#then tried to eat his palm tree instead when i watered it

[fbwzoo]

I'm not thinking about how much money I've spent on this ungrateful asshole over the past two weeks. 💀 Gonna rehome his rude ass.

[ohwaitimthewriter]

Until next time

Pairing: (implied) Caesar x human!reader (bonus point: some platonic Blue Eyes x reader)

Warnings: Fluffy fluff

Requested:

Words: 3.7k+

A/N: I must admit I got carried away on that one! I may have stepped away a little bit, but I hope you will still like it! Enjoy your reading 😁

Masterlist.

It was a day almost like any other. You'd made your way into the woods, following the path that would lead you to the undergrowth you were looking for, to pick some wild berries. You never strayed far from the trail. The area was notorious for traps to catch game, and finding yourself upside down, ankle sheared by a rope hanging from a high tree branch, was not in your top 10 favorite activities.

You weaved in and out of branches and bushes, eyes glued to the ground so as not to lose sight of the trail and risk stepping into a trap. Focusing on your steps, you didn't notice that someone was silently following you.

Soon you reached the part of the forest where several fruit bushes were waiting for you. Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries colored the landscape and were already making your mouth water.

Without wasting any time, you set up your bag at the root of the first bush that seemed to contain enough blueberries and began carefully picking the black berries to slip into your bag.

The blue eyes watching you from the high branches of the tree beside you had gone completely unnoticed, and Blue Eyes, who had followed you throughout your journey, wondered how you managed to survive in an unpredictable world like the one Earth had become.

Unnoticed… At least that's what he thought until you held out your hand to him, palm full of blueberries, as an invitation to share your booty. You still had your eyes glued to the brambles, watching the thorns that were just waiting to scratch your skin and defend themselves against your aggression to reclaim their fruit. Blue Eyes hesitated for a moment, and watched as your second hand slipped a blueberry into your mouth, bringing a slight smile to your lips.

"They're delicious, you should try them." you said casually.

It was only after saying these words that your eyes found his, perched high above your head. Your kind smile encouraged him to move and get down low enough to grab the berries you were offering him. His calloused skin was a striking contrast to yours, softer and more delicate, and your smile widened even more when he agreed to eat a few blueberries.

"Have you been here for a long time?" you asked.

You took your time analyzing the signs that Blue Eyes took care to detail slowly to make it easier for you to understand. Sign language wasn't your forte, but with time, you were getting better and better at deciphering the meaning of each sign.

"'Since the trail." And before you could reply, he continued. "Not careful."

These last words sounded strangely like a scold, which drew a teasing chuckle from you.

" Yet I finally noticed you." You tried to tease him, but the speed with which he signed his reply, looking serious, made you feel as if you were being lectured like a child.

"Anyone else and you'd have been attacked before you knew it."

Somehow, you knew he was right. But it wasn't as if you let your guard down in any part of the forest. You knew exactly what territory you were in, and had for a long time been allowed to venture in when you needed to. An advantage you'd gained when you'd been shot in the shoulder instead of the owner of that part of the forest.

At this memory, your hand wandered mindlessly to your shoulder where a scar had found its place. At times, you still had a vague sensation of the pain that had pierced you when the bullet hit.

Back then, the idea of taking a bullet for an ape would have seemed completely mind-boggling, but you couldn't forget the day Caesar stood between you and a bear.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

Spring had only just brought the first flowers into bloom when you ventured down to the river to catch a few fish for your group. The sun had graciously licked your skin and its warmth spread like a wave through your body, while the river, into which you had sunk your ankles in motionless anticipation of a fish, sent the chill of the winter that had just died away down your legs. The battle of the sun against the river made you shiver from head to toe, but you couldn't move a muscle, your eyes locked on the water, on the alert, ready to bring down your spear at the first movement of a fish that came a little too close.

You'd already caught five. You were particularly known in your group for your patience, which made your task much easier when it came to fishing or tracking an animal. You knew how to wait, and that's why fishing had become your specialty.

Eight fish.

Eight fish was the ideal amount to get back to camp. With eight fish, everyone could eat their fill, so you wouldn't budge from that river until your bag had eight fish in it.

But then, because you were so focused on one task, you didn't hear it coming. The branch snapped. The muffled growl. The guttural breath hitting the air. Your body was so focused on not moving, on almost holding your breath so as not to create any water movement that would scare the fish, that you hadn't even noticed the brown bear that had just appeared on the other bank.

The bear, on the other hand, had seen you. It had smelled the fish and seen an enemy in its river.

You hadn't reacted until it was too late, even with the heavy, lively splash of the water under the bear's huge paws as it crossed the river, and you'd barely had time to look up at the animal before it sent you waltzing through the air with a swipe of its paw.

You landed heavily on the pebbles lining the river and a sharp pain slammed into your back and you gritted your teeth, holding back a groan. You pulled on your arms to get up, but you lost your balance and the bear was already standing on its hind legs, towering over you like a giant. You could already see your life ending between his fangs, which it blithely showed you.

The incessant growls of anger were terrifying you, and even though you wished with all your being to flee, your muscles seemed to freeze, paralyzed by the fear gnawing at your stomach. It was the end, you were sure of it, and just as the bear was about to bring its heavy paw down on you, you saw only a massive shadow being struck and thrown further away from you.

It took you a few seconds to see clearly what it was.

An ape. A chimpanzee, if you wanted to be exact.

Your blood ran cold. You were definitely going to die if you didn't get out of here.

The second you forced yourself to your feet, your spine screamed in pain, sending an electric wave through every one of your limbs, and you could only end up on your knees.

In front of you, the chimp stood upright - his torso puffed out, making him look even more massive than he already was. His hoarse snarl challenged the bear, and the ape's fangs appeared to be deadly with the power with which he held on. His green eyes glared at the animal in front of him, silently beckoning it to approach.

The bear turned away from you bluntly at the chimpanzee's threatening challenge, and you seized the opportunity before it was too late. You swallowed the pain and ran.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

If he hadn't stepped in, you wouldn't have been standing there being lectured by his son while you picked berries. Taking a bullet was only fair compensation.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

It all happened in a fraction of a second. Screams, gunfire, screams and bodies, apes and humans alike, running from all sides to catch, flee or fight. It was impossible to say exactly how it had started, or who had started it. All you could see in front of your eyes was chaos. Buildings ablaze, smoke filling your lungs and the barely-there shadows of night making it hard to navigate the besieged city.

The apes were pushing humans into cages, and somewhere, deep down inside, you found a form of ironic poetry in this: maybe humans really only deserved to live in cages. But hidden behind a car, you didn't have time to think more deeply about this question. You had to get to safety.

And safety you found in part, sneaking into the city's underground. There you found Dreyfus and two other men whose names escaped you. They had a plan. A plan to blow up the city tower and kill as many of the apes inside as possible. You didn't know if it was a good plan or a bad one, but at least it was a plan to stop the chaos.

But maybe there was another way.

You lost your security again within moments. A group of apes had just entered the underground, and the guns were already pointed at them.

It took you only a second, a tiny second, to recognize the green eyes that had saved your life a few weeks ago. A gaze so powerful it could pierce your soul effortlessly.

You'd been thinking about that moment for a long time. How this ape had thrown himself in front of you to take that paw for you. And if you hadn't stayed to see the outcome of the confrontation that day, far too frightened of the inevitable fate hovering over your head, you had quickly concluded that without his help, intended or not, the bear would have killed you.

His gaze fell on you, and the step he took towards you gave you the feeling that he, too, had recognized you.

Unfortunately, it was a step too far. For him, and possibly even more so for you.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

Sometimes you thought the universe had a certain sense of humor. An ape saving a human's life, a human saving an ape's life, while the two species were engaged in a bloody war that never seemed to end. It could have ended there. But it didn't. For some reason that still baffles you today, your path always seems to cross the one of Caesar and his sons.

You remembered the time when his youngest son almost got trampled by a horse because the young one thought it was more fun to climb on his back using the horse's tail. Of course, the horse didn't appreciate it, and the stampede began before you could catch Cornelius, who had fallen between the horse's four legs. You had inherited a hoof kick in the knee, but had managed to pull Cornelius out of the unintentional chaos.

From then on, whenever Caesar or Blue Eyes carried Cornelius with them, he always ended up climbing to the top of your head, tangling his little hands and feet in your hair to make sure no one came to take him away from you.

You'd also noticed that Blue Eyes was crossing your path more often since you'd protected his little brother.

You picked a new blueberry and handed it to Blue Eyes, who still looked angry, a silent apology for your lack of cautiousness.

"I promise, next time I'll be more careful."

Blue Eyes seemed to consider the issue for a moment, then accepted your berry, the features of his face softening.

"Will you help me?" you offered, and without a word, he found himself crouching beside you, digging his hands into the brambles.

You didn't leave until the end of the day. After filling your bag with berries, Blue Eyes suggested you join him to check out the various traps in the area, in the hope of finding a rabbit or a pheasant. With him by your side to show you the secure paths, you weren't risking much.

When you parted, he even made sure to take you back to the trail you were familiar with, to make sure nothing happened to you.

"Say hi to your father." you signed clumsily. "He is already aware." Blue Eyes had answered, oblivious to the fact it was a simple, very human politeness. "It's why I came."

Of course he was aware you were here. Traps weren't just for game. They also served as defensive barriers against humans who were a little too reckless, leaving only a few secure paths like the one you used every day. It was simpler to keep a constant watch on targeted paths than to wander over several hectares. An ape must have seen you coming.

"Be careful. Stay on the track." Blue Eyes put his words into motion before disappearing between the high branches of the trees.

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

You went on your way as the sun followed its descending line towards the horizon. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you cursed yourself for having accepted Blue Eyes' offer to accompany him: you might end up having to walk the rest of the way in semi-darkness, if not complete darkness, if you didn't hurry.

A lump of anxiety crept into the pit of your stomach at the thought of finding yourself in complete darkness in the middle of the forest. You considered trotting to the edge of the woods, but the path you were taking was nothing more than an old doe and deer trail, offering only a narrow space between the vegetation. You could easily get your feet caught in a root or trip over one of the stones littering the ground. Even so, you quickened your pace to avoid being caught in the dark when you came face to face with a boar digging in the earth to feed on the insects and mushrooms hidden beneath.

You blinked several times, stunned to come across this naturally large animal. It didn't seem to have noticed you yet.

A good news.

Boars were notoriously unstable and territorial, and despite their size, the short tusks around their snouts were sharp enough to do some serious damage.

You took a few steps back, trying as best you could not to snap a branch or roll a stone that would draw its attention to you.

How were you going to avoid it?

Bypassing it was still a possibility, but that would mean venturing into the undergrowth with a heightened risk of walking into a trap.

You observed the boar. If it had made it this far, then the path it had taken was secure enough, and being, on principle, no dumber than a boar, if you watched carefully where you were stepping, you'd certainly be able to get around it without it seeing you, and then calmly get back on the trail.

You tried to convince yourself of this, but what really pushed you off the path was when the boar raised its head towards you, letting out a muffled groan as if you'd just bothered it.

You automatically raised your hands in front of it, took another step backwards and took a second step to your right.

"Okay, okay. Easy, buddy." You said rather to comfort yourself than to calm the animal in front of you, who had just huffed in annoyance.

The leaves crunched beneath your feet as you slowly sank into the vegetation. The boar followed your movements, always making sure he was facing you. It jerked its head forward, a warning signal that it was not playing around. You didn't let it out of your sight and started to move back again, a few more steps to add even more distance, but you had suddenly come to a halt.

You didn't dare look back, lest the animal in front of you decide to charge you, but the intense hovering presence you felt running up and down your spine wasn't making it easy. Your breath remained stuck in the back of your throat, and you knew that one more step and your back would come into contact with the creature, which clearly had no notion of personal space.

"Stop moving."

The gruff in the voice behind you allowed you to breathe again. His voice was a melody you now knew by heart, and a sense of deep relief swept away the anguish that had seeped viciously into your every pore. At least, until with a simple pressure of the back of his hand against the small of your back, he forced you to take a step forward, following in your footsteps.

"Stepping back only show weakness." His voice sounded as a command.

The boar slammed his paw into the ground, letting out a menacing growl that was just as soon greeted by a deep rumble that you could feel echoing through Caesar's proudly puffed chest.

You knew Caesar wasn't the type to act without thinking, and you'd surely have been frightened if you weren't confident that whatever this boar decided to do, he'd be there to fend it off.

