#maybe? but it was also not a yurt.

[postmodern-ghost]

“Is that one of those yuri tents?”

…yah, sure, grandma.

[gallavich-gunk]

List of time fiona cries in Shameless(US):

Season 1 episode 8 "its time to kill the turtle" fiona is forced to work at a sports bar where she is objectified

Season 1 episode 9 "but at last came a knock" fiona is confronted with the first return of Monica and makes the point she was left to mother her children when she needed a mother herself

Season 2 episode 4 "a beautiful mess" goes to toilet after Craig heissener and wife come to the Gallaghers, not fully clear why she cries maybe as she's sad she let Debbie down with her party or she feels bad about sleeping with a married man

Season 2 episode 10 "a great cause"

She was relying on Monica to help with the family while she got her GED and started doing things for herself but realising after Monica crashed a car and stole the squirrel fund this wasn't going to work

Season 2 episode 12 "fiona interrupted" the fallout of Monica trying to kill herself

Season 3 episode 5 "the sins of my caretaker" Jimmy and fiona got into a fight because Jimmy got so upset his dad was gay and kept complaining while fiona had to dig up a body and then Jimmy left

Season 3 episode 6 "cascading failures"

The kids have been taken by dcfs

Season 3 episode 12 "survival of the fittest" Steve has left her and she just had to tell Frank he was dying because of alcohol and needs to keep himself alive for his kids

Season 4 episode 5 "there's the rub"

Fiona was just arrested after Liam got into her coke

Season 4 episode 6 "iron city"

Fiona is checked in at prison and again when on phone to lip about how Liam was harmed in the overdose

Season 4 episode 8 "hope springs paternal" everyone has left fiona alone in the house as she pissed everyone off especially lip who blames her for what happened to liam

Season 4 episode 9 "legend of bonnie and carl" fiona struggles to get a job and after being rejected by the cuppers goes and blames that dickhead brother guy

Season 4 episode 10 "Liver I hardly know her" fiona got stuck in sheboiagain and feels bad for fucking things up

Season 5 episode 6 "crazy love" had a long run of no tears but then Jimmy Steve returns and she cheats on husband gus with him

Season 6 episode 3 "the F word" fiona cries several times due to hormones but also dealing with a lot of family drama, dealing with the fallout of her marriage and navigating shawn having come off the wagon

Season 6 episode 9 "a yurt of ones own" after Shawn's son finds Carl's gun and he potentially loses custody he blames it on fiona and they temporarily break up

Season 6 episode 12 "familia supra gallegorious omnia!" Frank reveals shawn is still using heroine at fiona and Shawn's wedding and then shawn walks out on her

Season 7 episode 8 "you sold me the laundromat, remember?" Fiona has a hysterical breakdown whilst trying to fix the laundromat and everything going wrong at once

Season 7 episode 11 "happily ever after" fiona has to put etta in assisted living (honestly RIP Etta so was such a great character)

Season 7 episode 12 "requiem for a slut" She tears up a bit at Monica's funeral

Season 8 episode 6/7 "face it youre gorgeous"/"going down like the titanic" probably one of fionas biggest breakdowns of the whole series, she doesn't have lunch money, basically ford's a dickhead she looses all her money, her car and her apartment building and misses Ian going into prison

Then she leaves in the next few episodes and probably cries then too? If she does I missed it lol

Also please appreciate this data I gathered for no reason other than I wanted to✨️

[kinokoshoujoart]

scribbled down a relationship chart for the forgotten valley bros to collect my thoughts after snooping into their dialogue files, because i’m crazy over the barebones scraps of tiny interactions between them that we are given they’re a neat group of lads and i want to see them in lots of wacky situations together

rambling explanation and screenshots under the cut. spoilers for dialogue

gordy and gustafa are bffs and i love them!!!!!

they have mutual respect for each other… gustafa clearly admires and understands gordy’s art, and gordy seems to view gustafa as his closest confidant, he even gets you and Gustafa the new kitchen if you enter chapter 2 without being able to “afford” it yourself

they only really mention each other and don’t have anything to say about the other two boys

no one has anything bad to say about gustafa, which is exactly how it should be. blessed bard. it’s extra sweet to me that he’s the most well-liked bachelor both in and out of the game given one of the npc gossip lines your son can tell you— he grew up without many friends (in the original game the secret was that he was bullied). he deserves all the happiness in the world

matt opinions

matt shares his Opinions (slander) on gordy and rock specifically if you show him your kid with them, but has no slander for gustafa… his line for gustafa is instead just copied from what he says about the bachelorettes’ kids. so i count that as a gustafa win

i had to stretch to find any mention of gustafa by matt, the closest thing is that he comments that he doesn’t usually go to the starlight concert

i want gustafa and matt to interact!!! i want gustafa to give matt a tomato when he’s being gruff like he did with nami (matt: “th-thank you…..*blush* i already have ten billion of these”) matt also has lines about farm work being easier when you’ve got music accompanying you if you show him a record so i’ll count that as a very flimsy positive connection (matt IS friendly with gavin, due to frequenting the bluebird café, but is a bit reticent to make friends on his own)

rock opinions and social diseases

rock is extremely excited about hearing gustafa play music and calls him a wizard at the guitar and says he never gets tired of hearing him play. he also likes wandering over to gustafa’s yurt and listening to his music along with tei on market days (his most normal bachelor to bachelor interaction)

the only guy who gets no positive comment from rock is matt, instead rock goes to town roasting him in his fourth heart event out of envy for a completely imaginary situation and argues that he’s worth a hundred matthew’s (source?). he also likes to go into the already crowded farmhouse at night on market days and make it even more cramped, but he usually leaves right before matt gets home

finally rock has what i can only describe as a really odd one-sided crush on gordy!! he meanders into gordy’s trailer at 12:45 AM (AM) every market day and loudly, obliviously asks why there’s so much “trash” everywhere (you’re the trash, rock!!!!!!). thankfully rock is quite literally beneath gordy’s notice, however this seems to make rock sad and he tries to come up with wacky stunts to get gordy’s attention like drawing on gordy’s face and… holding his breath? (maybe, i dunno WHERE that dialogue triggers). he has a line celebrating gordy finally noticing him, i’m not sure what causes it though (for his part, gordy has no lines referencing rock)

finally, if you show rock your kid he will tease them by bragging that he was waaaay cuter at their age… but ONLY if it’s a bachelor’s child. rock your complex is so obvious that it’s more of a simple

in summary,

rock seems to think highly of each of the guys (except matt), unfortunately this manifests in him making really odd attempts to barge into their houses at strange hours and by trying to assert dominance in annoying ways. thankfully no one really notices anything he does (except matt)

matt doesn’t generally say nice things about anyone except cecilia (which makes the nice things he says, like about nina, more meaningful…) so unsurprisingly he has nothing nice to say about any of the guys, but he doesn’t have anything negative to say about gustafa. however he seems to want friends to do stuff with (he complains about how no one in the valley wants to go swimming…..hhhgg i am desperate to force rock and matt to spend time together. a friendship where you can’t stand each other but you’re the only two people who enjoy doing the same hobby so you put your differences aside and splash around in the water) like with rock no one really seems aware of matt’s existence except rock who is Extrwmely Aware to the point of knowing about matt’s crush on ceci, but unlike rock matt is not exactly jumping at the chance to go socialize with others

gustafa and gordy are friends with each other (and also both are friends with nami) and they support each others ambitions. i have no source but i’m confident that when gustafa visits gordy he’s also bringing him water and soup (he also visits daryl so i think it’s cool and fun if gustafa drops in on the local lost-in-thought creative hermits with hydration reminders and care packages)

