#normally i work 1-9 but its winter so hours are getting cut

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Today I woke up at a reasonable time, ate breakfast, showered, washed my face, walked to the coffee shop, came home and finished four things, three of which were on my computer and one of which was fixing some pants. All within like three hours. Look at me. I'm neurotypical now.

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***

[stardust-walker]

High Hopes: Chapter 22

Previous Chapters:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

word count: 3198

_________________________________________________

Whenever Dove’s eyes drifted closed that night, she would see Dale. If it wasn’t him, then she would see Sophia. She felt like one of the undead herself as she pulled on one of the winter coats they’d found and shuffled off with Carol to the small vigil they were going to hold for the old man.

“Dale could get under your skin. He sure as hell got under mine,” Rick stated, “He wasn’t afraid to say exactly what he thought or how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave.” Dove sucked in a deep breath as she stared at the freshly dug grave. Her hands, balled into fists in her coat pockets, still felt dirty. Would things have been different if she had sided with him? Maybe if there were more people who agreed with him, he wouldn’t have went wandering off on his own. Instead, she stood there feeling more alone than ever.

“We put aside our differences and work together. Stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives, our safety, our future. We’re not broken. We’re gonna prove him wrong.” Dove couldn’t help but agree with most of what Rick was saying. The best way to honor Dale was to try and do things the right way. 

It was a few hours before the small group returned in the truck after the funeral. Everyone was beginning to move their things into the house and Dove was grateful to be in out of the cold.

“Gonna be tight, 14 people in one house,” Rick observed. 

“Don’t worry about that,” Hershel shook his head as Dove waved Daryl over towards the tent she shared with Carol.

“Help me take this stupid thing down,” Dove pleaded as the redneck got closer. “Carol’s trying to get our stuff moved up to the house and I got left with this.”

Daryl let out a huff as he stepped over a backpack and began to help disassemble the tent. “You alright?” The voice was so quiet that Dove just stopped before she looked back up at the blue-eyed man.

“Huh,” she tilted her head.

“After last night,” Daryl asked as he continued to pull the tent apart. He was good at avoiding eye contact.

Dove moved to flip the tent on its side before she shrugged her thin shoulders. “Don’t know. I don’t really feel anything right now if I’m being honest. I think that’s normal sometimes though.”

A grunt came from alongside her and she turned her attention to see Daryl tug one of the poles out of the corner of the tent. “Whatcha mean?”

“I mean that sometimes when things…. like that happen, your brain blocks it out. Doesn’t really let you feel anything for a while. Like self-preservation and shit like that. It helps keep you alive,” the brunette brushed her hair out of her face as she reached into the tent. She could feel Daryl’s eyes on her as she pulled her arm back. Hazel eyes narrowed as they locked eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Seriously. I’ll be okay.”

Daryl let out an annoyed huff, “Who said I was worried?”

“You really are a jerk sometimes,” Dove grumbled. “Just make sure you’re careful when you go to dump that kid off in the middle of nowhere.”

Daryl stopped. “It’ll work out this time. If it doesn’t, we’ll handle it. He won’t be comin back this time. Not for you to worry about anyway.”

“Who said I was worried,” Dove lowered her voice slightly and the corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smirk.

~

Julian understood the purpose of people patrolling the house, but the thought of it made him feel like a prisoner. The idea of having Shane in the house didn’t make him feel much better. The guy seemed to be getting more and more erratic since he’d gotten back from that run with Otis. 

Julian hoped he wasn’t alone in thinking that Shane had done something to Otis. The whole story just sounded wrong. Otis had done runs before and nothing had ever happened. It was suspicious that things only seemed to happen when Shane came around. Even if Otis did die trying to make sure Carl lived, there was no way he wouldn’t fight to make it back to Patricia. 

He found himself holding the ladder while Daryl hammered in more beams on the barn that Randall was housed in. He wanted to feel useful, especially now that Hershel seemed to be more comfortable with them mingling with each other. The noises Randall was making in the barn, though? That made him want to turn tail and head back to the house. At least they weren’t going to kill him, though.

“You know em,” Daryl called down from the roof.

Julian leaned back to peer up at the roof. “Who? Randall?”

There was no answer.

“I mean not personally. Him and my one friend dated for like…3 days when we were freshman. Nothing other than that really. Wasn’t a bad kid. Guess he just got mixed up with the wrong people,” he stepped to the side as Daryl descended the ladder. “But even that can make people do real bad things.”

“You got that right, kid,” Daryl mumbled under his breath. He gave Julian a quick nod and then he was off towards the house to meet with Rick. Part of Julian wanted to know what exactly Randall had told Daryl about his group. Randall was right inside. He could always just ask him.

Instead, the young man turned and headed back towards the house. Maybe he should check on Hershel instead.

~

Dove lowered herself down onto the couch next to Glenn as she saw her friend re-enter the house. “Hey bud,” Dove smiled slightly. She punched the man lightly on the arm. He shook his head.

“You think there’s anything else we could’ve done?” Glenn’s voice was quiet. Dove let out a sigh and held her hand out, palm up. 

Glenn paused, but after a few seconds, he put his hand in hers. Dove linked her fingers with his and gave his hand a tight squeeze. “I don’t think so. Even if we backed him up, the decision was already made. At least I think so.” She pursed her lips and nodded her head slowly. “The important thing is that…we were all there. Dale didn’t die alone. I wish it could’ve been easier. I wish he could’ve gone in his sleep like my grandma did or something but…he wasn’t alone. He died surrounded by people that loved him.”

Glenn sniffled and wiped his eyes with his free hand. “I guess you’re right.”

Dove sucked in a deep breath and blinked away her own tears. “But Rick’s right. Things have to be different now. For Dale. And we’re going to keep living for him.” 

Glenn gave her hand a squeeze.

Dove released his hand and stood up; a hand reached out and patted the top of his hat. “Now, I think you should go talk to Maggie. At least you have someone who’s there for you. Don’t waste it.” She turned her head just to see the other woman enter the room. A bright smile crossed Dove’s face as she stepped through the room. She placed a hand on the other woman’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile before she exited.

Dove stepped down off the front porch as T-Dog walked off to get Randall. “Carol already give you guys the food and all that?”

Rick nodded, “she did. Make sure you tell her I said thank you. I know it’s a lot of extra work for her…”

Dove smiled. “I will. But just so you know, Carol always loved that shit. PTA. You know,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I would tell you guys good luck, but I don’t know if you need it,” her gaze flickered over to Daryl who suddenly became very occupied with his gun.

Rick glanced between the two, a confused look on his face. Any response was lost as T-Dog shouted from over by the barn. “Son of a bitch!”

“Back inside,” Daryl pointed towards the house as T ran over towards the two men.

Dove didn’t think twice about it. She still heard what had happened as she closed the door behind her. Randall was gone. 

It was pure chaos as everyone tried to scramble and find out where Randall had gone. Until Shane stumbled his way back to camp. “He’s armed! He took my gun,” Shane shouted as he approached them.

Dove reached out and gripped Carol’s hand in hers.

“T-Dog. Hershel, get everyone else back in the house! Glenn, Daryl, Julian. you’re with us,” Rick shouted, and Hershel began to move without question. 

“Just let him go,” Carol spoke up. “That was the plan, wasn’t it? Just let him go.”

“Carol’s right. That’s what was gonna happen anyway! It’s gonna be dark out soon. It’s not safe,” Dove felt adrenaline start to rush through her.

“The plan was to cut him loose far away from here,” T reasoned. 

“Don’t go out there! You don’t know what could happen,” Carol shouted.

Julian’s hands shook as he was handed a gun by Hershel. 

“Lock all the doors and stay put!” Rick called behind him as they started off into the woods.

Julian glanced over his shoulder as they neared the edge of the woods. He could just see Maggie and Dove turn to head back towards the house behind everyone else. 

~

Something wasn’t right. “Kid weighs a buck 25 soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you,” Daryl turned back around to face Shane. Julian felt a little bit relieved. He clearly wasn’t the only one who didn’t trust Shane. 

“Knock it off,” Rick raised a hand in between the two men. “Daryl. You take Glenn and Julian. Start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane’ll take left.”

Julian nodded as he stepped forward. “Some trails run through here. Maybe if he really did get the jump on Shane, he took one of them? Headed back towards the highway?” He finally spoke up as they got far enough away from the others. Daryl nodded his head but didn’t look up from the ground. He was trying his best to track the kid, that much was clear.

It got dark out a lot quicker now and he regretted not thinking about bringing a flashlight. Julian’s dark eyes stayed locked on his feet as Glenn handed Daryl his own flashlight. At least one of them had some sense. 

“What if he’s not even out here anymore?” Julian sighed as he turned his head quickly. Had something moved or was he getting paranoid.

“Bit or not. He’s still out here somewhere. Just gotta make sure,” Daryl spoke quietly.

“We’re just back to square one,” Glenn huffed as they circled back.

“You wanna do something, might as well do it right,” Daryl shrugged as he stood up on a fallen tree. “There’s two sets of tracks right here,” Daryl spoke suddenly. Julian felt like his stomach turned. He knew Shane was full of it. “Shane must’ve followed him a lot longer than he said.”

“Why would he just follow him? If he was that close behind him for that long, why wouldn’t he just shoot him,” Julian whispered.

“That’s the real question,” Daryl huffed. “There’s fresh blood on this tree.” He shined the light onto a nearby tree. “More tracks,” Daryl pointed towards the ground again. “Looks like they’re walking in tandem.”

Julian stopped and shared a nervous glance with Glenn. 

“What do you mean,” Glenn asked in a nervous voice. Julian stepped up beside the two men and observed the area bathed in light.

“I mean something went down.”

“It’s getting weird,” Glenn sighed.

Julian nodded. “Super weird. Dude, maybe we should just turn back. This whole thing just seems wrong. There’s no way that Randall overpowered Shane…. right?” All three of them stopped as Glenn leaned down and picked something up. It was Randall’s blindfold. “Holy shit. What the hell happened out here,” Julian whimpered.

A crack behind them made all three of them run off behind a separate tree. Julian’s hands shook as he held the gun tightly in his hand. He couldn’t stop the yell that left his mouth as the light shone on Randall’s undead face. Chaos once again until Glenn took a swing and buried his weapon right in his head. “Nice,” Daryl patted the Asian’s arm. “You alright, kid,” Daryl looked over. Julian still had his gun raised and a panicked look in his eyes.

“I’m good,” the young man’s voice shook as he lowered his weapon. “I couldn’t take the shot. Didn’t want to hit someone,” he explained frantically. Daryl raised a hand. 

“It’s alright.” The young man stepped forward as the other two began to observe the body. 

“What the hell happened to him,” Julian mumbled.

“He got his neck broke,” Daryl grunted as he moved to flip the body over. “He’s got no bites.”

“Yeah. None we can see,” Glenn replied.

Julian shook his head, “Even if he got bit on the leg or somethin, you would still be able to see the blood.”

“He’s right,” Daryl sighed as he stood up. “I’m sayin he died from this.”

“How is that even possible,” Glenn frowned.

“Let’s go,” Daryl grumbled. Julian didn’t question it and instead, hurried to keep up with the older man. Something was very wrong. 

~

Dove stared out of the front windows as Maggie paced the front room. Lori chewed nervously on her fingernails.

 Carol frowned. “They should be back by now. What if something happened to them?”

“Don’t say that,” Maggie wrung her hands together as she stopped next to the window. “Anything?”

Dove shook her head. “Not yet…”

“I’m going after them,” Andrea finally stood up.

“I’m going with you,” Dove interjected. She might not be the blonde’s biggest fan, but someone had to do something. 

“Don’t. They could be anywhere and if Randall comes back, we’re gonna need you here,” Lori shook her head. 

The door opened and Dove felt her heart jump into her throat. Dove took a step forward as Daryl entered the house with Glenn and Julian trailing after him. Julian stepped forward and wrapped one of his shaking arms around Beth in a quick hug before he lowered himself onto the couch. 

“Rick and Shane ain’t back,” Daryl inquired as he walked through the room. 

“No,” Lori sounded nervous now.

“What the hell happened,” Dove swallowed hard as Daryl stopped right in front of her. 

“We heard a shot.”

“Maybe they found Randall,” Lori suggested.

“We found him,” Daryl replied.

“Is he back in the shed,” Maggie inquired.

“He’s dead,” Julian spoke up from the couch. Dove’s hazel eyes glanced his way until Daryl spoke again. 

“He was a walker when we found him,” Daryl informed them.

“Did you find the walker that bit him,” Hershel spoke up from the corner.

“The weird thing is he wasn’t bit,” Glenn chimed in.

“His neck was broke.” Daryl explained.

Dove felt Carol grip her arm suddenly at the news. Dove’s hazel eyes widened as she tried to wrap her head around it. How could someone turn without being bitten?

“The thing is? Shane and Randall’s tracks were right on top of each other,” Daryl frowned as he spoke.

“So you’re saying they were walking with each other,” Dove asked as she took a step forward.

“Looked like it,” Daryl nodded quickly. “Shane ain’t no tracker. So he didn’t come up behind him. They had to have been together.” 

“Would you please get back out there and find Rick and Shane,” Lori stepped forward in a desperate plea. “Find out what the hell is going on.”

“You got it,” Daryl nodded. A quick glance over his shoulder and Daryl left the room again. 

Dove stood still for a moment before she pulled her coat tighter around herself and followed Daryl’s path out of the house. She felt Carol’s hand try to pull her back as she exited, but Andrea and Glenn followed right behind her. “Holy shit,” Julian uttered as he stepped onto the porch. 

“Maybe they’ll just pass through like the herd on the highway? We might be able to wait it out,” Glenn suggested.

“Not unless there’s a tunnel under the house we don’t know about. A herd that size will tear the whole house apart,” Daryl shook his head. 

“Son of a bitch,” Dove mumbled as Carol stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Carl’s gone,” Lori cried out as she stepped back onto the porch. “He was supposed to be upstairs but he’s not. I’m not going anywhere without my boy.”

Dove exchanged a look with Carol. Both of them could understand how that felt. Dove nodded her head. “We’re not going anywhere without him,” Carol assured the other woman. “We’re gonna look again. We’re gonna find him!” 

As the other women disappeared back into the house, Dove’s hazel eyes met Daryl’s blue ones. Neither of them had to say anything. Carl wasn’t going to be another Sophia if Carol had anything to say about it. 

“Maggie,” Glenn spoke as he was handed a gun. 

“You grow up country, you learn a thing or two.” Maggie cut him off as she handed Dove a rifle. Dove nodded appreciatively at the other woman as she examined the firearm in her hands. The gun training ran quickly through her mind. 

“With those numbers, it’s no use,” Daryl sighed.

“You can go if you want,” Hershel replied. 

“You gonna take ‘em all on,” Daryl questioned the older man.

“We have guns. We have cars.” Hershel answered as he loaded his gun.

Andrea piped up, “Kill as many as we can and we’ll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm.”

“If there’s anything left,” Dove added.

“Are you serious,” Daryl glanced around the porch.

Dove shrugged her shoulders. “Seems like it. I don’t see any better ideas. Plus, all my other plans got cancelled,” she joked as she loaded her rifle. 

“This is my farm,” Hershel nodded. “I’ll die here.”

“All right,” Daryl shrugged. “It’s as good a night as any.” He lowered himself off the porch. Dove felt a hand on her arm start to lead her into the house. She shrugged it off and rushed over to the railing of the porch. Daryl was only a few steps from the edge of the porch as she peered over.

“Please be careful,” she called over to him.

Daryl glanced up from loading his crossbow. The moment seemed to last a lot longer, but he finally nodded his head. “You too.”

Julian’s hand gripped Dove’s shoulder tightly as he pulled her back from the railing. “C’mon. We gotta get back inside. Get ready.” Dove stood and watched as Daryl turned and headed out towards the field before she allowed herself to be led into the house. It was a good night, but she wasn’t ready to give up on living. Not yet.

---

@chaotic-gary-king-stan​ @momc95​ @crossbowking​

[mancavecloset]

The Waterpark, Part 2

Part 1

...

The four of us hadn’t been on the road more than an hour by the time I noticed Kyle and Josh had begun to read restaurant signs aloud as we passed them on the highway. The PB&J sandwiches, the chips, and the cookies were all ancient history by this point, and I got the sense that Kyle and Josh were itching to eat something else.

“I really want to make sure we have enough time in the park,” I said wearily, “But would y’all want to stop for… uh, well we already had breakfast, so… brunch?”

A chorus of “YES!” resounded from all angles of the car.

I rolled my eyes. I was used to putting a decent amount of food away during swim season, but these guys seemed to have hollow legs. I had been the least greedy when it came to the food, only eating a single PB&J, no chips, and just two cookies. Still, I wasn’t the least bit hungry, and frankly I was a bit surprised and turned on by the fact that it was only 10am and all of my friends were ravished despite sharing 11 sandwiches, 22 cookies, and a family size bag of chips between themselves.

“I do need to get gas soon,” I remarked. “Next exit with a gas station, we can stop for a quick bite.”

A few miles later, I pulled off and filled my tank. Josh graciously threw me some cash that covered about half of the gas money, and Kyle offered to cover my meal, with one caveat.

“… but dude, we have to go to Cracker Barrel,” Kyle remarked, pointing across the highway at its 50-foot tall sign.

“That’s not exactly fast,” I replied. But the quick reinforcement of support for the idea from Josh and Sam left me no choice.

“Fine,” I sighed, slightly annoyed that we would probably be pushing noon until we arrived at the waterpark. “Let’s make it quick though.”

---

We filed into the restaurant, Josh leading the way. I followed behind him, watching the ripples in his shoulders that jutted out from his tank top. My eyes wandered down to his muscular ass, which strained against his shorts. I slowed my pace, letting Sam also walk in front of me. Somehow, despite going to the gym far less frequently than Josh, and being a good 9” shorter than him, his ass looked even more impressive despite his baggy shorts, dancing as he walked like two tussling melons.

Kyle brought up the rear, and as he entered the dining area I once again caught his shirt riding up towards his bellybutton, showcasing his broadening stomach and wiggly love handles.

We sat down at the table and quickly looked at the menu. I wondered if I would get anything, but decided that since we were eating now, I might as well keep myself full so that we didn’t have to eat as soon as we got in the park.

I planned to order two eggs and some hashbrowns to go with my much-needed coffee, opting not to add any breakfast meats or toast, since I knew I’d never be able to finish them. My friends, however, seemed to have different plans.

“Dude I forgot how cheap the food is here!” Josh exclaimed excitedly.

“For real,” Sam chimed in.

Kyle, belly rolls resting inches from the edge of the table, nodded in agreement as he intently studied the menu. “Yeah, I can’t decide between the country boy platter or the pancake breakfast, so I might just get both since it’s so cheap. I can just heat up the leftovers tomorrow morning.”

I tried to mention that we had plenty of food packed and wasn’t sure there was a microwave, but Sam cut me off. “Oh shit, those both do look good. Smart.” I noticed him smirk just a tiny bit out of the corner of his mouth.

So Kyle ended up ordering two of the biggest meals that the restaurant had to offer, throwing in a side of bacon “for the table.” Josh ordered the country boy platter and also added a short stack of pancakes.

“I might as well carbo-load since we’re going to be running and hiking around the next two days, and I might sneak a workout in tonight anyways,” he reasoned.

