#sir finley

[hermitcraft-8]

my specific ass posts...

[brownbirdtown]

HOOO I DID IT drew my digimon tamer group and their partners :]

Actually I lied, there's more but these two are the only ones of the past group seen >:]

[deaconskookyinsaneblog]

There's three more I was gonna do but I ran out of room so imma just tag them lol

Snek squad!!!

Any other snek I should do?

[lakka-arts]

how today be feeling for me

[gardenergulfie]

Hello mutual in law gardnergulfie. Could I perhaps inquire about the npcs from dnd

So that "cow man" is named Simon and he's a member of the rival adventuring party to my players! I'll tell you all about them rn!

(Art by @autisticzedaph and @cuuno)

Ok so Simon, Simon McOwens, is a minotaur wizard (formerly a paladin till situation caused him to renounce his oath) and he's the leader of the rival party. He's a friendly but sometimes awkward guy who's charisma comes from just how outgoing he is! He'll cheer for you even if the two of you are racing! He's the one who has the wrangle the more rowdy members of his group in line, to varying degrees of success. Oh and also he's Transhet and uses he/him pronouns!

Next is Nectarine Everloam: a dwarf artificer and the unoffcial second in command of the group. The voice I do for her is based on Fluttershy MLP and thats a pretty good indicator of her personality. Thought quiet and shy, she's actually quite respected by her group and can silence some of them with a look and a few words. She doesn't get angry, just disappointed (which is worse honestly). She also has a lil pet mouse construct! Deffo has adhd/autism. She uses she/her and is a lesbian!

Then we have Took Lil-Tell: an owlin ranger/warlock who wants you to think its a rogue! Very much the "Oh he's a lil guy -> oh he's a bit fucked up actually!" Looks like a sweet, trustworthy tbh creature, big fan of knives, mischief, and thievery. But look at their lil face, you wouldn't hurt them would you? No, you can't, and while you're unable to fight them they're snickering and giggling at you. Awful, I love him. It's aroallo and uses it/they/he btw!

Finally we have the beloved bastard: Sir Finley Prayfallow. A rune knight fighter tabaxi who should probably start investing in barbarian because Wow is she easily riled up. This cat is Miles Edgeworth meets Pirate Joe and he sucks soooo bad. Like, most stuck up cat Ever. British /neg. Kinda pathetic too. I love her, I hate her, she lives in my head rent free. He literally went to a school for knights and yet somehow has the strangest honor code ever. He would call you a slur but only one he can reclaim himself. I hope he changes or dies <3. Also she uses he/she and is very gay.

So yeah those are my blorbos I have Many More in my backpockets but those are the main ones me and the party obsess over. Hope this is enough info!

[sleepsart]

Resident bastard

[ ID: A full body drawing of Finley, a tabaxi running and full force slamming a figureless humanoid out of the way as he does so. He looks somewhere between angry and determined. He's wearing a loose shirt, loose pants, one shoulder pad, a cravat, a corset, boots, arm guards, and a sword over his back. End ID ]

Tag list: @luna-spacedoodles @convexers @renchanters @cuuno @grey-nova @chimbamuerto @gardenergulfie @oakskull @sadgeish @im-troublesome @griancraft

[grayfxce]

❝ Take it from me, Envy && Jealousy is corrosive. Be patient. What you’re lookin’ for will come. Just give it time. Sooner… or later. ❞ The entity cryptically sighed in a zen tone of voice.

[lionofchaeronea]

Current reading is The World of Odysseus by Sir Moses Finley, originally published in 1954. It's Sir Moses's attempt to reconstruct the society of "Dark Age" Greece (=the tenth and ninth centuries BCE) by close reading of the Iliad and Odyssey. As great a historian as he was, I'm finding the book a little disappointing. Sir Moses seems to have had little interest in, or appreciation for, the history of ideologies (ironic in a Marxist), nor for the complexity of gender roles in the Homeric poems: all he wants to do is strip the epics down to a supposed "kernel of truth," as if everything else were so much rust that needed to be sanded away. At times, I've found myself genuinely wondering whether he'd really paid attention to what he was reading. Some of his dogmatic statements are breathtaking in their wrongheadedness: there's "no trace of the polis in the Homeric poems" (what about Troy in the Iliad or Ithaca in the Odyssey, both of which show many hallmarks of polis-organization?); the poems have nothing to say about Greek colonization, and so must predate it (what about Odysseus in Odyssey IX making plans to colonize and develop the island of Polyphemus?); Penelope is "little more than a convenient 'mythologically available character'" with no real personality (seriously?) Granted, criticizing a book that's seventy years old, in a field where so many methodological advances have since taken place, is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel, but still -- I can't help but feel that the whole exercise could have been improved by a shift in perspective on his part.

[ask-lab-rats]

Finley is either going to die of a heart attack or a brain aneurysm by the end of this

The poor guy is DONE 💔

"Yikes, I hope not. Geez.

Anyway. Alright kids! Pack it up! We need to get moving.

Paintbrush, Lightbulb, Bomb, you sure you'll be alright staying behind for a bit?" - Finley

"Yes, sir." - Paintbrush

"Y-yeah! We got this." - Bomb

"Okay. But I gotta warn you. When Dr. Spoon gets out here, the cops will probably be tailing behind. And they might have Dr. Cobs with them.

Not saying you're you have to talk to him, but you might see him again."

"We're stronger than we look, Finster." - Lightbulb

[honey-beann]

Home (you)

rk brothers (Nines, Connor, Sixty) x Reader

Chapter III - Taking Root

Warnings:

Mentions of death

General angst

Mentions of injury (stabbing)

Pending final edits (sorry for any errors!)

