#like man i get he's a volunteer but you can't just come to hang out

[nobodybetterlookatme]

I ended up getting a lot of writing done today, so maybe I'll get something finished within the next month lmao

[niiwa-angel]

I can't stop thinking about how Stan Pines, a man who was kicked out of his home at a young age by his abusive father, turned his own home into such a safe space for not just the twins, but his employees and the kids friends as well.

First of all, we know Wendy frequently slacks off on her shifts, she has her roof top hideaway but she also reads magazines and flat out refuses to do certain tasks. Like when Stan asked her to put up a sign and she just said she couldn't reach it, or telling Stan "absolutely not" when he asked her and Soos to clean the bathrooms. Not only could Stan fire her, he could take away her magazines or stop her from going on the roof. We see that Stan is more observant than he lets on, you're telling me he didn't notice her dragging a cooler and a lawn chair up there? And she's either bringing her own pop and ice to fill that cooler or she's taking his.

And then there's Soos, who Stan cares about so much he got himself on the no-fly list trying to get his birthday removed from calendars, just because it made him upset. We know Soos cares about the Mystery Shack, he feels comfortable there, and he respects and adores Stan. Soos also volunteered to DJ for free at Stans summer party.

We also frequently see Soos and Wendy hanging out with the twins, so either they're slacking off during working hours or they're coming over after their shifts just to hang out. In an after credits scene, we see Mabel and Dipper turn Soos into a disco ball and they're clearly in the residential part of the shack. So either Soos buggered off during working hours to hang out with the twins or he's off shift just chilling. Either way, Stan is fine with him being in the actual house part of the shack.

Wendy also helps Mabel try and make Stan more 'desirable' to Lazy Susan, which I'll get into later, but she's not working and she also in the house part of the shack. We also see Soos and Wendy watching television with Stan, Mabel, and Dipper during the Summerween episode. They aren't on shift! They're just chilling. Wendy hits Stan in the face with a water balloon while working as a lifeguard. She's comfortable teasing him.

Soos tags along with Stan, Dipper, and Mabel when they break into the golf course after hours. He brings his shirts to cut Ws into. He doesn't have to be there, he just is. Wendy goes hunting with Mabel and her friends for unicorns. Mabel wins a pig at the fair and Stan lets her keep it, the pig needs food, who do you think is footing that bill?

Now let's talk about friends. Mabel often has Candy and Grenda over, we know she has loud sleepover with them. Do you think Mabel would bring her friends over if she wasn't comfortable in the house? Do you think Candy and Grenda would keep coming over if they didn't feel safe? Not to mention, they literally ambush Stan in the bathroom and give him a make over. Which he allows, we see him fight off the undead, punch bald eagles, and catch the twins when they fell from the nose of that monument. The man is strong, he could get three preteen girls off him if he wanted to, he was 100% playing along.

Candy and Grenda also invite themselves along on their road trip. And Stan lets them come!! Mr cheap stake agrees to feed and care for two extra kids who aren't his family.

Dipper sneaks around trying to see his tattoo, he feels safe enough with Stan to push those boundaries. He literally pulled the Memory Gun on Ford during the basement scene, if he wasn't comfortable with Stan, he wouldn't try to get that close to him. He calls Stan when he and Mabel are trapped in a haunted convenience store (he doesn't answer but still, he called him).

Now let's talk about Gideon, because I will stand by the Stan had some fondness for the kid. We know Stan has been annoyed with Gideon for a while, we know Gideon has been gunning for Stan for a while. And Stan just... Keeps letting this happen. He never involves the police, he plays along with Gideons attempts, even when Gideon is laughing uncontrollably, Stan just assured him that "you'll get me one day kid". Even when Gideon climbs in THROUGH THE WINDOW all Stan does is aggressively sweep at his feet. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Stan never gets rough with Gideon.

I'm just, I'm weeping over the knowledge that Stan Pines, who wasn't safe in his own home, made his home a safe place for kids as an adult.

[starzgaze]

Just a though rmb that time u made hae-in and Jinwoo fight for y/n? I just rmbered it randomly and I propose:

Hs Jinwoo and Hae-in both regressing and they're pining for Y/N who used to be a mage/healer/support for them.

Ur local hottest boy in school + The it girl and Track Running champion of another school fighting for y/n's hand

this has been living rent free in my head to the point ive unconsciously drawn it LMAO so art down below if u scrolllll

okay but this concept with an extremely mundane [name]?? hello especially someone who's just trying to get past school with average grades and average effort then maybe with a few volunteering here and there where it's coincidentally being the assistant for the coah in the track and field team.

[name] being known for helping a few people and having an affinity when it comes to patching up people and helping them so volunteer work is just light work for them so they didn't mind as much when the things they do during their time in the track and field team is tossing water to the runners and sometimes fixing them up if they trip or break an ankle. being part of the red cross club last year really helps in these situations.

then [name] meets jinwoo who's the new member in the team and someone who just suddenly transferred to the school, saying it was about his father getting a promotion and they needed to move places.

[name] believes this because everyone has their own situations but it was in fact jinwoo finally finding out what school [name] was in after a few years of trying to search for them then he transferred school, not caring if it's the middle of the school year. of course [name] doesn't know this.

then those two gets closer and jinwoo tries to charm [name] with silly jokes and impressive stamina and speed whenever he's on the field, leaving [name] awe struck. it was obvious to everybody else that the new extremely handsome hotshot of the track and field team had a little thing for the stupidly mundane volunteer who only took the job because they needed something for their community service hours.

just as about this man was gonna ask [name] out the coach of the track and field team announces that now on during after class practices another student from a different school will be attending their training program and blow and behold it's fucking cha hae-in much to jinwoo's dismasy.

hae-in isn't much experienced with this whole regression thing so she's less prepared compared to jinwoo but her persistence and determination just to see her sweet little [name] again what helped her pulled through and landed her here.

hae-in took the program through some connections and begging to her coach to let her train under a different school, claiming it will help her grow and the coach believed her because how can you deny your favourite athlete that's stupidily amazing in the sport? anyway hae-in successfully got into [name]'s school without moving in even if it's not the whole day, seeing [name] was more than enough for her.

that is until she saw her number one rival at the corner, hae-in compares him to a cockroach with how he can't leave her sigh and his sense of fashion that's constantly dark themed. she's low-key pissed that he's here, like just leave her alone and her cutie [name] that's not for him.

[name] spends more time with the two, now hae-in is in the picture. they would help hae-in whenever she would get a sprain and give her tips on what to do to alleviate the pain and get better asap before the regionals or take her out to hang out because it was easier being the same gender. jinwoo is fuminggg at this because it took him like months to do that and for hae-in it took like a measly few weeks?? that's so unfair

suddenly the two get into little competitions with eachother trying to impress [name] and of course they noticed but they don't believe that the two most sought after players in the school or even the region would have a thing for them, they're just good friends.

that drives them insane but it's okay one of them will make you realize it's more than that!! it's just a matter of time and effort you'll be in their arms.

btw imagine after school going out with the two and you guys eat at some street vendor spot then they argue who could pay. they get so distracted with arguing you just pay for yourself as you watch with the street vendor the two fighting.

[madlori]

there are a lot of headcanons about tommy becoming resentful of the time buck spends with eddie, but give me the reverse. give me eddie resentful of the time buck spends with tommy.

eddie's alone and sad with chris gone. both buck and tommy, together and individually, try to do things with him and be there for him but sometimes they actually do want to be alone together, and eddie just...can't seem to stop getting in the way. he invites himself along to stuff. he asks if he can come hang out when they're having a night at home together. he takes up their free evenings with obsessively making plans so he can avoid being alone in his house and they're just starting to get worn down.

eventually buck has to sit him down and say, eddie, my man, my dude, you're family to me, i care about you so much, so does tommy, but for the love of all that's holy please understand that sometimes i need to be alone with my boyfriend.

and eddie is embarrassed that he's been so clingy but also low-key hates that they have this relationship with each other that doesn't include him. he's happy that buck's found the love he always yearned for and deserved, but he can't stop feeling hurt and left out and there's just no way to make it better.

so what does he do? does he stay resentful and let it fester until it becomes anger and it ruins his friendship with buck?

maybe at one point he would have done that. but this time...this time he recognizes the path he's on and decides to take action to not let that happen. buck is too important to him. he has to find a way to occupy himself without relying soley on buck.

so he joins a boxing gym that nobody else goes to and starts working out there. he makes a friend who's also dealing with loneliness.

he starts volunteering on off-shift mornings at a botanical garden and finds that digging in the dirt and getting sweaty and dirty is very therapeutic. after a few weeks, some of the other volunteers invite him to come to brunch after their shift.

he discovers the LAFD Discord and that it has a whole bunch of sub-groups where first responders from all over the city get together for activities. he joins the golf group. he joins the cooking group. he goes on an axe-throwing outing.

he makes other friends.

there are no other friends like Buck. there will never be another friend like Buck. but there are people he can spend time with now, and give Buck a break so he can spend time with Tommy and also just have time to himself.

buck still brings dinner over once a week. he takes eddie on hikes. he and tommy fly him to san diego for the day and they go to the beach. but eddie also goes golfing with the LAFD Discord club. He goes to Station 133, which has the nicest kitchen in the LAFD, for the cooking club and learns some new recipes.

He has brunch with Chim and Maddie. He and Hen take Mara and Denny to mini-golf. He helps Bobby do DIY work on their new home to bring the kitchen up to his standards.

He learns to live without Chris. He learns to have support that doesn't entirely revolve around Buck. He watches Buck and Tommy get more and more serious, but now he's not resentful or scared - he's only happy, to see his best friend so happy. When they move in together, the three of them spend the first night Buck lives with Tommy eating pizza, drinking beer and watching baseball on TV.

And the first time Buck and Tommy ask him to come on a hike with them, and he has to decline because he has other plans, he's relieved, because they still want him around. They still want to be his friend. He hasn't worn them down.

He will always need Buck, he will alway love him. But he knew it wasn't fair to make Buck his entire support system...so he built a bigger one, and it's big enough to support them all.

When Chris facetimes him, he notices that his dad is looking less despondent. he has things to talk about, like the botanical garden and Bobby and Athena's new house and the firepit he's helping Buck build in Tommy's backyard. He's more open and honest. He doesn't sound so desperate. So Chris says he wants to come home, and when he does, Eddie's just happy he's back. Not desperate, not resentful or angry. And he has these new friends.

One of those new friends is another volunteer at the botanical gardens. she's a trauma nurse and does gardening to help her cope. eddie suggests she might like to try boxing as exercise, and she loves it. she is invited to a firefam BBQ at Buck and Tommy's house, and chris can't help but notice that she looks at his dad like he's really something -- and he's looking back the same way.

and if Chris had been worried that his time away would have hurt his dad, or made him sadder -- which he definitely didn't worry about, totally didn't, never at all -- he's not worried about that anymore.

[m00nlight-ramblings]

BG3 Companion Modern AU Headcanons

These random thoughts popped into my mind and I had to write them down. I love these little weirdos, and some of them probably don't make sense but OH WELL.

Should I do a Part 2 with more companions?? Let me know - my inbox and requests are open!

