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linkemon · 9 months ago

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Beauty is only skin deep (yandere) Schoenheit Vil x Reader x LeBlanche Neige

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you're interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ɴᴇɪɢᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴠɪʟ. ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ? ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴘᴏɪsᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴜsᴇᴡᴀʀᴅᴇɴ ᴏғ ʀᴀᴍsʜᴀᴄᴋʟᴇ ᴅᴏʀᴍɪᴛᴏʀʏ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ɪs ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴠɪʟ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇɪɢᴇ's ʟᴏᴏsᴇ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ғᴀɪʀʏ ᴛᴀʟᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ sɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ.

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇsʜᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴs sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs ғᴏʀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 5. 2. ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛᴇxᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴs ᴛᴏxɪᴄ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴅɪsᴛᴏʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛ ᴏғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ.

— I'm wishing for the one I love to find me... — The singing voice sounded closer and closer.

[Reader] looked around among the green trees, trying to find its source. At first, she was very scared when Grim told her that he had heard something or someone strange in their dormitory. She assumed they were ghosts but when she asked them about it, they denied it. So, complaining about the scared cat, she went to check the situation. There was nothing good to say about their crumbling and overgrown bit of school but it was still their corner. If any of the students came here just like that, she had to talk to them. Crowley wouldn't do anything about it anyway, as long as she knew the lazy headmaster. At worst, she could try to report it to the housewarden responsible for this person.

The girl passed another sad-looking bush. And behind it she saw an intruder. He chose a place near a well that had not been used for a long time. Its newer version was located in the main courtyard of the school, so it was forgotten by everyone. The bricks were covered with moss that tried to keep them in check. The boy rested both elbows on the unstable wall and stared at his reflection in the water below. She had to admit he had a beautiful voice. She had never heard the song but the notes were pure and seemed to permeate her entire being. The feeling with which he sang was truly moving. But that didn't change the fact that his uniform was definitely different from the ones worn at Night Raven College. Instead of black, he wore white. What was someone out of high school doing here? A beret with a red ribbon rested askew on his head. Only when she got closer to him did she realize that there were birds sitting on the hat. She took a few more steps and suddenly, out of nowhere, the boy was surrounded by a circle of animals. All the squirrels, mice, hedgehogs and even frogs in the area came out of their hiding places and stared at her accusingly, trying to separate her from the singer.

[Reader] stepped back. The crack of a branch under her shoe startled everyone, including the teenager. He stopped mid-sentence and turned towards her. Unfortunately, he leaned against the well where the bricks were loose. The girl grabbed his hand before he could fall into the dark abyss. The boy swallowed loudly. She could see him slowly realizing what he had just avoided.

— Thank you very much... ummm... what's your name? — Embarrassed, he still held her hand.

— I guess I should ask who you are first. You don't go to our school. I am Housewarden of the Ramshackle Dorm and for obvious reasons no one should venture here.

Was [Reader] lying? Of course. No one issued any bans on staying in this part of the forest. That didn't mean the stranger would know about it. After the series of overblots and increasingly strange events that had occurred since she arrived at the magical school, she was fed up with trouble. She wanted him to just disappear and let her spend her afternoon doing something else. For example, buying the can of tuna promised to Grim.

— Really? I'm so sorry! — He grabbed both of her hands and closed them in his as a gesture of remorse. — I didn't know you weren't allowed in here! Director Ambrose didn't mention anything but I also admit that I was a little lost and...

If he was lying, he was really good at it. But for some reason it didn't seem like that to her. The brown eyes looked really sincere. There was a sparkle about them that she felt was missing from many NRC students.

— Who is Director Ambrose? — [Reader] asked, releasing her hands from his grip.

— Ah... he's the headmaster of the Royal Sword Academy. It's a twin school to yours. My name is Neige. Neige LeBlanche. — He smiled gently.

If such a school really existed, the girl had never heard of it before. She heard something about the Spelldrive tournament but she had other things on her mind at the time. Not that she'd ever needed it before. She learned many things about the world of Twisted Wonderland this way. By chance. Because to the people around her, many facts were so obvious that they couldn't even think of making her aware of them.

It seemed to her as if the boy was waiting for something. But she didn't know what for. So she decided to take pity on him and offer help.

— Well... I'll walk you to the exit — she said, moving forward.

On the way, Neige told her why he came to her school. It turned out that there was a festival every year that (as always) she had no idea about. He planned to appear as one of the participants, dancing and singing with his friends. The headmaster decided to take him with him to get used to the unknown place. Scratching the back of his neck, he admitted that he had never been very good at reading directions, which had landed him in the wrong place today.

— I think you sing really beautifully — the girl said, seeing the Ramshackle's gate in sight.

She had to admit that when she compared his voice to the singers she knew from home, none of them seemed to compare to him. He had kind of a charm to it.

