#the sun layers were very fun but they don't

[ashes-in-a-jar]

I love layers

[enwoso]

grumpy r going to the beach with the arsenal girls

sandy | alessia russo x child!reader

grumpy masterlist

"wait a second missus!" mummy laughed as you tried to run out of her hold, as you were stood next to her as she rubbed a second layer of sun cream into your skin.

"but- krya is waitin' make a sandcastle!" you frowned at your mummy as she started to spray more sun cream onto your legs, your skin starting to feel really sticky.

"don't worry lovie, the sand isn't going to run away!" alessia pointed out as she grabbed your little sun hat from her bag beside her, listening to you mumble on about how the sand might run away.

while alessia fixed your hand on your head for what have may been the thousandth time today, you had been insisting all morning that you didn’t need it on but with the it being a pretty hot day in portugal alessia was taking no chances of you getting sun stroke.

“please lovie, keep your hat on! otherwise you’ll have to sit under here where there’s no fun!” alessia pointed to the shade where all the bags had been put while the rest of the arsenal girls were playing beach game.

“okay! bye mummy!” you yelled running along the sand to where kyra had already begun your huge sand castle which you wanted to be the size of you.

alessia watched amused as you ran off toward the young australian, your pink bucket and spade already being put to use as alessia finally got a second to breathe this morning after having you jumping off the walls about being excited to go to the beach with all the arsenal girls.

the day passed and the arsenal girls played on the beach in sunny portugal up until the evening, you happily creating a sandcastle of your dreams as each arsenal girl came over and helped adding there own little thing to it, as a smile never left your face the entire time.

“mummy! come look!” you yelled out, as alessia stopped her game of rounders spinning around to see where you were.

“duty calls!” katie called out as alessia laughed as you ran into your mummy’s leg grabbing her hand as you pulled her towards where you’d been making your sand castle there only being one thing alessia could find that was missing?

“lovie, where’s kyra gone?” alessia asked, considering she was the one that had been with you all day. the blonde being quite confused but also concerned about one how long you may have been on your own for and where had the australian gone as she wasn’t with the rest of the girls who were playing rounders.

“oh! kyra is-“ you began a giggle coming from you, a one alessia knew all too well.

“here!” you cheered as alessia’s eyes widened. the young australian was buried to her chest in sand as the blonde tried to stifle her laugh.

“how do you end up in these situations kyra?” alessia tried to stay serious as it maybe wasn’t the best thing that her three nearly four year old was going round burying her teammates in the sand but then again for once it wasn’t kyra who was the perpetrator she had fallen as the victim.

“well she asked me and i originally said no but then cute little pouty eyes got me and i couldn’t say no-” kyra explained as you were sat on the sand patting any sand that had came undone back into place.

“actually think she might of hypnotised me!” kyra mumbled rolling her eyes as you yelled out you were going to get the other girls to show them your castle and kyra who you deemed as your body guard for the castle — not a very good one though since kyra’s arms were trapped under the sand but nevertheless alessia didn’t want to dampen your imagination!

“kyra she three! she doesn’t even know what the word means!” alessia laughed as kyra began to plead with the blonde to help her out the sand before the rest of the girls come over.

“alessia! help me out of the sand now. otherwise i’m never going to live this down!” kyra pleaded bringing out the same puppy dog eyes you always try on the blonde.

“oh them eyes don’t work on me… i’m so going to enjoy this!” alessia paused as she moved to sit down next to kyra, patting her on the head who shot alessia a scowl as they both watched you drag all the arsenal girls over in the direction of the two.

[httpuckdrop]

ashes – day 138

jack had your valentine's day planned out long before the day arrived. a cute little picnic out in the february sun, with all of your favorite snacks and possibly even some painting. but when the day finally arrived, you both woke up to a storm.

typical jack to not check the weather beforehand.

however, the day was far from ruined. instead, you had your picnic in jack's living room, spending the day listening to the raindrops against the windows and just enjoying each others' presence. jack eventually brought out his old photo albums from when he and his brothers were still kids – ones you had never seen before, because otherwise you would've been obsessing over them every day up until now.

"this is from luke's tenth birthday," jack said, pointing at a picture of his brother with his face stuffed full of cake. in the next one, a dalmatian was licking whipped cream off his face. "our dog, amber. not nearly as calm as you could think from just looking at her."

"she looks sweet, though," you commented, eyes flickering over another picture of amber fast asleep in jack's embrace.

"her looks betray her." jack shuffled a little closer to you on the couch, side of his head leaning against yours. "i've been thinking about getting a new one, actually."

"a dog?"

"no, a new brother." he hissed when your elbow thrust into his side. "maybe not a dalmatian specifically, but… i don't know. i've just thought about it."

the next page showed a few pictures of jack on a stage, sitting in front of a grand piano in a pretty suit. he can't have been more than 13, and your eyebrows rose at the sight. "a piano man, huh?"

he rolled his eyes. "mom forced me to take classes. i hated it at first, but then…" he shrugged. "i kept it up for five years, and it grew on me. it was kind of nice to have something else to focus on other than hockey."

you never could've guessed that he would have done something like that. jack was so sporty, a very typical jock boy – he seemed more likely to be the one making fun of the music nerds than be one himself.

even when you'd spent so much time with him, you realized that you still had so much to learn about him; so many new sides to discover, so many layers to unravel.

frightening? no, exciting.

"i remember this one time when i was fourteen… quinn and luke were at some friend's house, so i was the only child at home. and our parents were fighting." your gaze fell to his hand which was resting all lonely on his thigh, so you took it in yours. "they were, like, yelling and everything. and i couldn't do anything about it. so i just sat down at the piano at home, and… played." you could feel the shakiness in the deep breath he took, but you didn't say anything, instead settling for a squeeze of his hand. "i think i did it to drown out the sound. it was the only thing i could control."

of course. his need for stability and to always be in control was deeply rooted in him. it made so much sense being put in perspective with your relationship; he craved the stability of knowing you're there with him and he hated the way you pulled away, leaving him unsure.

"what made you quit?" you hummed after a few long moments of silence.

"hockey was getting more serious… and the guys on the team didn't really think it was cool to spend my free time learning how to play classical pieces."

"i'm sure you still remember something," you said, head resting on his shoulder. "you should play for me sometime."

"i promise." he kissed the top of your head before flipping over to the last page of the book, revealing even more pictures of little jack – this time with a big, red bruise on the side of his cheek and boxing gloves covering his hands. "oh, right. i used to box."

"oh, you were a little fighter, huh?" you joked. "how come?"

"hockey wasn't enough. i wanted to be physical off the ice, too." his tone was lighthearted, yet there was a hint of sincerity in it. "something about it made me feel… invincible, you know? knowing that i could take a hit and still stand to deliver one of my own."

"uh uh. sounds totally sane."

he reached up to flick your forehead with his fingers, before giving your hand a gentle squeeze as an apology. "i guess, as a kid, i felt… powerless? a lot of the time. especially when my parents argued. and boxing helped with that," he said, and you could feel him nodding along to his words. "once, my dad came home from a night out with a black eye, and i've never felt so useless. i wanted to be able to fight back for him. or myself. or anyone else who needs it."

you want to protect them, you thought to yourself. his protective instinct was clear as day – even in the way he couldn't not be there for you, even when you said you didn't need a relationship or someone to take care of you.

he didn't fight just to fight. he fought to protect. it was the same thing with his fight at the first game of his you attended; he punched that rangers player to protect his teammate, not because he wanted to injure him.

"my coaches told me that i had to quit once i joined the ntdp, though. it made sense, since i never thought i'd have to use it in real life," jack said with a shrug. "so i didn't argue. but, in some twisted way, boxing made me less physical on the ice. like i had an outlet, somewhere to just let it all go, so i could just skate away from arguments on the ice."

"you're a good man, jack hughes," you said, leaning slightly to the side so that you could look up at him, glistening eyes studying his features. "you know that, right?"

he paused for a few moments, merely breathing as his gaze fell on you. "i'm good because of you. you make me want to be good."

[py-dreamer]

@furornocturna, @violetjedisylveon

hey! Remember that shadowalkers au wip a while back?

And I mean damn, like what a leap? Amirite?

(Just realized I forgot Mac's pouch, Mei, & Wukong's beads

...oops

Pls forgive me I'm a forgetful klutz and am lazy)

Ok so well this be quite the turnabout from the last sketch um:

I included the shadows on the floor, it is called shadowalkers for a reason, and added the wee faces in them like I did for the first piece

The background was a pain in the ass and I tried a lil something something with the lighting/lens flares. Something similar to the lighting in the piece I did where they're cuddling

Now everyone might say multiply on the layers does miracles but can I just saw 'add glow' and 'glow Dodge' are my new best friends? Srsly they give that damn good zest that it needs

I had so much trouble just doing Mac's face in particular. Like the contrast between the dark scalera and light irises was too much even though I did it before and it worked then-

And like his proportions were way off even though they matched the f*cking sketch which looked fine and they didn't match up with Wukong's at all-

Then his hair looked too big and clunky like a large chunk rather than hair and cause Mk's head was blocking it, I couldn't shade correctly-

AND I WAS STARTING TO BLOODY LOOSE IT I WANTED TO PUNCH THIS LIL BI-

But then I made his head bigger and it all worked out 'u'

Here's the og sketch for comparison:

I will admit though, I am quite happy with how my art style has progressed over time and this just might be one of my best pieces.

Genuinely to any of my old marshiemallows, thanks for sticking around! And I welcome any new marshiemallows joining me on my little art adventure so here's love from a random artist on the internet who appreciates your presence to her wacky ramblings and drawings

Oh and btw, I will start to get more busy so pls relax ur expectations in terms of posting schedules (not that I really had one anyways but regardless-)

That birthday challenge was fun but man did it do a number on me

And especially cause I wanna try to focus more on writing the next chap of mah fic 'When the sun sets forever' on ao3

(Shameless plug but which you should totally check out btw, angsty monkies, time travel, Macaque bullying train, it's so much fun)

Oh! And for my fellow marshiemallows who have frequented the dreamscape a couple of times, not guaranteed and I am a wee noob with absolutely no experience in this very little chance I'll do this and it's mainly to see any interest in it so pls don't expect much-

BUT.

[rose-of-the-grave]

The Great War: Chapter 10

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x Reader

I know this is kind of short but the next chapter is going to be really long and it didn't feel right making it one, even larger chapter. I hope you like it! As always I'm the author (please don't repost <3)

Masterlist. Series Masterlist. Read on Ao3

Warnings: crying, watching the sunset, occamy, almost kiss

Word Count: 1657

Description: On the last night before of winter holidays, Y/N and Mattheo have a talk while watching the sunset.

Taglist: @sylveryfire, @dundunmin, @nicoleeblossom, @whoreforfictionalmen18, @lafrone, @lovemiss-vale

The air was buzzing with anticipation as the handful of students who remained on the grounds counted down the days until their friends and classmates returned. The new year had passed the night before with little celebration. Snow continued to fall, coating the castle and the grounds in a thick white blanket. Anyone who dared to venture outside for some wintery fun was bundled in layers.

Shouts echoed through the air, some fourth year boys throwing snowballs around while chasing each other through the courtyard. From high above Y/N watched over them, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her friends would be returning soon. This entire break had felt like an escape from everything, including her mission, but now it would be time for the lies to return. She wondered if perhaps it would be better to simply say she had become friends with Pansy again so it didn’t look suspicious whenever she snuck off. That train of thought was quickly cut off by the sound of Dumbledore in her head telling her that it was of the utmost importance that she never tell her friends.

She picked up her quill, dipping it in ink. One of the many assignments over break was due in two days. Most of the homework she had already finished out of pure boredom but she still had a short essay to write on a fantastical creature of her choice. After some deliberation she had chosen to write about an Occamy. They were a serpentine creature that was a cross between a bird and a serpent. Occamies were some of the most beautiful creatures, at least according to the description. They supposedly could grow to fifteen feet long and their eggs were made of pure silver. The lack of information gave some freedom for her essay, allowing her to speculate more than she could have with other creatures.

As the sun descended once more, shadows were cast across the parchment. With a quick lumos the room lit up. After a good fifteen minutes she sighed, setting down her quill. She had written four sentences. Normally she would have put it off until the day before but everyone was returning early in the day tomorrow. Knowing her friends there was a very high chance Ron hadn’t even started any assignments and Harry had barely started.

Despite it all, she pushed off of the table.

The Great Hall was sparsely filled, the Christmas decorations falling short of concealing just how empty it was. The tree itself towered over all who ate there, Professor Flitwick’s ornaments glinting in the firelight while magical snow fell from the ceiling.

Y/N sat at the Slytherin table with Pansy, Mattheo, Theodore, and a handful of seventh years she didn’t really know. Their conversation was lively despite the pauses to eat their dinner. The feasts over holidays were always delicious. The sun’s dying light refracted through the windows of the Great Hall, casting streams of colored light.

“You want to do something after dinner?” Pansy asked, aware that it was the last true day of break.

Y/N took a bite of food, pausing to think for a moment, before saying, “Actually I was thinking I might go up to the Astronomy tower to watch the sunset.”

“Oh, okay.” Her friend nodded, turning her attention to Theodore who sat there quietly, deep in thought, “Theo, are you busy tonight?”

“No?”

“Good, you’re helping me with something.”

The Italian sighed but didn’t protest. Y/N glanced between them before standing up, dinner finished. “See you all later!”

