#plus technically I was not late I just was not strong enough

[chocolate-cream-soldier]

The ship I like: Finally Hugging each other after an eternal slow burn...

Me: Obviously I should stop watching and come to Tumblr to cry about it!

[pedgito]

𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 | Javier Pena x fem!reader

summary | your boyfriend delivers the worst news possible on what should be a day filled with love. luckily your coworker is there in wait, not allowing a perfectly good dinner reservation to go to waste. [2.5k]

content warning | this is probably the tamest thing i've ever written, who am i? mostly fluff, vague descriptions of your boyfriend (technically ex-boyfriend/some misogyny (not by javi), small age gap, co-workers, dinner dates and more, unrequited (innocent) crushes, minimal spanish (mostly just pet names), open-ended

author’s note | @pascalispretty happy valentines day!! this is my first time doing one of these and i was your secret valentine, but i hope you enjoy! i haven't written for javi in so long and i was really craving some soft!javi so this was a joy to write. i hope you enjoy!

You hated the stigma around holidays and what they meant, what they entailed, and why people upheld them so highly. But, here you were—tapping your fingers insistently against the desk across from the pool of DEA agents who would throw a file of paperwork on your desk and expect it to magically poof away and, by default, relinquish themself of any responsibility over it in the process.

You couldn’t fault them all—some of them actually managed to follow instructions. A signature here and there, all in order, leaving with little work to do other than file it away. Murphy followed it to a degree that made you think he probably has some time of background outside of here, back in the states. Always uniform, always proper—he’d been a good addition from the start and a perfect match to Javier Pena’s strong personality and unwillingness to give up control.

He also smiled at you every morning and offered a kind greeting, a small acknowledgment of your existence which couldn’t be spared by many others.

As for Javier—he did the work. There was never an issue, but halfway through an expository to a question he asks his attention is drawn elsewhere. Usually to one of the other few in-office secretaries or visitors that just couldn’t resist a bite at the overconfident and suave agent.

You could see the appeal, but that didn’t mean you had to like it—sometimes it impeded your ability to communicate with him and it really, really annoyed you.

Plus, your boyfriend was perfect. Too perfect that it felt unreal at times, but as all things in your life tended to implode on you—you were waiting for the ball to drop.

“Buenos días, señorita.” Javier greets with a smile that shines perfectly under his thick mustache, dressed in his usual pairing of tight jeans and form-fitting button up. This one was pink though, or a deep red. Jesus, how many different ones did he own?

You snort softly, “Morning, Javi.”

And you’re expecting that crisp folder to slide onto your desk but he’s traversing down the steps into the bay of other desks, straight for his. He’s still in eyeline, his and Steve’s shared workspace right in the center.

His eyes flit up briefly, scanning the room before they land on you again and of course you’re staring, but not for the reasons he’s assuming. And there’s a fierceness behind your eyes that he’s seen before, like he’s about to be lectured.

You grab at an empty file on your desk and hold it up lazily, eyebrows raising in expectation. 

“Oh shit,” He curses lowly, but not soft enough for you to miss before he’s reaching in his desk and holding up the paperwork, “Here—I’ve got it.”

You pluck the item from his grip as he approaches, this time lingering. He’s got his fingers spread out wide on your desk and he leans, practically towers as you sift through his work quietly before jotting something down on a separate sticky note and filing it away for the time being.

“Sorry, bonita,” He apologized, some sincerity in his voice, “I stayed late last night and finished it up but you were already gone—I don’t forget, you know that.”

“All good,” You offer a polite smile and he still doesn’t move, nodding kindly to a few women that pass by, seemingly more done-up than usual, “big plans tonight?”

A man like Javier, there was no way he spent Valentine's Day alone.

Javier offers a non-commital shrug and nods his head in your direction, “What about you? You got that boyfriend, right? Kid with the glasses?”

And okay, Javier was a good chunk older than you. Ten years, maybe. But, kid? Please.

“Yes, that kid.” You roll your eyes light-heartedly. “Um, I reserved a table for dinner at that restaurant Steve recommended a couple months ago. The one he took Connie to.”

“Yeah—yeah, I know that place.” Been a few times, it lingers on his tongue. It didn’t matter if he went alone, the food was decent enough. “You made the reservation?”

“Come on, Javi,” You slap at his forearm gently, “It's not that big of a deal—besides I just…need a break. I thought dinner would be nice.”

“You know I can’t judge you for living at this place,” Javier says around a soft chuckle, “I’m guilty of it too.”

Many nights spent stuck in the office with just you and Javier—the occasional appearance of Steve. It led you to learn a few things about the men, even if inadvertently.

When leads were dry, Javier will go through half a pack in a day and Steve would chew at his fingernails almost constantly, tapping and fidgeting nearly nonstop. They both had obvious tells—a more obvious one for Javier being the close-mouthed smile he gave to women he wasn’t interested in but still remained polite to while the other, the unabashed grin was reserved for the women who piqued his interest.

He's given you both, but that was beside the point. 

“Any recommendations?” You ask curiously, fidgeting with the plastic clip on your pen.

Javier considers it briefly, lips pursing together as he taps his pointer finger in thought, “Well, the Pescado Frito they have is pretty good—can’t really go wrong with that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You note, leaning back in your chair as you spot Steve making his way into the office.

“I thought you hated holidays like this?” Javier questions curiously, a sentiment he shared. They seemed pointless outside of the few that offered him a reprieve from work.

You shrug, looking away briefly to avoid his steadfast gaze.

“Well, I don’t think all of us are impervious to stuff—I wanted to do something…nice. I guess?”

Javier isn’t entirely convinced, seeing the uncertainty in your shy smile but he lets it go, slapping the desk lightly before waving a quick goodbye as Steve pulls him aside.

It had to be intel—and good intel at that by the way Javier’s face morphs into sudden interest, thumb and pointer finger brushing over his mustache.

And really, you shouldn’t keep staring at him. Not with that dinner on the forefront of your mind, the one you had so meticulously planned out for you and your boyfriend.

Things had to be perfect. There was no other option.

But, then Javier chances another glance in your direction and something swells in your throat—anxiety, sadness. You can't quite place it, but you swallow it down. Force it away.

Only a few more hours to go.

-

The call comes an hour before you’re due to head home, already packing up your belongings preemptively. And you smile at the sound of your boyfriend’s voice.

It’s been a few months. Good months. Too good.

He was younger, like you—some IT guy in his earlier twenties with a kind heart. Or, so you assumed.

“Hey,” You answer softly, lightly into the phone, “reservations are in a couple hours.”

“About that,” His voice sounds off, distant, “I don’t think I can make it.”

Your heart drops into your stomach and you find yourself chewing at your bottom lip in worry, watching wearily as Javier and Steve hold matching coffees in their grip, marching back to their desks in sync. Javier’s gaze lingers for a moment, a normal motion he did just to check on you.

Nothing more.

But, he spots the change in your emotion.

Still, he continues on.

“What—I—I’ve had these reservations for two weeks,” You reply in a hushed voice, trying to contain your frustration, “what happened—what changed?”

“I just—I don’t really know how to say this,” The dread is immediate, but your mind is filled with anger—rigid, bitter anger that wants to bite, “I think we should break up.”

“Are you fucking serious?” The small outburst catches the attention of you people but you avoid their gaze, even more pointedly Javier, who’s gone from inconspicuously spying to full on gawking now, alongside Steve who had a sudden interest. They’ve never seen you like…this. “Today? This felt like a good thing to tell me today?”

“I’ve been trying—“

“You’re an asshole.” You bite harshly, “You can pick your shit up from my apartment this weekend.”

You don’t let him have the final word, slamming the phone back down into the receiver and ignoring the gathering stares and sparse, hushed whispers.

You could sit and wallow, allow yourself to stew in regret and worry, wondering what you did wrong—but you knew it wasn’t you. It couldn’t have been. All the trying and trying and trying you do, the maximum amount of effort met with little enthusiasm. You were naive to think that things would work,

You’re thankful when the shift nears its end and people file out quietly, albeit with a few side-stares, you find yourself mulling over the idea of canceling the reservation completely. But, then there was perfectly good, hard-earned money going to waste. And you could eat by yourself, but the idea seemed even more miserable as you had specifically booked a table for two, decorations and accommodation to match. It felt ridiculous, in hindsight. 

You pass the stack of paperwork off to your boss as you step into his office, scurrying back to your desk with your head down—already prepared to go home and wallow in your self-pity.

“You alright?” Javier asks suddenly, jumping slightly at his voice as you turn on your heels, hip bumping into your desk in the process, wincing at the pain, “shit—sorry.”

He’s smiling to lighten the mood but it doesn’t help.

“You’re…fine,” You wave him off, leaning into the weight of the desk as he lingers, fingers shoved into the front pockets of his pants, “I’m heading home in a bit.”

“No dinner?” He asks curiously—if he was attempting to be coy he was doing a terrible joy.

It was only minimally amusing, cracking a smug smile at his obvious prying. 

“No dinner,” You confirm, “and he broke up with me, so…”

“Cabrón,” He says under his breath, but it isn’t lost on you, “I’m sorry—that’s…fucked up.”

You shrug, “Now I’m debating on canceling and wasting the money I put down to reserve it or looking pathetic if I show up by myself—“

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Javier defends, speaking entirely from personal experience. 

“Javi, it’s Valentine’s Day.” 

“And?”

Suddenly though, you’re struck with an idea. 

“Are you busy?” You ask curiously and Javier raises a curious eyebrow your way and smirks, “No ladies in waiting tonight?”

“Not yet.” Javier jokes lightly, knowing his usual routine of hitting the bar after work would end in one of two ways, and even if he didn’t mind spending his nights alone, it was nice to be in the company of others in whatever capacity.