We all rolled our eyes jokingly at him. So like Josh to bring up working out any chance he could. But Josh had a big appetite and fast metabolism, and he was probably right: the day at the waterpark combined with the hike we had planned tomorrow would probably erase a few thousand calories, not even accounting for this so-called “workout.”

Sam surprised me, also ordering the large, 1300-calorie platter. I figured he would have gone for something smaller since he had already had breakfast, two sandwiches, and a handful of cookies, but apparently he was also as ravenous as Josh and Kyle.

When I ordered my food, Kyle chided me. “Micah, just cause I’m paying for yours doesn’t mean you have to get the tiniest, cheapest thing on the menu.” He turned to the waitress, “He will also have a side of sausage.”

I lightly protested that I wasn’t hungry, but Kyle was having none of it.

“You came one slice short of beating Josh and I in the pizza eating contest at Cici’s, I know you’re hungrier than that.”

He was right about the contest, but he also failed to account that it had occurred in the winter, after an especially draining swim practice. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to make too big a show of not eating a lot, considering everyone else was pretty much pigging out.

I shrugged at the waitress and said, “I guess I’m having a side of sausage too.” I didn’t even bother asking her to hold the toast, figuring Kyle would badger me even further.

The meals came, and I nibbled on my hash browns and over medium eggs while taking in the sight of the three men across the table from me. They all attacked their food like it was the first thing they had eaten in 30 hours, when in reality it had been about 30 minutes.

Kyle’s two huge platters of food disappeared at a crazy rate. I noticed that as he ate through the pile of eggs, the mound of hash brown casserole, generous saucer of fried apples, slabs of country ham, two large golden biscuits topped with thick gravy, four pieces of toast, four thick dinner-plate size pancakes, and laughably small fruit cup, his stomach inched ever closer to the edge of the table. The plate of bacon, supposedly for said table, ended up consumed solely by Kyle as well. During it all, I watched his jiggly rolls dance under his shirt climb higher and closer as he shoveled forkful after forkful. As he neared empty-plate status, his shirt painted itself against the top arc of his belly, forming creases where his expanding belly rolls hugged against each other.

He started to slow down with about a third of the second platter remaining. By then, Josh had finished his food and patted his now slightly-distended abs in satisfaction. Sam seemed to have finished too, sipping intently on his coffee as he watched Kyle try to finish his immense meal. We all cheered him on, and when I mentioned that I wasn’t sure that the cabin had a microwave, it provided the fire he needed to power through the final remnants of the plate.

As he sat back in his chair, his jelly rolls morphed into a round arc, poking hilariously far out underneath his meaty moob-pecs and rounding down towards his straining belt. He reached down and loosened the belt a notch, leaving his pants button undone, which just gave his gut more room to expand outwards. He looked proud and stuffed.

“Fuck,” he said. “That was really good. Thank God I’m bulking.” He chuckled lightly. “Josh, I want to make sure I put this to good use, so maybe I’ll join you for that workout tonight.”

Josh nodded in agreement. Kyle stood up to go take a leak, and he had to brace himself on the table to do so. As he leaned forward, the gut rocked back and forth in his shirt like a cannonball on a sling. As he stood straight, it was clear just one belt notch looser was probably a temporary fix, as his belly poked out from below his shirt and formed a dramatic muffin top. His spare tire wrapped from one love handle to the other, hanging lowest in the center of his belly and covering about half of his belt buckle. The overhang was slight but undeniable, and made my cock leap in my underwear. As Kyle walked away toward the bathroom, his noticeably wider ass strained against the fabric of his incredibly tight olive khaki shorts.

Sam turned to me. “Micah, you really only halfway done? Wasn’t it you who wanted to get out of here quick?”

“I really wasn’t all that hungry.”

“Dude, if you never bulk, you’ll always be Lank,” Josh chimed in. Normally, the teasing remark would have bothered me enough to chow down more, but I was full.

“That may have worked in getting me to suffocate on pizza at Cicis, but I truly cannot eat more,” I said back. “I don’t know, I guess I don’t really get hungry while driving.” Or I’m not a huge human who lives in the gym and needs 8,000 calories a day to get ripped, I thought to myself.

“Not me,” Sam said, “I always get hungry on car rides.” He surprised me and asked if he could have the rest. “You know, since there might not be microwaves?”

“Go for it man,” I said, somewhat surprised, and pushed him my plate.

“Look at Sam-boy over here with the studly appetite. You’ve bulked up, haven’t you?” Josh goaded, reaching over and squeezing Sam’s bicep and shoulder.

“Yeah man, YogaFit has been really hitting the strength training stuff this summer and I mean, I guess I’m filling out finally,” Sam said confidently. The affirmation from his much-taller, muscular friend clearly boosting confidence.

“Better watch out, M, you’re going to be the only one of us that isn’t stacked soon,” Josh said, turning to me with a playful double-eyebrow raise.

I tried to hide how much the comment hurt. It sucked to see Josh slip back into his douchier self, but with Kyle in the bathroom, maybe he felt insecure. He knew Sam and I had grown closer this summer and that he and I had barely spoken. Without Kyle, we has kind of the odd man out. So I laughed it off.

Besides, I was still very aroused and very intrigued by how much Sam had been eating thus far. I began to notice how much he was filling out in the chest and shoulders. His biceps definitely did look more prominent, and even the muscles in his neck gave his once-boyish features a more manly look. Josh may have had a point about Sam getting bigger. Despite being a solid 6” taller than him and historically, about 30-35 lbs heavier, I surmised that with Sams newfound “man-body,” I probably only had about 15 lbs on him anymore. My eyes traveled down to a little belly poking against the fabric of his snug white shirt. Maybe only 10, I thought, cock stirring once more.

Still, the extra heft was probably a welcome sight for the slight-framed Sam. He had always had boyish facial features and had never really been able to put on weight, so filling out probably correlated with looking more grown-up. Regardless, he definitely had the start of a little belly on top of the new muscle, and I was interested in it.

Sam scooped up the last of my egg and sausage with a piece of my toast, and patted his tummy after his final bite. I made sure to walk behind him as I tried to determine if his recent ‘gains’ extended to his ass, but the baggy shorts made it tough to really gauge.

We cashed out and piled back into the car. A few miles into the drive, I checked my phone’s GPS.

“Good news – we’re just over a half-hour away!” I chirped excitedly. “We will be on a waterslide by noon!”

“Are we going to stop by the cabin first to drop the coolers off and change?” Kyle asked.

“Well check in isn’t until 4, and the coolers have plenty of ice, so we can just go straight into the park and then take a break when its time for check-in,” I answered. “And they have changing rooms in the park.”

“Oh ok sweet,” Kyle replied, going back to whatever game he was playing on his phone.

As I tapped my fingers to the beat of the alternative music playing loudly in the car, the circumstances of what I just told Kyle began to sink in. The first thing we’d be doing in the waterpark would be changing into our swim trunks. In the same room. The thought of the four of us naked together teased my dick into attention yet again. I was equally nervous and excited at the possibility of catching a glimpse of any of my friends in the changing room, especially after all the weight they each seemed to amass that summer.

At 11:30, we pulled out of dense forested road and into view of the waterpark’s entrance gates. Behind them, colorful waterslides covered the front side of the slope of a mountain, woven between bare spots of land – presumably ski paths for the winter months. We had arrived.

“Lets get wet boys!” Sam hollered from the back seat. We all let out a whoop in response and piled out of the car. We gathered our drawstring bags and marched through the parking lot, up to the park’s gates.

___

Because it was a weekday, the crowd was light, which was awesome because it meant no long waits for any of the slides. It was also awesome, because when we got into the changing area, we were the only four people in the entire room.

Josh led the pack into the room and turned right, into a row of benches and lockers that dead-ended about 20 feet in. Kyle and then Sam followed suit, which left me on the end of the row. Everyone kind of stared straight ahead into their lockers as we started to open our drawstring bags and pull out our swimsuits and towels. Out of the corner of my eye, I waited for someone to start changing, but realized I was the first. As I slid off my shorts and balled them up to throw into my bag, Josh spoke up.

“Woah guys, look at this!”

Everyone turned to see what Josh was talking about. There he stood, facing us, athletic shorts pulled halfway down his thighs. He was still wearing his Under Armour boxer briefs, but the fly was gaped open. His cock hung soft and thick through the fly, and flopped five or six inches below the opening to meet the waistband of his mid-thigh athletic shorts. Even soft, it was a big penis… borderline huge. It had definitely gotten bigger since the last time I’d seen it. Three years ago, Paisley had talked about it being north of seven inches hard, and that was back when his soft cock was smaller than I was seeing in front of me now. Hell, it was most of the way to seven inches even in its flaccid state. His expression turned upwards into an evil grin as he rocked his hips side to side, sending his dick flying around like an elephant trunk.

“Nice,” Sam deadpanned sarcastically, turning back to his locker. Kyle chuckled and then did the same.

I, on the other hand, found myself staring at the pendulous swing of Josh’s impressive cock for a second too long. A large central vein ran down the thick, smooth shaft, and his bulbous mushroom head hung low, flopping against the fabric of his athletic shorts.

When my gaze shifted upwards, I caught Josh’s eyes fixed back on mine. Still smirking, he bounced his eyebrows upward at me. Trying not to look guilty, I puffed air out my nose and rolled my eyes at him before turning back towards my locker. I tried to will my cock soft as I slipped off my underwear, settling for a half-chub that wasn’t entirely obvious. I quickly wriggled into my tangerine-colored swim trunks, not daring to steal more glances to my right. I was terrified of getting caught looking again.

As I slid my shorts and underwear into my bag, I heard Kyle making annoyed huffs and grunts to my right. Sam, who was midway through pulling off his athletic shorts, turned at the same time I did to ask what was wrong.

“These… fucking… shorts…” Kyle grumbled, trying to force the Velcro of his swim trunks to meet under his overhanging belly, which poked out from underneath his hiked-up shirt. The shirt was pulled up, perhaps for Kyle to see his shorts, a few inches above his belly button, where the round arc of his belly started to curve back towards his pecs. “… they must have shrunk when my mom washed them.”

“I don’t thi…” I started, but Josh cut me off.

“It’s all the GAINS man! Your glutes, your core, your lower back. Everything’s thicker now, man. Here, inhale your chest,” he said as he grabbed the two ends of waistband that constituted Kyle’s maroon floral swim trunks. The two Velcro strips were about 6 inches apart from each other, but they might as well have been a mile because there was no way they’d ever meet under current circumstances: separated by a long berth of overhanging gut. Still, Kyle did as he was told as Josh, now in just his boxer briefs and tank top, spun Kyle towards himself and tried to yank the two pieces of fabric together, chiseled arms rippling with exertion.

Kyle’s backside faced towards Sam and I as Josh tried to will the Velcro strips to meet below Kyle’s belly. What we saw was a good two or three inches of pure love handle spilling over the waistband of Kyle’s swim trunks, in every direction. Below the love handles sprouted a wide, jiggly butt that strained against the seams of the two-year-old swim trunks. Even Kyle’s meaty thighs filled out the pant holes nearly the whole way, where they finally opened up above his knees.

“Got it!” Josh exclaimed, pressing the two ends of the fly into eachother as Kyle still strained to suck in his gut. I was impressed that he managed to get it fastened at all, but his unlikely victory was quickly nullified as Kyle exhaled. The shorts flung back apart with a loud brrrrap, and Kyle’s exhaled gut crashed back down, splitting the Velcro fly once more.

“Fuck,” Kyle said.

“I have an idea,” Sam interjected, thrusting his loose athletic shorts to the ground and kicking them into his locker. This left just his powder blue Calvin boxers, and his bubbly ass jutted out from underneath their waistband, further than I’d ever seen.

I didn’t get to look long though, because Sam jumped over the bench and next to Josh. “You pull, I’ll tie,” Sam directed Josh. As Josh strained to pull Kyle’s shorts back together, Sam grabbed the laces, yanking them towards each other and weaving them across the other, before pulling the strings tight enough for Josh to marry up the Velcro. Sam double-knotted the laces and clapped one of Kyle’s love handles. “There ya go bud.”

The result was almost comical. Kyle’s swim trunks, which he had bought the summer after sophomore year when he weighed a trimmer 190 lbs, encased his lower body like a sausage. There wasn’t a free centimeter of space anywhere in the shorts. In the front, his exhalation lowered his overhanging gut to cover the entirety of the swim trunk’s laces. His meaty thighs pushed against every seam. Even his junk had no room; you could see his package pressed against the crotch of the floral trunks in a tennis-ball shaped arc. Kyle grumbled and turned around to put his remaining clothes in his locker, removing his shirt the rest of the way. The effects of the three-man effort to tie his swimsuit showed from behind as well, his love handles spilling comically far over the sides of his waist like a soft-serve ice cream cone. His globulous butt strained against the fabric holding it in - it looked like the seams were even starting to pull apart slightly where his fat, bubble ass mounded to its furthest arc. “I don’t know if I can go all day in these and still breathe… I guess they do sell swim trunks here,” he sighed, turning back around.

I sensed the slightest bit of shame in Kyle’s voice, almost as if he had begun to admit to himself that maybe his recent “bulk” had gotten a bit out of control. And a bit out of control was an understatement. Without his shirt on, Kyle’s fatty pecs rounded into muscular, fleshy tits, framed by a moderate smattering of light-brown chest hairs that thinned out as it traveled in a faint happy trail over his plump, fleshy belly. The “dad-bod” as we call it today was in full view, and he stood sturdier and much fatter than he had ever had before.

Josh seemed to have picked up on Kyle’s newfound shame as well. He reassured Kyle: “Dude, you’ve had those shorts since you were barely 16. You're a man now,” punching him playfully in the side. “You absolutely should get a new swimsuit that you haven’t had since you were just a kid. Man bodies aren’t built like boy’s bodies,” he said. Though Josh’s back was still turned to me, I was almost certain he darted his head in my direction as he said “boy’s bodies,” as I watched Kyle’s eyes briefly flick to my shirtless abdomen and back at Josh.

The validation from Josh (perhaps combined with seeing my “lanky” body) seemed to make him snap out of it, smiling sheepishly at first, but then proudly. “You’re right... and it’s bulking season anyways! Might as well have a proper swimsuit for it.” His stomach, looking massive above the suit’s skin-crushing tightness, jiggled in a downward arc towards his thighs as he swung his drawstring bag onto his now-bare back. “I’m gonna get us a spot along the deck chairs” he said, walking out of the locker room. He passed an incoming kid, skinny as a rail, who did a double-take at Kyle as he passed by, his big stomach swaying with each step at the kid’s eye level.

As I began to apply sunscreen, I turned my attention to Josh as he lowered his boxer briefs, big dick flopping out as he bent over to step out of them. I forced myself to steal only the quickest glances so as not to get caught staring, and it was all over too soon as Josh quickly yanked his blue and red-striped polo trunks up to his waist and stuffed his egg-sized balls and bratwurst-sized flaccid cock into the netting.

Sam, directly to the right of me, had been changing as well, quickly swapping his boxers for his trunks. I saw some bare skin out of the corner of my eye, but was too scared to fully turn my head as he was directly next to me. Sam wiggled his hips as he pulled the shorts up, and I realized he was struggling to pull the waistband up and over his bubble butt. This made me lust once again, thinking about the two bubble-cheeks exposed a few mere feet to my 4 oclock. Sam eventually got the shorts over his ass, but was now having some issues bringing the button of his pants together as well. Not nearly as dire a situation as Kyle’s trunks, but I stole a longer glance as he inhaled slightly and buttoned the trunks before exhaling his tummy, the slightest spare tire pressing into the waistband. They were snug alright, but as he turned around to leave, it was even clearer why Sam had struggled so much more to pull them on. His narrow waist curved nearly 90 degrees below the trunks’ waistband, jutting out to a proportionally enormous bubble ass. It pulled dramatically at the seat of his pastel-blue Nautica trunks as he walked out of the locker room. So much so, that the leg holes, which fell right above his knees last year, now ended much higher, at his mid-thigh. His ass swallowed the seam of the seat of his trunks, disappearing as his cantaloupe-shaped cheeks rubbed the material inward as he walked out of the locker room. I had to will my plumped dick from growing any further in my swimsuit as I dumped my sunscreen bottle into my drawstring and began to lock my locker.

Josh had apparently seen Sam struggle to get his suit on as well, because as Sam walked out of the locker room, Josh finished locking his locker, and turned to me. “Looks like you’re the only one that still actually fits in your suit, Lank,” he chuckled friendlily, pulling off his tank overhead by the back collar with rippling arms. His shirtlessness revealed two defined, bulging pecs, with perfect nickel-sized magenta nipples that sat atop an upside-down triangle of bulging traps, abs and obliques. His muscles were covered by the slightest layer of fat that only enhanced their size, creating a smooth silhouette like a marble statue. Deep “v” lines ran along the bottom of his six pack and pointed towards where his muscled torso met his polo swim trunks. The trunks were snug along his waist, and got even more snug on his upper legs, large quads and thighs filling out the upper part of the pantlegs. As a result, his package had nowhere to go but forward. If Kyle’s package created a tennis-ball shaped bulge, Josh’s girthy dick and huge balls formed a softball pressed up against the lower crotch of his trunks. He playfully turned his hips 180 to show his well-muscled ass straining against the swimsuit’s fabric, and I could see the outline of Josh’s sizable glutes.

“I guess you’re right” I half-smiled. “You and Kyle are both going to have to buy new suits I guess. For your... “man bodies,”” I air-quoted.

“Kyle needs a new suit so he can keep gorging himself without tearing through his pants,” Josh responded with a surprising glib acidity. “My man-body,” he said more playfully, melodramatically running his hands from his pecs to his abs to his hips, “looks pretty great in this tight suit, don’t you agree?” His facial expression changed from playful back to serious as his eyes met mine with surprising fire. As he finished the question, one of his hands moved from his hip to his immense package, giving it a light squeeze. I held his gaze, not really knowing what to say, focusing mostly on keeping my cock from getting any more chubbed than it already was. Perhaps three or four seconds passed, which felt like eternity due to the silence and unbroken eye contact, before Josh lowered his gaze, cracked a cheesy smile and clapped me on the back. “Let’s get out there and ride some water slides, Micah.”

I did my best to mirror his snap out of the awkward interaction. I smiled a half-sheepish, half relieved grin, and cheered, “finally! Let’s go!”

I followed him out of the locker room, shaking off the strange encounter and slipping my shades on. I smiled, knowing the day was young and I was about to spend the rest of it with my three shirtless friends in the hot sun and refreshing water.

...

part 3 to come.

[love-skincareroutine]

What Does Baby Oil Do For Your Skin

New Post has been published on https://skin-care-routine.com/skin-care-routine/what-does-baby-oil-do-for-your-skin/

What Does Baby Oil Do For Your Skin

A. 17 Uses for Baby Oil That Will Save You Money

See why this baby softener belongs to the home of every financially experienced adult. The next time you need to loosen, soften, shine, shave or make a noise, try baby oil. The lightly scented mineral oil is suitable for numerous applications that have nothing to do with babies. In fact, having baby oil eliminates the need to buy a variety of disposable products, which are often more expensive. Below are more than a dozen uses of baby oil that can save money.

1. Bath oil

I poured baby oil into the bathtub to soften my tired winter skin.

Note: You must then use a cleaning agent for the bathtub, otherwise the next bather may slip and fall through the oily residue.

