#nemo gives away books

[tinydefector]

Marine Centre 8- merformers

A big thank you to the lovely @sunntownn for this beautiful piece of fanart of 'Big blue' Optimus and Caretaker (reader) and had to add it to one of the chapters, please go follow Sunntownn they have such beautiful art.

Warnings: mention or arousal, mating season, (popping a boner)

Word count: 2.3k

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_________________

They know big blue is avoiding them. He hasnt been at the cave when they show up, it's normally Nemo or Firefin with Babybee. But Babybee's words had been getting much better over the few weeks they had been teaching him, both Nemo and Firefin and the few others who dropped in would pay some attention to the pups' lessons.

 " Alright now this one baby?" They ask the little Oceanide while pointing to a little clownfish in the book, a smile on their face as they read the book to him. The pup trills thoughtfully for a moment before buzzing happily, "Kownfiss!" 

"Very good bubba, and guess what your my little clownfish" they state while booping his little nose earning a giggle. Babybee trills happily at being called their clownfish, little claws grabbing the book as he shoots a large smile showing off his little teeth. 

Firefin tilts his head slightly, his gills quivering as he attempts at their speech, vowels warbling roughly. "... kloun...fish?" Beside him, Nemo chuckles in mild amusement. 

Angelfish titters eagerly. " Clowy...bee? Fiss? ownfish?" He attempts the words despite how raspy they sound and how uncomfortable it made his gills feel. The twins chitter and chirp at the others in amusement. 

They gasp slightly when Nemo pulls himself closer, a soft rumble leaves him as he gestures his clawed hand to the pup. "Oh ok" they hum understanding the basics of what the white and orange oceanide was trying to do. They scoop Babybee up and pass him over to the large Oceanide. He lets out a few clicks at them with a soft smile.   

The other oceanides catter between themselves with soft melodies and clicks As Babybee happily chirps in Nemo's hold. The older mer helped the pup slip back into the water followed by slipping in after the energetic little one.

 The oceanides still hung around the centre but a lot of them had taken back to ocean hunting now with the seasons getting warmer. Everyone at the centre had noticed too with how little they had the oceanides climbing onto the jetties to steal fish out of barrels. 

They hadn't told Quin about the oceanides talking but Quin knew something was up and had them on a lot more outdoor activities to be around the oceanides for socialisation and to make sure the pup took well to the sea and pods.

 They slowly slide into the water too calling out to the red and black mer. "Cherry" they coo, trying to get the oceanides attention while treading water. The others click and chirp while giving them a side eye. 

But as the requested Oceanide swims towards them, They point to Nemo as he and babybee begin swimming out of the cave's mouth. Trying to usher for them to follow as they grip onto his shoulder. "Swim" they manage to say to Cherry. 

They hold their breath as they swim through the cave holding onto the oceanides shoulder, their body pressed closely to his back and flank as they make it out into the open water. The sweet melodies of the others echo across the waves as they swim up to see what they were doing. 

They pull away from Sideswipe to swim up for air only to have the Meg glide under them, slowly rising himself so that they rest on his back, it shocks them slightly at how docile he is acting with them but they lean against him enjoying the opportunity to just lounge on the large Oceanide.   

More little chirps and calls fly between the different pods, some playing with each other and others lounge in the waves or on rocks. A deep rumble leaves Big man as he turns, large clawed hands grabbing them to keep their smaller body steady as he lets them rest against his chest, loud purrs leave him as their legs brush the rippled gills on his sides. 

"Well aren't you social once you're out here big man" they tease to the large Oceanide as they sit on him. A bright smile on their lips, their hands moving to his cheeks patting them playfully, "bububub, awww who my big scary man, you, you are " they coo. Only for him to huff but relax back into their touch. 

The human's eyes flicker towards Echo when they hear his sweet melody. " Echo there have you been?" They call out excitedly to the rather silent oceanide. It wasn't often they saw the pretty deep blue mer, he was rather illusive as was Reaper. 

 Mega rumbles softly in contentment, but the large mer doesn't move. 

Echo chirps fondly towards them but doesn't make an attempt to interpret the big man's cuddle time. Others swim around eagerly splashing and playing only for The Meg to grumble at them or hiss every once in a while. It makes them chuckle at how cuddly the big mer had gotten since they had been looking after him. 

They happily lay against his frame enjoying how cool it feels in the scorching sun. They almost fall into a nap listening to his rumbles and soft thrills, one arm in the water as they rest against him. 

They are halfway asleep when a loud whistling call snaps them awake, Big blue swims towards Nemo and babybee, but he nears the pods, delighted to see all the other oceanides. He slowly stills his swimming when he sees them resting against the Meg. 

Babybee excitedly babbles to his sire as he swims to him, doing quick little circles round him in delight. Big blue warbles uneasily but turns his focus to his pup. The others watch anticipating what his reaction would be to them swimming with the pod.   

They slowly slip back into the water off the Meg, paddling over towards Big blue  "Where have you been big blue, why have you been avoiding me?" They ask as they tread water in front of him. Big blue whines softly at them, still not talking in that sweet broken voice they were beginning to miss. 

"Blue, please talk to me, I know you can" their voice goes much softer as their hand reaches up to touch his face, frills and fins. Only for it to earn a low growl from the normally docile mer but it slowly turns into a wabled whine as he goes to try and swim they grab hold of him not letting him take off without then, holding on by his fin. Bee playfully follows while the others just watch on in disbelief, 

The moment he stops on the beach they move quickly forcefully pushing him down as they sit on him, in truth he had much more strength then them and could have easily thrown them off as they staring the oceanide down, they watch the way his fins and frills extend and show off the colour, as a mating display.

 "What's gotten into you? " they mumble softly while cupping his face. He wants them, wants them so badly that his body responds to each touch. Big blue warbles helplessly as his frame responds. Gently he butts his head against their hands. 

Slipping close, Angelfish beaches himself beside them. trills a soft greeting while flaring his vibrant frills and fins in  display. He nudges against their side, 

Their eyes move from Big blue to Angelfish as his fins flare and his scales shift colour almost like an illusion as he begins to show off. They sit there stunned for a moment as he continues, they feel something pressing against their back. It's only then that they realise exactly why Big blue had been avoiding them. "Oh.., Oh!" They shout before quickly clambering off the oceanide and walking off flustered trying not to make eye contact.

‘Holy shit,  holy shit, they have a penis too not just Claspers, maybe the claspers arent really claspers’ they begin to panic as they walk off trying not to look at the oceanides on the beach. 

_____________________

Rodimus rumbles approval while Ratchet nods sagely at the pups Advancing vocabulary. "Well said, Bumblebee. You're leaning very quickly"

Bluestreak inquiries curiously. "Think if the little pup learns their ways, maybe they'd warm up to us too?" 

Sideswipe hums in agreement. "Pit, if Bumblebee can get cosy, imagine what we could show a landwalker with a few words in our vocab!" 

Sunstreaker shakes his head. But as Bumblebee continues blossoming under the soft ones teachings. 

Bumblebee trills happily at being called their clownfish. “ I'm doing good!” He calls Ratchet only for the older mer to chuckle with a nod. “Very well pup” both Rodimus and Bluestreak attempt to say the words bumblebee is being taught. 

Sideswipe laughs playfully as he slowly slides down the algae covered rock. "Since when'd you two start trying to learn?" 

“Alright pup, come on time to go hunting, your sire will be back soon need to make sure you have had a feed” Ratchet calls to him, moving closer to the soft skin. They gasp slightly but scoop bumblebee up and pass him over to Ratchet regardless. “Thank you sweetone” he rumbles. 

Bluestreak titters excitedly as Bumblebee is passed to Ratchet. "Aww lookit him, getting comfy with them already!" 

Sideswipe's whines enviously. "Frag I wish that could be me getting coddled!" 

As they all began slipping back into the water to prepare for a hunt the landwalker slides in alongside them. Looking towards Sideswipe as they call out in their little strange name for him. Rodimus whines "Fragger" 

Beside him, Bluestreak thrills eagerly as always. "Look at Sides go! Think if he scores we'll all get a shot?"

Sideswipe, draws closer. “Yes sweet one, how can I appease you?” He coos softly.

Meanwhile Ratchet shakes his head wearily, keeping Bumblebee tucked safe as he watches the foolish adolescents. 

They point to Ratchet as he and Bumblebee begin swimming out of the cave's mouth. Trying to usher for them to follow as they grip onto his shoulder. 

Rodimus rumbles with barely-checked eagerness as the landwalker invites themself along for a swim. "Frag, they really want us all, don't they? Think if we play our cards right..."

“Can it Firefish!” Sunstreaker shouts at him only to get a glare from Rodimus and Bluestreak. Sideswipe purrs, as he lets them settle against his back. "I'll keep you safe, sweetsea."

He takes off quickly, not wanting them to be underwater for too long, knowing well the landers couldn't breath under water. Thundercracker and Skywarp drift around curiously. Even Megatron eyes them for a moment with a low rumble acknowledging them with a whistle. Skywarp flicks his fins teasingly at Sideswipe's find. "Look at you, Sides, got yourself a sucker" he teases.  

Megatron follows their movement to the surface,  using his bulk to keep them afloat. He lets them settle on him, rather enjoying himself with the small softskin. Skywarp titters amusedly. "My, my, looks like someone likes the fleshy!" 

Thundercracker chuckles. "Never thought I'd see Megatron taken with a lamprey" 

Even stoic Soundwave moves to watch. " Landwalker cared for his injuries."

Megatron's purr rumbles his massive frame, as he cradles them against his chest letting them rest. 

Skywarp titters excitedly to his twin. "Seems like half the pod's got their eyes on the little landwalker! Think any of us stand a chance against Megatron, Soundwave and Optimus?"

Thundercracker chuckles dryly. "Who knows"

Nearby, ever-hopeful Bluestreak titters eagerly. "Oo, wouldn't it be nice if they chose all of us? Think of the clutches!" 

Another whistle breaks through the air as Optimus swims towards Ratchet and Bumblebee, but he nearly stills his swimming when he sees the sweet human he had been avoiding is resting on Megatron. Bumblebee excitedly babbles. “Carrier teach more words. Clownfish, I'm a little clownfish!” He states excitedly.  

As the human makes their way off Megatron the paddle over towards Optimus while the others watch rather intrigued to see what happens.   

Beside them, ever-intrigued Skywarp titters to his twin. "Ha, looks like Mr. Smooth scales is tangled up by them and they don't even have a net" he continues as Optimus tries swimming off only for the softone to hold on as he darts away. "Awww,someone'sgot it reeeeal bad!" 

Thundercracker softens."Let them be,Sky. He's struggles enough as is, his seasons come early it seems we'll most likely be like that by the end of the full moon." 

Mirage chirps cheerfully, "Aww, they make such a cute pair! Don't you think so, Sides?"

Sideswipe huffs softly feeling slightly rejected "much rather have them as my mate."

Rodimus rumbles impatiently, "Well, if Optimus won't make his move, maybe one of us should..."

Ratchet vents heavily, "Oh, for Primus' sake. Give them some space, you lot."

Optimus warbles helplessly as his frame responds against his will. Gently he butts his head against their hands, wishing words could convey how much he wanted to tell them what was happening. “Please little singer i can't have you near me like this” he tries to plead knowing they didn't understand the melodies but he didn't trust himself in this state. 

Slipping close, Bluestreak trills a soft greeting while flaring his vibrant fins and frills on display. He nudges against their side. "Let poor Optimus be, sweet carrier" 

Nearby, Rodimus rumbles faintly amused. "Lookit Blue go, making his move while Ops a mess" 

Optimus can't help it when his spike slowly slinks out from its cover claspers spreading slightly as he lays under the softkin. Their expression slowly changes, "Oh...Oh!" They cry, quickly scrambling off poor Optimus in a spray of sand and pebbles. 

Sunstreaker whistles low between his denta as the realisation sinks in. "Well scrap me, looks like it finally clicked!"

"About fragging time too," Smokescreen adds wryly. "That must've been quite the show for the little landwalker."

Optimus retreats back into the sea darting off again leaving Bumblebee with Ratchet. 

