of my instincts telling me not to, I did. I trusted you because you weren't King Steve anymore, but clearly I was wrong. You haven't changed, and you never will."

With that, Robin rushed past Steve and out the door. She ran straight to Steve's car, grabbed her bike out of the trunk, and pedaled as hard and as fast as she could, ignoring Steve's desperate calls for her to come back. She paid no attention to the tears streaming down her face. There was only one thing on her mind.

She needed to get to Nancy.

~~~

Nancy wasn't sure how much time had passed since Robin had broken down in her arms. All she knew was that something had to have gone terribly wrong between Robin and Steve for her girlfriend to be so inconsolable and so obviously crushed.

"I've got you Robin, I promise. I'm here for you, whatever you need," Nancy vowed quietly so as not to further overwhelm her girlfriend.

"Thank you," Robin replied, her voice even raspier than normal.

"There's no need to thank me," the journalist said, smiling down at the the younger teen.

"I got snot all over your favorite shirt," Robin mumbled, a small grin appearing as Nancy chuckled.

"You're more important than a shirt, Robin."

"Mmhmm," she agreed through a yawn, snuggling closer to Nancy.

Nancy simply held her girlfriend tighter, running a hand through Robin's hair to help soothe her to sleep. "I love you, Robin."

"Love you too, Nance," she said, looking at the curly-haired brunette with half-lidded eyes.

"I'll be here when you wake," Nancy assured her, absolutely melting when Robin promptly closed her eyes and dozed off within minutes.

While she wasn't sure about the specifics of what went down between the two friends, she was sure about one thing.

Steve Harrington was a dead man.

[acacia-may]

Get To Know Me Ask Game

Hi everyone! I've been getting some feedback recently that you might want to get to know me better, and as I'm starting to feel a little better, I've made this quick ask game if anyone is curious and wants to play.

For the "villain," "protagonist," and "ships" (ect.) questions you can specify a fandom if you like, otherwise I'll just answer in general. Feel free to send in some emojis, and you're welcome to borrow this game if you like it! (I've been having a lot of fun trying out new things on canva 😅). Thanks for playing! 🥰

[tamiisnthere]

Crossover Universe/Altami – Meet the Family

Summary: Altaïr arrived for his first visit, Tami introduced him to the TaE Family and gave him a tour of the ranch. Trigger Warnings: Only a few swears and before ending memories of a sad childhood, but it's more a bit of a silly and cheerful fanfic. Also too much yapping + bad English and some grammatical errors. 😅

So… This is my longest oneshot fanfic with 11,581 words! Holy moly! 😭 But I'll admit it won't be as good, since I use the same words and phrases a lot of times in there and a few things were a bit inspired from my life (not exactly btw). But I hope you don't mind and you will enjoy it. Even though I know it's going to flop, I'm stilly happy that is finally finished. 💕

Edit: Fanfic is in the process of editing since it has so many grammatical errors and phrases!

Enjoy! 💗

It was Saturday morning, Tami hadn't stopped thinking about Altaïr and their first kiss from yesterday. She couldn't wait for him to come visit her. She had a lovestruck smile on her face and was lost in her daydreams, ignoring her surroundings.

"Tami? Hello? Tami!" Emma's voice woke her up from her thoughts, sitting next to her on the right side of the dining table. Right now, the TaE Family was having breakfast and they were giving her a puzzled stare.

"Oh! Sorry! What happened?" Tami asked in a dazed tone. "You haven't touched your cereal yet," Tanisa echoed from her left. "Oh! Yeah! Right! I'm eating right now!" Tami nodded her head and started eating her breakfast, but thoughts of her new boyfriend still remained.

Talidea and Taino eyed each other concernedly. It had been six months since Tami had constantly mentioned Altaïr, yet they had never met him once. And yesterday it caught them by surprise when she said they started dating, which none of the family believed her.

"What should we tell her?" Talidea asked whisperingly to her husband, who was pondering as he ate. Then he swallowed and responded: "We have to confront her with it. It's the only way."

"But we're not going to hurt her like that?" Talidea feared. Taino sighed, "It's going to hurt her more if it doesn't get better. Try to get a word with her." "What?" raised her eyebrows. "You're her sister, come on…"

Talidea gained courage and asked her sister: "Hey, Tami?" Tami stopped eating for a moment and gazed at her Night Elf sister. "Yes, Dea?" she asked with a sweet smile. "Well..." Talidea began to speak nervously, trying not to hurt her, "You said yesterday that you started dating that Altaïr guy, right?"

"Yes! And he told me if he doesn't have a mission today, he'll come to visit!" Tami exclaimed excitedly. "And he's really real?" Talar joined the conversation. "Precisely! He's not quite the same exact Altaïr from the game or the legends, but he's still sweet!" Tami blushed, remembering her boyfriend.

Taino was about to say something, but Relante interrupted him, "Do you know where he came from?" "He is from the Island of Eagle, specifically from the town of Accipiteria. He and the other assassins arrived into Havaykia because the Templars attacked them and they had to seek refuge," Tami explained.

"Well, I heard about this attack almost three quarters of a year ago," Tarion chimed in, "But apparently those Templars told that they killed them all." "I wonder how they managed to escape if it's true that the assassins are here," Gavin commented. "Yeah, that had to be terrifying," Takuya added. "And he's supposedly rescued you several times, hasn't he?" Hoody Boy questioned curiously. "Yeah! He's my hero!" Tami sighed happily.

Talidea calmed down and smiled as the family and Tami had a nice chat. "You know what, dear?" Talidea whispered as she leaned toward Taino, "Maybe that Altaïr is real. After all, we live on a planet full of surprises!" He grabbed his nose bridge and sighed with disappointment.

"How is it odd that Altaïr is located in Gepardia?" Emma started talking, "Of all the places on this island and in this world, he chose to live here."

"Like, when I got into Thansuokria, I was in Azerwias at first," Maiev started to speak, "And then I sailed into Havaykia." "You sailed all the way up here since you found out I live here, mother," Elphina rolled her eyes and the rest of the family giggled.

"But you were glad we reunited in the end." "Just I still don't get how you figure out…" Elphina and Maiev were talking to each other, breaking away from the conversation about Tami's boyfriend.

"He can do parkour?" "Like a wallrun?" Northy and Southy questioned her. "Yes and yes! His movements are so delightful!" Tami answered cheerfully.

"And have you kissed yet?" Clara queried with a curious smile. "Yeah, Clara!" Tami chuckled, "We kissed yesterday and that's how we became partners! He's a true gentleman for an assassin!" "Awww!" cooed Clara, Tanisa and Relante like thrilled fangirls.

"Pffft! Are you serious?" Jarrod voiced gruffly, crossing his arms, "We're really gonna let some random assassin come to us just like this?" "And you're a former mercenary," added Cleanth, who was sitting next to him finishing his breakfast. "Nobody asked you!" Scout scowled at him and Purifier just chuckled derisively.

"Are you jealous, cousin?" Lennon smirked. "Absolutely not!" Jarrod declared proudly, but he leaned over to his cousin and whispered: "Maybe a little bit… And hopefully my package would arrive today."

Suddenly, the ranch doorbell rang. Everyone fell silent…

"He's here!" Tami beamed and rushed out of the house. "Wait! Isn't that my package!?" called Jarrod, but she no longer heard him. She was sprinting down the sidewalk at full speed. She passed between Cerato's and Microraptor's enclosures to the gate under the stone archway. She opened the gate door and saw…

"Good morning, I have a delivery for Mr. Fastrunner," the human deliveryman said, "Is he at home?" Tami's smile disappeared from her face and she sighed disappointedly. "Greetings. Yes, he's at home. I'll bring it to him." She took the package into her arms, thanked the deliveryman, and he happily left. Sorrowfully and slowly she was closing the gate, until-

"Safety and peace, Tami." She heard a familiar voice, put the package on the ground and turned behind. Altaïr was standing in front of her and smiled heartily at her, making her gasp. "Altaïr!" She leaped into his arms with pure joy and they embraced each other tightly.

"I missed you…" she whispered into his ear. He chuckled sweetly. "We actually saw each other last night, but honestly: I missed you, too." The two stared into each other's eyes passionately and after a moment they kissed on the lips.

"So, Tami? Did he really arrive?" "Or it was that-" Clara and Lennon gasped as they ran and stopped in surprise when they spotted them kissing. "Oh… My… Goodness…" Clara disbelieved her own eyes and covered her mouth. Lennon's jaw drooped from the shock. "It's going to throw Jarrod off," he commented.

After the kiss, Tami noticed them: "Clara! Lennon! Meet Altaïr, my boyfriend! And Altaïr, meet Clara and Lennon, my friends!" The Assassin glanced at the pair of Scouts and offered his hand for a handshake, "Safety and peace, both of you."

"Oh! Welcome to TaE Family's Ranch, sir!" Clara enthusiastically shook his hand, which bothered Lennon and he fake coughed from jealousy. "Oh! Sorry, darling!" Clara blushed and hugged her husband.

