#it wanted me to explain why cats/dogs were better than the other and i just. didn't

[myymi]

ive gotten into the essay portion of class so i apologize if my fics suddenly seem very proper

[cafecourage]

Little Red Riding Hood where Reader is Little Red but also a werewolf

Love Interest and rest of chain can be assigned however

(Cause I'm always down for a fairytale au)

I did a little twist on this. Idk if this was what you wanted. I had to ask doggo experts for how doggos act around each other. I am leaving this off on a small cliff hanger because I do want to write more of this.

Twilight didn’t trust the new person in the group. Well. It’s more like he didn’t know what to think of her. She came in like a hurricane running after the Shadow like it was her prey. Then when the dust settled and she calmed down the group quickly learned of why. The short of it being that for some reason the Shadow attacked her brother and she took chase. Which then led to her to finally agree to join the chain. Much to the Ranchers chagrin. However, he knows better than to start an unnecessary fight. Twilight could be civil.

Civility could only go so far.

Little Red, as Warrior’s likes to call her, noticed Twilight’s presence and slight unease of her and ran with it. Twilight couldn’t understand just why she was always running circles around him talking about this and that. It confused him to no end when she instantly would stick to him even when he was wolfie. He had to on more then one occasion threaten to bite Little Red’s hands. She never cared or backed away from Wolfie when he showed a bit of aggression. “He is going to bite you.” Wild warned her as he watched Little Red try to play with Wolfie.

She looked up at Wild while holding Wolfie’s face, “what? No the baby is just playing.” That comment only made Twilight growl more.

“Baby? Wolfie isn’t a baby.” Wild was torn between being completely amuse and helping Twilight out as he did know about his slight distrust of Little Red.

“No no no, Champion. This is a wolf pup. He has to be like…” Her attention draws to the wolf as she observes the good boy. “Man… I have to say maybe 10? He is very small even for that age. Wolfie is like an adult dog size but he is definitely a wolf.” She boops the snoot and quickly pulled back as Twilight tries to bite her hand again. This only makes her giggle more.

“I think your wolves might be just bigger than my Hyrules.” Honestly to Wild, Wolfie was the same size as most wolves, but he just shrugs and not questions that further. Twilight couldn’t understand why you were like this, he wonders if it was just an eccentric thing. He has met a lot of weird people in his life and Little Red might be one of them. After being free from your grasp he takes it upon himself to run away for now. Only because you don’t tend to grab his face while being Twilight and thats the most annoying part of being wolfie around you.

It wasn’t until they finally came to her era that he finally understood.

The village Little Red lived in was small, but cozy. It reminded Twilight of his own home. People tended to light up when seeing Little Red. But given the size of the group following them most villagers tended to just say hi and remarks that they needed to talk to her later. “My house is a bit further.” Little red said pointing to a path that ran into the woods. “It’s just me, my brother and Grandma oh and our cat. I’ll make sure to keep her out of your stuff. But we should have room to fit everyone.” She explains as the path slowly clears up to a cottage in the wood with a small garden. There was a small pup running around in the yard playing with said cat. Who was purely annoyed at ready to pap the puppy in the head.

Little Red’s eyes brightened “Link!” She calls out gaining the Pups reaction.

She dashes towards the house as the puppy starts running towards her. They meet halfway and the puppy shifts into a young boy. “You’re back! You’re back!” This Link giggles as he gets lifted in the air by his sister and spun around.

“I am! For now.” Little red nuzzles her brother’s face as she shifts her grips on her brother to put his weight on her hip. “Boy’s this is my brother. Link these are the adventurers I’ve been traveling with.”

She turns to the group with a smile. The chain was utterly confused and silent before Wind speaks up “Did he transform into a wolf?”

[tekumaniac311]

Gala talk

At a Space Rider gala event. All Space Rider groups were socializing, chilling out, singing or dancing in their fancy gala outfits. One among them was Dogbite sipping his own drink as he watched with..annoyance?

Dancing together out on the dance floor was his own second in command, Drago Kitano and with him, Craftycorn, the archivist for his brother's team. Drago was calmly smiling as he slow danced with her, Crafty looked transfixed in Drago's gaze as she went with the flow, a soft blush showing on her white cheeks.

Dogbite had been trying to get his team to avoid his brothers own squad, claiming that because they were "better" they have better things to do than hang out with "amateurs" unfortunately for him the "competition" have been growing closer and closer to eachother forming friendships, much to his dismay.

He then looked to his left to see another of Dogday's team Bubba Bubbaphant, socializing with his chef and communicator Mama Mammoth, from the looks they were walking together with her arm linked with his and giggling, sharing a nice conversation. Close to them was his medical expert Prettybird lending a hand to KickinChicken, with a smile on her beak Pretty winked at him, showing a makeup covered eyelid.

Nearby out on the dance floor, Leopardaisy was jamming out with Hoppy Hopscotch, at the refreshment table Catnap and Lean Lemur looked like they were just chatting, Catnap looked like he was giving words of assurance and Lemur was smiling through, understanding how things can be sometime. PickyPiggy was pouring FixFox a glass of punch for her, with FixFox thanking her and pouring a glass of punch for her in return.

As for Berserkerine, he was leaning against a wall, arms crossed. His usual place for he didn't like gala events, up til Bobby Bearhug came up to him, wanting to dance "Pweeeaaase." She asked the wolverine. "Sorry but..i don't do dancing, redbear." Berserk said to her. "TOO BAD!" Bobby shouted, startling Berserk as she took his hands "If you can "dance" around with those fists, surely you can dance with me." Berserkerine gave annoyed snarl at Bobby "Fine."

Dogday, Dogbite's brother and leader of the other team walked up next to him, amused. "It's nice that our teammates are getting along, huh?" Dogbite growled and took a sip of his drink, squeezing it and causing it to crack. "Hm." Was all he could mutter "Come on, what's the matter little bro?" Dogday asked smirking. "The matter, big brother? Okay, WHY exactly is my team, who i've built from the ground up, and lead into combat numerous times is hanging out with YOUR pack of clowns?" "Come on, Dogbite. Alienating your team ain't good, after all we're alike and on the same side--" Dogbite cut him off "No way, we're RIVALS, wanting to take out the Prototype first before the other can."

Strutting up to them was a cat in a masquerade mask, it was of course, Z. "What's going on here?" The masked cat asked "Oh god, it's him...What do YOU want?" The masqueraded cat just chuckled at the younger brothers spitefulness "Just to chill, besides Dogbite. You should really listen to your brother."

As Z began to explain, some of the gala guests began to put on...cult masks!!! And pull out weapons, they were prepared to attack. Z continued to talk to the two dogs unaware what was transpiring behind them.

"And from personal experience, who you call the pack of "clowns" I consider allies and buddies. You both maybe separate teams, but your both on the same SIDE." Z finished with a smile. "Watchout!!!" Shouted Drago from a distance, the three looked just in time to see Drago and Crafty duck to avoid a laser shot from a cultist before fighting back, and all around them they see the secret cult members attack the guests and other party goers.

Berserkerine and Bobby stopped dancing hearing the chaos "Alright! My kind of party!" He grinned and removed his blazer, ready to bash down some skulls and rushed at them. "And there he goes. :3" Bobby huffed amused, she saw a cultist come at her and ducked a swing, without a second thought, she reached for the punch bowl and tossed it at the cultist.

Leopardaisy and Hoppy already began to fight back, as did Prettybird, FixFox, Picky, Kickin, Catnap and Lemur. Bubba took a stick and whacked at the cultist who came at him and Mama, Mama meanwhile picked up the cake that she baked for this gala and slammed it onto the cultist's face. "Mama, didn't you bake that??" Bubba asked "I can bake another, baby." Mama said.

"Well, let's not let them have all the fun, I'll talk to ya later, captains." Z winked and strutted to the fighting, leaving Dogday a little bit flustered, Dogbite facepalmed "Ugh, let's just take em out! Betcha me and my pals will take out more cultists than yours!" A small batch of cultists approached the brothers "Always the competitive type, little brother.."

The two brothers stood side to side about to attack "As said, I ain't resting till I hear 'Little brother, you've always been better than me'." Dogbite said "Hmph, someday you'll see the bigger picture." Dogday commented.

And with that, the two dogs punch the POV of a cultist.

THE END

space riders belong to @onyxonline

[bloomingdog]

Acolyte

word count: 2.7k a/n: hii i'm going through a depressive episode and this is my fic about soap with a depressed reader cos he's my babygirl. might expand on them idk i love soap i wanna keep writing for him

Johnny is a friend of Kyle’s, and Kyle is a friend of Farah, who is your friend. And Johnny, or Soap, is here because Kyle invited him since he had “nothing better to do”. And it’s alright, he’s fun and a little loud, he talks over people but always apologises. You were a little nervous to meet him, having been promised a get-together with people you were already well-acquaintances with, but the tears in your eyes, from laughing, that is, dismiss all previous nerves.

“And then he-” He’s cut off by his own wheeze, it’s been going for a couple of minutes; him and Kyle trying to retell a story about their captain, but they keep getting interrupted by their own laughter. You don’t think it’s that funny, if anything their reactions are the thing that make you all go into hysterics. It’s hard to feel sorry for all the other patrons. 

You feel drunker than you really are, save for Farah, you only had two to three beers each. It’s the kind of silly drunkenness induced by being with friends. The forgotten UNO cards on top of the table shake as Johnny’s fist hits the table trying to catch his breath.

And the pub’s playlist keeps playing every top #1 hit from the last 20 years. And at some point you’re all performing a rendition of smash hit “500 miles”. And you’re getting giggly with sleep. And Farah’s driving you home. And she’s asking you about Johnny, which makes you giggly all over. And she’s telling you he’s single. 

And then it’s morning. And there’s a message from an unknown phone number.

“Hey. This is Johnny. 

Just wanted to let you know I had a blast last night, loved meeting you :-)” 

It makes you smile trying to figure out what to write back. Why is it so hard to sound nonchalant while also a little interested in getting to know him? 

“So did I!

Haven’t laughed that hard in a while lol”

That’s cool, right? It’s half a good response at the very least, since you get a response back.

“Wanna meet sometime?”

Oh, that’s good. At best, you get a little attention and maybe a lay, at worst you get a new friend. You keep texting throughout the day, you two fit like a puzzle piece: talkative, extroverted and active. He sends you a picture of a squirrel he saw earlier on his morning run, you send him a picture of your cat back with the caption “my asshole son” to which he replies “don’t be mean to him”. Those little interactions keep getting exchanged. On Monday, you send him a fun fact about a shark that had a virgin birth. Tuesday, he’s telling you about his fear of dogs. Wednesday is the perfect occasion for a picture of your cat, Gus, sleeping in a funny position. Thursday, your phone pings with a string of texts ranting about Glasgow City. Friday you’re texting Johnny that you’re at the restaurant you’re meeting at, a hole-in-the-wall that mastered the art of oily food and crispy chips, he replies he’s running late.

“I’m so sorry for making you wait.” Is out of his mouth before any greeting. “Are ye hungry?” It’s more a conversation starter than an actual question.

“It’s okay! No worries.” You’re just happy to be hanging out, not bothered by his tardiness. 

The two of you sit and chat, you learn he has a tattoo of a revolver but won’t say where. He laughs at the face you make while imagining where it would be. “Don’t be dirty!” He chastises, it’s within the law that you steal one of his chips as payment for the teasing. You ask where does Soap come from.

“A’m good at cleaning.” It’s a short answer that explains enough, you’re not keen on pushing the topic any further. Luckily, he changes the topic rather quickly, it looks like he’s not a big fan of silences. “Tell me aboot Gus. How’d you get him?” 

“A colleague’s cat had kittens, she was trying to find them homes, Gus was the only one left, runt of the litter you know?” He nods, listening, interested in what you have to say. “Kept pushing and showing me pictures of the guy until I caved. When I took him home he wouldn’t stop screaming, I think he might be part siamese, they’re really vocal. So, he kept me up all night, I thought he was sick or something, I even took him to the emergency vet, turns out he’s just a dickhead.” He smiles at the insult. “A very cute one, though.” You add, it’s hard not to love him even if he wakes you up at 6 a.m. on the dot.

 “Can I meet him someday?” he might if you’re lucky enough.

You might as well thank every saint, divinity, and omnipotent being for your luck tonight. He accompanies you home, only because “he’s a gentleman”, according to him. The kind of gentleman that kisses you dizzy and gets invited into your flat.

You text Farah about the events of the evening before falling asleep, it’s not kiss and tell if she’s your best friend. And in the early morning you’re both woken up by an angry Gus, whose side of the bed has been stolen by a guy that almost doesn’t fit in it. You’re cuddled on his side, one leg over his.

“Gus-Gus….” It’s a groggy mumble of displeasure, you know he only wants to be beside you, but the hour doesn’t help your mood. Still, you move away from Johnny so he can jump onto your chest for cuddles.

“He does skirl alright.” That morning voice might actually be the death of you.

“Told you. He’s an asshole.” A breathy laugh makes his bare chest move as he turns to face you.

“He’s real cute though.”

“Are you not tired?” The early morning light peeks through your window, the sun isn’t even out yet and you can’t imagine anyone that is appreciative of being woken up so early.

“Naw, no’ really. ‘M used to it.” 

It feels weird, good weird, to have him in your bed like that. Barely a week since you met, and he feels so close, more like a friend than a one-night stand, more than a friends-with-benefits. He checks the time on his phone before speaking again.

