#they were the same age during their previous adventure

[andreafmn]

Kinktober ⛓️ Day 3

Word Count: 2.5K Paring:  Lip Gallagher x Fem!Reader Prompt @kinktober2023: Hate Sex WARNINGS: SMUT 18+ (minors DNI),  p-in-v sex, foul language, reader is technically underage

Summary: There is no one that (Y/N) despises more than Philip Gallagher, but having his brother as her best friend forces them in close proximity more than they would like. Or maybe they do?

A/N: This is set some time during season 3 so Lip is around 18 and reader would be 17 since she's contemporary with Ian's age, so do with that what you will.

<- Previous

“Yo, Ian,” Lip’s voice rang through the house. “You’re girlfriend’s here!”

“Oh, fuck off, Lip,” (Y/N) said as she bumped past him into the Gallagher home. “I know you wish I was here to see you, but I don’t do charity work on Tuesdays.” 

“Fuck you, (Y/L/N). You’d be lucky if I was the one you were studying with.” 

“Of course, the genius Philip Gallagher that doesn’t even want to go to college,” she snickered, stopping at the rest on the stairs. “I’ll take my chances with my own brain. Thanks.”  

“You’ll regret helping Ian with math,” he called as he walked to the front door. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

With an exasperated scoff, (Y/N) walked up the rest of the stairs, clutching her backpack tighter than she should have. She didn’t understand why she and the older Gallagher son didn’t get along. She had a wonderful relationship with everyone else in the family –even Frank was courteous enough with her– but something never clicked with Lip. Every time they were in close proximity, they would bicker and fight until someone else got in the way. It made it especially difficult when (Y/N) came over to spend time with Ian. 

She would never say she hated Lip. But the sentiment was close enough that others would notice. Between the terrible side-eyes and the snide comments, being around the two could easily become suffocating. Granted, everyone but them knew what was truly happening. They had met their match in each other but were too stubborn to admit it. 

“You ran into Lip, didn’t you?” Ian chuckled as his friend walked into his room. “It’s all over your face.” 

“Unfortunately, I did,” she sighed, plopping down next to him on the floor. “But he seemed to be going somewhere, so I didn’t have to talk to him for much.” 

“Just long enough to make sure you got annoyed. Perfect mood to study Geometry with you.” 

“Fuck you, I’m always a delight.” 

“Sure. Until you spend a second with Lip, and then everything goes to shit.” 

“Shut up, Ian,” she said, rolling her eyes. “If you want me to help you study, you’ll stop talking about your despicable brother, Phillip.” 

Hours passed between textbooks and worksheets, notebooks and loose papers, and somehow the bright afternoon sun had shifted into night. Ian had already gone to bed, tired from a long day of shapes and mathematical equations. Almost everyone in the house had done the same, tucked into bed early, which was a luxury for anyone on the South Side. 

Meanwhile, (Y/N) was still wide awake, taking advantage of the tiredness of the family to use up what was left of the hot water. She could have gone home, to her packed house and probably cold water, but she found comfort staying with the Gallaghers. The family was a melting pot of chaos, there were more fights than a WWE ring, and every single day brought a different kind of adventure. Her house had all of that, except the real warmth of a family. And being there made her feel like she was a part of something. 

The water ran across her skin, soothing the tight muscles that stiffened her body. The smell of soap filled her nose as she lathered herself, and she was glad that the bar seemed new still. They were small luxuries that she was grateful she could partake in every once in a while. And in the quiet of the night, it was almost peaceful.

Until a sound that did not fit into her spa-like scenario filled the air. From behind the curtain, she could hear a strong stream of liquid falling into the toilet. But she knew she had locked the door —not that it would have worked in that house anyway. 

She moved the curtain slightly to reveal Lip standing in front of the toilet. “What the fuck are you doing?” (Y/N) exclaimed, making sure her body was covered. “Can’t you see I’m using the bathroom?” 

“You’re in the shower. Toilet was up for grabs.” 

“Why couldn’t you have gone downstairs?” 

“Because I was already upstairs,” he shrugged, shaking his cock above the toilet as he finished. “Stop gawking, (Y/N). I know it’s impressive, but staring is kind of rude.” 

“Fuck you, Lip. I’ve seen better,” she said, closing the curtain to conceal the way her skin was flushing. “I’ve definitely been with better.” 

“Keep telling yourself that,” he snickered, turning on the sink. “But we both know the guys you’ve fucked are not exactly Adonises.”

“You’re such an asshole, Lip,” she scoffed. “If you’re gonna be here, at least pass me my towel.”

“Why should I? You can just step out.” 

“You’re not seeing me naked, Lip.” 

“It’s only fair,” he chuckled. “You saw mine, I get to see yours.” 

“Stop being a perv, Lip. I’m not one of those chicks you fuck for fun. I actually have standards.” 

“Right, and they’re so high, right?”

“They are.” 

“Is that why you fucked Billy Spencer two months ago or lost your v-card with Jesse Suarez in his car? Yeah, those standards are skyscraping high.” 

In a fit of rage, (Y/N) ripped the curtain open and sauntered out of the tub, getting as close to Lip as possible. “You don’t get to fucking judge my decisions, Philip,” she spat, jabbing her index finger against his chest. “Who I sleep with or don’t sleep with is none of your business. And you sure as hell are one to talk. Your list is not the most pristine, either. Starting with Karen, for example.”

“Don’t you fucking talk about her,” he said through gritted teeth, pushing back on her as she had. “You don’t talk about her.” 

“What? You can dish it out but can’t fucking take it, huh?”

“I can take whatever you fucking throw at me, (Y/N). I ain’t scared of you.” 

“Maybe you should be,” she continued. There was almost no space between them. She had him pressed against the wall, their noses almost touching as they heaved in anger. “There is no one else that can put you in your place like I can, and you know it.” 

“I don’t need you to put me in my place.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re so fucking infuriating!” 

“Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?” 

Lip’s next move was a surprise to her. She was expecting him to keep yelling or stomp out of the bathroom. Instead, he placed a hand on either side of her face and crashed his lips onto hers. He was all kinds of rough and forceful, clashing teeth and lips together without any care. But somehow, (Y/N) found herself kissing back just as roughly, grabbing onto the lapel of his jacket. 

But it wasn’t until she felt the roughness of his hands on the skin of her back that she realized she had jumped out of the shower, naked and still dripping with water. She jumped away from Lip as though his touch was fire and scrambled for her towel, trying her best to cover her body from him.

“Why are you covering yourself now?” he laughed. “I already saw everything, (Y/N).”

“Fuck you, Philip.”

“I was gonna let you,” he grinned. “But it looks like you got performance anxiety. Maybe you’re not as good as guys say.” 

“Not that it’s any of your concern, but I’m great in bed,” she argued. “But I would rather do it with someone I actually like.”

“It’s just sex, (Y/N),” he countered. “This is not to fall in love.” 

(Y/N) kept quiet for a beat, thinking over the boy’s request. His reputation for being a good lay preceded him, and she would have been lying if she said she had never thought about it. But the fact that his personality was almost revolting made her wonder if it was worth it. 

“God, you’re so fucking infuriating,” she said before doing the same thing he had done. “This means nothing. You’re just convenient.”

“Right,” he chuckled against her mouth. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Oh, shut up already.” 

“Make me.” 

Her lips did all the answering, molding to his mouth perfectly, their tongues dancing together in perfect symphony. If she had believed in fate and the alignment of the universe, she would have deluded herself into thinking that they were meant to be. 

Lip’s clothes were rough against her unclothed skin, the zippers and the fabrics scratching at her body and rubbing the most sensitive parts of her body that were exposed. Warmth pooled between her legs with the kiss alone, and her body’s reaction scared her. It was almost instantaneous, and it had been the first time it had happened. 

“It’s not fair that I’m the only one that’s naked,” she said breathlessly.

“Do you ever stop fucking talking?” 

“Not when my mouth’s unoccupied,” she snickered. “And I have a lot to say.”  

“You’re too fucking much,” he grumbled as he took off layer after layer of clothing, letting them fall to the floor. “Now come here.”

He kissed her roughly again, pressing his chest as close to her body as he could, his hands snaking to the small of her back. As their mouth moved in synch, they walked backward until her back was pressed against the wall, the coldness making her skin erupt in goosebumps. But his hands were enough to build a fire inside her. The way they mapped every inch of her body and worked in tandem with his mouth to find her most sensitive spots. 

Lip nipped at her jaw and her neck, traveling down to her collarbone as his hands tweaked the hardened peaks of her breasts. Somehow, he was able to annoy her within an inch of raging ire and could bring her to the brink of orgasm with just his mouth and hands. 

In a swift move, Lip turned (Y/N), bending her against the wall as he pulled the zipper of his pants down. The clothes pooled at his ankles as he held his cock and lined himself up with her wetness, running the head across her fold and teasing her clit. 

“For someone that is just doing this out of convenience, you’re really wet,” he chuckled darkly. “Have you been dreaming about this?” 

“I could ask the same of you, Philip,” she retorted. “Because for someone that doesn’t really care, you’re really fucking hard.” 

“I’m only just a man, (Y/N).” 

“How about you shut up and prove it already, then? Maybe…” 

(Y/N)’s words died in her throat as she felt him sink into her completely, stretching her walls like no one had done before. He took the air out of her lungs, a moan getting strangled in her throat at the suddenness. 

Lip didn’t move instantly, allowing her body to get used to the size. At least, that was what he would have said if she had asked. Truthfully, being inside her was the most overwhelming experience he had ever had. He needed a moment to compose himself before he busted too early. The last thing he needed was for (Y/N) to have more ammo against him. He enjoyed their bickering reparté, but he had quite the reputation when it came to sex, and he wouldn’t let her ruin it. Even if his body was trying to betray him. 

Once he felt he could control himself, he started moving hips, quickly setting a pace that had (Y/N) letting out a string of moans that he wanted to listen to for the rest of his life. Her hands gripped the towel bar before her, her knuckles turning white from the tightness. She met his every move, pushing against him as he pummeled into her. 

“Harder,” she meweled. “Fuck me harder, Philip.” 

Lip did exactly as told. Skin met skin at a rapid pace, filling the otherwise quiet room with pants, moans, and slaps. Even her using his full name did not put a damper on his mood, rather loved the way it sounded in her mouth. And for the first time, it didn’t sound like she was saying it with  hate. At least, not completely. 

He snaked his hand around her body, his hand finding the mound of her clit and pressing two fingers on it. They circled and rolled the bud, making her walls clench around him as he pistoned into her. He knew both of them were reaching their end. The tightening of her cunt and the tightening of his balls told him enough.

“Fuck, don’t stop, Lip. Don’t you dare fucking stop.” 

“I wasn’t planning to.” 

And he didn’t. He kept thrusting until (Y/N) let out a pleasurable yell that had him covering her mouth. As he did, she bit down on his skin unconsciously, making him moan and awakening something in him he didn’t know was dormant. It brought him right to the brink of his end, and it took everything in him to leave her warmth and explode all over her ass. 

His body slumped over hers, absentmindedly kissing the skin of her shoulder as they both came down from their orgasm. They felt comfortable in their silence, their pants synching and their bodies melting against each other. If they could have, they would have fallen asleep in that very position. 

But a knock on the door startled them apart.

“Yo, I need the bathroom,” Carl called from the other side of the door. “I’ve gotta piss real bad.” 

“Can you go downstairs, Carl?” (Y/N) asked. “I’m just finishing up in the shower.” 

“Ugh, fine! Just hurry up. There’s more people in this house, you know?” 

“Yeah, sorry!” 

After wiping themselves down, Lip and (Y/N) started getting dressed, neither meeting each other’s gaze. “We don’t speak about this to anyone,” she finally said. “Especially not Ian. And this can’t happen ever again.” 

“Sure,” he mumbled. “Whatever you say.” 

“I’m serious, Philip,” she pleaded, placing a hand on his chest to get his attention. “If Ian finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it.” 

“I won’t say anything,” he laughed, looking at her in a way he never had before. “But I wouldn’t mind if this happened again.” 

“Are you serious?” 

“What? The rumors are true. You are a good lay.” 

“You’re not too bad yourself, Mr. Gallagher,” she grinned before stopping at the door to exit first. “But I don’t think this will happen again.” 

“Keep telling yourself that, (Y/N).” 

“Fuck off, Philip,” she whispered from the end of the hall before disappearing into the boys’ bedroom, leaving Lip to think of just how he could make this a repeat situation.

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[forcedagere]

I personally really like the idea of Bill x Reader x Ford. This one kinda ties into my previous post, but it’s not required reading. I suppose this would be an AU where Ford accepted Bill’s offer during Weirdmaggedon, or something else went wrong resulting in Bill staying in power :)

Contents: forced age regression, yandere, implied mental manipulation

Whereas Bill is far from the best caretaker (though he tries, in his own way), Ford takes care to create a semblance of structure in your life. He doesn’t have tons of practical experience with children or little ones such as you, but he makes up for it with dedication. He takes to caring for you as if it were a newly discovered, fascinating field of study. In other words… He reads many, many books, and tries all kinds of things to figure out what you like best.

Ford is not entirely fond of the kind of dynamic you have with Bill. It's not because he doesn't want to be referred to with parental terms, that's simply a matter of preference, but that he insists on you being friends above anything else. Considering the dynamics at play here, Ford cannot help but view it…

"As simply pedagogically irresponsible, Bill." The triangle in question rolls his eye. "Oh, boohoo! Fancy McFancypants over here knows what’s up!” Bill glances at you from the corner of his eye. Seeing you crack a smile while you’re sketching away with your crayons, he’s encouraged. “You read one book on how to raise a kid, and now you wanna tell me what to do? Get lost. Kid, c'mon, prove him wrong-- I'm your favourite, right?" You look up from your latest piece of art. You are drawing all three of you, in fact. You're usually deaf to their arguments, it's such a constant that you've grown used to the noise and stopped viewing it as a threat. (Your daddy calls it 'bickering'; Billy, when daddy isn't listening, calls it 'flirting'. That makes you giggle.) But you don't like getting involved in it yourself! So you firmly shake your head, and drop the pacifier attached to your necklace to speak. "No favourites… I love you both," you say with the confidence only someone as little as you could have. Billy's eyelid flutters, and your daddy smiles.

To put it simply, Bill is the ‘fun, rule-breaking parent’ and Ford is… A little less that. One should not take Bill Cipher as the benchmark of taking good care of a human, though.

Ford will make sure your meals are more varied than the endless stream of candy that Bill feeds you, and get you tucked in for sleep at regular times, too. Compared to Bill, who enjoys playing games with you and ‘roughhousing’, Ford prefers calmer activities. He’s definitely up for the occasional board game, but, most of the time, he’ll read to you, make drawings upon requests (or give you lessons!), or toy around with science experiments safe for someone who gets the urge to put anything that looks interesting inside their mouth.

He might’ve taken you for an adventure or two outside, but… The world hasn’t been the same since Bill got his hands all over it. He may be technically immortal now. You decidedly are not, as far as he knows. Either way, he doubts that Bill would let you out of this room to begin with. He doesn’t have to ask to be able to know that. If there is any reason he would keep someone locked up the way he does with you, it must be because you have some form of special connection to him. Ford does not believe he would risk that.

Really, Ford isn’t stupid or blind. It’s not that he’s going along with all of this because he is ignorant of Bill’s manipulation of your mental state. Bill can call it a ‘nudge in the right direction’ all he wants. He’s keeping you regressed. But everything has changed. He has changed, and Ford doesn’t know if he made the right decision. He fears he hasn’t. (Somewhere out there, in an alternate universe, a Stanford must live who made a difference decision. Ford hopes he’s happy.)

Spending time in this little contained room, with something dependent on him and eager to be looked after by him, who doesn’t know better and never will… It’s not good, it’s the very definition of selfish, but it’s comforting to him. Grounding, in a sense. With an eternity of time left ahead of him and the foundations of his previous life all but crumbled, he has something steady to return to. It doesn’t matter how much he rationalizes it. It’s twisted and fucked up, plain and simple.

…He supposes he can understand why Bill finds him so amusing, even now.

A little whimper snaps him from the spiral of his thoughts. Your bottle is empty. He should get youa refill, then pull you back on his lap.

[dollsofthewest]

AG Cowgirl Outfits

Following in the footsteps of @enby-dollhouse and @doll-collecting-aerialist, who did posts on the variety of ballerina and tennis outfits respectively, I wanted to do my take on a section of AG outfits I love: cowgirls! Saddle up and let's head out!

Rootin', Tootin' Cowgirl (1998)

Okay, so maybe this is the outfit that inspired me to do this post in the first place. This is adorable. It's rootin'. It's tootin'. I love the bright blue color. It's advertised as a Halloween costume, but doubles just fine as a fancy rodeo outfit. I do like the idea that you can be the sheriff, or the bandit, or both at the same time! And lest we forget to mention that black cat trick-r-treat bucket!!

Molly's Dude Ranch Outfit (2004)

Is anybody doing it like Miss Molly? This outfit was not connected with any book but released as part of a "Summer Fun" collection. I like to imagine Molly went to a dude ranch near Yellowstone National Park, or maybe somewhere along her Route 66 Adventure. It's cute and pretty authentic to rodeo shows. Also, look at her little canteen!

Nicki's Ranch Outfit (2007)

Most cowgirls don't wear the fancy rodeo costumes like a lot of people think: those are for the shows and fairs! During her daily work, Nicki wears her own pink version of modern jeans, chaps, and boots. And of course her staw hat to protect her from the sun.

Rustic Ranch Outfit (2008)

Another practical outfit; it may look impractical to wear a skirt but I've seen girls who prefer it, if they are riding side-saddle. The vest is kind've plain, but it comes with a horse-themed scrapbook and a (faux) leather Western Hat.

Western Riding Outfit (2010)

Definitely a casual pick for our cowgirl. Fit for farm or school, everybody knows exactly what animal is this American Girl's favorite. Like Nicki, this girl wears a straw hat, but she'll need sunblock if she's going to ride all day with those short sleeves and skirt!

Western Plaid Outfit (2014)

I like to think of this as Abercrombie Horse Girl. I'm not sure how practical that dress is for horse riding, and I'm a bit worried about those loose band around her boots. Still, this girl has something not previously seen, even with Nicki, and that's the very important helmet! Always wear a helmet while horse riding!!

Pretty Pink Riding Outfit (2014)

Sold at the same time as the previous one, so you could choose which outfit you wanted with your life-saving helmet. This girl is wearing what I liked to call Gucci Horse Girl.

Blue-Ribbon Riding Outfit (1998)

I forgot this one so I'm adding it here to show you what I would consider an Ideal Horse Riding outfit. Helmet: check! Proper boots: check! The coat even comes with functional pockets and inner thigh padding. She certainly gets the blue ribbon from me for best dressed!