"You two are together? Aren't you two from two rival factions?" Altaïr asked confusedly. "We were once in rival factions against each other," Lennon answered frowning, still holding Clara close. "And once again, yes, Clara is my wife."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Altaïr placed his hand on Tami's waist and pressed her closer to him. "My eyes are fixed only on this magnificent miss," he smirked confidently at Tami and she timidly smiled at her boyfriend. Lennon was relieved, smiled and gave him a handshake: "All right then! Welcome to us!"

From behind the enclosure fence, Cerato appeared, growling and snarling at the stranger. Altaïr startled and stepped back: "What is that?" He questioned slightly frightened, but tried to hide it. "Oh, it's Cerato!" Clara replied, "She's our tame Ceratosaurus that we've been raising since she was a baby! Don't worry, she's friendly!" Clara grinned pridefully, while behind her Lennon trembled his hand in front of the neck and shook head saying no.

"Riiiiggghht…" nervously Altaïr smiled at them. "Okay, Clara and Lennon! Listen, Jarrod's package has already arrived, so you can bring it to him!" Tami spoke up, giving the box into Lennon's arms. "Ufff! Those must be his baseballs," Lennon groaned. "Come on, drahý! I'll introduce you to the others!" Tami delighted as they headed into the house, dragging Altaïr along.

Altaïr was amazed at what he was experiencing around him: the birds singing, the trumpeting of the hadrosaurs from the huge enclosure, and the smells of fresh crops from the garden and the flowers around them. "I didn't expect you to have a ranch so huge and alive," Altaïr said stunned, "It looks like paradise here, except for the trumpeting…"

"Thanks, and you can get used to the hadrosaur's trumpeting as long as you're not near them," Tami giggled, "Then I'll show you around here, but first you'll get to know my family!" He nodded and Tami opened the door of the house. "Guuuyyyysss~" The entire TaE Family looked at her and waited. "Meet… Altaïr!" Tami pulled Altaïr inside, and they all gasped in surprise, their jaws dropping.

"Safety and peace, TaE Family," Altaïr greeted them, bowing politely to them. "Oh my Elune! He's real!?" shouted Talidea in disbelief. "See? I wasn't lying to you at all!" Tami smiled. "I can't believe it…" Gavin held his breath and went to pass out, but Takuya stopped him.

"Oh, Tami! I'm glad you'd rather be with him…" Cleanth said, glancing mockingly at Jarrod, who was shocked that his ex-girlfriend had found a new boyfriend, "…than that imbecile standing next to me." "Go to hell, Cleanth!" Jarrod frowned. "Cleanth! Don't be mean to Jarrod!" Tami scolded him mischievously. "Mon Dieu! I was only joking!"

"Hold on, Tami..." Altaïr said, "Jarrod is your ex-boyfriend?" "Exactly!" Jarrod raised a finger at him angrily, "Listen to me, assassin! I'll give you one advice…"

The atmosphere choked with tension as Assassin and Scout gazed into each other's eyes with murderous stares. Everyone became anxious, and Tami prepared to step in so that her current boyfriend and ex-boyfriend wouldn't kill each other.

Jarrod finally opened his mouth: "Take good care of her and be a better partner than I was!" Altaïr didn't expect these words from him. "So you're not mad that I'm with Tami?" "Well, I do feel a little bit of jealousy, but we're still friends. So be good to her, please."

"Alright then. He just dumped the most beautiful lady in this entire world," Altaïr joked, wrapping his arm around Tami, making her blush with happiness. "But thank you for that, so I can be with her." His response made Cleanth and Hunters laugh and Jarrod grunted a bit in irritation.

"Sorry, Jarrod," Tami apologized to him. "But good for you. I'm really happy for you," Jarrod stated genuinely, which made Tami smile. "Hey, Jarrod!" Lennon walked in with Clara, "Your package has arrived!" "Oh! My baseballs!" Jarrod went to open his package, meanwhile a tall shadow loomed over Tami and Altaïr.

"Ishnu-alah, Altaïr. My name is Talar! Nice to meet you!" Altaïr stiffened. He was impressed by Talar's height, which was over 200 centimeters, easily towering over him. Talar excitedly offered him his large hand, which could perhaps kill with one blow into Altaïr's face. Altaïr eyed Tami insecurely, but soon got over it and they shared a handshake. "I'm pleased to meet you as well," Altaïr retorted.

Soon the rest of TaE Family approached him and gradually got introduced by handshaking. Altaïr didn't feel comfortable about it at first, as he was an introvert, constantly showing respect to her girlfriend's family. He noticed Hunters shaking hands with him, but decided not to deal with them for now. However, not everyone was happy to welcome him: Taino, Maiev and Elphina kept their distance from him. Even Emma looked unsure as she offered a handshake.

"All right, everybody," Taino started, "All of you know Altaïr now, but we've got a lot of work to do today, so get ready!" They all nodded to him and all prepared for their own duties. Only Altaïr, Tami and Talidea remained.

"Taino! Darling!" Dea called him cheerfully, "You haven't introduced to him yet! Come on!" Taino sighed and walked towards the three. "Elune-Adore, Altaïr," Taino greeted him politely, but kept his tone cold. "Peace be upon you, sir," Altaïr greeted him monotonously. They shook their hands anyway.

"You're supposed to be the leader of this ranch, as your wife said?" Altaïr asked. "Correct. Why do you ask?" Taino crossed his arms. "I suspect my presence makes you uncomfortable, but I want to assure you that my brotherhood has no ill plans or interest towards your ranch or your family. I've come to see my beloved Tami." The young assassin looked warmly at Tami, who smiled back.

"Hey, Dea? Taino? May I give Altaïr a tour of the entire ranch and the interior of the house, please?" Tami pleaded with big brown puppy dog eyes on them. "Of course, my dear sister!" Talidea agreed delightedly, "That sounds like an outstanding idea! Right, Taino?" Taino sighed in defeat once again, "You may, but please be careful. Some of our animals are not used to strangers."

"I noticed, sir…" Altaïr added, remembering Cerato uneasy. "Thanks!" Tami impatiently dragged her beloved outside, "Come on, Alty! I'll show you the aviaries first! See you later!" " Have fun, you two!" Talidea waved at them. Taino stared unsurely at the pair as they dashed out the door. "Love?" he addressed his wife. "Yes, darling?" "I don't know about you, but that assassin boy gives me a bad feeling."

"Oh, Taino, don't worry. You felt the same way when Tami started dating Jarrod," Talidea wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "True, but this is different. Since the Templars are in Gepardia, I fear they may endanger our family." "Listen, honey. If Tami's speaking the truth, that Altaïr is an incredible man, then we can trust them." "If you say so…"

Meanwhile, Tami was leading Altaïr towards the two aviaries, where the singing of some birds Altaïr had never heard before could be heard. The two entered one of them, where they found several trees whose leaves hid the little creatures chirping there.

"Tami, you called me Alty…" Altaïr crossed his arms playfully. "Oops! Sorry…" blushed Tami, shyly looking elsewhere, "I think it's cute." He just chuckled softly, placed his right palm on her cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb. "It's fine. I actually like this nickname from you. Only you can call me that." Tami smiled at him again and kissed his palm, which made Altaïr's face redden. Yet he smirked and then kissed her forehead, making her freeze.

Suddenly, a small Microraptor landed on Tami's right shoulder. Altaïr freaked out, "What is it?" he inquired. "Oh! Hi, Raven!" Tami greeted the little dinosaur and petted his head, "Alty, meet Raven, one of our Microraptors!" "One of yours?" Shortly, the other Microraptors and Archaeopteryxes flew over and sat on them as well. "Oh, hello!" Altaïr greeted them carefully, but smiled at the small feathered dinosaurs. "Those who have no wings on their legs are Archaeopteryxes," Tami said, giving them pellets, which some of them started to eat from her hand.

"The two genera didn't live together at the same time and place on Earth, but they can coexist here," she explained, "Plus, unlike our other animals, they're friendly towards strangers." "They are like birds," said Altaïr, trying to feed them. "Because birds are dinosaurs! Even though Microraptors and Archaeopteryxes are non-avian dinosaurs, yet they share with birds the same ancestors." "Don't say…" "You know, we have two separate aviaries because when it's mating season, sometimes we have to separate the males and females from each other." "May I ask why?" Altaïr asked intently.

"Because they would overpopulate here," Tami continued to explain, "Fortunately, the babies that hatch here, Elphina trains them to be feral and then releases them into the wild in the parts of Havaykia where they're native." "And why don't you release them here?" "Microraptors and Archaeopteryxes are not native to the Cheetah's Valley and additionally wouldn't survive in winter here. Actually these little guys were rescued from an illegal exotic breeder who neglected them. Unfortunately they can't return to the wild because they are attached to people." "Oh goodness… Good that you take care of them."