2. Moisturizer

Don’t you want to scrub a bathtub with oil after each bath to enjoy baby oil? Dry the towel immediately after bathing, then apply a little baby oil to damp skin to retain moisture.

3. Shaving gel replacement

Before shaving, use a thin layer of baby oil instead of foam or shaving gel (or soap) on your legs.

4. Wax aid

If you shave eyebrows, legs or other parts of the body, use a little baby oil afterwards to remove any remaining wax.

5. Eye make-up remover

A cotton ball moistened with baby oil takes care of the eyeshadow and eyeliner without irritating sensitive skin.

6. Temporary tattoo remover

Junior came home from a birthday party with screaming superhero tattoos? Rub them with a little baby oil.

7. Cuticle oil

Sushmita Munda writes on makeupandbeauty.com that she uses baby oil on her hands when she does her nails. Of course, there is a product called “cuticle oil”, but she never buys it.

8. Lip scrub

Munda also does a lip scrub by mixing 1 teaspoon of baby oil, ½ teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. She rubs lightly on her lips every night before bed to remove dead skin.

9. Detergent massage

Baby oil is a cheap alternative to massage oil or cream.

10. Softener for scaly feet

Do your feet look like lizards in winter? Apply some baby oil before bed, then put on plain white socks. While you sleep, the skin on your feet becomes very soft.

11. Ring loosener

Were your hands swollen from pregnancy or air travel? Pour a little baby oil on the swollen finger and gradually loosen the ring.

12. Paint remover

Do you have latex paint on your hands or arms after painting a room? It can rub immediately or become embedded in the ankles and other skin folds. A post on Instructables.com recommended massaging paint splashes with baby oil in a circular motion.

13. Squeaky hinge lubricant

A drop or two should do the trick – and baby oil smells much better than WD-40.

14. Bandage remover

Is it time to change the patch on your child’s knee? Saturate with oil and wait for a while; The patch should come off immediately, without pain.

15. Price sticker remover

If you can’t remove a sticker from something made of glass, porcelain or plastic, apply some baby oil and wait a while. The sticker should come off much easier.

Note: Do not do this on any fabric or paper, as the oil may discolor.

16. Polishing the golf club

Depending on which golf enthusiast you are talking about, you can protect and polish your clubs with gun oil, WD-40, special golf club polishers, petroleum jelly, a silicone gun cloth or, yes, baby oil.

17. Milling oil

If you have a paper shredder – and you should – things go well with the occasional lubrication. Place a few pieces of paper on a baking sheet and spread some baby oil. As soon as the paper absorbs the oil, pass it through the paper shredder.

  B. 6 Ways You Can Include Baby Oil In Your Daily Beauty Routine

Basically, baby oil is just mineral oil. It is extracted from oil and is used in almost all types of skin products, such as moisturizers and perfumes. Contrary to popular belief, baby oil is not a panacea for all skin problems under the sun. The theory has resulted in women being misinformed about its use, and that is where we come in. Here are five ways to safely incorporate baby oil into your beauty routine and what you should know about it.

1. Moisturizer

Baby oil can be used as a moisturizer, especially in areas of dry skin that need to be healed. The application is very similar to that of babies; Do this from the shower when your skin is still damp. In this way, the oil penetrates deeply into the skin while the pores are still open. Although baby oil is perfectly safe as a non-toxic alternative to other creams, it is not advisable to use it on your face. Baby oil tends to clog pores and cause acne when used on the face. You should continue to use it as a body oil. However, make sure that it is a fragrance-free product as it can cause problems for sensitive skin.

2. Makeup remover

If you are a fan of the oil cleaning method, this tip is for you. Baby oil can be used as a makeup remover as it helps to dissolve makeup and residue. Just massage a thin layer of oil on your face and dry with a cotton towel. Always use a facial wash to wash any residue thoroughly. Baby oil can also be used to make makeup corrections during application. Use a cotton swab to clean up any unstable lines or accidental stains. Make sure to avoid the eye area

3. Foot care

Baby oil contains the rejuvenating and relaxing properties of vitamin E, making it perfect for skin problems such as cracked heels and elbows. Heat the oil and use it to do a pedicure at home or as a daily moisturizer for your feet. Always wear socks to prevent oily sheets and slips

4. Cuticle care

Cuticle care is a highly underestimated form of self-care, especially if you work a lot with your hands. Dry cuticles can cause unnecessary burning and pain if left untreated. This is where baby oil can be useful. If you don’t want to spend your money on expensive cuticle oils, get a bottle of baby oil to keep them hydrated. Dip a cotton swab in the oil and apply to fingers and nails. Massage the oil into the nail bed. So doing it also gives you a healthy, shiny-looking nail, which is a great bonus

5. Shaving oil

I don’t normally leave a razor near me to remove my hair. I hate it when it grows back with thorns and I don’t like the feeling of shaving creams and foams on my body. I make an exception when baby oil is available. Instead of a cream, apply to the oil and shave. It provides a much closer shave and keeps the skin smooth in the process. It can also be used after epilation to remove any wax residue and soothe the skin

6. Miscellaneous

In addition to the obvious uses, having a bottle of baby oil next to the bedside table can help you in several ways. Broken elbows? Massage in a drop to moisturize overnight. In combination with sunscreen, it can act as a tanning oil. Although they do not contain active ingredients that act against stretch marks, they can be used to keep skin smooth and hydrated and to prevent future lines and wrinkles.

  C. Can I Use Baby Oil on My Face?

Baby oil has been on the market for over 100 years and has long been a staple in parents’ kindergartens. It is a clear liquid made from mineral oil and petroleum-based fragrances. According to Johnson & Johnson, baby oil can be applied to the baby’s skin before a massage. It can also help to soothe a baby’s dry skin, especially when used when the skin is already moist with water, for example, after a bath.

Baby oil forms a semi-breathable barrier on the skin. This barrier already retains moisture on the skin’s surface. Some adults also use baby oil on the body to soothe dry skin. Some swear that it gives the skin of the face a special smoothness and shine. People also use baby oil on many other parts of the body, on their hair and as a lubricant. According to a limited amount of research, baby oil may have the ability to increase and soften the skin. Here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking about applying it to your face.

1. Is baby oil good for your face?

Baby oil is hypoallergenic and free of parabens, phthalates and dyes. This means that it is safe for most people to lie on their skin without fear of allergic reactions.

There is a limited amount of scientific research on how baby oil affects the skin and little research on how it affects the face. Based on available research, baby oil is safe for your skin, including the skin on your face.

a. Can you use baby oil as a facial moisturizer?

Baby oil is not comedogenic, which means it does not clog your skin pores. So if you have a dry or normal skin type, you can use baby oil to keep your face hydrated. In a 1993 Trusted Source study, scientists tested four different common moisturizing ingredients to see how they affected people’s skin. One was mineral oil, an important ingredient in baby oil. In comparison to ethanol, glycerin and water, water and baby oil appear to have the greatest moisturizing effect of all ingredients when applied to the skin. Scientists have found that mineral oil has helped to make the skin fatter and to make it more hydrated.

b. Does baby oil reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks?

There is no direct research to show that baby oil can reduce the appearance of facial scars and stretch marks on the body. The same 1993 study by ResearchTrusted Source, which found that baby oil is an effective moisturizer, suggests that this claim is probably true. Most scars and stretch marks are cut on the skin. The application of baby oil can thicken the skin in these areas and reduce the overall appearance of scars and stretch marks. An older study from 1975 found that the effects of baby oil disappeared 48 hours after use. It must be reapplied to keep the skin looking moist and plump.

c. Does baby oil relieve skin discomfort?

The researchers found some evidence that baby oil can help relieve skin conditions, including those associated with dry skin and diseases like psoriasis. According to a 2012 study of people on hemodialysis, baby oil helped to significantly reduce itching when rubbed on the itchy body part for at least 15 minutes a day for 3 weeks.

2. Can you put baby oil on your face at night?

You can apply baby oil to your face at any time of the day or night to wake you up with smoother, fleshier skin. However, avoid doing this if you are prone to acne, as this can make the situation worse.

3. Unproven claims

Most claims about baby oil, in addition to its moisturizing and fatty properties, have not been proven. Here’s what you should know:

a. Can baby oil treat acne on your face?

There is no evidence that using baby oil can treat acne. Although many people can apply baby oil to their face without increasing the risk of acne, it should be avoided if you have acne-prone skin. Even though baby oil itself does not clog pores, the barrier it forms on the skin can retain dirt and oil that enter the pores and worsen acne.

b. Can baby oil remove makeup?

There is no clear evidence that baby oil can be used to remove makeup. However, many people do this anecdotally. Because it is considered safe to use, it is unlikely to harm you. However, if you have acne-prone skin, avoid applying baby oil to your face.

c. Can you use it instead of shaving cream?

There is no research to suggest that baby oil is a suitable replacement for shaving cream. However, regular use of baby oil can moisturize and soften the skin, making shaving easier.

4. Possible side effects of using baby oil on the face

Baby oil is generally safe to use. However, there are some side effects that you should be aware of when trying to use it on your face. These possible side effects include:

a. Allergic reaction

Research has shown that an allergic reaction to mineral oil, a common ingredient in baby oil, is very rare. However, if you have sensitive skin and are concerned about the possibility of reacting, consider applying a small amount to another, less visible part of your body. Wait 24 hours to see if you have a reaction. If you don’t notice any redness or irritation, it’s safe to apply it to your face.

b. Trigger Escape

Baby oil was developed to be non-comedogenic. Therefore, it does not clog pores, although it can cause acne in people prone to skin rashes.

c. Inability to sweat

Baby oil forms a barrier on the skin. Therefore, on a hot day, it can retain a lot of moisture. This makes it harder for you to sweat, as your body naturally tries to calm down.

5. How to use baby oil on your face

If you want to apply baby oil to your face, do the following:

Wash your face with a mild detergent or soap.

Dry and leave a little moisture on the skin surface.

Inject a small amount of baby oil into your hand.

Gently massage the oil on your face with your fingertips.

6. Alternative home remedies for facial skin

Baby oil is a synthetic product. Vegetable oils are a more natural choice for skin care. If you are looking for alternative oils to soften and smooth your face, consider these more natural options:

Almond oil is a mild moisturizing oil. It is ideal for people with dry and sensitive skin.

Argan oil is a perfect facial oil for people with normal skin. It is moisturizing and full of vitamins that can protect your face from the sun and other skin damage.

Jojoba oil is great for people with oily skin. It is light and moisturizing, but also reduces oiliness.

Rosehip oil works well for people with acne-prone skin. This oil is moisturizing, but it also contains fatty acids that reduce redness and disappear acne scars.

7. Summary

Baby oil is a popular skin care product, originally developed for babies, but it is also used by adults. It can help to increase, soften and moisturize the skin, retaining moisture from the face and the whole body. Although it is a synthetic oil, it is quite mild and rarely causes allergic reactions. However, if you have acne-prone skin, this product should not be applied to your face as it can cause skin rashes. In addition, if you want to opt for a more natural facial oil, there are many vegetable oils for all skin types.

[a-robin-among-thorns]

In The Shadows of the Rising Sun Chp 12

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

My apologies for the radio silence. I’m somewhat ashamed to admit it but amidst the COVID panic, finishing up the semester online and just the general chaos of this year I’d been rather unmotivated creatively. As such this chapter is shorter than I’d normally prefer but I figured it was a good jump start to get back into the swing of things.

Chapter 12: Green Coils Round the Heart

Word Count: 1,153

Content Warning: Alcohol, Emotional Abuse

In the wilds of Lapland, although both he and Lindel had faced harsh scarcities, Elias rarely found himself wanting for much. And when he did want, he could easily name that which he wished for; a second fish at dinner or to be inside the tent while the winds grew fierce. He did on occasion feel a pull for something that he had no name for and something he did have a name for but refused to speak of. Both of these would come and go with little interruption or consequence. 

In Japan, however, Elias found he wanted for the same things day in and day out.

Whenever he read passages in slowly improving Japanese, he wanted to see Chise smile and praise his efforts. As she delved into bestiaries and folklore, to see Chise understand a little more magic and glow with pride caused him to want to see her learn just one more spell. 

And as he was forced into the shadows for the third time that rainy week, Elias wanted nothing more than for Reina to become hopelessly lost on her way home. 

It was the last night before Chise had to return to school from the weekend and as luck would have it Reina’s night with friends had been cut short thanks to the same storm that prevented them from escaping. She clambered across the kitchen, her face blotchy red, and her eyes puffy. Her normally tightly maintained clothing was disheveled and soaked. Elias could detect the hint of something sweet and pungent both on the guardian's breath and from the dark glass bottle she fished from above the stove. Only as it clanked onto the counter did Reina finally register that Chise was settled against the coffee table surrounded in her protective blanket.

“Ah hell,” she groaned, “you mention this to anyone and you will regret it.” She somehow managed to deliver a sharp glare even through the haze of intoxication and slurred words. 

Chise only nodded, lacking the fortitude to construct a response.

“Good girl.” She tutted her lips as she located a glass. “It’s not easy you know,” she tipped the bottle's lips over the glass, “I work long hours to make sure you and I have enough to get by.” The dark amber liquid disappeared down her throat as quickly as it appeared. “I deserve a fun night every so often.”

Elias could feel the blanket fold in as Chise’s fingers gripped her blanket tighter. 

“If you ask me I should be paid double for taking in a delusional problem child.” She belched as she refilled her glass to continue her droopy-eyed tirade. “But the foster endowment will pick up where I can’t." Her eyes peered back with a glint of steel. "And that’s why you don’t want it taken away.” 

As Chise’s body shrunk further under the guardian's glare, Elias had to consciously focus to prevent his from growing out of control. He forced himself to concentrate on Chise’s warning to wait before acting in anger. And this hot roiling feeling welling from the depth of his being was certainly anger. Yet faintly he noticed something underlying, the feeling growing as he saw the spiteful woman occupying the space he had a moment earlier been sitting across from Chise.  Reina sunk to the floor leaning back on one hand balancing the half-full glass in the other. 

A flash of light erupted accompanied by a boom, a scream, and a splash.

The remnants of Reina’s liquor dripped down her nose and lashes. Chise became somehow became stiller and trembled at the same time.

“I-I.. I’m sorr-” She flinched as the glass slammed onto the counter in an aggressive clank. 

Reina rose like an inebriated viper posed to strike. Slowly she sunk over the table till she was an inch from Chise's nose. “I’m going to bed. Clean this up and if I hear one more sound out of your mouth you will be sleeping outside, understand?”

Chise nodded, biting her lip. 

Leaving her glass, she trudged into her bedroom slamming the door loudly. As Chise abandoned her sheltered comforter in a hurried search for rags, Elias emerged. He looked to the spill, then to Chise. 

The object of his anger was no longer in sight. Yet the roiling anger remained and something more...amorphous. 

He did not understand.

-----

“Chise,” Elias inquired, finally lifting his head from its long preoccupied focus on the carpet. 

“Mhmm?” She answered around a yawn and a mouthful of cereal. Dark shadows accompanied her eyes. Despite Elias’ help, it had taken much of the night to silently clean the carpet and table spotless. 

“Why does your mother treat you so poorly?”

Chise seemed to briefly forget that she could not breathe milk. Once her hacking finally stopped with a few helpful thuds on the back, she stiffly righted her posture with a deep breath.

“Reina is my cousin not my mother.”

Elias cocked his head curiously. “Where is your mother then?” 

Her tongue clicked against the roof of her dry mouth as it cracked open before drying further with a resigned sigh. “She died...a long time ago.” 

“I see.” That did answer part of his question, but “Why are you here with Reina then? Is there not someone who would be better for you?”

Chise’s face fell, her eyes wandering an aimless path. “I had hoped so for a long time. But I’ve given up wishing for someone better. The problem is...well...me.” 

“But you-“

“Cmon,” she urged wiping her mouth as she rose with her bowl, “we need to get going.” 

Elias’ jaw that had been suspended in mid-sentence slowly clicked closed. He felt that more questions had arisen than answers. Namely, why anyone who got to have Chise’s time and attention didn’t treasure it as they should. The students at school, the teachers, Reina, none of them were cognizant of the gift they were bestowed. As he thought of the time that would have to be spent in the presence of those hateful whelps the roiling amorphous feeling returned throughout his stomach and chest. He placed his hand to his stomach to locate the source of upset to no avail. 

Grunting he rose to follow Chise as she made to brush her teeth. His mouth opened and closed in several attempts to voice what he wanted. But each time he came close to an answer it broke in his throat. As Chise rinsed and left the washroom he made one last attempt until his eyes landed on the mirror. 

A creature of shadow and winter stared back in stark contrast to the human below. The human making her way to spend time with...other humans as cruel as they were. The reflection touched the tip of its nose, a sinking feeling residing in its chest. But as he was called to head to school, a new feeling took its place. 

[seasonofthegeek]

Miraculous Holidays: Snowed In

Written for @wearemiraculous

This prompt was requested by the amazing @gabriel-fucking-agreste for Gabriel, Nathalie, and Jagged, and because I love you lots, there is a vampire.

Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28:

“Well, this is certain to cause us trouble.” Gabriel frowned at the snow and sleet raining down outside the window. “Jagged, I think it would be best if you retreat to one of the guest rooms. I can lock you in for your own safety.”

The other man visibly bristled as he leaned against the wall. “I’m not an animal, mate. Believe it or not, I can survive being snowed in with you two without ripping your throats out.” He flashed a wide smile that showcased two delicate fangs. “Might be fun though. Besides, if you’re going to lock me up, you should lock up your sweet lil pup too.”

Nathalie scowled at him. “It’s not even close to the full moon. I’m in no danger of transforming here.”

“Wonder if there’s an old tale about this somewhere. A vampire, a werewolf, and a changeling snowed in late at night in the middle of nowhere...” Jagged chuckled to himself. “Who will survive, who will thrive....”

Gabriel turned away from the window and pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up in agitation.  “Please don’t call me that.”

“S’whatcha are, Gabe. Wee little Fae babe who was left to be raised by humans.”

Nathalie stepped between the men with a put upon sigh. “Since we don’t know how long we’re going to be here, perhaps it would be wise to take stock of our supplies instead of snipping at each other. Jagged, did you bring any bagged blood with you?”

“Don’t drink the stuff, pet. I like my blood alive. Besides, thought we were only up here for the day. Meeting of the supernatural minds for the Winter Solstice and all that.”

“In other words, you’re unprepared.” She turned to Gabriel. “Do you think we can expect any of the others to make it here before things get too bad?”

“I think they’ve already gone bad unfortunately. I don’t believe anyone could make it in a storm like this. We should’ve left earlier before we got stuck here ourselves.”

Jagged pushed away from the wall. “Well, as much fun as it would be to watch you two moan and groan about our predicament the rest of the night, the cold doesn’t much bother me so I think I’ll be off.”

Nathalie snorted. “You can’t be serious.”

“Course I am. Not all warm blooded like you lot. I can walk right out of here.”

“You’d freeze,” she replied incredulously. “You wouldn’t make it to the nearest town before you froze in place and had to wait to thaw like everything else. Even you have limitations.”

“Let him go. It’d make the stay much more pleasant,” Gabriel remarked. “Would you like to go see what the food situation is like? It’d be best to settle that early.”

“That sounds reasonable,” she agreed, following him towards the kitchen.

