#like noisy creepy little owls

[reallyghostlypost]

[Fic] The dangers of camping in the valley's forests

You know what Stardew Valley needs? More cryptids and unknown creatures. Also more fics with Jadu and Gill.

Jadu wrapped his cloak tighter around him. He actually liked whenever Camilla was sending him to visit Marlon, listening to him and Gill share stories and gossip around the campfire was always a delight, but he really couldn't get used with the weather in the Valley. Autumn nights here were always bitter cold for him, used with either the desert heat or the dry cold nights of the Badlands, not these humid winds that seem to seep into your bones. He took another gulp of hot mulled wine and looked up at the mountains.

The nature surrounding them was already shrouded in darkness despite the sky still having a greyish orange tint from the setting sun. The vegetation was too thick to see even a foot forward and to someone trained to fight in open terrain of the corrupted desert it felt really claustrophobic. Shadow brutes, or any monster really, could be just a few steps away from him and he wouldn't be any wiser.

Jadu moved closer to the fire, feeling his teeth start to clatter. Really, he wasn't a child any longer to get scared by creepy stories told around the fire. But he couldn't help but feel that the shadows between the trees were unnaturally dark. He realized that Marlon stopped speaking a while ago and that made him tense suddenly. What was happening?

Looking up he noticed both Marlon and Gill staring at the same spot... tree? Jadu tried to see whatever got their attention but there didn't seem to be anything there. A sound then came from the darkness, like a stream of water running over rocks. Were they this close to the river? But listening closer he could also hear whispers, like a group of people were close by speaking silently with each other. Jadu gripped the wand stashed in his robes.

He was started to feel dizzy. This odd noise of water and whispers reminded him when he was training with Camilla by the river. He still didn't know what potion she gave him that time, but it was supposed to help him communicate with the elementals. The river then started to speak with him in a similar way, to call him with whispers hidden beneath the clear sound of running water, awfully familiar, and Jadu knew that he would be able to understand what it was telling him if only he could get a little closer. He could feel his mouth numb, a weird sweet taste on his tongue. He was so close to the water now, only a step forward and he could fall in the river to join the whispers, when a hand shot up to stop him from drowning himself.

Jadu jumped violently pulling the wand from his robes only to point it at Gill. "Sorry lad, but you looked really out of it." Gill apologized before removing his hand from his shoulder. Jadu was still panting trying to figure out what was happening. He could feel sweat on his back despite the cold air surrounding them.

"That owl is back." Marlon said in a tired voice. Jadu looked at the scarred adventurer then back at the same tree Marlon has been watching before, but he still couldn't see anything. Gill patted his shoulder without a word and pointed at a branch higher up in the tree and that's when Jadu noticed it. It was a small white owlet with black spots all over its feathers, small enough that could fit in the palm of his hand, but it was... wrong. Its almond shaped eyes were pitch black, with no pupils or irises, and was that a third eye on its forehead or just another black spot?

As soon as he laid eyes on the small owl his head cleared and most of the cold and dread was gone. Were they caused by the critter? Now that he was less confused Jadu could definitely recognize it as a dark elemental, inhuman spirit birthed from the darkness of the forests covering so much of the southern part of the Ferngill Republic.

The owlet opened its small black beak and the same weird water sounds mixed with whispers came out from it. Jadu could feel his ears getting stuffy, and the same coldness was starting to encroach him again. Marlon picked a rock and threw it at the bird who flew off with a horrible scream, like dozens of bats screeching at the same time. Just as it disappeared into the brown dry foliage Jadu noticed that it had a second identical face on the back of its head, it's second pair of eyes staring straight at him, making the hair at the back of his head stand up.

"Don't worry." Marlon reassured him as he poured more hot wine in his mug and urging him to drink. The heat of the wine felt good. "You'll get used with its magic soon enough and it won't affect you this badly."

"It hid into a crack of our roof for a while and we couldn't understand why we kept having nightmares or hallucinated in the middle of the day." Gill chuckled. "It wasn't pleasant, but the owl seems otherwise harmless. It keeps following us around and tries to get back into that crack before we chase it away, so we got used with it by now."

"More and more spirits like that have started to appear. Magnus has been working overtime trying to keep the dangerous ones from getting close to the town so he doesn't have time to chase away the smaller elementals from mingling with humans. We considered requesting a meeting with Camilla but things are under control for now and we don't want to take more of her time."

"Weird." Jadu managed to say before starting to cough. His throat felt weird and dry which made him scowl. Why was he so affected that small spirit?

Marlon gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't beat yourself up lad. You're trained to deal with desert spirits not forest ones. Spend more time here and you'll recognize their magic before they can charm you."

"Yeah." Gill remarked dryly. "Like we did last week when we started accusing each other of whispering in the middle of the night." Marlon huffed amused at that before taking a sip from his own mug.

"I'll speak with Camilla about this, maybe she can think of some solution without the need of a whole council meeting." Jadu picked a dry fish from the pile of food placed between them. "When did it start to happen?"

Marlon and Gill looked at each other for a second before Gill cleared his throat. "When spring came around and the new farmer moved in the valley."

"Farmer?" Jadu was confused. What did a farmer had to do with spirits and elementals acting weird?

"Oh, kid." Marlon sighted. "You have no idea what a long history that cursed farm has."

[silverspleen]

Should work on my fic but fuck it break time have Call of Duty wingfic!AU headcanons! core 141 + faralex, beloveds. No Vaqueros I have no thoughts yet, still working through MW2.

---

Price - great crested grebe

silly hair

Gaz - harris's hawk

The most popular falconry hawk in the UK. They hunt in groups, are "quick learners" that are very social and intelligent and "very enjoyable to watch in action." (x) Also a really lovely two toned brown that really works for him.

It should be obvious why. I wanted a falconry bird that was just really good and lucked out with this one after a quick google search and finding blogs like "this is the most popular and best bird and it's so social and cool" and Gaz deserves this. He works hard, people like him. It works.

Ghost - barn owl

Big, quiet, and scary plus heavily associated with bad luck and being creepy.

Works with the whole blonde thing too! His wings skew more towards the blonde side and less towards the brown. Often artificially colors his wings to be darker, he doesn't like how they stand out. Is also completely quiet when he moves his wings due to him having nocturnal predator wings. Even flapping them fully doesn't make noise, and it's startling to people who don't know him.

Soap - eurasian magpie

They have big personalities and are known for things like tool use and being noisy and getting into fights and messing with bigger, badder animals. It works! The birds you see in the "bird is drunk!" or "bird messes with cat!" videos. Emotes more with his wings than the others. This is mostly an unconscious thing.

According to wikipedia "a magpie near the window of the house is said to foretell death" in Scotland. Can't back that up but... Take that as you will. 'One for Sorrow' also works though >:p

The 141 is very close so you know they're all pretty well maintained, wing wise, and all (mostly) comfortable allopreening with each other as a social bonding experience and often use it to decompress after long missions. Soap and Gaz tend to have the dirtiest wings after ops, Soap because he's getting into trouble and fighting and Gaz because he's working hard (and falling out of helicopters). Ghost is significantly more cagey about being preened, he'll participate in the sense that he's there while everything is going on but more prone to just preening himself on the side and making dry humor comments. He will let people allopreen him in more private settings as a one-on-one bonding moment.