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

Hi, I'd like to build a planet with land across the entire planet that is mostly an alpine. I'm thinking that the majority of the land will be tall mountains with almost all shorelines being tall cliffs so even areas close to the ocean can quickly become tall mointains. Places near the equator will have the highest mountains to offset being closer to the sun. How about resources though? What would be abundant, what puld lack? How about other geographical features and conditions that allow a planet to look like this?

Tex: What happens when the tectonic plates meet? Mountains are created via only one type of plate movement (Wikipedia), but due to physics the opposite side of that plate would create the opposite result (Wikipedia). In order to dissipate the forces caused by a plate causing convergent and divergent boundaries, the horizontal movements of a transformation fault would develop (Wikipedia).

Resources can be boiled down to approximately two things: what grows in water, and what grows in soil. For the former, oceans, seas, lakes, and related areas would need to exist and be large enough to develop life of higher trophic levels. For the latter, it would need enough erosion of rocks to create soil, and be propagated by bacteria to facilitate a healthy environment to propagate photosynthetic life and the upper trophic levels that rely on it. (Birds exist, but also birds must roost, so for all intents and purposes they rely on what grows in soil.)

Anything that has above-water places high enough to create what we would subjectively perceive as mountains would have to be an extremely geologically-active planet, where the plates are constantly moving. This would mean things like lots of volcanoes, and likely an atmosphere saturated in gases like sulfur. Extremophiles can grow in these conditions, but because of energy conservation in a geologically-hostile environment, they’re not likely to grow very big.

If you wish for something different, it might be a “dead” planet, in which there’s little geological activity and the state of things like mountain ranges and placement of oceans are effectively locked into place. This would mean an inert core, and possibly a dying planet or else one in a solar system where it’s faced with a dying sun or outside the goldilocks zone of a reasonably active sun.

Addy: So, resources. That's my jam. If you've got a heavily alpine area, you're generally on mountains or mountain slopes, which generally means you're going to be on a whole bunch of rock. That rock could be sedimentary or metamorphic (igneous is also possible, basalt mountains do exist), but it's still rock. Things that rely on heavy amounts of soil - sand, clay, loam, otherwise - will struggle to form into industries.

You might have 3-4 feet of soil ("soil" includes sections that are mostly gravel – if you're looking for dirt, probably only a foot or two). Looking at a couple examples, I'd say you're probably going to get sandy loam, loamy sand, and gravelly loam. Great drainage, not good for food crops. Since you're alpine, that's going to mean you're above the tree line, so timber is going to be scarce as well. Neutral pH to somewhat alkaline, if that matters to ya. Also, above the tree line, the winds get to be very, very harsh - harsh enough that most plants can't survive up there, so crops are doubly not an option.

If you've got a freeze-thaw cycle, then the ground is going to sprout rocks every year in the spring (literally, the freeze-thaw cycle pushes rocks up towards the surface from under the ground, so you get new rocks in your fields every spring as it starts to thaw), so stone for walls and homes will be plentiful. Insulation will likely come from packed earth (e.g. Icelandic turf homes) or animal hides (e.g. yurts). Without good soil for growing, you're going to likely see a lot of animal husbandry - yaks, goats, oxen, and sheep. Maybe small horses, but no large horses; large, Western horse breeds don't do well if they're only grazing - they generally have feed grown for them. Draft horses are large enough that they have to have food grown for them. But ponies are an option.

Your sand will likely be difficult to get separated from the loam/gravel, so glass will be a tricky industry. Clay will be hard to find, so pottery is limited. Also limiting those industries is a lack of easily available fuel - without timber or peat, you've got limited options on what you have available to burn.

If, by alpine, you're also talking about mountain slopes (and maybe valleys?), then you'll have lots of timber. Lots and lots and lots of timber, so long as you don't clear-cut. Berries will be plentiful in the spring and fall, you'll generally have a decent supply of water, you can grow crops if you're careful about your growing seasons (and the ground acts as a refrigerator, so root cellars and similar structures act as a way to preserve food through the winter months), and you've got wild game to supplement. 

Animal husbandry is still an option, though you'll almost certainly need to grow feed to keep them fed over the winter. Goats would do better than sheep, I think, but birds (chickens, ducks, partridge, geese) would probably be the easiest animal to raise. With birds, you'll also get down, which will help for quilts and bedding to keep yourself warm at night. Sheep/goats will get you wool, which will be good for clothing to keep warm. If you've got different animals, whatever birds/mammals they've got nearby that can fill the niche.

For fuel, you've got wood and charcoal. Charcoal is made from wood, and it burns hotter and cleaner than wood. Good for large kitchens… or for kilns. Or for metalworking. Or for writing/art. Wood is easier to get, and more suitable to everyday use.

Valleys tend to accumulate clay, gravel, or sand, depending on how fast the water flows. Steep slopes mean fast water, so you'll mostly get gravel. Mild slopes mean slow water, so you'll get a lot of clay (such as many river deltas, where they meet the ocean). Moderate slopes mean medium-speed water, so you'll get sand (or sand with gravel). River sand may not get you high-quality glass, but you can still make basic glass out of it. When the rivers freeze in the winter, you'll have lots of ice. That can be stored underground in ice houses, so that you have ice year-round.

For lime/quicklime, you'll need shells (so beach) or limestone (so depends on mountains type). Lime is used for a variety of things - making mortar for bricks, removing impurities when making iron, making concrete, etc - but you need limestone (or shells, like oyster shells) and fuel to make it. So that really depends on the type of stone the mountains are made of.

Salt may or may not be plentiful, depending on what the mountains are made of. You've got very little ocean access (since cliffs), so drying out seawater for salt isn't going to be effective for large-scale production.

Either way (with or without trees), trade will be difficult. Overland trade will have to deal with snow, ice, and uneven terrain (plus possible food issues for pack animals). Sea-based trade would have to deal with getting goods up or down those massive cliffs without damaging or dropping them..  and also getting people down there, too. Huge altitude changes.