“Ye want breakfast?” Your eyes are closed again, hugging Gus close to your chest, hand moving up and down his fur but not doing much to pet him. His call of your name is answered by a groan, it makes him chuckle. He scoots closer to you, you can feel his arm coming up for Gus to sniff and the cat readjusts himself so his head is closer to Johnny’s. “Hi”.

Oh but the warmth dissipating from his body is to much, that and the soft noise of Gus’ purr drives you to fall asleep again. You only half dream, a mixture of images that won’t make any sense once you’re awake again, which happens rather soon as the bed adjusts and you feel a hand run through your hair. 

“Can I make tea?” His voice sounds softer than earlier, you nod, opening your eyes just a smidge to look up at him.

“Biscuits in the cupboard…”That’s as much as you can muster now. “Wake me up when it's done?”

“Course.” 

He left with Gus following behind, but you can’t seem to fall asleep again. That was…rather intimate. Your stomach feels hot and your chest tighter. Shooting your eyes open you’re quick to grab your phone again, Farah replied an hour ago.

“Wooo! Good for you”

“You’re gonna have to tell me everything about it btw”

“Farah”

“How pathetic is it to have a crush on your one night stand?”

Oh you don’t like that, calling him a one night stand, feels too impersonal, rude almost.

You’re getting out of bed, into your restroom and to the kitchen. 

“Good morning” He leans against the kitchen counter where your meds are,he’s looking at his phone waiting for the kettle to boil, clad in his boxers from last night, hair a mess and body soft under the morning light. Even though it’s the same body it feels so different from last night, scars, bigger and small, litter his body, it’s muscular and soft at the same time, big pecs a tad too inviting and a tattoo on his forearm. Reaching for the pills would mean standing next to him, probably brushing against—no, touching him, and that makes you nervous. Oh. You’re embarrassingly down bad. 

He stayed the entire weekend, Friday through Sunday. Next week it was picnic and football. You’re convinced any major team would be jealous of your 1-person teams and 5 meter field. He’s good, but you’re full of fear as he chases you for the ball, it’s the predator-prey kinda adrenaline that makes you score. 

“Yes!” 

“Offside! Offside!”

“What do you mean offside? There’s no one I can pass the ball to!” In fact, there’s not even a goal. You grab the ball and go back to him, looking straight into his eyes in fake defiance. 

“Talking back to the referee? That’s a red card.” He looks so handsome like this, standing tall and unmovable, even if only joking, and you let him know via a quick kiss to his lips. He’s pulling you back to his lips not even half a second after, deep and slow, giggly. “Bribin’ me, huh?” You let out a soft, happy, sigh and kiss him again.

“Wanna go home?”

You tell Farah everything over a cup of tea and a piece of cake, of course. And she laughs at you, not in a mean way at all, only friendly and amused, still you hit her arm.

And the following week it’s film night. This one’s more spontaneous than the others, it’s been a tough week at work, you want a quiet evening and some company so you ask him if he wants to come hang out, he replies saying that he’ll be there in 30.

It’s the two of you, your favourite take out, Gus-Gus sitting on the back of the sofa and Fargo on the TV. He’s not paying as much attention to the film as he is to you.

“What?” You say, turning to look at him.

“Ye’r a beauty.” You smile shyly and kick him on the leg with your foot slightly. “A’m serious. I like you a lot.” A big smile grows on your face, and it’s enough confirmation for him to know you feel the same.

Or at least he thought so. There are no plans for this weekend, not for lack of trying, that is, Soap’s been trying to text you all week, it’s a big shift from your daily texting. He misses the little life updates you send him. Tuesday, he thought you might just be busy. Wednesday he stops trying to contact you, did he do something wrong? Went too fast? Are you ghosting him? What did he do that was worth the silent treatment? Thursday, he tries calling you, multiple times. Friday all rational thoughts have left his brain, did something happen to you? Are you okay? Christ, what if you’re dead? He texts Farah, swallowing his embarrassment.

“She’s okay, I think.”

“Going through a bit of a depression episode at the moment.”

“She’s going recluse, I know she wouldn’t mind a bit of help.”

“I have a spare key to her flat if you want to come get it.”

The string of texts floats around his mind, spare key in hand in front of your front door. He’s been inside before, but he was invited in, this feels invasive, but Farah trusted him, and she knew you best. He sent you a message before showing up, the last bit of chivalry he can offer before showing up in your home, it went through, and he hoped you read it even if you didn’t reply. 

He calls your name upon entering, no response. Gus comes running up to him to headbutt his legs and meow, a quick look lets him know his water bowl is clean and automatic feeder full, that’s a good sign. His voice trembles as he calls for you again. 

“You know where she is?” Great, now he’s speaking to the cat, and he meows in response, great, an actual conversation with a cat. Gus takes off and squeezes himself into a room with the door ajar, your bedroom. He knocks before entering, not expecting a response. The room is dark except for the light coming from your laptop, empty and half-full glasses taking up most of the space on your desk, chair full of unfolded clothes and a doughnut of blankets on the bed.

“Go away.” The doughnut speaks. His heart breaks at the sad, much softer than usual tone of your voice.

“Love.” The pet name slips from his lips, he notices but doesn’t attempt to correct himself. He walks closer until he’s sitting next to you. “Can I help you?” 

You shake your head no, or what’s visible of it. “Go away, I stink.” He chuckles.

“That’s fine, smell better than the lads in base.” It’s a pathetic attempt at humour, you still shake your head no.

“You don’t have to do anything.” You don’t sound sad or angry like he thought you might, it’s emotionless, almost like an automatic generated response.

“But I want to. Want tae tak’ care o ye” He wants to make everything better, wants to fix everything, wants you happy and energetic and smiling. It’s silly how much he cares for you after barely a month of knowing eachother, scary now that he’s admitting it out loud. He pulls down the blankets for a full view of your face, his hand goes to your hair, it’s tangled, he’s careful not to pull on it. “Am gunna run you a bath.” It’s not a question, you laugh slightly and he smiles, realising what he said. “Didny mean it like that, c’mon.” 

He helps you up from the bed and into the restroom. From your seat ion the toilet, you observe the way he turns on the tap and rummages through your cabinet, trying to find something to put in the water, you assume. “The orange bar in the back.” He halts, looks for a second and comes up with it, he leaves it on the sink while he turns off the water, you grab the bar and crumble a bit of it into the tub. He looks at you and gets up, you take it as your cue to undress and get in. Johnny comes back with a change of pyjamas and underwear and leaves again. You can hear him moving around and making noise, talking to the cat in occasion, while you clean yourself, when he comes back it’s to put your dirty laundry in the hamper. You don’t know why that’s the thing that makes you break and start crying. As soon as he notices, he’s on his knees next to you, softly caressing your cheeks and moving your damp hair away from your face.

“Whit’s wrong?” 

“I don’t want you to do this.” Is no reply to his question. “I don’t want you to have to do this.”

“M’eudail.” He starts. “It’s okay.”

“No it’s not!” You look up at him” I’m so sad all the fucking time and I don’t want you to have to deal with that, it’s not fair to you, you know? I don’t want you to have to take care of me or put up with me.”

“But what if I want to? Wanna take care of you, wanna put up with you.” You shake your head no, looking back down.

“Johnny, I’m so much. I get so clingy and stupid.” 

“That’s fine by me.” There’s no deterring him. He lifts your head up by your chin to kiss your forehead, bright blue eyes staring at you. 

And you realise how ridiculous this is. You’re crying in the bathtub, your friend-situationship is on his knees next to you, again, crying in the bathtub. You let out a sigh and nod.

“Okay.” 

[lucywritesagain]

I wouldn't say no

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈﹕Loki masterlist ꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱ Navigation ﹕┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

Please note that this story is a repost from my old blog @lucywrites02.

Summary: Loki pays you a visit, saying that Bubbles- his cat- may be allergic to Thor. Is Loki serious or is it another excuse to hang out with you?

Word count: 0.7k

“You again?”

That was the way you greeted Loki as you walked into your office- a few folders under your arm and a box of medical gloves in the other. Your white coat flew behind you with every step like a cape, making you feel like in a movie. In all those years working as a vet it had never gotten bored.

“It’s nice to see you, too.” The trickster replied with a playful smile.

“What seems to be the problem, buddy?” You leaned over the table and gently patted your little friend’s head who purred in approval. “Why did your dad bring you here this time?”

“I think he’s allergic to Thor.” Loki said.

“Ha, that’s a good one!” You giggled, but stopped when you noticed their dead serious expression. “That’s a joke, right? Tell me you’re joking.”

“Why would I?” The god put his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jeans- something they didn’t wear often. “I noticed that Bubbles acts differently every time my brother visits.”

You weren't sure if it was a prank or if Loki really thought his cat could be allergic to his brother. The first time you met the god they barged into your office right before closing because the cat he just adopted was sleeping too much and refused to leave until you explained to him how the cat's body worked in great detail. You found it sweet how much Loki cared about that little creature and how eager they were to learn more. And what better way to learn than to take your information from the professionals? The second time they visited was to give Bubbles his vaccines and make a file for him. One time Loki ran into your office while you were in the middle of examining Clair- a beautiful ball python who has been your patient since the day she hatched- just to tell you that Bubbles made a chirping noise while watching birds and if it was normal for a cat to do this.

“Different? How?” You straighten your back, giving all your attention to the trickster.

“He’s really affectionate with Thor and he always hated people”

“Let me get this clear-” you had to hold your laugh for Loki’s sake. You were a professional after all and Loki- although a friend- was still your client. “You think Bubbles is sick because he likes Thor?”

“Obviously.”

“Alright.” You sighed and put on a new pair of gloves. You pretended to examine your little friend, feeling Loki’s eyes on you. Thankfully Bubbles was a very brave patient and you never had much problems with him. He even let you touch his belly. That’s why instead of looking for the cause of the cat’s ‘unusual behaviour’ you just tickled him here and there- which he really liked.

“If you wanted to ask me out you could have just said so. Or you could always just call me.” You have my number.” You broke the silence while still giving all of your attention to Bubbles, who happily flipped on his back, demanding belly scratches.

“I’m not- that’s not-” The god of mischief stuttered, suddenly taking an interest in that one picture of your dog on the wall. You have figured out his little plan and that was just embarrassing to him.

“I wouldn’t say no.” You smiled, looking directly at Loki who was still refusing to meet your eyes.

“Pardon?” The god asked, surprised.

“If you asked me out I wouldn’t say no.” You left Loki speechless. Their heart was beating like crazy and his mind was completely empty. “You know how much I love it when you and Bubbles pay me a visit every 2 hours, but I have other patients waiting for me so….”

“Oh yes, that’s-” The god took his cat into his arms and awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, thinking about their next move. “So if I asked whether you had time for dinner tonight you wouldn’t say no?” The god of mischief asked, still unsure of your answer.

“Only if you pay.”

“I guess it’s a date then.” Loki opened the door to finally exit your office. Their heart was still beating fast and almost stopped when you said-

“I guess it is.”

[callsigndragon]

Seeing Red | Ch. 5: Used to it ✍️

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x ex-wife!Reader (Call sign: Red Queen)

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: sassy red, jake being an ass, more mav and jake being father and son, mentions of dead, some ex-wife/ex-husband unresolved tension, and... Liam's reveal.

A/N: I literally wrote this in 4 hours i was REAALLY obsessed with this idea and here it is. Comments are welcomed and THERE'S AN AUTHOR NOTE AT THE END THAT EXPLAINS A BIT SOME PARTS OF THIS BUT IT'S IN THE END TO AVOID SPOILERS.

(Whoever wants to be tagged, comment down below!)

Masterlist on pinned

When you walk out of the base towards the tarmac, you see Jake talking with someone. He seems older. Both of them turn toward you, Jake attempting to flee as soon as he recognizes your presence, but the other one stops him, both of them approaching you. Once they’re close, you remember who the other man is.

"Captain Mitchell?" you ponder, covering your eyes with your hand because the sun is shining brighter than usual. 

“Red Queen! It’s been a while. Last time we worked together, you weren’t even married.” He says, Jake groaning beside him. 

“If you told me that I would get married and divorced in the span of three years, I would have said that was bullshit.” 

“How many times are you gonna mention it?” Jake protests, taking off his glasses. 

“The same amount of times I tried to call you and text you after you left the fucking divorce papers on the kitchen counter.” You challenge him, waiting for his reaction. 

“I guess they were a lot.” Maverick adds, making Jake cover his face in disbelief. “Anyway, Cyclone told me that you were doing a dogfighting exercise, so I thought I could join." 

“Mav, did he give you the green light, or are you trying to make me break some rules on my first day?” 

“Well, maybe he didn’t agree 100%. But I want to help you!” 

You’re about to protest when you feel your phone ring in your pocket. “I’m gonna take this call and go ask Cyclone. Wait for me to come back, and I’ll let you know if you can fly or not, Mav.” 

You turn around and get inside the building, answering the call. You don’t even need to check the screen to know who it is. 

“Hey pretty boy.” 

“So… you fucked up real good, buddy.” 

“Oh yeah? I didn’t notice.” He is tempted to walk away, but then he hears Red talking. 

"Hey pretty boy" 

"Pretty boy?" Jake mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Looks like she has moved on." Mav whispers, patting Jake's back. 

"No, Liam, we can't have a cat. We have a dog, and that's a lot of work already." 

Red enters the building, and Jake stays there, completely astonished. "Who the fuck is Liam?" 