____________________

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[silliestlittledemon]

can i get cg! aziraphale & crowley hcs with young kiddo! age[d]re reader insert? /nf 💫tiny ruby

Crowley and Aziraphale caregiver headcanons!

Hey! Ofcourse you can!:3 I hope you like these! Also im very little and veryyyy tired at the moment, so sorry if any of this is worded or spelled weird :3

• When you tell them you're an age regressor, Aziraphale immediately asked if you wanted them to take care of you.

• Aziraphale already knew what age regression meant when you explained it to him, he's a smart angel. Crowley didn’t know but he could get a grasp on the concept and would try very hard for you to understand it.

• Literally always there for you when you need it. They're always able to make time free when it comes to you.

Random headcanons ✨️

• They would 'co-parent' you very well, Aziraphale can't handle running after a very hyper little you all day? Crowley would gladly! Crowley unable to read a single word from the book you asked him to read? Aziraphale's here for that! :3

• Crowley insists on dressing you. He claims Aziraphale makes you look too 'boring'. And Crowley makes you look 'the coolest!'. :3

• Crowley needs to keep scolding Aziraphale for spoiling you... don't go hard on the angel he cant help it.

• Aziraphale enjoys teaching you educational things when you're little, like colors, shapes amd numbers! :D Crowley likes to teach you how to commit tax fraud.

• Both are so so so very protective of you. They definitely give scary 'dads' privileges.

• Crowley's favorite nickname for you is 'His little angel', Aziraphale's favorite nickname for you is 'His little demon'. <3

• Aziraphale has to lock away all the sweets from you AND Crowley. Just because he knows Crowley would give in and let you have all the sweets you want the second you give him a puppy eyed look.

Thats all! Can I hear a wahoo? 😎 Im sorry I had to say it I love Crowley way too much. Yay im back! Sorry for not posting for a few days but I went on a really fun school trip to Amsterdam last friday and just needed a bit of recover time from that! :) But yeah it was really fun though! We visited the NEMO science museum and I got to play with water all day :3 Okay my little rant is over, night night everyone 😇🍎🐍

Any k!nk or f3t!sh content DNI!!!

[20kmemesunderthesea]

AMC's Nautilus

Action, political intrigue, plot twists and a healthy amount of sea monster skirmishes:

These are just some of the many reason why even those unfamiliar with the works of Jules Verne will find "Nautilus" to be an engaging SciFi adventure series.

Here are my (spoiler-free) thoughts on the show.

Note: as I write this, "Nautilus" is airing only on SVT: This is How I Watched it Living Outside of Sweden

When I heard that there was going to be a TV series about Captain Nemo's backstory, I was mightily aprehensive. The main reason for this apprehension was the mere fact that Captain Nemo's past is so dark and tragic. Thankfully, the series begins after the horrific events of the 1857 rebellion and just as the Nautilus is launched. What happened to Nemo's family is shown in flashbacks which explain the events without being graphic.

When I began the show, I honestly had very low expectations. I didn't really expect to like it. To my delighted asonishment, it turned out to be one of the best film tributes to Jules Verne I've ever seen - no hyperbole.

Throughout the series, there are fight scenes, periodic depictions of people bleeding and a couple "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" innuendo jokes, so I wouldn't watch it with a small child, but I think it would be appropriate to watch with most young teenagers (13+).

I believe both well-read Jules Verne fans and those who've hardly heard the name "Captain Nemo" will enjoy the intriguing storyline, likable characters and aesthetic scenery. There are many other factors which made me fall in love with "Nautilus" as well:

The Man of the Seas

The character of Captain Nemo has always facinated me. I was blown away by how perfectly and accurately Captain Nemo was portrayed in this series. Shazad Latif, in my opinion, is an immaculate Captain Nemo and he really brought the character to life with all his complexities. Out of all the film portrayals of Captain Nemo I've seen, I'd have to say his has been by far my favorite.

Tributes to Indian History and Culture

I'm American an my husband is Indian. He and I were both very impressed with the way in which Indian culture and history were presented. I want to see more shows like this to teach our son about his heritage. 

Many of the action scenes reminded me of South Indian cinema. In one episode there is a scene where the Nautilus crew is playing cricket against some Englishmen, which may seem a little disconnected from the rest of the story, but Bollywood fans may recognize it as a delightful tribute to "Lagaan."

The Writers Were Well-Verse in Vernian Lore

Although the story wasn't 100% accurate to the book, the writers obviously had read Verne's books and knew the nuances of Nemo's story and background quite throughly.

There were certain details which made me excited, such as when Nemo has an enigmatic exchange with an Englishman in which they greet each other warmly and seem to be thanking each other for...something. Nemo ends the conversation by saying, "Give my regards to Phileas!"

In Verne's other classic, "Around the World in 80 Days," Princess Aouda is the widow of the Raj of Bundelkhand. Since Jules Verne often dropped little hints that his books existed in the same universe, I always wondered if Aouda and Nemo were distantly related, since Bundelkhand is Nemo's kingdom of origin.

A question is posed: in this conversation, was Nemo thanking the Foggs for saving someone he cared about? This is the first time I've ever seen anyone address the detail that Aouda and Nemo might be relatives.

Tributes to the artwork of Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou

I noticed several shots which were obvious tributes to the first-edition illustrations of Jules Verne's classics, such as Captain Nemo standing on the submarine deck with his spyglass, and the map of Lincoln Island on a cave wall. Those details absolutely thrilled me! 

Everything I've Ever Wanted in a Verne-Inspired TV Series - Except for That Cliffhanger!

Everything about this show absolutely floored me. It was everything I could have hoped for in a Captain Nemo TV series...and then it ended.

Such a well-done series ending with fairly significant loose ends felt like a punch in the gut more forceful than the maelstrom itself. I've been trying not to let it overshadow the rest of the show. I wish with all my heart that there could be a season two!

If anyone's curiosity gets the better of them, I compiled a list HERE of questions I desperately want to know the answers to. I hope someone may be able to answer my questions one day!

I want NEED more!

While I'm still coping with my post-series let down, I find myself pining away for more shows like this; shows based off of classic adventure novels which honor the spirit of the origional author.

I want shows which are imaginative, exciting and engaging, but have snippets of real-life science, culture and history woven in. Incidentally, I daresay these are the same elements which make the stories of Jules Verne himself so timeless.

[mako-neexu]

"May this simple gift be a source of warmth to you in the long journey ahead." [Fujimaru Ritsuka]

-☆-

The day was coming to an end.

Another Christmas for the year – a week of Christmas to celebrate the incoming new year they’ll be in for a few more days.

Ritsuka never expected to always get something from her friends and Servants, but it always makes her happy to receive whatever they’ll give to her.

Cursed talismans, plushies, chocolate, flowers, blankets, books and even weapons. She may not have the chance to use all of them, but she treasures each of them equally, all given to her by those who stood by her side.

Ritsuka yawns as she exits the bathroom, having finished drying her hair after a relaxing shower and change of clothes. It’s been a long day like usual, but she’s glad Nemo invited her and Mash to deliver the presents he wasn’t able to give to the rest of the Servants.

She’s curious about what happened but since he never elaborated, she shouldn’t pry on what happened.

Still, when Captain came back… there was an air around him that made her and Mash get frozen for a moment before answering his offers with glee. She may not know why… but that was the thing that made her curious.

It looked as if Captain Nemo met someone with gentle eyes, the fatigue from traveling around the world simply wiped away by an encounter he did earlier.

…It was familiar in a way she couldn’t describe.

“...”

She was silent as she stood in the middle of her room before shivering slightly.

...Hm, her room is kind of cold...

There was no time to be melancholy for a bit though! The shop was still open for a few more days and she had to get some materials to give to some of the newly summoned Servants so she should sleep now and make sure she was ready to go for missions anytime.

Ritsuka dims the lights before climbing into her bed, raising the blanket so she could lay underneath it, but just as her head approached the pillow–

–She saw a green colored gift box tucked beside it.

She blinked for a moment. It was a gift. Her smile turns soft as her hands reach for it, sitting up with her legs criss crossed.

Accompanied with that same present was a small golden note that read:

‘It’s a little late but this is the gift I promised. I’d like to apologize for the delay as Marine and Engineer argued a bit about the wrapping as they wanted it to be special for both you and Mash, but it’s all good now.  As Captain of the Storm Border, I thank you for all of your efforts as Master and friend to all.  As Santa, Merry Christmas, Ritsuka. This gift is simply something I found in our warehouse section of the Border, so don’t think too much about it. Looking forward to another year with you.’

“...Signed, Nemo and the crew.” She sighed softly with her smile, closing the small enclosed letter and folding it for safekeeping. To be honest, she also forgot about what he said earlier about getting them something so it’s certainly a surprise to receive it right now.

But all worries and other thoughts pushed aside, Ritsuka gently unwrapped the white ribbon from the green box, and upon opening the lid���

...

......

She froze on the spot.

And time felt insignificant at this moment.

What was before her eyes was a miracle manifest. 

All the air in her lungs vanished, all the strength in her body, every single weight that heavily piled upon her shoulders vanished upon the sight of something that was far beyond a simple gift.

—This was a treasure worth far more than a simple gift.

A polaris star born in this very moment, soothing the cold that she felt, a guide for her to come back home.

An unexpected gift.

A wonderful, unforeseen present that completely startled her.

And there was warmth.

Lovely searing warmth wrapped around her like a blanket. Like what that man used to do whenever she broke down from seeing her friends sacrifice themselves for her, losing their lives while she herself was saved.

Her body shook, her hands trembled terribly, and her eyes failed to see clearly as her vision turned more blurry every second.

And she wondered, through the tidal wave of emotions, if this was simply all a dream.

That touching something as precious and rare as this would make her wake up. Since, for the first time, she didn’t want to wake up in case this had been a dream.

Ritsuka takes a shaky breath as she blinks her tears away, wiping them with the back of her hand. She couldn’t hide her emotions anymore. She doesn’t care if someone barges into her room.

All she felt right now was the crushing feeling of missing the one person who she lost on this exact day.

(Rings. Sacrifices. Promises. Farewells. A smile. A hand on her cheek. A whisper of how proud he was of her—)

Her hands reached out to gently, tenderly hold his gloves near her face as her shallow breaths continued to stutter, and her tears stained the soft fabric brushing against her cheek.

And it felt as if the gloves themselves were wiping her tears away. It felt as if his hand cupped her face while the other rubbed small circles on her back.

Just like what he used to do…

“Thank… you…Thank you—” She whispered through gasps and harsh tears, cradling the pair like she had finally found a long lost loved one after searching for years.

Ritsuka doesn’t know how much time had passed but she kept holding onto the gloves like a lifeline, as if any moment, it could disappear from her grasp, out of reach, slipping away like sand on her hands.

She sniffled as she wiped away her tears again, her tears had never stopped flowing but she felt a little calmer now. Just a bit… just for a bit…

Ritsuka moves to wear the gloves on her hands. Shaky as she felt, there was no helping the warmth that covered her icy fingers. Gloves that were a little too big on her hands, an exact size that belonged only to the hands of that man himself.

Ritsuka closed her eyes and smiled, her gloved hands pressing against her chest. Her heart beating steadily, her shoulders the most relaxed in what felt like forever.

She looks at the pair of gloves again to make sure they were real. That this was unmistakably his gloves.

…The warehouse, huh? Their storage room did house a lot of unexpected things… Did Nemo spend the entire day trying to find something to give to her and Mash?

Her gut told her that this was a little more than a little ‘warehouse scavenging’ though, but she has to believe in what Santa said.

She smiled this time, the curves of her lips tender and happy as she lay back down onto her bed, feeling the gentle fabric lull her to sleep.

How odd must the warehouse be, to still be able to hold and retain Dr. Roman’s scent as if it hadn’t been a day since he wore them and gave it as a present.

She opens her eyes just a bit before squeezing the gloves just a little tighter.

...Miracles rarely come by, but when they do, they often shine like a star. 

But right now, to her, they were in the form of a certain Captain bashfully asking a kind Doctor for two pairs of white gloves.

[tidalwavegames]

The ADVENTURE ANTHOLOGY for SEE YOU, SPACE COWBOY...

ON KICKSTARTER NOW!