As she began to walk away she missed Pansy shoving Mattheo, pointedly looking at Y/N. He rolled his eyes, “You’re a meddler.”

“You love that about me.” She replied with an impish grin, “And I didn’t hear you complaining earlier.”

The Slytherin boy took her unsubtle hint and jogged to catch up with Y/N.

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

Darkness fell over the castle, the last remnants of light slipped below the horizon, casting a shadow over the castle and all who lived there. In a tower, far away from the rest of the castle’s inhabitants, sat two figures whose outline was illuminated by the moon. What had started as an escape from dinner to watch the sunset had led to something else. Something quiet and unassuming yet tangible.

Y/N gazed out across the Great Lawn, seeing nothing but black. She had one knee pulled to her chest, the other dangling into the void. Her companion sat beside her, his feet also dangling over the edge of the stone. Mattheo leaned on the metal railing, his eyes unfocused, searching.

“Do you ever wonder what your life would look like if you weren’t here?”

He glanced over at her. “Hm?”

“Like if you weren’t a wizard and you had no idea any of this existed.”

Mattheo paused before he shook his head. “There’s no point.”

“I think I’d like not being a witch.”

He snorted. “And not be able to do magic? Or play quidditch?”

Y/N laughed, “I’m not saying I wouldn’t miss it. “ She bumped her shoulder against his, the contact leaving her arm tingling despite the cold and their many layers. “But not having to deal with all of this? You know, the war.”

“I’m sorry, there’s a war going on right now? Quick, get your wand out!”

She sighed, “You know what I mean. Everyone is terrified, families are going into hiding.” She gulped, “Sometimes I just want to imagine a world without this.”

Mattheo leaned back onto his elbows, her back turned to his face. “I know what you mean.”

“Yeah, I guess you do.”

They both fell silent. Y/N’s mind was still focused on her parents. She missed them, now more than ever. Every Christmas she would go home and celebrate. Of course she would usually stay with the Weasleys for part of the break but her favorite part of the holidays was making hot cocoa and watching old Christmas movies. She and her mom would bake cookies while dancing to Christmas tunes that her dad would always say were overplayed but still mouthed the words, a grin on his face. Just the three of them, a happy family.

Work at the Ministry always got busy around holidays but they always found time and now she didn’t know when or if she’d see them again. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. Just as one was about to roll down her face she wiped it away, turning to look out at the sky, studiously avoiding Mattheo’s gaze. Her body shook with the force of containing her sobs, her eyes screwed shut as if that would stop the tears from falling. The last thing she needed was to be crying in front of him.

“Hey.” A hand brushed against her back, Mattheo sitting up. “Are you okay?”

Y/N turned further away from him but it was of no use. His hand soothingly rubbed circles on her back, the sensation calming her. She hesitantly turned back around, careful not to make eye contact.

His other hand gently reached up to her cheek, wiping her tears away. “Hey, come here.” He folded her into his side, his arms wrapping around her shoulders as she buried her face in his shoulder. She gasped for air as he softly rubbed up and down her spine. “It’s okay. You’re okay, I’ve got you.” As her breathing eased she slowly realized just how close they were. Her nose was buried into his jacket, the faint scent of leather and what she presumed was cologne were oddly comforting.

His chin rested on top of her head, both arms wrapped tightly around her shivering body. After a few minutes she pushed off of him, wiping at her eyes.

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.”

Y/N finally looked up at him. “Thanks.” She murmured.

He shrugged before leaning back onto his elbow while she distracted herself by gazing up at the sky. With the sun gone the stars had become visible, shining brightly thanks to the lack of industrial activity polluting the sky. She searched among the constellations for the few she was familiar with. Once, when she and Draco were kids he told her all about the different stars and constellations his family was named after. He had been so excited to share what his mother had shown him. A small smile formed on her face at the memory before fading away again.

“It’s so beautiful.” She murmured, eyes tracking the movements of the stars against the backdrop of the night sky.

Mattheo’s voice echoed from behind her, a rough quality to it, “Yes, it is.”

Y/N glanced over her shoulder, his eyes already looking at hers. Her breath caught in her throat at the familiar twinkle in his eyes. The ever present infuriating smirk was replaced by a soft smile. He looked less like a fallen angel and more like a boy she liked. She wasn’t quite sure who moved first but she suddenly was so close to his face that she could see every crinkle by his eyes, the hint of warmth in his brown eyes. The faint scar on his nose bridge, bone white against his skin.

“The stars.”

He leaned in, “Those too.” His hand came to rest on her knee, his body leaning closer to hers. Their lips brushed against each other, light as a butterfly wing. She sucked in a sharp breath, snapping out of it.

“We can’t do this.”

His face turned to stone, every remnant of longing vanishing. “Right, of course.” He pulled away like she had struck him and stood up. Y/N gazed up at him, an apology on her tongue but he turned away, walking away from her. As she watched him leave her on the top of that tower only one thought echoed in her head.

What have I done?

Chapter 11>> (coming soon!)

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

[ronearoundblindly]

I have an idea for “how would…” !

It comes from a prank I’m seeing on tiktok lately of couples staying in a hotel room with 2 beds.

How would the guys react to reader saying they can sleep in separate beds tonight? 😆

Inspo: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP81dBS8k/

That's freaking hilarious, the link, but we've got lots of babes to cover! (Also...guess who realized Jake was missing from the banner? 😳👈 This doof.)

Warnings for, well, discussing couples and bed/bedtime activities but it's not real bad. MINORS DNI to be safe!

James Mace

You know what's tiny? A space bunk. He will starfish like a mothaf**ker on that queen size, and you gotta just give him that from time to time. If the stay in the hotel is just one night (and there's been no other time away from you recently), absolutely he will stretch out, pillows everywhere, each limb under a separate layer,--seriously though why are there nine layers of blankets and sheets? that's nuts--and no alarm if at all possible. However, if the stay is longer or the hotel is for a specific couple's vacation thing, then no, he would never spend a whole night outside of your bed. Maybe a nap after too much sun, or likely some space if he (or you) is feeling ill, but otherwise, Mace is very good at sharing resources with people he likes.

Curtis Everett

Oof. I really had to think about this guy. Some of Mace applies here, too, but Curtis likes the idea of having extra room far more than he likes using the room. I think he would try to fall asleep in the other bed for whatever reason, and then inevitably just crawl back in with you. He has never made it a whole night away, even if he falls asleep on the couch at home. He always has to be within arm's reach by the time you wake up.

Jimmy Dobyne

No. Nope. Not in the slightest.

He doesn't particularly like waste, so he might call down to see if there is a room with just one bed available, in case some other guests could use the two. Jimmy also hates the fuss of cleaning. He's acutely aware of how much effort would go into remaking the second bed (washing, etc) and won't even put things on top of the unused bed for the whole stay. Not your bag. Not your butt. Not a towel. Nada.

Johnny Storm

Few quick questions: this hotel is fireproof, right? The bedding, okay, but what about the carpet? The curtains? Are the headboards made of wood? Is the varnish flammable? You don't know? Shit, well, he needs to know.

I feel like Johnny has to have like a special tarp thing to lay over normal bed linens, but honestly, I can't really see how he's ever safe to sleep outside of his own customized bedroom. People do not have complete control while they are unconscious. That's super dangerous for folks like Johnny. Reed's fine because what's the worst that could happen, his foot actually hangs off the edge of the mattress? If we were talking about Ben, the weight-capacity would be a concern, too, so even if you are fine to sleep in the same bed as Johnny and sometimes get burned a bit...I...I'm just not convinced a hotel would want extraneous furniture in there.

That's not a sexy answer, but it's the one you're getting.

Jake Jensen

Dude can fall asleep any. where. any. time. However, if he is lucid enough to pick where he'll fall asleep, it will always be with you...

...after hysterically jumping around like a kid on the extra bed.

I'll just, yeah, leave you with that image. Have fun. Stay weird, Jake.

Lloyd Hansen

If you two are actively doing something--yes, of course, I mean sex or sexual acts or whatever nasty word Lloyd wants to call it--then you are in the same...general area. That's not limited to a bed.

For sleeping, real sleeping, separate beds are 99% of the time a must. There is one exception to this: if Lloyd has been worn out or injured badly on a job--which is so rare--and if it's not quite bad enough to be in a hospital hooked to machines to keep him alive, then he becomes a sort of energy leech and keeps you very close all the time. This is Lloyd's vampire phase. As you can probably deduce, it is not about you, but he will take whatever he can from you.

Ari Levinson

50/50. Ari is moody. He changes with the wind (not in a bad way but for all the small, subtle stuff), and he sometimes just fancies a bit of something different. Take that as you will--and by that I mean run with it because I am totally talking about all sorts of different things to do in bed. He's the type of man who does better with a bit of alone time, too. Never means any offense by it. Just has spells of needing socializing and needing quiet.

Ransom Drysdale

Literally, I feel like I always have the same answer for Ran: it depends on when this is in your relationship and what the hotel stay is for.

Early on in dating, he aires on the side of caution and goes by his mood and yours. If there's been frustration in the day--due to his family or work or anything--then maybe you need some space. When Ransom is in a relationship, for real, he's actually very attuned to the tone of sex--which, of course, will happen no matter the mood of the day--so a lot of connection and intimacy will tell him it's good to stay close while a simpler, transactional need to get off tells him the other bed might be best.

Ran, however, would not get--or enjoy--the 'prank' of this challenge, and stop goddamn filming him for tiktok!

Steve Rogers

Pardon my language, but are you fucking kidding? The look on Steve's face if you so much as hinted... His head would immediately be spinning with 'what did I do wrong?' and 'what romantic gesture can I make right here right now to fix it?'

He's a simple man, and that is a simple no.

Bucky Barnes

Trickier. Much trickier.

Hmm. How to explain...

This feels like a whole season of 'What If...?' but I'll try to simplify.

Are you an Avenger or agent? Are you two on a mission together? I think Bucky is hardcore about keeping sharp and professional during those times. Sleep shifts. Minimal touching. The whole nine yards because safety is paramount. Is there some reason there could be surveillance of you two and you're supposed to be a couple? Bucky can put on one hell of a show like that. Just saying. I doubt, however, that he would mix business and pleasure unless absolutely necessary.

Are you a civilian? Is he a civilian now? Then no, he's in that one bed holding you until the second (maybe third) snooze cycle rings on his alarm. He's notorious for giving himself cushions of time, so it's never him needing to rush out on the average day. It took a while to adjust, but Buck can now also vacation with the best of them. Takes advantage of all the bells and whistles: minibar, room service, and the 'do not disturb' sign. Champion vacationer, he is, of this I have no doubt.

Thank you for asking!

A/N: Mace is a sleeper fave of mine, and I would do anything for that man, I swear... Also, would someone like to tell me why Bucky gets soooo 🥵 in all of these. My god, what am I feeding that boi?

[Main Masterlist; Who Would...Asks; Ko-Fi]

[sinnabarmoth]

💙☃️My Snowman☃️💙

(A/N: Been a LONG while since I've done a song/lyric fic. It was fun to do again!)

Pairing: Zayne x Fem|Reader

Prompt: Song fic inspired by Snowman by Sia. Got angsty with it.

Word count: 1500

Don't cry, snowman, not in front of me

Who'll catch your tears if you can't catch me, darling?

Zayne had been avoiding you. That was the only explanation. A part of you wanted to say that you were overreacting and that he really was busy but even for someone as busy as him he had always made time for you. The longer you went without seeing him the more his “hectic schedule” sounded like excuses.

You couldn’t even pretend to not know why he was avoiding you. You knew exactly why your boyfriend had suddenly disappeared from your life, only to be found in good morning text messages.

It happened a week ago, you and Zayne had been out at the conservatory after its long closure of the harsh winter. You were walking hand in hand amongst the blooms and admiring all the greenery steaming up the glass walls of the greenhouse. Then, Zayne’s evol flared up in a bad way. A rush of cold and ice pulsed from his body in a wave that ended up casting a layer of thick frost around the flora around you. And because you had been so close it also shot straight through your intertwined hands, encasing your hands in ice so cold it felt like it burned.

He was able to reel it in, break the ice that had swallowed your hands but the damage had been done. You were left with an icy greenhouse and mildly frostbitten hand. Upon seeing that you had been injured during the flare up he had instinctively reached out to help you but seeing the reactionary tears in your eyes as you tried to warm your hand up he stopped. He pulled away and refused to so much as touch you for the rest of the day.

Don't cry, snowman, don't leave me this way

A puddle of water can't hold me close, baby

You knew why he pulled back. You knew he was scared of hurting you again but what you really wanted in that moment was for him to hold you. It didn’t matter if it was his evol that hurt you, it wasn’t his fault. You wanted to comfort him and for him to comfort you but each time you reached out he flinched away.

Finally you had enough. You had given him space to process what had happened and let him have his moping time but you weren’t going to let him slowly edge you out of his life over something like this.

You showed up at the hospital and charged into his office, locking the door behind you so he couldn’t escape easily. He had been bent over his desk doing some paperwork when you barged in. His eyes went wide as he took you in and with some difficulty he donned an impassive mask and went back to looking at the paperwork. “Hello, did you need something? You could have just messaged me.”

“I need my boyfriend back.”

His jaw set and you could see that he was white-knuckling the pencil in his hand. “I don’t know--”

You stormed across the room and slammed your hands down on his desk. “Yes, you do. You’ve been staying away from me every since the conservatory. I gave you your space but I’m done letting you wallow in your little self-pity hole.