“Go with me.” You suggest, poking at his bicep. “Since you love the place so much.”

“Come on, hermosa,” Javier chides playfully, “If you wanted to take me on a date, just ask.”

You grin wide, heart fluttering at the flirtatious tone he carried in his voice—it wasn’t something you weren’t used to, but it was never so pointedly directed at you.

“I am,” You tell him, “I just—I’ll need to go home and change first.”

His brow furrows and he looks you over, seeing nothing wrong, “Why? You look fine. You always do.”

It’s something he tells you daily—and maybe he has his own selfish reasons, though you know he does it to most of the women in the office, but the way he’s saying it to you now feels different.

He means it, no humor in his voice.

“My—” You can’t even address him in the moment, rolling your eyes with full force as you rub your fingers over your forehead to will away the lines of stress that form there, “I just—he used to say work clothes never complimented me very well. I already had a dress picked out, I can be quick.”

“Save it. I think you look perfect.” Javier affirms softly, keys jingling in his back pocket as he fishes them out, “I’ll drive us.

“But, my car—”

And hand breaches your shoulder, hot to the touch as his fingers curl around your form.

“Hey,” He’s searching for your eyes, waiting until they lock with his own and he nods, expecting the same motion to make sure you’re with him, “I’ll drive you there and back, you don’t have to change—we can enjoy some good food and forget about your shitty boyfriend, alright?”

You nod quietly, earning a gentle squeeze in response.

–

It wasn’t a date, not in the slightest. But, Javier did his damndest to make you feel like it was.

And maybe it was the guilt over him knowing you just got dumped—that whatever you had spent so much time planning had fell out underneath you, but it didn’t quell the nervous anxiety that you felt as you both sipped on a shared bottle of wine and your separate dinners, watching Javier grimace around the lip of his wine glass.

“Horrible, right?” You laugh softly, watching as he forces the liquid down and nods jerkily.

“Food is great, though—the wine,” Javier makes a face of uneasiness that has you covering a laugh with your palm, “—that’s why I stick with tequila or whiskey.”

“Can’t say I have much of a preference,” You admit, “as long as it does the job.”

Javier nods knowingly, stabbing his fork into a piece of food and chewing thoughtfully, the fingers of his unoccupied hand rubbing together as an idea forms in his head, “You know, if you’re not busy I was going to meet up with Steve and Connie for a drink. Later tonight—if you’re interested?”

You can’t believe how instantly you want to agree, blaming it on your impulsivity. 

“Javi, I don’t know,” You respond quietly, “I don’t—I don’t really go out like that.”

“Well—that dress you were talking about. It wouldn’t go completely to waste if you wanted to wear it out tonight. Plus, you treated me to a nice dinner—let me treat you to a couple drinks.”

It sounds like the perfect idea. Too perfect. Too good to be true.

“Javi,” You tease shyly, “if you’re trying to ask me out on a date just say it.”

Javier chuckles softly and you know it’s only an attempt to make a shitty day not so shitty, but the underlying chase you two have allowed to happen for so long now was unobscured by outside forces and you hated how easy it was for him to distract you from everything that had transpired today.

“Is that a yes?” Javier teases.

You sigh reluctantly, though a subtle grin pulls at your face, eyes soften at the expectant look on Javier’s face, all puppy-eyed and nothing like the man you’re used to seeing in the office. This was a side of him that felt new and you were curious to discover more. You nod.

“Well, hermosa—I guess it’s a date then.”

[volvolts]

so i had this dumb au idea

basically an au where belos just...misses out on the finale. instead of possessing animals until he regains a corporeal form he sleeps in the dirt like a hibernating toad and emerges 5 years too late to the party

he's a bit weaker while the hexsquad is a bit stronger so they are currently a bit more even (though waiting for the day he might regain his full strength is a big worry). he's also technically immortal as they can't kill him and get it over with plus he's a slippery bastard so imprisonment is not on the table either. right now he's just an annoying albeit still dangerous guy they have to keep watch of

also knowing he's weaker means that belos can't just waltz into the demon realm and pick up where he left off anyway. his resources are gone, he burnt what little bridges he had left on the day of unity, and he's not strong enough to take on anyone so he's biding his time and he totally has a new plan to eradicate witchkind and he's not going to tell anyone about it. maybe it's not too late to carry out his mission!

[blossoms-phan]

Isn't is crazy how 2 people can watch the same video and come to 2 such vastly different conclusions? The unbelievable contrast between the "they know exactly what they are doing to us by posting this but look how happy and open dnp are being, they are not even trying to hide anymore" vs "they look so uncomfortable, it was hard for me to watch and it's sad they had to keep reinforcing how they were playing as friends throughout to stop people getting the wrong idea. It is wrong that they have been forced by their sponsors to play this couples game when the company knows how much they want to distance themselves from any of the false relationship narrative."

Aside from the fact that the idea that rich adult men with established careers were being forced to do anything by a board game company is utterly bewildering, it is mad that there seems to be such a clear divide in opinion about anything that could be perceived as dnp "relationship" content. People seem to have very strong and unwavering opinions, even when their views clearly make no sense.

Sorry, this is already too long, but whilst i am ranting anyway, some people still massively underestimate the power dnp have. They don't need to do anything anymore. Big Boardgame Ltd probably would have forced an end to the hiatus long ago if they did. It is just such an insult to dnp to consider not only their brand, but also their own self worth weak enough at this point in their life/career to think they would be forced to do anything for a paycheck. These are not naive, broke little boys, these are smart, savy businessmen and some people really need to start respecting that more imo.

yeah i mean i agree with you anon, sorry im late to these and keep rehashing the same discussion (twt has probably already had like 3 discourses since then its their favourite thing to do) but i really don't get where people were getting the latter view from. im not gonna say anyone is wrong for having their own opinion but genuinely at this point if you don't recognize that dnp know what they're doing and their entire relationship with us and what they say about their personal relationship is based on control now and has been for years than idk what to tell you. like you said they don't have to do anything they don't want to anymore, they've made it so clear how they do things differently now and say no more often and the thought of them being "forced" to do this is so crazy lmfao like i promise that's not and will never be the case. they are pretty damn smart and aware of what they're doing, they know we'll eat up anything they give us but they're just more comfortable being themselves in general now and playing a "date night" game in their own way is honestly not the craziest thing and pretty on par with the way we've been steamrolling the past couple of months. they don't have to say We Are Dating, just playing the game and acknowledging how well they know each other is enough and literally anyone can conclude those are life partners. plus i always say this but they're not technically wrong in saying friend or buddy so what's the harm in toying a little with the narrative (that once again they've been in control of for years now)

[madness-of-void]

Since I've been seeing it a lot lately, weirdly enough, I wanna say how I hc Ink is as a parent:

He already has to write things down on his scarf, yeah? Well, I think he would do the same with his kiddos. Except! That's so much info to have. Especially if you subscribe to the belief he has multiple kids with multiple people at once instead of only one set of kids with X person.

So, for each kid, he has a notebook dedicated to them. He has a list of things they like, things they don't, what they're scared of, how to do bedtime routines, ect ect.

Of course, at first, it's hard as hell for him to keep all that organized, to be organized in general, and he definitely stumbled around. But he at least TRIED. STILL tries. It comes a little easier for him as time goes on, but he still relies on the notebooks. Especially as the kiddos get older and they mold into different personalities.

He also has to create a place for them to live. Can't just have them wander around the Doodlesphere all willy nilly! Well, he could, but he would definitely not want to go on a hunt for the missing tyke as well as possibly explaining what happened to the other parent. So a legit home with bedrooms and other needs it is!

Speaking of other needs...kids gotta eat, right? Crap. That means he has to learn how to make at least something from time-to-time. Can't keep constantly eating out! That's such a hassle! Plus, it's not healthy (several Toriels told him so). Cue many burnt to hell meals, several almost house fires, and just going out for food anyways before he can figure out how to make something at least edible. Even then, it takes even longer for what he can make to taste good.

Lots of frustration. Lots of calls to his dads, Blue and Dream, sometimes a Toriel or two, sometimes even another Sans or a Papyrus, begging for help. Lots of zoning out from the stress coz this was easier when he was by himself, but he helped create the little thing reliant on him and will never forget him and won't abandon him like his own creator so he needs to be on top of it and stars how does Dream do this all the time with an entire Multiverse!

And he has yet another conundrum to deal with: his paints are mixing oddly. He doesn't understand why he became so highly protective of the little one in his arms when it was suggested he should put them up for adoption (no one ever suggested that again, they did not want to see a raging Ink a second time). Or why whenever they look at him he gets this warm, fuzzy 'feeling'. He mixed his paints as usual, and even changed it up a few times. Still the same protectiveness and the weird 'feeling'.

It takes an embarrassingly long time before he finally takes about it with someone, it just comes up randomly in said conversation, and he finds out what it all is is parental love. Love so strong that it overrides his paints somehow. Just like with everything else, he has no idea what to do. Technically, this shouldn't be possible! Or...he thought it wouldn't be. It also takes an embarrassingly long time for it to click for him that this is a thing, and it's not going to go away. When it finally sets in...he tells the kiddo(s) that he loves them, absolutely sobbing and smiling a little too wide coz, wow, he can feel love! And he doesn't miss a single moment to announce it to anyone who listens (pay no mind to the pics he shares of the ankle biter, he's just excited).

What about the other parent?

Well, depending on who it is, it shouldn't be too much work to convince them to be in the little one's life. Definitely no moving in (he has thought about it, scripts be damned), but there should be slotted times for everyone to be together, or the kids having time with their other parent. Hell, might even be the other parent who suggests all the things and they might be the one who has the kid living with them while Ink is the one with visitation (and in that case he visits daily coz he is just too fond and protective).