Maryellen's Cowgirl Outfit (2022)

Ah, a return to classics! This is about as stereotypical "cowgirl" as you can get. As far as I'm aware, this is meant to be her Halloween costume, which tracks with how popular cowgirls & cowboys were during the 1950s. Lookin' cute, Miss Maryellen!

Lila's Horseback Riding Outfit (2024)

I think when Glen Campbell sang "Rhinestone Cowboy" he wasn't talking about this. Still, maybe this is what horse girls these days wear? It's a shame to see a modern girl without a helmet, but you can't deny this fits Miss Lila's style to a tee!

What is your favorite AG cowgirl/horse-riding outfit? What would you like to see made in the future?

[thejournalisttintin]

I’m also working on a series of timeline age-ups for the Tintin characters, both canon and fanmade. Because these will be the perfect opportunity for me to brainstorm headcanons, as well as accept any suggestions from you all as well.

Now I’m starting off with my favorite ginger dork, Tintin!

Keep in mind, this is my personal interpretation of Tintin’s background, but everyone is free to interpret his history how they like it.

My headcanons for Tintin underneath:

Kid: Both Tintin and his twin brother Martin were left in the same orphanage as infants due to the First World War. Growing up in the orphanage, they never really had anyone to be friends with besides each other. However, they were often picked on simply because they were ginger.

As a kid, Tintin loved doing things that weren’t really considered normal for little boys his age. He was wildly imaginative, pretending sticks were swords, trees and large boulders were castles, and leaf wreaths that he made himself were crowns. He also had this phase where he loved collecting abandoned bird nests, mainly because he found them fascinating.

Preteen: This was known as Tintin’s “problematic” phase. Both Tintin and Martin were taken in by different guardians. Tintin was adopted by the manager of a local newspaper in Brussels, where he would eventually work. Meanwhile, Martin found a family in a wealthy but infertile couple. Yet they attended the same school together, which was a bit of a win.

However, Tintin was known for getting in trouble a lot at school, mainly because he kept getting into fights with the other boys. But the reason he got into fights was mainly out of protecting Martin, who was bullied relentlessly for his peanut allergy and nerdy attitude. This also occurred outside of school, when Tintin picked up a side job as a paperboy.

Teen: During the early canon of the comics. Tintin had decided to work at the local newspaper, which was taken over by a new publisher after the previous one, his adoptive guardian, had passed away. However, the new manager turned Tintin down due to his age, since he was still attending school.

So Tintin came up with the idea of lying about his age to get in. Which unfortunately meant he had to drop out of school, since he’d be working full time.

Martin, meanwhile, worked for a newspaper company on the other side of Brussels, in Antwerp. But Tintin and Martin still remained in contact and wrote to each other, despite them both working for different newspaper companies.

Current: Tintin as we all know him now!

With his dog Snowy, he has since moved into Marlinspike with Captain Haddock. They have also gone on various adventures together, having made friends (and enemies!) along the way. At some point during the post-canon timeline, Tintin starts to grapple with long-kept secrets about his past, some good and some bad, as well as his relationships toward his friends.

So here’s Tintin’s timeline age-up!

Enjoy!

[potetosaradas]

I've been marinating on some Rick Prime thoughts/theories. I might be completely wrong and way off base, but this was a delusional idea that ive had and can't seem to let go of sksjfdkdl this post got really long rIP to anyone who decides to read this

I'll be referring to this timeline I made. I'm basing the years off of known/confirmed ages in the show from when the show started airing in 2017, to track and pin down some possible key dates/time frames in the Sanchez/Smith family past.

I've always wondered about Prime and his timeline. Like, did he have a Diane before/during/after he met Rick? When did he meet her? How and why would he meet her? I feel the circumstances would greatly change the flavour and impact of their relationship, knowing this information!

But! Based off this timeline, i have reason to suspect that Prime met his Diane after he killed Rick's family, given that his Beth is younger than C137’s Beth.

Now... why would he do that? Why would he purposefully go and meet Diane, marry her and make a family, when he JUST killed Rick for the same thing?

WHAT IF. Prime was using Diane as cover to hide from Rick?????? SUPPOSEDLY, Morty brainwaves do that whole complimentary, masking brainwaves thing-- but WHAT IF, Diane's ALSO had the same ability?????? had to come from somewhere right??????

ANYWAY it seems like it takes 3-4 years after killing Rick's family to he starts his own. I imagine in this time period, Rick and Prime were playing a game of cat and mouse across the universe. What if Prime decided to go back to his own dimension to lay low?

He finds out that Diane brainwaves keep Ricks hidden, so he goes back to find his own Diane. He woos her, love bombs her and within 1-2 years he's dated her, married her and started a family with her.

See, I dont think Prime ever really loved or cared about his Diane. I don't think he actually even wanted to get married at all. So why tf would did he do that???????? Well, I could definitely see him using marriage for self serving purposes. After all, didn't c137 do the same thing? He went back and used Prime's family for his own gain.They have no issue using people 🤷

So anyway, Prime hides himself from Rick for 15 years with Diane and Beth. He plots away at his Dastardly Evil Plans, keeping tabs on Rick, hiding from him as he slowly pieces the Omega Device together until it's ready. We know that Prime was an absent father and I can't imagine him having a better relationship with his Diane compared to C137/Diane C137, so I'm willing to bet he had an extremely strained marriage with her. BUT AGAIN, that would make sense, if he was only using her to his benefit only caring about the construction of the device/hiding himself from Rick C137.

additionally, i dont think he immediately went to go back to find Rick C137 as soon as it was completed. Contrary to popular belief, i dont think Prime was using the omega device to specifically torture C137. I definitely think it played a big part in it, but there were definitely other reasons as to why he made this device.

I'm not clear on what Prime's exact motivations are, but it's always seemed to me that he wanted to make an army of Ricks or at least, he seemed to be searching for superior Ricks/that could match his level.

I'll be using some scenes from the crybaby backstory for some points:

After Prime killed Rick's family, it looks like (from 00:33 to 01:05) Rick has been adventuring around the universe, checking out new universes and also looking for Prime, feeling frustrated when he comes up empty.

If you look closely, it doesn't look like Rick is looking for Prime on Earth dimensions. Again, making me think that Prime went back to his own dimension to hide from Rick-- its almost kind of like the last place Rick would ever go look for him too??

In the very next scene, Rick has visibly aged. If Rick was 27-30 in previous frames, the aged jump makes Rick look like he’s 35-45 (maybe even older). He's glumly eating noodles and clearly doesn't look happy at all. He looks super jaded. During this time, we can see him in his rebel phase, fighting with BP and the infamous Bloodridge battle.

BP rejects him, and as we know, Rick doesn't take kindly to rejection. What happened when Morty rejected him in s6? He went back to the one thing that has always made sense to him, the one thing that's always kept him going. So perhaps, he goes back to his hunt for Prime after having lost his purpose and way with BP.

According to the timeline that I have, Prime is about 51 years old when he might've completed the Omega device. This lines up pretty neatly with Rick in his rebel phase era (tail end of 40 years old) So, what does they do next?

According to the video, we can see Rick starts finding a pretty good lead on Prime. If Rick and Prime were the only ones to actually invent portal tech, the old Rick using a portal gun at 01:15 is a Rick that Prime shared portal tech with. That's a pretty great start to tracking Prime. He tracks Prime down to a maze like base with OTHER RICKS BUT there are guard Ricks (that perhaps are Ricks that Prime has recruited to his side???) and also other Ricks he is competing with to get to the center. We see Rick is visibly frustrated when the other Rick smashes the Cube in the case. What if that was a lead to Prime directly?

In season 7, we see that Prime likes to play with other Ricks in the form of SAW traps. He seems to like weeding and sorting through Ricks.

WHAT IF, this maze like base was also another competition? And Prime was gathering Ricks using the potential of the omega device as bait?

Anyway, I have reason to suspect that the omega device was first triggered and destroyed by 1999 as Morty seems to have very little attachment to Diane making me believe he never met her or remembered her presence AND also at 01:57 in the video, Rick visibly ages again (becoming the Old Rick we all know so well, I would definitely place him at 60-70 at this point). He's back at his old home, the last place he ever saw Diane alive. He's drinking and he's still so very very sad, massacring Ricks left right and center. To meeeee, this sort of I really dont give a fuck anymore attitude seems a LOT like the attitude of a man who's REALLY lost everything. If he thought he lost Diane once, he's now forced to consider the reality that you could lose the person you love over infinity entirely. It would be even worse if it was Rick that accidentally triggered the omega device to go off killing all Dianes lol even if he managed to destroy the device in the end. Anyway, strong possibility that he did it considering how many Ricks start going after him????

IDK.

I HOPE SOME OF THIS MAKES SENSE?? Im not very good at explaining myself 💀

[animatorweirdo]

The White-Scaled Dragon Princess Part 2

Part 1

You have found yourself a home in the new land, far away from Westeros and those who would wish harm upon you and your dragon. But then you face new types of challenges when you befriend a Noldor prince. Can you trust him and find a long-lasting friend in him? Will you ever overcome your fear of the world around you? Will you ever share your painful past with him? And could you possibly even find yourself in love with the said prince?

Warnings: mentions of injuries, passing out, Meraxes frightening people, reader being socially awkward, fear of people, Fingon being a tease and charming, Meraxes trying to kill Fingon a couple of times, heavy angst, anxiety, self-hatred, self-harm, reader needs serious therapy, reader trying to overcome her fears, adventuring, comfort, Fingon being caring, mentions of depression, and a happy ending.

(Note: I tagged those, who wanted to be tagged in the previous part)

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- Three years had passed since you arrived in Middle Earth. 

- You had found a new home with an elderly woman named Ioreth, who had saved your life when your injuries from your fall became too much for you, and you lost consciousness. 

- Meraxes was the one to find her after you fell unconscious and possibly scared her into helping you. Luckily, Ioreth did not seem to mind treating you even though the dragon kept a careful guard and growled if she made sudden movements.  

- You were first scared of her when you woke up, thinking she saw you as a monster and prepared to leave as soon as possible, but Ioreth then fed you and asked for your story, showing no sign of hatred or fear toward you. 

- Feeling somewhat hopeful and trusting, you told her your story and how you got injured during a fall. To your surprise, she showed sympathy, and despite having been threatened to help you by your mountain-sized dragon, she offered a place in her home for you. 

- She had seen stranger creatures, so she was not much phased by your scales. And you were nearly the same age as her granddaughter, so she would only feel awful if she sent you away. 

- You nearly wanted to cry for her kindness. For your whole life, you believed no one would think twice before chasing you away and calling you a monster. And here was this elderly woman, who offered you a place in her home despite having been threatened by your dragon and knowing you only for a day. 

- And thus, you began to help her with the everyday chores, wanting to make yourself use for her. You would help her with the cleaning and the gathering of herbs as she was an experienced healer. 

- You might have shown over-eagerness to help her with everything as she snapped at you that she was not so old that she needed someone to gather her every need. 

- You felt ashamed, thinking you had overstepped and annoyed her, but then she comforted you and calmly explained that you could leave the house chores to her while you could deal with things that needed walking and traveling. You agreed to the arrangement, and you began to get comfortable with your new life. 

- You did find her home interesting since her house was built in the mountains, away from the nearby town. Ioreth explained she was not very fond of people and liked the peace of the mountains, which you partially understood, and it also worked for you since it meant you could stay near Meraxes. 

- When you recovered and decided to live with Ioreth, Meraxes found herself a cave in another part of the mountains, away from the town, but not too far that you wouldn’t be able to come visit her. 

- You incidentally made friends with Ioreth’s grandaughter, Freda, who was one of the only ones in their family eager to visit Ioreth whenever she liked. 

- You first tried to avoid her when she came to visit Ioreth. You did not want to cause Ioreth trouble by frightening her grandaughter and making the townspeople think she lived with a monster. But then you accidentally dumped on Freda without your cloak, and her reaction was not what you expected. 

- She reacted to you surprisingly well. She marveled the white scales that adorned your scales, touching them and tracing each line with her fingers. It was slightly overwhelming as you are not used to someone touching your scales like that. She stopped when Ioreth smacked her in the head and called her out for touching you without your permission. 

- She apologized and then started asking questions. You couldn't quite keep up with her questions but tried your best to answer all of them. 

- She then declared herself as your friend when you told her you did not have any friends in the mountain besides Ioreth. You were baffled by her because you had never met someone who just decided to be your friend after knowing you only for a day, but soon you became happy about it as she became one of your best friends. 

- You adored her eccentrics and how many things she had to say. She was so full of life, and you do not think you ever had a friend that was someone of your age. Even the new maids you were given did not talk so much to you. On the contrary, they never spoke more than three words whenever you tried to converse with them. 

- But despite your newfound friendship with Freda, you decided not to introduce her to Meraxes. She might have accepted you, but you did not want to risk her getting scared by your beloved dragon and have the whole town chase you away. Ioreth promised to keep it a secret, understanding your fear. 

- But you did agree to visit the town with Freda’s encouragement. 

- She wanted you to meet the rest of the family. You felt fearful of the idea of being seen by the townspeople, but you agreed as long as you got to keep your scales hidden by your cloak and the gloves she had gifted you. 

- It was unnerving to have so many eyes on you when you walked through the town with Freda. You followed her like a lost child, but you tried to push yourself and see things you never allowed yourself to see outside the walls of your home. 

- Freda’s family was kind to you and showed gratitude when they heard you decided to keep company to Ioreth, the stubborn woman refusing to live in the town with them after her husband's death. 

- Their welcoming presence felt comforting, and to your surprise, they did not get upset or pressure you to uncover yourself when you told them you felt more comfortable being covered by your cloak. They were respectful and assured you they would patiently wait until you felt comfortable showing yourself to them.

- You honestly did not know what to make of it, but their assurance made you eager to visit them more often. 

- After two years of getting to know Freda’s family, you decided to take the next step and show yourself to them. With your permission, Freda told them of your unique condition, and with enough prepping, you finally revealed your scales to them. 

- They were surprised when you showed them your white scales, and for a moment, you prepared to face rejection and run out of the house, but then you were surprised by their acceptance. They welcomed you wholeheartedly and praised the beauty they did not expect you to have. 

- Their constant praising left you flustered as you had never heard anyone call you beautiful— you were used to people staring at you and calling you unnatural. But, you rejoiced in their acceptance and now felt like you were part of the family. 

- They even offered you to stay with them. You felt touched by the offer but expressed your desire to remain with Ioreth, and they respected your decision. But you became comfortable showing yourself inside their home. 

- After three years had passed, you found yourself happy and having learned much about the world around you. 

- It was shocking to realize that no one knew about Westeros and that creatures such as orcs and gods called the Valar existed. The three imposing mountains you saw in the distance were called Thangorodrim, and the graceful beings you encountered were called the Elves. It was a lot to take in, but the only reasonable explanation you could muster was that you had somehow traveled to another world.

- You would have deemed yourself mad if you hadn't experienced your new life. Feeling a kind of happiness knowing it meant safety from Jaeherys and those who sought your demise, yet also a tinge of sadness, realizing you would never know the fate of your father. 

- You could only guess he had either been killed or executed.

- After three months into the new year, Meraxes suddenly fell ill. She exhibited reduced energy, ate less, and appeared noticeably grumpier than usual. Perplexed by the sudden change in behavior, you sought advice from Ioreth, who suggested that she might have ingested something that caused her illness, having seen similar symptoms in animals like pigs and cows.

- Ioreth had a medicine, but since Meraxes was bigger than any pig or cow, she would need to take a larger amount. 

- You were worried for Meraxes, and around the corner was a celebration held by the town.

-  Freda had urged you to join in. Despite your hesitation, you didn’t have the heart to deny her invitation, especially when Ioreth was joining the party too. It was somewhat exciting as you had never attended a party that wasn’t held in your home or by your father. 

- It was a type of celebration where the people would dress up and put paint on their faces to pay tribute to the Valars, so Freda suggested you would come to the party with your scales and additional paint. 

- You didn’t feel comfortable with the idea, but when her younger siblings asked if they could do your hair and put the pain on you, you couldn’t bring yourself to refuse them. 

- Freda and her mother seized the opportunity to pick out a dress for you, leaving you with no room to refuse as they were eager to dress you up for the occasion. It was a lovely dress that complemented well with your red cloak, which Freda insisted you wear instead of your usual green one. The combination popped out your scales, and Freda’s siblings did a wonderful job on your hair. 

- They had also painted your face with beautiful white lines and designs that perfectly complemented the scales on your skin.

- You nearly mistook yourself for a mystical being and even found yourself beautiful. Freda and her family did not waste the opportunity to dress you for the celebration. 

- You were still nervous when the night of the party arrived, but as Freda said, most of the town people had dressed up and painted their faces with colors. No one seemed to have suspected a thing when you walked outside with Freda, your scales showing and everything. On the contrary, you received many compliments and admiring looks when people realized you were Freda’s strange hooded friend. 

- For the time in your life, you had fun at a party, watching people dance, playing songs, and eating a large variety of foods. 

- You mostly stuck with Freda or any of her family members during the celebration as you didn’t possess strong social skills to talk with people. 

- You then noticed there were also elves in the party. It was a rare sight since elves did not often visit human towns. 

- Freda explained they were part of the Noldor. The age of peace had flourished since Morgoth had hidden himself away in his northern fortress, so the elves would always join a party whenever a chance occurred. 

- You curiously observed the partying elves. It was curious to see them, and for a moment, your attention was taken by an elf who had braids and what seemed to be golden ribbons in his hair. He was quite handsome. His raven locks were nearly as dark as the night sky above you, and it seemed he enjoyed the party the most out of his kin. 

- When it was time for a dance, you stood on the sidelines and watched. You liked it that way since you had never been lucky to be asked to dance before, so you never truly learned how to dance. Unknowns to you, you had caught the attention of the elf with the golden ribbons. 

- Fingon, the energetic Noldor prince, had joined the party upon change, wanting to escape the court and his duties for one night. He enjoyed parties, and the Edain always knew how to throw an interesting one. He felt pity he couldn’t celebrate it like he used to with his siblings and cousins, but as long as it took his mind away from the darker things of the world— it was enough. 

- He was in the midst of conversation and drinks with some friends till his gaze landed upon you. He nearly didn't believe his eyes. To him, you were drop-dead gorgeous. The red cloak made you stand out, but the white paint and the scale resembling stones that adorned your skin sparkled like diamonds. It was like Aule himself had dressed you in the earth’s finest jewels, and if it weren't for your rounded ears and your somewhat ordinary demeanor, Fingon might have mistaken you for a beautiful princess or even a Maia.

