#pre-series au

[samwinjarpadbigbang]

A Long Cold Spring

Author: amypond45 Artist: yoann

Word count: 26K Pairing: Sam/Dean pre-slash Warnings: AU, witches & magic, witch Sam, hunter Dean, boys raised apart, soulmates, boys kissing Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Sam Campbell is a sorcerer-in-training at The Academy, an exclusive facility for gifted “Specials,” or kids with gifts and talents of the supernatural variety. Given up as a baby for the chance to grow up to be a master magic-wielder, Sam grew up among other children who tested positive for magic potential as babies. Sam has an imaginary companion, whom he calls “Dean,” who has watched over him since the day he was removed from his birth family at six months. When a young hunter named Dean Winchester brings a captured creature to The Academy for the students to study, Sam’s imaginary friend suddenly disappears. Now it’s Dean himself – the real Dean – who occupies Sam’s thoughts. But how can Sam and Dean be friends – or more – when they come from such different worlds?

Link to fic AO3 | LJ Link to art AO3

[layaispunk]

storm and solace | joel miller

series masterlist

series description: When Elle moves into her late grandfather's house in a quiet Texas neighborhood, all she wants is peace. A fresh start far from the city and the noise in her head. What she doesn't expect is the Miller family across the street. Sarah, sweet and sharp for her age. Tommy, all charm and sunshine. And Joel - gruff, unreadable, and the kind of man who feels more like a thunderstorm than a neighbor.

But late-night texts turn into porch conversations. Accidental dinners turn into something closer. And somewhere between the silence and the chaos, Elle starts to realize that sometimes, home isn't a place, it's a person.

Tender moments. Heavy hearts. Storms, and solace.

pre-outbreak to outbreak to post-outbreak

a/n: elle barnes is our protagonist. she's a sweetheart with a very troubled past. I hope you love her as much as I do. This story follows pre-outbreak tlou (tv show) and is going to continue with the outbreak and follow game / tv show events. so we are in for a ride. the first collage is a vision board of Elle's house. she spends a lot of time there, so get familiar! This is the first time i've written an original character, i love this universe so much and i promise it's worth the read. ♡ i am still new to writing and english isnt my first language, so i apologize for any confusion 🥹 reblogs, likes & comments are highly appreciated. love u all HOPE U ENJOY

warnings: 18+ eventual smut MINORS DNI. legal marijuana use. smoking. age gap romance. very slight love triangle. mentions of abusive parents, verbal & emotional abuse. anxiety and insomnia. each chapter will have its specific warnings. will update as needed

posting mainly on ao3!

chapters marked with "💋" contain smut

pinterest board

spotify playlist

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

chapter 4

chapter 5

chapter 6

chapter 7

chapter 8💋

chapter 9💋

chapter 10

^posted on ao3

comment below if you want to be tagged!

[cupcakewebkinz]

A Love Story Caught on Film

♡ Veronica went to fix a few very minor bugs and finds out that Vee has a stash of videos from Gardenview and takes a peek at them... Finding out it's their origin story. Oh it's so soft you're gonna need tissues if you're going to cry at overly sweet things. ♡

ᰔᩚ Caretaker Shanon au is mine! ᰔᩚ

დ huge thank you to @soupiestzilla / @soupiestfics for putting this idea into my braincell... If you want more, tell me girl, I will feed you more! This format was SO fun to experiment with! დ

────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────

Veronica just sat on the couch, laptop connected to Vee, focused deep on her programming. The robot was turned off for the internal repairs Veronica was working on and slouched on the couch like she wasn't even off, looking very at ease without even having anything on her screen. Veronica was the opposite, looking for what was causing Vee to glitch and bug out, though she did accidentally stumble across a folder she had no idea existed on Vee's database.

A folder named "ShellyFossilian_HappyMoments", a folder full of videos. Veronica stared at them, then looked around, making sure nobody was in the room with her as she pulled out her headphones. Surely Vee wouldn't mind her snooping just a little... Right?

She clicked on the first video- labeled "First Meeting"- put her headphones on and just watched.

It started with her and Vee walking down the hallway to the main museum entrance, from Vee's point of view, being recorded from Vee's hidden camera. She was looking up at an obviously nervous Veronica, a much younger Veronica- Toon Handler Veronica. "Hey, I'm scared too, it'll be okay though, I'm sure." Vee softly spoke after a minute, her voice being much louder than Veronica remembered it- probably because it was being recorded from the camera inside of her. The handler in the video just nodded as she opened the door to the museum, and Vee walked right in without a second thought. Inside, Shelly stood near one of the newly built exhibits, staring up at it in wonder, looking like she hasn't aged a day, playing with a dinosaur fidget toy in her clawed hands. Vee zoomed in on her face, a whisper was heard that nobody has heard before- "She's kinda pretty". The camera then zoomed back out and looked around the museum, but immediately went back to the fossil when Shelly made a move. Just a sneeze, but it was obviously enough to grab Vee's attention again. "Bless you, miss Fossilian" were Vee's first words to her- and her reply was a shy little smile and a soft laugh, then "Just call me Shelly, please."

The video ended on a freeze frame of that shy smile, the look of curiousity and wonder shining in her eyes, the look of knowing they had both found a new friend was obvious. Even if Veronica couldn't see Vee's face in that one... She knew what she looked like, she remembered the shy but excited smile on Vee's face that day, the way they both just silently co-existed for the rest of that visit, seeming to understand it was too soon to talk. Veronica smiled, it was a happy memory, one she kind of hated herself for forgetting. She clicked on the next video after a minute- labeled "Dino Doodles"

This one started at Vee's desk, her hands showing, but also someone else's - Shelly's. Two papers sat in front of the two, Vee's containing the trivia she was working on writing for the next show, Shelly's having dinosaur doodles all over it. "So... Shelly... If I were a dinosaur, what do you think I'd be?" Vee was heard asking, and Shelly laughed softly in reply. "A stegosaurus." Shelly replied, sudden, but certain. Vee wrote down 'Stegosaurus Costume' at the top of her paper. "Why a stegosaurus, Shelly?" The robot inquired, getting another soft, gentle, caring laugh. "You're as flashy as their spines, you're the really cool one everyone looks at. Everyone remembers the stegosaurus because of how iconically dinosaur they look- just like how everyone remembers your gameshow because of how iconically toon you look!" Shelly replied. There was a simple nod from Vee as she doodled something herself. It was a simple, not great drawing of Shelly with a heart beside her. She wrote "you understand me" under it, an arrow drawn from it to point to the drawing. More laughs from the two of them were heard, Vee turning and looking at Shelly - snug in her iconic red dinosaur onesie. The video ended on her again, zoomed in on her face, mid laugh, smiling, sharp teeth showing, eyes closed in a relaxed yet happy way. It was beautiful.

Veronica sighed softly at that, unable to help but wonder about the context behind that one. She had no idea that Shelly now sat beside her, eyes fixated on the screen, plush tight in her hands. Shelly didn't dare say a thing to make herself noticed though, especially not when Veronica clicked on the third video, labeled "first night stargazing"

This one started as a video of the stars, silent, peaceful. Vee tended to record videos of just the stars moving for some reason, though the reason why it was in this folder was soon made clear as she turned and looked at the spot beside her - just as Shelly sat down in the grass. "Hey, first night being allowed out, what are you doing all the way over here?" Shelly asked, accidentally looking right into Vee's camera afterwards. "I just like the peace of being away from the rest of the Toons, you're welcome to stay near me though, it is one of the best viewing spots." Vee replied, watching as the fossil adjusted herself and looked up at the stars beside her. She didn't look back up at the stars, she only zoomed in on Shelly's face once again, more focused on her eyes than anything. Another soft, unheard whisper was heard- "you're so beautiful when you're so happy".

Veronica chuckled at the soft confession, then clicked through the video to see if it had anything else in it. It was all just Vee admiring Shelly, seeming to slowly come to terms with her feelings for her, so she closed that video and clicked on the next one- "Shelly please don't see this". Hilarious name for a video Vee probably wasn't expecting anyone to find.