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Astarion

This dude's got iPad kid energy - he loves to scroll Tiktok for hours.

He gets bi-weekly pedicures. And not the basic kind - the full on 1.5 hour long with the massage and the mask and the exfoliation.

His favorite holiday is Halloween. He plans his costume starting in August.

He'd be the type of person to be walking through a mall, see a Claire's, and spontaneously decide to get his ears pierced idk.

Is really into metal. Like, you'll come home and Metallica will be blasting and you walk into the bedroom and he's folding laundry and just like, "Oh, HELLO, Darling!" but will have to scream it over the volume in which he's listening to music

Will truly take an hour picking out the perfect wine to pair with your dinner...he's definitely a wine snob.

The cheapest article of clothing Astarion owns is from Banana Republic and it's an undershirt...everything else is ~*very fancy*~

Loves watching all types of vampire movies/TV shows. He can often be heard saying, "Oh no, they got that all wrong" under his breath.

He definitely reads like 1-2 books a week. He's recently really gotten in spicy smut books (he definitely got recommendations from BookTok).

For sure falls asleep to ASMR videos.

Gale

This man loves HGTV *queue Home Depot commercial music*

Has the most absolutely beautiful, clean home you've ever seen with about 30 bookcases CRAMMED with books. The books are the only disorganized thing in his home because he constantly is reading them, so alphabetizing them is useless.

Pinterest is his most used phone app. His boards are carefully curated. That man has a recipe/inspiration pic/quote for EVERYTHING.

Definitely volunteers at the animal shelter once a month. Often times has to talk himself out of bringing a cat home.

LUSH is his favorite store at the mall. He loves them bath bombs.

He THROWS DOWN at holiday parties...Christmas? Thanksgiving? The table is SET. The decorations are UP. He's wearing an APRON because he's been cooking ALL day. The playlist is PERFECT.

Speaking of holidays, he has matching pajama sets for everyone in the household. For every. Holiday.

Fall is absolutely his favorite season. "Sweetheart...have you ever watched 'When Harry Met Sally'? Perfect autumn movie...also I bought a new scarf today to go with my new peacoat. And mittens. And a new hat...it's getting cold outside."

He definitely has a Live. Laugh. Love. adjacent sign somewhere in his home

He definitely needs glasses to read. And he for sure has those librarian chains so that he can just take them off and they hang, instead of losing them.

Karlach

Absolutely loves to eat meals watching Youtube videos.

Imagine her in Times Square? She tears the M&M's store UP.

Is obsessed with documentaries. She often says things like "I can't believe there's so much stuff to LEARN out there!"

Definitely has a Squishmallow collection. And she rotates which one she sleeps with every night so they all get a chance.

Is absolutely the worst cook of all time but tries really really hard...however, she can make a mean boxed mac n' cheese.

Has an obsession with sugary cereal. There's always Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Fruity Pebbles in her cabinets.

Certified Switie for SURE.

Is really into astrology. Definitely has said, "Oh, you're just saying that because you're a SCORPIO" or the like many, many times.

Absolute Starbucks addiction (venti iced caramel macchiato, extra caramel).

Has monthly "girl's nights" (but everyone is invited) at her place. The rules are: pajamas only, junk food, romcoms, and a playlist of the best pop songs in the past 20 years.

------

How'd y'all like it...should I make a part two with other companions?! Remember my inbox is open and I'm accepting requests!! I'd love to write some stuff so send it in!

[wintervalewritersecond]

weathervane - xavier thorpe

requested: sort of! requests: open! i am begging for literally any kinda of xavier fluff 😭 can be fluffy fluff, hurt/comfort idc i love it all. i have no specific ideas i’m just desperate for more xavier

A/N: its not very original or special, but i hope you like it <3 not a lot of plot, just fluff <3

wordcount: 1,517 warnings: tyler is a bit of an ass, outreach day, she/her pronouns for reader, fluff

Xavier had gotten 'Weathervane' as his volunteer job for Outreach day. You, his normie girlfriend, decided to keep him company while he works.

"Oh my god," Xavier groans when he opens the blue envelope. "I got the Weathervane."

He has not stepped foot in that shop ever since Tyler and his friends tried to beat him up.

"Dude, can we trade?"

Ajax looks up from his own paper. He was actually quite excited about his offer. Uriah's heap. It was some kind of freaky store with loads of taxidermy. He hopes that Enid has the same pick. No way would he trade his volunteer job. For the Weathervane, you need people skills, and even if you don't have those, there will still be loads of people in there.

"I can't man," Ajax shrugs. "What if one of the snakes comes out and I accidentally stone someone trying to get a coffee? Besides, why don't you just invite your girlfriend to hang out with you?"

He immediately texted you afterward, asking what you were up to and if you were willing to keep him some company while he works. If he would be left there with Tyler, there surely would be some type of fight.

You immediately agreed. You had a day off from school anyway, as you were supposed to visit some of the places where the Nevermore students volunteer. Something about testing them, although some of your classmates also went only to bully them.

Xavier had already been working for two hours, having to start at 10:00 in the morning. A machine had broken, so he had to use Google Translate to get it working again while Tyler cleaned the rest of the restaurant. After that, he got lectured on how to perfectly pour coffee into a mug. Not his thing. After today, he probably can't even stand the smell of coffee at all. Before this, he used to love drinking coffee, but in the last two hours, he already downed four cups.

When the little bell above the Weathervane door tinkles, he doesn't even flinch. Who knew that in two hours, there could already be tens of people that hopped in for a coffee.

He is wiping the tables and collecting mugs when he hears a familiar voice.

"Hi!"

You stand at the register, a smile on your face and a bag on your shoulders. A smile immediately makes its way onto Xavier's face as well. Thank God, he isn't stuck with only Tyler anymore.

He immediately hops over to the cash register before Tyler can, leaning on his elbows with a grin on his face.

"Can I offer you a hot chocolate? On me."

You snort as you look at your boyfriend. You wouldn't often go to Weathervane by yourself, but you just wanted to hang out with him. There are not a lot of moments where you can really see Xavier. Not only do you attend different schools, but no one is supposed to leave or go to Nevermore without a proper chaperone.

"Sure," you smile before sitting down in a booth hidden in the corner.

It is right next to some sort of cork board which is filled with random pins and notes. You unpack some of your things. One activity you always love to do is drawing, which is the exact thing that was the start of your relationship with Xavier. The entire Weathervane was filled with people, and the only empty seat was across from him. It was cold outside and you craved your favorite warm beverage, so after mustering up some courage, you asked if you could sit by him.

He was confused at first. Most people in the shop avoided him like the Plague. They knew he went to Nevermore, so they wanted nothing to do with him except to spit on his table or 'accidentally' kick his bag. He moved his sketchbook to the side before nodding, allowing you to sit across from him.

The two of you started talking as you also grabbed your own sketchbook, doodling away as your hot chocolate got placed next to you. He showed you some of his art as you showed yours.

"I can show you something," he then whispered before pointing his fingers to the page.

He had drawn a spider on it, but before you could even blink, it started moving. The spider went in a circle on the table, his legs moving in a slow way before it crawls back onto the page. You had never seen something like it. Your mouth had fallen open as you looked from his hand to the sketchbook.

After that, you hung out together as much as you could. Be it at your house, his art studio, or somewhere in Jericho.

"One hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel toppings."

You look up at Xavier who is standing next to you with a big grin as he places the drink on the table.

The day went by fast. For you, at least. At some points during the day, Xavier would subtly move his hand to make your drawings move, distracting you from whatever it was you were drawing. He also refilled your cup multiple times. You had taken a break from sitting in the Weathervane, taking an hour to stretch your legs and buying a sandwich from the shop nearby. Tyler didn't let Xavier have any breaks, so he must be hungry by now.

When you come back, you see your backpack in the same position. Xavier told you that he would keep an eye on it, that way you didn't have to carry around a huge bag with you. At the register are three boys, standing with their arms crossed and sour looks on their faces.

"We don't want a freak to serve us. What did you do to Tyler, huh?"

Xavier rolls his eyes before leaning over the register a bit.

"That lazy shit is taking his fourth break for the day. So, either I help you, or you have to wait until he is back."

One of the guys scoffs, looking at the rest of his friends.

"You hear that? A freak is cussing at us normies. Maybe we should teach him a lesson!"

You clear your throat as you stand behind the three, making them look down at you.

"Y/N!" They were your classmates. "I wouldn't go here if I was you. I don't know what this freak did to Tyler, but for the last few minutes that I was here, I haven't heard from him or seen him. Not to mention..."

He points to your bag.

"This freak here insists that he is just watching it, but we all know he stole it. Say the words, and I will beat him up."

You avert your gaze from the boy before loudly ringing the small bell that stands on the counter. After ten times, Tyler immediately emerges from the back.

"Oh, Tyler!" You say with a sickly sweet voice. "Something horrible happened and I need to take Xavier with me! You can handle Weathervane by yourself, right?"

Tyler has always had a weak spot for you. It annoyed you, but the least you could do is use it to get Xavier out of this building.

"Please? It is an emergency!"

"I uh- Yeah. Yeah, go ahead."

You grab your bag before taking Xavier's hand in yours, pulling him out of the store. When you are out of Tyler's sight, you both burst out laughing.

"What dumbasses they are!"

Xavier nods, he totally agrees. He is happy that you got him out of there. The two of you head to the center of the city. There are chairs set up there anyway, as a new Crackstone statue would be introduced in only an hour.

"I can't believe he didn't even give me a break," he groans. "I had to do all the work, I couldn't even eat-"

You immediately hold up the brown paper bag. The smell of sandwiches enters Xavier's nose as he gasps. He takes hold of the bag, seeing two sandwiches neatly packaged.

"Oh my god, I love you so much."

You take both out, giving him one while taking a bite of your own. It is the least you could do for him. You are already happy enough that you got to spend some time with him today, even if it meant having to run into your asshole classmates.

More and more of the chairs get filled up as Nevermore students finish their volunteering jobs.

The unveiling of the statue went as wrong as it could be. You don't know who did it, but the statue caught fire, making everyone evacuate the field. Xavier grabs your hand, pulling you away from the heat while laughing. You look up at him once you're safe from the fire. The only normie that stood with a Nevermore kid. But you couldn't really care less. If anything, Nevermore is interesting.

Xavier presses a kiss to your forehead, smiling down at you as you can only stare back lovingly. You can't believe that he is all yours.

It is never a dull day with a Nevermore kid around.

[sissylittlefeather]

Introducing...

A Very Quiet Life

A/N: this is an AU in which Elvis is your next door neighbor in the suburbs in the mid-late '60s. I have three parts completed and more in the works, so hang on for some chapters!

I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: The reader is a widow. That's about it. It's pretty fluffy, but don't worry. The smut is coming 😈

Song inspo:

Gif inspo (this is how I picture him in this one)

The little house is perfect for your family of 3. You stand and look at it from where you've just gotten out of your car. The white siding and blue shutters are exactly what you wanted. You'll have to get a lawnmower, though, because the yard is already a little wild.