- Fingon was teased when his friends caught him staring at you and told him to go talk to you since he was clearly captivated by you. 

- He only laughed them off but decided to follow their advice and approach you. 

- You were startled when he suddenly came to you, and with his gentle yet teasing voice, he started talking. 

- “Now, what would a lovely maiden like yourself be doing here all alone while others have fun dancing? Is the party not to your liking?” Fingon questioned teasingly. 

“No… it's just,” you hesitated to answer. Fingon was captivated by your quiet yet soft voice and even more when he saw your violet eyes. 

“I’ve never been much of a dancer, and I enjoy watching others having fun,” you finally answered. 

- Enamored, Fingon continued conversing with you, complimenting your appearance. While you were somewhat charmed by his praise, you couldn't help but tease him. He was one head shorter than you, something you didn't expect when he approached you. He seemed a lot taller in the distance. 

- Fingon found your shyness and wit endearing, and he continued to keep you company. He introduced himself, mentioning that he was the first prince of the High King Fingolfin.

- “I’m (Name), the daughter of the ki—” you quickly stopped, realizing what you were about to say. Fingon introduced himself in a manner familiar to those in the court that the etiquette came back naturally to you.

Fingon looked at you curiously. 

“Just (Name), daughter of a simple man,” you fixed yourself with a fake smile. 

- Luckily, Fingon seemed to have bought it, and you two then spent a fun night together, talking and joining some games. It was perhaps one of the only times you did not wish for a party to end. 

- When the night came to an end, you two bid farewell to each other. Fingon felt shame that he had to leave so soon after meeting you. He would have enjoyed getting to know you more and then placed a kiss on the back of your hand as a goodnight. Your poor heart nearly exploded out of your chest by the act. You had never received such courtesy before, and you felt slightly ashamed that he was not kissing mere decorations on your hand but your actual scales. 

- Freda teased you endlessly when you told her what had happened and how much fun you had talking with Fingon. You tolerated her jests through the night until the morning arrived. 

- You considered going to the place where you had heard the elves spend the night in hopes of seeing Fingon again but decided to go to the mountains when Ioreth told you that she had prepared the medicine for Meraxes. 

- You took your red cloak as your green cloak was at Ioreth’s house, then made your way to the mountain with Meraxes’s medicine. You two decided you would try to give Meraxes her medicine through a piece of meat since food was one of the only ways to convince someone to take their medicine.  

- When you reached Meraxes’s cave, she was already waiting for you there. You greeted her, then handed her the meat you carried in your basket, letting her eat it from your hand and watching as the medicine seemed to have taken effect. She looked more lively and even asked for more.  

- Relief washed over you as you gave her pets, but unknown to you, someone had followed you to her den. 

- Fingon, who was preparing to leave with his kin, wanted to try to see you one last time before he had to return home. However, when he saw you leave your friend's home and make your way toward the mountains, he became worried since orcs and other creatures alike could be found hiding there. So, he followed you, only to be startled when he found you standing in front of a giant silver-scaled dragon. 

- It had been ages when he last saw the ferocious golden dragon, Glaurung, and the fact that this dragon was bigger and had wings was enough to make him call out to you and draw out his bow. 

- Meraxes was quick to go defensive and roar at the intruder. 

- You were momentarily stunned as you had no idea someone had followed you to the mountain. 

- Meraxes lunged at Fingon with her jaws open, but Fingon was quick to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding being bitten whole. Recovering swiftly, he drew his bow again, ready to aim for her one remaining eye.

- “No!” You yelled, pushing his bow away so that his arrow only struck Meraxes in the snout, aggravating her even further. 

- You then saw how Meraxes’s jaws began to glow with the familiar fiery glow. She was intending to burn Fingon alive. 

- Meraxes was protective and stubborn enough to ignore your orders, so the only thing you could come up with to save the elf was to grab him and run to the edge of the cliff. Meraxes released her flames, but luckily, you were quick enough to jump over the edge and slide down the hill before her flames could touch you. However, now you were sliding hard against the cliff wall with a far drop beneath you. 

- Your claws helped you keep a tight grip on Fingon and slow down your fall, but then you lost your hold, and you both rolled down the hill before you finally reached the bottom, surrounded by forest. 

- You both groaned in pain as you both suffered some cuts and bruises, but then you recovered when Fingon picked himself up and urged you to come with him before your dragon could find you again. 

- You were quick to explain that she was your friend and she only attacked because he was an intruder to her territory. Fingon was confused, and you had to go into details about how she was your steed and that you had her since childhood. 

- He only seemed more confused, questioning why you would want to harbor a creature of Morgoth. 

- You then explained that she was not one of Morgoth’s creatures and that you both were from somewhere where dragons were common and could be received as steeds. You then revealed that the scales on your skin were no decor but actual scales, things you had been born with. 

- Fingon seemed to believe you since he did saw how you used your claws to slow down the fall. 

- To your frustration, you found yourselves on the other side of the mountains, far from the town and other people. Fortunately, you were gifted with a keen sense of smell, so you began leading Fingon back to the other side by following the scent of people. Despite the long walk and climbing, you didn't deem it safe to summon Meraxes. She would most likely try to kill the elf again if you did. 

- Fingon started questioning about your origins and everything related to Meraxes and your scales.

- You tried to answer all his questions and assure him that you were not in league with Morgoth and that you came from a different place, a place he would most likely not find on maps.  

- It took you half a day to finally find your way back to the other side, but before Fingon could leave to join his kin, you stopped him and pleaded with him to remain quiet about you and Meraxes. 

- Fingon felt conflicted as it was one of his duties to tell what was happening on his father’s lands, but then you told him how you and your dragon had already lived three years without an incident and that you had nowhere else to go if you and Meraxes got chased away. 

- You begged and even told him you would do anything as long as you could stay in your new home. 

- Fingon felt a tug in his heart as you were sincere and looked like you were on the brink of tears. You saved him from the dragon but also loved the said dragon enough that you would choose to leave with it rather than abandon it. 

- It was a complicated situation, and all he could tell you was he would let you know what he would decide to do with the knowledge and then left. 

- Anxiety and troubled thoughts had haunted you ever since that day. 

- It had only been three days since the incident, and you were already considering packing your things and leaving with Meraxes while you still had the chance. Ioreth tried to comfort you after hearing about the incident, but nothing seemed to work to calm down the paranoia that cribbled you from within. 

- The thoughts became more terrible, and you started beating yourself for allowing such a mistake to happen. 

- It even got to the point where you ended up with a manic panic attack and started scratching the scales off your arm, trying to trim them away. 

- The lingering hatred you felt towards the scales resurfaced, driving you to scratch at them until the ground was covered in white, bloodied scales, and your arms were left bleeding from the numerous cuts and spots where the scales had once been.

- You would then silently cry and then clean up the mess before Ioreth could notice and get worried for you. 

- With Fingon, he struggled to decide what to do. On one hand, he knew he shouldn't keep something like this hidden from his father and people. However, upon further reflection, he realized he didn't want anything bad to happen to you. Dragons were primarily associated with Morgoth, and given your half-dragon nature, it was likely that you would be ostracized or even chased away if the people learned about you.

- Fingon could tell that you were not lying about the things you said, and he felt a little awful when he remembered the desperate look on your face. Would he only be damning your life if he told your secret? You had not done anything suspicious yet, so maybe…

- Shaking his head, he then came to a difficult decision.

- After the fourth day, as you were helping Ioreth do some stitching, Fingon came to visit you. You were surprised as he had come alone and not with a mob of people like you had first expected. 

- Fingon suggested a deal since you did save him from your dragon’s flames and helped him return to his kin. He would keep silent about you and your dragon, but to ensure nothing unexpected would happen, he would come to visit and monitor you. 

- You accepted the deal without a second thought. It felt reasonable to you and it meant you got to stay with Ioreth. 

- Fingon then began asking questions. He inquired about your homeland, your parents, and the reason for your stay in Hithlum. You answered honestly, sharing details about your background but omitting the parts about Westeros being in another world, your royal status as a former princess, as well as the circumstances involving your cousin and your need to escape.

- He also had strange questions, like if you could breathe fire and fly. They were the only questions that baffled you, but since Freda had asked similar questions on your first meeting— you were not bothered by them. 

- You could not breathe fire to your knowledge, neither were you born with wings. The only special features you had were that you could see very well in the dark, had a keen sense of smell, and were physically stronger than an average man. 

- The day went by quickly, with you answering his questions about you and Meraxes until it was time for him to depart. You thanked him continuously, trying to show gratefulness for his decision to keep your secret. 

- He seemed sincere and told you to expect him to come for another visit soon enough before sending him off. 

- The heavyweight from your mind was momentarily lifted. You were good at telling when people were lying, and Fingon was sincere through and through, so you did not have to worry if you could trust him. 

- He visited once a week. Fingon questioned a lot about Meraxes and then about you. It seemed like he was trying to monitor your every move, but he quickly softened up, and you two started talking about yourselves. Well, you mostly listened to him talk about his life and what his family was like. You had very few good things you wanted to share with him, and you did not want to ruin the good mood he often brought with your sad life. 

- You did fill out his curiosity when he asked about Meraxes and why she was so protective of you, and he seemed to have possessed some pity for the dragon when you told him how her previous rider died on her back. 

- However, you decided letting the two meet each other again wasn’t a good idea, especially after what happened last time. You did suggest that Fingon would leave you a glove or something with his scent on it so you could try to get Meraxes used to it and avoid further incidents. Reluctantly, he agreed to the plan for the greater good. Unfortunately, Meraxes proved to be difficult, only growling at the scent and huffing away when you tried to tell her not to harm the elf next time.

- An unusual friendship was born between you and Fingon. His warm and forward nature made you eager for his visits, and you started asking more about Middle Earth and news around the world. 

- One day, you dared to ask him if he could bring books and teach you his language. You held love toward languages and thought his people’s language sounded beautiful. 

- When he agreed, you were gleaming with joy. It was perhaps the first time Fingon saw you smile openly, and he thought your excitement was adorable. 

- You immediately started reading and learning when he brought you the books and took it as a little personal challenge to surprise him with your linguistic skills. You have always been a quick learner when it came to languages. 

- Then Freda suddenly came to visit when Fingon was there. She was quick to take a protective stance when she saw him and realized he knew about your scales and even threatened to beat him up if he dared to do anything foul to you. 

- You had to calm her down, though you felt touched that she came to your defense. She then gushed and teased you about your new friendship with the elf. She even teased if you had a growing crush on the elf. 

- You profoundly apologized to Fingon for the encounter, but he only smiled. He found it admirable and complimented you having a good friend. It made you somewhat happy because it proved Freda was one of the first true friends you ever had. 

- When you told him you had never seen much of the world around you except on Meraxes’s back, he suggested you two would go on an adventure together. 

- The idea made you fearful as you had never dared to venture the lands on foot. You also felt a bit embarrassed since you had flown for most of your life and didn't know how to ride a horse.

- Fingon did not tease you when you told him. He encouraged you and assured you that you would be fine with him around. No one will dare to harm you in his presence. 

- The voices in your head said no to the offer, but wanting to see the world at least once, you agreed. 

- Your body was shaking and nearly refusing to leave the house when the day arrived. Ioreth helped you pack necessities, but it was like your conscious and body wanted to stay in the safety zone, pushing all kinds of thoughts into your head. You nearly changed your mind until Fingon arrived on his horse, and you managed to compose yourself somehow.

- You felt excited when you climbed behind him on his horse, and he took you farther from the town. It became easy letting him ride you around, and you finally saw things beyond the borders of the town. 

- Fingon showed you all the beautiful sights of Hithlum. The fear and the blood rush calmed down as you were awed by the sights and things you never saw in the sky. 

- However, you would start shaking when Fingon would pass some other towns, and people would look at you. You were covered in your cloak, so they most likely looked at you because of the height difference between you and Fingon. You were one head taller than him. You might have also held a bit too hard on him during your shaking episode and felt embarrassed when he gently asked you to ease your grip around his waist. 

- You two then arrived at a good picnic spot and challenged each other in fishing. Fingon dared if you could catch a fish with your bare hands, and you accepted since you did have a quick reaction and keen senses. 

- However, when you pulled up your sleeve and focused on the small shadows in the water, Fingon noticed the state of your arm. He saw how it was covered in small cuts and appeared to have missing scales. The redness of your skin concerned him, as your arm looked like something had scratched it hatefully.

- You then tried to snatch the fish from the water. You got a hold of the fish and pulled it out, but it then slipped out of your hands and fell into the water. 

- You two laughed about it, and then Fingon tried to inquire about your arm. Your behavior changed as you explained you had a little incident and covered your arm. Nothing he needed to worry about. 

- Fingon felt suspicious of your words but pushed it back as you two then had a picnic and watched the stars when the night arrived, having planned to stay the night outside. 

- Fingon introduced you to most of the constellations and explained how Varda was the goddess who created the stars. You listened attentively, enjoying the stories and the sound of his voice. 

- When Fingon mentioned the life he still had with his family in Valinor, you felt a small rush of courage and decided to share more details about your past life. 

- You shared what kind of person your father was and how you were abandoned at birth by both your father and birth mother, and the only person who took you in and raised you was your father’s first wife. How most people treated you and how you were always known as your father’s half-monster daughter and the only surviving child out of all his other dead half-monster children. 

- Fingon was first surprised to learn you used to be a noble lady, but then he threw a few jokes and called you ‘my lady’ 

- You did not correct that you were actually a princess and found humor in his jokes. 

- You then revealed the true reason why you left your home, and Fingon felt sympathy for you, sorrowed how much hardship you had faced even though you were one of the most gentle-hearted people in his eyes. 

- He comforted you, and you found yourself surprisingly relieved for sharing. You two then spent the night sleeping against the tree till morning finally arrived. Unfortunately, trouble arrived right at the crack of dawn. 

- Fingon was still soundly sleeping till his ears picked up growling above him. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing Meraxes snarling and glaring down at him with fury in her golden eye. 

- “Well, I hope you are here to apologize for the last time,” Fingon said before closing his eyes again. 

- You woke up to Fingon’s screams as your dragon dragged him by his foot. 

- You quickly acted, running up to him and grabbing his hands before Meraxes could pick him up and swallow him whole. 

- “Meraxes! Let go!” You yelled as you ended up playing tug war with your dragon, your elf friend being the rope. 

- Meraxes ignored your orders, even when you tried to yell in high valyrian, so you then took out your claws and smacked her hard enough in the snout that she finally let go of Fingon’s foot. 

- You both fell to the ground, but you quickly stood protectively in front of Fingon when your dragon tried to attack him again. You prevented her from getting past you and tried to tell her off. 

- She growled at you. You finally had enough and snarled back at her, revealing your teeth and warning her off. Meraxes finally took you seriously and backed away, releasing crumbles and glaring at Fingon. 

- You sighed in relief and started apologizing to Fingon for the mess. You were so eager to go on a trip with him that you had completely forgotten to tell Meraxes. She most likely thought he was trying to kidnap you or something. 

- Fingon tried to calm you down and assure you he was not angry, but you dismissed it, having been unable to keep Meraxes out of trouble and nearly getting him killed for the second time. 

- You then decided it was for the best that you two went home and flew back on Meraxes, feeling upset about the whole ordeal. 

- The next week felt excruciating, and you started dreading the next day when Fingon was supposed to visit. What if he hated you now? What if he deemed you were unsafe to keep around, and now he would bring people to chase you out? Why can’t you do anything right? 

- Those questions kept haunting you and nearly drove you mad. You did not dare to face Fingon again, but you also wanted to have some kind of answer to what he thought of you now. You did not want to lose the friendship you had with him. You liked being with him, and the thought of him hating you made the feeling worse. 

- You looked at your scales, and the looming sense of self-hatred returned. If only you had been born without them, perhaps you could have lived a normal life.

- Your heart began to pound painfully against your chest, and your breathing became frantic as you started scratching the scales again, desperate to remove them from your skin.  

- The scales dropped to the ground, and your arm began to bleed from the cuts you gave yourself from your claws. Your arm was burning with pain, but you ignored it and even started scratching your other arm out of its scales. You were too deep in your panic to notice someone approaching you. 

- Fingon tried to call out to you, but when you ignored him, he then grabbed both of your hands, forcing you to stop and look at him. 

- He gently calmed you down from the panic attack, but you looked away, pleading him not to look at you. 

- He comforted you and then begged you to tell him what drove you to hurt yourself. He continuously assured you he was there to help, but he wouldn’t be able to if you didn’t tell him. You couldn’t take it anymore and started sobbing, confessing to everything.

- You told him what kind of life you lived as the half-monster princess, how you lost your beloved mother when you were sixteen, how you killed the knight who killed her, how uncaring your father was of her, and how you were punished living in isolation, how your birth mother isolated you from your only friends, how your father committed more atrocities and how he was the reason you were born like this. And the last thing he did was to tell you to run away before your cousin could find you and kill you for being a monster. 

- You had no one else to turn to, and your half-monster side still prevents you from finding happiness. 

- Fingon listened to you while caring for your arms, cleaning them, and adding healing ointment given by Ioreth after telling her what had happened. He gently bandaged your arms. 

- He was nearly driven into tears by your story and how you possessed such self-hatred that you would even harm yourself. 

- He now understood why you were so scared of the world around you and why you always wanted to keep yourself hidden. 

- You then asked him not to hate you, as you genuinely liked him and wanted to keep him as a friend. He was one of your only friends besides Freda. 

- He comforted you that he never hated you in the first place and that what happened with Meraxes was an accident. Maybe the two were never fated to get along in the first place. 

- He then did something surprising and embraced you. He comforted you and assured you that he would never hate you just because your dragon doesn’t like him. He then kept telling you that being born unique did not make you a monster and that you were deserving of love and friends. 

- He also told you he knew people who looked normal yet were just as terrible as monsters. Compared to them, you were innocent as a dove. 

- You nearly couldn't understand his words, but the feeling of comfort in his arms was enough to make you hold on to him and cry. 

- Fingon then held you and did not allow you to leave till you had shed all the pain and tears you needed. 

- Fingon shared what happened with Freda, and the latter then forced you to live in the town with her family for the time being. The two believed you needed company and care so that you would not try to hurt yourself again. 

- It helped a little to improve your state of mind, and Freda’s family refused to let you go out, insisting you stayed inside until your arms were healed. 

- Fingon started visiting you more often, bringing elven remedies and helping you care for your arms. Even though you had the qualities of a dragon, you were still very human and thus vulnerable to infections. Fingon wanted to make sure you recovered without falling sick. 

- But since you opened up about your past and cried all the bottled emotions you had held back over the years, you became lethargic, thus making you smile became more challenging. 