But what if the other parent is one of those that just...wants nothing to do with the little one they helped make? Well...it'll be hard. At first, Ink won't make a fuss. He has plenty of people who would help him. The kiddos don't need the other parent! But as time goes on, and maybe a few curious questions from said little one...he will feel another surge of protectiveness. He never hid who the other parent was, and has asked everyone else not to either, but now it's more serious. Nights of cries for someone never there, hundreds of questions why the other "doesn't love me"...Ink will not stand it. He will invade the other's space with a passionate and firm speech. All he's asking for is just every other weekend with the kid, and they have 2 months to prepare to pick them up at the home he made in the Doodlesphere. He won't force them to come, to be in the child's life. But he has to try. If they don't show up, then he has something planned instead for the whole weekend, on top of apologizing for something not his fault. At least he tried...and hopefully that's enough.

And, wow. That's it. I got my ramblings out. All done. Pretty sure nobody would subscribe to this, but eh. Everyone has their own headcannons and what have you. It's all in a bit of fun!

Now, if you excuse me...I have a fic to write about this...

[demigodofhoolemere]

I’ve been seeing this float around on Facebook lately and it’s bugging the crud out of me:

What is with everyone’s obsession with insisting it’s bad to need to be rescued? For as long as the human race has been on the planet, people have had problems that they needed other people’s help to resolve. Needing help is not a failing nor should it be the takeaway from these princesses’ stories as if it’s a bad thing that makes them weak. Yes, they do need help. Your point?

Snow White and Aurora were both under a curse that rendered each of them effectively dead. Were they supposed to magically wake themselves up? I’d want to be rescued if I were them. Plus, breaking it down to “she needed a prince” belittles the efforts of the Seven Dwarfs and the Three Good Fairies, who did most of the legwork in the resolution of their respective movie plots out of deep platonic love for the girls under their care. Then there’s Cinderella, who lived in an abusive household. It’s not a weakness that she wasn’t able to get out of that situation on her own, and once again, giving all the credit to the prince (and credit where credit is due, he did search far and wide for her and was able to take her away from that life in the end) detracts from the aid provided by the Fairy Godmother who enabled her to get out in the first place. All of these ladies had more helpers than just their princes, and it is because of the combined love and efforts of all of these people that our heroines were able to have their happy endings. There are plenty of great stories where the heroine is able to fight for herself, but these particular stories aren’t about that because these ladies are each in terrible circumstances where they simply don’t have the ability to do so. They do what they can, but in the end they can’t save themselves alone and there’s nothing wrong with that. These are beautiful stories about having people in your life that value you enough to fight for you when you can’t fight for yourself. Wouldn’t we all want someone to come to our rescue when there’s nothing we can do about our situation? Is it not a good and comforting moral to show that there are people in your corner who will show up for you no matter what the circumstances?

The other thing that’s bugging me about this:

Leia has to be rescued. By a man, and at that, one who could technically be seen as a prince. No one bats an eye at this, because it’s understood that she’s being held prisoner on the Death Star and couldn’t possibly be expected to get out of that on her own. It’s not seen as a weakness that someone had to come for her and take her away from there. Leia is awesome and is rightfully acknowledged as a great heroine, but she also needs help sometimes, because everybody does.

So WHY do people get so hung up on these princesses who also shouldn’t be expected to get out of their own prison cells of eternal sleep or abusive family by themselves? Why the strong negative reaction to girls needing outside help in such serious scenarios? For all that people say these stories teach girls to sit and wait for a man to save them, the stories themselves absolutely never try to say that, and frankly, with the opposite trend in recent years of fictional women who have to do everything on their own and can’t be shown to need help because they have to be the Strong Female Character, I’d be far more concerned about the impact that would have on girls. Far better to say you might need help at some point in your life than to instill the idea that you’re not a strong girl or not good enough if you can’t do everything by yourself.

Anyway. Justice for the classic Disney princesses.

[presidentdisastraofgallifrey]

@daughterofheartshaven made me think the other day about how we never actually see Gallifrey at its height. Not so much on purpose in a we-used-to-be-a-powerful-society way as in the way the show works means he’s not there if something isn’t going on. And the stakes are always raised.

But the result is a society in decline that doesn’t know it is, as most don’t. Late Stage Gallifrey.

The first time we see it, technically, is in the War Games, but that’s a quick and dirty trial for like 10 minutes at most. In Three’s era, we see Time Lords but not Gallifrey itself. So then there’s the Deadly Assassin. The President being killed! In public! And at this point few know the Doctor and no one knows the Master.

Then there’s Invasion of Time. Gallifrey invaded! Treachery! Time Lords divided and apparently having not chosen a new President for however many decades the Doctor was gone.

Then there’s the Arc of Infinity. Their past is coming back to haunt them and that’s one thing, but no one is prepared to handle any sort of real emergency. There’s general discontent. They’re so desperate they’re willing to execute an innocent person as a first resort (when apparently they rarely even kill criminals).

And then comes the Five Doctors. Again, no one is prepared. Their best plan is to summon the Master—everyone in power has been there for a very long time. They don’t even know how to handle acknowledging their own past. No one seems eager to question the sudden disappearance of the President.

Next is the whole Trial of a Time Lord saga. I don’t know all the details because I’m still watching it but I know the reveal, and the fact that the Valyard was able to set this up this at all is not a sign of a strong society. The fact that a different person is in charge every time the Doctor visits when people live for millennia is not a sign of a strong society. Plus they’re trying him for the exact thing they’d given him implicit permission to do when they ended his exile, which is disorganized at least. Also, Presidents already have near absolute power with few checks or balances but they’re always in trouble for trying to grab more.

I’m not to Seven’s run yet but I did a quick skim on Wikipedia and it didn’t seem like he has any Gallifrey-based stories. Someone tell me if I’m wrong.

Then, every stand-alone audio on Gallifrey is either the past is coming out of our fairy tales to eat us or our political situation is a mess and the general populace is restless about it. And sometimes also we’re getting invaded and all our protections aren’t good enough anymore.

Then, there’s Gallifrey the series, in which we have five leaders in quick succession (someone was in charge while they were on the axis after Matthias left even if they weren’t specified), two of whom also named themselves dictators. They dealt with terrorists, invasions, several near-misses on intergalactic war, a (zombie) health crisis, and a civil war. Two civil wars? It was a little vague but it sounded like another one maybe happened while they were gone. Everything got so bad they had to bring back their founder, only to discover he was worse than anyone else.

And then there’s the Time War, which was the culmination of their fall (everything about Gallifrey after that in the show sucked so I’m stopping there; it should count as a new era anyway). They had been declining for what must have been centuries but was also like 1-2 generations, with chaos happening more frequently and leaders failing more dramatically. And then they were thrown into the war to end all…everything…and had to lose even the pretense of being a gentle scholarly society and become feral and harsh. And they lost the time and ability to do anything but fight and kill and die and come back to do it again.

Honestly, their new era should bear very little resemblance to their former politics, but that isn’t really my point. I just find it so delicious that we’ve only ever seen this powerful and ancient society in its declining years

[cybers-sillyzone]

Cosmic Calamity

*Undertale Yellow AU Time!! :333 Half of my hyperfixation is on Star specifically sooo I made an AU centered around him

*Certain things are subject to change depending on if my feelings change/feedback

*This NOT a ship AU. Star is in his early-mid 20s during UTY and his late 20s-early 30s during UT, Flowey is stuck as a 13-ish year old. Just felt the need to clarify that.

Contains Spoilers for UTY below! (Geno and True Pacifist)

*Basically, Clover has been being possessed by the PLAYER, and has been doing multiple genocide runs. PLAYER gets more and more influence each reset, and this time, they managed to kill Martlet before she escaped

*Flowey has been growing tired of the genocide routes. Isn’t Clover bored now? But now they killed Martlet before she escaped, that was new. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was kinda scared. Before he knew exactly what to predict, just playing along in hopes Clover would get bored and do a different route, one which hopefully ended in him getting his souls. But now he didn’t know what to predict.

*In this timeline, word never reaches the Wild East about Clover, so everyone is blissfully unaware of their genocide. It plays out like it does normally, but with Clover killing citizens of the Wild East while everyone’s back was turned. Star believes that everyone is just… away from town, they’ll probably be back eventually. Ceroba grows suspicious of Clover, she managed to get some people to evacuate, but fails to convince Star in time. Star returns from the mines just in time to see Clover kill the Feisty Four. Ceroba fights Clover to stall for time, telling Star to run. He refuses, he has to avenge his town, it’s his duty as a Sheriff. Ceroba forces him to run away, shoving him out of the gate and closing it. PLAYER tries to go back and kill Star, but he’s already gone, Flowey forces them to forget about it and move on to the Steamworks. After they oblige and go to the Steamworks, Flowey considers his options. The timeline had already been changed, so why wouldn’t he change it more? The last two monsters who stood so much as a chance against Clover would be Axis and Starlo. Axis would probably try to kill Flowey, plus, he’s technically not a monster, so Flowey went to go find Starlo. He finds Starlo and explains everything, the resets, saving, loading, timelines, all of it. Flowey wants to put an end to it, but he doesn’t know how. He could just reset now, but would that really do anything? Clover would just come back and do genocide all over again. Sure, his main motivation for stopping the resets is just wanting the human souls, but Starlo doesn’t need to know that. Starlo and Flowey agree to work together to try and stop Clover.

*The genocide route continues as normal, by now, Clover is lv. 20, they’re in control now. But when Clover approaches the castle, Starlo is there. So is Flowey, they give exposition and fight Clover.