"Mama, can we get out and see?" Your 7-year-old daughter, Jane, calls from her place on the backseat. Your 5-year-old son, Michael, is knocking on the window. The sound of the kids pulls you out of your daydream about how many wonderful memories you'll make there together. You turn around and let them both out of the car. They run up to the front door and you decide to unload the car later. The movers have already gotten all the furniture and big boxes into the house. When you open the front door, you have a soft pang in your heart as you think of how your husband had carried you across the threshold at your old apartment. Now that he's gone, you'll have to carry yourself. You walk in and go to the kitchen to start unpacking. You're excited to make this into a home. This little house is your pride and joy. Between your husband's army death benefits and your part time job typing in an office, you were finally able to save up for the house. Now it's yours and you can't wait to live here and have a real future. Since your husband died, you feel like you've been in a holding pattern. However, it's been almost 4 years, and you're ready to live again.

As you unpack glasses into the cabinet, something catches your eye out the window over the sink. The window looks into your neighbor's front yard. It's beautifully manicured and you can see why. There's a man out there cutting the grass. A very attractive man, you think to yourself. His dark hair is wet with sweat and his white t-shirt sticks to his broad chest, revealing a manly and strong physique. When he pushes the mower, his muscles flex and the veins in his forearm are visible. His skin is tanned from working outside, probably on the lawn. You don't even notice you're biting your lower lip until he looks up in the direction of your window. You gasp and drop the glass you were holding in the sink.

Can he see you?

Thankfully, the glass doesn't break and you're able to pick it up quickly and go back to what you were doing. When you take a chance and look back out the window, you see that he's shaking his head and smiling, looking down at the mower. His smile almost takes your breath away. You wonder if he's smiling because he saw you or because of something else. Deciding it must be something else, you turn and go back to unpacking boxes in the kitchen. Your neighbor is a lucky woman.

******

You smooth Michael's hair and brush some crumbs off of his front. Then, you straighten Jane's hair ribbon.

"Now, remember to smile. We want our neighbors to like us." You coo to the children just before you knock on the front door of your neighbor's house. You've been in your new home for three days, so it seems like the right time to get to know the people around you. On your right is Mrs. Pottsboro, an older lady with several cats. She was very kind and appreciative of the cookies you brought. She also volunteered to watch the children if you need her to, which is an offer you won't forget. Directly across the street are the Walters, a family of five with kids around the same ages as yours. You enjoyed a nice conversation with them while the kids munched on cookies and ran around the yard. Now, you are at the house to your left. As you knock, you briefly remember the man you saw mowing the lawn. You've seen him a couple of times since then, getting the paper and watering the grass. You really need to meet his wife and put a stop to the things you've been thinking about him.

The door opens and it feels like a ton of bricks has landed in your stomach. It's him. After a few seconds of standing there smiling like an idiot, him trying to suppress a smirk, you clear your throat and speak.

"Hi! I'm y/f/n y/l/n and this is Jane and Michael." You touch the kids on their heads as you say their names. "We just moved in next door, so we wanted to stop by and say hello and give you these." You hold out a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"Thank you. Why don't you all come on in?" His voice is warm and the southern accent makes it sound honey-smooth. You start to sweat a little, standing on the porch. He takes the plate of cookies and gestures for you all to come in. When you pass him, you catch a wave of his scent and it's warm and masculine, like his body seems to be. A part of you longs to smell it closer, but then reality slams into you like a freight train when his wife rounds the corner.

"Oh, hello!" She's petite and blonde, with her hair twisted into a tight bun.

"Beth, our new neighbors are here. They brought us cookies." He smiles warmly at you and holds the cookies up for her to see.

"That's so sweet! Unfortunately, we don't eat sugar." She grabs the plate and tries to hand it back to you. He intercepts it.

"She doesn't eat sugar. I do." She makes a tight-lipped smile, her eyes overly bright.

"Right. Well, thank you." She walks out of the room, leaving you and your kids with him. He bends down to be face-level with your kids.

"You guys want to help me eat these?" They both smile and nod their heads, taking a cookie from the plate that he holds out to them. He seems to be enlivened by their presence, asking them questions about the new house and their new school. They respond to him easily, comfortable with him instantly.

"Does your daddy like the new house?" He asks innocently, looking up at you.

"Oh--" you try to cut in, but Jane beats you to it.

"--our daddy is gone. He died a while back. It's just us now." His face changes to a look of deep sympathy.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Jane." He looks up at you but keeps talking like he's talking to her. "If you or your mama ever need a man to do anything around the house, you just let me know. I'm right next door." Michael jumps in.

"Mister, I'm the man of the house now. I can take care of mama and Jane."

"Of course!" He smiles. "I bet you do a great job, too. If you ever need a bigger man, you come get me, okay?" He does a little fake punch on Michael's chin. Michael nods in agreement.

"Yes sir, Mr...?"

"Presley. Elvis Presley. Pleased to meet you." He shakes Michael's hand and kisses Jane's lightly. You have to shake yourself a bit to remember that you should leave.

"Alright, kiddos, we've bothered Mr. Presley long enough. Let's go back home." You try to usher the kids toward the door. As you walk out, he turns to you.

"It's really no problem at all, ma'am. I like kids. And I'm serious, if you need anything, let me know." He winks and you almost melt into a puddle on his front porch.

"Thank you, Mr. Presley."

"Elvis, please."

"Thank you, Elvis." It feels strange to call him by his first name, but since he insists, you oblige. He closes the door behind you and you take the hands of both kids and walk back to your own house.

******

You're doing dishes a few days later, looking out at your crazy yard compared to your neighbors' perfect one. For a second, you consider asking Mr. Presley to come mow it for you. But you don't want to inconvenience him. He was so kind to you and the children when you were there. His wife wasn't much to smile at, being almost cold in her refusal to talk to them. To be honest, you've thought of inviting him over several times. You've even considered breaking something just to have him come fix it, but you also know how bizarre and wrong that would be. You finish the dishes, get the kids ready for school and head to your job at the office.

******

After work, you drive up to the house, excited for the hour of free time you have before you have to pick up the kids. To your surprise, most of the yard is mowed. You're trying to figure out how that happened when you spot him. It's Elvis. He's out there mowing your yard without even being asked. As you walk up to the door, he turns and waves to you. You mouth "thank you" and walk inside the front door. You need to do something to show him that you're thankful for what he's doing. In the kitchen, you whip up some sweet tea and pour two glasses. By the time you get them on a tray and to the front porch, he's finished mowing the lawn. He's sweating again, T-shirt tight on his shoulders.

"Would you like some tea?" You ask shyly.

"I would, ma'am, thank you." He walks up on the porch and takes the glass from the tray.

"You don't have to call me ma'am. You can call me y/n."

"Oh, well, thank you y/n." He smiles and you feel yourself tense up. He's standing close enough to you that you catch the earthy smell of his sweat mixed with deodorant or aftershave or something manly. It's intoxicating. He's intoxicating. He takes a deep swig of his tea and then looks at you.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" It seems like a strange request, since his house is so close, but you don't seem to be capable of telling him no. You lead him into the house to the small guest bath. When he comes out, he walks over to where you're standing in the kitchen, trying not to be too obvious about waiting for him.

"You didn't have to do that." You gesture to the yard.

"I know. But I wanted to. I was serious about you letting me know if you need any help." He smiles warmly.

"Kids still at school?" He looks around the house, seeming almost disappointed that they aren't there.

"Yes. I'll pick them up soon. I just come home a bit early to have an hour of quiet before I go get them." He nods and you suddenly realize that you're alone with him in your house. Your mind goes wild with daydreams of him laying you down on the couch and having his way with you.

"Well, thank you for the tea. I should be getting back." You nod and head for the door.

Before you can get there though, you feel a hand on your wrist. You look up into his face for half a second before he presses his lips against yours. You should pull away. You should stop him. But you don't. Instead you go limp and let him wrap his arms around your waist. The kiss is a sweet one, with no tongue or anything. He just holds you there with his mouth pushed into yours. When he finally pulls back, you feel like a rag doll in his arms. You desperately want him to keep kissing you, but he doesn't. Instead, he unravels his arms from around you and heads for the door. He mumbles a quick apology and disappears before you can say anything else.

You haven't felt this alive in years.

******

Chapter 2 coming soon!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taglist: @itlover8000 @deniseinmn @elvisalltheway101

Want to be added to the Taglist? Let me know!

[ladzwriting]

incomplete thoughts about episodes 2 through 6 of House of the Dragon season 2

episode 2!! the acting in this yelling scene after the murder is so fucking good

Otto looks like "the consequences of several poor decisions will now play out in sequence"

Rhaenyra is like, "wow, everyone was right about my unhinged uncle husband, i should've listened" (babe, your husband is a sliding door, no hinges)

Daemon, that's a PRETTY BIG FUCKING MISTAKE, BUDDY

Criston and Alicent match each other's freak (Catholic guilt)

oh is this season going to be the season of mommy kink?? i think this season is going to be the season of mommy kink

Otto "I have made so many mistakes" Hightower: to get fired from a job once is unfortunate, but getting fired from the same position a generation later is quite silly

(no, but seriously what is this man up to? he fucked off from King's Landing and has not been heard from again)

Otto Hightower is the most done man, he is so finished with everyone's bullshit

Mysaria!!!!!! I love her

Alicent "the consequences of several mistakes will now play out in sequence" Hightower

Simon Strong has no desire to throw arms against Daemon, and TO BE FAIR, valid

i got nothing, i just like all the women and the diversity of responsibility bestowed upon them

the peas and poison exchange is good comedy

oh I love Daemon haunted house hours

NEW GIRLFRIEND?!?! (Alys Rivers)

sorry Rhaenyra, you can't yuri your way out of this one

"do you think me capable of such naked deceit?" no, Alicent, but this isn't the first time you've misread a situation

Daemon is too busy being psychologically tortured to send ravens

lamprey pie?!? even Larys is like, "babe, I know you're lying"

Daemon, please don't drink the strange draught from the woman who just told you she's a barn owl...never mind

I think Criston has been dethroned as stupidest man, that award goes to Gwayne now

Vhagar is just a kitten the size of a building

"whose dragon is that??" G W A Y N E JFC

OH DRAGON BLOOD IS HOT?? this fight choreography is so rad

brain is going full "hell yeah monster fight, let's go monsters"

RHAENYS DO NOT JFC

honestly, I'd probably defect if I saw multiple dragons falling out of the goddamn sky, like that should NOT be happening, fuck this entire thing

also no one should be surviving these dragon fire fights, that's too much heat, as fucking metal as they are

hey cole, how are you going to explain that one to your liege? (nice touch having him be really fucked up by what he saw on the battlefield)

yeah, I'm with the smallfolk on this one, fuck that, dragons should NOT be decapitated like that

that canNOT be good for anyone involved

Daemon: "show them your worst"

this is going to go SO WELL (it goes as expected)

Aemond is trying so hard not to volunteer himself for regent, bless him

the currency of orgasms has no place at this council table, much to Alicent's chagrin and disadvantage

"the smallfolk will notice the king's absence"

uh…sure big if true :]

"our fear lies in Vhagar" I DO NOT BLAME THEM

oh my god, they are just straight up eating on a door

idk if they (Daemon and Rhaenyra) are going to finish that last conversation 🥴🥴

I'm so curious what that character returning means for like…anything

I will also point out, it's been like 3 episodes since we heard about the triarchy and that's good, that's when the writing works

the writing works when they're not pretending there's this grand external threat that isn't the madness and ambition within

also it's really cool how most of what's depicted in the opening embroidery has come to pass, I like touches like that

OH I SPOKE TOO SOON ABOUT NOT BRINGING UP THE FUCKING TRIARCHY

I'm going to lose my marbles if it comes down to Caraxes and Vhagar

Alicent earns the restraint MVP award, wow

I was wondering how Daemon chose to remember Viserys, and that's definitely it

Daemon has gone full gothic heroine, full babygirlification

is Alys free on Thursday when I'm free on Thursday so we can hang out when we are both free on Thursday

this liturgical fete for being acknowledged by a dragon is such good worldbuilding

oh this dragon thing is definitely going to go in the same way that like, some kitty tummies are a fucking trap

IT'S A TRAP.gif

MYSARIA I LOVE YOU

"do you take me for a fool?" Aemond, Larys is taking you for a teenager (I typed Varys initially, and man, I miss him)

omg the baby dragons 🥺🥺🥺

I want to go aboard a ship called the Gay Abandon

Rhaenyra deserves to strike whoever she wants tbh

oh I LIKE THIS A LOT (not the part I know is coming, the bit with the provision boats)

whispering who the fuck is Daeron

ok but wouldn't it have been safer to stay in the high sept during the riot???