- Fingon asked Ioreth and other healers what he could do to help you recover in mind and spirit, and one thing he learned was that music was a good remedy to heal someone from a depressive state of mind, so he decided to sing to you. 

- You became captivated by his singing voice and music, and it did help you become more lively. 

- Under his care, you started to look after yourself more, and to ensure you would not scratch yourself again, you trimmed your nails and claws. They would grow back, and that way, you assured Fingon you would not try hurting yourself again. 

- Although you still had the habit of picking scales off your skin, but not bad enough to cause injuries. 

- You even started going out again, mostly to visit Ioreth and Meraxes, though you were still upset with her for the incident. 

- You even started ignoring your beloved dragon, confusing her. She once came near the town to see you and was startled when you angrily told her to return to her cave. However, you soon felt awful for snapping at her and apologized to her. 

- You felt a little ashamed from the constant care by Freda and Fingon. In your home, such attention might have labeled you as short-tempered and overly emotional. Those were the traits you did not like sharing with your father. 

- But then you began to notice something within yourself when you continued listening to Fingon’s music or looked forward to his visits. 

- Your arms had gotten better thanks to him. The cuts had healed, and by the next month, your arms began to grow new scales. 

- Fingon was gentle with you and was always happy to play you a new song. His care and willingness to still come visit sparked something within your heart. 

- You two even got more things to talk about when you had told him your past, and the elven prince seemed not to have changed much, even throwing jokes and treating you like royalty. 

- It felt too weird to be regarded as a princess again, so you asked him to treat you normally, and he respected your wish. Although he did boast how he was right since you being a princess was his first impression of you. 

- Fingon somehow managed to keep you flustered, and it soon became obvious enough that you were falling for him. 

- You denied it at first. You did adore him as a friend, but falling in love with him was too far of a stretch. You were blessed enough not to have him hate you for his two near-death experiences, but having him fall for someone like you was simply an impossible fever dream. 

- Freda became excited when you shared with her about your feelings for Fingon and regretted it because now she was pestering you to go forward with them.

- You refused, and she said you were taking things too pessimistically. You should at least try to see if he had an ounce of interest in you. 

- Freda had a good way with words, so you became haunted by the thought and started observing Fingon when he visited you. 

- He seemed like always, and when you started taking walks outside the town, he was gentle with you and tried to keep up a good mood. You always listened because you enjoyed hearing him talk about random and mundane things, and he also started saying positive things about you. 

- He continued how you had many useful perks, such as a keen sense of smell, so you could always find misplaced things, could see in the dark so light was a never problem for you, and the scales being a natural armor for you, protecting you from small things like flies and mosquitoes who loved to bother everyone. That part made you laugh because you never really had a problem with mosquitoes. 

- His positive talking helped you to see yourself in a better light, though not fully removing the years of hatred you accumulated. 

- And to your startle, you noticed signs that he might be interested in you romantically. 

- You didn’t know how to handle that information. In a small part of your mind, it made you feel happy, but in others, it gave you new fears. 

- After being constantly pestered and advised by Ioreth that you should grasp happiness when it's offered to you, you decided to make a bold move and ask Fingon if he could take you on another adventure.

- You reasoned that revealing your past to him helped relieve the heavy weight from your chest, and you were also tired of living in fear all the time. You wanted to experience all that life had to offer before the end of your time.

- Fingon excitedly agreed, but he questioned if you were comfortable with the idea as he wanted to avoid pushing your limits. 

- You assured him that you wanted it. You did not want to keep hiding all the time. You just needed to assure Meraxes this time and ensure she would not jump to conclusions. 

- Fingon then insisted he would come with you to see her, to show her he was not a threat to you. You felt hesitant, but to your surprise, your dragon did not try to kill him in sight when you two came to visit her. 

- She did glare at him and crumbled while you told her of your plans, but she didn’t try anything and allowed you to leave without an issue. 

- It was a surprising change, but then you figured she must have changed her attitude so you wouldn’t get upset with her and ignore her like last time. 

- She was a stubborn old lady, but she always cared deeply for you. She was perhaps that overprotective, stubborn mother figure in your life– wanting to keep you safe from everything and making it hard for you to try new things. 

- You and Fingon then went on another adventure. You still became nervous at the sight of people, but now you felt less afraid at the thought of traveling. 

- Fingon showed you new places and even took you to see his home, which you thought was beautiful. 

- At the end of the day, when Fingon escorted you back home. You had contemplated about your feelings for him and finally decided to confess. You believed it was best to let him know than to hide them since you had done it for most of your life. 

- You stopped Fingon beneath a tree and told him of your feelings. How you had grown to adore his free yet gentle nature, how he had helped you see good in yourself, and how you had become less afraid of the world thanks to him. 

- You loved the sound of his voice, and his presence was like that of a warm sun. The world had become less dark to you when he arrived in your life. 

- You understood if he only saw you as a friend and then prepared to face rejection. 

- But instead of rejection, Fingon smiled and told you he accepted your feelings. He confessed that he had loved you since day one. 

- He then went far as to kiss the back of your hand like he did when you first met, making your poor heart pound with fluster before telling you he would be honored to court someone like you, a maiden with diamonds embedded on her skin. 

- You began crying, not out of sorrow or anger, but for the first time, in joy. You had found someone who loved you in return. 

- That night went like a breeze, but it was one of the happiest nights of your life.

Taglist: @foggyturtleknightangel @carlgrimessimp

[joelalorian]

Tides of Desire - Chapter Two: The Adventure Begins

Pairing: Yacht Captain!Joel Miller x f!reader

Series Summary: TLOU no outbreak AU. Joel Miller is a luxury yacht captain running charters in the Caribbean. You join the crew as a deckhand and unexpectedly complicate Joel's peaceful existence. Basically the TLOU bunch on a Below Deck yacht.

Series warnings: 18+ MDNI, adventure, alcohol, injuries, fluff, angst, smut. Reader is a badass. Smallish age gap (reader is 32 or so, Joel is 40). Additional warnings will be posted with each chapter as needed. No use of y/n.

Series masterlist

Chapter Two: The Adventure Begins

Charter day dawned with a sense of energy, leaving you keyed up for the mid-morning arrival of the first guests. You were the first of the deck crew up once again and you returned to the spot from the previous day, hoping to at least lay eyes on Joel. To your great surprise, he was already there, leaning against the rail with two mugs in hand and eyes on the horizon. You were about to approach, broad smile gracing your lips, when you saw Tess join him. She bumped his shoulder gently, eyes sparkling, and slipped the spare mug from his hand. You watched Joel’s head turn toward hers as they fell into quiet conversation. It seemed… intimate.

Your heart plummeted to your stomach.

She must have left the cabin before you even got up. You didn’t notice if she was still there when you left, too focused on the day ahead. Well, that certainly answered your question from the other night – they must be together. You knew better than to hope for anything else.

You slipped away before either of them turned in your direction, returning to the crew mess for something to eat. You’d just hang there until everyone else got up and the workday officially started.

Joel caught your reflection in the large window just as you fled, his brow furrowing. He hoped to see you out here again – it seemed you both gravitated toward the same spots on the boat during the rare quiet moments – but Tess caught him as he was making coffee and asked to join him on deck. He wanted to call out to you, to make sure you knew you were welcome to join them, but you were gone before his brain connected with this mouth.

“Quite the crop of new crew this year,” Tess said, recalling him from the thought of you. Her tone was aiming for nonchalance, but Joel picked up on the underlying intention after so many years of friendship. She was digging.

“Just say what you want to say, Tess,” he grumbled back, eyes once again locked on the horizon.

“You like her.” It was a statement, not a question. Still, Joel knew exactly who she meant, and he was not impressed.

“I hardly know her.”

“Fine. You’re attracted to her then.”

“That a crime worthy of interrogation now?”

This was the way of it. Short statements and questions shot back and forth until Tess was satisfied with whatever information she gleaned, or Joel became annoyed. They never knew which would happen first.

She glared at him. “No. I just haven’t seen that in a long time. Not since—”

“Enough.”

“It’s just… you haven’t gotten involved with anyone on a yacht since then.”

He barely let Tess finish before cutting in with a hissed, “I said enough. I’m not having this conversation on the first day of charter – the second damn day on the boat, for fuck’s sake. And I’m not getting involved with anyone on this yacht.”

Tess held her hands up, mug still clutched in one, and shrugged. “Alright. Pardon the fuck out of me for looking out for my friend.”

As old friends do, they fell into a comfortable silence as they finished their coffee, Joel refusing to think about the past Tess tried to dredge up.

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The first charter guests, a tech mogul with a penchant for innovation and his eclectic entourage, were due to arrive any moment. The interior of the ship was a fury of activity as the deck crew rushed to change into their dress white uniforms to welcome the new arrivals. The interior crew, freshly changed, were pouring glasses of champagne, hands trembling with anticipation. Tess was making last minute checks on the food she prepared so far, before rushing to get changed.

Captain Joel stood near the passerelle with Frank, checking the timer on his watch. He liked to test the crew on their timeliness the first few charters to make sure there was improvement following the first one of the season. At two minutes until Joel’s self-imposed time limit, you and Sarah arrived, a sense of pride and warmth filling him at the sight of you both. You were closely followed by the rest of the crew, all making it before Joel’s watch beeped.

He intentionally called the time early so he and Frank could assess everyone’s uniforms and make sure the interior crew had the champagne and warm towels ready for the guests. He shied away from inspecting your uniform after his earlier conversation with Tess, letting Frank do it instead. After this morning, you weren’t certain how to act or feel around him anyway, so maybe it was for the best. In the end, Joel was suitably impressed that everything was in order and smiled. “Good job,” he said to no one in particular.

You don’t know what you were expecting with this first charter, only knowing that the primary guest was some uber rich tech wiz, but it certainly wasn’t a man-child leading a bunch of outrageously dressed young men and women onto the yacht. The primary could hardly be older than Sarah and he was a billionaire? You could practically hear the collective groan from the crew – you all knew that this charter was going to be… interesting.

“Welcome aboard Radiance. I’m Captain Joel,” he greeted the guests with a handshake as they filed onboard. The rest of the crew stood in a receiving line doing the same until each individual guest had been greeted. “Sarah, our Chief Stewardess, will give you a tour and show you to your cabins. We hope you enjoy your stay with us.”

Your gaze followed Joel as he walked away, broad shoulders stretching the white dress shirt. Your eyes slid down, admiring the curve of his ass in the well-fitted pants, and you shook your head. Must not ogle the captain! Glancing around to see if anyone noticed, you caught Tess’s eye, your cheeks warming at her assessing gaze before shifting your eyes to the floor. Fuck.

What was it about Joel that had you so off kilter? He was just a man. An ungodly attractive man, but a man, nonetheless. Whatever it was, it needed to end. He and Tess clearly had something going on and no matter how large the yacht was, it was too small to get tangled up in that kind of mess.

“Alright, deck crew! Let’s get the luggage onboard and disconnect the passerelle. I recon we’ll be setting off soon,” Tommy directed once the deck was clear of guests. Ever the southern gentleman, he let you and Ellie down the passerelle first, Connor following on your heels, before descending to the dock himself.

“Not too heavy for you, is it, darlin’?” Tommy questioned as you hefted a large bag on one shoulder and rolled another in front of you.

Rolling your eyes, you strutted past him with a scoff. What was it with these Millers and their cutesy little nicknames? You could feel the burn of his gaze on your back as you climbed back onto the yacht without breaking a sweat. You might be a woman, but you were strong. Take that, misogyny.

It took the team a few trips to get all the luggage down to the guest cabins. Once finished, Joel called over the radio that it was time to depart, and Tommy assigned stations. You were on the aft deck with Connor, pulling in the lines as fast as you could as the engine roared to life below the waterline. You listened to Tommy call out distances to Joel over the radio, picking up how seamlessly the brothers worked together. Soon enough, the yacht was cruising into the turquoise waters of the open sea, the breeze tossing your hair around.

There were only a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of being on the water again before Tommy called the deck team to order over the radio for the next task. “Get changed into your dailies. We’re gonna get to work on the toys so they’re ready when we drop anchor.” You let Connor call back the confirmation and set off for your cabins.

The rest of the morning was a blur as you worked getting the jet skis, kayaks, and other water toys ready to launch. Once the anchor dropped in a quiet spot off Puerto Rico, you began inflating and setting up the slide with Ellie while Tommy and Connor put the tender and jet skis in the water.

The charter guests were a rowdy bunch, the alcohol flowing from the moment they were handed that first glass of champagne, and the deck was already a mess from spilled liquid.

“Fuckin’ animals, man,” Ellie grumbled as you cleaned up another broken glass.

You nodded in agreement. “Perhaps the stews should give them plastic cups.”

Watching the stews, you both knew they had it even worse, bending over backwards to meet the guests’ every whim. By the time dinner service was over, Sarah looked exhausted, the stress of training new staff along with challenging charter guests weighing heavily on her. Needing no instruction from Tommy, you swooped in to assist the interior with cleaning up, taking on the pile of dishes stacked by the sink. Ellie followed your lead and jumped in to assist elsewhere, neither of you noticing Joel standing in the doorway, his dark eyes observing everything.

“Hey Dad,” Sarah chirped, buzzing past him as she rushed into the galley with a final handful of dirty glasses. “Thanks for doing that, England! It’s a huge help. This is the last of it. The guests are drunk and sleepy, so they’re off to bed.”

You froze when Sarah came in, unaware that Joel was basically standing there watching you work. Elbow deep in soapy water, you glanced over your shoulder at him, lips tilting upwards of their own accord at the soft expression on his face.

“Did good today,” he said, voice deep and gravelly. You weren’t sure he was talking to you even though his eyes still held yours. Clearing his throat, he broke the connection and glanced at Sarah. “You all did. Quite the first day.”

“Thanks, Dad.” “Cheers, Cap.” Sarah and you spoke at the same time, erupting into exhausted giggles. Joel appeared amused against his will, shaking his head.

“Better hit the hay. I’m sure they’ll keep y’all on your toes tomorrow. Night.” He tapped the counter twice, gazing at you one last time before leaving.

Having looked up from what she was doing, Sarah glanced between you and her dad’s departing figure, calling out a good night to him. She quirked a single eyebrow, one side of her mouth tilting up in a half smile. You were too busy finishing up the washing to notice and set off for bed the moment you were done.

Tess arrived in the cabin as you got out of the shower. “Hey,” she greeted looking as exhausted as you felt. “Long day.”

“Hey. Heard your food was divine today,” you replied, running the last dry patch of the bath towel over your wet hair. “The guests were raving about it.”

“Eh, they were easy to please,” Tess brushed off your compliment, heading for her turn in the shower.

“Alrighty then,” you mumbled to yourself, falling into bed with a quiet groan. Normally the bright light would have kept you from sleep, but you were far too exhausted for anything to stop you from falling into a deep slumber before Tess even got out of the shower.

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“These young people really sleep in. Should I skip breakfast altogether and just go on to lunch? Let all this go to waste?” Tess stared down at all the prep work she did for eggs benedict before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was half eleven and there were no signs of life from the guest cabins. It was beginning to frustrate all the staff, not just Tess. The later they slept in, the later the night would last later.

“I’m not a mind reader, I have no idea what they’ll want when they finally surface,” Sarah grumbled back. It was typical that the Chief Stew and Chef would butt heads on these charters, and this was mild compared to what you’d seen on other yachts, born more from exhaustion than any actual beef between them.

“I volunteer the deck team to take the breakfast food off your hands, if you need the help,” you chimed in, belly growling at the thought of a 5-star eggs benedict.

Tess and Sarah shared an eye roll before laughing at you. “Typical,” Sarah joked, which you expected. What you did not expect, though, was Tess’s response.

“Have at it if you’re hungry.” She handed you a small plate chock full of delicious looking breakfast food. Your eyes widened and a part of you waited for her to pull the plate away in jest. Tess smiled at you instead, holding the plate further toward you. “It’s just gonna go to waste otherwise.”

“Thank you, really,” you replied, flashing her a broad smile as your mouth already watered at the anticipated flavors. Not bothering to take the meal to the crew mess, you feasted right there in the galley. An unholy moan slipped from you at the first bite, the savory flavors unlike any eggs benedict you’d had before. A deep chuckle sounded from the other side of the room, and you nearly choked on the second bite.

“That good, huh?” Joel teased.

All eyes were on you as heat flashed up your neck and cheeks. You had to be overheating. Mortified and torn between fleeing or finishing your free meal, the thought of missing out on such good food left your feet planted in place.

“Indeed, it is,” you shot back, finally finding your voice. “Tess’s food is fucking brilliant.”

As laughter echoed through the galley, Joel continued watching you eat with an unexpected intensity in his deep brown eyes. Frowning back at him, you were confused. How could he look at you like that with Tess right there? And as for Tess, she didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his attention on you instead of her.

“I’m glad you like it,” Tess said. “Think I’ll put that on my resume – my food is fucking brilliant.”

The four of you erupted in laughter again. You were really beginning to like Tess, even if you didn’t understand the dynamic between her and Joel. She was damn good at her job, and you respected that. She was also funny and, apparently, a very good friend to those in her circle.

“Updating your resume? You finally had enough of us?” Joel’s dark chocolate eyes finally shifted from you to Tess. You should have felt a sense of relief. Instead, you were left chilled without the warmth of that heavy gaze on you.

“You wish.” Tess threw a biscuit at Joel’s forehead. He snatched it out of the air with cat-like reflexes and bit into it ravenously, eyes narrowed at Tess the whole time.

It was almost like getting a glimpse at their life as a family rather than in their roles on the yacht, and you felt like an intruder, quietly excusing yourself from the galley before anyone picked up on your sudden discomfort. It was getting to be such a roller coaster being in the vicinity of those two.

It was a relief to find the charter guests starting to emerge when you arrived on the sun deck, knowing it meant you could focus on work.

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“She’s attracted to you, too. In case you were wondering.” Unable to stop herself, Tess started in the moment Sarah was called away to the main salon.

“Will you quit it,” Joel sighed, biting into another wasted eggs benedict. You were right, he thought. Tess’s food was fucking brilliant.

“I shan’t. You need a swift kick in the ass to do anything about it.” The back and forth kept going as Tess refired the eggs after a radio call from Sarah. The guests still wanted breakfast despite it now being early afternoon.

“Tess, please. ‘M the Captain. I can’t do anything about it right now,” Joel explained, hoping in vain that the woman would listen to him for once. “‘Sides, like I said yesterday, I barely know anything about her.”

Feeling extra feisty, Tess threw an eggshell at the exasperating man. “That’s exactly what I’m saying! You can still get to know her while being the captain without doing anything you deem inappropriate.”