When the animal showed a slight hesitation, Caesar once again urged you forward, and although you wanted to dig your heels into the ground to prevent yourself from moving, your blind trust in Caesar drove you to respond to his request. As you took each step forward, you heard Caesar curl his lips and bravely display his canines in a muffled growl.

You breathed a sigh of relief as the wild boar sped away, having lost the territorial game that Caesar had almost certainly won the second he stepped out from behind you.

Caesar found himself on all fours, a little entertained to see you suddenly crouch down, letting the stress you'd accumulated escape through a deep sigh that you held in spite of everything in your hands against your mouth.

Although he always kept that serious, almost grumpy look on his face, at this precise moment, you could see in the depths of his green irises that he had been having fun during this short encounter.

"I was right."

You looked at his hands signing with pride. Of course he was right, but sometimes you wondered if he wasn't forgetting that, as a human, you didn't have all the intimidating attributes of an ape. You gave him a slanted glance before laughing as your nerves released the pressure.

"Why is it always you when something like this happens?" You joked, catching the breath you'd been missing during this whole little game. "Trouble always gets in your way." Caesar replied bluntly in a couple of signs.

You scoffed at that. 

Caesar stood bi-pedal again, and you accepted without a second thought the hand he held out to you to help you up. Caesar admired the fragility of your skin as he felt your fingers slide into the palm of his hand. Come to think of it, it wasn't all that surprising to see you constantly taking the utmost care with everything around you, wary of the slightest thorn that might come along and scratch your skin. He knew that if he squeezed your hand even a little too hard, he could leave bluish marks.

Leave marks. His marks. On your body.

The idea suddenly didn't seem so bad to him, his tongue rasping the tips of his canines, imagining for a brief moment them coming to grip your skin to remind everyone that he'd be there no matter what, like a protective shadow.

But he buried the thought deep inside when you got back to the safety of the path you walked almost every day. So often, in fact, that sometimes Caesar could still smell you where your body had brushed against the vegetation.

With this unforeseen event, the sun had almost completed its course across the sky, leaving only a faint glow to allow you to navigate between the trees and bushes. You were somewhat comforted to hear Caesar following in your footsteps. He had a much better nightsight and you regained some confidence in directing your steps along the trail, knowing that he was there to put you back on the right path if needed.

"Thanks."

It was the only thing you felt appropriate to say in the comfortable silence that had settled between you.

One more thing you enjoyed with Caesar. Silences. You didn't need to talk for the sake of talking in order to fill the silences that humans hated so much. And that's what made Caesar's words all the more important. When he spoke, you knew he was speaking to be heard.

As you both neared the end of the trail, his hoarse voice broke the silence once again.

"Until next time."

Caesar could see a smile stretch across your lips.

"If I keep track, it'll be my turn to get you out of trouble." You laughed and he huffed derisively. "Never in trouble." He stated in his usual serious tone.

He pointed to himself with his hand, again puffing out his chest as if he were trying to brag, and his green eyes admired the way you laughed, almost gently teasing him.

"My shoulder doesn't agree with you on this one." You joked, graciously earning an amused pout from him.

You glanced out of the forest where you could see the warm orange colors of the sunset that had just begun. Your camp wasn't far away and Caesar didn't immediately understand why your behaviour had suddenly changed from cheerful to a more introverted one.

You gave him a shy but caring smile, along with a hand wave - typically human, he thought.

"Until next time." You echoed his words softly.

He let you go on the remaining part of the trail, knowing full well that it was safe for you to return to your camp.

Yes, until next time. Some other time when he wished, if you were willing to, to share a moment with you in a way that didn't threaten the life of either of you.

[exalok]

(car accident)

(from this whump month list; tw injuries and implied previous child abuse)

"—oh shit oh fuck oh shit oh fuck he's gonna kill me he's gonna kill me—"

"Can you get it open??"

"It's stuck, it's fucking—I think something's broken—"

The world is very bright. There's something in her mouth and her head is on fire.

"Wha's borken," she mumbles, and thinks, oh, maybe me. The shouting nearby gets louder, which doesn't exactly hurt but makes something heavy and urgent inside her flop like it's trying to get out.

"Try the other door," sharp, ow, she tries to turn away but everything is too hot and stiff to move, "—oh shit, fine, okay, okay, other door, okay—" and something is crackling—is that her? Is that bad crackling? She doesn't think she should be crackling— "Billie? Billie??"

"'m right here," she says, but the words end up mostly spit. Something wipes across her mouth a little too roughly to be comforting.

"I think you bit your tongue." Oh. Not spit, then. Something else is messing around with her jacket. "You said you could drive."

She messily bats the hands away and says, "Well I lied," squinting her eyes open, trying to remember why it matters.

She's in a car. Okay. That makes sense. Or it will, when she remembers why. The passenger side door is open, and—Rinaldo is scrabbling at her seatbelt, and through the hole in the cracked-up window Thomas is biting his lip and smearing the glass with his dark-stained sleeve, darting looks between her and the road ahead. Or the countryside. There are more trees than she's used to seeing.

Why is the window cracked? Daud just got this car, she can recognize the stupid pumpkin-shaped air-freshener she got him hanging from the rearview mirror.

Why is she in the driver's seat?

Oh fuck, she thinks as Rinaldo manages to get her seatbelt open and tugs on her jacket's shoulder like he thinks he can just haul her from the seat. Oh shit. She just crashed Daud's new car. She just went for a joyride with her stupid fake brothers and crashed Daud's new car.

"'m run'ng away," she says, "I'm gonna live in a hole an'—never come back," just as the approaching sound of a motor quiets down and Thomas and Rin go completely silent.

Well. She knows whose big old boots those must be crunching up the road then. She closes her eyes.

"Get in the back," says the voice she's starting to get used to.

"How did you know we'd be—"

"Shut your mouth and get in the back. Rin. Out. With him."

Rin scrambles to follow orders; muffles his swearing when he jams his knee against the stick shift.

"Billie."

Maybe if she makes him think she's dead it won't be as bad. She tries holding her breath, but her neck and head start to pound, and her temple burns like she's got it up against a pot of boiling water.

"Billie. I saw you talking."

She opens her eyes and glares through the windshield. His hand sticks through the hole in the window to hover in front of her mouth. He's holding a handkerchief.

"Spit."

She spits. Then she stares at the bloody glob in his palm. There's a tooth in there.

"Hrm. Lose all your baby teeth yet?"

"I'm fourteen," she growls, but instead of being intimidating it sounds like she's trying to hack up a loogie.

"Glad to know you haven't completely lost your mind. What's the year?"

"Year of your old ass got fired and had to switch jobs."

"And the president?"

"President Eat My Shorts," she says, trying to sit up so she can climb out of the mess she made and hide in the back of whatever car Daud drove here, but then his big square hand is on her shoulder pushing her back into the seat and she just folds, the too-hot feeling of all-over pain turning to cold sweat, keeping very still. "President Kaldwin, sir."

"It's Daud," he corrects her, but he leaves his hand there on her shoulder, and she doesn't know what that means so she keeps on not moving. "Headache?"

"Yes."

"Does breathing hurt?"

She goes to say yes on reflex, because everything does, but takes a second to breathe in deep and check: her skull tightens like a hand and it makes her lightheaded, but her ribs feel fine. "No. 'm just dizzy."

"Alright."

Then he's quiet for a bit. She sneaks a look at him and he's got the same pissed off face as always, cold gray eyes looking down at her. He probably thinks she did this just to piss him off. He probably thinks she's a stupid fucking kid who doesn't know what's good for her. (He's probably not even completely wrong. What the fuck was she thinking. It just— It sounded like a nice time.)

"Alright," he says again, and turns around, and she jumps up in her seat so fast her head practically explodes.

"Dad—" she shouts and has to stop, mortified, and also in a lot of pain, and that's why the tear slips down, alright, it's because it hurts, it hurts like a motherfucker. "Daud," she corrects, but he's already turned back to her.

He's still got the handkerchief she spit up a bunch of blood into in his hand. "Attano drove me here," he says. Which. Alright. Doesn't have anything to do with anything, but fine. "I'll tell him to take the boys home. Then I'll wait with you for the ambulance." ... Oh. Okay. "He called the hospital when we got here."

"That costs money," she says, as if she's protesting.

"Kids cost money," he retorts. "It's my business if I spend mine on you three. Now stop squirming around, you could have damaged your spine."

She slowly sinks back into the seat and waits for the sound of his boots to return.

[soapels]

mutualism

simon “ghost” riley x female reader ♡

content: sfw, ghost is soft for reader but also tsundere and has little to no idea of how to express it lolol

jupe’s notes: hope u enjoy this lil blurb thing. :] its inspired by an otome i played like seven years ago lol. (dont ask why chocolate keeps appearing in my ficlets) also pls pls show sum love if u like it >_> reading yalls thoughts and comments cheers me up, fr makes my day hehe 💗 enjoy babes

all hearts, reblogs, & comments are very appreciated! ♡

“You hungry?”

Ghost huffs, “Aren’t you?”

It’s harmless, and he’s never unwittingly harsh with the intent to hurt you- it’s just who he is, and you know that.

So you swiftly brush away the flustered pang in your chest, deciding to inch closer to him instead, the burly man settled at the bank of the river.

Gases spill over the tree-line up at the village, tucked away behind poppies and pines on the mountaintop. The two of you won’t be getting out of here for a while- the heli crashed, pilot’s dead. The radio (or the general connection out here in the boonies) is so fucked up that nobody’s responding over it to all the calls for help you tried to make.

Regardless. You fix yourself down beside him, drawing your knees to your chest as a small hand digs through your breast pocket.

“Lieutenant, I—“

Before you can even properly pull it out, (and his prediction skills are beyond you) he’s giving you an uncivil shake of his head, wrapping his gloved fingers over your forearm to stop you.

“Save it, sergeant…” As if realizing his curtness, and the slightly-dejected flicker of your wide eyes, his grip on you loosens, and he murmurs softly. “Rather you eat whatever the hell it is than give it to me.”

You pause for a fleeting moment, thinking his words over.

His dark, chestnut hues sweep over you in uneven waves from beneath his mask, slowly, taking in every movement and micro-expression on your end.

(You wonder what it is he sees.)

When he releases you entirely, you clutch the small, wrapped food tighter in your palm and carefully hold it in your lap.

And for a few weighty, silent seconds- just the sound of fresh water rubbing at the pebbled shore, the pines rustling in the breeze paired with your and Ghost’s shared breaths- Simon thinks you’ve yielded.

He’s wrong.

“But—“

“No buts, pup,” he chastises, tossing you a lingering glance from the side of his eye. It makes you stiffen up some, your own gaze darting away to the lush swathes of grass beneath you.

But it’s not quite enough to sway you, or stop you entirely.

“Just take it, Lieutenant,” you near beg, flashing him that daunting, slow little smile that carves up into the apples of your cheeks. (Never knew something so sweet could be so haunting to Ghost- how ironic.)

He intakes a long, gruff breath.

And scoops it out of the dip of your gracious, eager palms. He looks down at it, the thing even smaller in his big, gloved hands.

Makes a half-amused sort of sound.

A Hershey’s Kiss.

The wrapping crinkles, breaks, Ghost stuffing the flimsy strings of it into one of his pockets before he pauses. And you hope he doesn’t hear the rather-obnoxious grumble of your tummy, observing him carefully, quirking a brow at the odd, foreign glitter to his umber eyes-

Wordlessly, he rucks up the bottom half of his mask and pops the small chocolate into his mouth.

Your scrutiny softens, then, your smile deepening as you linger on him for a moment more, relief billowing in your chest (you were so happy you’d saved the sweet, realizing you could do some good for your Lieutenant out here stranded in the middle of nowhere) as you turn away—

A gloved thumb finds your chin, snatching your attention in as his lips brush with yours.

Ghost’s tongue grazes the roof of your mouth, and amidst the initial shock of it all- the hot spark creeping down to your guts- you don’t even realize the sweetness that invades your tastebuds until he’s already leaning away, licking unsparingly at his lips.

You swallow.

You… swallow. The sugary remnants of the treat you virtually begged for him to eat.

…Dammit!!

Your face is going mad warm and you’re grabbing for his stupidly-strong arm before you can even think to stop yourself-

“T-That’s not fair!” You blurt out, brows furrowed into a cute, flustered pinch that does no favors for the sensual storm stirring in Ghost’s belly. “You cheated- that was supposed to be for you, Simon!”