It started at her desk again, but it was only Vee this time. They knew as Vee looked around, then sighed, going back to the paper. She grabbed her favorite pen - an orange one with a red t-rex topper on it and matching red grip, then started writing in binary. "Dear Shelly" she spoke softly, to herself, hoping nobody would hear "I want you to know how much I miss your museum and how much I'd love to visit again, I want you to know how much I think about you and how not forgotten you truly are. I'm so sorry your exhibit doesn't get all the love it deserves, I'm arguing with my team to get another episode with you on. Past and Future, I called it, where you show the kids dinosaurs and I show them how technology works. It's a great idea, right? Maybe it'll get more dinosaur interest. I hope to see you soon, much love- ugh, no, not love. Vee you're so cheesy... Delilah doesn't want cheesy..." Vee said as she crossed out the binary that meant "much love", then used whiteout to cover up her frustration. "Your favorite gameshow host, Vee Version one" she whispered as she signed the bottom of the note. She then sighed again, dropping her pen on the desk, the camera soon going black as Vee had hidden her face in her hands. "Why do I have these weird feelings... For a fossil lady that doesn't even like television..?" she whispered, then the video cut out.

Veronica looked a bit saddened by that one, even though she knew the episode did happen - they fought for it hard. She remembered the countless times she'd come back to Gardenview to find Vee crying in a corner because they rejected the idea again, the way Vee always looked defeated no matter how much she'd fake a smile and fool others. How often she'd be asked to call Shanon to make sure Shelly was okay... That hidden side of Vee that few knew, the real Vee, always made Veronica's heart ache just a bit. She clicked on the next video- "museum visit #2".

The video started at the doors of Shelly's old museum, after hours. Vee slowly was seen opening the door, sneaking inside, then closing it behind her as she clicked on the museum lights. She waited a moment- probably checking her battery- before she walked in and went right to the fossil exhibits. She was soon cleaning them carefully, gently. "I see you Shelly, I see you in my head every day, I hope cleaning your fossils proves that." She said to the empty museum as she cleaned. Most of the video was just her singing and cleaning, though at one point, she was standing in front of a Shelly Plush, placing a note on its lap. "I hope you remember how to translate binary... I don't want anyone else to know you know who I really am. I... I... I LOVE YOU, SHELLY!!" Vee spoke, then covered her screen with her hands, ashamed. "I... Can't... Love you, Shelly." She mumbled, sniffling. "I wish it would make sense... I wish I could actually talk to you to your stupidly cute face, I wish I understood you like you understand me. I'll force Sprout to make you extra cookies... You deserve to know how much we care about you, even if we're not allowed to tell you. I love you so much... I wish you'd understand that. I love you... I love you... You're just a plush, you don't get it." The ramble ended with Vee petting the plush, sniffing and hiccupping. Crying. A sound off screen was heard and Vee soon ran, face looking at the floor. The video cut off at the museum door.

Veronica was absolutely in tears now, and so was Shelly. While Shelly couldn't hear any of it, she knew what was going on- she remembered the note that was in that video, it was Vee's first attempt at a confession. It was a cheesy note telling her that she thought about her often and missed her, but never had it said she loved her on it. But the way she held the plush, gently pet it, treated it like it was a holy object in the video- that was how she knew. She had no idea Vee had loved her for much longer than she said she did. Veronica, still unaware of the company, clicked on another one. "Dinosaur Roar".

This one was taken in Shelly's toon room, her monitor was facing her own lap, laughs were heard. They were in the middle of a conversation when she started recording, and Vee was fidgeting with a paper in her hands. A note. "Shelly, thank you for inviting me to your birthday sleep over, seriously. It's so nice to finally hang out with you again. I wrote down more binary references for you, I forgot to give it to you earlier. I hope this helps." Vee said, looking up at the onesie wearing fossil as she held out the paper. Shelly smiled huge as she took it, tail wagging so much it picked up as a motion blur in the video. "Thank you Vee! You've really spoiled me this year- five dinosaur books and now this?! You're such a great friend, thank you so much!" Shelly cheerfully said in the video. The two then hugged, the screen going black as Vee stuffed her face into Shelly's onesie, though it soon went back to being focused on Shelly as they didn't hug for long. "I'm so happy, I could do a Dino Roar!" Shelly squealed, and before Vee could say a thing, Shelly let out an adorable, squeaky dinosaur roar. Vee immediately clapped. "That was beautiful, do it again." She excitedly demanded, and Shelly roared again. Vee laughed as she clapped more, and Shelly looked so pleased and excited herself. "You're the best dinosaur to walk earth, Shelly. You really are too great for people to understand." Vee stated, making Shelly blush and turn away. The video cut off there, but zoomed in on Shelly's bashful face, making it obvious that Vee wanted to admire it. Adorable.

Veronica chuckled at their shenanigans as she gently reached over and held Vee's hand, not getting a response as, well, she's turned off completely for repairs. She knew she appreciated it though, Vee always commented on the moments Veronica would hold her hand during repairs, but never would mention what anyone talked about around her so she doubted Vee could hear them. So, she clicked on the next video with her free hand, "Dinosaur Stuffies".

This one started at the door of Vee's room, from the inside. A knock was heard soon after the video started recording, and Vee soon opened the door, revealing Shelly in her Christmas party dress- a green and white striped dress with silver sparkly fluff trim around the neck, wrists and bottom. Her leggings were light green, shoes white, makeup still on, a red present held in her hands. "Vee, I'm so sorry you got overwhelmed at the party- I hope you're doing better- uhm, haha, I... I forgot to give you your present, so I was wondering.. If I could give you it?" Shelly quietly explained, getting Vee's hand in return. She was out of her own Christmas outfit, as her arms were bare yet again, instead of covered by the red fabric of the dress they made her wear that year. Shelly just handed her the gift, but Vee gently put it back into her arms before holding out her hand again. Shelly gently took her hand, looking confused, but Vee just pulled her into her room and closed the door with her foot before dragging them both to the forest green couch she recharged on. Without a word, they both sat, then Vee let go of Shelly's hand and pointed to the gift. Shelly just passed it over, and Vee turned her monitor to look it over carefully before she carefully undid the wrapping paper. The box was then carefully opened, revealing the first ever plush Shelly ever gave her- a lime green stegosaurus with lemon yellow heart shaped spots and spines, it's beaded eyes the same beautiful shade of brown as Shelly's. It was lifted up very carefully, a sniff was soon heard. "It's... Perfect... It's absolutely perfect... Thank you so much Shells.", then a chuckle was heard as her monitor was lifted up to show Shelly, smiling at her as her tail wagged into a motion blur yet again. "You're welcome Vee, merry Christmas, my dearest friend!" Shelly replied, then smiled huge with her eyes closed. The video cut off at that face, obviously stopping there to take a picture.

Veronica giggled as she rubbed Vee's hand, happy she finally found out where that plush that Vee always carried around when she was overstimulated came from. It made so much more sense now... It was from her favorite toon, that's why it comforted her so much. Shanon now was also watching, leaning over the back of the couch just to see. Shelly stayed at Veronica's side, watching everything with huge eyes. Veronica, oblivious, clicked on the next one. "Dinosaur Trivia goddess".

The video started at the doors to Shelly's museum again, which soon swung open as Vee ran in. "SHELLY!!!" She death screeched, getting a very concerned look from the fossil she was rapidly approaching. She stopped suddenly, close to Shelly, then she popped a confetti popper, watching as Shelly's face got coated in glitter and confetti. "Congratulations! You win a prize for being the SILLIEST DINOSAUR!" Vee jokingly squealed before stuffing the award- which was now Shelly's participation award- into her arms. Shelly just stared at her, stunned, confused and highly amused. "Did you really have to come in screaming like you were dying just to give me a custom ribbon?" Shelly asked, and Vee nodded. "YOU'RE MY FAVORITE TOON, OBVIOUSLY I HAVE TO MAKE A SCENE!" Vee yelled, making Shelly burst out laughing. Vee's internal fan soon hummed to life- she was blushing, but they couldn't see. "You'd be such a goddess on stage of dinosaur trivia night-" Vee blurted out, catching Shelly off guard mid laugh. The video ended on Shelly's surprised, confetti coated face, meaning either Vee had taken a photo of it or she had fled the scene after making that mistake. Probably both.