“I mean it. I’m leaving,” Jagged called after them. “Not waiting around.”

___

“I’m starving,” Jagged whined, draping himself across the couch. “I’ve got bags under my eyes and my skin’s looking all waxy. I hate when my skin looks waxy.”

“Perhaps you should’ve left five days ago when you threatened to.” Gabriel didn’t look up from his book. “You know where the door is.”

“I can’t go out in this state. I wouldn’t make it to the end of the driveway. This storm’s unnatural. There’s a witch or wizard or something behind it, mark my words.”

“I’ve been wondering about that actually.” Nathalie went to the wall of bookshelves and looked over the titles. “It might not be an accident we’re the only ones stuck here.”

Gabriel closed his book and looked to her across the room. “You really believe someone targeted the three of us?”

“I don’t know why they would. We’re only representatives, not necessarily important members of our groups, but it’s just a feeling.”

“Why’d you have to go and bring that up?” Jagged groaned. “You’ve gone and made me think and now my head hurts.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “See what you can find in those books about the Sacrifice of Three for the Solstice. And keep it down; I need a nap.”

___

“Jagged? Are you awake?”

Jagged blinked blearily into the dim light of his room. “That you, pet?”

“You’re not doing well,” Nathalie said. “How long can you go without blood?”

“Indefinitely, really. Not a pretty picture though. Keep wasting away til--” His words were cut off by a rasping cough. He grimaced and wiped his mouth with a thin hand. “Another week or so and I’ll be little more than bones and skin.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” She sat on the edge of his bed. Her mouth was set in a thin line of determination. “Can I trust you?”

“Trust me?” he mused. “With what, love?”

She swallowed thickly. “If I let you drink, you won’t take too much, right? Just enough to be okay.”

Jagged grunted in mild pain as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. “You want to give me blood?”

“No,” she admitted. “But after what you said the other day about the sacrifice, I started studying some of the books and I think you’re right. I think someone means for us to die here.”

His eyes sharpened on her. “And you don’t want to let that happen.” 

“No.”

“What’s Gabe say about all this?”

“He...he doesn’t know about this.” Her eyes flicked downwards. “But he agrees about the sacrifice. We need to make a plan, the three of us. We’ll be out of food soon too, and the full moon is coming. I can feel it. The two of you won’t survive in here with me. I can’t control myself.”

“I think you should give yourself more credit than that.”

“It’s not about credit; it’s about the facts.”

“I doubt Gabe has reservations about letting me wither away,” Jagged pointed out. “Why not just save yourselves?”

“Gabriel doesn’t want you to die. Not really. He would want you to think that, but...” She trailed off and shook her head. “Do you want this or not?” She held out her hand, wrist up.

“Is that where you want me to drink from, dearest?” Jagged’s voice was low as he shifted beside her. He brushed her hair behind her ear and relished her shiver.

“I...wherever you think is best.”

He smiled and leaned in, brushing his nose against the sensitive skin just below her ear. “I have ideas of what is best, pet, but we’ll save those for another time.”

She shook slightly as he wrapped himself around her. “Is it going to hurt?” she whispered, baring her neck.

“In the best way,” he promised before he pressed his lips to her throat.

___

“Help me move the drawers in front of the door,” Gabriel yelled, shoving his shoulder against the piece of heavy wooden furniture. Jagged joined him and they barricaded the door just as it shook on its hinges and a low rumbling growl sounded on the other side. 

“Bloody hell, that happened fast.” Jagged yanked the other man’s arm hard, pulling him into the connected bathroom and slamming the door behind them. “She was just talking and then...” He shook his head. “I’ve seen weres change before but never like that. Has it always been that way for her?”

Gabriel sank down to the floor and dropped his head to his hands. “It’s never been that fast for her before. She usually can feel it coming and locks herself away. It’s so painful to hear but she insists I stay safe. Seeing her like that was...”

“Yeah.” Jagged put his back against the door for extra protection as he folded to the floor. “You think whoever has been causing this storm somehow caused her to transform early?”

“I suppose it’s possible.” He clenched his jaw. “Did you see her face when it began to happen? She was terrified. I’m going to kill whoever’s done this.”

“If they don’t kill us first,” Jagged sighed. He looked over the angst-ridden man across from him. “You love her, don’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gabriel snapped.

“I can see how you would. She’s easy to fall for. Smart, sexy, incredibly badass. I think I’m in love with her.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Course I am.” Jagged eyed him. “You got a problem with that?”

“Wouldn’t matter if I did, I suppose.”

___

“Come on, take some of my life force. Better me than our Nathalie. You’re looking rough, mate. No other way to go about it.” 

Gabriel glared at Jagged but it lost most of its strength in his weakened state. “I won’t feed on either of you. I’m not that way.”

“Can’t keep denying what you are. Come on then. Show me those pretty, sharp teeth I know you have hiding in there.”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed glowing gold and he blinked it away. “Go to hell, Jagged.”

“Gabriel, please. We can’t lose you.” Nathalie brushed his hair away from his forehead. “There’s hardly any food left. You need to do this.”

He took in a rattling breath. “And what about you? You need food.”

She exchanged a quick look with Jagged before returning her attention to Gabriel. “I’m going to be fine, I promise.”

“Now feed on me, you stubborn ass.” Jagged jammed his forearm against Gabriel’s mouth and the other man cursed against his skin. His eyes flashed gold again and then he was biting into Jagged’s arm with elongated teeth. The other man went limp in his arms as a soft glow grew around them.

“That’s enough, Gabriel.” Nathalie pulled on his hair but he growled and tightened his grip on Jagged’s arm. “That’s enough!” she yelled, pulling his head back as hard as she could.

Gabriel gasped in surprise, gold eyes fading to gray blue and his sharp teeth shrinking back into their normal guise. He looked down at Jagged in horror. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry...I didn’t mean...”

Jagged coughed weakly and pushed himself up on his good arm. “S’all good, love. We’re all good.”

___

“We can’t make it to spring like this. She’s not going to make it.” Gabriel wearily looked over at Nathalie’s sleeping form. “She hardly has the energy to stay awake for more than a couple hours at a time now.”

“Gonna turn her,” Jagged murmured tiredly. “But you’ll have to feed us both then. Wanted to wait as long as we could.”

“Will it work?”

“Don’t know,” he admitted. “Could kill her instead of turn her since she’s a wolf.”

“But we don’t have any other options. She’s going to die anyway.”

“Looks like.”

Gabriel closed his eyes. It was too hard to keep them open these days. “You think we can last?”

“I think we have to.”

___

Gabriel limped out into the melting snow, feeling the sun on his skin for the first time in weeks. He took in a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. If they could last until sunset, they’d made it. They’d survived. 

He went to his car and climbed inside with a shiver. It took a few tries, but the engine finally turned over and the sound of it idling was music to his ears. He turned it off and hobbled back inside. At dusk, he would take them out of this place. He would drive them somewhere safe and nurse them back to health. He would care for his vampires in a way that only he could and when they were finally strong again, they would fight back.

Gabriel smiled back up at sun before closing the cabin door one last time.

Buy me a cherry coke?

[bella-spil]

2 Romeos & 1 Juliet- Part 4

Part 4- Its Buckys turn to take you on a date. Fem reader

Warnings- implied smut(not really) kissing/making out, cursing.

Word Count: 6.7k( I tried to add a lot more detail in this one so bear with me)

Taglist: @kmuir1​ @angrythingstarlight​ @wednesday-add-em​ @sea040561​ (lmk if you wanna join.  The more the merrier!)

A/N: This would have been done sooner, but the internet was down for the past three days.  I got some inspiration from GOTG vol.2( a tiny bit) and I added a lot more detail than normal.  And there might be a meme or two that I took a line from(its the “so I started blasting” one”).  Also the pic of the outfit is from me, amd Im sry for the terrible quality, I have a shitty camera.  Also the link for the 40s slang I used is https://rkcowles.wordpress.com/1940-slang-glossary/ , if you are in the mood to learn some.  I hope you enjoy, bc this one might be my fav of this series.  

You had a pretty good week after your date with Loki.  Whenever you saw the God of Mischief, you both acted like his attempted kiss never happened.  You acted like normal friends.  You read the note Billie gave you, alone so Loki didn't see, and she actually said she thought Loki was cute.  Not hot but cute.  You laughed at what she wrote, and you swore you would never show Loki.  

As the week went on, Bucky was planning his date out.  He had a place, one that you would both enjoy and have a lot of fun at.  He had everything prepared for you, but he was still nervous.  

What if it doesn't work?  What if she really doesn't like me?  What if I do something wrong?  He thought as the week carried on.  But he never showed the fear to you.  He was acting all confident, bragging about how he would win you over with his charm, like how he did with the ladies in his time.  You told him that you weren't like all those other girls, and he agreed.  He said that he would have a challenge with you, but he knew he would win.  He always won.  He also flirted with you constantly, which drove Loki up the walls.  You enjoyed this confident side of the Winter Soldier, you knew you were gonna see it more often.  

You also tried prying the location of the date out of Bucky.  But he was a Super Soldier, so that didn't work out.  You gave up in about 5 minutes.  

Then the day came.  You and Bucky were both anxious.  You had no clue where you were going, and Bucky hasn't been on a date in a while.

“Doll, we are leaving at 4 ok?” he let you know at lunch.

“Got it.  Where are we going?” you asked for the 100th time.  Bucky rolled his eyes and didn't answer.  “Fine.  What should I wear?”

“Hmm..” Bucky thought.  “Wear a T-shirt and shorts, like you did with Loki.  But we are going to be walking around a lot, so don't wear something uncomfortable.”

“Ok,” you said, walking to your room to get prepared.  Bucky thought he did a good job, not revealing too much about the date.  He liked keeping you guessing, it amused him more often than not.

~~~

As you were in your room, you paced back and forth from your closet to your bed.  You were stressed with not knowing anything about tonight.  But you were stressing out with the new feelings to your long time friend.  You didn't know if you were feeling them because of the upcoming date, or if you were making it up.  But you didn't have this on your date with Loki.  You had no clue, so you tried to ignore the feelings.  But they weren't letting up, getting you more and more nervous.  You tried to take deep breaths, and it worked.  So you focused your time on getting ready.

“What to wear, what to wear,” you muttered to yourself as you scanned your closet like a robot.  After a few minutes of rummaging around through heaps and heaps of clothes, you found a cute and comfortable outfit.  

You found a cute crop top that only exposed a small amount of your stomach.  It was low cut, but not too revealing.  It was a black t-shirt, and it was your favorite shirt because it looked really good on you, at least you thought.  You always felt a bit more confident whenever you wore it, and you knew you might need it for tonight.  

You also found a pair of super soft cotton shorts.  They were a dark, camo-like green.  They didn't have camo print, just dark green and a white lining.  You adored the shorts because they were the softest thing you owned, besides another sweatshirt you owned.  They were mid-waisted and were a little revealing on your ass.  But you loved the way the shorts made you feel, like any man would fall for you by just looking at you.

You found a pair of black Adidas sneakers, which would be good for walking.  You didn't put on any jewelry, since you weren't a big fan of it.  You only wore it at the concert because it was a concert, you wanted to look decent.  You left your hair down again, letting the natural curls and waves have a mind of their own.  After a couple flips of your hair, you had the look you wanted.  

Then you moved on to your makeup.  Since you would be walking a lot, you thought you might sweat a bit, so you didn't put too much on.  Only a bit of foundation to hide some blemishes on your skin, a tiny amount of blush and mascara.  You didn't like wearing makeup either, since your time in the mountains saw no need for it.  You didn't understand how people took hours and hours for makeup, and at the end of the night, they would have to wipe it off and do it all again the next day. 

When you finished, you took one final look in the mirror and you thought you looked amazing.  Your confidence soared through the roof as you checked yourself out.  

“Doll, its time,” Bucky knocked at your door.  “You ready?”

You got scared and flinched in front of the mirror.  You were not expecting time to fly that fast.  

“Yeah Bucky, i'll be down in a minute.” you answered, not trying to show that he scared you.

“Ok, I'll wait by the front door,” Bucky said.  You heard his footsteps fade as he left, and you took a sigh of relief.  You grabbed a small, black backpack, just to store your phone and some money since you had no clue what to expect.  You checked yourself out in the mirror one last time as you put on some lip gloss.  Then you put the lip gloss away and headed out of your room.

~~~  

Bucky stood anxiously by the door.  He wore a pair of shorts and a black Brooklyn logo shirt. The shirt was a little snug on him, so it made his biceps pop out a little more.  He didn't bother covering his metal arm.  He wasn't used to having it out in the open, especially in public.  But he always was comfortable with his arm around you, so he thought it would be the same with you anywhere.  He was not going to let strangers ruin his night with you.  His hair was down and he wore a pair of black Nike’s.  He had on his signature dog tags and in his pockets, he had his phone, which he barely knew how to use, and some money for the date.  But, like a true gentleman, he had a bouquet of red roses in his hands.  He never showed up to a date without flowers.  He knew his manners and class, and if he didnt, he knew his momma would reprimand him for not being a gentleman.

“What is taking her so long?” Bucky said out loud.  

“Don't get your hopes up, Wiener Soldier,” Loki said, smugly.  He was hoping to mess with Bucky before it was too late.

“Shut it, you Lord of the Rings looking ass,” Bucky said, not giving two shits for Loki's mind games.  Loki walked away, hoping that would do something to Bucky.

Then, you appeared from the hallway.  Bucky had to do a double take because, Jesus, you looked fine.  You looked so confident and proud of yourself that Bucky was in awe.  He loved a woman that walked with a purpose.  You looked perfect in his eyes.  He smiled as you came closer to him.  His heart fluttered as he realized he would be with you.  The person his heart had fallen for since he first saw you.

You saw Bucky standing there, the roses in hand.  Bucky's eyes looked brighter than ever, full of excitement and adventure.  He looked nice in his outfit.  You never saw him out in public with his metal arm showing, so it was a shock for you when it was on full display.  You also saw his muscles poking out of the shirt, and you tried your hardest not to stare.  

“You look like a dreamboat, toots,” Bucky gushed, using a ton of 40s slang.  You blushed, since you knew what they meant.  Anyone would know what those terms meant, but two years ago, Bucky taught all the slang he knew.  

“So do you,” you replied, smiling.  

“These are for you, doll,” Bucky said as he handed the flowers to you. 

“Thanks Bucky, you didn't have too,” you said.

“Well if I didn't, I know my momma would bust my chops,” Bucky said, chuckling.  You laughed with him.  You loved when his Brooklyn accent came through.