Rhaenyra, you can become a man if you want to!!

omg of course she goes in for a hug first, USELESS

idk if this is the yuri that will fix Rhaenyra but I'm glad this is the yuri explicit :] :]

I think the thing that keep nagging me about Jacerys Valeryon is that he looks like a thrifted Timothee Chalamet in Dune

all right, onto tomorrow!!

[prismatica-the-strange]

The End of the World as We Know It | I Feel Fine

Warnings: 18+, smoking, alcohol mention

Just a little dip into their dynamic before they get together

Daryl doesn't quite get that Loveday's autistic yet, but he'll come around.

Word Count: 1,687

It's The End of the World as We Know It by The Suicide Machines | Banner by @saradika-graphics

"Where d'ya think yer goin'?" Daryl says when one of the prisons newest inhabitants drops her bag next to his bike.

"With you."

"The hell you are, girlie," He argues, "I don't need your help, it's an easy run."

"Oh, I'm sorry," She pouts, "I didn't mean to give you the impression I cared."

She pulls on her backpack, securing her fire-axe in it before motioning to his bike with her chin, "Now we gonna go or you gonna waste an hour fightin' me before hand?"

He rolls his eyes, swings his leg over the seat, and waits for her to climb on behind him, tensing when she wraps her arms around his middle.

It's a decent ride to the drug store, but she welcomes the air rushing around them, a balm to the killer Georgia heat.

"So why'd you wanna tag along, anyway?" He asks as they come to a stop and both of them get off the bike.

"Felt like window shopping," She grins over at him, rolling the sleeves of her plaid button-up past her elbows. She shakes her head when he scowls at her, "The old man was concerned about you goin' out on your own, asked me t'go with ya."

"'Course," He scoffs, shrugging his crossbow off his shoulder.

"You surprised you got people that care about you, Dixon?" She teases. He watches her pull her axe out and lean it back over her right shoulder, "I wouldn't be. Not with a tight knit group like yours."

His eyes trail after her as she walks toward the store's window.

She and her friends showed up at the prison about three months ago, and from day one, Daryl couldn't fucking stand her.

She's capable, that much he knew right off the bat, with plenty of useful skills, but she has some weird hang ups and mannerism that drive him crazy, and not in a good way.

Always humming to herself, can't sit still, can't stand touching anything sticky, can't skin anything she kills, and is always wearing that stupid bright blue beanie.

Course, as time goes on he starts to appreciate other little aspects of her. She never gets up before 10am, but she's also the first to volunteer for night watch, and will usually go two shifts, staying awake deep into the night without complaint.

Then there's food. Now Loveday's a big girl, and she'll agree with you if you say it, but he's noticed she's always the last to meals, taking whatevers left, even if it's less than her fair share.

He still can't stop himself from rolling his eyes in annoyance whenever he hears her laughing from across camp, or when she tucks Wildflowers in the rim of her hat, or even when she flashes that perfect fucking smile his way after some sarcastic quip.

"Hol' up," He yanks her hand away from the door when she goes to open it, "Gotta lure 'em out first."

"I'm aware," She says, brow furrowed, "That's what I was doing."

She pulls her hand away and jerks the door open, the bell above the it jingling. The sound is muffled when she slams it shut again, and they hear a few walkers shuffle toward them inside.

"You want first crack?"

He just glances at her and she chuckles.

"Alright," She opens the door again, kicking it open wide behind her for him. She brings her axe down hard, splitting the first walker's head in two, then swings it around, cleaving off the top of the other's.

"You plan on helpin' me here?" She asks over her shoulder when two more shamble out of the back. When she raises her arms to swing again the bottom of her button-up lifts up, showing off the skin of her back and his eyes flick up to see the muscles in her forearms flexing.

"Daryl!" She hisses when the blade catches in the walker's skull and she struggles to pull it out, "Get your damn head out yer ass and help me!"

He quickly shoots the last one as she kicks the one stuck on he weapon back, finally getting it free.

His eyebrows raise when she spins around to face him, she looks pissed.

"Next time you decide to stand around and watch the show, you better pay in advance!" She spits, "I shouldn't have to snap you out of a wet dream when you're supposed to have my back! For fuck's sake!"

The side of his lips quirk into the slightest smile, and he nods with a small hum of acknowledgment before pushing past her.

She flounders there for a moment then grits her teeth and follows, tightly gripping her ax.

They take some time picking through whatever bottles of meds are left on the shelves, then wander the isles.

"Found a couple cans of soda," He calls out to her, "Not enough to bring back... you want one?"

"What kind?"

He walks around the end of an isle to find her poking through a spinning rack of key chains.

"Here," He tosses her a can and she grins when she catches it.

"Shit, I haven't had'a grape Crush since I was a kid, thanks," She wipes the top off with the bottom of her shirt and cracks it open, cursing when it foams over, soaking her glove, and part of her pant leg, "Son of a bitch!"

She sets it on the shelf next to her and peels her gloves off, shaking the excess off her fingers, and looking around helplessly for something clean to wipe them on.

"Here," He finds a pack of wet wipes on one of the shelves and hands her one, not wanting to deal with her freaking out over it.

"Thanks," She mutters again, taking the whole package.

He watches her get off as much sugar as she can before looking at the rack she'd been searching. It's covered in little Georgia license plates with peoples names.

"They never have mine," She sighs and he chuckles, glancing over to see her wiping down the can.

"Parents didn't think 'bout that, huh?"

"Not really," She chews her bottom lip with a smile and takes a sip of the soda, making a face at the sweetness, "We should probably get headed soon."

He grunts in agreement, taking one of the plates with Carl's name on it and puts it in his pocket.

"I'mma do one last sweep, just in case we missed somethin' good."

She takes another swig from the can and leaves on the shelf next to him.

"You done with that?"

"Too sweet," She shrugs, "Always been more of a seltzer girl... did we ever check the back?"

"Nah," He finishes what's left in the can and takes hold of his crossbow, letting her lead the way.

The back room is void of walkers and just as picked clean as the rest of the store, save for a couple small boxes.

"Anythin?" He asks from the door as she rifles through.

"Box full'a nips," She calls back, "Fireball, Jack Daniels, Crown, Morgan... whole damn minibar!"

He can't help but smile to himself at her excitement, hearing her dump the box into her bag.

"Anythin' useful?" He snickers and she scoffs.

"... Nah I'm not seein' it."

"Seein' what?" He asks.

"The cure to that stick up yer ass," She answers, playfulness evident in her voice.

"Very funny," He rolls his eyes again and grabs her bag when she zips it closed, slinging it over his shoulder, "You can find yer own way back."

"Uh-huh."

She follows him out through the storefront, pausing when she sees something on the counter.

The pack on the counter is empty, but she takes a minute to check around behind it, and Daryl pokes his head back in, "What're'ya doin'?"

"Lookin' for somethin'," She says, not looking up at him.

"Thought we were goin'," He leans on the counter, watching her rummage. There's a display of Zippos next to him and he picks up an iridescent one engraved with a cannabis leaf, not his style, but he slips it in his back pocket when she looks up at him.

"Know if anyone uses dip?"

"No idea."

"What about these?" She stands up, smirk spread across her face as she holds two packs of Marlboros in her hand, "Wouldn't happen to know anyone who smokes, would'ya?"

"Gi'me those," He swipes them from her and grabs another lighter from the stand.

He hears her hop the counter when he starts back for the door, opening the carton as he pushes outside.

She leans against the door as she watches him light up.

His eyebrows raise when she plucks it from between his lips and takes a drag.

"Didn't know you smoked."

"Cigarettes ain't exactly my vice of choice, but they'll do."

He nods and goes to take it back but she pulls back out of his reach.

He watches her carefully as she takes another drag then lifts it up to his lips.

He suddenly grabs her wrist when she moves to pull it away again, her eyes going wide at the action. His fingers brushing against hers when he takes it back.

She pulls away, cheeks dusted pink as she clears her throat.

"What I wouldn't do for some weed," She mumbles, refusing to meet his eyes.

"That makes sense," He chuckles. He takes one last puff before dropping the cigarette on the ground and grinding it with the toe of his boot, "You ready?"

"Yeah."

She takes her bag back and secures her axe again. Her blush only deepens when he gets on his bike and offers her a hand, not even looking at her.

"Put that thing away," She tries to brush it off as a joke, gently swatting his hand, as she swings her leg over and settles behind him, "I don't need your help gettin' on'a bike."

"'S gonna get dark soon," He comments, "Gonna have'ta drive faster if we wanna get there 'fore sunset. Hold on tight, yea?"

"Or don't," He shrugs teasingly, "Don't really care if yer ass falls off."