Veronica was now laughing, remembering that day. Vee was humiliated for hours after accidentally blurting that out, she wouldn't leave her jacket. Shelly was also giggling as she pet the stuffed dinosaur she had, Shanon grinning like an idiot. They knew. They all knew Vee would absolutely kill them if she found out they were watching all of these. That didn't matter now, as Veronica clicked on the next one. "Confession"

It started at the door of Shelly's room, the camera shaking- Vee shaking- nervous. An arm was covering a corner of the camera, playing with an antenna- one of her coping mechanisms. Shelly soon opened the door and silently let her inside the room, and Vee walked in without a word, sitting on the edge of the bed. Shelly sat beside her, also shaking, messing with her claws. "Vee... You... You kissed me... Under the stars... Did... Did you really mean it..?" Shelly asked after a long moment of silence between the two, the fossil soon looking at Vee. Vee moved her arm away from her head and reached over, grabbing Shelly's cheek softly, silently rubbing her thumb across it as she debated her words. "I... I.. Do... I love you, Shelly. I.... I've wanted to kiss you for so, so long, and.... I only freaked out cuz, I-I thought I messed up, and- I wanna kiss you again, thousands of times, every night. I want to tell you every morning how beautiful you are- I want to tell you every night that I love you as I lay in your arms- I want you to understand how perfect you are and how much I think about you, how unforgotten you are. Shelly Fossilian... I love you. I love you with everything, I love you so much." Vee confessed, her voice strained and desperate as she soon was heard sniffling. "Please- don't hate me for being gay- I know it's wrong- BUT I LOVE YOU MORE THAN EVERYTHING-" Vee blurted out loudly as she started crying, her sobs being picked up by her internal microphone. She didn't dare look away from Shelly though, the recording capturing the look of awe and confusion, her own eyes filling with tears as she gently grabbed the sides of Vee's monitor. She gave her gentle scritches, the soft scratching being picked up as well. The first time she's ever given her scritches. "I love you too, Vee. I love you so much too. I would never hate you, never ever hate you. I love you." Shelly replied softly, leaning in close to the other, unaware that she was being recorded. "I'd kiss you thousands of times, I'd always be so happy to tell you how beautiful you are too, I'll always be right here to remind you that I see you too- that I see the REAL you, that I know you. I'll hold you in my arms every night, reminding you that you're perfect too, and smile at you every morning. I'll eat breakfast with you, talk about your favorite things with you, make even more of those silly plushies you absolutely love. I'll love you more than the world would ever know... I love you too, Vee." Shelly calmly reassured, the screen soon going black yet again as the two shared a deep, passionate kiss, one that said everything the two had already said all over again. They loved each other, even if they weren't supposed to, and they were okay with that. Once the kiss ended, the two moved away, but stayed looking at each other. Shelly gently grabbed Vee's hand, Vee gripped it tight in return. "You're my girlfriend now, I claim you." Shelly whispered, a look of deep love in her eyes and a smile so warm it could melt anyone's frozen soul on her face, a deep red blush on her cheeks. Vee just nodded, giggling like an idiot. "I'm happy you're the one who claimed me, Shelly. I'm happy to be your girlfriend."

The trio watching were now intensely leaning towards the screen, all covering their mouths, all trying so hard not to squeal from how beautiful that confession was. Shelly especially was fighting it hard, biting her hand just enough to silence herself, tail a blur. There were only two more videos left, but they were sure it would be worth it. The one Veronica clicked on was labeled "morning kisses".

The video started as Vee woke up, groggily groaning as she muttered some nonsense, half of the screen being black as she was nestled against Shelly's chest. This wasn't obvious at first though, it became obvious when the fossil gave her a kiss on the camera though, oblivious to its existence. "First morning being claimed as my girlfriend- how does it feel?" Shelly softly asked, getting a giggle from Vee as she turned to look at her. Shelly had a sleepy little smile and half lidded eyes, obviously just woken up, but filled with joy and excitement from waking up with Vee snug against her like this. "It feels great... I love you." Vee replied sleepily, sitting up just enough to lean over and give Shelly a quick kiss. Shelly laughed afterwards, blushing as she smiled. "I feel amazing too, I love you so much." Shelly replied, and Vee soon laid back down against her, purring. "Let's be a little lazy, we deserve it." Vee purred, and Shelly nodded, cuddling Vee once again with a sleepy, content smile on her face as she closed her eyes. "Alright, let's be lazy, just once." Came the mumbled reply from the dozing off fossil. The video soon ended on a picture of Shelly sleeping yet again, having dozed off from how comfortable they were.

"Short and adorable... Man how are these two not married?" Veronica asked out loud, getting a gasp from Shelly. She wanted to correct her- to say they were married with their pop tab rings to prove it- but she didn't when she realized she meant legally married. Shanon was giggling, finding all of these videos to be adorable. Veronica, still clueless, clicked on the last one. "First Sunset together ♡"

It started on the roof of Gardenview, Vee looking down at the ground, Pebble soon popping into view with his ball in his mouth, tail wagging. Vee gently took it and rolled it away, as usual, and Pebble chased after it. Vee then sighed and looked up at the sky, the microphone picking up the gentle breeze blowing that day. Footsteps soon were heard from behind, and Vee turned to look at the empty spot on the bench, which soon was taken by her favorite fossil. Without saying a thing, they grabbed each other's hand, and turned to look at the sky again. The sun was setting, highlighting the tops of the trees in the park around them with hues of pinks and oranges. Shelly gasped in awe, Vee hummed quietly in content. It was perfect. "Our first sunset together... Is such a beautiful one." Shelly softly spoke, and Vee nodded in agreement. "The sky is telling us we made the right choice, the sky wants us to be together." Vee joked, making Shelly laugh her soft, gentle, genuine laughs as she nudged Vee. "You're just saying that as an excuse to get more head scritches tonight." Shelly said, getting a shrug from Vee. "Nah, I said it because it's true, the sun made it pink for lesbians. We win!" Vee joked, getting more laughs out of the fossil. "You're absolutely stupid, Vee." Shelly retorted, making Vee laugh. "You love my stupid." She commented, and Shelly nodded. "I do love your stupid. I love it a lot." She agreed. The rest of the sunset was shared in peaceful silence, recorded until the sky turned a deep purple. The last words were said by both of them at the same time; "I love you."

Veronica stared at the end screen of that video for a while, trying so hard not to break down and start crying. They were always so perfect with each other, so loving and caring, even when they had no idea anyone else was there. Shelly was thriving, happy to finally see those special moments once again, and Shanon was awestruck by how absolutely beautiful those two were. Veronica clicked on the folder, soon downloading it onto her hard drive. She looked at the other folders, finding a few also labeled with Shelly's name in them, all containing videos. She quickly downloaded them all too, then looked around and gasped when she found Shelly there.

"Oh, sorry hon, I had no idea you were there. Promise me you won't tell Vee I was snooping..." Veronica softly pleaded, and Shelly nodded.

"Only if you let me watch more of them with you sometime."

"Fair deal." Veronica agreed, nodding in agreement with her before she went back to actually working on the problem she had came over for. It was an easy fix, a small bit of coding needed to be remade and a few settings needed corrected as they were bothering her, nothing Veronica couldn't fix. Vee was back up in no time, though she was very confused when she found everyone crowded around Veronica like that.

"Why are you guys crowding my mom?" Vee asked immediately, crawling over and loafing against Veronica, looking at her screen. Veronica knew Vee all too well and was playing a cute cat video, which they all soon were invested in. The gang all watched funny cat memes for the rest of the afternoon, all now piled together and huddled close to see Veronica's laptop the best they could.

Vee never knew Veronica found her video stash... And never will find out she downloaded all the videos off of her. It was a good ending to quite a nostalgic day.

[l-ii-zz]

I have been thinking too much about 777 family 🥺

(No he visto a ningún fan hispanohablante hacer este último chiste de vegeta 777 con prisionero 777 y he de decir que estoy muy decepcionada de todos ustedes)

[wrenfeathers]

I love the galaxy kids but the entire time i was watching the season i was wondering why on earth the adults let a bunch of kids go on a dangerous galaxy-saving adventure on their own

(literally the only adult they had was Kageyama who thought that was a good idea fr???)

