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nostalgicnarrator · 3 months ago

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Outlaws and Lawmen

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Word Count: 5311

Parings: Thorn X Bilbo

Description:

Throin Oakenshield, law man, finds himself facing an outlaw, the likes of which he’s never seen before.

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1 / 2 / 2.5

⚠️Warning⚠️

Brief mention of extreme violence. Gun fights and death.

Note:

Listen, I don’t know what to tell you except I really wanted to write this for whatever reason. I was inspired, mostly by @shurikthereject and more specifically this post, and this post by them. Go give them love please if you haven’t already. Have fun and tell me if I messed up.

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The sun was just beginning to rise over the small, dusty town of Ered, casting long shadows on the wooden buildings that lined the main streets.

The cool breeze rolled through the growing town, it carried familiar scents of leather, horses, and the distant aroma of freshly baked bread.

Thorin Oakenshield, the town’s sheriff, adjusted his hat and took a deep breath, savoring the calmness of the early hour.

Thorin’s family had long been intertwined with the law, a legacy stretching back further than he or the rest of the town could really remember.

His father and grandfather before him had both worn the very badge now clipped to his chest.

though they were not the only to carve their own legends into the town, they were the only ones who’s legends lined with mystery’s.

His grandfather had been one of the most revered sheriffs the town had ever known, a man who brought order with a steady hand and an unyielding sense of justice.

But he had not been as invincible as he pretended. He’d upset the wrong people, his throat slit in the dead of night, his body found cold and lifeless in the alley behind what was now Bombur’s saloon.

No one had ever discovered who was responsible. The killer’s identity became the stuff of ghost stories whispered around campfires, a shadow in the town’s memory, known only as “The defiler.”

Thorin’s father fared no better. He vanished without a trace while leading a posse into the hills, chasing after, well Thorin didn’t know.

What he did know was that his father’s badge showed up and left in Thorin’s home, there was no explanation,

And as the weeks turned into months, Thorin's hope dwindled to a painful acceptance. His father was assumed dead, claimed by the wilds or worse.

Left with little choice, and after a little convincing, Thorin took the badge. He was allowed to wear it and wore it he did, making him one of the youngest sheriffs in the territory.

Now, it was his turn to uphold the family honor in a town that seemed forever on the brink of the unexpected. Ered had always attracted the strange and the dangerous, and lately, there’d been no shortage of both.

The sudden influx of outlaws had become increasingly frustrating, bands of desperados and renegades testing their resolve, pushing at the edges of the peace Thorin strived for.

Thorin, by now, had dealt with his fair share of trouble. He’d faced down outlaws who thought his town was an easy mark, stood toe-to-toe with gunmen who underestimated him, and outsmarted those who tried to outgun him.

His reputation grew quickly and he was known as the quickest draw and for having a sharp mind, at least when it came to dealing with outlaws.

His name began to spread beyond Ered, most rumors of him were just that; rumors. but if the whispers in saloons and campfires across the state helped in keeping his town safe he didn’t mind.

Most were overly dramatic stories, some being entirely false and others just being exaggerated. But said stories were enough to make some think twice about causing trouble in his town.

Before that, Ered was just another dot on the map. But it quickly became known as Thorin Oakenshield’s town.

A place where the law was upheld not just by the sheriff’s badge, but by the man who wore it. Outlaws might ride into other towns to cause trouble, but not here. Not under Thorin’s watch.

Still, even as he took in the quiet morning, a familiar tension settled in his gut. The calm wouldn’t last; it never did. And today felt like one of those days when trouble was bound to find its way to his door.

And even as Thorin strode down the main street, nodding to or saying hello to the townspeople who greeted him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was brewing.

The air seemed thicker today, the shadows just a bit darker. He greeted his deputy, Dwalin, as he stepped inside the sheriff’s office.

“Mornin’, Thorin,” Dwalin grunted, adjusting his gun belt. His face, usually calm, held a hint of tension.

“Morning, Dwalin… Feels like a strange day, doesn’t it?” Thorin replied.

Dwalin nodded. “Aye, it does. Maybe it’s the storm coming in from the east, but I’ve got a feelin’…”

Thorin chuckled. “You always have a feeling, Dwalin. Let’s hope it's just the weather this time.”

But deep down, Thorin knew better than to ignore his instincts or those of his deputy. On more than one occasion either had been provided right.

And if they were both feeling it, then something really bad might just happen. Before he could dwell on it anymore, Bofur, the always cheerful owner of the general store, came through the door.

“Sheriff! Morning!” Bofur called, his usual grin tight fake, it seemed out of place on his usually jovial face.

Thorin nodded and made his way over. “Why mornin’ Bofur, everything alright?”

“Well, …no sheriff, It’s my cousin. I’ve been trying to get him help and, well he’s out on his own again.”

Thorin sighed. Bifur, maybe this is what his gut was so upset about. Bifur had lost his mind a few years ago after an accident.

The old prospector was a kind fellow most days but, when he got to wondering, there was no telling.

Bifur often wandered off into the hills, he never got much farther than that. “Alright, I’ll go check on him. Might be good to get out of town for a bit.” Throin patted Bofur on the back.

“Thank ya sheriff, send him to my general store or to my brothers saloon.”

Dwalin gave him a nod as they quickly gathered their stuff. Thorin was first to mount his horse, setting off towards the hills.

The wind picked up as dark clouds gathered on the horizon. He didn’t like leaving town with a feeling like this hanging in the air, but Bofur’s cousin needed checking on, and that was that.

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The midday sun hung high over Ered, casting its relentless heat down onto the dirt streets. A breeze brushed through the town making trees rustle kindly.

The townsfolk moved about their business; women chatting outside the general store, children running past the schoolhouse, and a few men lounged outside Bombur's saloon.

Then, a low rumble of hooves sounded in the distance, growing louder as they approached. Heads turned, eyes narrowing against the glare to see a group of riders on the horizon.

At the head of the pack was a man with a dark brown hat, caramel colored curls wearing a green shirt and a dark poncho around his shoulders. A white bandanna covered his face nicely.

Not everyone could immediately recognize the leader, but the few that did knew him as Bilbo Baggins, the outlaw.

He was a new name to the outlaws list, steadily climbing the wanted list, now he sits near the top, he’d robbed banks, and towns. He’s known to be armed and dangerous.

He never misses, he hasn't ever each time he’s shot a gun. Bilbo rode in with a confidence that would send a chill down the spine of any onlooker.

Three other men rode behind him, all armed and faces hidden behind masks of different colors and patterns.

Beside Bilbo was his right hand man, no name was ever given to the man, and none ever will. He always wore a purple shirt with a dark bandanna around his face and a black hat blocking the rest.

Bilbo’s right hand man was known as a wiry man with a wicked glint in his eye, he seemed to scan the buildings with sharp interest, his fingers twitching near the revolver at his side.

The riders came to a stop in the middle of the street, kicking up clouds of dust. Bilbo’s eyes swept over the faces that stared back at him.

There were wide-eyed women who clutched their children tightly, men tensing up, hands edging closer to their gun belts if they had one. He chuckled under his breath.

“Good afternoon, folks!” Bilbo called out lazily, he looked relaxed and calm. “How’s everyone doin’? Ain’t it just a lovely day? Be a damn shame if somethin’ were to spoil it.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. The tension in the air was thick, almost like a coiled spring ready to snap. Someone had the nerve to draw and before the man could fully raise his hand a shot rang out.

The man dropped his gun and held his now bleeding hand to himself. Bilbos right hand man had his gun pointed at the idiot who thought it was a good idea to grab his gun.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you… see my partner here, he’s got an itchy finger.” Bilbo chuckled softly.

At the edge of the crowd, Dís stood with her sons, Fíli and Kíli. Her instincts told her to fight, keep her children safe. And she desperately wanted to listen to it.

But she couldn’t, not without getting someone killed. She held her sons back as they stepped forward, their own hands reaching for their guns.

With a gentle squeeze on their shoulders she got their attention “Stay calm,” she whispered to them, her eyes never leaving Bilbo.

Bilbo swung off his horse, strolling leisurely towards the bank. He nodded to Glóin as he stepped outside.

Bilbo’s gang slowly followed, spreading out behind him. “Now, I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Bilbo continued. “At least, not if I don’t have to. But my boys and I, we’re in need of some funds, and I’m sure your good banker here won’t mind making a generous donation.”

Glóin stepped forward, his face pale but not scared. “You won’t get away with this,” he said, his voice steadier than he felt.

Bilbo laughed, a sound that made the townsfolk flinch. The laugh was too sweet for what was happening. “Oh, I think I will. See, I’ve got more men hidden around your little town- rooftops, alleys, you name it. You make a move, and they’ll turn this place into a shooting gallery.”

A wave of fear swept through the crowd. They glanced nervously at the rooftops and shadows, imagining invisible gunmen lurking there, ready to unleash hell.

Fíli and Kíli tensed beside their mother, their eyes flicking towards the distant hills where their uncle had ridden not long ago. They needed to get him, now.

Dís felt the tremor of fear in her sons, and in that moment, she made a decision. She tilted her head towards Fíli and whispered urgently, “Fíli, you and Kíli go. Ride fast, find your uncle, bring him back.”

Fíli hesitated, his eyes wide. “But, Ma-”

“Go!” she hissed, “I’ll handle this!”

