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quailxcrossing · 10 days ago

Note

🌖AUÏ PLEASE I BEG YOU!!!!!!

Also

🌑-any oc

🌒-ruse AND Caius

🌠-the goat

☄️-Ran!!

☀️-magic

🌕- Ruse, Magic, Goat, Auï, Ran

🌖 - What is your OC’s favorite scent? Is it nostalgic?

Auï - pancakes :3 if you unleashed him in a Bath and Body Works he would look for the autumn scents and go for something baking, but preferably pancakes (should note pancakes are also one of his favorite foods) It is a bit nostalgic for him! definitely reminds him of both of his homes

🌒 - Under what circumstances is your OC their most genuine self?

Ruse - Ruse is honestly quite often her most genuine self, but the thing is no one ever believes she is being genuine! she truly is a very quiet, very stumbly and awkward and stilted conversationist, and because of her odd past, most folks think she's hiding something. at worst, they treat her like she's dangerous or manipulative for being just herself :'3 she's truly only becoming more genuine with time, as she learns more about herself and her interests and has the space to indulge in them!

Caius- corny but true answer- when they're with etcetera, or his sister darcy! when they're around Etcetera, they're a lot more talkative and joke easier, quicker to make snarky comments and speak freely! she is def their little emotional support boyfriend just being around Etcetera for a while did get Cai more comfortable with being himself around his other friends too- but etcetera vanishing sorta undid a lot of that, but caius is truly authentic to being terrified of everything and wanting to curl up and cry constantly

🌠 - What is your OC’s greatest desire and how far are they willing to go to obtain it?

Goat - his greatest desire has always been to keep his friends safe, and he will go to great extremes he absolutely doesn't need to go to if he can give himself a good reason in his mind as to why they should stay with him :3

☄️ - From your OC’s perspective, write a short paragraph about their average day.

Ran - ok i will be so honest, i am not sure, i dont have an as detailed iterinary as i do for Machwell, Ran just sorta my little guy with a tragic backstory and a fruity disposition they work a tourist trap, so they're honestly there most of the time, or bothering their brother Noctiluca at his workplace, or enjoying the weather and staring off into space and shutting down every thought that comes too close to ruining their Vibe

☀️ - How well does your OC deal with isolation?

Magic - Magic does like her space! she moved out of her mom's house pretty quick into adulthood despite the good relationship just because she needed the quiet. she can so gladly go days seeing no one, doing her own projects, and talking to herself. when she's with others, she switches into extrovert mode, although she is an introvert at heart. i think all of this is one of the reasons she gravitated to Ruse- her quiet demeanor and eagerness for parallel play allows them to spend hours together without needing to put any overly social front up! of course, Magic loves her friends so so sooo much, and she craves to spend time with them and yap and chatter, but she does not require it.

🌕 - Describe what your OC would wear to a costume party. LOVE THIS Ruse- I really really really wanted to draw her dressed up as Wonder Whitney for Halloween....i ran outta time i was so busy.......Wonder Whitney is her favorite musician and i think Wonder is PLENTY famous enough that it would be a recognizable costume to do one of its music video looks

remind me to draw this at some point

Magic - magic gets such bad decision paralysis with outfits, i think she'd settle on a.) doing a couple costume with twilight (its always ponies cosplay) b.) ???? c.) she lowkey would love to do a knight costume but she doesn't want to like...insult?? Ruse?? she's so scared to even mention she thinks it would be so cool.....ruse would not mind i swear. she just wants to see how the armor feels it looks so cool but she's overthinking it so she's going with ??? instead

Ran - Ran is always dressed up in costume, but i think it would be funny if Noctiluca convinced them to dress up in a t-shirt and jeans and no makeup. i genuinely think no one would recognize her

Goat and Auï - Do Not Forget About The Pears

#quail talks #the pears..........................

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knighteclipsed · 3 months ago

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happy anniversary!!

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is. Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing! Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Template originally by Neffi!

Name: Kano!! (i often stylize it as 'kano!!' bc lowercase and exclamations cool)

Pronouns: they/it/he (but really, so long as it isn't 'she/her' and it isn't unclear who is being referred to, i don't really care what i'm called 😂)

Birthday (no year): May 6th!

Where are you from? What is your time zone? I've got Haitian heritage, but I was born and raised in Georgia of USA! Timezone is still TOAST✨

(more under the cut,)

How long is your roleplay experience? As long as my TOA experience pretty much :joy: (So, uh, basically just over 2 years HAHA) I did do some roleplay on like. Amino when I was 11. but i didn't really enjoy it or do it much willingly haha

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? My sister was super baller (she would do Minecraft roleplay on her computer) :sungals:✨

How were you introduced to TOA? Dewa's Dimitri art showed up in Tumblr's Dimitri hashtag!! I scrolled through the blog, saw it was a roleplay one, and my Instagram-pilled mind thought she had stolen someone else's art :crylaugh: (I, uh, quickly realized while trying to confirm that the art style was consistent and the subject matter was too niche [thinking of Dimitri dancing with someone at the Ethereal Ball], so whoever this 'mun' person was must've just been really good haha) Over the course of roughly 4 or so months, I learned how narrative rp worked, encountered some of the other blogs in TOA and even followed the masterlist itself! I ended up joining when I saw the previous Linhardt had just been booted for inactivity fdnsjkfnsd

Do you have any pets? Nope! I do have a plant though. I named her Vyse (yes, after the Valorant agent HER PETALS LOOK LIKE VYSE'S METAL FLOWERS) 💞

What is your favorite time of year and why? (Season, holiday, general period) Spring! Winter is much too cold for my taste, and summer is good but certainly pushes my tolerance for heat haha. My birthday's in spring though, which tiebroke between it and autumn haha.

What is your IRL occupation? I'm a college student! (The job search is real.....)

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? Writing. Reading. Roleplay 😂 (Offering actual info: I love programming! I draw a lot. I like making/listening to music. Love and light <3)

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? Baldur's Gate 3 GWAHAHA. (i have a lot of unfinished saves on other games tho: Hades(? made it out several times tho), Triangle Strategy, and the first Ori fnjkdjskf)

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: i don't. pokemon. i did once use Mew (the discord bot) tho and i really liked my Wartortle :] i also have a giant holographic Espeon card and the eeveelutions are unsurprisingly my bias GWAHAHA Honestly tho my answers are probably the same as last year--dragon and dark. Squirtle, Wartortle, Gible fndsjkf

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself! (Optional bonus challenge: if you filled this out last year, try not to repeat what you said back then!) I shared my programming endeavors last year! Also some math stuff so--I play a shit ton of D&D. I've got three regular campaigns going on; might be four if my workload isn't too much :weary: I DM one of those games and am a PC in the other two--the fourth would also be a game I DM, which is why I'm working with my schedule to solve this fdnsjkfn

How did you get into Fire Emblem? Played Smash Brawl on the Wii, was suggested by Kai (WHO WRITES KLIFF RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) to play more characters than just Sheik, and while he was wrong to suggest Ike, he was right about Marth. Later I followed him to Fire Emblem Heroes, then Sacred Stones, and then Three Houses--that's when I properly became an FE fan haha.

What Fire Emblem games have you played? Finished (in order): Three Houses, Sacred Stones, Engage Started (in order): Shadows of Valentia, Awakening demo, Binding Blade in Japanese, Binding Blade in English, SOV again, Genealogy of the Holy War, Awakening (the full game), also Shadow Dragon in English--that's it i think :joy:

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: First was Sacred Stones! My first finished was Three Houses tho haha. Favorite is one of those two or Engage idk GWAHAHA

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! I think Valter successfully stole first place, then Dimitri, Amber, Diamant, and then Linhardt or Selena (FE8) fndsjkf

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! Dimitri! I picked his allegiance in FEH as a joke (I wanted someone to ask and myself to respond 'he's pretty :]' bc imo it'd be MAD FUNNY but then we got 3H for real and I ended up liking him a lot GWAHAH)

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳 Dimitri. Diamant. no one else i don't think but maybe if I ever play Fates something might happen with Kaze 😂

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: N/A - Fates: haven't played but it would probably be Kaze - Three Houses: Dimitri; Yuri is the next on my list but if we aren't looking at my completionist ass he'd be competing with a Dimitri rerun 😂 - Engage: Diamant! And probably Diamant again haha

Favorite Fire Emblem class? idfk i told someone Mortal Savant recently. it might be Wyvern Knight tho they're scrunkly :softsmile:

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? Either a sword user or a mage! I would be playable, and I'd be strong in magic stats while pretty weak physically. (Imagine a swordmaster like that fgndjsfnsdf) No idea what class specifically but I'd probably be unpromoted on recruit!

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? (Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer, Church of Seiros, Those Who Slither in the Dark, unaffiliated civilian, other - for example Almyran) Blue Lions. long live King Dimitri 🙏✨

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? Boons - probably Reason and Authority? Banes - Heavy Armor fndjkfn maybe Axes as well!! Budding Talent - Flying (the fear of heights go crazyyyy but i do love the thrill 🥺)

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? (Firene, the Kingdom of Abundance; Brodia, the Kingdom of Might; Elusia, the Kingdom of Knowledge; Solm, the Queendom of Freedom; Lythos, the holy land of the Divine Dragon; Gradlon, the desolate land of the Fell Dragon) I'd be a Brodian sniveling about the cold 24/7 (affectionate)

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔(separate letters, to-ah, other?) Separate letters! It's intuitive to me.

Current TOA muses: Valter and Selena (FE8)!

Past TOA muses? Linhardt as of last moon, Colm as of a year ago in two days!

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Linhardt! And I could totally see him coming back, but he'd need a longgggg nap first fndjksnf

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? (If you filled this out last year, has this changed in any way?) People with really strong emotions seems to be the trend? Even in the case of Linhardt and Selena (who are generally more muted in their expression), they have strong determinations; characters that are particularly tragic are also to my liking. (Also if their dialogue is scaaaaawy I'll probably end up liking them HAHA) Not really changed since last year haha.

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? Not really? Though I will say my ability to write Selena is kind of a miracle; I generally have a difficult time understanding femininity and womanhood, but maybe it's that Selena is trans that makes it a lot more intuitive to me dfnjksf Either way, she's a good bridge into woman writing I like her a lot :softsmile:

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? (If you filled this out last year, has this changed in any way?) Last time I just wrote I like dialogue! With the question slightly rephrased--I like confrontational scenes a lot actually fndjskfnds I realize a lot of folks find confrontation difficult/stressful to navigate, but I am mildly insane and slurp that shit up onb!! Say something absolutely horrendous! Slam someone into a wall (or the floor or some furniture) GWAHAHA!! (For the sake of transparency: Don't actually just walk into my inbox and start fighting my muses. I value the narrative a lot and would rather it come from somewhere and not be Too much fndsjkfnd I talk about this on Valter's mun page especially.) I like when characters don't get along! It's interesting! I love conflict! The big downside to this being my favorite is that you have to be really careful to navigate people's boundaries, but I'm willing to sort that out--just chat with me!! I only bite friends!!

