#one piece tear jerker

[luxthestrange]

OP Incorrect quotes#27 Sticky notes

Y/n: Our Captain figured out he can put sticky notes on people’s backs

Y/n: He doesn’t know they’re supposed to say stuff like “kick me” so they only have compliments about the person he is sticking on them

Luffy happily puts a sticky note on everyone, Happy Silly guy giggles as he does it with so much secrecy

In order crewmate's compliment notes:

Zoro: COOLEST BEST SWORDMAN, Best friend! , His my buddy, The next greatest swordsman in the world-

Nami: Smart!, Scary but nice!, Best navigator!, her maps are pretty-VERY VERY SMART WITH MONEY

Ussop: WARRIOR OF THE SEA, good storyteller, funny,The best sniper, his girlfriend is nice too-

Sanji: BEST COOK IN THE WORLD, his food is yummy,abit scary but kindest dude, I can't live without his food!, cute eyebrows

Chopper: Cutest Doctor, Little brother, Cuddle buddy!, DEPENDABLE DOCTOR!, I won't eat him!

Robin: Big sis vibes! , SMART #2, She reads me stories, Im happy you're alive!, She shares food with me!

Franky: COOLEST ROBOT!, BIG BRO ENERGY!, SUPER GUY, cola king, our shipwright genius, Pervert

Brook: Cool grandpa, Best musician, I like how you sing!, You're the soul of our ship! , ENCORE ENCORE ENCORE!, He sings the best lullabies

Jimbe: My savior, Fishmen are friends not enemies, Thank you for helping me, Im glad you joined, Knight of the Sea!, MARTIAL ARTS MASTER!

What other compliments do you guys think he give em?

[bottlepiecemuses]

Goodbye Kuma, You Lived A Wonderful Life

Like Vegapunk said, he never caused anyone harm. The only harm that's being done is that he will no longer be with us and be human in a world that has no time for humanity. Goodbye, Kuma and it was wonderful finally see what you were like in life and it will be even sadder to see you not being able to return to what you once were.

[biohazard-inevitable]

Thinking…. So hard about water 7 and enies lobby again, it’s literally my favorite arc but also i just remembered- when Aokiji tried to kill Robin, it was with a hug…. Aokiji was there during the Ohara incident, he saw everything she came from burn to nothing. He knows shes all thats left, he knows how hard it had to be on her, he knows hes the reason she’s still alive

And then later- he admits he did it because he thought she wanted to die and so like- he was doing it out of some fucked up idea of mercy and sympathy and like…. He let her live and he wants it to be gentle if she is to die. To the navy, she’s supposed to die. She’s the last one who knows the secret of Ohara, who knows about the poneglyphs and wants to decipher them. Everything is just- … Man….

Uaaaaaaghhhhh just the entirety of Enies lobby being giving Robin a reason to live… the strawhats give her a reason to live and it is so good god shes just such a GOOD character I adore everything about her

[joeeatsdvds]

vale decem!!!!!

farewell ten lay down your burden we will remember you forever more farewell ten we give you thanks on to eternity you are not alone never trust to the last farewell farewell farewell farewell...

[kiraridertime03]

We need to free the Weasel

A brief discussion about the way that Creature Commandos uses politics in its narratives.

Spoilers for it and everything else James Gun DC up to this point though, below the cut.

Also, it is a busy post, content warnings for discussions of white supremacists and cops, as it is necessary.

With the release of the trailer of James Gunn's Superman film, hype for his grand DC Universe has kicked into high gear, and for good reason. That trailer, no matter the quality of the final film, is a goddamn work of art. A piece of film that understands Superman better over the course of 2 minutes and 20 seconds than Zack Snyder did over the course of 3 overlong movies. That mixed with his solid back catalogue of Superhero films. However, slightly more obscurely, this universe has already started with the animated series Creature Commandos, and especially with the fourth episode, which released hours before Superman's trailer, shows the kind of skill and thought Gunn and co. are putting into this new universe.

At its front, Creature Commandos feels very... blunt, in a lot of ways. It's like The Suicide Squad but with Creatures! It's big and raunchy, being an animated series with blood and swearing and sex and whatnot. And, when it comes with its politics, some of the early villain's mooks are a bunch of weird incels, and one of the main characters constantly advocates for killing Nazis. It is a work that immediately shows its hand, making the type who would decry the wokeness of modern movies and games or whatever. However, with these early examples, it can feel like a bit too much, maybe. I love it, don't get me wrong, I'm the type to really enjoy blunt earnestness. Though, given the more comedic approach that many of these elements take in the early episodes, it can feel a bit like it's only there for the bit.

Where the series really starts to excel, though, is when it starts integrating its flashback segments. As a whole, even outside the point of this post, the flashbacks feel like a wonderful decision. A way of fleshing out our characters while giving each episode a distinct feel, justifying the series as, well, a series rather than just one long movie. However, here, I want to discuss some of its political ideas, and how they integrate. Because, for these, they integrate more thematically, being an undertone to each character's own story.

For the bride, her story is centered around this idea of the objectification of women. I mean, it makes sense. She was literally made to simply be the bride of Frankenstein, an object of his affection. However, as she gained her own independence, the masculine figure who feels he is owed her hand in marriage breaks out into a rage, harming her and the person she actually loves. This story is what gives her the cynical edge she gains in the series proper, giving her an interesting, sympathetic story while using the elements of said story to say something about how many men perceive woman. A strong enough parable that acts as an undercurrent for her character.

Then, we get to G.I. Robot's episode, a real tear-jerker of a thing about a silly robot character, the exact thing to set my brain off in all sorts of ways. Much of this story is designed to set up his tragic past, so that we can feel catharsis once he gets his big moment, then feel the tragedy when he gets brutally murdered. However, it again is saying a lot of complex things. Many have discussed the PTSD angle for GI, which I do see, however, in GI's story specifically, I see the way that the American state treats veterans. Like, think about it. This being who was forged and created for the purpose of making war, goes to war, then once the war is over, they are, best, used for spectacle on live TV (Where they are unable to properly adjust to the tone of peacetime, accusing the audience of being Nazis themselves), studied not to help them, but to make the next generation of soldiers even more efficient at their goal of warcraft, then thrown to the side when they are no longer useful. The man selling GI to the collector literally says he slipped through the cracks. It, again, is a wonderful metaphor that takes advantage of what GI is, and uses it to emphasize these issues in a more literal way. It is a lot easier to show a robot who was programmed in a specific way weird the room out than the rocky adjustments a veteran may have to go through. It then, also, shows the kinds of people who really benefit from this warcraft, those it appeals to. The collector who buys GI turns out to be a part of a White Supremacist group in America, a group of people who gladly use Nazi iconography, identify with it, and gladly push it. Those also happen to be the types who want to buy old war memorabilia. Obviously, not all war collectors are Nazis. But these are people who see this kind of might makes right ideology that America so often employs with its military, and latch onto it. GI, rightfully, finds this appaling, and kills them on sight. It is this wonderful moment from this delightfully twisted series.

However, even that could be seen as a tad blunt. Again, GI is very clear with his words, he doesn't hide much. So, where I see this series going from good to great is with Weasel's flashback segments. This begins when a lawyer, a member of a nonprofit, demands she see Weasel, as she is putting on a case for him. In essence, she states that, at least to her and her organization, he was unjustly prosecuted. To both Rick Flag and us, this seems absurd, as we have a lot of predisposed biases towards Weasel. You see, he is one of the few pre-existing characters in this cast. Weasel was previously seen in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, though only briefly. There, as a member of the Decoy Team, he makes weird, gross noises, they make a joke about him having killed 27 kids, then have him promptly drown before the mission even starts (Though, in the post credit, it turns out he survived, because that's even funnier). Even if you hadn't seen that film (Which you should if you haven't), they reestablish all that in this series in the first few episodes, portraying him as a stupid, vulgar, violent creature who isn't worthy of rights. However, expertly, this is all a front.

In the flashbacks, we learn that Weasel only interacted with about 8 kids, a bunch of students left at an after school program. Contrary to what we had been told, he really just played around with the kids, chasing around a ball. They eventually get inside the school and, while messing with stuff they shouldn't have, start a small fire. However, some antics are afoot. While he is playing around, an old senile man sees this and, rather than asking about what's going on, decides to run back to his home, call the cops about what is a clear, if odd, misunderstanding, then grab his gun to try to take things into his own hands. And, as he does, shakily trying to shoot Weasel, he makes the problem of the small fire worse, shooting a gas canister behind them, turning the small fire into a school-destroying explosion and fire. Then, the cops show up. Many of the kids are already dead, seemingly, but one survived. So, as he pulls her out of the wreckage, what do the cops do? They start shooting. Throughout this whole sequence, the cops do nothing but shoot and get in the way of things. It all culminates in the final shots, where Weasel has dropped the kid after being shot. And, instead of either of them going to get the kid, they both pin Weasel down, try to pull him out. This leaves the young girl to be crushed.

This is a massive tragedy, a game of tragic misudnerstandings that gets kids killed. However, again, it does this by hiding its politics into a genuinely moving character based story to make them more effective. It is a story, in part, about our predisposed biases. I mean, the narrative literally sets this up. Characters around Weasel say things about him without him being able to have a say. Because he's a Weasel. Then, our characters make judgments based on what they believe and what they've heard from secondhand sources over what they actually see. Even when Weasel is his most violent (taking down Circe in episode 3), he does it to protect his teammates, and he doesn't actually kill her. In his backstory, characters make rash decisions based on their misinformed judgments in hopes of "protecting the kids," when all they are actually doing is harming them. They get 8 kids killed all because Weasel is a little freaky.

Then there's the cops themselves. It so masterfully uses showing rather than telling. The most it tells us is of the trail at the start, and again, this is moreso used as setup, playing into our dispositions. However, when it is time to actually depict the injustices, it shuts the fuck up. It doesn't just say that cops are bad with a couple of clear shitheads and moves on. It shows how cops are bad. Their only answer to this situation is violence. They don't actually serve their community, in this instance the children stuck in the fire, their only answer is to start shooting things. Because they have no other answer than state sanctioned violence. And they did this all with an episode about FUCKING WEASEL!