"Howdy, Bandleaders! Feeling a little lost in this big ol' Solar System of ours? Campaigns need a new direction, or just a kick of bright n' shiny inspiration? Don't worry, we gotcha covered! Inside this book are 8+ brand new Bounty Modules, all custom-made to work with the CUSC system. Use 'em to light a fire in your campaign, try the game out for a one-shot session, or take what you find and run away with it—we ain't here to tell you how to play! We'll give you that little jet boost to get your game flyin' high into the Great Beyond."

The ADVENTURE ANTHOLOGY is a 36+ page supplement for SEE YOU, SPACE COWBOY... and other space & scifi systems. The base book will contain 8 One-Shot Bounty Modules that you can drop into your ongoing CUSC game, or string together into a longer campaign. Each module fits on two 2-page spreads and are colour coordinated, so you can easily see the information you need to run the night's adventure. For each Stretch Goal we reach, we will add another Bounty Module to the book!

Features:

8+ One-Shot Bounty Modules to drop into your game

Modules from Onslaught Six, Maid of Tin, Alex Keswick, Ryan Stevens (Blank City Games) and more

Each Module fits on two 2-page spreads, or the front & back of a single 8.5"x11" page. That's 36 pages of adventure!

Absolutely dope cover art by Mitch Speck

Fantastic art from the team you know & love: Demon Dionysus, Tyler Hogerty, areyoshi, Slyllama, Dyelute, definethelimits & more

Use in CUSC or other space & scifi games

100% Human Created Content!

The ADVENTURE ANTHOLOGY will feature a bunch of great writers like Onslaught Six, Maid of Tin, Alex Keswick, Adam Kovac, Ryan Stevens (Blank City Games), and if our stretch goals are met, Farmer Gadda, Kyle Tam & Nemo (J.M.), Josh Domanski (Liminal Horror) and more.

Check it all out on the Kickstarter, LIVE NOW: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seeyouspacecowboy/the-adventure-anthology-for-see-you-space-cowboy-ttrpg

[laxibbeb]

Don’t worry, it’s truly been a week for us all. And not to flood you with asks, I just happened to have this ready at the same time as your snippet:)

I’m a fan of those Greek mythology retellings (although I haven’t finished Song of Achilles because I know how it ends and I’m scared of getting hurt). And I don’t know if you’ve ever read Gods of Jade and Shadow, but it was interesting.

Ninth House is fun, it has that mystery vibe to it while still being dark urban fantasy. Which is a genre that I don’t typically enjoy?

Also I enjoyed Too Good to be True. It was interesting trying to figure out each character’s motives throughout the book.

Have you read Priory of the Orange Tree? I loved it, but I ran into the same problem as you. I had a massive book hangover and haven’t been able to get into the second one yet 😂

I…am hesitant to tell you one of the things I’m pretentious about. I think it might give me away. I can tell you it has to do with one of my hobbies, though! For the other, I can be a bit of a snob about wine. I love a good Sauvignon Blanc. Truly immaculate. (But YES! Let’s be pretentious bitches together. That’s truly the dream. It’s also what Mor x Nesta could have been but anyway) haha maybe I’ll indulge both of us and write that someday 😊

Ooh the weaver? I see the appeal! It’s hard to pick one for ACOTAR because most of the characters are already hot. Andras, maybe? Dying for the sake of the plot? What a guy. Although I guess he’s not special in that regard, if you think about it.

I’m so sorry I just started talking😂

For non ACOTAR? I’m going to be honest I didn’t think about this either, so I’m doing the same as you. Uh, this is definitely a popular one, but that one fish from finding Nemo. Gill, I think his name is.

I can verify I am not one of the two people in the fandom who can understand that reference. Unsure if that narrows anything down for you (so I’m going to narrow it down even further and tell you I’m American)

I feel like these asks keep getting longer and longer. I don’t know what that says about us.

Anyways!

Do you have any favorite fics? They could be for any ship, honestly. I also enjoy Nessian and sometimes Feysand, and am open to other ones too.

Do you play any instruments? (I don’t think I asked this already?)

santa ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 i hope you flood me with asks, i love them

oH MY GOD i do that too, where i leave a book when i know it'll get bad 🫢 i'm scared to proceed with other books form "The Poppy War" for an example, because i have a vague idea of what will happen and i just. i just can't i've not read "Ninth House", i wanted to but not gonna lie, i'm scared i won't like it.. leigh bardugo hasn't ever done it for me before

i wanted to give something new of hers a try, though! so maybe?

"Too good to be true" is actually going on my tbr now, especially since i promised myself i'd read more thrillers (and haven't but shhh)

i HAVE read priory, (i have like, 80 pages left, but i'm GETTING TO IT so let's say i read it for a moment) it was so good! but yeah, the second one is gong to have to wait

(i would absolutely read an 800 page long, day to day account of tané's life, though)

---

OKAY, a wine snob??? that's so classy and sophisticated of you, santa (might i say - hot) i'll wait for your other pretentious thing, that's ok see! you see the mor x nesta potential for what it really is... divine and so, so sexy if you ever decide to write mor x nesta i'll owe you my firstborn, actually

---

OH MY GOD, THE ANDRAS SHADE (i wish the most important man in the acotar series had a single speaking line, not gonna lie)

okay, here's the thing - i've watched nemo one time and, stupid me i thought that was it, so i deleted all the memories i had of this movie. little did i know people would be referencing it for the rest of time i googled gill the fish from finding nemo and you know what? i GET IT. it's his slutty fin swoop

---

you know what, if you said that you recognized what i was talking about, only then would i have IMMEDIATELY known who you are

i now have 3 pieces of information that could possibly help me in figuring out your identity, and let me tell you, it doesn't narrow it down that much 🤣 so you're in the clear

---

I BRING FORTH MY FAVOURITE FANFICTION:

i cannot have a favourite fics list without mentioning @separatist-apologist, as she's the reason why i'm even in this fandom to begin with, so even though we all know this already -> take your pick and it's my favourite ever

what lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why by @foundress0fnothing THIS ONE IS SO MUCH FUN, and it has bi lucien; what more could you want

Springtide by @clarafae i've been really enjoying this one and i'm not done with it yet but it belongs here, ok i did not think i could like high lady of spring!elain but turns out i just needed a good fic

also, i've started A Blaze in the Dark by the famous @the-lonelybarricade and i can already tell you it belongs here as well

lately i've been reading a lot of azris, actually!

Just Enough Light to Cast Shadows by @jules-writes-stories (if you're reading this because ot the tag, jules please know i haven't forgotten about you, I'LL COME BACK) anyway, i love this one and i've been having so much fun reading it

i'm due a reread of Kerosene by @chunkypossum which is my absolute favourite and changed my life, actually

AND there are so many more but i need to finish replying to you before i turn 80 years old, unfortunately

---

i do not play an instrument :(( i used to really want to play the violin when i was a kid but when i asked my mom if i could attend music school she got war flashbacks and said she wouldn't put me through that (she also said i have no predispositions for doing music, which wow, thanks mom (she was right) 😋) so no instruments for baby laxi but i like to sing in my car when i'm driving 🤣

---

we're writing love letters to one another from across the sea and as the time passes they get progressively longer we just need to embrace it

it got to the point when i'm putting dividers whenever i change the topic to make it easier to read 🤣

as always, santa tell me your answers too, please!! and have a

[physalian]

Toy Story 2 | Still a perfect execution of a fantasy story

One of the things people uesd to complain about is that the cars in "Cars" did not need to be cars. As in, the fantastical element was not necessary to tell the story (which I wholeheartedly disagree with but that's not the point of this post). You could have told Finding Nemo with the fish as humans and have Nemo caught by... a traveling circus, or something, but to many, Cars was the damning example.

While Toy Story was the antithesis of Cars in every way.

Have not and will not see the fourth one but the first two films are perfect fantasy, and you don't immediately think of them as "fantasy".

I just rewatched TS 2 so it's fresh in my mind, and this story could not exist if these characters were not toys. Everything from the little details like the Etch-a-Sketch speed-drawing the map from the commercial to the "high stakes" rescue and escape that's only "high stakes" beacuse they're toys and not people and that one intersection is a death trap.

But the big thing is the main plot of the story: Woody is in the role of a has-been who wants to reclaim his glory days (like Mr. Incredible) but unlike a human, Woody himself was not part of those glory days, he's just one of many toys sold with the Woody's Roundup TV show, theoretically endlessly replacable, as all toys are. Unless you gave your hero amnesia, in no other storyline would this work with a human character, because Woody is both an outsider and the hero making his homecoming.

At the center of this trilogy is what it means to be a toy: A child's plaything. How each character relates to that fact is central to their arcs. The first movie tackled the divide between Woody's "I exist to be Andy's favorite toy" and Buzz's "I ain't no toy, I'm a Real Boy".

The second movie takes it one step further: Is a "toy" something you play with and inevitably ruin through playtime and the messy love of a child, or is a "toy" something you keep perfectly preserved in its packaging? And the consequences of being a toy when your human outgrows you, in Jessie's story, and is a valid point by Stinky Pete.

TS 3 takes the "what happens when the kid grows up" to its natural conclusion, with Andy going off to college. While I think it got a little carried away in spectacle and the incinerator scene, the endless replacability of a toy is Lotso's whole schtick.

The nature of what a toy is is the whole point—a piece of wood or metal or plastic that is effectively immortal, but an immortal being forever in a place of willful servitude to children.

—

It seems rather obvious to give fantastical characters a fantastical story, but a lot of uninspired or forgettable fantasy takes a human plotline and just reskins it with fairies or animals and never takes full advantage of what the characters are.

When your fantastical elements and setting are just window dressing, like Avatar '09, a fancy backdrop for a bland story, why bother writing a fantasy story? Why waste all that worldbuilding and all that creativity? (I actually know the answer, Cameron got cold feet when his creative teams went all out to create something indeed alien, and kept nudging it back to something more friendly and recognizable until we got what we got).

Avatar '09 sure made a lot of money... and zero impact on our cultural memory. It's no one's favorite movie, no one's favorite retelling of Dances with Wolves. It's just pretty to look at.

You can write a retelling, a "modern take", a book of tropes and clichés, sure, but I'd encourage you to at least make one arc of your fantasy or sci-fi story only possible in your world, with your lore, with your characters. Otherwise, what's the point?

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 2)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer? Big thank you to @snowbellewells for making the cover pic set!

Word Count: 1698

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (Epilogue)

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

A few weeks later, Emma was sitting at her little kitchen table one evening attempting to unwind after another long day, when Captain Nemo came for a visit.  He and Granny made a point of coming down to her little gray house several times a week–sometimes alone, sometimes together.  Emma suspected their visits were more a matter of charity than anything else, but she wasn’t too proud to welcome them all the same.  After all, it got so very lonely out here with only Neal for company.

“Quite the storm we had, wasn’t it, Mistress Gold?” Captain Nemo asked after she’d invited him in and offered him tea, which he politely declined.  “Stormed for three days straight if it was an hour.”

“At least there was no real damage this time,” Emma said.  “That last autumn storm nearly ripped the roof off of my chicken coop.”

Nemo merely grunted in agreement.  “Granny told me you’ve been having a rough go of it with Neal.”

Emma grimaced.  Some days were harder than others, that was for sure.  “He’s always a bit more mischievous when he’s cooped up and can’t go outside as he likes.  Poor Granny!  She’s alright, isn’t she?”

Granny had ventured to Emma’s home earlier that day, as soon as the aforementioned storm had broken to see how she was doing (and to share the latest gossip from the harbor and the glen.  Granny was nothing if not entertaining.)  On a whim, the women had decided to fry a batch of donuts, and Neal, in one of his more cantankerous moods, had picked up a piping hot one, fresh from the oil, and plopped it directly on the back of the older woman’s neck.

She’d subsequently blistered Neal with her tongue until he ran away to lick his metaphorical wounds.

Captain Nemo chuckled.  “She’s no worse for wear Mistress Gold, no worse for wear.  She did have quite the diatribe for men in general, and your husband in particular, and I gather Neal had a near escape from having the entire pot of boiling oil dumped directly over his head, but otherwise, no harm done.”

“So what brings you here tonight?” Emma asked with a smile. (Captain Nemo never failed to bring out her good humor, no matter how trying a day she might have had.)