Simon.

“Well, pup,” he punctuates rather harshly, eyes flickering away briefly- holding some unreadable twinkle to them- before they find yours again.

“It benefited the both of us, didn’t it? …Mutualism at it’s bloody finest.”

(Because he enjoyed it- fuck, probably more than he should’ve… His head spins like he’s been dealt a good blow.)

You spare him one last thoughtful, riled-up huff before turning away, tucking your chin to your knees as you curl in on yourself.

Your heart’s hammering.

Simon’s is drilling holes into his ribs.

But he doesn’t tell you that. And you’d never know, only if he chose to let you—

“Though…”

his low, thick voice strikes up again, and that’s when you realize his gaze never really broke away from you.

You glance over and his fingers are working at his right glove, those dark, inscrutable eyes set dead on you. You, you, you. It sends a chill right down your spine, down to your tummy, to your everything, and your breath stutters.

His does, too, as he suddenly dips in. A large, warm palm swallowing up the soft curve of your cheek.

“I think I’ve got an idea to sate the both of us- properly, this time.”

[risingsoleil]

Can we get a little angsty fic of linzin 🥹 happy ending or on its way there ending ofc but i need a little pain today hahah

Lin and Tenzin were once a young couple who lived when the Fire Nation attacked and began their genocide of the airbenders. Their names were different, but Tenzin was an airbender. And Lin was a nonbender.

They managed to escape the initial attacks, but ended up lured out with one of the traps set by the soldiers.

Lin and Tenzin attempted to escape to the Earth Kingdom. She had family there and they could live safely under disguise. They travelled day and night.

But Lin gets bitten by a snake and is immediately weakened. They haven't had proper meals for days and they still have to cross several mountains before they reach safety.

Tenzin brings her up to the trees and tries to nurse the wound, sucking the venom out as much as he can.

Lin's sweating profusely, vision blurring, and it's becoming harder to breathe. Tenzin wipes at her sweat and tries to give her some of the little water they have left.

She's unable to move properly and Tenzin carries her as best as he can, hoping to find a village on the way. Then he can grab some herbs or find a healer. But none are in the vicinity.

When night falls, Lin's health deteriorates significantly. Tenzin holds her close as they sit by the fire.

"I don't think I'll make it..." she confesses tearfully.

Tenzin's already crying. "No, no. Don't say that. I'll carry you until we find a healer or when we get to the Earth Kingdom." He brings out a piece of bread and breaks a small piece for her. "Here, have a bite."

Lin shakes her head. "You eat. You need your strength."

"I'll be ok. You need some."

She refuses again. Reaching up to touch his face softly, she smiles weakly. "Listen to me, my love..."

He grabs her hand gently and kisses the inside of her palm. "I'm listening, love."

"I'm not going to make it tonight. I'll protect you all the way until you're safe in the Earth Kingdom. There...fall in love again with a beautiful woman and be happy."

"No, I can't do that," Tenzin protests. "I can't leave you behind."

"You have to," Lin reiterates softly, wiping his tears. Several drops escape her fingers and his tears fall on her skin. "I'm dead weight."

"Then we die together."

"No. I want you to live, my love. I want you to be safe."

Right before Tenzin can respond, Fire Nation soldiers ambush them. Tenzin does his best to protect Lin as she lays weakly near the fire. He manages to push some of them away, but then sees another soldier to the side about to attack Lin.

instead of running away, he dashes to Lin. Holding her close as death claims them both.

Over 100 years later, they are reborn again.

Lin as an earthbender.

Tenzin as an airbender.

Will they be torn apart again, or will they have the happy life they deserved?

[mr2swap]

Swap hotel:Giveaway

This was one of the only moments of relaxation that I had this last week, I had them closed I was so relaxed that soon I would take one of the long naps that caused me to drink 5 margaritas and 2 piña coladas, I almost returned home in an ambulance when I started to feel Carl's withdrawal, it was very hot that day but I was lying on a soft bed, under an artificial palm tree.

The whole moment was interrupted by the blow when a very familiar masculine voice took me away from the dream, - Hey Bro! Where have you been? I've been looking for you, but the guy from the bar told me you were out here- a young blonde sat on the side of the bed holding an iced coffee, it was pretty obvious to me that this happened. It was just to show off his huge biceps and rub sweet in the face once again.

- Anyway! I don't have much time I have a big night planned before I turn all this over to you, I just wanted to say thank you, it's been the best week of my life and if you want to repeat it just call me I'm sure you have my phone! -

had been crazy all this shit, when I return to my body I'm going to make my father sue them for every penny and close his fucking Instagram account! I didn't know what I was getting into when Swap Corp's Instagram account invited me to promote their social networks, I had already done these hundreds of times, a fucking brand gives me a lot of shit that my parents could buy me and they only ask me for one single photo or video eating or wearing their overpriced clothes, with a shitty logo.

They promised me a lot of followers and more "job" offers in another of their exclusive 5-star hotels, of course, I accepted immediately when I saw all the internet celebrities who had been there, people from the world of bodybuilding that I admired in the list in addition to some actors and models.

When I arrived everything was perfect, the hotel had everything from a gym to a spa, which is great for me because although they promised me everything I wanted to drink, eat or smoke, all I needed was a pool full of beautiful models to massage my biceps in the pool after a long session at the gym.

Before I could even unpack and take a shower, I was drugged and put in this shitty body for 1 fucking week! Those pageant motherfuckers came and ravaged my room for 3 fucking minutes until I came out of the bathroom, my whole body randomly covered in shower suds with just a towel around my waist and my huge feet leaving stains all over the carpet and as soon as I opened the door I knew something was wrong.

The guy who organized the contest was accompanied by two hotel guards, of course, they were clean and well dressed, but there was one person who stood out among all of them, he was a fucking whale, he had never seen someone so fucked up! The man in the suit started talking as he tried to guess how much the man in front of him was thinking 286 pounds. I'd bet 20 bucks on that.

Before I could react, the man in the suit took me by the arm and stretched out his hand to hand a cloth necklace with a VIP identification... without thinking I left my last chance to give up the worst week of my life, I put the identification on the neck without looking that didn't even have my picture on it, instead of my hot handsome face, there was the picture of that man with that white unkempt beard that hid most of his obese face.

I felt a small chill and after a simple blink, my mind was transferred to the body of the man in the photo of my necklace, when my eyes opened the first thing I saw was a huge hairy belly, my legs would almost bend if it weren't for the wall that was at my back, the 4 men in front of me turned around and looked at me to help me not fall from all the extra weight on my knees.

When I recovered they gave me a glass of water and explained the situation to me, those sons of bitches launched another contest and the prize was a week of vacation in this hotel on my body, And while the man in a suit was explaining all this to me, that man is nice He kept putting his kinky hands on my cock and pecs, maybe he didn't notice or maybe he didn't even care when a newlywed couple came out of another room and stared at the show for several minutes.

Since then I am Stuck as "Carl" Every day I wake up thinking that this has only been a nightmare and at any moment I am going to wake up in my bed next to a model who seduces me at a party to take her to my bed.

but no, I wasn't dreaming what I always saw Waking up was this mountain of hairy fat uniting my old and aching body, The first thing I did Upon waking up swallowed the huge amount of pills that were in the drawer next to my bed to try to relieve the pain in my back, after that I went to shit and piss and came back to order a huge breakfast while watching what was new on Netflix.

I was able to up on “Love death and robots”, At least they kept their deal my Instagram followers doubled in a week. The only bad thing is that most of them are middle-aged men who put obscene comments in the comments like "fuck me" or "show us your dick"

From time to time I saw Carl having fun on my body while being photographed with my iPhone, being worshiped by two bald middle-aged men in the hot tub, or playing volleyball with all the lucky bastards with incredibly hot, skinny bodies.

Hey! You can support me to continue creating stories and see all my stories on my patreon and have access to the stories on my discord server.

[rafalkbircom]

Help MENNA Family From Gaza To Have A Secure Life

Hello, I am Menna Musa Muhammad. I am 22 years old. I live in Gaza City. I graduated from Al-Azhar University. I lost two of my brothers during the war after my mother was making lunch and we were sitting eating together, and suddenly our lives were turned upside down as they attacked the neighborhood in which we live,

and with the dust and flying glass surrounding every place, my brotheres went down to check on the rest of my family in our neighboring house, and then I lost them in front of our house. We were unable to save them. We call more time the ambulance so that someone would come to their rescue due to the bad situation and the danger of the place No body come. We waited for more than 12 hours inside the house while

my link gofundme https://www.gofundme.com/f/assist-my-family-in-getting-out-gaza-2024

they were outside bleeding and no one came and the situation continued until the next day and then we went and buried them after our relatives came and helped us carry them. We left our house and did not take anything from it. Our house is anything we left our memories in. We went to Rafah and we did not have clothes, food, or anything.

We put up a tent, which was given to us by people we did not know who helped us and we sat inside it. Here the suffering is indescribable. My sister is sick and needs treatment, and she needs medicines that are not available at the present time due to the lack of medicines, and my nephew has electricity.

The brain needs treatment, and my sister-in-law has a thalassemia patient and needs medications and treatments due to a blood transfusion, as her blood in the past was 6. She took many units and removed the spleen because it was causing blood to break down. This is a picture of my family at the university when I graduated.

My brother was a philanthropist who helped others and neighbors, helping them with bread and water, and even charging their phones. He lived on the first floor, where he had a beautiful house with new furniture and a new TV. He was afraid the TV would break, so he put it in another room so it wouldn't break.

He also loves trees and loves to water them. One day there was a cat who climbed a palm tree for a whole day and could not come down. He ventured to taste it, but could not, for when he tried to catch it, it ran to the right and sometimes to the left. When I came down, my cat lasted about 4 days.

Then I opened the window and found her coming down alone, even though I used to love my cat and eat her every day and she slept in my lap, but the day I lost my brothers, I found the cat next to my brother in front of me from the house. It was yellow and died with them as well. This is a video of when my brother tried to save the cat

This is a video after we left our home, after we lost my brothers and headed to Rafah

This is a picture of our house after it was destroyed

On the second floor is our house, my father's house, who was with me. My mother, father, and my younger brother, whom I lost, along with my older brother, live in it. My mother loved birds.

On the day we left the house, my mother said: “Let's take the birds with us and not leave them alone, but they were not one, but 10. We could not take them because there were two birds in the cage.” This is what made my mother open the door for them and throw food on the floor so they could eat in the same house and we left them behind. Here is a video of the house from the inside after and befor

On the third floor, there is my brother with his wife and two daughters. He loves pigeons, and in the worst moments he considered pigeons like his children. Because of his intense love for pigeons, he sat crying because he could not provide food for the pigeons. What should he do? He went to the pigeons’ house and opened the door.

He found a cat coming to eat from the pigeons, which made him close the door. But he tore the ceiling so that it would fly from above instead of through the door for fear of being eaten by cats and left behind

This is a picture of my cat

In front of the house there was a place where we could sit and drink coffee. Every day he destroyed and destroyed the swing in front of the house. We lived a quiet life. We lost everything and headed to Rafah without water or food. The weight of each of us has become about half. This is a picture of the tent

I want to go out with my family. I want to continue my life abroad and study my master’s degree and treat my nephew, my sister and my brother’s wife because they need treatment and it is not available due to the lack of medicines.

I want to leave Gaza City and go to Egypt, knowing that the cost of going to Egypt is per person, and each person needs about 5,000 thousand dollars, and they number about 15.

The number of children is 10, and the travel cost per person is $2,500. The number of adults is 5, and the travel cost for each person is 5,000 thousand dollars.

The amount will be paid for travel costs to leave Gaza. I have absolutely nothing: no home, no livelihood, no university. Even my university was completely destroyed:

The surviving brother did his best to get me, my mother and my sister out of Gaza, but he is still stuck there with his wife and children amidst bombing, hunger and fear. My nieces, Alma and Dania, are very young. They need milk, diapers and clothes. The weather in Gaza is very cold, and also my brother’s children, who were lost in the war, we want to take them out to complete their treatment

I hope to complete my university studies, and I hope to go out to my family and treat my brother’s wife and their children so that we can live a decent life. I wish I were a famous girl ☺️ but war, famine, fear and sadness put us in a difficult psychological state.