Wootzel: If your main concern is having your planet chilly, you could look at Earth during the last ice age as inspiration. This would probably result in having a planet with a LOT of nigh-unlivable area near the poles, but it could be a way to make most of your land quite cold without having to rely as heavily on high altitudes, if that’s something you want to look into.

[thatfancygirlinwhite]

For the Coming of Spring, Chapter 3: майрам — 𐰯𐰀𐰾𐱅𐰃𐰋'𐰃𐱅𐰘, is out now !

It's much bigger than she expected — the settlement, she means, but the valley too. The nomads have set up what must be two dozen yurts of beige wool, like piles of snow against the green grass. It looks like an anthill: people come and go, despite the early hour, some decorating the place, others cooking, others, still, running after the cattle. There’s a happy anticipation to the air, the nervous wait for better times. “Welcome,” Bofur says, and lifts his hat in a mock bow.

Thank you everyone for sticking around, and waiting so long, and now that I'm done with this passion project you'll be (maybe) happy to know that I'm dedicating all my time on House of Feathers, Hall of Night!! Since my PC broke I'm going to spend the whole day writing, all my study stuff being on my computer (terrible excuse for not doing 'proper' work).

To speak some more about FtCoS, chapter 3 is full of Bagginshield, ok. I finally delivered, so I'm happy. There are also soooo many things I'd love to have added, but it's long enough as it is and if I make one more hyperlink I will malfunction. I also edited and posted this in one shot, so if there are any awkward mistakes please forgive me, I'm so tired.

But it's done, and that's certainly worth celebrating!

Thank you again for everyone's support and I hope you enjoyy!!

Note: it's not a super popular fic (understandably), so I don't think many of you are subscribed, but don't worry if there's no notification or anything, I messed with the dates so that it looks like I posted it all on the 21st of March, which is obviously a lie, and from now on will be our secret.

[harmonytheme]

I honestly would of preferred hayray going on holiday off-screen than them not even going at all.

Also why is lucas the one trying to reunite stames, like there's no way he cares that much about James, especially after everything he did.

You and I are on the same page for both of these points. Lucas and James have never got on, so why is this the second time he’s tried to get them back together. 😭 Like I KNOW he’d rather be hanging out with his boyfriend.

Someone in the discord thought maybe they’d end up setting up their own little yurt/tent in Misbah’s backyard which could end up being super cute, especially if Dillon sets it up as a surprise since he failed the test! That’s the only way I’ll be fine with them not going. 😭 Honestly though, just jump on a train or something!

[lactodebillus-bulgaricus]

Onoghur (Hetalia OC)

finally, she's done :D :D :D

(and yeah, I decided to keep the eminem reference :D I also added references to bulgar culture, such as khan Kubrat's seal and the IYI symbol, I wonder what kind of rap she'd make)

character info under the cut

onoghur

lived in the early medieval times, most likely was born before that

an oghur turkic tribe, name means ten tribes

onoghurs were nomads who lived in yurts. they were warriors, hunters, fishers and animal herders. also, they were famous for marten skin trade

was born somewhere in the western steppe, perhaps the lands of modern-day kazakhstan, doesn't remember where

might have been a part of the tiele confederation

doesn't remember having any parents, has two brothers, saraghur and oghur

lost contact with her brothers after they separated in the 5th century, each of them seeking a better life, they never met again

she cared about them and was attached to them. after this, she never wanted to be emotionally close to anyone, friends (avar), her husband bulgar, or even her kids (volga bulgaria, danube bulgaria, the kid representing kuber's bulgars, the kid representing alcek's bulgars)

married bulgar in the 7th century, creating a confederation called old great bulgaria, also known as patria onoghuria

the fact that her people traded with marten skin shows that onoghurs lived near forests and had contact with finno-ugric tribes, so perhaps she knew hungary's father, magyar (who, interestingly, was influenced by oghuric peoples)

if she was a part of the tiele confederation, then there's a chance she knew oghuz (turkey's ancestor) when they were kids, they probably don't remember each other though

admired avar (she even feared him a bit before they met) and became friends with him

a warrior, headstrong and freedom-loving, would never submit (her husband was similar)

also pragmatic, cool, confident, not very talkative or enthusiastic, a bit distant, easygoing, kinda smug (can find a reason to look down on anyone if she wants to), a bit thoughtful

likes to banter

genuine, honest, thinks lying is for weaklings and cowards

maybe her mbti type could be ISTP and her enneagram and tritype could be 8w9 854 sp/sx

then she married bulgar and they had kids. and khazar attacked them. if they didn't have any kids, they'd probably fight to the death.

bulgar submitted to khazar so he could give her and the kids time to escape. the kids needed her, she couldn't go and fight alongside her husband. bulgar became a soldier under khazar's rule, bleeding in wars that aren't his, just so his wife and children could live unbothered.

she, together with two of the children, went to avar's place. in the chaos, another one of the kids ended up being taken to the lower danube and another one was taken to middle volga.

at avar's place, kuber took a group of bulgars (represented by one of her kids) to the bitola field in modern-day macedonia and alcek took another group (represented by the other kid) to italy

she and avar survived until magyar and his little kid came. by that point, they were terminally ill due to their people being in a process of assimilation with the locals. they died peacefully.

her living her final days in pannonia perhaps caused a confusion between her and magyar's kid. like why do so many nations refer to magyar's daughter with a distorted version of her name - hungary, when said daugher calls herself magyar, just like her dad? :D in the 10th century, hungarians would call bulgarians nándor, which itself is derived from onoghur

[kayssweetdreams]

A "Perfect" Vacation Ch 23

Meanwhile, With Dolly, Roland and Misère...

Dolly didn't feel safe sleeping in the hotel. Maybe it was the fact that it reminded her a bit too much about her time back at PPP, or Ka Lā's attitude, or Maybe it was the fact that they were invited by a woman they have never even HEARD of before. But either way, she just didn't feel safe.

Even with her dad and Misère around, she couldn't help but get the same uneasy vibes that she had around Madame Prim, whenever Ka Lā came around her. "Don't worry Dolly. Maybe we can ask Ka Lā to give us a ride back to the mainland." Roland suggested, hugging his daughter and trying to keep her calm. "I have to admit...I can't help but feel a little uneasy here too." Misère said, her eyes shifting back and forth.

"Dad. You think that the others feel the same way? After all, Yuri and Kaylo had the same 'treatment' as me..." Dolly admitted, hoping her father would understand. "I think they do. If you don't feel comfortable, we can leave. After all. It's not like this is the school again." Roland said, rubbing his daughter's back, trying to keep her calm. "How about this: We find Ka Lā and ask her for a ride back to the mainland in the morning." He suggested. Dolly, while happy that her father acknowledged her fear, was also nervous about staying on the island for one more day.