Before the boys could argue further, Dís stepped forward, raising her hands high. “Wait! Wait!” she shouted, drawing all eyes, including Bilbo’s, to her.

Bilbo cocked his head, curiosity piqued. “Howdy ma’am, pleasure to meet ya, who might you be?”

Dís forced a smile, stepping into the open. “Just a mother, hoping to keep her children safe,” she said, voice steady even as her heart raced. “You say you’re not here to hurt anyone- then prove it. Let these people go about their day. You want money? Take it and leave.”

Bilbo’s grin widened. He sauntered closer, he began to prowl around her. “Now, now, that’s quite a proposal. So what makes you think you can negotiate with me?”

“Because, I know you’re bluffing,” Dís said, her eyes blazing with a defiant spark. “If you had as many men as you say, you wouldn’t need to make threats. You’d have already started shooting.”

A hush fell over the street. For a moment, even Bilbo looked surprised, caught off guard. Behind Dís, Fíli and Kíli took the chance to slip away, moving silently through the crowd, unnoticed by the gang members whose focus was entirely on their mother.

Bilbo glared at her and pointed up behind her to a rooftop where a gunman was, he had a shotgun aimed at her “are you sure…? My dear you seemed to have misjudged.”

Dís glared back “one extra gunner-“ Bilbo points at another on the bell tower of the church. “Two then, show me another and I’ll believe you.”

Bilbo’s smile slowly faded. “You’re a sharp one, ain’t you?” he said, his tone darkening. “Maybe too sharp for your own good.”

Dís’s heart pounded, but she held her ground, she pulls give her sons all the precious seconds they needed, no matter what.

Fíli and Kíli had at that point reached the edge of town, a horse waited for them. Without a word, they mounted and Fíli spurred it into a gallop, racing towards the hills.

Bilbo’s eyes flicked to the fleeing boys just as they vanished from sight. His smile returned. “Looks like we’re gonna have some fun after all.”

He turned back to his men. “Inside the bank!” he barked. “And make it quick. We’ve got company coming.”

The gang moved into action, shoving Glóin into the building as they went inside the bank. He protested loudly. Loud enough to still hear him outside.

Dís watched as her sons disappeared over the ridge, a silent prayer on her lips that they would reach Thorin in time.

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The hills outside Ered were grassy and scattered rocks, with the occasional stubborn tree jutting its way up.

Thorin and Dwalin had their horses trotting along slowly, scanning for any sign of Bifur. The old prospector had a habit of wandering off into the wilderness, especially after his accident.

The poor man had a hatchet stuck in his head, Óin says it’s a miracle that he could even still walk. Bifur’s mind seemed lost most days, chasing shadows only he could see.

“There,” Dwalin grunted, pointing ahead with a nod. A figure sat on a rocky outcrop, silhouetted against the bright sky. It was Bifur.

He looked as wild as he always does, muttering to himself as he gazed into the distance. Thorin began to wonder if he was lucid enough to sign.

Thorin and Dwalin swong themselves from their horses and approached cautiously, not wanting to startle Bifur.

As they drew closer, Thorin could make out Bifur’s soft mumbling. He was rattling off gibberish nonsense that always seemed to only make sense to him.

“Bifur,” Thorin called gently, stopping a few paces away. “It’s Thorin. Bofur sent me, your cousin? He’s worried about you.”

Bifur turned slowly, his eyes wide and unfocused. For a moment, he didn’t seem to recognize Thorin, his gaze flicking between the sheriff and the deputy beside him.

Thorin took another step closer to Bifur, his hands went up when the prospector, stepped away as if to run. Then, a spark of recognition lit in Bifur’s eyes, and his face softened.

“Thorin” Bifur signed and Thorin let out a sigh of relief, nodding slowly as the prospector’s hands moved silently. “I know you.”

Thorin smiled, trying to keep his tone light. “Yes, you do. And you know Bofur and Bombur too. They’re worried about you, Bifur. They want you to come back to town with us.”

Bifur shook his head, his brows notched together as his hands moved warily. “Can’t go back. The Shadows there. Always watching… waiting.”

Dwalin stepped forward, his voice was softer than normal. “It’s alright Bifur. We’ll help you get back safe.”

Bifur’s eyes darted around, scanning the horizon as if expecting something to emerge from the rocks. “You don’t see them,” he signed with quick movements. “The dead won’t stay dead, the shadows walk like men there.”

Thorin glanced at Dwalin, who gave a slight nod. They had to handle this carefully. Bifur was not dangerous, but he was unpredictable, and the last thing they wanted was to spook him further.

“Listen, Bifur,” Thorin said softly, crouching down to meet Bifur’s gaze directly. “Why don’t you come down from that rock and whatever you’re seeing, whatever you’re feeling, we can talk about it back in town.”

Bifur looked at Thorin more now and then to Dwalin, he took a step back away, both men showed their hands to him, “Bifur, out here, you’re exposed. It’s not safe. Let’s get you back to your family. To Bofur and Bombur. They miss you.” Dwalin offered with a kinder tone.

Bifur hesitated, He glanced at the hills behind him, then back at Thorin and Dwalin. He started down off the rocks, slowly moving to Thorin.

Thorin smiled, relief washing over him. “Good man, Bifur. We’ll take it nice and slow. Just follow us.”

They helped Bifur when he got closer, guiding him back to the horses. The man was unsteady, his eyes still darting about as if expecting to see the phantoms that haunted his mind. But with each step, he seemed to calm a little more.

Thorin and Dwalin exchanged a glance, Bifur had once been a kind fellow, not that he wasn’t now and not that he didn’t seem to have moments of clarity,

There was a time where Thorin wondered if the person who slit his grandfather’s throat was the same person who tried to bash Bifur’s skull in with a hatchet.

The sound of galloping hooves drew Thorin back to the present. He turned, spotting two riders approaching at breakneck speed.

His hand instinctively went to the gun at his hip, ready for anything. As the riders drew closer, he recognized their faces. He found himself hurrying a little closer.

It was his nephews. Thorin’s heart clenched with worry as he glanced back toward the town. Something was wrong.

“Uncle Thorin!” Fíli shouted as he and Kíli threw themselves from their horse, scrambling over to him, panic etched on their faces. “You need to come back! The town- there’s an outlaw!”

“Said his name is Bilbo Boggins!” Kíli added breathlessly.

“No, no! It was definitely Baggins!” Fíli corrected, his voice trembling.

Thorin��s heart tightened. Bilbo Baggins, the name was as infamous as it was unexpected. He knew what the name meant.

Thorin felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as he glanced at Dwalin, whose expression mirrored his own horror and panic.

“What’s he doing?” Thorin demanded, trying to steady his voice. He pushed Bifur to Fíli.

Kíli caught his breath. “He’s holding the town hostage. Says he’s got a dozen men hidden around. Mom distracted him so we could get away, Uncle!”

Thorin’s heart sank, then shattered at the thought of his sister risking herself. He wouldn’t lose her too. He wouldn’t let his nephews lose their mother.

He turned to Dwalin. “Mount up,” he ordered, already moving towards his horse. “Fíli, stay with Bifur. If you follow then keep a safe distance behind us and get him back to Bofur and Bombur if you can manage. Stay safe, both of you.”

Fíli nodded, though his eyes were wide and worried. Kíli grabbed his uncle’s pant leg, not ready to let him go. “What about you, Uncle?”

Thorin’s face hardened. “I’m going to deal with our new visitor.” With that, he spurred his horse forward, “Let’s go!” he shouted to Dwalin, who fell beside him.

They raced back towards Ered, the peaceful morning had now become a distant memory.

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By the time they reached the edge of town, Thorin could still see some of the townspeople. Most had been ushered into the general store and the doors were blocked and bard closed.

The rest were tied up and left in front of the store. And Dís was one of them. Two men were at the entrance of the bank guns drawn, one called into the bank as Thorin showed.

After a moment the doors slammed open and there stood Bilbo Baggins, his face covered by a white bandanna , his right hand man stepped out beside him, his face also covered.

“Thorin Oakenshield,” Bilbo called out, his voice carrying over the din. “I’ve heard of you. The scary lawman turned legend. Some say you can never miss a shot.”

Thorin slid off his horse, Dwalin followed suit quickly, his hands hovering towards his gun. Even though Bilbo’s face was covered, Thorin could see the playful grin underneath it.

Then the first shot rang out, sharp and echoing across the town square, shattering the fragile stillness. Dwalin had fired at Bilbo, but he missed.

Bilbo huffed and shot back, his men soon followed his lead. Instinctively, Thorin and Dwalin ducked behind a water trough, bullets whizzing past them.

"Dwalin! Really? No negotiation?!" Thorin shouted over the din, gripping his revolver tightly.

Dwalin shrugged beside him, wincing as a bullet ricocheted off the edge of the trough, splintering the wood. “I had 'em, the sun just got in my eye…”

“Uh huh, sure.” Throin huffed, he ducked down lowered as his hat got blasted off. “Aww man, I like that hat…”

Dwalin huffed a chuckle at Throin and shook his head before popping up a bit and trying to shoot back.

Throin had to push Dwalin back down when a bullet narrowly avoided hitting Dwalin in the head. “keep your head down!”

Bilbo Baggins chuckled, his voice unnervingly calm amidst the gunfire. "Come on, Oakenshield! You've got quite the reputation. Show me what you've got!"