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? Two answers for my present muses: for Valter, I want him to betray Maria (bc he's a fucking asshole and I want him to deal with the consequences of that fndsjkfns); for Selena, I'd really like a Glen here :oldplead: (this is not a scenario but genuinely if she found out Glen died actually she would be very sad!! get her with the emotions 🫵)

Favorite TOA-related memories? Nat and Dewa recognizing me as the Linhardt reserve just because I kept liking all of Dewa's stuff (including an arena thread with Nat's Linoan) 😭😭😭, Sirius rolling Valter as his liege in KKE, Colm getting dressed up by old ladies par Lloyd (Midsommar), Ree asking N if he was okay with writing body horror (Unscripted), Selena failing to kill "Vigarde" (AO), Valter and L'Arachel taking a million years to leave a burning classroom!!, Linhardt's Whole Friendship with Sophia, Linus slamming the Moonstone into a wall (and the floor), Valter getting chased by a giant Pikachu (Midsommar), Selena and Mlear :softsmile: (and by extension: Selena meeting Flear :crylaugh:), Valter beefing with EVERYONE (and also maybe stabbing Alfred? (he didn't)), Colm and Pelleas friendship 🥺, and the list goes on!

Present or past tense? Generally past tense? It changes mid-post a lot though; actions my muses are actively committing as present tense, but actions immediately past are generally. past. fndsjkfn It makes sense to me i prommy 🙏✨

Normal size text, small text, no preference? No preference! But I write in normal text unless asked to write otherwise; I don't take issue with the default size

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉 Chat y'all already know.

#[ ‘by my cursed lance!’ ] (ooc)#[ ‘to ask such a thing of me…’ ] (memes)#// happy anni chat :softsmile:#// TO ANOTHER FIVE YEARS!!!!!!!

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deathsdue · 3 months ago

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Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing! Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together. template credit: thanks neffi!!

Name: Lailah

Pronouns: She/Her, They/Them

Birthday (no year): 9/12

Where are you from? What is your time zone? West Coast, USA

How long is your roleplay experience? Almost 20 years

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? My first RP experience was in high school where we had a binder we passed around in the hallway between class lol I went on to forums, docs, email, mmos, and at some point tumblr and discord.

How were you introduced to TOA? I'd been missing the Tumblr RP experience and decided to search for an FE group and bam

Do you have any pets? I do! My black kitty, my baby boy who drools and meows a lot, Binx

What is your favorite time of year and why? Autumn when it's cooler but not too freezing and the leaves are pretty

What is your IRL occupation? QA tester for a video game company

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? Besides writing, playing games, reading, occasionally drawing, music, comics, collecting figures and such

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? Tales of, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Zelda, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Persona, Harvest Moon, farm sims in general, Metal Gear Solid, the list honestly just goes on and on and on

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon? ahahaha ok the list doesn't actually go that far. I didn't get that into pokemon. I do think they're cute but I just didn't get into the franchise. That said, I have plushies of chimchar, vulpix, and eevee so that probably says something

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself! - When I worked at a dental office, I almost set the place on fire. The dentist was really nice about it tho and eventually he even wanted me to stay and get trained as a dental assistant - I have a low spicy tolerance but I'm really good with cajun spices (likely from growing up in Texas) - I'm in the credits of games that you've heard about (I won't say what) - I have a horrible sense of smell

How did you get into Fire Emblem? My friend was actually really into PoR but I didn't get into it until Awakening came out.

What Fire Emblem games have you played? (Note: I have not beaten all of these) Genealogy, Sacred Stones, Awakening, Fates, Three Houses, Engage, TMS, Heroes

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games? Awakening & Sacred Stones

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! Frederick, Eirika, Ephraim, Gerome, Seteth

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! Frederick lol I'm such a Frederick simp. I love how caring and protective he is, that he knits, isn't afraid of showing affection, just generally wholesome imo

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳 Frederick 😳

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: Frederick (are you noticing a trend) and still Frederick - Fates: Yukimura, but probably Shura if I did it again - Three Houses: Hanneman haha I'd try a different one if I went back but Hanneman is my favorite - Engage: Mauvier, and still him

Favorite Fire Emblem class? rogues!

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? Some kind of archer probably

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Golden Deer all the way!

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent?

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? Firene probably

How do you pronounce TOA? To-ah

Current TOA muses? Gerome & Mikoto!

Past TOA muses? none right now

Who was your first TOA muse? Best boy Gerome

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? It seems like…tsundere types tend to get me, or the ones that have lived a long time and have complicated pasts. but I have others that don't fit those trends too

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? tbh my indie has a wide range of character types and I try to not write characters that are too similar. However, I guess I tend to not write types that are Too extroverted

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I enjoy all types but I suppose very emotional scenes are fun for me, whether it's angst or positive emotions

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? for Mikoto, I just want to write her with her children and also, tbh, finding a new love haha I'm in no rush for it but it'd fun if it happened. I'd also love to see her on the battlefield protecting others

Favorite TOA-related memories? Happyland was a blast to write with everyone and I adore the connections it brought so much. I can't wait to throw Mikoto into an event, she deserves it

Present or past tense? I think my habit is past but I try to match others so I go for present. if you see my flipping tenses I'm so sorry haha

Normal size text, small text, no preference? I default to small text but I'll match my writing partner, or use regular in case I'm concerned about readability for others

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉 ahahaha uhmmmmm if I can, Eirika, but if not then probably Peony or maybe even Rhys or Mozu. I write so many FE characters that I will never run out of ones to pick lol I've also written all of these characters at some point so I love to see how others write them too

#ooc

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nevassan · 3 months ago

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happy anniversary and munday, toa! credits to neffi for the munday form - thank you for all your hard work and love!

Name: harrow

Pronouns: he/she/it

Birthday (no year): 8/25

Where are you from? What is your time zone? US | CST

How long is your roleplay experience? 10+ years

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? roleplaying warriors on fanfic.net as any good soldier of the time did. i did it on my 3ds because i didn't have a laptop yet.

How were you introduced to TOA? i messaged leo in december and went "i missed tellius" and leo went "hey i rp tellius on tumblr" and the rest is, as they say, history.

Do you have any pets? four cats - hubert von vestra (black), odessa silverberg (calico), anakin (gray), and kaoru hakaze (tabby).

What is your favorite time of year and why? i love autumn so much i'm about to be thriving

What is your IRL occupation? math tutor & pizza delivery driver!

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? i like competitive games, drawing, old english literature, and really obscure jrpgs.

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? obscure ass jrpgs - fragile dreams, eternal sonata, magical vacation, etc. i also play a lot of fighting games. catch me in guilty gear strive 10x streak.

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: favorite pokemon type is fairy or normal, but my favorite pokemon is dhelmise!

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself! one time when i was 6 a playdate i was having ended so me and the person i was hanging out with (i barely knew her and did not consider her a friend) decided our only course of action was to run away from home and i think it's really funny. we did get decently far.

How did you get into Fire Emblem? my ex in 2016 went "hey dude you should play this tellius stuff" and the rest is history

What Fire Emblem games have you played? every one except gaiden. I'm sorry n

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: first - awakening, favorite - radiant dawn

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! HUBERT VON VESTRA!!!!!!!!!!, Micaiah, Arthur (FE4), Olwen, Takumi

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! probably Sephiran. iyky

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳 hubert von vestra i am free. i am free whenever. Please

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: i don't...remember? if i got the gay awakening mod now i'd probably do henry. - Fates: niles / still niles - Three Houses: i don't think i s supported anyone on my first playthrough, as weird as that is. nowadays i pick girleth so i can kiss hubie and seteth - Engage: i didn't ever beat the game on my own (thanks youtube) but i would like to marry pandreo or nel.

Favorite Fire Emblem class? i love mages. i love mage emblem. i like trickster a lot too.

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? i would be a green unit and if you don't rescue me i die. like regardless of if the enemy units kill me i get executed in a cutscene after the chapter or something. i'm just a villager.

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? black eagles forever baby!!!

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? boons - faith & dark; banes - axes & heavy armor; budding - authority.

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? firene realistically but i want to go to elusw

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔TO-AH

Current TOA muses: Diarmuid, Sothe

Past TOA muses? Hortensia, F!Morgan, Shez, Lukas

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Sothe, soooo...

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? I need you to not look at my muselist and look at this answer. I love silly girls. I love whimsical little girly girls so much.

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? I want to be able to write really villainous characters/ Smart characters, but I'm not good at writing manipulative stuff and im too embarrassed to dm another mun like hey can you pretend i gaslit gatekept girlbossed your muse

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? i like battle and high-emotion scenes. stuff i can use prose for.

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? i want diarmuid to break :thumbsup: make this guy cry

Favorite TOA-related memories? i've honestly just been really happy the whole time i've been here. even when my muse wanes i enjoy being in toa so much it overcomes the feeling of writer's block because i just want to be here with this group i've come to love.

Present or past tense? present

Normal size text, small text, no preference? no preference

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉 monica and hortensia are playing tug of war w my last braincell that needs to be doing homework

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bookish-karina · 6 months ago

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OC Questionnaire Tag

thank you so much for tagging me @wyked-ao3 , @katenewmanwrites , @willtheweaver , @drchenquill , @paeliae-occasionally ,

@a-cosmic-elf , @gioiaalbanoart

I'll answer these for Maeve from Your Average Fangirl :)

my questions:

1. have you ever wanted to stab someone?

Definitely, I mean, you can't expect someone not to get irritated to the point of imagining the other person's death... right?

2. what's your worst memory?

unsure...

3. what are you hoping to avoid?

Being the center of attention. It terrifies me because I always worry about what others think of me. It's also something I'm working on.

4. do you believe your biggest dream is attainable?

I believe almost anything is attainable if you're willing to put in the work for it.

5. if you could erase any memory, what would you choose to forget?

unsure...

6. what do you see/feel when you look in the mirror?

I see someone who's scared to be herself because she'd rather be likable than her own person.

7. how do you think others perceive you?

I think others perceive me as timid, if not quite shy to begin with. I tend to hide in the shadows, so it's easy for others to believe that I'm truly outspoken. However, once they get to know me, they realize I'm my own person and am full of ideas and opinions at times.

8. what is one food you will not eat?

I will not eat sushi. I believe all food should be cooked to an extent to be edible and simply don't have the desire to try it.

9. what was the craziest thing you did as a child?

The craziest thing I did as a child was believe I could talk to animals. I would spend all day conversing with any animal I saw and believed that they were responding in some way (tail wags, head shakes, chirps, etc).

10. what is your favorite memory?

My favorite memory is riding on an airplane for the first time. There's something freeing about being so high in the sky.