After the little theropods had eaten, they flew back into the branches of the trees in the aviary. "Oh, so all the dinosaurs were here with you," echoed Elphina, who was cleaning the aviary. "Hey, Elphi!" Tami greeted her. Altaïr just waved at her, Elphina frowned a little at him. "Tami, are you doing a tour of our ranch to your boyfriend right now?" the night elf asked, crossing her arms and softening her gaze.

"That's right!" Tami nodded her head, "And so far he likes it here! Right, Alty?" He nodded his head in agreement. "Alty, huh?" smirked Elphina, as her sister called him, "Do you like any animals?" "I do, ma'am," the assassin answered, "I even own a female golden eagle-" "A golden eagle!?" Elphina gasped, her grumpiness was replaced with delight, "What's her name?" "Caukasa. When I used to live at the Island of Eagle, I found her injured, so I treated her," Altaïr narrated more confidently, "And when she recovered, I released her back into the wild, but Caukasa wouldn't stop following me, so I tamed her."

"Awww! You're a natural falconer! I have a female white falcon named Keeya! I'll admit I didn't have a good feeling about you at first since you're an assassin, but I guess I was wrong!" Elphina smiled. "I don't blame you for that. I understand," Altaïr said. Tami was glad that her oldest sister was starting to respect her boyfriend. "Great! Okay, Alty! Let's go to the veterinary now!" "The veterinary?" Tami grabbed Altaïr's hand again and headed out of the aviary with him. They said goodbye to Elphina and the little theropods. The pair made their way to the building, which was connected to a high fence of a huge enclosure. They went inside and saw several cages with injured and abandoned animals.

"Oh! Put on a mask for sure!" Tami instructed, handing it to him. "A mask?" Altaïr wondered, probably not knowing exactly what it was. Tami showed him how to put it on. "That way either we don't infect the animals here or we don't catch some nasty disease from them." "If you say so, habibti." He listened to her and put the mask over his mouth, but he didn't know how properly to adjust it.

"Put the strings behind your ears," Tami advised with a chuckle. "I know what I'm doing… Ah! See? I did it!" "Okay, congratulations." Altaïr rolled his eyes playfully at her comment. "It's only more difficult to breathe in." "You'll get used to it, drahý." Then they viewed the animals together. They had to be quiet to avoid stressing them. Some of the cages were covered with blankets, which made the little creatures calmer.

"So many of them are here," murmured Altaïr. "Yes, we're not just a ranch, we're also a rescue center," Tami answered lowly, "Injured, sick and abandoned animals come to us here, we treat them and then release them. True, we are supposed to leave it to nature, but most of the time these animals unfortunately get injured or lose their parents to poachers and illegal breeders or the natural elements. In addition, some species are so rare that we have to come to their aid."

"Are poachers the biggest problem in your country? If I'm not misremembering, I've heard that parts from exotic animals are worthless in Havaykia." "Yes, but they are at a high price outside of Havaykia, especially in Cross Island, Mann Islands and parts of Azerwias." "Horrible…" "But fortunately, there are rangers patrolling all over the island and the other nearby smaller islands fighting them."

Suddenly the door from the surgery opened and out stepped Talidea holding a young male Thylacine, followed by Emma. They both put the medium sized marsupial into the cage and covered it with a blanket so it wouldn't get stressed.

"Well done, Emma!" Dea complimented her, "You're getting better with the medical inspection on the wild animals! I was a little worried Benjo was gonna bite you." "Thanks, sister! Since I need practice for my class-" She didn't finish her sentence when she saw the couple behind Talidea.

"Oh! Hi, Tami! And Altaïr…" "Hi, Emma! Hello again, Dea!" Tami greeted them happily. Altaïr just waved back at them. "Oh, we're seeing each other once again," Talidea chuckled, while Emma stared at Altaïr uncertainly. "I'm showing Alty how you two work and Dea, you're so fast already being here."

"We started just a moment ago," the night elf said, "Emma and I checked this Thylacine named Benjo who was the pet of some human lady. She couldn't take good care of him anymore, so she brought him to us yesterday." "The problem is that Benjo is attached to people, which is not good," Emma joined in the conversation, "Luckily he's still young, so there will be a chance he'll be wild. And if he doesn't, that's okay! So at least he could be an ambassador of Marsupial Isle."

"You love to help animals, I see," Altaïr said. "Yeah, we're trying to help them to survive…" Emma crossed her arms. "Well… I rescued my eagle, Caukasa, but once I find a wounded or abandoned pigeon or dove, I'll take care of them and then release them." "Really?" Emma inquired in surprise, touched, Talidea raising an eyebrow as well.

"Awww, Alty! That's so sweet of you!" Tami was touched and embraced him warmly. "Oh, wow! I wasn't expecting this," Emma scratched the back of her neck, "I feel a little awkward. Now I can see why Tami adores you so much. After all, she keeps saying a lot of good things about you. Hopefully you'll keep it up."

"I'll do my best," Altaïr nodded with a relaxed smile. "Tami, good for you, sis," Emma grinned at her, "I hope you two will have a wonderful relationship." "Thanks, Emma!" Tami dashed over to her and they hugged. "I hope you and Southy are doing well together too." "Indeed we are. I'll admit we're still working a bit on improving, but we're doing well at least."

Then Talidea coughed falsely, "I don't like to interrupt, but we need to continue, Emma. We have a lot of work to do today." "Roger that, Dea!" Emma saluted playfully, preparing for the next inspection. "Okay, we will go," Tami announced, grasping Altaïr's hand again.

"Hey, Tami! Try to show Altaïr through the lookout at Hadrosaur's Enclosure! I'm pretty sure he's never seen a truly giant dinosaur with his own eyes!" Talidea playfully pointed a finger at Altaïr, who rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Excellent idea, Dea!" Tami cheered, "Thank you! Bye!" "Bye, Tami and Altaïr!" Emma beamed at them already cheerfully. "See you at lunch! Have fun!" Talidea waved, and the couple walked out of the veterinary building while taking off their masks.

"It shows that your sisters have a lot to do when they have to nurse each animal," Altaïr voiced worriedly. "Oh, don't worry about them, dear," Tami flapped her hand, "We have volunteers and vet students visiting here. Besides, Emma is studying zoology in university, so she must have at least some basic practice when handling any wild animal. Anyway, let's go to that lookout tower!"

Tami excitedly dragged her boyfriend to the lookout tower, which was almost 10 meters high. "Tami! Slow down!" Altaïr shouted softly, "You don't have to drag me everywhere by the hand. I will always follow you." "Sorry, I just can't wait to show you all this," Tami smiled shyly. "I know damn well," he smirked.

The couple reached the top of the lookout tower and saw a huge pasture in front of them, where several animals of other dinosaur species were grazing. In the center of the enclosure was a circle of small forest, with three shelters around it, so that the animals could hide from the bad weather. The entire ranch was surrounded by a forest that blended the colors of the yellow-green savanna and the purple of the enchanted forest.

"Woah…" Altaïr held his breath, "I didn't expect you to have it this huge." "When you're taking care of large dinosaurs, you have to have a huge enclosure." They both leaned against the rail, shortly Altaïr snuggled closer to Tami, rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her on the red cheek. Then they watched the magnificence. The trumpeting from the hadrosaurs could be heard more than a kilometer away.

"I wonder: how do you sleep when those dinosaurs with crests are rumbling all the time?" Altaïr asked. "Well… Our house is soundproof," Tami explained, flipping a lock of hair behind her ear, "It's not quite perfect, but at least you can get some sleep. Also, my older sisters and brothers-in-law have been training them to trumpet more quietly. If there's a danger, they'll make so-called 'bad noise', which can damage your hearing. Fortunately, this rarely happens. They are safe here."

"Will you tell me what kind of dinosaurs you got there, huh?" he whispered against her ear, both passionately and curiously. "Alright, there they are…" she pointed her finger gradually, "Parasaurolophuses… Corythosaurs… Lambeosaurs… Tsintaosaurs… Olorotitans… The smaller ones over there are the Dryosaurs and the smallest ones we have are the Leaellynasauras, but they can only be seen here through binoculars."

Altaïr tried the binoculars and saw the prehistoric animals more clearly. "True, habibti. They look wonderful..." he was stunned. "All the hadrosaurs and dryosaurs are rescued here, and the Leaellynasaurs actually moved here naturally since they found refuge here," Tami said. "Oh, hold on, habibti! You have a lake over there?" "Yes! We call it Lily Lake! We like to go there to fish and swim!"

As Altaïr observed, his gaze locked on one large Parasaurolophus that had been separated from the herd. "Hey, Tami? Who's that lone dinosaur over there?" He pointed his finger at the enclosure that was connected to the veterinary building. "This is Monarch, or is he nicknamed The Bull," Tami spoke in a serious tone, "He came to us two months ago, supposedly he once belonged to the Queen." "Queen? And why he is here?" "Monarch has a bad temper and attacked almost anyone who moved. It was frightening to transfer him here. Elphina said such aggressive animals are usually put down, but Talidea hopes we can calm him down."