“I’ve come to give you a break,” he said.  “I’ve no doubt you haven’t had one since this infernal storm began.  Go visit the shore, take in the fresh sea air.  The sea can sometimes be a fickle mistress, but today she’s calm and serene, and she’ll be a balm to all troubled souls.”

For a moment, Emma considered refusing, after all, Neal was her responsibility.  She couldn’t ask someone else–even such a kind and generous soul as Captain Nemo–to watch him for her.

But then she thought of how very soothing and relaxing it would be to sit down by the shore and look out at the horizon as the sun set over the waters.

“If you really don’t mind…”

“Nothing to it,” Nemo said with a confident grin.  “Neal and I will have a fine time together.  Take your time.”

Not standing on ceremony, Emma did just that, grabbing her shawl–it was, after all, a chilly evening–and walking briskly to the shore.

She’d barely seated herself on one of the large rocks that lined the harbor when she realized she was not alone.  A few yards away, she saw the doctor’s wife walking along the shore.  Suddenly she stopped, laughed to herself, picked up her skirts and began dancing, twisting, twirling, pirouetting while her curly dark hair flowed out behind her in wild abandon.  Everything about the woman shouted joy.

For a long moment, Emma merely watched, indecision firmly planted on her face.  She knew she should have paid a call to Mrs. Nolan–after all, the newlywed couple were her nearest neighbors, and common courtesy demanded it–but every time she made up her mind to do so, she balked.

They were so obviously happy and optimistic and carefree that it radiated off of them, and try as she might, Emma could not overcome her resentment.  She’d never have a life like that.  Never.

And yet…at the same time, something inside of her longed to get to know Mrs. Nolan, longed for the almost contagious joy that surrounded her like a cloak.  

Longed, more than anything, for a friend her own age.  Some days she was so very lonely she could hardly stand it, and if she could have a friend who lived only just across her field, well, that could be a beautiful thing.

Emma continued to watch the other woman, struggling with her indecision about whether to call out to her or to withdraw, when Mrs. Nolan suddenly spotted her.  She stopped abruptly, her cheeks going very pink in obvious embarrassment.

“Oh!” she said in surprise.  “I didn’t realize you were there.  You must think me quite a fool for dancing like a child.  You must excuse me, though.  I haven’t been a bride for very long, and lovely evenings like this make me feel like a little girl again.”

Emma smiled in spite of herself.  There was something so refreshing and endearing about the doctor’s wife.

“I’m Mary Margaret Nolan,” the woman continued, moving closer and taking a seat on a nearby boulder.  “My husband’s the new doctor, and we live in that little white house on the harbor.”

“I know who you are,” Emma said.  “And I’m Emma Gold.  Mrs. Neal Gold, and I live in the gray house up there.”

She couldn’t stop the bitterness of her tone when she spoke her married name.

Mary Margaret’s brows rose at the information.  “You’re Mrs. Gold?” she asked in surprise.  “You’re not at all what I was expecting!”

Emma tilted her head.  “You had expectations of me?”

Mary Margaret laughed. “From the way Granny spoke of ‘Mrs. Neal Gold’, I was expecting a bustling, middle-aged housewife who hen pecked her husband mercilessly.”

“You know Granny?” Emma asked?

“Oh yes!” Mary Margaret answered.  “She’s the dearest old lady in the world, isn’t she, and so funny!”

Emma laughed, liking this woman instinctively.  For a good half hour the two talked and laughed and got to know each other.  By the end of the conversation, Emma felt like she’d known the other woman all her life.

“Well, I’d best be going,” Mary Margaret said finally.  “David will be returning home soon–he had several house calls to make in the glen this evening, and, well, I don’t want him to have to come home to a dark, cold home.”

Suddenly the spell was broken.  For a beautiful half hour, Emma had forgotten her lot in life, but then it all came rushing back.  She got quickly to her feet and turned toward her home saying abruptly, almost coldly, “Yes, I must also get home to my husband.”

She saw the confusion in Mary Margaret’s eyes at her change of tone.  “We must be friends after this,” Mary Margaret said tentatively.  “We are neighbors after all.  You must come down to our little House of Dreams and visit!”

For a moment, Emma merely stood, her back to Mary Margaret, and then she turned, pasting on a smile she hoped looked sincere.  “If you really want me to.”

“Of course I do!” Mary Margaret enthused.  “Come whenever you want!  You’re always welcome!”

“And…and you,” Emma said haltingly. “You may come down to see me as well if you want.”

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

Montreal

Killian Jones got up from his desk and stretched, feeling the weariness engulf him.  He’d just put the finishing touches on the article he’d just written for the Gazette and he’d need to have it to his editor, Mr. Lancelot DuLac, within the hour.

Writing had always been Killian’s passion–second only to his love of the sea–but he’d never have expected his prowess with the written word to lead him here.  As a rather junior writer for one of the biggest newspapers in the city, he was assigned all manner of tedious stories, and the dull assignments seemed to sap the life right out of him.

Killian had grown up hearing stories from his parents–stories of his Prince Edward Island ancestors, their trials, tribulations, triumphs and sorrows.  When he was a lad, he’d dreamed of writing the Great Canadian Novel, a thrilling page turner that would set the country aflame.

If only he’d ever been able to find a sufficient plot and the inspiration to put pen to paper and bring it to life!

Instead, he’d settled for the drudgery of writing human interest stories for The Montreal Gazette.

Killian yawned, feeling a bone-deep weariness settle over him.  He was tired of his life, tired of his job, just plain tired.  He’d worked so hard, trying to make a name for himself, that he was close to total burnout.

“You’ve more than earned a vacation,” Mr. DuLac had told him just that morning, commenting on how pale and tired he looked.  “Take it!  Can’t have my employees dropping from sheer exhaustion.”

Killian had brushed his boss’s suggestion aside at the time, but now…well, now he was beginning to wonder if DuLac had a point.  Maybe it was time for a break.

Killian put his finished article in an envelope and placed it on his editor’s desk just as the first coughing spasm came over him.  He headed home, swigged some rum, trying to stave off the sore throat and dry hacking cough he felt coming on, before going to bed.

By the morning, all thoughts of newspapers and novels and vacation and burnout were gone, displaced by fever, coughing and wracking body aches.  Killian began to realize he might be in very serious trouble.

Notes: At least Emma has met a new potential friend, right?  That’s got to count for something!

Yes, Killian has fallen ill, but never fear.  It’s far too early in the story for me to kill him off!

Up next: Emma (somewhat reluctantly) becomes friends with the Nolans and finds that maybe opening her heart to friendship is a risk she’s willing to take.  Meanwhile, Killian battles pneumonia.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[anonymous-dentist]

I'm going to be honest and say that I do not give a single fuck about the Federation and the workers. And why would I? they were the main villains a couple of months ago but now I'm supposed to feel bad because Fred, who admitted to know about quackity's torture and apparently participated in whatever happened to either Antoine or Pierre (I don't remember right now), is dead? I'm sorry for Tubbo, but I laughed when I saw it.

It is so ridiculous to me that now, after months of hating the Federation, some islanders want to defend the workers. Or how now I'm supposed to feel empathy for the organisation that has kidnapped, torture, brainwashed and killed people.

And now, with the addition of the eye guy, we have three (four, if you count the residents. something not even the admins seem to be doing lately) different factions that we know nothing about. What's the Federation goal and motives? who knows. What does the Rebellion want and what are the codes? keep watching to find more cryptic books that explain not a thing. The fuck is going on with the eye guy, what does he want? wouldn't you like to know that.

It feels as if the residents now have to seat and watch passively and just accept whatever happens, because no matter how much they might what to try, their actions won't affect the story whatsoever.

sorry for the long rant, I'm really passionate about the server but since the eggs' disappeared i've only been disappointed with its direction

I feel like people have seen a few of the workers act chill and decided that all the workers are doing their jobs against their wills and that they’re all good people being forced to do bad things. And, sure, some workers are like that, like Walter Bob. But also? Many of them aren’t. It’s a complex situation, but we the audience have only seen a handful of workers. We haven’t even scratched the surface! Because like. What about the guys who pulled out Child Baghera’s feathers? What about that mysterious thing the Federation had that scared Child Cellbit to the point of abandoning his beloved sister in a panic and trying to swim away from Point goddamn Nemo? When Child Cellbit said, “Don’t trust the workers”, he meant all of them, and he was such an optimistic kid that he had to have had a GOOD reason to say that

Like when people say that it’s wrong for Cellbit to kill all these workers I obviously agree because Murder Is Wrong. But also?

THE FEDERATION IS ACTIVELY HOLDING EVERYBODY ON THIS ISLAND HOSTAGE

Nobody would’ve gone to Purgatory if they weren’t on the island. The Brazilians legitimately crashed by accident and weren’t allowed to leave. The Feds purposefully sabotaged the French’s plane. Every single hardship the islanders have faced since the start of the series is because the Federation essentially kidnapped them and they’re holding them hostage and torturing and killing and brainwashing them. They’re literal human experiments! Why would I feel bad for the organization actively breaking literally just So Many Geneva Conventions?

Like, sure, Fred liked Tubbo, but Fred also enjoyed Quackity being tortured and brainwashed. Fred helped operate on Pierre. Fred seemingly had connections with the Eye and Cucurucho.exe. It sucks that they’re dead, but like. Okay? I feel bad for Tubbo, but Fred knowingly helped torture and possibly even kill who knows how many individuals over their time with the Federation. They were a higher-up. They had some amount of free will.

So do the regular workers, actually, because these Fed Streams have showed us that the workers have personalities. We know that there are rebels in the workforce. There’s an office culture. Workers sabotage Federation equipment (ie the coffee machine) and get away with it.

The workers (outside of Walter Bob) only started having personalities in September after the eggs disappeared, and on a meta level it’s because the admins A) wanted something to do and B) because the writers suddenly needed to show how incompetent the Feds apparently are because like. The Eye, ig. And people only started caring when the workers were dying, which only ended up villainizing both q and ccCellbit yet again (because the fandom’s favorite hobby is hating Brazilians.)

[scullysexual]

a continuation of this. @today-in-fic

mentions of emotional/physical abuse.

“No, Mommy!” Emily cries, trying to squirm away from Dana’s hand. They are in the bathroom of a Walmart, a wet paper towel sits in Dana’s hand as she attempts to wash the dirt and grime of the past few days from her daughter’s face. The five year old has none of it.

“I have to clean your face, baby,” Dana says quietly. Truthfully, she doesn’t have the energy to fight with Emily today. She was exhausted; the stresses of her living situation catching with her.

Last night they had camped in the parking lot of the Walmart whose bathroom they were currently using. It was another cold night and Dana had barely slept. Despite the overnight parking sign, Dana had still been worried somebody would come along and throw them out even if she deliberately parked in the corner furthest away. That, however, had also come with its own issues: no streetlights. So while one half of her had worried about getting kicked out, the other half worried about getting her car broken into while they slept.

Emily, thankfully, had had no issues falling asleep. It was the daytime she struggled with. Unsimulated, bored, Emily’s tantrums had been getting worse lately. So far Emily had ripped one of her books apart and the corner of her tablet had a crack in it from when Emily had thrown it onto the parking lot’s tarmac. Dana tried not to get angry at her child, she was probably feeling the stress too now.

“Why can’t I go home and have a proper bath?” Emily asks.

Home. Every day Emily asked to go home. Every day Dana told her they couldn’t.

“Home isn’t safe anymore,” Dana tells her again.

“Daddy puts bubbles in my bath and let’s me play with as many ducks as I want.” Emily’s head lifts, almost challenging Dana to compete with her precious daddy. She hears what Emily doesn’t say. You keep me in a car all day and try to wash my face in stinky toilets.

Dana knows this already. She would listen as Ethan bathed Emily hours after a fight, like nothing had happened, meanwhile Dana would clean up the mess left behind.

She doesn’t tell Emily the other things Ethan does or says like how angry he becomes when he drinks or how she and Emily are the reason his life is so shit.

Well, they were out of his life now, Dana wonders if it was going any better for him.