*The first phase of this hypothetical fight wouldn’t be too insanely hard, easier than the Zenith of Monsterkind at the least. Starlo tanks hits for Flowey, and eventually when Starlo would get to around 1/5th of his HP, Flowey realizes they’re not strong enough on their own, and leaves, promising to be as quick as possible.

*This part of the fight would be much easier, but when you ‘kill’ Starlo, before he turns to dust, Flowey returns with the human souls. He grabs Starlo and shoves the souls into him. He also indirectly causes himself to also fuse with Starlo, forming the Blazing Star (like the warrior cat book….omg…)

*PLAYER is determined, but so are they. Now it seems to be a battle of who can outlast the other. Essentially a purgatory for Clover. PLAYER and the Blazing Star would all be fighting for control of the timeline. There’d probably be an ending where the PLAYER wins, but that’s boring and lame. So the Blazing Star (mainly Flowey) would begin to question how this 12 year old is still managing to grip a hold on the timeline when they’re facing what’s pretty much a god. He realizes that there’s a second party at play. Clover isn’t more determined than them, far from it, it’s someone else. Someone neither human, nor monster.

*The Blazing Star tries to get Clover to resist the player, and eventually, they do. The threes combined efforts manage to split PLAYER from Clovers soul. They destroy PLAYERs connection to their world and reset the timeline.

*Clover has very few memories of that timeline, only that Flowey and Starlo helped them when they needed it most. Starlo has some memories of it, he mostly remembers everything but some parts are fuzzy, namely the logistics of saving and the timelines as well as most of the stuff before the final fight. Flowey however remembers it clearly.

*Clover does the true pacifist ending and everything stays pretty much the same, but Starlo and Flowey are friends now.

*After Clover gives up their soul, Flowey lets them rest. 10-ish years pass, and Flowey panics since he lost control of the timeline again. He goes to see if another human fell, he’s still been checking every day since he still wants those souls. But low and behold it’s everyone’s favorite yellow skinned gremlin, Frisk.

*Flowey recognizes Charas presence, and Frisks story plays out largely the same. Though I do want to add in a Wild East section, not too sure what’s gonna happen or how Frisk gets there though. However, Starlo would be a wee bit suspicious of Frisk due to sensing that secondary presence (Chara) in their soul, but would realize that regardless of who or what it is, Frisk is indefinitely better than PLAYER.

*Flowey also cut off contact with Starlo after Frisk fell, believing he wouldn’t understand why it was so important that Frisk stayed alive.

*And then after the Asriel fight Starlo and Flowey make up and become friends again YAY good ending

*anyways here’s a concept for the blazing stars design:

[tenthcrowley]

BINDER

Bucky Barnes x Trans!Reader (he/they)

Request: None.

Fandom: MCU.

Genre: Little angst but fluff at the end.

Words: 1370

Summary: You haven't been feeling great lately, you haven't been feeling any positive at all. After a rough day at work someone finally notice your mood.

TW: Faking happiness, intense crying (just the noise of throwing things and groans), old binder not binding enough now, reader's looks like a MESS, and just fluff? idk

This was just awful. Since you woke up you knew the day will suck. You didn't have motivation for anything and you were just sick of feeling like this. You sighed now laying down on the couch of the living room in the Avengers building. You remember the first time you entered hhere, it was like a kid with a bunch of brand new toys. Just that the kid didn't had to fight constantly.

"You okay?" You didn't realize when you had closed your eyes, wow you must be really exhausted. You open them and look up at Steve who had a concerning look in his face.

"Yeah, yeah, just... very tired." You try to smile at him but it's most like a disgusted face. He chuckled. He knows you, he knows you're stubborn and never admit you're dying to have some rest. You remind him of his younger self. Younger in like before he was frozen, but technically he hasn't changed because, again, technically he's still a young man. Never mind, he thinks you look like him when he was trying to join the war, strong, insistent, brave and a little (much) stubborn.

"Go on. Get a shower and sleep. Some rest will do you well."

You roll your eyes as you got up from the couch.

"Yes, dad." He laughs while you're leaving to your room.

You were really good at faking, lying. Everyone would think you're living the best moment of your life while you're internally dying. You're so good to put a fake smile on your face and hide all of your pain. Pain. God, when will you stop feeling pain? When will you feel free, happy.

Steve looked at your way still when you had left. Bucky placed a hand on his shoulder to get him off of his trance.

"You okay?"

Rogers nod. "I am. He's not. They say they're okay but it's just not true. I don't know why he cannot trust me yet." He's sad. Because he really loves you, you're like kind of a little brother to take care of and seeing you this way, seeing you in pain but not telling, faking, hiding it, not trusting him. It hurt his heart a lot. "They will tell you, tho." That's true. (Y/N) is always honest to Bucky. When (Y/N) opens to him, they ask him to remain silence about it. He does. But Steve wasn't born yesterday, he knew they tell each other almost everything. Didn't know what exactly but that's not of his business and he gets it.

"Uh, I can't try." The black haired man left his friend alone in the living and made his way to your room. He wasn't gonna show it, but he was very worried about you. You are really important to him, you take a big place in his heart and viceversa.

Before he can knock, he hears groans and sobs with violently punches to things, not things that can break tho. Bucky sighs and finally knocks, instantly the noise stops.

"It's me."

The door immediately opens and (Y/N)'s hand reaches him to pull him inside the room and closing the door again. When Bucky turns, your eyes are red and swollen from crying, dried tears on your cheeks being replaced by new ones, your hair is all messed up like you just got out of a street fight, but what caught his attention the most was that you were shirtless, scratching your arms without causing any injuries but leaving your skin red and burning, you were in just your binder, in your old and worn binder. Now he knows why you were all shut the entire day, you were having dysphoria the whole fucking day. He understood, being around cisgender men all day could be tough for you, he didn't know you feel, but he understood. Plus you haven't bought a binder in like a year so it's stretched out and old, which means it doesn't tightness like it used to.

No words needed for when he opens his arms and you ran to hug him. He squeezes you and puts his nose on the top of your head. You love that. His hugs are different than the rest. Despite his metal arm, his hugs are comfy and warm, it brings you back to Earth instantly, they make you feel safe and like home. Minutes passed and you just hug. He never let you go making you the one to break the wrap when you feel it's been enough. So he just stays, smelling your hair knowing you just showered and maybe that's another reason why you're like this, since your binder it's not wet you didn't wore it to get showered. Finally you pull out the hug now calmed.

"Do you want to explain it me? If not, that's okay, I understand." He smiles at you, looking directly at your eyes.

You feel your heart warm and you sigh. You've been in the Avengers for like a year now and it's been impossible to not fall for Bucky. You avoided him, all the time! But that bastard always found a way to come back to your life. Until one day you stopped fighting and just gave up to the idea of having him around almost all the time, making you fall really hard. And stuff like this, this situation right now, everytime he comes and calms you down, he gives you a kiss on the forehead, when he hugs you, when you compliments you, stuff like this makes you confuse and it's like playing with your emotions. You know Bucky doesn't realize that so at least you can be obvious about your feelings for him and he will just never know.

"I need a new binder." Being honest? That's the only thing you could say right now. You wanted to explain to him but... you couldn't. It's like if you say how you feel, all the calmness he gave you would fly away like a feather in a rough wind. Simple as that.

"Okay. We can get you one." He smiled again and you felt melting. You adore the way he smiles. He stepped closer and gave you a kiss on your forehead but staying inches from your face.

You looked at him. You wanted to kiss him so bad. So so bad. So you did, excepting that could say all your words can't. For your surprise he responded the kiss with the same sweetness and caring. You both blushed because you understood each other. This kiss speaks more than a million words and you get it. It feels like you both needed it, you both needed to let out all the sentiment you've been keeping and couldn't express. Your hands were at the sides of your body and so his. You didn't want to touch each other, at least not yet. The kiss finally broke and you could look at each other's eyes, another thing you understood.

"So you...?" He said.

"Yes." You answered fast. "You?"

"Yeah." You both giggled and finally looked at each other. You saw his blue eyes that were like a sky in a plenty summer, clear, shining and beautiful. There was love in his eyes you could tell. You smiled for real for the first time in days. You felt happy after so long. You wanted to cry of happiness, not just because Bucky feels the same way about you but because you're finally feeling good, at least for a moment.

"Go on, put a shirt on and we will go out to buy you a new binder." He said giving you a kiss on the forehead and then walking to your bedroom door.

"Really?" You said trying to hide your excitement.

He looked at you and nod smiling before leaving.

You smile got even bigger as you grabbed any t-shirt you liked to put it on then fix your hair to finally come out. You're being happy. Even if Bucky was already there for you before, somehow, now it feels even better, have him by your side like more than a friend it felt different. You felt different. Different good.

[pizzafishandchips]

23. "We can fix this, I know we can"

Fandom - Infamous IF Content warnings - strong language Summary - Three times Luna could fix a problem, and the one time she couldn't Relationship - Seven & MC

Growing up, Luna learned she had to fix her own problems herself.

When the lightbulbs needed replacing and her parents were away, she’d pull out the giant ladder, so tall compared to her little child self, and brave the terrifying heights herself. When the power went out, and she had no one to call, she’d trudge out to the fusebox and struggle through. Sitting through endless Youtube videos, frantic online tutorial searches, they became her normal. When something needed to fixed, or some problem needed to be solved, Luna could count on herself to find a solution and put it all back together.

She was out on a drive with Seven, a casual trip for fun to an event several hours away from home. Everything was going well, until they heard a loud pop, and the car began to teeter unsteadily. They pulled over to take a look, and Seven loudly groaned as she steps around to the back.

“Shit, tire got blown out by something,” she cursed. “We still have so much left to go. What the hell are we gonna do?”