Tami glanced at the other hadrosaurs and continued: "You know, a lot of people underestimate herbivores, especially hadrosaurs. They think that they are harmless due to the lack of horns and spikes and are usually easy prey for predators."

"Tch, those people have probably never seen at least a horse in person," Altaïr frowned, "I saw with my own eyes how some fool beat his horse and the horse kicked him hard into the jaw. It was a nasty injury, and if I'm not mistaken, a few days later the man succumbed through infection." "Yikes…" "And I wouldn't mess with anything what your family has here." "Yeah… Okay, you wanna move on, drahý?" "Of course. Let's go."

They both went down from the lookout tower and continued on with the tour. "On our left there's this Recovering Enclosure," Tami talked, "'There we release animals, something like soft-releasing, to prove to us that they are capable of surviving in nature. There's nothing there now so let's move on."

As they walked, they met a warden guarding at a crossroad. Beside her sat a large dark nightsaber.

"Hi, Maiev!" Tami waved at her. "Greetings, Tami... and assassin," she greeted in a cold voice, but softened as she spoke to Tami. "I heard you're giving your boyfriend a tour here." "Exactly! So far, Altaïr is enjoying it here!" Altaïr nodded, except he felt unsafe with the big saber-toothed cat staring at him like prey and growling a bit. Yet he bowed slightly to the older night elf warden.

"Safety and peace, mistress…" "Shadowsong…" Maiev responded coldly, "I see you are carrying weapons constantly. Always alert, right?" "I need to be. If anything, my knives and blades will take care of it," Altaïr answered with pride, but still cautiously noticing that the warden was better armed than he was.

"Impressive," Maiev said while scratching her chin, "You also have a love for blades? Will you show them to me?" "With pleasure, ma'am." Altaïr drew his dagger first and Maiev curiously inspected it. "Hm… Pretty sharp. Most human daggers from Azeroth aren't quite as elegant as this one."

"Thank you. Here is one of my throwing knives," Altaïr picked up one from the sheath on his right shoulder, "They're also sharp, light and with one throw can kill instantly if it hits a critical place on the body."

Maiev nodded her head intrigued, "Nice, except I can throw multiple knives at once while turning," Maiev praised, holding over her armed chest. "Oh, very well then... And what do you say to this?" Altaïr's hidden blade popped out and he performed it in front of the warden.

"Now that's an interesting blade," Maiev was impressed, "I wonder why no Rogue from Azeroth thought of that. I like it. You know what, you have my respect. But always be aware…" Maiev warned him, but he gave her a respectful nod.

"We'd better go," Tami whispered to him and they were ready to move on. "And one more thing before you go," Maiev paused them, "Protect Tami if you really love her so much as she worships you that much." "Count on it, Mrs. Shadowsong." And the couple continued with the tour. "That assassin is our ally after all, Dawnmist," Maiev petted her nightsaber, "You don't have to growl at him anymore."

Tami and Altaïr headed towards Cerato's paddock. Once more they met Lennon and Clara, who were feeding Cerato with chunks of meat. "Hello, hello, you two! We are seeing again!" Lennon waved to them. "Are you enjoying here, Altaïr?" Clara asked him with toothy smile.

"It's going fine," he answered, placing his left hand on Tami's waist and gently pressing her against him. "Tami is an excellent guide." "Alty…" Tami blushed shyly.

"Ah! You two are as cute as Lennon and I were when we fell in love!" Clara pressed her cheeks slightly from fangirling. Cerato, behind the enclosure fence, noticed again at Altaïr, who had frozen out of her. She let out a throaty coo that sounded like the mixed noises of a crocodile and a cassowary. But it didn't sound like a sign of aggression, it was more like a greeting and then she went to drink from the trough.

"I'm not going to lie: I'm impressed that you were able to tame Ceratosaurus," Altaïr complimented the Scout couple. "Almost," Lennon reminded. "But see? At least Cerato tolerates you after all!" Clara gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, yeah..." nodded Altaïr his head, "Let's keep moving, habibti." "All righty, Alty!" Tami grinned, "See you later, Basecks!" They said goodbye to the Scouts and continued on with the tour.

They walked into a large garden that looked more like a wooden greenhouse. Various fruits and vegetables were grown here. "You grow all this for animals?" Altaïr began to speak. "Yeah and for us too. You know, it's cheaper when you grow your own food at home." "True, true..."

In front of them they saw the young night elves: Tarion, Tanisa, and Relante, who were now taking care of the garden. Tarion was the first to notice the newcomers.

"Hey, Tami! And greetings, Mr. Altaïr," the shy druid greeted them. "Hi, Tami! Ishnu-dal-dieb, Mr. Altaïr!" Tanisa and Relante simultaneously greeted them happily. "Hi, guys!" Tami waved, and they walked up to them. "Safety and peace to you three. You don't have to call me mister," Altaïr said, "My name is enough."

"We've heard a lot of good things about you from Tami," Relante said. "And of course we are fans too! We love your game!" Tanisa added. "What a game…?" wondered Altaïr, but immediately remembered, "Oh! You actually mean the one where I'm in the computer, right?" The two night elves nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"So, Tarion? How's the druidism going?" Tami asked him. "I'm working on it, auntie Tami," the young druid beamed, "It's not perfect, but my teacher praised me that I'm doing better than other druids at my age." "Will you show us some spell, please?" Tami begged him.

He gladly agreed, stood in front of one bush and began to cast a spell. Around his hands, shimmering green glows appeared to surround the bush and blueberries began to grow. "Oh… My… Allah…" Altaïr couldn't believe his eyes, "Now this is a sorcery!" "Thank you very much," Tarion bowed shyly.

Tanisa and Relante tried to taste the berries, nevertheless it was obvious by their faces that something was wrong. "Big bro, I hate to ruin your joy, but those blueberries aren't ripe yet," Tanisa told in disgust, spitting the berry out of her mouth.

"Aw man…" sighed Tarion disappointedly, "Nevertheless, my teacher said it was at least some progress." "Don't worry, cousin. You started druidism a year ago. Doesn't mean you'll immediately become the best," Relante reminded softly, "But you've got a lot of years to learn. After all, the best druids were probably thousands of years old when they conquered druidism."

"Thousands of years?" Altaïr was surprised. "Night elves used to be immortal in Azeroth, but then they sacrificed that to save the planet from the Burning Legion," Tami explained, "Even if they have become mortal, they can still live to be over a thousand years old."

"Hey! For giggles, guess how old Maiev is!" Tanisa challenged Altaïr. "Erm… 1550?" he guessed unsurely. "Over 10, 000 years!" Relante answered, "And she's also my grandmother!" The two night elf girls giggled. "Unbelievable..." Altaïr was stunned. "Actually, Maiev is the only one who is over a thousand years old," Tami added, "Taino, Talar and Elphina are over 300 years old and Talidea is 49 years old." "Exactly! Tarion is 20 years old. And Relante and I are the youngest here, 17!" Tanisa smiled.

"I hate to interrupt, but we promised my mom that we'd check the crops to see if there happened to be weeds growing in some of them so we could remove them," Relante said worriedly.

"Sure, cousin! Let's keep working!" Tanisa bounced with excitement, "The sooner we finish, the sooner your mom starts making lunch!" "Isn't it rather the slower you go, so Aunt Elphina starts cooking, little sis?" Tarion crooked his eyebrows, "And if I'm remember correctly, Cleanth and Jarrod are cooking now." "Whatever!" Tanisa laughed.

Tami and Altaïr decided to continue on with the tour. They said they would see them later and walked out of the garden. Nearby of them stood a smaller building made of wood. "That's where we have a warehouse," Tami spoke, "That's where we store stuff like crops, meat, and other food." "I get it," Altaïr rolled his eyes, "We can skip this one. I doubt there's anything interesting-"

Suddenly, they heard a screeching, but it wasn't dinosaur-like. Altaïr stepped in front of Tami, ready to defend his beloved. They spotted two Hunters running away from the warehouse and leaped on a high fence. They were being chased by two other Hunters, this time Southy and Northy. Tarion, Tanisa and Relante peeked out to see what was going on.

"Get out right now and don't you dare return!" Southy screamed furiously. "And you don't want us to call for backup!" Northy yelled. "Fuck you!" Hunter, in a light blue hoodie, cursed. "Let's go, little bro. Let's get out of here," growled the other Hunter with the torn dark blue hoodie, and they both jumped away.

"Assholes," Northy growled. "Is everything all right?" Maiev echoed, running over when she heard the screeching of the intruders. "Everything is all right!" Southy exclaimed. Maiev nodded and went back to her business. The three younger elves returned to work in the garden too.

In a moment the two brothers registered the couple. "Oh! Ey!" Southy greeted first. "Servus, Tami! And the famous Altaïr!" Northy cheered. Altaïr was still in a defensive stance. "Altaïr, don't worry. Southy and Northy are friends," Tami soothed him and waved at them back.

"That's true! The Great Assassin, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, is here among us! In Havaykia, in Gepardia, in TaE Family Ranch!" Southy rejoiced. "We're your fans too!" Northy delighted.