Now, imagine what they can do with Superman. It doesn't even have to be political, like these previous examples. However, to me, this shows that he can do what, to me, some of the best storytellers do. They weave every element of their story together with deliberate choices that strengthen each other. If anything, more than any well edited trailer, it is that that excites me about everything James is working on. Of course, he is doing this with a team, but James is the type to surround himself with smart people who understand these things inside and out. That one David Corenswet quote about the shorts proves that to me in shades. That's what gives me hope about these works. That they will be movies and shows that mean things. Which seems like a low bar, but hey, so many fail at it that it's kind of impressive.

[ageingfangirl2]

Met Your Match! Shanks (OPLA)

Shanks might have met his match when hitting on you in a tavern. You give as good as he takes. Shanks x Reader (female implied)

SHANKS

Another port, another tavern, another night of drinking and good times. The rest of the crew were merry, loud and mingling with the locals while I scanned the tavern for someone to keep me company. I was very confident in my ability to flirt and swoon women into my bed, and most girls in this tavern were already eyeing me up. However, there was one girl who sat alone at the end of the bar drinking and not paying attention to anything around them.

As I approach them they turn to face me and look me up and down, before going back to their drink, 'Not interested, find someone else.'

I sit on the stool next to them and order a beer, 'why would I find someone else when I want you,' I say boldly, puffing out my chest and accepting this challenge.

They laugh, 'someone's confident. I've had a long day, and I'm pretty sure another girl in here would be happy with your attention.'

'What do you do? I'm Shanks by the way,' I ask, genuinely interested, and maybe I could get their name.

They sigh, 'I'm a carpenter, and call me y/n.'

You didn't come across many female carpenters, and now looking closer I could see bits of sawdust on their clothes and they smelt like varnish. I can't keep the smirk off my face.

I clear my throat, 'I wish you were my big toe. Then I could bang you and every piece of furniture.'

y/n turns to face me trying to suppress a laugh, 'Okay Shanks, what's the difference between a G-Spot and a golf ball?'

I take a swig of beer, 'what's the difference?'

'A guy will look for a golf ball,' they answer deadpan.

I throw my head back and howl with laughter, finally someone else with a similar sense of humour, 'You've been sleeping with idiots love. You're cute as U in it, but quickie has U and I together.'

y/n nearly spits out their drink, their eyes twinkling as they take a deep breath, 'what do you call a man who cries when he pleasures himself? A tear-jerker.'

I take note of a few girls around us who were eyeing y/n up with disgust, maybe because they had my attention or maybe because of their dirty mouth. Either way, neither of us cared and continued to trade dirty jokes.

I straighten up, 'how is sex like a thunderstorm?'

y/n rests their chin on their hands smiling up at me, 'You're the pirate, tell me.'

I wink, 'You never know how many inches you'll get and how long it will last.'

Resting their chin on one hand, they reach over with the other and try to shove me crinkling their nose, 'how is playing bridge similar to sex? If you don't have a good partner, you better have a good hand--' they pause, eyes going wide, 'shit! sorry!'

Some stray strands of hair fall onto their face so I lean over and brush them behind their ear, our faces close, y/n blushing as I lick my lips, 'I only need one love. I've got one more for you if you think you can handle it. How is life like a penis?'

y/n gulps, 'How is life like a penis Shanks?'

'It sometimes gets hard when you least expect it,' I whisper.

y/n looks down and bites their lip, 'Why the hell not, meet me in the bathroom.'

I watch y/n get up and head towards the bathroom. I quickly finish my drink and get up to follow them, not caring who saw us and my obvious bulge. It had been a while since a girl had got me hard with words alone.

Y/N

Shanks enters the bathroom, locks the door, and before you can properly compose yourself after whatever the hell happened at the bar, he pushes you against the wall, his lips attaching to your neck quickly finding your sweet spot as if he could read minds.

You moan and tilt your head to give him a better angle, your hands reaching for the hem of his pants, while he does the same to your pants, both of you making quick work of the underwear of the other.

'Fuck me, Shanks,' you beg.

He comes up for air after switching between kissing and biting your neck, eyes dark and hungry as he smirks, 'Let me make you feel good after a long hard day.'

You squeak as he picks you up and you wrap your legs around his waist before he thrusts inside you without warning. It had been a while since your last time so you were tight but your body greedily wanted more despite the pain.

'Faster...' you gasp.

He complies and picks up the pace, 'so tight,' he growls, 'but it's like you were made for me,' he hums.

Not wanting to be heard you cover your mouth with your hand, eyes rolling back as wave after wave of pleasure consumes you. The only sounds are Shanks grunts and skin on skin. You didn't care how needy you looked as it doesn't take long for you to cum.

'Good girl, hold on a little longer,' he pants.

His thrusts become sloppier, and with one last thrust, he cums inside you. He stays inside you as the two of you come down together, and you remove your hand from your mouth.

'Being a carpenter has some advantages, Shanks,' you say playfully, lacing your fingers through his hair.

He raises a single eyebrow, 'tell me.'

You peck his lips, 'I'm good with wood and my hands.'

Shank's eyes light up, mischief the most obvious emotion, 'my ship is wooden. I could put your hands to good use love.'

After cleaning up you leave the bathroom together and it is obvious to everyone in the tavern what the two of you had just done, especially his crew who hoot and holler as Shanks leads you towards them with his arm around your waist and beaming like the cat who'd gotten the cream.

'Boys this is y/n, who wants another round?' he calls out.

Everyone cheers as Shanks sits you down next to a man who has black hair with a sprinkling of grey in it. You didn't expect to end your day screwing a pirate in a bathroom and drinking with his crew.

[sciderman]

Please almighty sci share your comic wisdom. I wanna get back into the deadpool comics but haven't really read any in like 5 years. What are the best runs in your opinion

best runs in the last 5 years? none. don't bother. (i'm seriously serious)

i did sing praise to deadpool / wolverine wwiii, so - that's a good one. tear-jerker. really very good.

if you haven't read all the oldies, they're still fun! way (problematic but introspective) kelly (problematic but endearing) or nicieza (problematic but fucks nasty)

it's really, really difficult for me to say what my favourite deadpool run is because they're all a mixed bag - i pick and choose my favourite bits and pieces. but my favourite book always has been circle chase - my darling peaked so early.

[starry-eyes-love]

Ch 8- A Christmas Story

Main Masterlist     Series Masterlist

My Journey to You Series:  Ch. 8- A Christmas Story (can read as a stand alone or in order with the series).

Pairings | Joel Miller x F!Reader with a lot of Ellie interactions 

Summary | A Christmas Story in January, three wishes granted, and finally the concept of a family once again…and F!Reader and Joel’s teasing hit an all time high between them.

Warnings | 18+, Minors DNI.  Language, slight angst (Joel and reader overthinks stuff again), sexual tension/teasing to the max, panic attack (Joel has one), a ton of fluffy fluff fluff stuff (like a ton), a lot of funny/cute little moments, references to smut (without actual smut though), passionate kissing, terms of endearment (baby, honey, etc.), Ellie calls Joel dad (it needs its own warning), Joel hears Sarah’s voice, Christmas theme stuff, water and snowball fight, Ellie and Joel banter, implied age gap (without any reference to age), Christmas cookies, family and marriage dynamic references, and I don’t want to spoil too much more.  This one is a tear jerker (funny laughter and fluffy stuff wise) but in the best possible way for them. And a ring may be involved (shhh). Ok, not going to spoil it anymore…just read it…oh and an old guy in a fat Santa suit :)   

Word Count:  10.9 K (not sorry really)

Ellie immediately started laughing as Joel struggled with the Santa suit. “Joel, you look funny in a fat suit,” she said, laughing out loud at a pillow peeking through his Santa jacket.  “I haven't heard of no Joel before, I'm Santa.” He said, with a husky voice. “So what happened to Joel? Did ya kill him when you landed your fat ass on top of him with your sleigh…”

Joel had hunted for the perfect Christmas tree. He tried to find one that wasn’t too big or too small, something that would easily fit inside the cabin. After searching for the better part of a day, Joel finally found one that was perfect. You had been sitting by the fire, relaxing after making jerky for food, when you heard Joel through the door say “Hey, can ya help me with this?”

When you opened your eyes and peered through the window you gasped at seeing the tree. “Joel, are you serious? Did you actually get us a Christmas tree?” you said, eyes bright and a huge smile plastered on your face. It had been ages since you had a Christmas tree, let alone a proper Christmas. Christmas was always your favorite holiday and you were absolutely blown away that Joel was making the effort to give you something from your childhood, even though it was long past the holiday season.

After the tree was up, Ellie and you searched the storage totes again and found some old Christmas decorations with lights. There were only a few ornaments in the storage containers, so you improvised. You hung a few spoons, a hunting knife that was broken, a few old holey socks, and a few pieces of paper that had fallen out from old books; all of which were placed on the tree like ornaments. It wasn't the best looking tree, but it meant something to the three of you. It showed that even with survival, there was still a chance of having a family once again.

The following days after you put up the tree you kept to yourself more, getting lost in your own thoughts of the past again. You thought about what time of the year it was, and by your calculations and best estimate, you figured it was sometime in the middle of January. Technically Christmas was in the past, being a December holiday. When you brought this fact up to Joel, he told you to stop worrying. That the whole point of any of this was to give Ellie a taste of Christmas, no matter what time of year or suggested date it was on the calendar. No one kept a calendar anymore, all any of you could do was guess. 

You tried not to worry, but you started overthinking again. You didn't tell anyone, but you silently hoped that Christmas would bring you a family once again. You knew Joel hadn't said that he loved you yet, but you were hoping he'd say it now for Christmas. What you didn't know was that Joel had been saying that he loved you, but just in Spanish, and you didn’t speak Spanish. Joel said ‘te amo’ almost every day to you, which meant that he loved you. He said it in front of Ellie once, and you saw Ellie's eyes go wide. Joel shot her a quick glare to be quiet. When you had asked her why she reacted that way, and if she understood Spanish, she said no. You didn't voice it, but you knew that she was lying. You tried asking Joel again what ‘te amo meant’, but he never answered you. He just walked outside and pretended not to hear you. You were starting to think that maybe your idea of Joel telling you that he loved you was wrong, that actually he was being mean to you once again, but this time in Spanish. You were so lost and confused, overthinking things once again in your head.

In the following days when you heard that the traps needed to be checked and reset, you volunteered to do it. This allowed you to mull things over in your head, without interruption or having to explain why you were being more quiet and keeping to yourself. You were gone for the better part of a day, taking longer than normal to check and reset the traps. You were so lost in thought, bent over and working on the last trap that you never heard Joel approach.