Luna patted her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’ll be okay. We can fix this.”

They switch to the temporary replacement tire, managing to carefully roll their way home. Crisis averted.

---------------------------------------

The two of them were huddled outside in the nippy winter air, shivering as they try to pull the front gate to the apartment complex open. But they were stopped cold when the gate wouldn’t budge, and when Luna rifled through her key ring, she was dismayed to find that she hadn’t brought the right one.

“What the hell is wrong with your landlord? Why is he locking people out?”

“We technically have a curfew…” she hesitatingly tried to explain. Rummaging through her bag and rest of her pockets, she was relieved to find she’d packed her lockpicks. With some fiddling—not easy when her hands were trembling from the cold—the gate was pushed open. “It’s fine though, I’ve got it.”

Seven was flabbergasted. “You carry those around but not your own keys?!”

“I swear I normally do! I just didn’t think we’d be out this late so I thought we wouldn’t need it…”

“You’re so weird, Luna.” Her voice, while exasperated, was warm as she laughed.

-----------------------------------------

The band sat together in a circle, heads bent down as their faces scrunch with concentration. Luna squeezed the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache creeping into her temples. It had been a difficult month when it came to gigs; they weren’t strangers to lean times, but it never made it any easier when the bills needed to be paid.

“Okay, well at least we have some stuff lined up for the future so this won’t happen next time, but we’ll need to figure something out for this in the meantime. We have a bit saved up to cover part of this at least,” she sighed.

“Got anyone we can cold call for something immediate?” Jazzy asked.

“Not off the top of my head, but if anyone else knows anyone.”

They discussed it a bit longer, and they were able to come up with some ideas before Luna dismissed everyone. Seven was the one who lingered on after everyone else left, her eyes filled with worry.

“We still might not have enough to cover it all.”

“I know. I’ll figure something out.”

And she did. With what they had saved, plus some extra last minute gigs, they were able to make it through that month. Of course, Luna never let anyone see the final accounting details; it was Seven in the end who figured it out, confronting her one night.

“You… You used some of your own money to pay off the rest of it, didn’t you?” she accused.

Luna shrugged. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t something to worry about. She’d need to take some extra work for herself to build it back up, but it was for the band. For them, it was all worth it.

“I told you I’d figure it out.”

----------------------------------------

The apartment was a mess.

Or perhaps mess wasn’t the best word to use. It’s half barren, so much of its life packed in boxes that had long been removed from the premises before Luna could protest. She’d returned that night, shocked to find it in such a state, the first time any kind of emotion was able to break through the fog she’d be wading through for the past several days.

And then the rest of the fog was immediately dissipated when Seven suddenly wheeled around the corner, the final batch of her belongings tucked her arms. She froze when their eyes met, a million unspoken words hanging like a guillotine above their heads.

“Seven, you’re not actually…” Luna, not knowing what else to do, reached out to her. Seven, her eyes stormy, stepped away with a look of disgust.

“Get out of the way, Luna. I’m going.”

“What do you mean? Where are you going? Do you really think you can just walk out like this?” Her voice was steadily rising as panic was setting in. This wasn’t real, she pleaded with herself. What happened at the party wasn’t real. What happened after wasn’t real.

Seven glares at her, a look so foreign she physically recoiled. “I can do whatever the fuck I want. I don’t even know why you’re complaining; you’re the one who wanted me to walk anyway.”

Her words cut like a thousand knives. “That is not what I said—”

“No, that is what you said! That’s what all of you said! You didn’t even need to say it to my face. For once in your fucking life, Luna, stop lying.”

“I’m not lying! I never lied to you! If you could just give me a moment to explain—”

“You explained plenty well the last time,” Seven hissed. Memories of the party came rushing back in spite of Luna’s wishes; a bitter taste filled her mouth, a rancid bouquet of frustration and anger and pain. It fills her veins like adrenaline, her pulse spiking as she desperately tries to grasp for life, for any kind of purchase in a situation that was spiraling well out of her control.

“Don’t put words in my mouth like that!” Luna argued, her patience wearing thin. “Yeah, I said some shit, we both did. But you’re so goddamn stubborn and you just see what you want to see without actually listening to the facts!”

“Facts? What facts? Take your fucking facts and piss off. The facts say that you wanted me out. The facts are that you didn’t do shit about it, and you still think I’m in the wrong here? What the hell was I supposed to do, Luna? What could I have possibly done about all of this? You’re the one they wanted. Weren’t you the one they would have listened to? Shouldn’t you have been the one capable of changing anything about this?”

Whatever Luna had to say, it died in her throat. Her hands were beginning to shake; the hard reality of what was about to happen was thundering at the door, refusing to be ignored. She didn’t want this. She never wanted this. This wasn’t what she asked for.

Seven contemptuously shook her head. She saw her opening, making a move to maneuver around her frozen figure. A terrifying fear suddenly gripped Luna’s heart. For some reason, she felt as though if she let her leave like this, she might never see her again. That something irreplaceable would be lost forever.

“Wait, please,” she whimpered, taking hold of Seven’s arm in a death grip. In that moment, she would have been willing to get on her knees. Bend her head to the ground and begged if she needed to. “Please, Seven. We can fix this. I know we can.”

The look she threw back at her chilled her to her bone, and it would haunt her nightmares for months to come. “No, Luna. You can’t. Stop thinking you can fix everything. You can’t fix this.”

Wrenching her arm out of her grasp, she stormed off. Luna could only stand there, staring at the place where Seven’s retreating figure had just been. Seeing both nothing and everything at the same time, lost in the broken, scattered shards of a world she could never piece back together, no matter how hard she tried.

[themirokai]

The Bell Bird - Chapter 4

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

In this chapter, plans are put in motion.

Chapter is 2,545 words.

Extra thanks to @once-in-a-blue-moon-rising for normal Brit-pick and beta support PLUS incredible help with details of the logistics for this chapter.

Read it below or on AO3.

~*~

Gregory had the decency to wait a week before asking. Mycroft was not surprised. Gregory was, after all, a fundamentally decent man.

The intervening week had been busy, but no more taxing than Mycroft was used to.

The DNA test had, of course, shown that the Bell Bird was David’s daughter, and they had quickly begun to implement the plan he had sketched out for her that first night in his office. Arranging for Jenny to sing a concert at the Nevill Holt Theatre two weeks later took very little effort, and Ahmad had barely concealed her eagerness to travel with Jenny to Leicestershire and remain there as primary bodyguard under the guise of Ms. Lindish’s personal assistant.

Romer had come back to work the following day with his tail between his legs, and had apologised for his behaviour. To demonstrate that there were no hard feelings, Mycroft had moved Yang to another assignment and put Romer on his personal security detail. Though Wilkinson was older than Romer, Romer had been in Mycroft’s unit for longer, meaning he was technically the senior agent on the detail. He had taken the responsibility with enthusiasm and extra gravitas, and Mycroft was grateful to Wilkinson for his bemused acceptance of Romer’s bluster.

The day to day of Mycroft’s work had all gone relatively smoothly that week, with the dozen or so operations his agents were conducting both domestically and abroad tracking with no major hiccups.

Which all left Mycroft free to lounge in bed with Gregory on Saturday morning at – for him – the late hour of eight AM. Gregory was half-sitting up against the pillows and Mycroft was laying with his cheek on Gregory’s stomach. Gregory was ostensibly reading something on his mobile but Mycroft could tell he hadn’t scrolled in some time and likely had something on his mind. Finally Gregory put the mobile down and stroked his hand down Mycroft’s back.

“Darling?”

“Mm?”

“Can I ask? About Jenny’s father?”

“Were you and my father lovers?” Jenny had asked that night, when Ahmad had stepped out and they were alone in his office. Her bravado was gone, and she suddenly looked very young. When Mycroft didn’t respond she continued. “It’s just… the way he talked about you… and you have a partner…”

“‘Lovers’ is too strong a word for what we were,” he had said quietly. “And I want to be clear that your father was devoted to your mother. As far as I know he was never unfaithful to her. But—” Mycroft sighed "—I suppose I don’t mind telling you that a long time ago… I loved him.”

“I think he loved you too.”

“We were very close, for a time,” Mycroft told Gregory. “There were a few times, before he met Jenny’s mother, when the adrenaline of a mission got the better of us and we… well… But that was a different time.

“It wasn’t safe for us to be together, both because of our work and even moreso because we were both men. I was closeted in my professional life until shortly before I met you. And David met and fell in love with Jenny’s mother in the nineties. If the circumstances had been different, if we had been brought together in the 2010s instead of the late seventies… if I had met him instead of you… I don’t know.” Mycroft sighed. “I owe him my life. I hope by protecting his daughter I’m doing what I can to repay him and honour his memory.”

Gregory hugged him closer and kissed the top of his head. “I think you are, darling.”

Mycroft was honest enough with himself to acknowledge that in the days leading up to Jenny’s concert, he became irrationally nervous. He deployed extra agents around Leicestershire and had nearly every resource at his disposal scanning for any sign of the Black Tornado. He repeatedly questioned whether using Jenny as bait was the best way to keep her safe, but just as often resolved that, yes, taking out the Black Tornado was the only way to protect her, and they had no other way of making him surface.

The information Mycroft had on the Black Tornado indicated that he would spend as little time in the UK as possible. Unlike the Bell Bird, he had operated there in the past, but those had been extremely rapid strikes that had him out of the country within hours. By having Jenny’s concert be at Nevill Holt it would force the Black Tornado to travel a great distance by car, regardless of how he arrived in England, which would give Mycroft’s team ample opportunity to apprehend him. It also meant that it narrowed the window of when he was likely to strike at her, since the night of the concert would be the only time he would know exactly where she was.