"Aren't you Hunters like those two you drove off? Apparently they are dangerous to the residents of Cheetah's Valley," Altaïr scowled. "We're Hunters-mutants, not Hunters-infected like the two idiots who tried to steal our supplies," Northy explained. "What's the difference?" "We were born this way. They used to be humans, then got infected with the Green Flu virus and became cannibalistic monsters," Southy added.

Altaïr was a bit horrified. A virus that deforms people? "And is that virus still around?" "Especially in Fouria, but don't worry, everyone in Havaykia is vaccinated against it and it hasn't spread any further," Northy said. "I actually got some kind of needle into my body when my brotherhood arrived in Gepardia," Altaïr stated.

"It's called an injection and it means you're safe," Tami comforted him. "One more question for you, Southy. Supposedly you're in a relationship with Emma, right?" Altaïr questioned him. "Ah, Emma! The best woman on the whole planet," sighed Southy happily putting his hand on his heart. His younger brother stuck out his tongue annoyedly but in a playful manner. "Actually, what about her? Is there something wrong with her?" he worried about his girlfriend.

"It's okay, Southy," Tami reassured him, "Just Altaïr can't believe that you and Emma are dating, but he has no problem with that, right?" she looked at her boyfriend, who nodded his head. "Okay, Hunters," she continued, "I still want to show Alty the rest of the ranch and inside the home."

"Of course!" "Have fun! And Altaïr, next time show us the parkour tricks." Altaïr nodded playfully at the brothers again. He started to like them, even though they are mutants. Surprisingly so far, he actually liked or at least tolerated every member of Tami's family. Yet in the brotherhood he felt repulsion at some. He felt like he was out of his character. Despite that, it was a good feeling…

"So now where are we going, love?" Altaïr looked at Tami with a warm smile. "Let's go to the stable! You'll see our dinosaurs closer!" "Closer?" Altaïr froze in fright and let himself be dragged by his beloved into the large stable.

Inside there was the chirping of house martins and swallows nesting high up on the stable walls. In front of them, Leaellynasauras roamed, pecking at the hay and seeds on the floor. The couple spotted four sleek theropod dinosaurs in a stall box, watching them with their large orange eyes.

"What are those?" Altaïr asked, pointing a finger at them. "These are Coelophysises, Triassic theropods," Tami answered, "They came to us five days ago. Someone dumped them on the streets in Gepardia and they were stealing food from restaurants. They're definitely domesticated since they're not scared of humans, and luckily they're friendly."

"If they're friendly, why leave them out and abandon them?" Altaïr frowned. "Some people adopt an exotic animal that flexes with them or due to their cuteness," Tami considered, "But when they grow up, there are complications. These people don't know exactly what to do, so they dump the animal somewhere and leave."

"Disgusting. I've seen in my time where so many people dump their dogs or cats and leave them to die… It makes me furious." "I absolutely hate these kind of people. Irresponsible morons… But these little guys were lucky they got to us. Hard to say what could have gone wrong for them if we hadn't arrived to their aid in time…"

"Hello there, lovebirds!" suddenly greeted Talar, who was currently using his pitchfork to put hay into the feeders for the herbivorous dinosaurs. With him were two other Hunters, Hoody Boy and Ryland, who waved to them.

"Hey, fellas!" Tami greeted back with a big grin, Altaïr only waved. "How are you?" Ryland asked amusedly, "Great! Altaïr really loves it here!" Tami replied cheerfully. " We love to hear this! You already seem to be one of us here, Altaïr!" Hoody Boy gloated, hugging Altaïr and Tami at the same time.

"Don't… Touch… Me…" growled Altaïr grimly. Hoody Boy stepped away from him to be safe, "Whoops, apologies for violating your personal space, man," he apologized with a nervous smile, "I'm just happy to meet someone new. You know, most people are rather run away from me or try to kill me."

Altaïr didn't expect this line from Hoody Boy. "Oh… I mean, there was nothing to apologize. I don't like when anyone touches me… Except for Tami, obviously." Altaïr softened his tone and caressed his beloved's cheek, "By the way, aren't you Southy and Northy's brother? You mostly look like Northy."

"Correct. We're triplets, I'm the youngest in fact. You've met them, huh?" Hoody Boy grinned mischievously, "We used to live in Infected's Refuge, specifically one pack of my kind, but I was a weakling to them, and was later banished for saving a human woman and her child from my packmate from killing them. My brothers missed me, so they followed me here."

"But at least our paths have been found!" Ryland smirked embracing Hoody and they both began to purr contentedly. "Those two are… together?" Altaïr murmured into Tami's ear. "Yes. I hope you're not judging them."

"Absolutely not! Good for them!" Tami hugged him with joy and he returned the hug. His face was all red under the hood, which made Talar and Hunter couple laugh. "You two are made for each other!" Talar chuckled, "By the way, Tami. Do you want to introduce Beaky and Kamari to Altaïr?" She got excited. "Oh, yes!" "Who are Beaky and Kamari?" Altaïr arched an eyebrow. "You'll see!"

Ryland went to open one stall box and out ran a cheetah that had stripes instead of dots. When he saw Tami, he started chirping joyously and rubbed up against her and purred. "Hey, big boy! Glad to see you!" Tami petted him. Altaïr had never seen a cheetah that close and watched it in astonishment. He wanted to pet him, except Kamari hissed at him and he pulled his hand away.

"Oh! Kamari doesn't get along much with strangers," Tami said, "But don't worry, drahý. Let him sniff your hand and then he'll be alright with you." Altaïr tried to put his hand in front of Kamari's muzzle and the cheetah sniffed him. Kamari calmed down and licked his fingers. "Hey, hello," Altaïr chuckled.

"Wow! He instantly likes you!" Hoody Boy marveled. "I've never seen a cheetah as a large house kitten. Right, big guy? Who is good boy?" Altaïr jested, scratching Kamari's cheeks, making him purr more.

"Okay, now meet Beaky!" Tami rejoiced and started calling her: "Beaaaakkkky~! Come here, girl~!" Suddenly, a Parasaurolophus with yellow coloring and black stripes down its body entered the stable. She was smaller than other individuals of her kind, probably she was still sub-adult. Altaïr got spooked and hid behind Tami's back. Kamari better ran away from the dinosaur, hopped onto the hay bale and watched them from a safe distance.

Tami, Talar and Hunter couple petted Beaky's head. "Don't worry, Altaïr!" Talar laughed, "Beaky is a herbivore! She won't eat you!" "But herbivores can be more aggressive than carnivores," Altaïr pointed out. "Yeah, but Beaky is really tame, drahý. She's actually our first dinosaur on the ranch! Come on, pet her!" Tami encouraged him. Altaïr carefully reached out and ran his hand over her head down to her beak. This time he didn't feel as confident as he did while petting Kamari, luckily Beaky let herself be petted and patiently stayed still.

"What do you say about Beaky, buddy?" Hoody Boy asked. "Isn't Beaky sweet?" Ryland chimed in. "Well… I'll get used to her," answered Altaïr. Then Beaky turned away and went back outside to her herd. "See, Alty? That wasn't that bad," she smiled at him and took his hand, "Now let's go to the workshop and finally to my house!" "Sounds good to me," Altaïr agreed. "Enjoy yourselves!" Hoody Boy wished them and the couple waved goodbye to Talar, the Hunter pair and the animals.

As the couple exited the stables, they met Takuya and Gavin ahead of them, carrying fishing rods and equipment. "Hey, Tami and Altaïr!" Takuya greeted them as the first. "Hey, guys! Wanna go fishing with us?" Gavin offered.

"What do you say, Altaïr?" Tami asked him. "We could, but I'd like to take a good look inside," the assassin answered, "Besides, I would want to get some rest. But first we'll go see the workshop."

"Okay! Taino went there a moment ago. He's our handyman! Maybe he'll craft something for you!" Takuya joked. Gavin rolled his eyes at his brother's comment, but immediately smiled at the couple, "Well, at least we hope you're enjoying your stay at our house, Altaïr!"

"Thank you," Altaïr politely thanked him. "Thanks, guys! Enjoy your fishing!" Tami wished them and they went on their separate ways. Tami and Altaïr opened the door of the workshop, where Taino was currently working on repairing a small cage.

He looked behind himself as he heard their arrival. "Hello, Tami," he smiled at his sister-in-law, "…and Altaïr…" soon his gaze went cold as he saw the assassin. "Hey, Taino!" Tami greeted him, "I wanted to show Alty our workshop. What are you doing?"

"I'm repairing this cage, since there was a Velociraptor in it recently that surprisingly managed to break through the door and broke the lock." "Try to add more locks next time," Altaïr advised. "I wasn't talking to you, young man," Taino crossed his arms.

Altaïr sensed that the older night elf had something against him, but he tried to be polite so as not to disappoint his beloved. "I only wanted to give you advice," the assassin crossed his arms as well. "I know what I'm doing, assassin…" "I can see it, night elf…" They looked into each other's eyes sternly and coldly. Although Taino was more than two meters tall, Altaïr wasn't intimidated by him, killing enemies taller than him.