11. is there an animal you are scared of?

I'm scared of spiders. I'm not sure why, but they just gross me out.

12. if you could choose between being able to sing or dance like a professional, which would you choose and why?

I would choose to sing like a professional, as I've always wondered what it would be like to perform on stage in front of a lot of people.

13. who is your favorite person? why?

I don't think I can pick one! I have many favorite people, but not sure if I could decide my favorite favorite.

14. would you rather say something in 50 words or 200 words?

I would rather say something in 50 words, as I think using a smaller amount of words forces us to be more concise in our explanations.

15. would you rather work outside or inside?

I would rather work outside. I enjoy being in the presence of nature and soaking up the sun rays.

16. if money, time, and space were no object, what would be your dream pet?

my dream pet would be an otter. they're so cute!

17. are there season where you're from? what's your favorite and why?

Yes, there are all four seasons where I’m from! My favorite has to be fall/autumn. I enjoy the coolness of the weather and the colors when the leaves change.

18. when you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an artist. I enjoyed drawing but wasn't any good at it.

19. something that you regret?

Letting myself fall in love too quickly.

20. last time you kissed someone?

Romantically? Last year, before my boyfriend broke up with me.

21. favorite animal?

my favorite animal is probably a tie between a snow leopard and a panda!

gently tagging @aintgonnatakethis @romances-not-tragedies @taranorma + an open tag

your questions:

what's your favorite color? why?

if you could only take one person with you to an abandoned island, who would it be?

weapon of choice?

#your average fangirl #oc questions #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing community #writeblr tag game #writeblr open tag #ao3 #writing #writers of tumblr #ya romance #rockstar trope #young adult #he falls first

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zeldaelmo · 1 year ago

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Welcome back to @zelinkcommunity 's prompt 'By a thread'. If you're here longer than three seconds, you probably know I love turning tropes and prompts on their head, and this fic is a typical result of exactly that.

@mistresslrigtar was so kind to beta this for me. Go read her zelink week fics! Oh, and she also inspired me to try new banners, hope you like them!

Enjoy!

Superglue

Akkala’s stiff breeze greeted them when they materialized on the platform of the shrine, carrying some crunchy leaves and the smell of the first autumn day with it. Link blinked slowly, taking a moment to feel Zelda’s hand curled in his.

“Home,” she had said and, in a sudden rush of boldness, he had tapped the shrine symbol in Akkala instead of Hateno. Doubt crept up on him like ground frost, even through the tunic he had thrown on just before they fast-traveled, but it was too late to backtrack now.

Zelda shuddered next to him, her dress, once again, offering little protection against the weather, but her mood was splendid. Tired but splendid.

"What did you want to show me?" she chirped like a red sparrow in the snow.

"Ah—uhm," he stuttered, blinking out of his awe of holding her hand again. "It's a surprise."

"Ah, come on!" She laughed, running her palm over her bare arm.

Ok, enough of this. Link let go of her hand and fumbled the Purah Pad from his belt, furiously scrolling the screen for some warmer clothes for her. If he took the risk of clattering teeth during a short paragliding trip, it was one thing, but he would surely not allow Zelda to suffer for another split-second in her life if he could help it. Finally, he came up with the Rito garb, tapped the screen, and turned back to her to drape it over her shoulders.

Abruptly, she stopped, her mouth falling open. She wouldn't argue with him about this, would she? Link bit his lip, mentally preparing to talk her into the warm coat. The woman had stubbornness for a whole millennium.

"Link? What on Hylia's green earth is that?"

Huh? She was well acquainted with Rito clothes, had she lost her memory this time— oh wait, she was looking past him.

Frowning, he turned his head, his eyes resting on her furrowed brows a moment too long. He only liked this look on her face when it came to solving science problems, and this seemed hardly the place for that. She pointed behind him and absently shrugged the coat on. Finally, he detached his gaze from her, turned, and saw what she meant.

In the middle of the plateau rested a pile of wooden slats, nearly two bases high. Ripped curtains stretched over what had formerly been window frames, weapon racks poked randomly out of the stack (one with the light trident still attached), and just barely discernible under all the rubble, Link spotted his, well, their, new bed. The wind tossed lighter household items around in little twisters while remnants of wooden walls creaked under the weight of rooms collapsed on them.

It wasn’t the chilly autumn wind that rushed over his back and expanded over his whole body. What… what had happened here? Unable to process what his eyes saw and to accept the conclusion his mind tried to draw from the images, he rounded the mess in slow motion. Everything was in pieces. Everything! The only intact cubicle seemed to be the paddock, thankfully. Epona and Zelda’s golden horse Apple were unharmed, unbothered by the ruckus even, and they both munched happily away at the flower ring he had bought from Koko to decorate the door.

“Link? What—” Zelda started, her voice tinted with concern, but she was interrupted by a loud crack from the other end of the pile. Link sprinted towards the sound, leaping over cushions meant to make a cozy evening for Zelda in front of the stove and a pair of boots that were entangled with something that looked a lot like a bowstring from a knight’s bow. Once he arrived at the backside of the pile, he stopped, gawking with his mouth open. On top of the mass, Zelda’s new study leaned dangerously to the left, only attached to the remnants of what was once the wall of the blessing’s room by a string of greenish glue. A green string he had seen thousands of times during his quest to beat the Demon King and get Zelda back. Rauru’s hand produced them as soon as Link wanted to attach two things to each other, and they were usually quite sturdy. Now, however, the string was thinning at worrying speed until it was the diameter of a thread.

The room tilted; further, books and papers falling out and tumbling through Akkala’s afternoon wind like its famous red leaves. With a silent ‘pop’, the glue disappeared. Link swirled around and snatched Zelda, who had been gaping at the spectacle, causing them both to stumble out of the hazard zone. Not a second later, the study rushed down and crashed onto the ground, splitting into pieces.

“Link—thank you!” she sputtered, finding her footing again. “But what is this? Is this what you wanted to show me? But why?”

Link gulped for air, blinking at the bouquet of silent princesses and sundelions he had prepared for her yesterday with the stubborn hope she would somehow return to her human form. The flowers were scattered all over the mountain of wood and personal belongings, stems broken and blooms crushed.

A single cup from somewhere on the right where the kitchen had once been detached itself from the rubbish and rolled to their feet.

Link kicked the cup back into the mess as if it was the head of a stalkoblin and muttered gravely, "That was my dream home."

Somewhere along the way, he had decided he would simply ignore the facts about Zelda’s irreversible transformation into a dragon and concentrate on the 'dream' aspect of the project and build a family home for them.

Goddess above, he had burned so much money! He had dealt with not-upgraded armor and elixirs instead of proper equipment to have the spare money for the new kitchen or the large bed. And now…

He shouldn't be upset about this, not when Zelda, the true Zelda and not a puppet or a light dragon or whatever form fate could come up with, was back at his side, and still, he couldn't help the wave of frustration that crushed over him at the sight of dirt-stained towels and broken shelves. Who would have thought that the house was only held together by a thread of— wait. Wait!

"Grante!!!" Link yelled in the general direction of the little sales booth at the corner of his property. Zelda was startled at his sudden loudness, but Link had had enough of this.

The man in question rushed to his side; a customer service smile spreading on his lips. Link had to restrain himself from slapping it off his face. "Explain."

Grante wrung his hands in front of him, smile unwavering. "First and foremost, it's Grante-son. And secondly, it looks like you had a little…ah… adhesion issue here. Sorry to hear that." His face lit up even more, genuine this time. "Hudson Construction will help you clean up the rubble for the small fee of—"

"Grante -son!" Link's hands twitched from suppressing the urge to shake him by the shoulders. One, two, three, he counted in his head to get a grip on himself. He would not embarrass himself in front of Zelda. "I purchased a dream home from Hudson Construction. Not a pile of wood. I have no idea how, but you'll fix this."

"I'm deeply sorry, but unfortunately, I have to inform you that we don't offer insurance together with our products, so I fear there's nothing I can do for you. We sold you a building ground and the cubicles. The rest was your own responsibility."

Link took several deep breaths, forcing himself to smile at Zelda, who had walked off a few steps to greet her horse. She probably was still getting used to the fact that she could wander around Hyrule on her own two legs again and had no patience for… whatever this was. "I don't know what you don't understand about this! Hudson Construction, well, you personally approved the stability of the building, and now look at it! Goddess above." Link pushed his hand into his bangs, a habit that had come to him on his adventure while wearing his hair down. "Seriously, I don't know what I expected from a company that keeps someone occupied who can't even put up a sign."

"I don't know what or who you are referring to." Granteson frowned and picked a wooden slat up, turning it back and forth. With a shrug, he tossed it back onto the pile of trash l. "I did approve it. It seemed to work fine with the weird hand thing you had going on.”

Weird hand thing…? Right. Now that he said it, Link couldn’t recall that anyone ever affixed the cubicles that were the rooms, and since it worked just fine, he hadn’t insisted on it either. They must have been held together by the power-turned-glue of Rauru’s hand, and now that he had lost that ability, everything had come undone. Okay, so that was on him. Kind of. But they were a construction company! They didn’t glue the school in Hateno together, did they?

Granteson cleared his throat, correctly sensing the next accusation on Link’s face. “Maybe just try to put it back together? With your magic hand thingy?"

"Try… to… put it back together?" Link raised his marred arm and stared at the leathery skin on his stiff hand. "I don't think that still works…" Not one to give up easily, he flicked his wrist. The arm was a shadow of what it once was, but it was not completely immobile. It would be useless for swordplay, but maybe Rauru had a last, invisible gift for him…

Yes!

Blue light flashed in front of him, and a gust of wind tugged at his hair. Link grinned. Oh, if ascend also still worked, he would have so much fun springing a surprise on Zelda! The look on her face if he popped through the ceiling of her study would be priceless — wait, what?! Why did the earth rumble? Horrified, Link watched the waves of blue radiating from his hand, splitting the ground in front of him like a laser beam. Before he had the quick-wittedness to drop his hand again, the fissure had already reached the pile of wood and was tearing everything apart. Wood cracked and rubble tumbled to the ground until the grand finale was marked by a small explosion that set everything on fire. Not a gift from Rauru, but from the Yiga. How could he forget about the cursed earthquake ability?

Link opened his mouth but didn’t have it in him to curse.

“Eh,” was all that escaped Granteson’s lips when the flames began to eat away at the remnants of Link’s dreamhouse, and frankly, Link had nothing more eloquent to add either. Against his will, a lump formed in his throat, and his bottom lip quivered. This should have been a surprise for Zelda! He had prepared everything from fruitcake and flowers to fresh notebooks! He had put a highlight in every single room for her to discover, and now… everything was gone. Goddess, he was such an idiot. Why didn’t he bring her to Hateno? She would have been happy to rest in their bed on the loft; there had been no rush to… to…

A slim, gentle hand rested on his shoulder, and it took everything in him not to burst into tears immediately at her touch.