“Ya know, I didn't think watchin’ you attempt to check and rest a trap for the last 20 minutes would be so sexy. But I guess I was wrong.” He said, leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed.

You slowly straightened up and glanced over your shoulder, raising an eyebrow up at him. You didn't want to argue or fight, so you were wary of saying anything. When you looked at Joel, frustration was not what you saw. You saw him look at you like he was a wolf, and that you were his prey. His eyes were dark and pupils blown wide with lust. When you trailed your eyes down his body, you saw a tight prominent bulge in the front. The longer you looked, the more you felt your own heat rise up in your spine, and a deep throb started someplace else inside of you. How can that man stand there and look that damn sexy, you thought to yourself.

Joel stared at you, wondering the same thing. Damn woman. You're making it so fucking hard f’me. I just wanna bend ya over right there and fuck that nice tight lil’ ass of yours. Joel's thoughts were running rampant in his head, he was fighting hard to keep his calm composure and not give in to his animal instincts. After a moment of eye fucking you he said in a husky voice, “Ya wanna bend over for me, nice and slow baby? Let me see that nice tight ass of yours?”

“Yeah, well Miller, you can't touch now can you?” You said, smiling at Joel, trying to push the beast in front of you to give in and devour you. You craved Joel in every possible way. And by the way he was glaring at you, you figured he was thinking the same thing that you were. You wanted him desperately to stop being so noble, to just give in to his animal urges and claim you completely as his. 

With a slight smirk and another slow palm to his crotch Joel said, “well baby, that's why I'm asking ya to bend back over f’me. I wanna see that nice, big-”

“You better not be referring to my ass as being big there old man, or so help me God, that'll be the last time you see it in this position.” You glared at Joel, silently challenging him to continue.

You saw Joel swallow hard, his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down at your statement. Apparently your mouth turned him on. God, why did your smartass attitude sound so incredibly sexy to him right now? You watched Joel place his hands on his hips, slowly taking a few steadying breaths. It was getting harder and harder for him to deny you. This little chase game between the two of you was heating up, and Joel was miserable. You've been teasing the fuck out of him for days, not kissing him or allowing him to touch you sexually. He was about two seconds away from saying screw it and give in to you. He wanted you, desperately. Evidence of this was inside his pants right now, straining hard against his zipper.  Throbbing and pulsing to every fast beat of his heart, reminding him that even in this unforgiving world, that he was still a man that had needs. And his needs were screaming at him to bend you over and claim that perfect little cunt of yours as his. God man, get a fucking grip on yourself.

Joel scolded himself internally, he remembered the discussion the two of you have had recently regarding the act of penetration.  “Joel, do I not turn you on, do you not want sex? Every time I try, you say no. I want to. Please.”  Your thoughts and mouth had overflowed with doubt and anxiety at his relationship with you recently. It wasn't like he didn't want to have sex, God he wanted nothing more than to give in and give you everything. But he was trying to do this right, or so he thought. “Just a little while longer,” he had said to you. But the more he watched you right now, the more he started to question his own logic. 

Joel, being so lost in thought, was surprised when you slowly bent over and ran your hand up the back of your ass. “Mr. Miller, I want you to fuck this so bad.” You had said, looking back at him, pleading with your eyes.

Joel was trying to be a good man for you, a true gentleman. But you almost made him cum right there on the spot with that move. Right now he wanted to throw all caution out of the way and just bury himself deep inside of you, claim you as truly his. With a low growl, and a firm palm to his crotch, Joel looked at you with warning eyes and said, “Darlin', ya can't say shit like that t’me and expect me not to-” Joel had to stop himself before he fully admitted to his weakness. He knew that if he told you that he wanted to fuck you, that you'd touch him. And the moment you'd touch him would be when his last resolve would snap, and he'd give in to you with no restraint.

When you looked back at Joel, he looked completely wrecked. That man is truly like iron steel with his resolve. Holding back and not giving in, you thought.  For a moment you truly were impressed with his ability to say no. But as the intense stare down continued, you knew he was on the verge of breaking and giving you what you wanted. But by how black his pupils looked, you knew he wouldn’t be able to be gentle, and that terrified and excited you all at the same time. You wanted him to give you everything that he had, to not hold back anymore, and to just let himself feel something. “Ya alright?” you said, while walking over to Joel. When he didn't respond, you were concerned. So with a long exhale you said, “Look Joel, I'm sorry, I-”

“No ya ain't. Ya ain't fucking sorry and you know it. Fuck woman, ya need to stop teasing me like this.” He said, pointing down at the front of him. You could see that he was uncomfortable, pants visibly tight around his big length. He was slightly throbbing through his denim jeans as his belt fit nice and snug on his waist. His lips were slightly parted as he slowly licked them, getting them nice and moist.  He ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavy, cock twitching at your staring eyes.  You heard a low growl emit from his chest as he said with a stern voice “quit fucking staring at me like that, and stop your god damn teasing, now.”

When you slowly raised your eyes up to Joel’s face, you saw the wild man, the wolf within him, stare back at you. Joel had that look in his eyes of pure dominance. He wanted you to challenge him, so he could claim you as truly his. Every warning bell was going off in your head from him, and you did the only thing that you knew you could do in this situation.  You pushed him a little more, wanting his resolve to snap hard. “Teasing you? I'm not teasing you Joel.” You said, allowing irritation to lace your voice. Here you were minding your own business, thinking about stuff when he told you that you looked sexy and to bend over, and now giving you fuck me eyes. What the fuck was his problem, he was teasing you, you thought.

Joel didn't say anything, but he continued to look at you breathing hard. He knew you were challenging him, hoping that he’d lash out and teach you a lesson. You two had a lot of sexual tension building up over the past few months. And honestly, you two needed to fuck it out, but here was not the proper time nor place to do it.  So he gently shook his head no, and took three steps back from you, dropping his hands to his sides while whispering “baby, we can’t.” 

You knew that Joel was backing down, retreating from his feelings once again. And this made you frustrated.  This was the whole reason why you were out here in the first place. You needed some time to be away from the tension inside the house, from the constant reminder that Joel didn’t want you sexually the way that you wanted him.  So when you turned back around to go back to the trap, you were surprised to feel Joel grab your arm.  Confusion laced your face when you looked down at his contact with you. His voice, almost in a pained whisper said, “baby please, just wait a sec. Maybe we could, I- uh want to, I want- shit.” He said, shaking his head.

“Joel, what is it?” You were hoping that if he couldn’t do the act that he obviously wanted to do, that maybe he could just at least talk about it with you.

Joel just stared at you, pleading with his eyes for you to understand him.  He wanted to say ‘Baby, I love you and wanna fuck you so bad,’ but he couldn't voice it to you. Joel was scared. He was scared of feeling the things he felt for you in a world that was truly unforgiving. He didn't want to feel the pain of losing you, like he had when he lost Sarah. He also didn't want to be alone anymore. So with a huff he said “looks like ya got it all figured out. Don't- don't take too much more time.” 

When he turned to leave, you reached out and grabbed him by the arm and said, “what, no kiss goodbye?”  You wanted something to hold on to, something that said that all this sexual tension was worth it, that he wanted you. That maybe he actually did love you.  But when you saw Joel looking at you with a stone cold look on his face, one that was also mixed with pain, you heard him whisper “no” as he pulled further away.

“Why? Did I do something wrong? Joel, what did I do so wrong, why don’t you want to-”

“No darlin' you didn't do anything wrong.” He said, stopping and smiling kindly at you. “I just- it ain't a good idea right now is all, ok. We can’t, not here. I need to get back.” And with that he yanked his arm out of your grasp and marched towards the cabin once again. 

You called back to him and said “why? Joel, I don't understand,” but he never stopped. You were left standing there, now more confused than ever, thinking to yourself, what in the hell was that?

Do you want me to fuck you? Is that what you want? Your words kept playing over and over again in Joel's head from the other night as he marched back to the cabin. Do you even want me Joel? He couldn't stop the racing thoughts as they entered his mind. 

When he got back to the cabin, he went inside. Once he was inside he slammed his fist onto the closed door, placing his head against it with his eyes closed. He was breathing hard and fast, heart pounding hard inside his chest. He tried to slow his breathing down when he felt the ache in his chest start again, like it has so many times before. But this time it was a little different, he felt a tightness take over too. His vision started to blur, and his ears began to ring. He was spiraling out of control into a god forsaken panic attack once again. 

Before he was sucked too far down into his fears, he felt someone put their hand on his back and softly whisper, “dad you're gonna be ok. Just breathe. Come on, slow breaths for me.”

“I can't, it's too much.” He said, eyes shut tight as he felt his heart pound hard into his chest.

“No, it's not too much. One long breath in, hold for two seconds, then exhale for three. Come on dad, with me.”

Joel heard the breaths going in and out, and the voice that attempted to calm him.  He thought he was hallucinating, hearing Sarah’s voice once again, but it sounded different from what he usually could hear in his mind.  As he tried to focus on breathing, he struggled. Then he heard the voice say in a soft and gentle manner again, “What scared you?” 

“I don't wanna be alone, but I don't want to feel the pain of losing you again” he said, feeling his heart pound faster in his chest at the admittance of what caused his panic attack to start. 

“You ain't gonna be alone dad, we love you. Now come on, breathe with me and repeat after me ‘I’m safe, I'm calm, I'm loved.’” 

Joel repeated it multiple times, for several minutes, listening to the voice calm him and slow his breathing down.  His heart had returned to normal in his chest, vision no longer cloudy and ears no longer ringing. Finally he took a big breath in and out, steadying himself once again. But before he opened his eyes he heard the voice say, “I love you dad, please never forget it.” And then the soft voice was gone. Joel opened his eyes and looked behind him as he slowly watched Ellie walk towards her bedroom. It was then that he realized the soft voice wasn't Sarah, it was Ellie. And his heart constricted once again, but this time out of love for the teenager he traveled with. “Thanks baby girl” he whispered as Ellie walked away. Ellie never acknowledged it, but she heard him loud and clear.

Once you got back, Joel was already in his room with the door shut. Ellie said that when he returned, he just walked in saying that he wasn't feeling well, and then went to lay down in his bedroom. She never told you that he had a panic attack, and that she helped him calm down. You sat talking with Ellie for a bit, she continued to ask you a million questions about what life was like before during Christmas. Eventually you felt your eyelids grow heavy, so with a smile you said “I'm gonna go and get some sleep Ellie. It’s been a long day.” You were still hurt and sensitive about your earlier discussion with Joel, second guessing his feelings for you once again.