Dana tosses the paper towel into the trashcan. She brushes her teeth and then disappears into the cubical to pee. She gets Emily to sing a song with her so Dana knows she still there and it’s during this time that something catches her eye. A leaflet sticks halfway out of the sanitary bin. Dana yanks it out as the lyrics to Wheels On The Bus trail off from her lips. Emily stops singing, too.

“Mommy, where did you go?” Emily cries.

“I’m still on the toilet, baby,” Dana answers though she is distracted looking at the leaflet. It’s a job ad; some time of nanny agency. Babysitting, Dana thinks. There’s a number on the bottom. An ideal striking, Dana gets off the toilet. When she opens the cubical, the leaflet still in her hand, Emily looks at her with relief.

“You took too long,” she says accusatory.

“I’m sorry,” Dana apologises. She shoves the leaflet into her bag and washes her hands.

“Can we go home now?” Emily asks.

“Soon.” Dana helps Emily off the counter and she takes hold of her hand, leading her out of the bathroom.

…

Dana listens as the phone rings, Finding Nemo plays in the background, Emily’s little laughter escaping her mouth as she watches. The phone rings five times and Dana is sure nobody is going to pick up. She’s about to give up when the ringing stops, there’s a slight pause, and then a woman’s voice rings through.

“Happy Nest Nurseries, Ellie speaking, how can I help?”

The voice on the other end takes Dana back a bit and she stutters slightly before she speaks.

“Hi, um…I’m Dana Scully. I was wondering if you had any positions available?” She bites her lip with trepidation, watching Emily through the rear-view mirror.

Ellie sighs. “I’m sorry, we don’t have any places, right now.” Dana’s heart sinks. Ellie goes quiet again and Dana hears the hustle of the phone being moved. There’s a conversation happening between Ellie and somebody else but Dana can’t quite catch the words. Finally, Ellie’s voice sounds through again.

“Actually, Monica says she might have something. Could you come in today?”

Dana smiles, happy and wide. “Yes! Yes, I can.”

“Great,” says Ellie. “I will see you then.”

They exchanges goodbyes and Dana starts putting the car into gear. The sound of the engine coming to life causes Emily to look up from her tablet.

“Are we going home now?” she asks.

“Not quite. Mommy has somewhere she needs to be.”

…

It’s only when she gets to the offices- the address listed on the leaflet and confirmed during a quick phone call to Ellie again- that Dana realises her appearance doesn’t exactly scream interview ready. She looks as tired as she feels, has aged about 10 years in three days. When she untangles her hair from the hair tie it falls down mattered and greasy, in need of a good wash, her curls in need of a reset (or a pair of straighteners) She finger combs through the ends, yanks out a giant knot with a wince, then reties her hair, this time into a ponytail. Then she pulls open the glove compartment in the hopes of finding a stray lip gloss tube in there. After rummaging around she finds not only the lip gloss but mascara, too, along with that a broken comb, couple of random receipts, a lighter, half a pack of cigarettes, Ethan’s ‘lost’ driver’s license- the memory of the day he lost that forever burned into her mind- and a teething toy from when Emily was a baby. Suffice to say, just about everything was in this glove compartment.

Dana shoves everything put the lip gloss and mascara away, she’ll deal with that junk another day. The uses the sun shield mirror and applies the products, immediately looking and feeling better about herself. She turns to Emily then.

“Emily?”

Emily remains half engrossed still by her tablet. “Hmm?”

“I’m about to speak to some very important people. I need you to be on your best behaviour, okay?”

“Can I bring my tablet?”

Dana sighs. When she was pregnant with Emily she didn’t want to become that parent who handed their child a phone screen to keep them quiet. In fact, she had been very against the idea, upholding it whenever she could. It was Ethan who ruined that one. When Emily was two years old he handed her his phone and it had been that way ever since. It wasn’t the first time Dana tried to implement rules and restrictions that would get thrown out the window by Ethan a few hours later. Bubble baths and unlimited ducks one of them. There was a reason Daddy was the favoured one because he gave whatever Emily wished, Mommy was just mean.

“Yes but you’ll have to put on your headphones.”

Emily pulls the headphones out of her bag and puts them on, forgetting to plug the wire into the tablet. Dana laughs and climbs out, reaching back into the car to unbuckle Emily and plug the wire in. Dana guiding a screen-hypnotised Emily, they both walk into the office building.

…

She meets Ellie at one of the desks. The girl wearily eyes Dana and Emily before smiling that fake customer facing smile.

“Maria will be in her office. Follow me.” And Dana does, following Ellie to the end of the hall. Two knocks and when a voice on the other side of the door bids them entry, Ellie opens it.

“Dana Scully is here to see you,” says Ellie.

“Send her in,” says the voice.

Ellie opens the door wider and Dana walks into the room.

“You can go now, Ellie.” And Ellie does so, closing the door behind her.

The woman- Monica- does a once over of Dana.

“I’m sorry,” Dana says immediately. Between the looks Ellie gave her and now the looks Monica is giving her, she knows she isn’t making a great first impression appearance wise. “I just didn’t intend on coming here today.”

“That’s okay,” says Monica. “Who is this?” she asks with interest and a big smile at the sight of Emily.

“My daughter, Emily—” Emily is oblivious, her eyes still glued to the screen. Dana looks wearily towards the other woman.

“You know, a lot of our clients don’t like giving screens to children,” Monica says in a tone that is gentle but still conveys a certain amount of warning.

“I know. And I don’t usually like it either but she’s so restless, she’d only be pilfering through your stuff, she’s very curious. The screen gives her something to focus on, it keeps her quiet, it…” Dana trails off. She knows she isn’t making much of an effort to defend herself, coming up with excuses here and there. “I just needed her to be quiet for now,” Dana says honestly. “I try to restrict her screen time.” A half lie, she did try when she lived with Ethan.

“Sit,” says Monica. “Let’s have a little chat.”

The woman guides the two of them over to the chairs at her desk. Dana helps Emily onto her seat before sitting down herself. Monica watches, beady eyed. When everyone is settled, Monica speaks.

“I don’t often do this but we’ve had a client seeking a nanny recently,” explains Monica and Dana hangs on to every word. “She’s desperate, almost, and we’re fully booked. Or we were, until you called. Now, we will have to do background checks, make sure you’re legit, it’ll take about three days but if everything comes back clean, which in most cases it does, the job is yours. Would you like it?”

Dana can barely believe it. She smiles brightly and nods.

“Yes, of course.”

Monica smiles back. “Great. Let me get you a form.” She wanders over to a filing cabinet and pulls the top drawer open. Dana takes her chance.

“Um…I wondered if I could also get a proof of employment in those three days as well. I’m hoping to get onto a housing list.”

Monica pauses and sighs. “Unfortunately Dana, you have to pass your probation before we can give you anything like that.”

Dana’s heart sinks once more. “And how long is the probation?”

“Three months.”

Dana gawks. Three months! She can’t live in her car for three months. She looks away, willing herself not to cry.

“I also have to ask what you intend to do with Emily when you’re at work. We’re you intending on taking her along too or do you have somewhere to put her, someone she can stay with?”

“Would she be allowed to come with me?”

Monica sighs again. “It’s not advised. You’re protected under insurance if anything was to happen to you while at the house. Emily, however, would not be. It is a risk.”

Dana looks at Emily then. Who knows what type of person this client could be. She could be risking Emily’s safety taking her with her. But where else could she go? To go back home would mean seeing Ethan. Family is…tricky. Melissa isn’t cut out for caring for a child- not to mention if she’d be in any state to even do so- she hasn’t spoken to her parents since Emily’s fifth birthday and that ended in an argument between her and her father, Ethan’s mother despises her and while she loves Emily she’ll only accept Emily if Ethan is the one dropping her off. There was one last person, the only one who has actually offered any support for Dana in the five years she’s been a mother but she too comes at a risk.

But, depending on hours, a risk Dana was willing to make.

“Yeah,” she says. “I have someone she can stay with.”

“Brilliant,” says Monica. She hands the form to Dana. “Fill this in as quickly as possible.”

…

Diana Fowley is the name of the woman who’s kids she’ll be looking after. Two boys: William who was the same age as Emily and Arthur who was three. Simple. Easy. She can do this.

Diana is a lawyer and, according to Monica, going through a divorce. It’s messy, the father’s contact with the boys is limited to weekends or whatever reason and originally, he was the stay at home dead while she was the breadwinner. Now this divorce has meant Diana has to look at other options.

Dana can’t help but compare this father to Ethan. She could never imagine Ethan as a stay at home parent- that was relegated to her- for pride mostly but also for controlling reasons. If Dana has no income herself then she can never leave, forever dependant on Ethan for a home, for financial support. She wishes she could see his face now. I got a job, Ethan. Turns out I’m not as stupid as you made me think.

Not that she was ever stupid. She has a quarter of a physics degree, had a direct path into medicine. A doctor she was going to be, a heart surgeon of all things. She was Emily’s age when she decided that that was what her career was going to be. She had it all worked out: married at 30, a kid two years later. Only the marriage never came, the kid nine years too early.

Dana doesn’t regret Emily, she doesn’t blame Emily for how her life has turned out. Emily is her entire world, Dana just wishes she hadn’t been 21.

“What do you want to be when you grow up, Emily?” Dana asks as they drive down a suburb.

The tablet is still on, now playing Ratatouille.

“A chef!”

This would be wonderful news if, when Dana asked her a few days ago, Emily hadn’t replied with dentist because she was watching Finding Nemo. She expects her daughter’s answer would’ve been a superhero if she’d been watching The Incredibles. But whatever path her daughter choices, Dana just hopes she’s able to become whatever she wants.

Her stomach twists as the house looms in front of her. Bill’s house she thinks as her hands squeeze the steering wheel. No, Tara’s, Dana corrects. If she stays it’s Tara’s house then it is a lot less daunting.

“Where are we, Mommy?”

“You’re going to spend the day with Auntie Tara, baby.”

Emily recoils.

“I hate Auntie Tara!”

“Emily!” Dana admonishes, spinning around. “You don’t hate anyone. Auntie Tara loves you. She wants to see you.”

Tears come to Emily’s eyes as she furiously shakes her head.

“I don’t want to!” the child cries. “I don’t like Auntie Tara. I want to go home! I want Daddy! Why won’t you let me see Daddy?!”

Dana sighs preparing herself for another Emily tantrum.

“Take me to Daddy!” Emily’s foot kicks the back of Dana’s chair. “I want to see Daddy!” Kick. Daddy. Kick. Daddy. Kick. Daddy.

Dana closes her eyes, focuses on her breath, breathing in and out, in and out. She reopens her eyes.

“Emily,” she says quietly, not rising to her daughter’s level. “I need Tara to look after you today.”

“Why can’t Daddy?”

“Daddy’s busy.”

“But I haven’t seen him in years!”

She reminds herself that it’s only been a week.

“I know and we will see Daddy soon but for now, I need you to go with Auntie Tara until Mommy gets back, okay?”

“Where are you going?”

“I told you, Mommy has to go to work.”

The concept was baffling to the child.

“But you stay at home…” Emily says with a frown.

Dana smiles. “Not anymore. We need to find a house—”

“We have a house- Daddy’s house.”

Dana unbuckles her seatbelt and climbs out of the car. She opens Emily’s door, unbuckles Emily, and kneels down in front of her.

“I need you to listen to me, Emily. Daddy is a bad person. Do you know what a bad person is?”

Emily nods. “They hurt you.”

Dana nods in return. “They do. That’s what Daddy did- he hurt me. He almost hurt you.” She wipes a stray tear from her child’s face. “So I got us out of there. That is why we can’t go back home, we can’t go back to Daddy. I’m gonna get us a new house where nobody can hurt us but I need you to stay with Tara so I can do that. Do you think you can do that?”

Emily pauses, thinking it over hard as if she had any choice in the matter.

“Daddy was shouting and you were crying.” Emily frowns as if trying to remember. “And something hitted my head.”

Dana nods again, tears now coming to her own eyes. She thought maybe Emily would have forgotten that night. Clearly not. “It was a glass cup, baby. Daddy threw a glass cup and it almost hit you.”

Emily’s eyes widen. “Why? Did I do something wrong? Do I make Daddy angry?”