Growling frustratedly, Joel wiped egg goo off his cheek. “Just bein’ attracted to her while also bein’ her captain is inappropriate. How can you not see that?”

Tess held up another eggshell, ready to toss it at him when Joel grabbed her wrist tightly. “Throw another damn thing at my face and I will fire your ass, regardless of how fucking good your food is. I mean it.”

“Fine,” she snapped, dropping the detritus into the garbage. “Despite what you think, Mr. Holier Than Thou, getting to know your crew is not inappropriate, even if you are attracted to them.”

Joel huffed, ready to walk away from the entire conversation. As he reached the doorway, he turned back, needing to know something. “Why are you pushing this so hard?”

Eyeing him flatly, Tess shrugged. “Because your love life is so boring – or should I say your lack of love life is so boring.”

“God, you are the worst kind of friend,” he grumbled, turning once again to leave.

“Oh yeah? What kind of friend is that?” she called after him.

“The interferin’ kind!” Joel shout back. Tess’s cackles echoed down the hall behind him.

He gave the idea careful consideration on the journey back to the bridge, though. Perhaps Tess was right – getting to know the staff was not inappropriate. Even being a little flirtatious wasn’t inappropriate. He just didn’t want to risk crossing any lines that would lead to impropriety. He took his career and role on the yacht seriously and didn’t want to do anything to risk that. Joel learned the hard lessons of that long ago, when he was still immature, thinking only with his dick, and it nearly jeopardized everything.

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“Don’t ask me, Uncle Tommy. I just work here,” Sarah snarked, already losing her patience with the demands of the charter guests and, therefore, the other crew. “How the hell should I know what a virtual reality party is?”

“Don’t take that tone with me, lil’ miss,” Tommy barked back.

You and Ellie happened upon the scene in the crew mess by accident, finding both Millers standing lean and tall with hands on their hips, glares crossing. You were a little shocked to be honest and stood silent. Ellie, on the other hand, perked right up at the mention of a virtual reality party.

“The tech wiz wants a virtual reality party? That’s my jam, man. Can I help?” she pleaded, eyes wide and hopeful.

“Yes! I need all the help I can get with this,” Sarah immediately replied, relieved to have someone who knew what the hell they were doing.

“No! You can’t just steal my crew without consulting with me first, Sarah! That’s not how this works.” Running his hands through his long curls, Tommy tried valiantly to reign in his frustration.

“What are you talking about? You’re standing right here! You were literally consulted when your crew member asked to help right in front of you!”

“There is a process we have to follow, you know this.”

“Why are you deliberately being an asshole, Uncle Tommy?”

It was like watching a tennis match, the back and forth too entertaining to look away as you and Ellie stood there with raised brows and open mouths.

“What in God’s name is going on in here?” Joel’s voice boomed as he entered the crew mess, shocking the other Millers to silence. “I could hear you both two decks up! That is unacceptable when we have guests onboard. Get it together!”

It was quite the sight watching Joel in full-on captain mode while he de-escalated the situation. He listened with unbridled focus as the other two Millers explained their sides, you and Ellie forgotten in the background. In fact, a tiny part of your brain wondered what the hell you were doing still standing there, you had nothing to do with the argument or the planned activity. Yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to move a muscle, too enamored with watching Joel in action.

“It’s settled, then. Ellie will assist the interior team with the tech-related parts of this charter to meet the needs of the guests. I’m sure this is a solution we can all live with.” Joel commanded, drawing your attention back to the situation rather than obsessing over how attractive he was. He glanced between Sarah and Tommy to confirm they understood, before shifting his gaze to Ellie. “Thank you for pitchin’ in and sharing your expertise, Ellie.”

Turning to you last, Joel’s brow furrowed as if he wasn’t sure why you were there. To be honest, neither were you until you remembered you were supposed to be going on break for an hour. He lingered while the others went back to work, and you shifted to the fridge to pull out something to eat.

“Would you like some?” You offered Joel some of the salad you made earlier and the half a baguette you swiped from Tess, grabbing extra utensils just in case, while his dark chocolate eyes remained focused on your every move.

Much to your surprise, he slid into a spot next to you at the table. “Don’t mind if I do.”

You honestly weren’t expecting that, and it left you stunned for a few moments before Joel plucked a fork out of your hand and began helping himself to your salad. A giggle bubbled up from your belly as you joined him in digging in.

“You settlin’ in alright?” he questioned between bites, his body shifting slightly to face more toward you.

The two of you were alone in the crew mess and his entire attention was focused on you. It was borderline intimidating, yet entirely invigorating. Despite the uncertainty regarding the situation between Joel and Tess, you would soak up the attention and time you got from the handsome captain whenever you could.

“Absolutely, everything is going well so far. I love getting to know new people and working hard. We have a great team, so the work is more fun,” you explained. “How long have you been a captain?”

Taking a moment to finish chewing, Joel smiled. “A long time – about eighteen years. I got my first captain position when Sarah was three.”

You weren’t sure exactly how old he was, and you didn’t want to just come out and ask, but you were trying to piece it together through the tidbits of himself he shared. “Did you always know this would be a career?”

His eyes took on a reminiscent glaze as he nodded. “Once I got my first gig on a shrimp boat the summer before junior year of high school, I knew I wanted to work on the water. There was just somethin’ ‘bout the sea that spoke to me, connected with my soul, and I needed that at the time. I worked my way out of fishing boats to become a bosun on charter yachts by the time I graduated high school. Next thing I knew, I was takin’ courses to get my captain’s license and spendin’ a ton of hours at sea.”

“That must have been hard, especially when Sarah came around.” You never heard him speak so much at once, his voice washing over you pleasantly, and it warmed your heart to learn more about him.

“It was… challengin’ but I was determined and had my parents to lean on back then. They would watch her during the season until she was old enough to accompany me on the yacht. That’s how she fell in love with life on the water, too,” Joel explained. A soft blush was starting to spread across his tanned face, and you knew he was feeling a little exposed now. Sure enough, he turned the focus back to you. “How about you? Lookin’ to make this a career?”

There was such authentic interest in his eyes as he waited for you to answer, and you found yourself sharing stories about your time sailing with your grandfather and how you lost yourself in the corporate world for a while. “I would love to make a career out of yachting – maybe become a First Officer or even Captain – can’t imagine there are a lot of female ones in this industry. I don’t know, but for now, I’m happy busting my bum out there on deck.”

Salad long finished, Joel had his chin perched on his fist as his elbow leaned on the table, listening to you. He was mesmerized, dark eyes soft, soaking up everything you said like a sponge. “I would be happy to guide you if you’d like to become a captain. Give you a behind the scenes look at it, if you will. Like I said, it’s a lot of work, but well worth the effort if you have a passion for the sea like we do.”

Holy shit! Joel Miller wanted to basically mentor you. Eyes wide, you stared at him, stunned. You were already drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Working more closely with him would be awesome… or disastrous. Either way, you weren’t stupid. There was no way you were turning that down.

“Are you serious? That would be fucking brill!” The accent became heavier in your excitement and Joel let out a deep laugh.

The sound of your name being called over the radio shattered the moment and brought you both back to reality. Looking at your watch, your break was long over, and you were late for your duties. You stood, snatching up your radio from the seat beside you, and basically nudged Joel out of the way as you returned Tommy’s radio call. In your haste, you called out over your shoulder to thank Joel for… well, everything.

Joel watched you leave with a chuckle. You were quite something. He didn’t know what it was or why he was drawn to you so strongly, so suddenly, but it was near impossible to fight the urge to be close to you. For someone so terrified of crossing the line, his offer to work more closely with you was probably one of the stupidest things he’d ever done.

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

How Ellie was able to pull off a last-minute virtual reality party for the guests was a mystery, but she did, and she nailed it. With her guidance, Sarah was able to secure eight VR headsets, strobe lights, and four drones along with futuristic décor to decorate the flybridge for the party from her provisions contact. It was a hectic afternoon for them both, but the result was amazing, and the guests were thoroughly entertained long into the night. From then on, Ellie became the tech guru of the crew.

The next couple of days went by in a blur, the deck crew kept busy with entertaining the guests on the water and the interior crew rushing around to keep them well fed and as drunk as the guests wanted. The long days left you exhausted, sleeping like the dead at the end of your shifts. There was barely enough time or energy to speak to your coworkers about anything other than what needed to be done that day, let alone talk to Joel about how to go about this mentoring thing.

It was a relief to all the crew when the final morning of the charter arrived. The guests, though young and rambunctious, had been better behaved than you anticipated. As you all stood on the aft deck bidding them goodbye while they departed, the main guest handed Joel a fat envelope with a heartfelt thanks for an entertaining week on the Radiance.

“Alright, finish the cleanin’ and we’ll have a tip meeting in an hour,” Joel told you all once the guests were out of earshot.

Everyone busted their asses for the hour to get as much done as possible knowing that you’d get some much-deserved down time for a day or two before the next charter. You couldn’t wait to let loose a bit. And sleep. You looked forward to lots and lots of sleep.

At the top of the hour, Joel called everyone to the main salon for the tip meeting. Each of you took a spot on the creamy leather sectional as Sarah and Emmy passed out flutes of champagne to celebrate the completion of the first charter. Joel entered the room once everyone was settled, the fat envelope in one hand and a notebook in the other.

“Thanks baby girl,” Joel murmured to Sarah as she handed him the final flute filled with pale bubbling liquid. Settling into the lone armchair, he looked around at the group, lips tilted up in a smile. “I’d say the first charter was a success. Few lil’ bumps along the way that we’ll have to iron out, but you all did well. For those new to the crew, I like to celebrate one of the crew for stepping up on each charter. This week, it’s Ellie for saving the day with the primary guest’s request for a VR party.”

Cheers sounded in the salon, causing Ellie’s cheeks to flush with a mix of embarrassment and pride.

“You knocked it outta the park, kid,” Joel said, his eyes shining with pride for the young woman who had become part of his family. “Now, let’s get down to the good stuff – the tip. The primary was really impressed with not only the VR party but the food and service as well. He left us $25,000, which comes down to about $2,777 apiece. Congrats and keep up the good work!”

Another round of cheers echoed through the room as everyone clinked glasses and scooped up their portion of the tip. Downing your own champagne, you set the glass on the table and eagerly fanned the bills in your face.

“We have two free days before the next charter arrives. Go relax and enjoy yourselves. I’ve arranged dinner for ya on the island tonight,” Joel informed you all before standing. “Once the duties are finished today, you’re free to do your own thing.”

Your eyes followed Joel’s form as he left for the bridge. Maybe you’d get a chance to talk to him later. For now, you were looking forward to a shower and an ice-cold beverage. Everything was pretty much wrapped up between the two teams, so everyone headed down to the crew cabins.

“What are you wearing to dinner?” Tess asked as you both searched through your wardrobes. “Knowing Joel, he probably picked one of the nicer restaurants.”

“Does he do that often? Make us reservations?” You pulled out a sleek, black, sleeveless dress that fell right at the knee. “I think I’ll wear this.”

“Joel will usually do this after the first and last charters of the season. Just his way of thanking us, I guess.” Tess eyed the dress in your hands. “That’s a good choice. I’m going with pants, I think.”

You took turns in the bathroom, showering and applying a touch of makeup. You left your hair down to flow over your shoulders in waves. Tess emerged from the bathroom clad in fitted black capris and a sleeveless blouse with a deep vee neck. Her hair was swept to the side, falling over one shoulder. She looked incredibly tall and beautiful, and you felt a pang of insecurity.

“Wow, Tess. You look amazing.” You meant it despite your insecurities.

“You clean up nice as well,” she replied, once again blowing off a compliment with a cheeky smile.

The pair of you chatted for a while before heading out to meet the others in the crew mess. You learned that Tess was from Detroit and only a handful of years older than you. She studied culinary science after falling in love with cooking. And, most surprisingly of all, she was divorced and currently not dating anyone.

That one left you confused. Maybe whatever it was between Joel and Tess was casual, friends with benefits type thing? Curiosity got the better of you and you blurted, “But, aren’t you and Joel a thing?”

The riotous laughter emanating from Tess surprised you further, heat flooding your neck and face at the realization of just how wrong your assumptions were.

“Oh my god, that’s a good one,” she said, eyes watering from the strength of her laughter. “Joel and I are close, but like siblings, not lovers.” Tess was still laughing while your thoughts turned introspective.

Joel and Tess were not together. The shared glances between the two of you made more sense now and you no longer felt guilty about being attracted to him while rooming with who you thought was his girlfriend or lover. It was both a relief and a new type of torture. You still could not do anything about your attraction and that just sucked.

The rest of the crew was at the table, pre-gaming some shots while waiting for everyone to be ready to go. Tess and you joined them, the burn of the liquid sliding down your throat bringing you out of your head. The second shot flooded you with the warm fuzzies, giving your brain a slight buzz.

It was a short walk to the restaurant that overlooked the marina. You walked with Talia and Emmy, taking the opportunity to get to know them a bit. Emmy was amongst the youngest of the crew having just turned 21. She had that youthful glow in her delicate, porcelain skin, with glossy, straight blonde hair. Where Emmy was bright and chatty, Talia was dark and mysterious. Her olive skin shimmered in the moonlight and her thick, dark hair was pinned up at the top her head. Talia spoke smoothly, but shared little about herself, preferring instead to inquire about you and Emmy. You could tell the two of them had formed a bond already over the past week, a sort of protective vibe emanating from Talia toward the younger, less experienced woman.

Ahead of you three, the mismatched pair of Ellie and Sarah were chatting animatedly. You learned from Tess that they were close friends despite the clear differences in their personalities.

Tess led the eclectic group with Tommy, Connor and Sammy tagging along in their wake. Tommy held court, entertaining the other three with some outrageous story, making them all laugh uproariously. The merriment brought a smile to everyone’s face.

The restaurant was busy when you arrived, but the staff had a large outdoor table waiting for you all. You sat between Sammy and Tommy, across from Sarah and Tess. Tommy regaled the table with more tall tales as the group ordered drinks and tapas, Tess pointing out the best things on the menu.

“So, there we were, naked as the day we were born, and the damn police show up. Our clothes were nowhere to be found, the girls must have hidden them or somethin’. As the two officers approached, Joel noted that they’re both chicks and, instead of covering himself up, he stood there with arms crossed in front of his chest and a smirk on his face. Before they could utter a word, he said, ‘like what ya see, darlin’?’ and I lost it.”

Tommy took a moment to catch his breath and take a long sip of his drink. “Needless to say, we were arrested, and the cops paraded our naked asses through the whole station before offering us something to cover up with.”

“My dad is such an idiot!” Sarah declared happily, not looking the least bit scandalized about her dad’s behavior. You assumed she must have heard this story, and likely many others, before.

The entire table was hysterical with laughter and the server delivered another round of drinks. Your mind was in the gutter, envisioning Joel naked and proudly confronting a couple of female cops. The mere idea of it was doing something to you…

“Who bailed you out?” you asked suddenly, needing to distract yourself from naughty thoughts about your boss.

“I did,” Tess chimed in before Tommy could answer. “And it wasn’t the first time. The two of them were nothing but trouble back then. Still are, in many ways.”

Why weren’t you surprised? They really were like siblings, over twenty years of friendship making them more like family.

After dinner, the group of you ventured over to a nearby bar for more drinks and some dancing. The place was busy but not packed, with plenty of room on the dance floor for some booty shaking. A couple shots and you were the first of the group on the floor, Sammy soon joining you, dancing in circles around each other with bright, buzzed smiles. Tommy sidled up behind you, sandwiching you between him and Sammy as you wiggled your hips to the beat.

For a brief moment, your drunken mind worried about the appropriateness of dancing like this with Tommy, but his hands remained on your waist without straying and you let yourself fall back into the pull of the music blaring from the sound system. Hips rocking, arms waving, and hair tossed around wildly, the three of you were working up a sweat on the dance floor when the remainder of the group joined you. Emmy and Connor were quick to get close, grinding on each other and sharing boozy glances. Your buzzed mind briefly wondered if they’d hook up.

You danced until exhaustion won out, the group of you stumbling back to the yacht ready to crash in your bunks.

It was late, but Joel was still up, awaiting the safe return of his daughter and the rest of the crew before he could sleep. He watched from the shadowed upper deck as the group approached. Sarah and Tess appeared to be the least inebriated of the bunch and he was proud of his daughter for having fun without losing herself in the alcohol. You, on the other hand, were quite drunk, leaning heavily on an equally drunk Tommy, supporting each other as you stumbled onto the passerelle.

Joel’s jaw clenched at the sight of his brother’s arms around you, the pair of you rumpled and sweaty, and he turned away, heading for his quarters now that everyone was back on board.

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog: Wakfu Season 2 (episodes 1-5)

Episode 1 - Monsters and Chimeras

I didn't mention it in the liveblog of season 1, but I think it is probably common for a person in a group of adventurers to be a scribe/quest journal keeper.

(putting on a crepinjurgenite tinfoil hat) We know that Kerubim keeps one canonically, and that as a child Joris liked scrap booking, so my headcanon is as follows:

While travelling alone, Joris keeps a private travel journal nobody is allowed to read (it has: drawings and photos of views he found beautiful + quick sketches of maps and notes on environment to refine at home (HE'S CANONICALLY INTO CARTOGRAPHY, BESIDES PHOTOGRAPHY) + he gets sappy&mentally ill about it all, so it's cringe to him.) (Unsurprisingly, it never contains any sensitive political data or his objectives, and if he does need to write something like that down, he tears that page out asap)

Atcham doesn't keep journals as a rule (having a literal paper trail might reveal to the investigators the location where he hid the bodies)

While travelling as a group, Kerubim keeps the journal, and it's a pretty pragmatic one (for him. He writes down the most random things, from important info, to actual fucking recipies he learned and personal notes à la "NOTE! next morning after we exit the tavern i should buy tangerines. i think Joris is beginning to suffer vitamin C deficiency but is keeping silent about it as usual"). Unlike Joris, he isn't into photography or doodling, HOWEVER, he will purposefully ask Joris to take photos and draw maps/landmarks in that journal. Because Joris is good at it. (And because he has had a folder of Joris's art through ages 4-600 in a hidden room in the house, all framed and sorted alphabetically, and he NEEDS more items in the collection.)

Episode 2 - Rubilaxia

It was mentioned at the end of the previous episode that Eva would be making her way through the Cania plains, and I am glad the series shows us at least one of the unique rocks found in Cania.

I don't know why, but it feels nice when the games and the cartoons represent the same place the same way. That's why I'm pointing that out.

Episode 3 - Remington Smisse

(coughs) This sword appears in episode 1 of the critically acclaimed (and worldwide-beloved) show under the name "Dofus: Aux Tresors de Kerubim"

Once again, the show has been planting seeds for Adamai's joker arc for its entire run, and still managed to squander it during season 3.