Tension started to rise in the workshop… "Guys, guys! We don't need to argue, please!" Tami was trying to calm the situation down. "Listen, sir." Altaïr began to speak genuinely from the heart, "I know you're concerned that I'm an assassin and I seem threatening, but you need to trust me: I truly love Tami. I want to- I mean, I swear I'm going to protect her and make her the happiest woman in the world. I know you are worried that because of me the Templars will show up here and threaten you and your family and friends. Thankfully, my Brotherhood protects all innocent people and if the Templars would attack you, we will help."

Taino was surprised at his words. He realized that Altaïr actually almost resembled himself in his youth. "Alright, alright…" he eventually sighed, "You hit precisely what I was concerned about, but I don't think the TaE Family is defenseless. A bunch of us were fighters, we just want to live a peaceful life, but if those Templars were up to anything wicked, we'd fight back for our freedom and peace."

"That's the spirit!" Altaïr grinned, "I like that!" Taino snickered, "You know what? I was wrong about you, Altaïr. Maybe you're actually as legendarily amazing an assassin as Tami always told me about you. But keep your guard up… If you hurt her…" From Taino's hand, frosty snowflakes emerged, representing a frost spell, "…my wife and I will freeze you to the bone and crush you into teeny tiny pieces."

Altaïr froze and gulped from fear. "Taino! Don't threaten him!" Tami snapped at him. Taino laughed and patted her head, "I'm kidding, don't worry! I just hope he will take good care of you."

Altaïr took courage once more and smiled proudly, "You can count on me, sir!" Taino nodded, the two finally finding some respect between them. "Great, you're cool now! I'm so glad!" Tami enthused, "So, Taino, I'm going to go show Alty our house!"

"Okay! Have fun, kids!" Warmly saying their goodbyes, the couple walked out of the workshop and finally entered the large wooden house. Altaïr whistled from amazement, "I didn't expect you to have such a huge interior of the house as well."

"With 20 people living here, it has to be," Tami giggled. They were standing in a large hallway, they heard voices from the kitchen to their right. They went to where Cleanth and Jarrod were currently cooking lunch.

"Hey, guys!" Tami greeted them. "Bonjour, Tami and Altaïr!" Cleanth waved at them. "Oh, hi," Jarrod spoke up without looking up as he was focused on cooking. "We heard you had a tour of our ranch. Do you like it here, Altaïr?" Cleanth asked him smilingly.

"You have it almost like paradise here," Altaïr nodded, but wondered at Cleanth's appearance. "Cleanth, I notice that you are extremely pale. Pale as snow. Do you have some sort of skin disease?" Altaïr asked worriedly. "Ah! Don't worry, I'm not sick!" Cleanth laughed, "In fact I'm not a human, but a Purifier! I am from the Pure Kingdom, more specifically from the city of Secretairios."

"Purifier? Hmm... I've heard something about your kind, but apparently they never leave their island," Altaïr pointed out. "The only Purifiers who are outside the island are those who were banished due to the curse," Cleanth explained more seriously.

"What curse?" "The curse of the red eyes." "What? For this? This is ridiculous! What were they thinking!?" Altaïr boiled with fury. "It's just… The curse is meant for something completely different than eye color…" "Stop hiding and speak sense!" Cleanth held up his hands and kept his distance from Altaïr, who was being consoled by Tami's nuzzling on his arm.

"Chill, chill! I'll tell you right now! Jeez… I can transform into a dinosaur monster that can't control itself properly. Happy with the answer?" Altaïr lifted his eyebrows, "A dinosaur monster?" "Exactly." "And it's not because of-" Jarrod was about to say something, but Cleanth silenced him.

"Because of what?" Altaïr wondered. "You don't have to deal with it. After all, it was in the past," Cleanth smiled gloomily, "Tami, show him our house while Jarrod and I finish lunch. Afterwards, we'll call you."

"Okay, Cleanth. See you guys later!" Tami held Altaïr's hand and showed him around the house: the living room, the dining room, the bathrooms, the hobby room, and then they headed upstairs to the upper floor where the bedrooms were. On the way, Altaïr noticed a gecko climbing the wall. "Tami, there's some lizard over there," he pointed at the small reptile curiously.

"Ah, it's a Mediterranean house gecko. They live freely in our house," Tami muttered, "They catch insects and stabilize the spider population." "Oh, right. Now I remember I rarely saw similar lizards in my former universe." They watched the gecko for a moment and then moved into the hallway.

"Tami?" He stopped her. "Yes, drahý?" "You know what, we don't have to go into every room. I wouldn't want to stick my nose into the privacy of your family and friends. I'm most interested in how your room looks like." "Sure. Come on."

The couple headed for the end of the hallway. Tami opened the last door on the left and the two walked in. Tami's room was small. The bed with a couple of plushies was in the right hand corner of the room and next to it was a nightstand and a window. There was also a closet and dresser next to the door, a large shelf with figurines, video games and books about dinosaurs and animals, and a desk with a laptop, writing equipment and an office chair. Paintings of either cheetahs, dinosaurs, and pictures of her family from the old days were hung along the light green walls.

"Damn, girl, you live like this?" Altaïr smirked teasingly, "Better than my room." "You don't say," Tami chuckled, "By the way, do you want to take your weapons off? You don't have to wear them all the time." "True, habibti," Altaïr smiled sweetly, putting down his sword, dagger, knives and gloves. He even put his hood down.

"Where can I put these?" "You can put them on that dresser over there," she told him, and he put his weapons and gloves on it. He looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was the Assassin's Creed 1 video game on the shelf. "Is that me?" he asked in surprise, picking it up to take a closer look.

"Yes! That's that video game I mentioned to you a couple of times!" Tami cheerfully replied to him. "I look a little bit different there… Where are my freckles?" "That would be because you're a different Altaïr, like from an another universe." "That makes sense, but I don't look bad. What else have you got, sweetheart?"

Tami gasped in excitement as her boyfriend was fascinated over her collection of him. "Oh! I has a figurine of you, a book about you, posters, cards, fanarts! I even have a plushie of you!" She pointed out to him what all she had. "You really weren't lying about being my biggest fan," Altaïr joked. "Want to see how you look in the game?" Tami offered.

"Can you show it to me later, please, habibti? I'd like to chat with you further." Altaïr caressed her cheek again, lifting her chin up with his fingers. Tami blushed again at his tender gestures. They stared into each other's eyes, their faces getting closer together, they closed their eyes and finally kissed each other on the lips. The kiss was passionate and affectionate. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other. They were making out until they needed to breathe. They leaned their foreheads against each other's and continued to stare into each other's eyes affectionately.

"Do you want to sit on the bed?" Tami whispered into his ear. "Of course." They both sat on Tami's bed, slipped off their shoes and cuddled. "Even your bed is softer than mine in the hideout," Altaïr beamed. "Alty, you don't have to lie, please." Tami gently nudged him playfully with her shoulder.

"Why would I ever lie to you?" Altaïr scoffed, but became serious. "Tami? May I ask something personal about you?" "You're always allowed to ask me anything, drahý. What's on your mind?" She looked into his golden eyes. Altaïr found her brown eyes hypnotic, he couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Why are you being so hard on yourself? Like, you keep underestimating and blaming yourself." Tami's smile disappeared from her face and she looked elsewhere around the room. "Tami?" Altaïr addressed her worriedly. "It's a long story…" she responded evasively. "I don't mind, love. Feel free to shorten it if you can. I'll listen to you all day." Tami let out a heavy sigh and gave him another somber stare.

"Truth be told, drahý… My family and I are outsiders. People don't like us that much." "What? How? I don't understand why they don't like your family while you are helping animals!" "It's better today, but it used to be tougher…" "Why?"

Soon Tami started to tell her story: "You know, for instance, Taino and Talidea are not regular night elves. They are death knights, they used to serve under the Lich King's reign from Azeroth. Society sees death knights as undead heartless monsters that only bring death, but Taino and Dea are completely different. Because of their love, their bodies weren't rotting and they even managed to have Tarion and Tanisa together. But they just couldn't change the public's mind."

Altair kept listening intently and had no intention of stopping her. "Next Maiev didn't have a good reputation in the past," Tami continued, "Supposedly her other self did horrible things like killing innocent Highbornes, which our Maiev never actually committed. Elphina is her biological daughter, so people think she's just as bad as her mom, which is also not true. Talar also didn't avoid being rejected, as he is the husband of the warden's daughter and the younger brother of the death knight. Our Hunters: Southy, Northy, Hoody Boy and Ryland have never seen humans as prey. In fact, they felt more like humans, and because of that, their kind disowned them. That's why they have found a new home and 'pack' here. Cleanth was once a prince, but due to his eyes and a curse, his parents rejected him and he was raised by the cleaners. Years later, he was banished. Jarrod, Lennon and Clara never wanted to become mercenaries. They were forced to join. Their loved ones were murdered. Jarrod's father and ex-girlfriend were his abusers and manipulators. Clara's uncle murdered innocent civilians on orders from his enemies as well. Lennon and Clara fell in love with each other even though they were in opposing factions and had to escape for it. Jarrod ran away with them since they were the only true family for him. Later Cleanth met them and joined them despite him being a Purifier. Then they sailed together to Havaykia and since no one else would take them under their wing, they joined us where they found a new home. Far away from wars and violence... You see, we are actually a small community… A found family…"

"And you don't know what happened to your parents?" Altaïr whispered after a minute of silence. "I never knew them. The nannies found me outside the orphanage as an infant, alone…" Altaïr felt sorry for her and her family and friends. "This is not fair," he frowned, "And that apparently Havaykia is a place where discrimination is forbidden."