I hope you will help me and donate to me, even a small amount, because this will make a difference and make me feel loved and cared for, because there are many wonderful people in this world. Only your help will protect me and my family. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for donating and reading my story. I hope to live a beautiful and normal life like everyone else. Thank you.

note. ▪️I want to explain to you that I chose Switzerland because there is no Palestine among the countries, and I have friends who help me collect donations.

▪️ To withdraw funds, I have a friend who studies in Egypt. He will help me withdraw donations and send them to me.

Thank you all ❤️

[dreamyautumns]

Are you still making the gaming fic? (I hope this doesn't bother you)

Yes! I am still working on my Gaming fanfic❤️ and no worries! It’s not bothering me at all! I just have a lot to accomplish😓

"Oi, Aether! Speed up; we're gonna be late to Chenyu Vale!" Paimon yells.

"Coming!" Aether shouts up. The blonde traveller hoists himself over a cliff and dusts himself off. His floating companion peers over the side of the mountain and looks down at the foggy valley beneath them.

"Everything looks so small from up here! Aether, look at that terrace near the water!"

Aether takes a look over the edge of the mountain as well and smiles down at the landscape below. "Oh yeah... it's real nice! Check out that river, too... the lotus flowers are very big..."

Paimon spins over to the side and points to a large, dense patch of fog. "Hey, look over there! What do you think is in all that fog?"

Aether thinks for a moment. "I'm not sure; do you wanna go take a look once we get to our destination?"

Paimon freezes, then looks away bashfully. "Paimon d-doesn't really do good with foggy places... maybe we could go someone else instead!"

Aether pats her on the head and gets up from leaning over. He then looks up at the sun and smiles.

I wonder what Qiaoying Village will be like. Hopefully, we can take a rest before we make it to the wharf.

Aether stops for just a moment. Paimon turns to him out of concern.

"What's the matter, Aether?"

The blonde traveller draws his sword and points to the distance. "What... is that?"

Paimon squints herself and suddenly lets out a shriek. "WAH!! There's something coming out from behind the mountain!"

The cliff beneath them suddenly begins to tremble. Aether grabs Paimon's hand and holds the fairy girl close to protect her. He points his sword forward as whatever was approaching comes closer. The trees behind them rattle, and the pebbles near their feet jump. Paimon was too busy panicking to notice what Aether had seen.

The cliff beneath them was cracking. The blonde looked behind them and tried to dash to the side. However, it was too late. The cliff came tumbling down, and with it went Paimon and Aether.

"AHHH!!!" Paimon shrieked. Aether put his sword away and covered her head to protect her from their fall.

"HANG ON!!"

A loud, reverberating voice called for them. Aether couldn't even turn his head to look behind them before something huge and dark came swooping in. Aether could feel his body hit something soft and warm beneath him as Paimon's wails kept going.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, I got you guys! Don't worry!" the unfamiliar voice reassures them. Aether turns and looks behind him. He then freezes.

Someone had caught them, but it wasn't just anyone. The one that had saved him was a giant...!

~

Aether rubs his eyes with his left hand to ensure he wasn't dreaming. Paimon realizes they have stopped falling and looks behind herself.

"WAHH!! A GIANT!!!"

The giant's passionate and sparkling eyes fill with worry as he lowers his hand. "Please calm down! I don't mean any harm; I'm sorry if I scared ya! My name's Gaming, what about you guys?"

Aether releases Paimon and looks down at Gaming's palm, which was what they had been caught in. He then looks up and puts an arm out to shield the fairy girl.

"You... won't hurt us, right?" Aether asks.

"What? No, of course not!!" Gaming's voice raises as he goes on the defensive, rattling the mountainsides again. Paimon covers her ears as Aether puts his hands up.

"H-hey, no worries! No need to shout, ok?"

Gaming sighs, blowing a gust of wind at the traveling duo. "Sorry about that... it just really bugs me when people assume I'm gonna hurt them just because I'm really big."

"Aether, let's go! Paimon's got a bad feeling! He's gonna eat us!" Paimon yelps, tugging on Aether's sleeve. Gaming looks offended by this remark.

"What?! Now that's outrageous! I'd never EAT someone! Who do you think I am, a monster?!"

"AHHH!! He's yelling at Paimon!!" Paimon wails. She hides behind Aether, who lowers his guard slightly.

"I apologize for my friend! She's just very jumpy!" Aether calls up.

Gaming shakes his head, but suddenly perks up. "Hang on a sec... I think I've got something she'll like- aha!"

Gaming reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wrapped snack. He then rips the package off it and holds the tiny treat to them.

Paimon stops being scared and peeks over Aether's shoulder. "W-what's that?"

"Winter Melon Cake! Kids at Yilong Wharf love this, so here ya go!"

Paimon curiously takes the cake and mumbles for a moment. "Paimon isn't a kid..." The fairy girl then takes a bite.

Her fear suddenly seems to dissipate completely. Paimon's eyes light up as she scarfs down the rest of the cake. "WOW! No one evil would ever give Paimon a scrumptious cake like that! All is forgiven now!"

Aether can't help but smile. Gaming laughs himself and lowers the two onto the ground. The giant kneels on one knee and smiles at them.

"See? Not so big and bad, am I?" Gaming asks. Aether turns to him and looks up.

"Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. And I really appreciate you saving me and Paimon. I'm Aether, and-"

"You're the hero of Liyue Harbor! I've heard of you, but I just never knew your name! You're awesome!" Gaming eagerly shakes Aether's hand between two of his fingers, rattling the blonde back and forth. Aether lets go and regains his balance.

"So... you must've been that thing causing all the shaking! You gotta be more careful, Gaming..."

"Oh my Seven! I caused the cliff to collapse?!" Gaming asks, horrified. He seemed incredibly apologetic as he bowed to them. "Please, forgive me! I didn't mean to!"

"Paimon HOPES you're sorry! Just for that, you deserve an ugly nickname! How about... Mr. Bigfoot?!"

Gaming gets up and tilts his head before laughing. "That's so silly! Ah, you're funny, kid!" He reaches a finger down and ruffles her hair, which makes Paimon angry.

"HEY! No fair picking on Paimon just cause Paimon's tiny!"

Aether can't help but chuckle. "So, Gaming, where you headed?"

"Oh! I'm on my way to Qiaoying Village; why?"

"You mind helping us out? We're trying to get to Yilong Wharf. Are we going the right way?"

Gaming stands up to his towering height and looks around. Aether can't help but feel intimidated.

Yikes... it's a good thing this guy's nice...!

Gaming points to the northwest and smiles. "Over there! I just made my most recent delivery there."

"Ok, thanks!" Aether calls up. "Paimon, if you're finished, let's go. Ok?"

Paimon eats her cake and smiles, rubbing her belly. She then floats over to Aether and eagerly points. "Ready!"

"Wait!"

Aether pauses and looks up at the giant. Gaming bends down and extends his palm to them.

"Hop on! I can carry you!"

"You sure? I wouldn't wanna be a bother..." Aether states.

"Yeah, I don't mind! Let's go!" Gaming urges them. Paimon smiles and floats into his hand, sitting down. Aether jumps in as well as the giant lifts them into the air and turns to the north. "Off we go!!"

With that, they were now well on their way to making it to Yilong Wharf.

[masqueradeassane]

Sometimes Gale wishes he didn't understand Astarion so well.

That he didn't understand how it felt to hide something awful with something that seemed worse on the surface.

Hunger, Astarion wore it so well, like a cloak, always gleefully showing his desire for blood.

But so, so careful when it comes to showing the need. To showing the ugly, beastiel nature, the desperate starvation.

Gale was the same, though in a different way.

He could sustain himself on the artifacts, he repeated it, he clung to it.

Truth was, the magic, he could feel it, taste it in the others.. in Shadowheart, Wyll, Halsin. Demonic, Divine, it was still magical.

It tasted like a feast on the tip of his tongue that he could never swallow.

And How Gale hated,and he was sure Astarion did, at least a little as well, how easily Halsin saw through them both.

He'd walked into the forest to clear his head, instead he'd run into Halsin, as large and calm as ever.

The druid had clearly just finished bathing in the nearby river, and Gale could see some newly healed bite wounds along his neck.

The druid just smiled as Gale tried not to stare, clearly he had no issues with Astarion's needs.

As he watched, the druid's smile softened even more as he observed Gale closely.

Without a word, he rested his broad back against a nearby tree. After a minute or so, Gale felt as much as saw the gentle green glow of whatever druidic prayer or magic Halsin was weaving.

But it didn't seem to have any obvious meaning.

"... Honestly.. come, you are as bad as The little Star when it comes to hiding your actual needs."

Until it wasn't.

"I don.. I don't need.."

"...Ignoring the fact that you're already halfway over here..."

The soft green lighting pooling in Halsin's palms looks refreshing... More than that, it looks.. sustaining.

".. I don't.."

But he doesn't resist as Halsin gently settles him in his lap.

He wonders, a little, how it must look to someone who might look towards the river.

He, a standard sized male wizard, settled in a large druid's lap while said druid held a hand to his lips like a parent feeding a stubborn child.

He tells himself that's why he leans over and starts suckling on the magic pouring from Halsin's fingers like cool water so easily. So that there's less time for someone to look around, to find them... to see.

It's harder for him to pretend he can't feel his own teeth bite into the tips of Halsin's as the feeling of being properly, magically FED, for the first time in days hits him.

He knows from the wrong angles, they probably look obscene, he's fully clothed, but Halsin has barely gotten dressed and he knows the noises he's making at the feeling of finally eating, in the purest magical form he can are... undignified.

But now that he's started, he can't help it.. He feasts.

Maybe he does have less self control than Astarion, even though the diet is different.

Halsin doesn't seem to mind, and this Oakfather he bonds himself to doesn't seem to be skimping on what Halsin offers Gale.

Instead he just let the wizard take his fill.

Full up and worn out, Gale sleepily slumped on Halsin's chest slowly falling asleep.

"My my, this is a state to find you two in."

Gale groans and tiredly lifted a middle finger up in the general direction of the sarcastic voice.

He pretends not to hear the quieter. "I'm glad, starvation is never pretty, no matter what form it takes."

For his sake as much as Astarion's, as he slowly falls into a satiated sleep.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.

Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

385 million years ago, fish had fingers.

In Las Vegas, casinos do not have any clocks.

We change our voice when we talk to people we like.

Every year, around 3,000 people get bubonic plague.

You are more likely to be friends with people that smell like you.

It is believed that the Library of Congress has sex tape audio of JFK.

Beer mats were originally placed on top of glasses to keep the dust out.

In 2021, Americans streamed a total of 15 million years’ worth of content.

J.K. Rowling was the first person to ever become a billionaire from writing books.

Super Mario wears a hat because his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, couldn't draw hair.

If everyone had access to soap to wash their hands, it would save 600,000 lives a year.

55 million years ago, the North Pole had tropical weather, with alligators and palm trees.

Listening to music for at least 5-10 minutes a day makes it easier to deal with emotional stress.

Women cry on average between 30 and 64 times a year, while men cry between 6 and 17 times.

Kanbari nyūdō is a Japanese spirit that lurks around toilets on New Year’s Eve and tries to lick you.

Egyptian Pharaohs were once required to masturbate into the River Nile to keep its flow cycle stable.

Life is not about the people who act true to your face. It's about the people who remain true behind your back.

The chills you sometimes get when listening to music is actually caused by the release of dopamine in your body.

People say "never give up" but sometimes giving up is the best option because you realize you're wasting your time.

When presented with various crisp packets, a gull will almost always choose the same flavour as a nearby human is eating.

According to a study, the two most common feelings that people tend to bring out in others are enthusiasm and boredom.

Scientists say the universe is made up entirely of neurons, protons and electrons. They seem to have forgotten about morons!

Robert Downey Jr was once arrested after he was caught driving naked in his Porsche with cocaine, heroin, and a .357 magnum.

Nutella was invented during WWII, when an Italian pastry maker mixed hazelnuts into chocolate to extend his chocolate ration.

Your first instinct is usually right. So, always go with your first instinct, even if it's a bad idea because bad ideas make good stories.

The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back.

When you truly believe in what you are doing, it shows. And it pays. Winners in life are those who are excited about where they're going.

Grab a banana for breakfast! They are known as a happy fruit. Eating just one can help relieve irritable emotions, anger and or depression.

Bedtime procrastination is the psychological phenomenon when a person stays up too late in order to feel like they have some time to themselves.