So these exist now, have fun

[andr3w-the-d0dgeb4ll]

Gem and the Scotts side plot?!?!?! I wrote a story about how Impulse joined the mafia :D

Sitting on the floor of his shitty apartment, eating a shitty pb&j for dinner, was a man named Isaac Sullivan. The lights were off due to him not being able to pay his rent that week, so he was sitting by the window in the light of the nearby street lamp. He was sitting on the floor, specifically, because he had no furniture. Only a small twin sized bed in his small bedroom and a small night stand that barely fit.

The apartment only had three rooms--The bedroom, the bathroom, and a living room that was combined with a kitchen. It was the only apartment he could afford on his salary since being a freelance music teacher didn't pay.

Even if Isaac could afford furniture, it wouldn't fit. Not with the various instruments taking up space. The drumkit on its own made the room feel incredibly cramped, stuffed in the corner like it was.

Even though his living situation sucked, Isaac was more or less happy with his life. He got to do what he loved, and his landlord was nice enough to let him stay even when he didn't pay rent for months on end.

Sure, he lived in a heat-less, AC-less, light-less apartment in the middle of one of the most crime-ridden cities in New Jersey, but he was fine. He didn't need money, he didn't need help. He was fine. Skizz could offer him money all he wanted, Isaac wasn't taking it.

Maybe he did throw his life away when he wasted his scholarship on a music degree instead of the engineering degree his parents insisted he get. Maybe he did waste all those years spent in highschool, working his ass off to prove he was just as smart as the rest of those kids, even if he wasn't from a well off family like the rest of them. Maybe he did make a mistake trying to be a musician, giving up on his dreams of being an inventor, just because he thought he liked music better.

....

That didn't matter, though. He was here now, no going back, and he was happy. He didn't need help. He was fine. He was eating a shitty pb&j in his apartment alone in the dark on the floor, and he's happy, god damn it.

That's when he heard a knock on his door- strange. Who needed him at this hour? It was--Isaac checked the clock on the wall--nine pm. Most people would be home, eating dinner, like him.

There was another knock, more insistent this time, so Isaac decided to get up and tell this weirdo to go away. He walked over and opened the door to find.. oh.

Two teenagers, both crying their eyes out, ran barreling into him. They hugged him and he immediately brought them inside, closing the door behind him. It was Gem and Scott, two of his music students. They were good kids, talented kids, but he knew what this was probably about. He wasn't happy.

"Our- our parents they-" Gem started, heaving and choking on sobs between words, "they kicked us-"

"Hey, hey, it's ok." Isaac soothed. "You don't need to tell me, it's ok. Lets just sit down and chill out. I'll get you some water."

He ushered them to sit down and went to grab some water bottles from a battery powered mini-fridge he'd rigged up after the power went out for the first time. He handed them both the drinks and then sat cross-legged across from them.

"Ok, first things first. Are you hurt at all?" Isaac asked.

"No." Scott croaked, sounding like his entire world had just ended. Maybe it had.

"D-dad tried to grab us, but we.. we ran before he could." Gem rubbed at her eyes, already taking sips from her water.

"Do.. is this what I think it is? They found out?"

"Y-yeah." Gem sobbed, hunching over. "I- we- I thought. I didn't. Mom read my diary."

Isaac cursed under his breath and pulled them both into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Can we stay here?" Scott said, loudly and pointedly, cutting the moment short.