"Your replacement?" He shrugs. 

"Fuck off, Mav"

And just like he did hours ago, Mav smacks Jake's head again. "I'm not the bad guy here, son. And I don't know if you're allowed to be mad. You asked for a divorce." 

"You know why I did it." 

Mav sighs, taking off his glasses. "Yeah, I know. And I told you there may have been other ways to solve the problem." 

"I couldn't find any other one. Look, I can tolerate being around her at work. But she's gonna be friends with all the team because that's how she is, just the purest human being to ever walk on earth. I'm telling you now, if I have to see her walk in the Hard Deck hand in hand with an asshole that doesn’t deserve her, I'm asking for a relocation."

"And you think you deserve her? Jake, I know better than anyone how you feel. I let Penny slip away from me many times, and I came back many more. I just—" he looks around, as if trying to find the right words. "I just want you to remember that you vowed to be together for better and for worse. And when the worst came, you didn't tell her and made a decision by yourself." 

"You think I don't know that?" He takes out his phone, showing the lock screen to Mav. "I never changed it. I couldn’t. It's a reminder of what I had and what I lost. A fleeting glimpse of the only happiness I've ever known, and an endless torment of what I lost." 

Mav scoffs. "You sound like that guy from Pride and Privilege." 

"...you mean Pride and Prejudice?" 

"THAT ONE!" 

"Really, Mav? One of the greatest books to ever be written, and you don't even know the title?" 

"Have you even read it?" The older man mocks. 

"Yes, I did." 

"Bullshit." 

"It's true, I bought it for him," Red says, walking past them. "Get in your plane, pops. We're going for a ride." 

Jake watches Red jogging towards her plane, new letters added to the side, her name and call sign. And his last name. Seresin, in big black letters. 

“Why did she keep my name?” Jake ponders.

“What?” 

“Look." He points at Red's aircraft. "Seresin. Why is she using it?” 

“I don’t think I have a good answer for that, son. Come on, I have to fly.”

It's all good until Jake's turn comes. All of them are amazing pilots, of course, they're the best of the best. You didn't expect anything different. Rooster is the fastest to take you out. Mav explains to you how, until a few years ago, he was afraid of his own potential. You can hear how proud Mav is now, as if Rooster were his own son. In a way, you know he is. 

"Hey, Red. Can I ask you a question?" Bob mutters through the comms. 

"You just did, Bob." You laugh. "Of course you can." 

"Why Red Queen as a call sign? You don't seem like the kind of girl that chops off heads."

You laugh again, turning to be closer to Phoenix's plane. You wave at Bob and he waves back with a chuckle. "It has some resemblance to the Red Queen, but not entirely. Have you heard of the Red Queen hypothesis?"

"Not really."

"According to the Red Queen hypothesis, a species needs to evolve and adapt in order to survive because its competitors are doing the same."

"Did you evolve and adapt?"

"Yep. Being an aviator wasn't in my plans." You confess, remembering the old times. 

"And what were your plans?"

"She wanted to be a lawyer." 

"I don't think they were asking you, Seresin." You retort, moving your plane to an inverted position, and flying above Jake's plane. "If I want you to talk, I'll let you know." 

"I think you're abusing your power, Commander," he mutters, looking straight into your eyes. 

"I'm just giving you as many chances to talk as you gave me, Lieutenant."

You move your plane away, the radio has become silent. "But yeah, I wanted to be a lawyer."

"What changed?" 

"My dad died in Iraq when I was a teenager. His plane crashed. He wanted to defend his country so much that he died doing it. And I took his place."

"Adapt in order to survive." Bob mutters. 

"That's it." 

“It says a lot about you, Red. Your father will be proud.” Mav comments, moving to your right. “Anyway, are we gonna play or what?” 

“Yeah, we’re in the right place already. Okay, Phoenix, Jake, you have thirty seconds to fly away from us. After that, fight’s on.” 

“Aye aye, Red”

“Yes, Commander.” 

A tiny part of you almost feels bad that Jake has to address you by rank. 

Almost. 

You wait thirty seconds. Mav immediately goes after Phoenix, and you know he’s giving you the chance to see how Jake reacts. Instead of going after Mav to ‘free’ Phoenix, he leaves his wingman alone. What the fuck does he think he’s doing? 

“Phoenix, Mav, stop right now.” 

You see both aircrafts slowing down. “Did something happen, Red?” Phoenix asks, flying back to you. 

“Lieutenant Seresin, I want you to fly back to the base right this instant and wait on the tarmac until I finish all the exercises of the day.” 

“Can I ask why, Commander?” 

“You’re not leaving your wingman alone, not under my command. If I have to be paired with you on a mission because Cyclone ordered me to carry your ass everywhere I go, you’re not gonna fucking leave me alone so you can make some maneuvers and take the glory.” 

“Red, I work better like that.” 

“First of all, it’s Commander for you. Second, you’re gonna work as I say, cause I’m in charge here, not you. Not anymore. Is that clear?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

You whisper. “I should be used to it by now.” 

“Used to what?” he asks. 

“To you, leaving people behind. Everyone back to the base. We’re done for the day.” 

It takes all your power not to cry. The idea of being on a mission and having Jake leave you behind, just because he has the biggest ego ever known in human history, makes you shiver. Being abandoned is a feeling you don’t want to experience again. 

You spend the rest of the day in your office, working on the report Cyclone asked you to write. You don’t want to be that type of ex, but you have to write a bad review of Jake’s work. He only needed ten seconds to abandon his wingman. How has he been working here for so long? It’s a complete mystery to you. 

You’re printing it up when you hear a soft knock on your door. “Come in.” 

“Commander” 

You should look up from your work the next time someone knocks on the door. “Do you need something, Seresin?” 

“Actually, yes. I have questions.” He says, while closing the door. He takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of your desk. 

“And what makes you think you have the right to ask anything?” You question, collecting all the sheets of paper from the printer. 

“Why are you still using my name?” 

“It became mine too when you married me. Just never thought about changing it.” 

“That’s not it, Red. We both know it” 

“Whatever my reasons are, I don’t have to explain them to you.” You argue, getting up from your chair and collecting your things before exiting the office. Jake follows you, seems like he doesn’t want to end the conversation there. 

“I think I deserve an explanation. It’s my name, after all.” 

You stop in your tracks, turning around so fast that your body collides against Jake’s. You look up, all the hurt, pain, and fury accumulated over the last three years lighting a fire in your soul that must be visible to him, because he moves a step back. “Jake, it’s just a name; don’t be such a dick about it. It’s not because I still love you or whatever stupid idea you have running around in your head. It was a lot of paperwork that I didn't want to deal with. Happy? Now wait here, or do you want to enter Cyclone’s office? I heard it’s like your second home” 

You enter Cyclone's office. He told you before that he had to leave to attend to some important matters, but you could leave the report on his desk without problem. You take a moment to breathe deeply, your hands shaking with the many unsaid words that you have kept in your chest for far too long. But you know you can’t tell him what you want to. Not now. 

When you walk out of the room, he’s still there. “You’re really annoying, you know?” 

“I want my answer.” He insists. 

“Why do you care so much, Jake? You left me, you literally abandoned me and never looked back, and now you are demanding that I answer your questions? Fuck off.” 

You hurry out of the building, looking for your car keys in your bag, when you see a familiar blue car parked in front of you, a woman in her sixties helping a small kid get out of the backseat. 

No. No. No. 

“What are they doing here?” you whisper under your breath. 

“Red, wai- Charlotte?” Jake recognizes your mom in an instant. The woman in question turns around and waves at Jake with a gleeful smile. 

This has to be a fucking nightmare. You stay there, completely frozen, knowing that there’s no way in hell you’re getting out of this. You see your kid walking towards you, making grabby hands and giggling. You haven't seen him in two days, having to leave him with your mother to prepare everything in this new base, this new home... You couldn’t bring him yet. 

“Liam wait!” Your mom yells, but he doesn’t stop. He has seen someone he knows very well, but has never met in real life. Someone he has seen a lot of photos of. The man that appears in the photo frame placed on his bedside table. It’s a photo of your wedding. 

“Dada?” 

“What did he say?” Jake whispers, standing at your side as frozen as you are. 

“He called you dada.” You declare, already giving in. If this is happening, you're gonna do it right.

Liam stands in front of him, tears in his eyes, as he watches Jake. “Dada is you?” 

“I—I don’t know.” He turns at you, fear in his eyes. Oh Lord, what have you done? “Am I his dada?” 

You kneel down, taking Jake’s hand and dragging him down with you, both now at the same height as the little kid, who looks at you with a confused expression and wet cheeks. “You want to know why I never got rid of your last name? Well, Jake. Let me introduce you to Liam Alexander Seresin.” 

“Oh my god, y-you were pregnant; that’s why you-” He starts to hyperventilate. “Y-you signed the papers to protect him?”

You can’t believe this is happening. This isn’t how you planned to tell him. “Jake, calm down. I didn’t know I was pregnant, I swear, but I need you to calm down.” You don’t want him to have one of his panic attacks in front of Liam, it would scare him.

"Dada, don’t cry.” Liam pouts, his chubby hands rising to touch his father’s cheeks. 

“C-can I hug you, buddy?” 

Liam throws himself in Jake’s body, the pilot starts crying when he realizes what he had done. He didn’t just leave his wife. 

He left his wife and his unborn child. She had to raise him all alone. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeats over and over again, his head buried in his son’s hair. Liam smells like her; he’s a miniature version of her with his eyes and nose. It’s everything he once hoped to have. 

And he had missed his first steps, his first words, and his first laugh. 

Just because he thought that by divorcing her, he could save her. 

How wrong he was.

A/N: THERE HE ISSSSSSS. Yes you guessed it, Liam is Jake and Red's son. And here is the explanation you need.

Jake asked for a divorce three years ago. Like actually, is going to be almost three years in a few days (fic time). Liam is a Valentine baby. Jake asked for a divorce on May, Red didn't know she was pregnant until a few days later, when she started to feel sick. She signed the paper's almost immediately after Jake left them in their house, and gave them to her lawyer. They never saw each other again. The reasons why Red didn't tell Jake about the baby, are part of the fic so, I won't tell.

But as it has been hinted, Liam knows who his father is, Red has a picture of him placed in Liam's room, and she tells him about him whenever he wants to know about his dad. Red having Jake as her lockscreen pic? So Liam could see a pic of him every time he wanted.

Liam is now two years and a half. He has Jake's eyes and nose, but is as sassy as his mom.

More details about him will be revealed in next chapters. This is only the beginning of the journey the seresin family will be going through.

And that's all. Have a good night/day!

-Jinx.

Tag list: @purplevortexx @shrimping-for-all @caitsymichelle13 @callmemana @abaker74 @starkleila @topgunmenbefinebruh @blue-aconite @tayrae515 @alexxavicry @xoxabs88xox @mercurio23 @smells-like-perfect-senses @dempy @djs8891 @indynerdgirl @countryclubswifey @lauenderhaze @avaleineandafryingpan @poppyalice2001 @emorychase @wildxwidow @agentwayne17 @shanimallina87

[galaxyfever]

❥ everything is about you and I

Suna Rintaro x gn!reader (assuming your height is shorter than Suna's)

your guys' relationship from the eyes of others.

a/n: this is kinda cringe ig but it has been in my drafts for so long i had to get this out.

"You’re like a fine wine. The more of you I drink in, the better I feel."

Kita observed.

He observed as Suna furrowed his brows, "What's taking them so long? I knew I should've gone with them."

Atsumu scoffed, "Well, y're the one who said 'I'm not paying for these hungry gorillas.'"

Suna rolled his eyes, "And I stand by it. I don't want to empty my wallet on you guys."

Atsumu dramatically gasped, "That is so mean-"

"We're back!"

You and Osamu hand the guys their respective onigiri they ordered as you mockingly pouted at Suna, "Aw, sorry Rin-tan, we forgot about yours- OUCH! SORRY! Geez, learn to handle a joke, Rin."

He took a big bite as he shrugged, "I'll learn it after I've extinguished my hunger"

You rolled your eyes, but not wanting to provoke him even further, you latched onto his arm instead, "It's so cold~"

A small smirk came on Suna's lips as he looked down on you, "Then stop dressing like a thot."

Your eyes widened as you scoffed, clearly offended, "We both clearly know who is the thot in this relationship."

Kita slightly furrowed his brows as he whispered, "What's a thot?"

Osamu let out a disappointed sigh, "Please don't say that word ever again, Kita-san."

Kita continued to observe as despite the bickering between the two of you, Suna shared his onigiri as you did the same, continuing to talk about garden hoes and female dogs (?)

Suna makes another condescending remark as everyone bursts out laughing, but you had a sheepish smile on your face as you looked up at him, "Wait- sorry, I didn't get it, Rin."

And even Kita can feel the love radiating from Suna when he playfully rolls his eyes and explained the joke. He practically had heart eyes as you paused for a second, before bursting out laughing, clutching his arm so you don't fall over.

Yes.

Suna was in love.

Osamu observed.

He observed as Suna frowned, scrolling through his phone, "Um... Can I be excused for a moment?"

Their coach furrowed his brows, "For what?"

Suna inhaled as he rubbed his nape, "My cat is hospitalized because she is depressed. I want to cry. Alone."

Atsumu's eyes slightly widened, "Aw, man, I'm so sorry. Do ya want a hug? I didn't even know that ya had a cat-"

Suna just smiled and patted his shoulder, walking past him, "No."