“Cmon lets get going,” Bucky said, leading you out the door.  

~~~

“Ok Bucky, where are we going?” you asked again in the car.

“You'll find out when we get there,” Bucky replied.

“Ok, when will we get there?” you asked, hoping for an answer this time.

“Bout 30 minutes,” Bucky answered to your relief.  “Ok I wanna quiz you on something.”

“Ooo car games, I love those,” you said, gaining interest.

“Lets see how much 40s slang you remember.” Bucky said, looking at you.

“Thats easy, I’ll quiz ya too,” you said. 

“You got a lotta moxie.  Ladies first,” Bucky said, placing his hand on your thigh.  This was the first time he had ever done this.  You were a little shocked at first and froze for a moment, but you weren't asking him to move it.  His warm hand felt so comforting on you.  You just wanted to let it sit there forever.  So you put your hand on top of his.  

Bucky took his eyes off the road for a minute, just to look at you and your hand on his.  If he said he wasn't over the moon right now, he would be lying.  He felt like he was on cloud-9.  

“Ok what does ‘beef’ mean?” you asked.

“It means a disagreement.  That was easy, doll,” Bucky said.

“Go, Buck,” you sighed.

“Fine.  What does ‘brown nose’ mean?” Bucky asked, his blue eyes shining into yours.  You took a second to think, but you didn't remember.

“I don't know, bucky.” you sighed in shame.  

“Haha! One for Bucky.  Zip for Y/N.” Bucky celebrated.   

“Don't celebrate too early, punk,” you teased.  “What does it mean?”

“It means ass kisser,” Bucky explained, earning a “ohh” outta you.

“Name five things that mean ‘attractive’” you said.

“Are you doing this to mess with me and trick me into saying it about you?” Bucky questioned, getting suspicious.

“Yeah, now answer,” you answered, unashamed.  Bucky rolled his eyes, getting a laugh out of you.

“Ok, first is ‘honey’. ‘Bombshell’ is one, so is ‘babe’.  Then, ‘20-20’ and… dreamboat.” Bucky answered.

“Good job.  Your turn.” you smiled.

“Since you did it to me, I'll do it to you.” Bucky mocked.  

“Fine.  ‘Casanova’, ‘doll’ is one, ‘drooly’, ‘glamour puss’, ‘glad lad’ and ‘heaven sent’.” you responded.  Bucky took his hands off the wheel and applauded you, which you laughed.  

“Good job, doll,” Bucky grinned.  “Now I have two questions for you.”

“Which are?” you asked.

“First is what's your favorite slang?” Bucky said.

“I think ‘toots’” you answered.

“Second, use 5 terms to describe me.” Bucky said.  He wanted to know what you thought about him, but he didnt wanna ask you straight up.  He wanted to make you at ease and have fun with you before asking.

“Ok then do the same for me,” you teased.

“Fine, go,” Bucky agreed.

“‘Fuddy-duddy’, ‘hot shot’, ‘heaven sent’, ‘camp happy’ and ‘blow joe’.” you answer.

“Really? Fuddy-duddy?” Bucky sighed.

“What? It's true!  You are old fashioned,” you mocked.

“Whatever,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Now you have to do it for me,” you fluttered your eyes to mess with him, earning a glare from him.

“‘Dreamboat’ obviously, ‘camp happy’, ‘a crack up’, ‘date bait’ and ‘divine,” Bucky said, looking at you with his hand still on your thigh.

“Aww you're so sweet,” you blushed.

“It's the truth, sugar,” Bucky smiled.  

You looked out the window for a second and saw something in the distance.  It was a ferris wheel.

“Bucky are we going to a carnival?” you asked.

“Yep,” he smiled.  You squealed and thanked Bucky till you got to the fair.  There were a ton of people there already, and you knew more would show up later tonight.  

“What time are we staying till?” you asked.  It was already 5:40pm and you and Bucky were walking up to the ticket booth.

“Till it closes, or whenever you get tired,” Bucky said, holding your hand.

“Till it closes.  I don't think I'll get tired from all the sugar we will be eating.” you admitted.  You both laughed and then you were up at the ticket counter.  Bucky bought bracelets for the both of you.  They allow you to stay for as long as you want and to go on unlimited rides for unlimited times.  They also cost a lot of money.  You tried to buy your own bracelet, but Bucky insisted on paying.

“I’m paying for dinner,” you insisted.

“No I am,” Bucky said.

“I am,” you bickered.  

You bickered all the way to the entrance, where you and Bucky stopped.  You stood marveling all the flashing lights and rides.  You already had a list in your head for what to do.  You loved how everyone here was happy and enjoying themselves.  You couldn't wait for night to come, because then all the lights would be flashing even brighter.  And less families would be there, which meant shorter lines. 

“What do you wanna do first?” Bucky asked, looking at the lights as well.  

“Lets eat, if you want,” you said.

“No, I'm always hungry too,” Bucky said.

“Great, because Loki took forever to eat.”

Bucky laughed as he took your hand.  You both ran into the fair like children as you searched for food.  You found a pizza stand and took two slices.  Bucky found a hot dog stand and took two ‘Coney Island Chili Dogs.’  When you saw what he ordered, your mouth watered a little bit.  Bucky took note very quickly.

“You know what doll?  You can take one of mine and I'll take one of yours.” Bucky proposed.

“That's smart,” you agreed.  You ate the pizza first and then the chili dog.  The chili dog took the longest, since you didn't want to ruin your outfit.  You had to lean over the platter the whole time to prevent stains.  

Bucky took a different approach.  Since the cooks put a lot of chili on the hotdog, Bucky found a different use for the access chili.  He took the extra and put it on top of his pizza, which you looked at him in disgust.

“What?” he asked when he saw you staring at him, food stuffed in his mouth.

“Nothing,” you lied.  He gave you a smirk, almost like he knew what he did, and continued eating.  He finished quickly, a little faster than you.  Almost like it was a competition, Bucky gave a little victory “woohoo” and you sighed, finishing your food.

“Congrats Buck, you ate faster than me,” you said sarcastically.

“Do I get a medal?” Bucky asked, playfully.  You chuckled as he took your hand, leading you further into the fair.

“Whats up first, sugar?” he asked.

“Why don't we play some games?  I don't wanna throw up on you in the Gravation,” you admitted.

“Sure, anything you want,” Bucky said.  “Which do you wanna play first?”

“Let's do the balloon and dart game,” you decided.

“This way, doll.” Bucky said, taking your arm and leading you to the famous game.  When you got there, not many people were there.  Only two others were in front of you, and they were fairly quick.  After they finished playing, the carnie saw you and got your attention.

“Hey there!  Wanna play?” he asked.

“How much?” Bucky asked, getting to the point.

“If you want three darts, 5 bucks, if you want five darts, 8 bucks,” the carnie answered.  Bucky got some money out of his pocket and paid $16 dollars in total.  The carnie handed you both 5 darts and then he moved out of the way.

“Ready, set, go!” the carnie shouted.  Then you and Bucky looked at each other, eyes full of determination.  Bucky threw his darts very quickly, and he only missed one.  Meanwhile, you took your time and got all five.  

“Congratulations, you two!” the carnie cheered.  “What do each of ya want?”  You and Bucky looked around at all of the options.

“Which can we pick?” Bucky asked.

“The miss next to ya can pick anything she wants,” the carnie explained.  “You can pick anything, just not something on the top row.”  The one Bucky was eyeing was on the top row, and he sulked in disappointment.  He saw a Spiderman inflate that he thought was really funny.  You found a small, tye-dye teddy bear that caught your eye.  You thought it was adorable, and you really wanted it.

“Bucky, if I get you the Spiderman, can you get me that bear?” you asked, with puppy dog eyes.

“Sure, toots,” Bucky smiled at you.  The carnie heard you discussing and got the prizes ready for you.  As you both said thank you, the carnie eyed you suspiciously, trying to figure out if you were dating or not.

“Any other games?”  Bucky asked as you walked away from the game.  You were about to answer when Bucky completely turned his attention to the mechanical bull a couple feet away. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but I was the best at that in ‘38,” Bucky said.

“You can do it, it's fine,” you smiled.  “But I'm paying.”

“No you're not,” Bucky said, before he sprinted off, trying to get there first so you wouldn't pay.  You ran after him, but Bucky and his stupid super soldier serum beat you there.  He got the money out of his pocket and handed it to another carnie.  

“Good luck,” you said as you took the Spiderman out of his arms.  He smiled back at you and headed up to the bull.  The carnie counted him down and then the bull started moving.  At first it was easy, Bucky had his right arm on the handle to keep him steady.  But after a minute or so, the carnie made it a lot harder.  Twisting and turning at high speeds, Bucky switched his right hand to the metal one, for a firmer grip.  He almost fell off after one really fast turn, but his left arm still held on to the handle.  His right arm was holding the side of the bull and he was able to readjust himself in time for the next spin.  After five minutes, he was still on the bull.  Bucky didn't even realise the crowd that was starting to form around you.  Everyone marveled as Bucky wouldn't dare to fall off the bull.  People around you cheered him on.  Even the carnie was shocked and tried his hardest to get Bucky to fall.  But it wasn't going to happen. 

After another 15 minutes, the carnie announced that Bucky had beaten the record for the mechanical bull, but Bucky still wasn't going to get off.  People cheered him on, but not as loud as you.  Your cheers were fuel for Bucky and the more you cheered, the more he wanted to stay on.  But, he didn't want to keep you waiting the whole night, so after 10 more minutes, he fell off the bull.  As he walked out of the pit, people cheered for him, earning a smile out of him.

“Congrats sir, that's the best bull riding I've ever seen,” the carnie said.  “Here's your prize of $200 bucks cash.  Everyone give it up for.. What's your name?”

“Bucky,” Bucky answered.

“Bucky everyone!” the carnie cheered.  Everyone joined in with cheers and applause.  You smiled at him, full of pride and happiness.  Bucky smiled and planted a kiss on your head, which you blushed at.  

“How long was he on for?” you asked.

“Your boyfriend here was on for 32 minutes and 48 seconds.” the carnie said.

“Wow,” you said.  “You are the best at that.”

“I know,” Bucky said.  As you walked away, other guys had gone up to Bucky, giving him a celebratory high five or pat on the back.  Even some girls had gone up and tried to flirt with him.  But Bucky said that he was with you, obviously, but that didn’t stop the girls from at least trying to get with him.

“Now we have enough money to eat anything and play as many games as we want,” Bucky said.

“If you didn't win that, we might have had to use some of the money I bought,” you said.

“Impossible,” Bucky chuckled.  “Now I think we can go on some rides.”

The night flew by, and it was already 10:30.  Bucky had taken you on the Ferris Wheel, Cliff Hanger, Frisbee, Fun House, Wipeout, Gravation, Tornado and the Swings.  You tried to get him to go on the Zipper, but he swore he would never get on that ‘deathtrap’ as he called it.  As you went on the rides, you were able to fit your teddy bear into your bag, but the Spiderman was causing some trouble.  You had to leave it outside on some rides, which you thought it might get stolen, but that luckily didn't happen.  Then he took you on the Swings, your favorite ride of all.  And then, he took you on the Bumper cars, his favorite ride.  You both laughed and had fun the whole night, but he still had some other things he wanted to do.

“Doll, before we go, there's two more things I wanna do before the night ends,” Bucky said.

“And what might that be?” you asked.

“I wanna play the High Striker game an-” Bucky started.

“Do you wanna play that game to show how strong you are?” you mocked.

“Maybe,” he admitted and you laughed.  

“I wanna do the shooting game before it's too late.” you said.  “I wanna see if I can shoot better than you.”

“We already know the answer to that question,” Bucky smirked and you hit him playfully in the arm.  “But we can do that after we have some dessert.”

“You read my mind.” you chuckled.  “Lets eat.”

Bucky took you to some of the concession stands around the fair, which you both indulged in so much sugar that it would give you diabetes.  Bucky bought both of you a plate of zeppolis, your favorite carnival food, and you bought a bag of fried oreos.  You also bought a thing of cotton candy.  After you thought no more eating, Bucky came back with a bowl of gelato.  All of the hunger in you resurfaced and you and him ate it, licking your lips once you finished.

“That was the best dessert ever,” Bucky said.

“Agreed, now we gotta play some games, it's already 11,” you said, trying to get Bucky to move.  He grudgingly got up and followed you to the High Striker game.  Bucky pointed at the bell at the top, as if saying ‘watch out’.  

“Wanna test your strength?” the carnie running the game asked.

“How much?” Bucky brushed off, getting the money from his pockets.  

“For one swing, 3 bucks.  For three swings, 5 bucks.” the carnie said.

“Three swings,” Bucky said, handing the carnie the 5 dollars.  The carnie handed him a sledgehammer and backed away.  The carnie told you to move back so Bucky could practice his swing, and you did.  Bucky practiced his swing about three times before he was ready.

He swung his arms back and hit the pad.  He got really close to the bell, just a few inches off.  Bucky swore under his breath as he got ready for his next swing.  The next one was stronger, but not close enough again.  He grunted as he saw it didn't hit the bell.

“Cmon Bucky!  You got this!” you cheered, hoping to boost his confidence.  When he heard you, you were like gasoline to him, giving him the fuel to hit it the hardest.  He swung down for the final time with a loud grunt.  The little knob had so much force behind it that it hit the bell.  Not only that, but it flew off the railing that was keeping it in place.  You and the carnie looked at each other in shock.  Bucky took a deep breath, and looked at you sheepishly.

“What the hell?” the carnie said.  “Well, um, pick your prize.”  

Bucky looked around at the options and found one that you were looking at.  You were looking at a stuffed llama as tall as a counter.  The llama, in your eyes, was even cuter than the bear.  It had pink and blue fur in little patches.  It also had little specks of yellow fur.  It had a little smile plastered on its face and it just looked too adorable to be real.

“The llama please,” Bucky asked.  You smiled at him and gave him a big hug, your arms wrapping around his muscular torso.

“Thanks, Bucky,” you said as your head was pressed against his chest.

“Welcome, sugar,” Bucky responded as he grabbed the llama from the carnie.  You snatched the stuffed animal from his hands and held the toy in your arms, cuddling at.  As the two of you walked away, you heard the carnie in the background telling the people next in line “sorry the things broken.”  Then you heard an angry man yelling at the carnie, saying “That's Bullshit!” and “You just want to go home and not do your job!”  

You and Bucky laughed as you headed to the last game of the night, then you would be going on Bucky's ride of choice.  You ran through the crowd of teens and made your way to the shooting game.  This carnie looked cheerful, more happy than the others that you have seen.

“Hey there!  How's your night going for you two?” the carnie asked.

“Good, how's your going?” you asked in a cheery mood, still clinging to the stuffed llama.

“So far, no winners tonight, but maybe you and your boyfriend can change that,” the carnie smirked.

“Oh, we aren't,” you started.

“It's ok, you don't have to admit it,” the carnie asked.  “By the way, the game costs 20 dollars per player.”

“What?” Bucky asked.  “That's ridiculous for a damn shooting game!”        

“Sorry sir, I don't make the rules.  It's priced so high because you get a lot of pellets to shoot and if you win, you get a huge prize.” the carnie said.  

“It's ok, I'll pay for mine and his,” you said, getting the money out of your bag.

“No I am,” Bucky said, racing to his pockets before you got your money.  But you beat him and he sighed in surrender, muttering how his momma would kill him if she were alive.  You handed the money to the carnie and the carnie set up the guns, ammo and targets.  

“You can go first, Buck,” you said, nudging him forward.  “I wanna see what exactly I'm going against.”

“You're gonna regret that,” Bucky snickered as he prepped the gun, leveling it at his shoulders.  There wasn't a scope on the gun, but there was an eyeliner for him to aim.  The target was a big, red star, which you laughed at in your head since Bucky had a star just like it on his arm.  

Then, he started shooting at the target.  The objective is to get the star completely off the target.  It has to fall to the floor, off the paper completely.  Bucky shot at the edges of the star trying to get the corners free.  Then he circled around the star, aiming at the star with such precision that you got worried you would lose against him, and you hated to lose.  Then, after a few minutes, Bucky ran out of ammo.  The carnie pulled the lever, bringing the target closer for you and Bucky to see.

“You were really close,” the carnie sighed.  Bucky took the target and saw that he had gotten completely around the star.  But there was a problem: one of the edges was still dangling off the paper.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Bucky grunted, running his right arm through his hair.  “This has to be a winner.”

“Sorry, sir.  But the star has to be completely off the paper,” the carnie said.  Bucky sighed and muttered something about how this was rigged.

“Your turn, doll,” Bucky said, giving the carnie a glare.  

You handed the carnie your money and he set you up exactly like Bucky.  Once the carnie was finished, he gave you a thumbs up and you started blasting.  You followed Bucky's example, starting at the corners of the star and working your way around.  You were careful to not pull the trigger too hard or else too many bullets would come out.  You had something in your head that said, “you have to beat Bucky, you have to win.”  Bucky was a master assassin and for him to lose helped boost your confidence as you continued to aim.  The star was starting to fall off, hanging off by a tiny edge of the paper.  But, luckily, you didn't have the same problem as Bucky, you had more pellets left.  You used those to your advantage and blasted the red star off the paper.  It fell to the ground, completely covered in bullet holes.  

The carnie stood there, completely in awe at how well you had done, and you still had bullets inside the gun after you finished.  Bucky was frozen like a statue.  His hands were glued to his hair, his eyes were coming out of his head and his mouth was to the floor.  The carnie gave you your target, and whispered to you “I knew you could beat him,” causing you to giggle as you scanned the booth for a prize.  Your eyes settled on a Captain America head.  Not a real one, a stuffed one.  You thought it was funny and grabbed it from the carnies hand.  As you and Bucky left the carnie said a congrats to you and hung your target on the wall with the other lucky winners.

As you walked, not knowing where you would be going, you got scared because Bucky hasn't said a word yet.

“Bucky you ok?” 

“Yeah doll, yeah,” he said.  “I just can't believe I lost.”

“Oh cmon dont be a sore loser,” you nudged him, making him laugh.

“Also I can't believe I fell in love with a girl like you, and I didnt even know she could hold a gun like that,” he blushed, brushing some hair out of his face.  He gripped your hand and led you to the ride he had been waiting for since the beginning of the night.

“Wait, you love me?” you asked.

“Why do you think you're here with me, doll?  Why do you think me and Loki are fighting for you?” Bucky asked. 

“Well… um,” you froze.  You had no clue about how you felt about Bucky yet.  One part of you loved him, the way he loved you.  But something else was fighting that feeling, seeing him only as a close friend.  Bucky sensed your nerves and held you closer to him.

“It's ok, you don't have to respond.” Bucky said, easing your mind.  “I'm gonna make you say those words before Loki gets the chance.” 

You laughed at him.  “I'd like to see ya try,” you sassed.

“Toots, just wait,” he smirked.

“Wait what ride are we going on?” 

“Well we are right in front of it, so it's a dead give away,” he said.  Without realizing it, you were right in front of the ride.  It was a dimmed ride, more like a boat ride.  The walls were covered in pink and red hearts and the boats were white swans.  The arches leading into the ride were hearts and three words were illuminated in front of your eyes.  “Tunnel of Love.”

“Oh my god,” you said.

“Cmon, it's not like anything is going to happen,” Bucky said, leading you to the swan.  The carnie controlling the ride took the stuffed toys and your bag from you to leave on the side.  She gave Bucky a thumbs up, letting him know nothing would happen to your belongings, but maybe for something else.  

You squirmed as you sat next to him, and the carnie buckled you into the ride.  A million things were running through your mind.  You didn't know if you should tell Bucky before the ride starts to not try anything.  You didn't know if you would let anything happen.  You didn't know if, even, anything would happen.  You assumed something would happen because, look who you're sitting next to.  Bucky was a ladies man, and he probably took other gals on the ride in the past.

“Doll, I assure you.  I won’t do anything unless you allow me to,” Bucky said, putting his right arm behind your back, for you to use as a pillow.  You settled into his body and then the doors swung open, leading you inside the ride.  

At first, there was nothing that would suggest anything bad would happen.  There was a little romantic garden, the one that would show up in a romantic movie.  There were little hedges and statues of Cupid with his love bow and arrows.  There were tons of roses and smooth jazz was playing in the background.

“This is music,” Bucky smiled.  The music playing tonight was mostly tons of pop music, which he hated and thought was annoying as hell.  So this for him was soothing.  It soothed you too, but not as much as it did for Bucky.  

Then there was another set of doors, and it led you into the next part of the ride.  This part was very dark.  There wasn't a lot of light, and it didn't look like anything was inside.  You got scared and found yourself leaning into Bucky more.  He didn't mind and eased into your touch.  

Suddenly, something, maybe a bat or something, you couldn't tell, popped out of nowhere.  Then a hissing sound and a scream played in the background.  You screamed and your head was buried on Bucky's chest.

“Hey, hey, it's ok.  It's not real, it's fake.  It's going to be ok,” Bucky soothed you.  He took the arm you were resting on and cradled you in it as you were in fear on his chest.  His right hand was rubbing circles around your back while his left was playing with your hair.  You stayed there, in that sense of comfort, that sense of belonging, that sense of peace, for a little bit longer.  You picked your head up at him, only to see steel blue eyes looking back at you.  They seemed like a haven to you, like a home that you could rest in.

“I’m sorry Bucky,” you apologized.

“For what? You didn't do anything,” he said confused.  Your faces were only inches away from each other, and you could feel his breath, smelling like sugar and cotton candy.

“When are we going to do something about this… unspoken thing between us?” Bucky whispered.

“There's no unspoken thing,” you whispered back.  At this moment, you doubted that Bucky was wrong.  Because this has never happened to you and him before.  

“Liar,” Bucky smiled, his lips only centimeters from yours.

“Prove it,” you challenged back.  The next thing he did took your breath away, literally.  He leaned into you to close that gap keeping you apart.  He kissed your lips tenderly, making sure you wouldn't back off.  His eyes were closed, savoring every moment.  

At first, you were in shock, frozen by fear.  Your eyes were open, trying to process everything.  But the longer he remained on your lips, you weren't doing anything to stop him, and you felt your eyes flutter shut.  You kissed him back, relishing in the feeling of his plump, pink lips on yours.  You were on each other for so long that you didn't realize that you entered the final room of the ride.  Then you and him separated, gasping for air.    

“Did I prove it?” Bucky mocked. 

“Maybe,” you grinned.  

And you leaned back into him.  You slowly moved onto his lap, for the remainder of the ride.  One of your hands cupped his cheek while the other was lazily tangling his hair.  His hands were gripped on your waist.  His tongue was stretching on your lips, trying to get in.  You obliged and your tongues danced together to some unknown rhythm.  You could taste the sugar on his tongue.  As you played with his hair, he let out a moan.  As he did, he could feel you smiling through the kiss.  

Then, Bucky peeked open his eyes and saw the exit approaching.  He didn't want people to see you making out, and as much as he hated it, he had to get you off of him.

“Doll, we gotta go,” Bucky urged.  You realized what he meant and before anyone saw, you slid off his lap and fixed your hair.  You both left the ride and headed to his car, eager to get home.

“Wow, that was amazing,” you sighed, settling into your seat with all the toys and your bag in the backseat.

“I have to agree.  You took my breath away, dreamboat,” Bucky quipped.

“Same, and you were a dreamboat back there as well,” you grinned.  Bucky placed his hand back on your thigh, and you placed yours on top of his, just like before.  But it wasn't to be friendly like the first time, but something more.

“Ya know, doll, I wasn't expecting to be necking,” Bucky chuckled as you drove off.

“I gotta say, you got a lotta moxie for that,” you laughed.

“You almost gave me the hots back there, sugar,” 

“Did I now?” you teased.  “Well too bad you can't do anything about that.”

“Shame.  Stupid bet.” he sighed.

“Oh wait, don't tell Loki about this,” you said.  “He will flip and probably do something to us.  Or you.”

“You got it.” he agreed.  “But if he does find out, or do something, what then?”

“To get honest, I don't know.  But you've still got one more date left to truly convince me.  And so does Loki.”

“I didn't convince you?” Bucky gasped.

“Not enough,” you teased, laughing at him as you drove home.  

Bucky helped you get the stuffed animals and your bag and helped you back to your room.  You took the llama, teddy bear and your bag back.  He held onto the Captain America head and Spiderman inflatable.  He gave you a kiss on the forehead before you bade each other goodnight.  

As the door closed behind you, you sighed, letting out a small howl, releasing all the emotions you felt tonight.  Your back fell to the door, and your knees gave out, leaving you against the door.

“Wow,” you sighed.