“I miss you, Zayne.” you sighed, your voice thick with emotion, “I don’t want this. I don’t want you to leave me behind because of something small like this.”

“It’s not small.” he said, his voice tense with control, “You charge in here acting like I’m overreacting but we both know that what is happening with me isn’t good. The flares are getting worse, they’ve barely been manageable before and now…”

Don't cry, snowman, don't you fear the sun

Who'll carry me without legs to run, honey?

Zayne was usually someone who was very calm and collected, it took a lot to ruffle him. Your anger and heartache though had shook him though. He stared up at you with something deeply sad in his gaze. “I don’t want to drag you down with me.”

“Zayne,” you walked around his desk, turning his chair so he was forced to keep facing you. “You could never drag me down because you aren’t going down either. This isn’t a curse, it’s a condition. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and if you keep thinking that you’re too dangers to be around people what are you going to do? Are you going to quit your job? Seclude yourself and become a hermit cut off from the rest of the world?”

You reached out and while he tensed he didn’t pull away this time. You cupped his face, brushing away the stray tear that had escaped out of the corner of his eye. “Are you going to actually abandon me and break my heart?”

Don't cry, snowman, don't you shed a tear

Who'll hear my secrets if you don't have ears, baby?

“You don’t know what you’re saying, what you’re agreeing to. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be safe with me and your well-being is my number one priority. I will not compromise that for my selfish desires.” he said, turning his head so you weren’t holding him anymore.

“What is selfish is you making decisions for me.” you grabbed his hands, interlocking your fingers together despite the meager protest he tried to give. “I am not a child that doesn’t know any better or a lovesick teenager blinded to the consequences because of first love. I am a grown woman and knowing full well who you are and what may happen being by your side, I am choosing to stay with you because I love you.”

I want you to know that I'm never leaving

'Cause I'm Mrs. Snow, 'til death we'll be freezing

“My dear--”

“The only way you can force me away is if you tell me that you hate me. Tell me that you loathe me, that you cannot stand the sight of me, that the very idea of me repulses you and I will leave.” you snapped, tear brimming in your eyes.

Zayne looked at you shocked. “Why are you saying this?”

“Because I know that you may be able to lie and say you do not love me but we both know you can’t say that you hate me. You can’t say it unless you truly mean it. So please, now is your chance. Say you hate me and I will go and you don’t have to worry about hurting me anymore because hearing that will hurt far worse than any frozen blast you can conjure.”

“What I am doing is because I care about you so much--”

“Wrong. Try again. If you want me to give up you have to give me a better reason. You have to convince me there is no chance that you will ever care about me.”

“This isn’t easy for me either you know--”

“So why do it? If it hurts you just as much then stop. I won’t leave because I am happiest when I am with you.”

You are my home, my home for all seasons

So come on, let's go

Zayne stared at you, standing to his feet you worried for just a moment that he was going to try and push you away again. Instead, he reached a hesitant hand out towards you. The same one that had frozen you before. “I am happiest when you are with me too.” he cupped your cheek. “I worry about what may become of us though. What if it keep happening? What if they get worse and worse and I end up hurting you even more?”

He pulled you close, touching his forehead to yours as he spoke softly. “The only thing that would hurt more than letting you go now is having you walk away because you grew to hate me in the future.”

“Zayne…” you focused on the warm press of his face against yours. “I could never hate you.”

“You say that now.”

“And I will always mean it.” you wrapped your arms around him, holding him tight to you. “I will gladly freeze into snowman alongside you if that is what happens. Just so long as our frozen bodies are just like this, I won’t care what becomes of us.”

Let's go below zero, and hide from the sun

I'll love you forever, where we'll have some fun

He held you tight, crushing you against his chest. “It’s been torture not seeing you. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.” you relaxed into the warmth of his arms. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“I promise.”

“Promise what?” you teased, but you wanted to hear it from it his lips directly.

He pulled back slightly to look at you clearly. “I promise I will never try to push you away again. I promise that I will only ever try to be someone worthy to stay by your side.”

“That’s much better.�� you leaned closer and left a kiss on his lips. “Now, my dramatic little snowman, how about we go get some lunch and put this behind us.”

He smiled softly. “Sounds perfect.”

My snowman and me

My snowman and me

[greenbunny7]

These were originally asks sent to @aroace-get-out-of-my-face

Unfortunately, I can't tag TSP GF anon. Whoever you are, you were the inspiration for this

Ok, so even before the memory vial au, there was a TSP GF au, and this audio has just been existing in my head about it for weeks now

https://youtu.be/hyuDYAT7mnk?si=RxATikczefWxb8L_

But now, after the memory vial au and all the TSP GF anon posts, this audio takes on a whole new layer of emotions cause, like

Ford fond the ai of his brother sitting in a corner. That just wouldn't do. Ford tries to comfort Stanley, make sure he knows he's loved, and that people care about him

But this ai can't understand. It's just an ai, after all. And the more words of comfort Ford tries to give it, the more he wonders who exactly he's talking to

"Because I can see how much your current thought patterns are hurting you. And believe it or not, you don't deserve to be hurt like this." As soon as Ford said it out loud, he released. He sounded just like the kids whenever they came to check on him

Ford never actually believed them. Of course, he does deserve it! After what he did to Stanley... how could he not!

Ford just wanted his brother back

He thought about what Stan might say to him, Stan would probably make a dumb joke, first and foremost. And then he'd probably say that Ford shouldn't beat himself up so much, 'I mean, if you didn't have that metal plate in your head, you were just as willing to make that sacrifice. I chose this. I chose to save everyone's life. I chose to save your life. Now go live it.'

Ford doesn't know where that came from. It was almost like... but no, that was impossible

There were streams of water down Ford's face now

Ford sat up, stretched his legs, and left the computer.

Ford knew who he was actually talking to now

Ford was talking to himself

~~~

Add on to the last ask

Ford had two paths in front of him. He was finally ready to walk the harder one

Somewhere far away, a ghost that didn't even know its own name was proud of him

Why yes, I do listen to that audio of the narrator when I'm feeling down. How could you tell?

~~~

I just had the thought to end all thoughts!

The Jim button, THE JIM BUTTON, BUT IT SAYS STANFORD INSTEAD OF JIM!!!

The unnamed ghost was having fun massing with this man who looked suspiciously like him, Ford. The man's name was Ford.

Ford's ai was really fun to mess with, going through all the different paths. The ghost quite liked listening to Ford's voice, though he couldn't place why. Sometimes, on very rare occasions, he even managed to lose Ford's ever-present voice

Those times were wired, be it journal entries, wandering empty halls until it reset, or an odd triangle shaped machine. One time, he somehow managed to put the fez in it

There was something unsettling about the places Ford's voice couldn't reach, something off. He found himself in one of those places again

The ghost had been to the desert before. But this time was different. He had help from the old man who liked to add settings and sliders for him

The desert was empty

He was by a campfire

He was in a sand storm

It was night, and there was a full moon out

The sun was rising

And then

The desert was almost empty. Now, there was a wrecked sailboat and a strange triangular device. It still had the fez

He took the fez to investigate the sailboat. It had more journal entries and buttons, lots of buttons

The ghost recognized the buttons as the same one Ford had added. Ford was so excited to present, the button that says your name when you press it! That excitement quickly faded when he pushed the button only for it to just say 'Stanford' over and over. Ford took away the button when he wouldn't stop pressing it

These buttons were the same. He went around pressing all the buttons. A "Stanford" accompanying each one

"Stanford"

"Stanford"

"Stanford"

"Stanley"

The ghost paused

"Stanley"

That was his name. Somehow, he knew it. Stanley knew it. His name was Stanley Pines. And he remembered

