#themerrypanda

[stardewfanficwriters]

MONTHLY REC LIST: NOVEMBER EDITION

We have some absolutely amazing fics to recommend this month, some our members have written this month, and some old ones that we've been reading and sharing. Take a look! (but mind the tags - some of these are spicy)

Comments are always welcome 🩷

The Love You Want by orangemochafrapp - Sebastian/Female Player (14/?)

Coffee Beans, Candles, and Keyboards by Andrea_P_Quintell (June/Male Player)

Meant to Be by KellyCataclysm - Harvey/Female Player

They're All Safe by A_little_snail - Kent/Jodi

Lonely Dancers by lily_alphonse - Sam/Sebastian

Penny For Your Thoughts by Annetastic - Penny/Sebastian (7/?)

Spinning Truths and Spinning Lies 'Til Both Come Tumbling Down by Caelwyn - Shane/Sterling

Mine: Costume by spiritedKnight - Sebastian/Female Player

How Can I Help You Say Goodbye by Annetastic Sam/Sebastian

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood by ForgottenChesire - Morris/Pierre

all of the stars by anonymous - Maru/Penny

A Broken Loop by BitterRose13 - Farmer/Sen

Ask Me Anything by KellyCataclysm - Harvey/Female Player

Staring At The Sun, Can Burn The Heart by BirdieLouWho - Sebastian/Female Player

Sam to the Rescue by WriterofWorlds - Sam/Male Player

The Reason She Made it Back by lily_alphonse - Harvey/Female Player (Firefly inspired AU)

Valley Defense Squad by Nedjemet - Sebastian/Female Player (7/?)

Symphony of Seasons by purpleandgreen - Harvey/Player

The Unicorn in the Garden by Five_seas - Sebastian/Female player (4/?)

Mezzanine by sdvbraindump - Shane/Haley

A House in Pelican Town by nebraskashouse - Harvey/Female Player (2/?)

Lady of the Sciences and of the Sweet Pea by TheMerryPanda (Maru & Harvey)

Working Weekends by FightTheThorn - Sam & Shane

Contrast & Color by Mouse_213 - Sam/Sebastian

Bad Decisions by UrsulaNoodles - Haley/Harvey

Redhead Supernova by Writing_for_Soup - Haley/Leah

[runawayface]

7, 13, 14? Mostly I want to say great work on Runaway! I avoided it for months because of the Explicit label (I love romance but despise smut, you see), but deduced from your Tumblr that it wasn't 200K+ words of smut storm, so I finally read two months ago. The prose is among the best I've read in fanfiction, and you even made your dreaded scene in Ch 28 easily skippable. Thank you! Whether through May or Coin, keep up the great work! Thanks for adding great content to the Stardew Valley world.

Okay, I’ll get to the questions in a second, I’m too busy crying right now. 😭THANK YOU so much for your kind words!!!  This has truly and honestly made my day, thank you so much for reaching out to me.

I really am so torn on that Explicit rating, I feel like it’s very misleading in both directions.  It’s misleading for readers looking for a really steamy, explicit story because they will be sorely disappointed and it’s misleading to those looking to avoid explicit content because there’s that fear that it’s nothing but a smut-fest.  I totally get it.  I’m actually debating returning it to no rating at all (which is what it used to be before Chapter 28) because I feel like the “E” rating is very deceptive.  Though with that being said, I DO actually have plans for re-writing Chapter 28 the way I would like it done.  It was written at a time that I felt I had to write for others and not for myself.  How on earth could I justify writing a romance fic and building up this relationship WITHOUT it ultimately leading to a smut scene?!  No one on earth would want to read this story if there wasn’t a payoff!  So I did it… I wrote it… and I hated myself for it… for a very long time afterward.  But the feedback I’ve received has been so tremendously positive and it’s refreshing to know that people still love my story and want to read it, even without explicit content.  I’d hate to wrap this story up with such a black mark in my eyes, it’s the only chapter that I absolutely cannot go back and re-read.  This story is my baby, I definitely want to make sure I do it proper justice and tell it the way I’m comfortable telling it.  I may need to overhaul my tags as well to make it clear the amount of explicit content to be expected for ALL readers.

Anyway, all of that just to say… thank you again for such kind words.  I am THRILLED that you took the leap to read my story and that you enjoyed it.  I am loving the SDV community and plan on spending quite some time here.  After Runaway, I have a number of genfics planned and of course I will always be there to write for my dear friend Coin, her characters are such a delight to write for.  I’m hoping to continue writing for SDV for a long while, it feels like home to me.  As for the questions, I’ll pop those under a cut because this post is getting so long already! 😂

7 - Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

It’s actually the very first time May saw Harvey, in Chapter 5 of Runaway.  I love this part so much because I usually HATE writing character descriptions.  I’m terrible at it and I just don’t enjoy it.  You’ll notice, May REALLY doesn’t have much of a description in this story (whoops! 👀) but I was able to get a really solid description of Harvey out there and I was quite proud of it.  Definitely not something I consider myself skilled at and I think I did well with it.

“Out stepped a tall, bespectacled man who, in May’s opinion, looked quite dapper.  That really was the only word May could think of to describe this man.  He was very professionally dressed in neat slacks, a crisp white dress shirt, a plain necktie, and a simple green sportcoat.  His wavy chestnut hair had a few streaks of grey, though his handsome, well-groomed mustache had not yet succumbed to the same greying of his hair.  The bold, browline glasses he wore made him look even more dapper and professional.  His presence was slightly intimidated, though May wasn’t sure if it was because he was almost a foot taller than she was or because he was the first person in town she was meeting today, however she could feel a lump forming in her throat as he approached her.”

13 - What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Write for YOU.  Seriously, if my rant above has proved anything, it’s that you need to first write for yourself and not for others.  At the end of the day, you’re writing content that YOU want to send out into the world because you enjoy it or because you feel it’s a story worth telling.  I say this a lot to my friends who are content creators, you don’t owe anybody any content that you’re not comfortable making.  Whether it’s art or writing, never compromise your style or your comfort zone to write something that you don’t feel like writing.

14 - What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

I don’t know that I’ve necessarily gotten BAD writing advice, just read a few things I didn’t necessarily agree with.  Small, nit-picky writing ‘rules’ that should be followed, etc.  I scoff at that kinda stuff, to be honest.  Writing shouldn’t have any ‘rules’, it’s a creative endeavor.  I’m not doing this professionally, I’m definitely just doing this as a hobby and because I enjoy it so I’m not about to start stressing over what writing blogs think you should and shouldn’t do as a writer.  Who needs that kinda stress, amirite?  I’m having fun writing my story, that’s good enough for me.  Save the ‘rules’ for the professionals.

[phytocondria]

Regency Fluff

So... me and a couple friends were gushing about discussing a wonderful Recency AU and @themerrypanda suggested a Regency Era AU prompt. "Mayor Lewis is holding an early summer ball at his residence. Everyone is invited and the valley is very excited." Word Count: 1,275 Summary: The first two dances of a ball are quite significant, but not more than friendship. “I think Mr. Kent, has been looking a great deal at our little corner since his arrival.” For as meek and quiet as everyone accused the young redhead of being, there was nothing less than mischief and merrymaking at Maru’s expense in Miss Penny’s words. Maru flushed and turned away from where her friend was peering, swallowing down both butterflies and a heavy lump in her throat.