"Yeah. Yeah of course." Isaac pulled back and looked at the two of them. "For as long as you need."

~~~~

Isaac's heart was hammering in his chest. He swore to himself he'd never do this, but he had to. He couldn't take care of two teenagers living like he was.

He needed help, so he knocked on the door.

Skizz opened the door soon after, looking down at Isaac. He smiled but it quickly fell from his face as he took in the state of Isaac.

Skizz hesitated--just for a moment--but that moment was all it took for Isaac to panic. To think Skizz would refuse him help, shut the door and turn him away. He wondered if this is how the kids felt, for that split-second before Isaac let them in. He hated the idea that they could ever think he wouldn't help them. Even for just half a moment.

Of course, his worries were for nothing. Skizz quickly pulled him inside with a worried shout of alarm. He shut the door and pulled Isaac into a big, Skizz-like hug.

"Impulse, buddy, are you ok?? You look terrible!" Skizz looked Isaac over, pulling back slightly to get a better view. "What happened?"

"Skizz- I- I need help." It took everything in Isaac not to take it back, to pretend this was just some joke, but those kids needed him.

Skizz's expression flashed through a few emotions. First surprise, then even more concern, then something darker Isaac couldn't place. He didn't want to.

"How about we sit down?" Skizz took Isaac by the shoulders and sat him down on the couch, plopping down next to him. "You never ask for help. What's going on? Is there someone I need killed?"

Isaac laughed sadly. "Do.. Do you remember those two kids I told you about? Two of my students?"

"The ones you were worried about? Cause their parents threw you off?"

"Yeah. I hate to say I was right, but.." Isaac sighed and let his head fall to his hands, tail flicking with irritation. "The two of them are out of a home. They went to me."

Skizz cursed and wrapped a wing around Isaac, he could feel the strange eyes against his back. "And you don't have the means to take care of them, do you?"

"I don't." Isaac admitted, his voice cracking. "I don't. But I can't just turn them away!" He turned to look at Skizz suddenly, his friend starling back.

"Hey, buddy, calm down- It's gonna be fine! I can lend you some money, ok? No biggie." Skizz spoke calmly. "You can pay me back later."

"You and I both know I can't. I don't have stable income, I'll never be able to pay you back." Isaac refused to use Skizz like that, use their friendship. He'd felt terrible about using Skizz's money back in highschool, when all they spent it on was candy and fizzy drinks. He'd feel even worse using Skizz's money to sustain himself.

Skizz's face contorted for a moment before smoothing into more concern. "Ok, ok. I know you hate owing people-"

Isaac cut him off. "I hate owing you. You've done so much for me already."

"You hate owing me." Skizz corrected. "But I have another solution."

"Anything."

"There's.." Skizz hesitated, the wings on his eyes closing for just a moment. "There's this job that needs doing and the family's yet to find someone we can trust to get it done without issue. You do it for me and I give you money in return."

Isaac must've hesitated for a second too long because Skizz was quick to continue. "You won't owe me anything!"

"I.. I'm not sure. That sounds- bad. I don't want to take a job from someone more qualified just because I'm friends with you. It's kinda scummy."

"Hey. The job will get done whether or not you give me a hand, but I'd rather skip the vetting process. I know you- the family knows you! My dad adores you. We trust you." Skizz reasoned. Isaac supposed it made sense.

He didn't know what, exactly, Skizz's family did. His father, Keralis, refused to discuss it for longer than needed. All he knew is they made a lot of money and that it was a family business, rooting all the way back to before their family moved to Jersey from Italy.

"So I just.. do this job for you? That's it?"

"Yeah. And if you need more money, you just do another one. Our last guy, he-" Skizz's expression turned annoyed, looking away from Isaac. "Let's just say he was.. rodent-like."

Isaac snorted. "Rodent-like?"

Skizz let out a short laugh. "Rodent-like! A real ratty fellow." He claimed, nodding in confirmation.

"Oookkayyy. Well, I promise not to be 'rodent-like', whatever that means."

"Oh, I have no doubts." Skizz smiled at him brightly, voice loud with excitement. "So you'll do it?"

"Yeah.. for Gem and Scott. I'll do it."

"Oh Impulse, you're the best!" Skizz stood and picked Isaac up in a big sweeping hug, spinning the two of them around. "I knew I could count on you!"

Isaac laughed, hugging Skizz back. "Man, I'm the one counting on you here."

"Nah! We're counting on each other! That's why we're best friends."

"That's.." Isaac felt his throat constrict, choking up. "That's what friends are for. God- thank you Skizz. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Dude." Skizz set Isaac down and stepped back, holding his hands. "I told you you could always come to me if you needed help. Don't act suprised I kept my word, ok?" He giggled. "Makes me look bad."

"I just.. I don't know what to do." Isaac leaned forward and put his head on Skizz's shoulder. "I'm not ready for this."

"I don't think anyone's ever ready for kids."

"They need me. I can't provide for them like this, Skizz, but they need me. What am I gonna do?"

Skizz put a hand on the back of Isaac's head and just held him. His breathing began to hitch, shoulders shaking. He didn't cry, not yet, but he might as well have been, as he wrapped his arms around Skizz. The angel just kept him close, in his arms, and waiting for Isaac to calm down.

When Isaac finally got his breathing under control, Skizz spoke. "I mean.. My dad can probably help you out with that part." They both laughed.

"I guess he could, huh?" Isaac lifted his head from Skizz's shoulder. "Do you think he'd mind, or would I need to do a second job to be paid in advice?" They laughed again.

"Nah, man. Like I said, he likes you! You're like a second kid to him man. I think he'd be more excited to finally have grandkids, more than anything else." Skizz pulled away from the hug and turned to go to the kitchen.

Isaac trailed after him. "Still? I haven't seen him since we graduated highschool.."

"Loyalty is everything to my family, Impulse. Everything." There was an underlying tone to Skizz's voice, as he pulled a soda from the fridge and handed it over, that Isaac tried not to place. He didn't want to think about it.

"I'm loyal."

"I know you are.”

[strifesolution]

Remember producer AU? Me neither.

For this redraw meme

[arttsuka]

Mermay yay (but none of my art supplies wanted to collaborate with me to draw this normally and they started putting out too much or too little ink :D )

[veinsfullofstars]

✨ May I interest you in some Dedede and Meta Knight as childhood friends? ✨

(ID: Kirby series fanart of King Dedede and Meta Knight reimagined as kids, interacting in various cute and wholesome scenarios such as coloring, cloud-watching, sparring with sticks, overindulging on sweets, protecting each other from bullies, and more. Design-wise, young Dedede is short and chubby with a smaller beak and three feathers sticking up from the top of his head. He wears a pair of red overalls with gold buttons on the straps and a pocket on the front with a white two-finger peace sign. Young Meta Knight is maskless and similar in appearance to Kirby, save for his yellow eyes, dark-blue complexion, and a pair of tiny wings on his back. Additional headcanons and worldbuilding for this AU under the cut. END ID.)

(AU info updated as of 04/01/25.)

Started on 10/09/23, finished on 10/11/23, updated 03/11/24, updated for color correction 11/02/24. NOTE: This was originally posted on my deleted account on 10/11/23. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

—

-This AU primarily takes place within the Kirby gameverse (with a few superficial elements borrowed from external media), the timeline starting many, many decades before the events of Kirby's Dream Land, eventually catching up to and following the main games’ canon (with nods to side games and some unique events added here and there for character flavor). I'm trying to stay canon-compliant, but I’m also making things up as I go and changing them as needed, so no promises I won’t just go completely off the rails the more I workshop things, haha.

-I'm leaving ages nebulous in this AU (both because the series itself doesn't give characters canonical ages and to keep the timeline a bit looser narratively) and will be referring to specific eras of their lives simply as kid years, teen years, and adult years (the latter split further into pre-Kirby's-arrival and post-Kirby's-arrival). For clarity's sake, we'll say that Dedede and Meta are both the equivalent of 7-to-11 years old during the kid years depicted here, though they first met a little earlier...

-In this AU, the Galaxy Solider Army (GSA) is an intergalactic military group fighting various malignant forces across the universe, their reputation generally positive thanks to a genuine effort on their part to balance acts of war and defense with acts of philanthropy, relief aid, and compassion, well-known enough to reach even distant Popstar. Most known Star Warriors - Sir Dragato, Kit Cosmos, Yamikage, etc. - are either long since passed on or retired somewhere outside of the story (with a few exceptions we may learn about later...).

-Meta Knight is just called Meta for now. He won’t earn his title until long after he starts his overstars military training in his late teens, a crucial element to his storyline since - upon learning of the GSA in his youth - he becomes enamored with their deeds and longs to be a knight himself (not yet aware of the hardships involved in becoming one).

-That hammer belongs to Dedede’s mama - a former pro-wrestler - and will someday be passed down to him (once he’s strong enough to actually pick it up).

-The kids like to spar and roughouse in their free time, but they sometimes get proper training from Dedede’s papa - a retired knight himself with connections to the GSA, who’d settled in Dream Land with his wife just before they had their only son. Meta looks up to him with the same admiration he has for the Star Warriors, while Dedede doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with his well-meaning but strict father.