Ellie just nodded at you, not saying anything in return. As you got to the hallway you heard her say “just so ya know, te amo means I love you or love you in Spanish. Joel, he's emotionally constipated and hurting right now. He doesn't want to lose you or I like he did Sarah. So, I don't know, just cut him some slack or something. I want a family for Christmas.”

You just looked at Ellie and nodded your head. When she went back to reading her book you went to your own room, letting Joel have the other room by himself.  You two needed a break, well mostly you did.  You were exhausted and needed to sleep, but didn’t want to lay next to the man who made you ache inside for him when he wouldn’t do anything to help relieve that discomfort. You and Joel used to play around with each other, where he’d use his fingers and mouth to help you get off.  But recently he wouldn’t even do that. Something was different with him, and you didn’t know what caused it or why.  

After you laid down you found that sleep quickly caught up to you. And for once it gave you pleasant dreams. Dreams of a family and a life that you wanted with a foul mouthed teenager named Ellie, and a wise old grump named Joel. Christmas was going to be great this year, or at least it was like that in your dreams.  Little did you know, your dreams would soon become reality.

3 Days Later

“Joel, you can't see for shit beyond ten yards away. You're old and blind” Ellie said, sitting by the fire and talking with Joel.

“What the hell does that even mean, ya little shit? I can see beyond 10 yards, ya smartass, right y/n?”

“Hey, don't bring me into this argument,” you said, laughing at the banter between Joel and Ellie.

“See y/n agrees, you're old as shit Joel.”

“What? How’d you come up with that logic?  She didn’t even say anythin,’” Joel huffed, going back and forth with Ellie.  The banter between these two for the last few days was getting more frequent, which made you laugh harder each time. It wasn’t that these two were fighting. They were just bickering with each other, playful banter really, and something that reminded you of a family.  You remember seeing your uncles do it with their teenage daughters, it reminded you of home. 

“Look here smartass, don't go and spread lies ‘bout me that ain't true. If ya can’t verify it or back it up, then you’re just making stuff up.” Joel was now standing tall and pointing a finger at Ellie. Ellie, relaxed on the floor, was questioning Joel in whether or not he could even see to shoot a bow, as he was struggling to read the book in his hands. He kept squinting, huffing to himself and saying that people needed to stop printing books in such small print.

“Joel, you can’t see the large print book in front of you, when it says ‘large print’ on it. You’re fucking blind ya old man, ain’t that right y/n?” Ellie said with a serious look on her face.

“Ellie, god damnit watch your mouth. Ya hear me? I said no swearin’. And you over there,” Joel said while pointing a finger at you, “stop your damn laughing.” You were rolling around on the floor laughing so hard that your stomach hurt at the calm bickering that Ellie and Joel were both doing. You could barely contain your laughter, trying not to hurt or bruise Joel’s ego at the situation that he swore just as bad (and if not worse) than Ellie did, yet he was yelling at her for swearing.

“Damn it, I can’t read this sentence.  Y/n what the hell does this even say here with this small print.  I tell ya, they don’t make books like they used to.” Joel mumbled to himself, while pointing out the sentence he couldn’t read.

Ellie immediately tried to grab the book, offering to help Joel read it. But Joel quickly batted her hand away, putting the book into your hands.  You glared at Ellie and Joel, trying to decide what you should do.  Ellie was pleading with her eyes for you to crack a joke so she could continue with the easy conversation of teasing Joel.  Joel was looking at you to solve the problem he was having.  After a moment you brought the book up so you could read it, deciding to help Ellie have some more fun, and for you to have a little fun with the old man that was in front of you. You needed to relax too, not every interaction with Joel needed to be so intense.

“Ok Joel, I’ll help you.  What do you want me to read?” you asked innocently, hiding the devilish smirk behind your calm exterior. When Joel pointed out the sentence, mumbling again how books aren’t created like they used to be, having the print too small, you couldn’t help yourself. You took a deep breath and said, “well first off Joel, this book was written back in 1945. But you’re right, they don’t make them like they used to. And you’d know that perfectly wouldn’t you, with your age.” You then went to start to read the sentence and you noticed that Joel froze as he sat down, looking over at Ellie who was sitting upright, not yet laughing or saying anything at the old reference.  You had to hand it to the kid, she patiently waited until your next sentence came out.

“Ok Joel it says, ‘once upon a time, an old man named Joel couldn’t see, so he decided to blame the world for being old. He asked a beautiful, young, and attractive woman to help his poor, old, feeble self by reading something that a blind man could honestly see. So she decided to help, because he was really cute, and in the end, she agreed with the teenager that he was old as fuck. The End.’”

“Gimme that wiseass” he said as you finished.  Ellie was now bent over laughing so hard that she was hyperventilating at how much you were in on teasing Joel too.  “No respect from the younger generation I tell ya, no respect.”  Joel then got up with a groan and sulked towards the bedroom with his book in his hands.  When he got to the hallway he turned around and said “if y'all are through laughin’ at me, I’m gonna go and read in the bedroom and get some sleep.”

“Cause you’re old as shit” Ellie said.

Joel, not realizing what Ellie had said out loud, commented “right, see you in the morning.”  

You and Ellie both roared with laughter at the fact that Joel didn’t realize what he agreed to.  After a moment, he stopped and then hit his head with the palm of his hand, saying, “I didn’t mean that. I’m not agreeing to that.” 

You replied, “see Ellie, apparently he’s old, blind and deaf too.”

“No respect I tell ya, none.” He said loudly upon hearing what you said. Huffing to himself, he marched into the bedroom yelling “and yet y’all need me to survive” as he slammed the door.  

Both Ellie and you continued to laugh in the living room.  After a moment you said “we probably shouldn’t make fun of him so much, he gets a little touchy ya know.”

“I know,” Ellie said, “but it’s so much fun teasing Papa Bear like this. Reminds me of what it’d be like if he was my dad.  Well, I’m gonna go to bed.”  She said, then getting up and leaving for her room.

“Night Ellie,” you said as Ellie walked towards her bedroom.  You sat there in the living room for a little while longer, rubbing your eyes and giggling to yourself at the funny banter that happened. Life was feeling pretty good for a bit. But now with the quiet, you felt your heart constrict and those empty thoughts of being alone came rushing back in. After sitting there in silence you decided to go to bed yourself. Forcing your thoughts to rest in your head at the fact that you were going to be sleeping alone once again.

When morning came, you had decided to bake Christmas cookies in secret. You recruited Ellie to help you keep Joel distracted for the afternoon. Ellie had apologized to Joel in the morning, he had called her a smartass again, but it seemed like he forgave her.  He wouldn’t talk to you really, telling you that you were mean to him and that he doesn’t talk to mean people.  You knew he was just joking as he gave you a wink and a light hip chuck at the statement when he stood next to you in the kitchen.  You’ve never seen this side of Joel, so carefree and fun that it shocked and surprised you, but also turned you on.  You loved carefree Joel, someone that you hoped you would be able to see more of.  Once Ellie was talking Joel's ear off outside, you started to bake your surprise Christmas cookies.

“Hey old man, why haven’t you told her what Te amo means yet?” Ellie asked, leaving out the part that she already told you what it meant. She wanted Joel to say it to you, knowing that you both loved each other very much and she wanted both of you to be happy. 

“Not the right time” was all he said, huffing as he swung the axe to chop firewood. “And stop calling me old” he said with another grunt and swing of the axe.  

“When’s the right time Joel?” She questioned, transfixed at what he was doing.

“Dunno” was his only reply as he swung the axe yet again.

“Joel I-”

“Ellie, this ain’t none of your business what her and I- what we- Look, her and I have-”

“God Joel, you’re forgetting that I’m practically an adult, I know you two have your little love sessions. That’s what I mean, if y’all can fuck, then why can’t you tell her that you love her?”

“Keep your voice down” Joel snapped, approaching Ellie for a moment to grab another piece of firewood. “And for the record, we ain’t fuckin’ yet, so-”

“Why not? Can’t get it up old man, is that the problem?” She joked, smiling at her sarcasm that she just gave him.

He just shook his head at her, not answering her.  Getting it up was not the problem, that part was evident last night when he went to bed. You had given him a lot of sass last night and Joel hated to admit that it was a huge turn on for him. You were strong, could keep up with him and you weren’t afraid to put him in his place. When he walked into his bedroom last night, he was hard as a rock at the fact that you had a sassy mouth.  It only took him a few minutes before he came hard around his fingers, wishing he was buried deep inside of you.  This no sex thing was getting to him, he needed you in more ways than one, and he didn’t think he’d be able to hold off for very much longer. 

“So what’s the reason Joel?” Ellie said, snapping Joel out of his train of thought.

“I just want to do this right” was all he said.

“How do you ‘do it right?’” Ellie asked genuinely, not understanding the complexity of relationships like this yet.

“What’s with all these questions, huh?  Look, her and I, what we- I know what I’m doing, ok? Don’t worry about this, it ain’t your concern.” he said, swinging the axe and chopping another piece of firewood.

Ellie loved teasing Joel, especially about you. You had asked her to go out and keep Joel occupied as you started baking something inside the house. You found an old recipe for Christmas cookies, specifically sugar cookies. You went through the pantry and saw the makings for the cookies and you wanted to do something nice for Joel, considering the tension between you two wasn’t the best at the moment. You didn't know what was the matter, you figured it had everything to do with him remembering his last Christmas with his daughter. That's why you wanted to make this Christmas perfect for him and Ellie too.

“So do you?” Ellie asked Joel as she continued to watch him. 

“What?” He said, breathing hard after he swung the axe yet again, chopping another piece of firewood.

“You heard me. Do. You. Love. Her?” she said, emphasizing each word so Joel could hear her. Ellie was genuinely interested in whether or not Joel actually did love you.

Joel, not wanting to talk about his feelings, started sifting through the log piles, pretending like he was trying to find something. Ellie could tell that he was nervous, not wanting to answer the question. She walked over to Joel and then said “Papa Bear, what's the matter?”

“I do. I do love her it's just that-”

“You're just scared to love that hard again, I get it.” Ellie said, smiling at him at his attempted admission. Every time she's ever tried to get Joel to talk about his feelings he's always blow up either at her or at you for asking. So this little attempted admission made Ellie feel good, knowing that he did in fact love you and that Joel felt comfortable enough to share.