“Perhaps, he’s finally realized the mistakes he’s made against someone so angelic.” Maru hadn’t meant to whisper back so sternly. Miss Honeyfield looked away from where the young gentleman was playing cards with his friends and back to her friend, startled by Maru’s clear barbs against him.

“Maru...” Penny finally whispered back, so tender and sweet, Maru’s heart bled in her chest. She knew what her friend would say, Penny was too good and Marus too close not to know. Maru stood up from where they had been sitting and moved towards the refreshments. Penny’s mother, Mrs. Pamela Honeyfield always seemed to make it her business to test any drinks the town enjoyed, and Maru was thankful her most common amendment was to fortify the punch. Maru let the alcoholic warmth spread into her limbs. She had half a glass down before Penny joined her again, careful not to bring anyone else's attention onto them as they pretended to take a tart from the table of snacks before supper.

Penny was always so much better at that than Maru. She was graceful and kind and feminine where Maru was “spirited” and “enthusiastic”, which ultimately meant she was clumsy, blathering on on odd topics when she got nervous, but how was she expected to be a proper lady in such a tiny hampshire when she had a “spirited” mother and a father who encouraged her interest in “unladylike” subjects? Maru hadn’t meant to snap at her friend, but the mistake had been made and still, Penny was more benevolent than Yoba herself, because she let her friend continue to drink her punch while slipping her hand into the empty hand and held onto it like when they were little girls. Yoba, Maru wished the punch could dull her mind enough to quiet the constant buzz of thoughts.

For all Maru’s cleverness, she’d trade it all… maybe half… okay a third of her wits to have half the sense as her friend needed to remain quiet. Penny let the cup empty and Maru to settle down before offering her a biscuit. Maru noticed one with strawberry jam and relented. “It’s been years now Maru.” Penny started, voice soft enough even Mr Smith, barely a meter away picking at the exorbitant spread Lewis had prepared, wouldn’t be able to overhear. “A childhood fancy, we both grew out of before even coming out into society.”

Now that the biscuit had been swallowed, Maru’s lip fell tightly between teeth as she kept the rest of her turbulent mind in check. She waited for Mr. Smith to walk away with his mince pies and cold meats before gathering the courage to speak up again.“I know” Maru tested the power of her will into forcing her words to behave for once. “Penny, you’re as dear to me as my own mother and father, dearer than any sister I could have ever had, or ever will have.“ Now that she’d begun, the floodgates had begun and Penny did her best to lead them into some quiet corner as Maru continued her admonshing. ”Samson Kent is a scoundrel who treated my friend with such absolute injustice, he should be sent into the mines to battle whatever creatures dwell there until Yoba sees fit, because if it were left to you, you’d forgive him this instant and-”

“Maru, I was the one to end it.” Penny interrupted so calmly as to completely subdue Maru’s fever. She stared dumbstruck as the older girl continued. “We were children, him especially, and while it was… flattering, once my father’s home was entailed away, I- “ Penny paused, her eyes full of sorrow, but smiled with the grace of an angel. “All I’ve ever wanted was peace, adventures contained in books I can set aside. He was good then, but I could never stand to let him join his father in the army, and I’m grateful he didn’t. So,” she continued, the delicate chin raised in determination and sporting humor returning to her countenance.”You must promise your oldest friend whom you love more than a sister, if Mr. Samson Kent asks you to dance, you will accept and have a merry time, is that clear?”

Maru chuckled wetly, dabbing the beginnings of tears from her eyes as she smiled back. “Only if you promise, even if it’s the faintest nettle of a past displeasure at seeing us, tell me,” Maru begged. At the slightest word, Maru would set herself to marry the doctor who viewed her more like the daughter he never had the opportunity to have with his late wife or better yet, become an old maid and never dance with anyone past this day. Her father would be sure to agree to the latter with ease.

“I give you my word, Miss Maru Oakly, but do not think just because I am your senior, I will not manage a comfortable, little home for myself.” Penny bristled with a lively, playfulness few knew lived within the quiet school teacher of Pelican Town.

“Never” Maru laughed along with their friend, an easy air falling between them, until a sudden fuss brought their attentions back to the front of the Mayoral home.

“It looks as if the Governor and his niece have finally arrived.” Penny murmured as she craned her neck over the crowd. “Should we head over to be introduced?”

“Ah, Miss Oakly, Miss Honeyfield” Almost as soon as the two began to move forward, a voice intreated them for their pause from a few feet to the side. “Might I escort you two into the entryway?” the very same young man with wheat coloured hair and fair eyes the ladies had been discussing probed. Maru glanced at the other lady, who was all gentle smiles but gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance before speaking up.

“That would be most agreeable Mr. Kent.” she assured, before moving to take his left arm. The complete lack of awkwardness between the two was almost enough to fully reassure Maru and quiet the what ifs. Maru took his right arm when it was offered, and her thoughts began to buzz into non language as a fluttery excitement bubbled up at his closeness.

Even when each lady had been settled within their expected place in the line to greet the newcomers, Samson stayed close to Maru. After they had all made their hellos, an unspoken awkward nervousness kept them close, before his own restlessness finally got the best of him and he turned to her with flushed cheeks and hopeful smile. “I was hoping... If you don’t already have a partner of course… Umm, might I please request your hand for the first two dances?” he stumbled at the final bit, rushing to say it before he lost his nerve.

“Yes” The word surprised them both, each releasing an anxious sigh that quickly shifted to a relieved chuckle.”I may not be the best dance partner though.” she mumbled, cheeks aflame.

“I could never want for a better one.” He offered, his face as red as hers felt. He was wrong of course, Maru was ill practiced for dancing, but he hardly seemed to mind, asking to dance with her again more than once that night.

[nikibogwater]

@themerrypanda I meant to post this list for you earlier, but I got distracted lol.

My final romantic pairings for my Golden Deer run in Fire Emblem: Three Houses were as follows:

Byleth and Felix--Admittedly, there is something rather romantic about a stand-offish and brooding swordsman falling in love with the gentle but stern professor (who also happens to be the vessel of the progenitor goddess) and finally admitting to maybe having caught some feelings, in spite of his best efforts. Also he looks like Douxie Casperan from the Tales of Arcadia series, so yeah. Me personally, I would sooner go after Ignatz, but for Byleth as a character, Felix was a good fit imo.

Claude and Petra: Felt like Claude could use a girl who could be responsible for him while also indulging his fun-loving and boisterous attitude (and also I really needed another unit with the Locktouch ability for doors/chests). Petra is sincere without being stuck-up, loves to romp around outside, and I just think Claude would have an absolute blast taking her on grand adventures around Fodlan and Almyra (and with her around, I don't have to worry about him getting into trouble). In short, they're adorable, your honor.

Lorenz and Hilda: They just seemed made for each other. Lorenz is all about that Nobility, while Hilda is all about that Luxurious Living, so they seemed very compatible. And I would like to think Lorenz's steadfast dedication to his work would eventually rub off on Hilda a little bit. Also their combined color scheme is sooooo pretty. Who doesn't love a soft violet paired with a rosy blush pink?

Cyril and Lysithea: They just...They're so perfect. Lysithea can be such a little brat, and Cyril is such a down-to-earth, stand-up sort of kid, who tells it like it is. And the fact that he and Lysithea take genuine joy in helping each other and spending time together is So Precious. It does break my heart to think of Cyril having to grow old without her, but the bittersweetness of the union makes it that much more beautiful.