— Did you hear that at the well?! — The embarrassed boy forced a smile. — It wasn't a big deal... although I'm glad you liked it! — he added quickly.

— You should take up music seriously. Do you play with your bandmates or something? — [Reader] asked.

— So you don't know anything? — His brow furrowed for a moment in surprise.

— About what?

So she had no idea he was a star. This was new to him. Usually everyone who met him knew who they were dealing with sooner or later.

— Neige! My dear, there you are!

[Reader] has never seen this man before. However, she could assume that he was the director of RSA. He was dressed in a long, dark blue robe. Again and again he stroked his snow-white beard and adjusted his glasses. Plus, he showed up with Crowley, which was definitely unusual.

— We have to go — the old man said, shooting a defiant look at the NRC director. — I'll see you at the festival. I wish you good luck! — he said not so sincerely.

— May the best win! — Crowley smiled maliciously.

All the ravens in the area began to squawk.

LeBlanche followed Ambrose but at one point he turned and ran back.

— I didn't ask for your name in the end! — He panted, resting his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath.

— [Reader] — the girl replied, casting a questioning glance at her headmaster.

The man shrugged and then walked away, leaving her without a word of explanation. She'll need to learn more from her first-year friends.

— See you at the festival! — With these words, Neige disappeared around the corner.

***

Vil looked at his reflection in the mirror. His face was perfect. As always. It reflected the hours spent perfecting it. Healthy diet, training and sacrifices. Hours devoted to self-improvement. All this to become an actor that the crowds will love. And yet he won again. Neige LeBlanche. He got another role. Schoenheit was to remain a villain forever. He never managed to pass the casting for the main character. Maybe because good was never in his nature. Although in the case of his rival it was almost childish naivety, which honestly irritated him.

— Mira, Mira, who is the most popular actor of them all?

— Your search results are: Neige LeBlanche, Vil Schoenheit... — The boy threw the phone on the couch. He didn't need to hear any further results.

All for nothing. He overcame so many difficulties to get here and was still in second place. Even after that stupid overblot he survived. The dark, sticky tentacles of too much magic were still stuck deep inside him. Not physically but in the mind. In the end, the doe-eyed boy mattered more to everyone around him. Even for Rook, whom he trusted so much. He didn't manage to survive his Fairest One of All, or poison Neige, or even win that stupid competition.

The only person who was still by his side after all this was [Reader]. Ramshackle Housewarden didn't hesitate to run straight to meet him as his curse lingered in the air. And although it annoyed him at the time that she was on the opposite side, he was aware that she did it for him. She told him about it when it was all over. She was the only one who was really there. Perfectly imperfect girl. So out of character with his image. And yet he fell in love. He fit it somewhere in his busy life, full of fame and fans.

So why did this thought bother him? Did he really need to check this? He shook his head. He had nothing to fear. He knew they were made for each other. It wasn't a test or a game. It was proof. Confirmation of how connected they are to each other.

He thought of the Big Seven. The Fairest Queen also used her talents. Astrology, potions and alchemy. All this to become better. Why shouldn't he be like her? He should use his gift. Its fruit will be a beautiful gift. A certainty that they will keep with [Reader] as a couple forever.

He made some tea. Epel's family sent it. Their apple orchards had been popular since he advertised them on Magicam. He strained the grounds and poured the brew into a cup. Little. White. Pure as snow. With a gold pattern on the edges. Soft. It was easy to destroy if you weren't skilled enough.

He heard footsteps in the corridor and hesitated for a moment over the tray. Maybe doing it today wasn't a good idea after all.

— Sorry for being late. I bumped into someone on the way and stayed to chat. — [Reader] closed the door and sat down on the purple sofa.

— Ah yes? With whom? — Vil placed the sugar cubes on the silver tray.

The sugar, of course, was cane sugar. If they had to poison themselves from time to time, at least he'd do it with a slightly healthier version.

— With Neige — the girl replied after a short moment of silence. — We haven't seen each other since SDC.

The Song & Dance Championship. This unfortunate event was the moment when his life spiraled completely out of control.

His hand didn't shake as he sweetened the tea just the way she liked it. After all, he has been an actor for almost his entire life. Was he angry? NO. Perhaps rather disappointed that she was giving LeBlanche any attention at all.

— What were you talking about? — he asked.

— Mainly about you. He would really like to be your friend, Vil... I don't think he fully understands that you don't like him. Even after everything that happened between you two.

Friend. The word gave him a headache. For some reason this boy had made up his mind thinking that they could be anything more than enemies. Neige was as bright as the sun. Vil was like the moon. What he did best was reflecting its light. And no matter how many modeling sessions he undertook, how many articles he appeared in, how many fans he gained on Magicam, how many premieres he had, he was always the worse one. He hated him. So much so that he was ready to poison him a few months ago. He was glad he was stopped. Such a victory would not be worth little. One day he will overcome him in skill and achieve complete perfection. True beauty.