“Link,” Zelda said, and when he turned to her, the heat radiating from what was quickly turning into a full-blown bonfire, hit them both. “I understand that you’ve been on your own for so long, so it’s only logical that you’d fall back into old coping mechanisms… But we’ve talked about this. No arson.”

Link blinked at her. “That’s not— I mean, it was an accident. I’d never…” She squeezed his arm with a tenderness that split him in two, just like the earthquake had done with his house. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes to stop the tears from spilling over and stuttered, “Zelda. This was— I built a house. A home, more specifically. It had a kitchen, a little stable, just— everything.” He lifted his hands from his eyes and pointed at the rubble before their feet. “The cubicle that just crashed down was your study. It was on top of everything with a separate staircase so nobody disturbs you, just like you like it— Goddess, sorry.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “This is not how I planned it. You said ‘home’, so my mind just jumped to showing you what I built for us. It was a stupid idea. Let’s go to Hateno; we both need to rest.”

“Link.” Her tone was soft and firm at the same time. Oh, how he had missed the grounding effect the simple call of his name in her voice had on him! “You built a home for us, although you knew I was a dragon and couldn’t return?”

Link smiled and looked boyishly through his lashes at her. Then he shrugged. “You said you wanted kids, and the house in Hateno is too small for more than two people. This is, eh well, this was a family home.”

“Ok, but…”

“Zelda.” He took her hand, and she raised her eyes to his, inviting him to share his thoughts. It would have been nearly romantic if not for Granteson trying to kick household articles out of the cracking fire. “Do you really think I would have given up on getting you back? Ever? I would have forced the Goddesses to give us our happy ending.”

“You’re crazy.”

“That’s what they say.” Link cracked a grin, and Zelda rolled her eyes playfully. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll take care of the mess another day.”

“No, wait.” She detached herself from him, stepping closer to the flames. Bent over by the hip, she inspected what the fire had left behind or hadn’t taken yet. “It takes a lot to make you emotional, so this must be important to you. I can help.”

“Zelda,” Link argued and tried to pull her back. “It’s ok. It’s really not that urgent. We can come back anytime; it’s just stuff that can be replaced.”

“Close your eyes.”

Link frowned at her, but when she shot him a radiant smile, he huffed, defeated, and did what she told him.

Nothing happened at first, but after a while, the heat on his skin slowly dwindled, and he could feel the crisp autumn air again. The cracking of the fire also stopped; instead, he heard clattering and rattling noises, as if someone was moving many lighter things around. Those sounds were followed by heavy clunks of wooden beams clashing against each other. At this, curiosity got the better of him.

“Zelda, what…?” He opened his eyes just in time to see the study that had nearly crushed them move back to the top of the pile. The cubicle was in one piece again.

“Hey!” Zelda laughed at him, hand raised against the pile of clutter that kept moving around in a cloud of dust. “You’re cheating.”

“Maybe,” he said and smiled absently, captured by the golden glow that enveloped her. His eyes were only half on the pieces that slowly came back together; his focus was, as always, on her. Nonetheless, it was a little strange to see parts of the top rooms fly back in the air to form a cubicle once more, ignoring every restraint physics would normally put on them. Piece by piece, wood beam by wood beam, and cushion by cushion, the items darted back to their former place until everything looked like a house again and not like a pile of rubbish.

“Granteson?” Zelda asked sweetly, condoning politely how utterly shamelessly the man was staring at her. “Please go fetch Hudson, will you? I need an expert carpenter to fix the house for good.”

“O-of course, P-princess Z-Zelda,” Granteson stuttered and ran towards Tarrey Town.

Link snorted at his sudden abjection but was too happy to complain that she didn’t get any talk about warranties or fixing fees. With a lazy smile on his lips, he hugged her from behind, put his chin on her shoulder, and watched his — their — house come back together. They had risked everything for the peace that now settled over Hyrule like the morning dew; it only seemed fitting that the place he had built for them would become part of that peace. The glow of her power made Zelda warm, warmer even than the Snowquill armor, and he nestled his face into her short hair. His lips found the stretch of skin that always made her gasp, and he pressed a lingering kiss on it until she giggled.

“Thank you," he breathed.

"Look what you've done now! You're distracting me!" she called, laughing. One of the freshly put back walls rushed down again, but neither of them had the focus to care. Still laughing, she sneaked her free hand around his neck and pulled him in for a proper kiss.

Link heard another wood beam splinter, but it didn't matter. Together, they could fix everything, and now, they finally had all the time to take care of themselves.

Or on Ao3:

#zelink #legend of zelda #zeldaelmo writes #totk #totk spoilers #dream home #zelink week 2023 #by a thread

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devintrinidad · 9 months ago

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15, 16, & 24 for the ask game ♡

Hi, Chloe! Thanks for the asks! :D

15. What’s your favorite season?

I really like winter! The season is so beautiful and it's cold and everyone gets bundled up??? It's so nice! Love it! I'm also partial to how autumn slowly transitions into winter and how winter transitions into spring. Maybe it's because I haven't seen snow in years, but the icy frigidity is comforting.

16. Want any tattoos? What of?

I know I talk a big game about phlebotomy, but I'm really allergic to pain. I don't like it. I'm fine with vaccines and blood draws, but only because it's necessary. Tattoos are pretty, but I don't think I would enjoy the process on myself personally. Plus, I would put so much time and effort in finding a tattoo that holds a lot of meaning to me, but isn't seen as tacky to others, that I'll eventually chicken out and not do it anyway.

Okay, the next one is kinda personal, so I'm putting it under a readmore:

24. When was the last time you cried? Why?

At work.

Okay, full context and the story, here we go:

So, the last time was literally a week or so ago, on a Thursday. I mentioned before that I work with autistic children, but I don't think I mentioned that I don't really have a lot of experience with working with small kids. Yes, I do have a psychology degree, but I didn't think the company that hired me would take me on because I don't really have that much experience to back me up.

Anyway, I'm a behavior technician, which means that my job is to teach kids how to be more independent through discrete trial or incidental teaching. (It's a lot of technical jargon, but think of me as a teacher, but I allow my kids to roam and run free while I incorporate lessons into what they do).

So, on this particular Thursday, I'm with an afternoon session with one of my kids. He's really smart and he's adorable! He can write letters and even words! He's mostly nonverbal, but he'll let you know what he wants by gesturing and using what little vocabulary he has. (He also has a hyperfixation on farms/farm animals... you'll see how that pertains the story later).

That day, I was still getting supervision on my sessions, but sometimes, my boss had to leave to supervise others or to do some paperwork. When he did supervise me, he was always quick to provide feedback or praise, but the feedback hits extra hard because I'm still learning. I know he means well, but I can't deny that I felt a little disheartened, especially when I know that the other behavior techs on my team are so great with our kids.

In my session with this particular kid, we're at a table and he's trying to play with a toy barn. The doors had been taken off (don't ask me why, I think some other kids were rowdy with it) and he was trying to put them back on. He was getting frustrated and I asked him, "Hey, friend, do you need help? I can put them back on for you." And he kinda shoves the doors into my hands and I try to put the barn doors back on.

Thing was: the barn doors weren't cooperating. I mean, the doors were eventually fixed, but I must not have worked fast enough because ten seconds later (doors were still not on the little barn), my kid starts howling.

A note about me: I get really uncomfortable when other people cry. It's not like I dislike the crying, but because I don't know what to do... and I also do get the urge to cry. (It's gotten better over the years, but when I was a little kid, if someone started crying, I would usually start crying too).

I tried telling my kid, "Hey, friend! It's almost fixed! We're gonna have a great time with the farm, right?" And like encouraging him to be patient with a lower tone of voice, but it wasn't working.

There happened to be another behavior tech in the room (not on my team) with her own kid and she tried to help me, but my kid started going ballistic.

He was bawling, practically screaming, and I think there were some other things on the table like books and stuffed animals???? that he swiped them off the table and onto the ground.

Eventually, the other behavior tech left because her kid was probably getting overstimulated by the meltdown and I also fell silent. I just...

I didn't know what to do.

He wasn't responding to my attempts to soothe him, he wasn't responding my attempts to give him markers or toys.

Eventually, my boss came back and he took charge.

Chloe.

This man.

He is so good with kids.

He started with telling the kid that his feelings were valid, that it was all right to cry.

The kid started to calm down, but was still noticeably agitated.

So, noticing that, my boss started singing Old Macdonald and that's when the kid finally calmed down, relaxed, and went back to playing with some toys.

The entire exchange happened in like five minutes and I was stunned.

This man, he just??? Calmed down the kid in the most soothing way possible? Creatively too?

And then, he starts telling me that sometimes we have to adapt to our kids needs, that we have to think things from our perspective. He also told me about deescalation strategies and how to improve in the future.

And it was all great advice!

But!

Here's the thing:

My kid had been having a meltdown for like ten to fifteen minutes before my boss came in and I'm in near tears.

I'm. In. Near. Tears.

Now was not a great time to give me a lesson.

And that's on me. I should have been open and honest that maybe I needed a break, needed some space, all that jazz.

But like, I kept quiet about it, responded to his questions and told him that I understood, but the entire time, I was close to breaking.

(So either I'm really good at concealing how I'm feeling, my boss didn't notice, or my boss did notice and decided not to say anything. Whatever the three... it's not good).

Eventually, my kid wanted to leave for another room and my boss had to go supervise someone else.

So:

I'm in another room, my kid is currently drawing on another table, I'm still reeling from feeling useless and pathetic, and then! Another player arrives.

This lady who comes in told me that she's going to supervise me and give me some more tips since my boss needs to handle another behavior tech. The lady is the clinical director, so she knows a lot about kids and psychology in general.

So, she goes on about different strategies to help me run trials with my kids and how to deal with challenging behaviors.

On any other day, this would be a great learning experience! I like learning ways to improve my methods on delivering treatment!

But! Not today. Not right now when I'm still trying to process my feelings and the fact that my kid still isn't responding/attending/allowing me to build rapport with him.

I try my best to deliver trials with the lady's advice, but he continues ignoring me for the rest of the session.

Chloe.

I was in session with that kid for two hours. The first forty five minutes were kinda fine, the next fifteen was the meltdown, and that final hour was spent in near tears trying to keep everything together and promising myself that I would cry at home.

Eventually, I had to transition my kid to another behavior tech (he was my final session and I could go home... if it weren't for the fact that I was scheduled for like a final meeting where my boss could go over scheduling, my treatment delivery, etc.)

So, I'm still in the middle of not trying to cry when my boss goes, "How is everything?"

And Chloe:

That's when I was started to lose it:

"Not well."