------

the OTP

Alex - black vulture

Black vultures have been recorded allopreening birds outside of their species. Specifically the crested caracara. Huh funny that. Ah yes, the importance of strengthening social bonds with people who you are not supposed to form really intense social bonds with. Weird. Weird that I would chose this for him. Anyway. They're also associated with death and have a bad reputation, as does any American hanging out in a country they aren't supposed to be in.

Used to color his wings under his different aliases during CIA things, but stopped after meeting Farah. Always has meticulously shiny, clean, and well put together wings. No one knows how he does it he should not be able to preen to this degree of pretty in what is technically an active warzone. Broke his wing when he lost his leg, it healed properly enough that it doesn't cause him any significant mobility issues but does cause him chronic pain. Uses his wings to counterbalance the missing leg when he doesn't wear the prosthetic.

Farah - crested caracara

A desert bird of prey with a pretty crest and lovely stripes and, per wikipedia, "bold and opportunistic." While they do steal food from other birds, including vultures, they've also been recorded allopreening with them.

Not the greatest at keeping herself preened properly, always looks a little haggard, a combination of not really caring about her appearance outside of practicality (she basically just preens enough that she's not sick or dirty), not having the time, and severe trust issues. Got markedly worse when Hadir betrayed her, as previously they used to preen each other as a sibling bonding thing. Has suspiciously better maintained wings after Alex joins up. He is allopreening her you know he is social bonding with the Commander on the DL.

---

So many thanks to @quillusquillus for enabling me and throwing out the faralex one. It's important to have a friend who's really into birds and fish and dolphins and things so he can enable you when you go "hey wouldn't be funny if I did CoD wingfic stuff and Alex had bald eagle wings? American, am I right?" with "oh there's actually a species of american vulture known heavily for forming bonds outside of it's species, specifically with birds of prey. Just, you know. Food for thought." OH IS THERE??? AND THE BIRD IT COMMONLY ALLOPREENS HAS LOVELY STRIPES ON IT'S FEATHERS YOU SAY????

Sources for my headcanons shut up I googled things ok.

wikipedia (for each bird I read the wiki... ok)

https://www.birdorable.com/blog/bird-term-allopreening

https://www.birdful.org/what-is-the-difference-between-preening-and-allopreening/

https://www.thescottishcountryman.co.uk/blog-posts/harris-hawk-uk

https://www.audubon.org/news/the-silent-flight-owls-explained

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_for_Sorrow_(nursery_rhyme)

[lady-broppy-shipper-seriously]

Late Morning Pancakes (Trolls Fanfic)

Sooooo. Four years ago I wrote a thing and posted it on AO3, and I decided to finally have some shame and wrote the second chapter I promised. Here it is. Have at it, if you want.

Late Morning Pancakes

Branch comes slowly to himself feeling disorientated. He usually closed the blinds of his window and yet the light painted the room with its brightness, not to mention it was coming from the wrong direction.

He blinks slowly, tasting strawberry shampoo in his yawn and comes to the realization he isn’t in his room. His room didn’t have pink walls nor his bed has teal covers, and yet the room is as familiar as a room can get. He has spent a lot of afternoons sitting on the pink carpet doing homework or in front of the television playing video games with his best friend. Speaking of which… he looks down and… oh.

Poppy is in his arms.

Poppy Queen, the girl he was head over heels with since he could remember, is sleeping soundly in his arms, her own around his middle, her puffy deep breaths tickling his neck. He scoots back to see her better, trying to grasp his mind to the fact that he wasn’t dreaming a few hours ago when he followed her upstairs after he let her in her own house after she locked herself out. She makes a tiny, cute sound of complaint when she feels him move away and tightens her hold, inching closer. She takes a deep breath of his chest and sighs contently, going back to sleep.

Branch lays there, frozen in place.

“Um, P-poppy?”

She mumbles something sleepily, then snuggles even closer still and falls into a deep slumber. Which is fine. Totally fine. Peachy. The good news is that if his voice and movement didn’t wake her, it’s highly improbable that his thunderous beating heart will. The bad news is that said heart could start failing any moment now.

Mr. Dinkles, unlike Poppy, decides that they are being too noisy for his liking and jumps off the bed from his spot against Poppy’s back. He stretches and then jogs out of the room slipping through the crack of the door.

Branch takes a deep breath and wonders what time it is. The sun had already risen but it could be anywhere between seven to ten a.m. Good thing his grandma was a night owl and slept in all mornings.

He looks down at Poppy again. Her hair smells recently washed but her cheeks and eyelids still have some lost sparkles that escaped her bath last night. The tiniest of smiles curl her lips upward and he feels his chest tighten. He loves her so much.

Poppy has been his friend since forever, and for the most part of his life, she was his only friend. Nobody could blame him for falling for her smile that never failed to reach her eyes when she whispered a joke for only him to hear, or that little sound she made every time she laughed. He loved her glittery clothes, school supplies and make-up, because when he changed into his pajamas every night, he could find the sparkles in his clothes too, a living proof that she existed inside his personal space. He loved that she was always humming or straight-up singing. She had a song for every occasion, popular or invented. Other times she would change the lyrics just to fit her situation better and he had to hide his smile.

He loved her but hated that she was just so perfect. Perfect for him, at least.

He liked to think that they complimented each other. She was the yin to his yang. She was loud and cheerful while he was quiet and reserved. She was bright and colorful and he was somber and colorless, if his mostly gray and black wardrobe had anything to say about his personality.

If they were a movie, they would just have been made for each other, but…

There is always a but. Sometimes they’re too different to be good for each other. Yet, he hopes that somehow, someday… they can have a chance.

Poppy mumbles something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like his name and he caresses her cheek. He takes the opportunity to bask in her beautiful face without her noticing and settles back on the bed, falling like a puzzle piece against her frame. He squeezes her while he can and her forehead press softly to his neck. He could die a happy boy right then and there.

He lays on her bed daydreaming about her, gently playing with her hair for long minutes and never getting bored until her eyelashes flutter and her pretty eyes meet his own and his heart skips a beat.

“Branch?” She whispers sleepily, certain that the sight of his face framed with her comforter and his messy hair is one she can get used to seeing first thing when she wakes up in the mornings pretty quickly. “Morning,” she says, lips stretching into a dopey grin.

“Uh, um… Morning, Poppy” he mumbles, cheeks turning pink. Did she catch him staring at her sleeping face? Was he being creepy?

Poppy’s smile grows.

“Slept well?” she asks.

“Yeah, yeah. Well.”

She moves her foot and it lifts his pant leg, letting him feel her toes on his calf, bringing his attention to their legs, which are very much intertwined. He gets distracted by her teeth biting her lower lip, eyes awake and sparkling with mischief.

“I promised you pancakes, are you in the mood for some?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He’s not used to talking to her freckles this close. No one can blame him for not being able to concentrate.