Word count: 2,194

Series masterlist

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to accept your insurance card."

"We are literally identical in almost every conceivable way. If you didn't know that he was passed out in the other room right now you would think we were the same person, so just run the damn insurance."

Nines insisted, annoyance evident in his tone as he tried for the fourth time to convince the old receptionist to use his insurance for Sixty's hospital visit.

"Sir, will you please stop trying to commit insurance fraud?"

The woman asked, thoroughly exasperated with the man standing in front of her.

Nines opened his mouth to argue, but Connor spoke up from behind him, sounding almost as tired as the lady who had been forced to deal with his brother for the past twenty minutes.

"Nines, Trouble has his insurance card in her wallet. If the cost is so high that Sixty cannot pay it, I have no doubt that she will have them run the information. Now will you please sit down before you get us all kicked out of the hospital?"

Nines scoffed but did as his brother asked, glaring as he made his way back over to where you sat beside Connor, your six month old held firmly to your chest by his wrap carrier as your five year old slept soundly on his uncle's lap, drooling slightly against his t shirt while Connor continuously rubbed lightly at his back the very same way he had done when he was just a baby.

"If she runs that insurance, she'll have to deal with whatever copayments they ask for, as if it isn't already ridiculous enough that she pays for his insurance out of her own pocket."

Nines muttered to his brother as he sat down beside you, causing Connor to sigh and shake his head,

"She uses the money that Hank left her and you know that, if she were paying for it herself I would have long since put a stop to that."

Nines scoffed,

"The money that Hank left her is supposed to be her money, Connor, not another way for her to keep supporting Sixty's bad habits."

Connor opened his mouth to reply, but you cut him off, more than a little fed up with being talked about as if you weren't there at all.

"Would you two just leave things be? We've only been here for twenty-five minutes and I have a feeling it's going to be a long morning, so I really don't think we should start it off by arguing."

Nines sighed audibly from where he sat beside you, clearly still unhappy with the insurance situation, but Connor simply gave you an apologetic half-smile before he nodded in agreement and changed the subject entirely.

"You know Nines, I didn't realize you were back from your trip already. I thought you were scheduled to be away for another six weeks."

Nines let out a low hum of acknowledgement before he finally spoke, keeping his explanation brief and vague, as per usual when it came to his job.

"I finished early. They gave me the wide time frame assuming I would need longer than I actually did."

Connor nodded, but pressed a bit harder regarding the stipulations of his brother's job.

"Well I'm glad it didn't take as long as projected. Though, I am surprised that they sent you out on a trip they believed would take two entire months to complete. Weren't you placed on a short distance travel list after Finley was born?"

Nines stiffened a bit from where he sat beside you, and you raised a brow at him in response to Connor's words.

"What?"

You asked, hearing Connor let out a quiet "Oh" from your right as he fixed his gaze downward.

"I didn't realize that you hadn't told-."

"I inferred, Connor."

Nines snapped back quietly, causing his older sibling to sigh before he returned his focus to the child on his lap, clearly wishing he were literally anywhere else.

You turned toward Nines,

"You messed with some of your work contracts for me?"

Disbelief and shock were evident in every word you spoke as you tried to make sense of what Connor had said.

Nines was an FBI agent, that much you knew, and because of that he had strict contracts that he resigned every year stipulating where he could go, what he could do, what his pay would be, and what would happen if he were to not come back from a mission.

You knew that because every year he had to call you asking if you were okay with being put down beside Connor as his next of kin, meaning you would be notified if and when something happened to him...

And every year you had to verbally confirm that yes, you were alright with that, no matter how much the idea of ever actually receiving that dreaded call from his superiors terrified you.

But you also knew that the distance that Nines had once been willing to travel greatly bolstered his pay check. When he had been gone for the duration of your pregnancy with Finley, he had made enough money to buy his expensive car in cash and then attempt to fund both of your sons' college accounts.

So why the hell would he change his distance contract for you?

Nines sighed,

"I was unhappy with the circumstances that I had to work with while you were pregnant with Finley. Being unable to support you throughout the process while being forced to get updates through letters addressed to random P.O. boxes is an experience I would rather not repeat, so I told them not to send me so far away that I might be gone for more than a certain amount of time-"

"How much time?"

You asked, voice shaking as you attempted to keep yourself calm. Time and time again you had begged this man not to sacrifice anything else for you and your family, and time and time again he'd ignored you in favor of putting himself last for the one millionth time.

Nines sighed.

"I asked them to not send me away for longer than six weeks at most unless absolutely necessary."

He looked down at you, his voice stern and his expression serious as he spoke,

"And I will not be asking them to change that anytime soon."

You groaned, tossing your hands up in the air exasperatedly while being careful not to jostle the baby who was still sleeping soundly against your chest.

"You are impossible."

You muttered, hearing Nines chuckle a bit as he looked down at you in amusement,

"Only when it comes to your profoundly foolish requests for me to stop taking care of you."

You opened your mouth to protest the idea that he had any responsibility to do such a thing at all, but then the doors to the emergency center opened, and out stepped a doctor who called a familiar name into the empty waiting room, which remained devoid of all life save for your small and atypical family.

"Is anyone here for Caiden Anderson?"

He asked, causing all three of you to stand immediately, though Connor took a moment longer than you and Nines did as he adjusted Atlas properly in order to do so.

The doctor regarded the three of you with a nod, not bothering to ask the relationship that Connor and Nines had to Sixty and moving straight on to you and your boys.