-In his early years, Meta is quite shy around people he doesn’t know well. In overwhelming situations, he tends to either shut down and go non-verbal or quietly slip away to recoup. That said, he is much more expressive around those he trusts, listening eagerly and chatting far more than he would otherwise. He also has a bit of an anger streak hidden just under all that reticence, though it takes a lot of prodding to bring it out...

-As a kid, Dedede is impulsive to a fault and likes to make wild plans that often put him and his buddies in precarious situations (when he actually bothers to follow through with them, that is). Meta is often the first to point out the flaws in said plans (if Para Dee doesn’t do it first) but inevitably ends up tagging along anyway, his wariness easily overturned by his curiosity.

-Despite the generally welcoming nature of the village, Meta still faces some measure of bullying by certain kids due to his strange appearance and timid nature (and, curiously, his connection to Dedede). Usually, he waits it out until either his tormentors get bored or Dedede steps in to defend him, but - as the taunts persist and his temper grows - it's only matter of time before he's the one getting into scraps rather than his bigger buddy...

[stilinski-ortiz-dolan]

animal kingdom│pre-series/au│halloween

[aheckinmess]

All's Well That Friends Well (Dad Nanami)

(Part 2 of Season of Serendipity.)

Read on AO3.

Tags: Dad Nanami, Child Yuji, Original Child Character(s), Ryomen Sukuna, Nanami Kento, Yuji Itadori, Besu Sukuna, Parental Nanami, Dad Sukuna, Soft Sukuna, Protective Sukuna, Canon Divergence - AU, Sukuna Has a Daughter, Yuji is Nanami's Son, I Merged Two of My Series, Because I Thought it Would Be Adorable, Yuji Itadori is a Ray of Sunshine, OC Has Trouble Making Friends, But Yuji Sure Doesn't, Going to Pre-K for the First Time

Word Count: 1,025 words

Summary: Yuji goes to Pre-K for the first time; Nanami worries he'll have trouble adjusting, but Yuji is a little ball of positive energy. Needless to say, he makes friends.

While Yuji was an extroverted child by nature, Nanami still thought he might need time to adjust to preschool. So when Yuji easily waved goodbye as Nanami dropped him off for his first day at Pre-K, it soothed some of the paternal worry.

“Otouchan, how long is school?” Yuji wrapped his arms around Nanami’s neck and squeezed. “Is it very long?”

“You’ll be here for a few hours, Yuji-kun. But I’ll be back. You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even miss me.” He promised, kissing the young boy’s forehead. “If you need anything, just ask the teacher for help, okay? Remember how we practiced and…?”

“Raise my hand!” Yuji smiled.

“That’s my boy.” Nanami ruffled his hair and stood up. “Have a good day, Yuji-kun. And have some fun.”

“Okay!”

. . . . .

Yuji Itadori made having fun his mission. From the moment he stepped foot into the classroom, he curiously trotted around the room asking question…after question…after question.

“What about that? Why do you have that?” He asked Ms. Chotto, pointing at the hundredth object his little eyes had landed on.

“Yuji, honey,” Ms. Chotto laughed. “You’re such a curious little thing, aren’t you? Those are my plants and I keep them on the top shelf so none of my students accidentally eat them. They can hurt your tummy.”

“Then why do you have them?”

“I’m keeping them here for a little bit until I can find a space for them at home.” She explained, turning away to separate two girls from fighting over a doll. “Go find someone else to play with, Yuji, okay? I have to help some of the other children right now.”

Yuji pouted but did as he was told. Pre-K proved to be one of the most fascinating places he’d ever been! He’d already spoken to just about everyone in the classroom, when the door opened to reveal another little girl.

What surprised Yuji wasn’t how tightly she clung to her father, but her hair. Pink! Just like his!

As soon as Ms. Chotto got the pink-haired girl detached from her father, Yuji stood patiently to the side. He watched her hide in Ms. Chotto’s legs until she peeked out at him.

“Hi! I’m Yuji!” He beamed.

Her wide, brown eyes looked up at Ms. Chotto and then back at him.

“I’m Besu.” She whispered. In fact, Yuji barely heard her.

“You sure are quiet.” He said bluntly. When she seemed embarrassed by that, Yuji pointed towards a pile of blocks on the rug up front. “You wanna go play blocks?”

Ms. Chotto muttered something into Besu’s ear. Besu whined back at her, but Ms. Chotto delicately coaxed her in Yuji’s direction. Yuji led the way over to the blocks and Besu sat by him silently.

“I like to build castles. What do you wanna build?” Yuji asked as he got to work. A triangular orange block looked perfect to fit on top of his green stack.

Besu shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed a few square pieces to fit together. Yuji gave her time to give it a specific shape, but when he still couldn’t tell what it was by the third row, he spoke up.

“What is that?”

Once again, Besu shrugged. Yuji huffed, feeling disappointed. He’d expected her to be just like him since she’d looked so similar. But she barely even talked! Sensing this, Besu cleared her throat.

“I just like putting them together. But now I’m making a watermelon.” She explained, picking off a few blue pieces and replacing them when red and green.

“My dad put watermelon in my lunchbox! Wanna see?” Yuji stood before she answered.

“I don’t think we’re sposed to do that.” She glanced at Ms. Chotto and then Yuji’s lunchbox. “You could get in trouble.”

“Nuh-uh. It’s my lunchbox!” Yuji said matter-of-factly.

But when he went to grab it, Ms. Chotto put a hand on his shoulder.

“Yuji-san, it’s not time for lunch yet.”

“Can’t I show Besu my lunch?” Yuji frowned.

“Why don’t you show her when it’s lunchtime? That way you can both show each other what you have.” Ms. Chotto offered.

“Okay!” Yuji agreed, before toddling over to Besu. “Hey, Besu! Let’s wait until lunch and then I can see what you packed, too!”

“Father made me stew.”

“Oh, boy! Will you share?”

“...well, okay.”

. . . . .

While Nanami waited outside the classroom as kids shuffled inside, a man with wild pink hair waited with him. He couldn’t help but stare. Just like Yuji’s, and that’s not common. I wonder if he’s of any relation.

“You waiting on your brat, too?” Sukuna quirked a brow and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“I’m waiting for my son, yes.” Nanami answered. “It was his first day.”

“Mine too. You have any trouble dropping him off?”

“I thought I might, but he didn’t seem upset. He’s more outgoing, though, so I wasn’t too surprised.”

“I had to pry my daughter from me.” Sukuna scoffed, shaking his head with a smile.

“Ah, she must be a daddy’s girl, then. Does she have you wrapped around her finger yet?” Nanami normally wasn’t one for small talk, but the conversation helped him remain patient as he watched through the window while the teacher struggled to wrangle a boy into his bookbag.

“Absolutely not!” Sukuna huffed, but he turned his head away. “That is…I don’t give her everything she wants.”

Nanami couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Don’t worry. I’m the same with my son. He’s my first.”

“My daughter is my first, too.”

And then the floodgates unleashed. More parents began filing down the sidewalk towards the portable classroom, but Yuji and Besu were the first at the door. Both of them raced and planted themselves directly into their father’s arms.

“Otouchan! You won’t believe it! That girl looks like me!” Yuji turned to Besu to see her the most animated she’d been all day, jabbering on to her father with bright brown eyes. “She’s real quiet though…like Fushi-kun.”

“I see. Did you have fun, then?”

“Yeah! I made a best friend!”

And Nanami smiled when Yuji turned to Besu, waving goodbye as Sukuna carried her away.

Continue Reading -> Chapter 3

[saphstories]

Requests! Yay! :D I have an idea for a Shadouge scene that's been in my head for months and I think you'll like it. Here you go!

Shadow has been avoiding sleeping for far too long and Rouge decides to take matters into her own hands. Meaning she slips something into Shadow's food at dinner to make him intensely drowsy. Cue some fluffy interactions as Shadow tries (and fails) to fight off the impending sleepies.

Lullaby Sleight

Dark circles clung to ruby eyes; scarlet striped onyx quills slightly disheveled from frustrated fingers scuffing through them. Multitudes of empty paper cups littered the desktop, all ignored in favor of scouring the scattered papers printed with the official GUN seal, classified information that Shadow had been attempting to decipher for the past several days with little success. A growl of frustration rumbled in his throat, and Shadow furiously ripped his latest sheet of scribbled notes from the pad and tossed it to the wastebin—already overflowing with other such crumpled balls of yellow paper—where it toppled to the floor with the others.

Leaning against the doorway of his bedroom, Rouge watched with a frown, concern and frustration heavy in her green eyes. Since receiving the intel reports from Commander Towers a week ago, Shadow had been borderline obsessed with breaking the ciphers, as if the author had issued him a personal challenge. He rarely left his desk, only briefly teleporting away to answer nature’s calls or retrieve more coffee. He would refuse any meals, citing he needed no distractions from his work, and Rouge knew for a fact he hadn’t slept a wink since receiving those reports.

Observing him now, watching his eyes flutter shut and snap open, watching his lips twitch with the desire to yawn but his jaw clenching to halt it, watching his knees bounce but refuse to even stand and stretch his restless muscles…Rouge made up her mind. Enough was enough. Abraham could fire her all he wished, but those ciphers could wait. Shadow’s health couldn’t.

The bat nodded to herself, a plan formulating in her mind. She knew Shadow, knew him well enough to know that if she forced him to bed now, he would fight her every step of the way, and she’d inevitably lose. He would ignore her, argue with her, and go right back to that desk and those cipher’s out of pure stubbornness, just as he had before. No. The conventional way wouldn’t work this time. Rouge would need…ulterior methods to get Shadow to rest like he so desperately needed. Rouge smirked. Well, she was always up for a challenge, and always had a trick or two up her sleeve. Years of working with Shadow meant she was well-versed in navigating the Ultimate Lifeform, and she planned to use all her knowledge of Shadow to get her way.