Atsumu nodded to himself, clearly dejected, "Okay."

Osamu sighed and bowed to the coach, "I'll go and see if he is alright."

He stepped outside the gym, almost calling out to Suna before he saw you crashing into him, wrapping him in, what Osamu assumed, a bone-crushing hug.

Oh.

So, you were the cat.

A cat who was bawling their eyes out.

Suna caressed your head, "Shh, it's going to be alright. I'm here now. Let's go somewhere else"

Okay, long story short, as the president of the anime club, you proposed an idea for your club to the presidential board of your school, who completely derogated your idea, also belittled and made fun of you.

Now, if it was any other day with some other people, you would've roasted and chewed them then and there, but it was the presidential board, and your club was on the line, so... here we are.

"I don't know why it's getting to me but I just-"

Your own sob interrupts you as Suna clicked his tongue, "I told you they were gonna be brutal."

You sniffed as more tears rolled down your cheeks, "But I- I just wanted to- I'm sorry... If i have said something, they would've surely done something with the club."

He sighed, "Come here you big baby," he wrapped his arms around you and patted your head, "Don't be sorry, you have no reason to. But you have to understand that not everyone is going to swoon over your cute self like they should, some people are just gonna be mean without any reason. It depends on you how you decide to deal with them. Now, if you've calm down, we'll go beat them up."

You let out a small laugh, "Is this how you decide to deal with them?"

He pouted and wiped away your tears, "Well, if they are gonna hurt my baby, I'm gonna hurt them back."

And even Osamu could feel the love radiating off of you, as you started at Suna with heart eyes, as he rambled on and on with ideas about how he could get away with murdering people.

Yep.

You were definitely in love.

Aran observed.

He observed as you were shifting on your heels, humming and scrolling through your phone with one hand, and fidgeting with the strap of your bag with the other.

You waved at him as he walked over to you, "Hey, practice over already?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Suna's showering, will be out in 5."

You smiled, "Cool. Did Osamu leave?"

He shook his head, "Nah, he is still in there. Why?"

Sheepishly grinning, you batted your eyelashes, "I need to pay him, owe him for a meal."

"Oh, you owe a lot of-

You shushed him, "We don't talk about my crippling poor self. Let's talk about something else. Your tournament is next to next month right?"

Rolling his eyes, he nodded, "Yeah. But first, we need to pass our tests or we won't get to play."

You gasped in realization, "Great, I can score a study date with Rin, and I also know it's a stress reliever for him too," you fiddled with the strap of your bag, "well I know that Rin is not one stress over things like this but he is only human, and I have to complete our date quota before your practice gets severe as well, or I'll go crazy from the lack of attention."

"What are you guys talking about?" Suna sang as he slung his arm around your shoulder

You furrowed your brows and sniffed, "Wait Rin- Is that my bodywash?"

He shrugged, "I like the lavender smell."

"No, Rin! You know i don't like sharing body products!" Whining, you tried to pull away from him as he rolled his eyes, "Sharing is caring, do i have to teach you basic manners?"

You scoffed, "Manners? You're gonna teach me about manners? I bet you’re a slut who showers naked anyways."

Aran sighed and turned on his heels, spotting Kita as he jogged to him to go home together.

You guys were weird, and your comebacks were even worse.

Yeah.

Aran has never felt as single as of right now.

Atsumu observed.

He observed as Suna's eyes started searching the crowd as soon as they won the match.

Atsumu knew he was looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found.

Suna tch-ed in annoyance as Atsumu chuckled, "We have to thank the cheering squad."

Usually, every time Suna scored a point, his eyes searched for your's and happiness filled him as he matches your excited grin.

But,

this whole match was so intense, he couldn't help but feel guilty for not looking for you then and there.

You didn't join them when they offered you a ride, saying that you had to do something. He assumed you were gonna buy flowers to 'surprise' him, but...

Did you even come to this match?

Were you late?

Or were you busy elsewhere?

Atsumu rolled his eyes as he shook the shoulder of a zoned-out Suna, "Bow."

They all turned around after bowing to the crowd as Suna immediately spotted you near the gate, clearly out of breath.

He waved at you as you quickly waddled to him.

With a slight pout on your face, you handed him a bouquet of Daffodils with a kiss on the cheek, "Congratulations..."

Suna slipped an arm around your waist, "Daffodils?"

Your brows furrowed, "I thought these are called Narcissus?"

"It's the same thing."

"Google said they represent good luck, I was supposed to give you this before the match but I got stuck in traffic and missed the whole first set! I'm sorry..."

He rolled his eyes, "That's why I told you to come with us."

You furrowed your brows, "But I wanted to surprise you with flowers..."

He sighed and planted a kiss on your forehead, "Y/n, it's the 5th time. It's not a surprise anymore."

You just huffed and handed Atsumu your phone, "Can we do a different pose this time?"

Suna shook his head and pulled you closer, squishing your cheeks with his other hand, "Nope."

You just rolled your eyes and held up a peace sign as Atsumu laughed, "You look like an old married couple."

And Atsumu couldn't shut up about how cute you both looked with wide eyes and red cheeks in that photo.

In the end, he was in a dilemma.

Would he be attending the wedding from your side or Suna's?

thank you for reading<33

[g0ose-bumps]

Soap Gets a Visitor (2/?)

Ghost becomes a ghost. Soap and Gaz have a chat.

Soap's attempts to get Ghost talking had all gone miserably. If Ghost thought he could outwait Soap, the man would only be left surprised. He was convinced that the LT was related to the cat incident. He had to have been. Soap could tell from every glance away, every pause the man held, that Ghost knew something. Something he was unwilling to speak or budge about.

It was maddening.

Soap was beginning to feel more like a dog with a particularly juicy bone than a sergeant trying to ask his lieutenant a simple question. He'd hounded Ghost at every turn, trying to sniff out the man's secrets. Of which no doubt there were many, but something about Soap's mysterious visitor had Ghost clamming up tight.

The man was even starting to avoid him, becoming more of a ghost than Soap thought possible. Except instead of haunting Soap's steps like he used to, Ghost would... well, he would turn into his namesake and disappear into their surroundings. If a man could do the physical version of ghosting in front of another's eyes, this would be it.

Soap tried not to be affected by it but he knew he wasn't convincing anyone with his 'Oscar worthy' performance. The alternative reasoning to why Ghost was ignoring him was something he didn't even want to contemplate. If it wasn't because the man didn't want to talk about Soap's visitor then— Soap cut himself off. Better to not dwell on it. He knew people were starting to worry. Perhaps it also didn't help he had been staring glumly into the wall for a good minute.

"Mate, you okay?" Gaz slides in to sit next to him. Thankfully the meeting they were in was loud enough for his whisper to be hidden.

Soap sighs and focuses on the next presenter. Ghost. His foreboding presence drew the whole room into his gravity as he stood at attention, hands tucked behind his broad back. He was standing centre front by the projector.

As usual the man seemed dismissive of all the eyes peeled on himself, casual confidence a footnote to the lieutenant. Soap traces the line of him, engraving The Ghost into his mind. He sorely missed looking at him with all the time Ghost spent avoiding him. The brooding spectre looked more like a carved statue than any mortal man should. And that voice of his. Soap had dreams about it. Many dreams.

Gaz nudges him. "Too busy daydreaming bout the Lt, huh?" He slyly whispers to Soap. "Thought there was some trouble in paradise. Guess I was wrong." The other sergeant had a massive shite eating grin strewn upon his face.

"Shut yer puss!" Soap hisses back at him, agitated despite himself. His words were louder than he'd meant it to be. A couple heads turned to look at them in irritation before focusing back in front.

Looking around briefly, Soap leans close to Gaz's ear, whispering furtively. "Look, Gaz, there's some shite. I dunno what exactly but it's gotten Ghost spooked."

"Well that explains it." Gaz says thoughtfully. "Aside from all the mandatory drills, I haven't seen Ghost around all that much." He grins mischievously. "Which is strange because if I saw your ugly mug, I'd be seeing a Ghost just around the corner afterwards."

Soap snorts. "Ye only wish ye had a face as fine as this." A halfheartedly retort back. Soap grimaces, unable to not think about the fact that Ghost had been ignoring him for the better part of a week. He grits his teeth, clenching the side of the chair hard.

A hand grips his tensed arm firmly, comforting in its solidness.

Gaz's concerned face peers up at him. "Tell me later what's up?" He asks worriedly. "Anything you want to tell me, I got your six." His eyes search Soap's for some sort of understanding.

Soap nods back, something easing in him with the other sergeant's promise to listen. If anyone were to believe him about a mysterious cat in their base, it'd be Gaz. He gradually eases his posture into something a little more relaxed.

The other sergeant leans away, his focus back on their lieutenant, thoughtful eyes noting the tenseness of Ghost's gargoyle esque impression. "Though if it's just your usual thoughts on the Lt, I might have to pass on that."

"Wheesht!" Soap exclaims. This time, Price glares at them loudly from the officers corner. A silent command to be quiet lest they wanted to attract his full ire on them.

They both shut up, unwilling to get in any more trouble. Gaz and Soap had played a prank on Price a couple weeks back that couldn't be traced to them. They could both tell that the captain was biding his time until there was something he could book them for.

The meeting goes on without a hitch afterwards: plenty of talking, tactical pointing and PowerPoints. Typical.

Gaz corners him right after the meeting ends, yanking Soap into an abandoned hallway.

"Okay, fess up." Gaz leans against the wall and crosses his arm. "What's with you and the Lieutenant?"

Soap splutters. His first instinct is to deny, deny and sprinkle some more denial onto his denial salad, but Gaz's earnest face stops him in his tracks. "There's a cat." He blurts stupidly.

"A cat?" Gaz questions, a quirked up eyebrow rising. "A cat from a mission or...?" He trails off one finger tapping at his side. Soap was beginning to regret this.

"A cat on base. It visited me one night. Laid on my bed a bunch till I fell asleep and when I woke up, it was gone." Soap cringes at his own words. Their base was patrolled nightly; a mouse couldn't squeak before it was heard and noted. A mysterious cat that showed up suddenly and disappeared as suddenly sounded patently ridiculous.

The other sergeant looks bemused. "And this relates to Ghost how?" He says, obviously humouring Soap in his words. There was a studied blankness to his expression that told Soap he was very skeptical.

"I asked Ghost about the cat and he just well," Soap pauses, unable to articulate Ghost, ghosting him in better words. "Well you saw it with yer own eyes."

Gaz hums quietly. "So you think Ghost has something to do with this mysterious cat."

"I ken he does!" His hands fly out to demonstrate. "He's been avoiding all my questions about tha' cat." Soap paces the hall, fully agitated. "The fact that he isnae saying anythin' bout it means he does ken somethin'. Why else would he keep silent on it?" His steps pick up speed. The movement felt good for his frustrated mind. This whole matter was bothering him more than he thought it would.

"Okay, Soap." Gaz hushes. "I believe you." He stops Soap in his movement, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe Ghost is the cat's owner." There's another glint in Gaz's eyes, Soap just knew he was going to say something stupid.

"Wouldn't be the first time anyone's had illicit pusses hidden in their room on base." Soap groans, the double entendre not lost on him.

Gaz continues on like he didn't hear him. "Though this would be the first time it's actually just a cat." He barks a laugh, clearly amused at his own joke.

"Real funny, Gaz." Soap gripes, knocking away the hand on his shoulder.

Gaz glances at him and sobers up quick. "Sorry mate, thought it'd be something else there." He takes a deep breath, adjusting his hat and leaning back against the wall. "If it's just The Ghost bending rules and having a pet, I don't think that's a bad thing, all things considered."

Soap bristles. "What's tha' suppose ta' mean."

Gaz shrugs. "Nothing. Just that, you and I both know the Lt could use a little more love in his life." Soap flinches a little at Gaz's words, the other man unknowingly echoing his exact phrasing to the cat oh so many days ago. "If the man has a cat and you saw it, it'd make sense he doesn't want to talk about it—not unless he wanted the cat taken away."

"Suppose that makes sense." Soap sighs. "But how'd he even get the kitty in here in the first place?" The urge to pace was at an all time high. "Cats need supplies and a litter box at the very least. All very noticeable things." He finishes weakly. The obvious answer didn't feel so obvious to him. Soap's instincts were telling him this wasn't quite right. It seemed too simple. Ghost wouldn't be this rattled if it were.

Gaz shrugs again. "He's The Ghost. If anyone could do it without getting caught, it'd be him."

"Yer right." Soap says defeatedly. What was he even thinking. The cat being Ghost's made a lot of sense. They said pets often reflected their owners and that cat looked and behaved a lot like their lieutenant: all scarred up and massive for its species. Shy too.

Gaz stops Soap again, his feet unknowingly moving him without conscious thought. "Hey if it's any consolation, the cat visiting you out of all people means it must've liked you enough to do so." Gaz pats Soap on the back heartily. "Maybe Ghost has a rival to fight for your affections."

Soap wheezes, a laugh startled out of him at the thought.

Gaz grins, lighting up at Soap's tentative smile. "Tell you what, I'll help you corner Ghost into being in a room with you for longer than 5 minutes and then you can both make up." Soap opens his mouth. "Anddd, if that doesn't clear things up about the cat situation, we can break into Ghost's room to try to find the cat ourselves." He levers a cocky grin. "If it's you and me together, I'm sure we can pull it off without him knowing."

Soap chuckles. He knew Gaz would have his back. "Thanks Gaz."