“Yeah somethin’ like that. Now enough of making me talk, what are you gonna give y/n for Christmas?” Joel said, trying to change the subject.  

Ellie had talked Joel's ear off all afternoon. When he got tired she took a turn and chopped firewood for a little bit. You watched through the window at the two of them, seeing how he just fell into the typical dad role. At one moment you saw her jump on his back to try to get him on the ground. He was able to twist around and finally held her down, tickling her. You could see that he loved that sassy foul mouthed teenager as if it was his own Sarah.

You were finally finished baking the sugar cookies, as they were now cooling on the rack, when all of a sudden you heard Ellie yell “hey y/n, can you come out here for a second?”

When you didn't respond right away, as you were grabbing your boots and coat, you heard Joel yell with a booming voice “woman, get your ass out here now.”

You quickly ran outside saying “What? What's the matter?” When all of a sudden you were hit by a flying snowball. You looked around to see where it had come from when you got hit right in the face again with another one. When that happened, you yelled as it had stung and surprised you.

“Oh shit Joel, you hit her in the face” you heard Ellie say.

“Shh not so loud, you'll give away our position” he countered. 

When you looked around eventually you saw Joel and Ellie poke their head out of a little hiding spot. “You shits,” you had said, while forming a snowball yourself and then launching it at them. The next thing you knew, the three of you were having an honest to God snowball fight, like you were all 8 years old again. Quickly though it became girls against the boy, as Joel accidentally hit Ellie in the back of the head and she yelled “What the fuck Joel?”

His response was “well when ya got a big head, and are in the way, what do ya think will happen?” That caused you and Ellie to form a temporary alliance to get even with Joel.

As the three of you were forming strategic positions and developing an art to this snowball fight, you had an idea to really get Joel back. You went into the kitchen and filled a large pot with ice cold water. This will get him good, you thought. Then Ellie got him cornered and you approached him with the water.

“Woman, now put that down now. No use you gettin’ yourself hurt.” He said, trying to get away from you, but Ellie had him backed into a corner. When Joel saw that you weren't backing down he said “so help me God y/n, if ya do that I'll throw your naked ass in the snow later.”

“Hear that Ellie? I believe Joel just gave me a challenge. What do you think, kid?” You said, while approaching Joel. He was quickly glancing around to try to find an exit, when he couldn’t find one he thought intimidation might stop you. 

“Look here, that’s not a challenge little girl. It's a fucking promise. Ya do that I will throw your ass naked in the snow.” When you didn’t back down he quickly shouted, “woman, put it down now or else-” and that's when you did it.  You tossed the water at Joel and drenched the entire front of him.  He immediately yelled saying, “Jesus Christ, that's cold. Ya tryin' to freeze my balls off here or somethin’? What's gotten into you?” He then got grumpy and started walking inside, not wanting to look at anyone anymore. He looked like a wet pup, and boy did it make you and Ellie laugh. 

When Joel entered the cabin he stopped as he smelled a familiar old scent in the air. When you walked in behind him you put your hand on his back and said, “Merry Christmas Joel.” He turned around, and said, “did ya bake Christmas cookies?”

“Of course I did, honey. Sugar cookies only though. It was the only thing I could find the ingredients for.” You said, biting your lip nervously. Ingredients were hard to come by but you managed to find enough for a batch of cookies, and then some left over for bread. Sugar cookies were cooling on the wrack and bread was still baking in the oven. You knew they wouldn't have that fresh taste as you had no idea how old the ingredients were. You couldn't use chicken eggs or butter, so you substituted it for some water and other ingredients like stored coconut oil you found that was still ok. 

Joel stood there sniffing the air, a wide grin plastered onto his face. He may be a man in his 50s, but right now in this moment he looked like a young boy, excited to have baked Christmas goods. “Um, do ya think that maybe I could-” Joel said, shuffling over to where the cookies were cooling, dropping large pools of water everywhere with how wet he was. 

When you looked down you giggled to yourself at how his threat of throwing you into the snow naked hadn’t happened yet, something that you weren’t going to remind him of. “Hey, how ‘bout you go and get outta those wet clothes, then come over and have the first official taste test. Let me know how I did.” You said, nudging him gently towards the bedroom where some warm and dry clothes were.

Joel nodded and quickly shuffled off to change his clothes, leaving large drops of water all the way down the hall. “Is he gone?” Ellie asked, peeking her head around the door while still standing outside, not wanting to get attacked herself with water from Joel. 

“Yeah, he went to go and change quick,” you said, bending over and checking the bread. Seeing that the bread was done, golden brown but flat, you took it out of the oven and shut the oven off. You stood there glancing at it and then pinched the bridge of your nose, muttering to yourself, “well, it didn't rise right. That yeast must be too old.”

“Still smells amazing darlin', I'm not picky” you heard Joel say, standing close behind you. When you turned around to look at him, you saw a flash of something different.  It almost looked like happiness, something you don’t think you’d ever see Joel have. “Well Ellie, ya want your first taste of a Christmas cookie?” Joel asked, then motioned for Ellie to take one and bite into it first. “Well how does it taste?” He said, smiling at the way her eyes lit up, savoring the bite like it was the best thing that she’d ever tasted. 

After a moment she said “um- wow. That's really fucking good.”

“Language Ellie, Jesus Christ” Joel mumbled. “Damn kid needs to watch her mouth.”

You silently laughed because it was like watching a father and daughter interact once again. Soon Joel bit into the cookie himself, and then he moaned at the taste. “For something so old it sure tastes damn good” he mouthed, cookie still half in his mouth. 

“Yeah, I know you taste good,” you said softly so Ellie couldn't hear.

Joel started sputtering and coughing at the statement of you referencing how he tasted and his age. He grumbled to himself saying, “Dammit woman, you're gonna kill me one of these days. Jesus.”

Ellie was still going on about the taste of the cookie and how it compared to other things she's tried, that she didn’t catch the slight sexual innuendo interaction that you and Joel just had. According to her, the stale taste of the cookie ranked high on her list of her favorites.  The three of you enjoyed a total of two cookies each, agreeing that you should keep the rest for later, just in case Santa would come. Ellie, even though being older, was still holding out hope that a big fat guy in a red Santa suit was actually real.  What she didn’t realize was that she was going to see Santa sometime soon. 

A Day Later

Joel decided to go out hunting, to see if he could bring back a true Christmas feast for you and Ellie. Ellie decided to go with him, saying that she wanted to prove that she would do a better job at shooting something, telling Joel that he couldn’t see.  The same argument that started a few days ago about a book continued as they walked off into the woods together. They were gone a long time and when they returned, it was almost dark out. When they returned Ellie came running inside saying that she shot a deer. You congratulated her, saying that you were proud of her for being an expert marksman. When you went out to help Joel dress the deer, you found him laughing silently to himself.

“What's so funny?” You asked as you slowly approached him.

“That kid over there.” He said, kneeling down and craving into the deer while motioning with his head in the direction that Ellie went. You looked down at him and gestured for him to continue with your hands. “She- uh, she never hit the deer. That one couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, so I had to kill it. But I-I made it look like she did it.” He said laughing and shaking his head.

Joel then told you that when Ellie pulled back the bow and shot at the deer, that she missed.  She had immediately shut her eyes, not seeing if she hit the deer but asked Joel if she did. Joel, having already had his bow drawn, saw that she hit a tree stump only 3 feet away. When he realized that she missed he released his arrow and killed the deer, you three did need to eat after all. However, after he killed the deer, he had decided to tell Ellie that she did it, knowing that it'd make her day. “So ya see, I couldn’t not help the little shit” Joel said laughing out loud. “She made this big fuss about it ahead of time, and I couldn't just break her heart in telling her that all she managed to truly kill was the tree.” 

“Aw you're so sweet, you know that” you said, smiling at Joel looking out for Ellie.

“Yeah, I've been told that a few times I reckon” he said while standing up and looking at you with dark hungry eyes. “I’ve been also called old and an asshole too many times too,” he stated with a smirk, then bending down again to continue to slice into the deer.

You didn't know how to respond to his teasing, so you just stood there silent. After a moment you turned to head back into the house when you heard Joel say, “Te amo, baby.” You still didn't know what he was saying in Spanish, if Ellie was true with her statement, it meant that he loved you. So before you entered the house you gently replied back, “Te amo Joel and Merry Christmas.”

When Joel was finished dressing the deer he cooked the venison. As soon as you bit into the cooked venison you let out a low moan in pleasure. The explosion of flavors with fresh meat felt amazing to your taste buds. Joel hummed in contentment and blushed a rosey red in his cheeks at your outward display of gratitude. You told him that it tasted amazing and that he was the best cook ever, even Ellie agreed with you. 

After the food was consumed, and the table was cleared, the three of you sat around the fire. You and Joel taught Ellie Christmas songs and you three all enjoyed feeling like a family for once. When time came to open up the presents, you could see that Ellie was just like a toddler. She was jumping for joy at seeing things under the tree for her that was wrapped up in old rags as wrapping paper with her name on them.  As she opened her presents, she was excited at what she saw.

Joel gave Ellie a warmer winter jacket, one that he found at the other abandoned cabin that was located about five miles West from where the three of you were.  He found the cabin about a month ago, abandoned just like this one was. He had been bringing over more supplies from there periodically. The jacket that he found was too small for you or him, but it fit Ellie perfectly. When she tried it on she was beaming at how comfortable it felt, and how warm it was. 

You had given Ellie a handmade necklace, made out of different rhinestones that you had found in a storage craft box in the cellar. Crafts were something that you always loved to do when you were younger, and something you’d do in the QZ if you could find them. Joel and you also gave Ellie three joke books that you both found. As soon as she saw them she started crying, saying that it was the most perfect Christmas she’s ever had, and yet the biggest surprise wasn't even there yet. 

Joel and Ellie both gave you a Wilderness Cookbook, something that he found in the other cabin also.  He explained to you that the cookbook had recipes of how to cook rabbit, venison, and other things in the wilderness. You were grateful and thanked them both. Joel then whispered quietly in your ear, “I got something private, just for the two of us to indulge in later.” He said, gently squeezing your knee when you looked up at him with hopeful eyes, questioning him silently for what he had planned.  You then saw Joel slowly open his mouth, sticking just the tip of his tongue out, as he moved the tip of his tongue back and forth fast.  Using the same motions that he did when he’d eat you out. You blushed a dark crimson shade of red and quickly adjusted in your seat. Your panties suddenly felt too tight on you as you pushed your thighs together for some relief at the throb you felt in your core. “Later” he whispered again to you, while giving you another gentle squeeze to your knee and a chaste kiss to your cheek. 