[just-jordie-things]

HELLOO CAN I PLEASE REQUEST FOR 59. Kissing So Desperately That Their Whole Body Curves Into The Other Person’s WITH GOJO SATORU PLEASE (this one is just so- )

59: Kissing So Desperately That Their Whole Body Curves Into The Other Person's ** manga spoilers for gojo's past arc** ___

you'd seen a lot of blood and gore in your line of work. you'd seen bones sticking out of bodies at angles that don't even look human, you'd seen blood coughed up by the bucket loads like vomit, you'd seen teeth get knocked straight out of people's mouths and jaws hanging slack like they'd come unhinged. that didn't even begin to cover the disgusting things you've seen when exorcizing curses themselves.

so it was safe to say you'd grown used to seeing such gore. sure, sometimes it made your skin crawl. sure, sometimes the smell of so much blood and other bodily fluids could make you gag. but there had never been anything so significant that you were frozen in fear.

seeing a blade pierce through gojo satoru's untouchable body had your limbs locking up. a trauma response, you were able to recognize, but self awareness did nothing as you watched fushiguro toji retract his blade, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in satoru's abdomen.

suguru is loud, gasping in shock.

in any movie you'd ever watched where a scene like this played out, the surrounding witnesses always screamed. they would fall to their knees, everything else would tune out around them, and they'd scream in pain and denial at watching their loved one take a deadly hit such as this one.

but now, all you could do was stare, your eyes unblinking, your feet unmoving, and the weapon in your hand trembling as your panic shuddered through your body.

satrou's staring at the open wound in his stomach when Toni's blade pierces him again, this time through his throat.

you feel something churn in your stomach, and despite not having eaten anything today, you think you might throw up. you think you might throw up until there's nothing left in you at all, until you're dry heaving on the acid of your stomach and the blood in your throat.

watching the untouchable man fall to the ground like a limp pile of bones gives you a sense of dread beyond anything you could conjure. it feels like your world is ending, watching someone you love lay lifeless in a puddle of their own blood.

you think the world could end without gojo satoru in it.

it's odd how quickly your mind wraps around the fact that he's gone. that he's been killed. he was supposed to be unkillable. but there he was, frozen, limp, dead.

you're not sure when your limbs finally do move. your vision is read, your mind is black. you can't feel the strain on your muscles as you wield your weapon with the utmost ferocity.

(later, suguru would tell you that you had him afraid you'd even strike down him, that your bloodlust had made you unrecognizable)

you're telling master tengen the news when you return to jujutsu tech, that even though the three of you had done everything right to protect riko, the plasma star vessel had been lost, and so had the honored one.

you didn't want to be the volunteer for such information, but suguru had been dealing with the aftermath of the reports for the failed mission, and you knew he was hurting just as much as you were, so it wasn't fair to put this responsibility on his shoulders, too.

but you're storming out of the chambers of the elders when tengen informs you there's nothing to worry about, that there was another plasma star vessel being retrieved the moment riko amanai drew her last breath. you're scolded for turning your back to the elders, but their threats fall on deaf ears as you slam the door behind you and march away.

you're not sure where you're going, but you know you're getting far, far away from them. going to your dorm would mean breaking down. going back to suguru would mean breaking down. and going to shoko- oh, shoko, you'd have to tell shoko the news as well-

your steps came to a halt in the dimly lit corridor, the setting sun painting the empty space in warm orange and pink. and for the first time since it happened, your eyes begin to burn.

fat tears splash off of your eyelashes and onto your cheeks, before plummeting to the linoleum beneath you. you don't make a sound, not a whimper, not a wail, not even a word, as you stand and give into the grieving tears that don't stop, and you're not sure they ever will.

more than being the honored one, satoru was a friend. he was a partner. a classmate. a force that was always present, radiating sunshine so much so that he'd warmed even your heart with his charm, no matter how much you'd tried to distance yourself from the loud mouthed sweet talker, he'd wiggled his way closer and closer until he had wormed his way all the way into your heart where you held him close.

not close enough, though, you thought bitterly as your vision blurred completely. not close enough that you could protect him.

the first sound you croak out is the smallest of gasps, followed by a small choke on your constricting throat.

it didn't matter how much you loved him, no amount could have been enough to protect him.

you don't hear the footsteps approaching, or the worried voices of your friends until they're standing before you, and forcing you to give them your attention.

"woah, hey, look at me, take a breath,"

the instructions are soft and slow, but they feel distant, like they're merely a figment of your imagination. it takes a pair of hands on your shoulders for you to snap out of it.

at first all you see is blue. dazzling, cerulean, beautiful ocean blue. you have to blink your eyes a few times for your sight to focus, for you to make out that you're not lost at sea, but your lost in the same pair of eyes you'd been lost in since your first year.

his name falls from your lips in a choked mumble, and despite seeing you so distraught, satoru grins at you brightly.

suguru wants to scold his friend for not being more delicate with your emotions, seeing as he'd died in front of you and you were clearly mourning. but you both know satoru well, and you know that there was nothing delicate about satoru.

except maybe the way he cups your face in his hands so you could feel the warmth of his skin and know he was real and he was alive.

"it's me sweetheart," he laughs heartily. a twisted part of him is delighted to see you so heartbroken over his brief touch with death. "you don't have to cry-"

but now you're sobbing, and you're throwing your arms around him and burying your face into the crook of his neck with abandon, your tears pooling at his collarbone as they stream down his skin just like your own. your hold on him is trembling, but it's tight nonetheless, and he returns the fervor of your embrace.

"you died-" you gasped, squeezing him tighter until you could feel his heart beating against yours. "he killed you i saw it- i saw you die"

"oh don't be so dramatic," satoru hums, earning an eye roll from your third friend- who was slowly backing away as he had a feeling where this reunion was heading. "i'm perfectly fine!" he pulls away from you, having to push you a little harder than he'd thought just so you would look at him.

strands of your hair stick to your wet face as you sniffle and finally take him in.

"just some marks, no biggie," he says with a grin too large for a man with stab wound scars on his throat. your lips tremble as you feel more tears overwhelm you at the sight, and satoru begins to panic.

his smile falters and his eyes are worried as he shakes his head at you, reaching for your face again to tuck your hair behind your ears, and wipe away your tears even as they fall relentlessly.

"no no no, you're supposed to stop crying, you're supposed to be happy" he shushes you quietly, but you can't help it.

"i- i am happy," you stutter, nodding our head back at him in small movements. "i just- i just thought i lost you and-" you hiccuped, and took a moment to catch your unsteady breath.

you stare at him for a long minute, your eyes beginning to run out of tears and your lips beginning to curl into a smile the longer you gazed at him.

he may have had scars, but he was standing before you. he was holding you close, he was staring right at you. he was fine. he was perfect. you're so overwhelmed by your love for him that you couldn't possibly keep it to yourself any longer.

"i love you so much," you gasp, and then in the same breath, "i'm so glad you're okay"

and before you could try to catch your breath, you're surging forward and planting your lips on his. it's a kiss that surprises the both of you, but you fall into it instantly, and completely.

satoru's arms wrap around your lower back, pulling you into him so completely that he's nearly dipping you backwards to bring himself to your height. you don't mind. you're just relieved to feel him so closely, to know he was right there, and as long as you held him and he held you, he wasn't going anywhere.

he was still the honored one, but no longer was he completely untouchable. ___

xoxo ~ jordie

[ruinedbylanadelrey]

Hi so the request is wanna make is a Joel miller x plus!size reader. I was thinking that maybe before the apocalypse happened Joel and the reader where married and the reader was Sarah’s stepmother Sarah loved the reader as if she was her real mother maybe Joel and the reader got a divorce because they started to argue about the bills maybe the day Joel signed the papers they slept together one last time so the reader found out she was pregnant and the day of the outbreak she was getting chased by an infected and she gave birth in the house so the reader is Ellie’s mom and Joel is Ellie’s dad but he never knew about Ellie so the reader didn’t die because she was immune she doesn’t know how she didn’t turn so maybe she joined the community Joel was in but she didn’t know they were keeping her daughter captive and Ellie knows what her mom looks like because she has a picture of the reader so maybe when they were in the city the reader told Joel how Ellie is his daughter he is shocked but Ellie knew so the reader and Joel get back together maybe when they are at the hospital the reader volunteers to take Ellie’s place in the surgery Joel tries to talk to the reader not to do it the reader just tells him she loves him and tells him to take care of Ellie so Joel saves his wife and they head back to Tommy’s town and they get their happy ending (sorry it’s long let me know if your ok with it just message me of what you think and if you would write it it’s fine if you don’t)

This is an interesting concept. I love it. I had a lot of fun writing this. Buckle up, everyone! We're going for a ride. the amount of calculating i did so the timeline would match was insane for me lol.

Word count: 3K

masterlist

Warnings: angst, alludes to smut, f!reader, death, birth-giving, jealousy, ellie<3, joel being joel, mention of joel’s attempt, mention of David

50 percent of marriages end in divorce and the other 50 just live in harmony. You thought you had it made when you married Joel Miller, he is everything you look in for a person. You checked off every box for him. Joel loved how you treated Sarah as your own, just being such a good mother figure in her life.

You met Joel when he was 30 and you were 25, you were the receptionist for the construction company he worked for. You were just the most beautiful woman to him and every man you worked with could see it too.

You were the one who made the first move. You didn't care for anyone else but him, mainly because he wasn't trying to get in your pants. He treated you as a person. You two became good friends, you would hang out with him and Tommy outside of work.

He eventually introduced to Sarah. She instantly loved you, she always asked about you and wanted you to come over and listen to whatever was the hottest new album that came out since you were still young enough to enjoy pop culture.

"Hey, would you like to grab a beer after work?" You stopped Joel before he had to leave to go to the site. Joel was surprised by your forwardness. "Are you asking me on a date, sweetheart?" Joel flashed a smile at you as your face flushed with red. "I guess I am, whatcha say, Miller?" You smirked at him. "It's a date." Joel winks before he left with the others for the day. The date was just the beginning of the romance between the two of you. 2 years later you were married.

-

4 years now you're crying in the kitchen and Joel staring at the ceiling. "I'll be staying with my brother until we get the papers signed." You broke the silence. Your relationship with Joel finally came to end when you both had enough of being at each other's throats.

You would fight about literally anything. It would be about bills one day then the next day he said he doesn't feel anything for you anymore or you realized that you can't love anyone when you can't love yourself. The reason for divorce was to work on yourselves.  

When you broke the news to Sarah she was livid because she could see that you both love each other so much and you guys were being stubborn and couldn't see it. You felt your heart break when Sarah said "Please don't stop being my mom." you explained to her that no matter what happens she'll always be your sweet girl.

-

The day you were supposed to sign all the papers the world collapsed. It was the worst day of your life no matter what. If the world didn't end you would be divorced from Joel and since the world did end you lost your Sarah and almost lost Joel forever. You can't get her screams and cries out of your head, and the image of Joel holding her as she took her last breaths. Then Joel trying to end his life made you break further.

-

Another 4 years go by and you stuck by Joel. It was just strictly platonic. You were the last thing he had in the old world and he was the same for you. You were each other's comfort and safety net. Though still you were still legally married that didn't matter when it was a lawless world around you.

Joel and you found yourselves a group and did what you had to do to survive. You watched Joel become a ghost of the person you once knew. He could see you as yourself. Just as flippant and caring.

You still yearned for Joel's love and companionship but he found it in another woman, Tess. You couldn't help but be hurt and jealous. You liked Tess and could never hate her. You envied what she had; Joel in the palm of her hands.

Joel didn't mean for it to happen but life loves to derail everything well. "I'm leaving the group...I'm going with Tommy." You sat with Joel in the apartment you shared in the QZ. "You're not leaving." Joel thought he could change your mind, but nothing could. "Joel, I have nothing keeping me here and I rather go with someone who doesn't see me as a second choice." Your words cut into his wounds.

"Darlin'...," Joel pulled you into his arms, "N-no...Joel. I'm leaving tonight." You pushed him off of you and started packing your go-bag. "This is it? After everything we have been through." Joel was angry not at you but at the way things turned out. You stopped packing and looked at him. "You don't need me, Joel. You don't even love m-" "Stop talking before you say something you'll regret." Joel didn't want you to make him face the music.