I also usually had Leonie and Raphael together during battle, but as you are aware, Raphael ended up pairing platonically with Ignatz in the end. I wasn't as disappointed about that as I was about Ignatz and Marianne not being together though. The other platonic pairs were Seteth and Flayn (I'm a sucker for father-daughter relationships) and Catherine and Shamir (they are a dynamic duo of Chaos and Kickbuttery and I'm sure wherever they are now, they are raising hell together).

I wasn't expecting to fall so hard for my little Golden Deer, but all of these characters were just so well-written and developed, and their interactions were just brimming with fun and heart. While I do relish in the core gameplay of Fire Emblem games, it always seems to be the characters and their interactions that keep me coming back even after hours of grinding/agonizing over a particularly tough battle scenario. Next up, I'll be doing the Blue Lions (and will absolutely be snatching up Ignatz since he's made it clear he has no interest in Marianne).

...Ah. Apologies that got so long there--You got me in a rambly mood, haha. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'd be very interested in hearing what your pairings are as well, once you've completed your run!

[ao3feed-sylki]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Loki (TV 2021) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Loki/Sylvie, Loki & Sylvie, Loki/Sylvie Laufeydottir Characters: Loki (Marvel), Sylvie Laufeydottir, Sylvie (Loki) Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Loosely inspired by Mistborn Era 1, Spoilers, Regret, Sylvie Needs a Hug, Everyone Needs A Hug, Post-Finale Summary:

Sylvie attempts to reconcile her actions with the new reality she created. (Potential Epilogue to Episode 6)

[ao3feed-lokiangst]

Always. For All Time.

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3kjBgne

by TheMerryPanda

Sylvie attempts to reconcile her actions with the new reality she created. (Potential Epilogue to Episode 6)

Words: 1096, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Loki (TV 2021)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Loki (Marvel), sylvie (Marvel)

Relationships: Loki/Sylvie, Loki & Sylvie

Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Loosely inspired by Mistborn Era 1, Spoilers

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3kjBgne

[stardewvalleyficrecs]

Spring, Year 1

By TheMerryPanda

Just another take on a generic farmer’s first season in Pelican Town. Each chapter represents a day in farmer Taylor’s life.

Season Highlights: Moving in (Ch 2), Meet the town (Ch 3), Egg Festival (Ch 15), and Flower Dance (Ch 26). Heart Events: Linus (Ch 11), Haley (Ch 19), Shane (Ch 23), Harvey (Ch 25), Leah (Ch 27), and Sam (Ch 30).

Words: 18703 Chapters: 30/30 Language: English

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)

Characters: Robin (Stardew Valley), Lewis (Stardew Valley), Alex (Stardew Valley), Evelyn (Stardew Valley). George (Stardew Valley). Gus (Stardew Valley), Gunther (Stardew Valley), Willy (Stardew Valley), Elliott (Stardew Valley), Penny (Stardew Valley), Sam (Stardew Valley), Haley (Stardew Valley), Marnie (Stardew Valley), Jas (Stardew Valley), Vincent (Stardew Valley), Jodi (Stardew Valley), Caroline (Stardew Valley), Harvey (Stardew Valley), Leah (Stardew Valley), Abigail (Stardew Valley), Pierre (Stardew Valley), Emily (Stardew Valley), Maru (Stardew Valley), Demetrius (Stardew Valley), Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Linus (Stardew Valley), Pam (Stardew Valley), Shane (Stardew Valley), Clint (Stardew Valley), Player (Stardew Valley), Wizard | M. Rasmodius, Female Player (Stardew Valley), Male Player (Stardew Valley), Marlon (Stardew Valley), Gil (Stardew Valley), Hat Mouse (Stardew Valley), Junimo(s) (Stardew Valley), Cat (Stardew Valley), Morris (Stardew Valley), Villagers (Stardew Valley), Old Mariner (Stardew Valley), Grandpa (Stardew Valley), Stardew Valley Ensemble

Additional Tags: Diary/Journal

[purpleandgreen13]

@buttonso @phytocondria @runawayface @coolcoolglasses @themerrypanda @floopthecooper

Seems like the silliest question ever but every idea I have seems so unoriginal. Do you tips or exercises to get the creativity going?

Getting the creative juices flowing…

I do! I have plenty of pep-talks and resources for this sort of thing, so I’ve organized them here by method (prompts/playlists/advice/inspiration/etc)

Articles

Coming Up With Scene Ideas

Coming Up With “Original” Ideas

How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story

How To Motivate Yourself To Write

Reasons To Improve Your Lifestyle

Tips & Advice for Aspiring Authors, Writers, and Poets

Healthy Forms of Motivation

How To Have A Productive Mindset

How To Fall In Love With Writing

Writing Through Mental Health Struggles

Why “Burnout” Is Oay - The Creative Cycle

How To Actually Get Writing Done

Playlists

Things To Listen To When You’re Working

Classical & Instrumental

Ambient

Sad Scenes

Chase Scenes

Epic Scenes

Fight Scenes

Angst Scenes

Fun Montage Scenes

Climax Scenes

Calm Scenes

Resolution Scenes

Romantic Scenes

Action Scenes

Science Fiction

Our Day Will Come

Contemporary Poetry

MORE

Prompts, Prompt Lists, & Writing Challenges

Dark Quotes & Prompts

Challenges For Different Types of Writers | Part II

Angst Prompts

31 Days of Prompts : January 2018 Writing Challenge

20 Sentence Story Prompt

Dramatic Prompts

Suspenseful Prompts

Sad Prompts

Romantic Prompts

31 Days of Horror : October 2019 Writing Challenge

31 Days of Fantasy - December 2020 Writing Challenge

Fake Relationship Alternate Universe Prompts

Assassin Alternate Universe Prompts

Soulmates Alternate Universe Prompts

Advice & Pep-Talks

Restarting Your Writing Passion

On Hating Your Old Stuff

Depression As An Inhibitor

Dear Writers Who Are Hesitant To Start Writing

“All First Drafts Are Crap” – My Thoughts

Getting Back To Writing After A Long Hiatus

Wanting To Finish A Story You’ve Fallen Out of Love With

Getting Motivated To Write

Getting Burnt Out Near The Finish Line

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

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[stardewpanda]

Everyone seems to prefer reboogles over likes, and I'm too deep in this fandom not to give them anymore. (Also, I can't sort my likes by tags to find squat.) So here I'll list what my tags will be so if I or anyone else is in a mood for a particular character, media, or aesthetic, all I gotta do is click a tag. (Expansion mods not included.)

As 99% of what will be reblogged is art, it will not have its own tag. However, any stories with writing especially from other authors will be tagged as #written works, and my own works will have the additional tag #panda writes. (For the full list of my works, look under Stardew Valley on @themerrypanda's pinned post.)

Character Categories:

Individuals:

Every named character included or mentioned will be tagged as their first name alone (e.g. #evelyn #kent).

Exceptions for obscure characters like Marcello and festival tourists (#minor characters).

My OCs get their own tags prefaced with oc (e.g. #oc nicole). (Note: May get removed due to too few posts about my ocs.)

As there are so many farmer OCs not of my creation out there, the ones NOT involved in a ship will be tagged as #another's farmer.

Groupings of Characters:

My OCs have their own general tag (#pandas ocs).

Any mystical character (named: Dwarf, Krobus, Wizard, Welwick, Mr. Qi, Witch, (goblin) Henchman) or animals with magical traits (e.g. Hat Mouse, Trash Bear); and unnamed like junimos, mermaids, and slimes) fall under the general tag #magic

All human villagers (excepting the bachelors and bachelorettes and wizard) fall under #villagers. Works focused on interactions within a family fall under #family.