Joel then opened a few Western books from Ellie, ones that you had given her.  You had just finished reading them recently and you knew that Joel wanted to read the books.  So you gave them to Ellie and told her that you had found them at the other cabin and thought that maybe Joel would like to read them. Joel thanked Ellie and acted all surprised at seeing the books. Neither one of you told her that Joel had already asked to borrow them from you whenever you were finished reading them.

Joel then also opened a small homemade bracelet from you that you had made him.  The bracelet had a butterfly pendant attached to it. When he saw it, Joel froze and just looked up at you. “Tess told me that Sarah used to love butterfly’s.” You told him as he gently ran his finger over the pendant. “Joel, if I could give you Sarah I would but-”

“No, it's alright. It's beautiful.” he said, sniffling slightly at the sight. Sarah, his babygirl, God he missed her. After a moment he quickly shook his head and then stood up, remembering that he still had two other gifts to give.  Joel quickly said, “um, excuse me for a moment. I ah- I need to grab something” and then he disappeared by walking outside. Ellie was so focused on her joke books that she never saw Joel leave. All of a sudden you heard a knock at the door, followed by a “Ho, Ho, Ho” behind it. Ellie immediately tensed and you casually went over to the door, holding a gun for good measure, nevermind you knew who was behind the door.  When you opened the door you saw Joel dressed head to toe in a Santa suit. 

“Howdy there little lady- Jesus Christ woman, ya gonna shoot me or somethin’?” he said, shaking his head, looking at the gun you had pointed at him. “I heard y’all been having a hard time here so I thought I’d bring ya some Christmas cheer.”

Ellie immediately started laughing as Joel struggled with the Santa suit. “Joel, you look funny in a fat suit,” she said, laughing out loud at a pillow peeking through his Santa jacket. 

“I haven't heard of no Joel before, I'm Santa.” He said, with a husky voice.

“So what happened to Joel? Did ya kill him when you landed your fat ass on top of him with your sleigh? Crushed him didn't you? It's ok, he probably deserved it. Killed by an old worn out fat guy with no fashion sense. Better than a clicker really, ya know.” Ellie said, laughing.

“Ok, look here wiseass, I ain't no old fat guy.” Joel said, grumbling to himself in his regular voice.

“Well you look ridiculous dressed like that.” Ellie said, doubling over and laughing hard again. You were rolling on the floor with a pillow over your mouth laughing at Joel and Ellie bantering again. You didn't know why, but seeing these two go at each other warmed your heart in a way that you never knew.

When Joel looked over at you he said “You stop your laughin’ over there” as he pulled the pillow out from his stomach and sat down with a huff on the couch. “Got no respect from the younger generation anymore. Ya hear me, no respect. Here I am tryin’ to make your Christmas special and all ya do is laugh at me and-”

“Joel it's ok” Ellie said, interrupting Joel’s little rant.  “We love you anyways Joel, ain’t that right y/n?” Ellie continued, trying to look serious but failing miserably at it.

“Honey, you look amazing and-”

“Both of you just shut it, I know when I'm not loved.” He said, shaking his head and mumbling. “Shouldn't have to give ya both these now, but here ya go.” Joel handed you a small box. “Here ya go wiseass, so you don't feel left out either.” He said, shoving a box in Ellie's hands.

Ellie and you both quieted down and then looked at the little boxes in your hands with a piece of paper folded up over top of them. “Ellie why don't you go first,” you said, wanting her to enjoy the gift.

When Ellie opened the box she found a small seashell bracelet with black thick string with it and the piece of paper was a note that read the following:

My dearest Ellie,

I know I ain't your father, but over the past year you've grown so much on me kid. Ya got that sassy, smartass mouth on ya, and ya got a horrible attitude to boot. But you're strong kid, so strong. And you remind me of what my daughter Sarah was like, but so much more. I know your favorite thing is the Sea and one day I promise I’ll take ya there, and build those sandcastles with you, as tall as me. I love ya kid, like you were my own little baby girl. I wear a copy of your bracelet as a symbol of my love for ya honey. 

Forever, my love for you child, Joel (or Dad if ya want)

After Ellie was done reading the note out loud, you found that you both were crying. Ellie immediately ran over to Joel, hugged him tight, crying into his shoulder saying, “you better fucking mean it. Swear to God you mean this Joel, and don't lie to me.”

“Baby girl, I swear to God everything in that note is true. I love ya like you’re my own honey, like you’re my true daughter cause ya are.” Joel then held Ellie, kissing the top of her head as she cried into his shoulder, this time her tears were tears of joy.  Ellie got her Christmas wish after all, a family, something that she has never had ever in her life.  

After a moment of them holding each other, they pulled apart and both looked at you. It was now your turn to read the note and to open the gift from Joel. You hands were shaking and you were panicking. You wanted more than anything for someone to love you, a man, with no strings attached.  You were scared of what you were going to read in the note.  But with a shaky breath, you opened your note and read it out loud.

Y/n,

The first time I laid eyes on you it was in the QZ and I thought that I had finally died and had gone to Heaven. My heart stopped in my chest darlin’, and I became nervous, still am when I look at ya. I remember thinkin’ that you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, and baby, you still are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. 

The first time I kissed you, I was a goner. Forever to be the only woman that I’d ever want in life again. I used to be so angry, not because I didn’t want ya, but because I thought that I couldn't do any of this right. I couldn't date you properly, marry you, or even have babies with you the way that I’ve wanted to. And baby, I was so angry, I was angry because you deserve all of that from the world, and so much more. But then I realized somethin’, you and Ellie were sent from Heaven above, from my Sarah to help me now. For me to love and be loved once again.

I prayed honey, I prayed so hard for so many years, wanting to see my little girl again that was taken from me. And I don't know how or why, but somehow she sent me you two. And God, if I don't now have something worth fightin’ for. You and Ellie make this life bearable, make me want to live again. And truthfully, I'd be lost without ya both.

Now I know I ain't always good with my words, or tellin’ ya how I feel. But Angel, you mean everything t’me. Now open your gift honey, and let me tell you with the words myself.

You turned to Joel with tears in your eyes and trembling fingers while he gently coaxed you to open your gift.  “Go on darlin', open it.” he said, ever so gently. When you opened your gift you gasped out loud. Inside the box was a ring, a birthstone ring for June, your birth month. You looked shocked at Joel when you saw it. He motioned for you to give him the ring. 

With the ring in his hand he then reached out and held your hands, looking you in the eyes saying, “you mean everything t’me y/n and so much more. If you'll have me, I want you to wear this on a specific finger baby.”

Joel slowly took your left ring finger in his hand while holding the ring in his right hand. “I found this in a jewelry box in that other cabin and I thought Sarah must be telling me somethin’. I know it's not the proper one, but hell, nothin' is proper anymore. I promise if we ever get back to civilization again, I'll do this right. I swear it baby. Please be mine. Forever.”

You looked at the ring that Joel was holding, confusion washing over your face for a moment, not understanding what he was meaning. Joel looked over to Ellie and she smiled, understanding what was happening and gently said to Joel “dad, it’s time to tell mom what you told me in secret before.”

Joel nodded and took a breath to steady his nerves as he looked into your eyes.  When he stared into your eyes he saw your hesitation. Not because you didn't want what he felt, but because you did and you were so scared that he didn't feel the same way. So with renewed confidence he said “I promise I'll do this right later if we can. But y/n-” and then he felt it, the pain searing tight in his chest at the thought of losing this, of losing you. It gripped him so hard, and tried to swallow him whole at the thought that he couldn't keep you safe. He was scared, and frightened at the thought of losing you or Ellie like he did Sarah. But this time as the pain consumed him, his thoughts drifted to Sarah. Sarah knew that her father loved her with everything, even as he held her when she died. 

Joel remembered the night that Sarah was conceived. The way he and Sarah's mom desperately moved in unison together, trying to grab onto something for stability in a world that they felt was falling apart. He never connected with Sarah's mom again after that, it was only on that one night when she was created. It was like the world, the universe, told him that he needed to be a father at a younger age. He felt like that was the reason why his first marriage with Sarah’s mom failed. That they never were truly in love, except for where Sarah was concerned. But now things were different, especially with you. Joel was in love with you in a way that he's never been with a woman before. So with a smile and a chuckle he shook his head, finally finding the strength that he needed, to be able to say the next part out loud.

“Woman, you drive me nuts and make me feel things I, at my age, didn't think I deserved to feel anymore. I used to think you were sent here to torture me, make me pay for all of my sins. But then I saw what it was. That Sarah sent you to me because she had heard my darkest fears, my biggest dreams, and my silent pleas in the night. That I didn’t want to be lonely, that I wanted a family once again.  And that I wanted a woman to love me so bad that it hurt, and not because I forced her, but because she wanted to. And baby, I got you and now you got me. Sarah sent me you and Ellie so I could be happy and not be so lonely anymore.”

With a shaky breath Joel continued, opening his heart even wider for you to see. “I've made mistakes darlin’, said and done the wrong thing most of the time. Hell, I’ve yelled at you and sometimes have treated you horrible, for that I’m sorry. But I'm scared. I'm scared to lose both you and Ellie. I love that kid over there like I was the one who created her, like she was my own daughter. And I view you as if you were her mother and my-” Joel shook his head, feeling the burn in the back of his throat hit as he struggled to say that he viewed you as his wife. 

“Te Amo Joel. I love you” you said, softly towards Joel while holding his hand. Now that you said it, you hoped that he'd say it back. You just wanted him to say it to you in English, to tell you that he in fact did love you, and not just hint at it anymore. You wanted to hear those three words from him. But you never expected him to say what he was about to with you.

After a moment of looking at you he smiled, while looking down at your hands.  He gently squeezed them to remind himself that you were still here.  Then he looked up into your eyes and said, “Ah hell woman, marry me please? I know it's not conventional, but this ring I got you, it goes on your left ring finger baby and I-. Shit. I-I want you in this life and the next, ok. I promise I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. Te amo baby, it means I love you. I love ya woman, so damn much. And I know I don't deserve it but I'm askin’ anyways. Marry me honey, please, make me the happiest man and I promise I’ll-”

It was in that moment that you crashed your lips hard to Joel’s mouth. You wanted to shut up his rambling but also show him that you were so happy.  That was what the feeling was in your chest right now, happiness, something that you didn’t think you could ever feel or again. As you kissed Joel, a million thoughts were running through your head. You never thought he'd say any of this to you ever. But when you looked inside yourself you knew you loved this man more than anything. Yeah sure, he was cold, moody, and a complete ass sometimes. He hasn’t always done or said the right thing, but he has been there and protected you when other people should have but didn’t, or when others had walked away. To you, that meant more than anything, that he’d stay and was truly committed to you.