"What is your relationship to the patient?"

He asked, and grimacing, you spoke the same lines you had already said so many times since long before you and Sixty had even started dating. He was an accident prone man, and you and the boys had needed a way to make sure you could get inside of hospitals to see him without issue.

"His fiancee."

You said, hoping that the doctor took your nervous body language as worry rather than the discomfort it truly was.

Because as many times as you had said those words, both truthfully and untruthfully, you didn't think it would ever stop hurting to say them now.

The doctor nodded, gesturing toward your children,

"And the kids?"

"Our sons."

You said, tone a bit more confident this time, and despite how displeased he looked to be bringing so many visitors into one room, the doctor motioned for all five of you to follow him into the room they were monitoring Sixty in.

Walking into the space though, you struggled not to wince at the sight of him, taking note of how pale and sickly he looked bathed in the white hospital lighting, his veins obvious beneath his skin, as if he were made of glass.

You shuddered slightly, staring at him for a moment until Connor, who had just set your son down in one of three available chairs, gently took your hands and guided you toward another, offering you a kind and encouraging smile as he and his brother stood behind you in spite of the fact that there was still one other available chair.

They preferred to stand anyhow.

Sixty had always been the one to sit with you.

The doctor sighed as he fully entered the room behind the five of you, closing the door and taking a look at the tablet within his hand to ensure he was looking at the right patient's chart before he spoke.

"So, it appears that Mr. Anderson managed to pop the stitches and re-injure the stab wound he came in for the other day."

He said seriously, and immediately your eyes grew wide and your hands felt clammy.

Stabbed?

Sixty, your Sixty, the too beautiful jokester with the too pretty smile had been stabbed?

You swallowed thickly, trying to stop your eyes from growing teary at the thought as you continued to listen to what the doctor had to say.

"So, the good news is that he hasn't sustained any new injuries, and that this was likely just an issue of him doing too much too soon. The bad news is that the area already seems to be infected, and while we are trying to treat that to the best of our ability, he will likely require at home bed rest for several weeks afterward. As you likely know, this is far from his first run in with infections, and at this point treatment is starting to become a lot less effective than we would like."

You felt your hands shake as you nodded numbly, wishing so hard that you could shake the sleeping man on the other side of the room awake and scream at him until he told you why he was doing this to himself, why he was doing this to you.

He had been a sickly kid, all four of you knew that, and in taking all of these risks with his health he was bringing himself closer and closer to an early death than you hoped he realized.

"To be clear,"

The doctor began solemnly, looking you in the eyes as he removed his glasses,

"If Caiden does not become more serious about his health soon, there may very well come a day when he is brought in here and there will be nothing that we can do but make him comfortable."

You blanched, watching as the doctor sighed,

"Look Ma'am, if I may be so frank, I have no idea what is going on with your fiancee. Hell, I don't even know if you two are actually engaged. But what I will say is that looking at his chart, he is playing a dangerous game. You can't do the type of drugs he's done and live the kind of life he's leading and expect to make it very far. And I think you're fully aware of that."

You nodded again, avoiding eye contact with the man as you did so,

"I am, of course I am."

"Then for your own sake, either get him to stop doing whatever the hell it is that he's been doing, or let him go. I don't like saying this, and I wish that things were different, but in the end if he won't take care of himself, and you can't make him, this can only hurt you and your children."

He sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders, and then he stood, his expression still solemn and his eyes sympathetic.

"He should be waking up soon. When he does a nurse will come to inform him of his condition. Whether you stay or go is entirely up to you, just don't disturb any of the other patients please."

And with that he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him as the room filled with a tense kind of silence that you knew all too well.

"Did you guys know?"

You asked quietly, already aware of what the answer to that question was deep down.

"Did you know that he was letting this happen to himself?"

Their responding silence was deafening.

It was all that you needed to hear.

masterlist

AO3

[katatty]

Year 1 - Summer - Dowrick

Things at the Dowricks are the same as ever, with the sims spending all day and night fishing, fishing, fishing.

Recently Margery found a cool shell in a tide pool that plays music, so that's been a nice way for the family to unwind!

Margery has been working for the Mondegreens, but they're not all that happy about her accidentally setting the house on first last round, and Lady Jessica fires her! What's worse, the family recieve a $1000 fine for arson. Yikes.

Finley was hanging out with his sorta-secret boyfriend, Nigel, when he aged up into an adult. That's one way to put the breaks on a relationship... I didn't actually get any proper pictures of his adult makeover but he spend the rest of the round fishing, pretty much.

Helen and Alexander have been getting more serious. She ended up introducing him to her parents so they can properly approve of them marrying once they hit adulthood.

I think Margery is a bit jealous of her younger sister - always noogieing her and putting her in her place! She grows up later in the season and quickly decides she isn't going to just settle for any old peasant - she's marrying rich!

She has triple bolt chemistry with several old men, too. Captain of the guard Sir Roberte Mondegreen and yeoman Lambert Glanndour. To be honest, I'm not sure how marriage with single elders works (the rules are kind of vague about it), but I honestly think either of them could be interesting candidates!

Anyway, the family are really raking in the cash now. Fishing is just super lucrative, especially with four family members (Daveth, Thomas, Finley and little Annie) all fishing constantly with super-high body skill.

Their tax requirements were really easy to meet, even with Margery's arson fine! I was wondering how on earth peasants were ever supposed to raise enough money to move up in society, but it seems more doable now. But might get tougher once the girls move out...