Joel walks to you and you stood up straight to look him in the eye. "You don't love me." You snubbed, Joel's eyes clouded with hurt and pure rage. The next few moments were hazy.

Joel crashes his lips into yours, your hands gripping the collar of his flannel bringing him as close as possible. Moans leave your mouth as he undresses you, then you come to when the moonlight leaks in through the windows. Your legs tangled with his and his skin on yours. You remove yourself from his hold.

You put your clothes back on and take your bag. You look at Joel sleeping unknowing that he will never see you again. Tommy was waiting with Marlene outside the door. "We're ready when you are." Marlene gave you a weak smile. "I'm ready." You nod and follow them to escape the place where you don't belong.

-

You ran like hell from the QZ, your feet ached and your back was on fire as you fly through the trees. The screams and growls were catching up to you. The safe house was just in view, "Marlene!" You blockade the door trying to buy yourself time to hide. No one was there yet, all you had to defend yourself with was the switchblade Joel gave to you when you first started dating.

You felt your water break and fluid drenched your legs. You got up the stairs and threw yourself on the ground. Your body was ready to give out when you started pushing.

Your screams echoed through the empty home. The growls and scratching were at the door, the next push was interrupted by the infected breaking down the door with their excessive strength. You were crying as you put up your best fight. Your adrenaline pumps through your body. You made the fatal blow and threw the body off of you.

A cry came from someone other than you. You reached down to hold the small child in your hands. Your body was coming down from the high and your thigh was aching. There was the mark of death etched into your skin. "No, no, no, no." You scrambled for your blade and cut the cord. The infant was still crying and you started to console her.

You forgot for a moment about your fate being sealed and watched the most beautiful creature in front of your eyes. "You tell 'em Ellie." you gave a tired laugh and just soaked in what you thought were the final moments of your life.

-

When Marlene found you, you didn't say anything about being bit, but you let her leave with Ellie so you could collect yourself. You waited and waited to turn into a monster but your time never came. Every day you would wake up and have to calm yourself down, 'You're okay...' you found the word to describe yourself...immune.

You knew you couldn't raise Ellie in the group you found yourself in. Marlene and you decided to give her up to FEDRA to give her a shot at life. That meant many nights crying into Tommy's chest and just feeling like you lost everything. You made Tommy swear he would never say anything to Joel about Ellie. When you and Tommy left the fireflies, you had no contact with Marlene anymore.

-

14 years went by just thinking about Ellie, Joel, Tess, and Sarah. Nightmares consumed you and didn't let you rest.

Ellie was being held captive and soon to be turned into a science experiment. Joel found himself smuggling this fiery kid who reminded him of you. He didn't ever put too much thought into it. The day you left he would look for you everywhere and in everyone.

The day after Marlene sent Ellie packing with Joel he saw your switchblade in her hands as they passed time. He told himself it couldn't be yours, it's not it was one of a kind. Everything was too coincidental but he tried not to think about it...more like tried not to think about you.

Ellie knew about you, Marlene let her have a picture of you before sending her off to her death with Joel. Marlene knew about your last night with Joel. She knew that Ellie was Joel's child and she couldn't break her promise to you 'Don't ever let Joel know...or even Ellie, know about each other...' because you were her best friend but she was afraid that you would kill her. Anytime Ellie looked at your picture she thought you were the most beautiful person ever and made sure no one ever saw the picture. It was a part of herself she could keep to herself.

Joel came in riding on a horse and Ellie trailed behind him on hers. The news about two new coming into the community made its way to you and Tommy. You both didn't think much about it because it wasn't anything new.

People would come and go. Tommy was helping on structuring another building for the community and you were helping with the school coordinating the calendar for a school year. "Tommy's brother is here and he has some child with..." a woman whispered to another lady and your ears burned. You scurried away from the table and found yourself vomiting into a trashcan.

This is can't be real. He can't be here and with a child? What child? Did he knock someone else up? "Sweetie, are you okay?" An older woman came over and held your hair back, her hand rubbing your back trying to soothe you. "I'm fine...I think I'm gonna call it day." You spit off some more saliva and walked back to your house. You first stopped by Tommy's since it was right next to yours but no one was home not even Maria.

The night passed on and Maria was knocking on your door and she got impatient and walked in. "Y/n? We need to talk" Maria calls out, you emerged from the kitchen with a glass of water. You looked like you've seen a ghost. "I take it as you heard the news." Maria sat you down on the couch, you started to sob.

It feels like the universe was teasing you and it wasn't fair. "He doesn't know you're here...and he's here with Ellie." You felt the air in the room not be enough to breathe in. Ellie...your Ellie. "How?" "The devil works but Marlene works harder...he's supposed to smuggle Ellie to the fireflies. I don't know why they want her." you knew why...she has to be immune too. That's the only reason why.

You heard the door open, Tommy was standing there with a sorry look on his face. "You told him, didn't you?" you asked, Tommy, sighed and tried to look for the words he wanted to say. "You fucking broke your promise!" You darted toward Tommy pushing him against the wall, your arm raised and your hand clenched into a fist. "Hey! Hey! Let's take a deep breath, Y/n...I didn't say anything about Ellie...I just told him you're here. He kept asking if you were alive. That's all." Tommy grabbed your hand on put it down. You were huffing trying to catch your breath.

"He wants to me take Ellie to the fireflies...Y/n, he's at his breaking point." Tommy sighed and looked at Maria. You look back at her and she just shook her head. "She is the key to the vaccine." the words hit you like a train. You knew what that meant, Marlene told you about what they needed to make the vaccine work.

"They have to kill her to make it work." You spoke, and the couple looked at you. "I remember Marlene telling me the science behind it...I can't let this happen. It has to be me." You weren't making any sense to them. "What are you saying?" Maria quipped, you looked up at the ceiling and pulled down your sweatpants. Tommy didn't look down at you and Maria looked at your right thigh. A scar in the shape of a bite with the cordyceps tendrils underneath the skin.

"You're immune..." Maria was stunned, you pulled your pants up and Tommy quickly looked at you. "Looks like you guys have another secret to keep." You laughed to lighten the mood.

-

Tommy brought you to the house where Joel and Ellie were staying for the night, his knuckles knock against the door. You wait for a moment and the door swings open to Joel, he's aged, a few new scars litter his face and he still has his signature beard that you've always loved. "I think you two have some business to attend to...Goodnight." Tommy excuses himself, leaving you at the door with the man you never stopped loving.

Joel moved out of the way and let you inside. You move in silence to where is supposed the living room but it was barren with a weathered couch in the center. "She's our kid...isn't she?" Joel broke the silence, when he opened the door to your face everything clicked in his head. "Nothing ever gets past you." You exhaled, and Joel lets out a weak chuckle. "Does she know?" Joel asked as he leaned back with his arms resting on the back of the couch. "No. I made people keep their promises." You were always the one person that people never crossed because karma was always on your side.

"I said something to her that I should have never said..." Joel recalls just moments before you showed back up into his life 'You're right...you're not my daughter. And I sure as hell ain't your dad.' he hated himself from that very moment. "Joel, you've always spoken before you thought." You remember all the times his mouth got him in trouble.

"Now, Joel I'm going with Ellie tomorrow...I can't let her do this." You broke the news. Just as thought Joel had you back, he was about to lose you again. "No, you're staying here" Joel protested, he'll be damned to let you go. "I am, I know where to go and I know the team down there. I need to be there for her. She's my baby girl..." You knew your words were useless because he will try everything in his power to keep you from going.

The stairs creaked and you both turn to find Ellie trying her best to stealth her way back up the stairs. You stood up and looked at the girl in front of your eyes. You drank in her presence, noticing the scar on her eyebrow, her puppy dog eyes and how they sparkled, and the slope of her nose. "Ellie," you whispered trying not to scare her. Her face lit up when her name fell off your lips.

Ellie walked down the stairs and met you and Joel in the living room. She stopped just a few feet away from you. Joel watched the two of you look at each other. He was checking off how similar you guys are, the way you both stood and how you carried yourself. "Mom." Ellie ran into your arms, and you naturally accepted her into an embrace. You rested your head on top of hers, breathing her scent, and listened to her breathing. You swayed gently, her breathing became heavy as tears spilled from her eyes.

"I'm here...forever." You murmured while stroking her hair. It was the most beautiful thing to see, a mother and her child. The warmth of a mother's love is like nothing else. "Hey...guess what? you sure as hell are my dad." Ellie pulled away a little to look at Joel. Her laugh filled the home. "I knew that would come back and bite me in the ass." Joel stood up and came beside you. He tucked the hair out of Ellie's face. "C'mere you little shit." Joel pulled her from your arms into his. He laid a kiss on her head.

"You too, darlin'" Joel brings you into the embrace. You couldn't help but sob at the reunion before you knew that you would have to lay down your life for her. -

The journey to the fireflies brought you and Joel back together as a couple, and you fell in love again with each other. It made it hard for you to not tell him everything about what is going to happen you get to the hospital. Everything with Ellie made you thirst for blood again, you feel like you failed as a parent when Ellie ended up killing David. You did everything in your power to help Ellie process what happened and nothing she did was wrong but she shut you and Joel out.

Joel woke up in a hospital bed alone. Everything around him made him uneasy. The tension in the air was suffocating. Marlene was speaking to him slowly, making sure she didn't tick him off.

But when Marlene explained everything to him, he snapped. She knew that she had to get him out and make sure they could get this done.

You tried to reason with Marlene and let you be the one to die but the doctors thought it would be great to experiment on you and Ellie. You begged for Ellie to be spared. You were sedated before her before you could put up a fight. Marlene warned them about your life with Joel and how ruthless you are when it came to protecting the ones you loved.

Joel snapped at the right moment. He moved through the hospital without any thought in his mind. He didn't wake from his haze until he shot Marlene. He was trying to conjure up what he would say because knowing Ellie and you, questions were going to be asked and will need to be answered.

[cmtcahrule]

No Words. Part 1.

For those of you who can't or won't watch.

Yes, we were living in Cayman the last three years. We went back to LA for the summer. And everywhere for the summer.

Island life has been grand…it’s just time to wrap it up and get back to reality.

It’s Swiss Family Robinson here.

But you have the LA itch? Yes, I have the LA itch.

We can always find any way to justify anything. Mom needs to go back and you guys are going to be happy wherever you are.

Oprah’s been my idol my whole life.

Modeling is so interesting. You don’t have an opinion or a voice. As with TV, you can drive it.

I never enjoyed doing the red carpets. I leave that type of journalism up to you.

Did you ever think you should be the person on the other side….like the person walking the carpet? Honestly when I was in college, there was an acting job that came through the modeling agency, but I have never wanted to be an actor. I don’t understand this. Why are we sitting in trailers for 12 hours when we could be really productive? It didn’t make sense for me to be distracted (by acting).

I thought I was going to wait to open the bakery until after I did The Today Show for 10 years. Thank God I did not wait until I was 55 or 60 to do it. Because you cannot pull 4-5 all nighters per week when you are that age.