“Okay,” she giggles and proceeds to stay very much in the same position. “Branch?”

“Hm?”

“You’re gonna have to let me go if you want breakfast” she chuckles. Of course, she could have detangled herself from him but where’s the fun in that? The more she can have him blushing and on his toes before she pounces, the better.

“Oh! Right, sorry!” He stammers and drops his hands from her like she burned him. She can’t have that, so she leans forward and steals a kiss from the corner of his lips. He gasps.

“Oh, sorry. I missed” she says, voice light and playful. She shots him a wink, despite the stuttering of her own heart and the increasing pinkness of her cheeks. She plants an elbow on the mattress and leans over him, flushing their chests together and proceeds to kiss the other side of his mouth.

He looks at her with wild, confused eyes, mouth still tingly and parted with surprise.

“Damn, I should still be ever so sleepy. I can’t seem to concentrate and my aim is all wrong. Would you care to help me out, Branch?”

“Uh, uh… I, uh…”

She giggles. His cheeks are as flushed as hers, but his eyes are shiny in a way that she can only hope is something akin to excitement.

“Or, would you like for me to give it another shot?” Her voice sounds soft and shy in a way that she doesn’t recognize, but also eager and trusting, the same way she always feels around him. Her smile widens when he nods.

She then finally leans in and touches her lips to his firmly, relishing on the feeling of having them outlining his mouth. She spent so many nights wondering about their texture, or how warm they’d be, so she finds herself parting for a few seconds just to prove another angle, to fill the other side of his mouth, coming back for another and another, always telling herself it’s the last one before she searches for a reaction on his eyes, but then his fingertips brush her scalp and she sighs and his mouth chases it and it’s the best experience of her life.

When she finally looks into his eyes, they are the loveliest shade of blue. She’s sure her own have a glaze to them, but she can’t find it in her to care. He’s looking at her like she’s some kind of mystic, magic creature who just granted him a blessing. He’s looking at her how he always does. She realizes she’s smiling when her lips try to smile wider and she can’t.

“I love you, Poppy,” he says, voice soft in the quiet of the room.

She initiated their first kiss, so she guesses it’s fair he gets to say the first ‘I love you’.

“I love you too, Branch,” she says shyly and flirty at the same time.

They don’t need to say anything else, their hearts know each other. Branch smiles too and Poppy thinks the pancakes can wait 'till late morning to be eaten.

[angelspigeon]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Words: 4 323

/ ! \ The fic uses slasher themes, horror and blood

Also, it’s a kindish canon divergent where Isa and Lea never become Ansem’s apprentice and they are around 18 years old here

Link to AO3 : |  °|

If you listened to anyone, especially Ansem the Wise, Radiant Garden was the most beautiful World in the whole sea of Worlds. And this World got the chance to know there was others Worlds to explore, got the chance to know they really could compete against others. How many Worlds could brag about such fantastic fountains, about flowers shining around and sparkling as a rainbow? Their petals swirling in the soft breeze to land on people and warn them from the inside?

No others Worlds.

Especially because well… Worlds couldn’t brag.

But Ansem the Wise could.

And he was saying it: no others Worlds could pretend against his. To the joy of the citizens, of the drawings made in the pavements, in the fields of flowers in different shapes and colors.

Everything was beautiful. Everybody agreed on how fantastic, beautiful and joyful this World was.

So why…Isa was just lying in his bed, having a hard time to fall asleep, like every night, because… there were those sounds coming from the ground…

Not in his cellar, never his family would allow pest to live in their house or boiler being noisy!

No, this sound was coming deeper.

Every night, creeping through the pipe, there were those sounds… as if something was crawling there and waiting to eat him alive.

Or maybe worst?

When he was just a child, it was really hard to fall asleep and he would curl in his bed and cry in silence. But now.

Now, he just didn’t know.

He was just lying.

His family was really wealthy and his parents got the very big honor to live at only a few paces from Ansem the Wise’s castle, on the other side of the moats, and… every night, there were screams. Lamentations. Sound no Humans could possibly make. The kind of shout, if they really came from Humans, just gave you so envy to actually end their lives…

Lamentations from the side of the house, grating noise from the depth of the World…

How could you sleep?

Not that his parents seemed to struggle with that.

A lamentation was worse than others, making him jump in his bed. He sat and approached the window, his hands twitching.

His parents were really strict and always told him not to play outside, not to play at all, not to act bad, show impoliteness and so many others things. From there, it comes that, whatever they were saying, he would listen to it.  At some point he even was listening to the most stupid commands from him. And one of them was to never ever looking outside at Night and certainly not go outside.

One of the worst thing for him because, one day, Lea showed him what Moon was and he became obsessed with it. He loved the form, the message it could hold. He loved the colors and the fact it was remaining when the Sun did though everybody said it was the Sun who made it shine. The Moon was so powerful and tender at once for him. More than trying to know why there was so many weird sounds every night, Isa craved to see this Moon for real.

He just wanted to see it for real.

And he wanted to know why Radiant Garden was so beautiful in appearance but so awful as sound as the joy and the beauty of the flowers were forced to disappear.

Why this night was more horrible than others?

So many questions.

He needed to know.

Isa knew it was forbidden but his parents forbidden him to do everything. They wanted a perfect doll puppet and if they could have, they would have asked him to stop breathing. If he could have done that, he would have…

Just once, he didn’t want to listen to them.

And this command seemed to be a non-sense anyway…

Isa opened the curtains and looked outside, his eyes sought for the Moon he wanted to see more than anything and…

He let out a scream.

A scream that stretched the night and lost in the cold breeze…

  The veil of Night was laid on the World since a few hours when Lea slid in his sister’s room. She was asleep, having a day off today. Or more likely a night off tonight. Though it would be see as dangerous and reckless, she was sleeping without even twitching as he moved around her. That kind of sleep was bad for them.

Interesting for him, though.

He came outside of her room, closing the door. As he put on the fishnets of his sister, he knew his mother would have been upset seeing him doing that. Not at all because it belonged to his sister, though. He hesitated but, gathering his courage, he moved to the ‘living’ room. Where they had no sofa but just fluffy covers where they could sit on, and a big chimney surrounded by logs. He wasn’t totally reckless and looked the whole installation meaning to save them from cold days. The three rooms stopped to be used as soon as the winter came because they all preferred to come here, next to the fire and be together to keep each other warm…

Lea grabbed wood and then moved outside of the room ad right toward the door to leave home. And hoped coming back. He pushed his feet in the tiny boots with high heels as soon as he was outside of the house. Here, the sound reverberating in the street was less annoying.

It wasn’t like you weren’t already surrounded by moan and complaints.

Lea walked up to the street, not paying attention to the little covers in mass all along the destroyed sidewalks… He knew what it was.

Because of them, he didn’t want to step outside of the path formed by the road.

It was better to walk on it, and already difficult enough to avoid the hole there. Especially because the Moon was hidden under the clouds. He didn’t thank it at all.

Grunts and moans came around Lea, surrounding him as a creepy chorale.