Dana’s heart breaks a million times over, the gravel currently cutting into her knees didn’t hurt as much as this. She gathers Emily into her embrace.

“No, baby girl…” She breaths in her unique Emily scent. “You don’t make anybody angry. Daddy meant to…” She stops herself. Daddy meant to throw it at me she almost says. “He didn’t mean to throw it at you. But it did get you so that’s why we had to leave.”

“Daddy let’s me have bubbles and ducks in the bath.”

Dana smiles despite having nothing to smile about. How difficult to must be to understand that the Daddy who gives Emily bubbles and ducks is the same Daddy who screamed at Mommy, made her cry, and threw a glass cup.

“I’ll tell you what,” Dana proposes, pulling away and looking at Emily once more. “If you stay with Tara now, when we get our new house, you can have all the bubbles and ducks you want.”

“I want a duck bedroom. Painted yellow. With little ducks like Quacky.”

Dana sniffles, giggling through her tears. “You can have that as well. You can have anything you want.”

Emily smiles, tears and tantrums over. Another tear falls from Dana’s own eyes and Emily reaches forward, wiping one away.

“Don’t cry, Mommy. You can have bubbles and ducks, too.”

In that moment, every single thing Dana has endured feels 100% worth it if it meant Emily got to be here. She pulls Emily back into a hug.

“I love you, baby girl. So, so much.”

“I love you, too, Mommy.”

Dana presses little kisses all over Emily face until the child laughs and squirms away. Then she stands and Emily resumes watching her movie. Dana knocks on Tara’s front door.

[potionpeddlerpatchy]

Patchy my love, my life, my dearest dear. I'm here to to look at your books of old. I'm not sure which to pick, so perhaps you have a recommendation for me?

Hello Nemo, my most darling adventurer of the deep. How wonderful it is for me to see you here! I can see that you are wanting to join in on the celebrations of my little shop, and for that, I am forever grateful - after all, where would I be if it weren't for consistent patrons like yourself.💛

And I am more than happy to help you choose a book from my many shelves, we wouldn't want you walking away with one you weren't too keen on or one you simply would not like.

If you will allow me, I would love to give you one of my favourite as a token of my thanks and friendship 🔮

Your breathing was labored and all you could hear was the sound of the wind rushing through your one beautifully styled hair as you made you way passed the polished marbled and stone floors the castle was made of; the heavy skirts of your dressed bunched in your hands as you stumbled about trying not to lose the speed and distance you had created.

What you were running from, you could not recall – at least not at first – for your mind was still locked in a haze, one of from realm far from this, of reading upon inked words on a page. The loud chiming of the bells around you, signalling the twelfth hour of the night, urged your forward as epinephrine ran through your blood. The more rang that louder it became within your ears, the ringing filled your senses and made you almost delirious to what their call meant to you at that moment.

That you had to leave.

To run and hide away from the man who was following after you, one whose stride far outmatched yours and was gaining on you with every step. For if he caught up to you, who knows what would befall upon you should be find out the truth – that you were not a fair maiden, perhaps akin to a visiting royal, but a mere servant stuck to serve those who would never appreciate you as you deserved.

‘He could not know, and he would not know.’ That was the mantra that ran through your mind as you made a mad dash back to where your horse and carriage were, to try and leave behind this world of polish and beauty, of odd serenity, and to go back to where you belonged.

For this world was only meant for you for however long the magic spell cast upon you deemed it fit. A blessing given to you by a haggard woman begging for your aide, one that transformed before your eyes and for kindness she would gift you one in turn. She turned your worn clothes into a beautiful silver gown, the mice at your feet into beautiful steads, and the old pumpkin that you were to harvest into a grand carriage. To finish it all, she adorned your poor bruised feet, ones that barely knew comfort, glass slippers – ones only meant for you.

She then wished you well, helping you to gather your skits and place you within the coupe she so graciously gave you, to enjoy the night at the grand ball the royal family had been hosting; the event you could not attend given your low station and lack funds for a decent dress.

You had never known such luxury, nor the privileges it gave or how much better those around you acted to your presence with it. For the moment you stepped out onto the lustrous marbled floors of the palace, the people within it treated you like you were their own; with warm smiles and murmured words of flattery instead of rebuffs and scoffs you had grown accustomed to.

You even got to meet the Prince.

Something so wonderous, so out of your world that only in your deepest dreams could you conjure meeting him, that you couldn’t help but gape up at him as you tired to stutter a response; shying your head downward after a moment in embarrassment.

Though it seemed merely charming to him moreso than irritating, if his reassuring laughter was anything to go by as he took hold of your gloved hand and brought your knuckles to his lips “I am Prince Thorin, a son in the House Oakenshield. And I must say you have caught me by surprise.”

It took you a moment, swallowing down your nerves as you tried not to become so overwhelmed by his gesture or closeness to you, before you managed to squeak out “A-and why is that, your highness?”

“I know every maiden in my court, and those of neighboring lands, and yet I have not met you” He replied, standing to a more full height, though still slightly crowding you as his voice took a more hushed tone “Though, I would like to.”

His charming smiling made your knees buckle, as you struggled to breathe; that little hitch in your breath made his grin wider as he leaned down closer to you, “Would you allow me a dance?”

And who were you to say no? Who were you to try and tear your hand away from his as he gently coaxed you towards him and the throws of people gliding so effortlessly to the beautiful tones the musicians made. You were nothing if not someone being swept up in a grand romance, one you have only read about – you would be a fool, and call yourself such, if you didn’t allow yourself to be lost in it all as you fell in the warm embrace of his arms the whole night.

But such foolishness is why you were in this such a state now. Dishevelled and exhausted as you cursed yourself for not paying more attention; for not properly heading that mystic woman’s warning of when the magic she had casted would wane. Now here you were scurrying away like a rabbit in a chase as you tired to make it out of the castle and back home before your horse and carriage, before your façade, would be taken away.

Though in your haste you lost your footing. With a strangled cry you fell down the few stairs that you have been rushing down. Though you were grateful for the plush fabric of your dress to help break your fall, your ankle still ebbed and flowed with fresh pain as you struggled to get back up.

“My lady! Wait, please!” You heard him call out as he appeared before you at the top of the very grand staircase you had just cleared.

With him so close you could not bring yourself to go back to the glass slipper that had fallen from your foot in your stumble; instead having to leave it behind if it meant saving yourself from the embarrassment of him finding out the truth.

Though you wished to keep both slippers for future use, you were grateful for the small distraction to gave to Thorin to allow yourself time to get into your carriage, begging for your footman to hurry for time was running out. Sighing in slight relief once the vessel had begun it’s movements, but that sigh of relief was quickly turned into a sharp inhale as you watched as watched as royal guards upon their steeds, raced to chase after you.

Over hill and yonder they gained upon you, as your magic began to wear off. Your footman blinking between the fox he was before, your poor horses one by one turning back into mice as your carriage was slowly shrinking back down into the pumpkin it once was. Quickly you were careening into the stone path before you as you held your breath over the impact of the grassy hill upon you….

~

With a sharp breath your body nearly jolted out of its skin as you felt a warm hand rest upon your shoulder; you looked up to see the kind peddler who had allowed you respite here and allowed you to read a book that had caught your eye before purchasing it.

“Sorry…’ You managed to say between labored breaths, closing the book in your lap with a small thud as you began to stand.

“Never apologize,” She smiled kindly, helping you stand upon your own two feet “I very much like when my patrons enjoy the trinkets and novelties I provide.”

She pushed the book she had given you further into your hands as her smile grew wider “And I can tell you like this story~”

I do hope you are aware that what you read may be nothing more than ink on a page. As well, I do hope you know that I am not a shaman who will trick you with visions and nothing more; that the items I give are real as the ground beneath your feet.

Suppose all this to say, that he may have been chasing after you in a fairytale, that does not mean that a man like him is not chasing after you - pining after you. In fact, I would not be surprised if you ran into him after leaving my shop 🔮

I do hope you wish to keep what you found, for all 'sales' are final

[harlowarchives]

𝟏. uncle 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊! ❝

❪ 𝐡𝐢 boo's i literally dreamt about this a few nights ago so i wanted to share it with you & make it a little more fun. i love you guys so much so i HOPE you enjoy bye 7̲ ⁺ ☽ ᵎ

Tomorrow is your older sister's anniversary so she called in a favor from you and Jack asking if the two of you could babysit for her while she & her husband were away for the week & of course, you accepted because of how well-behaved and sweet your nieces were but now all you had to do was convince Jack to tag along.

Strolling into the bedroom Jack sat at his desk humming an unfamiliar melody writing in his book after every note he hummed he’d write another word, you stared in admiration before he noticed your presence “Hey baby.” he said his eyes meeting yours the two of you smiled while you walked towards him, gently you trailed kisses down his neck & wrapped your arms around him “Jack… okay hear me out before anything! My older sister’s-”

“Going on vacation with her husband & we're sitting, I know.” He stood up walking to the closet which was filled with girls' toys “Nemo helped.” He added with a grin on his face as you ran towards him pulling him into your tight embrace.

ⁱ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 day.

You & Jack had finally arrived at your sister's house when two little girls zoomed toward the two of you “AUNTIE Y/N!” the girls squealed the smaller one with her arms around your legs & the larger one her hands around your waist “You guys have gotten so big, please stop growing for Tee-tee ok?” you said as the smaller one giggled.

“We can't do that Tee-tee.” The younger one said chuckling as you tickled her small body “Ok, ok. Well, I want you two to meet my boyfriend.” You smiled “Jack, this is Adalia.” You said pointing at the older sister as she stood behind you waving, “And, this is Aaliya.” you added pointing at the younger sister and lifting her off her feet and into your arms. “Hi, girls,” Jack said smiling at them.

“Do you guys like toys?” he asked as their eyes lit up eagerly nodding their heads. “Well, I happen to have some just for y'all.” He said popping the trunk and pulling out what looked like 100 toys “Whoa…” the girls said in unison as you & Jack laughed.

The girls grabbed the bags & ran into the house while you and Jack followed, you looked over at him & placed a kiss on his cheek and his face turned bright red. The girls sat in the family room playing with their toys all smiles of course, “Jack, I'm about to shower can you keep an eye on the girls please?” you said slowly standing up & walking away as he rolled his eyes. “Hey Jack, can you play with us? We don't have anyone to be Daddy Pig.” Adalia said as Jack stood up & sat down next to the girls “I'd love to.” He said smiling “Ok, so now Daddy Pig is going to eat a lot of food, and his tummy will hurt bad, Ok, Jack?” Aaliya questioned as Jack nodded.

“Can he eat Peppa?” Jack said furrowing his brows stroking his chin, “No Jack! That's silly.” Aaliya said giggling. “Ok, then can he eat the table?” Jack asked again making Adalia laugh. “No!” The girls said in unison “Why not?” Jack said frowning making a fake cry “No! Jack don't cry.” The girls said hugging him while giggling “Guys I think I have an idea.” Jack said sitting down the toy “I think I should eat… YOU TWO!” He roared chasing the girls and tickling them making eating noises. You stood in the bedroom eavesdropping & smiling at the distant giggles and squeals.

After you got out of the shower everyone proceeded to wash up & get ready for dinner but the best part of this dinner was that Jack was cooking it. You & the girls sat at the dinner table watching him rush around the kitchen and burn mostly everything, Adalia turned to you to ask “Tee-tee is your boyfriend Santa Claus?” you heard Jack stop dead in his tracks awaiting your response “Uhm, No. But he is very similar, he's very giving & he has a cute beard.” You replied giggling as he eavesdropped from the kitchen grinning. “Alright kiddos, food’s ready!” he said walking towards the table flashing a smile at you then passing out plates “Thank you, Jack.” You & the girls said in unison.

“You're very welcome girls.” He said with a smile. “Pleh!” Adalia said shaking her head “Jack this is nasty!” Aaliya added “It can't be bad girls stop-” you said before putting the hard pasta in your mouth trying to mask the disgust “Wow guys thanks a lot!”

“You can't be good at everything Jack,” Adalia said shaking her head as you laughed picking up his phone to order a pizza.