~~~

Bucky walked back to his room with a little pep in his step.  He was in a much happier mood than normal.  He was singing to himself and smiling all the way back to his room.  His hair was messed up, but he didn’t care.

But someone was watching him.  Loki.  Loki saw how messed up Bucky's hair was.  He saw the things Bucky didn't.  Like the lipstick that was on his cheek.

Then Loki felt angry.  But it wasn't even anger.  It was hatred, fury and rage.  It was boiling inside him and he didn't know what to do with himself.  But then, that God of Mischief mindset kicked in.  And he had an idea.  An evil, wicked, horrible idea.  One that would change everything.

“Oh, well,” Loki talked to himself.  “I wanted to play nice.  But you broke the rules.  And you know what happens when you break the rules.  You feel my wrath.” 

[femstyles]

50 questions you’ve never been asked

Thank you @allwaswell16  for tagging me!

1. what is the colour of your hairbrush? Black comb, and I have a gold brush with rainbow glitter I dont use very often

2. a food you never eat? Picked herring

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? too cold always

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? I just got to work a little over an hour ago

5. what is your favourite candy bar? Reeses fast break for sure

6. have you ever been to a professional sports event? Yes I've gone to a couple Mariners Baseball games

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? 'Oh boy'

8. what is your favourite ice cream? Ben and Jerry's double fudge brownie

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? My morning coffee

10. do you like your wallet? It's a good wallet yeah

11. what was the last thing you ate? Frosted mini wheaties

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nope

13. the last sporting event you watched? Uhhh the superbowl shfjsjk

14. what is your favourite flavour of popcorn? Plain old butter!

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? My mom

16. ever go camping? yes I love to

17. do you take vitamins? yes most of the time

18. do you go to church every sunday? Nope

19. do you have a tan? Nah winter is just ending so I'm white as hell

20. do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Both! Depends on the mood, right now I'd really love Chinese food though

21. do you drink your soda with a straw? When one is given to me but I dont need one

22. what colour socks do you usually wear? Black, I'm boring and dress professional for work

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? Yeah sometimes but not by more than 10 usually

24. what terrifies you? Spiders

25. look to your left, what do you see? My desk lamp

26. what chore do you hate? Changing the cat litter

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? 5 seconds of summer

28. what’s your favourite soda? Diet coke

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Honestly it depends. Probably more often we go inside

30. who’s the last person you talked to? my coworker

31. favourite cut of beef? Rib eye I suppose

32. last song you listened to? Babylon by 5 seconds of summer

33. last book you read? I think it was Eclipse (3rd book in the twilight saga) because I was bored and re reading them

34. favourite day of the week? Friday

35. can you say the alphabet backwards? Probably if I tried hard enougb

36. how do you like your coffee? With a bit of cream in it

37. favourite pair of shoes? My maroon vans

38. at what time do you normally go to bed? In bed at 10, fall asleep.... sometime after that

39. at what time do you normally get up? 6:30 :(

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunset definitely

41. how many blankets are on your bed? Usually 3 but we have 5 at the moment for some reason

42. describe your kitchen plates? They are plain white and we have bigger ones and smaller ones

43. do you have a favourite alcoholic beverage? Wine but I dont drink

44. do you play cards? no not very much

45. what colour is your car? Grey

46. can you change a tire? Yes

47. what is your favourite state/province? I love Washington 💕

48. favourite job you’ve ever had? Waitress

49. how did you get your biggest scar? I sliced my elbow on a giant saran wrap cutter!

50. what did you do today that made someone else happy? Its early still so not much yet but I called my mom yesterday if that counts

I'm gonna tag @deludedandlostcause @adoredontour @aliensyndrome @fearlesslwt @crinkle-eyed-boo @louandhazaf @disgruntledkittenface and anyone else who sees and wants to play!

[xserpentlife]

50 questions tag !

Tagged by no one but I saw @romanticgumchewer do it and thought it was cool so

1.) What color is your hairbrush?

so like i have bout 5 probably but now i only use one in the shower ad its this turqiouse bue color cause ya’ll if you got frizz or curls dont brush ya hair really at all just use ya fingers but also do it with conditioner and in the shower

2.) Name a food you never eat

freaking seafood eh blegh

3.) Are you usually too warm or too cold?

warm. all. the. time.

4.) What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

uhm swimming... no dinner and smelling disgusting seafood that made me wanna barf cause thsts whst my aunt/uncle and grandparents were making for dinner

5.) What’s your favorite candy bar?

oo idk uhm crunch noooo a flake bar they are from europe no like ireland i think so fucking good lemme tell you

6.) Have you ever been to a professional sports game?

yeah. Eagles, flyers, and phillies, and the reading phillies if you count them, oh and the 76ers and some college gsmes i think that is it

7.) What’s the last thing you said out loud?

nope i don’t want a smore

8.) What’s your favorite ice cream?

yall i got so many lemme get you on this shit. okay so ben and jerrys we talkin then its gottabe phish phood oj shit, but like all in al my fav is black raspberry tbh but also like i do keto so i do love me some coffee ice cream cause i can usually find that in “keto” ones. i like keto enlightened ice cream bars they are decent and low carb

9.) What was the last thing you had to drink?

crystal light or it may have been turkey hill diet green tea

10.) Do you like your wallet?

i mean yeah its a black michael kors it does it purpose lol, mostly i like it cause it has a lot of space for cards which like all my gift cards go there the only thing i don’t like is that the bitch gets hela heavy when coins get in it like jesus

11.) What’s the last thing you ate?

ham and cheese roll ups for diner cause they had fuckin seafood lol boutta be carots, but also wasn’t that hungry lol

12.) Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?

nope!

13.) What’s the last sporting event you watched?

i believe that it was UFC

14.) What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

butter or white cheddar

15.) Who’s the last person you sent a text to?

my best friends so my friend from vegas and @wayward-river

16.) Ever go camping?

yep!

17.) Do you take vitamins?

i take a probiotic

18.) Do you go to church every Sunday?

nope

19.) Do you have a tan?

yupppp

20.) Do you prefer Chinese or pizza?

oooo uhm depends on what type of piza but ima say pizza... i have a cheese addiction

21.) Do you drink soda through a straw?

i don’t drink soda anymore

22.) What color socks do you usually wear?

vans socks in literally any color usually not black i try to get colored ones cause if i get the black i can never tell te old from the new unless they are like streched out or somethin

23.) Do you ever drive above the speed limit?

uhm yes lol. its my downfall but also like either go the speed limit or go 5 miles over do not go under becuase that is just not an option

24.) What terrifies you?

many things.

25.) Look to your left, what to you see?

flowers

26.) What chore do you hate the most?

vacuuming the sound drives me nuts. or no putting away laundry like hanging it up idk why i hate it but i do lik ill wash shit and fold it but actuly putting it way drives me nuts

27.) What do you think when you hear an Australian accent?

uhm hiiii but also adelaide idk why

28.) What’s your favorite soda?

dont drink it i drink ice drinks instead or the safeway brand sparkling water

29.) Do you go in fast food or in the drive through?

drive through

30.) What’s your favorite number?

24

31.) Who’s the last person you talked to?

in person? my little cousin

32.) Favorite cut of beef?

chicken just so many things can be done. chicken parm, grilled chicken, bbq chicken need i go on

33.) Last song you listened to?

welp i checked spotfy we were at the pool and it was me and my little cousin i was playing ehr playlist so it was did i mention from descendants hahah

34.) Last book you read?

oh god uhm i have no idea 

35.) Can you say the alphabet backwards?

no unless i go throguh the whole thing letter...... by.... letter

36.) Favorite day of the week?

thursday

37.) How do you like your coffee?

Iced with heavy cream i prefer cold brew or espresso tho, but usually cold brew

38.) Favorite pair of shoes?

Vans

39.) Time you normally wake up?

10- 10:30 sometimes 9

40.) Sunrise or sunsets?

sunsets

41.) How many blankets on your bed?

usually just my comforter sometimes my comforter and one or two otehrs dring the winter cause i like to be cold and keep my window open i keep my bedroom door closed and the heat in my room off

42.) Describe your kitchen plates?

i live with my aprents im still in college but when im at school rndoms hit that is cheap 

43.) Describe your kitchen at the moment?

tiny dorm kitchen or it will be first on campus apartment that looks like an insane asylum checkkkkkkk

44.) Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink?

i mean its not legal to sayyyyy

45.) Do you play cards?

yes omggggg my grandma s from the south i grew up on card games 500 rummy, oh hell too, i played poker with my grandpa to and 21

46.) What color is your car?

dark blue... kiki

47.) Can you change a tire?

yeppp!

48.) Your favorite state, province, country, etc.?

uhm idk i live in pennsylvania but I wouldn’t say i have a favorite state at least not yet

49.) Favorite job you’ve had?

I worked at this axe throwing place and honestly it was my favorite job i had. I was an axe master I basicaly taght people how to throw axes and like led mini games for hour long sessions it was hella fun, but my college scheldue and doctors appt got in the way so i got let go but it was fun while it lasted. or my own business i do photography on the side so that is also amazing and i absolutely love it and ned to do more of it.

50.) How did you get your biggest scar?

oh god i don’t even know.. i have huge scards from my chronic skin condition so either that orrrr maybe the scar on my leg it is not that big though like size of a nickel where a kick stand went into my leg, a lot of my scars are smaller or like blend into my skin fairly ell cause of my other scars or honestly i forget about them cause. i hae so many so i realy am not sure.

i tag @wayward-river @the-gargoyle-queen @whenallsaidanddone @riverdalebingo @theangriestpea @southsidevixen-blog

[jj-lynn21]

Get to know me, kind of...

50 Questions Tag 1. What color is your hairbrush? bland and hot pink 2. Name a food you never eat: liver 3. Are you usually too warm or too cold? Too cold 4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? taking a two mile walk with my dog. 5. What’s your favorite candy bar? whatchamacallit 6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? Yes, Cleveland Indians years ago. Not big on watching sports. 7. What’s the last thing you said out loud? “take a nappy. Its ok." My dog saw a fly and went balistic and hid under the chair until I convinced him I got the bug out. He is sleeping now. 8. What’s your favorite ice cream? butter peacan 9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Hint crisp apple 10. Do you like your wallet? Its cute, pink, holds cellphone and cards I need most. 11. What’s the last thing you ate? spicy sausage and rice 12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? no 13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Probably baseball 14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? cheese and carmel mix 15. Who’s the last person you sent a text to? Mom 16. Ever go camping? Lots of times when young in a camper. Once that I can remember in a tent. It was awful. I rather sleep in car than on the ground. 17. Do you take vitamins? yes 18. Do you go to church every Sunday? No. 19. Do you have a tan? Yes 20. Do you prefer Chinese or pizza? Pizza 21. Do you drink soda through a staw? No, don't really drink soda or pop as we mostly call it in ohio 22. What color socks do you usually wear? depends on what I wear. I wear more of my pink, blue and orange socks than white or black but that can change depending on what I wear each week. 23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? YES! I have to work on not speeding. Had my newest car up to 102 miles per hour once. 24. What terrifies you? Sharks, watched Jaws to young maybe. 25. Look to your left, what to you see? cellphone on standing charger. 26. What chore do you hate the most? Cleaning bathroom, toilet & hair in drain is grossest. 27. What do you think when you hear an Australian accent? Koalas, kangaroos, Chris Hemsworth... 28. What’s your favorite soda? Pepsi is I drink any 29. Do you go in fast food or in the drive through? Drive thru.. 30. What’s your favorite number? 21 31. Who’s the last person you talked to? Mom 32. Favorite cut of beef? I don't really eat red meat. I love chicken 33. Last song you listened to? Chainsmokers Paris 34. Last book you read? The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock 35. Can you say the alphabet backwards? No. 36. Favorite day of the week? Friday 37. How do you like your coffee? sweeter the better. flavored creamer. 38. Favorite pair of shoes? I have six inch wedge heels that are great for dancing. But I wear my grey, dark blue and pink asics daily 39. Time you normally wake up? 6:45am-7am. 40. Sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets 41. How many blankets on your bed? one with two sheets in winter. Now just a sheet. 42. Describe your kitchen plates? clear glass, but mostly use paper with flower designs. 43. Describe your kitchen at the moment? pleasant 44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? chocolate Martini's are great when I am vacationing. In hot weather I love a pina colada. 45. Do you play cards? Not in a long while, it was fun with alcohol involved I think. 46. What color is your car? red 47. Can you change a tire? no 48. Your favorite state, province, country, etc.? I like California but haven't been in awhile. Getting to Florida is easier & cheaper. Canada was fun to visit when I was young. And when I was 18 & drinking age was 21 in US I could go drink in Canada. Too friends for their 18th birthdays. Stumpled back to hotels. It was always awsome. 49. Favorite job you’ve had? Entertainment reporter local stringer for MTV. Any entertainment reporting I did was fun. Just paid perks. 50. How did you get your biggest scar? Kidney transplant patient so first transplant was when I was 9 and the scare on my stomach is rediculous.

Tagging: Everyone and anyone who would like to do this 🙂

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 9 Part 1

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

Chapter 9 - And So, the Door of Fate Opens...

Part 1

The Grannvalian Army chose to occupy Luveck Castle, located to the east of Zaxon Castle.

Sigurd wanted to free it straight away, and return all of Silesse to Queen Rahna.

However, fighting battle after battle had exhausted his soldiers to their limits. There were also many who had wounds that still needed time to heal, and on top of that, all their weapons had to be repaired.

He had no choice but to let everyone rest for a substantial amount of time.

The Grannvalians also realized that Sigurd’s army was stronger than they’d thought, and chose to bide their time and bolster their forces.

Then, winter came earlier than normal, and Sigurd’s army was soon unable to make any moves.

At the beginning of winter, Silvia gave birth to a girl. She looked just like her mother, and even had the same bright green hair. Claud named her Lene, after High Priest Bragi’s wife.

-

Luveck Castle faced the Yied Desert, so the areas surrounding it did not get much snow, allowing the Grannvalian Army to use the winter to get even stronger.

Lombard was appointed as a general, and deployed with his axe knights from Dozel, Jungby’s arch knights, and two armored infantry units, creating one very powerful army all on their own.

Sigurd called in Oifey, and asked him about their upcoming fight.

“Duke Lombard is probably waiting until the snow melts from around Zaxon to go on the offensive. If we compared only the size of their army against ours, I’d say that theirs is more than twice as large as ours. So if their entire army attacked us all at once, then I predict it would be a very difficult battle for us.”

“I think so, too. I wanted to take Luveck before they were able to get that much stronger, but...”

“I think there’s a way to defeat them.”

“What is it?"

“We can’t fight here in Zaxon because of the snow. But if we were to only march through this area, then we could manage. We’d march through the snow, and be the ones to initiate the attack. Each unit of the Granvallian Army is stationed individually, so we can defeat them one by one.”

“Of course! You’re getting even better and better at this, Oifey.”

The problem was, they would have to set up camp along the way. After consulting with Lewyn, who knew Silessian winters like the back of his hand, they decided that they wouldn’t have any problems if they dug snow caves.

-

Sigurd’s army chose to deploy on a day of calm winds shortly after the new year.

Since they’d been able to rest back to full health, everyone had high morale.

With Silessian soldiers and their knowledge of winter leading them, they began to trudge through the deep snow.

At night, they entered the caves they’d dug, and were able to withstand even the harshest cold.

During the afternoon of the second day, Luveck Castle entered their line of sight, and there was hardly any snow from that point on.

Every member of Sigurd’s army gathered together, then all charged at once.

The enemy’s first line was a group of armored knights. However, they were caught completely off guard, and didn’t even have enough time to get into formation.

Sigurd’s cavalier unit struck first, scattering the enemy unit. Next, the infantry joined the fray, and cleaned up the survivors. The cavalry also went after anyone who tried to flee, so that there was no chance the second unit could be informed of the attack.

-

The next day, after eating a filling breakfast, Sigurd’s army marched again.

The second group was also made up of armored knights. Again, they panicked and got into formation, but because they, of course, had not been expecting to be attacked either, their formation was full of holes.

Just like the first time, the cavalry led the attack, and the infantry took advantage of the chaos to rout the enemies.

“Keep going! Let’s make it all the way to Luveck!” Sigurd yelled and raised his sword high into the sky.

“Yeaaaahhh!” All of his soldiers cheered in response.

Sigurd galloped off on Farron, and charged towards the third wave of the Grannvalian Army, comprised of axe knights.

“What are the rebels doing here!? ...Did they take out the front line!?” The axe knight’s commander, Slayder, mounted his horse in a panic.

Only a moment later, a cavalier covered in blood came flying at him.

“Dammit!” Slayder aimed his axe at Sigurd’s torso.

However, Sigurd reacted faster and sliced Slayder’s head off.

Realizing that they had lost, the axe knights fled, and Sigurd pressed onwards.

But the moment he realized the next wave of enemies were arch knights, he brought Farron to a halt. If they proceeded any further, they’d be within the enemies’ range.

“We will deploy and wait for the enemy! When the army charges at us, shoot arrows at them! Leave them no opportunity to counterattack!" The arch knight’s commander - Andorey - ordered.

Upon returning home, Reptor had reprimanded him harshly. “Who could be so stupid as to surrender a castle right after he’d captured it!?”

He knew that today was the day to make up for it. ‘We are the Beige Ritter, who defeated Silesse’s pegasus knights!! We can take care of a ragtag group of rebels no problem!’

And so, Andorey ordered his unit to attack.

But he’d made the most foolish mistake in all of battle strategy - he’d forgotten that units like arch knights were weak in direct combat.

Sigurd’s army baited them to prepare an attack, then charged and counterattacked the moment all the arch knights shot their arrows.

“N-No…! This can’t be happening!”

The sight of his soldiers collapsing on the ground one after the other filled Andorey with so much fear that he felt as if his heart had stopped.

Then, a woman appeared before him, and pulled back on her bow’s string.

Brigid had vowed that he was the only one of the arch knights that she would kill.

“I am Brigid. Words cannot describe how shameful it is that you killed Father, and joined Reptor!”

“Oh, so you’re Brigid? I’d heard that you’d fallen in with pirates. And now you’re one of the rebels? I will be the one to punish you for your actions!” Andorey bluffed.

“That’s my line! Now draw your bow!”

Andorey’s face turned pale at her words. The arrowhead pointing at him looked bigger than any he’d ever seen in his life.

“If you don’t draw, then I will be the first to fire!”

“W-Wait!” Andorey screamed and slowly pulled his bow’s string back.

“Now are you ready?”

“N-Not yet! J-Just hold on!” Andorey screamed, then shot his arrow. However, he hadn’t aimed properly, so it slightly missed its mark.

Brigid took her shot, and in the blink of an eye, Yewfelle’s arrow pierced Andorey’s heart.

-

Stationed on Luveck Castle’s east side were four ballistae, which the Grannvalian soldiers used to rain down bolts on Sigurd’s army. 