You could even heard owls and other creatures loving to be outside the night. Even cats were using this time to slid in and search what food remains in front of the houses. Not talking about rats and mice who wouldn’t hesitate to feed themselves on the tiny mass if they hadn’t other choice.

Lea kept walking up the street and then, he moved on the other side.

He walked that path so often in the daytime, his feet were just reproducing what they did so often.

More he moved up, more he saw little mass of covers. All in the depths of that World, they were the people too poor to have a roof on their head, hence why their houses was always exposed to the rain and the wind, and more you were going up, more they have money. Not enough to pretend having a pleasant live but at least the garbage they put outside was a little bit more appealing. When those little stack of covers didn’t try to just steal what they could never have by their own.

Lea tried to chase those thoughts and kept pursuing his quest. More he came upper, more he had to avoid the little balls of covers. Now, they weren’t even on the sidewalks but also on the road and he had to move between them. His heart was racing.

In the day, they weren’t there and leaving his Hell wasn’t a problem but here… Here, he felt shivers along his spine.

If this continued that way, he would have to pass above them and he was mortified at this mere idea…

He was on his very tip toe, not wanting his heels to awake them.

Something grabbed his ankle.

He let out a scream of fear.

“Come here!” one of the little mass of cover said.

As said covers were pushed out, a face with beautiful blue eyes hit Lea. The fingers with long nails were digging in his ankle. And he saw the man taking a little knife.

“It won’t hurt you,” he whispered with a smile.

His tiny blade approached Lea’s leg as much as the teeth, the man showing impatience to be feed. At last.

Blood splattered.

A scream echoed in the street, making move all the little amount of covers. Not only the scream had reverberated against the slum but a powerful smell of blood soaked the air now. And it was as if a shoal of piranha suddenly awakened.

“You… You want to eat?”

Lea’s hands were closed along the long stick of an axe shining with blood. In the floor, the man, still his fingers around Lea’s ankle, was bleeding, the skull opened in half.

“You can eat now!” he let out, fear and anger lying in his shaking voice.

It didn’t fall on a deaf ears and all the covers started to move, revealing so many pale and thin bodies. They were all moving toward that fresh corpse.

But if there wasn’t enough for them all.

With just one corpse?

Lea shivered even more and receded, his hands shaking on the axe’s handle. He moved around the body and ran to flee from this horror, from the sound of the teeth entering in the flesh, of the blood streaming along the skin.

He ran.

He ran as fast as he could.

He ran until he stumble on his heels and fell on the floor with a big sound. Crying, yelling, he turned and moved his axe up.

To protect himself.

To save his life!

He gasped when he realized he was alone.

His Heart was racing like never and, sat on the floor, his thin black short grabbing the humidity around, he allowed himself to cry more. He had been so afraid!

He knew those kind of things could happen. They all needed to live and he had already tasted Human’s flesh when he hadn’t other way to survive. He wanted to believe none of his family had actually killed for having this meat but what if? He had killed. There were blood on his face and on his hands. There were blood on his legs and on his belly because he was wearing a tiny top. He wanted to whip it but knew he would only spread more and he didn’t dare to touch his skin.

Instead of that, he grabbed the long cape he was wearing and let the blood of that murder meet the red of the fabric…

He closed his eyes a few seconds, trying to order his thoughts.

Lea was still shivering when he got up. It was hard to walk but he still did it, moving toward the upper side of Radiant Garden. As he moved, still holding the axe to push back anyone who would like to taste his flesh, he thought again at his plan to cross the barrier.

During the day, he just used the different canals but here, the viaduct was discharging there and the dam were open.

Ansem the Wise knew what he was doing.

He knew the pest of his World would try to cross the place at the moment where it was the easier, with less guards in the streets. He wouldn’t allow that!

It was also the best moment to fill back his moat.

But this sound of streaming water couldn’t prevent the sound of the fear and the moans from the very inner part of Radiant Garden, the poor side where eat or be ate was a real law. It couldn’t prevent the sound of the flesh being eaten, of the bones being crushed, swirling and came to the World above.

They had the chance to live in Heaven but Hell would catch them back every night…

Lea kept walking until he arrived to the big gates where Guards always stand in front of it. He slid the axe in his back and grabbed the side of his hood to push it over his face. He took care as he was coming to them.

The sound of his heels on the floor made turn the guards’ head.

Lea looked down, making slide the hood over his head a bit more, though it was a bit difficult because of the spikes of his mane but though.

“Hi,” he said with a voice seeming softer than usually.

“Hello,” one replied. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m coming to work, Lea muttered.

“I never saw you?” the other guard said.

He walked toward Lea who couldn’t help but shiver. He was afraid he would turn up his face. If his tall and his forms could make him pass for a lady without any breast, at least if you looked quickly and get more interested by his outfit than his physic, it wasn’t the same for his face who would betray him faster.

“You know how this work?” the man asked.

“I give you half of my profit?” Lea replied in a low voice. He felt looks over him. “My sis’ told me so. I replace her.”

“I see,” the guard let out. “If you know, pass. And don’t try to fool us.”

Lea nodded slightly and bypassed the one in the left to go to the grid. One of them came to open him. His face still hidden, just his lips appearing, he threw them a smile. He passed through the invisible line separating the Poor Side from the Rich Side and heard the barrier close on him.

Too bad.

He couldn’t grab anymore his axe and see if killing was that horrible. He was still in shock from earlier but he had to save his life. And here… here, it was just out of hate because he knew his sister was losing most of what she earned here. She always said she would have preferred having the entire money and can do something for all of them but in the end, they kept struggling and they only seemed to have a decent life…

Without them.

If only there weren’t this grid between them…

If only…

He looked down to his hand, still stained with blood…

Maybe he should try.

“What are you waiting?” the guard asked.

“Uh… I… I walk up the stairs?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

He seemed annoyed. That didn’t disturb Lea. He was just disappointed against himself because he wasn’t able to do something. To protect his family.

But he just walked toward the stairs. They were in a tight spiral and as he looked up, he couldn’t see the end.

Lea knew about those stairs, obviously. But he didn’t know they were like that…

Now, he understood why his sister hated those stairs and always came back more exhausted. Hs way was less punishing at less.

He had no choice and started to walk the step one after one, keeping the rhythm.

Here, the smell of the death was hugging him and accompanying him in his journey. The Guards probably didn’t bother to take the stairs, or they weren’t even from the Rich Side as such, because it still had the horror. Most of the citizen of this sad Poor Side were weak and searched something else in the Rich Side. They fought every day to hope reach something else one day. They had no hope but maybe be able to be allowed up there. When they finally received the right to climb the stairs, they were already malnourished, tired, old sometimes and the steps were showing that.

Every now and then, he could see corpse more or less fresh.

The smell passed from ‘awful’ to ‘absolutely unbearable’. Lea had to force himself to look away and he almost had puck seeing a fresh corpse with strange colored part and maggots. He had to do his best to pursue which was so hard because breathing here was an horror. He kept coughing.

And he could hear the sound coming from the Poor Side itself, people moaning, fighting, begging Ansem as if he was a God who could save them from that.