Stanley looked at the fez in his hands for a minute, then put it on his head where it belonged

~~~

Also, there's this

https://youtube.com/shorts/IMflGaTZ8MM?si=lVVSwUV_jVPmZK2O

[hanniedraw]

EVERYONE WELCOME...!!

LUCIA FLOQUET!!!!!!

I've been brainstorming for two days on how to word my thoughts out, specifically for step 2.......

At 10 years old Lucia Floquet moved to Golden all the way from France, she was skeptical with the whole moving out from the continent. But how much worse could it be? She barely bat an eye back in France, not having much friends, when people come up to her she ignores them. But she'll definitely miss the pastries, especially the mille-feuille. Those are her favorites. (Mille-feuille are French pastries that has three layers of puff pastry and two layers of pastry cream. And on top icing sugar or fondant. You can add jam or fruits.)

Lucia is a cis girl — but that's only in step 1. With a few doubts here in there still back in step 1.

If Lucia tolerates you enough, she can be a playful and teasing — if you're a girl. Lucia is the complete opposite. Hell, won't knowledge you once and if she did she'll just be plain with you. Even if you knew her since diapers she'll act as if you two are just neighbors, that's all you'll get.

THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LEADS!!!!!

Whenever you would ask Lucia about love, she'll look at you weird.

When Tamarack Baumann popped out of the leaves, Lucia was caught off guard was an understatement, but she tought Tamarack was so pretty, and so she blurted it out and quickly got embarrassed right after, but Tamarack just compliment her back plus her bow. Which Lucia complimented back with her hair tie.

They bonded very easily and attached to the hip! It was easier since they we're both girls, Lucia tought.

When she saw Qiu Lin up at his "hideout", she liked his hoodie, but quickly got annoyed by his personality and ignored him half the time. But as time passes she slowly started to tolerate him.

(

When I was making her outfit I found this one rlly pretty and it suited them)

Gender dysphoria warning!! Read at ur own risk.

Lu personality did a whole 180° when they stepped into teenage hood.

Lu is no more a polite person, barely talks and is biting in general.

Not comfortable being called a "miss" anymore and people calling them their old name just icks her, deciding to shorten it sound it doesn't sound too 'feminine' but that's not their government name, just a nickname. And in this step they go by she/they, but feels less uncomfortable with 'they'.

In their room, when they we're twelve they used to have a mirror in the corner but now it's covered, not feeling comfortable with their look and how their body looked, more specifically their chest and would only wear baggy clothes with two baggy sweater under their hoddie to cover it up.

Their hair was annoying too, it grown over the years and people would come up and braid it for fun and compliment it. Lu we're grateful and happy for the compliments but they found it annoying and triggering when their strand of hair would rest on the back of their neck, feeling like carrying weight on their back which is why they put it up in a bun or ponytail most of the time.

Once they were home alone they really could take it anymore and still in their mind, they decided to cut their hair and that felt like the weight was finally off their shoulder and they could finally breath in peace. And asked their mom if they could them dye their hair.

(their hair went trought it all)

They're still best friends with Tee of course, going on walks in the forest and Lu talking about their gender, talking about they don't feel comfortable with their own skin and not feeling like someone.

And with Qiu? Their relationship grew between their years, knowing Autumn can count on them and they can do in return.

(Also why do people think they're dating or or something??)

BUT THE RAIN DOESN'T FALL FOREVER BABY!!!!!!

Lucas can proudly call themselves a man with he/him pronous but won't mind they/them. After tough battles of the storm the clouds dissipate from the side and the sun shine. He finally feels comfortable with his own skin.

Relationship with Tee? Yeah uhm, they're siblings. Can't tell anyone or them otherwise.

And Qiu? Uhmm....

Yeah so, Lucas knows what he's feeling for Qiu, and what he felt when he still battling. He actually likes them. Like, a lot..a lot, lot. But is scared to commit, scared to destroy the friendship in between of them. Everyone has to suffer and often encourage the other to just give hints and confess but Lucas rather shit himself than 'ruin' what's good between them.

WHOOOOOHOOOO there he is!! Btw he's the mc that I was talking about when I introduced Mariana :3 Thank you for taking your time to read this and have a great day/afternoon/night!!

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

Beach Day

----

Janus doesn't like the beach, so he says.

Remus is determined to prove otherwise.

----

| Ao3 |

Warnings: None

Pairings: Dukeceit

Word Count: 1037

Notes:

My second fic of the @tss-camp-and-coffee event!

"Dukeceit at the beach" - From @naminethewitch

This one was really fun, I don't have much experience writing Remus or this ship, so I'm not sure exactly how this came out. I like it personally and I hope you guys do too.

----

As far as all of the sides knew, Janus wasn't a beach guy.

Remus was, and after a whole lot of persuading and a lot of bribery, he had finally managed to get Janus to agree to a beach date in the imagination.

It wasn't that Remus wanted Janus to be uncomfortable (well, sometimes it was fun, but not for a whole day when he wanted to actually have a good time with his boyfriend), it was more like he was hoping it would get Janus out of his comfort zone a little. He would accept Janus fondly indulging him as they walked through the imagination, Remus carrying a surfboard and a bulging beach bag in one hand and holding Janus' hand with the other as they walked across cliffs covered in low shrubs and heather bushes. Remus was grinning as he talked about how much fun they would have. They were even in Roman's side of the imagination for this particular date, so no risk of sea or sand monsters, per Janus' request.

A little boring, but fine. Janus was already hesitant about the beach itself, maybe adding beach critters would be a step too far just now. Maybe if it turned out Janus liked it they could take that step. But for now, they were approaching a little, picturesque cove that Roman had created for them. The water was teal and vibrant and the waves were perfect for surfing but not dangerous. Roman had made it perfect for them, of course he had. It wasn't even too hot, nor was it too cold, the temperature was perfect.

"You ready?" Remus asked, grinning over at his snakey boyfriend, who looked torn.

"As I'll ever be, I suppose," Janus said, before letting Remus lead him down the steep, slightly treacherous steps down the cliff side and onto the sand.

----

They dropped their things near the centre of the beach. Remus was already dressed in swim shorts and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt that Janus had called 'ghastly' when Remus had grabbed him from his room this morning, Remus knew Janus had meant it as a tease, but Remus was gladly taking it as a compliment.

Janus immediately fished his beach towel and the umbrella from the bag, laying out the towel for him to sit on and burying the umbrella in the sand to provide himself some shade. Remus plopped down next to him whilst Janus stripped off his outer layers, throwing in a crude comment that had Janus rolling his eyes as the shedding of his cloak and shirt revealed a black and yellow tank top and shorts. Remus was smirking in satisfaction - Janus had been prepared for this.

"Hell yeah, lookin' good," Remus grinned at him, "You wanna rub sunscreen on each other's backs?"

"No thank you," Janus said, before grabbing the sunscreen anyway, he wrinkled his nose, "Only so you don't get burned, don't make it weird."

"Yeah yeah," Remus rolled his eyes, wiggling his eyebrows when Janus told him to take his shirt off anyway and earning a playful glare in response.

Once they were both nice and protected against the sun, Remus tried to get Janus to join him in the sea to no avail. and when Remus returned from his venture into the water he found Janus napping, splayed out in the sunshine like he was basking.

Remus snorted, looking down at his snake basking in the sun. Remus allowed Janus a few more moments of looking peacefully adorable whilst Remus summoned himself a snack and some water before he decided to enact his Evil Plan™.

He was very lucky Janus was a heavy sleeper as he carefully removed the towel from underneath him and began to bury Janus in the sand - up to his neck, he didn't actually want to kill his boyfriend, after all.

Remus had finished burying him far too fast, honestly, and then set about making an entire sand fortress that he'd hopefully be able to persuade Janus to destroy with him when he finally woke up.

When he did, Remus was alerted to it when he heard a displeased grumble.

"Remus?" Janus asked, shifting a little in the mound of sand he was buried in. Remus bounded over immediately standing over Janus and looking down at him.

"Yeah snakey?" Remus asked, trying to keep his face looking innocent, like he hadn't done anything wrong at all.

"I... was going to be annoyed at you for this," Janus huffed, wiggling again, "But the sand actually feelis quite nice on my scales."

he looked annoyed at the fact that he was actually enjoying Remus' prank, which had him bursting out with laughter.

"Awee - I can make you a sand bath you can dig around in like a snake back in your room," Remus giggled, "But! For now! I have a fortress for us to pretend to be giant super villains and destroy! If you want?"

"i would love to, darling, but right now I find myself rather trapped," Janus pointed out. raising an eyebrow at him. Remus giggled and knelt down to dig Janus out, pulling him up once his hands were free.

"Oh wow, you certainly outdid yourself on the fortress," Janus chuckled seeing Remus' miniature sand fortress - which looked more like a sprawling city. He was just so excited to crush it. They shared a look, and began to stomp all over the sand structures. Janus ended up laughing at the end of the ordeal, which really was better than any destruction. He loved that Janus was actually enjoying himself.

By the time Remus' sand creation had blended back into the beach, both of them were laughing and out of breath.

"Eugh," Janus said, still huckling as he brushed sand off of himself, "I know I refused the sea earlier, but I'd love to get all of this sand off of my clothes, if you'd be willing to let me reconsider?"

"Uh, of course!" Remus said, rolling his eyes as he dragged Janus off towards the sea with a hand, "C'mon!"

As they spent the rest of the day playing together in the sand and water, Remus couldn't help but think that the beach date was successful.

----

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess@glacierruler@roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydreams @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!

[midnight-mourning]

Snow Fever

���️❄️Midnight's DCA December Day 30❄️❄️

Ahhh this was a lot of fun, never written a creature DCA like this so was a good chance to try my hand at it. This, as stated below, is based on @baby-bloos Last Guardian au! I highly reccommend you check out her art and her fic, i enjoying reading through it and am excited to give it a proper read once i finish requests ^-^ this little story is written as happening after the events of the game/fic, hope you enjoy!

Prompt: I just replayed my favorite game in the world (The Last Guardian) so I’m very much in the mood of my DCA au of it hehe I think it would be super cute for the boys in that au to see snow for the first time, or them giving the reader gifts (or vice versa)

Word Count: 1741

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

When you wake up this morning, and feel there's a certain chill to the air, your heart leaps with joy. Hurriedly you scramble out of your bed roll—almost falling over in your wake—and rush to look outside. Sure enough, it's just as you'd hoped; the first snow of the season. 

You'd been waiting all year for this, winter held a special place in your heart. While it was cold and there was always concerns of sickness or starvation, you couldn't help but love it. There was something about the peace that came with snow that you especially enjoyed. 

And this year, you got to spend it with your beloved boys. Your twin Tricos, though different in look, and personality for that matter. A year ago, you'd never imagine yourself calling a pair of Tricos 'yours', but it was amazing sometimes how things could change so quickly. 

It had been months now since the series of events that had brought you together, and while challenging at the time, now you look back on those memories with a certain fondness, and understanding. 

It's still incredibly early, but you don't care. You decide then and there that you have to spend the day together celebrating. 

Quickly, you shove on your coat and tug on your warmest pants, and hurry over to the their home. 

The barn had been built as a result of you begging the chief for some place for the two great beasts to stay. Arguing that they deserved it for not only saving you, but protecting the village after they were accepted into the fold. After a bit of back and forth—and lots of pleading on your part—the chief eventually gave in, and thus, your Tricos had a place of their own. 

It was just behind your house, and you trudge through the growing layer of snow with a small skip in your step. The grin on your face not faltering even in the slightest. You pull open the large doors with a bit of effort, bringing in with you bright light and a gust of cold wind. 

Inside, still sleeping, Sun and Moon rest side by side. Upon feeling the chill, Sun looks up to your blearily. He yawns, then lays back down, eyes closing with a huff.

"Rise and shine sleepyheads!" You say, walking over to them. "Come on, it's a beautiful day and I don't have any chores."

Neither acknowledge you. Moon goes so far as to roll over, turning so he's facing away from the light. 

You scoff, and start pushing on Sun's body to get him to wake up. "Come on. Come on, come on, come on. You guys can't seriously be tired! We did nothing yesterday!"

Your pushing offers up no results and you sigh, going around again to face the Trico head on. 

He peeks an eye open at you, the faker. 

"Sun." You cross your arms. "Get up, right now. Please."

He opens both eyes, and sits up a little, you get your hopes up. 

Then, looking down at you, he licks you once, then takes his paw and brings you in against his chest, lying back down again. 

Trapped, you wiggle against him, protesting fiercely. "Noooo! Not fair. I thought I could trust you."

You keep fighting against him, making a good amount of noise and you hear Moon growl somewhere behind his brother. Sun makes a noise in response, and the two chitter back and forth, leaving you only to guess what they're saying. Just as you're about to give up and accept your—snuggly—fate, Sun release you, standing up and stretching. 

As you're left lying on the floor, he looks down at you as if to say 'Happy now?'. Out of the corner of your eye you see Moon rise as well, turning to face you both, looking displeased. 

You hop to your feet with a grin. "Great! Now let's go! It's the first snow after all."

Without waiting on them, you rush out of the warm barn and back into the crisp cool air. You bend down in the snow, picking up some and tossing it in the air, turning back to face them with a laugh. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Even from here, you can see how both Tricos have a curious look about them, heads tilted opposite directions as they watch you. You stop playing, picking up on their confusion. 

You walk back closer to the barn, standing just outside. "What's wrong? You've seen snow before, haven't you?"

Sun chuffs, shaking his head slightly. He approaches you, and the outside of the barn with caution. He sticks his nose just outside, eyes wide as he takes it all in. Then, a singular snowflake lands on the tip of his nose. He startles, sniffing as he rapidly backs inside the barn, pawing at his snout with urgence. 

It causes Moon to react negatively, growling low as another few flakes fall around and on you.

"No, no, it's okay." You say, putting your hands up. "Look, it's fun. See?" You scoop more up, and toss it in the air around you again. 