[hermitcraft-8]

posting this here before discord because the session is getting. very tense. and i don't want to interrupt.

[image description: a digital drawing of nectarine, finley and tearn from the dating sim campaign. nectarine is a small dwarf in a ruffled dress. a mouse sits on her shoulder. finley is a fluffy persian tabaxi in a suit. tearn is a tall elf in a blazer and pencil skirt. they're sitting on a train at night. nectarine is looking nervously at finley, who looks furious. tearn is calmly looking the opposite direction. end id]

[cetaitlaverite]

Anything to Anywhere

Masters of the Air - Bucky Egan x OC

hi!!! welcome!! meet stella - hope you love her <3 masterlist is here

PART 1: Attagirls

01. An Overfull Rain Cloud

“This bastard plane will not land!”

The buzz of radio static and then: “Tower to Finley, requesting explanation for why you aren’t landing, over.”

Stella’s teeth were gritted, the knuckles of both hands white with how hard she was clenching the yoke. Her arms were on fire and only aching more and more with every reclimb and circle over the airfield runway. “Finley to tower, I already told you, this nasty fucking bastard plane will not fucking land!”

“Tower to Finley, we don’t understand what you mean, over.”

“Get your CO on the radio!” Stella demanded. She did not have the time, nor the strength, to keep pressing the radio button to converse with wireless operators who couldn’t understand simple sentences.

“Tower to Finley, this is Squadron Officer Jones, what seems to be the problem?”

Stella’s face was aching with how hard she was frowning. “This plane will not land,” she gritted out. “Something wrong with the hydraulics - I’ve lost the system. I can get it down but only just, and it’s taking everything I’ve got in me. But it won’t be a safe landing nor a pretty one. Can you clear the airfield?”

“How far?”

“As far as you can.”

Squadron Officer Jones screeched out her demands to her wireless operators and then addressed Stella again. “Send out medical crews?”

“Fire engines would be more useful.”

“Sending both.”

“Thanks.”

There was a pause. Stella’s breath was coming heavy, her entire chest heaving with the reverberating impact of each wheezing breath. When Jones came back on the radio it was to deliver a clipped, “Tower to Finley, we are ready for your landing.”

“Coming in,” Stella warned.

It took all the remaining strength in her body to get the plane anywhere close to the runway. The speed of the thing was incredible. A steep approach and a rapid one, too, Stella only just about managed to tip the nose back up in time to prevent a fiery wreck, but she knew the force with which the wheels hit the ground would have snapped them.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” she exclaimed as she bullied the plane into a bumpy, staccato stop. She sat in the stillness for a moment, listening to the furious protests of the engine, to the squealing of the broken hydraulics system, and to the siren of the approaching fire engine.

Climbing out of the plane, Stella wrenched off her aviator hat and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She slung the strap of her gas mask over her shoulder, tucked her pilot’s notes under her arm, and batted away the medics who rushed for her, assuring them with little patience that she was fine, just sore. She narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of her commanding officer standing to one side, out of dangerous distance of the runway, with his arms crossed and a furrow to his brow, a man unknown to Stella beside him.

She quickly turned her eyes away.

“Finley!” Commodore Knightswick belted across the airfield. He never was one to let her get off lightly.

Stella glanced back at him, lifted her hand in a brief salute, and continued on her way.

“First Officer Finley!” Knightswick shouted again.

Stella halted in place, considering her options. To ignore him would only get her in more trouble later. To acquiesce and head over would allow him to hand her arse to her in front of everyone. Her body pulled her towards the jeep waiting to ferry her to the ATA hut, her head pulled her towards him.

In the end, her head won out, if only because she had plans to spend the evening reading and didn’t want to have to cancel them for a disciplinary meeting.

“Sir,” Stella greeted as she jogged over. Her voice was clipped, her eyes narrowed once more when she found him frowning. She shoved her hands behind her back and wrung out her aviation hat to make sure she didn’t do something stupid with them.

“What was that?” Knightswick asked, gesturing with his head towards the plane currently swarmed with mechanics and ground crew.

“What was what, sir?” Stella asked as levelly as she could manage.

“That piss poor landing,” Knightswick said with a scoff. “Here I was, talking up how good my pilots are to our fresh Yank arrival, and you botch up the landing so badly the wheels snap off.”

Stella scowled. Her eyes were hard. She didn’t know who this American Air Force observer was, nor did she care, but her CO most certainly should not have been speaking down to her in front of him. She had earned her reputation through blood, sweat, and tears and Knightswick was about to set her back two years in one fell swoop among the new Americans.

“Sir, let’s not have this conversation right now,” she replied calmly.

Knightswick stared at her hard. “Don’t tell me what to do, Finley. I asked you a question, now answer it.”

Commodore Knightswick was a man granted far too much power for his few years, if you asked Stella. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-seven and yet acted like he was sixty and had all the experience in the world. Hard brown eyes stared back at her, thick, bushy eyebrows raised as he awaited a response he was sure to scoff at. His thin lips were set in a hard line.

“Hydraulics were gone, sir,” Stella finally replied. She held Knightswick’s gaze unflinchingly, because she refused to be intimidated by a man five years her senior who wasn’t half as good a pilot.

“What do you mean, the hydraulics were gone?” Knightswick demanded.

Stella clenched her hands tightly behind her back, her nails digging into the leather of her aviation hat. “I mean,” she spoke slowly, carefully, as though speaking to a child about things much too complex for them to understand, “you sent me out to fly a plane with no pissing hydraulics, sir. I circled for half an hour trying to get the bloody thing down and I’ve got the war wounds to show for it.” She dropped her hat to show him her palms, rubbed raw and cross hatched with deep, angry indentations. “The only pilot you’ve got who would’ve been able to get the bastard thing down at all is me, so excuse me if I’m not all that bothered that the bloody wheels came off while I was doing it.”