There are three categories for the dateable singles.

#bachelors  for any to all the men

#sdv bachelorettes  for any to all the women

#bachelor pad  for works that feature at least three bachelor(ette)s with both sexes represented among the three

(Tag WIP) Pairs of characters together won't be tagged #ships unless there are conspicuously romantic displays of affection between characters that are not canonically married Year 1 (see #family). There will be two sub-categories: #oc ship, and #intra-townie ship. Works depicting a farmer character with their spouse and kids fall under #family as well as #oc ship.

Animals:

There are three categories for animals, all of which (except for characters under the #magic tag) fall under the general #animals tag:

#pets are for cats, dogs, horses, and other traditional pets. This includes Dusty (Alex’s dog) and David (Abigail’s hamster).

#livestock are for animals kept in a coop, barn, or stable. This includes horses, Charlie (Shane’s chicken) and Belinda (Marnie’s cow).

#critters are for the typically wild critters. This includes Emily’s unnamed parrot, Elliott’s pocket crab, Leo’s parrot friends, Sebastian’s frogs, and uncooked fish.

Events:

Works depicting heart events, the giving of a bouquet, or weddings with a bachelor(ette) fall under #heart events.

Cutscenes not necessarily connected with a romantic interest (e.g. Community Center restoration) fall under #cutscenes.

Works set during a festival fall under #festivals.

Works set before a farmer character appears in Pelican Town fall under #flashbacks.

(WIP) Works set with characters older than as they first appear when a farmer character appears are tagged #post canon.

Backgrounds: (TO BE THOROUGHLY REVAMPED)

Many works have varied detail in the backgrounds and/or props/accessories. These will fall under two all-encompassing tags, as described in the next bullet points. When there are no characters in the work, the work will also be tagged #just scenery.

When there is enough detail to give away the setting, select either #indoors or #outdoors, according to which fits best with the work. The sub-tags can fall into either category.

1. Sub-tags commonly under #indoors include #farmhouse, #villager homes, #stardrop saloon, #community center, #library museum, #movie theater, #clinic, #spa, #sewers.

2. Sub-tags commonly under #outdoors include #ranch, #beach, #town square, #mines, #mountains, #zuzu city, #calico desert, #skull cavern, #ginger island.

Stuff previously under #cindersap forest may need to be further sub-categorized.

Very detailed backgrounds will be further made distinct with the tag #?????

This what the previous tags used to indicate:

Works with great background detail fall under #backgrounds.

Works with a general outdoorsy background falls under the tag #outdoor scenery.

Works with a specific setting or including props specific to a setting (e.g. Stardrop Saloon’s pool table) will be tagged by its setting. (Not all of these will fall under the #backgrounds tag.) Current tags include #cindersap forest and #library or museum. I will likely add these ones as well as I share more works that take place there: #blacksmithy, #secret woods (includes the wizard’s tower).

[runawayface]

Fic - Regency Era Harvey

Word Count: 1,769

Summary: Doctor Harvey Higgins has been pining for Miss May Reed for nearly a year. When a ball is announced, will Harvey have the courage to ask the object of his affection to accompany him?

Notes: Regency Era AU. This is a prompt from @themerrypanda. Please note that I've NEVER written Regency era and I don't really read much of it either, so odds are this probably isn't super spot on Jane Austen-esque stuff here. But, I had fun with it anyway. Enjoy!

Miss May Reed had only moved to town not even a season ago and already, Doctor Harvey Higgins was smitten. His interest in her was instant, her enchanting smile and vibrant eyes struck his heart like lightning the moment he laid eyes upon her. She had visited his clinic to introduce herself, rendering Harvey speechless with her grace and eloquence. Harvey had not expected her to be so captivating. Already he regretted his harsh judgement before meeting her, he had assumed that the granddaughter of a farmer would not be as well spoken or charming as May turned out to be. Regrettably, he was not quite as charming and certainly not as eloquent. He had barely been able to utter an acceptable greeting and force a few stuttered pleasantries. Whether or not Miss May caught on to his flustered state was nothing he could glean from her reaction. She was either incredibly kind or exceptionally deceitful. For Harvey’s sake, he hoped for the former.

As weeks turned to months, Harvey found himself pining silently over Miss May. Every encounter he’d had with her since their first was just as exhilarating and each time, he fell deeper in love with her. It wasn’t often that Harvey had the pleasure of Miss May’s company, he typically only saw her at social gatherings or the rare occasion she was in need of his medical expertise. Each moment in her presence was a treasure, each memory of her filled him with hope that someday, he could muster up the courage to court her. Yet as the seasons marched on, Harvey had no more nerve to pursue Miss May than he had the day she came into his life. All hope seemed lost until the day Mayor Lewis announced an upcoming ball to be held on the last day of the season in celebration of the new year. There would be no more perfect an opportunity than this to express his affection for Miss May and ask her to accompany him to the ball. He only had to hope he would be faster than the other eligible bachelors in town who surely had similar plans. He also had to hope that May would find his nervous, shy demeanor endearing rather than pathetic.

The day after the announcement for the ball was made, Harvey plucked up as much courage as he could, which was admittedly very little, and purchased a bouquet from the local florist. It was customary in the valley to present the token of one’s affection with a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of romantic intent. Harvey was never one to ignore tradition. With a beautiful bouquet of flowers in-hand, Harvey strode down the path to Runaway Farm with a sense of purpose. By the time Harvey returned, Miss May would know of his feelings for her for better or for worse.

The snow-covered fields of Runaway Farm looked calm and serene, a cruel mockery of the storm brewing within Harvey’s mind. Each step he took toward Runaway Farm brought him more doubt and uncertainty and by the time he approached the first step of Miss May’s quaint farmhouse, he had begun to feel light-headed. He swooned on the spot, wondering if perhaps he was too unwell to go any further. Other than a short trail of footprints in the snow, there was no other sign that he had been here. Miss May need never know what he had been about to do. Just as Harvey turned to retreat, he heard the creak of the front door and saw Miss May’s silhouette in the doorframe, bundled in a thick shawl against the harsh winter chill. Even now he could have saved face if it weren’t for the bouquet of flowers that he wouldn’t possibly be able to explain away. Were it not for damned tradition, he could have attempted to give May the impression he was here for a social call. Yet the moment May’s eyes fell upon the arrangement in his grasp, her eyes widened and Harvey’s heart raced. His light-headedness hit once more and he could feel himself stumbling backwards in a foggy haze.

“D-Doctor Higgins?” May asked in a panic, stepping forward from the warmth of her farmhouse to meet him at the foot of the stairs.

The sight of May’s worried face, somehow still as beautiful as ever even when lined with concern, was the last thing Harvey remembered seeing before fainting.

Harvey awoke in a daze, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the low light of the flickering candles in the room. His surroundings were unfamiliar, the feel of the sofa beneath him was unfamiliar, but when his eyes turned to meet May’s, they were certainly something familiar. He’d seen those eyes dozens of times in his dreams. They were a welcome source of comfort in what was otherwise a confusing and rather embarrassing moment. Why he was laid down in what he could only assume was May’s farmhouse, he could not say.

“Wh-Why am I-” Harvey stammered, but Miss May held a finger delicately to his lips. Harvey’s spine quivered at her gentle touch.