"Don't worry Dolly, Everything will be OK." Roland said as he got comfortable in the tent he set up. No matter how much Ka Lā insisted, Roland refused to stay inside one of the room, instead, he brought a portable tent (a YURT. As he says) and set it directly in the forest, Claimed that it felt more like home. Dolly also had her own tent, but for some odd reason, she lost hers after one night. "Ok...Good night Dad." Misère said, making herself comfortable on a nearby hammock "Good thing that it's a warm night tonight." She said to herself as she closed her eyes.

However, the next time Dolly opened her eyes, she saw that she, her dad, and Misère were strapped down to 3 metal tables. Panicking, Dolly began shouting for them to wake up "Dad! Dad wake up! Misère! Get up!" She yelled. Unfortunately, her words were in vain, the two adults were knocked out. Struggling, Dolly attempted to wiggle out of her restaints, but to no avail. "Oh I wouldn't bother if I were you." A scarily familiar voice said. Dolly tensed up. She knew that voice ANYWHERE...and she didn't want to.

"M-MOM?!" She screamed in terror, watching as Ka Lā stepped out of the shadows. Dolly's breathing grew erratic. "K-KA LĀ?! BUT-HOW-BUT-YOU'RE" the girl sputtered, panicking as she saw the woman getting closer. "Now Dolly dear...it's improper for a girl to stutter." 'Ka Lā' said, making Dolly thrash and panic even more as she was now standing directly above her. "BUT HOW?! THE POLICE ARRESTED YOU!!" Dolly yelled, unable to fathom how her perfection obsessed mother was HERE. Although she was JUST arrested on the news. "Oh Dolly. You know that the quest for perfection never rests." Prim said, in a almost mocking voice.

"W-What do you want? I live with dad now and your school is destroyed. I have nothing you could want." Dolly said with as much bravery as she could in her voice. As much as she was terrified to see Prim again, she would NOT let her have the upper hand, and Fear her. Prim's eyes narrowed "Ah yes. Your stupid flower-loving, Tree-hugging hippie of a father has completely warped your mind. And my school is now in shambles, thanks to that bug loving brat, and her pink haired demonic friend. But don't worry...Mother is going to fix it all once more. Along with your new sisters." She said in a strangely calm voice.

Dolly grew confused. "Huh? What sisters? I'm an only child." She said. "Not anymore you're not. You and you're going to be a PERFECT role model." Prim said, her perfection crazed smile shining as she stood back...and revealed Yuri and Kaylo, everything that made them special gone, their eyes duller than a dull blade. The two of them gazed at Dolly and Prim with emotionless smiles.

"Good Day Dolly. Hello Mother..."

[e-b-reads]

Mid Year Book Freak Out

@agardenandlibrary tagged me a while ago, thank you!

Number of books you’ve read so far: 102 (though when we were actually halfway through the year I think it was like 90)

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024: Look, you see how many books I've read, it's very hard to choose a single "best," but To Shape a Dragon's Breath was very good.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024: I also read a lot of series. Um, I enjoyed the Sarah Tolerance series (second book: Petty Treason) overall, and shout out to Harrow the Ninth and Nona the Ninth for being the kind of sequels that keep revealing things while also creating more questions.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: I don't keep up with new releases very closely; I would like to read The Grief of Stones which isn't super new anymore, but I still haven't gotten around to it!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: See above re: following releases. Anything you all think I should be looking out for?

Biggest surprise favorite new author (debut or new to you): I'm not actually counting this as one of the 102 books yet cause I haven't finished it, but I'm finally reading Michelle Obama's memoir (Becoming) and I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying it!

Newest fictional crush: I read The Game of Kings a month or two ago, and he's not quite there yet, but I could probably nurture a crush on Francis Lymond.

Book that made you cry: My Brother Sam is Dead definitely got me tearing up.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): I mostly get books out of the library and don't pick them specifically for beauty. Which is not to say I don't pay attention to covers, and I did buy A Bad Spell in Yurt for it's cover, though not exactly cause it's beautiful?

Book that made you happy: Neither fully for plot reasons, but: The Nubian's Curse (despite maybe iffy title) because it was the latest in a series I like, so it made me happy to get; also Call the Nurse (which is a kind of cute and cozy read) because it was a gift from a friend who really wanted me to read it and spent a while finding it for me.

What books do you need want to read by the end of the year?: Keeping in the edit because I don't need to read anything except maybe for class. I would like to finish Becoming (getting there) and read The First Rumpole Omnibus, which I bought recently. Otherwise, who knows!

Not tagging anyone because it is now decidedly more than midway through the year, but feel free to do this if you'd like! tag me in your answers!

[rickybowensfever]

"Great. A Cold on My Birthday" (Ricky Bowen) - Sicktember 2024

IT'S HERE!!!! And it's over 2k words. So for my fellow Ricky lovers...you're welcome.

Here is sweet, sneezy Ricky on his birthday. Poor Ricky! Also sorry E.J. but you *can* be a gullible. We still love you. 😍

Sicktember 2024

"Great. I Got a Cold for My Birthday"

The Sniffles

AO3 LINK @sicktember

*SET AT CAMP SHALLOW LAKE*

“LET IT GO” S3, EP8 of HSMTMTS (REIMAGINED)

Ricky Bowen woke up on his 18th birthday feeling congested as hell but he was not going to let a little cold stop him.

 He sat up in bed, his nose tickled and he let out a wet sneeze. “Aah-tschieww!!”

“Gesundheit” Carlos said, looking up at his sneezy friend.  Ricky muttered a thank you, pulling the covers off of him and swung his legs over his bunk to face his friend. 

“Great. I got a cold for my birthday” Ricky announced with disappointment in his hoarse and nasally voice.

Carlos scrunched his face at him, “Maybe you should go to the nurse,” he suggested. Ricky’s eyes bulged, jumping down from the bunk. He sniffled, “No way, dude! It’s opening night. E.J. will kill me if I’m–” Ricky paused, unable to say the word. 

“Sick” Carlos added, finishing his friend's sentence. “No, no, no. It’s just a cold. I’m perfectly fine” he said feeling another tickle in his nose, “Aah-tschieww!!” he leaned into his elbow, catching the sneeze.  

“Bless you. Right…Maybe a hot shower will help?” Carlos suggested. “But make it quick, we have to get over to The Barn for the final run-through.”

“Good thinking!” Ricky replied. As Carlos gathered his Olaf costume, he rooted around his bag with first-aid supplies including a packet of tissues and Vicks Vapor Rub. 

Then a familiar brooding voice chimed in, “You might be able to get around E.J. But Val will smell you from a mile away. She’s like a hawk” Jet added looking at the two boys, wearing all black as usual. Ricky shuddered, forgetting about his other roommate. 