So, for the moment, Rouge left Shadow at his desk, headed for the kitchen, and began setting her plan into motion. With any luck, Shadow would be too distracted to pay enough attention to her to stop her.

#

Shadow’s ears twitched at the soft knock on his door but otherwise ignored it. He almost had it cracked, he just needed-

A well-manicured hand rested on his desk, covering the pages from his view, and his pencil was carefully tugged out of his hand before he could react. Indignant scarlet eyes shot up, enraged by the interruption, but the blasted bat merely stared at him with a smirk and a raised brow, twirling the pencil between the fingers of her other hand. Her slender body leaned against desk, her warmth permeating his cloud of focus, and Shadow ignored it to glower at her and held out his hand. “Give it back, please.” He commanded.

“No.” Rouge impudently tucked it behind her ear, out of his immediate reach, and Shadow’s lip curled. “Dinnertime, handsome.” She proclaimed.

Shadow scowled. “I’m busy.”

“Not anymore.” Rouge disagreed, nudging him. “You need to eat, and being the generous bat that I am, I made one of your favorites.”

Shadow ignored the scent now so obviously wafting in through the open door from the kitchen, and the ensuing growl from his empty stomach. “I’m not hungry.” He lied. “I need to work.”

“You need to eat.” Rouge countered. “I slaved away in that kitchen for you, Mr. Robotnik. Are you going to let my benevolent efforts go to waste?”

Shadow opened his mouth to snap back at her…and paused, the aromas of parmesan chicken and alfredo pasta and honey wheat rolls hit his scent glands. His stomach rumbled again, and his mouth watered. Rouge really did cook his favorites, and Shadow knew how much she detested cooking anything more complicated than microwaveable mac and cheese. His ears flattened against his head, and his eyes lowered to the floor. “Then…a quick break shouldn’t hurt.” He muttered, standing and refusing to meet Rouge’s eyes and missing the conspiratal and victorious smirk that flashed across her muzzle.

#

Rouge wiped her mouth with her napkin, humming in the satisfaction of both a full stomach and a successful plan, observing with a secret smirk as Shadow practically licked his third plate clean. “I hope it was passable?” She leaned forward, ears pricked and eyes bright.

Shadow covered his mouth with his fist, hiding the belch that almost burst forth by clearing his throat, but nodded at the bat. “Delicious.” He commended her. “For someone that loathes cooking, you certainly excel at it.”

Rouge waved a hand. “Basic pastas like chicken alfredo are simple enough, and the rolls were premade. Nothing too difficult, but I’ll still be leaving it to you, Mr. Ultimate Chef.” Shadow snorted and shook his head.

He sighed. With a pleasantly full stomach, going back to work was as unappealing as a bonfire in Shamar during the dry season. The striped hedgehog wanted nothing more than to curl up in his chair with his current book and listen to his new vinyl on the record player, but… “Duty calls.” He sighed and stood up.

Rouge merely smiled at him. Shadow frowned, alarm bells ringing in his head at the…mischievousness in that smile, but even they sounded muted. He blinked, then blinked again…then yawned. Lethargy clung to him like a warm blanket, and Shadow shook himself. “What-?” He snapped his eyes open and threw a wide-eyed look at the still-grinning bat, putting the pieces together in his mind.

Rouge cooking his favorite pasta. Rouge insisting he come and eat. Rouge insisting on fixing his plate for him. The grin on Rouge’s face now. “You didn’t.” Shadow hissed.

“I did.” Her tone was smug.

“Rouge!” Shadow was never eating anything prepared by her or coming from her hand again. He was going to inspect every meal, every drink, every snack thoroughly from now on. “You can’t-!”

“I can and I have.” The smirk dropped from her face, replaced by solemn concern. “Shadow, you have to take care of yourself. This is the first time you’ve properly eaten since Towers gave you that assignment, and I know you haven’t slept since then, either! The circles under your eyes are nearly as dark as your quills. You need to rest, and if you won’t do it yourself, then you leave me no choice but to force you.”

“By drugging me?!”

Rouge snorted. “Oh please, you drama king. I know that drugs have no effect on you. A natural supplement that your body naturally produces however,” She held up a little plastic jar and waved it at him before tucking it back into her pocket.

Shadow opened and closed his mouth, indignant that Rouge would pull such a slight on him and embarrassed that he didn’t catch it in time to stop her. He shook his head and turned away from the table. “I’m going back to work.” He grumbled. He may still have some time before the melatonin took hold and forced him to unconsciousness, and he was going to use all the time that he had. Perhaps he could even fight it off. He staggered through the kitchen and down the hallway, shaking the fuzz out of his head. His mouth split open in another yawn, and as he leaned on the doorframe of the living room, he could barely make his legs work.

A slender body pressed against his side, a gentle hand curling on his shoulder. Rouge. Shadow blearily blinked at her, her green eyes swimming pools of soft emerald, and Shadow leaned into her warmth with a noise of discontent. He nuzzled sleepily into her shoulder, loosely wrapping his arms around her waist. A soft chuckle reverberated in his ear. “Alright, handsome. Bedtime for this Ultimate Lifeform.”

“Don’t wanna.” Shadow mumbled. “Wanna read…listen to new record.” He blinked pleading eyes at Rouge, disoriented ruby on mirthful green.

Rouge chuckled. “You need to sleep, hon.” She reminded him. Shadow pouted, and Rouge paused. “How about a deal? If you agree to go to bed, I’ll get your book and read to you.” She offered.

Shadow eyed her suspiciously. “What about my record?”

Rouge shook her head. “The record player is in the living room, hun, it’s gotta stay there. You can listen to it tomorrow, I promise.”

Shadow slumped against her. “Fiiiine.” He groused. Rouge wrapped her arm around his waist and guided the half-asleep hedgehog back whence they came, and Shadow practically flopped onto his bed, snuffling into his pillow. Rouge couldn’t resist and sniggered at the photo evidence now stowed away in her phone. Just in case.

“Alright, hon, you think you can get settled while I get your book?” Rouge prompted. An unintelligible grumble answered her, but the hedgehog shifted, so she darted down the hall to collect her half of the bargain. There, resting on the little oak side table beside Shadow’s wingback chair near the window, was the book in question, and Rouge snatched it before marching back to Shadow’s room. She found him sitting slouched on the edge of the bed, chin against his chest fluff, his breaths steady and bordering on sleep.

Rouge shook her head, hiding her smile, and bent down beside him. She slipped the skates off his feet and neatly laid them beside the bed for easy access the next morning, then stood and gently pushed on his shoulder. “Come on, hon. Down you go.” Though he grumbled, Shadow followed her guidance and made himself comfortable, watching her with sleepy eyes.

“Read?” He yawned.

She waved the book. “As promised.” Shadow smiled at her and patted the space beside him. “Shadow, I don’t think-,”

“Won’t be able to hear you from down there.”  He interrupted.

“Shadow, you have perfect pitch.” Rouge reminded him. Shadow pouted and sat up, crossing his arms even though he yawned again.  She rolled her eyes. “Stubborn hedgehog.” And before she could question if this was even a good idea, she jabbed at his shoulder. “Down, or I’m not coming up.” She threatened. Shadow flopped back down onto his pillow, and Rouge crawled up the mattress until she was seated comfortably at his side, her back against the headboard and opening the book to the marked page. “Lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well.” Rouge began, then paused as she felt the bed shift, looked down to find Shadow lying on his side towards her, his half-lidded eyes focused on the book’s pages, his ears tilted sideways, and Rouge hesitantly combed her fingers through his quills. Shadow’s eyes fluttered, and she smiled softly at the quiet but contented purr rumbling deep in his chest. Rouge returned her attention to the book, but her fingers remained on Shadow’s head, stroking his quills, scratching his ears. “She looked back over her shoulder and there, between the dark tree trunks; she could still see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out…”

Hours later, when dawn brought the first rays of sunshine, instead of rising with the sun, Rouge the Bat grumbled and clung tighter to her pillow, snuffling into the fluffy white fur of her best friend’s chest and humming contentedly when he purred against her forehead, nuzzling in his sleep against her hair and curling his arm tighter around her. However, that did not stop the E-Series badnik from snapping several shots of photographic evidence to showcase later in opportune moments before lumbering down the hall towards the living room and the television, which would be solely his to enjoy for the first time in ages.

(Welcome to this Day Masterpost!)

[thetomorrowshow]

you will return to the hospital bed

febuwhump day 8: bleeding out

fandom: life series smp

part of my series six billion moths flying toward it, which begins in a war-ravaged world that grian manages to escape from, bringing the evo members with him to their own world, where they have infinite respawns and peace.

cw: mild gore, violence, war

~

Jimmy isn’t the best soldier.

“Left! Left!”

He isn’t the best marksman, yeah, but he also isn’t very agile, but he’s also Deaf and can never really tell who’s giving out instructions and what for (at this point, he’s really just cannon fodder, which is . . . not a nice thought).

Is the general yelling at him or someone else?

There’s really no way to know, but Jimmy just hopes he’s following orders and crawls left, his hands scraping against exposed tree roots and little chunks of dirt and rock. He’s just in time—a shell lands close to where he just was, blowing apart the ground with an earth-rattling explosion.