I have never seen a show fumble the bag that bad, I'm sorry.

Episode 4 - The Return of Percedal

Big believer in rubitristeva. A family can be a dad and swdad (sword dad) and a mom.

Episode 5 - The Dragon Pig

Wakfu Cannibalism Counter: 1

The reason I point this out is that, with every instance of inter-adventurer cannibalism in canon, the chance that Joris, Kerubim, and Atcham have tasted human flesh (outside of Waven) grows.

On the topic of Waven Cannibalism Lore, strangely, porkassess, AKA the pig people who are stuck in a mutual cannibalism war with Bonta under Joris's rule (technically not cannibalism because they are a different sentient species from twelvians, similar to goblins and bworks, but I doubt it's much better...) worship the minor god Ougah (who is a mushroom)

It is unknown (at least, to me) what the hell the Dragon Pig is.

But he is definitely tasty.

While they were busy grinding their professions and doing pizzlarva quests, he was dungeon crawling with his guild.

Also, let me be real, the whole conflict of "boo-hoo, nobody respects Tristepin" is random, mean-spirited, and out of character, inserted into the show simply to create conflict. Tristepin got resurrected after weeks of them thinking he was dead. They should not, logically, treat him this way (at least yet).

Reasons I think Dragon Pig might be an immortal, perpetually reincarnating/perpetually killed porkass: Does this to a person who lives in areas surrounding Bonta.

[littlejazzy]

Do you have good recommendations for AgeRe stories? Something really cute and fluffy? (I'm a lonely regressor and I love reading stories about really sweet caregivers.)

I do!! I adore reading agere fics, so here are some recs! I hope you enjoy!!! 💖

Gen:

Decontamination by SailorChibi - Marvel - Baby!Tony and CG!Steve - After a battle, Steve takes care of his baby - (This one is a Classification!AU/Littles are Known!AU... like, one of the very first ones. Very good and fluffy. If you ever read thorough their fics, (tagged NSAP bc agere straight up did not exist as a community yet) you'll start spotting alot of things that other people were/are inspired from.)

Picnic by SailorChibi - Marvel - Baby!Tony, CG!Steve, Middle!Bucky, Toddler!Clint, CG!Coulson, Kiddo!Scott, CG!Sam W., Kiddo!Peter P., CG!Wade, Kid!Wanda, and CG!Vision - All the Avengers have a nice picnic - (classification!au, but a different verse than the previous fic jsyk. this one is suuuuper fluffy and cute and fun <3)

Less than Five by SailorChibi - Daniel Craig's James Bond - Little!Q and CG!Bond - Q regresses smaller than usual; his daddy makes sure he's taken care of - (classification!AU, first of a series. first two fics are pretty fluffy, but the third has some angst, which makes the fluff even sweeter, in my opinion)

coffee makers and bumblebees by orchidsncrake - Daredevil - Little!Matt and CG!Foggy - Matt becomes overstimulated and after an altercation with the office's coffee maker, Foggy is there to make everything better

Small surprises by undergroundrice - Daredevil - Little!Matt and CG!Foggy - Foggy stumbles onto Matt regressing, and together they figure it out

A Second Shot by mylittlestories - MCU - Little!Natasha, Little!Clint, and CG!Coulson - Natasha didn't have much of a childhood. When she sees that having a second one is possible, she wants; Coulson and Clint are happy to make her family :) - (This one is unfinished, but what's there is just so nice I have to include it!!)

Give your Dreams the Wings to Fly by Honey_Dewey - FNAF Movie - Little!Matt and CG!Ness - Mike gets sick at work, but his boyfriend is there to make everything okay

the road to hope and adventures into the unknown (target) by romansprince - Barbie (2023) - Little!Ken, then CG!Barbie and CG!Gloria - Ken has become human... except he's never had a childhood. Sometimes he feels Fuzzy, but that's something he thinks he can keep secret. As he turns out, he can't, but it works out anyway - (Two separate fics that take place in the same universe/series. The first one/set-up is a little angsty, but the second is more fluffy)

Movie Night by mcschnuggles - Heathers - Little!JD and CG!Veronica - JD unexpectedly drops into headspace during a movie night with the rest of the teenagers; Veronica helps him through it - (Modern!AU, Everyone Lives!AU, this one is kinda angsty, but like, it's canon appropriate, lol - also!!! make sure that you check out the author's other works!!!!! lots of agere fics for a large variety of fandoms!!)

Toffee Ticking Time Bomb by GayCheerios - Star Wars - Little!Anakin and CG!Obi-Wan - Obi-Wan has to find his padawan's stuffie before the inevitable temper tantrum ensues - (classification!AU, part of a very nice and good series that, if you enjoy this fic, you should also check out)

Baby's First Bath by CyberToddler - Beetlejuice: The Musical - Toddler!Beetlejuice and CG!Maitlands - The Maitlands give Beetlejuice his very first bath - ( 👉👈 I wrote this one 😖)

Evolution by Cgetbrmj - The Last of Us (TV) - Little!Ellie and CG!Joel - Series that follows each episode of the show, and explores how these characters stumble upon age regression as a coping mechanism and how much they both realize they enjoy it. - (Slowburn agere, as it explores how it develops naturally between both characters. This one DOES contain some angst as it relates to the show, but overall is as fluffy as its setting allows)

Reader-Inserts:

The Doctor's Office by agerefandom (tazia101) - Twilight - Little!Reader and CG!Carlisle - Reader goes to their first check-up in their new town and unexpectedly regresses; thankfully, their doctor is more than understanding - (I can not emphasize enough how much I love this one. Hits all the right buttons, I'm so happy/thankful I found it before I had to establish care w/ a new doctor, it's just- so good)

Sugary Sweet by agerefandom (tazia101) - Twilight - Baby!Reader and CG!Alice and Jasper - A comfy, happy morning with your vampire caregivers - (be sure to check out the writer for more fandoms!! lots of agere fics, including gen and reader!insert!)

little life at the mansion by myworldoffanfiction - X-Men - Little!Reader and CG!X-Men (the main gang lol) - First chapter is a busy yet comfy morning while living at Xavier's Mansion. Second chapter is a fun Summer evening - (this one is sooooo sweet 😭)

Play Pretend by Vinnies_Comfort_Corner - Scream (1996) - Kiddo!Reader, Flip!Stu, and CG!Billy - You and Stu play pretend while waiting for Billy to come home - (if you enjoy this one, make sure you check out their other regression fics!!! there's even one with a petreg puppy!reader!! and other horror media!!)

Red Stained Fingers by CyberToddler - Scream (1996) - Little!Reader, CG!Stu, and CG!Billy - Unorthodox sensory play with diy-ed fake blood, lol - (I also wrote this one 😅 it's sugary sweet, I promise, lol)

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

What continues to be fascinating about this franchise is the amount of humanity that is found in the world of the apes. The amazing Caesar trilogy brought us a fresh take on the franchise that focused on the apes rising as we watched humanity fall and how much of our worldly views influenced how they would live among us. That made his trilogy special and set up a future that was ripe for exploring. This film carries that same torch and takes a very natural turn that is familiar and special in its execution. The idea of what Caesar fought for and believed in was on display of apes living together in peace, but the idea of one ape twisting his word to something more sinister was fun to watch and added that layer of drama that kept me invested. I honestly could've just watched the apes live in their village and be satisfied. The adventure doesn't take long to begin and where we are taken was essentially a rescue mission and along the way we learn what has happened many generations after Caesar. Where the film benefits is in the apes of course and when the humans are introduced it becomes a balancing act between the retrieving of the main characters' family and the humans slowly trying to reconnect with each other. It works for the most part, but there are moments where I wished it followed just the apes.

Owen Teague takes the lead as Noa in this new story and I loved his performance. He delivers so much warmth and innocence through his eyes and the compassion he has for his friends and family. I liked that he was constantly learning about the world beyond and above his village. As the film progress, he matures quickly from the young boy type to a man fighting for his clan. Its a classic coming of age story for a young warrior that works everytime. Lydia Peckham and Travis Jeffery were great as his friends Anaya and Soona. You feel the tender care and building of a relationship between Noa and Anaya that was sweet. The bond between Noa and Soona was fun and their banter in the beginning was great. I wouldn't mind another adventure with just the three of them together. Peter Macon was excellent as Raka and I loved his jovial nature. He was a wealth of knowledge that Noa needed to see and hear about and I loved the time we spent with him. He highlighted the real ideals of Caesar and he even felt like a preacher more than a historian. On the human side, Freya Allan joins the franchise as Mae and I thought she was great. The survivalist nature of humanity always bounces between the background and foreground in these films and she was no different. She didn’t take up space and I liked that for the majority of the film she was silent and showed off her physicality in conveying emotion and thought. William H. Macy was fun as a more dare I say, domesticated human to Proximus Caesar, Trevathan. He was so defeated, fearful and yet at ease with giving up the thought of the before apes ruled. He gave a different yet familiar view of stockholm syndrome. Speaking of Proximus Caesar, the very underrated and outstanding Kevin Durand delivers an incredible and dominating performance as the antagonistic king. He exudes power and ambition as the one thing he desires is yet a few feet from him. He had a vision even if it was a cruel and sometimes violent one. Through him and thanks to Trevathan's teachings, you see a complete mirror of how the Roman Empire created civilization, but in ape form.

Composer John Paesano brought to life this new look at the world in a very emotional and epic way. His score elevated the pain of loss during the bridge scene and highlighted the tension when Noah meets Proximus. Visually the film is as stunning and rich as the previous films and the CGI used to bring the motion capture performances to life is some of the best this franchise has ever seen. As I've always said since the beginning of the current wave of Apes films, I care more for the apes than the humans. If this film was solely following the journey of Noah and no humans were in it, I would be even more happy. This was still a great entry to the franchise and Director Wes Ball has done an incredible job bringing us back to the Planet of the Apes franchise. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in comments below. Thanks for reading!

[artistsfuneral]

The Road to Kaer Morhen - p.4

Jaskier's heart was hammering inside his chest. He knew that Aiden could hear it clear as day and wondered if his own heartbeat quickened Aiden's as well. Outside the voices grew louder, angrier. Jaskier bit his lip.

“Alright, fine! We'll do it your way,” the bard hissed through gritted teeth, “Just- let's hurry, please.” Aiden nodded at him encouragingly. “Of course. Thanks for trusting me, Jaskier.”

With their minds set on the same goal, Jaskier and Aiden stood in unison and opened the door that separated their bedroom from the long hallway that let to both the stairs and a single open window. Training his ears on the downstairs commotion, Aiden stepped out first, Jaskier close behind him clutching the handle of his short sword. They made it just past the stairwell when the door to the inn burst open and the telltale sound of heavily armored men echoed up to them. Unable to help himself the Cat Witcher turned around and made a 'I-told-you-so' face at Jaskier, who rolled his eyes and ushered him along.

Once they made it to the window it was clear from the sounds that the redanian soldiers were forcing their way into every single room of the inn, scaring the guests and servants.

“I'll go first,” Aiden said, already shoving his pack through the wooden frame and onto the withered roofing. “Throw me your things, then I can catch you easier when it's your turn.” He sighed with annoyance when he saw the dubious look on Jaskier's face. “I'm a Cat, I've been catching people ever since I could lift them.” It wasn't as reassuring as Aiden may have thought. Jaskier told him exactly that while he watched Aiden gracefully climb through the window.

“I am lacking the entire context for this to make any sense at all!”

Aiden gave him a look Jaskier couldn't read. “Cats, among other things, specialize in balance and climbing. From a very young age we balance on everything, everywhere. If you're not caught by someone you'd easily break something. Which obviously nobody wants to happen, so every Cat gets very good at catching people. It's only natural.”

It kind of made sense, Jaskier thought as he took notice how Aiden climbed down the roof in three moves, unknowingly making any of Jaskier's previous window escapes look pathetic. Granted, he wasn't wearing pants during half of them, but Aiden had that natural elegance to him that the bard envied. Still he winced, when it was his time to drop his things down the roof and he had to let go of his lute case.

Aiden caught it easily and placed it on the ground much more carefully than Geralt ever would have. Then Jaskier stood at the edge of the wonky roof and stared into the witcher's ember eye. “Come on, Jaskier. If I can catch three trainees at once, I can catch one silly bard.” Jaskier was up and about to argue that he was in fact not a silly bard but an amazing artist and should therefore be treated with more respectful nicknames, when a loud shout rang out right behind him and he froze mid movement.

“They're escaping through the windows!”

Out of the corner of his eyes Jaskier spotted the red and and gray armor and immediately understood that he had to think fast. Already kneeling with one leg, Jaskier dug his fingernails into one of the roof tiles and pulled at it with all his strength. It came loose almost too effortlessly and the bard did not hesitate to throw it right into the soldier's face. Jumping down roofs and balconies was always easier when his life was threatened.

He was down in no time, Aiden's arm steadying his fall like promised, barely had the time to secure his bag and lute on his back before the first soldiers were running around the corner and shouting at them to surrender in the name of the crown.

Neither Jaskier, nor Aiden found themselves really caring about the crown's desires shared one last look at each other and ran towards the market place as fast as they could.

The bard was quite familiar with this part of an adventurer's life and navigated through narrow alleys without difficulty. At this point there was no use in trying to hide his identity, but he could tell that Aiden was far more used to hiding away in the shadows than running past them. He'd have to be careful not to lose the witcher before they were swallowed up by the crowd where Aiden was back in his natural element of getting away through stealth alone.

“That one armed peasant is not Geralt of Rivia!” Fuck. Fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck! Jaskier cursed in his mind as he darted around a corner and past a group of barrels he carelessly pushed into the way of his pursuers. Had he only spent his coin on that stupid coat, then they could've hidden Aiden's identity! As if searching for a one armed man wasn't an easy enough descriptor, if the soldiers should figure out that he was a witcher as well they'd surely be even more interested in catching them just for the bragging rights of the kill.

Melitele once again showed that she did not favor anyone. Fuck! “This way!” he called out to Aiden who suddenly looked a lot paler than he did minutes ago. “We're almost there,” he shouted just as the soldiers realized what they were trying to do.”Cut them off,” one screamed, “They're headed towards the market!”

please like and reblog if you voted

✨🌿🌼✨

hmh. Should we ship Jaskier with Aiden? 🤔 I mean it's 100% going to be Lambden but in my heart I need to make everything poly

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[aidontdraw]

So blahblahblah, Kishimoto was clearly writing Naruto as he was going. Like as soon as the audience leaned something about the world, Kishimoto also learned that thing.

But like, he clearly doesn't understand how humans interact with eachother, and its shown in the introduction scene. Because who is this scene for?

Its not for the characters. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke have been in the same class for 6-7 years at this point. They don't need to introduce themselves to eachother. They dont learn anything about Kakashi.

Its not for the audience. We were already introduced to Team Seven in the previous chapter. We know who Naruto is, and what he wants. We know who Sakura is, and what she wants. We know who Sasuke is, but not really what he wants. We don't know who Kakashi is, and we don't learn that here.

Kakashi barley learns anything about them. Besides the fact Sakura is a normal pre-teen. Naruto likes ramen. Sauske still isn't over his family's massacre. Which is all no-shit things.

The only thing the audience gets introduced to is the idea of Sasuke's goal.

Which while Kakashi seems to know who hes talking about neither Naruto or Sakura do. That borders on being a plot hole, because Sasuke would have gone to class the day after the worst day of his life. The massacre happened 5 years ago. These people went from having a bunch of Uchiha Police Officers walking around to Zero.

You're telling me Sasuke went around keeping his one person murder list to himself for 5 years?

It doesn't introduce the idea of team work. Its almost a waste of half a chapter.

Honestly this day for them(I'm guessing the times):

- 9am go to school

- 9:15 Sasuke and Naruto kiss.

- 10-12 get teamed up

- 12-1 Crazy Lunch Adventure(Hokage and Kakashi break into Naruto's house for a casual conversation)

- 1-2 wait for their teacher

- 2pm, have a 15 minute conversation with their new teacher/squad leader

- Go Home

This whole day could have been an email.

Then we get the tidbit that their school already went over survival training. We know they had combat training. And jutsu training. But during their test, and future missions, we see almost none of that training in action. These kids should have spent the last 7 years of their lives going to a school together to learn how to do this job. They should be familiar with a lot of things, but especially working on 3 man teams.

But we get to another plot hole/world building issue, which is even thoguh this seems to be the standard in their training. The kids were suprised to learn they were going into 3 man teams.

You can also see this with the Chunin Exam, where even thoguh this is a yearly exam that brings in Nobels to bet on child death matches, the kids entering them dont know what they are...

The Konoha Education System is leaving all of these children behind.

The only non distopian reason is technically Sakura doesn't come from a ninja family. So there are things that she wouldn't have easy access to. Even thoguh she was in the top 5 of their class. And Naruto and Sasuke had to rase themselves from young ages. So they have zero parental/adult guidance.

Still their school should have taught them basic things.

[catreginae]

Thou Shalt Not Fall: Warriors and the Fog

Everybody is still in Ordon and Warriors can't help but to think there is something wrong about that. They can't just be here for a vacation, right? I'll be honest, I'm just tired of looking at this one, so if there are any glaring typos… maybe I'll conquer them one day.

[Previous] - [Next]

View the Master Post here!

They were still in Ordon and Warriors was starting to feel a little antsy, especially now that he was limiting himself to just Twilight’s house and he didn’t have a good way to burn away excess energy. His biggest worry was that they had no idea what the trouble was. They surely weren’t in Ordon just to make Twilight happy, not that he would mind if that was actually the case. Everybody was enjoying the break, except for him, but that was irrelevant.

All he could hope was that the shadow wasn’t targeting Ordon itself. Perhaps he should go back out beyond the spring and head back to the forest for a patrol while the others were sleeping. Maybe he could prevent a fight coming to Ordon if he stayed on top of patrols.

He was sitting just by Twilight’s door, watching as Epona was grazing on the longer grasses in Twilight’s yard and hanging his legs over the edge of the porch, if it could be called such, as he mulled over their current situation.

Just as he was about to head back inside – his skin was starting to tingle a bit, a sure sign that it was time to go back in – he saw somebody come down the path from the village holding a bucket. She was a blonde villager than he didn’t meet but she looked to be about Twilight’s age, so he was pretty confident that the villager in question was Ilia. She saw him and walked to the treehouse. She didn’t climb the ladder but she stayed at the foot of it.

“So you’re the last one. I’m Ilia and you’re... Warriors?”

“Yup, that’s me!” he answered with a nod.