“You need rest,” May uttered quietly. “You took a fall, but the snow on the ground appears to have cushioned your fall.”

It all came back to Harvey as Miss May explained what had happened. A wave of dread washed over him and he felt immediately mortified by the whole ordeal. Any hopes he had of making a good impression with May, of impressing her with whatever charm or wit he could muster, were dashed. There was certainly no way she would ever find him suitable if his first attempt at courting her ended with him fainting at her doorstep. As Harvey lamented his poor fortune and the loss of his only chance to be with May, he realized that his feet had been propped up with a stack of cushions; elevated to just above the level of his heart. It was enough of a distraction to pull Harvey’s thoughts temporarily from his misfortune as he looked down at the position of his feet in a mix of confusion and fascination. Typically only those who worked in medicine knew that this was the proper response to care for someone who has fainted.

“My feet,” Harvey pointed out, gesturing to the stack of pillows that his feet rested upon. “How did you know?”

“My father was a doctor,” May answered. “With how many patients I’ve seen laid out in our home, I picked up a thing or two.”

“Miss May, you are extraordinary,” Harvey uttered in utmost reverence.

“You find me extraordinary?” May asked, smiling at Harvey with a cheeky raise of her eyebrow. “Is that why you brought a bouquet of flowers to my doorstep? Surely you didn’t come all this way to ask my opinion on them.”

“It would almost be easier if I had,” Harvey replied nervously. “But your intuition is once again spot on. Yes, I brought a bouquet of flowers… for you. If you’ll have them.”

“I’ll certainly have them,” May replied, gesturing to the bouquet of flowers which were already placed lovingly into a vase of water. “The question is whether I’ll accept their deeper meaning, their true purpose, your reason for bringing them to me in the first place.”

Though May was still relatively new in town, Harvey knew by the way she spoke that she was most certainly familiar with the valley’s tradition surrounding bouquets. Her tone was so neutral, so enigmatic that Harvey couldn’t be sure if she was flattered by his offering or appalled. Her mysterious smile was of no help either. But if Harvey was going to ask her to the ball properly, he would certainly not do so laying down. He moved his feet off of the pile of cushions and swung them down, sitting himself upright upon the sofa.

“I was wondering if you, well, rather I was hoping you would…” Harvey stammered, his throat becoming dry being so close to the fire roaring in the fireplace. Though it was the middle of winter, he suddenly felt very warm.

“I won’t give a proper answer until I’ve heard a proper question,” May remarked, her eyebrow still raised, cheeky as ever.

“Miss May… I was hoping you would do me the honor and privilege of allowing me to escort you to the ball,” Harvey finally blurted out.

“I would be delighted to,” May replied, luckily saving Harvey any further anguish by answering right away. “What woman wouldn’t want to attend the ball on the arm of such an esteemed physician.”

“You’re quite the physician yourself,” Harvey remarked.

“Then we make an excellent pair,” May replied.

“I should return to the clinic,” Harvey sighed, already rising from the sofa with a heavy heart. Though he hadn’t even left May, he already missed her. “Not only should a doctor not be far from his post, but I fear what rumors may fly if it is discovered that I was alone with you in your home.”

“You may tell them I’ve been feeling faint,” May answered. Harvey admired her quick wit and enchanting charm.

“I shall have to remember that,” Harvey replied. “Miss May, I do hope that I’m not being too forward, but… it will be a pleasure escorting you to the ball.” Harvey reached forward and took May’s hand in his, planting a soft, delicate kiss at the back of her dainty hand. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

When Harvey released May’s hand, he caught on to the slightest tinge of pink in her cheeks. Though the temperature inside of the farmhouse was cozy, Harvey suspected that the flush of her cheeks was in response to the kiss he graced the back of her hand with. Or at the very least that’s what he hoped.

“Do try to stay warm outside, Doctor Higgins,” May remarked as she escorted Harvey to the door of her farmhouse.

“Thoughts of you will keep me plenty warm,” Harvey replied. “Until I see you again, Miss May.”

Harvey bowed respectfully to May before turning on his heels and stepping out into the frigid air outside of the warm home he had left. Yet the drastic change in temperature was hardly felt by Harvey as he trudged across the snow covered field back to the cobblestone path that led into town. What he had said to Miss May was true, just the thought that he would be escorting her to the ball was enough to warm him to his very core even in the harshest of conditions.

[phytocondria]

Ah yes, a good line @purpleandgreen13. Hmm, how about I join you with something from one of my angstier chapters?

Harvey moved his palm to his forehead as he tapped it against his head, forcing more words to fall from his mind onto his tongue. ”No one’s hurt... everyone’s safe, we’re all safe.” She was safe. He knew the dream wasn’t real, why had he bothered calling her this late? Because he was scared? Of what, a garden springing out from her chest? 

And how about I see if @themerrypanda has a favourite line they'd like to share?

WIP (it good)

"Post a line from your WIP and tag as many people as there are words in the line as you want."

Oh no I have been tagged by @coolcoolglasses! Thankfully it's a catch and release program. Since that is the case, I tag @purpleandgreen13 because I feel like it.

Have a lil' som-somethin' from the next chapter of Scenes From A Pelican Town Restaurant

He frowned indignantly at his wine glass that, despite his best psychokinetic endeavors, remained un-sipped. He gave up and sipped with his mouth like some common buffoon.

I'm having far too much fun writing this, I'm cackling all the way to wherever it is I'm going.

[nikibogwater]

*takes a second to appreciate @themerrypanda​ ‘cause they’re nice and I like them*

[themerrypanda]

Word Count: 1,851

Summary: A retelling and extension of the Azure Moon scene after the post-timeskip Battle of the Eagle and Lion at Gronder Field, when Byleth stops Dimitri from going to Enbarr.

Author’s Note: I wanted to juxtapose this scene with when Dimitri consoled Byleth after Jeralt died.

The Kingdom Army found a series of abandoned stables to rest for the night. Voices were hushed. They may have won the battle today, but they lost one of their most important leaders: Lord Rodrigue Fraldarius.

It was almost Dimitri, Byleth recalled. She watched when Edelgard retreated, when the recently recruited maiden stabbed Dimitri in the back. Before Rodrigue stepped in, Dimitri seemed willing to let her, like he was more than ready to die. Byleth finished off the maiden and carried her corpse away, but felt her heart breaking for Dimitri as yet another loved one passed away in his arms, the memory of her own father’s passing stinging at her heart once more. She was sorry she couldn’t save either of them. At least this new experience showed her that Dimitri still cared deeply about those around him after all.

Byleth wouldn’t let anyone else know this, but he frightened her. He hasn’t been the same since they discovered the Flame Emperor’s identity as Edelgard von Hresvelg, his stepsister and childhood friend, six months – no, five years ago now. The years she was unconscious and disappeared after the Battle of the Mountains at Garreg Mach didn’t help anyone either. She didn’t know it could be so relieving to find Dimitri again after that time, but also so gut-wrenching to see what he had become since: a man without a heart, the humble student and dear friend she once knew practically dead. Dormant, she told herself, that faint glimmer of hope motivating her to keep moving as she stuck by his side since she found him. Others, Lord Rodrigue included, also patiently waited for that Dimitri to return.

Byleth couldn’t sleep, which ended up being for the better. Late in the night, she heard someone get up from a bedroll and leave the stables. Swiftly and silently, she climbed out of her bedroll and scanned over the area. Dimitri was nowhere in sight.