When you pulled away from the quick kiss you said out loud “yes. Yes Joel. Te amo baby, te amo. I'll marry you.” And with that admission Joel crashed his lips hard onto your mouth. There was nothing gentle about this kiss that he gave you, it was like the flood gates finally opened and Joel gave you his entire heart and soul right here and now. The kiss said everything that the two of you haven't been able to say to each other. That you both needed each other and that you both were there for each other. 

When you gently parted your mouth for a breath, Joel licked into it in a way that a husband claimed his wife. It was heady and needy. Both of you kissed each other fervently, finally allowing the dam to break between you two. You both were lost in the moment, feeling the passion rise up between you that you had forgotten that Ellie was still in the room.  All of a sudden you heard a heavy sigh followed by a smartass teenage girl. 

“Look here assholes, I ain't wantin’ to watch you two fuck, so can you both tone it down for the kid in the room, please. Joel, you promised me we could have more Christmas cookies and then tell more stories. Come on.” Ellie said, exhaling loudly.

Joel pulled away and snapped saying “Ellie, language.” He fully pulled apart from you, placing the ring on your left ring finger, then gave you a chaste kiss on the mouth while whispering, “we'll continue this discussion later baby.” You gently nodded in return.

The three of you then sat around the fire telling funny stories to Ellie about Christmas. Joel told the classic tale of ‘A Christmas Story’ for the first time to Ellie, something that he still remembered by heart as it was Sarah’s favorite Christmas story. Both Ellie and you eventually fell asleep on the floor, heads touching at the top and holding hands as a family as you both looked up at Joel, listening to him tell the story.

Even after knowing you two fell asleep, Joel continued reciting the story until it was done. When he was finished he grabbed blankets from the bedroom and tucked both you and Ellie in. Smiling to himself he laid down on the couch, content at having a family once again. Joel was relieved that his family, even though unconventional, loved him fully in return. As sleep slowly crept up, he found himself turning to one side and staring at the low light of the Christmas tree. This time, it was as if he could see her again yet again, his Sarah, just sitting down and smiling at him. His heart felt full today, something that hadn’t happened since the last Christmas he had with his daughter, about 20 years ago. As Joel slowly drifted off to sleep he swore he heard Sarah say to him ‘Merry Christmas Dad, here's my Christmas wish for you. For you to have a family once again. And always remember, that I love you.’

-End Chapter-

A/N: This one was a heck of a roller coaster to write on so many emotional levels. These three will be back in the future, got some fun things planned for them. Enjoy, and be sure to check out my other series and one shots in my Master list.

Taglist: @punkshort @shotgun-shelby @strawbunnyx @orcasoul @pedritoferg @chiogarza @jesfreedark @untamedheart81 @rainbow12346 @nandan11 @swiftpascal @eliza-8 @joeldjarin @vickie5446 @nastiasnow @staywildflowahchild @ratoonstown @l3laze @its-always-420-on-the-moon @kirsteng42

[babyboyxandy]

We can chat on tumblr chat what have been your favorite episodes in Chicago fire are you OK with love sences. Just wondering.

Awesome! Some of my favourite episode would have to be...

Season 1 Episode 1 - I hate that Andy died but honestly I find it adorable how Matt and Kelly fight like a couple! Like seriously! It's like they broke up over Andy's death and still wanna be together. And how Kelly sneaks a piece of the corned beef from the fridge at the end. "Oh god it's so good!"

Season 2 Episode 13 - Where they have the blackout and everyone comes to stay at the firehouse. Matt is having memory loss issues and Kelly just seems so worried and internally protective of him.

Season 2 Episode 20 - The explosion at the charity run. Matt and Kelly's commentary is hilarious when they are under the rubble looking for Gabby. "Casey if we don't find a place big enough to turn around were gonna have to do all this backwards." "were gonna be smart about this now?" "er... No... Keep going"

Season 3 Episode 3 - The collision between Truck 81 and Truck 66. Kelly climbs up and says "You okay Case?" like what about everyone else? Giggles.

Season 3 Episode 4 - The subway shooting Kelly was involved in. This is actually the episode that inspired me to write my story The Journey Of 3 To 81.

Season 3 Episode 19 - Chicago Med on lockdown because the guy claiming to have the deadly virus explodes himself. Kelly was so heroic and Matt was so worried about him.

Season 4 Episode 8 - Herrmann rescues a robot! Not! It's a tortoise! So cool!!!

Season 5 Episode 4 - Matt is in the warehouse doing an inspection and the forklift driver bust open a chemical tank. Matt is so quick and saves the father and daughter. He digs through a wall with a chair leg! Kelly shows up and is calling for him and Matt calling out to him. So intense! Sparks were LITERALLY flying!

Season 5 Episode 8 - After Matt and Gabby say "I do" Kelly grabs Matts butt! I'm not even sure if that is supposed to be seen or is Taylor was joking around on set and they just left it in.

Season 7 Episode 10 - Matts apartment has burned down and he receives an offer from Kelly to move in with him. Need I say more?

Season 7 Episode 13 - The polar plunge and Kelly takes Matt out for date night. This is the episode that inspired me to write my story Call You Sev.

Season 7 Episode 14 - The chili cook off. Kelly and Matt cooking together is adorable. And Ritter and Tuesday as a team? That's just too adorable!

Season 8 Episode 3 - Where they get the new high tech call system. This always makes me laugh. Especially when Boden throws it out the door!

Season 8 Episode 4 - The infection episode. After they are cleaning up from the fire at the college, Kelly and Kidd are having a moment. All you hear is "Kelly get over here! Boden wants to talk to us" it's almost like Matt was jealous. It makes me giggle.

Season 8 Episode 13 - This one ALWAYS makes me cry. Where the elderly couple just moved to Chicago! There house burns down. The wife doesn't survive. Matt and Sylvie go find the man's cat Dusty. Then the tear jerker. Everyone shows up at the funeral to show the man the true Chicago support.

Season 8 Episode 20 - Capp is injured. Kelly and Matt go visit him and go to the doctor with him. It's so sweet.

Sorry thats a really long list. If you read all of that I'm so happy. If not I really don't blame you. I have autism and I kinda hyperfixated on your question. I love Chicago Fire!

My favourite ship is Sevasey. I don't really like Stella Kidd at all.

I'm totally OK with love scenes. My fanfics are proof of that.

Thanks for the ASK! Love you!

💙 Xandy

[whomadewaffles]

Incase anyone wanted a complete newbies opinion on the one piece liveaction adaptation.

Before we start, here is what I knew vaguely before going on, never having watched a single episode of the anime

. A pirate gets killed but challenges people to find his hidden treasure before he is killed

.there is fruit that gives magical powers, main character can stretch like mr fantastic and elastiagirl

.longgggg ass sorry with alot of rich world building

Now i Adore great world building so was always interested in watching the anime but...paying for cruncyroll premium and the sheer length of the show has kept me away. But with the word of mouth about this live action show being very positive I thought why not use this as a starting point. So without further ado here is what I thought.

It was wonderful, I was either smiling like an idiot or tearing up through all of it, I was hear for the worldbuilding and it gave me plenty in that regard but I wasn't realy expecting to fall for like...pretty much every single charater, the strawhats are all delightful and have such a amazing found family vibe and I am SO weak to that trope, koby and his marine subplot grew on me and so much good well choreographed action and some actual laugh outloud moments (buggy was a scene stealing highlight). Everyone said sanji's backstory was a tear jerker and that's 100% correct but nami's third act betrayal realy caught me of guard but love how it was handled. Luffy lives up to his shonen protagonist roots by just being an inspiring becon of positivity who I wish the absolute best for, the show would have fallen apart of we didn't care for luffy and luckly they nailed it. I would say zoro is my favourite of the crew though he had such a dry sarcastic sense of humor that i vibed with. The world was absolutely fascinating with how everything revolves around the sea, and the technology isn't advanced at all like they use snails as phones i loved that, it was so weird! And the way they used pratical effects when they could was great to see gave the world a real and lived in feel. and I realy get the sense there's so much magical stuff still to see! And the music!!! Omg the music! It added so much to so many great moments. Just have to hope netflix sticks with it but with their track record I'm.....not optimistic. But in summary what a charming start to an adventure!

I am curious am I the only person watching as a new fan? Is gate keeping generally a thing with this fandom?

[shaotie]

Cry

**SPOILERS** for Seven Years

Leo had a falling out with his family after the krang invasion and then discovers he is suffering from a terminal illness from his time in the prison dimension. One that he tries to hide from his family as long as possible so they can focus on putting the pieces back together.

Eventually when he passes away, he discovers Krang Prime did something to him that leaves him unable to unite with their ancestors in the mystic realm, and instead he is stuck on earth, invisible, inaudible, and intangible, not knowing where to go from here.

- audio: Cry by Peter Jack

- Seven Years, my rottmnt Leo-centric angst tear jerker fanfic on ao3

- masterpost for my rottmnt ao3 fanfics and art

[zahri-melitor]

DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve (2022):

This was a reread for me, but it was nice to do it in context of the surrounding stories. Plus I wanted to reread JPV's terrible childhood.

Sophmore Year: The Gotham Academy story is a very Gotham Academy story. Not much to say. If I have to put up with these give me back Olive Silverlock.

High School Lows: save Katana from being on the Suicide Squad. She and Vixen and Bronze Tiger should form a club that says “we are heroes who are here doing government work. Amanda Waller and Rick Flag have respect for us”. That said…this was a very kludgy attempt to try and combine “Suicide Squad” with “Back to School”. It thought it was funnier than it was. What was the point of giving Tawky Tawny, for instance, a one panel cameo while noting in an editorial box that he had nothing to do with this. A lot of attempting to be zany for not much result.

Back to School: Diversity win! A title that’s supposed to be about back to school contains a story about a queer kid! It didn’t get shoved into DC Pride! That aside, this was very 101 stuff, which tracks, as it was Super Sons, and Super Sons is written for 10 year olds.