He knew Ansem wasn’t a God. He knew what he held in the depth of his Castle. He knew why the Poor Side had screamed and moans reverberating. He knew why Isa always talked to him about those same things, coming from the Castle itself. The same reason that pushed him and Isa to go on the Castle so many time.

Ansem was a Monster.

Radiant Garden was so beautiful and everybody was happy to live in this World holding so many colorful and pretty flowers.

But this was just a lovely paint to hide the horror lurking in this World.

Lea glanced at the corpse on the last step. He closed his eyes and moved away. It was so sad…

He walked out of the tower, literal out of the bowels of Radiant Garden and the soft light of the Moon welcomed him, the clouds having moved away. As if the Moon itself was welcoming him.

He could only smile.

Isa was his Moon and so, being welcomed in such a way was important for him. As if Isa himself begged him to come.

Or maybe it was just him who thought about that because he wanted to see him more than anything?

He had to fight against the envy to go to see him.

The idea was him to go search after their friend in the Castle of Ansem the Wise, because Isa couldn’t… It was already hard to have him coming outside of the Castle in the daytime…

He had to focus. He had to go in the castle.

Though he doubted he would be allowed inside. However, he had to keep his sister’s clothes because they were his guardian for now.

Lea allowed himself again a few minutes to rest then he moved right toward the Castle.

Well… right toward the Castle but Isa didn’t live that far away from there. He could allow himself to give a quick check, isn’t it?

The idea in mind, Lea felt his mind slightly lighter. He didn’t know how he would have to explain the blood on his hands, the axe in his back and this outfit but he could use a hug from Isa, honestly.

And maybe they could just… run away?

They always said they wanted to.

Their friend had disappeared overnight and while they wanted to believe she was somewhere, Xehanort or Ansem should have the reply, they couldn’t find a way to find her back. All he saw today let him believe she was just dead and they have to pass on something else.

They could run away…

Radiant Garden was big enough anyway.

He would give anything he had to Isa. Well… it wasn’t much but as long as he’d be with Isa he was ready to have nothing. He was used to have anything. He could continue like that. He was more afraid for Isa…

The cold breeze was swirling around him, trying to wash him from the smell of the poverty and the horror, of the corpse, and the blood. But it couldn’t. It was a part of him and every time his heels hit the floor, he couldn’t help but think about his sister doing that so often, sometimes not coming back for days…

He shook his head, trying to push away the thoughts as he approached the house of Isa.

He knew he shouldn’t but he walked toward the garden gates and pushed it before looking up at his best friend’s window.

And he froze.

The windows were opened and the curtains flied in the soft breeze. The Moon beamed directly there to show him the real horror. The curtains didn’t just fly away… they were ripped off. And you could see pieces of glass everywhere in the flowers field just under the window.

Lea approached in horror and saw the earth turned over.

“Wh… what happened?” he muttered. “N… No. Isa? Isa you’re here?” he called.

No replies. But he hadn’t shouted. And maybe… he was just asleep.

It was that! Of course! Isa was just asleep.

With his window open that big.

And the curtains destroyed.

“ISAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!” he shouted.

He heard sound in the bushes.

His heart jumped in his chest. He wanted to dash to it, sure it was Isa but… but he had grown in a place where you have to take care. Obviously, he was taking care. He removed the axe from where he had put it in his back and approached the bush.

“Isa? Is that you?”

A groan replied him.

Nothing human.

An animal?

Maybe Isa was in his room and the one who had attacked him had brought an animal with him?

“I’m warning you, I’ve an axe!” he said as loud as possible.

To be heard by the guy, or the girl, wherever they were.

He was afraid.

He didn’t know what to do.

He couldn’t turn his back to… whatever was hidden there…

Another groan came from the bush and he saw piercing eyes through the leaves of the moving bush.

A beast.

“I’m not afraid!”

He jumped straight for the creatures. The axe should have touched the thing, the monster, whatever it was, but it has jumped on the side and just fur flew away in the breeze. Light blue fur. A big paw snatched him and threw him against the stone barrier around the garden of Isa’s family. The hood fell and the Moon beamed over his face.

Lea searched the axe on the floor, afraid.

In front of him, a big wolf. Bigger than any tales would tell. Bigger than he never met. It has big turquoise eyes.

“I… Isa?” he said.

The beast walked toward him, a growl still rolling in the bottom of his throat.

Lea sat, sure it was Isa. Every fear had vanished. He didn’t fear Isa. Even if he was growling at him. Even if he looked like a huge blue wolf. Because he wasn’t dead… and it was him.

He got up and approached him.

“What a deep voice you have,” he said with a joking tone.

Isa groaned, moving backward.

“Goodness, what big eyes you have,” Lea whispered. “And what a big mouth you have,” he added before kissing the long nose.

The big head rubbed against his and Lea smiled, hugging him back tenderly.

“It’s okay, Isa… I’m here.”

He pressed his head against his.

It was weird for him. But he knew it was him. He knew he was hugging Isa and this was the only thing he could think about…

  It was so cold.

The Night threatened to freeze the bones of the idiots who wouldn’t cover themselves correctly. Though Lea’s body was always warmer than others, he would have been one of those idiots if he hadn’t the fur of Isa on him. He had hugged him the whole night, still holding the axe if ever it was needed.

Not against Isa.

Against any people who would want to hurt Isa because they wouldn’t see more than a wolf.

He didn’t want Isa to be hurt.

He didn’t want Isa to have to hurt anyone and have to bear what he was bearing in his moment. He could make it disappear… He didn’t know how yet but he could. While for Isa… he didn’t want to take the risk. While his friend had truly lived sad things and was suffering from his life, probably as much as him, he was living in a cocoon and Lea wanted to keep it closed as much as possible.

He knew this would only be a splendid butterfly who would come outside of it but he preferred to wait as much as possible before seeing it. If that meant his best friend, the one he tenderly loved, would be protected.

Slowly, night gave place to the day. As the soft light of the Sun started to brush Isa, the fur disappeared, letting just appear a young man.

Lea blushed and quickly took out his hood to give it to Isa.

“You feel okay?” he asked.

“I feel… strange.” Isa frowned as he looked Lea. “Why are you like that?”

“Don’t question my outfit! You have none so you accept mine!”

Isa blushed even more than Lea and tugged the side of the hood to protect himself from his view. It was so embarrassing… How could he look him in face now?

He felt a kiss on his cheek.

“Not gonna lie, I was a bit afraid when I saw you but when I knew it was you… You are the cutest wolf I never saw! ‘Kay… that’s weird. You’re always cute though! You were so nice! What are you exactly?”

“I asked myself the same thing,” Isa sighed.

He bit his lower lips.

“Maybe a kind of werewolf?”

“Maybe? My parents never wanted me to look outside or to see the Moon. Remember?”

Lea nodded. “Say! What about using that at our advantage… I’ve an axe and you are a big scary wolf. Next Full Moon, you and I… we go in the castle and we deliver our friends!”

Isa looked down. The next time they saw her, it was a few months ago, just before she disappeared. They had thought about becoming apprentice of Ansem the Wise but they never tried because, two years before when they had tried, they have been pushed back…

He didn’t think it as a good idea.