Stella stared at him hard. They’d played this game before and it always ended one of two ways. In his more merciful days, he understood the situation and gave her the benefit of the doubt, sending her on her merry way. On other days, he chewed her out and took away her weekend pass but still wrote up a formal note to ensure she didn’t get into trouble.

Beside Knightswick, the Yank laughed.

Stella cut her eyes at him.

“You’re dismissed,” Knightswick decided. His voice was cold. When Stella turned back to him she got the impression he was only letting her go because he feared what she might say to the American airman while she was in such a foul mood.

He needn’t have gone to the trouble. As Stella snatched her hat up off the ground and turned to leave, she heard the American thanking him for his tour and hurrying to catch her up.

“So,” he began, a grin clear in his voice.

“Shut up,” Stella snapped.

Infuriatingly, he only laughed. “You got a first name, First Officer Finley?”

She snorted. “No, I’m the only person in the world who was born without one.”

“All you British girls this feisty?”

“Only on our good days.”

He grinned at her. “Bucky Egan,” he introduced himself.

Stella smiled sarcastically, offering a lazy salute. She’d noted his oak leaf clusters marking him a major but didn’t, quite frankly, care.

Turning on her heel, she headed on her way once more, speeding up into a jog when she caught sight of the jeep driver frowning at her.

Bucky sped up beside her.

“You gonna follow me into the changing room and all, Major Egan?” she asked when they reached the jeep.

His grin was wolfish. “That an invitation?”

“No.”

He stepped back, still grinning, and raised both hands in mock surrender. “I’ll just wait outside.”

“Don’t.”

He climbed into the jeep beside her and they spent the entirety of the journey in silence. He clearly didn’t know Thorpe Abbotts well enough yet, however, to know that the vast majority of buildings had two entrances to help with evacuations to air raid shelters when bombers flew overhead. So, having written up and handed in her flight report, Stella promptly exited the ATA hut through the back door and headed to the female pilot’s dressing room to change.

The officers’ club was tame that evening. It wouldn’t be for too much longer, Stella knew, what with preparations in full swing for their American invasion, but for now it was only wireless operator girls who were being kept on to work with the American crews and the few straggling American air executives who had arrived in advance of their men in there.

Stella had been curled up in a leather armchair in the corner ever since dinner. The lighting wasn’t all that good but it afforded her peace, and hardly anyone noticed her sitting there. She’d been invited to the local pub with some of the other ATA ferry pilots but had politely declined; wrestling with that bloody Lancaster earlier had taken all the energy out of her, and while she wanted a beer she did not much feel up to all the drunken revelry which inevitably accompanied a trip to the pub.

The lighting was warm but low, almost moody. The chatter was quiet but the music was loud, like whoever had set all of this up was trying to fill the room with music the way it couldn’t be with people. Chairs and tables were all neatly pressed together, freshly cleaned and as yet unused. The hardwood floors shone in the low light with wax.

Stella was immersed in her book, sipping from her beer intermittently. She hadn’t had an awful lot of time for reading between all the ferry chits she’d been assigned in the last few days. She didn’t notice when Bucky Egan walked in, but he noticed her almost immediately.

“Evening,” he greeted her as he pulled a nearby armchair opposite hers and threw himself down into it.

Stella raised her eyes only momentarily, quirked an eyebrow at him, then returned to her book. “Hello.”

“What’re you reading?”

“Book.”

“About?”

“Birds.”

He angled his head sideways and leaned forward until he could read the front cover. “Huh,” he said when he discovered that her book was, in fact, about birds. It was some sort of guide to birdwatching, as far as he could tell.

Stella sat, pretending to read her book, anxiously awaiting the moment he would confront her about leaving him outside of the ATA hut earlier. But he didn’t. He simply sat back in his armchair, each arm laid out across the armrests, and craned his neck around to survey the officers’ club.

“Get rowdy in here often?” he asked suddenly, turning back to Stella with a curious expression.

Stella looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed. He’d caught her off guard. “Um, not much anymore. Used to, back when all the RAF pilots were still around, but they’ve gone now to make room for you Yanks. It’s been calm for a little while.”

Bucky nodded his acceptance of this and returned to looking idly around the club.

Stella watched him, her eyebrows still knitted together, and frowned. She didn’t understand him. She’d expected him to come over here and flirt. Why wasn’t he? It’s not like she was being particularly good company.

“I was rude to you earlier,” she blurted, her cheeks in flames. It was the elephant in the room and she couldn’t go on ignoring it any longer. “I was stressed out and you were annoying me, but I don’t like to make a habit of telling people to shut up. So.” She cringed. “I’m sorry.” She hated apologising, but knowing she needed to always hung over her head like an overfull rain cloud. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she’d done it. At least now, blushing though she was, she could relax.

Bucky was staring at her with a slowly growing grin, his eyes twinkling.

Stella scoffed and looked away. “Don’t make it weird.”

“Quite a way to apologise,” he said, and she could hear that his smile had only gotten bigger, “telling a guy he was annoying you.”

“You were,” Stella insisted. “You know you were as well.”

Bucky shrugged, still with that glint in his eye.

He sat quietly while she returned to her book but she could tell he was itching to do something with himself. She watched him in her peripheral vision while he watched the wireless operators before, eventually, she replaced her bookmark in her book and sighed. “There’s a pub down the road which is always full. That’s where all my mates are tonight.”