“Link said you might not be awake because you have sleep problems but I’m glad I caught you,” she said with a smile. Was that what everybody saying? That he had some sort sleep disorder? He supposed it wasn’t entirely wrong. He did have a hard time staying awake during the day sometimes, especially when he had a roof over his head.

“I just wanted to say thank you for looking after him. We all get worried when Link goes out on these big adventures. None of us were the same after the first one, especially him... so I’m glad he isn’t alone out there.”

Twilight never said too much about what happened on his adventure but he knew that somebody being pulled away from their friends and family rarely only affected the person who had to leave. He wondered if Twilight ever talked to her or his adoptive parents about it, though Warriors couldn’t judge if Twilight never did. Proxi liked to called him ‘emotionally constipated’ so what did he know?

“We were all brought together for a reason. I don’t think any of us could have handled this alone. We’re all stronger because we’re together. I’ll make sure he makes it home, I swear on my life.”

He meant it. If there was one benefit to being cursed like he was, it was that he had a body that was more or less a shield now. He fully intended to use his durability to make sure everybody got to go home at the end. Twilight had a lot of people in Ordon who loved and cared about him and Warriors didn’t have to meet all of the villagers to get that feeling.

Ilia studied his face, then smiled. “Thank you. I’ll let you go back inside now since I have some chores to do. I’ll see you later.”

They bid each other goodbye and Warriors headed inside. The tingling in his skin was starting to bother him and he couldn’t imagine how red his face was at the moment.

“I heard you met Ilia today.”

“Briefly,” he answered, looking up from the sword he decided to polish. He was starting to get a bit bored inside Twilight’s house, waiting for nightfall where it would be the safest for him to go out. The angry animals would be asleep and the only time the moon caused an issue was in Wild’s era. He sometimes wished that somebody would stay with him during the day now that he was waking before Sky but he didn’t want to ruin their time in the village by forcing them to keep him company. At least they came back in the evening. “She seems nice.”

“Oh, she wasn’t a couple of days ago!” Legend said with a grin. “She gave that other rancher a good earful for forgetting to close the gate. We walked out of the barn just in time to see him bring the goat back up and she let him know how she felt the entire time.”

Warriors shared a glance with Twilight. Did they know? He was pretty sure that Twilight was the only other Link there but he couldn’t be sure.

“They can be dangerous,” Twilight mumbled with a sagely nod. “They’ve cracked my ribs before.”

Wild nodded too. “The mountain goats in my era did the same thing to me. Only it wasn’t their horns that cracked my ribs, it was the rock I landed on when they knocked me down. I’m glad the wild ones don’t get as big as yours.”

“Good to note. I will avoid the murderous goats in this era and in Wild’s era,” Warriors muttered with a roll of his eyes as he finished up polishing his sword. Maybe the others would be so nice as to let him polish their things tomorrow so that he something else to do. Or... maybe he would just pace around Twilight’s house. He could walk on walls now, which increased the space he could pace in. He could drive somebody crazy doing that.

Maybe he will go pace on the walls tomorrow, once he explored the woods after the others fell asleep.

The rest of the evening went by with the others filling in with what happened that day. Life in the village was slow but if it was like Time’s ranch, he was sure if was a nice change of pace compared to life in the barracks. They all ate traditional Ordonian food courtesy of the village, which ended up using a lot of cheese, milk, and pumpkins. It led to some debate about where the best pumpkins originated and Warriors was beginning to wonder if Sky and Twilight would cross the line from debate to an actual argument before Wild broke it up, declaring he wasn’t storing any pumpkins in his slate if they couldn’t be mature about it.

After the lively debate, they caught each other up on what they were up to that day where Warriors found himself staying silent because other than going outside and speaking with Ilia for a bit, he did pretty much nothing. They talked into the evening and then tucked themselves in.

Once he was sure they were asleep, he quietly gathered his equipment and jumped down to the ground. He turned to the right and headed towards the bridge that led out of the village.

But then he paused by the spring.

He didn’t pay much attention to it before since they all wanted to get the treehouse to drop off their bags but now that Warriors was stationary and just outside of the gate, something about the spring sent a shiver down his spine. It made him want to turn and walk away from it but he stayed where he was because as much he was bothered by it, he was also curious. It looked normal but it didn’t feel normal.

He approached it slowly. The instinct to run intensified with each step he took but the curiosity and the need to know why that instinct was there made him resist the urge to turn around.

If there was one way to describe the spring, it was that it was bright. It sparkled in the moonlight but somehow it seemed even brighter than that, though he couldn’t describe how.

He squatted down by the lake and reached out, dipping his fingertips into the spring. He regretted it immediately. Warriors cursed, pulling his hand back so quickly that he fell onto his back. His fingers continued to sting, even though they weren’t in the water anymore. He groaned and sat up, using his scarf to dry his fingers.

His fingers must have only been in the spring for a second or two. They were bright red and still stung in the cooler night air– definitely burnt but thankfully mild.

Okay, it wasn’t just the goats or the cats or the bees. It was also the damn water!

Warriors got to his feet and shook his head. He would ask Twilight about the spring later. For now, he had to look for the reason why they were in Twilight’s era because as lovely as Ordon was, they couldn’t just stay there and possibly risk the shadow or whatever monsters it dragged around with it finding them in Ordon.

The village was defensible enough if they defended the bridge or made sure none of them made it past Twilight’s treehouse since Ordon was surrounded by rocky walls. Unless the monsters could fly, they needed to cross the bridge too. However, that was too close to the village for Warriors’ comfort. It was possible but it left them little room for error, especially if were winged monsters. An aeralfos could be particularly troubling.

It was better if they could get the drop on them. Getting ambushed around a bunch of civilians was the last thing he wanted.

He walked over the bridge and past it. There was another spring that made him shudder but he walked past that one until he eventually came to a fork in the road. One fork led into a dark cave and a quick sniff of the air told him that there was something that smelled like decay coming from that general direction. However, the cave was dark – too dark. Even if he summoned his vampire powers, he needed at least a little bit of light to actually see anything and that cave was pitch black. He had his fire rod but he wasn’t sure he had the best control over it to just keep the end lit up.

He cursed loudly to himself and did the walk of shame back to the treehouse. Twilight took to hanging his lantern up to provide some more light when the sun was down and turning it off when they fell asleep. Warriors unhooked it from its spot and took it with him. It seemed like Twilight filled it up somewhat recently so hopefully that was enough to get through the cave.

The cave was still a bit dark even with the lantern but the lantern was absolutely worth it when he found himself face to face with an alarming large spider. Warriors yelped and swiped at it with his lantern, setting its web on fire and watching it scurry away. It was a good thing he was alone – he would never live that down with the others

He followed his nose and found himself at the end of the cave which opened up to a dock with a lot of purple fog that hung close to the ground and covered the ground for as far as he could see. Alarming. Maybe Twilight would know something about it. The smell of decay was strongest here and for a moment, Warriors wondered if it was the fog itself that smelled of decay but then he saw a shadow move within the fog.

He retreated back into the mouth of the cave. Hopefully, nothing actually saw him so he could have a moment to observe what he needed to do. He could see a wooden dock in front of him, which told him that maybe this fog wasn’t always there. To his right, he could see some stumps rising up from the fog and oddly enough, he could actually see a path made up of those stumps and some thicker tree branches that lead to giant stump in the middle.

Warriors could see what he needed to do but he was a little wary of trying it. He could probably make it across all the gaps up to the giant middle stump but he never needed to jump so precisely before. It made him also regret not practicing more before but at least if he fell, he could probably get back up somewhere quickly enough. He could walk on walls now.

He hooked the lantern to his belt like he saw Twilight do before and ran, leaping up to the first stump and before he think about too much, he jumped to the next stump, and the to the next branch, and before he knew it, he arrived at the large stump in the middle. If he could get some of them up to the stump, they could rain arrows down at... whatever was shuffling around in the fog.

Cautiously, he leapt up to the edge and looked down. He was basically right on top of that awful smell of rot and decay and he instinctively raised a hand to cover his nose.

Inside the fog, he could see shadows that seemed Hylian-like but the limbs were too thin and elongated. They moved by shuffling mostly, dragging a sword along the sword as they did so. Gibdos. Pleasant. He hated those fuckers. Just one of them was annoying but he could see maybe a dozen or so them shuffling around.

And they weren’t alone. He could also see darknuts, the very enemies that made him reveal his secret in the first place. Those would take more than just regular arrows from above to take out. Maybe some bomb arrows could knock some of their armour off but Warriors knew that being close and personal was the best way to handle them.

The job wasn’t going to be an easy one and he didn’t know how much time they had the shadow actually sent the gibdos and darknuts after them. All he knew was that the faster they came up with a plan, the better. They couldn’t wait to be attacked now that he had an idea of what was coming.

Warriors started his trip back, hopping back down the collection of branches and stumps, back through the cave with the massive spiders, past the two unnerving springs, and up the ladder into Twilight’s treehouse. He stepped over the other heroes, returned the lantern to its spot, added his equipment to the pile, and then located his bedroll. He might as well try to sleep for a little bit.

Warriors woke up groggy and if it wasn’t for the pang in the stomach and the ache in his throat, he probably would have gone back to sleep. For a moment, he wondered if he needed blood that badly, or if he could sleep for a little bit longer, but he pulled himself out of the bedroll and up the ladder to the main floor. Thankfully, his fingers healed overnight so the trip up the ladder was painless.

To his shock, he wasn’t alone. Sky was sitting up, surrounded by nuts, milk, eggs, and other ingredients while Wild was tending to the fire in Twilight’s oven. There was also somebody Warriors didn’t expect at all – Colin. His stomach dropped. He liked the kid, he liked him a lot and he could see that he great potential with a sword one day, but he couldn’t down a bottle of blood or bite somebody with Colin around!

“Warriors! You’re up! Wild’s going to make a cake! Wanna come watch with me?” Sky asked. Fuck, he couldn’t even pretend he wasn’t there.

“Oh, Warriors is here?” Colin asked, he head perking up from where he was looking at the eggs in the basket. “Dad was worried about him since he didn’t come by the village after the goat escaped and the cat attacked him.”

It took considerable effort to brace himself and make sure that panic on the inside didn’t show on the outside as he settled down beside Sky. Colin really was a smart kid and in any other circumstance, Warriors would nurture that, but right now it really worked against him that Colin was perceptive.

“Oh, he hasn’t been feeling that well lately, so he’s been staying in most of the time,” Wild said with a shrug, acting completely casually. He heard Sky sigh in relief. Thanks, Sky. Real casual. “How are you feeling today, Wars?”

“Better,” he answered as Wild then jumped into explaining his steps. Warriors didn’t really participate in the lesson, preferring to just watch from afar as Sky and Colin followed along. He inserted himself in the conversation when appropriate but he was more focused on what he discovered the night before and trying to keep his hunger under control. Wild made the first cake and then guided them through the second, and within a couple of hours, Colin left after eating a slice of his own cake.

Warriors hated how relieved he felt when the boy finally left.

“You alright? You don’t seem to be in the best mood. I don’t think Colin noticed but I like think we know you a bit better,” Sky said as he put some dishes into a basin for washing later. With the cakes done, Wild was already planning on dinner if the mumbling under his breath as he studied his slate was any indication.

“I overdid it last night and now I’m pretty hungry. Wild, I don’t suppose you have any blood?” Usually, he would go hunting for his blood to keep his skills sharp for when he didn’t have Wild’s slate or happy volunteers but the only monsters he saw last night were the ones in the fog. He wasn’t even sure there was anything to drink from a gibdo. The darknuts were probably infected and infected blood was nasty. They weren’t an option.

Wild barely looked over the slate but nonetheless, he produced a bottle and held it out for Warriors to grab. Warriors licked his lips, let his fangs drop, and took the bottle with more force than he meant but he waited hours for it and he wasn’t waiting a second longer. He popped the top off and poured half of it into his mouth to sooth his aching throat. It was better than cold water on a hot day. He let out a contented sigh before he could stop himself.

“Last night? What were you doing last night?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Later. I’m not explaining more than once,” he mumbled as he gulped down some more blood. Now that his throat didn’t ache, he could actually take the opportunity to enjoy the flavour. It wasn’t monster blood so he definitely had to savour it while he could. Maybe it was the blood from something Wild hunted? He hoped it wasn’t from a person.

Sky and Wild exchanged a look. He understood their concern but everybody had to be there so they that could try to come up with a plan.

It took another hour or so before the rest of the Links filtered inside. For some reason, Time was drenched in water and as much as Warriors wanted the story behind that, he had to be the one to remind them that they all have a job to do. Legend immediately went from an easy smile when he first walked into the door to a confused frown when their eyes met.

“Did something happen?”

“Hey, why is the lantern already half empty?” Twilight asked as he unhooked it from its place and glared it like it decided to empty itself.

“I borrowed it last night. I can see pretty well in the dark with my powers but I still need at least a little bit of light and the cave was too dark.”

All of their eyes were on him.

“I hate to say it but we’ve been in Ordon for too long. If we stay here, it’ll only a matter time before we get ambushed and the village will be danger. I don’t want to have that fight anywhere on this side of the bridge so I decided to do a patrol last night.”

“And let me guess... you found something,” Legend muttered.

“Gibdos and darknuts in some weird purple fog. There’s at least a dozen or so gibdos, I didn’t get a good count on the darknuts. Oh, and the gibdos have swords too, in case your gibdos don’t.”

“Oh those ones,” Time mumbled with a grimace.

“You said purple fog? Great,” Twilight mumbled as he started to refill his lantern with oil. “It’ll make you dizzy at first and if you don’t retreat, you’ll pass out. We probably have enough long ranged weapons to take them out without going into it. It’s going to be tricky with the darknuts in there though.”

“Is there anyway around the fog? Or a safe way through it?” Wind asked, tilting his head.

“Mostly just above it. Fire works temporarily but it doesn’t last long.”

“I saw the giant stump in the middle of the fog and that’ll give us another angle. I can take some of you up there but just in case, those who go up there should also be able to get themselves down safely on their own,” Warriors offered.

Time nodded along. “Wild would be a good candidate.”

“I have a korok leaf that lets me soar,” Wind offered.

Warriors nodded. Both of them would be easy for him to take up there.

“We should have enough room by the dock for the rest of us to shoot into the crowd then. I really don’t like that this might be our only option against the darknuts though. There isn’t exactly a lot of room outside of the fog. This will be tough,” Twilight said with a deep sigh.

Hyrule nodded. “And that’s assuming they haven’t moved since Warriors last saw them. We better leave soon and make sure they don’t get to the village.”

Warriors nodded. They really should leave soon. However, he couldn’t help but think of what more he could do. Wild and Wind were going to be situated above on the stump while everybody else would be at the dock. Maybe... he could fight inside the fog. Maybe the fog wouldn’t affect him the same way. Maybe he could tie his scarf around his mouth and nose to protect himself from the fog so he could weaken their enemies enough that arrows are a viable option.

And... there was one thing he never actually tried before since he never wanted to acknowledge his vampirism.

“What’s on your mind? You have your thinking face on,” Time said with a smirk.

“I want to try to fight in the fog and combine my vampire powers with focus spirit.”

The smirk from Time’s face fell. “Both of those are exhausting to you on their own. If you pass out in the fog, we might not be able to get you out.”

“You guys have hookshots. It wouldn’t be the most serious injury I received,” Warriors mumbled, rolling his eyes. “But in all seriousness, I’ll do my best to get out of the fog before I pass out.”

“Hang on, go back to the first thing,” Legend said, using his finger to draw a circle in the air. “What is focus spirit? You never mentioned it before.”

“It improves my muscles and it helps me tune out anything that isn’t related to battle. It makes me stronger and faster and that’s without tapping into my vampire powers. I’ve never tried both at the same time. If it works though, I can weaken or outright kill a bunch of them.”

Sky raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that this is the best time to try it out?”

Warriors shrugged. He really wasn’t sure if a tricky battle was the best time but they needed some sort of edge against the darknuts and if it worked well enough, then they had another option against whatever the shadow threw at them. Battles were always risky, even the ones that seemed simple and straight forward, and trying different ways to use his powers was a risk he was willing to take.

Nobody else had questions for him, so they all started preparing themselves for battle. Warriors made sure to redo his scarf so it was tight around his face and pinned it in place, ignoring the strange looks he got from everybody else. Once they were done, he and Twilight led them through the cave and out to the dock and fog.

A low groan met them.

“Oh good, they’re still here,” Hyrule said out loud. “Well, good for everybody else anyway.”

“Let’s review before they get here. Most of us will stay here and shoot anything coming towards us,” Time said, pointing at the ground they were standing one. “Warriors will take Wind and Wild above the fog and then he’ll fight within it.”

Everybody nodded. As Warriors followed the same path he did the night before up to the large stump in the middle with Wild on his back, Legend fired the first shot into the fog. The gibdo screamed and Warriors hissed in pain as the screech pierced his sensitive ears. He didn’t have the available hands to cover his ears though, so he kept going until Wild was in position. He tried his best to be quick once he made the second trip up with Wind.

The two took up positions on opposite sides of the stump. He watched them for a moment, taking a deep breath as he did so, then turned away from them, staring down at the ground and the figures shuffling towards the dock. Warriors wasn’t really good at magic. It was actually easier for him to find the power to summon his vampire powers these days than it was to call upon the power that let him use his focus spirit. Nonetheless, he focused on pulling that magic from within. It took him a few seconds to feel it and once he did, he could feel his muscles tingle in excitement.

Warriors jumped down. Thankfully, he didn’t feel any negative effects from the fog, though he didn’t know if that was because of the scarf, because of his vampirism, because of his focus spirit or some weird combination of the three. Either way, it didn’t matter. He had a job to do.

He jumped from his crouched position and practically flew into the fray, his sword slicing into a gibdo’s back. It felt like time slowed down, all while Warriors was moving at a pace that felt completely normal to him. He knew it wasn't normal – he was probably at a speed that true vampires could run, or even a tad faster. Just to think he never thought to combine his vampire powers with focus spirit before!

He was easily able to duck under a slow moving sword to sink his blade into the gap between a darknut's helmet and chest plate. He pulled out his blade and stepped around the darknut to slice the head off a gibdo before it could scream. He didn't wait to see if the darknut was dead, instead trusting his allies to kill it with whatever ranged weapons they had.

It had been some time since his blade could effortlessly cut through so many enemies. It almost reminded him of home, where he could kill a few bokoblins in a single sweep of his blade. Almost. The fact that these monsters were infected made him doubt that he was actually killing all of them but the point of using his magic wasn’t to kill, though that was a bonus if he managed it. It was to inflict as much damage as possible, to make whatever remained easy picking for everybody else who couldn’t fight in the fog like he could.

He swung his sword at anything that moved in his peripherals. He no longer cared what it was – if it moved, it was getting sliced down.