“What about you and I, we just leave?” he asked to Lea. “I don’t think she I still there, the only way is to just run away. Find her Everywhere. Anywhere.”

“You’re right,” Lea replied. “Now?”

“When?” he muttered.

“Now!” Lea smiled. “Well… after we change our outfit maybe!” he added with a laugh.

[barpurplewrites]

Of Midnight Deals

Belle frowned at the hole in the orange flesh. This was the third morning she come out to check on the garden and found that something had been chewing at pumpkins. She was used to dealing with all manner of garden pests, but to be able to save the pumpkins from nightly nibbling she needed to know what she was dealing with.

“It doesn’t look like slugs or snails. The cats do a great job of keeping the mice away.”

To be honest the only other plant getting attacked by anything was the cabbages. The slugs and snails were on a mission to leave her with nothing but stumps this year. She peered at the edges of the hole again. If that was made by a mouse it had the oddest teeth Belle had ever seen. The jagged triangles around the edge of the hole suggested very pointy teeth indeed.

“How bizarre.”

Now she looked more closely she was almost sure that this was a single bite, rather than a hole made by gnawing. The pumpkins weren’t large at this point, but what was big enough to do this?

She stood up and angrily brushed at the knees of her skirt. If this was one of Gaston’s ‘jokes’ she was going to be very angry. She had no clue as to why he’d think this was funny, but she’d long since given up trying to understand why he did anything in his quest to gain her attention. She didn’t know how he was doing this she was going to catch him out.

“Looks like I’m camping out tonight.”

 It didn’t take long for her to set up a hide. Papa was helpful, if a little confused as to her reason for building it. He did make sure she had her thick cloak and the cup that would keep tea warm for hours. She still had to come up with a name for this invention. That would give her something to think about while she waited.

The crescent moon was just peeking above the cottage and Belle was considering nipping back inside for a fresh cuppa. So far, a hedgehog had snorted and snuffled through the garden and made a crunchy snack of some of the snails around the cabbages. Belle had never realised how noisy a hedgehog could be when it was eating. It was not something she was in a hurry to hear again.

A family of foxes had used the pumpkin patch as a playground for a while. They had been fun to watch as they bounced over the growing gourds, but none of them had taken a nibble. After the foxes left a badger had ambled by and been rather put out that her hide was on its usual path. A few firm words had encouraged the grumpy creature to walk around. It had grumbled off it to the town and she was sure it had been responsible for the rattling crash that happened not long afterwards. The baker would be complaining about someone knocking over his trays come the morning.

Just as she’d decided that another cup of tea was in order she heard a strange whispery flapping. She froze in a crouch and peered into the dark. Whatever that was it was larger than the bats that flittered around chasing moths.

“Where are you?” she muttered under her breath and clapped her hand over her mouth when a shadow the length of her forearm alighted on the largest pumpkin. She couldn’t make it out clearly in the low light, but she was reluctant to turn up the lantern in case she frightened it away.

She edged forward, and something crunched under her foot. Belle hoped she hadn’t stepped on a snail. The shadow twisted around with a leathery flapping sound. Two glowing amber eyes fixed on her.

“May as well come out, dearie. I can see you.”

Belle considered her situation for an instant. There was no reason to stay concealed, and she didn’t feel threatened. The voice was high pitched and sing-song, but not scary. The only thing Belle knew of that was small but spoke like a human was…

“You’re a fairy.”

She took the cover of her lantern and smile to herself when the light revealed that she was correct. Although the creature standing atop her pumpkin was nothing like the butterfly like fairies she was used to seeing. His wings were closer to those of a bat and folded around him like a cloak when they were still. His hair was a riot of frizzy curls and was so close in shade to the furry pelts of his clothing that she wondered if they were clothes at all. He pulled himself up to his full height, all eight inches of it, and glared at her.

“I am no fairy. I am an imp.”

The haughty offended tone made Belle’s lips quirk, but she offered him a rather formal curtsy.

“My apologies Sir Imp, I meant no offence.”

The Imp twirled his hand at her and sniffed; “You are forgiven. I can’t expect a simple country lass to know of one such as I.”

Belle raised her eyebrows but held her tongue. She did know of Imps and knew enough to be careful while dealing with them. They were tricky and loved twisting words to tangle mortals into deals and situations they couldn’t hope to understand. She edged closer to get a better look at him. He flicked his wings and preened under her attention, even giving her a wide grin that revealed a mouthful of sharp pointed teeth.

Belle jabbed a finger at him; “You’re the one who’s been stealing bites of my pumpkins!”

A hand flew to his chest and he gasped like an offended matron; “I have most certainly not been stealing, dearie! I have been taking payment for my services.”

“What services?”

“I have been keeping creepy crawlies away from your crops. Or is the air so thin at your ridiculous height that you’ve failed to notice?”

Belle snorted at the jibe at her stature, it hadn’t occurred to her that she towered over the Imp. She’d never been taller than anyone and wasn’t sure how to respond, instead she focused on something else.

“You’ve not been doing a very good job. The cabbages are crawling with slugs and snails.”

The Imp’s wings gave an anxious flap; “Can’t abide cabbage. Horrible stuff.”

There was a tense moment of silence broken only by the hoot of a passing owl. Belle and the Imp cracked at the same time and the night echoed with their giggles. Once they had calmed themselves the Imp gave the pumpkin he was standing on a thoughtful look.

“It would be a shame if I were to remove my protection and these fine vegetables fell foul to pests.”

Belle tilted her head; “Are you suggesting we negotiate a deal?”

Him made a flamboyant gesture with his hands; “If you find our current deal unsatisfactory, dearie…”

“Ah aha,” - Belle interrupted him, - “We have no deal. You took it up on yourself to protect the garden. I agreed nothing with you.”

The Imp opened his mouth to argue than promptly snapped it shut. His wings flapped with annoyance then he smiled; “Well aren’t you a clever one? Very well, let us make a deal.”

A shiver ran down Belle’s back and she hugged her cloak tighter against the sudden nip in the air. A cup of tea struck her as a wonderful idea, but she knew better than to offer to share food or drink with a member of the Fae.

“Right, what is it you want exactly?”

The Imp giggled; “I want many things, dearie, but from you I want pumpkin.”

It took until dawn for them to hammer out the details. The deal was much as it had been; the Imp would protect her crops in return for the pick of the pumpkins. He’d readily agreed not take nibbles from them until they were ripe, but it had been a struggle to get him to include the cabbages in his protection. In the end Belle had offered to make him some jam tarts. Thankfully her books had been correct in stating that Imps had a sweet tooth.

She smothered a yawn as she read through the contract the Imp had produced. Everything was in order, so she signed her name at the bottom and handed it back to him, so he could do the same.

Both parchment and quill shrank as he touched them making them suitable for his use in the same way they had grown for her. He smoothed the contract out on the pumpkin and hunched over so she couldn’t see his signature. When he caught her curious glance, he shrugged; “Names are powerful things, dearie, can’t be to careful who you give them to.”

She’d handed her name to him without a thought. Since she couldn’t take it back she decided not to worry about the implications or consequences for now.