And that's such a short thing to say, right? But I must have said it loud enough for him to hear because my voice was cracking and I was hiding my face so he doesn't see (I'm a firm believer in eye contact and he had been supervising me a while to know that, I think) and he goes:

"Take a break."

And I just run.

Tears are literally escaping my eyes, I'm rushing out of there and into a bathroom and that's when I start literally crying.

Like,

Literally wailing and trying to stifle everything.

For ten long minutes, I was in that bathroom trying to come up with a good reason to go outside and face my boss, because??? I didn't want to be caught dead crying in front of my boss! Who does?

Eventually, I began balling up wads of tissues and drowning them water so I can place them on my eyes. (It helps with redness so it doesn't look like I'm crying). I also, on the off chance that I began crying again, grabbed some more tissues from a nearby toilet paper roll.

And I headed back inside.

And that's when I saw my boss and the clinical director standing together talking.

My anxiety has gotten better over the years, but in that instant, all my worst fears were coming to pass. Were they discussing how badly I handled my final session that day? Were they criticizing me? Were they letting me go? Was I not good enough for them?

When they gestured for me to come meet them, they were smiling and looking supportive, but like??? At that moment, I felt myself breaking even more.

When I approached, the clinical director was like, "Hey, how're you doing?" And her voice was really soft and soothing and I really wanted to believe that she meant well.

And I kinda wanted to play off that I was fine and doing okay because I kinda just waved my balled up fist filled with toilet paper tissues, "Oh, yeah! I'm fine! I even got extra tissues just in case!"

Which.

I don't know.

Is not a normal thing to say?

And I think that's when they understood that I was not. Okay.

Because that's when the clinical director was going to say something, but--

I teared up and started sobbing again.

Full on crying.

Thank goodness kids are loud and behavior techs learn to mind their own business except for when it comes to their own kids hahaha~!

As soon as I began crying, I hid my face in my hands and I felt the lady come and give me a hug.

Cue me crying even harder because I expected the worst, and the worst was technically happening, but the clinical director??? Was so soft??? And warm??? And why is she hugging me???

And I hear them talking to each other and I’m still kind of not in the moment except for trying to keep it together even though I’ve long since lost it and that’s when I hear, “Let’s go into another room, okay?”

And they begin ushering me into a nearby conference room.

(I don’t think anyone was paying attention, but it was still humiliating rushing somewhere unknown while I’ve got my fists bawled up against my eyeballs).

Anyway, I'm apologizing for... I don't know... everything? Like I'm apologizing for crying, for not being good enough, for taking up their time because they shouldn't have to baby me.

And you know what? They didn't baby me at all.

Instead, they really talked to me as a person. They told me that I was doing great, that I was still learning and it was expected that I would make mistakes. They also told me that the clinical director should have been debriefed better because my boss thought that the both of us could handle it and that the situation hadn't impacted me as badly as it really did. In all honesty, it's kinda funny. It was because of miscommunication and misunderstanding, which is ironic because I'm pretty sure everyone in the room majored in psychology at one point lol

Anyway, my head is kinda ducked underneath the table because, again, I'm still crying and I'm not pretty to look at when full on crying. The both of them agree that they'll meet me again tomorrow (it's close to the end of my shift, so I was going to leave) and that they were going to talk about how they were going to make it so that I would be more comfortable in this environment, how to lessen the burden of transition, and what else they could do to help me.

The clinical director had to leave because she had to attend to other matters, but my boss held me back for a couple more minutes.

(Okay, that's more of a hyperbole).

He told me that I could stay in the privacy of the meeting room as long as I wanted so that I could gather myself and calm down.

He told me that I was doing really well... but that's not the only thing he told.

He told me to have compassion for myself, that I'm at where I need to be, and that if he wanted to fire me or found fault in my work/attitude, we would be having a wildly different conversation.

Yesterday, I told you that what happened made me into a better person. I think that was an exaggeration. I'm not a better person.

Yet.

I don't know, the words he told me and how he told it, with so much compassion and empathy. He was calm and he didn't talk me down. He let me cry and ask him questions.

I aspire to be as empathetic, to always see the humanity in others. I want to be the person others can look to when it comes to trust and opening up their vulnerabilities.

He also told me that it took years of working with kids and I had just started. Of course I wasn't going to be the best at it, there is a learning curve and I was doing my best. And that's a good thing.

Afterwards, I finally left and went home.

I kinda cried a little before work started the next day, but I think I got better and began working towards trying to embody not only an improved behavior technician, but also a better person.

So yeah.

tldr; A patient under my care had a meltdown, I had a meltdown, and my boss and another boss saw it and talked me through it.

Thank you so much for the questions, Chloe! I know this took longer than it should have, but the experience hit me really hard. I hadn't cried that hard since my meltdown back in June so yeah.

I hope you have a wonderful night and that your grandmother had an even better birthday! :D

#ask #ask game #hystericfae #hystericfae ask #might as well ask you a question #have you ever cried in a situation like this? maybe not in front of your boss #but definitely in front of people you would never imagine being vulnerable in front of #devintrinidad #answered #personal

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wilted-woods · 2 years ago

Text

Just some drawings of my Narrators and some facts/headcanons uvu

I'll be making more soon because these are fun to do! ^-^

Lovebug! Narrator:

Likes cutesy things (ex; Sanrio plushies, collectables)

Human name: Valentino

Hates anything horror related (ex; gore, jumpscares, sudden loud noises)

Hates loud noises (sensory overload)

Prefers calm love songs instead of the new generations' love songs (for specific reasons asides from most of them being obnoxiously loud)

Loves music boxes (helps him fall asleep when his Stanley isn't around)

Does tolerate some of the new generations' music (His Stanley introduced him to some with bass that can help stimulate his brain whenever he's overwhelmed)

Loves romance movies

Almost anything related to REAL love and romance

Can be a HUGE baby sometimes

Loves sweet and savory foods (not overly sweet and savory or he'll have an outburst)

Not a big fan of candy but would eat a Twix if he wanted as he does tolerate chocolate

He likes to show Lovebug! Stanley his new swimsuit during warm weathers and wearing matching sweaters during cold weathers

Favorite season: Winter (because hot coco be hittin' different in his opinion also because he gets to be with his Stanley)

Original! Narrator:

Loves historical documentaries and movies

Human name: Woodhaven

WILL lecture about any topic of his interest when given the chance (ex; The History of Chernobyl)

Rarely sleeps

Likes to read and write poetry

His favorite poet so far is Edgar Allan Poe (his favorite works are "Annabel Lee", "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven")

He rarely sketches anything

He prefers classical music but would attempt to listen to some of Stanley's suggestions (so far he tolerates Deaftones and Nirvana)

He mostly listens to Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and a couple of other composers

Loves historical paintings

He likes mostly savory foods

Enjoys a nice cup of tea in the morning and before bed

Tries to understand modern slang terms but miserably fails as he can't get himself to understand a majority of them so he always tend to ask Stanley for some clarifications (ex; "Stanley, what do they mean by 'Side-eye, bombastic side-eye and criminal offensive side-eye'?? Why are bombs and criminal offenses involved?? How does that relate to the conversation?? What is the purpose of that???")

Stanley would sometimes mock the "Toodle-pip" since it was so unexpected but did find it somewhat cute-

He prefers "The Happy Room" that's located at the Zending to relieve overwhelming emotions

Stanley's presence makes him feel better sometimes, he just won't admit it

He can get upset pretty quick

Prefers calm and cool weather

Favorite season: Fall/Autumn

Hanahakai! Narrator (also the one who was in the chain lmao and his Stanley is still trying to find him because this is the longest he hasn't been able to find him- he never meant any harm lmao):

A complete softy

Has an unknown memory disorder

Human name: Willow

Sometimes forgets who his Stanley is

Forgets the simplest things (ex; his tie)

Ends up in strange places and situations (ex; he got stuck in a tree and has no clue on how he got up there)

Loves watching the sunset

Loves stargazing

He's an oldies type of guy

His usual favorite songs are "It's A Long Way To Tipperary" by John McCormack and "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn

Sleeps a lot (even to the point where it's unhealthy and his Stanley has to try and keep him awake)

His Stanley has to keep a very close eye on him or at least keep an ear out (metaphorically)

His Stanley is basically like a caregiver

Wonders off a lot (hence how he ends up in said situations)

Prefers calm and breezy weather

Makes desserts from naturally grown ingredients and has only one (1) Cow and one (1) Goat for dairy

Favorite season: Spring and warm breezy Summers

I also added a good amount so it wouldn't be so empty and I'm already invested with these ideas of mine-

#tsp #tsp narrator #tspud #tspud narrator #the stanley parable #the stanley parable ultra delux #my aus #lovebug narrator #tsp lovebug au #my headcanons

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riversimmone · 1 year ago

Text

Dragonfly

RiverOfTheSand

Summary:

NejiSaku one-shot. She was lost in memories and did not notice the pearl eyes that were watching her so intently. He was all she was thinking about, and he knew it.

Notes:

Cross-posting from fanfiction.net. Rated T. I hope you all enjoy. :)

She ran the back of her hand over the plush rug, enjoying the soft texture as it pleasured her skin. The room was bathed only in moonlight and in the reverie of her trance, Sakura Haruno had taken in every detail, no matter how the refracted light seemed to highlight every object in the room with a faint glow. Every crevasse and every item within the boundary of the room was subject to her intense scrutiny. She felt like she could sit in here forever, taking in the scent that pervaded her senses and the feel of Neji Hyuuga that lingered even when he wasn't in the room.

The stoic ANBU captain was so icy at first glance, but between missions and their occasional conversations, she'd been graced with the sensual version of the man, that would occasionally draw out the vowels when whispering her name into her ear. He would deliberately stand near her when the rest of the members of the leaf twelve were occupied in one of their bimonthly reunions. These little "get togethers" had technically started before Sasuke Uchiha had left the hidden leaf, but hadn't really taken off until his release from Konoha prison. Now it was tradition, and Sakura had yet to miss one, but not everyone would be there each time, which was understandable – missions didn't stop after all.

The rest of Konoha seemed to gossip about the leaf twelve a lot, according to Ino. They had been through so much together, clung to each other for solace during the war and come out of there without losing a single person. It had started with the problems surrounding Team Seven, and extended to the rookie nine, and then each team's Sensei had joined in… the number increased when Sai and Yamato were dragged into it. Finally, the coup d'état was Sasuke's return.

But it wouldn't be honest to say they'd come out complete; every time they met, they honoured Asuma Sarutobi.

The loss and stress aside, it was like some sort of fairytale, where some of them were even pairing off. Case in point: Sakura and Neji. They weren't shouting it to the high heavens, but everyone knew where they went when they disappeared in the middle of their outings. Everyone knew they were spending the majority of their downtime together and that after Naruto's proposal of marriage to the normally shy Hinata (she'd gone thoroughly verbal and hugged him so enthusiastically you'd have thought Naruto was proposing to a transformed clone of himself), it was only a matter of time before Neji popped the question as well.