I can contribute my television career and success to 30% talent and 70% bribery. I would go in and bomb an audition and come back with Monster Cookies and then I would get a call back because of the cookies.

In my 20s, when I wasn’t raging, I would come back home and bake dozens of cookies.

I am passionate about JIF peanut butter. I am passionate about Helmann’s Mayonnaise. We are not fucking around with these products. We have integrity.

We have been in talks to open up in LA. Talks to open up at The Grove. The Palisades Village. Maybe we will do that when I have more bandwidth some day but right now I am tapped out.

You are managing all of these businesses from afar? I mean I am on an airplane every few weeks.

I told my agent to give me anything except anything related to pop culture. Everyone is voodoo dolling you right now. That is the dream of so many girls and people wanted you to do it and you said no. Give me a war instead. I will volunteer to go cover a human rights foundation before I will go on a red carpet.

Did you meet your ex husband Armie in the industry from doing industry interviews? He was not even working at the time. He wanted to be an actor but he was not doing the things to be an actor.

Regarding Tyler: He would never hang out with me because he was with his best friend Armie.

We met through our mutual friend Tyler. It was love at first sight. For sure.

Regarding their meeting: It was good for Armie because he had to work for something.

Ambition is important. I know you want to do something so do something. Either go back to college or go to acting class. I am not interested in someone who is complacent.

I think it was hard for him at the time because I had a boyfriend who was very successful and doing a lot which is the hottest thing to me because I love ambition.

It was a good motivator. So you motivated him to get his ass up and work….as Kim Kardashian would say?

Since he was with you when you were opening up BB, was he supportive and was he helpful? Because he was so young, he probably had even less of an idea on what to do. He wasn’t the business man behind the operation to say the least. 

I’ve always been an independent person who does what I want. If I am with somebody, that is how things are going to go. I do whatever I want when I want however I want.

[janicho88]

When It All Falls Apart-Chapter 1

Pairing- Jensen x Reader

Word count- 1,069

Warnings-Not much for this chapter. Pregnancy talk (Will last a good chunk of the story) But it's not the reader. If I missed something let me know!

A/N- Birthday Post 1. Apparently, I can't write short stories. Not that I've been writing much lately. This was a one shot, then three part, and here we are with another series. Thank you to @writercole and @leigh70 for your help with this. You two are amazing!!

Summary-Y/N Padalecki loved acting on Supernatural.  Working alongside your older brother and your boyfriend, but after ten seasons the guys have chosen to hang up the guns.  Now the three of you are moving on to other projects, but that’s all that needs to change right?  While you have moved to Austin to be closer to your family and boyfriend, Jensen is working elsewhere.  Distance is only the start of your troubles.

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“Aunt Y/N, Aunt Y/N!” Tom calls for your attention.

“Yes!  I’m watching, I really am,” you tell the young boy as you set your phone down on the table next to you.

“No you weren’t.  You were watching your phone,” your nephew argues back.

“I’m sorry buddy, but you really do have my full attention now.”

With a dramatic huff, the young boy gets himself ready to run through his self-made obstacle course in the backyard.  Your brother Jared and his wife, Gen are in the house talking with your parents and Gen’s while you volunteered to keep Tom busy out here.  The little man is right, you have been staring at your phone, hoping for a message, call, anything to come through.  Giving up on it, you focus on Tom running over to the slide.

“How’s things out here?” a cheery voice questions, as its owner sits down beside you.

“Good, Tom is just about to finish up his obstacle run.  I think he is anyway.  How did it go in the house?” you ask your sister-in-law.

“Great, they are all so excited.”

“Did you have any doubts?”

“Not really.”

“When are you telling Tom?”

“Just before we tell everyone else, so another month or so.  Just in case he spills the beans.”  

“He does take after my brother in the talk first, think later aspect.”

She laughs, “I don’t know how I’m going to handle three of them.”

“Wait, you’re having twins?  You didn’t tell me that!”

“What? No.  Jared, Tom and this baby will make three.”

“Ah, I got you now.  You are going to have your hands full.”

“Definitely.  Are you sure you want to move back out soon?  I’m going to miss having you around.  I’ll split custody of you with Jensen.”

When your boyfriend went out of town for work five months ago and wasn’t able to come home much, or at all, you started sleeping over at your brother's.  That turned into you just temporarily moving into the guest bedroom because you didn’t like staying alone in his empty house.  First, he was gone to film a movie in Chicago for three and a half months, and off to Toronto days after finishing that to start filming The Boys.  You have been working on a Netflix series filming just outside of Austin, then are going to join Walker, when it begins filming in August.  At least Jensen is supposed to be home just before that.  Just under two months to go, you think. 

You try to hide it, but she still catches the slight fall of your face at her comment, but before Gen can say anything, or you can respond, Tom is calling for you. 

“Aunt Y/N, did you see that?”

“I did!  Amazing job Tom, you are getting so fast.”  

“That’s ‘cause I’m four now.  Soon I’m going to start getting as tall as daddy.”

“Yes, you are.”

He goes back to play, and Sadie, Jared’s German Shepherd, chases after.  Gen is sitting there watching you.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just peachy.”

“Are you sure?  You’ve spent a lot of time staring at your phone lately.  I’ve noticed you seem to be a bit down.”

“Hey Y/N,” your brother calls out, “mom and dad are getting ready to hit the road.”

Saved from answering her question you jump up.  “I need to go see my parents off.”

“Tom, Grandma and Grandpa Padalecki are heading back to San Antonio.  Let’s go say goodbye,” your sister-in-law calls to her son. 

You make your way inside before she can continue her questioning.  No, things aren’t really great, but you don’t want to talk about it right now.  Putting a smile on your face you walk inside to face your parents.  Goodbyes are said, hugs are exchanged and before long you are standing in the driveway next to Jared waving as their car pulls out. 

“Mom and dad can’t wait to spoil another grandbaby,” you say as the two of you walk back inside.

“No they can’t.  As happy as they have been for Jeff and I, just wait until you and Jensen have your first kid.  You’re mom’s baby girl, she is going to go nuts.”

“Yeah, hard to say if that’s in the cards,” you mumble, but Jared still caught it.

“Jensen loves kids, I thought he couldn’t wait to have a few?”

“Yeah, I just don’t know if it will be with me.”

Jared stops and stares after you walking ahead of him through the living room, “What??  Did something happen between you two?  Do I need to go up to Toronto and kick his ass?”

“Nothing has happened, just drop it,” you call back over your shoulder as you hit the stairs and head for your room.

Gen is standing in the kitchen doorway and looks over at her husband, “what’s going on?”

“I’m not really sure.  But I’m going to make a call and find out.”

“Ah, no you aren’t.  We don’t know what has her so off.  If something is going on with the two of them, if she’s just stressed and tired, or maybe it really is nothing.  You aren’t going to call and worry Jensen if it’s nothing.”

“She’s my little sister.”

“Who would kick your ass if you made that call.  I’ll see if she’ll talk to me tomorrow.  I’ve noticed she’s been off for a few days, I was trying to give her space.”

“I could find out right now.”

“I know it’s hard, but turn off big brother mode for now.  Don’t make me hide your phone, Mister.”

“Fine, I’ll let you talk to her first.”

“Good boy, now go find your son for his bath please, while I check on my parents outside.”

 Gen leans up and gives Jared a kiss before she walks away.

Up in the guest room you are curled up on the bed trying not to over think what your brother had just said.  You can’t help the tears that begin to fall.  You’ve been with Jensen for four years now, it would be a lie if you said you hadn’t thought about having a family with him before.  He has been your rock, safe place and well, everything for so long.  You just weren’t expecting things to go the way they had.  That steady rock you leaned on had become a landslide. 

Thank you for reading!!

Chapter 2

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WIAFA-

[loominggaia]

Message from @randomhedgie , on the subject of Jennie. It contains potential Looming Gaia spoilers, so I will place it under a cut:

randomhedgie asked:

I have so many questions about Jennie!! But first things first, I'm so glad to see that the surgery went well!! I hope your doing ok! Onto Jennie, she's so cute!! I was wondering, how old is she in relation to Cinnamon? I feel like they could be little mischievous friends. Secondly, what happened to her birth mom? I don't think said birth mom would be OK with Zov having custody considering the circumstances around Jennie's conception. What age do Zov and Lily adopt her at? Did Zov know she's his biological daughter before adopting her, or after?

-----

Thank you so much! I'm told that full recovery takes a few months, but I'm doing well so far. My thyroid had basically died and turned into a giant tumor, it was literally sucking the life out of me. I'm hoping I'll feel better going forward.

Jennie's exact entry into the series hasn't been finalized, so I can't say how old she will be in relation to Cinnamon or the other characters yet. But yes, if they were around the same age, I could totally see them hanging out! Cinnamon would be such a bad influence on Jennie, lol. Jennie at least tries to be a good girl, but Cinnamon doesn't even try. She's a little shit and she knows it.

Jennie's birth mom (Fay) died from her GSV infection, unfortunately. Her Evangelite enslaver forced her to breed with Zov, intending to sell their valuable offspring. Fay did not want to give up her baby, despite the circumstances of its conception, so she planned her escape during the early stages of her pregnancy. Little did she know, a baby wasn't the only "gift" Zov gave her...she had also contracted GSV from him, a virus that can lie dormant for years before suddenly becoming deadly.

Fay fled to Taybiya, where she gave birth to Jennie and lived a relatively normal life. But after a few years, the GSV activated and she did not have access to suppressant medication (nor did she even realize she had GSV). She realized she was getting sicker and sicker for unknown reasons and would die soon, so she finally took Jennie to a local orphanage run by Karenzans. The Order of Love and Light tried to save her, but her illness was too advanced. All they could do at that point was make sure her daughter was taken care of. She died just days after giving up Jennie.

I imagine Jennie was around 5-8 years old when her mother died and she ended up at the orphanage. Lily happened to be volunteering at this orphanage at the time, and she noticed that Jennie had a "Zov" in her name (Jen Fay Zov). Names are a genetic feature for goblins, so this set off alarms for her.

Curious, she mined her fellow volunteers for information and they revealed all that Fay told them before she died. She mentioned that Jennie's father was a pit fighting slave she was forced to breed with. Jennie was also starting to get ill like her mother, and the Karenzans diagnosed her with GSV (luckily they caught it early, so it could be suppressed with medication). Lily was able to put all the pieces together and realize Jennie was, in fact, one of Zov's children.

Lily and Zov weren't sure about having children initially, but meeting this girl sealed the deal, and they decided it would be criminal of them not to adopt her. Fay certainly would not approve of Zov having custody of her daughter, but the Zov she knew was a very different person than the one he grows into later. By this time he has matured into the best man he can be, and he has learned the value of kindness, empathy, and love from his time with the Karenzans. He is far from perfect, but he's come a long way and is still moving forward.

As Zov learns things like empathy, the countless murders and rapes of his past really start to haunt him. He has to work through all that trauma and it is not easy, to the say the least. Though it was not his choice to do those things (Dorzlaf forced him), his previously cold attitude towards it sickens him. He decides to step up and raise Jennie, to give her the nice life that he was denied, and he will do it to honor every woman and child he ever harmed during his long career as a pit fighter. He is quite religious (was a Modern Lindist, later became a Traditional Lindist) and determined to save his soul. He believes Jennie was delivered to him by the gods as a way to do just that, so he takes his role as her father very seriously.