Gregory and Mycroft would be attending the concert and spending the night at a nearby inn. It would give Mycroft the opportunity to direct operations more or less on-site, and the idea of intentionally putting Jenny in harm’s way while he stayed in London was unthinkable. And while he considered it, he did not bother suggesting that Gregory stay behind.

He and Gregory were packing for the night away when Mycroft’s mobile buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was one of his agents working in the operations centre. He answered. “Go ahead, Parnell.”

“Sir, we believe the Black Tornado has boarded a plane in Istanbul headed for Heathrow.”

“Good. Keep scanning in case you’re wrong, but send a team to intercept him as soon as the flight lands.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mycroft disconnected the call to see Gregory watching him.

“Got him?” Gregory asked.

“Not yet,” Mycroft told him. “But he should be landing in about four hours, and my people will be there.”

Gregory smiled. “Maybe we’ll be able to relax and enjoy the concert after all.”

Mycroft certainly was not superstitious enough to believe in the concept of a jinx, but Gregory’s words still felt like a lead weight in his stomach.

In the car on the way to Leicestershire, Mycroft was not on comms. He knew the Black Tornado’s plane would be landing while they were en route, but he also knew that there was nothing he could meaningfully add to the operation at that point, so he forcefully resisted the urge to micromanage. He had found that his agents felt more free to communicate openly when he was not listening in, which improved group cohesion on the ground. While it was more difficult when he was so personally invested in the operation, it helped that Simmons was monitoring comms while she drove – a role she happily fulfilled when required. Simmons had known Mycroft long enough to know what updates he would find useful, and the agents trusted her to keep their non-essential chatter to herself.

In theory, Mycroft was reading a report from an operation in Abu Dhabi, but he couldn’t help frequent glances at Simmons. At one point when he looked up, their eyes met in the rearview mirror, and she gave a short nod. The plane must have landed. Mycroft glanced at Gregory, who was engrossed in a book, but decided not to say anything. He gave up all pretence of reading the Abu Dhabi report, and just waited.

He saw when Simmons’ shoulders tensed, and when she gripped the steering wheel more tightly, and so he was not entirely unprepared for her to swear.

“Shit!”

Gregory startled out of his book. “Lucy? You okay?”

Simmons looked at Mycroft in the rearview again. “They lost him, sir.”

Mycroft felt the breath squeeze out of him in a hiss. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Pull over, Simmons.”

Simmons tapped her ear to change the channel on her comm. “Wilk, we’re pulling over.”

Ahead on the road a nondescript grey van pulled off to the side as Simmons manoeuvred their vehicle over. Mycroft got out of the car just as a motorbike pulled up beside them and Romer took off his helmet. His face showed that he had been monitoring comms too. Simmons joined them beside the car.

“Tell me,” Mycroft said.

“Massive crowds at Heathrow,” Simmons reported, “and there was some mix-up with the gate, so two planes-worth of people thought they were supposed to be boarding their flight through that gate just as Black Tornado’s flight was disembarking. The team lost him in the crowd.”

Mycroft felt a cold fury rise in his stomach but he kept his tone even. “Completely unacceptable! That entire team is being reassigned for additional crowd training.” Well, maybe not entirely even.

“He must’ve had someone mess with the gates, sir,” Romer put in.

“And he’s an extremely skilled operative, not a random mark,” Simmons said.

“Both observations are irrelevant. This unit is supposed to be the best in the world. I do not care how skilled the mark is or how big the crowd, a five person team should not lose one individual in a crowd. And you can tell them I said so.”

Mycroft wheeled around and got back in the car, shutting the door with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary.

Gregory, apparently, had also gotten out and had been listening. He returned to his seat and tentatively reached out to touch Mycroft’s hand.

“Maybe a bit of an overreaction, darling?”

Mycroft snorted. “Nothing of the sort. My agents should be better than that.”

“Sure,” Gregory said gently, “but are you perhaps taking it a little hard because you’re worried about Jenny?”

“If I were being hard on them,” Mycroft informed him, “I would have called them myself. Having Simmons and Romer deliver the message that I am displeased and sparing them my full thoughts on the matter is taking it easy on them.”

Gregory raised an eyebrow at him, then squeezed his hand.

After Mycroft and Gregory had deposited their bags in their very nice room at the inn, they went for a walk to stretch their legs. Though Romer was moving nearly silently, Mycroft did spot him tracking them through the woods at several points. At the pre-arranged time, they encountered Jenny and Ahmad on an abandoned lane.

Before the women caught sight of Mycroft and Gregory, Ahmad said something they couldn’t hear to Jenny and Jenny threw her head back in a melodious laugh and rested her hand on Ahmad’s arm. Ahmad grinned at Jenny, then quickly looked down at her feet. While they were a little too far to see, Mycroft strongly suspected that she was blushing.

Ahmad caught sight of them then, and her entire expression changed. Her grin faded, and she stood straighter: the picture of a calm, professional agent. Jenny, on the other hand, lit up when she saw them.

“Hello!” she called. “Welcome to the picturesque Nevill Holt estate.”

Mycroft felt a surge of fondness. Her accent was exactly the same as David’s: one of the regional American ones; midwestern, if he recalled correctly.

“Beautiful day for a stroll,” Gregory said.

“Ms. Lindish,” Mycroft said. “Are you well?”

She leaned closer to him. “You know you can call me Jenny,” she mock-whispered conspiratorially.

“Mr. Holmes only does first names under duress,” Ahmad told her.

Mycroft glanced at her with a small smile. “Thank you, Ahmad.”

“I’m very well, Mr. Holmes, thank you for asking,” Jenny said with a smile. “Agent Ahmad has been taking very good care of me.”

Mycroft looked between them quickly but answered without hesitation. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned to Ahmad. “Have you been on comms today, Ahmad? Or in touch with anyone from the unit?”

Ahmad’s face grew even more serious. “No, sir.”

Mycroft grimaced. He had been fairly sure that was the case, but it didn’t make his next task any easier. “I have some unfortunate news, then. I had a team go to intercept the Black Tornado at Heathrow, but they lost him. We have to assume that he’s on his way, or potentially already here.”

Ahmad grew angry. Jenny’s face detoured quickly from frightened to resolved.

“I understand,” Jenny said quietly.

“I don’t,” Ahmad said. “How big was the team, sir?”

“Big enough that they should not have lost him,” Mycroft told her. “There will be consequences, but you will let me worry about that. You have a much more immediate concern.”

Ahmad took a deep breath, and Mycroft watched her consciously unclench her jaw. “Yes, sir.”

“Your team is ready?” he asked her.

“Yes, sir.”

As Ahmad briefed him on how she had deployed the agents assigned to help her protect Jenny and the plan for the concert that night, Mycroft watched out of the corner of his eye as Jenny took a few steps closer to Gregory and the two of them had a quiet conversation.

“Very good, Ahmad,” Mycroft said when she finished. “That’s all well-thought out.”

Ahmad gave a very small smile.

Jenny and Gregory cut off their conversation and Jenny turned to him with a smile.

“He’s most likely to attack tonight, when he thinks you’re asleep,” Mycroft addressed both Jenny and Ahmad. “I’ll be monitoring comms following the concert.” He reached out his hand towards Jenny, and she took it. “You don’t need to be frightened. Ahmad is skillfully deploying an excellent team.”

Jenny looked at Ahmad through her lashes. “I have every confidence in Agent Ahmad, Mr. Holmes.”

“Good,” Mycroft said. “My dear, we will keep you safe. I give you my word.”

Jenny smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Mycroft said, “we should all get back to where we’re supposed to be.”

Romer faded out of the woods and onto the road once Mycroft and Gregory were headed back to the inn, walking hand in hand.

“Ahmad’s soft on the Bell Bird, sir.”

“I’m well aware, Mr. Romer.”

“I think Bell Bird likes Ahmad, too.”

“Yes,” Mycroft said, “you are correct.”

“Is that a problem, sir?”

“Ahmad and Ms. Lindish are more emotionally invested in protecting each other. I see that as an asset to the operation, Mr. Romer.”

Romer walked beside him for a few steps, considering. “Guess I’ll have to find a hot assassin with a sob story,” he said.

On Mycroft’s other side, Gregory chuckled. “You do know there are other ways to meet people, right Peter?”

Romer looked briefly thoughtful. “I guess I could be introduced to a handsome copper by my troubled brother, but I don’t have any siblings.”

Gregory shook his head. “We’ve got to get you some other role models, kid.”

Romer flashed a smile at Mycroft before heading back into the woods. “Nah. I’m good.”

“What were you and Jenny talking about?” Mycroft asked Gregory when Romer was far enough away to not be able to hear their conversation.

“You, mostly.” Gregory chuckled. “She was asking how we met and how we got together. Whether you usually brought me along on operations. She’s a sweet girl.”

Mycroft raised an eyebrow at him. “She is a deadly assassin.”

Gregory shrugged. “And a sweet girl. We should have her to dinner when this is all wrapped up.”

Mycroft stopped walking, pulled Gregory to him, and kissed him.

~*~

Thank you for reading!

Final chapter is now posted.