“We’ll worry about the castle later! Destroy the ballistae for now!”

The cavalier unit followed his order, ignoring the castle and charging towards the ballistae. They destroyed the ballistae all at once, making the perimeter of the castle safe.

“We’ll wait here for our second unit, then attack the castle tomorrow morning.”

There was still plenty of time before sunset, but since they’d been fighting all day, Sigurd decided to give his soldiers time to rest.

 When their second unit arrived, Sigurd decided who would be stationed where, then everyone surrounded the castle.

-

Sigurd awoke in the middle of the night.

He didn’t know why, but his heart was racing, so he started scanning the area.

He fell asleep in front of the castle, but beyond the sloping fields behind him stretched a large desert.

‘The last time anyone saw Father, he was here, in the Yied Desert.’ He thought, and started walking towards it.

He soon saw a blue light shining about one hundred meters in front of him. 

‘What is that?’ He unsheathed his sword, and moved slowly towards the light. When he did so, the light sank beneath him and kept up with his walking pace.

When he stopped, the light stopped. When he walked, the light moved.

‘It’s calling me.’ He realized, and sheathed his sword. He trudged through the desert, following the light.

-

Roughly two hours later, the light finally stopped moving.

“Is this where you wanted to bring me to?” Sigurd asked, and stepped out of the light.

It grew to the size of a person’s face, then floated into the sky, before an image of his father’s face appeared within it.

“Father!” Sigurd called out.

The light grew and grew, turning a bluish-white color, until it took on the entire form of his father.

‘It’s Father’s ghost!’ Sigurd realized. “Oh Father, what happened to you is such a shame…”

“You finally made it, Sigurd!” The voice was unquestionably that of his father’s, but Sigurd didn’t hear it through his ears, rather, it echoed in his head. “I was murdered by Lombard.”

“I knew it!”

“At the party on the night of my death, Lombard put an anesthetic in our wine. Once Prince Kurt, Duke Ring, and I couldn’t move, three of his men came into the tent and carried us out into the desert. They murdered Prince Kurt at the bottom of a sand dune, then carried Duke Ring and I further away, and buried us alive.”

“How horrible…!”

“You must avenge me, Sigurd.”

“I will kill Lombard. I swear it.”

“Please use this to do it.” The ghost extended his arms and handed a sword over to Sigurd.

“This is…”

“Tyrfing, the Holy Sword that has been passed down through our House Chalphy.”

Sigurd took the sword and said, “I will avenge you and restore your honor. Without fail.”

“You will not be able to do that.”

“I won’t? Why not?”

His father did not answer, instead looking at him with eyes full of pain.

“Why not? Please, Father, please! At least give me a hint!”

“You must take your son…” Byron started to speak, but he winced, cutting his words short.

“Father!? What’s wrong!?”

“...to Isaach…” He managed to gasp before his face became more and more contorted with pain.

“Seliph? I need to take him to Isaach?”

His father said nothing more. The bluish-white light began to darken, until it finally vanished completely. All that was left was Sigurd and Tyrfing.

[creativity-is-rebellion]

More Top 20 Must-See Horror Movies

 Especially now we are in isolation, who doesn’t crave a good horror movie to watch? To that purpose, I have created yet another top 20 must-see horror movies, along with why you should be watching them. So get into your comfy clothes and blanket, grab some popcorn, and settle in to watch these horror gems (WARNING: May contain spoilers).

1) Ginger Snaps (2000)

I first saw this movie when I was fifteen years old, and, watching it recently, I was still impressed how it handles the perils of transitioning from teenhood to womanhood. Ginger Snaps follows the story of two outcast sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger Snaps is a terrifying movie with good character development, acting is convincing and it has a fast-paced story line. If you're into well-done horror movies Ginger Snaps is the movie for you. It is one of the best modern werewolf movies I have seen.

2) Annihilation (2018)

Drawing on mythology and body horror, Annihilation is an intelligent film that asks big questions and refuses to provide easy answers. It is Sci-fi horror at its best, boasting a very intriguing and unique idea whilst entertaining the viewer throughout the film. Definitely a must-watch.

3) Green Room (2015)

A punk rock band becomes trapped in a secluded venue after finding a scene of violence. For what they saw, the band themselves become targets of violence from a gang of white power skinheads who want to eliminate all evidence of the crime. Influenced by exploitation movies of the 1970s (and punk music of the 1980s), this horror-thriller is rooted in a gripping, grisly kind of realism without resorting to lazy coincidence or stupidity. This is again a fresh take on horror and worth a view.

4) 1922 (2017)

I learned from a great film critic many years back that your own best judgement of a movie is best discovered when you realise that you are still thinking of it many days later. This Stephen King film stays true to the iconic master with all the tell-tale signs of a Kings classic: A haunting grimness that lingers throughout the movie, a tragedy and of course, outstanding performances. The mother that returns from the dead leaves you in a crazy suspense of whether it is simply a dream, a man’s demented insanity, or an actual reality. Thomas Jane’s performance was stellar and totally believable as a farmer in rural America in 1922. He actually takes you through the movie as if you were part of him and what is going on. The message that Stephen King leaves you with is dreadfully powerful of how greed can destroy all. Definitely worth the watch, especially for Stephen King fans.

5) Evil Dead (1981; remake 2013)

Both versions of this movie are great, but I have a special fondness for the original, which was Sam Raimi’s directorial debut. The camerawork is amazing for a low-budget film, and the creepy atmosphere is eerily accurate. We feel Ash’s pain when his friend, sister and girlfriend are one-by-one changed into Deadites, and the ending keeps you guessing, and wanting, a sequel. I am quite a fan of the Evil Dead franchise actually, and have just finished watching the TV adaptation Ash vs. Evil Dead. I’m savouring the last episodes, and am sad that it got cancelled. I look forward to more from this franchise, hopefully in the not-to-distant future.

6) Get Out (2017)

This film is unique, telling the tale of young black man who meets his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Jordan Peele’s film delivers a chilling satire of liberal racism in the US. More than just a standard-issue thriller, this brutal, smart movie is impeccably made, as well as surprising, shocking, and funny, while also offering a compassionate, thoughtful look at race. Expect only the very best a film has to offer, with a nasty twist at the end that you won’t see coming. 

7) Hell Night (1981)

One of the best things about this movie which follows fraternity and sorority pledges who spend the night in a mansion haunted by victims of a family massacre is that it stars legendary Scream Queen of The Exorcist fame, Linda Blair. Other than that, prepare for a fun, wild ride, the way every good slasher movie should be.

8) Insidious Part 2 (2013)

I actually enjoyed this sequel more than the first movie, as it was less plodding and more action-packed, with an intriguing antagonist in the form of the mysterious “Bride in Black,” who turns out to be the evil spirit of serial killer Parker Crane, who, as we know from the previous movie (SPOILER ALERT) has taken over the body of Josh Lambert, and is fighting for control of his soul. I enjoyed seeing the return of Elise Rainier, who was (SPOILER ALERT AGAIN) killed off in the previous movie. James Wan directed this second helping even more masterfully than the first. A must-watch.

9) Sleepaway Camp (1983)

This is a campy slasher gem, where they cast real teenagers, which elevated the drama of the plot somewhat. Sleepaway Camp tells the story of a young girl named Angela who goes to Camp Arawak with her cousin Ricky. Once the two arrive at camp, a series of events/killings leads the campers to discover that there is a killer on the loose. Sleepaway Camp is not in any way intense or fast paced. However, even though many initially might look at as a “rip off” slasher film, the movie does get creative when it comes to the brutal killings and certain aspects to the film that no one saw coming. Including the jaw-dropping twist at the end. I’m not giving it away. You just have to watch it.

10) Cold Prey (Fritt Vilt) (2006)

This movie takes full advantage of its snowy, secluded set-pieces, using Norway’s harsh winter landscape to masterfully build tension and heighten the sense of isolation. As horror movies go, Cold Prey is a slow-starter, committing the first third of its running time to investigating the signs of violence scattered throughout the hotel, allowing the characters to theorise about what pernicious acts may have taken place before the hotel’s abandonment. It begins at the intriguing yet deliberate pace of a psychological horror film as the sequestered friends, initially inebriated and giggly, explore the hotel and sharing secrets, but the movie’s party-hard atmosphere bursts open at the 40-minute mark to reveal a black horror centre. Slick and stylish, Cold Prey is a genuine pleasure to watch.

11) The Hills Have Eyes (1977; remake 2006)

Even if it echoes a better film (namely, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the original movie is still an important one to view for lovers of the horror genre.  This is a sometimes ghastly  - and occasionally absurd - shocker that really gets under one's skin. Though many critics initially despised the original outing, it has since been called one of the best horror movies of the 1970s. Scary-movie specialist Wes Craven made this viscerally-violent feature on a low budget, and some horror connoisseurs call it his best. Ultimately the "normal" people strike back with a ferocious blood-lust they didn't know they had, and the question is how much a "civilised" person can be pushed before one becomes a savage. Are the Carters really all that much "better" than Jupiter and his spawn? That is a question that you, as the audience member, are required to ponder.

12) The Dawn of the Dead (2004)

This remake of George A. Romero's 1978 sequel to Night of the Living Dead soups up the zombies, cranks up the gross factor to 11, and has a lot of cheeky in-jokes about its predecessor. In comparison with the original, out are the shrieking blondes and rampaging looters, in are smart, controlled Ana (Sarah Polley as a believable nurse not afraid to wield a fire poker) and Kenneth (Ving Rhames), who is exactly the kind of cop you want walking beside you if you are facing scores of the undead.

The zombies are a bit spryer in this film, and the pregnancy of one of the main characters is not the life-giving promise it was in the first movie. But the ending is what differs most from the original. If you're a fan of the horror genre, then this flick is a welcome, if derivative, fright-fest in the school of Romero's classics.

13) The Cabin in The Woods (2011)

What starts out as another five-band teen getaway to a cabin in the woods ends up becoming a fresh take on the trope, with puppeteers behind what is taking place, in a twisted game of Choose Your Adventure. The ending is fittingly grim, but you won’t be disappointed. Definitely worth one hour and thirty-five minutes of your time.

14) The Babadook (2014)

The feature debut of writer-director Jennifer Kent is not just genuinely, deeply scary, but also a beautifully told tale of a mother and son, enriched with layers of contradiction and ambiguity. It presents grief as a demon, questions reality, and creeps out the viewer by making psychopathology seem like something that could happen to anybody. The style of the film is not teasing exactly - it's too sad and lonely - but there is certainly a hair-pulling mixture of glum laughter and vast apprehension. Is the demon real? Does it matter? That’s for you to judge. Either way, if it’s in a word, or if it’s with a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook.

15) Suspiria (Original and the Remake - 1977 and 2019 respectively)

Suspiria is a baroque piece of esoteric expressionism that you enter - and exit - without understanding so much as feeling. It's always fascinating to watch; the thrills and spills are so classy and fast that the movie becomes in effect what horror movies seemed like when you were too young to get in to see them. Director Dario Agento works so hard for his effects -- throwing around shock cuts, coloured lights, and peculiar camera angles -that it would be impolite not to be a little frightened. This entry stands out as it is a visually beautiful horror movie, a bright fantasy that lives off its aesthetic. If you are a horror fan and haven’t seen this movie yet, then you’re not living right. The remake is also worth a watch, something that is oftentimes unique in the horror genre.

16) A Quiet Place (2018)

This gripping, clever monster movie is one of those rare genre treats that seizes on a simple, unique idea and executes it so perfectly and concisely that it elicits satisfying squeals of delight. It's directed and co-written by Krasinski, who's best known for his work in comedy but translates his experience in that genre to the expert building and releasing of tension here. A Quiet Place is, in many ways, like an extended classic horror movie sequence, such as famous ones in The Birds or Aliens, wherein the heroes must try not to disturb packs of resting monsters.

At the same time, Krasinski uses his quiet moments like music, ranging from moments of restful beauty -- including a father-son trip to a waterfall, where it's noisy enough that they can talk and even shout -- to moments of pause. A loud noise can cause a jump, but it's immediately followed by tension and dread: Will the creatures come this time? The real beauty is the movie's primal quality, based on the most basic elements of life, such as survival and protection of the species. No explanation is given for the monsters' existence; they, like us, are just here. Images of water, sand, bare feet, crops, and plant life serve to underline the theme of life itself. A few overly familiar horror movie clichés keep it from being perfect, but otherwise A Quiet Place is so good that it will leave viewers speechless.

17) The Exorcist (1973)

Once famously dubbed ‘the most terrifying movie ever made,” this movie is steeped in urban legend, especially concerning the unfortunate happenings that occurred when it was being made. 

If you think your teen is ready for this shocking film, keep in mind that some audience members in the '70s reportedly fainted after seeing Dick Smith's grisly makeup effects on Blair. In some extreme cases, viewers even required psychiatric care. Also, the moans, snarls, and profane utterances from Regan (most are actually the dubbed-in voice of a well-known older actress, Mercedes McCambridge) amount to some of the most chilling audio ever done for film.

Thanks in part to Linda Blair's wrenching, Oscar-nominated performance, The Exorcist was a huge hit, earning back 10 times its $10 million budget (a then-lavish sum, outrageous for a "mere" horror flick). Movie historians cite it (along with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) as the conclusive end of old-school spook shows featuring Dracula and Frankenstein and bobbing rubber bats. If you haven’t watched it yet, you may have your horror movie fan card revoked.

18) The Final Destination Franchise (2000 - 2011)

If I had to list all of the movies in the Final Destination franchise in order of quality, I would say 5, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Fourth instalment withstanding, the series is a formidable addition to the horror genre, as the invisible killer, Death Itself, stalks its victims and kills them off in creatively gruesome ways after they initially cheat death. The fifth addition contains an awesome twist at the end which in hindsight you should have seen coming throughout the entire movie. Pay close attention. The only downside is (SPOILER ALERT) that none of the characters throughout the series really survive.

19) Let the Right One In (Lat den Ratte Komma In) (2008)

Please watch the Swedish version, and power through the subtitles. This is a horror movie that is tragic on multiple levels, as it deals with a lonely and bullied boy who so happens to live next door to a pubescent vampire. When her benefactor dies, we see how the main character’s life will also unfold, and what lies in his future. A must-see film that is more than just your average horror movie.

20) Terrifier (2017)

This movie definitely gets back to basics by paying homage to the original slasher classics. Art the Clown, who we are originally introduced to in the 2013 movie All Hallow’s Eve (also worth a watch), is a vicious horror movie villain who kills just for kicks. He also subverts the horror movie trope by using a weapon which was previously considered off-limits to horror movie villains, especially those with supernatural abilites (mostly, anyway). This movie also contains one of the bloodiest deaths in recent horror movie history. I like the use of practical effects over the often-overdone CGI. What is Art the Clown? Deranged killer? Demonic entity? Who cares? Its all good fun. Watch it now on Netflix.

I’ll probably be back again some time in the future with a further 20 horror movies that are worth a watch, because there are so many of them. To everyone, take care during these uncertain times.

[cssns]

Hello everyone! We are BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!

It is that time again! Time for the monthly roundup for July and to look ahead to what’s coming up in August! 

So y’all buckle up! We will start with those fics and art that dropped in July, then highlight the MC’s that updated in July. We will end the post with what we have to look forward to for the rest of the event! We had some INCREDIBLE fics and art drop in July and we have a lot more to look forward to in August! Make sure and let the authors and artists know how much you’re enjoying their hard work!!! So without further ado, HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

@snowbellewells started us off this month with Face to Face in the Broad Daylight, a sequel to her CSSNS submission from last year, Run to Me (In the Dead of Night). Beautiful artwork by @branlovestowrite! Rated T with 4 chapters so far.

@thejollyroger-writer gave us Love After Death: The Afterlife Hotel. A one shot and a bit of a different take on the soulmate trope with absolutely perfect artwork by @captainsjedi.

Emma Swan has spent sixty years in the afterlife believing she was never going to meet her real soulmate, after believing in the wrong name tattooed on her wrist. But when she keeps seeing the same new guest of the Afterlife Hotel around, might she be able to learn how to love again? Rated T

@gingerchangeling presented us with Luck of the Irish with lovely artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke

Emma needs parent volunteer hours. So she offers to chaperon Henry's upcoming field trip to the museum. Its just a pack of prepubescent angst ridden children, an exhibit about dead people, and a rock used in blood sacrifices with a curse carved into it. What's the worst that could happen? Rated M with 1 chapter so far.

@jarienn972 gave us A Simple Spell with beautiful artwork by @cocohook38

This story is my entry into the 2019 Captain Swan Supernatural Summer event and is my first venture into AU territory. Storybrooke remains our setting but I've switched up some of the characters and familial relations to better suit this tale of prodigal witch Emma who returns to her birthplace to learn lots of secrets about herself and cast a spell that could change everything. Rated T with 3 chapters so far.

@profdanglaisstuff presented us with The Very Witching Time with incredible  artwork by @gingerchangeling and extra artwork by @mariakov81.

Emma Swan is a hereditary witch, last in a long line of wise women who for centuries have guarded the coast of Maine and the small village of Storybrooke with their homemade cures and their ancient magic. She holds the delicate balance between magic and mundane, but now that balance is threatened by a new foe, one capable of bringing an end to everything Emma is and everything she loves. To defeat it she will need all her power, help from her friends and neighbours, and the loyalty of a very unusual dog who answers to the name of Killian. Rated M with 3 of 4 chapters so far.

@searchingwardrobes gave us An Education in Southern Gothic with some seriously spooky artwork by @hollyethecurious

Fact: there’s a graveyard between the football field and the science building. Debatable: a ghost haunts the halls of Misthaven Hills High. Emma Swan is about to get an education. Killian Jones is about to get a whole lot more. Rated T COMPLETE

@spartanguard presented us with Sick of Love with lovely artwork by @sherlockianwhovian

If Emma’s not careful, she just might bump into her soulmate. Physically. And while she might like the idea of what comes with that—an almost psychic connection whenever they make skin contact—she’d rather not deal with the awful withdrawal sickness that can come when they inevitably leave her; she’s got a son, so she doesn’t have time for that. So she keeps herself covered and thinks she’ll be okay. Until she meets Killian, who does the same thing. Will their barriers protect them, or just hurt them more? Rated M with 2 of 3 chapters so far.

@snidgetsafan gave us Whom the Gods Love Die Young with beautiful artwork by @tennant-the-tigger

The bride bit into the shiny red apple as everyone cheered around her, the wedding ceremony ending with this ritual gesture. The clapping and hurrahs soon turned to screams of horror as Snow dropped the apple, choking and clutching her throat as she fell in her groom’s arms, a last I love you leaving her lips before she died, David’s screams the loudest of all.

David and Emma travel to the Underworld to claim back Snow after her untimely death. In order to do so, they're going to have to face the dark and mysterious God of the Underworld and complete his challenges.

Seems simple enough until you add magic, divine quarrels, and the worst thing of all: feelings. Rated G (for the moment) with one chapter so far

@snowbellewells gave us a second fic this month as well! A Story Told at Last with gorgeous artwork by @branlovestowrite

Historical Literature Professor Henry Mills has the chance of a lifetime before him. He might finally uncover the truth of a folktale that has intrigued him for years. But, when the whole story comes to light, will he be able to accept the story that needs to be told? Rated T with a prologue so far and two parts yet to come.