Whoever is behind Jimmy shoves him to the ground to get over him, Jimmy’s chin knocking against the dirt, a knee digging into his kidney. He bites back whatever he wants to yell at the soldier; the first rule of war is no in-fighting while you’re in an active battle.

He hates the trenches. Maybe one of these days, he’ll finally contract trench fever and he’ll be able to get out of all this.

Grian promised to get him out, but it doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen. He’s been here for—what, two years? Too long. There isn’t a clean escape route; he’s either going to have to get injured or sick or he’s going to have to die.

He should probably poke his head up and take a shot anywhere he can, just to do something. They’re all hiding in their own trenches, though, waiting for him to do just that. He sure isn’t going to be the first person to check if they can take a quick shot. That’s how you die in this business.

He hates this. He hates how commonplace it’s become to just be shot at, yet how scared he is to this day every time he marches out.

He’s been here all day, choking on gunsmoke and trying to see through teary eyes, a miserable existence when any day could be his last.

“We’re gonna die,” someone cries out—Jimmy can’t tell who or from where, especially with all the explosions and gunshots going on, but he just ignores it and keeps crawling through the dirt, the hot sun pounding down on his shoulders.

He tries, at least, but before he can go far, someone grabs his leg by the ankle and pulls.

Jimmy spins around—it’s another soldier, of course, a man probably close to his age or younger, and he looks terrified. His face is almost green under the dirt and soot, his eyes wide and bloodshot, tears and sweat streaking down his cheeks.

“We’re gonna die,” he says. “I—I can’t—I’m just a kid, dude, I gotta get out of here!”

Jimmy knows that feeling. The shock, the overwhelming fear, the sense of displacement. It’s never quite left him, and to this day he feels all jittery and awful and scared in every battle that he gets sent out to fight in, but he doesn’t know how to tell the kid that he’ll be okay when there isn’t any guarantee that he will be.

Jimmy’s seen people die. Friends, bunkmates, shot as they crouched right beside him and were just slightly less lucky than he. There’s a good chance that this kid—

There’s so much yelling, he can’t even think, but he can’t distinguish any of the voices or anything and—

BLAM!

Jimmy has a moment of blinding white—

Of red—

Of looking down at himself and thinking, oh, that’s way too much blood to be healthy.

Of looking down at himself and realizing that most of his body was missing.

That he simply does not have legs, and he can see into his stomach, and one of his arms is mostly blown off, part of the bone of his upper arm sticking out of dirty, bloody flesh.

Beside him, where his arm should be, is the head of that kid, his eyelids still fluttering.

Jimmy has another moment, where he breathes and it feels wrong, where he’s hit by blinding pain and disgust and horror all at once, where he feels his heart try to leap out of his chest, where he tries to scream but blood just gurgles out of a hole in his throat.

He’s—there’s so much blood—he didn’t—

Everyone always says that your life flashes before your eyes when you die. All Jimmy sees, though, is the house he grew up in.

His home there, the evening growing late, children playing in the front yard to catch moths in jars as they flock toward the porchlight, his mother poking her head through the curtains to make sure they’re safe.

He’s floating away, like a balloon released, watching the scene grow smaller and smaller below him.

Then it all fades away into a near-silent high-pitched squeal, and nausea washed over all the pain and Jimmy’s vision goes grainy then blinks out completely.

He falls into darkness, and he doesn’t return.

-

The darkness is calm. Quiet, with little specks of light scattered throughout.

Jimmy wasn’t brought up believing in an afterlife, and he kind of thought that when he died, he wouldn’t have any sort of consciousness. His code would split up and tie itself back into the universe, and that would be that.

This . . . this doesn’t feel like that.

Why is he here? Not, like, physically (he isn’t sure he’s anywhere physically), but he’s definitely somewhere to some extent, and he’s not sure how he feels about it.

He doesn’t like it, he decides a moment later, as the darkness begins to weigh heavily on him. How does it feel like that, like it’s absolutely suffocating him, like he can’t breathe, when he doesn’t have a body to react to any sort of pressure?

Then it weighs down more, and more, and it hurts—

It hurts his legs, so badly that he wants to scream, building up and up and up—and his arm, and his stomach, and his chest, and head, and hands, and throat—

There’s a sound, then, something that’s like the high-pitched whine of his death, echoing through his ears and it hurts just as badly as everything else, like his hearing aids are malfunctioning worse than they ever have.

There are voices beyond it. People are talking past the pain, past the noise, and Jimmy strains to breathe and manages it.

He’s breathing?

His eyelids feel way too heavy. He can’t open them, he can’t see a thing, he can’t do anything.

It hurts. Every part of him is in agony, and he gasps for breath again and again and eventually realizes that the awful whine in his ears is coming from his own throat.

What’s happening? He—he died, didn’t he, didn’t he die?

He blew up, his body was a collection of bits, chunks of flesh scattered across the trench, and he can only remember that and smell the blood and dirt and gunpowder and he shouldn’t be alive—

He pushes.

He pushes to open his eyes, even though it’s the most difficult thing that he’s ever done, and his vision is flooded with too-bright light and he immediately closes them again.

A voice says something.

His skin hurts, the actual skin of his chest—and then there’s something cold on his pec and Jimmy jolts, which just sends another wave of pain across his whole body.

He opens his eyes again—easier, this time—and squints against the brightness, trying to focus on the dark shape hovering over him.

It’s a person, who is touching him, and Jimmy blinks and blinks until he gets some kind of focus through the blurriness.

He can see their lips, at least, which helps him to understand what they’re saying.

“There we go, you’re all right. You’re back.”

Jimmy can’t speak. He tries, swallows, but words won’t come out in any intelligible form.

Some strange rasp comes out of his mouth, and the person—a doctor?—nods.

“Lungs sound good,” they say, moving off his chest. “Do you remember what happened?”

Jimmy shakes his head, a slight side-to-side movement.

Well, he kind of does. He remembers dying. He remembers being dead.

“You’ve been respawned,” the doctor says slowly. “Someone high-up must think you’re worth it. “

They clap him on the shoulder, a flood of agony surging out from the contact, and stand, turning away to fiddle with a blanket draped over Jimmy’s legs (his legs?). “You should . . . get back in the fight soon. Take a day to rest here . . . sure that everything went well.”

Respawn. A forgone conclusion; nobody ever got respawned. Not unless they were the best of the best, and Jimmy certainly wasn’t that. He can aim a gun and pull the trigger, but—

He’s . . . he’s Deaf. Why would they want him?

He died.

He knows why he got respawned.

He also knows he shouldn’t have been.

There are so many better people, so many skilled soldiers and tacticians and able-bodied people who have died—like the kid in the trench with him, who got hit by the same shell.

It shouldn’t have been him. It shouldn’t have been him, not when it’s millions of dollars just for one respawn. He’s already damaged, he isn’t good at anything, he was so completely dead and he just wants to lie down and let the darkness take him again.

He was dead.

It isn’t right to be back. It doesn’t feel right; it feels like he’s been dragged unwilling from his grave, all his pieces forced back together and shoved into a uniform. He doesn’t—he doesn’t want to be here. He shouldn’t have been brought back.

It probably should have been anyone else.

But Jimmy’s back, now, and he has to stop hurting and get back to the fight.

He doesn’t have another choice.

[raayllum]

thinking about an AU where Viren is from Del Bar and Lissa is the one from Katolis, specifically the geopolitical (culture?) differences in 1) Viren and King Harrow only meeting as adults, 2) Viren either having a different teacher or travelling to Katolis specifically to learn from Kpp'Ar and 3) possible shockwaves through Viren going back to Del Bar with both children to serve King Florian if he wasn't so attached to potential power/prestige in Katolis to stay (and where Lissa would go if he did)

[choco-bloop]

Pearl and Gem doodles for an upcoming AU im planning to write and make more content about :)

But in short: Hero AU but with Life Series and one more SMP :)

[sourtomatola]

Camelot AU Comics

The kingdom used to be quiet and peaceful, but the king had seemed to be going mad. His court knights taking children off the streets, to never be seen again.

The disappearance of one particular child had cause such an uproar, that the kingdom fell into chaos.

As the town breeched the castle grounds, the court seemed to understand the outcry and turn against the king and his family. Before anyone could lay a hand on the king, his suit seemed to miraculously malfunction, and impale him with his own safety locks.

HIs body being left on the floor, his corpse was never found, and neither was the remains of the royal family.

Now without a ruler, the kingdom filled with fear. who would rule them? Who should step up for such a roll?

The day after the royal families disappearance, a sword appeared in the anvil of the churchyard. Engraved in the handle was the words "This sword will serve the one true king."

Many tried to pull the sword, but all failed. The sword was left alone for almost a decade.

Then, episode 1, season 1 happened.

Season 1

First | part2 | part3 | part4 | part5 | part6 | part7 | Part8 | part9

Season 2

Part1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4 | Part5 | Part6 | Part7 | Part8 | Part9 | part10 | Part 11

Season 3

Part 1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4 | Part5 | Part6 | Part7 | Part8 | Part9 | Part10 | Part11 | Part12

Season 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part6 | Part 7 | Part8 | Part9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17