[devondespresso]

Writers 20 questions tag game!!

tagged by the beloved @eriquin 💕💗💖 i haven't been able to participate in a lot of tag games lately (as evident by this being at least a week late ahnsgdsynkd)(edit: its been way more than a week) but i still really really appreciate the tags!!

divider by @/saradika-graphics

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

7 !! I think i still need to put one up there but i haven't yet cause i wanna edit the ending a tad

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

10,746

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Thingssssss, and i think its fair to say the Steve Harrington fandom specifically gdnzngxngxgn

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Sweet and Spicy (the one steddie drabble tdnydyndny), My Sunshine, I Can Only Hope Now, Never Again, and Mr. Crayola Henderson

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes absolutely!! its usually a lot of heart emojis and keyboard smashes mixed in with my actual response zgnzgbzgnzng

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

uhhh itd probably have to be Never Again still, i usually like to lean positive with my endings, that whole love-being-alive thing, so whenever i don't its usually because the focus is a different strong emotion that'd conflict with blatant positivity.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

oo okay also hard to decide for the same reason, I'd say the ending that feels happiest is probably from either I Can Only Hope Now (the Claudia prompt) or Now That We're Alive because both go from sad to happy and hopeful for the future. My Sunshine ends on a good note but its less "aw yippee!" and more "AAAAAAAAAAAA". I like my drabbles (under 400 words) to end pretty fluffy so far, and stuff like Mr. Crayola Henderson stays a pretty consistent light and fun so I don't think the happy end hits as hard.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, thank god, not yet anyway

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nopeeee tho Never Again has an E and M version it's not exactly fun enough to be smut i don't think

10. Do you write crossovers?

also nope

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that im aware?? I'd be pretty pissed if it was but also like. is it doing well? is it popular? 👀

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not that im aware but i give full permission if anyone wants to

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope, most ive done is bounce ideas or beta, but I'd be down to try it!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

i don't know if i have one?? just in general for stranger things i enjoy steve ships a lot. big fan of Vi and Caitlyn from Arcane but im not really in fandom for that show cause what would i change?? im very much a gen fic enjoyer and if i had to list all my fav platonic dynamics... we'd be here a while xgnzngzgn

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

oh irony my cruelest adversary. a few months ago i was happy and ignorant in my haven of only one active wip. Now there's a small handful, and unless i get possesed with the same emotions i was venting in it, i fear the short Robin-centric letter style thing won't be finished soon. its decent so far but there would be a good bit of editing trying to actually articulate the feeling in a realistic way plus fitting it to Robin's first-person writing style. I don't intend to drop it but lately it just calls to me the least, but that could change

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think its a strange mix of intuition and a technical understanding of writing that works really well for the way i think. Its very broad and basically has no rules, just a understanding of how my favorite stories work, how most writing rules are really trends that tend to work better and then you can dig deeper behind a lot of them to see the *why* behind it. that plus trusting the nagging feeling that something's off makes editing my most productive stage, i can vibe check the area and then start digging dgnxnhxngxng

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

god this changes every time i revisit this draft xumxhmxmxhm this time its probably character introspection. i love writing like a movie and having character action or dialogue or setting or symbols communicate things, but putting down what the characters thinking with similar tact is soooo harddddddd and especially in angst or emotion moments, i want my readers caught in the same thought process as the pov character, i want it to feel so real that even if they never experienced the situation the characters in and even if they know logically the characters wrong, they understand. and that unfortunately involves bypassing their stance as an outside perspective on the matter, which is uhhhhh very very hard xhmznhxhnxhm

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Depends on the intent, i think it works best when the author speaks the language themselves, and especially with stuff like asl it helps clarify the grammatic differences. I think if its a language the pov character isn't supposed to understand then "said something in x language" works better for universal immersion.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Stranger things babeyyyyyy, i actually started writing the Steve Henderson au first, tho the first drafts of chapters are very different from current ones

20. Favorite fic you've written?

MY SUNSHINE!!!!!!! i am so open about my favouritism with that one, its the most contemplative and atmospheric and emotional and its short enough that i was spending time on every word, every line to make sure it felt right and contributed to the picture i wanted. they say its more achievable (compared to long fiction) to make a perfect short story and that's what My Sunshine feels like to me, the perfect little taste of themes I'm enjoying most in writing rn, specifically with the Steve Henderson au (my second favourite fic xgnxngxgn)

i forget how many ppl im supposed to tag so im gonna do 20, no pressure ofc!! @marvel-ous-m @acasualcrossfade @pearynice @imfinereallyy @tinytalkingtina

@klausinamarink @puppy-steve @queenie-ofthe-void @eyesofshinigami @stellarspecter

@dreamwatch @lightoftheseraph @withacapitalp @findafight @hbyrde36

@vegasol @carolperkinsexgirlfriend @lingeringmirth @momotonescreaming @sourw0lfs

[foxgirlbeans]

A Ninja's Guide to Eorzea: Part 2

Welcome back, warriors of light! if you missed part 1, this is a series where I'm taking a look at every dungeon in FFXIV and grading them based on how amenable they are to the ninja's oft-overlooked ability Hide. that's right, it's not just a mudra refresh button! sometimes...

today we're finishing up the leveling dungeons in A Realm Reborn, and then if we keep going at 6 dungeons a part we'll spend the next three parts on level 50 dungeons. dear god does ARR have a lot of endgame content.

The Sunken Temple of Qarn

just like part one, we're starting off really strong once again. the only enemy in this dugeon you can't sneak past are the giant stone heads you use to weigh down pressure plates, and you have to fight a few of those to get them on their buttons at all. this dungeon feels more roguish than ninjalike what with stealing ancient artifacts and treasure and all that, but grabbing those artifacts without any dungeon denizens noticing still makes this dungeon more fun than it would be by just hitting Hide and autowalking to the next boss.

you can even complete the scale in the final room without triggering any enemies if you time things just right, which I was honestly surprised by. I'm giving this one an A.

Cutter's Cry

the first two rooms in this dungeon are basically arenas, so the sneaking starts a little late on this one. that being said, the (pray return to the) waking sands and the exploding blue flames in the dry sands and blue sands areas respectively make it a challenge to keep your stealth up as you move between bosses, so it's still just as fun to avoid fights as it is to get into them.

that being said, I do have to take points off here for not being very ninja at all, as well as for the wet sands areas. you can sneak through the wet sands perfectly fine, don't get me wrong, but it's just as easy to run through the place and grab a teleporter before the mobs catch up to you, so sneaking only really slows you down here. still, 2/3s of the dungeon are good, so B-.

The Stone Vigil

this dungeon has almost no checks between bosses so I was super looking forward to this one, but it immediately disappointed me. the dravanian outriders that appear in almost every pull can see through stealth, which given that they're scouts at least kind of makes sense? but between them and the ambushes of ice sprites, there's a grand total of two fights in this dungeon you can avoid through stealth.

technically you're sneaking through an enemy base and attacking their commanders, but most of FFXIV doesn't really make dragons feel sapient, so it really doesn't feel like it. that, plus Hide having almost no effect here, gives the Stone Vigil a D+.

The Dzemael Darkhold

speaking of expectations being turned on their head, here's that again but in the exact opposite direction. I did not think the darkhold could be stealthed all that well, but I was completely wrong once again.

what you would think would be the biggest problem- the timers you have to stand on to progress- actually aren't a huge deal, and like the pulleys in Halatali, these provide an extra fun challenge for anyone trying to avoid a fight.

the first few timers are complicated by the first boss of the dungeon flying around dealing massive AoEs of damage everywhere, but I'm fairly confident at least one of the two timers can be finished without a fight if you time it properly.

the second leg of the dungeon introduces exploding crystals that deal damage in an area around them, but they're slow enough to easily dodge without issue.

the third leg combines the two, forcing you to stay inside the crystals' area of effect in order to finish the timer. you'd think this would be a problem, but again you can time these so you're only revealed while everyone's back is turned, and then you can sneak away after the timer is finished. just be careful to avoid moving until you're properly hidden- I made that mistake before.

I'm not entirely sure what a "Darkhold" even is, but you are sneaking onto a rich family's property so that's roguish enough for my book. all in all, I give this dungeon a B+.

The Aurum Vale

like in Cutter's Cry, the acid pools and gas vents of the Aurum Vale make avoiding fights just as interesting as charging in headfirst, which is a good sign of things to come. the first boss can be reached without incident, as long as you don't get knocked into a pool of goldbile, and after that you'll have to contend with Morbols which can see through your Hide. that being said, in all cases they block your path forward anyway, so fighting them is a forgone conclusion.

this dungeon does not fit the ninja aesthetic at all, but it has easily the shortest runtime so far at less than five minutes even while sneaking the whole way. that alone gives it an A- as an invaluable asset to have while relic grinding.

The Wanderer's Palace

this is the first level 50 dungeon on the list, and if the rest are even half as bad as this I completely understand why people think Hide straight up doesn't work in dungeons. there's a couple ambush fights in this dungeon which aren't new, but the sheer breadth of creatures that can see through your stealth- Pug Pugils, Corrupted Nymians, and Tonberries (in the tonberry dungeon)- means there's a grand total of two fights you can skip throughout the whole thing- one of which still needs you to pull a lever in the middle of all the enemies, and the other can be spoiled if you're standing in the middle of it when an ambush starts.

all in all, sneak adds almost nothing to this dungeon aside from letting you ignore those giant tonberries that patrol certain areas, which really just raises even more questions! that being said, you are technically infiltrating a castle to free an oppressed peoples from their tyrannical king, even if it doesn't feel like it. D+.

[luimagines]

*Runs in like I have a lynel on my heels, hands you a basket filled with warm drinks and sweet snacks with a note, promptly passes out without elaborating* Greetings, first of all, how have you been doing? Also, Happy Late Tears of The Kingdom release date. Second of all, finally an excuse to ramble about your works as much as the Tumblr word account limit will allow me in an extensive way like a greek orator holding assembly like Plato talking about Atlantis. Or well at least some, cause if I were to ramble about everything you've posted so far we'd be here all day (SPECIALLY if I were to gush about Time and Twilight), so I'll limit myself to an arguable top six for today.

Ahem. *Clears throat* Anyway if I have to pick any works that are my favorite of yours, my very first pick would likely be the Fear Room.