"Nothing to it brother." Gaz holds a hand out. Soap smirks and initiates their secret handshake. They bump their fists, then a high five and a low five.

Gaz snickers and checks his watch. "Look Soap, I gotta go, see you at the mess hall later?" He asks, thoughts clearly drawing him away to whatever he had to get to.

Soap waves him away. "Get on wit' it."

The other sergeant goes. He stops suddenly as he gets near the corner, turning around to face Soap. A strange look flashes over his eyes.

"What type of cat was it?" He asks, a odd note in his voice.

Soap raises a brow. "A tabby with a bushy tail. Very large."

Gaz frowns. "A massive looking cat, yellowy green eyes and a ringed tail? Black tip?"

"Aye, exactly!" Soap exclaims excitedly. Maybe Gaz had seen it before on base. That would mean Soap definitely wasn't imagining things and that Ghost wasn't ignoring him because he'd gotten tired of Soap.

"Strange." Gaz mutters to himself.

Soap straightens. "What?" He asks hurriedly.

"I saw that cat. But not on base." Gaz haltingly answers him. "It was on my mission with Ghost a month ago."

He plays at the rim of his cap, mind obviously reliving past memories. "I only remembered it cause that's when Ghost went silent on radio—thought the man died on us or something. Then all of sudden there was this tabby near me and the next thing I knew it, it was gone."

Soap shivers. There was no way Ghost took the cat with him on a mission, was there? "Did the cat have scars on its face?" He asked, not knowing what he'd think of it, if the answer was yes.

Gaz grimaces. "I was too far away and it was too dark to tell." He looks away. "It was probably a different cat. Tabby cats are really common afterall."

"Yeah probably." Soap says a little numbly. Gaz was right. It was probably a different cat.

There was no way it could be the same one, could it?

+

[keira-kaz2y5]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

SPOILERS FOR NEW MARVEL STUFF! ⚠️

Finally got around to watching The Marvels on Disney +!!!!! It’s the best mcu film this phase istg omg it’s SO GOOD and immediately you can tell it was written by a woman NOT TO MWNTION THE INSANE END CREDIT SCENES WTFFFFF KATE BISHOP PIZZA THE DOG AND XMEN?!?!??!!!!!!! Omg I’m ecstatic this is the best marvel film in years it’s finally giving avengers early phase vibes! And I’m actually happy with every single plot moment! Unlike no way home where there were many questionable plot moments and bad scenes and bad cgi and multiverse of madness was something different entirely like I loved the horror and stuff and it made sense but as a whole that works with the rest of the marvel universe I didn’t like how it went and wandas “death” or “fake death” and the whole x men stuff. Loved America in that tho! Her whole moment made sense and ugh I can’t explain it properly plus the shitshow that was the She Hulk series and overall it just made me lose faith in marvel and that’s why I didn’t see The marvels in cinema like I usually do bc guardians of the galaxy 3 was so shite and I thought this would too maybe that’s why it flopped cuz the hype on past films wasn’t lived up to. But this FINALLY brings back early marvel vibes and I’m so into it. (Plus the reign of the cats 🐈‍⬛ 🐈😆)

Cuz as much as I liked NWH there were questionable parts yk, Dr Strange characterised Wanda badly from start to finish and didn’t do her justice, Wakanda Forever was amazing don’t get me wrong I really loved it and cried A LOT, but I wasn’t too keen on the whole Namor thing or unnecessary deaths, and some characters really just deserved better than what they got, like Okoye.. and Black Widow was great but it could’ve been a bit better with cgi and plot-wise like the deleted scenes should’ve been kept and so on.

For the first time I just really enjoyed every part of this film, since marvel has gone downhill lately, this is new for me. also I loved the queer undertones for Kamala and Carol, although they should’ve been braver and put it in explicitly if they wanted to show Carol and Valkyrie together instead of the kiss on the cheek and no talk of them being together. But headed in the right direction for sure and not to mention the Kate and Kamala scene? Female avengers team? Finally not outnumbered by men? Also I really ship Kate and Yelena so I hope she comes onto the team too, though she might just stick with the Thunderbolts antihero theme. I love that it’s so clearly written by women and directed by them plus the brilliant casting and having the villain also be a woman and with a realistic villainisation like I get why she turned out the way she did, she just wanted her home back for her people, also it’s Zawe Ashton, Tom Hiddlestons wife so it would be cool to see them act together perhaps, but either way brilliant casting and script and everything, I love Kamala really speaking for the fans in a lot of it, and the musical scene was fun in a mystical way, like when we first got introduced to Asgard way back when, I just wish we saw what happened there at least a small look in at the end with Carol checking in on them because they left in the middle of a battle and then we don’t find out what happened to that planet. But other than that small detail the film was fantastic and I loved how even Goose got a good storyline.

(My dreamteam avengers would be Bucky🦾, Yelena🕷️, Kate🏹, Carol💫, Kamala👊, Monica🌠, Shuri🐾, Riri 🛠️(ironheart), America⭐️ and Cassie 🐜 and Morgan Stark. Plus some xmen if that’s now an option?? And AOS team but marvel would never do that

Maybe Peter🕸️ Sean⭕️, Wanda and Moon Knight🌙🤺 boys too but idk )

[prager-lover]

 uCat Fight

Recoms 

Did I see @idkjupiterdraws post about this and cry of laughter? Yes. Go check out their blog its funny as shit

Content Warning: Fist fighting between 2 blue kitties, swearing, egging on violence, Quaritch acting like a dad

a/n Bro dont even got waves but for the sake of the fic he does

Brown should have left it alone

He should have shut the fuck up and went to bed but no, his ass just wanted to start trouble. You know, you cant blame him, he's bored out of his mind. That explains why he started bugging Lopez. Now, Lopez was a very "dont fuck with me or i'll slap the shit outta you" kind of guy. Thats what made him such an easy target for Brown.

"Hey kitty cat."

He walked up to Lopez who was trying to sleep on a chair, flicking his ear which responded with a twitch. Lopez opened his eyes with a jolt. All of the recoms were sitting in a common area, there was nothing to do but sit alone in your room, so why not hang out with people you knew? There were six sets of bunk beds, one for each of the recoms. Fike, Prager, Walker, Zhang and Warren were dozing off, tails swishing lazily. Whoever designed the space made a bad decision for a shared sleeping quarter, because nothing but trouble was sure to come of it. Ja was playing cards with Mansk, Z-Dog and Lyle. The Colonel was off in his private room, probably doing paperwork despite how late it was.

Lopez closed his eyes again after giving Brown a glare, trying to gain his peace back. Brown wasn't having it. He snuck up behind him and gave his tail a little yank. With a startled yelp, Lopez jumped from his seat. The noise woke up Warren, who had fallen asleep on a bottom bunk.

"What the fuck man." Lopez hissed.

"Sorry kitty cat." Brown jumped back from Lopez, who had kicked his leg out in hopes of tripping him.

“Watch who you’re talking to tú pinche raton.” Lopez walked towards him now. The two of them had moved to almost the middle of the room, circling each other like they were in a ring. Brown was still smiling when Lopez hissed at him, a low and dangerous sound. Every pair of eyes were on them now, but they all knew better than to get inbetween them. Lopez was feisty, he wouldnt stop a fight just because someone tried to intervene. Lyle gave Mansk and Z-dog a look. Were they actually gonna fight? 

“Here kitty kitty.” Brown lunged at Lopez, yanking harder on his tail this time. Lopez caught his arm and twisted it behind his back. The room erupted in to cheers. Ja climbed onto a high bunk with Prager. “We got the front row seats man.”  They had all been a bit antsy, no one was used to sitting around doing jackshit for so long so this was a welcome burst of energy. Brown snarled as he fell to the ground, using his leg to kick Lopez in the tailbone.

 “Cmon little bitch hit me.” Brown was laughing. Z-dog was laughing with Walker, but Mansk was still sitting at his table counting cards, thinking about how he didn't need this shit right now he just wanted to sleep. Lopez had managed to kick Brown off him, and in an instant they were standing again. they had their arms raised, but it was Lopez who hit first. Square in the nose, the crowd sucked in their breath.

“FUCK HIM UP LOPEZ.” Was met with a mix of “STRAIGHT THROUGH BROWN CMON.” The room was chanting for their sides, laughing while the two fought. Lyle had left the room but no one noticed. Lopez pulled the back of Brown’s shirt over his head, making him fold forward.

“GOT YOU, HIJO DE PUTA.” He laughed, tongue darting out of his mouth. He managed to rip Brown’s shirt off. Quite literally, it had ripped at the sleeves. Brown looked at it, nose bloody, his face frowned for a moment. 

“I actually liked that shirt asshole.” Lopez faltered for a second. The fuck he mean he liked that shirt? He owned 5 copies of the exact same damn shirt. With him distracted, Brown pulled Lopez into a headlock and roughly started knuckle dusting his hair. 

“WHERE’RE YOUR WAVES NOW BITCH?” He yelled, spinning in a circle to disorient him. The Latino snarled again, clawing at Brown’s arm, screaming curses in Spanish. Everyone was yelling and chanted for their team, it would only be a matter of time until someone ran into the room thinking some rogue Na’vi had infiltrated base. Lopez pushed his waist into Brown and used all his body weight to pull him over his shoulder. Fike let out a startled sound when Brown’s body hit the floor with a loud thunk that moved a deck of cards on the nearby table. 

“Y’ALL ARE GONNA GET US IN TROUBLE SHUT THE FUCK UP.” 

No one listened to him, this physical altercation was too funny. Both of the boys ears were flat against their skull, teeth bared like viperwolves. Lopez again lunged at Brown, knocking him to the ground. He began punching Brown again right as the door flew open.

“What in the ever-loving FUCK is going on in here.” A loud southern drawl called out, pissed off beyond usual. Shit it was the Colonel. He walked in the room, bending down so he didn't hit his head on the door frame, which was much lower than the ceiling. On his tail was Lyle, who's big eyes were scanning the room guiltily. Lopez looked up to see Quaritch’s angry face staring daggers at him. The colonel moved towards him as Brown’s head hit the floor, letting out a whimper as it did. Quaritch pulled both of them up by their ears, their whines filling the now dead silent room. 

“ I LEFT, FOR HALF A GOD DAMN HOUR.” He was yelling at them, making a passing by scientist jump in fear. “AND I COME BACK TO A DAMN CAT FIGHT.”

His ears were flat as he berated the two of them, who looked at their shoes sulkily. “That's it. All of you,” He turned to look at the others, who had been watching him with big eyes, surprised by how paternal he was acting, even as their superior. “All of you, in bed. Now.” No one answered for a second, they didn't know if he was joking or not, they were grown fucking adults. “NOW.” The ones not already in a bunk quickly got to one. Z-dog punched Lyle’s shoulder as she passed him. “Snitch.” she muttered. “You too Lyle, you should have stopped them in time.” Lyle turned to his superior, about to oppose but Quaritch’s glare was enough to silence him. His ears drooped as he got into the bunk under Prager, who slapped Lyle’s head as he got into bed, calling him a snitch as well. Quaritch pulled Brown and Lopez to bunks, hoisting Lopez into the top one, who let out a surprised yelp again, but said nothing. The Colonel walked towards the door now, back stiff and arms at his side. He shut off the room lights, now being illuminated by lights in the hallway only. 

“If I hear another peep out of this room tonight-” A few of the recoms started protesting. 

“We’re grown damn adults Colonel what the fuck?” Z-dog called out.

“I didnt even do anything!” Fike said, sitting upright in bed.

“THE NEXT PERSON TO SPEAK CLEANS IKRAN SHIT FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.” Quaritch shouted, his tail jerking around behind him. The room was silent except for Ja shuffling around in his bunk.

“If I hear another sound out of this room tonight, I swear you’ll be wishin’ you never woke up as a recom. Do I make myself clear?” No one answered him, the fear of cleaning up after the Ikrans was too powerful.

“I said, do I make myself clear Marines?”

“Yes Colonel.” Was the surly reply from them all. He closed the door behind him, leaving them in total darkness and silence.

Browns voice came out in a whisper, they could tell he was smiling. “Fuck you Lopez.”

“Que te folle un pez coño.” The room giggled at his reply before Lyle shushed them all.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I like to think im funny. tbh I could have done so much better but oh well, I just wanted to write this because why not. We live on a floating rock. Have a good day, drink water so you don’t die.

[cryptids-of-spielzeit]

Purpureo Sub Caelo

Sermon 2: Dubium

(A Grinning Cat Story)

Why? That was the question that haunted his mind since that night. Why did he let him live? But why would his god want him dead? Cain killed his brother not because God told him to, but in envy of God's blessings to Abel. His god told him to kill the Dog, already beaten and broken by his hand. In a situation like his, a righteous and loving being, as he believed the Prototype to be, would spare him for overcoming such great lengths.

So why? What would the Dog do to warrant his death? If it was for his heresy, then maybe. The others went against him, and they met their end, so why not the Dog? But, the Dog...Dogday. Dogday cared about Theo. They were kindred spirits, yet different all the same. While the others played their roles to a tee, like they were born to be them, he and Dogday were aware. Aware of their circumstance, their pain. But while Theo went to the Prototype for solace, Dogday kept smiling. He was optimistic, but not because he had to be, but because he earnestly knew things would get better. Maybe that's why he left him to suffer, made him watch as everyone he loved die, left him to rot. Like Cain unto Abel. Why would the sun shine where light doesn't exist?

Yet, there was light.