The hottest part of the day isn't noon but between 3.00 – 4.00. The earth warms during the day but continues to get warmer until the late afternoon.

Regular physical activity can boost creativity by up to 60%, as movement increases blood flow to the brain, fostering new connections and ideas.

Research shows that talking to yourself can improve focus, task performance, and problem-solving abilities. It's not a sign of madness but a tool for self-guidance.

Between 1913 and 1914, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Emperor Franz Joseph, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Leon Trotsky all lived in Vienna within 4km of each other.

Smigus-Dyngus (or ‘Wet Monday’) is a Polish holiday where boys splash girls with water and gently spank them with pussy willow branches. It's a playful tradition celebrated on Easter Monday.

Halle Berry’s divorce has officially been finalized. She will have to pay $8,000 per month in child support to her ex-husband Oliver Martinez and give him 4.3% of any income she receives above $2,000,000.

Sleeping in complete darkness can lead to more vivid and memorable dreams. The absence of light signals the brain to produce melatonin, which promotes REM sleep, the stage most associated with dreaming.

In 1993, a Frenchman named Emile Leray driving a Citroen car in a remote area of the Moroccan desert had a breakdown and became stranded. To survive, he tore down the car, built a motorcycle from the parts and then rode it back to civilization.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[ifyourefree]

Home Is Where the Heart Is

I recently got the Spotify feature that creates a playlist for you 3-4 times a day depending on your music listening trends (thanks Nhi)—yesterday evening was called “fun meme sunday afternoon” and at the moment, it says “solitude somber monday afternoon”. The first piece opens up with a slight chorus of songbirds (lidth jays), Ichiko Aoba’s “Parfum d'étoiles” permeates the room like I’m submerging myself in a lukewarm tub of water, chin-deep in prettiness that is so sweet, I feel a little sad as I listen. 

Tonight, I leave home again. I think I’ve learned that as I grew, home is something that’s always temporary. I am a nomad. I run from place to place (like Murray the Rabbit Boy). I tell people my hometown is (insert blank), when really, it’s a collage of multiple destinations, a board of red knots and ties and pins scattered across Southern California, Hawaii, and Korea. (I passed by a ginkgo tree last week and thought about Daejeon, the yellow skirts falling onto the sidewalks like early snow.) But it’s too complicated, so I simplify it to a singular place. 

“Asleep Among Endives” plays next and I think of running at the beach when I was ten, a scarf of seaweed wound tightly around my neck as I taunt the nearing waves and tip-toe in and out of the water. I think I turn around to look at you, smile the same smile I had for years (real big, minus two front teeth), turn back around and chase the sun until it falls away to reveal the fleece blanket of night, stars cast in small, white specks. I say my home is near the beach because I grew up with it, hunted sand dollars and crabs in toy buckets, bartering for another kid’s ice creams or candies. I say that my home is near the water but I’ve always been too afraid to go in after I tried to save a beach toy and almost drowned instead. 

I think my home is in the people I meet, if anything. Whenever I’m feeling too distanced, I remember the smell of my grandmothers—warm chestnuts, christmas cacti, and empty beds. I think of my mother’s collarbones, the twin gold rings she has on her left hand. That shirt my dad used to wear when I was young, beige with palm trees, smelling strongly of cigarettes. The way my brother eats, mouth stretched so big, his eyes would close with each bite. I go by Jinji now, a name I stole from the cat I used to know, an overfed and spoiled brat who didn’t let me pet her sometimes. I go by Jinju, too, my grandmother's favorite: pearl.

I think the fact that I never really have a “home” to go back to makes the concept of it so much more important to me…like it’s an attachment thing because there is nothing to be attached to, if that makes sense.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

Grabbing Smoke

As much time as Sam spent with her best friends, sometimes she enjoyed a little bit of time alone.

Tucker was helping his mother bake cookies for some kind of fundraiser for the hospital, and Danny was busy visiting Pandora for fighting lessons. Apparently they were using swords today.

As fun as it sounded, Sam opted to stay behind, it had been a while since she'd been down to the park to feed the ducks. She didn't get quiet moments like that very often any more.

There was an uncharacteristic skip to her gait as she walked to the park, a canvas tote bag swinging from her arm.

Living in Amity Park, and especially hanging around with Danny, gave her an eerie sense to when something was amiss. Nothing quite like Danny's ghost sense, but she'd learned to detect a particular chill to the air, a prickling at the back of her neck. It could easily be mistaken for a chilly breeze, but Sam knew better. The crunch of gravel under Sam's boots was the only sound permeating the still air, not even the trees were rustling.

She continued her walk through the park, past the wishing fountain and through a trail where the trees grew slightly more dense.

The trail opened up to a large pond, it wasn't anything especially picturesque, the reeds were a little overgrown, the ground was muddy, but there were a few simple weather worn benches by the path that looped around the water.

Sam took a seat, pulling out a bag of frozen peas. She opened it, tipped a few into her hand and tossed them into the water.

The ducks immediately sped across the pond toward her, fighting for the peas that the turtles hadn't already gotten to.

Instead of grabbing another handful, she held the bag out to the empty seat to her left, waiting for a moment before shaking the bag impatiently.

A green hand slipped into the bag, pulling out a handful of peas before tossing them into the water.

"How'd you know I was here?" Kitty asked, now sitting visibly on the other end of the bench as Sam poured out more peas for both of them.

"I have my ways." Sam smirked. "What I want to know is why you've been following me all week."

"You knew for that long and you didn't say nothin'?" Kitty huffed. "Damn, I gotta up my game."

A duck waddled up and nibbled on her boot.

"Alright alright, ya hungry little doofus." Kitty lowered a hand full of peas and cooed as the duck happily ate from her palm. "Aww these guys aren't shy at all, do you come here a lot?"

"When I can." Sam tossed a few more peas into the water for the turtles. "So why are you following me?"

Kitty sat back and pressed her lips together, thinking.

"Look it's just... I don't remember much from when I was livin', you know? It's all sorta grey and fuzzy, I can't remember what anyone looked like, except Johnny." she tossed some peas to a smaller duck at the back of the group. "But as soon as I showed up here in town and I saw your face, I thought I felt... I dunno, somethin'. Like I'd seen you before, or maybe you just reminded me of someone, but I can't remember who, it's like grabbing smoke."

She lobbed a few peas a little harder than was necessary at the water. The turtles sucked them up greedily.

"So you've just been following me hoping you might remember something else?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Kitty sighed. "But it's not working."

Sam swung her foot idly between a pair of scuffling ducks, splitting them up before tossing out some more peas.

"Maybe I'm related to someone you knew. Where did you grow up?"

Kitty frowned down at the water.

"I... I don't know." she said, deflating somewhat. "I didn't even realise I forgot that."

Sam couldn't help but feel for her, Danny had told her that ghosts would often forget things from their past, especially once they'd been dead for longer than they'd been alive. Somehow she had never really considered how terrifying that must be.

"You know..." Sam started carefully. "I could show you some old family photos. Maybe you'll recognise someone?"

Kitty looked up, eyes shining brightly.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Why not?" Sam shrugged. "If you were here to cause trouble you would have done it by now."

"Aw, I never thought you'd wanna do something like that for me." said Kitty, smiling brightly. "You always seemed like such a bitch."

Sam laughed.

"If you'd spent a week being someone that wasn't Paulina, I would probably have seemed like less of a bitch."

"So you guys are big rivals or somethin'?" Kitty asked, grabbing some more peas and giggling as three ducks tried to eat from her hand at once.

"It's more that we have... conflicting ideologies. She thinks that appearances and reputation are the most important things in life, just like my parents." Sam lobbed some more peas into the water, they both watched them disappear as the turtles quickly snapped them up. "It's shallow and stupid, and I don't get why they have to push that shit on everyone. I don't care what people think, I just want to be whoever the hell I wanna be without having to fight for it all the time."

Kitty's face turned contemplative as she tapped her nails on the back of the bench.

"I think... I was like that." she said, slowly. "I wanted to feel fun and exciting, but my parents..."

She trailed off, frowning.

"My parents... I didn't like them. They didn't like me bein' the way I was, I can't really remember why."

Sam emptied out the last of the peas and scattered them over the ground, she scrunched up the empty packet and shoved it back into her tote bag.

"You know, if we went to school together we would probably have gotten along." said Sam as she stood up, gesturing toward the path. "Let's go check out those photos."

Instead of floating invisibly behind, Kitty walked by Sam's side as they headed back to her house. She idly waved at people as they drove past, grinning when someone stared a little too long and almost ran a red light.

"You know, it's nice bein' able to walk around in the day." Kitty said, skipping a little. "Wish I could do it more often."

"What's stopping you?"

"What do you think?" Kitty's lip pulled up in disgust. "Any time I show up your dumb friend sucks me up in his stupid thermos. Only reason I can walk around right now is because I got you as my get out of jail free card."

"Danny doesn't care if you just want to walk around." Sam scoffed. "He lets ghosts wander around town all the time, he only gets involved when you start breaking things."

"Uggghhh but just walking around is so boring." Kitty pouted. "I mean yeah it's nice and I like it but it gets old real quick."

"Then you'll have to get used to getting tossed back in the ghost zone. Do not pass go, do not collect $200."

"Don't you ever get sick of his goody goody attitude?" Kitty asked. "I mean you and I aren't so different right? You're all about the rebel gig, don't you ever feel like keyin' some asshole's car, or takin' a baseball bat to some mail boxes?"

"Only if they deserve it." said Sam with a smirk. "But I feel like you aren't especially picky about whose stuff you're breaking."

They approached the door to the Manson mansion, Sam hopped up the steps and stuck the key in the lock. She touched the mezuzah on the doorpost without a second thought before opening the door and standing aside to invite Kitty in.

The ghost stared up at her warily.

"I can't get past it."

"Past what?" Sam asked.

"The mezuzah, it keeps me out."

"What?" Sam frowned. "It hasn't stopped other ghosts from getting in."

"Well it stops me." Kitty insisted. "I think it's got somethin' to do with what we believed in when we were alive. I haven't got a problem with churches but when Johnny tried to ride his bike through one he couldn't get in. His mom raised him Catholic, he says he doesn't believe in any of that stuff, but I think he still does, deep down."

"So does that mean you were Jewish?" Sam asked, smiling curiously.

"I AM Jewish." Kitty crossed her arms. "Bein' a ghost hasn't changed that, it just... means that we got a few things a little wrong."

Sam thought about that for a moment, before stepping aside and gesturing toward the door again.

"Well, if you've been invited and you're not going to cause any trouble, then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to come in."

Kitty climbed the steps slowly, fingers reaching out and cautiously brushing over the mezuzah, she didn't feel anything unusual, no zap or burn or pain. She took a step through the doorway and passed the threshold without issue, no invisible force or barrier like the last time she tried to follow Sam inside.

"Well, what do you know." she said, grinning.

Sam lead her into a large, open planned kitchen and dining area, the tiles were bright white save for the specks of mud Sam's boots tracked through the room. The decor was minimalist, the atmosphere bland and sterile, she could smell some kind of citrus surface cleaner.

The back wall was all windows, leading to a patio surrounded by perfectly trimmed grass. As they approached, Sam turned, heading towards a door to their right.

The next room felt a lot more friendly, it was full of bookshelves and red tones. The lounges looked soft and inviting, a fireplace sat cold and empty against the back wall, but Kitty didn't have to try hard to imagine it roaring to life, filling the room with its warm glow.

"This is basically my Grandma's part of the house." Sam informed her, voice low. "Her bedroom is just through there, she's usually napping around this time of day so try not to make too much noise."

Kitty slipped off her jacket and laid it over the back of the lounge, already feeling at home in the cosy little room. She looked over the books as Sam fussed around some kind of large ornate chest.

"Here it is." She hefted a large photo album from the chest, carefully closing and latching it again. "Let's see if you recognise anyone in here."

Kitty sat down beside Sam as she opened up the pristine book, the outer cover was beige with the name Manson inscribed in golden cursive on the front. The first page was full of old faded photos, in greyscale or sepia tones.

"Ugh, I'm not that old." said Kitty, flicking ahead a few pages.

The pictures were colourful now, but still grainy, there was a young blonde boy in seventies style jeans leaning casually against a Chevrolet.

"Wait hold up," Kitty pointed at the boy. "Him, I feel like I've seen him before."

"That's my dad." said Sam, surprised. "His name is Jeremy, did you know him?"

Kitty hummed a little, gently tracing a finger over the picture.