If this was before the incident, Byleth would have just let him be, giving him time to ponder and grieve. Not now. Now he acted rashly, and she wouldn’t put it past him to try to sneak away from everyone to meet his only goal of killing Edelgard.

Her hunch was right. Byleth stole away into the drizzling evening rain, and spotted Dimitri heading south. Usually she would let the prince pray and wander as he pleased, but this time, she could see in his walk that he had a mission in mind he intended to fulfill. She decided then that she was willing to defy the king-to-be and fight and drag him back to Garreg Mach Monastery herself if needs be. She didn’t hesitate to race in front of him and stop him in his tracks.

Dimitri glared at her. “What do you want?” he growled.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Where are you going?”

“It doesn’t concern you.” He attempted to step around her.

Byleth quickly stepped back in front of Dimitri and faced him, craning her neck so she could look up at him. “Yes, it does.”

“Get out of my way. Now.”

“You’re going to Enbarr, aren’t you?”

Dimitri said nothing, which told her everything.

“Do you really think that will appease the dead?”

“Silence!” He raised his voice, but Byleth did not flinch. Although he would frequently snap at her and others this way, she learned that he would not hurt them. He had that shred of humanity remaining in him. There had to be a way to find the rest of him. All she knew she could do for the time being was wait until he was ready to shed the beast he had become.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. Death is the end. No matter how much lingering regret a person has, after death, they are powerless. They cannot even wish for revenge, much less seek it out. Hatred. Regret. Those burdens fall on the shoulders of those who are left behind.”

Dimitri stopped to look more closely at Byleth. She said nothing, but instead looked into his eye. Those kind eyes that once mesmerized him seemed only to be filled with concern and pity now, and he despised it.

“And so I must continue down this path!” he continued. “I already told you as much! It is far too late to stop.”

“You’re wrong.” Byleth whispered. Dimitri wouldn’t risk letting her continue.

“Do not waste your breath with some nonsense about how I should move on with my life for their sake. That is merely the logic of the living. It’s meaningless. Those who died with lingering regret… they will not loose their hold on me so easily.”

Dimitri breathed deeply, then turned away and looked up to the clouded heavens. Byleth observed his voice gradually wavering from its usual fury from the past few moons, more so tonight than before, and became cautiously optimistic for him. His soul was like a broken bone that didn’t set properly; the bone needed to be broken again before it could be correctly set and finally heal fully. But first he needed to allow the bone to break once more, which has come to be difficult after five years of disrepair. It was unfortunate that the rebreaking came at the expense of Lord Rodrigue’s life.

“But you seem to have all the answers…” Dimitri muttered. “So tell me, Professor. Byleth. Please, tell me… how do I silence their desperate pleas? How do I… how do I save them? Ever since that day nine years ago… I have lived only to avenge the fallen. Even my time at the Officers Academy was all so that I could secure my revenge and clear away the regret of the dead. It was the only thing that kept me alive… my only reason to keep moving forward…”

Dimitri was on the verge of tears. Byleth now breathed deeply. The prince was finally ready to listen, finally prepared to shed the needless guilt of surviving the Tragedy of Duscur and the sorrow of slaughtering countless people. She chose her next words carefully, reflecting on her time as a mercenary as she selected the advice that best suited Dimitri’s situation.

“You must forgive yourself.”

“Hmph.” He scoffed at first before letting her words sink in. Then then realized: without nine years of the voices of the dead commanding his every move, who was he? Who could he be beyond a beast? “But then who – or what – should I live for?”

“You. Live for what you believe in.”

“What I believe in…” Dimitri repeated. “Rodrigue said the same thing. But is it possible…?” A single tear streamed down his cheek. “I am a murderous monster. My hands are stained red. Could one such as I truly hope for such a life? As the sole survivor of that day, do I… do I have the right to live for myself?”

“Of course you do.” Byleth whispered again. She left it at that, deciding against risking making the argument on why one doesn’t owe their life to the deceased. Dimitri would be better off figuring this out on his own rather than having someone try to explain it to him yet again. He would be more inclined to believe it this way.

The rain began to pour more heavily. Byleth extended a hand to him. “Here. Let’s get out of the rain.”

Dimitri simply stared at her hand for a long moment. Finally, he accepted it. The two walked under the awning of a stall exposed to the outside and sat on a meager pile of hay. They looked over the strangely peaceful grassy Fódlan countryside, the fall of rain being the only sound to pierce the silence.

“Professor…” he finally spoke, “Byleth, what do you live for?”

Byleth opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“I… I don’t know.” She finally replied. It had been too long since she was asked such a deeply personal question, since her father Jeralt was killed. Just before the war, Lady Rhea didn’t hesitate to give her next-in-command over the Church of Seiros, even though Byleth herself was barely acquainted with the religion, and since Rhea was not to be found, the knights of the Church looked to her for direction. She wasn’t given the opportunity to really think about what she wanted.

“Then why did you return to Garreg Mach? Why do you fight with the Kingdom Army?”

Byleth pondered for a long minute. “Because I have nowhere else to go.” She concluded. “My mercenary group disbanded when Father and I accompanied you and the others to the monastery, six years ago. I have no other family. The only hired work I could find now if I wanted to resume mercenary work would be fighting on someone’s side of this war. I might as well fight beside people I know and care about, friends I want to protect.” She laughed softly. “Heh, I guess the Blue Lion House is my new mercenary band.”

She glanced up to meet his eye. For the first time since the incident, she could see the faintest smile tug at the corner of his mouth, but only for a moment. The image warmed Byleth. Was this how Dimitri felt when he first saw her smile, all those years ago?

“Dimitri… please don’t leave tonight. If tomorrow you’ve decided you still want to go to Enbarr, then let me come with you. We can leave everyone else behind if that’s what you want.” Byleth reflected on Dimitri’s words of counsel when she grieved her father’s death. “No matter what happens or what anyone may say, know that I plan to stand by you. Through anything. Until the bitter end.”

He didn’t respond, not at first, anyway. “Thank you. Your words have given me much to think about. For you, I’ll stay.”

Byleth sighed deeply in relief. She reached for Dimitri’s hands, daring to hold them in hers. His hands were large, and cool to the touch. “Thank you.”

Dimitri glanced down to their hands. “Your hands are so warm. Have they always been?” he inquired.

Byleth shrugged. Keeping her hands warm is a subconscious habit she has grown very used to by now.

They simply sat quietly beside each other for some time, watching the rain pour until moonbeams finally parted the sky and eventually returning to their bedrolls when they finally felt tired enough to let sleep take them. Neither got much rest, but they each slept better than they’ve had in weeks.

For her whole life, Byleth slept flat on her back, facing the ceiling. Since that night, however, she would tilt her head to the side. Until the end of the war, she would say it was purely coincidence that her head would tilt towards Dimitri’s direction.

Dimitri was also a back sleeper. Usually his arms would rest close to his sides. Since that night, an arm would extend slightly. It was purely coincidence that it seemed as if he was reaching for his beloved professor and friend.

[themerrypanda]

First time fanfiction writer here.

Here’s a take on Alex’s 10 Heart Event, but with the kiss. All the other bachelors get a kiss, so why not he?

AO3 link in the title.

Title: Dinner Date

Word Count: 1,818

Notes: I have more of a backstory planned for farmer Sara. For this snippet of a story, it suffices to say that before moving to Stardew Valley, she had a boyfriend who she dumped when she realized he was cheating on her. (She reveals this to Alex some time before their dinner date.) When she moved to Pelican Town, Sara and Alex didn’t get along well at first because he reminded her of the ex in some ways. She learns to look past his conceited act and they become friends.