@thejollyroger-writer gifted us a second fic this month too! What Happened in Berkshire. Artwork coming soon by @captainsjedi.

When Emma’s boyfriend leaves her for the woman he’s been cheating with, she accepts an offer from her hospital to move to England. While she is out celebrating her thirtieth birthday with her friends before they head back to America, she drunkenly kisses the statue of Captain Hook in front of Eton College, and he comes to life. Together, he and Emma try to figure out what this curse means for them by searching for the witch that cursed him in the first place — are they really True Love, as he wants to believe they are, or did Emma’s magic go awry? Rated G with one chapter so far. Part 2 coming soon.

We also had original art drop from @eastwesthomeisbest called The Love of the Samodiva Pts1 and 2.

In Bulgarian folklore Samodiva is an ethereal female wood nymph. She is unearthly beautiful and eternally young. Her hair is blond and long, her waist is thin and petite, her eyes can bewitch and dazzle or even kill. Any man who lays eyes on her instantly falls in love. Samodivas’ attire consists of long white gowns and shirts and a rainbow-coloured or green belt. They have a white mantel, also called a shadow, in which their power lies. They like to ride deer, using twisted snakes for reins and often carry with them bows and arrows.

If a huntsman accidentally kills a samodiva’s deer, she will make him blind or give him a disease which will inevitably lead to his death.

The wood nymphs live in dark forests, in big old trees, caves or forgotten huts which are near water sources, wells or rivers.

Samodivas can be spotted from spring to autumn. In winter they live in the mythical village Zmeykovo, which is located at the edge of the world and is a home to many mythical creatures. When they are on earth they are active at night and disappear immediately when the sun comes out, because they fear it.

At twilight, the samodivas go to fresh water sources, strip naked, wash themselves and their clothes which they lay out to dry in the moonlight. They keep a watchful eye on their drying clothes, because if a man steals their mantle, where their power lies, they turn into normal women and have to obey the man. After washing themselves and their clothes, the samodivas gather around and start singing and dancing. It is known that the samodiva’s songs are the most beautiful and their dances are the most graceful. If a late traveller sees the samodivas’ dance, he is enticed to join them and dances with them from midnight to dawn. When the sun’s rays appear, the nymphs disappear in haste and leave the traveller to die from exhaustion. The samodivas love music and often kidnap shepherds, so that they can play kaval (shepherd’s pipe) for them while they dance.

Samodivas are not always harmful. Sometimes they appear like normal working women and help with the harvest. They would especially help women with children. If a man does something good for a samodiva, she becomes his patron or a sworn sister. Sometimes, a samodiva can fall in love with a human and bear him children, who grow up to be great heroes.

Samodivas are forest creatures and therefore knowledgeable about herbs and cures. However, they never share their secrets willingly. The only way to obtain their knowledge is to eavesdrop on one of their gatherings.

As you can see, we’ve had wonderful fics and art drop this month! And we also had several fics from June update, and also 2 fics from last years event!!!

@welllpthisishappening updated All Was Golden in the Sky many times! The story is complete and she updates regularly on Tuesday and Friday. We are about a third of the way through the entire fic. Ch 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke and chapter art 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9  by @distant-rose 

@let-it-raines had been updating Not Your (Soul)Mate chs 4 5 6 7 8 with artwork 1 2 3 by @captainsjedi.

@darkcolinodonorgasm updated One Day for us ch2 with gorgeous artwork by @sherlockianwhovian

Our two updated fics from last years event come to us courtesy of @kymbersmith-90 Divine Intervention ch7 with artwork by @hollyethecurious 

and 

@seriouslyhooked Lost Souls and Reveries ch19 with artwork by @shipsxahoy.

So that is all the fics and art that dropped or updated last month! And now, let’s look ahead to what we have to look forward to for the rest of the event!

Tomorrow @courtorderedcake will be dropping her first fic for the event Hallow with accompanying artwork. Her second fic, Roses will drop on Aug. 24 with artwork by @eastwesthomeisbest.

@searchingwardrobes will be dropping a Cupid and Psyche AU on Aug. 6, Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

@ilovemesomekillianjones will be dropping a soulmate AU on Aug. 8. Artwork by @spartanguard.

@pirateherokillian will be dropping a modern day gods AU on Aug. 15. Artwork by @tennant-the-tigger.

@thejollyroger-writer will be dropping a THIRD one shot for us on Aug. 18. Artwork by @captainsjedi.

@wyntereyez will be dropping a werewolf Killian fic on Aug. 20. Artwork by @gingerchangeling.

@kymbersmith-90 will be dropping her fic on Aug 22. Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose will be dropping a Lord of the Rings inspired AU on Aug. 27. Artwork by @clockadile.

@lizzyc807shipscaptainswan will be dropping a vampire guardian angel fic on Aug. 29. Artwork by @courtorderedcake.

@teamhook will be closing out the event with her fic dropping on Sept. 2 Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

Ohhhh my WORD!!! Do we have some good stuff coming up!!!! I can’t wait for all this!!!! And of course, our other WIP’s will continue to update as well! Make sure that you let the authors and artists know how much you are enjoying their work! Sometimes it’s exactly that that keeps them motivated and posting! I’ll see you back here in a little over a month for the event roundup with links to everything that’s been posted since we started in June! Until then y’all!

[molusca]

50 Questions You’ve Never Been Asked

tagged by @yuiaka ty!! <3

1. What is the color of your hairbrush?: black and red

2. Name a food you never eat?: onions. i fucking hate onions, dont put onions in my mouth unless u want me to throw up

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold?: too warm i guess

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?: finishing my coffee and getting ready to clean the cup the demons broke in my room in the middle of the night

5. What is your favorite candy bar?: shot (that one with peanuts or something)

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports event?: nope

7. What is the last thing you said out loud?: "after i finish the milk i will put the broken glass in the box, dont worry im not stupid” to my mom bc she though i was putting glass in the normal trash

8. What is your favorite ice cream?: that blue one that honestly idk what the fuck is that flavor but im a kingdom hearts fangirl sooo. blue icecream

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?: coffee with a bit of milk bc im a baby and cant drink pure coffee

10. Do you like your wallet?: yeah, its pink and hello kitty. cute

11. What was the last thing you ate?: french fries last night

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?: nah

13. The last sporting event you watched?: does haikyuu count?

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?: dont like popcorn

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?: my bf

16. Ever go camping?: nope

17. Do you take vitamins?: ive been taking vitamin d for a while

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?: i stopped going to church years ago

19. Do you have a tan?: when we arent in quarentine i usually have a bit of tan in my arms

20. Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza?: pizza!!!!!!

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?: nope

22. What color socks do you usually wear?: i never use the same socks since the day in my last year of high school where i couldnt find the pair, so i went with a different sock in each foot and some friends noticed so i decided Well That’s My Thing Now. so when i wear socks (only when i have to get out of the house bc i hate using shoes), i wear a different one in each foot. i have some plain white ones (very very dirty) and a bunch of colored ones, so its always a mix of everything. i have some very fluffy and cute ones for winter, but winter lasts like a month here so i dont use it much lol

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit?: i cant drive im bi

24. What terrifies you?: spiders, the things i hear in the middle of the night, someone breaking in the house (im very paranoid of this idk why)

25. Look to your left, what do you see?: my bed (a fucking mess), my calendar in the wall thats still on march, plastic weapons i like to play with, my small aquarium at the side of my bed

26. What chore do you hate?: all of them

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent?: i dont think ive ever heard it? idk much about accents

28. What’s your favorite soda?: fanta orange

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thrus?: go in the fast food, i dont have a car for drive thrus

30. Who’s the last person you talked to?: mom

31. Favorite cut of beef?: idk i just like beef

32. Last song you listened to?: love me or leave me - little mix

33. Last book you read?: i finished noite na taverna (no im not looking for the english title even if theres one) and now im reading one of conan doyle sherlock holmes stuff (too lazy to search the title too, in portuguese its vale do terror). if fanfic counts im reading tons of valdangelo lately

34. Favorite day of the week?: uhh saturday i guess

35. Can you say the alphabet backwards?: i cant even say it in normal order. no joke

36. How do you like your coffee?: with a bit of milk (something like 1/4 of milk i guess?) and three spoons of suger

37. Favorite pair of shoes?: none. i hate shoes

38. The time you normally go to sleep?: i get in bed at 9pm, when i sleep totally depends of the mood

39. The time you normally get up?: normally its 6am, but now that im not having classes i just woke up and turn off the alarm and get up when my parents leave the house to work (around 6:45am)

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets?: sunsets

41. How many blankets on your bed?: three but im only using two

42. Describe your kitchen plates: its brown

43. Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage?: nope i hate alcohol

44. Do you play cards?: its very very rare and i dont remember the rules for anything

45. What color is your car?: i dont have a car

46. Can you change a tire?: is there a youtube tutorial for it? lol maybe if i tried

47. Your favorite province?: the fuck is a province

48. Favorite job you’ve ever had?: the only “job” i had is working in the fish lab i work and its nice and fun

49. How did you get your biggest scar?: self harm during the entire high school im not gonna elaborate on that

50. What did you do today that made someone else happy?: i woke up like an hour ago so nothing lol. usually nothing i do make other people happy anyway

im too lazy to tag but @ anyone who sees this, do it its fun

[jimlingss]

The Deli Diaries [10]

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 [Finale]

➜ Words: 2k

➜ Genres: Fluff & Cuteness, That good ol’ slow burn, Slice of Life

➜ Summary: Working at a grocery store deli is absolutely unbearable (and you’re also perfectly aware of how dramatic you are). But it seems like something, or rather, someone might make the job a bit more manageable.

➜ Warnings: Mundane-ness that might make you bored to death

➜ Notes: FINALLLLLLYYYY!!! and also the finale is next chapter, gonna make it a bit longer and worth the slow burn. enjoy!!!

Life is cooking you one of the worst recipes yet.   It is a terrible concoction to be both sick and working. Every time you speak too loudly, coughs are wheezing from your lungs. Your apron pockets are full of tissues since snot is literally dripping every other minute, but even then, you still have a stuffy nose that makes it hard to breathe. Your voice is thick and nasally, sounding as if you just woke up from a four-hour nap. You’re sneezing as well, covering your mouth and nose with a bent elbow and into your sleeve.   Needless to say, you’re one slimy and gross mess.   But you garner little sympathy from your coworkers and supervisors. They still make you work — the only way to excuse yourself from it was if you broke your damn leg, but even then you wouldn’t be surprised if they got you a chair in front of the sink and told you to wash dishes. But not wanting to taint the company’s clean image and god forbid, spread your cold to customers, they’re making you change your gloves as frequently as possible and you’re forbidden to serve customers.   So maybe it’s not such a bad thing to be ill and stuck working an eight-hour shift. Sure, you were trapped stocking the deli shelves of macaroni and washing whatever bowl that needed to be washed. Everyone also treated you like you had the black plague, staying away and repulsed at the sight of you, but at least you were spared from having to deal with irritating and demanding customers.   There’s always a bright side...right?   “Woah. What happened to you?”   “Thanks.” You push the boy aside, swiping your nametag on the side of the machine and clocking out for the night. “That really helps the situation.”   “Wow, someone’s Miss Grumpy Pants.” The produce boy clocks out as well and follows behind you, waving goodbye to the manager on duty as you both slip out the front door.   “Maybe because you made me sick.” To emphasize your condition, you sniffle and your airways don’t clear with the small effort. You’ve been feeling unwell ever since the Christmas party and he dragged you outside. The little coughs and sneezes have now morphed into your back throat being clogged with mucus and that same mucus dripping from your nostrils.   But now that your dirty apron was stuffed in your bag and you got to wash your hands, you were feeling better. The frigid temperature of the air was also doing wonders to cool down your cheeks, even if it made your eyes more watery.   “Sorry,” Jimin murmurs, peeking at your face, genuinely apologetic.   You sigh, not wanting to blame him or wrongfully redirect the irritation of your sickness onto the poor boy. “It’s okay,” you reassure, “really, it’s not that bad. I didn’t have to serve customers at all today, except for the very end, so that was pretty nice.”   The boy stops in his tracks, making you pause from walking too. “Here. Wait a second.”   He pulls his red plaid scarf from his neck and you put out a hand. “No, it’s okay, Jimin. You don’t have to.”   “Tch!” — Jimin clicks his tongue in annoyance. His eyes are playfully stern, telling you to stay where you are. “It’s cold outside. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll get even worse.” He takes the scarf and carefully wraps it around you three times, tying the end of it. The boy is gentle, eyes half lidded and brows furrowed in concentration, making you stare a bit too hard.   “Thanks.” You dig your nose into the soft fabric. It smells like him, slightly fruity and clinging onto the scent of fresh laundry. You end up mumbling, “I’ll wash it and give it back to you.”   “No. Just keep it. I didn’t get you a Christmas gift anyway.”   You steal a glance at him before looking straight ahead. It’s dark out and cold. Every breath you exhale makes a cloud of condensation. Yet, even with the temperature low, your hand slips out of the warm confines of your jacket pocket without thought. You’re still walking alongside Jimin and he matches your pace, steps synchronized together.   The back of your hand grazes against his. Your skin skims each other’s and with bated breath and calculated moves, Jimin slowly but surely touches your wrist before sliding down to your palm. He timidly snakes his way down before he’s holding your hand, lacing his fingers with yours.   Your cheeks heat up even more and this time, the cold air does nothing to help. “I’m contagious, you know,” you whisper quietly as to not disturb the peace surrounding you both.   “It’s okay.” The corner of his lip twitches, being pulled upwards.   “What if you can get sick too?”   Jimin squeezes your hand. By the second, he becomes more self-assured. “Then we can be sick together.”   All day people have been distancing themselves from you, from your supervisor to even Yuna and Amber. They practically only talked to you from a meter’s distance or poked you with a ten-foot long pole to get you to do something. Everyone was scared that your cold is infectious and you’ve been pushed away, fended off like a snot monster, having no sympathy from the healthy.   But Jimin doesn’t care.   And you realize that you’ve been craving physical contact. Not just from anyone either….   “Don’t I smell bad?” You’re certain that sanitizer and the scent of deli meat is still clinging onto your oily skin that pours of sweat from each of your pores. If you felt disgusting on a regular work day, now it was ten times worse.   “No,” he muses with pouty lips, cheeks puffed out and rounded. “Not really.”   You glance at him. “Really?”   “Really.” The boy smiles as if placating a baby and one word from him has your worries dispelling away. His fingers move slightly against the back of your hand and you find his natural movements comforting. His head tips to the side as he stares at you. “Was work hard today?”   “Not too bad. They didn’t want me to do any customer service or any production, so I basically cleaned, panned, and shelved things. How about you?”   “It was okay. There was a new shipment of apples and grapes and I cut watermelon before packaging them.”   “Does anyone even eat watermelon when it’s this cold out?”   His eyes crinkle into half-moons when he smiles, cute teeth peeking from the seams of his lips. “You’d be surprised.”   “How does it even taste?” You frown, considering that you’ve never tried watermelon during winter before since it’s more of a summer snack. “It’s not really watermelon season.”   “Well, I had some.” His brown irises twinkle of mischief and you know you’ve rubbed off on him in your slightly kleptomaniac ways. “And it was decent. A bit less juicy than normal.”   “I bet.” You lightly scoff and the conversation dies off. From where you are, you can see your house coming up at the end of the block. Your feet begin to slow down and you hope he doesn’t notice. “Hey, Jimin….”   “Hmm?”   Your hands are a bit cold, but you like it when he holds it like this. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. “Are you working this Friday?”   “I am,” he says and immediately, you become dejected, shoulders hunching, eyes falling downwards. But then— “It’s an early shift, so I’m done at three. Why?”   Oh. “I-..uh...have you watched that movie we were talking about?” You smile, approaching it at a more casual angle to lessen the awkwardness that was threatening to barge between you two and just in case you get rejected, you can play this off. “When Spring Meets Autumn. It had pretty okay reviews.”   Jimin smiles. “You want to go?”   “If you want to.” You shrug nonchalantly, wondering if you’re too casual about it. “I mean...I can get us free tickets since I have this voucher from another time and I have no one else to go with and it’ll expire soon. You can invite your friends if you want—”   “No. Just the two of us is fine.” Jimin grins, mouth expanding and pulling into his rosy cheeks once more. “I’m happy to go with you.”   “Oh. Okay. Sounds good.” The pair of you stop in front of your house, lingering right in front of the driveway. Usually, you’d run up to your doorstep and fish out your keys, wave one last time and bolt to the shower so you can strip off your sticky clothes. But today, you still haven’t let go. “It’s a plan then.”   “It’s a date,” Jimin confirms out of the blue. Your mind reels, wondering what he means, but you don’t disagree or make any signs of disapproval. Instead, you’re too focused on the way the yellow glow of the streetlamp casts down its faint light and paints his skin in warm hues.   “Y-yeah, sure.” Your face feels like a literal furnace and it’s not from your cold. “Uh- thanks for the scarf.”   “No problem.” The produce boy smiles again and again, unable to repress it. But he’s made a bit more shy than before. There’s silence where he stares down to the ground, then at your held hands and then traveling up into your eyes, finding it a bit embarrassing that he can’t hide how giddy he’s feeling.   “I should...probably go now…” You hitch a thumb over your shoulder.   Jimin blinks, breaking his gaze away from your eyes. “Y-Yeah. See you tomorrow?”   “Yes. See you.” You finally let go of him, turning around right in time for your grin to spread into your cheeks. You’re struggling to hold down a squeal and you know for a fact that you’ll be kicking your blankets tonight in excitement, marking down Friday several times on your calendar and putting tens of alarms on your phone. Finally. A date with Jimin. Oh god. You’re already freaking out — none of your pillows were going to survive after being screamed into later.   In the meanwhile, Jimin stares at your backside that walks off all too slowly. His mind races. Before it’s too late, he inhales a sharp breath. He takes a step forward. There’s one thing he just has to do, one thing he’s been waiting so long for, one of the things he’s been dreaming about...   “He, deli girl! Wait!”   “What, produce boy?”   You twist around, unable to resist your smile.   And your gasp is smothered. A tiny squeak leaves your throat. You can’t breathe and this time it’s not because of your clogged nose.   Jimin’s leaning down, kissing you. His lips are soft and the scent of the scarf surrounds your entire frame, though it doesn’t come from the cotton fabric anymore. His lips barely graze against yours. It can hardly be defined as a peck with how chaste and delicate, fast and hesitant it is. You don’t even have time to close your eyes or savour how soft it feels to have his mouth on yours before he’s moved away.   Your fingers automatically lift to your lips, surprised and caught off guard. He is left breathless, chest hyperventilating, big eyes locked into yours. Then, the boy blinks and realizes what he’s done. Your heartbeat pounds in your ears and you don’t know what to say.   He’s the one who speaks — “Okay. Goodnight!”   Park Jimin runs away. Like his tail is caught between his legs, he stumbles and books it down the block, feet scrambling and eyes now refusing to look at yours. You watch him, giggles bubbling from you and spilling out into the night from sheer disbelief. More importantly, you catch him jumping up and cutely fist pumping the air, shouting an energetic ‘yes!’.   God. Not even one date and you’re already such a sucker for him.   You dig your nose into his scarf, warming up and surrounding yourself in Jimin again, replaying the little moment over and over again until it feels like his sweetness is rotting your teeth.   It dawns on you that your lips now taste like vanilla chapstick.