Thorin clenched his jaw, peering around the edge of the trough. Bilbo stood confidently in the middle of the street, a few of his men taking cover now behind wagons and barrels.

Thorin saw his chance, one of Bilbo's outlaws leaned out too far, aiming a shot at him from the roof from across the street. The outlaw fell from the roof, clutching his chest.

He squeezed the trigger, and the man dropped, his body crumpling to the ground.

"That's one," Thorin muttered under his breath. He moved swiftly, signaling to Dwalin to cover him as he darted to the side of a building.

Bilbo chuckled. "Ooh, nice shot! You keep that up, and I might have to start taking you seriously." Thorin's jaw tightened, but he kept his focus.

Another outlaw shot at him from a wagon. He lined up the shot, cocked his gun's hammer and squeezed the trigger again.

"Two," Thorin counted. He had to duck out of the way as a bullet ricocheted off the wall he was hiding behind.

Bilbo clapped his hands in mock applause. "Oh, very good, very good! But you're still outnumbered, Sheriff. How many bullets you got left? Think you can take us all?"

Throin growled, stepped out and shot at Bilbo, the outlaw just barely avoided the shot as he ducked behind a wall, his right hand man followed him quickly.

Dwalin glanced over at Thorin, Dwalin huffed and shot at them making one of the outlaws that was about to shoot Thorin duck back behind his cover and miss.

Throin slipped back where he was before, Dwalin soon joined him behind the wall. "He's trying to rile you up, don't let him get to you!" Thorin nodded, but he could feel the frustration bubbling up.

Bilbo's voice was like an itch he couldn't scratch, each word dripping with amusement. He huffed and shot across again behind a wagon after a moment Dwalin moved to fallow.

An outlaw popped up from nowhere with a rifle, aiming at Dwalin as the man ran. Thorin fired first, and the outlaw’s head snapped back as he fell to the ground.

"Three," Thorin called out through gritted teeth.

"Now, now," Bilbo chided, his tone mockingly sweet. "You're making this really boring for my boys. Can't you give them a bit of a chance?"

"You want a chance, Baggins?" Thorin shot back, his patience wearing thin. "Tell your men to lay down their guns and come quietly. Otherwise, I'll make sure you're the last man standing."

Bilbo laughed, a light, easy sound that grated on Thorin's nerves. "Well, I'm sure I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a schedule to keep."

Another outlaw shifted, trying to take advantage of Bilbo's distraction. Thorin whipped around and fired, hitting the man square in the chest.

The outlaw fell back with a grunt, his gun clattering to the ground. "Four," Thorin called.

His reputation wasn't a game, but Bilbo treated it like it was. Bilbo's smile wavered slightly but didn’t fall. "Well, well! That's four of mine down. But who's counting, right?" He winked, his eyes dancing with mischief.

Thorin's patience snapped. "I am," he growled, Throin sprung up and stood on top of the wagon, and an outlaw popped up to shoot.

Throin nailed him in the head. The last outlaw dropped, leaving only Bilbo and his right-hand man, both still standing. “That’s five Baggins! Wanna make it 7?”

Bilbo stepped out, his grin strained beneath his bandanna. “Oh, you are fun, Sheriff. But now it’s just me and my friend here. And we’re not nearly as expendable.” As if on cue, Bilbo’s right-hand man lunged toward Thorin, a rifle clutched in his hands.

Before Thorin could react, the man crashed into him, both of them tumbling off the wagon and onto the dusty ground. The impact jolted Thorin’s breath from his lungs, and he fought to regain his footing as they rolled across the dirt. The rifle clattered out of the man’s hands, skidding across the ground, out of reach.

Thorin twisted, driving his elbow into the man’s ribs. The outlaw grunted in pain, his grip loosening just enough for Thorin to shove him off. Thorin scrambled to his feet, reaching for his revolver, but the outlaw was already up, tackling Thorin again before he could grab it.

They grappled in the dirt, exchanging blows, each trying to overpower the other. Thorin’s hand brushed the handle of his gun, but the man yanked him back, forcing him to focus on the struggle. They wrestled for control, boots kicking up dust as they struggled on the ground.

With a sharp twist, Thorin managed to throw the man off balance, sending him crashing into the side of the wagon. The outlaw groaned, shaking his head to clear it, while Thorin lunged for his gun, fingers closing around the cool metal.

But just as he did, the outlaw grabbed his rifle from where it had fallen nearby. They rose to their feet simultaneously, weapons in hand, both breathing hard from the scuffle.

Thorin fired first, but the man was fast, ducking behind a water barrel just in time. Thorin turned, his eyes scanning for Bilbo, but the outlaw leader was already on the move, darting from his cover with surprising speed.

Thorin spun, aiming to take the shot, but Bilbo was quicker than anticipated, and Thorin could react, Bilbo lunged forward and grabbed Gloin.

The man had managed to wriggle his way out of the doorway of the bank, his hands still bound tightly in front of him, a gag tied around his mouth.

Bilbo yanked the banker up to his feet, wrapping one arm around Glóin's chest and pressing the barrel of his revolver against the side of the man's head.

"Alright, everyone, hold up!" Bilbo shouted, his voice ringing out clear. "Or your good banker here gets a brand-new hole in his head!"

Thorin froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Glóin's eyes were wide, his face pale beneath the sweat and dirt that seemed out of place on the banker.

Thorin could see the desperate plea in Glóin's eyes, but he kept his gun trained on Bilbo trying to think of something, anything to say.

Before he could think to stop himself he was already talking "Let him go, Baggins," Thorin called out, hoping his voice sounded steady. "You don't need to hurt anyone."

"Oh, I really didn't want to, Sheriff," Bilbo replied. "But you haven’t and your friend hasn't left me much of a choice, now have you? How about you drop those guns, and maybe I'll think about letting your banker friend here go."

Dwalin's jaw was set, his hand steady on his weapon. "Like hell I will!" he yelled out. "He's bluffing, Thorin. We can take him."

Bilbo chuckled, his laughter maddeningly light and teasing "Is that what you think, Deputy?" He tightened his grip on Glóin, pressing the barrel of the gun harder against the man's temple, Glóin to wince. "I'm not bluffing. Now, toss your guns aside, or I'll paint the street with his brains."

Thorin's mind raced.

They were at a standoff, and Bilbo knew he held all the cards. "Alright, Bilbo," Thorin heard himself say. "We'll put down the guns. But you let Glóin go first."

Bilbo's eyes glinted with amusement behind his bandanna. "Oh, Sheriff, you think I'm new at this? I say guns first, then the banker goes free."

Thorin could feel Dwalin tensing beside him. "Don't do it, Thorin," Dwalin whispered urgently. "We can't let him leave. Not after what he's done."

"Dwalin, put the gun down," Thorin told Dwalin, turning to face his deputy.

But Dwalin's jaw clenched, and Thorin realized too late what was about to happen.

Dwalin's hand twitched, raised his gun and shot, but Bilbo was faster.

A gunshot cracked through the tense air, and Dwalin staggered back dropping his revolver, clutching his shoulder with a grunt of pain as he fell to one knee.

"Dwalin!" Thorin shouted, his voice sharp with fear and frustration.

Bilbo pressed the gun harder against Glóin's head, his smile never faltering. "Uh-uh, Sheriff," he warned.

"You make one more move, and your banker's brains decorate the street. Now, what's it gonna be?"

Thorin's frustration boiled over, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Bilbo, listen to me," he said, his voice low and steady. "Glóin has a family. He's not part of this. Just let him go."

For a moment, Bilbo hesitated, his grip on Gloin loosening just slightly. "I know he has a family, Oakenshield," he said, his tone almost sincere. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Sheriff. Honest, I don't. But I can't have you chasing me down the road. I need to make sure you don't follow."

Thorin nodded slowly, lowering his hands further. "Alright, Bilbo. We'll stay put. Just don't do anything stupid."

Bilbo's smirk returned, though his eyes darkened with determination. "Too late for that, Sheriff." In one swift motion, he pistol-whipped Glóin, sending the bound man crumpling to the ground, dazed and bleeding.

Before Thorin could react, Bilbo spun, firing a warning shot into the dirt at Thorin's feet. "Drop it!" he barked.

Thorin's revolver clattered to the ground without hesitation. Bilbo's right-hand man covered them as Bilbo mounted his horse in a single, fluid motion.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Sheriff!" Bilbo called mockingly, his voice once again full of mocking cheer. He spurred his horse, his right-hand man close behind, both of them racing out of town in a cloud of dust and grit.

Thorin watched them go, he groaned in frustration as anger boiled in his veins. He turned quickly to Dwalin, who was struggling to his feet, clutching his shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked as he looked his deputy over with concern.

Dwalin nodded, though his face was pale from the pain. "I'll live. What about Glóin?"

Thorin knelt by Gloin, checking his pulse and untying the gag from his mouth. "He's alive, just knocked out. Get Óin.

Make sure everyone else is safe," he ordered, looking out over the square.

Dwalin nodded and staggered off, Thorin could see his nephews, Kíli was uniting his mother and Fíli helped unbind the doors of the general store.