Bucky wasn’t quick enough to hide the flash of surprise in his eyes.

Stella scoffed. “You thought I had no mates, didn’t you? Cheeky bastard.”

Bucky tipped his head back and laughed.

Stella rolled her eyes. “Thank you kindly for your act of charity to the friendless but I think you’ll find I actually wanted the peace and quiet. So. I’m sure one of the wireless ops would be happy to direct you to the pub in the village.”

Even while he was still grinning, Bucky attempted to mock a pout. “You won’t show me?”

“No.”

“Will you tell me your name?”

“You know my name.”

“I know your last name.”

“Why would you need to know anything more than that?”

Bucky stuck around for a little while longer, trying fruitlessly to engage Stella in conversation, before, evidently, he realised she was serious. So, making a show of stretching out his back and tapping the arms of the chair, finally he stood and looked around the club.

“Think I’ll go see about that pub,” he declared.

Stella hummed noncommittally, her eyes set firmly on her book.

“I’ll see you around, Finley?”

“Not if I can help it,” she answered breezily.

He laughed before turning on his heel and heading off to speak to the gaggle of wireless operators huddled together around the bar.

Finally, with a happy sigh, Stella slumped down into her armchair and settled into reading her book in peace.

[deaconskookyinsaneblog]

Imagine these three in the same room together. Maybe add Crowley, Kaa, and Viper into the mix too

Oh hell yea

Maybe a snek loki too?

I SHOULD DRAW THEM TOGEGHER HEHEHEHE!!!!

>:D

EDIT:

THEM TOO

[allycat319]

Unlikely Affection Chapter 26: Yule Tide Surprise

Authors Note: Happy Sunday my loves! My apologies that this took so long, I had my birthday to celebrate and some family medical things that I needed to tend to but I pretty proud of this chapter and I hope you all love it as much as I do!

My darling ACOWARrior on AO3 gave me the idea for Aurora's gift to Severus and I am obsessed!!!!! Thank you again love, hopefully it turned out as good as your initial idea!

Potions the next day was rather uneventful, Marigold and I worked on our chopping and peeling quietly discussing holiday plans while Severus glided around the room and hovered over everyone but me. I assumed he was avoiding me because of his outburst last night, and if I'm being honest I really shouldn’t have come to the dungeons uninvited. Umbridge was making the castle feel more like a prison, which meant the students and the teachers were all feeling on edge. 

When the bell rang for class to be finished I threw my things in my bag, lagging a little to see if maybe Severus would speak to me when all of my classmates had left the classroom. To my joy, he spoke up just as I slung my bag over my shoulder. 

“I want to apologize for my outburst last night…I should not have lashed out at you as I did.”  

I gave him a weak smile “It was my fault, I didn’t think about the fact that Umbridge is monitoring everything now.” 

He walked over to me and pulled me to his chest, holding me close, “No, I was being an old grump and you did not deserve my wrath.” I could feel the heat from his body and it wrapped around me like a warm blanket, easing any useless stress I was inflicting on myself. I giggled softly at his comment, “You sir are always an old grump…But you’re my old grump.” 

He sighed and kissed my hair. “Now that we have completed this make- up business, Christmas is quickly approaching. Does my Little Star have any riveting plans?” 

“My grandfather has informed me that I will be spending Christmas with the Finley’s, which is fine because I'm used to spending most holidays with them anyway, if I’m not with Millie.” It came out sounding a touch more melancholy than I meant but it was true. My grandfather was not home much and when he was home, he was locked in his office working on ‘ministry business’ of one form or another.

If I was home for Christmas, it usually meant Millie and I would open presents together and then eat so much food we would fall into a deep slumber in the living room. I was typically not allowed to spend holidays at Hogwarts, my grandfather thought it was good for my brain to escape the castle every so often, last year was a fluke because of the Yule Ball but if I was being honest it was the best Christmas yet…because of Severus and the beginning of our relationship, even though we both drug our feet on titles. 

“I could give you holiday detention…So you are forced to stay with me.” I lifted my head from his chest and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. 

“You’re not going home?” 

He shook his head, “I have a few Slytherins that are spending the holiday here. I am required to stay and keep an eye on them.” He noticed my sad expression and huffed out a laugh. “Don’t look at me like that, I rarely go home during the school year.” 

My eyes went wide. “You never go home? You just sit here…babysitting?” I pulled back from him and glowered up at his unchanged face. My heart broke at the thought of Severus spending so many holidays alone. 

“I prefer to be here, sweet one. I have no family and these walls are more home to me than any.” He lifted a hand and stroked my cheek. 

“I would spend Christmas here with you if I could…So you wouldn’t be alone.” I sighed, feeling guilty that I even for a second did not feel grateful that I always had a family to spend the Christmas with, even if it was just Millie and I, I always had someone. Severus on the other hand had been alone for so long. I had no idea he had no family, no parents or siblings…nothing and it broke my heart. 

He gave me a soft smile before bending down and placing a kiss on my lips. “I know you would my darling. Maybe soon we can spend the holidays together.” 

The Christmas holiday was soon upon us and before I knew it, I had been cozying up on the sofa in front of a warm fire at the Finley cottage in Northumberland for three days. Their cottage wasn’t large or small but the perfect size for a family of three. It was built with large stones and was worn by the weather and time after several hundred years which had a tendency to make the house look a bit uninviting to the naked eye. However, the back garden which was hidden from the front of the house by a large brick wall was lively and hosted a multitude of beautiful flowers that turned into a kaleidoscope of colors in the warmer months. Edwin and I spent so many hours in the garden, playing games of hide and seek and having summer picnics and it was nice to be in a welcoming home for the Christmas holiday. 