“What…do you mean?” Ricky answered, slowly. Jet was right. E.J. could be gullible. So he shouldn’t have a hard time hiding this from him, but if Val was on high alert, he was doomed. The show would be ruined as well as his birthday. 

“Val is a super sleuth. She can smell a sickness before it’s even coming” he said, his voice low and mysterious as if he were telling a ghost story, “A few summers ago, when some of the cast for The Music Man got food poisoning, she knew the minute it happened. Last year, she sent home a girl with pink eye during auditions for Annie. You can’t get anything past her” Jet said, shrugging his shoulders. 

The mysterious boy walked toward the front door and wished his roommate “good luck” as he disappeared out of the yurt. 

Carlos walked over to his curly-haired friend as he gathered his shower essentials out of his duffle bag. He tapped him on the shoulder, startling the boy. Ricky jumped in place and turned around to face his friend. 

When he looked down at the gifts, Ricky grinned.

“Happy Birthday, Ricky” Carlos said, handing him the sick supplies.

 “Thanks, Carlos,” he croaked, his voice hoarse, giving him a side hug. 

The two parted ways, Carlos to The Barn for rehearsal and Ricky to the showers. He grabbed his towel, clean clothes, and toiletries, hoping and praying that no one saw him. 

Ricky tried to hide himself from any friend he saw which wasn’t as easy as he thought it’d be. As he walked, he hid behind trees and bushes, trying to hide himself from his fellow Wildcats. 

As he walked closer to the showers, he saw Ashlyn walking right toward him. The fortunate part of being at camp was the trees. They made great hiding spots. As he stood behind a tree waiting for Ashlyn to pass him, he started to sniffle. “Nooo”, he groaned at the thought of sneezing again. How was he going to make it through the day unscathed when he was drowning in mucus and his nose wouldn’t cooperate. 

Ricky groaned loudly. “Oh, Ricky! There you are” Ashlyn said, looking at her friend with a puzzled look as he stood by the tree pinching his nose. 

“Happy Birthday!” she exclaimed giving him a big toothy grin. 

He tried to hold in the sneeze which was successful at first. He sighed of relief, “Ahh” feeling the sneeze pass. Unfortunately, the sneeze crept back up without warning. 

“Hnn'gtt!!” Ricky caught the sneeze in his elbow, pulling out one of Carlos’ tissues. 

He sniffled, “Thanks, Ash. Allergies, right?” he said laughing nervously, trying to play off his symptoms casually. 

Ashlyn was quiet for a moment, noticing his pink nose. Maybe he should be playing Sven tonight… 

Ashlyn was healthy as a horse. “Nope, not me!” she answered, patting him on the back. “See you later!” she said, walking off toward the girl’s yurts.

Ricky sighed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Today was going to be difficult and his chest was starting to hurt. 

Carlos was right, a hot shower did help. His congestion had subsided for now which was going to help in convincing everyone he was perfectly fine. He wore his Kristoff costume which consisted of a dark pom-pom hat, a long sleeveless tunic with a long sleeve dark gray thermal shirt underneath paired with black pants and winter boots. Despite it being 92°F outside in sunny California, Ricky shockingly felt warm and cozy. 

He cleared his throat, puffed his chest out, and fixed his posture, then walked into The Barn with a brave face on. Everyone was rearranging furniture, transforming the small space into a suitable arrangement for friends and parents to come watch their children perform their role on stage. Luckily since everyone was preoccupied, the attention would be off of him for the time being.

Ricky walked over to Gina who sat on the edge of the stage holding a piece of paper, mumbling to herself. 

“Because she’s my sister!” she enunciated.

Ricky furrowed his eyebrow. “Hey G,” he said, standing next to her with a big grin on his face.

Gina put the paper down beside her on the stage. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Ricky, suspiciously. He was acting strange, she thought. Ricky was a chipper guy but to her, it seemed today, he was playing up his positive vibe.

“Hi” she said hesitantly, furrowing her brow at him.

“Ready for the big night, Anna?” he said playfully elbowing her in the side. Gina laughed, cracking a big toothy grin at him.

Moments later, E.J. stood by the stage shouting to get the room’s attention. Ricky held his ears at the sound as it felt like the boy was screaming in his ear. “I don’t think that was loud enough” the curly haired boy teased, plugging his ears which were beginning to ache.

His stomach dropped, anxiety fluttering in his chest as Val came and stood beside the director. Ricky got up and walked to the back of the clutter of people, to hide himself from Val as much as he possibly could. As everyone began to move and get to their places, Ricky couldn’t help but feel on edge.

Finally, it was Ricky’s turn to rehearse for "Kristoff’s Lullaby", his solo. He cleared his throat and crossed his fingers, hoping that his body would cooperate for the duration of the song. He grabbed his acoustic guitar, strummed the strings by the sound hole, and began to sing.

♪ What is this hollow kind of helplessness I'm feeling? ♪

♪This type of terror is new ♪

♪And, the fact that I can hardly breathe is now revealing ♪

When the chorus came, that is when all hell broke loose. His voice cracked as he tried to reach the high note, but his scratchy throat wasn’t doing him any favors.

Ricky’s chest tightened as E.J. started to bark at him, “Ricky, this is not what we rehearsed! You’re not supposed to sound like there’s a frog in your throat. This is Frozen” the taller boy flailed his arms in the air in disappointment.

Ricky frowned, holding his throat and stood up. “Why don’t we take 5?” Val intervened. She stood for a moment staring into Ricky’s eyes. This gave him goosebumps. He shuddered and turned his back toward her.

As he and his castmates were backstage taking a breather, Val worked on calming E.J. down. Ricky sighed loudly, relived to be out of the spotlight. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Gina with her long-braided hair in Anna’s winter costume.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” she asked furrowing her brow. “Yeah, yeah. It’s just allergies” he said clearing his throat and wincing at the discomfort. He tried to brush it off with a grin but seeing Gina frown, he knew he was doomed.

“Ricky, you have to tell somebody” she said cocking an eyebrow at him, placing a hand on her hip and stared him down until he confessed.

Ricky shrugged, “But the show!” he whispered, his voice cracking as he spoke.  “I’m sure you can still do the show. Why don’t we go and ask Val?” Gina suggested. Ricky immediately put his hands up in defense. “No way” he cried, envisioning the worst outcomes.

If what Jet said earlier was true, Ricky would be saying goodbye to his friends and fellow campers. Ricky started to feel sad as he thought about packing his bags and going back to Salt Lake. During his daydreaming, he completely missed Gina pulling him by the arm and over Val and E.J. who sat next to each other on the chairs for tonight’s audience doing breathing exercises.