The dust from Bilbo's escape was still settling, but Thorin knew one thing for sure: he'd be ready when Bilbo Baggins came back around. And next time, there'd be no escape.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Note:

Okay I’m gonna stop it there. This was just kinda a little one shot for @shurikthereject ‘s western/cowboy au. The rest of this note is kind to them now. I tried to stay true to the shown characters and how you made them but I’m not the best at that. Also I wouldn’t mind making like a whole book for it but if you hate this and you don’t want me to continue I’d like to know. Or if you’d like me to change anything let me know. Okay bye.

#the hobbit #bilbo baggins #fanfic #the hobbit bilbo #bagginshield #the hobbit thorin #thorin company #lord of the rings #cowboy au #thorin x bilbo #angst #hurt #i don’t know how to tag this #au i guess #outlaws and lawmen

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book--brackets · 1 month ago

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Summaries under the cut

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived in this verdant corner of Prince Edward Island only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they can send her back, Anne—who simply must have more scope for her imagination and a real home—wins them over completely.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.

She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie Bucket's wonderful adventure begins when he finds one of Mr. Willy Wonka's precious Golden Tickets and wins a whole day inside the mysterious chocolate factory. Little does he know the surprises that are in store for him!

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever....

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and so much more.

But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Captured by a giant! The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, or any of the other giants-rather than the BFG-she would have soon become breakfast.

When Sophie hears that they are flush-bunking off in England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.

She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Here in the attic of Shel Silverstein you will find Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, the Meehoo with an Exactlywatt, and the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. You will talk with Broiled Face, and find out what happens when Somebody steals your knees, you get caught by the Quick-Digesting Gink, a Mountain snores, and They Put a Brassiere on the Camel.

#best childhood book #poll #anne of green gables #the lunar chronicles #charlie and the chocolate factory #uglies #number the stars #the graveyard shift #bridge to terabithia #the bfg #graceling #a light in the attic

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aziraphales-library · 8 months ago

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Thank you so much for all that you do! I've found so many good fics from your recommendations ♥️

Do you know of any that involve Crowley being homeless or otherwise seriously struggling financially? Thank you!

I have read one with this theme, Divine Restorations and Repairs, so I'd love to rec that too! It's fantastic.

We have some fics in which Crowley is struggling financially here. And I've got a few more in which Crowley has problems with money/housing...

Copper and gold by Joseph_Amadeus (M)

Aziraphale doesn't pick up hitchhikers but he can't help himself when he sees Crowley getting steadily wetter in the rain one night.

Be Still My Soul: The Romance by MirjamOmens (E)

It’s the summer of 1917 in the Grand Duchy of Finland. The Great War rages over Europe, and the empire of Russia, of which Finland is still part, has suffered a revolution. For Azirafel Fjäll, a minor landowner and a shop runner, all these things are only mildly annoying inconveniences. His dear friend, Anton J. Crowley, is not as fortunate. The working-class people struggle to make a living in a world where there's a constant shortage of food, fuel and work. Despite their class differences, Azirafel and Anton have been friends since childhood--and both secretly yearn for more. Can their two hearts find each other as their country heads from one crisis to another? Or will the ever widening gap between their worlds keep them apart?

Sharp Objects by ElderlySardine (M)

Back in the mid-nineties, Aziraphale and Crowley had it all. They were friends, lovers, soulmates. Life was hard, but as long as they were together it didn't matter. Then in one catastrophic fight caused by Aziraphale's cruel, coercive brother Gabriel, the whole thing came crashing down. The boys parted company for good. Now it's 2021. Life has spun Crowley and Aziraphale in very different directions before throwing them back together at their lowest ebb. Can they manage to hide their history from their new friends? Can they forgive each other, and themselves? Could there possibly still be something there between them? And with Gabriel still lurking on the horizon, will they be strong enough to do anything about it?

The Ghost of Husbands Past by A_N_D (E)

Az always knew that he’d be thrown out the moment his father found out he was gay. He hadn’t expected to be declared dead though - or for his husband to believe it! But their marriage had been a foolish teenage impulse (not to mention invalid in America), so when Az moved to a small town far upstate New York to start his new life, he moved alone. The kindest thing he could do was let Crowley mourn and move on, not be shackled for life to a now disabled partner. Tony Crowley never recovered from losing his best friend, his childhood sweetheart, his better half. He’d been drifting ever since; no plans, no hope, no money - and now, just before Thanksgiving, no job either. Given the stark choice of freezing to death or accepting his sister’s invitation to join her upstate, Tony reluctantly lives out the Hallmark cliche of Recently Unemployed Person Moves to Small Town for Christmas. It’s a time of hope, love, and family. It’s time for Az and Tony to find each other again.

Magpie by southdownsraph (E)

Ezra has just been hired as a bartender at an underground LGBT nightclub to help supplement his income while he studies for his master’s, and he can’t help but become infatuated with one of the performers, an exotic dancer who goes by the name AJ.

And the one you mentioned...

Divine Restorations & Repairs by skimmingthesurface, SylWritesStuff (E)

While it's unfortunate for one’s car to break down in the middle of the countryside, the pretty-as-a-postcard Tadfield could hardly be considered the worst place Anthony J. Crowley has ever been. Of course, it doesn’t help that it looks like it hasn’t yet seen the turn of the millennia, let alone this decade, but perhaps that’s just what he needs as he crawls his way out of the Hell he’s endured for the past fifteen years. Maybe the last thirty, if he's honest with himself. Though he could do without the rain. When Aziraphale Fell happens upon him and offers him shelter from the storm in his little family-run antique repair shop, neither are expecting it to change everything. The angel with his white umbrella and his tartan bowtie doesn’t expect this mysterious stranger to be able to fill the timely vacancy in his shop or the quiet of his life, but they’ve both had experience in restoring once-beloved items back to their full glory. Perhaps Crowley hasn’t fallen quite so far that he wouldn’t fit in with the rest of Aziraphale’s ragtag team of eccentric restoration experts. And perhaps they may be able to turn that talent on themselves and each other, and seal the cracks in their own hearts.

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #ineffable partners #adult omens #financial struggles #mod d

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lucigoo · 9 days ago

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Weekly Round up: 11th November - 17th November

Whoop!! We are finally back on track. I wrote 31,765 words this week, it was a slog and half as I mixed up some date fests 🤦‍♀️. I uploaded 7 fics this week, but 3 are unrevelaed until the 29th!

But as always, first is the fic recs.

The Lesson of You - thecouchsofa - Harry Potter (Harry/Draco, kid fic)

Summary: Harry likes kids. That doesn't mean he's ready for a small boy to turn up on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place insisting that Harry is his father. That was weird enough, but the child identifying Draco Malfoy as his other parent was something Harry had no bloody idea how to handle.

Not All That Glitters (Is Good For Your Health) - comatosecombat - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin)

Summary: In his attempt to distract Smaug from attacking Lake-town, Bilbo accidentally destroys the One Ring of Power, saves the day and brings peace on Middle-Earth.

When it comes to him and Thorin, that resolves absolutely nothing.

The Herd of Durin - DomesticGoddess - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Centaur Au, as we know in the Bagginshield fandom, Domestic Godessess' fics are phenominal, this is my fav of ALL their work!)

Summary: Thorin's herd is the last of the Durin Tribe. Between dwindling food supplies, a mare shortage, and an increasing human population, Thorin has his hands full trying to keep his herd alive. Thorin knows, despite his best efforts, its only a matter of time before the Khuzd centaurs face extinction. At least, he though he did. Everything changes when he discovers a strange a strange little pony centaur who smells like a mare, but looks like a stallion.

Take me as I am - phiaura - The Witcher (TV) (Geralt/Jaskier, AWAU)

Summary: Thus, a deal was struck, a treaty agreed upon. Rivia would not take military action against any allied kingdom and in turn, the kingdoms would provide the king of Rivia with a consort. So far, that last bit was the part of the treaty that had gone to shit. As far as Jaskier had understood, up to now the White Wolf had turned down all the proffered brides. If a consort was not approved, the treaty would be null and void.

Where Jaskier is the last chance of fulfilling the requirements of a treaty between the warlord of Rivia, and the allied kingdoms. Will it prove to be his rescue or his doom?

i've loved you in a million different ways - dotty456 - Harry Potter - (Sirius/Remus, This is one of my favourite longer fics. I have read it so many times and stil I adore it)

Summary: An everybody lives fanfic that follows the Marauders from before their first year to the end of Hogwarts - may include mentions of their children/marriages and future stuff because I can. Dumbledore is a douchebag, Voldemort doesn't exist and the Black cousins join together before the elder Blacks start burning that damn family tree

Green-Handed - lotus0kid - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin)

Summary: Post-BotFA, while Thorin, Fili, and Kili are slowly recovering from their wounds, Bilbo finds himself subject to a condition that hobbits might experience at a few very particular times in their lives, under very particular circumstances, none of which apply to him. Very confused (and somewhat embarrassed) he decides to keep it a secret during this delicate time in the mountain. This goes about as well as you might expect.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and find something to read that brings you joy <3

As I am also doing a basterdised Nano, I am using the month to finish as many of my Wips as possibel, of course, I also write new ones baseu I cant help myself lol.

Of the 63 wips I started with, i have finished 9 of them and so im feeling pretty proud tbh.

I have also worked on

Ghost Ship Of Witchers and Songbirds King of Azkaban

Feel free to ask about any of hem.

Anyway, this weeks fics are:

Love and Laughter at the Burrow - Lucigoo89 - Harry Potter (Percy/Viktor, Weasley siblings) this was written for HP Rare Pairs Game Night flash fest, heres ths coolection.