“What may I call you?”

He tapped his fingers together for a moment before saying; “Rum, you dearie may call me Rum.”

“Thank you, Rum. I’d rather you called me Belle than dearie.”

The word itself was not so bad, but sometimes the tone he employed sounded condescending. She couldn’t tell if that was a reflection of his mood, or if it was simply the normal inflection he gave the word.

“Belle? Yes, I suppose it does have a nice ring to it.”

She laughed at his pun. Over the course of the night she’d discovered he had a dry sense of humour not to dissimilar to her own. Another yawn cut through her laughter.

Rum clapped his hands; “To bed with you. Far too late for little women to be up and about.”

“I think it’s far too early.”

There was no bite to her words, she was to tired, it took all of her concentration not to sway on her feet once she stood up; “I’ll bid you good night Rum. Will I see you again?”

He shooed her towards the cottage; “Perhaps, probably, very likely.”

Belle paused at the window and watched as Rum flittered among the rows of vegetables. She’d not expected to make a deal with an Imp when she had set to guard the garden last night. How was she going to explain this to Papa? With a sigh she decided that could wait until she’d had some sleep.

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @stillscape work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

All my Riverdale fics are here, on Ao3.

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m on the far side of 30 and I’ve had the same tumblr avatar since 2011. I gave up trying to pretend to be cool in my junior year of college, when I got drunk at a party and spent the rest of the evening yelling at people in iambic pentameter.

3. What do you never leave home without?

Just the usual boring stuff--wallet, keys, phone.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Kind of both, actually? Which is a problem, because I don’t do well on minimal sleep.

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

I suppose Harry Potter, but only because I can’t think of a better answer.

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?

Anthony Hopkins?

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

Oh my god, so many. TV: Parks and Rec, obviously. Recently: GLOW, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, GoT, Better Call Saul, Fargo, BoJack Horseman...I watch a lot of TV.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

I don’t keep up, honestly. My iPod is perpetually full of late ‘60s/early ‘70s rock.

9. Favorite Books?

AS Byatt, Persuasion; Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; Margaret Atwood, Atlas Grace; Hanya Yanagahira, The People in the Trees; this list could go on for pages and pages so I’ll wind it down with my favorites from the Classics Shelf, Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina

10. Favorite Food?

The one thing I’ll almost never turn down is sharp white Cheddar cheese, so we’ll go with that.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

Noisy eaters.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I wanted to be either Pablo Picasso or an astronaut. Neither of those quite worked out.

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I don’t think I have any strange fears. I’m averse to very large spiders and creepy deep sea creatures, but I’m not exactly afraid of either. I would just prefer to not look at them or be near them.

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one thing you’d regret not doing?

I do hope I’ve published a book by the time I die.

Okay… let’s talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

I haven’t written all that many, but I’ll say all the roads we have to walk.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Same answer. It’s really the only one that has a (long) plot, though.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for your fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

They usually just arrive in my brain. all the roads came from my desire to read a fic of Jughead also being at Betty’s internship, and I couldn’t find one, so I started writing it--but before I got to the starting point of that one, I wanted a detailed prequel that I couldn’t find, so I wrote that too.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I’ve been able to make most of my ideas work eventually. It just takes time and effort.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Hmm. There are a few moments I wish I’d written a little differently, but more in the sense that I didn’t choose the right words. I’m sticking by all the plot points I’ve written.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

For Riverdale, I think it’s the New Year’s Eve video call at the end of chapter 3 of for the life of me.

21.Favorite character to write?

All-time, it’s probably Ben Wyatt. But for this fandom, I enjoy Betty and Jughead equally. I feel like my favorite other character to write is Veronica, but I’ve barely written any Veronica--so Cheryl, maybe? Jughead’s mom has been a fun exercise, but since we haven’t actually seen her on the show, she feels almost like an OC to me.

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

This is my favorite passage, I think, which is from Chapter 4 of for the life of me:

One day towards the end of January, as they stand up to leave the cafeteria after lunch, Betty Cooper fixes her eyes on him, squints, and tilts her head.

“Mustard?” he asks. He resists swiping at his face only because he’s holding a plastic tray of flabbergasting detritus.

(He hasn’t eaten anything with mustard on it.)

“No.”

“Then what?”

(Ketchup, crumbs, giant hole in his shirt, he’s bleeding profusely from an unknown orifice, he’s developed a second head?)

“I think you got taller,” she says, thoughtfully.

Huh.

“What, like since we sat down?”

Betty makes the noise he’s noticed her making a lot lately. It’s a little laugh that’s somewhere between a snort and a chuckle but is definitely neither one of those things, and he cannot figure out a single word to describe it.

“See you in English, Jug.”

She’s right, he realizes later. He’s only about two inches shorter than Archie now, instead of four.

And that’s all it is in the end. He’s not a black hole collapsing in on himself while consuming every object within his gravitational pull. He’s just having one cosmic-joke-level inconveniently timed growth spurt.

(Which Betty Cooper noticed before he did.)

But my favorite single line is this, from Kevin trying to convince Betty to buy a more adventurous wardrobe: “Fine.” He throws up his hands. “Be that way. Keep dressing like a permanent tribute to the 2012 J. Crew Easter collection.”

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

I always appreciate when people say something I’ve written has personally resonated with them, or given them all the feels, that kind of thing. I also love when someone points out a subtle detail that I wasn’t sure anyone was going to notice, since I generally try to live by the show-don’t-tell rule of storytelling. Or “I just found this and stayed up all night to binge the whole thing.”

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I don’t know that I’ve ever really gotten any. Sometimes I’ll get a comment and I can’t tell whether the author actually liked what I wrote, to which I usually just thank them for reading.

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

Listen, literally every time I read anything over, I find at least three sentences I could have written better.

26. What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

Well, this is going to make me sound like a crazy person, but I once wrote a fairly epic one-shot RPF of the Parks and Rec fandom pulling off a jewel heist. It had about 30 people/characters (because Andy Dwyer and a few characters from VEEP also showed up), and it was completely insane, and I don’t think I’ll ever hit that level of magic again.

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

General fiction: I just started Octavia Butler’s Seed novels. Fan fiction: I’m living for @lessoleilscouchants’ (my youth ain’t) tangled up in bad decisions, @onceuponamirror’s Heart Rise Above, @christah88’s Don’t Drink the (Maple) Water, and @cooperjones2020 Second City (as of this writing, I’m behind on reviewing those last three! I promise I will once I finish my chapter draft!)

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

Just do it! But before you do it, do your very very best to have your spelling, grammar, and formatting tip-top, because getting those things wrong are often turnoffs for readers.

If you’re nervous about posting or getting constructive criticism, ask someone to beta for you. Most writers, me included, are honored to be asked to beta and will do it when we have the time.

Be involved in the fandom. Leave comments on other people’s stories. Leave friendly messages in other people’s tumblr inboxes! Write meta commentary for scenes or characters and post that.

[acrispyapple]

50 more interesting questions

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes!