Edwin’s mother, Isadora was a slender woman, her mid length blonde hair was usually tied back out of her face in a loose bun especially when she was cooking which was her favorite pastime when she and Edwin’s father Alaric were on missions for the ministry. 

Alaric was the opposite of Isadora, where she had a kind and loving face. He was a bit more reserved and cold, his dark brown hair and ice blue eyes did nothing to help the fact he looked menacing. His looks however did not match his demeanor in any way, he was warm and gentle inside the walls of this cottage. Doting on Isadora as if she was the fairest princess and he was her attentive servant. 

Isadora, or Aunt Issa as I always called her hummed a cheery tune as he placed a tray of freshly made cookies in front of Edwin and I. “I am so excited to have you back home my sweet Rora girl. It has been an age since Iferous took us up on our offer to have you for Christmas.” 

“Its so nice to be back Aunt Issa. Spending Christmas last year at the castle was fun but it is nice to be away for just a bit.” I smiled up at her and she leaned down and pressed a kiss to my head. 

“Oh yea…Lots of fun.” Edwin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively from his seat in the plush chair in front of the fireplace. I shot him a disapproving glare, which Aunt Issa thankfully ignored and he winked at me. 

“I just can’t get over how much like your Mum you look. Oh, I miss her so much. Your father too of course. Savia however, was the sister I never had.” She reminisced fondly for a few more minutes about my mother before Alaric or “Uncle Al” sauntered into the room and tutted at her. 

“Issa sweetheart, we can reminisce about Savia and Elliot later. Right now, we need to hurry to Diagon Alley before the crowds become unbearable.” 

Uncle Al had informed Edwin and I that we were making an impromptu trip to Diagon Alley for some last minute Christmas shopping. Edwin of course had used that information once his father had gone to bed for the night and we were alone in my room to convince me to buy something for Severus, refusing to listen to me when I told him Severus specifically said that I was not to buy anything for him. To which Edwin just shrugged and said “Well you said he had no family…I doubt he will be getting any thoughtful gifts. Poor dungeon bat will end up with black socks and potion vials from the other teachers.” 

After taking the night to think about the lack of gifts Severus would receive, I made the decision to purchase something for him today during our trip to Diagon Alley. It would have to be something Noctus would be able to carry to the castle and if I’m being honest I had no clue what to get him, but hopefully rummaging around stores will provide me with a decent idea. 

“I just need to go up to my room and grab my cloak Uncle Al, I’ll be down in a second.” I said hurrying up old wooden steps to the room that I had claimed as mine when I was five years old and spent my first summer with Edwin. 

I walked into the room, past my bed and to the stool that I had haphazardly thrown my cloak on three days ago when I had arrived at the house. I threw it on quickly and turned back towards the door, stopping abruptly in my tracks when I noticed a large dark owl sitting on the window ledge. 

I ran over to the window and threw it open, apologizing to the unknown owl for leaving him out in the cold. He screeched at me in approval and flew into the room, dropping a small box onto my bed and flying out of the window again. 

I walked over to the box and picked it up. It was no bigger than the size of my palm, wrapped in dark green paper and had a beautiful black bow tied on the top. My curiosity got the best of me as I slid the bow from the package and peeled the wrapping paper open, revealing the black velvet box that was hiding beneath the beautiful wrappings. 

When I opened the box, the first thing that greeted me was a piece of parchment, folded neatly inside. I removed the parchment from the box, intent on reading the note before looking at the gift, but my plans halted when the parchment was removed and sitting in the box was the most beautiful golden necklace. My heart skipped when I noticed the delicate star pendant that was decorating the thin gold chain. It took my breath away, the small stones encrusted on the pendant making it sparkle like a real star. 

I gently sat the box on the bed and opened the parchment, my smile never fading as I read the stilted script that belonged to the man who I was so in love with: 

Little Star, 

The holiday season, with its merry songs and festive cheer, seems to pale in comparison to the warmth you bring to my life. In your eyes, I find solace, and in your embrace, I discover a sanctuary from the hell that is the world outside. 

In this season of love, I am reminded of the greatest gift I could ever hope to receive: your love. It is a gift more precious than gold, more enduring than time. 

So, my beautiful Little Star, as we celebrate this holiday of light and festivity, know that I cherish you more than life itself. I know I am a bit rough around the edges and as hard to love as I may be, you embrace every dark moment and wrap me in your beautiful light. 

Enclosed in the box with this letter, you will find a necklace. Wear it close to your heart, as a tangible reminder of the love that binds us together, even in the darkest of times. For as long as you carry it with you, know that a piece of my heart will always be yours. 

Yours forever, 

Sir

I smiled and brought the letter up to my chest, holding it firm against my heart, sighing in contentment. 

“Rora, come on we have to go.” Edwin burst into my room and looked at me, cocking an eyebrow when he saw the parchment to my chest and the small box on my bed. 

“What’s that?” He asked, walking over to me. 

I picked up the velvet box and carefully removed the gold necklace, “It’s my Christmas present from Severus.” I smiled and held it up so he could get a better look. 

Edwin examined the star on the chain and smiled, “The bat has good taste. Turn around and I’ll put it on for you.” 

I did as he said, giving him the necklace so he could fasten it around my neck. When he was finished, he pulled back and I turned around, a proud smile plastered on my face. 