This doesn't convince them, still nervous and edging little by little towards the back of the barn. 

You come up with another tactic. Grabbing another handful, you form the snow into a ball, holding it up for them to see when you’re done.

Now that it's something recognizable, both Trico's eyes go from alarmed to excited. The shift makes your giggle. 

You wave the ball slowly back and forth, their heads shifting to follow it. Then, you turn slightly, and toss the ball out into the field. 

Sun immediately leaps after it, bounding out into the snow and pouncing on the spot where the snowball landed. Once he pulls his paws back and sees there's nothing in them though, he whines, digging through the snow to try and find the long-destroyed ball of ice. 

You laugh as he comes back over to you, nudging you with his nose disappointedly. 

"Want me to make you another?"

You assume the huff you get in response means yes. 

You form another snowball, and once again toss it up in the air. This time, Sun jumps up, catching it midair. He scrunches his nose for a moment, then swallows, looking back over to you again once he's recovered from his brain freeze. 

You continue to make him snowballs, tossing them up as he either attempts to eat them—only succeeding sometimes—or bats them with his paws, making bursts of snow go everywhere over you both. 

After a bit, you glance back to Moon and have to slap your hand over your mouth to keep from laughing. 

He's still standing right in the barn's entrance, staring down at the snow with what you can only describe as a vexed look. Every few seconds, he lightly presses his paw to the snow, then lifts it back up again quickly, flicking it to remove the ice. This goes on and on until his ears quirk, noticing how you're barely containing your giggles at him. 

Now caught, you laugh outright as he snorts. It just makes it grow worse, and you end up on the ground from laughing so hard. 

This however, seems to do the trick to get him to commit to coming outside. Through tears you see him ready himself for a pounce, and you start to scramble away frantically, apologizing for laughing at him, even if you aren't the slightest bit sorry. 

Before you know it, you're tumbling through the snow with him, laughing all the while. Once you come to a stop, he stands over you, huffing as you now succumb to just quiet giggles. 

You sigh once you're calmed down, content smile on your face. "Told you it's fun." For good measure, you fling a handful of snow up at his snout, and he shakes his head, snorting once more. 

Before he can retaliate, he's suddenly gone from above you, and you hear thrashing and growling to your left. Sitting up, you see Sun's tackled him, wrestling the other Trico in the snow. He stands up, swatting at his brother with the ice. Moon growls, and does the same. The two of them play back and forth for a while, using the snow to each other's advantage and disadvantage, entertaining you greatly. 

After a bit of watching, you decide there's enough snow to make a snow man, so you begin to construct one. Your Trico become curious once they notice what you're up to, coming over to watch. Once you finish, having found a spare couple of rocks for the face, you step back, hands on your hips as you admire your work. 

Your smile drops into a gape of shock however, when Sun suddenly bends down and bites clean through your masterpiece, leaving nothing but a stump of a snowman behind. He chews through the snow, spitting out the rocks when he comes across them. 

Once he's finished he looks down to you, tilting his head as if to say 'Have any more?'.

You sigh. Well, you did want them to have fun. 

The rest of the day is filled with just as much excitement. You may many more snowballs, sort of, have a fight with the two—resulting in a heavy loss for you, you were freezing by the end of it—and even teach them how to make snow angels. 

It's a lot of fun, more the you were ever expecting, and you don't even regret it a little bit when you wake up sick the next morning. 

You sneeze, shooting pain through your head as your groan. Okay, maybe just a little. 

Sun chitters at you, head nuzzling against your cheek as you reach up and pat him with a weak laugh. "I'll be okay buddy, just a bit of rest is all. Which I wouldn't need if someone had played fair yesterday."

You chance over to Moon, who only snorts and lays his head in your lap. 

"The audacity of you sometimes, I swear." Still, you pet him as well, and lay back against Sun's soft fur, eyes heavy. 

Sure, you'd fallen ill, but it was nothing serious. You'll be just fine after some rest, and what better place to do it than snuggled up with your big scary beasts to keep you company? 

Nowhere, you think. Nowhere at all. 

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Thank you for the super cute prompt @baby-bloos!! Twas a lot of fun and I very much enjoyed writing it ^-^

Thanks for reading!

Masterpost link

Tag list (if you would like added, see this post for more info, you can also dm me!):

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8 @luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @milosmantis @robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva @juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml @divinit3a @amarynthian-chronicles @crystalfay

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

3rd of December

It was one of those nights when Sirius felt peaceful. It felt amazing to be alive because everything felt a little better and a little more beautiful.

Everything looked dreamy from this tower height. Christmas lights decorating Hogsmeade and the little trees around the castle. It looked magical.

It was definitely not the weed Sirius had been smoking. It was because of bloody Remus Lupin.

There was somthing about Moony that gave Sirius a peaceful feeling. He felt like he belonged. He felt the same when they were ten. All that Sirius wanted to do at that age was play with Remus (Rosie at the time). They had great fun times together but they also had soft moments in which not much talking was needed.

Remus Lupin was not a talker usually. And Sirius was okay with that.

When Sirius was with James, everything was chaotic. Sirius could talk until he was tired and laugh until his tummy hurt.

Not with Moony. Everything was just peace,

And how could it not? Remus was like a warm cup of tea in a cold weather, like a soft song to enjoy on a sunny evening, like a fluffy blanket that felt like cotton and was recently out of the washing machine.

Months, just months of Sirius having him back into his life and Remus was easily back to being one of his favorite people again.

How could he ever let him go?

"The stars look particularly great today" Sirius commented, not to make conversation. But just because he felt like saying his opinion.

"Did you know that some old civilizations thought that stars were spirits guarding Earth?" Remus said, looking up "Greeks believed that if you did something great in life, like being a hero, the gods would give you a place in heaven to shine for eternity"

And that was the thing about Remus. He didn't speak much, but when he did, he said things that left Sirius speechless. When they were kids, Sirius wanted to compete with him, and pretended to know about the stories Remus told him. He found Remus so wise.

"I actually look at the sky and I feel really small" Remus continued "Think about it" he looked at Sirius "Stars are so much bigger than the sun, and ten times worse than Planet Earth... We are nothing... So small and worthless"

Those kind of thoughts were so intense that Sirius shivered.

"Well, thanks a lot, Moony"

Remus laughed.

"Maybe the weed is getting to you"

Sirius wondered how could that laughter be worthless if it made Sirius warm in an instant. That also, made Sirius shiver a little.

"Are you cold?" Remus asked. "Let me give you my sweater"

Before Sirius could protest, Remus was already taking it off. It looked rather warmy and when Remus placed it around his shoulders, Sirius noticed it was very soft. Smelled nice.

"You don't have to give me your sweater, Moony" Sirius felt embarrassed.

"It's okay" Remus smiled "I was wearing like two underneath that"

Sirius realized it was true. Remus had too many layers on.

"Good thing I came prepared" Remus tutted "You're so stubborn. I told you to wear something warmer"

Sirius had a problem with layers, the fewer the better. He thought he looked cool with leather jackets and tees but those were inconvenient on the winter.

"I'm not cold, Moony!" Sirius protested and to his embarrassment, a cold breeze ran through his body making him shiver.

Remus raised an eyebrow.

Remus's sweater was cool though. Sirius was used to Remus wearing granpa sweaters. It was grey and elegant with an argyle pattern. Cardigan-like, with golden buttons. Sirius rolled up the sleeves to have his wrists and hands more free and he noticed the name "Lupin" was sewn inside the sleeve with a red thread.

Sirius almost laughed.

"It was my dad's" Remus said defensively, noticing Sirius's expression "He always labels his clothes"

"I see where you got that nerdy side from" Sirius joked.

"Fuck off!" Remus snapped making Sirius giggle.

"I don't own much sweaters"

"You can keep mine" Remus said, he had placed his head on the wall back and closed his eyes "It looks better on you anyway"

That comment made Sirius blush for some reason, and he felt stupid. Thank God Remus had his eyes closed.

Weed made him girly.

"Thanks, Moony" Sirius said "I always look good anyways"

Remus simply smiled with his eyes closed.

The next morning, now sober, Sirius gave Remus his sweater back, insisting it wasn't his style. He had loved the piece of clothing so much, he had slept with it. Which was a miracle because Sirius practically slept naked.

It was that sweet smell and the fluffiness.

But Sirius knew Remus didn't own much clothes. Sirius could buy anything he wanted with his credit cards. And besides, Remus had good care of all his sweaters and jumpers. He folded them so nicely, it was adorable.

Remus had tried to protest, though Sirius didn't let him. So, at the end, Remus shrugged and took his sweater back.

Sirius had moved on from the subject, until he saw something he didn't like.

Sirius saw Lily Evans wearing it to Math class that afternoon. Lily freaking Evans! Penny Prefect Evans! What the hell?

Sirius tried to tell himself it could be a very similar one. But it had the same golden buttons, the same argyle pattern, it looked as old as the one Remus had. And Sirius doubted a girl like Evans would buy something that looked it belonged to her father.

Sirius felt an unexplicable rage within him.

Remus was not around, since he was not good in Math class, he was in a lower level with Peter. Sirius shared this class with James, Evans and Snivellus.

The pair of idiots always sat in the front.

"Oi, Evans!" Sirius screamed, interrupting whatever James was telling him before the teacher arrived.

The ginger girl looked back to see who was calling her and immediately rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Nice sweater" Sirius snapped "Did you steal it from you grandfather's closet?"

"Sirius..." James whispered under his breath as a few people laughed at Sirius's comment.

"Fuck off, Black!"

"I think it looks good on you, sweety" James winked, students whistled "Whatever you wear looks good on you"

"Fuck off, Potter!" Lily snapped and turned back to speak with Snape quietly as the latter fumed them with his eyes.

James laughed nervously then turned to his friend to whisper "If you want to insult someone, insult Snivy. He wears awful clothes, not Evans"

"You used to love making fun of Evans" Sirius whispered back.

"Well that sweater suits her" James nodded and then blushed realizing what he had said "I mean, girls look cute with men clothes, it's a sexy thing...You know, when I have a girlfriend, I would like her to wear my clothes...Not that I am saying I want Evans to be my girlfriend..." he hissed, then he frowned "Wait, why is Evans wearing that? She doesn't have a boyfriend..." then he groaned rather disgusted "Don't tell me it is Snivellus's!"

"It's Remus's!" Sirius protested, kind of offended. "He was wearing it the other day"

James raised an eyebrow so high, it hid behind his curls.

"What? How do you know it's the same?"

"Only Remus would wear a granpa thing like that!" Sirius snapped "He was wearing it the other day"

He didn't say he lent it to him, it was too embarrassing.

"Maybe it is a similar one?" James wondered "Why would Remus give Evans his sweater?..." James went pale "Do you think there's something going on between them?"

Sirius made a face. He knew Remus was rather friendly with Evans. But he was friendly with everyone. He wouldn't date her, right? Sirius had told him the whole story of how James had embarrassed himself asking her out plenty of times in the past.

"Let me see something" Sirius raised to his feet without thinking and walked towards Evans.

He interrupted whatever thing she was saying to Snivy and grabbed her arm.

James was openmouthed.

"What the hell?" Lily protested.

"What do you think you're doing, Black?" Snape roared furiously.

Sirius ignored them, he rolled the sleeves up and he saw it. The "Lupin" sewn inside. It was Remus's.

Taking advantage of Sirius's distraction. She pulled her arm away.

"What the fuck, Black?"

"Why are you wearing Remus's sweater?"

Evans seemed taken aback.

"Why are you wearing Remus's sweater, Evans?" James echoed, now standing next to Sirius like a cop.

Lily Evans blushed so hard, she blended with her hair. Snivellus seemed surprised as well.

Sirius didn't like this.

"Well, it is none of your business!" Evans said defensively "But I borrowed it from him because I was rather cold this morning"

"That's ridiculous" It was all that Sirius managed to say.

He was angry, he was angry. So angry and he didn't know why.

"Why is it ridiculous?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow "Remus is my friend and he was being a gentleman not to let me freeze"

"Lily, you shouldn't have accepted" Snape protested "It is obviously a sick prank from them"

"Shut up, Snivellus!" James put his tongue out "There was probably grease on yours so she preferred asking someone else"

Snape grunted something between his nasty teeth.

Sirius wanted to punch him, punch someone.

"You shouldn't take things that are not yours, Evans" Sirius snapped "Didn't your mother teach you that?"

James opened his eyes like plates.

Lily Evans was furious.

"Didn't your mother teach you to listen when a girl speaks?" she snapped "I told you Remus borrowed it, I didn't steal it"

Sirius was even more furious.

"He shouldn't have done that because that sweater is mine!" Sirius practically yelled

"That's not true!" Lily yelled back "It has Remus's name sewn in the sleeve"

The whole class had their attention on them now. James was trying to stop Sirius. And even Snape seemed embarrassed.

"Well he gave it to me the other day!" Sirius continued anyway "It is mine now so give it back, Evans... Give it back!"

"Well, I told Remus I would give it to him later, so I am not giving it to you!"

"Didn't you hear me?" Sirius almost roared "I said that the sweater is mine now... Remus gave it to me!"

Lily Evans would have carried on fighting if James didn't stop her.

"Just give us the sweater, Evans" he said, eyeing suspiciously at his best friend "We are Remus's friends after all, aren't we? We'll give it to him"

Evans let out a loud groan realizing she had lost.

"Fine!" she spat, finally taking it off "It's just a sweater, Jesus Christ. I don't see what the big deal is..."

She practically tossed it to Sirius and the latter hug it like a baby.

In that second, the teacher came in.

"Sorry for being late, ladies and gentlemen... Let's get right on into the class shall we?"

The teachers eyes locked on them.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black" he said "Care to take your seats?"

Sirius was still looking furiously at Evans when he felt James's arm dragging him.

"Yeah right away, sir"

James gave Evans an apologetic smile then whispered "What the fuck was that, Sirius?" as they took a seat.

Sirius was just happy to have Remus's sweater back. God, it even smelled like a girl now. What a mess!

After class, while James bumped into some kids from the team, Sirius went to confront Remus.

"Hey..."

"Why did you give this sweater to Evans!? It was my sweater! You gave it to me"

Remus blinked in surprise.

Sirius had sounded so pissed that Peter went pale.

"I suddenly feel the need to go to the loo" he said awkwardly "Be right back..."