But what no-one but Sakura and Neji knew was how they had found their way to each other.

– Dragonfly –

It was late into summer and the soft breeze of autumn was just beginning to drift through the Hyuuga complex. This was when he'd recovered from his infirmity enough so that his life was no longer in any danger. Now, he could move around unassisted and was even smiling again.

His name was Tonbo, the meaning of which wasn't lost on Sakura: it meant "dragonfly". This was a name that symbolized courage, and he certainly had a lot of that. Sakura had been his personal medic for six months after his recovery; struck down with an illness that had completely consumed his chakra in a matter of hours, the four year old boy had survived through sheer force of will. The former apprentice to the Godaime believed, that apart from her own tendency to cure otherwise inexplicable illnesses, that the speedy recovery of Tonbo Hyuuga under her care was more of his own doing.

But he'd been left blind in the wake of his physical maladies; the illness scorched the veins of his Byakugan and rendering all forms of sight useless. This was the defining point of his segregation from what passed as a normal life in the Hyuuga clan.

After all, if he couldn't use his Byakugan, this weakness would serve no future purpose to the clan.

The servants would bring him food and water and watch curiously from afar, but Sakura was alone in caring for him. His mother and father had died and his legal guardian had left him to his own devices. This was how the members of the side branch were treated when deemed weak. If Tonbo had been of the main branch, this kind of neglect wouldn't have happened.

Sakura's furious pleas to Hiashi Hyuuga had not gone unanswered: he searched out Neji as soon as the ANBU captain returned from his mission only to find that the prodigy had already heard about what had happened and found his nephew kneeling by Sakura's side, aiding in the little branch boy's physical therapy.

It was Neji's insistence that gave Sakura much needed time to sleep and rebuild her chakra after each healing session, and it was his trademark Hyuuga stubbornness that made her comfortable leaving Tonbo in his care as she slept. It wasn't like he didn't understand after all – his own childhood had been difficult due to being a branch member. But unlike the others, he was determined to do something about it. Sitting back and just accepting things wasn't going to change what needed changing.

Naruto had taught him this. But it was Sakura's lessons that would always remain at the forefront of his mind. She taught him that you didn't have to hide behind propriety. This lesson was learned sweetly as she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek one afternoon after Tonbo had fallen asleep, exhausted from his new training. It blossomed into a few minutes of heaven and once they'd come down from their high, they realised that the little brown haired boy under their care had just pretended to fall asleep, grinning happily as though he had known what they were doing, sight or no sight.

So that was when Neji had decided to play a little game with him. It was tradition in the Hyuuga clan: he was going to teach him how to catch dragonflies. Tonbo couldn't see them, but they'd been helping him through meditation and katas to extend his other senses and hear the fluttering of their wings as they hummed in the evening air. Tonbo could also sense them; a little like the Byakugan, he caught them as imperceptible shades of light blue in a sea of darkness.

Sakura found herself watching the game with interest, noting also that Neji and Tonbo had garnered attention from nearby, curious Hyuuga members. She watched as they tied hair to a small pebble at both ends and Neji's arms went around the excited boy to move with the motion as he threw the pebble into the air. The light from the tiki torches caught the spectacle of the dragonfly that mistook the pebble for prey, getting tangled in the hair.

Tonbo ran over to free the dragonfly as the pink haired medic let out a longing sigh, wishing she was good enough to capture this mood in a painting like Sai would've been. The sound drew pearl eyes to her form; Neji let a flicker of amusement cross his features at the sight of her enjoying herself and she smiled back at him.

That was the exact moment that Sakura had fallen in love with Neji Hyuuga… and he knew it.

– Dragonfly –

From then on, he would come to her upon every return from his missions. Instead of returning to his personal chambers in the Hyuuga estate, Neji slipped into Sakura's apartment and shared with her the love they had both found. They'd been dating for over a year now, but only those closest to them knew without having to be told.

As Sakura let the memory of that fateful drift away, Neji entered his bedroom, having watched her throughout the entire reverie which had been her trip down memory lane, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. She was so beautiful, this precious gem: his cherry blossom. The moonlight streaming into his room only highlighted the delicate features of the woman he'd fallen in love with.

The ANBU captain knelt down in front of her, smirking lightly at the forming grin on her face, cupped her face in his hands, and silently pulled her toward him; into his kisses, his embrace. There was no way, after that day in the Hyuuga gardens that he was going to ever let this rare beauty slip between his fingers. Their kiss intensified and she let him gently push her back onto the plush rug she'd been absentmindedly admiring, his hands now moving to rob her of the simple yet elegant silver nightdress she was wearing.

She lifted her left hand to his face as he disrobed and leant further into her. In the corner of her eye, she hazily spotted in her growing lust, the object on her finger – the cause of their new temporary sleeping arrangement.

It was a pink diamond engagement ring, the pinnacle of which opened up like a flower bud, revealing the delicately carved image of a dragonfly within.

X X X

#nejisaku #neji x sakura #fanfiction #my ao3 #All images are not mine

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umihoshi · 1 year ago

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Autumn anime 2023 is so STACKED, it's illigal!

Aside from the obviously amazing continuing shows, there's TOO MANY great new ones.

Based on first episodes, here's my top ranking (may be subject to change cuz Apothecary Diaries isn't out yet. And excluding SpyxFamily, dr. Stone and Tokyo Revengers which are all *chef's kiss*)

1. Kamonohashi Ron: Deranged Detective

you had me at Detective. and then you had me at Deranged. Also, I'm a big fan of Amano Akira's other works, Reborn and eldLIVE (Psycho-Pass not so much, but she only did the character art) Depressed adult who is too curious for his own good, what's not to love?

2. Undead Unluck

I saw the manga before and had been really anticipating the anime. They're such a fun duo and their personalities and abilities compliment one another really well. looks like there'll be a lot of cool unusual superpowers. Reminds me a lot of Blood Lad, just hoping this anime won't end with virtually nothing solved T~T;

3. Kingdom of Ruin

Bit on the over the top side with the amount of tragedy, but the worldbuilding seems very interesting. I'm a slut for witch hunting too. May end up severely traumatized if I continue, but we'll see how it goes.

4. My New Boss Is Goofy

My soul is healed, my crops are growing. Grown men doing stilly stuff is comfort food for the eyes. Looks a bit yaoi baiting, but can't complain if it's cute. Reminds me of Cool Douji Danshi.

5. Migi & Dali

I don't even know what's going on at this point, it's so surreal. Elder couple wants to adopt one child and genius twins thought 'we can work with that'. The silly love children of Johan Liebert and Sakamoto desu ga. (same author as Sakamoto too. it sure shows.)

6. Crash course on Naughtiness

Last season, I was confronted with the pet-peeve of feeble waifu syndrome (I finished My Happy Marriage, but I'm sorry, I could not stand that girl...) And this season around, I realized the formula that breaks the curse of feeble waifus: a batshit crazy counterpart. This man is just bullying her with kindness. plus points for another excelent job done by Sugita Tomokazu.

7. Frieren

As a big fan of DnD, I can't say no to such a DnD-based series. Plus the pressure of having to live such a long live as elves do is very interesting. It's a bit slow to my liking, but the characters are amusing and layered.

8. Yuzuki family's 4 sons

a young man who has to take care of his 3 little brothers after his parents died, give me some napkins Q-Q not a single person looks or acts their age (the youngest has better vocabulary than I do;;) but it's all fun and sweet and trying to find your way in an unusual family-hirarchy

9. I'm in love with the villainess

My eyes hurt from looking at this. But the over the top artstyle works quite well with how silly the story is. I too would like to say 'step on me, mommy' to my favorite villain. Just hope it won't become repetitive in its jokes.

10. Tearmoon Empire

Wow, will you look at that. Another reincarnated villainess. Luckily, this one has no memories of living in a different world or something. Just her future self's diary. Enjoying the concept where she's not suddenly a saintly good girl for a change.

11. Oujo to Banken

This dude is on THIN fucking ice. I commonly enjoy age gaps very much. but in no way what so ever, would I support a relationship between a teenager and the 10 year older guy who basically raised her. Him being her parent figure is where I draw the line. That said, I'm eating up the amount of over-protectiveness and yakuza-logics. It has the amount of spice I had hoped to find in Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting that wasn't there.

12. Ragna Crimson

I'm sorry. just...... you can't make me believe that the ditsy loli-girl is the best dragon killer in the world. stop. The maincharacter is quite interesting, though. I like how it's like... his actual own power that he has for his OP special snowflake thing. Borrowing tomorrow's energy for today.....that's the description of a burn out I read the other day;;; But you do you, boy. good luck dying very early in life.

#you can see I gave up on writing reviews somewhere halfway

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dumbass-tumbler-cryptid · 1 year ago

Note

I'm totally looking forward to the new chapters. Can you give us some snippet? (I feel like a beggar asking this 💀)

Lol don't feel like a beggar. I'm getting super eager to share the story already even though I'm not close to being done. I think that's why I posted two snippets completely unprompted this week.

I'll do you one better. I'll give you two snippets. In scenario one I actually have a lot of build up before the Quaritch family vacation even takes place detailing Spiders attempts to escape through the years. I tell the whole attempt from Spiders perspective and then go back and retell that whole event from Quaritch's perspective (and I'm low key worried that'll get tedious to read but I spent to much time writing it to edit it down)

So here's a taste of that

***************************************************************

Miles jolted awake, the happiness he’d felt in his dream, instantly being replaced by sinking dread. The nightmares had started shortly after his two year anniversary in the cabin, increasing in frequency as the days went by. He only classified these dreams as nightmares because of the anxiety they spiked in his waking life. If Pa knew that he was reminiscing about the old days…..

Things had been so good between them too. Miles could almost pretend like they were a regular father and son, spending their summer on a camping trip, hunting in the woods, fishing, having bonfires, and sleeping under the stars when the weather allowed for it. It had all been so normal. So easy. Of course his treacherous brain would have to mess that all up.

The following morning Miles attempted to eat breakfast, his chin propped on his elbow, holding up his head as he struggled to stay awake. Pa’s calased hand reached out from behind him, carding through his hair, giving him affectionate scratches behind his ear. “You haven’t been sleeping well lately have you?” Miles simply nodded his head. “Something on your mind?” The question made his heart skip a beat but he forced it down, shaking his head no. “Is your room too stuffy then? We can sleep outside tonight if you want. You always like that.”

“I’m fine Pa.” his voice came out low, heavy with fatigue.

“Mmhm.” The man didn’t buy it, but didn’t continue pushing the subject. “Take a nap after you eat. Your school work and chores aren’t goin’ anywhere.” Neither am I, he thought bitterly. “Thanks Pa. I’ll do that.”