Summary: Percy has brought his boyfriend, Viktor, to the Burrow for family game night.

Why he thought his siblings would have at least a small amount of decorum he doesnt know, he thinks as he watches Viktor get interrigated and the rest if his siblings cheat at snakes and ladders, because of course they do!

Spinning in Memory - Lucigoo89 - Harry Potter (Gen, Weasley fmaily, Harry, Hermione and grief) This one was written for the Remember Remember Flash fest comp and heres that collection. Warnings, this one deals with post war grief!

Summary: It has been 6 months since the Battle of Hogwarts. 6 months since George's twin, his best friend, was ripped away from him. And now its Bonfire night, a night both Fred and George had loved their entire lives.

Now there was just George and his broken family looking into the fire. Feeling the weight of the missing Weasley, of Geroge's now lost brother.

Give it to me - Lucigoo89 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling] (Sirius/Remus)

Summary: It's Remus 65th Birthday. He is alive and his husband, Sirius has a suprise for him, and it's not just him in his sexy little black dress.

The Warmth of His Hands - Lucigoo89 - The Hobbit (Billbo/Thorin) Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial's prompt #279 - warm hands. Warning for MCD.

Summary: Thorin's hands have always been warm, always been strong.

And now Bilbo's heart is breaking as he feels the warmth fade form them, as he feels his heart break as his loves heart stops.

Well thats it for this week, see you next Sunday <3

#harry/draco #harry potter #bilbo/thorin #Bagginshield #the hobbit #geralt/jaskier #The Witcher #sirius/remus #wolfstar #Percy/Viktor #gen #fic recs #Goo's fics

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intosnarkness · 5 months ago

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You guys wanna hear one of my favorite stories about Nat?

So when the pandemic started our jobs were very different. I teach teachers how to use technology in the classroom, so I was swamped with webinars and one on ones and phone calls at all hours. Construction workers will call you at 6am without blinking and my constituents exist between Newfoundland and Hawaii. So I was slammed 18 hours a day.

Nat… was not. His job shut down for a few weeks. So his job was to figure out things like “make sure we have food basics in the pantry.”

And because it was early pando, he was striking out at every grocery story for days. Rice. Chicken. Cheese. It was all fucked up. And then one day he comes home just laden with bags and grins at me.

“I figured it out. I did it. I realized the racists don’t know one Asian country from another. You know where they still have everything we need? Fucking H-mart. Lotte. The Korean grocery stores are a ghost town and they’re stocked.”

And we spent the next year or so shopping at Korean grocery stores because racists are stupid and we never faced a shortage of anything we needed.

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jungle-angel · 27 days ago

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Tricky Little Treats (Ben Mears x Reader)

Summary: Randy is dead set on making his Halloween costume but it's definitely apparent that he has a little trouble with the scissors

Warnings: Parenthood, boy shenanigans, cuteness overload etc.

"Alright buddy, you're lookin pretty good," Ben said as he buttoned up Sean's little orange pjs.

Your son was barely home two days and already he was the star of the house with everybody wanting to hold him and pass him around. Randy had already eagerly been tending to his big brother duties while the same went for Mark and thankfully it meant no shortage of help.

"Alright let's go downstairs and see momma and your brothers," Ben whispered.

Downstairs to the living room he went only to find Randy cutting away at an old sheet with his baby scissors. There were scraps of it all over the floor while a sheepish look came over the toddler's little face.

"Daddy I hada trouble wit da scissors," Randy chirped.

"Yeah I can see that bud," Ben chuckled. "Hey dear?"

"Yes?" you called from the kitchen.

"Charlie Brown had some trouble with the scissors."

You came out from the kitchen where you had been helping Matt Burke prep for the big Halloween party later that night, unable to control the grin crawling across your face and the laugh boiling in your throat.

"Oh Randy come here," you laughed, hugging the sheepish looking toddler. "This happens all the time."

You took the rather holey sheet and placed it over Randy. You and Ben both couldn't deny that he looked kind of cute. "So you know what we'll do, is we'll take some black felt and we'll cover the holes with it," you told him.

"I gonna be a ghosty wif a hundred eyes?" Randy asked.

"Yup," you answered.

Randy ran of cheering but not before you took the scissors straight from his little hands. "Now we just have to find out where all my black felt went," you remarked.

"Last I saw, Mark was using it for Halloween decorations," Ben said, adjusting Sean against his shoulder.

You made a face and nodded. Knowing Mark, he was probably making some sort of monster movie model or something up in his room.

You kissed your husband and son, unable to resist how cute your little one was in his pumpkin pjs. "You know everybody's gonna keep circling back because of him right?" you joked.

Ben laughed a little. "Yeah I figured," he said. "But I also figured we've got the biggest candy stash in town so that'll be a big part of it."

"Good that means we won't have leftovers," you told him.

Sean began to wriggle a little, a sign that he wanted out of his daddy's arms and somewhere else. "Alright, alright little man," Ben said to him. "You're goin in your Baby Moses basket for now."

Ben very gently placed Sean in the Baby Moses basket by the window and covered him with the knitted throw blanket on the back of the couch. Oreo, one of your house cats, jumped right into the basket with him, purring like crazy as she nested in beside him.

All that afternoon, Randy ran around the house in his newly made Charlie Brown ghost costume and when Mark got off the bus from school, he rushed upstairs to jump into his hobbit costume. You and Ben had always loved this time of year, the excitement and anticipation of it all making everything worthwhile.

#ben mears #ben mears x reader #salem's lot

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echantedtoon · 4 months ago

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I finally got her done my gosh!! I got her in color and full body! Took too long. I might change the colors of her clothes and her clothes in general later but for now I'm just happy to get her done.

Warnings: Will contain topics such as abuse, almost selling of a human, scars, wounds, etc.

If you are not comfortable with these things please don't read.

Name: Angel Kowareta

Age: 22

Height: 4ft 6 1/2 in

Weight: About same weight as Shinobu a bit heavier by a few pounds or so.

Personality: While usually quiet, Angel has no problems speaking out if she wants to. Tries to be understanding and kind of anyone who speaks to her but if she doesn't like someone or disagrees with something, has no problem with saying her opinion.

Can come off as rude or blunt. Sometimes not on purpose because she's not used to someone interacting with her who didn't either disliked her or found her rude.

She's very self conscious about her body. Developed a slightly blunt sometimes rude exterior as a coping mechanism for it as a result.

Genuinely will respect you if you respect her, otherwise prefers to remain neutral in most situations.

BIO:

Angel was born on the outskirts of a small farming community. Her parents were small farmers and really they lived a simple life but it came with complications when Angel was born. Her birth came with many complications for her mother but both did make it. However this would not be the last time Angel would experience complications starting just moments after she was born.

Angel was born albino, a stark contrast to the normal people in her village and her own family. Extremely pale like the dead. More so she was the first girl born in her father's family for nearly twenty generations, marking her as a bad omen in the eyes of many.

As a result, she did not have a very good home life. Many times her father would accuse her mother of cheating and claiming that there was no possible way he could produce 'a walking corpse'. The end result was Angel growing up with physical abuse from her mother, blaming her for her marriage going sour and many other small instances that were unrelated to Angel but she got blamed for anyways. Her father straight up ignored her existence entirely refusing to acknowledge her at all and if he did refer to her he'd always mention her as 'the walking corpse', 'the ghost's, or a far worse name. The physical abuse from her mother left Angel with scars on her body however they're usually covered by the long dresses she wears(and because I suck at drawing scars).

The village wasn't really much better. Most either avoided her due to the rumors of being cursed or hurled abuse towards her/her family for bringing the bad omen to their small village.

When Angel was about 10, a terrible drought really negatively affected her village. A lot of crops died and many animals had to be butchered before they could die from food shortage or dehydration. Her family was one of the worst affected having most of their crops die outside of just enough to get by. This seemed to be the last straw for both parents because they decided that in order to be rid of the luck, Angel had to go. It was only after overhearing their plans to sell Angel to the Red Light District, that she left. Running away from home and traveling far away from her birthplace.

During her travels, she had met an elderly man who could play the shamisen and taught her how to play. This skill has now become her way to earn money. She travels with a her instrument and puts on small street performances where she sings and plays the shamisen, relying on the generosity of strangers to make ends meat.

Other hobbies of hers includes collecting small charms and trinkets from the towns she visits, drawing(she's not very good at it but it helps her relax), and coming up with new songs to sing for her shows but most of the time she just ends up humming to herself and singing the same ones anyways.

(this is all I got for now but more info will be added later)

#demon slayer #demon slayer oc

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drakeanddice · 1 year ago

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Things that have happened in my Mausritter game

Liberated a cheese-making town in an old tractor tire from the depredations of city rats

Made friends with the weird swamp-mice and their "Speaker-To-Ghosts"

Extinguished the charlatan/wizard mouse's fireworks-laden caravan, paid in fortune telling (ominous)

Negotiated a truce between the strange snake-mouse sorcerer king and the Queen of the Eternal Colony (Ants with supersoldier serum)

Convinced the sorcerer king to give the Rootkin (molerat people) back their eyes.

Retrieved the thighbone of St. Iseult from the haunted depths of the Deeproot Barrow

Enacted the ritual to banish the Ghost Owl from the swamps for a generation

Adopted a hayseed from the cheese-making town in the old tractor tire; taught him about danger, bravery, growing up, and how to play the horn.