“It looks good on you.” Edwin winked, “Now come on before my parents leave us!.” I laughed as he pulled me by my hand out of my bedroom door and down the stairs, my brain spinning with possible gifts to send to Severus in return. 

We traveled to Diagon Alley via Floo powder, which was always a stomach churning experience. It had its perks though, as I stepped into the dark air of the Leaky Cauldron, I dusted myself from head to toe trying and failing to remove the soot and ash from my robe, dress and tights. Just as I had about given up on cleaning the grime, Edwin plummeted through the fireplace, skirting into the room on his bottom instead of his feet. I almost toppled over from laughter and he growled at me. 

“Damn fireplace, my foot caught a protruding brick and knocked me off kilter.” He grumbled, and he took the hand I had outstretched to him to help him up. 

“Only you can screw up Floo travel.” I snorted and if looks could kill, I knew for a fact that I would be dead. 

Edwin’s parents had Flooed directly to Rosa Lee Teabag for the traditional supply of Christmas tea, while Edwin and I had decided to start at the Leaky Cauldron, so we could plan our shopping day and avoid the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley while we laid out our plans. 

Our first stop was to Madam Malkin’s, where Edwin decided to buy a new sweater for Christmas dinner. Edwin was very picky when it came to clothing, especially if he was spending his galleons. I knew I was in for a long visit to the clothing shop, so I decided to meander around the section where Madam Malkin kept the more fancy dresses. 

Rifling through the racks, I huffed at my inability to find anything that I thought would suit me and turned to walk back towards Edwin, who had begun quite the collection of sweaters outside of the fitting rooms when a rack in the back corner of the store caught my eye. 

I walked over and began riffling through the hangers of lingerie until I found the one that I thought would suit my purposes the best. It was a Slytherin green velvet bra and panty set with lacy black trim. It left absolutely nothing to the imagination and I knew it would be perfect for my present to a certain grumpy potions professor. 

After purchasing the set and waiting around for a total of thirty more minutes for Edwin to pick out a sweater, we finally left Madam Malkin’s and I pulled Edwin towards the next stop I needed to make on our trip, The Junk Shop. 

The Junk Shop was usually not the shop I spent a lot of time in, however, I knew that they would have the camera I would need to take the photographs I was planning to send to Severus. The idea was definitely a bit scandalous but he did tell me I was not to buy him anything under any circumstance and if we are being technical about it…I bought him nothing. 

Once the muggle looking camera was purchased and we had stopped by the apothecary to purchase some developing solution, I had finished with my shopping and Edwin and I started our walk through the crowds to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, where we would sit and wait for Edwin’s parents to finish their shopping, of course indulging in some ice cream while we waited. 

The Finley’s House Later That Evening

After the long day we had in Diagon Alley, it was no surprise that we all decided to head to bed early. I was definitely tired but I had a Christmas gift to execute and I was more than excited about it. 

I gave myself a once over in the full length mirror, adjusting my long brown hair, which I had curled to perfection. My lips were painted red and my makeup was a perfect mix of innocent and sultry. The ensemble I had purchased earlier today fit like a glove on my creamy skin and I had to admit, I looked like a sex goddess and to top it all off, I wore the beautiful necklace Severus had gifted me.

I made sure the door was locked before I set up the camera on the dresser that sat against the wall in front of my bed. I perched myself on the bed, my suggestive positions allowing the camera to catch every bit of my body, covered by the green velvet and I felt beautiful. 

After I had taken several photos, I developed them all in the Developing Solution. Each picture was charmed to move, showing the changes I had made from a provocative position to another equally provocative position, and once they had all developed I picked through and found my very favorites. The first one, my body was facing the headboard of the bed, showing the camera the exposed curves of my bum and I glanced over my shoulder winking sexily.

 The second was equally charming, I was facing the camera, sitting on my knees on the bed, my legs were opened just slightly and covering my arms was one of Severus’s white cotton undershirts that I may have snuck into my bag the last time we spent an evening together. The sexy version of me in that photo was twirling her curled hair around her delicately painted black fingernails.

The final photo was a doozy, I had removed everything I was wearing except for the necklace and put the undershirt back on, positioning it so it covered my chest, I continued to sit on my knees but as the picture moved, my legs opened a little wider to reveal the quickest glimpse of my core, my hand coming to my mouth to blow a kiss towards the camera. 

Dearest Sir, 

I smiled at the three photos and covered them with a charm so they would be visible to Severus’s eyes only and sealed them in an envelope with a folded bit of parchment that read:

Enclosed is your Christmas gift, I would just like you to know that I did indeed do as you asked and purchased nothing for you. 

Do let me know when your gift is received. 

Merry Christmas, 

Your Little Star 

[gardenergulfie]

For the ask game: 10 and 21, character of your choosing

Gonna do Finley cause he’s my fav bastard child rn

10: if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?

Finley, surprisingly, likes jewelry that’s functional as well as pretty. No use wearing something nice if it gets in the way when fighting. His fav are these golden bracers he wears all the time, fashion And armor! He thinks he looks good in everything, but personally he leans more gold than silver. Silver blends in too much with his fur, too subtle, but he could rock it if he had to. And he’s an amethyst guy, but he appreciates topaz as well.

21: their favorite place to be?!

Finley doesn’t really know. He’s probably give you a bullshit answer like his family home or knight academy, but it’s probably just the various places where he can remember being happy. Favorite places aren’t his thing, it’s favorite memories that matter to him. So, to answer honestly, probably wherever he met his party for the first time.