********************************************************************

It was peak autumn when Miles Sr first noticed the vivid dreams his son would have. The boy talked in his sleep, smiling from ear to ear, mumbling their names. The names of that damn Sully family. He couldn’t understand why his boy seemed so hung up on them. From everything he had seen, from all the memories he heard play out in Junior’s sleep, the Sully’s hadn’t been that special. His boy had had fun, sure. The Sully’s hadn’t been very strict with him, allowing Junior to do almost anything he wanted. Any teenager would enjoy that. That wasn’t love though. Love is protecting the ones you care for, keeping them safe, taking care of them. He did that. So how could his son still miss them so much?

During waking hours Miles Sr watched his son like a hawk. Miles Jr looked so tired and sad, growing more despondent by the day. The father noted how his boy was eating less. How he was tired all day no matter how early his father sent him to bed. Junior wouldn’t even skateboard, or draw. He just seemed so weighted by his own misery. Miles Sr needed to help him snap out of it.

It was another lethargic morning after another sleepless night. Junior sat at the table, fork in one hand, his head held up by the other, falling asleep into his bacon and eggs. The father couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. A thin line of drool was escaping his boy’s mouth. His hair was starting to get on the long side again, wildly sticking out around his head like the soft hide of a lamb. His boy would have cringed to know how cute he looked in that moment, but Miles Sr couldn’t help but appreciate his own work.

He reached out his hand and began to pet Junior’s hair, feeling his curls slip and twist around his fingers. The sleepy boy leaned into the touch, getting comforting scratches behind the ear in response. Junior deeply sighed out his nose, seemingly content. “You haven’t been sleeping well lately have you?” Miles Sr asked. Junior simply nodded. “Something on your mind?” He knew the answer was yes and hoped his boy would just admit it. Instead Junior slightly hesitated before shaking his head no. So disappointing. “Is your room too stuffy then? We can sleep outside tonight if you want. You always like that.”

“I’m fine Pa.” Liar.

Junior looked so incredibly tired that if he didn’t get some sleep soon he might just collapse from exhaustion. Hopefully with some rest, his son would start thinking clearly and just admit he had a problem. “Take a nap after you eat. Your school work and chores aren’t goin’ anywhere.” His son sighed again, seeming so defeated.“Thanks Pa. I’ll do that.”

#cabin in the woods #miles spider socorro #spider socorro #miles quaritch #colonel miles quaritch

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werdlewrites · 2 years ago

Text

Season of The Witch (Steve Harrington x OC?)

Chapter Eight: Evil

masterlist-about-patreon-ao3

UPDATED 7/21/24

Summary: Wherever Will had gone, it was somewhere she could not feel. Somewhere where Evil lived. Warnings: Lil sad? Word count: 3,025 Do not repost without credit or permission.

“Marco,” the voice calls out into the great distance, dancing through the scattered trees filled with greenery—life itself. Breathing in the unseen death that polluted the air, only to give back for the world to continue. She could feel that forward momentum with every breath, warm and soothing as lazy steps pushed deeper into the woods, moving cautiously through the maze laid out before her. In the mess of it all, a structure made from thick branches, fabric, and duct tape. The sign, barely visible from the distance, read, “Castle Byers,” the makeshift door beneath it fluttering gently as a gust of wind swept by.

She calls out again, much closer now. There’s still no response, but she presses on, shuffling through the wild foliage and twigs until she stands at the entrance, hands on hips, with the expectation that the boy inside would almost stumble out to greet her. But nothing came. The visitor takes it upon herself to make the first move, pushing the curtain aside to immediately take in the surprised look of a small child with wide, doe-eyed eyes staring up at her.

“I said, ‘Marco,’” she expressed in an annoyed tone, though it was teasing and the smile was proof of it.

“I didn’t hear you,” he chuckles, looking rather bashful and squirming in his spot inside the hut, shielding away the artwork he seemed to be so focused on. “What are you doing out here?”

“Well,” the girl starts with a smile, taking a seat just across from him and allowing her eyes to wander through the small room, admiring the few new pieces he’s added on. Most things are handmade with care. His mother is often unable to buy new toys or expensive things for decoration. Not that she would enjoy them being put outside if she could. “Jonathan has t’work tonight, and I guess they called your mom in. She wants me t’watch you.” The boy seems to understand the situation with ease, nodding along before casting his gaze back down to the notebook in his lap, the crayons already moving hastily. But despite seeming to accept it without question, there was a small glimmer of sadness in those hazel eyes. It was hard to miss in a boy as sensitive as Will.

"Y'know, it would make it a whole lot easier on me, your favorite babysitter, if I could babysit you in your house,” Autumn teases, studying his face closely. When he doesn’t budge, she presses forward. “I was thinking movies.” That was when the drawing came to a sudden halt—an easy lure she tossed out, just waiting for the bite. “Maybe order a pizza or two-”

“Okay, okay,” he says, a clear smile now shining as he flips the book shut.

The teenager feels an emptiness in her chest that seems to grow into infinity as she takes in the sight before her. She watches with a dull stare, struggling to keep everything at bay as her second family roams through the dead trees, calling out his name. It was a broken record, with aching, distressed voices crying out for no one.

The curtain meant to be a door blows in the cold, winter wind, revealing his sanctuary to now be hollow and filled with despair. There was no smiling boy looking back out at them, making it all seem like some sick prank. Even if it had been, Will was never the type. He kept a list of phone numbers to call for emergencies and always did his best to be where he was needed. It all left a raw, agonizing sensation in her stomach, and what was worse was that she hadn’t attempted to call out his name with hope. She had been here hundreds of times before, and not once has it ever felt quite like this. As she lay her hand against the wooden fortress, she could feel it—the cold, the nothingness. There were no sparks of joy from a child just playing with his friends, being careless, and forgetting to call his mother before running off on another adventure.

Wherever Will had gone, it was somewhere she could not feel.

The atmosphere was different at the Byers home. Dark and heavy. Autumn found it torturous to focus, her gaze wandering over her shoulder every time there was the smallest chill itching up her spine. There was nothing expected when she looked, only this tugging feeling that continued to gnaw at her insides as she attempted to remain stable for the people who needed her. Joyce was frantic as she collected a list of numbers and names of people to call, and she worked through them all rather quickly in the hallway, scratching them off one by one.

Jonathan sat silently in the living room, somber as ever and now in the presence of his mother, trying to be just a little stronger than he was this morning. His friend had taken it upon herself to make them all something to eat. Something as simple as toast, knowing the three of them hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. But, Joyce was in her own world, hardly acknowledging the plate set out for her as she continued to plead with the next person on the line.

“You need t’eat,” Autumn says softly, nudging the dish close to her friend, who was wrapped up in the many art supplies left over from their work, creating flyers with care. The exhaustion in his dead stare was clear; he was struggling to tear away from the paper. Thinking that if he stopped now, he would be giving up on his brother—his responsibility.

“I will,” he says. His tone was equally as gentle as her own, before continuing to write.

“You’ll get tired,” she insists with a gentle sigh, though she does not continue to push him. Jonathan knew she was right, eyes occasionally glancing towards the snack and the way she picked at her food, the pieces never meeting her lips, only scattering across the surface of the plate.

Together, they suffered. Hungry, drained, and filled to the brim with an ache that left them too sick to stomach a single bite of food, no matter how badly their bodies yearned for it. Her eyes were busy scanning as she tore the bread to shreds, looking out at nothing but searching for something. She searched for Will, waiting for him to walk into her sight. She was waiting to find the ugly and heavy presence that weighed her down. Nothing ever comes; the trance is only broken when Joyce slams the phone down with a shout, “Bitch!”

“Mom!” her son immediately jumps in, seeing her frazzled state, running fingers through her hair, and fumbling with the now crumbled paper in her hand. “You have t’stay calm,” he says in a soothing tone, though it does little to help his mother as she merely laughs it off before picking up the phone again. Lonnie is who she mentions. A name Autumn has heard many times before, never paired with good memories or a smile, and it’s the same now. Jonathan’s face is stoic and empty.

His eyes are dancing with the memories of the unforgettable heartaches his father caused. He almost seems lost in his thoughts, his hand unmoving as he recounts it all. It earns him a small nudge to the knee and a warm smile, showing that he wasn’t alone. And for the briefest moment, the gesture is returned, not out of happiness but to show he acknowledges her presence and the support she’s willing to provide, even though she was tearing at the seams of sanity. It isn’t long before those smiles fade away in unison, their attention pulled at the sounds of tires rolling over gravel, crunching it all to dust from the sheer pressure as multiple cars slowly come into view.

Suddenly, the room was filled with stillness. Quiet enough to hear the water running through the pipes, small creaks in the floor from shifted weight, and thundering hearts as the panic heightened. Joyce was the first to meet the officers just beyond the doors, practically throwing herself across the room and down the steps, with her son following close behind, out into the unknown. Autumn takes hesitant, cautious steps, lingering in the doorway, feeling as though she does not belong in this moment as Hopper carries Will’s bicycle up towards the family. An uncovered secret only meant for them, and with his gaze on her, it couldn’t have become more clear that she shouldn’t be there.

“Hey, kid,” he says with a heavy sigh, looking down at his feet as he thinks over his next few words with care. “D’you, uh... I gotta talk with them, y’know?” The words are slow to sink in as the shock seems to hold everything at bay, but as she tries to reply, Joyce gets between the two.

“No, no. She can stay. She’s family, Hop,” she says, almost as a plea with wide, doe eyes, looking all too similar to Will. “She’s taken care of him-” Already, he can sense that her tone is beginning to change. Now sounding frantic and overworked. His hands are held up in an attempt to ease her down as she continues to talk in circles about how hard life has been since the divorce. How she needed the extra help.

“I can wait outside,” Autumn interrupts, seeing Hopper’s failed attempt to ease her down from the high she was rapidly climbing now that his bike had been returned home. Without him. Silently, each officer, along with the Byers, stares in her direction, unsure of what to say to her offer. Do they thank her for the privacy or insist she stay? Though, as Joyce clutched at her chest, her gaze glossy and her brows furrowed, it was clear she wasn’t quite ready to see the girl go, even if it wasn’t far. “It’s fine, really. I’ll be right out here if you need anything.”

Hopper acknowledges her with a nod, using a gentle touch to usher the mother back towards the home, with his partners following close behind, heads hung low in fear of looking her in the eyes. The atmosphere around them seemed uncomfortable, pulsating violently to push her further away without intent.

As they pass by, she swears there is a small, “Thank you,” mumbled from one of the men in the group before they all but vanished behind a closed door, leaving her in the eerie silence, nothing but the wind to keep her company. Inside, she can hear the faintest sound of Joyce, aggravated and muffled within their hidden sanctuary, and finds relief in her tone as Autumn knows that, good or bad, she would rejoice or shake the walls with her sorrow.