Discovered the mad-scientist crows using AutoMice (weird-science cyborg mice) to build a machine of questionable motives and dubious use.

Befriended an aged orb weaver named Gladys

Encountered a cult of cockroach people, quickly impersonated messengers of their god.

Fomented a power-struggle among the cult of cockroach people, and in the confusion stole their whole altar (the beltknife which will animate the scarecrow in the wheat field--long story)

Things I had planned

Rats

There should be a cheese shortage

#indie ttrpg #ttrpg stuff #ttrpg #mausritter #OSR

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corona-journal · 2 years ago

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1000 days of covid.... a reflection... what do you remember?

If I asked many of the memory of covid, it would be toilet paper shortages, the media call to treat nurses and doctors as heroes, lockdowns and social isolation. But there's more, though....

The picture above is of a near bare row of supermarket shelves, with only a few rolls of toilet paper.

My own memories, in general terms, would be:

The curious spread of this flu variant through China and its neighbouring countries. (Via media reports. Plus its rapid rise up the priority reading list for the broadcast reader/ reporter/ news team)

The slow response of most governments to the emerging cases (easy with hindsight)

The tourist ship Ruby Princess docking with (eventually a total of) 22 cases on board, docking in Sydney. No quarantine controls enforced effectively at that point in time. (And Covid had been a thing well reported)

The toilet paper shortages, followed by shortages of pasta, rice, disinfectant and other staple foods from shelves. Never seen so many bare shelves before, except in news reports where people cleaned out stores in the face of cyclones or snow storms.

The growing weirdness of still going to work when others were getting government pay to stay at home. Apart from the driver, there'd be 2 other people on the bus in.

Add in the loneliness and the ghost town feeling of walking through an empty city. Except for the essential food services, so kids could still get you your order of coffee and mcbreakfast.... odd contrast, you'd agree.

Oh, the anger and entitlement of the covid deniers and anti-maskers.

My father in law complained about mask wearing on a flight down from Queensland to visit us. While my wife, a nurse, is donning full personal protective equipment (PPE) to help with patients. He's not entitled, just an oblivious, selfish idiot.

A bit of resentment at those who got the payments to not work, while I was an essential worker, in the finance sector had to work through. Discussing insurance with customers. All of them wanting discounts for (multitude of self justified reasons). That was tiring...

On the 'others staying home' a lot of people were making bread, trying new hobbies, going back to old hobbies, riding bikes to get fit... that only seemed to last 2 months, then it was easier to watch digitally streamed shows...

Oh, the growing gap between those who could afford the digital upgrade to work and/or study from home. And those that couldn't... that gap is bigger, and will show up in a decade or so...

Travel? Yeah, we'd travel from the couch to the kitchen table, work, then we'd travel to the letterbox and then to the couch again. On weekends, some of us would travel to the shed, to mow the lawns as part of the outside world travel.

Then the acceptance, as we waited for the vaccine to be made. Too late for too many in China, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom....

The USA being the most vocal of the anti-maskers and covid deniers. Because of Trump and his idiot approach to the crisis and his vanity.

A few covid conspiracy people I have spoken to, and seen the marches. I don't have time for dealing with these kind of people. Got used to being able to distance myself pretty quickly.

Overall though, I've become a bit more self directed towards entertaining myself (books and going back to the scale hobby of modelling) and fed up with a big insurance company making lots of profit while increasing the consumers insurance bill by about 20% average per year...

And remote studying has become a lonely grind. I am succeeding in my course so far.

Overall, post vaccine roll-out, we've adapted.

It's gone from being "the Chinese flu" (a pejorative term) to the "spicy cough".

So far, I have remained covid free.

And I have science, medicine and society to thank for that.

23 December 2022.

1000 days of covid.

@bundibird @scrapironflotilla thanks for just engaging with this little effort (it will continue)

@tafkarfanfic @bouncinghedgehog your posts helped with hope and morale when things were tough.

I'd invite you to reblog and share your memories, no matter where in the world you are.

#journal #coronavirus #covid19 #current events #observations #history happening today #personal #1000 #day of covid #pandemic #diary #1000 days of covid

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im-totally-not-an-alien-2 · 2 years ago

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I posted 541 times in 2022

That's 541 more posts than 2021!

317 posts created (59%)

224 posts reblogged (41%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mikami1992

@im-totally-not-an-alien-2

@stealingyourbones

@ashoutinthedarkness

@maribatshipper

I tagged 443 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#danny phantom - 224 posts

#dp x dc - 209 posts

#fanfiction prompts - 197 posts

#prompts - 193 posts

#danny fenton - 190 posts

#batman - 104 posts

#the alien answers - 102 posts

#robin - 74 posts

#tim drake - 65 posts

#damian wayne - 65 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#tim does not get coffee though and hes mad about it but he also really likes how the water in his tiny bird bath feels on his feathers

My Top Posts in 2022:

Au where Danny somehow managed to wipe any proof of his existence from the face of the planet, including the memories people had of him. He tells himself this was fine. Better than fine actually.

This just means that his loved ones were less likely to get hurt in the crossfire. Also Vlad is now clueless as to why he's in Amity in the first place and as Mayor no less. He resigns within a week to go back to Wisconsin after three days of nonstop blathering from Jack.

Danny basically starts living in a lake in the woods, its not like he needs to breath and he finds the water calming. Also the fish are friendly. Plus there's a cave nearby if he needed to stay in human form for whatever reason.

He had water and shelter, down now he just needed access to food unless he wanted to eat his new fish friends.

This is when Danny learned he could use the weird magical girl ring to shape-shift into other people.

So he got into the habit of transforming into one of the residents of a house and raiding the pantries.

This turned out to be a pretty open secret amongst the people of Amity Park. They knew it was Phantom, primarily because he's a terrible liar but also because people have cell phones and communicate.

This is never really an issue since no one tells the Fentons or the Feds. At least, it wasn't an issue until the Justice League came sniffing around. The people of Amity have only become more untrusting of the government as years passed and became equally as protective over thier local ghostboy. So everytime they came around no one but the Fentons would say anything to them other than, "Leave." Or "You're not wanted here." Before walking away.

It was a day like any other for Phantom. Some teens had rented out a house in town, likely to experience the most haunted town in America. Whatever. Teens always bring the best snacks.

So he transformed into the cute redheaded guy right after they left and walked past the living room towards the kitchen like he's done a dozen times before.

"Uh, Wally?" Dannys head whipped around to see the black haired teen sitting on the couch, his blue eyes wide with shock and worry. The one with a Superman t-shirt on. "Are you ok? Your heartbeat is really slow."

Danny could only think of one word to sum up this situation. Fuuuuuckk

3,268 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

Au where all the ghosts hide thier real names on instinct, not only because knowing a ghosts name gives you power over them but because you could use thier name to potentially find thier grave through magic or Google.

Once you find thier bones there's no shortage of what you could do.

Due to the nature of Embers obsession she isn't able to hide her name and during a fight she reveals to Phantom she lives in a constant state of anxiety fearing someone might find her body and use it against her

Phantom knocks on her door a week later with not only her body but her entire casket floating behind him. She's oddly touched. This is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. Word, of course, spreads of this and other spirits ask him to do the same for them and are willing to make deals

Another week later Batman is investigating all the robbed graves and trying to figure out wtf is going on

Edit: Yes the removal of the caskets cause the graves to sink in and thats how Batman is alerted to the issue. I had left this as an implication but felt the need to clarify due to people talking about it in the notes.

Edit 2: You could also have a grave keeper see Phantom stealing caskets and alert authorities. Whats more this is likely happening in more than just Gotham. You could also have another ghost/ a magic user see this super powerful spirit robbing graves and being like, "Well that seems ominous. I should tell someone about that."

Please forgive me for adding more, I have no control over myself

3,286 notes - Posted June 29, 2022

Au where Danny ends up in Gotham and gets saved by the birds while in human form. He starts pseudo haunting them before returning to Amity Park.

He frequently pops back in to Gotham to invisibility give gifts to the batfam.

Dick gets circus themed things that seem to move around the manor when no one is looking.

Stephanie and Tim both get comics, manga and movies from different dimensions and its only once they start looking up fandoms/ going on Twitter do they realize that these manga/movies apparently don't exist.

The same thing happens with Jason and books. The weird part is that after he finishes reading one of the books for the nth time, (the ones that he and Duke swears glow) and finally retires it to the shelf they disappear. This only happens with the glowey books though. He gets to keep the others

Damian keeps getting new swords, which everyone but him has a problem with.

Duke keeps getting things that activate his powers and he can't really make heads or tails from most of it.

Cass gets lots of soft things like stuffed animals that are nice for hugs and other sensory reasons and dance stuff. Her favorite so far is a gigantic bat in a tutu.

Barbara and Tim (he gets double i guess) both get tech stuff that they've never seen before and make a hobby of reverse engineering the new product of the week.

Alfred gets all sorts of gag gifts like an apron that says "I'm the real boss here" and a mug that has a fancy mustache on the bottom that matches his real one

Bruce gets almost exclusively much bat themed gifts.