After dinner, the girls were in the bathroom brushing their teeth when Aaliya ran towards you & Jack who were cuddled on the couch. “Jack, is this your video?” Aaliya giggled showing You & Jack the Luv Is Dro video. As you just peered at Jack, shrugging your shoulders “No, that's my evil twin Jackman.” He added “How about you guys go back to Peppa?” he said pulling the iPad from her hand and playing an episode of Peppa Pig as two watched her small figure scurry away.

You & Jack had just finished reading three bedtime stories and setting up a movie & now the two of you were on your way to the guest room. You lay on the bed and turned on the tv as Jack laid beside you “Your nieces are nuts Y/N.” He said bursting out into laughter “Jesus they are just like me and Monaé, Lord.” You said shaking your head as he pulled the cover over the two of you “J, is that rain?” you asked “I think it is” he said looking as rain dripped down the window pain “Oh I'm going to bed then.” You were only going to sleep because when the rain came Adalia followed she was terrified of it because the thunder scared her you assumed nothing had changed and were you right you heard the bedroom door open indicating that Adalia had woken up after the lighting had struck.

You quickly tucked your head only the covers as small feet pitter-pattered into the room, “Jack? Tee-tee?” Adalia called out “Yea kiddo. You alright?” Jack questioned “Ah!” she squeaked running towards Jack in the bed after hearing the thunder. “Adalia, it's ok I'm right here.” He smiled as she tucked her body under his. “Can I call you Uncle… Jack?” Adalia says as he body shook “Sure can.” He whispered trying to mask his excitement listening to her small cries “Uncle Jack! The rain.” Adalia whined.

Jack began to run his hand over her soft coils. “Adalia, it's ok I'm right here.” he smiled “It's okay Uncle Jack’s here.” He added. As she began to rest.

ⁱ 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 day.

Today was the last day you & Jack would spend with the girls because their father's mom was going to sit for the rest of the week, “Morning Guys!” you smiled walking into the living room “Mornin' Babe.” Jack smiled not even bothering to look at you “What are you guys watchin-”

“SHH!” Jack & the girls yelled their eyes glued to the tv as they began laughing at Peppa Pig, a grown-ass man was laughing at Peppa Pig. You butted out & walked to the kitchen to start on breakfast & shrugged before hearing “Auntie can you make the pancakes like in Peppa?” Aaliya said looking over at the counter where you stood. “I can try Li.” You smiled.

“Uncle Jack can we watch your video?” Adalia asked “Sure.” He replied placing her on his lap “Ok here’s one.” He said adjusting in his seat the music played as you sung to every word humming while flipping pancakes the girls got up and started dancing as Jack pulled out his phone recording to post on instagram & caption “For the kids.”

The girls finished breakfast & were giving Jack a makeover while you packed up your belongings. You looked out the window and saw their grandmother in the driveway walking towards the front door, “Guys! Grammy’s here.” You called.

“GRAMMY!” The girls yelled running downstairs to hug the tall woman “Hi girls!” as they crashed into her “Did you have fun with Y/N & Jack?” Their grandmother asked waving up at you as you waved back. “Jack time to go!” You called as he walked out covered in glitter “Babe-“ you said with a look of concern “No. It’s my Glitter skincare routine.” He said glaring at me we grabbed our bags & walked down the stairs.

Walking towards your driver two voices yelled “Bye Uncle J! Love you” The girls smiled wrapping their arms around him “Wow no Bye Tee-tee?” you said pretending to frown then crossing your arms “No! we love you too Auntie Y/N!” Aaliya said smiling “Not more then Uncle Jack though.” Adalia muttered as Jack smiled “That’s my girl.” Lifting Adalia into his arms and stepping in the car waving bye. “Make sure you follow ur glitter regimen Uncle J!” Adalia shouted as Jack rolled his window down “Will do Kiddo!” He smiled.

⁺ 🏷️ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 ⁱ : @lexxtooshiesty4bae @iknowdatsrightbih @iheartharlow @livsters @honeyharlows @killatravtramp @jackmanduh

⁺ 🏷️ 𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐒 ⁱ : things i did & didn’t put in the book!

“Tee-tee is your boyfriend Santa Claus?”

“Can I call you Uncle Jack?” Adalia says at the dinner table “Sure can.” He replies trying to mask his excitement.

You & Jack take the kids for frozen yogurt.

“What are you thinking about?” Jack asked as you watched the girls “They are just like me & their mom.” You said.

“Ah!” she squeaked running towards Jack in the bed hearing the thunder.

“Uncle Jack! The rain.” Adalia whined as he ran his hand over her soft coils. “Adalia, it's ok I'm right here.” he smiled “It's okay Uncle Jack’s here.”

“Bye Uncle J! Love you” The girls smiled wrapping their arms around him “Wow no Bye Tee-tee?” you said pretending to frown then crossing your arms “No! we love you too Auntie Y/N!” Aaliya said smiling “Not more then Uncle Jack though.” Adalia muttered as Jack smiled “That’s my girl.” Lifting Adalia into his arms and stepping in the car waving.

“Go to bed guys!” You commanded as they ran away with their Ipads.

You & Jack take the kids to the deli. ( 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦! )

Jack tries his best to make dinner & Aaliya says:

“Jack you can't be good at everything.”

Jack puts the girl on his shoulder.

Jack admits his love for Peppa Pig.

“Jack, is this your video?” Aaliya giggled showing You & Jack the Luv Is Dro video.

[starrypawz]

AO3

Gerry and Nemo have an experience that's not so much 'kink gone wrong' as 'kink gone meh' (as @ml-nolan described it when I was talking about this) Content notes on AO3, a safeword is used in this

Gerry’s bent over the foot of the bed, ankles bound to the bedposts and hands bound behind his back. He hears the rustle of fabric as Nemo hitches up the short skirt he’s wearing and feels the slight pull as Nemo pulls the lace underwear he’s wearing to the side and presses on the plug in his arse and he shudders and moans. And then moans even more as Nemo grinds against his arse the dildo pushes the plug in further. 

Nemo chuckles and grinds harder which draws more moans from Gerry before they pull back and check their ropework.

“Comfy?”

“As much as I can be” He chuckles, surprisingly nonchalant for someone tied down,  plugged and edged. 

He takes a few long moments to take in the sight of them, beautiful as always. Today in a black corset of satin and lace and black stockings. And then his eyes go to the dildo sitting snug in their harness. The purple one that’s become the mutually agreed on go to that’s just long and girthy enough that it hits just right for both of them.

“Good,” Nemo ruffles his hair and then bends down to kiss him on the forehead. “Ready?”

He nods. 

He closes his eyes. Between the bondage and the plug he’s hard and starting to ache with the need for release and he just needs to let his mind drift and settle into the scene at hand as he’s done countless times by this point, easy. 

Nemo runs a hand over his back and his cock gives an answering twitch as as Nemo digs their nails into his shoulder and he opens his eyes to find Nemo sitting on the edge of bed abd they gently tip up his head

“What am I going to do with you?” Their voice is a soft purr, the sort that lulls him, soothes him, “Such a shame-”

Gerry swallows hard. 

“I’ve heard…” Nemo’s voice drops a little, becomes harsher, “You’ve been a bad boy, Gerard-” and with that Nemo grabs his hair and tips his head back and he moansNemo pulls harder and the twinge of pain runs right down to his already aching cock. “I think… maybe just maybe I need to remind you of your manners-” 

Nemo gives one more tug before they move away. If their footsteps actually made a noise he’d hear the sound of stockinged feet against carpet but he does hear the sound of Nemo digging around in their ‘toybox’ and he does give a shiver of anticipation. 

But

But he should around now be slipping out of himself and into the scene. Sure they’re two switchy kinky goths playing around in their bedroom. And he is Gerard Keay local spooky weirdo who is apparently prone to getting kicked in the by the universe who burns cursed books for a living to prevent a largely oblivious populace from a variety of grisly fates. 

But right now he’s meant to be Gerard Keay a bad boy who needs to be brought back into line with a firm but gentle hand and at the total mercy of whatever Nemo feels is a fitting punishment. 

And yet-

His thoughts are cut short as Nemo appears again, flogger in hand and they gently smack it against their palm and he swallows hard and watches as Nemo starts to tease the tassles with their fingers. 

His body betrays him and he moans and Nemo chuckles before they lay the flogger down. They reach under him and take his cock in hand and he gives a sobbing whimper of a moan as they tease him, “Oh would you look at that, you’re dripping, you’ve made a bit of a mess there haven’t you…” He moans as Nemo squeezes, “Anyone would think you’ve misbehaved on purpose…” He squirms, “As if you want to be punished… as if it turns you on,”

“I-” “Did I say you could talk?” Nemo pulls his hair again enough to make his eyes water and he shudders in such a way he’s surprised it doesn’t make him cum on the spot.  And then he’s left there as Nemo stands there, flogger in hand as they contemplate.

 “Five I think…” 

“Only Five?” He dares to speak but this time Nemo seems to allow this. 

“Yes, five, but if you make a noise I’ll have to start again.” 

He swallows hard. 

“Do you agree to this?” 

“Yes…” He pauses, “Yes sir,” 

“Good boy,” Nemo smiles and takes a moment to bend down and kiss him softly and sighs, “You’re so pretty like this you know?” Nemo gently runs a thumb under his eye and catches a black tear from his smeared eyeliner. “You’re going to be beautifully wrecked when I’m done with you,” 

Gerry shudders. 

And then Nemo begins to tease, trails the flogger over his back, gives a couple of light testing swats that make him flinch and he gasps but that reaction seems acceptable. 

And… He’s turned on that can’t be denied but he still can’t quite step out of himself and into the scene. He wants to do this, he likes to do this they’ve played variations on this theme over and over

He’s not-

The flogger comes down on his back, thoughts derailed as it  catches him off guard and he yelps. 

“Sorry…. sorry sorry…” 

“It’s ok,” Nemo turns soft again, “Just try again,” 

The flogger comes down, and this time he manages to keep silent, “One,”

He’s not sure what’s wrong, nothing hurts (Or more nothing hurts in the wrong way, there’s the pressure of the ropes and he knows he can stay bound for a good while before things become uncomfortable, his cock aches and it’s any wonder he’s not cum yet and his skin stings in a way he downright craves and he can feel himself starting to float a little but-

Flogger comes down on his back again and he manages to remain silent even as his skin stings, “Two-” Nemo takes a moment to rub his back and he dares to risk a soft whimper. 

“You’re doing so well,” Nemo gently teases his hair and he feels himself melt, “You can keep being a good boy for me can’t you?”  

Nemo gently rubs his back, “Just take a few minutes?” 

And he does and gives a soft moan as Nemo gently rubs his back and Nemo gives the sort of soft chuckle that’s better suited for when he has his head in Nemo’s lap as they lay on the sofa. 

And as he lays there he continues to pull apart what’s wrong. 

He’s horny as anything right now, he’s been teased to such an extent (Nemo doing an amazing job as always)  he’s going to be a complete wreck once he finally gets to cum. (And that it will feel fucking amazing) And he should be deep deep into that blissful state that he gets from this sort of play but he’s not, his body is reacting in all the right ways but… but his mind isn’t into it. 

Nemo stands, raised the flogger and 

“Haribo!” 

Nemo stops. 

(Sure the traffic light thing works well enough but a conversation one quiet evening had somehow lead to Haribo being chosen as a safeword for ‘Nothing is really wrong but I would like to stop, thanks’) 

“Gerry?” 

“I’m…” He sighs and it takes some effort, “I’m ok… I’m not hurt… I mean you know what I mean,” He gives a weak chuckle and Nemo responds in kind.

“Do you want me to untie you,” “I’ll… I’ll be fine for the moment,”  He pants, face buried into the sheets as he tries to centre himself and Nemo reaches out to gently rub his back and then he raises his head. “Not sure what went wrong… we’ve done this kind of thing before I’m just…”

“Not feeling it?” “Yeah,” Gerry sighs. And then moans as his cock protests this continued neglect and he ruts slightly against the bed to provide just a smidgen of relief. 

“So… what do you want?” 

He thinks for a long moment, “Cheesecake,”

“Cheesecake?” 

Gerry chuckles, “Yeah we have that one in the fridge right? That fancy Tesco one we found on clearance-”

(Sometimes occasional bouts of insomnia could be a boon) 

“Have you been thinking about cheesecake the whole time?”