Wind and his intense trauma about losing Aryll? His desperation as an elder brother who was supposed to protect her and thought he failed again? Wild and all of the ghosts of his kingdom that haunts his steps because he died way back when because he failed and the feeling of survivor's guilt being in full display? That if he could he'd trade his life for theirs so he wouldn't need to live with the most intense feeling of failure out of all the Links and to look at Hyrule and Zelda and everything like the pages of an old faded book? To say goodbyes to people he doesn't know anymore? Sky and his feelings over never being enough? Of always being just a second too late while the people he cares for are in danger and out of his reach, further made worse by the fact Demise's Curse took hold because of his actions/inaction in Skyward Sword and that feeling further exacerbated by Impa through the game? Hyrule not wanting all that he went through to be for naught and not wanting to be all alone again, specially given that without Zelda he wouldn't be able to keep Ganon at bay alone? Twilight's pure anguish and desperation of seeing bad things happen to his loved ones and losing them again and again and being unable to do anything about it? Time being so afraid of losing control over the Fierce Deity and being so, so, so tired. Tired of being strong, tired of being thrust into adventure after adventure and having his agency denied again and again on wether or not he wants to continue on or not? That he has been strong for so long that he not only just cracks, but BREAKS. Warriors pulling his punches because even if it looks like his shield brothers betrayed him and he's tired of traitors he doesn't want to believe it and doesn't want to hurt them? Four failing to save Dot, his childhood friend and in turn likely losing not only Ezlo but the colors and Shadow, literally pieces of himself after he jigsaw puzzled them back together and likely can't see himself living without them? LEGEND WITH THE KOHOLINT TRAUMA? Not to mention all of the other people he lost over the years, his parents, his uncle, technically Sir Raven of we go by the manga who was basically like a brother to him (also know as an incredibly gorgeous man I am itching to write for after the Fairy Tale series is done), Marin, technically Ravio and Hilda if Ravio doesn't go to live in his house after LBTW's, and finally Reader's reaction and lingering trepidation after it's all said and done, it's really well written horror and the horror enthusiast in me delights in it even if it's pure pain and my dog will never not be startled when I giddily cackle over it, 1000/10, would absolutely read again. Plus it inspired stuff for certain parts of the Fairy Tale au.

Tending Temptations, First and Reader are "Just Friends", calling them by their name and Prince Twilight- *takes a deep breath* What it I just die? Those are also a one shot and drabble that will need their own post, but let's just say that the frequency I reach when I read any of them and makes me way too soft and should probably only be heard by small mice, because I adore the way you portray Time and Twilight and First specially given there's maybe only one other author who writes them as well (shout out to Dreaming of Lu and their impeccable Time and First takes) and I love the way you write Twilight with all my heart, I don't think there's anyone who's come as close to delighting me when writing him so really, thank you so much for all your work in the fandom!

And finally, if predictably, the Fairy Tale and Dragon au, Dragon au will have to be it's own thing but I feel like the Fairy Tale au is probably a bit self explanatory since I'm writing a series based on it xD, but also I really like seeing the Links throw into a sudden situation and how they'll adapt and react to it and a great way to do that is to throw them into Fairy Tales we know or even in myths (*cough cough* Just saying, Twilight would kill it as Tam Lin and Time would make an amazing Odysseus) and you have some really unique ideas, so definitely a must read and what inspired me into trying to expand on it in greater detail (when life isn't kicking me in the ribs that is).

Overall, you're a great writer, and reading your stuff after bad days is an almost sure fire way to brighten my day and to make anyone's day, so thank you for all your work in the fandom! Hope you're doing well!

-Just an Anon on a Stroll 🐚/WintertimeStoryteller.

Dreaming of Lu is truly a master of their craft.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Fear Room so much! I don't write horror! Hardly ever! XD I thought I would have botched it.

And I'm sure you'll be happy to know that an expansion of Legend's segment for Fairytale au is queued up for later this year and that Dragon au is also getting a full sized fic expansion beginning in August. (Warrior centric, but I digress. XD)

I'm glad you enjoy the way I write Twilight though! He's one of my favorite so I'm happy to do him justice. :D

[puddlebaron]

Monster-fucking Homework

I got myself some homework from a @drdemonprince and @testdevice stream. The assignment was “What monster would you like to fuck?”

(Side note: I’m gonna acknowledge that all of the media properties mentioned are problematic in some way and I am gonna set that shit aside for now so I can focus on my goal here.)

I thought first that maybe I was going to come up with a concrete definition of monster but ended up saying, “Nah fuck it—I’m going off vibes.” A bunch of endearing freaks in Futurama are technically aliens or mutants but come ooon I’m already having trouble finding enough candidates for an initial list. On the flip side anime has too many sexy androgynous dudes that have their monster power-up transform they do but who I decided are too humanoid for the purpose of my interpretation of this exercise. I’m not here to be like, “Hot guy still hot when grows real big and pops out some wings and a tail” I’m here to be like, “What open-ended cluster of characteristics could you give sentience and a personality and the ability to communicate and consent that might make my heart flutter and change my blood flow?”

Some things I discovered:

Sloppy is good. Juicy and wet is good. Slimy is good. I have good associations with those but also logistically I’m a bit of a dry person so really if they’re bringing their own slickness that is a major plus.

I’m more excited for protuberances than for holes. I get the tentacle appeal. Strong and protruding and bendy but without the trouble of navigating around hard bones and joints? Um, yes.

Personality matters. I still need to know what they’re about, at least a little.

Baby, get in my mind.

My top list ended up being:

one of the green aliens from the Simpsons. Tentacles and drool, baby! I need to re-watch to see their different personalities but I bet there’s one that’s a real cutie-softie that I could get mushy about. I bet there are some good aliens in Futurama, too, but I don’t want to be sucked inside of a blob-monster and I think the Futurama ones do that.

Deep Sea King from One Punch Man. Despite being the king of the sea this one somehow has no tentacles and is pretty humanoid BUT: the arrogance, the swagger, the insanity, the little crown. The heart shaped nipples. Heck yeah!

Another One Punch Man monster also comes to mind, and this one has pretty iridescent tentacles: Geryuganshoop. I think he could be a real softie, and the telekinesis/telepathy could probably be useful for something.

This one popped into my head late, but wasn’t there some fart cloud in Rick and Morty that could get in your head and take you on fantastical journeys of the mind? Yeah that sounds hot. Let’s bypass the body part all together and just mainline some pure fucking experience.

[wayfinders-farm]

[Day 0]-Part 2 (Part 1)

[You flip the page over]

Wellll it’s been a few hours… and uh, I’ve found a few things I need to write about NOW.

So after the last page, I went out. Without any leads and just more questions, I was kinda dejected and really confused. I decided to check where the farm was supposed to be again, and still no luck. But as I was heading back, I almost missed the shadow coming out of the bushes...

I found my dogＴ▽ＴOr technically, my grandmother's dog, Chamomile. But I've been calling him Chomby since I was a child. He's been here longer than I have, which makes him about 14 years old. But he's holding strong! I'm also glad he's here with me 'cause he's an intelligent dog, (you won't believe how much he helped me during my early days on the farm) and I think he recognizes that something's up.

So when he started leading me towards the area he came out of I followed him closely. It led me to a narrow, insignificant opening in the trees; a vortex of brambles descending further into the forest. When Chomby pushed through, a swarm of butterflies escaped out of the gap. When I peeked through, I saw a trail of vibrant flowers leading further down.

Look, it’s probably basic survival knowledge that you shouldn’t go into any mysterious woods, especially after I wrote a whole paragraph about how supernatural this place is, even if your old childhood dog can. But... I trust dogs. And curiosity. Plus, how could I not go there?? For all I know, this was the valley TELLING me to go there.

Soooo after praying that I wasn't going to get eaten, murdered, or in any variety killed in a forest where my body sure wasn't going to get found, I followed down the path...

And-I don’t really know how to describe the place. But it’s the kind of place you’d see in a cliche fairytale. There seemed to be rolling pastures cluttered with all sorts of greenery. In the distance, I could see a whole forest. With just that look, this land seemed MASSIVE. I assume it even connects all the way down to the ocean.

So, it was really weird I had never seen it connected to anywhere in the valley before, or even had anyone mention ‘the big giant meadows we have,' but I figured it was just part of the spontaneous new locations. So I wasn't too worried. But when I looked-it just wasn't on any maps online.

At this point, I was KINDA suspicious my phone might just be broken, so I rushed back around the house (sorry Chomby,) and found an old map my grandmother use to own. Her map was just like my phone's. But... scribbled over were directions heading the same way as the fields.

Sooo of COURSE I followed the directions to make sure I was correct (very hesitantly, alright?) but, (just to make SURE) I also followed the path through the land. Chomby followed me, but he seemed very calm about it.

There was some disorderly meadows, a bridge over a river, a whole quarry, but most notably was a neverending field of grass. The map pointed behind some blades which grass which brought me to…

A shrine… grandma’s shrine. And this time, there’s no note.

Honestly, I have no idea what this means, or if something important used to be here, but... I think this is where the farm used to be, at least in this world. And for some reason, it was hidden...

Huh.

But back to the main topic... I have no idea what is going on, but I strongly suspect it has something to do with this Valley's bizarre magic, and I have more than enough reasons to find out. There's nothing more for me to do but stick around and explore these familiar and foreign locations.

I suppose I have to build the farm from the ground up again... eck. At least Chomby is here again.

Now I think about it-does anyone even know I’m here?? Uh it’s getting kind of late night, but maybe if I dash into town I’ll be able to see someone before everything closes up?? I guess that means I'll have to leave this here! I'll try to write down anything unusual that happens, so long as I don't forget this journal.

[The entry ends here]

(Bonus Part)