"Jeremy... Jeremy, I'm not sure," she frowned. "But he definitely looks familiar."

They continued through the book, when suddenly Kitty slapped her hand down roughly on a photo of a pair of young women.

"Her! I know her! She was a mega bitch!"

"Shhh keep it down." Sam hissed.

"Sorry," Kitty pointed to the blonde girl in the photo. "That one! I don't know how I knew her, but I definitely knew her. She was a total brat."

Sam slipped the photo out of its sleeve and read the neat cursive on the back.

"This is... my Aunt Caroline, in 1985. She's my dad's sister." Sam looked up at Kitty, amused. "I can't believe you had beef with my family."

"Your family are snobs." Kitty sniffed. "Carrie was such a ditz, she thought she was sooo bitchin' because her daddy bought her a Mercedes."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Sam grimaced. "Did you guys go to school together or something?"

"Maybe..." Kitty took the photo from Sam's hand, staring intently. "I'm pretty sure I skipped school a lot, I hated it there. It was a private school, we had to wear uniforms, barf."

"I would never have guessed you were a private school kid." Sam shook her head. "But most people would say that about me so it's not like I can judge."

"You went to private school?" Kitty asked, "How'd you end up in that Casper High dump?"

"Got myself expelled." said Sam, voice thick with pride. "Elementary, middle and high school, got kicked out of all three."

"Damn, you're good."

Sam grinned, slipping the photo back in its sleeve and continuing to the next page.

Kitty pointed to a few other photos, remarking on their familiarity, but not quite able to grasp how she knew them, the memories only flickered in her periphery.

"Wait," Kitty whispered, fingers brushing over a polaroid containing three people. "This is..."

The picture looked as though it were taken at some kind of party, a man and a woman faced the camera, each with a glass of champagne raised in their hands. The woman's other hand rested on the shoulder of a teenage girl with auburn hair, pulled into a tidy braid. She stared glumly at the camera.

"That's Katherine." Sam said, pointing to the girl. "She was my dad's cousin, but she got hit by a car when she was-"

Sam paused, looking over at Kitty's wide eyes and then back to the photo.

"Noooo way." Sam pulled the photo out of the sleeve. "Is this you?"

Kitty took the photo in trembling hands.

"I... I forgot I used to look like that." she fiddled with a lock of her green, teased hair. "I remember this party, I didn't want to go but mom and dad threatened to take away all my records and cassettes if I didn't."

Sam stared at Kitty, mouth agape.

"You're Car Crash Katherine?! My dad talks about you all the time! He always told me about the shit you used to get up to, he'd tell me that any kind of 'rebellious behaviour' was a slippery slope to 'dying on the back of some delinquent's motorcycle'." Sam put a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "You were my bad influence role model."

Kitty's red eyes shone with tears, photo still in hand, she wrapped her arms around Sam.

"This is majorly wicked! My legacy lives on! Corrupting the youth from beyond the grave!" Kitty laughed. "My parents would go totally mental."

She stopped laughing, her face turning forlorn as she drew back from Sam and stared down at the picture.

"Are they still alive?" she asked, a tremble in her voice.

"Yeah..." said Sam. "They live in a retirement home in Florida. They don't come around very often."

Kitty traced a finger over their faces.

"I wonder if they miss me." she said quietly. "Or if they were glad to be rid of the family embarrassment."

Sam didn't answer, she had wondered the same thing herself, if her parents would even care if she died. They hadn't given her a lot of reason to think they would.

She rested a sympathetic hand on Kitty's arm.

"Oh, you have a friend over bubbeleh?" a croaky voice spoke from the bedroom doorway.

Sam and Kitty both turned to see Ida Manson shuffling into the room, cleaning her glasses with her sleeve.

"Sorry Grandma, we didn't mean to be too loud." Sam apologised. "This is my... um, friend, Kitty. Kitty this is my Grandma Ida-"

"Ida?!" Kitty shot to her feet, staring in shock at the old woman. "Aunt Ida?!"

Ida squinted at Kitty, before quickly setting her glasses back on her face.

"Well as I live and breath, is that you Kathy?"

"Oh my god this is getting super weird." Sam whispered.

Kitty leapt over the ottoman to wrap Ida up in a tight hug, the old woman was surprised for a moment, but held her warmly in return.

"It's me Aunt Ida! Not really living or breathing but it's me!" Kitty laughed breathlessly.

"Oh my goodness, when all the ghosts started showing up all over town I wondered if I would ever see someone I knew." She rubbed comforting circles on Kitty's back as the ghost choked on a few sobs. "It's good to see you again Kathy."

Ida pulled away and wiped a tear from Kitty's face.

"And I'm so glad you aren't stuck wearing what your parents buried you in."

Kitty couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

"Let me guess, it was that putrid blue dress, wasn't it?"

"The dress wasn't nearly as bad as what they did to your hair." Ida snickered, patting Kitty's hand. "It had little ribbons in it and everything."

"I almost forgot you." Kitty placed her palm gently against Ida's face. "You were the only one in the family who ever loved me for being me, and I almost forgot you. I'm so sorry, I should have come to find you sooner but I just-"

"Shhhh, it's okay bubbeleh." Ida grasped her hand tight. "I think being dead is a pretty good excuse for forgetting a few things."

Sam stood beside the lounge, watching the two in shock, she wasn't entirely certain whether or not to intrude. Whatever she had been expecting to discover with Kitty today, it certainly hadn't been this.

Though in hindsight, it did explain Kitty's familiarity with Sam, people always said she had taken after her Grandma.

Ida let go of Kitty and hobbled over to the photo album still sitting on the lounge.

"Oh you don't want to look at that album." she said, as she shoved it onto the coffee table. She wandered to the other side of the room and began rummaging around in a small cupboard. "You want this one."

She pulled out a book with well worn, peeling edges. Pieces of the plastic sleeves had cracked off and crumbled away. It was old, and weatherbeaten, it was obvious that Ida had looked through it many many times.

"Here we go." she sat down in the middle of the lounge, gesturing for the two girls to come sit beside her. "These are the forbidden photos."

She opened the pages, the photos inside were entirely different from the 'official' album, there were no perfectly poised, prim and proper photos of people in nice, presentable clothes. They were all candid shots, people in the middle of eating or laughing, some were stumbling around blind drunk, a few were smoking joints. There were pictures from parties and protest rallies, in backyards and drive ins.

There was a picture of Jeremy as a young boy, grinning with one of his front teeth missing and grass in his hair.

"Only in this family would losing your baby teeth make a photo 'unsavoury'." Ida grizzled as she continued through the album. "I saved so many pictures that my husband would have thrown out otherwise."

"Ugh, Uncle Peter was such a prude, he wouldn't even let me in the house if I didn't have my shoulders covered up." Kitty rolled her eyes.

"He used to be so much more relaxed when we were young." Ida sighed. "He changed when he inherited his father's business, he forgot how to have fun."

A few pages later Kitty squealed in excitement.

"Oh my god! That's Frankie! She was my best friend, we used to do everything together!"

The Kitty in the photo looked far more like the Kitty Sam knew. Her hair was teased up, and she was wearing a crop top and a miniskirt. The other girl, Frankie, had short curled hair and a leather jacket. They each had an arm around the others' shoulder and grinned wildly.

"I love this one." Ida smiled as she pulled the picture out of the sleeve. "That was the night I gave you a lift to that concert."

"Oh that show was sooo good! I got my nose pierced there! It got so infected, Mom grounded me for a month." Kitty laughed.

"Man, and I thought I was cool for skipping school to go see Circus Gothica." Sam grinned. "I'm gonna have to come home with a tattoo next time."

"I can't believe I forgot about Frankie, I can't believe I forgot about all of this." Kitty held the photo close to her chest, a few tears running down her face. "I'm so glad it's not gone for good."

She kept the photo in hand as they looked through the rest of the album. There were many pictures of Ida, all of them with other people of all walks of life.

"Oh this was when you took us to that pride parade!" Kitty smiled. "You made Frankie so happy, and you knew a lot of the drag queens there, like a LOT."

"Grandma took me to a drag show when I was 10," said Sam. "Even took me backstage to meet them all, my parents thought we went to the theatre to see Romeo and Juliet."

"Oh I have photos from that." Ida flipped through the pages, getting closer to the end of the album. "Here we are, oh Evelyn just LOVED you."

Sam looked at the picture of Evelyn, frowning slightly.

"Oh weird, she kinda looks like Mr Lancer's sister, he keeps her photo on his desk..." Sam paused as she processed what she just said. "That's not his sister is it?"

"You probably shouldn't bring it up." said Ida gently. "Teachers can get in trouble for associating with this sort of thing."

"That's so bogus!" Kitty cried. "I really thought this kinda stuff would be better in the future!"

"It is," Ida assured her. "But we're a long way from perfect."

Ida flipped back through the album, searching for more pictures of Kitty and Frankie. There were a good few of them, each one Ida pulled out and passed over for Kitty to look at and hold onto.

"Oh woah, is that Johnny?" Sam pointed to a picture of Kitty sitting on the back of a motorcycle with a blonde boy. "He looks exactly the same, just a little less pale."

"Oh, did Johnny come back as a ghost too?" Ida asked.

"Yeah! We've been together all this time, in sickness and in death." Kitty beamed. "Mom and dad blamed him for everything I did, even if he wasn't around when I did it. They said him and Frankie were 'corrupting' me."

She rolled her eyes.

"I bet they blamed him for my death too. They'd be so mad if they knew we were still together."

"Just goes to show they had no chance of keeping you two apart." Ida said. "Not even death could do that."

Kitty held the photo tight in both hands, her shoulders began to shake slightly.

"It was my fault you know." she said with a trembling little giggle. "Funny huh? My parents always blamed him for everything, but in the end it was my fault we got hit. We were havin' a fight over somethin' stupid and I distracted him-"

Ida wrapped an arm around Kitty, patting her head comfortingly as she laid it against the old woman's shoulder.

"I think you're being too hard on yourself bubbeleh." Ida whispered gently into her hair. "It was raining, the truck that hit you was running a red light, the driver was charged for both your deaths. Even if you did distract him, you weren't the only card at play that night."

She gave Kitty a light shake.

"And don't think I didn't see the way Johnny used to drive that thing, he was reckless. I have no doubt that he wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been." She placed a kiss on the girl's forehead and squeezed her tight. "It's not fair to hold all of that responsibility on yourself, even if you both did everything right, that truck still would have run that red light, it still would have been raining. It was just pure rotten luck."

Sam had never heard a ghost talk about their death before, even Danny didn't like talking about his accident, and asking about it was incredibly taboo. Sam had been pushing her luck earlier just by mentioning the car crash.

It said a lot about Kitty's love for Ida that she chose to open up about it. Sam couldn't say she was surprised, her Grandma had always been like that. Never anything but an endless well of love and support, and the occasional kick in the pants if you needed it.

"Johnny's always had rotten luck." Kitty sniffed. "Follows him like a shadow."

"Literally." Sam snorted.

After a few more moments, Ida pulled herself away from Kitty, she got up and began rooting through the cupboards, muttering to herself.

"Aha, here it is."

She brought over an empty photo album, it was roughly the size of a small pocketbook, containing only one photo sleeve per page.

"I meant to fill this with photos for Sam to keep." Ida admitted as she shuffled back over to the girls. "But I don't think she'll mind donating it to a good cause."

She winked at Sam, who nodded back.

"Here," Ida pressed the little album into Kitty's hands. "Memories are a fickle thing, but photos are forever."

"I can't take these!" Kitty insisted, pushing the album back. "They're your memories too!"

"Oh my god you're both so old." Sam laughed, "Dad has a printer/scanner. I can make copies."

As Sam took the polaroids to her dad's office, Ida and Kitty pored over the rest of the album, Kitty picking out more photos to copy. She chose a few of Ida and Sam, and even one of Carrie.

"She was a total loser and I hated her but I don't hate remembering her, you know? I want to remember everything, even the bad stuff."

She took a photo of her parents, just one.

When Sam came back with the last batch of photos, Ida finished slipping them into the little album.

"There's still a few sleeves left." Sam pointed out, holding up her phone with a smile. "We've got room for a couple of family reunion pics."

The two girls squished up against Ida as Sam snapped as many shots as she could. Ones where they smiled, ones where they laughed, ones where they laid haphazardly across the lounge together.