That morning, Sara found a letter with, well, ordinary, handwriting in her mailbox. Neither the message nor its sender, however, were ordinary to her.

Sara,

Meet me at the saloon tonight after dark.

~ Alex

Hmm. Interesting. She tried not to think too much of it. After the usual farm chores, she grabbed her fishing rod and decided to fish for salmon by Haley and Emily’s house.

It was afternoon when Emily left her home for work. “Hi Sara!”

“Hey Emily! How are you today?”

“I'm feeling great! How about you? Are you excited about your dinner date tonight?”

“A date?” Sara was confused.

“With Alex?” Emily pressed.

Oh, that must be what he meant by his letter! “Oh yeah. Sorry, my mind has been wandering a lot more than usual today.”

“Do you have any requests for dinner? Steak? Linguine with mushroom cream sauce?”

“What do you have for salads?” Sara suddenly felt queasy, a jittery feeling in her stomach that she recognized would limit how much she would usually eat.

“Kale and walnut is the special today.”

“How about that? That sounds good.”

“Great!” Emily gleefully turned towards the saloon. “I’ll see you tonight!”

Sara waved. “See ya.”

When Emily was out of sight, Sara exhaled deeply. It wasn’t actually going to be a date, was it? Perhaps he just wanted to follow through on an old idea of sitting down for dinner and talking about philosophy. Regardless, Sara felt extremely nervous. It had been too long since she was in a real relationship, and wasn’t sure anymore if she could tell that a given relationship is right. If Alex asked, would she pursue a genuine courtship? What if he “dumped” her instead, forever ending their friendship? For some reason she didn’t quite understand yet, the latter sounded worse.

Finally, the sun touched the horizon. Sara took her haul back to her home and placed the fish in the shipping box. She quickly showered, and dried her hair even more rapidly with the aid of a towel and hair-dryer. She opted to let her hair fall to her waist rather than tying it up into her usual messy bun. After a touch of makeup (and a hint of perfume before she realized she applied it on herself), she followed the streetlights and made her way towards the saloon.

Stay calm, Sara, she reminded herself as she walked. It might not even be anything serious at all. Just a friendly dinner.

She paused outside the door, took a deep breath, then entered the Stardrop Saloon.

~

Alex sat at a table beside the saloon door. He wore his usual attire: his varsity jacket over his Prussian blue V-neck, faded jeans and white sneakers, but today he made sure that the clothes smelled freshly cleaned and appeared as wrinkle-free as possible, with the aid of his Granny of course. His hair was gelled, not nearly as much as he used to gel it up, but enough so that his fine, spiky hairstyle looked neat rather than messy.

Alex nervously drummed his fingers against the table. I should have given her a time, he thought. What if she doesn’t come? Did I tell her that there would be dinner? What if she already ate? He started to regret not spending as much time on the letter he sent as he should have.

He suddenly rose to his feet when he heard the door open. He was relieved, then nervous all over again when Sara appeared.

“Hi, Alex.”

“Hey.”

“So… dinner?”

Alex blinked and recovered. “Yeah, this way.”

Alex led her into a back room with a table and two chairs, where Gus played a violin. Sara felt her face flushing. It was a date, she realized. Alex pulled out a chair for her, and pushed it in as she sat down. He then sat across from her. Sara avoided eye contact with him, opting instead to look at Gus while he played. All too soon, his song ended.

“Thanks, Gus. That was great.”

Gus nodded and departed with his violin.

Sara darted her eyes, looking around the room. There were a few potted plants that gave the room a more serene feel. Alex noticed her eyes, and tried to follow whatever she looked at.

“This is nice…” he finally commented. “I’ve never dined in here before.”

“It is a cozy room.” Sara replied. The room fell unnervingly quiet.

“Um, anyway…” Alex tried to diffuse the quiet tension. “I reserved this private room so we could talk.”

“About phi-lo-so-phy, is it?”

The two laughed softly. Emily then came in with two plates of food, placing them down in front of each Sara and Alex.

“I’ve got a kale and walnut salad for the lady, and a grilled steak for the gentleman.”

“Thanks.” Alex replied. Emily turned on her heel and left the room. Alex exhaled deeply, working up the courage to say what was on his mind.

“So,” he began, “what I wanted to say was…” He gulped. Sara subconsciously also gulped. Alex’s face turned a brilliant shade of red Sara hadn’t seen before. To her surprise, it struck her as handsome.

“When I first met you, I thought you were really cute. Normally, when I have a crush on someone, the feeling goes away pretty quick…” his voice faltered slightly. “…But with you, Sara, it kept growing.”

Well, now she knows. Sara simply sat there, her jaw dropped just a little bit in shock. If he wasn’t so nervous, Alex would have thought it was cute. He waited for her to say something, anything, but over the course of a painfully long fifteen seconds, all she did was shut her mouth again.

Alex hung his head. “I understand if you’re not interested though, especially with someone like me considering your ex-boyfriend…”

“Alex…” Sara started, hoping that the right words would come. “I feel the same way.” She realized as she said this.

Alex perked up, pleasantly confused.

“The first time we met,” Sara continued as she reflected on her memories with Alex, “I also thought you were cute. I had hoped that the crush would go away when I realized how arrogant I thought you were, how much you were like him. But as I’ve gotten to know you better, how different you are in all the right ways, the crush instead grew. It terrified me at first, but now… now, I think I’m okay with it.”

Sara’s blush matched Alex’s. Alex smiled, but not his usual confident grin, but a contented, happy smile. “I can’t believe it took this long to say that to each other.” He gazed adoringly at Sara for about a minute, and she in turn stared deeply into his eyes before he remembered his plate of food. Sara took a bite of her salad, and Alex picked up his fork and knife and cut off a piece of steak.

Gus never fails to make great steak, he discovered once again.

“Mmm… this steak is outstanding. Can you smell that fragrant sauce?”

They heard a tap on the window, and turned to see Dusty’s head. Dusty nudged the window open with his nose, and started to drool and whine.

“I think he can.” Sara quipped.

“Dusty…” before Alex could stop him, Dusty leaped through the window and landed on the table. “NO!”

Sara moved her plate off the table, but Alex wasn’t as fast. The sudden weight of the dog moved the table end in such a way that his plate fell to the floor. Thankfully, the plate didn’t break. The steak, however, made a mess on the floor and wasn’t worth recovering anymore.

“Aw, Dusty…” Alex muttered disappointedly as he held his dog by the collar.

“Here.” Sara walked over, grabbing some napkins. “I’ll clean this. You go chain him back up. I’ll meet you outside.”

“Alright.” Instead of walking out the main entrance, Alex hefted Dusty up and through the high window. “Okay, Dusty, you’re going to have to break your own fall…”

“You could just walk him out of the saloon, you know?”

“Dusty’s already broken into here once, and Gus really wasn’t happy about it then. I don’t want to deal with that again just yet. Besides, he can handle the jump.”

Dusty got through the window, and Alex climbed through behind him. He carefully stumbled to the ground, then took Dusty back to his doghouse. Dusty had managed to pry free of the chain again. He was going to have to get a new chain, he thought.

“Salad?” Sara waved some in the window.

“No thanks, I’m not that hungry.”