“Hey guys. Ricky, how’s that cold?” Val asked, smirking at the curly haired boy. Ricky stood dumbfounded. Jet was right.  “How did you—what?” he said frantically, stumbling over his words.

Val stood up and placed a hand on Ricky’s shoulder, “I have eyes everywhere” she told him. Ricky gulped in terror. “It’s just allergies, really!” he tried to reassure her, flailing his arms in the air to prove he was “healthy.”

 His shoulders slumped as she nodded in disagreement.

What came next didn’t help Ricky’s case. A big ole’ sneeze escaped from his nasal passages.

“Haa'ekkSHIEW!!” Val stood in front of him holding out a tissue which he grabbed, blowing his nose hard.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, guys. I’b fide! It’s just by dose, by ears, by throat, by chest” he explained in his nasally voice, as E.J. pulled up a chair for him to sit in.

Val kneeled on the ground making eye contact with him. “Ricky, I know it’s your birthday” she began. The barn erupted in chatter all wishing him a happy birthday. Ricky waved, thanking everyone and looked back at Val. “But you’re clearly not 100%. So, I have a proposition” the barn grew quiet as they awaited the girl’s next words.

“You have to go to the nurse with me, get some medicine and some rest. Then, you can perform tonight. But these are the conditions” she explained. Ricky frowned. His list still wasn’t fully complete. He checked the pizza off yesterday at Camp Prom but he was missing a lottery ticket, still.

Finally, as he thought about it, he was surprised Val wasn’t shipping him off on the next bus home.

“Fide” he muttered. “The show bust go od. Ab I right guys?” he announced to crowd. Everyone erupted into applause mixed with laughter.

Val stood up and gestured Ricky to follow her. He complied holding the packet of tissues in one hand and walking out of the barn doors following her lead.

When he got back to the yurt, hopped up on cold medicine, he raised his arms and yawned. The nurse checked his temperature, it was normal. That was a relief. But his sore throat, congested nose, aching ears, and headache confirmed it was indeed a cold.

“A cold on my birthday. Pssh” he mumbled in frustration as he slipped out of his costume, storing it away for that night and changed into joggers and white shirt and dozed off to sleep.

He woke to Carlos shaking him. “Ricky! Wake up! Curtain call is in 20” he said. Ricky woke up groggy, his throat was hurting, and his head pounded. He pulled himself out of bed slowly and walked over to his bag, grabbing his costume and leaving the yurt quickly with Carlos.

When they got backstage, it was dark and quiet. Ricky thought this was strange as Carlos had informed him about curtain call. This close to curtain call, everyone was usually pretty frantic. But maybe they did things differently at Shallow Lake than at East High?

Ricky shrugged and walked closer looking for a light. He turned on the light and jumped, dropping his costume as everyone surprised him. All of his cast mates and Wildcats including Big Red and Miss Jenn smiled big. “Happy Birthday, Ricky!” they shouted, cheering. The room was filled with balloons, streamers, and there was a cake sitting on a lone table.

Ricky sniffled, standing there in disbelief. All of the sudden commotion had him winded. He began to catch his breath and walked over to everyone giving side hugs and thanking them.

Maybe this wasn’t an awful birthday after all.

[compo67]

12, 15, 18, 20 for the AO3 Wrapped asks? (I always want to know more about your WIPs and future fics by the way!)

Hi hi hi, anon! :D Thank you so much for the ask on this one. I love the AO3 wrapped concept. I have so many ideas for future fics! So glad that you are interested in knowing them. <3

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

You may not believe this, but I only have 2 WIPs for next year as of this moment. I have "Power of Two" (Photo Op 4) and "Model of the Solar System." I have been trying really, really hard not to start more than I can handle. Do I have ideas? Plenty. But I only have two current WIPs to start off 2024.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

Just the two, which is so rare for me. But I guess TCV is one big ongoing WIP as well. So maybe that makes it three?

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Jared from "Rest and Restore." It was super difficult to write him because he had to be going through the grief of his divorce, but without coming off as annoyingly whiny. There's this fine line between "I'm letting off steam and going through something" and "I'm just wallowing/whining." He had to be fresh from his divorce but removed from it, too. It was a thing I worked really hard to balance.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

This year it's been all about "Minutes Past Midnight." It's such a comforting place to be. I really want to live in Jared's yurt for a week and just experience what it must be like to live in the great wide wilderness. Of course, it wouldn't hurt if I had a Jensen there, too.

Tagging on...

I will say that I constantly have ideas in my head that might become WIPs. Like Back Pocket 3. Minutes Past Midnight 2. A continuation of Rest and Restore.

A new idea about J2 being pretending to be bachelors in the late 1800s, but they're really a couple and it's their first winter out on the prairie. I'm basing that idea off of Laura Ingalls Wilder's writing. I just love her stuff, I used to read her a lot what I was a kid.

Another idea for the Palo Alto verse where Dean, while at work in the library as a security guard, encounters a pretty nasty spirit. He has to call in back up--Sam. She shows up and kicks ass, despite not hunting in a while.

I'm also thinking about Punzel and what I need to do to move forward in that verse. I would love to start a proper sequel to it, not just a timestamp. And I think we are there? Or maybe almost? But I need to finish other projects first.

And of course, there's Photo Op 4, which I'll carry with me into 2024. We need these boys married!

Model of the Solar System is also perpetually on my mind. I'm still worldbuilding after all these years. I just still need to figure out the end, which is easier said than done.

I also have a J2 time travel fic that's at some 30,000 words on Patreon. But I got stuck while writing it and the pandemic happened, then I got caught up in Minutes Past Midnight. I just had to table it. I will finish it one day. I think it's a good fic. I really like Jared in that fic, even though it's from Jensen's POV. And I liked writing in the first person, plus the use of photography in that fic.

So that's a preview of what I roll around in my head on a daily basis, anon! I hope you enjoyed the peek. :)

[chronically-ghosted]

Secret Springs postcard delivery!

Did you know Secret Springs has private yurts? Set way back from the crowds, it's the perfect place for isolated relaxation. Who takes you to the yurt and what adventures do you have?

omg a YURT!? I've always wanted to try one! This place has EVERYTHING!

and c'mon, i have to take Dieter, right? for one, he'd be 100% into the yoga (maybe not at like the crack of dawn, but sometime soon after) and he'd love waving incense to settle the vibes. Plus, he would have no problems with being super loud during, uh, our "relaxation" hours even though the walls are literal cloth.

(there'd also be so much ayahuasca we might both die)

[vosh-rakh]

madstone: prologue

author’s note: the style here is a bit different from what i usually write. i’m experimenting! anyways, i’ll give this a better title than “chapter 1″ once i think of one. i foresee expanding this into something bigger! let me know if you like this new character, kassur. i have.......vague plans for him. also i know this is short, but, anyways, here we go:

- - - - -

The scrib sauntered up to the bed, and its master’s hanging hand. It opened its mouth wide, and - CHOMP. 