"Unfortunately that's not true for most places and people," Tami continued seriously, "My siblings, nephew and I had the hardest time in elementary school, because once upon a time when a night elf adopted a human child, they were both judged by society." "That makes no sense whatsoever! Why?" Altaïr argued furiously, but he calmed himself to avoid frightening Tami and let her keep talking.

"Because that's not how it used to be… Can you imagine when a night elf family adopts four human children…" "You were bullied by the other children," Altaïr finished her sentence. "Not only the children, but also the adults, especially the teachers," Tami added, "Almost nobody wanted to be friends with us, they only insulted and mocked us."

"Wait, you said almost nobody," Altaïr noted. Tami made a small sad smile, "Naya and the Palins siblings, Tilly and Ezekiel, befriended us since they found us fascinating." "And they weren't outcast by society for this, too?" "Yeah, but they didn't mind. We actually formed a little group, which was kind of against the whole world." "How did Relante and Tanisa handle it, since they're a couple years younger than you?" "They were lucky to get into a good class in elementary. To be safe, we didn't meet them during school to keep their lives from falling apart because of us."

"But then why do you keep underestimating yourself?" Altaïr demanded, growing concerned, "Don't you remember exactly what happened?" Tami saddened once more, "I don't remember quite accurately. There were a lot of factors that brought my self-esteem down… But the worst I remember was in probably fifth grade in elementary, around the time I was ten or eleven. We had a grammar lesson, taught by a teacher who had something against me. Maybe for the fact that I wasn't the brightest student in her subject. We had to take a dictation test, in which I always got bad grades. I don't remember exactly why, but I told her that why should I do it, since I wasn't good at it and would probably never get better…"

Tami felt uncomfortable as she mentioned it, but continued: "The teacher got mad at me and told me I was a lost cause. That I don't know anything else and will never be able to adapt when I grow up…" In Tami's eyes, tears appeared, but she tried her best not to cry. Altaïr touched her hand and squeezed gently to comfort her.

"After this, I remained quiet and started to cry. I kept apologizing to her. After an hour, all my classmates made fun of me. Even though my siblings, nephew and friends were defending me, I never got over it. From then on, I preferred to be alone, avoiding anyone who wasn't from my family and friends. In my teenage years, I used to act rude and hostile, but after a while, I realized that it wasn't okay, it wasn't real me… That I was hurting my loved ones and myself in this way. Eventually I worked on myself and changed for the better, but I still prefer to take the blame on myself since I'm a lost cause…"

"No…" Altaïr shook his head and hugged her tightly. He was furious inside, but he kept it to himself. "That stupid woman should never say such things to any child. You're not a lost cause, Tami. You are a girl who wants to help others, explore nature, you can see beautiful things that no one else can see, and you are so much more than others think… I 'm really sorry what happened to you. After this incident, how did your family handle it?"

"Yes. I remember Elphina screaming at that teacher, how dare she say those awful words to a child. They were considering putting us in a different class or even a different school. But I was afraid that it would be the same everywhere, and besides, there is only one elementary school in Gepardia. I somehow made it through and got into high school. It was a hundred times better there, but my scars remained... And later after graduation I tried to go to university, but unfortunately I didn't finish the first semester because I was stressed for exams."

Altaïr consoled the sobbing Tami with an embrace and gently caressed her hair and back. "Truth be told, love," Altaïr cooed, "I realize how much the two of us have in common."

"What do you mean?" Tami wondered. "You know..." Altaïr started to tell his story this time, "I never knew my mother in person. She passed away shortly after I was born. My father often traveled on missions, we didn't spend a lot of time together. But whenever we had some time, he would tell me about his travels and adventures, and even tell me what my mother was like. He told me when I grew up, he would train me to become the best assassin and I would make the creed proud. Except at the age of eleven, my father sacrificed himself to the brotherhood and…" He paused and fell into sorrow as he thought of his late father.

"I know about this," Tami spoke in a quiet voice, "It was written in the book about you. A man slit his throat in front of you and your best friend became your rival for not wanting to accept the truth you told…" "Correct. It was Abbas and his father…" Altaïr replied while nodding his head, "When you told me about what your teacher did to you, it reminded me of my master, Al Mualim. I remember as a boy I used to play with Malik and Kadar around his office and make a mess. My master wanted to punish me by beating me, but my father stopped him and took me away. He scolded me, but he knew I was just a little boy. Only after my father died, I rarely escaped Al Mualim's fists and slaps."

Tami covered her mouth in horror. Nothing about this was ever written in the book. "Oh my Elune… Altaïr… I'm truly, truly sorry…" Tami wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on his scar. "I didn't expect you to have it worse. No child would ever deserve to be beaten either." They cuddled in an embrace, lying down on the bed. Tami rested her head on Altaïr's chest and heard how his heart was pounding. She felt him gently caressing her curly hair and kissing her forehead.

"Alty?" Tami spoke up after several minutes. "Yes, habibti?" They locked eyes again. "I'm glad that I told you my story," Tami confessed to him with a shy smile, "And thank you for listening and understanding me. It's real relief." Altaïr returned a warm smile and cupped her face tenderly.

"I'm glad to help you, albi," he softly stated, "Actually, now I was wondering if I could give you something." Tami closed her eyes and waited for the surprise. Altaïr chuckled and pulled a gift from his pouch. "Open your eyes, habibti." She opened her eyes and saw a small stuffed dove in his hands. It was old and a little scruffy, but it was noticeable that it had been homemade. "Alty…" blushed Tami.

"This is a little dove my mother made for me before my birth and my father gave it to me," Altaïr smiled tenderly. Tami was surprised, "Alty, I… I can't take it," she shook her head, "We've been together for two days. This is the only thing you have left from your parents. Please keep it, drahý."

"Tami, habibti..." he addressed her affectionately, "We've known each other in person for half a year. Besides, you're the one person in this world my heart trusts the most." Altaïr placed the dove into her palms and cupped them lightly. "I'm just worried I'm going to break it or lose it," Tami whispered nervously. Altaïr kissed her on the lips to comfort his beloved. She returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around him. "I trust you to take good care of my parents' treasure, Tami. You don't need to worry. I won't be mad at you if anything happens to it since you're my the biggest treasure, alright?"

She nodded and snuggled into him. "Ľúbim ťa, Alty," she whispered to him in Slovak. "Was this in your native language?" Altaïr asked with a smirk. "Yeah. It means I love you." "Then... Ana bahebek kmaan, Tami," he whispered into her ear sweetly, gave her a peck on the cheek and they went back to nuzzling.

"Hey, Alty? Shall we go play Assassin's Creed 1?" Tami suggested after a while. "You can show me how you can play it." They both got off the bed, went over to the desk and Tami turned on her laptop. "Good, when it's switched on, I'll bring you a chair," Tami said, quickly leaving the room and returning a minute later with a chair, which she placed next to her office chair. They sat down and Tami turned on the game. Altaïr watched impassively as his girlfriend played the game of him.

The couple had a great time until Cleanth called them in for lunch and they were reunited with the whole family. Together they enjoyed the meal and the others got to know Altaïr even better. After lunch, Tami and Altaïr continued to play AC1 until the evening when Altaïr had to go. "Too bad you don't want to stay with us for the night," Tami sighed, but her smile never left.

"I would love to, but the duties of my brotherhood call," returned Altaïr, "But I will always visit you whenever I have time." "Really? That would be wonderful!" Tami embraced him, which made him chuckle. She escorted him to the gate and opened it.

Before that, Altaïr scooped her up in his arms and they kissed passionately on the lips. Then he caressed her cheek, "But if you want, you can come visit the bureau sometime and meet Malik," Altaïr whispered, "Or I'll take him with me next time here."

"Oh! I'd love to meet Malik one hundred percent!" Altaïr chuckled at her cheerful response, "Hey, Tami, listen…" he blushed and spoke softly while scratching his neck, "I'll be honest with you, at first I was unsure how your family would react towards me, but… Your family ended up being nice. I'm really glad you have people who have your back."

"Thanks. You're always welcome at the TaE Family's Ranch. Good night… habibti." Altaïr's pupils dilated as she addressed him in Arabic and he smiled even more genuinely. "Well, it's more properly 'habibi' to me as a man, you know?" Altaïr corrected her playfully.