Then Sam took a few candids of just Kitty and Ida, as they looked through the new album they'd just made together. Capturing Kitty laughing at something as Ida looked at her with a soft, loving smile.

Kitty clutched the album to her chest as she gave Ida a long, drawn out hug.

"Thank you so much." she said, her voice thick with gratitude. "It's like I can see my life in colour again."

She left the house with the assurance that she would always be welcome back, at any time, and a promise that she would always be looking out for her 'new favourite cousin'.

Sam flicked through the photos she took on her phone, she would have to make sure to have copies printed by the time Kitty returned to visit.

She knew Kitty coming over regularly was going to make things complicated, her apparent newfound protectiveness over Sam could potentially backfire in many spectacular ways, she was petty and troublesome when in the right mood.

But then again, so was Ida, and so was Sam.

At least she had better things to do now than beat up strangers' mail boxes, Danny was certainly going to be glad to hear that.

[thelustybraavosimaid]

It feels like a misstep, an error, and it hurts.

Aemon should have been here by now, with his king father and queen mother and the rest of their royal party, but all Arya got instead were empty spaces where they should have been.

She kicked herself. Of course a crown prince wouldn't actually want to marry her. Of course. But did she have to find that out like this, when she was fussed over for hours and thrown in so tight a dress?

Arya willed the tears away as best she could, but she knew her father noticed them brimming on her lower eyelids.

Soon even her family were emptying the godswood, and Lord Eddard Stark was the very last, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance. "It is concerning that they are not here yet," he leaned down to meet her eyes. "If they thought against the match, they have much and more to answer for, I promise you that."

She tried not to sniffle, and cleared her tightened throat. "If I see Aemon, Father, I will hit him with Needle until I am sufficiently satisfied." She didn't think she ever would be, though. The fire of disappointment slithered down her chest and coiled in her belly like a coursing snake.

Arya glanced down at the sword resting on her right hip. Needle. It was a gift from Aemon himself, a secret promise, a proposal before a proposal, as he said. He taught her how to stick them with the pointy end that day, and chuckled and grinned when she whapped him on his arm and told him that she knew which end to use. Love shone in his eyes that day, and every time he saw her thereafter. It hurt to think about his non-presence, and the origins of her favourite sword. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt.

"Are you sure you still want to be here, sweetling?" Ned asked. "We can put off the feast and have you retire early."

"Let everyone eat, give meals to the smallfolk, too. I'll be out here a little while longer. I need to...to think."

Thinking was the last thing she needed to do, though. Thinking reminded her of the situation at hand, and it would only send her down a dark path of self-doubt and resentment.

Ned squeezed her shoulder again, and told her that there is no shame in crying, in being disappointed. The heat of his palm retreated just as he had, and she stayed still in the eerie silence until she knew that she was well and truly alone.

Still, she removed her grey fur and wool-trimmed cloak, sat down against the melancholy heart tree, and pulled her cloak up to her shoulders as she brought her knees to her chest. Arya took a deep breath and inhaled the soothing scents of moistened earth and decaying leaves, letting every exhale relax her body.

A blood-red hand of a weirwood leaf fell on her cloak, and she tried to focus on it until the thought of Aemon Targaryen drowned from her thoughts. But it was no good. That was just a stupid leaf, and Aemon was...he was...

I trusted him, she thought bitterly, tears filling her eyes once more. He was so eager...

Arya hadn't realised that she fell asleep until she felt the wet rasp of a tongue at her cheek.

"Nymeria?" She opened her eyes with a rush, but instead of eyes like new golden coins, she was met with crimson eyes that were darker than sin in the night.

"Ghost," she whispered, then looked around, hoping to find—

Aemon.

There he was, clad in black-and-red velvets, his cloak embroidered with the three-headed dragon of his House. His dark hair spilled past his shoulders, and his grey eyes watched her apologetically. He stood beside the black pool in the middle of the godswood, obscuring part of the reflection of the watchful great tree standing vigil behind her. Yet his reflection in the waters was queer enough. She was unsure if it was the sleep in her eyes, but it looked almost like the fog that clung to the floor of the godswood crafted his very form, blurring his body as if he danced behind a curtain veil. The water was so still, though, no breeze fashioning waves on its surface.

Needle felt heavy against her, reminding her of its presence.

"I've always loved these woods," he said softly, stilling her. "There's a peaceful serenity in them, something well and truly beautiful." He took his eyes from the heart tree to rest on her. "But, I think... it's not near half so lovely as you. You look very beautiful tonight, Arya."

"Don't think you can lull me with soft words!" She spat, rising. Warmth fled her as the cloak slipped from around her shoulders to drown in the misty fog that pooled at their feet. A part of her wanted to slap him, so he could feel a tenth of the hurt that pained her. "How dare you?! I waited for hours for you!"

Arya tried to adjust her dress, feeling the tightness constrict her like a coiling snake. She felt caged in her limited movement and she hated it; it was a wonder that she managed to sleep at all in it.

"Little cousin," he whispered, as if she wasn't furious at him. "I'm sorry I'm so late."

She could see her breath steaming in the night air. "Explain yourself then, cousin."

"Something came up, Arya, something I couldn't have avoided." He stepped forward. The moon peeked through a patch of clouds, and bathed his pale skin with moonlight, etched with tree leaves and branches. His eyes were darker than usual, obscured by his brow. "I tried to get to you as quickly as I could, cousin, I tried."

He tried. Yet her wrath was still upon her. "I ought to hit you with Needle and be done with it!"

Another pace forward. "Do so, then, if it makes you feel any better."

"It won't!" Arya growled in a fury.

"Then come here," he extended his hand to her, the smile touching his lips, "and wed me."

[makelemonade]

hiii can i please request for scaramouche fluff? where the reader meets him in a video game! then they realize they go to the same school, then after a while they fall in love blah blah and the rest is up to you author :>> make sure to take breaks and drink water!! (omg im very excited for scaramouche in 2.1!!)

scara goes into ur game- i literally dont have a title for this I AM SORRY

Scaramouche x GN!Reader

A/N: god the moment i saw 'scaramouche fluff' i ran to docs to start writing this

Warnings: Swearing (is that even a warning at this point) and kinda OOC Scaramouche. Alternate Universe.

(This is gonna start as small hcs/drabbles then turns into the real thing)

-ok so

-I’ve seen so many fics where we meet scara in a video game

-I’m switching it up a little

-he meets US in OUR video game

-insert scara randomly teleporting to our game and having to get used to living in it

-let’s say the game is a love story- it’s a modern love story game

-yes ik that’s boring but we got Scaramouche

-now it's time for the real thing 😉

~~~

Scaramouche groaned as he hit the ground, his head aching and eyesight blurry. “Where am I?”

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?”

His eyes widened. Why does he know that voice....

He turned around to see someone running up to him and if possible, his eyes widened even more. “What the fuck am I doing in (Insert Game Name that I couldn’t think of)

“What did you say?” You asked as you stopped running, standing in front of him.

“Uh....nothing. Sorry what did you say before?”

“I asked if you were alright!” You said, eyes full of concern. “Didn’t you just fall out of that tree?”

“Tree, what tree?” He asked.

You blinked. “Do you have a concussion? The tree you just fell from, right behind you!”

He turned around to see a pretty tall tree and understood immediately.

Right, this is how the game starts. He thought.

“Do you go to (Name of High School)? Maybe the nurse can check up on you?”

He smiled. If he remembered correctly, In the game, he did go to your high school. He just had to stick along to the story!

He almost snorted- yea hell no would he completely stick along to the story. He will make sure he makes it as chaotic as possible!

“Yea, I do. But really, I don’t need a nurse. I’ll be fine!”

You scoffed, “yea right. You have a big bump on your head, your coming with me...uh, what’s your name?”

“Scaramouche.”

“You sure you go to my high school? I’ve never heard that name before.”

He chuckled, “I’m not well known. No friends, you know?”

You smiled. “Well, allow me to introduce myself! I’m Y/N L/N, and I am now your friend!”

“This is so childish.” He murmured.

“Deal with it. Now, fandango man, lets go see the nurse!” You grabbed his hand and started walking to the school.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Scara-darling it is!”

“Don’t call me that either.”

“Your no fun!”

-back to hcs cuz I suck at writing full stories

-he doesn’t stick to the story line at all, and instead does a bunch of new things

-In the game, he was supposed to fall for all your pranks, and you always shamelessly flirted with him, but not today! He already knew all of the pranks so now he could dodge them!

-and the shameless flirting? Well, let’s say he meets the captain of the volleyball team: Childe, who is your best friend.

-Childe annoys the shit out of him, but he gets advice from him and a volleyball player named Kaeya about flirting.

-next day, he’s a pro flirter.

-he even tries out for the volleyball team! And despite being short, he makes it! (hAikyuu-)

-but he then realized it meant he couldn’t spend as much time with you.

-volleyball practice was during your break, so he couldn’t eat with you anymore.

-so he skips some practices to go see you!

-Childe doesn’t really care, he approves of what’s going on between you and Scara despite you not even knowing about it yet.

-sometimes when walking in the halls, he’ll hold your hand and rub circles in your palm

-but your so dense you still think your just friends

-now, in the game, it’s you who first confesses your feelings at the end

-he’s scared because he didn’t stick to the plot- what if it changed and you don’t like him and your not gonna confess?

-so, he went to the only person he could think of: Rosalyne (Signora)

-she told him everything you liked, and what days your busy and where he should confess

-Monday, under the tree where he first met you and the one he ‘fell from’

-he was nervous, REALLY nervous, and also embarrassed because Childe and Signora were hiding behind said tree so they could hear everything and comfort Scaramouche if anything goes wrong

~~~

Scaramouche felt his heart beat a lot faster when he saw you walking towards him. “They're coming.” He whispered.

“You can do it!” Childe whispered from behind the tree.

“Yea, or we gave you all that advice for nothing!”

His eyes widened at the new voice, “Kaeya what are you doing here?”

“You really think I would miss out on this? Hell no!”

Signora scoffed. “Be quiet their here!”

They went silent and you stood just a few feet away from him. “Hey Scara! What’s up?”

“Y/N...” He walked closer to you, taking ahold of your hands and not letting go of them.

“Hey what’s wrong? Your shaking..” you said, noticing how shaky his hands were while holding yours.

He smiled, “It’s because I’m nervous. Y/N, these past few months have been amazing and...and...fuck I swear I had a whole speech ready.”

He could practically hear Childe facepalming behind the tree and Signora smacking him.

“Listen Y/N, I like you, like a lot, like a lot a lot a lot. Your just so fucking funny and nice and- remember the day you met me, right under this tree? You were so sweet! How could I not like you?”

Your eyes were wide, “You like me?”

“Yes you dumbass! Are you dense or something? I said it like four ti-“ He was cut off when YOU FUCKING KISSED HIM

INSERT SCARA SCREAMING INTERNALLY AND NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO BUR ENDS UP KISSING YOU BACK

The three behind the tree look to see what was happening, and they all screamed when they saw you and Scara kissing that you both jumped when you heard.

“Seriously?!” Scaramouche scoffed, “We were having a fucking moment!”

-god Childe and Kaeya will never let this go

-they probably recorded the whole thing

[imaginingmanyfandoms]

No i dont have a specific request. I just want Volturi King headcanons if you dont mind

i need feedback on these, i don't know how well i write for the kings

ARO:

he would be tempted to just read all your thoughts because he wants to learn all of you

but also he would be so fascinated by you that he would want to first get to know you by talking to you

you would spend countless hours talking to him

how you met: he'd been watching you in your village for many weeks. you were a medicinal herbalist, and the way plants responded to your care, he knew you would be magnificent as a vampire. but when he approached you he fell in love. he let you apprentice someone knew before he took you away. at last wish, if you will. you didn't want your village to suffer from your farewell, but you would go with him happily.

he would give you a few human weeks to adapt and understand how life in the castle worked, so you didn't have to learn the rules while also trying to overcome thirst & strength

in that time, he would host elaborate tea parties for you

filled with all the food & drink he used to love

he would watch you eat it with awe, enjoying the novelty of reliving his human days

heidi is your best friend; maybe it started with her undeniable charm, but she was so flattered when you started inviting her to do things over the phone, meaning you truly liked her for her and didn't feel compelled to hangout with her

when aro was too busy to do something with you, you would help heidi with her elaborate schemes

after your thirst & newbornism was under control he would build you an apothecary cabin somewhere hidden from the world

somewhere for you to spend your time fiddling with plants and herbs

you would have another apprentice, someone who to trained to take care of your garden while you were away

aro would dislike it whenever you tried to join the guard

"you are my beautiful spouse, not my guard."