When Peter was gone, Remus noticed the sweater on Sirius’s arms.

"I thought you didn't want it" Remus said rather confused "You gave it back to me, remember?"

"Not for you to give it to freaking Lily Evans!"

"I didn't give it to her. I just lend it to her for a bit"

"Oh yeah, why?"

Jesus, Sirius really sounded like a crazy person.

"The girl was freezing in the morning" Remus shrugged "She was even trembling from the cold"

Sirius didn't like the fact that Remus would give the sweater to anyone who was cold.

"Yeah but you gave it to me first" Sirius suddenly blushed realizing how stupid he sounded "It was our thing, our sweater... I just... I just didn't like it on Evans... It doesn't suit her...You know?"

Remus twisted his mouth not to smile.

"It suited you better"

When Sirius’s cheeks began burning, Remus couldn't help but smile.

"Sirius, if you liked the sweater so much, you should have kept it. I gave it you, remember?"

Sirius felt like an idiot.

"I didn't want to take it from you"

Remus giggled "It's okay, I have tons" he said "That one is yours if you want it"

"It can be ours, we can both use it, you know?" Sirius said, now trying to sound more calm.

Remus smirked amused "Okay, deal"

It was just poliester. What the hell was wrong with Sirius? Why did he act so possessive over a piece of clothing?

It wasn't something Sirius would wear anyway. It really wasn't his style.

The smell and fluffiness had been stronger that night. Now it was gone. Either Evans ruined it or Sirius had been pretty stoned then.

Fuck, he was going insane.

"Thanks, Moony"

Sirius put it on though, because it would be awful to lose interest now. After the scene he had caused.

"James thought you had something with Evans. He was jealous"

Yeah, that sounded like a more reasonable explanation to all this craziness.

Remus chuckled "Just because I lent her our sweater?"

Sirius’s heart jumped weirdly when Remus said "our sweater".

"That's ridiculous. She is just my friend" Remus tutted "Besides, I know James fancies her. I wouldn't do that to him"

"He doesn't fancy her. He is just obsessed with her"

"Anyway, there's nothing going on between me and Lily. I swear"

"Okay" Sirius shrugged, trying to sound indifferent.

Remus was still smiling. "You look really good with that sweater"

Sirius tried not to blush like a fool.

"Wanna grab something to eat?" Sirius decided to change the subject.

"Yeah, I'm starving!"

"That's not weird" Sirius giggled putting an arm around Remus's shoulder "Come on, my treat"

"Yes!"

As they walked away, Sirius decided to put this weird episode on the past.

-------

Happy 3rd of December for those who celebrate!

[maryonmega]

Timeless Starlight

(an In Stars And Time fanfic)

The early summer sun touched the Poteria cobblestones to create a layer of cosy warmth, yet to become a bothersome heat. The trees and statue in the piazza providing shade and a nice place to sit down and rest the legs while taking in the picturesque looks of the decorated homes and small shops around.

It was the impression given to Odile and Pétronille, while having a quiet moment on the place, the designated meeting spot, after each decided that splitting to do their own things was an acceptable thing. Before too long, the others started arriving, one by one. Mirabelle with Bonnie, Isabeau, and finally Siffrin. But, unlike the others the last had something other than just excited comments to show: a flyer for a play.

" 'Timeless Starlight'?" Odile read, brows furrowed " 'New production from acclaimed playwright Fortunato Amato, based on the real story of the country of Vaugard, the time freezing curse, and eventual salvation. His sources include bards, unfrozen citizens, merchants, pilgrims, and a self declared acquaintance of the Saviors.' Why did you bring this?"

Siffrin's half contained grin became even less contained:

"Isn't it obvious? I want to check it!"

"A play based on us?" Mirabelle looked at the flyer with a nervous gaze, not very encoraging "Are you sure this is a good idea? Even plays based on books can be hard to watch because they always change things..."

"Oh! Come on! Don't you think it might be fun? Looking at the struggle as an outsider?"

"You're really into Poterian plays, aren't you, Sif? Have you see this troupe before? Or writer?"

"Not even once! It's gonna be totally new!"

Odile sighed, ans shook her head.

"I did not travel nearly half of the planet to see the visual form of a gossip hill."

At the end of the afternoon, all six were sitting down at the theater building, snacks at hand and trying to be discreet so others wouldn't notice they were the real deal. The number of people in costumes made it easier. Nille seemed to be eager, almost as much as the resident theater nerd.

"Maybe it's gonna be a good way to catch up on what I didn't see."

"Maybe. I hope in a good way." Mirabelle responded, taking her seat beside Odile in the middle. Nille, Bonnie, Odile, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Siffrin - the pairs of siblings and couple at the ends of the row. A bit of luck to find six seats on straight line.

And, soon enough, the lights on the audience turned off, and the curtain opens.

The backdrop was actually pretty well made. It was easy to tell it was supposed to be outside of Dormont. The actress interpreting Mirabelle takes a couple of steps before falling to her knees on the middle of the stage.

"Who... Who was that man? To make time stop for my home? To threaten to do the same for the country? Is my escape for naught? Am I only to wait to be cursed anyway? Where to even go from here?"

Straight to the point, eh?

Curious, Siffrin leans foward to see Mira's reaction. She's frowning, but doesn't look very bothered. Being fair, naturally. Viewers aren't mind readers, thoughts need to be turned into monologues to be passed on.

... Not that it excuses the weird tone. Why did she sound like she was pretending to act for a bit? It sounded like something Siffrin would try to replicate for a bit.

The main lights turn off and a dim light goes on somewhere behind. Decent choice, helps give a bit of a dream-like impression. "Decent" is not "great", but, some plays do have unimpressive starts and pick a little later, so no pouncing on the first impression.

"There is more to you than merely awaiting for stagnation, lassie. It shall never reach you, even if the very source tries to."

Yeah, the logical part of his brain is saying that the writer can't be blamed, but the rest wants to crackle.

There isn't a lot of buildup for the set off to Jouvente. Character Mirabelle starts to look for the orbs without much explaining. It makes it seens like, she was on her way for an orb and the city was kind of, in the way? And arriving there she remembered that it has what's supposed to be a good Defenders body?

"The curse has taken over my home, and it will spread! He made it clear he wants to spread it to the whole of Vaugard! I can't stop him, not alone. I need help! As much as one can get!"

On the middle of the row, Mirabelle, face twisting in embarrassiment, patted Isabeau's arm to get his attention.

"I didn't actually sound like that, right?... Right?????"

"Kinda?" Taking a page from Siffrin's book, she pulled her shawl up to her eyes, so the sympathetic smile went unseen "If it helps, you weren't acting, and, the phrasing was less awkward. And, you were more anxious than damsel?"

"So not at all?" Odile asked, more amused than was called for.

"... Sure, let's go with that."

That seemed to be the best choice. For Mira's pride. Enough to lower the shawl on time for the next piece of dialogue.

"You sound like you need help, indeed, but not from us. We can't just take your word that someone with power to freeze a country even exists. And, if he does, that we should jump on the call of what sounds like a glorified suicide."

"... Aaand that's not even worth a 'kinda'."

"Do you actually remember how that went down?" Mira's eyebrows were raised with interest, a nervous smile appearing after "I think I blocked it out."

"Not pretty. Honestly, I don't really want to lay it out now. It's more irritating than anything else."

After that, there was a moment that was likely meant to be melancholic of the actress kneeled at the curb, but a little hard to take seriously with the bright illumination and very, very fake sobbing.

Dramatic lighting ensues. Oh! Time to introduce the next character?

Yes, exactly that!

Classic move, step out of the shadows, looming over the present character.

"Fear not, miss. You won't have to go through this alone."

Between Siffrin and Mirabelle, Isabeau leaned foward and squinted. His expression was hard to read.

"Is that... two people on top of each other?"

Odile rolled her eyes, not even looking at his direction.

"Yes. I know, ridicu-"

"Crab yeah! I'm tall with a capital T!"

"That's... one way of looking at the bright side." Mira added with a nervous chuckle.

"I wonder if the bottom half is hot, though. Who would think I would be a role to suffer for?"

After that wasn't very story heavy: looking for the first orb with some action - the part where they brainstormed who to find the orbs must have been deemed too boring. Fair, but kind of funny that it made such a headache look like it was common knowlege.

Credit where credit is due, the way they portraited the fight against the sadness to get into the dungeon was nice. There's only so much one can do to make three people come across as a big monster. Using ribbons and cloth to simulate craft waves. To...

"We did it, Sugarplum! The first big step done!"

Aaaaaaaaaand the mild respect when out the window with a two squeaks and and an undignified wheeze.

"Sugarplum?!?!?!???!??!?!??!!?!"

"Belle! You and Za were being gross?!?!"

"Change, no! This is not accurate at al- Isabeau! Stop laughting!"

"Alright, alright, I'm stopping..." The fighter says, still giggling and waving a hand, before taking a few deep breaths to make the impulse die down "... Sugarplum."

Odile and Nille had to physically stop Mira from pulling out her sword.

Path for the second orb. Under the protection of the owner of a big librarian. Enough for the near rapier experience to stop and Mira sit up straight.

"Oh! I remember him! Nice guy, even if I don't get how he knows when someone's lying."

"Wait, really?" Nille bent over to look at Mira "There were people who thought you were lying weeks after leaving Jouvente?"

"Oh, yes. Downsides of it starting at the borders, news reach center a little slower."

Nille nodded and got back to sitting properly.

"Dear miss, I was entrusted with a tool meant for the greater good. And I don't believe there is someone threatening the whole continent right now."

"You've got it!" the Isabeau actor (top half) all but jumped in "Three more and we'll punch that King's face to next year!"

Hesitantly, Siffrin took a peak at how his boyfriend was reacting. Silent giggling. Guess that was alright?

In the middle, Odile crossed her arms and legs, an eyebrow raised, clearly paying extra attention.

Sure enough, the next actress walked into stage. She had a fair amount of makeup and the wig had more light hairs than would be accurate. Consequences of not fighting the hag allegations.

"My, oh my, looks like some people here are after more than knowlege."

The interest got an amount of sourness. Maybe not what was said as much as the tone. Who the heck play teases people they just met?

"We are not doing anything shady!" Stage Mirabelle said, her hand over the orb in stage Isabeau's hands like someone trying to hide a shady thing "We need the orbs to reach the person causing the time freezing curse!"

"Oh, I'm well aware of the curse. I cannot research on a frozen country, so guess I'm going with you too."

"Crab yeah! The more the merrier! Right, Mira?"

On his seat, Siffrin fake gasped.

"Did he say crab? Oh my, there are kids in this theater!"

"Oh please." Nille scoffed "Some kids are worst than me when someone messes up in a way I told them not to."

Her gaze drifted to Bonnie, who gave a sly smile and looked away.

The third orb was hidden in a more "classic" way, in an underground dungeon which location was kept secret by a specific group of people. The backdrop to simulate that was actually well made, credit where it's due.

Mira remembered that. It had been a tough thing, at the tail end of withdrawal symptoms from her left behind medicine, in a dark place crawling with sadnesses, not as strong back then as she was later on. It had also been an important moment. Odile taking the orb and walking on the front for safety while Isabeau helped her up the stairs.

The Mirabelle on stage...

"Have it, doctor. A proof of trust."

"Just like that? That's cute, young lady."

And then the stage Mirabelle led the way with her head up. Even when the stage Odile gave her a headpat from behind.

"Keeping watching your back, lassie. You never know."

The two women make eye contact. It was clear that, if they weren't in the middle, they would be backing away from each other.

The change of scene was smooth, and, like in reality, they got ambushed by a sadness mere meters away from a road. But, because unlike reality they weren't worn down by sadness hoards and medicine withdrawal, the difficulty against it made the stage trio look straight up clumsy.

And them, the person is costume collapsed, to reveal the stage Siffrin. The wig was already darkless and too long for that point in time. Little by little, those small things were starting to kind of slip throught. Mix with the background.

Stage Siffrin flipped their not curved at all dagger, as if getting rid of good that wasn't there, and smirked at the group.

"Stars, what a stabulous meeting."

The real Siffrin was a bit too busy thinking about how he could have had that introduction to notice that the stage Siffrin sounded oddly snarky.

"Now, how come there are people that choose to fight a sadness to the end instead of running?"

The tone was a bit weird to read, but there was n way to let the words escape. Blinking a few times, the rogue looked at his teammates to see if they heard that too.

Nille looked back, looking about to laught of shock.

"Is this serious?"

"No?? If I was that bold from the start I wouldn't stay out of the group hugs!"

"Cute!~"

On stage, the Isa actor was bumping his fists.

"How else can we grow stronger?"

"You do have plenty of strenght!" Stage Mirabelle, now. Did, it really have to be so on the nose? "You must know by now of the curse freezing our country. We are getting better but any help is good help."

"Of course I know! And, I want to keep this country safe, too."

After the recruitment scene came a camping scene, with some kight tricks to make it look like night and a campire. The stage Odile was the one cooking, despite that role having been Isa's back then - the one member of four that actually had to do so before joining.

"So, by the accent, I guess you're a foreigner like doctor Odile?"

"Where did they even pull the 'doctor' thing out of?" The real Odile said with squinted eyes.

Nille leaned over to look at her better.

"Well, they don't call you doctor, but you've got those diplomas, don't you?"

"I dropped out of high school."

"WHAT????"

"WHAT?!"

Odile smirked to herself, despite the people hushing the concerned housemaiden and the fascinated child she was sandwiched between.

"What? I never said I have a doctorate."

"But you came here to do a research? Isabeau is still trying to find out what it is about?"

"I never said it was for college."

"Still, dropping out? Not even finishing the classes you started?"

"Of course the housemaiden who took more classes than there are days in the year would be the one to have an issue with that."

There really wasn't much more to it aside from an opening for a bit of Siffrin slipping on a banana peel. Including a whacky sound effect. What?

The scene of finding Bonnie was... anticlimatic. Just waltz into some bushes and get the short actor that would have to pretend to be a preteen. Infirmary in a House of Change time!

"Let me come with you! I don't want to stay and freeze!"

On the audience, Bonnie almost jumped out of their seat.

"What the crab is that voice!? And I don't talk whinning!"

On stage, Siffrin's actor nodded.

"We don't want you to freeze, either. Guess there's no choice, then."

"Change, if that was how that went down, every single one of you were getting the hammer." Nille commented, cringing at the direction.

Odile nodded.

"None of us would blame you."

On the way to the fourth orb, a nice backdrop for a forest with multiple rivers. Had been a bit of a pain to get throught, specially to Mirabelle and Siffrin, with their layered clothes.