Unfortunately for Warriors, his magic was always quick to run out since it was continuously running through all of his muscles. He didn’t think to take any magic potions with him so he sprinted to the middle of a group of redeads and swung his sword for one more devastating spin attack, letting the last of his magic flow off the edge of his blade.

The exhaustion hit him immediately. His sword was suddenly too heavy and his legs trembled as he turned and ran out of the fog. The fog wasn’t completely clear of monsters but Warriors was sure that he wasn’t any shape to deal with them. Focus spirit was exhausting enough on its own, though never so exhausting that he had to retreat from battle due to the effects.

But when combined with the extraordinary speed and strength that his vampirsim granted him?

He wasn’t surprised when his legs gave out once he made out of the fog and his entire body hit the dirt. He heard a shout of alarm and just a moment later, somebody was beside him.

“Warriors! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine! Just tired,” he hissed. “Focus on the battle.”

“Right.” Whoever was at his side left. He felt bad for snapping but he was fine. He could hear something exploding, so he assumed that somebody set off a bomb arrow. Ugh, he hoped he did enough because he was useless now. Until he had more blood and a good nap, he wasn’t fit to even get back to Twilight’s treehouse.

Suddenly, somebody was pushing him up again. Sky. The knight turned him so that Warriors chest was against his own. He loosened his skycloth slightly, exposing more of his neck. He tried to look away.

“Battle’s almost over. Have a drink.”

His neck. Why his neck? Warriors always wanted to see what it was like but he wasn’t sure he could trust himself.

“I’ll let you know when I’m dizzy. Trust me.”

Warriors did trust him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he positioned himself and sank his fangs into Sky’s neck. His blood was warmer and it filled his mouth quicker. He pushed his fangs in deeper and happily drank until he felt somebody tugging and twisting one of his ears. He withdrew his fangs and hissed, and that was when he finally realized what he was actually doing. Blood was already pooling out of the two holes he left in Sky’s neck, which Sky was quick to cover with his hands.

“Sky...”

He was getting tired.

“I’m fine. Get some rest.”

Warriors wanted to stay awake to see the end of the battle but his body apparently had different ideas. He laid his head down on his shoulder and let himself drift.

When Warriors came to, his fangs were buried in... something. For a moment, he just stayed where he was, fangs clasped around whatever it was in his mouth. Then, whatever it was moved and Warriors retracted his fangs.

It was an arm. He just bit somebody!

“What the-”

“Sky, good thinking! I barely felt them,” Wild said as he began to remove something from his forearms. Sky’s bracers, if Warriors had to guess.

“They are made for sharp talons, so they’re thick enough for his fangs,” Sky answered happily. He took one of his hands and waved it in front of his Warriors’ face. “You awake, Wars?”

“Stop that! And why did you wake me up by sticking your arm in my mouth?”

“I didn’t stick my arm in your mouth! You just don’t wake up well. I figured you might bite if we tried to wake you so I came prepared,” Wild answered, then the smile fell off his face. “We were getting worried though. You were asleep for two days straight with no sign of waking up. I put blood under your nose, we tried shaking you, it didn’t matter how loud we got... only thing that end up working was touching your face a lot.”

Oh. He could see why they were worried. He never slept for that long – sure he, was unconscious for that long, but never asleep for that long. Somebody was usually able to rouse him one way or another in a span of a day. Usually, he got up on his own. Did he truly exhaust himself that much? He had blood before he fell asleep too. How much worse would it have been if he didn’t?

“Is everybody okay?”

Sky and Wild shared a look. “We’re all fine. I was only dizzy for a day or so and nobody got hurt during the battle. You’re the only one who had to be carried back.”

“Good. That’s the only thing I care about. Especially when it comes to you, Sky. I usually have more control than that...”

Suddenly, Sky grabbed his head, planting both of his hands on either side of his face. He looked him dead in the eyes and suddenly, Warriors was reminded of the fact that despite how carefree Sky seemed, he had the same protective fury they all had. “If this is leading to you putting yourself down, I’m going to smack you. Ordon is safe and nobody was injured because you gave us an incredible advantage. You’re allow to have some extra blood for that, got it?”

“Yes sir.”

Seemingly satisfied, Sky let him go. “Good! I’m going to go make a cake to celebrate! Wild, let the others know he woke up, will you?”

Wild offered a mock salute and left.

“Can you drizzle some blood on top of my slice?”

[aliantic]

Baldurston: A Baldur's Gate 3/Bridgerton Crossover

Summary: Navigating the Sword Coast was full of adventures - thrilling fights, daring deceptions, and even a hint of romance. However, when the party travels through a portal and winds up in the world of 1800s London, they know their path has been drastically changed. The world that was once theirs is no more - now, they are amongst the Bridgertons. Can they leave their old ways behind and navigate the complex social dynamics of the ton?

Chapter 15: Lady Whistledown

Baldurston Masterlist

Dearest gentle reader,

With the conclusion of the first ball of the season, the marriage market has officially begun! And while Lady Danbury has been known to throw eventful balls in the past, I dare say that this ball shall go down in the history books. 

First, it is of note that the Duke and Dutchess of Hastings made an appearance at the ball, and while they shared more dances than is proper and then retired early from the festivities, one must consider that the happy couple just received their first child, and while the arrival of Amelia Bennet is a joyous occasion, it must be noted that there is still a lack of an heir to the House of Hastings. Never fret, however, dear reader - one must remind oneself that the presence of the Duke’s cousin (and current heir to the Dukedom), Wyll Basset, is sure to remind them of their ultimate goal. This author prays that nothing shall happen to the Duke before they are able to complete this goal - the previous Duke of Hastings lived until ripe in his age, but the previous Dutchess died when she was but 25. Let us pray, dear reader, that the current Duke takes after his father.

Speaking of Lord Wyll Basset, this author noted that the current heir to the Duke of Hastings made several appearances on the dance floor, but his attentions were never focused on the same woman. However, he was seen chatting with Miss Edwina Sharma multiple times. Although the Queen has not officially labeled Miss Sharma as the diamond of the season (and how could she be, when Princess Shadowheart is also in attendance?), I feel that her popularity amongst the men speaks for itself. Miss Sharma was hardly seen outside of the dance floor, save to get a glass of lemonade, and whenever she left to grab refreshments, it seemed that Lord Basset was there. Could it be that the Basset family has set their sights on another diamond? If that is the case, there shall be plenty of competition from other potential suitors, of which Lord Basset is not the highest in rank. 

Indeed, we are fortunate enough to have another Duke attending to our fair ton during this season - His Grace, Astarion Ancunin, Duke of Lennox, also attended the ball. As previously noted, His Grace has not been known to frequent the festivities around the marriage market, so his apparence at the ball seems to have sent a shiver down the collective spine of the mamas of the ton. Unfortunately for them, however, His Grace arrived partway through the ball, and then spent the rest of the evening in the corner of the room, talking with various Lords. Previously, this author surmised that perhaps his sudden appearance at events signaled that he was interested in finding a wife, but alas, I feel that my previous judgment may have been hastily drawn. Rather than finding a wife, it seems he is potentially more interested in aspects of the marriage market that ladies such as this author do not contemplate. However, if this author were to contemplate them, she would say that His Grace might benefit from spending his money on more elegate pursuits than gambling over the outcome of the marriage market. It is commonly known that many of the married men of the ton choose to partake in such activities when acting as chaperones, but it is relatively unheard of for an unmarried gentleman. After all, their appearance amongst the eligible gentlemen could cause a conflict in the marriage pool if they so choose.

More scandalous than the Duke’s wagers on the marriage market, however, was the sudden disappearance of one Mr. Benedict Bridgerton and Miss Karlach Danbury. Miss Danbury was seen surrounding the dance floor, eagerly awaiting someone to dance with her for quite some time, and this author thought we might have another wallflower on our hands who could properly fit in with Miss Penelope Featherington. Then, Miss Danbury was asked to the floor by Mr. Bridgerton. This is, of course, a common occurrence in the marriage market - the Bridgertons are often known for dancing with the wallflowers, and in fact, Mr. Colin Bridgerton even took Miss Penelope Featherington out to the dance floor. What was surprising, however, was that, within a minute of beginning the waltz, was that Mr. Bridgerton and Miss Danbury seemed to have retired to an upper balcony to finish the dance. While they were slightly visible from the ballroom and therefore not the cause of a true scandal, this author could not help but notice that the two were on the balcony together for more than the two songs that is generally considered polite. Could it be that we will be seeing a joining of these two powerful houses in the near future, or is the action more akin to a blooming friendship amongst two oblivious compatriots?

In typical tradition, the Queen was in attendance for the first ball of the season, which always causes a delightful titter amongst the mamas that signals the urgency to make proper matches. After all, it is well known that the Queen spends much of her time watching the blooming romances and determining which ones are truly worthy of her attention. If they happen to be spectacular matches, the Queen has even been known to proceed over the marriage itself - however, this author must note that that is an occurrence that has not happened for several years. It is possible that such a thing shall be happening again soon, however, with the emergence of the Queen’s daughter to the marriage market. Princess Shadowheart was seen dancing with several men throughout the ton, although I must say that she had fewer suitors than Miss Sharma, which is not wholly surprising given her age. Were she a mere lady instead of a princess, her age would place her firmly into the spinster category, but it seems that there are still several men amongst the ton who remembered that, regardless of age, marrying Princess Shadowheart and producing an heir might cause them to quite quickly rise through the ranks. It is a well-known fact that King Charles is currently in ill health, and while the Queen did manage to sire an heir, and the Queen does have every variety of bastard grandchildren, her children have yet to secure the continuation of their line. As none of the men amongst her children seem fit to find themselves a wife (save for Prince William, whose wife appears to be barren), Princess Shadowheart may be her one chance for their lineage. With any luck, that means that the Queen will be in attendance at a vast majority of the balls this season, both to wish her daughter luck and to pressure the men of the ton into a proper proposal.

However, one must note with Pricess Shadowheart that, when she was not on the dance floor or amongst various ladies, she was seen mostly with Lord Gale Ledger, who was amongst her party when she arrived back to the ton. Meanwhile, Lord Ledger was not seen interacting with many others, save for the people who arrived at the snack table and, while perfectly cordial, he did not seem particularly interested in any of the women in the market this season. Perhaps it is because he and Princess Shadowheart have already formed an attachment?

Only one thing is for sure, dearest reader - there are a lot of differences in this season, and I dare say that it will be one to remember.

Yours truly,

Lady Whistledown

[atimeofyourlife]

Lost in time, lost in space, and meaning

written for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt: platonic stobin | rated: m | wc: 795 | tags: platonic stobin, dr who au, minor robin/vickie, minor steve/tommy/carol, minor buckingham, minor steddie, alien fucker steve Robin and Steve meet a strange man called The Doctor, and they join him in his adventures in time and space, where they get themselves in and out of trouble, and fall in and out of love. title from Rocky Horror

Neither Steve or Robin had expected this when they stumbled across the strange blue box. They hadn't expected the strange man to come stumbling out and collapse at their feet. And they certainly hadn't expected to end up fighting the strange creatures that had appeared after they'd helped get the man some food and water, ensuring he was okay.

But, it got them an offer to join him in travelling. He'd introduced himself as The Doctor, and the box wasn't just a box. It was a machine that could take them just about anywhere in time and space. Neither of them had anything other than each other to tie them to their everyday lives, so it only took seconds to reach a mutual agreement to go. For the adventure of a lifetime.

Robin thought she would get a chance to put her language skills to the test, getting to converse in other languages when they visited somewhere that used a language that she already spoke, and getting to learn new languages everywhere else. It was a disappointment to find out they were covered by a universal translator.

Steve just wanted to experience every type of sport he possibly could. Ancient precursors to the sports he'd known and loved in their own time. Future sports that were millennia from being invented, the technology and techniques so far advanced that it would be inconceivable in their own time. And alien sports, that couldn't even translate to anything like earth sports, too different, too far removed from anything he'd ever known. But he loved every moment of it, experiencing things he never should have known existed.

Over their time with The Doctor, they both managed to get themselves into a wide range of trouble, leaving a number of time periods they would never be able to return to. They'd almost been arrested at various points, needing The Doctor to save them. In the times of the witch trials, they'd nearly gotten themselves executed for witchcraft. Steve had started a fistfight with the man who had brought conversion therapy into prominence. And both of them had had to make a hasty escape after not holding their tongue around various rich and powerful members of society across the ages, politicians, royalty, those who had caused social change for the worse.

Then there were the more fun reasons why they couldn't return to some periods. Steve's desire to flirt his way out of trouble, or to get information out of someone. Which often led to sex, which could be very interesting, especially when there were extra limbs or... appendages depending on the species. Robin always listened to Steve's tales of his encounters with both fascination and disgust.

"I don't care who or what you fuck, I just hope you're using condoms or whatever the alien equivalent is, because otherwise, you are going to be the source of some super-STI." Robin replied to Steve, after a lengthy and detailed account of the previous evening.

There was also both of them having relationships varying in seriousness. Robin falling head over heels with Vickie, an Irish immigrant in mid-1800's New York, having left Ireland during the Great Famine. It could have been forever, if not for Vickie's reluctance to leave her family, who she helped support.

Steve getting caught up with a couple, Tommy and Carol, in the early 22nd century. It was messy and painful all around, but Steve knew he would always hold some love for them.

Them both falling at the same time, for a pair of friends in a royal court. Robin falling for Christina, a lady-in-waiting to the princess, while Steve fell for Edward, the court jester. It felt magical, but they didn't know how to move forward. They couldn't just stay in place because of who they'd fallen for, and Edward and Christina couldn't come along. Neither of them understood where Steve and Robin had come from, or how they had appeared. They were cautious about anything, in fear of word reaching the king. Not wanting to risk their positions in the royal court, to lose their livelihoods or even their lives.

Steve and Robin hadn't wanted to, but they were able to move on. But always remembering what could have been with Edward and Christina. Occasionally, they would talk The Doctor into returning, not to make contact, but just to see how they were, if they were surviving.

Eventually they returned to their own time, to the lives they had taken a break from. It was strange, settling back into the monotony of normal life. But life had to move on. They moved to a new city, got new jobs. And even became close to Eddie and Chrissy, a strangely familiar pair of friends that lived opposite.

[tempestaslokni]

Lokni Hughes

About: https://panopticonrpg.tumblr.com/tagged/panatlantis Basics:

Name: Lokni Hughes Age: 30 years old, birthday July 7th, 1994 Gender & Pronouns: Cis Man - He/Him Place of Birth: Buena Vista, Califonia, USA

Personage: Previous Occupation: ranch hand on a ranch in Oregon Powers: Storm Manipulation, capable of controlling different elements of a storm. Languages: English, Spanish, and Moquelumnan First Impressions: Lokni tends to keep to himself, not for want of solidarity, but because he's found himself in a very alien situation. Completely out of his element, he's doing his best to perceive the situation and understand where everyone is coming from. He may be slow to speak but is patient and rarely loses his temper.

Plot Ideas:

survivalist: if there's one good thing about being in this situation, it's that Lokni has a lot of hands-on skills that can be utilized in this field. He knows a myriad of knots, how to get a fire going, water filtration, how to make a lean-to, etc. Despite his lack of higher education, his experience in his field of work might just pay off here.

companionship: Lokni found it hard to make friends throughout his life, but with this huge change of scenery and the need to rely on as well as help others, maybe he'll be able to find companionship or even love in the most mysterious of places.

mystery/adventure: I love a good mystery and love to solve things, almost to an obsessive point. I'm so curious and excited to see what mysteries this island and the people stuck on it hold.

powers: after living a relatively unremarkable life, suddenly coming into a powerful ability at the same time as others has come at a shock. He wants to know why all of this has happened, and why he and the others were chosen. What's the meaning of all of this?

Appearance: Height: 6' Eyes: Brown Hair: Black, worn long, altering between worn down or in a ponytail considering the situation Build: Built from manual labor, overall well-proportioned Tattoos: None Piercings: Earlobes only

Background: Nationality: Native American, Miwok Family: Mother, father is deceased, doesn't know his grandparents due to familial disputes early on. This led to a large rift in the family, isolating him and his mother from their relatives. Was this for the better or worse, who really knows? Lokni and his mother are very close, his mother made many sacrifices to give Lokni a good life, and so he is doing his best to do the same in his adult life.

Bullet Points:

- Lokni was born on a reservation in Buena Vista, California but would later on move to Oregon.  

- Lokni is the only child in his family with his mother due to his father passing away in his early childhood. He does not have many memories of his father but feels a great sense of responsibility in making sure that he helps take care of his mother just as she worked so hard to take care of him during his childhood.

- Throughout Lokni’s life he never excelled at anything. Very few things came naturally to him and instead he had to work hard to achieve things that he wanted in life. Thanks to this attitude however, he developed a hard work ethic and was able to accomplish things consistently. If anything, he is reliable and once learned a new skill is not quick to forget it. 

- He went through most of his adolescence keeping his head down and staying out of trouble, for the most part at least. However, due to this approach he had a hard time making friends and really standing up for himself when push came to shove. In a way this made Lokni a bit clumsy socially, but he was able to make up for it through his work ethic and loyalty. 

- What he lacked socially he made up for in finding peace and commune with nature. He found that he was comfortable around animals as well as places less touched by humanity. His mother often joked that he had, “found his peace at the heart of the storm.” Instead of pursuing a higher education after graduating high school he decided to work alongside his mother at the ranch, finding his peace and satisfaction with working on the land and also learning to live alongside it. He had steadily been saving his money to eventually go to a community college to get his degree in forestry, ecology, conservation, or something of that caliber in hopes of finding something that he might actually excel at.

- From a young age he spent a lot of time working on the ranch with his mother. They were given free lodging and meals for their efforts as well as their wages. Honestly, for mother and son it wasn’t a bad deal. The manual labor was hard but after the years went on and he grew stronger he became accustom to it. He found that working with the animals was much easier for him. He’d take herding cattle or saddling the horses over unloading the hay trailer any day. 

- Before coming to the island Lokni had finally accomplished something noteworthy, and right when all the pieces seemed to be coming together, he was suddenly on the island, as if the Thunderbird had sent him. 

- This place is unlike anything Lokni has ever encountered. He didn’t really like vacations, preferring to do things that were more active. A cruise ship is honestly one of the last places you’d find him. That being said, coming to a shipwrecked cruise ship thousands of miles from the sleepy, yet stable life he knew is way beyond him. He feels completely out of his element- and yet at the same time feels a hunger to find out the mysteries of the island and of course get to know the people he shipwrecked with. After all, we all are here for a reason… right?

- He desperately needs to get home. His mother needs him, the ranch needs him. How did all of this happen in the first place?