Kassur woke, but he was paralyzed temporarily even by the playful bite. Once his muscles were his to command, he groaned and ripped his hand away before his pet could nibble again. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before fixing them on the scrib. The creature spun a slow circle and then clambered up the side of the bed, resting its chitinous head on Kassur’s lap. 

Kassur smiled, scratched behind its horns, and said, “One of these days, you’re going to be scrib jerky.” He’d never named the critter, which he’d found wandering the Grazelands months ago and taken a liking to. He’d wanted to wait until he learned enough Dunmeris to give it a meaningful name, but maybe he’d just name it “Jerky.”

He raised his arms to stretch them and his back. He still wasn’t used to how soft a real bed was - he was more accustomed to sleeping in a bedroll on the floor. He almost resented the scrib for waking him so early. But it was a good thing - he had lessons to attend. 

Kassur shooed Jerky off the bed and stood. He lit the fire in the center of the yurt with a quick spell. It often wasn’t until he did this that he remembered precisely where he was. He’d stolen this yurt, disassembled, from the Ahemmusa camp before he left in the middle of the night, sneaking away right under the night sentinels’ noses. It took several trips to carry everything, and he still had to find some of his own materials (mostly to patch up holes in the rarely-used guarskin canvas), but it was worth it to start out fresh with a sheltered place to sleep. 

Kassur’s stomach rumbled. He reached into the sack of ashyams by the bed - no luck, all empty. Damn. He’d taken that sack when it was taut full with them. He couldn’t risk going back; even though they’d abandoned the old camp north of Vos, they’d no doubt have people coming by periodically to make sure the supplies they left behind were unmolested. They’d have his hands for sure if he was caught. 

Kassur sighed and opened his basket of wickwheat flatbreads and threw one on the grill over the fire. He also dropped a trama nub into the pot of water he’d gathered last night and hung it over the flames. 

Kassur sat on the floor of the yurt and soaked in the heat. He leaned his head back on the bed and started to doze…

He snatched his hand away before Jerky could bite it again. He quickly grabbed the hot flatbread from the grill before it burned, but the grill marks were very dark. He sighed and poured himself a cup of over-steeped trama tea as he took a bite of the bland bread. He took a sip and relished the warmth and lifting feeling of the drink, seeming to elevate his mind and wake him up. 

Once he finished eating and drinking, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. It was a terribly itchy garment, of House mer make, and he hated wearing it. But he needed to make an effort to blend in, and what he’d rather wear would make him stand out more than he already does. 

Kassur glanced at the shoes in the corner. He shook his head and walked out of the yurt without them. The soft Grazelands earth was soft beneath his bare feet. 

Kassur had set up his yurt very close to Vos, just around a small hill. He could look northwest and see Tel Vos towering in the distance. He spat in its direction and made for Vos.

Vos was a tangle of squat adobe buildings and giant fungal roots. It reminded Kassur of a trama shrub deprived of its thorns. 

The thorns are the people, Kassur thought cynically. But he cleared his mind of the idea as he stepped through the gate, a ring of fungal mass attached to the rest of the tendrils. There was a saccharine kind of pleasantness the House mer put on constantly, and he tried to emulate it. It seemed pointless to him, to wear a disguise like that. But he needed to get used to their ways. He was stuck with them, now. 

He tried to cheer himself up by pretending he was Mephala wearing one of her many masks. That made sense to him; keep a hand behind your back when near your enemies. But these House mer didn’t even worship Mephala, so he didn’t understand where they got it from. 

Kassur approached the Chapel’s doors and hesitated, as he always did. Was he really ready for such a leap? To abandon his ancestors and throw in his lot with the three impostors?

He shook his head pointedly, although no one saw him. He didn’t have to make that decision yet; he was just learning Dunmeris right now. He opened the door and strode in confidently. 

Yakin Bael was sitting across the room, holding a small prayerbook in one hand and studying it. At Kassur’s entrance he looked up past his small spectacles. 

(Spectacles. What a strange invention of the House mer and outlanders! Magic could just as easily repair poor eyesight. Why rely on thin circles of glass to do the same, such easily shattered things?)

Yakin was an old mer - almost preternaturally so, given that he was probably Telvanni. Despite this, his hair was dark reddish-brown, with scarcely a gray hair in sight. His longevity, he would say, was owed not to any magical prolonging, but to simple good health. Kassur knew, however, that he was a master of the art of Restoration, and was likely lying.

“Welcome, Kassur,” Yakin said, in Dunmeris, putting down his prayerbook. “Shall we get straight to your lessons?”

Kassur knew enough Dunmeris to be slightly dangerous. So long as someone spoke slowly - as Yakin did by his very nature - he could make out the gist of what they were saying. He struggled, however, with producing some of the strange sounds the language relied on. He was also being taught to read and write, and while he could almost reliably do the former, his hand shook too much for the latter; he could never get the grip on the pen or brush right.

Thankfully, Yakin was not only a patient teacher, but a native speaker of Velothi, too. This helped immensely to help translate certain nigh-untranslatable things, as well as in giving Kassur an out when he was too tired to speak Dunmeris. 

As he was now. He needed to save his energy for later today. “Can we keep this lesson short, kena?” Kassur asked in Velothi. “I am expected in…Mushroom Forest later today.”

“Sadrith Mora,” Yakin corrected, still speaking Dunmeris. “And yes, that is amenable.” He gestured towards one of the walls, upon which was a mural of the three impostors. 

“Azura’s starry tits,” whispered Kassur before raising his voice to reply, “Not there.”

Apparently Yakin heard the expletive. “You should say something like, ‘Seht’s shiny beard’ instead. Or even ‘b’Vehk.’” He seemed to blush as he caught himself. “But I shouldn’t be encouraging you to say profanities.”

“Sorry, kena,” said Kassur, emphasizing by speaking polite Dunmeris. “Can we study over there, please?” He pointed at the wall of the chapel with the mural of Veloth leading his people to Morrowind.

Yakin nodded, the two sat next to the mural, and began their lesson.

[transgenderer]

so, the african hunter gatherers ive read about (!kung and mbuti) both frequently rebuild their houses, while the mongolian pastoralists and american plains hunter-gathers (actually i think the situations on the plains is weird? they definitely did some agriculture in the past. i think by the time there were people writing down the plains lifeways they had already adjusted to the horse so who knows what their deal was) both used mobile housing (the yurt and the tipi). its weird to me that mobile housing isnt more common. maybe it requires horses? im not sure if the tipi predates the horse? hmm, quick google

The precise origins of the Plains tipi are uncertain. However, telltale rings of stones used to hold down the edges of skin tent covers mark the sites of ancient tipi camps dating back at least 5,000 years on the Prairies, and earlier still in regions to the north

! so its not a horse thing. maybe the travois made it viable before horses

Tents were used at least as far back as the early Iron Age.[3] They are mentioned in the Bible; for example, in Genesis 4:20 Jabal is described as "the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats".

ancient mobile tent pastoralists of the near east...

oh! buryuut hajar of the bedouins. also had pack animals

surely there are traditional african tents but i cant find anything about them

the tehuelche of patagonia used tents! wonder how they moved them....