Tagged by @incorrectmidc i had this open for days and i answered a few questions per night lol @o0w0o and @deathbymidnightcinderella  <3

1. What kind of food can’t you stand? spicy stuff and umm food loaded with exotic spices / herbs

2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick? my mouse ending up double clicking after a year or so

3. Have you got any useless talents? i have way too much trivia and animal facts. plus random skills with no practical use. oh and playing the piano is also a useless talent for me since i don’t really “use” it

4. If you were really really good at one thing, what would it be? my answer isn’t an “if” thing lol. i have a really good memory. it really helps with mostly anything i do + it makes studying easier. but sometimes people think it’s creepy that i remember little things about them, they think i keep notes about them or something lol-- but i really do just remember.

5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking - umm neil caffrey (matt bomer) from white collar, nick burkhardt (david giuntoli) from grimm, daniel shaw (brandon routh) from chuck -- i seem to have a type haha. omg i forgot jo in-sung. i’ve always thought he was handsome! 

6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid? i was a pretty boring kid. i just read books, watched cartoons, and organized things. as a kid i’d look at my toys but never really play with them because i liked seeing them all set up nicely. i just kept collecting stuff i liked. the most i’d do that’s remotely active was play with my dogs

7. What is something you’re proud of? i do well academically and i learn fast. and somehow i’m proud of how i’ve remained the same over the years.

8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate? i don’t know if this is considered a character flaw but i really dislike poor manners haha. it drives me crazy when people open their mouth while chewing or if it’s too noisy. i die a bit inside. besides table manners and manners in general, i dislike people who are rowdy during inappropriate times.

9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower? both but to avoid stress sometimes i just want to follow. i’m a bit of a perfectionist / rule follower so i get frustrated a lot. i know not everyone is like a machine but it’s hard with my ocd lol. and no this isn’t just me saying ocd like most people when referring to certain things, i actually do have it and i have medication for it

10. What kind of student are/were you? normal i guess. i got along well with people, i didn’t fail anything, and i never rebelled or did anything wild. it was uneventful lol. i’m still technically a student now, but i see it more as an adult thing.

11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life? i’m sure everyone has one

12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion well it’s not a fear per se, but i have an aversion to most asian food, sorta? the smell sets me off especially if it has a bunch of spices or herbs in it. my nose is just sensitive and i get affected easily by strong scents. but i’m fine with japanese food, maybe some korean and chinese stuff. for fears, iono, i don’t think it’s irrational to be afraid of spiders and big cockroaches ><

13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable? a bunch haha but it’s mostly people associating them with me first. i’m not tsundere..... how dare they

14. If you drink, what kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties? i don’t think i’ve ever gotten drunk the way people imagine people getting drunk to be like. i remain the same except i get a headache. i don’t really change at all. and in parties i guess i just stay close to my friends. stranger danger lmao

15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone? umm no i do not. i mean i can trust them fine but i don’t think i can believe their feelings until they can prove it isn’t just a short time attraction. i’m in for long term stuff so i don’t really wanna waste time if it’s not headed there. but yeah currently in a long term relationship

16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends? having fewer friends makes it easier for me to update all of them without getting tired of repeating the same story over and over haha

17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak? always organized and no one’s allowed to touch my things haha

18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy i’ve always wanted a seating area near a huge window with a good view, bunch of pillows, earphones + music

19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday? nah i don’t think i can handle it. i’d probably go insane trying to control them and making them become my idea of what a person should be like

20. What was your favorite book as a child? the chronicles of narnia, still love it to this day because it’s really written well

21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES A FIDGET SPINNER DO -- yeah i’m sorry, i think it’s stupid

22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated i should have an answer for this but i totally forgot lol

23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose? since im in the midcin fandom i’ll just say byron

24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday? visit all the haunted places i’ve ever read about, and prolly explore old ruins. i was way into archaeological finds etc way back

25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat? i try to say it in the most courteous way possible. i can’t keep it to myself because it would bother me and my mind would just dwell on it forever but i also don’t like offending people haha

26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in? sTiCkY cApS in chat (but i stopped after a month okay, and i was 12)

27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for? typing in sTiCkY CaPs. kill 12 year old me pls

28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable? being kind and yet still firm when needed even when it comes to friends. i really admire people who don’t just blindly agree with their peers

29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.) people give me stuff with owls, bears, hedgehogs, or stars because i love them. i also love stationery and pens. i like getting different colors and i never use them. i just keep them forever haha

30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones? i know a bit of stuff from other languages but not enough to be proud of it. i don’t want to be a poser and claim yeaaaahh i speak this and that lol

31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside? city please. i hate the quiet countryside. it’s like if someone comes to kill you and there’s no one around and you’d be all “this is why i should’ve been in the city with people everywhere”

32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving? byron wagner from midcin. when i first started and i saw him i was all, ehh eyepatch dude. so edgy. lmao. i even purposely skipped him during certain events and i regret that now.

33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else? i don’t want to be the center of attention, i’d feel awkward

34. Favorite holiday? the usual, christmas and new years eve... but i miss having an actual christmas where it isn’t summer...

35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously? i always have a plan lol

36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.) hmm, i can watch something over and over with no problem. all good

37. What hobbies do you have? reading (but it’s mostly fantasy and sci-fi), watching crap, annoying my dogs, playing video games, making stories in my head. I WISH I COULD WRITE AND DO IMAGERY WELL. oh well

38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have? the ability to moisturize instantly, one click. that’ll save me time daily

39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you that i like video games and anime lol. and that i’m happy to talk to them T_T

40. Something that took you way too long to figure out i still don’t know how to knife. how to knife~ i mean how to slice things or chop things or do anything in the kitchen

41. Worst injury you’ve had? is it considered an injury when you’ve had to get 4 major surgeries in a year? i mean i guess tending to / waiting for the surgery scars to get better can be considered an injury since it took a while and it was sorta a pain

42. Any morbid fascinations? umm, i can’t think of one

43. Describe your sense of humor i don’t really know lol. i make a lot of jokes and sometimes it breaks the mood for people lol

44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose? i really like princess stuff but the real medieval stuff would be dirty people who don’t take baths and really horrible stuff so maybe just the fantasy version of that + high speed internet

45. Something you are irredeemably bad at not rambling when i really like something. to the people who’ve ever had to listen to me whenever i got excited about something-- i’m sorry

46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through going to a nature retreat thing 3 months ago or something. i had no internet and it made me cry inside but i guess it was fine

47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.) i don’t really want tattoos in general so i guess the ugly one.

48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? optimist

49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you? something that isn’t physical or shallow. i’d be really happy if people noticed my achievements or if they liked something about my personality-- or if they found me funny lol

50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you that i’m not nice lol because i keep to myself unless spoken to irl + that unimpressed scowl i always have. it’s like my default facial expression!

not forcing anyone to do it since it’s very long, just tagging for the sake of tagging! and i think most of the people i know have already been tagged? i’ve seen this tagged post done by most of them lol

@ashnable @nimmywik @captiveotomeprincess @otometrashcan  @princessdiarymdc @arimii @madamemalfoy21 @kinkymint @oh-my-otome