Stage Isabeau moved to retrieve it, and almost fell on one of the shallow rivers. Getting caught by the stage Odile, the orb in question caught by stage Siffrin.

"Thanks, mom." Stage Isa said, and then squeaked. 

"Mom? Really?" Stage Odile rolled her eyes, not even trying to disguise her smile.

"Awn, I wish that moment had been cute." Real Isa said over Mira's head. Odile looked at him with a sharp enough look to make the joke recap die midway.

"Well, if the pair need a mom-ent, I can go ahead."

Soemehow, that got an audience laughter.

The fifth orb was anticlimatic - Odile was the one to solve the puzzles and sadnesses fell to the power of four. And then it was time to head back to Dormont.

Before arrival, however, another camping scene. With Odile cooking. Again. Bonnie scoffed and crossed their arms.

"They made a whole crabbing play and didn't even know who the chef was?"

"They don't know a good cook when they hear of one, Bug." Their sister said, gentl patting their shoulder.

On stage, Mirabelle, as usual there, was the one to break the silence.

"This smell delicous, Madame. Ka Buan too?"

"Not really. More of a family thing."

"A family thing?" The stage Bonnie made a face that was the stereotype of an excited kid face "And you're sharing with us? Wooow."

"Ha, yes. A little something my mom used to make me..."

And Mira and Nille had to physically stop Odile from pulling out her fish book.

"Just two more days, and Vaugard will be able to move and change again." Stage Mirabelle said, not even pretending to be eating.

"You guys sure love change, don't you?" Stage Siffrin asked, that same smirk still plastered on his face.

"How not? Can you think of a life with no change?"

A shrug.

"It's not hard. As far as I can remember I've been Siffrin."

And then, Dormont.

Light tricks to simulate night, and three beds in a row. Mira and Isa cuddled in one bed, Odile and Bonnie in another. Siffrin, who was alone on the third, slipped out of bed, took the orbs, and got out. Lights to show daytime coming, and the two duos waking up.

"Frin?" The stage Bonnie called, the bad imitation of a childish voice mixed with a abd imitation of a sleepy voice. Then a clumsy attempt of acting like they fell from the bed "Frin? Where is Frin?!"

The real Bonnie didn't get to really witness the rest of the "frantic search". Too busy cringing.

On his seat, Siffrin was picking at the leather of his gloves. Was it a blessing or a curse that they didn't put (or didn't know) about him blowing up at their friends?

Their attention was caught when the search led to the Favor Tree, by a shape... A star shape... A costume of a person-sized star with limbs sticking out.

"Finally, what was taking so long? Now, listen to me and pay attention, because your traveler is about to do something stupid!"

On the row on the front, someone scoffed and turned to the person beside them.

"Can you believe this? The thing is based off a real story and the writer still pulled a Deus ex Machina!"

The five behind them exchanged looks comparable to kids caugth stealing cookies. That... was arguably the most accurate part.

Also stopped around there, because the too-much-star person went into the House with the four.

It's hard to reproduce going from floor to floor on stage. Instead, the lights got turned on or off with the actor's movements to give the illusion of going to different places. Including a flash involving the Mira actress flipping throught a book. Smart choice.

And, soon, all lights on to reveal the "long corridor". At the end of it, an actor on a decent reproduction of the King's armor, stage Siffrin standing in front of him.

"Siffrin!" The Isa actor called out at the start of the corridor "Get away, Siffrin! You can't defeat him alone!"

The King actor moved his head to the group's general direction, fists still in front of his face.

"Contrary. The one who could stop me was the Bright one, and this won't happen. Now, goodbye!"

Ribbons were used to simulate craft, and a translucid cloth to simulate Mira's shield. In complete silent. 

The stage Siffrin stood up, showing that he wasn't frozen. Hand over mouth, and bangs brushed back to show a pair of bonding earrings.

Of everything wrong there, what Siffrin kept thinking was that his ears aren't even pierced.

The stage King reached, to get on the pose the real King froze on, for the stage Siffrin, who was doing such a good job in looking sad and conflicted that it felt like a waste.

"My King!"

"Siffrin, my Bright Star, there is still a way. Take the crown. Use my power."

"My King, I- I don't know if I can. So much happened. Things changed. My King, I changed!"

"No! There will be no more change! We shall stay together in stagnation, my Bright star. In timeless starlight."

"Sif! You and the King are divorced?" The real Isa asked clearly holding back laughter. And Siffrin didn't know if he found it funny or wanted to puke.

The stage Siffrin kept that emotion (stars what a waste!) and took the crown just before the King fully froze.

"Yes, we shall."

The crown was put on. Lights out. When the lights came back on, the four Saviors (and Loop?) where looking up on a curtain with a band to simulate the cloak shape, some sort of craft being use to make wind on the stage.

"I CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE!" Came a scream from off stage. It didn't exactly sound like it was coming from above, but that was the least.

The stage Mirabelle took a step foward.

"Siffrin! Even if you started on the King's side, he's gone! You don't need to do his binding!"

"No! I must finish what we've begun!"

A painted rope whipped around to simulate an attack, that got "blocked" by the stage Isabeau. Stage Odile grasped his shoulder.

"It's no use! He won't listen to reason!" A gasp, and a hasty reach "Bonbon!"

Attention was brought, and, sure enough, stage Bonnie was climbing the curtain/giant cape.

("Do you think I c

[grimalkinmessor]

Aideku with blood (smut) 🙏❤️

Sorry this took so long, smut is hard 🥲How about a vamp AU? :3 Warnings in the tags ✨

Aideku/Smut/Blood

———

Izuku is nervous.

"Don't be such a pussy, Deku," Tsubasa jeers, shoving him forward. The mausoleum looms in front of them, haloed by the setting sun. "It's one night."

"Yeah, you can handle one night in an empty building, can't you?" Neiru laughs. "Or...mostly empty, anyway. Aside from a few corpses."

Izuku swallows. "I-I can do it! I just—"

"Good," Neiru interrupts, stepping up to open the big stone door. It opens with a grating moan, a vast expanse of black yawning beyond it. Neiru gives a mocking bow. "In you go then!"

Nails biting into his palms, Izuku sets his jaw. "...I do this, and you'll give me my picture back?"

Tsubasa throws an arm around Izuku's shoulders, leaning in close and making his skin crawl. "Aw c'mon, Deku, we're friends, right?"

They haven't been friends in years.

"It's just a little game. The picture's just insurance that you won't chicken out. We'll give it back if you make it the whole night without bailing."

Izuku doesn't believe him. But what choice does he have? If he refuses, he doubts they'll hand it over—it's more likely that they'll rip it up right in front of him. Besides, Izuku is less concerned about spending the night in a mausoleum than he is Tsubasa and Neiru letting him out in the morning.

But even if they don't, Izuku is crafty. He'll figure it out.

Tightening his hold on his backpack, Izuku strides forward into the tomb.

"Finally! Thought we'd have to throw you in," Tsubasa complains, and Neiru snickers as he begins to push the door shut.

"Have fun, Deku!"

Before Izuku can even reply, the door thuds shut, and the bar scrapes back into place over it from the outside. Izuku waits a moment before fumbling for his phone, turning on the flashlight to get a good look around. It's not that big of a space really, but it's full of cobwebs and coated in a thick layer of dust. It's clear that these ancestors haven't been visited in a very long time. There's about six plaques on either wall, some of them so old that the kanji has worn down so much he can't make out the names. They're so old that Izuku wouldn't be surprised if there were actual bodies behind those plaques rather than just urns full of ash.

And speaking of bodies—the biggest thing in the room is the long stone slab directly opposite the door. It has no plaque on it, but the seam between the heavy stone lid tells Izuku that it's likely a coffin, which means that he really is locked in here with a corpse.

Izuku gulps. It's fine. It's fine. He can handle this. There's nothing to be afraid of.

Shaking his head, Izuku finds a fairly clean spot in the middle of the room and sits down, shrugging off his backpack to rifle through it. First things first; he pulls out his actual flashlight, shutting his phone off to preserve the battery. He clicks his flashlight on and sets it on the floor like a tiny lamp, before tugging out one of his textbooks. Might as well get some work done while he's stuck here.

He's almost out of high school now, looking into nearby colleges so he can stay close to his mother—which makes it all the more pathetic that he's still getting pushed around by people like Tsubasa and Neiru. Granted, it's not as bad as it used to be, but it's still irritating.

Izuku tries to ignore his surroundings as he works his way through the next chapter, gnawing on his pen and occasionally jotting down notes in the margins. This works for a while; he manages to make his way through two whole chapters without much trouble. He loses track of time a bit, until—

—something skitters across his foot.

Izuku shrieks, throwing himself back on instinct, leg flailing as he tries to stand only to end up toppling harshly against the casket behind him. Yelping, Izuku crashes back to the ground, clutching his shoulder with a wince. It throbs when he touches it, and he hisses quietly. That's going to bruise.

Grabbing blindly for his flashlight, Izuku staggers back to his feet and looks around for whatever just tried to climb his pants leg. He sees a spider the size of his hand sprint into a crack in the wall, and Izuku shudders, making a soft 'blegh' sound.

Swinging the light around slowly, Izuku freezes when he realizes that his flailing has pushed the lid of the stone casket aside. "Sh-shit," Izuku whispers, anxiety spiking. He sets the flashlight down again, face up, the light dispersing throughout the tomb enough to give the place a dim glow. "Shit, shit, shit—"

Hands shaking, Izuku approaches the cracked casket and tentatively peers inside. He expects to see some withered husk of a thing, or maybe nothing but bones and dust given how old this tomb seems—he's very much not expecting what looks like the perfectly preserved corpse of a man who couldn't have died more than a year ago.

Izuku blinks, squinting. The flashlight glow is dim, but from what he can see it's a man with long, dark hair and a riot of stubble. The white and black yukata he's wearing is shockingly pristine, pale hands folded calmly over his stomach. There are no signs of decay at all, not beyond the ashen white of the corpse's skin. Unable to help himself, curiosity ad incredulity flaring, Izuku reaches forward and touches the man's cheek. The flesh is stone cold—not quite icy, but certainly not full of warmth. There's a bit of give there too, the flesh porcelain but still somehow soft.

Brow furrowing, Izuku slides his hand down to press two fingers to the corpse's white neck. He's no sure whether he's surprised or relieved to find no pulse.

Izuku barely has time to register this however, because mere seconds later a hand snaps out and fists in his uniform jacket, yanking him down and in to the coffin. Izuku yelps, panic spiking, as he crashes onto the cool body settled in the slab, mouth opening to scream as the stone lid of the casket slams back into place.

But no sound escapes his mouth, because in the sudden darkness he feels teeth slice into his throat—before pleasure overtakes him.

Izuku gapes at nothing as a solid arm latches around his waist, tight enough to bruise and yet somehow still seeming absentminded. The subtle rasp of stubble rubs against his neck, and Izuku smells the faint scent of blood as lips move and hum quietly against his pulse. The electrifying feeling of heat spiders out from the point of contact, spreading through Izuku's body and pooling in his gut. Izuku's eyes flutter, a weak noise escaping his mouth as his hands flex and paw at the chest of the-the thing beneath him. He's not sure whether he means to push it away, or draw it closer.

Izuku feels his blood spilling slowly down his neck, thick and hot, and the pieces slot together in his bewildered, fuzzy mind.

Vampire.

He is locked in a tomb—a coffin—with a monster of legends. It's feeding off of him, stealing his blood, likely killing him...

But Izuku can barely bring himself to care.

A ragged groan scrapes out of his throat as the vampire sucks out his lifeblood, ecstasy filling him in its place. He feels his cock stiffen, pressing tight against the seam of his pants as Izuku's eyes roll back in delirious elan. Through the haze, his ever analytical mind notes that the man's hands are skating up and down his sides, one fisting loosely in his hair to pin his head at a better angle. The chill of the corpse's skin is slowly being replaced by warmth, siphoning off Izuku's body heat as well as his blood.

Izuku gasps as a leg juts up beneath him, a muscled thigh slipping in between his legs and pressing against his erection. The pressure makes him tremble, little hiccups of sound lilting out of his mouth as he instinctively rocks his hips down in helpless little jerks, each movement giving him another jolt of pleasure.

A tongue swipes over his bloodied neck, the white-hot bliss of those teeth leaving him for a moment as the monster beneath him cleans him up. Izuku whines at the loss, a quiet desperation striking through him.

'No, no, come back, I'm almost...'

He moans shakily as he feels those fangs pierce the other side of his neck, drawing out his blood and sending him high once more.

"A virgin...?" a low voice purrs, sleepy and bemused and...in his head?

The hands on him tighten, and Izuku whimpers as it sends another spike of arousal through him. He has the vague sense of shame, of embarrassment, at the way he's humping the man's leg, rubbing the tent in his old jeans against the silky white fabric of the man's yukata—but it's a faint sensation. His anxiety is drowned out by the sheer amount of ecstasy coursing through him. Izuku feels it building in his stomach, coiling in his gut as his toes curl and his thighs clamp tight around the muscled thigh beneath him.

He's close, he so close, he—

Red glow fills the space, casting the figure beneath him in a crimson haze. His eyes are a brilliant, luminous scarlet, and the light of them makes the blood painting his mouth look black.

"Your lust..." the man rasps, hands skating up and down to fasten around Izuku's hips. His voice is low and wet, and Izuku can smell his own blood on his breath. "I can taste it."

Then the monster yanks Izuku's hips down, forcing him to grind up against the man's stomach. Izuku cries out, sobbing as the force, the crush, the smell sends him toppling over the edge of orgasm. He cums so hard his vision goes white, mouth open in a soundless wail as wave after wave of pleasure crests over him, shocking up his spine and curling in his scalp. He forgets to breathe for several precious moments, knocked breathless by it.

Vaguely, he feels the man's mouth on him again, trailing his tongue against the newest wound. Izuku's eyes flutter, and he collapses fully on top of him, lost in the afterglow. He's not sure whether the dizziness he feels is because of his orgasm or the blood loss, and he's not sure he particularly cares either. His limbs feel like jello.

"Mm, you're type O," that low voice muses, a hand trailing up and down Izuku's spine. "I thought it was merely that I hadn't fed in so long, but it's no wonder. Best way I've woken up in a long time." The hand pauses, and the red glow now saturating the inside of the coffin flickers. "Mind telling me what year it is?"

"It's..." Izuku begins, the question booting his brain back into gear. His thoughts begin to race as he blinks rapidly to clear his head, a myriad of questions and emotions and reactions flashing across his mind in quick succession. "I-It's 2237."

"A little over four hundred years this time," the man murmurs, brow furrowing in contemplation. "Odd. Someone usually wakes me up every turn of the century."

"U-Um, sir," Izuku tries after a moment, wriggling in mortification when he feels the mess he's made in his pants. "Can you, um, let me out now? If y-you're not going to finish me off?"