“No” Gerry chuckles, “Maybe a little?”

“I mean it is a really nice looking cheesecake,”

Gerry sighs, “And yeah… just feel like I’d rather be eating that right now,” “Cheesecake it is then” Nemo starts to untie his wrists

“Need a shower first-” “A cold one?” Nemo teases. “Oh fuck no-” Gerry mumbles into the sheets as his cock continues to protest it’s neglect and he wonders how he doesn’t cum when Nemo gently removes the plug from his arse before they untie him. 

Now freed he slowly moves himself to sit with his feet on the floor and gives a sigh of relief that turns into one of arousal as he watches Nemo strip out of the corset and then off comes the harness and they stand in front of him naked but for the stockings. 

“Fuck that’s hot,” 

“Mhmm,” Nemo teases their tits for good measure. 

And then they drop to their knees.

“Little ghost?” 

“I’ve thought about it… and you’ve actually been a very good boy,” 

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Nemo nuzzles his thigh, “And if you want-”

“Can I fuck your face?” 

“Mhmm,” “Have I been a good enough boy to cum over your tits?”

“Yeah,” Nemo sets to stripping him out of the lace underwear and the skirt in short order and then Nemo runs a pierced tongue over the length of him before they tease the head of his cock for a few long moments, fingers working between their legs to tease themself just to take the edge off before they take him into their mouth properly and with shaking hands Gerry gently reaches out to get a grip on the back of Nemo’s hair. 

[blvcklizard]

So, I've decided to recycle an old theory of mine, because I actually believe in that part of it.

I think Sigma isn't actually born from the book, he was simply given amnesia by the page. (Now, I don't doubt that the book can create people. I just don't trust that Sigma is.)

I see how that might be related to other things, but it's a little weird to me that Sigma's age is stated to be "unknown" in his character card. Like, if I remember correctly we know that according to Fyodor, he was created three years ago. And sure, the "unknown" is probably referring to his physical appearance, so what about the other parts of his info that are "unknown"?

It's his birthday and ability name. And yes, that makes sense, since those are two things that are taken from the irl authors, and Sigma isn't one.

Except that if that were true, why not make something up? He obviously has a birthday (even if I'm wrong and it happens to be the day he was written down) and ability name, and if Sigma is just "Sigma", no more and no less than the character we've seen, there is no reason why those couldn't just have been made up. Like, neither of these informations are plot relevant, and while it gives him this aura of mystery and unfamiliarity, there doesn't seem to be a real reason beyond that.

Because here's the thing, the character we know as "Sigma" doesn't really exist. For all I know, it's actually been stated that Sigma isn't his real name, but what's giving it away even more so is his ability. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only "independent" ability user (excluding family members that have an ability for plot reasons, such as Tachihara's brother for example) in the series that isn't based on an author is Nemo, and I'm not counting him because he only appears in a light novel. I can't think of a reason why Sigma would be the exception here.

I see that this argument is rather weak in light of the actual theory, since just because he's probably an author too doesn't mean he can't be born from the book, but let's keep looking at his ability. It's, said simply, flawed. Taking only the bare base into consideration, he can't use it for his (or whoever is using him, poor Sigma) benefit without giving his enemies the same advantage. And like, yeah, it makes sense, there are very few abilities in this manga that don't have any weaknesses/ties to conditions, but if the DOA had the opportunity to create a perfect character, why wouldn't they get rid of this? The only explanations I could think of are that giving their enemies information is part of their plan (and I'll say it as it is, I'm not smart enough to judge whether this is true, because I can't imagine it is, but I may very well be overlooking some stuff) or that they couldn't give him a different ability because of the plot rule (which makes even less sense to me). The information exchange just seems like more risk than Fyodor would usually be willing to take, but maybe that's just me.

On a similar note, if you think about it, the role Sigma played on the DOA's plan... is ridiculously small. He's strong, and yet they threw him away after one move, and technically he had been meant to do even less, as Fyodor told him not to pick a fight with the Hunting Dogs (although I can very well imagine this was a reverse psychology type of thing since he knew Sigma would do it anyway). My point is, there are so many ways you could use a person that's created from the book, and none of them apply to Sigma in the slightest.

Okay, and why tf would the DOA mess with Sigma's memories?

1. As Fyodor pointed out, it's a power boost. Assuming that his personality didn't drastically change, Sigma would be a lot weaker without his wishes and despair driving him. (I like how this is turning against the DOA now, but let's see how this proceeds.)

2. It might have been a practice run. Overwriting memories is like, a central part of the DOA's plan and I don't see Fyodor as someone who likes taking risks. So if they were going to power up Sigma a bit anyway, this was a perfect opportunity.

Who is Sigma then?

...no idea. In the original theory I said that he might be Mishima, and while the possibility exists, I don't think it has any more base than literally any other suggestion (aside from how similar their names are, to be fair). His color pallette also fits the russian characters, so maybe he's someone else entirely.

[20kmemesunderthesea]

My Thoughts on the Russian 1975 three-Part Miniseries, “Капитан Немо” (Captain Nemo).

First Episode: “The Iron Whale”

I’m not going to lie: I found the first episode tedious. I almost changed my mind about watching this series because the first episode was so slow moving. What I hated most of all was Professor Aronnax got married at the beginning of the episode to an insipid woman named Jacqueline who proved to have as much personality as a sack of flour. He then was immediately called away on this wild adventure, leaving Mrs. Aronnax alone at home…pining. 🤢

It added absolutely nothing to the story. Just like in the book, in this film series Professor Aronnax would later be tempted to stay onboard the Nautilus. In the book his feelings were totally understandable, but here, considering he had a wife at home, he seemed more in love with science/adventure than his wife. (Although I admittedly can’t blame him considering what a dull character Mrs. Aronnax was.)

Other things which didn’t make sense were that Captain Nemo had been sending Professor Aronnax packages (some of which contained live animals) for at least a year prior to the events of the story.

And then Captain Nemo drugged Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land as soon as they arrived on the Nautilus, and it was never clear why. Conseil hallucinated vividly during that incident which made for a trippy dream sequence. 

As a matter of fact, there were several trippy dream/hallucination sequences throughout the series, which I hated. I hated them very much indeed.

If the film makers had cut out the trippy dream sequences, the whole "There's a Mrs. Aronnax and she's sad" subplot, and some long, irrelevant close-up shots of people making stern facial expressions, I think they could have made it into a two-part series.

(⬆️ Actual footage of me trying to survive the first episode.)

Despite all this, I continued watching…and I’m honestly very glad I did!

I knew I was in for an emotional rollercoaster when it came to a scene of Captain Nemo pacing back and forth in front of the portrait of his late family...

Second Episode: “Prince Dakkar”

SIGNIFICANTLY more engaging…it atoned for the sins of the first episode. Episode two backtracked to the events of India’s 1857 rebellion, and what lead to Captain Nemo’s exile. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! In this version, Captain Nemo told Professor Aronnax of the capture of his family, how they were held hostage and how the English tried to coerce him into being their puppet. It was a very compelling and believable story, elaborating on Captain Nemo’s (aka Prince Dakkar) tragic past disclosed in June Verne’s book, “The Mysterious Island.” 

It wasn’t super clear to me, however, what exactly happened to Captain Nemo’s wife and children. In the book, they were killed by the British. However, in this version when Captain Nemo is rescued from the hands of the British by his followers, they mention that his family was relocated. Why, then, is Captain Nemo grieving them? If they’re alive, why didn’t he go find them? (If anyone knows what was supposed to have happened in this film, please enlighten me!) That being said, I do appreciate that they didn't show such a tragic event on screen, or else I'd have been traumatized.

(⬆️ EEEMOTIONAL DAMAAAAAGE)

Also In this version, Captain Nemo willingly told Professor Aronnax about his past, which made the professor much more understanding and sympathetic towards the Captain. Ned Land remained unmoved, however, which I also didn’t understand. 

Overall, I found this episode to be really interesting and exciting: it’s my favorite out of the series. 

Third Episode: “The Nautilus Continues the Fight.”

This episode was grabbing as well. Unfortunately, there was no epic kraken battle, but a giant squid was implied to have attacked a French Nautilus crew member during an underwater expedition. When Professor Aronnax expresses grief that they couldn’t give him a proper burial, Captain Nemo says, “The most lasting memories aren’t locked away in marble or granite: they’re locked away in people’s hearts.” 😭

At the very end when Professor Aronnax and his friends escape and make it back to civilization, Professor Aronnax says about Captain Nemo,

“I’m sure he’s sailing now in the vast expanses of the underwater world…

“The brave people who were helped by the captain will always remember him with gratitude, for his generosity of soul, his humanity and kindness. And if sometimes he became violent, history will judge Nemo and his enemies.”

I found it to be a much more touching and satisfying ending than the Disney version, not to mention more true to the book.

Overall impressions:

-The way the Nautilus operates in this film adaptation was not much like the book at all.

-That being said, I definitely got the sense the writers of this series had read the books throughly. The characters were portrayed well, and a significant amount of dialogue was direct passages from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I appreciated that immensely.

-The only character I didn’t really get was Ned Land. I always imagined him to be impulsive, grumpy-yet-lovable lug. In this version, however, he woke up every day and chose violence. 

-There was no organ in the drawing room! I was hoping for dramatic scenes of Captain Nemo’s signature angsty musical revelries. I was disappointed to be deprived of that.

-The soundtrack was hauntingly beautiful. That was another aspect of this film series which captivated me.

In conclusion, “Капитан Немо” wasn’t as fast-paced or high-budget as Disney’s “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” nor would I say it was as aesthetically pleasing, but in my opinion it captured the overall spirit of Jules Verne’s books better and was a little more faithful to the story. It’s available on YouTube with English captions (auto-translate) if anyone else is interested in watching.

[theweefreewomen]

I bought and read the novelisation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the book based on the movie based on the comic book based on classic Victorian literature) and it’s facinating to see the difference between movie Jeykll and this version of Jeykll. people in the fandom joke about him being kind of wet and pathethic in the film, which is definitely an exageration, but in the novelisation... it’s a tad more accurate.

Shaking with weakness and personal misery, the scrawny figure arose, blinking his nervous, saucer-wide eyes. He was a slight man who easily slipped his entire hand out of Hyde’s wrist shackles, leaving the torn chains on the floor. His ashen face reflected his ordeal. His large Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped.

“Henry Jeykll, at your service. And I would very much like to earn my pardon and return to London.” He swallowed hard. “May I have a glass of water, please?”

someone please wrap this man in a blanket and give him some tea.

“Liar. I’m a good man.” Jekyell whimpered.

[after talking with Nemo]

Jekyll scampered away without looking back.

That Henry Jeykll, famous for scampering about everywhere.

Jeykll blinked his saucerlike eyes, then swallowed hard in his scrawny throat.

again with the saucer eyes.

“I’m going inside there.” Jeykll’s voice was a mere squeak amid the choatic noise.

I wish I could make gifs because I would love to have a side-by-side comparison between this description and Jason Flyming’s actual performance.

Then his body began to change. Bones lenghened and thickened, muscles swelled and bulged. [...] He convulsed and spasmed, clamping his lips shut to hold in the air. Every time he suffered through this, the transformation brought him more and more agony.

Finally, Jekyll could not help himself. He screamed underwater, but let out only a mouthful of bubbles as his back arched and limps thrashed. His eyes began to bleed.

not actually connected to the ‘wet and pathetic’ thing, I just really like how the book described the transformation here. it really leans hard into the body horror on top of the horror of drowning.

Skittish Jekyll slipped on the slick coating of fresh frozen ice that covered the armored upper deck, but Quartermain caught him.

Someone had way too much fun with alliteration here.

[Skinner] looked like a frozen corspe, but at least he had stopped shivering, unlike Henry Jekyll.

‘Skinner might look like a zombie but at least he isn’t shivering like a loser.’

“Look out!” Jeykll cried in a thin squeak. He shoved Nemo aside just before the icicle spike spintered into chips on the chimney floor.

“I thank you. I would have been killed.”

Jeykll blinked, then smiled. “I’m glad that... I can be useful, too.”

yes Henry you did a Good Job here but also this isn’t the time for your praise kink.