And that oddly made Theo happy. He only really wanted freedom for all. But his god couldn't have heretics, he was told that they were as bad as the doctors, as bad as the company. If they didn't want to leave, not give his god a chance? Then why suffer in that material Hell any longer? Why? Why, that question, that word, it wouldn't get out. And it asked, more and more, again and again.

Why did you kill them?

Why did you follow it?

Why did you love it so?

Why do you feel guilt?

Why.

Do.

You.

Hate.

Yourself?

And suddenly, like a leaf in the wind, the word blew away. There was someone else there, in the distance. A man in green, a big hat on his head. He just stood there. He looked familiar.

Theo slowly walked toward the man. A brave one, this one, he didn't run, he didn't shoot. He didn't even scream. He just stood. They were face to face now.

"Theo. How's life been treating you?"

The guard. Now he knew, he survived! The one who "called in sick". Fate is a strange thing.

"....it has been fine, sir. Why are you here?"

"I could ask the same thing, stretch. I'm the ranger around here. And I've heard that a couple of people have been hurt in these woods. A few of them with claw marks. Care to explain?"

"...he told me that if anyone came near us, give them a warning-"

"A warning?! Some of those people are dead, Theodore! What have they done?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!....I-I don't know....I was just doing as he instructed..."

"And is he still out there?..."

"Yes..."

"That's all I needed to hear. Theo. I hope things will get better."

Angelo walked off, as casually as a morning stroll. Theo could only watch as he got smaller and smaller, eventually blending in with the green all around him.

What did they do? The only reason they killed some families that day was because they openly supported that godforsaken factory. They were blind to the horrors underneath their very feet, and they had to be punished for their blissful ignorance. These people in the woods looked to have no knowledge of the place, so why bother?

He walked back to his god's oak. There were more bodies now, all without their skin. All human. Some a lot shorter than the others.

"Why?..."

[hockybish]

Christmas Plans

l West Winds au l dad!trevor l masterlist l part 1 l next l

"So are we getting him a cat or dog?" Trevor mused scrolling through his phone one evening. He was looking at animals online from a local shelter, trying to find the right one for Zephyr.

"Neither. I'm not taking care of a kid and an animal while you're not here and I'm trying to graduate" Bean typed away on the computer in her lap. "I'm almost done with school, one more semester, we can think about it then."

"Well then what about giving Zeph a sister or brother?" he tossed his phone to the side, it seemed pointless once Bean said no to the animal. He started placing kisses all over her neck and shoulder.

"Trev, what did I just say?" Bean pushed her beau away. She loved the affection he was giving her, but not when she was trying to writing an important paper for a class.

"You said not to a pet. You said nothing about having another baby."

"No more kids until after graduation. Plus we don't even know what we are. And there are a million other things we need to think about, like where would we live? Because it's already difficult with our two homes as it is." she rambled “and not to mention your family hasn’t even met Zeph yet.”

"Tallulah Bean?" Trevor waited a second so he could have her full attention before continuing. "I love you more than anything, will you be my girlfriend?"

"You know what? Yes." She kissed him this time. Trevor deepened the kiss wanting something more from this happy moment, Bean could tell as much. "No more kids yet though."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't at least start trying now." He closed her laptop, placing it off to the side. She wouldn't be needing it for the rest of the night.

"I think we should tell them." Bean ran her fingers through Trevor's hair, they were snuggling in bed after having some adult fun times.

"Who are we telling and why should we tell them this thing?" he leaned into her touch while his eyes remained closed.

"I just think it's time we tell our families about us and more importantly yours about Zeph" she moved on to braiding the longer bit of his hair that had grown out since he last had gotten it cut.

"He knows my family. I think it's time that he knows his other grandma and grandpa and auntie and uncle."

"That, is a great idea, because my mom's only been begging me to bring Zeph around for the better half of a year now."

"Excuse me she's been what now?" Bean was a bit shocked at his confession, but at the same time not surprised he told his mom.

"Yeah, I may or may not have sent her a picture of Zeph like a month after he was born and I guess she figured it out from that." Trevor told her about what he did. "And Ellen's been sending her pictures too."

He explained how it had really only been this past summer, when they had been in Connecticut and so close to his family, that she had been asking to meet her grandson, but he had told her that it was something he would have to discuss with Bean. And with all the contract stuff going on and them trying to mend the what he had broken, it just slipped his mind.

"It's settled then, we're going to New York for Christmas."

"It's gonna be a short trip. I have a game on the 23rd and another on the 27th. That's not a lot of time for him to get to know everyone properly."

"We'll make it work, we always do"

[oliviaischillin1204]

Lovely Little Logan

[olivia's note: hello friends! this is another work from anne onymous, whom i love. this fic is also primarly about age regression (specifically with logan regressing) so keep that in mind! thank you SO much anne!!!]

Logan couldn't stand being babied, he despised it. He's not cute and adorable like Patton, he's logic. He's serious, mature and dignified. He's possibly the only side that truly acts like an adult. But whenever someone tries to talk to him as if he's anything less than that, it…does something to him. Something he considered embarrassing. He's managed to hide it well up to this point, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the charade up. He expressed his hatred of being spoken to in such manner and the others usually complied, although Patton sometimes accidentally slipped up and Roman would do it on purpose in an attempt to annoy him. Perhaps that's exactly why after a brief bickering, he decided to do the one thing Logan couldn't handle. With tickling added.

Logan cursed himself for not seeing it coming. He should've known better than to aggravate Roman instead of just agreeing to disagree and now look where it's gotten him: pinned to the floor, blushing a shade of red that could compete with Roman's sash and giggling like an infant. "Aren't you just a ticklish little baby? Who's a ticklish little baby?" Roman cooed as he played Logan's ribs like a piano. "Nohohohoho, Rohohoman, plehehease!" Logan begged. "Aww, please what, baby boy? Please…get your belly? Does someone want tummy tickles on his ticklish tummy-tum? Is this what you wanted, cutie-pie? Laugh for the tickle monster, Logi-Bear!" Roman teased, scribbling across Logan's sensitive tummy. Logan couldn't even speak among his squeals and laughs, this was so humiliating. He could feel his composure dissolving away. "Ok, Princey. Knock it off before he short circuits." a voice said from behind.

Roman turned around and saw Virgil, smirking. Roman groaned and stopped tickling, giving Logan a chance to catch his breath. "You're such a fun killer." Roman whined. "Did it occur to you that maybe I want a turn?" Virgil asked. Roman gave a sly smile and wiggled his fingers threateningly, causing Virgil to roll his eyes. "I meant a turn at tickling Logan." Virgil explained. Logan made a noise that could only be described as a strangled sound of protest that got jumbled, mixed up and scrambled while escaping his mouth. "Aw, what's the matter, Logic? Cat got your tongue?" Virgil taunted, sitting on Logan's arms to pin them down. "Oh no, Lo-Lo. Now there's two tickle monsters. Whatever will you do?" Roman teased. "Sorry?" Logan said with puppy-dog eyes, hoping this would work. "Why, thank you, little star. Such good manners. What a big thing to do. I accept your apology." Roman remarked. Logan sighed in relief, thinking this might be over. "But you're still getting the tickles." Roman continued.

Logan's eyes widened in shock but before he could protest, it was too late. Roman went back to skittering across his sides and stomach while Virgil went to town on his ribs and armpits. Logan kicked and bucked as he laughed hysterically. "Tickle tickle tickle, giggles!" Roman cooed. "Cootchie cootchie coo, I'm tickling you!" Virgil teased, catching on to the recurring theme of the teases. "Vihihirgil, nohohoho! Plehehease!" Logan squealed. "Please what, blushy baby? You need to use your words. Can you do that for me, little cutie?" Virgil gushed. Logan tried as hard as he could to hide his face in his arms but with Virgil sitting on them, it was impossible. "Aww, who's a blushy baby? Who's a blushy boy? I think you are, yes you are! Aren't you just adorable?" Roman teased. Logan bucked and kicked desperately but he wasn't strong enough to knock Roman off. Especially in this state, weakened by laughter and…what his friends were saying.

"You doing ok, Roman?" Virgil asked. "I've had years of practice with Remus. Compared to him, this is smooth sailing." Roman assured. "It's not the bucking I'm worried about, it's the kicking. He might get you if you're not careful." Virgil explained. "Maybe we should invite Patton to join us. Wouldn't that be fun, Logi? Patton playing with your ticklish little toesies, me tickling your sensitive belly and Virgil poking around your ribs?" Roman taunted. Logan shook his head as much as he could. "Nah, he'd probably stop us because we've already been at this for a while and knows Logan told us not to talk to him like a child." Virgil argued. "You hear that, Logan? We get all your giggles and squeals to ourselves. You're ours to tickle and tickle forever!" Roman teased. "Nohohohoho! Nohohot foreveheheher!" Logan cackled. "Yes! Forever and ever and ever!" Roman cooed.

Logan wasn't sure how much longer he could take this. His maturity was slipping away and he was struggling to form real sentences. "Oh Logan? This tickle monster is getting a little hungry." Virgil warned, getting off Logan's arms and wrapping his own around his ribcage, Logan's back pressed against his chest. Roman almost fell off Logan when he noticed Virgil lying underneath him. Before he could ask what he was doing, his question was answered when Virgil started nuzzling and nibbling at Logan's neck, making ridiculous noises as he did so. Logan squealed, giggled and squeaked as his neck was attacked. "Nohoho, dohohon't eheheat mehehehe!" Logan squeaked. "Aww, why not? The tickle monster's so very hungry and you have such a yummy neck." Virgil teased before going back to what he was doing. Logan couldn't believe he said something so ridiculous and swore himself to silence.

"Speaking of hunger, your belly looks rather empty, you poor little thing. But I can fill it up for you." Roman said, slowly lifting Logan's shirt up. "With raspberries." Roman added, blowing on Logan's tummy as much as he could which caused the usually stoic side to scream with laughter and figuratively melt. Logan couldn't fight anymore. All he could do was lie there until this eventually stopped. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. "Alright, you two. That's enough. He needs a breather." a voice said. Roman and Virgil looked up to see Patton looking down at them, sternly. They relented and stopped. Virgil let go of Logan and stood next to Patton while Roman got off Logan's waist and joined the others, leaving Logan curled up on the floor and trying to get the last of his giggles out. "You good, Logan?" Patton asked. Logan gave a weak thumbs up. "Sorry if we went too far." Roman said. "You're mean." Logan whined. "Aww, came on, Logan. Don't be grumpy." Patton said. He noticed Logan's tone and pout seemed rather childish and it gave him a theory.

"Where's Daddy gone?" Patton asked as he hid his face in his hands, causing everyone to look at him rather confused. "Peek-a-boo!" Patton exclaimed, revealing his face and noticed Logan trying to suppress a smile. He repeated the action and Logan burst into giggles. "Aww, there's that smile!" Patton cooed, booping Logan's nose and chuckling when he tried to bite him. "Oh, you cheeky little monkey! How do you feel, kiddo?" Patton asked as he held up his fingers. Logan looked deep in thought before pushing down six of Patton's fingers, leaving four remaining. "Good job, Logan! Ten minus six is four! You're so smart!" Patton praised. "Can someone please explain what is happening here?" Roman asked. "I think we just discovered that Logan is a little." Virgil replied. "A little what? Confusing?" Roman queried. "No, he's an age regressor." Patton said.

"A what?" Roman asked. "An age regressor. You know, that thing where somebody's mind goes child-like as a coping mechanism for things like stress, trauma, or other mental health issues? They think and act younger, usually as a little kid or a toddler or sometimes a baby? Ring a bell?" Virgil explained. "That's a thing? Phew, I thought I was losing it." Roman sighed. "You do it too?" Virgil asked. "Yeah, every now and then when things get a little overwhelming. You do too, huh?" Roman inquired. "Sometimes, but I was referring to Logan that time." Virgil confessed hesitantly, clearly not ready to talk about it openly yet. "Well, now that we know, how would you like a caregiver, Logi-Bear?" Patton asked. Logan to clapped excitedly, causing Patton to laugh. "I guess that's a yes." Patton chuckled. "Would it be stupid to ask what a caregiver is?" Roman asked. "Someone who takes care of you when you regress." Virgil explained. "So like babysitters?" Roman joked. "Sorta. Or like a parental figure." Virgil replied. "And as your new parental figure, I think these clothes are much too grown-up for a little one like you." Patton said, playing with Logan's tie before summoning a new outfit.

Logan looked down at himself and beamed. He was wearing a blue stripey t-shirt, overall shorts, socks covered in rockets and black trainors. And even better, the front pocket on his overalls had a pacifier clip with a dark blue pacifier covered in silver stars attached at the end of it. He immediately popped it in his mouth, sucking away happily and smiling widely. "I thought Logan felt four, four year olds don't use pacifiers." Roman remarked. "Actually, there's a lot of reasons someone might use pacifiers, Roman. It could be for fidgeting, to stop you biting your nails, to help you sleep, to stop yourself from over eating, to de-stress, or just for fun." Patton explained. "Yeah, I almost always regress to four and I use a pacifier every time. You should seriously try it at least once, it's soothing as fuck." Virgil blurted out. "He said a bad word!" Logan protested. "Virgil!" Patton scolded. "Whoops. Sorry L, my bad. I'll make a mental note to avoid swearing when you're regressed." Virgil apologised. "Well, thanks for the info. But I think we've forgotten something very important: Every child needs a plushie." Roman said, summoning Logan's plushie of himself and handing it to him.