[sasoxichomoshi]

things i noticed playing the pathless again

lovely salmons against the current up the stream in sauro's domain i simply didnt see it in my first playthrough so charming (they happen in multiple places)

the mask of the ancients (godslayer mask) is actually first mentioned in a mural in sauro's domain i thought it just appeared in nimue's domain (now i think that might exist a mural with the mask in cerno's domain too)

crack theory: those guys are past hunters that came to the island (unlike tho, bc there's no arrows or bow around or any other hint to it despite the colors of the clothing)(the absence of past hunters in the island is one of my pet peeves dont mind my ramblings here)

there's this construction that resembles a ger/yurt and i find it very cute (but i believe it's just resemblance, the roof of the ger is a bit different) (actually i might be on drugs)

funky godslayer wall painting (it made me realize he has some kind of pattern? in his clothes

also, can we talk about on how godslayer tries to make himself so close to sauro? both have war as field of influence and have the sun as representative symbol, godslayer has this salamander-like appearance (i noticed it some time ago) that feels so similar to sauro, but i just noticed a possible link cause from all the tall ones, sauro is the only one godslayer helps directly during the boss fight;

it almost feels like that despite despising the tall ones, godslayer nurtured some kind of affinity with sauro (probably bc war and men menly matters im sure) (OMG MAYBE GODSLAYER LIKED TO MAKE POTTERY??)

more side thoughts: could godslayer have been a devotee of sauro? bc like despite godslayer exterminating the population of the island, contaminating the land and cursing the world he did it for the people!!!!!!! he committed his whole self to his followers, was it against the teachings of sauro? any different from what he was conditioned to believe was right?

(note how both hunter and godslayer follows this idea of "sacrificing myself for others" however this concept is materialized in reality through different actions bc different perspectives on what sacrifice for others mean)(one of the many thoughts i have about how hunter and godslayer are different faces of the same coin)

anyway just random thoughts bc i have many of them and i like to share, thank you for coming to my ted talk

[smallestapplin]

Hi it’s me the adaman and Mai with little sibling reader anon can I request Adaman and Mai recusing little sibling reader from an alpha Ursaring

Sure ^^ I did something pretty similar with Lian and Sabi

-

-

It gets annoying around the settlement sometimes, being the younger sibling to not only Mai but also Adaman, it left you with no time to yourself.

Everyone always needing you for something, or wanting your attention.

You never got a break.

Which is why you snuck out in the first place, finding an opening in everyone timing and bailing the second you could.

Just taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh air as you walked down a hidden path, away from the settlement.

It was nice to finally have some peace and quiet.

You keep walking until you find a nice tree with some shade to relax under, and just envy the sunset. You know you can’t stay too long, as Mai and Adaman usually return just before the sun as gone down.

But you’ll take what you can get.

With that you leans back and breathe a huge sigh of relief, closing your eyes you let your mind wonder.

It couldn’t have been that long, maybe ten minutes.

You noticed the warmth of the sun dwindling, making you open your eyes.

Ah it’s getting late….

You really didn’t want to head back, but your brother and sister would worry for you.

Groaning, you stand up, dusting yourself off before looking around. Seems all the Pokémon are gone, or at least awfully quiet, how did you not notice how quiet it got?

As the coldness of the night slowly began to set in, a chill goes down your spine. This all feels wrong.

Dread slowly pools in your stomach, you need to get home and fast.

You hear it before you see it.

A loud, nearly knocking you to your feet with the Earth shattering roar the beast lets out.

You stumble, turning around to see what made such a sound, only to pale at the sight of the massive Ursaring.

The behemoth of a Pokémon standing tall, snarling as you lock eyes with it.

You shriek when the Pokémon starts speeding towards you. Your legs can’t move you fast enough as you take off, running from the beast.

It’s heavy footsteps get closer and closer within seconds, you do the only thing you can think of, and dive to the left, dodging the swing of its claw by a hair.

But it’s still not done, you only enrage it more.

Tears sting your eyes, you’re quickly getting out of breath, but your adrenaline keeps you going.

Every tree you zip behind gets broken down by the raging bear.

You have no Pokémon of your own to defend yourself, you know it’s only a matter of time until your body tires, or until you have nothing left to bob and weave between.

“Leafeon, quick attack!”

Adaman’s voice booms, followed by the sounds of his Leafeon attacking the Ursaring, who lets out another deafening roar.

“Mai get them out of here immediately!”

You barely have a chance to slow down, before the sound of hooves stampeding towards you follow.

You’re grabbed and pulled up onto Lord Wyrdeer.

“It’s okay, I got you.”

By then the tears just pour, as you cling to Mai’s tunic to sob, babbling apology after apology.

‘I shouldn’t have left the settlement!’

‘I’m sorry I didn’t think- I didn’t- I almost-‘

‘Thank you thank you thank you! I was so-‘

Most of your sentences being cut off by your loud wailing.

She only holds you tightly, gently shushing you as you two ride back to the settlement.

“You are okay, you’re safe now, we won’t let anything happen to you.”

She won’t lie though, her heart is pounding, anxiety pumping through her veins.

They could’ve lost you.

The thought makes her hold you tighter.

Lord Wyrdeer stops around a corner, the yurts being just far enough away.

Mai doesn’t want to make a scene, and when Adaman comes back that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

You two sit there on the back of the noble Pokémon, as she lets you cry it out.

Adaman is quick to find you two, eyes wide and full of panic as he rushes over.

“Are they okay!? No injuries? Oh by the almighty lord of time what were you-“

“Adaman, enough.”

The stern look on Mai’s face made him shut up. He registers you cries, oh dear, you must’ve been so scared, and he was about to lecture you!

Carefully he pulls you off the noble, and into his arms, holding you so tightly to his chest as he tries to breath.

He blinks back his tears, holding the back of your head with one hand, trying to ground himself in reality.

Trying to tell himself you’re still here, and that it’s okay.

“I’m glad you’re alright.”

His voice cracks a bit, he didn’t know how to process any of it.

It could’ve lost his sibling, and he never wants to have to think that, or worry about losing you ever again.

You cling to him, burying yourself in a sea of blue of his outfit.

There was a silent agreement to stay right here, just the three of you, at least until you all have calmed down.