No one is sure where the stuff is coming from (and in Jason's case where its going) but they all assume its someone else in the family doing it because its themed around both thier hero and thier personal interests. It finally comes to a head when the batfam are all out together when they come home to find a beautiful and ornate sword laying on the kitchen table for Damian and they all simultaneously realize no one had been home to put it there.

Alfred gets the shotgun while everyone else enters detectives mode.

Danny himself doesn't even realize the extent in which he's been messing with them and doesn't really think past the, "I hope they like their gifts" thing.

3,345 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

Au where Danny gets deaged by a magical artifact in the GZ and gets lost in a different dimension with Cujo. While exploring Gotham as Phantom he decides to play up the little kid routine and use his puppy friend to do it.

At this point Danny had finally trained the pup and he actually listened to him. Needless to say there's a certain flock of bats and birds who keep pestering him at night. All he's trying to do is explore the city and play with his dog. Is that so bad?

Danny doesnt usually bother hiding from them. Not much point considering he shines like a spotlight in Gothams gloom anytime he's in his phantom form. Plus Cujo is glowy and green, so that doesn't help matters.

Danny usually runs them on a wild goose chase in the name of "Tag" before disappearing. He stole Batmans cape by phasing it off of him and he now uses it as a blanket at night (its surprisingly warm), he stole another one at Red Hoods request and gave it to him, he's set up play dates between Cujo and Harleys hyenas, he's pied Joker in the face, he's pet Penguins pet penguins right in front of him, he's been trapped in an elevator with Brucie Wayne for two hours, he's had a tea party with Catwomans cats and may have broken into her apartment to do it, he's kidnapped Red Robin and made him go to the park and play on the swings with him, he's gotten into actual fights with Robin and last but not least, he came up with the Puppy Paw of Approval.

---

Nightwing stared at the kid they had been chasing every other night for the last three months now, confused. "Whats the Puppy Paw of Approval?"

The kid moved the puppy, Cujo (which Jason finds hilarious) up in front of his face, holding him there by his armpits.

The dog was making the "no thoughts head empty" face with his tongue sticking out just a smidge. Dick was tempted to coo. "The Puppy Paw of Approval is an award! Arf!" The kid said in a higher pitched pretend voice.

"Its awarded to people we really really like! Arf!"

Nightwing gasped dramatically, playing along with the boy, "You really like me that much?"

"Of course!" The boy floated over to Dick and places one of the dogs paws on the man's chest. "Da da da daaa!" The kid sang, "You now have the Puppy Paw of Approval!"

The vigilante sniffled, "I will always cherish this! Thank you!"

The kid giggled and Cujo barked at him. The little green rottweiler panted up at him with a giants smile and his little nub tail wagging a mile and minute.

God, Nightwing couldn't wait for his newest little brother to join the family.

Dick was dismayed to learn he was actually the second person to get the PPA. The first being Tim, the third being Harley and the forth being Catwoman. Ivy was apparently salty about not getting one but the kid was scared of her for some reason.

Danny makes friends with lots of people throughout the city. Scarecrow learns of the bats recruitment attempts on this boy and decides to use the fear toxin on him. This has the unexpected outcome of making the child cry.

And then the whole city was out for his head.

3,508 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Theres a new mom and pop coffee shop in Gotham that's doing pretty well. The place has a casual playful vibe but it only ever has one employee, which has lead to it having a bit of a urban myth status.

He's there through all the opening hours and no one ever sees him come or go, only the lights switching off and the teen disappearing.

It probably doesn't help that the shop has a ghost themed name.

His name tag reads, "Nightingale" and he always has a polite smile, but the few who dare to act out in his shop notice his eyes flash a particular shade of green and are suddenly overcome with the feeling that they're being stared down by a large apex predator and a sickening sense of dread.

Needless to say people behave in his shop.

Whats more is that his store shows up on county records just fine, but if you try to look into anything your computer glitches out and you can't find anything. Obviously "Nightingale" can't be the owner, he looks only 15. Some say he's a vampire, others say he's a zombie like Red Hood.

Tim doesn't care what he is because the first time he entered at night as Red Robin the guy immediately started making a coffee were he could see, made it exactly how he liked it and gave it to him before he even had the chance to order. Then he refused his money, saying it was on the house.

None of the people waiting in line argued or were upset and Tim was unsure if that was because he was a well known Gotham vigilante or it Nightingales reputation protected him.

Either way the coffee was delicious.

Tim didn't know how to feel when he found out his family was investigating the "possible runaway" who worked at the coffee shop.

3,554 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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myhauntedsalem · 8 months ago

Text

McPike Mansion

Illinois

Tucked away in the southwest corner of Illinois, not far from St. Louis, lies the town of Alton. Considered one of the ‘most haunted small towns in America’ Alton has no shortage of ghost stories and haunted places. One of the best known is the McPike Mansion.

The Italianate-Victorian style building looms over citizens of Alton from atop the highest point of the town, Mt. Lookout. Nestled among contorted oak trees, McPike Mansion ranks as one of the most haunted buildings in the state. The structure has been featured on two television shows, ‘Scariest Places on Earth’ and ‘Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files.’

The three-story red brick building was erected in 1869 for Henry McPike and his family. McPike was a local businessman and horticulturist. He served as mayor of Alton for three years and developed the nationally known McPike grape. With its 16 rooms and vaulted wine cellar, the McPike Mansion was one of the largest and most extravagant private dwellings in Alton at this time.

The mansion’s next owner was Paul Laichinger. During his time in the home, Mr. Laichinger rented out rooms to boarders. Soon, these tenants began to experience strange events that could not be explained. Some of these occurrences involve the sounds of children playing and laughing together when there were no children on the grounds.

After Laichinger’s death in 1945, the property sat vacant. Weather and trespassers helped to turn the dwelling from elegant to menacing. The rusting iron fence, broken windows, dilapidated structure and graveyard made passersby intrigued and fearful. Reports of faces looming in the windows began to surface.

In 1994, the McPike Mansion was purchased by Sharyn and George Luedke. Their hope is to restore the building to its former glory and allow it to serve as a bed and breakfast or a historical attraction. Within six weeks, Mrs. Luedke had her first experience. She was gardening in the front yard when she looked up to see a strange man staring at her from the window. He soon disappeared, but not before she was able to take note of his attire. Later, while researching the history of the mansion, Mrs. Luedke was startled as she came across a photo of previous owner Paul Laichinger wearing the same outfit as the man in the window.

Since then, McPike Mansion has hosted numerous psychics and mediums. Many have felt the presence of the McPike family and other residents of the estate. Sharyn Luedke herself believes the ghost of not only Paul Laichnger, but also of servant girl Sarah Wells roam the halls. Her lilac perfume can still be smelled in the attic.

Other experiences include light orbs that appear in photos, sensations of being touched, pacing footsteps and vanishing objects. Some of these have been caught on film. The most active room in the house is the wine cellar. Here a mysterious mist appears and seems to follow visitors as the move around the basement. A bulky metal door leading to the area scraped across the floor as it moves on its own.

#McPike Mansion #haunted mansions #ghost and hauntings #paranormal #ghost and spirits #haunted locations #haunted salem #myhauntedsalem #paranormal phenomena #supernatural #hauntings #ghosts #spirits

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nocturnesmoon · 11 months ago

Text

I was an adventurer like you

Mhm you know what time it is? It's time for more of my random thoughts piled together into something I hope is coherent.

Today we are taking our lovely couple consisting of Simon and johnny and catapulting them into Faerun along with you.

Despite it's supposed glamour in the bigger cities, the realm of Faerun is quite the brutal one. Different species at war, the overlap between realms, the creatures and monsters that roam. It's quite the chaotic place to be, full of dangers and mysteries.

By the natural order of things, it's no surprise the number of adventurers that exist within these lands. There's rarely a shortage of them, as they seem to pop up everywhere, with new ideals, goals, and incredible powers. The young and aspiring adventurers quickly ends up taking the place the older retired ones.

Simon and Johnny were once such young and aspiring folk, a smile on their faces, excitement in their hearts as they went on unimaginable adventures. They fought creatures they'd never imagine; they fought devils, slayed dragons, and laid waste to goblin hoards.

They became quite renowned in their time under the aliases of Ghost and Soap. Songs and tales were written about them, big inns knew them well, and they became quite the role model for the younger adventurers.

That was a long time ago now, feels almost like an eternity ago. Though the circumstances of their retirement came unexpected to Simon, it eventually became clear it was a good decision for them both. Especially since Johnny took an arrow to the knee and was ready to settle, Simon saw it wouldn't be quite the same without his partner out there on the road.

Though they aren't active adventurers anymore they're still quite known, the young might not recognize them anymore but the older still hold their images in their heart. And though they are no longer out felling demons, they have their own way of getting by.

It was originally Simon's idea, but one that Johnny quickly took over. They opened a small potions shop just outside of a small town. Simon wanted somewhere with peace and quiet, and Johnny still wanted to hone his absurdly good craft of creating things. The compromise was quite easy to make from then on.

The shop became a trademark of the town, though business wasn't always through the roof, they made enough to get by. Anything between potions, ingredients, food, and general supplies could be bought there, making it a good pitstop for adventurers.

They managed to make quite a comfortable life here for themselves, even if they had to retire early by Simon's standards. Johnny tends to the shop and does most of the social bit, selling and buying, the whole lot. While Simon takes care of the garden out back and the miscellaneous maintenance around the house that's bound to occur with Johnny's experimenting.