"It me!" Logan exclaimed, bouncing with excitement. "That's right, starlight. It's a mini-you. You're so clever." Roman cooed, gently ruffling Logan's hair. "Careful of his hair, Thomas's thing effects all of us." Virgil cautioned. "I'm being careful! Jeez." Roman barked. After more explaining and talking, everyone decided to watch a movie in the living room, letting Logan pick, of course. They were surprised when Logan picked a Tinker Bell movie but it made more sense when the scene of Tinker Bell and her friend experimenting with pixie dust came up. As the movie played, they noticed Logan was yawning quite a bit and rubbing his eyes a lot. "Looks like it might be naptime for you, kiddo." Patton advised, Logan nodding sleepily in response. Virgil summoned a blanket and Roman summoned a pillow, placing them carefully on the couch for Logan. Patton tucked him in and read him a bedtime story, but it wasn't enough to help him sleep.

"How about a lullaby?" Roman offered, gently removing Logan's glasses. Logan nodded, too tired to talk. Roman began to sing Darling's lullaby from "Lady And The Tramp" and it seemed to be exactly what Logan needed. "La la lu, la la lu. Oh my little star sweeper. I'll sweep the stardust for you. La la lu, la la lu. Little soft fluffy sleeper. Here comes a pink cloud for you." Roman sung as Logan closed his eyes, snuggling up to his plushie. "La la lu. La la lu. Little wandering angel. Fold up your wings, close your eyes. La la lu, la la lu. And may love be your keeper. La la lu, la la lu, la la lu." Roman sang, smiling as he noticed Logan had drifted off to sleep. "There now, little star sweeper. Dream on." Roman gushed. In the past, Roman would've seen this as a chance to get some blackmail material. Logan napping on the couch with a pacifier in his mouth and cuddling a toy? He would've seized the opportunity to get a photo faster than you can say "Instagram". But that was then. Right now, he couldn't stop gazing at his sleeping friend.

"This might sound stupid, but I never realised how much Logan looks like Thomas without his glasses." Virgil commented. "Nah, I'm with you. I never noticed either." Patton agreed. "Shhhhh!" Roman hushed. "Sorry, Roman. You're right, let's leave him be." Patton whispered. The three quietly walked away from the couch and left the room. After half an hour, Roman decided to check on Logan and found him half-asleep/half-awake. "Something wrong, little one?" Roman asked. "Thirsty." Logan said quietly. Roman summoned a space themed sippy-cup filled with warm milk and gave it to the sleepy side. After drinking it all, Logan quickly dozed off again. Roman smiled. He could get used to this. If this was a new thing that would become frequent, he wouldn't mind it one bit. Sure, it was different and unexpected, but it was also really cute. He decided to go find Patton and let him know Logan has two caregivers now.

After an hour, Logan woke up rather confused. When did he fall asleep? Why was he on the couch? Wait, is he sucking a pacifier?! Logan spat it out and frantically searched for his glasses. He felt them on the coffee table and quickly put them on, looking around and froze in shock. His clothes were different, Disney+ was on the TV, there was a sippy cup on the coffee table and he was holding his plushie of himself. What just happened?! Logan thought hard to figure this out. What did he remember last? He was having a disagreement with Roman, he tackled him to the floor and tickled him, he teased him with baby-talk and Virgil joined in, then Patton stopped them and–oh no. The others know! His secret he tried so hard to hide was out and there's nothing he can do! Logan summoned his signature outfit and cleared everything away when Patton walked in. "Hey Logan! Looks like you're feeling big again. Had a good nap?" Patton inquired. Logan remained quiet. He wanted to cry, but that would trigger another regression and that's the last thing he wanted right now. Patton seemed to catch on to Logan's discomfort and knew this needed to be dealt with. "Sit down. Let's talk." Patton said as he sat on the couch, patting the spot next to him. Logan sighed and sat down.

"None of us think any less of you for this, Logan. We don't view you any differently than before. There's nothing wrong with this. If this is how you deal with what you need to deal with, or something triggers it and it happens, it doesn't hurt anyone. It's completely ok and no one is judging you." Patton reassured, rubbing Logan's shoulder assuringly as he processed these words. "Not even Roman?" Logan mumbled. "Especially not Roman! He's practically smitten with you when you're little. Before I came down here, he was just asking me to ask you if you wanted him as your caregiver too." Patton revealed. Logan stopped fighting his feelings and burst into tears, clutching Patton tightly. "I sorry." Logan whimpered. "It's ok, kiddo. And I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide this from us." Patton said, wiping away a tear from Logan's cheeck. "Now, where's that cute little smile of yours, huh?" Patton asked, squeezing Logan's sides. "Nohohoho! Nohohot agahahahain!" Logan squealed in surprise. "Yes, again! Roman and Virgil had their fun with you, I gotta catch up." Patton reasoned. As Logan giggled and wiggled around in Patton's lap, he thought to himself that maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps it was a good thing this happened.

The End.

[le-panda-chocovore]

"Say" Karma asks with his eternal strawberry milk in hand "are you a cat person or a dog person ?"

Gakushuu doesn't even bother to look at him. It's been month now that Akabane daily hangs around him, starts absurd conversation just for the love of it, and jumps on every single occasion to compete with him. Gakushuu is kinda used to it now, but he has yet developed a skill to fully ignore the boy.

"I'm a cat person myself, you know. I think cats suit you too."

Gakushuu doesn't answer, even if he knows that he eventually will have to. Akabane never gives up with his weird questions. He's only putting things off.

"Well I guess dogs are more convenient to you, since you love giving orders and everything. I mean, you're a leader, you want loyalty, dogs are great with that."

Gakushuu sighs. He's only trying to eat his bento in peace, but peace is a complicated things to reach when Akabane Karma is in your life.

"Are you going to write an essay about wether dogs or cats are more suits to me ?"

"Well I would if you don't answer, I have to make my own conclusion. So, dogs or cats ?"

".... Neither."

Karma rolls his eyes and puts his drink down on Asano's desk. Because of course he was sitting in front of him, he specifically came to disturb Gakushuu during the lunch break. It began a month after the start of the school year. At first it was one day every two weeks, then one per week, then three, then every day. The whole class was also used to it now, the weird rivalry-friendship-flirtous relation they have. Gakushuu still finds that annoying.

"You can't say that ! If you have to choose between a dog or a cat, what would you take ?"

"I don't know. Does it matter? I don't have a preference."

"Of course it matters !! How can you say something so stupid ?! It means everything ! It kinda define your personality but go off I guess !"

As usual, Akabane is dramatic. Gakushuu sighs again. Why such a fuss about a simple question ?

"I have never had a pet." He doesn't even know why he tries to explain himself. Isn't he allowed to just not have a preference? "I don't know what they're like."

"What ? How could you nev- Oh. Yeah. I guess your dad isn't the type to offer you a cat for Christmas."

"No, he really isn't." But the mental image makes him smile. Internally, of course. Can't be seen showing emotions when Akabane's looking.

"Well you don't need to actually have a pet to know which one you prefer. Imagine, a few years in the future, you live in your own apartment and you have a good job and enough money. You can do whatever you want, even adopt a pet. What would you choose then ?"

Asano thinks about it, he even stops eating to visualize the picture. What would he choose, if he can have anything ?

"I don't know."

"Asano."

"What ? I really don't ! Why should I like one better than the other ?"

Abakane seemed genuinely exasperated, he couldn't believe what he heard. How can a person not have a preference! It's a crime ! He should put the strawberry blonde under arrest, but he isn't a cop, and Gakushuu would probably be out in a matter of hours. He's way too perfect to stay in jail.

"Look at that" Karma shows him his phone, "and tell me that does nothing to you !"

It's a picture of a black and white cat stretching. Gakushuu looks unimpressed, which only increases Akabane's outrage. The red-haired boy keeps scrolling his phone to shows pictures and video of cats and kittens, trying to get a reaction from Asano. But the only thing Gakushuu does, beside frowning, is commenting a simple "okay I guess."

"YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD, THE FUCK YOU MEAN 'OKAY I GUESS' ????"

"Don't yell and don't swear."

He realized then that the whole class -more precisely the remaining students who don't eat at the cafeteria- were listening, and now looking at them. Hell he hates when Akabane makes a scene like this.

"Those are the most beautiful and cute and perfect creatures that have ever existed, and you DARE to say that they're only okay ???? What kind of psychopath are you !?"

"It's a pet Akabane. Besides, between us, you're the psycho one."

"A pet- A PET HE SAID. CATS ARE FUCKING GODS AN-"

"Oh my god, shut up, will you ? I didn't said I don't like cats, I just... I don't know."

It's Karma's turn to sigh. The boy is looking at him as if he was an alien inable to communicate with a human language. Gakushuu stares back. He isn't the weird one, he convinces himself, there's no problem in not liking pets.

"So dogs it is then ?"

"Well, uh... Not really. I don't particularly like dogs either."

That's when Ren joined the conversation. He hands his own phone which shows the Instagram page of one of his friend. A girl and her dog running in the snow. It was a pretty cute picture.

"Here, what do you think about it ?" Ren asks with a fake innocentsmile. He is clearly up to something and Asano doesn't like that. He feels like they're making an alliance against him. Akabane lean toward them to see the picture and Asano's reaction.

"Hm" said Gakushuu after looking at the screen for 5 long seconds. Ren laughed, Gakushuu frowns, and Karma protests.

"The FUCK you mean-"

"Stop swearing I said. You're insufferable."

"And you're fucking weird. How can you not react ? Do you have a heart ?"

Asano shrugs. He takes his bento and starts eating again, ignoring the look everyone is giving to him. Honestly, he's kinda satisfied to see the annoying human nuisance sighs. Karma seems desperate and the fact that the roles are reversed is extremely funny to him.

"You cannot not love pets." Karma groans.

"Well, obviously I can."

Ren gets closer with his chair and puts his own food on Asano's desk.

"You're neither a cat or a dog person but there must be a pet you like." He assumes with a thoughtful face.

"What are you doing ?" Gakushuu stares with murderous eyes. His childhood friend laughed it off nervously.

"I'm just curious ! I never got to know your favourite animal, that's all."

"Maybe I don't have one."

"That's sad" points out Akabane. "Or maybe you love hamster but you're ashamed of it."

This time Gakushuu sighs again. He sighs often when Akabane is around, and that means everyday since the beginning of the year.

"Well a little mouse maybe ?"

"No" Asano deadpans.

"Ew" Sakakibara comments.

"They're cute tho," Karma protests. "Wait I'm showing you a picture."

"My sister has an hamster." claims Koyama while handing his own phone.

Asano looks at it but doesn't say anything, fully aware that everyone was waiting for him to react. It's not that he dislikes being when people stares at him, they always do, but he isn't the kind of person who talk about themself. His father always reminds him to give private information carefully because we never know what people might do with that. And, well, he's father is not the best role model, but it's the only one he has.

However, the main problem right know is that Asano really doesn't know what pet he likes. Cats and hamsters and dogs may indeed be cute if you take the definition of the word, he can see that, but he doesn't feel any particular affection toward them by looking at those pictures.

"Well ?" asks Karma, staring at him curiously as if he's trying to read his soul -and he probably is.

"What ?" Asano really has nothing to say, and it shows. "Well, it's alive."

"Gods can you hear yourself ? You're the worst human alive." Karma takes back his strawberry milk and starts drinking obnoxiously.

"We should try mice then" Akira proposes. "You said you'd show a picture Akabane."

The cat lover looks up to him but before he could answer, another students appeared next to Asano's desk. Apparently, their classmates, who listened to the entire conversation since the beginning, took the Virtuosos' intervention as an autorization to join the debate as well. The most brave of them, a blonde girl with round glasses, gives her phone to Asano to show him a picture of three little mice.

"Th-their names are Iku, Aki and Uka" she mumbles.

"Oh. Well... Okay ?"

Akabane slams his drink against the desk.

"That fucking 'okay' again, is that the only word you know ?"

"I don't know what you're expecting from me !!" Gakushuu finally snaps.

"A fucking human reaction ! Is that too much to ask ?? When I look at cats, I'm like 'awwwwwww so cute I want to adopt them and cuddle them and feed them' but YOU don't give a shit about those little fluffy angels and I don't know how you can be so heartless !! Do you ever feel anything ? Are you a robot ?"

"I do feel things, thanks" Asano grunts. "I'm just not a pet person."

"All pets are differents, there's plenty races of cats and dogs. Maybe you could like one." Sakakibara fully ignores the deathly glare Asano has and keeps going. "Like a golden retriever and a bulldog are nothing alike."

After those words, in a matter of three minutes, the whole class gather around the poor student representative to show every pictures of their pets. There are plenty of cats and dogs from all races and age and Asano quickly lose control of the situation (not like he ever had it in the first place). He doesn't know where to look at, he's fully surrounded and is forced to stop eating again.

Despite that, he still doesn't really react to what he sees, and Akabane is know completly convinced that his rival is a future serial killer. Asano tries to reach his bestfriend for help, but Sakakibara is too busy trying to not laugh to hard to do anything. Betrayed by his right hand man, Asano turns toward the other Virtuosis, but they're no help either.

And that is the moment when the teacher comes back to class, only to see his students all gathered around Gakushuu's desk with their phones out.

Gakushuu is of course the first one to notice, and immediately stands up to greet him and to tell everyone to go back to their place. They groan but obey. Except, of course, Akabane.