"i can make the trees attack people. i control the trees my love."

he still wouldn't want it, he would want you to spend your time doing things you loved, not going on missions

he would want to hide you from the violence he ordered

he would make you a library, filled with books of herbs and plants and medicine for you to study

he would find you records and records of vinyl for you to listen to

he would try to give you jewels and treasures too often

you would often run up to him, smacking your hand somewhere on his body while talking about a pretty flower you saw

imagine just like open palm sticking your hand on his face and saying "look how interesting it is. look at the healing properties but also it's so cute!" with your hand covering half his face

CAIUS:

he would love you so much

and if you showed him any kind of affection back he would melt

how you met; you were one of aro's treasures. instead of letting your small coven face death, you went voluntarily. that kind of loyalty was something aro respected. you were someone with an amazing ability to calm anyone. to draw their fears out and replace it with euphoria, even while staring death in the face. aro loved you, loved the way you didn't feel bad about killing someone - just that they shouldn't have to feel afraid to die. also you didn't have to fight because your victim would stand calmly while you ripped them apart.

caius didn't want you on the guard, but you insisted.

"gives me somewhere to be while you're busy, my sweet."

felix has direct orders to protect you above all else (except the secret - of course) when you're on a mission

he would need you to love him and much as he loved you

but also he's a but of a grump

so he could be grumpy and still try to compliment you

"well don't you look just beautiful"

"remember how we talked about how things don't sound sincere when you say it like that."

anything you asked for would be his command to grant

and when you wanted to spend time with him, he would give you his full attention when he could

you would become good friends with demetri, and caius would hate it

not because he didn't trust you or demetri.

there were no secrets in Volterra...

but because after you'd spent too much time with demetri, some of his personality would rub off on you, and caius is a calm afternoon type of guy

one time during a pleasant walk through the garden you threw a water balloon at him

he stood frozen in wet robes as you laughed at him, jumping on his back and places kisses all over him

you brought out a little more fun in him, and while he looks like he hates it; he actually really appreciates it

MARCUS:

he was miserable before you

thousands of years of waiting to find his mate

but when you came, it was like a whole new marcus

he was still tired of being alive, but he now would rather live than leave your side

you will fill his senses with things he'd long since stopped appreciating

music sounded lovelier

flowers smelled prettier

poems had meaning again

how you met; you were brought in for questioning regarding an old travelling companion of yours. you offered the information to aro without a second thought, and he saw in your mind that you would never question, or stand against the volturi. marcus saw you in the throne room, and couldn't keep his eyes or thoughts anywhere else. you were exquisite. a gift to the eyes. he'd ask you to stay for a bite. and then he'd ask you to stay indefinitely. as a vampire it's pretty hard to find a home, so you accepted.

marcus would fill your days with things you enjoyed

walking through the garden, reading poems, watching movies

whatever you liked to do, he was eager to do with you

he was always worried about your safety

so he turned a professional mma fight into a vampire and gave him the order to protect you with his life

aro & caius thought it was excessive but... they didn't say anything

he wanted you to be happy with him

[anyoneseenadam]

Hiii. if you're still taking requests can you do a azriel one? (Can't get enough of him🤭🥰) can you witte one where azriel gets really badly hurt on a mission and barely makes it back and the reader freaking out and being really worried.?

pairing: azriel x reader (acotar)

warnings: angst, graphic descriptions of blood and violence, sad shiz but happy ending

a/n: this isn’t as angsty as I planned but it’s a lil, pls comment if you like it and tell me ur thoughts <33

——————————————————————————-

Azriel had promised you the mission would be quick. In and out were his exact words.

You should’ve known better than to trust him when he spoke so casually about breaking into a palace in the human courts, you should’ve known that something would go horribly, inconceivably wrong. But when he smiled at you and held you against him, swaying from side to side you were too lost in his easy lies to care.

You had started going on more missions with him recently. While you weren’t a spy, you had an incredible knack for lying. Cassian joked that you were just a brat but even he couldn’t deny that you were talented when it came to batting your eyes and pressing a hand gently enough on a soldier’s arm that they would bend to your every will.

You and Azriel had also discovered that the most effective torture method was to trick whoever you had taken into a false sense of security, you would use a gentle tone and motherlike care to make them feel safe. And then they were always willing to speak, believing that once Azriel stopped his ministrations they could fall into the safety of your arms.

It was a good tactic and even Azriel was impressed when you first tried it. But that never quelled his protectiveness, the way an arm would find its way secured around your waist as soon as you had secured the information you needed, or the way he kissed you fiercely in his shadows when he was tired of watching men flirt with you.

The truth was you and Azriel were so completely in love, no amount of flirting could ever take you from the gentle but possessive grip of your mate. In some ways that’s what kept you going, knowing that at the end of the day you didn’t have to plaster on a fake smile and sweet voice.

At the end of the day, in the warmth and comfort of your share home you were yourself. You could wear the same jumper for weeks straight and laugh at crude jokes. You could do your makeup at 3am and then turn to your half-asleep mate with a pout, whining until he caved and let you do his makeup too.

But in the end, your complete devotion would come back to bite you in the ass.

It was your fault, or so you believed. If you had just kept your eyes on the general with bad breath and a crooked nose you wouldn’t be in this mess. But when he got to close your eyes flickered to were your mate stood, concealed in shadows, and through all the generals personal hygiene faults, he had been trained to notice subtle looks that gave you away.

He had grabbed you so tightly that you couldn’t help but yelp, drawing Azriel’s attention to you. And while you had disabled the general quickly you now had hoards of guards chasing you out of an area that was guarded against winnowing.

Azriel hadn’t wasted a second. You were his top priority and so he had abandoned the plan and grabbed you as quickly as he could, gathering you into his arms as he flew to the exit. You had spluttered apologies to him as he flew, your eyes trained on the guards chasing you, the guards who were now drawing bows.

Azriel was quick but the arrows were quicker. You threw your hands out, trying to bat off as many of them as you could with the limited power you held. But as concentrated as you were on the ones directed to his wings, you didn’t see the one aiming for his lower torso until you felt it graze you from where it left his body.

He grunted as you swore, finally out of the barriers as he winnowed to as close to home as he could. But while injured that wasn’t easy and you found yourselves standing in a wooded area, Azriel dropping you down much more roughly than usual, swearing as he leaned against a tree.

“Okay, okay I can fix this, you’re going to be fine.” You spoke, mainly to yourself as the panic inside you grew. You scanned the area, spotting a cave not too far off, not wanting to leave Azriel in the open when you had no idea what could be in these woods.

“C’mon baby, let’s go this way.” You slung an arm around him, just above the wound and began making your slow trek to the small cave. As soon as you had him sat down, you knelt in front of him, tears in your eyes as you cut open his top, so you had access to the wound beneath.

“Why are you crying sweetheart?” you heard him ask and you rolled your eyes, wiping away the stray tears.

“Why do you think dumbass,” you said, forcing a smile when he huffed a laugh.

“You can’t be mean to me right now,” he complained as you set about cutting off both ends of the arrow so you could remove it safely, wincing when he hissed, gritting his teeth.

You finally had both ends cut off and went to pull it out, removing your shawl and preparing to press it against the wound that was spouting far too much blood. You looked up at him with your hands pressed shakily against his wound and saw his skin was pale and sweaty, his eyes drooping as they tried to close. He fell forward slightly but you held him upright with your shoulder, panic rushing through you, white hot.

“Azriel c’mon no, none of that. You’ve got to stay awake baby, you’re too heavy for me.” You begged; your hands pressed tightly against his wound as you let the tears fall freely. You eventually had to pull away, moving him so he was leaning against the cave wall, taking extra precaution to ensure his head didn’t get hurt.

His eyes cracked open when he felt your blood-soaked palm press gently against his face, glassy and barely present.

“Hey, hey I need you to stay with me, okay?” you tried to smile, wanting to offer him any semblance of comfort.

“Always baby,” he whispered, and you smiled, pulling your hands away slightly and smiling when you saw the wound healing externally already.

“What are you getting me for solstice?” you asked, wanting to keep him awake and speaking.

“Not telling.” He muttered and you laughed.

“You have to, we have to talk about something.” You joked, pulling a hand away just long enough to wipe your eyes as you focused on his face.

“I had a few ideas; nothing seems good enough.” He muttered and you laughed.

“Tell me.”

“Well first I thought a necklace, books, maybe art supplies or something but that’s all boring,” he whispered, and you smiled, nodding.

“If it’s from you it won’t be boring,” you smiled, hands still pressed tightly against his wound.

“Well I also thought I could get you your own truthteller, maybe one with a pink handle.” He joked.

“Well you know full well I would love that, maybe baby pink with little white hearts on it,” he smiled at you, his head lulling slightly forward. You reached up to him again holding his head gently in your hands, before you lay him down, covering him in the rest of your shawl.

“You plan that then, I’m going to go get wood and we’ll start a fire okay, keep you warm.” You stroked his face gently, pressing a kiss onto his forehead.

“Be safe,” he grabbed your hand as you stood to leave,

“You first.”

--

Your luck apparently ran out as soon as you looked at Azriel, given as soon as you walked out the cave the heavens opened, and you were soaked to the skin in the seconds. You grabbed as much wood as you could straight away, throwing it into the dry cave.

You then ventured further out, finding a rabbit, and killing and cleaning it out as quickly as you could, practically running back to the cave. You knelt down, starting a small fire, and removing your now dirty and completely soaked dress, ringing out your hair.

You then moved back to Azriel, brining him closer to the fire as you cooked speared the rabbit over it, cooking all the meat you could salvage of its small body.

“You’re so cold,” he muttered, pressing his nose into your bare skin as you shivered, moving even closer to the fire.

“Ah you know what they say, cold hands, cold heart.”

“I don’t think that’s the-“

“Shh,” you muttered, curling into him as you pressed together trying to steal some warmth from each other.

“If I get ill I’m going to kill you.” You whispered into his neck, and he chuckled, clenching his teeth when he moved to soon and your head shot up to him.

“Are you okay? Am I hurting you?” he shook his head, tightening his arms around you.

“No you’re alright,” he whispered. You lay there for a while longer, Azriel’s body limp, all his energy going into healing the deep wound in his side. Yours on the other hand was tense, ears perking up at any sound, half expecting a pack of rabid wolves to come eat you the second you allowed yourself to relax. When the rabbit was finished, you picked it apart, feeding it to Azriel gently, determined to get his energy back.

He was still so pale and no matter how hard you tried, nothing could quell the nausea in your stomach. Every time you looked at him when he closed his eyes your heart dropped, your anxiety telling you that this might just be the last time you ever see him.

You didn’t sleep all night, instead staying pressed against him, shivering in your undergarments as your dress dried by the fire. You regularly checked his pulse, temperature, breathing and whatever else you could, too afraid to take your eyes off of him for even a second.

By the time the sun finally rose, Azriel’s complexion had evened out and the wound in his side was puckering into a pink scar. You were beyond relieved, fussing over him when he woke up like the mother you often pretended to be.

You pulled your dress back on and stumbled to a near-by river to collect him some water, picking a species of berries you recognised along the way, and actively ignoring the cough you had developed over night.

You got back to the cave and almost cried in relief when you saw him sitting up, smothering the burning embers that used to be your fire. He looked over to you as you padded in and swore, standing to come to you.

“You look like shit what happened?” he asked, worry coating his features.

“Hey! I spent all night looking after you asshole,” you shoved him gently but he held tight, holding your chin in his slender fingers as he forced you to look at him.

“Shit it was raining last night,”

“Yeah?” you asked as he shook his head.

“That’s why you were so cold, c’mon let’s get you home you’re ill.” He muttered as you wildly protested.

“I’m fine, you need to rest,” you pointed at him, but he brushed you off, gathering you in his arms to winnow home.

“We can rest together, at home, in bed.” He stated, not leaving any room for argument so you relaxed in his arms, your head pressed against his shoulder.

“Okay,” you conceded, your voice small as he smiled down at you.

“Thank you for looking after me darling,” his voice was filled with sincerity, and you snuggled closer into him.

“Anytime.” You whispered as he winnowed you away, only vaguely aware of the feeling of him placing you down on your bed and curling around your back, arms tight and secure.