“Okay, cool. Me neither.” Sara set the two plates down on the table, hastily scribbled out a vague apology note to Gus, then pushed a chair to the window. She climbed up and realized she wouldn't be able to get down as easily as she thought. “Alex, you got a minute?”

“Yeah, I just finished chaining Dusty back up. Be right there.”

Alex walked over. Sara poked her head and arms through the window and held Alex by his shoulders for support. He held her as she pushed herself through the window and made sure she didn’t fall. Her feet swung towards his shins, but Sara managed to bend her knees and slow her feet so they wouldn’t hurt Alex.

“Thanks.” Sara attempted to let go, but Alex held on, holding her in the air.

“You think I’m going to let you go that easily now that you’re here?” Alex whispered in a deeper voice. He gently set her feet down on the grass anyway and took one hand off her waist, giving her ample space to walk away if she wanted to.

“No, but I’m grateful you did.” Sara winked, then wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned into his chest. She tiptoed to bring her mouth to his ear and whispered, somehow sarcastically as well as seductively. “How can I ever repay you?”

“Well…”

They both nudged their noses together and met in a kiss. It was cut short by Dusty barking at them. Sara giggled as Alex shushed his dog to no avail.

“Follow me.” Alex offered his hand. “He won’t be able to bark at us from behind the abandoned JojaMart.”

Sara happily took his hand. They ran together across the cobblestone bridge, past the JojaMart, and stopped under a tree, far from any artificial light source.

“Geez, Alex. You sure know how to get a girl’s heart racing.” Sara teased when she caught her breath. She faced him and rested her other hand on Alex’s bicep.

Alex grinned wickedly, and in turn pulled her into him, threading his thumb through one of the belt loops on her jeans and resting the palm of his hand on her hip bone. Their lips touched ever so slightly as he whispered, “And you, Sara, are pretty breathtaking yourself.”

[themerrypanda]

Word Count: 915

Summary: Sebastian introduces Maru to a game called Subnautica. She makes the mistake of playing it herself.

“Maru!” Demetrius hollered from the front room. “Your mom and I are going to the farm. She’s building the farmer a shack, and I’m collecting more soil samples. You’ll be okay, right?”

“Of course, Dad!” She replied from the kitchen. “See you tonight. Love you!”

“Love you too!”

The front door shut, and the house fell quiet. Maru munched on her breakfast cereal in peace until she heard another door open, followed by footsteps climbing up wooden stairs from the basement.

Sebastian joined her in the kitchen and poured himself a mug of coffee from what was left that morning after Robin and Demetrius made their own.

“You didn’t have to yell.” He muttered as he sipped his bitter coffee. Maru only shrugged.

“Too lazy to move.” She yawned. “I stayed up all night playing Subnautica.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened, almost impressed with his half-sister. She had visited him in his room last night to ask for some programming tips for a robot she was working on, and she ended up watching him play for half an hour instead. She loved the story idea of a man crash-landing onto a strange planet covered nearly entirely in water, needing to gather supplies and building ships to survive. She especially ogled over the diverse biomes and many colorful fish specimens. He ended up downloading the game onto her computer after opening a website that provided some useful code she could use. The webpage was not looked at again.

“And it hasn’t scared you off yet?”

Maru shook her head. “Sure, the crash fish make me jumpy, but after a while, you just swim the other way until they explode and they become more obnoxious than scary. This morning I finally put together the entire radiation suit.”

“Nice.”

Maru washed her bowl and spoon, and placed them on a drying rack. “And now, to finally explore the Aurora!” she exclaimed triumphantly.

“Can I watch?” Sebastian inquired.

“Uh… sure.” She supposed it made sense that Sebastian would want to watch her for a little bit. After all, it was him letting her watch him play yesterday that persuaded her to give the game a try.

In her room, Sebastian grabbed a stool and sat next to Maru, who pulled up the game on her computer screen. In the distance, an exploded spaceship floated in the ocean.

“What’s over there, anyway?” Maru asked.

“Some useful parts. And Sammy.”

“Sammy?”

“A friendly fish who lives over there. He likes hugs.” He commented nonchalantly.

“Aw, you named a fish after your boyfriend?” She teased.

Sebastian huffed. “Shut up, Maru,” he scoffed. “Besides, that’s what the fanbase calls him. I had nothing to do with the naming of the fish.”

Maru smirked as she boarded her mini-submarine the Seamoth, drove it towards the nose of the Aurora, and then disembarked. Her character dove into the water and towards an unusually shallow and empty sea bed. Maru’s expression transitioned from overconfidence and excitement to that of confusion and concern. There was only sand to be found.

It was now Sebastian’s turn to smirk.

Maru waited a few seconds before opening her mouth. “Is this it?” was what she was going to ask, but before she could, she got her answer. Her character was suddenly forced around, and from the speakers blared an alarming metallic chord, followed by the roar of a giant red and white reaper leviathan with beady pale green eyes and the face of a skull.

“AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!” Her shriek threatened to shatter Sebastian’s eardrums. Within a second, the creature gaped open its menacing jaws, and her character quickly respawned in the home base. Sebastian snickered through his teeth.

Jaw dropped, Maru sat for a minute, her hands paralyzed hovering above the mouse and keyboard, trying to register what happened. “What was that?”

Sebastian began to cackle maniacally. “Why, that’s just Sammy the Safety Reaper!” He wheezed and clutched his sides as he tried and failed to contain his amusement.

“A safety reaper? That thing ate me! You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

Sebastian nodded, grinning sinisterly. “Usually if you’re lucky you get to see him coming for you first.” He took a deep breath before resuming his laughter. “You should have seen your face!”

Maru reached for a pillow from her bed and started smacking him with it. “Get out. I am never playing that game again!”

She shoved him out of her bedroom and shut the door behind her, collapsing on her bed to relieve her stress and terror.

Sebastian couldn’t hide his grin when he walked to the front of the carpenter shop and opened the door for Sam who had been knocking for the last minute.

“About time you showed up. I thought you were going to cancel Solarion–” Sam let himself in, then paused mid-sentence when he saw Sebastian’s smug face. “Dude, you’re grinning like… scary. What did you do?”

“Nothing.” He deadpanned. “Maru watched me play some Subnautica the other day and started playing it.”

Sam mouthed a wide “oh”, then grinned wickedly. “Did she find Sammy?”

“More like he found her.”

Sam chuckled light-heartedly. “Wait till she meets his neighbor Sebastian.”

“Are you sure you two didn’t go naming the leviathans?” Maru asked accusatorially.

“Yeah, Maru.” He frustratedly sighed. “What do you want?”

“Could you��” her voice grew quieter, “let me watch you play through the game some other time? I want to see how the story ends.”

A corner of Sebastian’s mouth picked up.

“Sure.”

[phytocondria]

Thanks for the tag @purpleandgreen13 and sorry mine ended up so sh*tposty xD

Lock screen is a super old fanart of Stocking from Panty and Stocking I've just never changed out. Song is All Men are Pigs from Studio Killers because Spotify said, "this, right?", and Dani Devito (not really) because I send dumb jokes to my partner

@themerrypanda @carpsurprise @clara0228

Rules: Show your Lockscreen, last song you listened to and last photo in your camera roll!

A super cute pic of my little one when she was 2... it's frackin' adorable, y'all, I wish you could see it. 😍And ABBA because I'm old and it's been stuck in my head. XD Aaaand my hamster baby because I love him.

Tagged by @buttonso . Thanks for the tag! ^.^ I tag @coindraws, @purpleandgreen13, and @coolcoolglasses.