Earn It Back: arguments over whether Bruce or Ollie is a better parent aside, I think it’s undeniable if you look at canon that Ollie whiffed it in Roy’s childhood in a way that Bruce didn’t with Dick. I actually like seeing the mentor crowd struggling with the Titans generation, because they all inherited custody of teenagers at a pretty young age and their social circle of experience with parenting mostly consists of each other. I like that they talk about these problems together. Bruce is a know it all in this, but vibeswise I am sure Ollie was delighted to return the favour in the future when BRUCE had a problem that Ollie had his head around.

Piece Making: this was Tiny Titans. I’m slightly amazed that Art Baltazar is still doing Tiny Titans work in the year 2022, but it was a handy, silly way to merge the two themes (school and Suicide Squad)

This is Why: this is a tear jerker of a preboot story (which I appreciated, as Rebirth Jefferson Pierce does not have the life experience to carry this story). Brandon Thomas clearly has feelings about President Lex’s cabinet and wanted to express them, and also wanted to explore Jefferson’s feelings as a teacher.

How Angels Are Made: Dan Watters is like “I have not packed on enough trauma into JPV’s backstory in his mini. Give me some more space to work on it”. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

A Night Off: honestly kinda formulaic high school Dick/Babs. It was fine. They’ve had better stories.

I have to say, the most confusing thing about this as a title is that it didn’t know what it wanted to be. Sophmore Year, Back to School and Piece Making could safely appear in a title marketed to the middle school market, heck even an upper primary market. High School Lows and How Angels Are Made should not appear in a title that is marketed to that audience, and This is Why is written for adults reflecting on decisions they’ve made in conflicted circumstances with no ‘good’ outcome.

What was the intended audience for the title? Because the theme and some of the stories were incredibly juvenile and aimed at an all-ages market, but the title also contained Jean-Paul being tortured in a coffin by his monk teacher and Jefferson Pierce reflecting on being complicit in political decisions made by a supervillain. And okay, that’s kinda Roald Dahl vibes, but parents opting in to Super Sons or Gotham Academy aren’t expecting Dan Watters.

[nibblette]

And here is my top 10 TRC fics Part 2

6. There’s no place like my room.

This is a heartstring tugger. This takes place after the events of Greywaren but before the epilogue. Ronan has terrible dreams of an elderly and dying Adam and brings back Alzheimer’s disease drugs and medical equipment from his dreams. Adam is approached by the feds to join their new dreamer & dream protection. I love that Ronan has to go back to 300 Fox Way. Adam and Declan interact with each other. There’s a happy ending. Part of the ending is inspired by some Pynch fan-art from another artist.

7. In One Piece by creativefiend19

An apparently unfinished Fic but I thought it ended well enough. Another BDSM/kink fic, surprise, surprise. This one has great sex scenes that even have companion art works!

This is mostly Adam’s POV. Adam is still freaked out about the demon using him to choke Ronan. Ronan comforts him by sharing his kinky fantasies. Adam starts to wrap his mind around Ronan’s need for kink and subbing. There is a wealth of sex scenes. Adam thinks up a delightful Valentine’s Day gift for Ronan- sneaking into Aglionby’s Latin classroom to fulfill Ronan’s fantasy to have sex with Adam there. The story continues. The author makes good use of the canon “forsan er haec olim….” quote. Ronan is totally Ronan and makes a list of scenes he wants to do in Latin, lol. The fic goes on to flesh out the pre-Call Down the Hawk Pynch relationship exceedingly well. Highly recommend! The accompanying artwork by sneaky_git are fabulous as well!

8. Home to Me by Parakeats (the main story of the Time Travel AU) https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983088

This fic is so great but it’s unfinished 😭 I love it so much and I wish the author would finish it. Or at least give a synopsis of the ending. It’s an awesome story about a future, older AU Adam being sent back in time to the canon story because Cabeswater needs him. He lives in a slightly different dimension where he is married to Ronan, and his “sacrifice” was to the Greywaren himself, not Cabeswater (which is still in the future AU). Niall is still alive but sort of a villain. Younger, canon Adam is sent to the future AU with older long haired, in control of his power Ronan, but something is wrong with Matthew in this timeline.

This fic has an absolutely sexy and amazing AU of the AU companion smut Fic about younger Ronan coming on to older!Adam! older!Adam takes charge of the encounter and blows young!Ronan’s mind. Ooooo!

9. Another Lil_Redhead post Greywaren fic- ( though it’s an AU). This fic imagines a post-Greywaren-climax where Hennessy wasn’t able to grab all the little bits of Adam spirit from the sweetmetal sea and the lost part was Adam’s romantic love for Ronan. Adam goes back to Harvard quickly but Ronan is devastated. Ronan stays in Boston with Declan (and to be close-ish to Adam). Adam puts together the hints that he and Ronan were lovers, not just best friends. He finds his secret stash of Ronan porn on his phone and falls in lust and love again. This is another tear jerker but with a happy ending.

[paperjamdipper]

Finally going to start putting some of my character playlists out there - starting with the ineffable husbands themselves! This playlist includes some specific songs mentioned by Neil Gaiman about the husbands, including I’ll Be Your Mirror by The Velvet Underground 🥹 There are a lot of sudden tear-jerkers in this. You have been warned.

Some of my fav tracks and lines:

Ballrooms of Mars by T.Rex: Kinda funky about Crowley and Aziraphale dancing.

Tomorrow is Closed by Nothing But Thieves: The lyrics of this one fit so well, but especially the chorus: “So here's your last kiss / Won't wanna miss this / Only piece of heaven I ever had / No, I don't think it's for nothin' / But I hope someday we're gonna get it back” - it’s so end of s2 coded!

Love of My Life by Queen- I’m convinced Crowley made Freddie Mercury write this one about him and Aziraphale. Also it makes me cry.

Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen - another end of s2 tearjerker. The instrumental parts in this one are *heavenly*.

A Sinner Kissed an Angel by Harry James and Dick Haymes - I mean this is perfect, it’s very similar to Nightingales and has the sweetest brass section. Lyric: “That night a sinner kissed an angel / That was the night I fell in love.” So sweet!

If I Get High by Nothing But Thieves - “If I get high enough, will I see you again?” - if this doesn’t scream Crowley I don’t know what does.

[spideyhexx]

on the topic of movies, what do you think their favorites would be? 👀

anon, as a very deep lover of film, I love you for this

I could see them both being very open about genre/etc. with film but here’s some that I think just fit their vibes (for modern!sej and coryo)

For Sejanus, my mind immediately jumped to Dead Poets Society, I think he loves a good tear jerker but also one that he can even somewhat connect to? I think he undoubtedly loves films akin to Hocus Pocus, where it’s just a good time, like he will watch silly little wholesome comedies/family movies and get the same out of it if he were to watch something more prestigious. So with that, I think he also likes animation, specifically Coco or Spirited Away. For no reason at all, I think he’d also love the Ghostbusters films. AND CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (that’s the one he gets Coryo to watch and fall in love with)

For Coryo, I think he has a rather disdainful view on ‘fun’ movies but there are some that slip through the cracks. There’s this adaption of a Charles dickens novel, the personal history of David Copperfield (with dev Patel) that I think he’d like? Idk why, just smth about period pieces he’d gravitate to. and also Charles Dickens. He’d enjoy suspense I think too, like Alfred Hitchcock films, specifically Rear Window and Strangers on a Train. I think one of his guilty pleasures would be that he love Pride and Prejudice.

LET ME KNOW WHAT FILMS YOU GUYS THINK IM CURIOUS

[a-dream-bookmark]

a dream bookmark presents: APR 2024

farewell (noun)

an act of parting or of marking someone's departure.

Welcome to A Adieu Bookmark, our April 2024 recommendations list with a theme around farewell fics. From the start of the month, we have compiled a list of fics the community has given and prepared to give to you. We would like to provide our biggest appreciation to the people contributing to the making of this list. Thank you so much and we will announce the theme for May 2024 soon!

Do you want to know more about us? Check this out!

The list is below the cut!

MEMBER'S RECS

ENHYPEN

|| the sun that always burns series by @ja3yun | requested by @writingmochi

This fic has dark/mature themes

Pairing: jake x reader

Genre: sexual content/smut (mdni), fluff, angst, friends to lovers to ex, afab reader

Synopsis: you and jake's high school relationship blossomed into a romance filled with hope and promise. However, as time went on, jake's long-term expectations began to weigh heavily on you, who struggled to meet them. your paths eventually lead you in separate directions, each experiencing different aspects of life and ultimately moving on from your past love. unexpectedly, fate intervened and you both reunite after years apart. the reunion allows you to rediscover your feelings for each other, but also forces you to navigate the complexities of your past and present.

What they said about the fic: farewell plays a huge part in the turning point in this story and what i love about it is how it is set right in the epicentre of the series that you have this curve that creates a perfect arc of a story

COMMUNITY'S RECS

THE BOYZ

|| ghost of you by @sungbeam | requested by Anonymous

This fic has dark/mature themes

Pairing: nonidol!ji changmin x bff!fem!reader 

Genre: childhood friends au, you are literally dead./major character death, mentions of a car accident, implied past bullying, swearing, fluff, comedy as a coping mechanism, angst, comfort/hurt, grief and survivor’s guilt, so much crying that you might get tired, just telling you now it is not meant to be a romantic plot but there r hints bc i’m a sucker, i’m not religious but ur a ghost(?), getting over one’s best friend’s death is not easy folks so that’s why y/n goes ghost B)

Synopsis: after the death of his best friend, changmin’s been left to grieve and wallow. but when you suddenly come back to him in the form of a ghost, he realizes that this might be his chance to right some wrongs. (aka; changmin has seven days with your ghost to figure out why you’ve been returned to the land of the living.)

ATEEZ

|| 01.24 by @zchnlswrld | requested by Anonymous

Pairing: idol!san x f!reader 

Genre: angst

What they said about the fic: A real tear jerker if you ask me :(

|| break up sex and yearning duology by @whatudowhennooneseesyou | requested by @whatudowhennooneseesyou

This fic has dark/mature themes

Pairing: seoonghwa x reader

Genre: angst with no happy ending, smut on both parts, possessive!hwa

What they said about the fic: I wrote this after witnessing a couple who loved each other break-up b/c the man wanted children and the female didn't. It's an angst piece about an issue u cant negotiate

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