"What happened here ?" Asks the teacher out of curiosity.

"Asano said he never had a pet before so we're trying to guess what he could like."

Gakushuu glares at Karma, who shrugs with a smile.

"He said he's neither a cat or dog person" Karma continues, "but he must be something."

Asano expected the teacher to dismiss the boy for starting irrelevant conversation, and to remind the class to stay serious about the work and everything. He certainly didn't expected him to hum with an amused smile and to answer "I knew someone once who had a bird pet. Do you like feathers Asano-kun ?"

He really doesn't expect that. What was he even supposed to answer ? And why was the teacher joining the circus ?

"I... Don't think so ? Birds are louds." Gakushuu explains finally, but he doesn't seem really sure about that. Karma notices and grins when he gets up to go back to his own desk.

"I guess they are." The teacher opens his binder to the lesson he prepared. "Well, you guys should talk about this outside of class hours. Let's continue where we stopped..."

Gakushuu is clearly relieved to go back to a serious subject appropriate for school. Little does he know that Akabane has no intention to stop this debate.

[imjustabeanie]

My part of the exchange with @fourtyfourcatss !

Sorry for the wait! I hope you like it!

Your kuroshitsuji match is….Sebastian!

Now listen it was a very tough choice cuz your runner up is Edward, but in the end I think your chemistry with sebby is better. Anime Sebastian is a sweetheart compared to how bitchy he is in manga (he is my fav but someone slap this man).

Sebastian is charming and very manipulative….he has a lot of facades and can just become your dream man if he wants to which means that getting down to the real him is the challenge of a lifetime. Heck who knows why he decided to court someone. But I ain’t here to analyse morally um…dubious characters or anything cuz we’d be here for the night and I’m a beige flag who loves red flags so anyways. I think Sebastian is the type to fall later and be surprised that he can even fall in love. This means that when he realizes it’s serious he will distance himself at first and then basically stay glued to you. He’s quite a possessive lover because love is foreign to him. This sums up how you got together and the biggest obstacle in the relationship.

Sebastian is a lover who’ll always hype you up and help you achieve your ambitious goals. It can get overbearing sometimes because you don’t want to disappoint him but really just talk to him about it as he’s not the most emotionally intelligent. He loves how passionate you are and if it’s in his field, he will happily coach you and help you out without showing off much. He also appreciates your honesty because dealing with fake people all the time can be so tiring (oh the hypocrisy…).

He is not a negligent lover but he’s also not always here due to his deals and job. He makes up for it when he’s back by giving you a divine royal treatment. Nothing is impossible for you (his words). I also headcanon that he tries to buy you gifts based by what other couples buy but he still finds the concept foreign because demons aren’t that materialistic. You two are also Undertaker favorite visitors due to your humor (he teases Sebastian about his feelings each time).

He lives to impress and he won’t rest until he can impress you. The main reason is pride. If this one hell of a butler couldn’t impress his lover then what kind of demon is he? No he won’t stand for it lol. This results in a pouty Sebastian that you can tease and reassure. Careful, he’ll return the teasing tenfold. This man won’t hesitate to show off his demonic strength and just exhaust you with work which is quite embarrassing cuz you’re physically active and tired while he is smirking. You’re more considerate than him and he’s a bad influence that’ll encourage you to put yourself first all the time even if it’s harmful to others.

Your artistic side makes him happy because you two can just enjoy art together and there’s a high chance he’ll tell you a story about the artist. Heck if he can he will even let you contact your favorite writers, even if they’re dead. Your logical side is a breeze to him because he’s surrounded by idiots whose savior is you. I mean you’re the only one who’ll patiently explain everything easily while Sebastian is just condescending to them! Sebastian is a little old fashioned but if you want to try a new creative way he will help you out. It’s shocking because he usually dismisses the idea when someone else proposes it.

Overall it’s quite an adventurous relationship who does have its up and downs due to Sebastian origins so…good luck. I don’t even know how I squeezed out so much from your description…is it me or do I write like I’m a couple therapist?

Your Hades match is…..Zagreus! With Hermes as a close runner up

Him and Sebby is like cats and dogs. Zagreus is the definition of the clumsy golden retriever boyfriend who means well lmao. He’s nosy, curious, creative, AMBITIOUS, and so honest it’s not surprising that you two got together. Your matchmakers were Cupid and Aphrodite even blessed your union (please they pushed him to confess after being tired of his rambling).

You two are so ambitious you’re making Thanatos go crazy. I mean you’re more rationable than him but you two always hype up the other which creates trouble. Zagreus is proud of it and proud of you. He’s always rambling about how creative and good you are to him. He loves to read with you and tries to help you out in your writing by giving you new ideas and such. Heck he walks around with a notepad in case you have a new idea you want to write down. He’ll take it out even if you two are in the middle of a battlefield. Due to his lack of self preservation, the thinking is left to you and he’s the bodyguard. Just because he’s reckless doesn’t make him less protective. Dying sucks, even if you come back to life, that’s why he will do his best to never let you die. If you die before him he goes on a rampage and then comes back all sad and apologetic to you (he wants to bring the head of your enemy but doesn’t know how you’ll react. That’s mythology romance lol).

Zagreus doesn’t mind how blunt you are considering his entourage, but he always has a witty comeback. Only he can make these comebacks to you. He is always optimistic and will do his best to improve himself for you. Even if you have issues empathizing with others, he will be patient for you and learn how to be more communicative. I believe that this and his family issues are gonna be issues in the relationship because if he feels that he’s burdening you he’ll break up thinking it’s for your own good. He does need reassurance.

Zagreus love language is definitely acts of service and words. He always compliments you and tries to remember the little things that make you happy. If he hears that something is causing you issues he will try to solve it for you in the shadows (if it works he will come all proud and if it doesn’t work he will come to you apologizing like a scared puppy lol). Also, at first his father doesn’t like you and tries to chase you away contrary to his mother. It’s only after the game events that his father will welcome you under the threats of his dear wife.

[k00299539]

Animation Brief 02 - Re-Invention in Storytelling

Above: Honse

So I can't really lie about this one, I was in some kind of fugue state this whole brief. I was struggling a lot with insomnia and found it hard to engage with school at all. I actually didn't even show up for like two weeks and learned third hand I was in a group with Summer and Zu, a group for what? I took to Moodle to find out...

Okay I didn't really take to Moodle, I kinda glanced through the brief and surmised we had to make a three minute animation of a classic nursery rhyme. Sounds simple enough.

I'd been in contact with Zu and Summer over Instagram so I wasn't totally lost but I skipped the day where we were supposed to script our animation. This meant I turned up the next day for storyboarding with a script ... but no Summer or Zu. Did I mention our group was literally assembled from the people who didn't turn up the day they put the groups together?

So basically I sat down with pad and pencil and went through the script. My goal was to abstain from editing or embellishing the script and just draw each scene as I read it, keeping track of how many scenes, shots and backgrounds we would need for an animation. I figured once I had the script made visual, the editing and alteration would come naturally.

Above: Boarystoard

Now, what you might be wondering is; "Why are you showing the storyboard before telling us the nursery rhyme?" and I have a good reason for that. I didn't know either. Actually that's not entirely true, I could surmise from the name "Spoon" in the script that the rhyme was probably "Hey Diddle Diddle" but I was beyond confused as to how that became such a sobering tale of war and grief.

At about this time, Zu showed up and I had the answers to most of my questions. As it turned out, it wasn't just a nursery rhyme we were given for the brief but a time period and a genre. So being the lucky number (group) seven we were, we got 19th Century and War Movie in this lottery.

Hey Diddle Diddle is such a fun little rhyme, unlike the all the other groups rhymes, it's a genuine nonsense poem with no accepted origin. To me there's something liberating and anarchistic about that, the reader simply has to accept the mental image of partying animals and bipedal cutlery. I think had I scripted the animatic without knowledge of the genre or period, I would've focused on the fiddling cat and the cow leaving orbit. It writes itself in my opinion; a violin soundtrack to the sublime image of the cow achieving the impossible. But it wasn't to be.

Anyway, in my absence Zu and Summer had collaborated on the story with Summer writing the final script I had received over Instagram with zero context. And honestly, they did a better job than I would've thought possible. Highlighting the line "And the Dish ran away with the Spoon" and turning that into a refugee escape attempt as the impetus for a story was genius. I like to tinker with everything but other than streamlining the story for screen, I couldn't find anything I wanted to change.

Above: Nonsense

Above is the nursery rhyme itself, the initial story treatment by Zu and Summer and the final script by Summer. To briefly explain the beats of the story:

Three competing empires (Dog, Cat and Bull) encroach on a peaceful land.

As the land becomes a battlefield, it's citizens flee.

Among them is our protagonist; Dish and his son; Spoon.

Spoon is tragically killed during their attempted escape as Dish watches helplessly.

Dish is overcome with grief, he formulates a crazy plan to bring down the three empires.

Dish travels to each empire, impersonating a messenger of another. He plays the three factions against each other through false alliances, culminating in mutual destruction.

Dish returns to the site of his son's death and lays down a bouquet of flowers.

If you compare my abbreviated story to the scripts above you can see how I edited them a little bit. I was mostly trying to simplify the story to it's essential elements, half because I think that makes for a better story and half because I wanted to cut our number of shots down to the minimum.

Anyway with both myself and Zu in school for once, we went through both our storyboards and combined them into one, having hashed out exactly how we wanted the story to flow on screen. Summer also did a pass on the storyboard but it wasn't til a couple of days later I got my hands on that version.

Above: Combo Storyboard

Although we still had yet to meet up all three in person, we were communicating the whole time through Instagram. Paul let us know the next step after the initial rough storyboard was make it into an animatic to figure out the timing and begin research for the final storyboard.

Zu did a quick pass on the first animatic in Adobe Animate, although I never actually saw it cause he sent it as an animate file and I couldn't open it lol. I knew from talking to him though that it was the storyboard with each frame lasting for about six seconds on screen to reach the three minute runtime. This gave me a helpful reference for later when I was timing the final storyboard.

Based on Paul's feedback we broke the research down into six(ish) categories:

Landscapes/Background Design

Apparel/Costume Design

Visual Aesthetic/Style

Character Design

Mise-en-scène/Prop Design

Miscellaneous

There was talk of us dividing up the categories between the three of us ... but honestly we mostly just did whatever and pooled our research together in the end. In fairness to Zu and Summer they handled a lot more of this stuff than I did. Summer came up with great costume designs and decided on the cartoon Over the Garden Wall as our main Visual Design inspiration. Zu did lots of research on backgrounds and the 19th Century in general, and handled a lot of the boring work like pinning our stuff up on the wall.

During this I was mostly refining the story, creating the character designs and finalizing the storyboard.

Above: Summer's Storyboard ... Summerboard

Having Summer's board on hand was a great help when putting together the final version. One of the most fun parts of this project was synthesizing our ideas together, and in that sense Zu and Summer were great to work with. We each had our own distinct perspective but we were all willing to collaborate. We were truly a film making democracy...

Anyway before getting into the final storyboard I first have to go over the character designs. This was an area me and Summer collaborated on, although somewhat indirectly. We both designed the characters and their costumes separately and then I tried to mix and match the two in the final storyboard. Most of the conceptual work belongs to Summer and the actual drawings were me.

Above: Some of Summer's costume designs

Another interesting bit of this project was how often I found that the three us came to similar conclusions completely separately. Like in the above there's a lot of small details in Summer's designs which also appeared in mine, despite us working independently.

Above: A man named Dish

I actually just remembered the above designs which were drawn at the same time me and Zu worked on the storyboards. This was before Summer suggested the Over the Garden Wall aesthetic. At the time I was going for a semi-realistic Naoki Urasawa type design. I love Urasawa's work but honestly Summer had the right idea, simple designs made for quicker drawing which allowed to prototype more freely and really polish our ideas in a way we simply wouldn't have had time for with more complicated designs.

That's also not even mentioning the fact that I think the cartoony designs contrast the sombre tone of the story. If you make the characters too realistic, you run the risk of becoming melodramatic. Animation has a great disarming power and oftentimes stories like ours hit hardest when the audience isn't expecting them to. With this all in mind I set about creating the final character designs.

Above: Honse and friends :)

From left to right we have:

A four high stack of Dish heads for measuring proportions.

Dish from behind sans body.

Dish from the side.

Dish from the front.

Dish from the front after the death of Spoon.

Spoon from the front.

The Cat Emperor.

The Dog Emperor.

The Bull Emperor.

A generic soldier.

The Horse.

The Owl.

I think the design sheet mostly speaks for itself. There are definitely a couple of things I'd like to have done given I had more time, like obviously drawing full turnarounds for the whole cast or settling on a colour design.

A couple of details I'd like to mention specifically; As seen in the older semi-realistic sketch, I really liked the idea of Dish having a distinct, separate design after the death of Spoon, as though he became a different person with the loss of his son. I tried to reinforce this with the gaunter appearance, stubbly facial hair, and the way his hair-swirl reversed direction (probably my favourite thing from the whole project). Spoon's shirt is oversized as it's a hand-me-down from his father. The Emperors have a full-beard split between them, as we decided to kind of code facial hair as evil in this project. The Emperor's designs are anachronistic in general, looking more similar to the 20th century Nazi Uniforms than contemporary 19th Century fashion. This was intended to be a bit of commentary on the nature of evil and how the progress of technology (or modernity) facilitates the horrors of war.

I'm running out of space here, so I'll finish this update in another post.