It has become a weekly occurrence that something tends to blow up spectacularly, and while Simon is used to the sudden twists and turns of an adventure, these minor explosions might give him too many white hairs too early.

Despite the hiccups along the way, it's a quiet life that they're able to live out in peace. At least it was quiet until that fated day where you crossed their path.

It's nearing the evening, closing time for the shop and around the time where Johnny tidies the front desk up while Simon sits down with a cup of tea, and they talk. The door is almost thrown off its hinges as its being barged in, startling them both into action.

When you stumble in it's clear you won't make much of a threat even if you wanted to. You looked beyond drunk, stumbling in, knocking one of Simon's precious flowers over and shattering the bowl. Your sword was drawn but not to antagonize, merely so you had a support as you looked up at them with droopy eyes, pleading for help.

Simon is the first to recognize the familiarity in your face. He remembers you from all those years ago, a battle against a horde of goblins, back when you were all young and bright eyed, with that spark for adventure that kept you alive. Though you didn't adventure together for long, you fought alongside each other well.

You had fought bravely, even taken a hit that was meant for Simon. He suddenly remembered he never got to thank you. Though with the dark no-nonsense presence he gave off back then he doesn't think you expected a thank you if you even remember.

You liked them both quite a lot back then, if his memory doesn’t betray him, though sadly you weren't able to join them on future adventures, and they hadn't seen you since. Simon would be lying if he didn't occasionally think about you, Johnny would be too. They both knew there could've been something special there if they had let it grow before taking off.

He wonders what in the world happened to you, during all those years. Clearly you kept your career as an adventurer alive, a lot of battle scars littering your body and face that he doesn't believe you had back then.

Johnny doesn't seem to recognize you as quickly, not that there's much to see when you fall face down on their wooden floor. "Ach c'mon I just washed the flooring," Johnny exclaims as you topple over, your bloodied sword scattering off next to you and creating a splatter.

They both look at you cautiously, as if to see whether or not you were gonna get back up. When you don't move Johnny takes a few steps forward, crouching down next to you as if to see whether you were even alive.

"How much did ye drink," Johnny scoffs and carefully rolls you over to see if you were awake and faking. "Bloody idiot-" he cuts himself off when he sees the wound in your side and the pooling blood beneath your body.

All it takes is one look between them before Simon springs into action, walking over to a medicine cabinet they keep in the shop's storage area. Johnny carefully hoists you up, hooking an arm under your knees and one on your back to pick you up.

He takes a moment to take in your actual state, you looked pale, sickly so. You'd likely been wearing armor once upon a time, but your breastplate had been ripped clean off, only leaving the leather binding underneath. Your clothes were torn and dirtied with either blood or mud. It wasn't an unusual look for the adventurers that came in to shop, but admittedly they normally didn't collapse on the floor either.

Johnny carries you out of the shop area and into the back where the rest of their house is. He gently gets you situated on the couch as Simon comes with different sets of supplies, they needed to stabilize you. While Johnny went to work on your wound, Simon went back out to the shop.

He had intended to clean up the flooring, so Johnny didn't need to bother, but was promptly interrupted when he realized the shop wasn't empty like they left it. An Orc was bustling about, tall enough to barely fit in there with the lower ceiling.

Simon held back a string of curses that wanted to bubble up, he had nothing against the orcs, but they were closed and had a bleeding out person in the back, this was too much. "Excuse me" his voice sounded out and caught the attention of the orc, "We're closed."

The orc grumbles something incoherent glancing back outside briefly before fully turning their attention on Simon. He noticed the several other orcs waiting outside the shop, it made him grit his teeth. If they brought trouble here it wouldn't be good, even if he was quite skilled once it's been a while since he picked up an axe or a sword.

"We're looking for someone that came through here," the orc grumbles again, Simon starts to realize it's just their speech making them harder to understand, some sort of accent. "They're likely injured," the orc continues "And we need to take them with us."

They then proceed to give him a long description of the features on the person they're pursuing, and it doesn't take a genius to realize it's you. It makes Simon really start to wonder what in the hell you were up to, and whether or not you were really worth the trouble.

"Ain't seen anybody," Simon grumbles back, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks the Orc up and down. If it came down to it, he could reach for the knife on his belt and spin it into the orcs uncovered neck, then make a beeline for better equipment.

"Don't kid us" the orc starts to sound irritated, "we're not dumb we see the blood on your floor, just hand them over and this will go fine."

They didn't seem to want to go easy, but Simon wasn't about to get violent just yet if he didn't have to. "I don't know what you're on about, that's fluids from a broken potion, i was just about to clean it up," Simon rides it off, keeping himself stoic to pass off the lie.

"Then where's the glass," The orc asks again dumbfounded, seemingly questioning their own judgement now that Simon brought up a different possibility.

"I…cleaned that up already…" Simon answers, looking on to see if the orc buys his lie, no matter how flimsy it might seem it is still believable.

"Hmf alright…if you see them come find us…" the orc says it's final and then leaves the shop once more. Only when the door closes, and the orcs are well on their way does Simons shoulders relax again.

He lets out a sigh and continues his work of getting the floor cleaned of your blood before it soaks into the wood. Luckily there wasn't a lot to clean, and he took the courtesy to wipe off your blade as well, putting it off to the side so you could take it back later.

By the time he's all done and joins Johnny again, you're all patched up and snoring away. Your wound wasn't severe but would likely still need weeks of rest before you could do any adventuring again.

They let you rest, discussing amongst themselves what to do with you while they make dinner together. It's only later that night when you wake up again, Simon had almost fallen asleep sitting in a different chair, Johnny sitting on the floor next to the couch they had placed you on.

Johnny was quick to assure you of your safety, explaining how you ended up here as far as they know, and that they got you patched up. You thank them profusely, feeling rather embarrassed at the whole deal.

They let you stay the night, getting you filled up on water and food and making sure to tend to the wound as it needs. The night ends up quite entertaining for the three of you even with the rather grim start of it. You all catch up on each of your adventures, they find out what you've been doing since all those years ago and what accomplishments you've gotten.

They're very impressed as well, even if they had seen the potential in you, so many with good potential die young. To see how far you've gotten, only a few years younger than themselves, and still going, it's something to be proud of.

Neither of them mentions it, but part of them regrets not making a longer friend of you all those years ago. You were easy to talk to, excitable, and eager you would've made a good companion when they were still adventuring themselves.

They're once again reminded of what brought the three of you together in the first place, what kept you guys talking even once the battle was over. You couldn't lie to yourself either, you had missed a connection like that, a thing you hadn't found anywhere else, with anyone else.

After you've gone to sleep on the couch again, and they've retrieved themselves to their bedroom, they find themselves unashamedly scheming on ways to have you stay. They saw something in you they haven't seen in anybody else, something sweet and caring, while still adventurous and wild.

Maybe they could have you come back at least if you didn't want to stay.

The next morning however you awake in agonizing pain, having Johnny absolutely panic that his remedy wasn't working, and immediately getting to work on a new one. Meanwhile Simon does his best to soothe you, moving you into their bed instead of the uncomfortable couch.

They close shop for the day, spending most of it tending to you, trying to get you stabilized again. Worst case scenario they'd have to go find a healer of some kind, there was a cleric that would sometime pass through town, and they could ask around.

By the end of the day things are looking up once again, the pain isn't as bad and one of Johnny's remedies seems to have worked for you. They insist you stay the night again, so they're sure you're healing okay.

They end up falling into bed with you, though it's soon you seem to not mind it. Having them on either side of you to make sure you didn't roll around on your wound, and to protect you should you need it, found itself to be quite comforting in your state.

From then on you don't really make any incentive to leave during the healing process. It's slow and grueling, with a few setbacks it felt too long at times, but it eventually got better. Once you did, you slowly started helping around the shop, trying to repay a debt you insisted on owing them despite how much they assured you it was fine.

You helped clean up after Johnny's experiments, restocking the shelves, and even assisting Simon in the garden when it wasn't a lot of physical labor. You enjoyed the mindless activities, being able to make conversation with them while doing it was usually the best part.

You enjoyed Johnny's quips, and excitement over his passion for potions and remedies. In contrast to the quieter time spent in the garden with Simon, you enjoyed his jokes and his insightfulness when it came to the plants. To see him have a gentle touch with them, much the same how he handles his partner (and you in turn), it was heartwarming to see for how brutal he used to be in your eyes.

It took quite a while for you to get back to your full strength, and by the time you did you had found a place with them. A place where you could explore the connection that attracted you in their direction, what made you so good for each other.

Even as you started up smaller adventures to get yourself back on track, you were never gone for long. The once pitstop, became a full stop for you, a new home with them that slowly developed into something beautiful, that you couldn't stay away from.

Mmhm the things i'd do to see these two fight dragons...too much

I kinda have some more ideas for this, in a fantasy dnd kind of setting, but i dont know if im gonna make it into anything.

I'm also working on a different actual series that i hope to share the first chapter of soonish, if i can get myself to actually plan it out and fully finish the first chapter. Exciting things :))

(I read through this a few times but i have an urging feeling i missed a mistake somewhere so if you find it i apologize)

#noctmoon fics #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley x reader #john soap mctavish x reader #ghoap #ghost x soap x reader #soap x ghost x reader #ghoap x reader #ghoap au #soapghost #Dungeons and dragons au #Forgotten realms au

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