Feet wander, as well as her eyes, in the long time spent alone. The gravel beneath her rolled and crunched as she shuffled along the driveway and up to the cars, tired eyes locked in on the child’s bike still propped up. She could almost envision him standing next to it, holding it by his side, and smiling up at her with bliss. There wouldn’t be a care in the world as he talked about his day with his friends. Or the earlier torment from bullies long buried away to not burden her or his family with the trouble they’ve caused.

She wants nothing more than to reach forward to take the bike from him and wheel it up to the porch, walking side by side as they continue to talk. Instead, she must take the short journey alone, an intrusive thought repeating itself over and over, wondering if this would just become their new normal.

Autumn reaches out for the handle, pushing aside the ill feeling that began to eat at her insides as the distance grew shorter. As the rubber met her chilled skin, it was as if a venomous snake had suddenly struck her hand, teeth sinking deep into her skin to drive the poison in. Hot waves of pain moved through her veins, twisting around every muscle like a predator to its prey, seeking a forceful surrender.

The bike had fallen as her hand was pulled back, her wrist held tight in her grip as she stumbled back up against the car, vision fading in and out like headlights passing in the darkest nights. She’s unable to focus, her body colliding with the ground with her form pressed into the dirtied tire, teeth sinking deep into a now-swollen lip until it bruises as the pain slowly disperses, allowing her sight to return, though hazy and dazed.

Jonathan was right; Autumn had gone further than he would ever truly know, and sometimes it was even beyond her comprehension. This was more than reaching out to a soul, connecting across the land of the living and the dead—this was stepping out into unknown territory.

Where evil lived.

Evil.

The word had echoed in her mind since returning home, eyes glancing at everyone she drove past, questioning their lives behind closed doors and if they knew more about Will than any officer in Hawkin’s. It was a sickening thought, meeting their gaze for the briefest of moments and sending the girl into a whirlwind of panic as she could envision any of them as some sort of villain stripped right out of a book.

She would pull off on the side of the road, her grip tightening around the steering wheel as she fought to catch her breath. Tears then streamed freely as the dam shattered to pieces, leaving clothes damp and her face red. She would sit in silence as the sobs settled, eyes sore, staring up at the street lights until they flickered with life, giving signs that the day was inching closer to an end and telling children to return home for dinner. Those same, unnerving thoughts followed her back, unknowingly distancing herself from her father as he casually went about his night without really paying attention to her behavior. He shared his sympathies; a look of genuine sadness settled deep in his eyes, lips pursed together, unknowing what to say next to comfort her. Instead, the two of them sat in silence at the dinner table, plates filled with takeout he had brought home for the two of them. He was too tired, and she was too far gone in her thoughts to contemplate making dinner.

The events, as disturbing as they were, didn’t seem to phase her father as he flipped through a small stack of paperwork at his side, careful not to drop any strips of beef as he ate. While his daughter merely twirled aimlessly at the noodles, clearly starved and yet still unable to bring herself to lift the chopsticks, Autumn felt weakened by the reality of the world, allowing it to weigh her down until it crushed her completely.

She would spare glances toward the dining room window, watching the silhouettes of neighbors, wondering if she had truly known them at all. True strangers with dark secrets. Or even, her father. There was a race of her heart at the possibility of Will’s undoing living under the same roof as her, just down the hall, and eating next to her. But her long history with him leaves her with some doubt and, ultimately, guilt for the thought having crossed her mind.

Filled with shame, the utensils are dropped, and the idea of dinner is given up on, hands folded into her lap as tired eyes look out into the eerie night through the window. “You should be out there,” she says quietly.

Having hardly heard a word from that day, any small sign of life was enough to pull his full attention in, eager to hear her voice. “Hm? What did you say?”

His daughter is slumped forward, visibly drained, and lets out a sigh as she repeats herself, now looking at her father, chewing at the inside of her lip with anxiety. “Y’know, out there,” she gestures towards the window and the darkness beyond it. “You should be looking for him,” the words fall with unease, striking her deeper than she had anticipated and bringing up that same sickness she felt when she first saw the bicycle. Fingers dug deep into jean-clad thighs, pulling at them as she attempted to steady her breathing, fully aware her decline was on display.

“Autumn,” he says with a sigh, his hand reaching out for her to hold, though it remains empty. She is too afraid of releasing her grip, as it may send her into a spiral, moving quickly off the tracks before anyone can gain control. "Practically, the whole town is out there. I don’t know how much help-”

“It’s Will!” She says in a sudden burst, neck aching with tension and fingers sore from their grip. The strength in her voice carried through the home, and the pain in her chest was radiating with such force that his fingers curled back in an attempt to avoid the sting. "It's Will," the girl says again, soft and pleading, her eyes now blurred from the rising sadness. "You would want the entire town looking for me." Her final words fade out, drowning in the ache that claws at her throat.

The pain moves across the table like a tidal wave, crashing into her father and forcing him to turn away in thought. Will could have been one of any of the children in this neighborhood; it could have been his own flesh and blood. He finds himself speechless at that moment, unable to keep those thoughts at bay as he slowly closes the folder on the table, letting out a heavy breath to settle the nerves so suddenly rattled. “Will you, uh... Will you put this in something for me? I’ll go get my coat,”

Relief was quick to push aside the hurt that was tearing at her insides. Fingers, though rigid from their tight grip, are now resting easily against her knees before they eagerly reach for his plate. “Thank you, dad.”

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x original character #stranger things #steve harrington slow burn #steve harrington angst #jonathan byers x reader #jonathan byers x oc #jonathan byers x original character

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manebioniclegali · 1 year ago

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Egotober Day 7: Leaf/Leaves

A/N: This is a continuation of last year's drawing with the same prompt! It's based off of a concept my friend came up with five years ago?! and the rest of us bounced ideas off of that spawned from some emoji mishaps. I hope you enjoy!

Word count: like 1.1k

~~~

The crunching of leaves underfoot is much louder than Cherie expects as she walks along the sidewalk. It seems that more trees got the message that autumn is approaching than usual. It's a nice change of pace, though. She grins to herself and deliberately steps on a large maple leaf with a satisfying CRUNCH. A surprisingly cool breeze brushes past her, encouraging the bounce in her step. Alone as she is out here, it's refreshing: just her and nature.

Well, it is just her and nature until she hears small noises. At first, she thinks it's just a squirrel, same as usual; but it sounds more purposeful, more like…talking?

Her brow wrinkles in confusion. That's not the conclusion she expected to draw, but it does sort of sound like talking, in a very distant sense. Cherie glances around, but the park is as empty as ever. She would think she’s going crazy if it wasn’t for the rustling of leaves at the base of a nearby tree that looks almost like an animal is hiding underneath it. She stops, watching it warily…only to see small figures emerge, between one to two inches tall, dressed in what looks to be blue shirts and tan pants. It’s a group of about fifteen to twenty, all wearing the same clothes and otherwise all looking alike. They look awfully familiar…then one of them looks at her, and it clicks who she’s seeing.

"Ant Jims?!"

Cherie's voice gets so loud and high-pitched at the end that the small Jims can’t help but take notice. “Generous Cherie!” the one in front says as they scuttle over. Cherie meets them part of the way, closing the distance quicker than them. “How honored are we to be in your presence after so long!”

Cherie smiles sheepishly as she squats down. She forgot how the Ant Jims were. “Hello!” she says, normal volume at first; then, remembering that they can't hear her, she repeats herself, pretty much yelling, "HELLO! It is good to see you again! How are you!?"

“We are well! We have had our festival, and it was another grand success, the same as years past! All have become accustomed to the lack of sacrifices. Our children are appreciative.”

Oh, right, the festival. To honor her and her friend for being so kind to the small beings. Which reminds her of something: "Are the sweaters still holding up?"

"Oh, yes! Still as warm as the day you so graciously gifted them to us, as warm as when you repaired the sweaters of our forefathers! We packed them in our jim-cases!” One of the Ant Jims behind the main one points to the tiny suitcase in his hand before she can question what a “jim-case” was. "It is much warmer here, so we took them off!"

"Yes, it certainly is! And Momma Jim will be glad to hear that they are still keeping you all warm." It was the gift of sweaters that enamored the Ant Jims to Cherie to the extreme, worshiping her as a goddess, of all things. "What are you doing all the way here, though? Your home is nowhere near here."

"We're setting out on our own!" The other Jims nod out of sync. "Establishing a new colony! For the good of Jim!"

"Ah yes, for the good of Jim!" She tries not to giggle. They're too cute. “How did you manage to get to travel such a distance? Was there not great danger?”

“Oh, yes, indeed there was. We lost a few great Jims. They will be dearly missed.” A couple of the Jims close their eyes and bow their heads. “But all was worth it for a glimpse of one of the Great Ones!”

“But how did you get here?”

“Oh! Apologies, I hope I did not displease you! We traveled here on the falling leaves, wherever the wind would take us! And walking. Lots of walking.”

“No, you did not displease me! All is well.” The walking makes sense, although she wonders how long it took them to get to her, then. Probably a good long while, with the method they chose.

“Oh, good! The stories were true, you are indeed merciful!”

If it wasn’t for the fact this was normal with them, she’d think they’re laying it on a bit thick. Cherie shuffles to get a bit more comfortable on her haunches. “Where shall you travel now?”

“We do not know, but surely we will know when we arrive! Do you have any suggestions, o wise one?”

Cherie, truthfully, does not. But she does have an idea. “Would you like some help with your journey? I can bring you along with me. I must return to my home soon.”

“Oh, what an honor! Oh, happy day! The goddess is granting us safe passage through this strange land!” One of the Jims whoops with joy, and they all jump around in celebration.

Now Cherie can’t help but giggle, and she almost doesn’t continue her yelling at first. “You may ride in and on my bag. I do not have very many places for you all to cling on to, so this will have to do. Take care not to get squished, and I shall take care not to jostle you all too much.”

“Oh thank you, thank you!”

Cherie moves her bag to in front of her, and the Ant Jims run towards it and jump on; one doesn’t quite make it like the others and has to simply climb from the bottom, looking a little bit embarrassed (probably for not sticking the landing in front of her). “We shall hold another celebration in your name! This day shall forever be remembered!”

You can’t stop an Ant Jim’s mind once it’s made up, in most circumstances, and this is no exception. And who is she to deny such festivities for such small Jims? “Sounds like a delightful time.” Cherie waits until it seems like everyone is settled, most of them with their arms over the sides holding themselves up at the edge, then says “Is everyone ready to go?”

“Yes, Generous Cherie!” is the chorus that makes its way up to her, almost normal volume with all of them speaking at once. Carefully, Cherie lifts up her bag, and while a couple Jims almost fall into the depths of the bag, no one falls out. Her bag is soon over her shoulder, and she sets off.

#the jims #egotober 2023 #egotober #wkm #markiplier #markiplier egos #ant jims #writblr #sab writes

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