"Oh, right," giggled Tami, "And 'láska moja' means my love in Slovak." "You know what, one more time, all right?" Tami nodded, holding gently in his arms.

"Good night, habibi…" Tami whispered sweetly as first. "Good night to you too... láska moja…" Altaïr cooed tenderly.

They eventually kissed each other passionately on the lips one last time for tonight and said goodbye, though they didn't want to separate. On the other hand, they know they will see each other again soon…

[azyimnothere]

HELLOOOOOOOO LOVELY PEOPLE!!!! 💙💙💙💙

Annnnnddddd cringe animation time! ✨✨✨✨

This lil animation took me whole day to make, it's a lil cringey but considering my animation skill level it's to be pretty expected 😅 (I'm trying to get better)

Featuring Velvet angst✨✨✨ she completely flopped the very first audition her and her brother went to when they were younger, they had more after that one for which velvet swore to do amazing in, but sadly that never happened.

She went in that theater with confidence, only for it to all crumble down, I imagine that young velvet wouldn't really handle that too well. Also Veneer comforting his sister yay! Because he knows how she is.

Hope you like it at least a bit💕

(Plus that judge in the middle is Orchid's mom)

[flowersforbucky]

Do you have any general advice for someone who wants to post their writing but is scared to? I write a lot. But I have never posted on tumblr or anywhere else. I don't know why but I'm so nervous to.

had to add a keep reading link because i ended up rambling way more than i originally intended to 😅 sorry if this isn't helpful or isn't the kind of answer you were looking for but here's a summary of my experience with writing/posting on tumblr and some general tips -

i completely understand being nervous. i feel nervous every time i post my writing. i'm always worried that people won't like it, that it'll flop, etc. when i first tried posting bucky fanfiction about 5 years ago, and when i posted eddie munson fanfiction a couple years ago, just about everything i posted performed really poorly. i had a couple pieces that did alright but for the most part, just about everything flopped. and it was very discouraging, i would let it get to me too much for sure - i'd wonder how other people got their work to get so many notes so easily when nothing i did seemed to help.

so when i started writing/posting for bucky again a few months ago i was really nervous, since i hadn't had much luck in the past. i decided to give it a shot anyway, and told myself that i'm doing this for fun, and if people like what i put out then great, and if not then i wouldn't let it get to me because at the end of the day i'm doing this for myself, because i want to.

everything i've posted for bucky the last few months has surpassed my expectations, truthfully. i don't really know why all of my one-shots have performed so much better this time around than when i first tried to write for him back in 2019 - maybe my writing has improved? maybe i'm just getting lucky and posting at the right times? maybe it's the fact that i write more smut than i used to and the fandom seems to love that? maybe a little bit of all of those things? i'm not 100% sure, but i'm happy to give you some tips that i think work for me, at least.

also disclaimer i definitely don't think i've been doing this long enough or am a "big enough" writer within this community to even be giving advice LMAO but since you asked!!

i usually post on wednesday or friday evenings and i've had good interaction on both of those days, however fridays have been the best and i think i will be sticking to friday evening posts for the most part in the future

i usually post between 7:00 - 10:00 pm eastern time, most often around 9:00 pm - if the time you post doesn't seem to work well, try a different time with the next post

tags tags tags! add the most relevant tags first, and avoid adding tags that are irrelevant. so when i post for bucky i add tags such as the following: bucky barnes x reader, bucky x reader, bucky barnes, bucky barnes x you, bucky barnes smut, etc

write a brief summary for the piece that will draw people in but not give tooooo much away. also always give appropriate warnings

use the "keep reading" feature. to be completely honest, if someone posts something that's 500+ words and they don't use the keep reading feature, i'm instantly going to get annoyed that it's clogging up the feed and scroll past it lol. i personally like to insert the "keep reading" link a couple paragraphs into my fic so that people can read the first tiny bit of it and (hopefully) be interested enough to click the link and keep reading.

don't be afraid to reach out to other writers in your fandom and initiate friendships. i know this can be super intimidating because they usually already have mutuals that they are close with but what's the worst that can happen with trying? most people here love making new friends/mutuals and want to be supportive of new writers, though i know it doesn't always feel like that. not everyone that i've followed/interacted with has followed me back but a lot have!

tease snippets of upcoming fics before posting them (and make sure to add a bunch of tags so more people see) to help people get excited, draw in new followers, etc. pick a few lines of dialogue, or a specific paragraph or whatever, that you're particularly proud of and screenshot/copy & paste it and post it and basically say hey here's a snippet of an upcoming fic! i don't always do this but i like to on occasion

lastly, and this piece of advice won't necessarily help your writing perform well notes wise, but i think it's important to remember: write and post what YOU want to write and post. this is a hobby, this is supposed to be fun, and you are not getting paid for this. if you don't want to write smut, DON'T write it just because it's popular and you feel like you have to. if you don't want to write reader inserts and prefer OCs, then write an OC. if you prefer writing one-shots and drabbles over multi-part series, then write one-shots and drabbles! of course readers are going to have their preferences and that's fine, i have my preferences when it comes to reading fanfiction as well, but it's not your job to appeal to every reader out there. it's your job to enjoy this hobby as much as you can and write things that you're proud of.

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

I had a weird, disjointed dream last night, so if none of this makes sense, then that's fine. 😅

Anyway, this plot centers around Legend. He's been through all his LoZ games, except maybe for EoW. I didn't write anything about it in my notes, so I'm assuming he just wasn't really around when it went down, or it's happening while this plot is happening at the same time. Either way, I don't think it really matters, but EoW is technically attached to his era somehow. That's the important part.

Now the two biggest changes are Wild and Wind's quests/adventures.

Wild has been through BotW and TotK at this point. But he's also been through LU. So, general order of events was BotW -> LU -> TotK. Now he's in the middle of the current plot and solidly in his 20s, about where you'd normally put Warriors, I think.

Wind is not the Link from ST. He did WW -> LU -> PH -> WoE, breaking things up like Wild. So during LU he only had stuff left over from WW. So there's still that weird flip-flop time travel nonsense with WoE, and he's a young adult now. Closer to 18-20, which is weird to think about it.

The others haven't exactly aged as dramatically, but there was something different about Four that I don't really remember. Probably has to do with splitting up FS and FSA as different events spaced further apart.

But the point is that LU has already happened for everyone except Legend. For some reason he's gotten himself stuck either just before LU or during it. So by a really weird twist of time travel he hasn't aged up from canon, but he's also the youngest now.

According to everyone else, he's been acting weird for a little while now, but no one knew why. And then this just happened one day, and it's probably Legend's fault, but he doesn't remember finishing LU and going home at the end, so he's just as confused as they are.

Also, for some random reason, Legend was supposed to be Zelda (was born to the king and queen) but was trans and thus never acquired any of Hylia's abilities because she's a goddess and Just Knows Stuff I guess. His cousin was supposed to be next in line and also turned out to be trans, thus ending up with Hylia's abilities and they sort of just... switched places??

And then there's this side plot sort of like OoT, except Legend's like... way more murderous than baby Time and trying to kill Ganondorf 24/7 while Fable is trying to convince him to stop because they can't just murder the Gerudo diplomat.

sorry for not answering this yesterday, BUT I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS OH MY GOD. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. CHEWING ON THIS. I LOVE IT.

[xxkr1sz]

Day 6 - 7

We ain't gonna talk about day 6.. it was a BIG FLOP. Day 7 aka today is getting over day 6 😢 🤢😷

Sorry but this is gonna be a really short, disorganised post.

Anyways, today I got Pokémon Shield! I'm so addicted to it it's crazy. I was expecting it to be a lot worse because of the reviews but no! I'm really enjoying it so far. Fun fact, my favourite Pokémon is Meowth .

I'm currently deaf in my left ear rn. My blocked ears have been getting worse and worse. I've booked in to get them microsuctioned and I'm so scared. I've never had anything done to my ears and I'm really worried about if it will hurt or be extremely loud. I hope I hear my alarm go off tomorrow, I never seem to hear it these days 😅

Mental hunger:

Also.. I think I've found a way to help my snacking food addiction. Being super distracted. Okay so embarrassingly, I'm normally hyper fixated on meal times because my brain is looking forward to getting the hits of dopamine from eating. First thing in the morning it's, oh what's for breakfast? Then it's oh let's plan lunch. Then oh what can I have for a snack. But yesterday, as I was playing a videogame on my laptop i felt those thoughts leave me. Then again today! As I was playing Pokémon Shield it happened again, didn't even think about food which led to me having dinner later than usual! So the trick is to be distracted. Keep busy!

I've made a list of everything I'm gonna do when I feel that 'mental hunger' ( I'll share it in a screenshot ). It begins with the easiest things to do down to the longer things. Gonna try this tomorrow.

Another tip. When I felt the mental hunger today I just stopped, caught it and released it. I keep doing it and it really helps.

If anyone else suffers from this constant mental hunger, please share any tips you have which have helped you

Thanks for reading 👍