He and Lily would not be able to raise her on their own, but they have a lot of friends at the temple who are more than willing to help. Between two loving parents, her guardian Buddy, and a lot of wise Karenzan priestesses, I think Jennie is on track to have a great (and rather interesting...) life!

*

Questions/Comments?

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[blackjackkent]

All right, after an extremely emotionally turbulent exploration of the rest of the circus, time for Rakha and co. to finally meet Dribbles. Once again, Rakha has become deeply invested in making sure Wyll gets to see the show, which is the only reason she doesn't turn around and leave as soon as she realizes what exactly that entails.

"Buddy the Dog is my very best friend? Do you know why?"

Oh, Rakha thinks. That is what a clown is.

She remembers the terrible night in the Shadowlands when she was cursed into a strange, nonsensical face-painting (twice); it was fundamentally one of the worst days she has any memory of and resulted in her having a complete breakdown out in the curse-shrouded dark. And now she understands the full import of the pixie's mocking gesture, for she sees similar paint on the face of this entertainer surrounded by excited children, telling terrible jokes.

"Because with him, anything is PAW-sible! Wahey!"

Rakha comes very close to turning around and walking away right there - except that Wyll, at her side, laughs delightedly.

"Haha!" He snickers, nudging Rakha gently in the side with his elbow. "Between you and me," he whispers, "I love a good clown. And Dribbles is the best."

Rakha sets her jaw and remains still, resisting the urge to turn away. Wyll is happy. That's what matters. That was the whole point of being here in the first place.

No matter that something prickles uncomfortably in the back of her mind as she looks up at the strange, brightly-colored man and his inhuman stretched and painted grin. No matter that the beast in her head sees the crowd of innocents around her and longs to rip and tear and shred and bleed...

"Did you hear about the scarecrow who lost a fight?" Dribbles crows brightly.

He seems to be expecting some answer from the crowd, but Rakha has no idea what that answer might be.

Simply watch.

"He got the stuffing kicked out of him!" the clown finishes the joke to a burst of laughter from the onlookers. "Wa-hey!"

Jaheira groans good-naturedly. Wyll laughs again. Lae'zel is standing stock-still next to Rakha, her head cocked with an attitude of mild puzzlement. Minthara casually pulls a dagger from her hip and begins to examine its edge.

Rakha's head aches. Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth suddenly, her palms damp in her gloves. The crowd presses around them, too close, too loud.

"Oh, oh, you're all such good friends!" the clown shouts cheerfully. "I've had a wonderful time, but I have to go..." This elicits a predictable chorus of groans and protests from the children watching, and Dribbles' grin widens. "Oh, well, if you insist! How about a magic trick? But first - I need a volunteer with nerves of steel and the heart of a lion." He begins to scan the crowd with exaggerated intensity, a hand over his brow. "Who will it be? Who...?"

The crowd begins to shout, the children all bouncing up and down with their hands in the air, excited and eager.

Rakha's vision blurs, going white at the edges, and she feels for a panicky moment as if she is about to lose control--

Narrator: A bloodthirsty rush of fury engulfs you. You want to butcher the crowd, women and children alike, and soak in their innards. It is glorious.

It's some combination of the memory of her curse, the crowd and noise around her, the clown's sharp-edged cheeriness, Wyll's smile and her own darkness-- she can't bear it. She will break, she will snap, she will kill--

"Rakha?" Wyll's hand is on her arm, his voice in her ear, laughing.

Her vision clears and she realizes that Dribbles is looking directly at her, one hand outstretched.

"You!" he calls. "My special assistant. Come on up!"

No. She flinches. No. She can't go up there in front of these people. Not with her sanity hanging on a knife's edge, not with her head aching like there's a dagger in her temple. She's struck with an odd sourceless feeling that Dribbles knows, that he sees exactly what she is thinking, what she is...

That's nonsense, surely. It is just a game, like Wyll said the dryad was. This is a bit of foolishness, of fun.

But she can't go up there.

She shakes her head once sharply, turns to look at Wyll with an inarticulate plea in her eyes. "I-- think this is a job for the Blade of Frontiers," she says haltingly. She makes an attempt to smile, to give the words an attitude of play, but can't quite manage it; the whites show in her eyes. "Don't you, Wyll?"

It's better that he go up, anyway. This show is for him...

He knows something is wrong, certainly, and takes her hand and squeezes it for a moment. "I'm not so sure," he says hesitantly. And through the haze in her mind, she loves him for that hesitation, for not wanting to leave her side.

But she shakes her head. "Go on, Wyll," she mutters, as the clown shouts encouragement from the stage.

He draws back, and she sees the smile work back onto his face almost in spite of himself. "Well," he says - to the cheering crowd around them as much as to her, "if you insist!"

She struggles to focus, to watch attentively as he climbs onto the stage. The clown grins and the blink dog at his side steps back out of the way.

"Now!" Dribbles cries. "You're *very* special! As special as can be! Does anyone know why?"

Rakha knows a hundred, a thousand reasons why Wyll is special. None she would speak aloud to this painted fool, though. She remains silent as more shouts erupt from the crowd around her, her eyes locked on Wyll, trying her best to shut out the chaos.

"You're special, my friend," Dribbles continues, "because I have a message just for you!"

It happens in an instant, like a switch being flipped. That wide painted grin goes from cheerful to menacing, from bright fire to cold ice. All the humanity drops out of Dribbles's eyes and his smile suddenly shows all of his teeth.

And Rakha feels all of the beast's inarticulate fury coalesce into a fear-rage that suddenly has a very specific target.

"Praise the Absolute," the clown whispers.

"Trap," Jaheira hisses. Minthara growls something in Undercommon and Lae'zel curses, her blade flicked out of its scabbard and glinting in the late afternoon light.

But Rakha is only conscious of the clown and Wyll and the dog leaping forward from among the curtains and sinking its teeth into Wyll's arm. The smell of blood crashes across the arena and the crowd's shouts turn to screams.

Rakha's control, already strained to the breaking point, snaps. Her vision fades and the beast takes over, and she surges forward with only one thought remaining in her mind.

KILL THE CLOWN.

[dr-fanshawe]

Hi hello;;;; i come with a query. Do you mind explaining how you think jonathan got into that fleshy business? Did he read a cursed book? Did he have a mentor who pushed him towards it?

hello!

I should preface this by saying that I have 2.5 versions of his story in my head. aside from Flesh avatar Jonathan (Fanshawe, to be clear. I don't really talk about him much here), I am also an eye-aligned-but-not-an-avatar Jonathan believer (I think this is actually the most possible scenario, though that is a rant for another time). That Being Said I do have extensive headcanons about that

this is about to get very self-indulgent, so be warned. and note the discussions of drug addiction, Jonah Magnus (manipulation), self image issues and other Flesh-typical stuff

so, the way I like to see it going down goes like this: in the late 1820s Jonathan develops an opioid addiction (morphine, to be specific, as this part of his story is highly influenced by Bulgakov's Morphine. the plot revolves around a doctor who had the drug injected as a painkiller and became addicted to it). it soon becomes a very pressing issue as it starts to interfere with his day-to-day life and work, and as he realizes that he can't, actually, just drop it. Jonah, being his dear companion of many years, notices that something is wrong with him, maybe even Knows about it, and confronts Jonathan about it. while I do believe that by that point Jonah made peace with having to kill off his friends occasionally, I don't think it's something he does for fun. plus, having a doctor as your friend of very useful (and even more so since they are both trans, which means Jonah can trust him with his health), so Jonah volunteers to try to help him

they try a couple of things (lowering the dose gradually, quitting it cold turkey with Jonah overlooking Jonathan – diy rehab of sorts) and all of them fail miserably. so, Jonah decides to apply his knowledge of the supernatural to it: loss of control over yourself, your urges, your life sounds like a Web thing. then what is the opposite of it? which Fear would grant you total control over your body, balancing out Web's influence? it's the Flesh

or so he tells Jonathan – by that point Jonah did not believe in the ideas of balance, so he didn't really think Jonathan could "balance out" anything. he knew from the start that if Jonathan tried to flirt with the Powers, he would not walk away unaffected. he did mention to him that he may or may not end up in the service of the Flesh if they tried that, but Jonathan was desperate enough to agree anyway, which was very good for Jonah: he wanted to know what will happen. it was a very new Fear at that point, so he didn't know how it would interact with a human, since he never met an acolyte of It, and so... he made one

Jonathan was a good fit for the Flesh. as a trans man with no access to any kind of gender affirming procedures and in a very dangerous environment, he dealt with a lot of dysphoria. Jonah was trans as well and had similar feelings, but while Jonah's dysphoria came from being afraid that other people don't see him for who he is, Jonathan's came from the very experience of living in his body. plus, Jonathan was always curious about human anatomy, limits of the human body, its inner workings etc etc – it was one of the main reasons he wanted to pursue medicine. his personal philosophy resembled the Flesh's ideas too, even though it was mostly informed by his experiences as a doctor (a talk for another time). so, the only thing that Jonah had to do is suggest that path and maybe lead him a bit, but he was sure Jonathan would get the hang of it very quick. and he did

to be fair, it did help with the addiction, even if just by replacing one urge with another. it also made Jonathan rely on Jonah even more to navigate his new nature. Jonah suggested writing everything down to try to make sense of it (and to keep an account from his perspective, which Jonah could then study)

Jonathan was grateful to him for his help – he believed Jonah was fully sincere in that. and he was sincere, but... to an extent. at the same time, there was a faint feeling of betrayal, which he tried to suppress because (technically) he knew what he was signing up for. nevertheless, he couldn't come to terms with his new way of being, what occasionally led to him lashing out at Jonah for making him like this and then apologizing profusely. rinse and repeat for a couple of years

when Jonathan finally cuts ties with Jonah, he quickly realizes that without his help, it is very difficult to continue surviving. especially since he doesn't want to be a monster – never wanted to, but at least before there was Jonah to tempt him – so he struggles to keep himself fed. it gets worse and worse and eventually resolves in his suicide around 6 months after he sent the letter to Jonah. before doing that, he donated his diaries to the Magnus Institute as a way to preserve the knowledge about who Jonah Magnus is. no one would publish them, obviously, but he knew that Jonah didn't have it in him to destroy them, so the Institute seemed like his best bet

a brief pause for applause, and now we are in the paragraph where I address historical accuracy. Morphine was published in 1926, and they had modern syringes by that time. Jonathan died before their invention in 1853, but they already had morphine – it was isolated in 1803-1805. which means that he'd have to take it orally, which in turn would require a higher dose to cause addiction (but it's still the most addictive substance according to wiki, so it wouldn't take that much). does it have to be morphine? no. but I want it to be, so now it is

I'm not going to ponder how possible it would be for two Regency trans men to meet, but I want to mention James Barry who was a surgeon and a trans man born somewhere in 1789 just because it makes me happy to know about him :)