'Why would you ask that, WHY would you—'

"I would," the monster begins absently, licking a stray trail of Izuku's blood from the corner of his lips. He's looking at the faintest trickle of light that can be seen from the seam of the stone lid. "But it seems like it's still daylight out. The mausoleum must've collapsed..."

Izuku attempts to push himself up, but the idle hand on his back isn't as idle as he thought. Vampire strength, he realizes quickly. Biting his lip, he tries not to think of the bruises already blossoming on his hip. "No, that's just my flashlight! It's actually very late, so it's safe for you to let me out, I promise!"

Scarlet eyes narrow at him, grip tightening, and Izuku squeaks like a dog toy when those fangs scrape against his neck again. "You're not lying to me, are you? Little lust thrall?"

Izuku's face flushes brightly, and the man noses his cheek almost instinctively, as if following the blood flow. "I-I'm not! I'm not lying, I swear! Please, just—I don't want to die," he finishes weakly, hands fisting tightly in cloth pooling by the monster's sides.

The man's eyes soften slightly, and he sighs. The tang of warm iron feathers against Izuku's face. Reaching behind them both, the man swipes the lid to the side with one hand, the rough scrape of stone on stone making Izuku wince. Before Izuku can even move, he finds himself being hauled up and set outside the coffin on his feet. He staggers immediately, knees still weak, and nearly falls.

A calloused hand pushes against his back, keeping him upright. Izuku swallows and blinks away the spots crowding his vision, stumbling away to pick up his flashlight.

He turns again, cringing at the wet feeling between his legs. The man is sitting up in his box, peering at him curiously. Unable to help himself, Izuku tentatively asks, "So... you're n-not going to eat me?"

Tipping his head, the man gives him a hooded smile, dark hair shadowing his face as he answers, "Not anymore than I already have."

Izuku's face feels so hot he'd work well as a heat lamp.

The man steps smoothly out of his tomb and, to Izuku's surprise, folds into a bow. "Aizawa Shouta."

More habitually than anything, Izuku bows back. "Midoriya Izuku. It's, uh, nice to meet you?"

Aizawa smirks at him, the tips of his fangs flashing. "Well, Midoriya," he says, practically purring out the name. Izuku's breath catches. "Thank you for the meal. I hope you'll allow me the chance to taste you again. In a place where I can properly see you, this time."

With that, Aizawa rises from his bow and swirls into shadow, racing out of the doors of the mausoleum and leaving them banging open behind him. Moonlight spills into the tomb, and Izuku watches Aizawa's shadows zip through the cemetery and out into the night.

He has a feeling that he's just got himself into far more trouble than he knows.

[indigos-stardust]

Violet, Blue, And Bruised All Over: Long Talks part 2

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 6 2/3

Sorry for the hiatus lol, Vio and greens Convo is next part, should be fun, Comments and reblogs appreciated!! I wanna hear y'all's thoughts!

"Green was right about those too being similar. But it wasn't just cuz they were so stubborn. More like they were both weirdos that had a vendetta against sleep. Seriously, would it kill Blue to sleep in for five more minutes..."

Blue unlocks the gate to the training yards, practically yanking the key out before he shoved his way into the door. Yep, there it was. Blue, folks. Mr. King of Emotional Repression. Red couldn't help but roll his eyes. Sure, he was kinda bullying Blue right now, but it was only in his head! And it wasn't his fault Blue dragged him out here before the Hylias light could even grace the sky.

Blue just kept moving like some stocky stiff machine, aggressively setting up the training dummies. Oh no- That layout and choice of training dummies and lack of shields meant he wanted to be competitive. Usually Green was there to rise to the challenge in those "everyone's the enemy and lets see who'll score more points because I actually feel angry at the world but I don't know how to talk about it cuz I'm Blue!" duel things. But today, it was only Red. Hell no.

Ok, all he had to do with turn up the charm! Just cuz there wasn't any sun didn't mean he couldn't shine bright enough to make up for it! Probably.

Red's plan was to softly put his hand on Blue's shoulder, start with that emotional support you know, but then Blue immediately stiffening and clenched his entire body so hard before he'd even grazed his fingers against him. Oh this was bad.

"Hey Blue?"

Blue grip on the wooden training swords was so tight his knuckles were white. If he breaks another one he'll get splinters again.

Time to turn up the charm, "Blue? Hey! Why are you being a grumpy silly head??"

He tried to really bring some light soft teasing into it, with wide open eyes and a non judgemental silence aaaannnnd-

Blue turned around with the most pathetic look he'd ever seen Blue wear in his entire life! Or well, since they became four people anyways- Is that what I look li- NO PAY ATTENTION TO BLUE.

He looks like a toddler trying desperately to NOT bawl his eyes out! Face all scrunched up, eyes unsure, and a wobbling uncertainty. He was obviously trying to look mad, but the way his furrowed brows and eye kept twitching it was clear he couldn't hold on to Red's all consuming gentleness.

All at once Blue yelled an ugly curse and kicked into the weapons rack. Red had to flinch back to avoid the whiplash.

"UEGH! Don't you get it?! Of course IM NOT FREAKING OKAY?!!"

Hook, line, and sinker.

"WHY IS IT THAT WHENVER SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS ITS ALL MY FAULT?! OH ILL TELL YOU WHY, ITS CUZ IM THE BAD GUY RIGHT?! RIGHT?!!"

Oof, and there it is. Raw and true, and oh so Blue. Red had been tempted to zone out on Blue's rant's since they could get.. slightly lengthy, but he still needed to pay attention. Cuz buried under all those sharp cold layers was something very raw and in pain. Lashing out like a cornered animal. Oh Blue...

Blue kept stomping and huffing as he went on, hands clenching and grasping as thought he was trying to strangle an enemy that wasn't there. Stomping feet leaving little clouds of dust in his wake as he went back and forth.

"I'm NOT some kid!"

" HE'S THE ONE WHO-"

"I didn't even DO ANYTHING?!"

"I trIeD to DEAL with the NERD but NoOOOOo I'm THE BAD GUY-"

"Teaching him a lesson and THEN GREEN-"

One after one, a dam broken, the hot waters gushing out with a force so great it'd overwhelm and push away anyone who tried to stop it. But Red didn't try to stop it. He let it pass around him as he observed. He was ok, and Blue would be ok too.

He loved Blue.

"And- AND- He- I JUST- AUGH!"

Suddenly, Blue stops in his tracks. Flustered, red and sweating, feet together like some shy and embarrassed kid. He's got a grip on his own arm, shoulders hunched, like he's trying to keep himself together. A look of frightened shock overcomes him, as though he's only just now realized where he is.

Red just keeps sitting on the bench though, head tilted, mind open. Puppy vibes c'mon. He watches Blue crumble inside, a deep sigh overcoming him.

"And I-"

"Yeah?"

"I just-"

Red quietly smiles, and pats the spot beside him. Before he knows it, Blue has already plopped beside him, exhausted without even picking up a sword.

"I just don't get it."

"Whaddya mean?"

Blue fists grip his knees tighter. "Why he was even so mad..."

"Green?"

"N-No, I... I deserved that. ONLY a little bit though I-"

Red incredulously raised a single eyebrow.

"AUGH! Ok fine! I deserved it a lot! Is that what you want?? To rub it in more?!"

Red blew a strand of hair out from Infront his nose. He seemed so disinterested at first, but then, like the flick of a finger, a mischievous little smirk grew.

"AWH, Blue!! I didn't know you thought of me so highly!" he beamed.

Blue couldn't have looked more unimpressed if he tried.

Red couldn't help but a giggle a little bit before he softed.

Blue sighed and mumbled remorseful, "Didn't mean to stress you out I just.."

Blue paused, watching the light join the horizon. His whole mood just reminded Red of a damp campfire. Or maybe a wet cat? One of the two for sure. Red couldn't help the surge of love and pride, Blue really had gotten SO much better at talking about his feelings! Blue worked so hard on it, Blue was amazing.

Red pressed up against his side and slipped his hand over Blue's.

Blue finally broke, "I just can't figure out how I messed up so bad- Vio- I know he doesn't like me, I get why I just- What did I do to make HIM outta all people get so... mad? at me?"

Oh. Red got it now.

"He never gets like that, that's what I do! And- I just don't get how I messed up that bad?!"

Red frowned, thoughtful, "Well, what happened before you guys started fighting and stuff?"

Blue grimaced, "I was just.. Telling him to do the laundry for once- Wasn't even telling him to do it correctly this time either!"

Red mentally facepalmed, but schooled his expression. This was like when he almost got into a fight with the radish seller guy isn't it?

"Blue," Red started quietly, "Do you remember how you asked him to do the laundry?"

Blue froze, stupefied, like he'd never considered in all his history that that could do anything with what happened. Probably because he hadn't. Blue was, extremely, tone deaf.

"I uh, joked about it? I mean- I he mentioned me like- being all frozen and stuff like a jerk! I was trying to "lighten stuff up like you said I should!"

Oh for Faron's fate-

"Blue," Red deadpanned, " Tell me exactly what you said. And what you guys were talking about BEFORE that. "

The absolute clueless, oblivious, and unaware look that screamed "thoughtless gerbil in a field with hawks" was. So painful to watch.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Well uhhh Vio was kinda like. Being a btch?"

Red somehow managed to resist the urge to slam his skull into the brick wall behind them.

"Blue."

Blue, in question defensively puffed up like some startled baby kitten, " Hey! I- I'm telling the story and its the truth! It's not just me being mean about it! And- I won't even swear again ok! Don't tell Green- Please-"

Red silently stared into Blue's soul for half a minute. Din give me strength- "Okay."

Blue straightened up, like he was talking to some higher ranking knight, confident and steady. Or as confident and steady as you could be when you had baby rabbit ears that flicked and burned crimson with shame.

"He- He thinks that he's better than everyone else, you KNOW how big his head is-"

"Bigger than yours, Blue?"

"H-hey n- No! ANYWAYS, he was being all judgmental and crap!"

"Uh huh?"

" And- And all 'oHHOoOHH IM ~ViO~ And I'm- I'm smart and you're stupid! 'AND THEN- Get this! He goes all, freaking 'You don't care and you're hearts frozen HAHAHAh'-"

" Really, Blue? Really?"

"Oh come on! You know he's got that weird like- Theater kid laugh?? Like he learned it from that Shadow or something I dunno- Weird little sorta- kinda maniac-"

"Blue."

"Geez OK! Fine!," Blue relented, " Ok maybe he didn't laugh, but he did say like- my- My heart might as well still be frozen and-" Blue choked off.

"Oh. That's.... pretty messed up."

"Yeah. And- I've been thinking at least I have a heart..." Blue concluded grimly.

"Well there's more to it than that right?" Red prodded.

"Well! I tried to- Ya know, make it into a joke or whatever- And told him that oh hey! Maybe, maybe HE broke his brain like how the mirror was all smashed! Like- A you're making fun of me so I'm making fun of you joke-"

Blue made airquotes, "Banter, or whatever," he shrugged.

Was this how Green felt? Like several of his veins were just going to pop? Like he just wanted to lay on the ground and cry? And just eat a bunch of cupcakes and hide in his plushie pile? Okay, that last part was definitely mostly Red, but still! Blue was. The whole fight thing was... Yeah, yeah this just meant Red was right. They were being all emotional while trying to not be all emotional. That plan NEVER works! Stupid idiots. Big ol' dummies. His brothers.

"Blue, you know he's like... Sensitive about what happened in the tower of winds right??"

"He's what?"

"BLUE! He- He never talks about it! He gets all weird when WE talk about it! He- He goes off all quiet to "sort out his thoughts" or whatever! He doesn't go off and get all angry like you do!! He- He acts all mature and stoic and stuff!!"

"Oh."

"Bluuueee!!"

"Wait. Wait- So he actually- Wait are you saying I HURT his- his little twinky feelings??"

"BLUE!"

"What! I didn't know he cared about stuff!"

"You didn't think he had feelings??!!"

"N- I mean- Maybe- Have you met the guy?"

"BLUE WE USED TO BE THE SAME PERSON HOW ARE YOU SO-"

"...."

Red groaned, "Sorry Blue..."

"So Vio was right then huh?"

"H-huh?"

"I'm, I am kinda stupid huh?"

"Heh, well... hm... maybe jus' a lil bit.."

"He's still a jerk though."

"Ok, but now you guys can apologize?"

"..."

"BLUE-"

[raconteur-wanpi]

One Piece 1132

I don't have a lot of thoughts on this one, yet somehow it might be my favorite Elbaph chapter so far based on vibes alone!

OK I'M GONNA START WITH THE MID-CHAPTER DOUBLE SPREAD BECAUSE WOWWWWW. Wow. God the atmosphere and the scale and the art is off the charts. The Luffy and Usopp bit made me smile sooo hard I'm going insane in the head.

They're so cute. Usopp is so cute here, shut up!!! I'm so happy, this is so important to both of them! This gives me hope that their dynamic will be explored more once again. My boy's dream is coming true.........

Anyway as I said, I don't have too many thoughts this time around, but I am so so glad Oda found a way to unite every single group of characters in this chapter.

I tend to hate "everyone is separated and therefore confusion / misunderstandings / hijinks ensue" type plots, so this was a relief. But also, the convergence was just done in a very competent way, and the whole time there's a lighthearted and fun atmosphere that makes it fun to read.

This chapter in general just made me happy. It's a very charming and explorative chapter of small good things happening, before we settle into any serious plot. Somehow because of that, as I mentioned earlier, it's been my favorite so far!

Also I know I said this last time too, but I love Goldberg and Gerd so much as a little character duo. They have a very charming dynamic and really cute designs, I hope we see much more of them throughout the arc!

I like how Gerd comes off as kinda unintentionally patronizing towards humans lmao. She has good intentions but she kinda treats them like lost little puppies or something.

And speaking of the New Giant Pirates, people were probably right on Rodo being based on Gargamel a bit, lmao. This brought me back to my childhood, it definitely has that vibe. Good Saturday-Morning-Cartoon slapstick. Nice to see he continues to be absolutely terrible. But hey, at the very least he gets the lights kicked out of him by Goldberd and Gerd.

Speaking of old nostalgic cartoon and comic-book properties that inspired Oda in this arc, we also see a lot of that giant kid who seems to be based on Vicky the Viking again. Turns out his name is Colon and his family lives on the village on the second layer (the "Sun Realm" as they call it). The barmaid, who is presumably his mother, also mentions a character called "Ripley", but we don't know anything about who that is yet. I hope Colon ends up being the Aisha / Tama etc of this arc, it'd be really cute!

As far as more plot-important events go, we do find out that Loki and Luffy did in fact make a deal. Luffy does try to keep the secret, so that tells me he accepted it. I have a feeling this is Not Going to Go Well!

The chapter however, despite being very cheerful and fun, ends in a pretty sinister and spooky note. That tells me we're actually going to be here for a while lol, I'm so curious on where this will go. Note that Arnot is a character who's been mentioned before! Apparently he published a book with his adventures decades ago, and he was first mentioned having written about Whiskey Peak and Little Garden.

In this final page, we also see the silhouette of the mystery man in the kasa hat who's been allegedly waiting for the Strawhats again! Place your bets on who's it going to be. Is it Shiki? Gaban? The "Hinokizu / Flame-scar" Man? Someone from the Red-Hair Pirates? A completely new guy? Who knows! Looking forward to the next chapters!

(Hope I can find the time to do a little redraw of Usopp's little crying face, what a highlight for me!)