— I'm not going to be friends with him — Vil said firmly.

— I know. I won't push you to do it. I just wanted to tell you this because we'll probably be seeing more of him.

— Why? — He sat down across from her, setting the tray on the gold-plated table.

— Crowley agreed to a new student exchange program. Some people from RSA will come to us for a few weeks. Grim and I were given quite a thankless task. We are to accommodate them for this time. None of the other housewardens agreed to have them under their roof. I didn't really want to give in but keeping this demon cat costs money. And Neige asked on behalf of Headmaster Ambrose.

Vil touched the magical pen hidden in his pocket and touched the cup with his finger. Maybe it was a good day to do it after all. It wasn't jealousy. It was just confirmation of what he already knew. Fairest One of All . His unique spell that inflicts a curse under any condition. A dream from which only the kiss of true love can awaken. Wasn't it romantic?

His lover lifted the tea to her lips. She took a sip. The eyelids closed almost immediately. He saw surprise in her eyes. However, this expression was quickly replaced by a calm, sleepy face. He caught the porcelain before it could hit the floor.

He gently stroked her face with his thumb. She looked lovely taking a nap. But he had to wake her up. They didn't have all day.

— You'll still have plenty of time to sleep — he whispered.

With these words, he connected their lips. It was strange not to feel her kiss back like she had every time before. He moved away. He waited a few seconds but nothing changed. His heart started beating faster. He tried again. Still nothing.

He felt his thoughts speeding up. After all, he cast the curse correctly. He thought about every word. So why wasn't anything happening?

Heat rushed through his body as he helplessly tried to shake the sleeping girl. The truth dawned on him like a storm of applause piercing the silence after a performance on stage. His spell never lied. So there was only one explanation. They weren't a perfect couple. That's because Vil wasn't [Reader]'s true love...

***

Neige looked around the dormitory. It was obvious that the Headmaster was sparing his thaumarks when he came to Ramshackle. Old curtains, creaky floors and an unattractive surroundings. But that didn't change the fact that there was order here. Grim had already explained to him how hard work he had done (with a little help from the housewarden, not that he needed it, of course) to get the building up to date. And indeed, despite the old age, there was something cozy in colorful blankets, a plush sofa and an old TV.

It was nice here. At least in his opinion. The RSA students who came with him seemed to disagree. At least not everyone. One third-year tied a scarf around his head and began scrubbing the floor as soon as he arrived, complaining about bacteria. Several others, however, started arguing with the first people they met, saying that it was unfair for them to live in such conditions. He had known about the rivalry between the schools for a long time but he had a feeling that some people really exaggerated.

While Ramshackle itself wasn't that bad, it wasn't how he imagined his stay here would be. He hoped to study and spend time together. For a few quiet moments when he can enjoy his life as a student. He loved his fans and music was a big part of him but sometimes he needed a break. Meanwhile, when he arrived, he found a worried demon cat accompanied by worried ghosts. [Reader] slept for the third day in a row and couldn't wake up. Her worried friends, whom he knew from the festival, came to visit her. According to the headmaster, it wasn't a restorative nap but some kind of illness or curse. He was unable to say. The students from Heartslabyul discussed among themselves that Crowley was not making much effort to change the student's situation.

LeBlanche really liked [Reader]. It felt stupid to admit it but when they met, he wished at the well that he would find true love. He even threw the thaumark into the water. It disappeared into it with a soft splash. It's not entirely that the boy believed that his wish would come true. However, when the girl grabbed his hand, he felt that maybe fate was not just a fantasy he had read about in books. He sincerely hoped that he would get to know her better when he came as an exchange student. Their conversations rarely lasted long because he usually had to go back to school right away. He wanted to change that. However, he came across this unfortunate situation and now the only thing he could think about was how to help the bedridden person. Maybe he should join the protest Ace and Deuce were organizing. Her friends were very worried about her and said that they would not wait for the headmaster to graciously do anything.

Neige entered the room. Her condition still hasn't changed. She was breathing steadily. The sun streamed through the dusty window, illuminating her unnaturally pale face. There were students from Pomefiore in the room. He recognized Rook. The boy smiled warmly at him. After all, he was his first fan, which he found out during the festival. Epel, on the other hand, looked at him quite indifferently. He had to admit that his performance at SDC was truly great. The high voice he used was memorable. Vil, on the other hand, frowned when he saw Neige in the doorway. The boy put it down to being worried about his friend. It must have been really hard for him because he looked furious.

— Hi, everyone — he greeted them quietly, walking up to the bed.

— We were just leaving — Epel announced, pulling the vice housewarden behind him.

The blonde looked genuinely disconsolate that he had to leave. His friend was just the opposite. He must have had enough of sitting.

— How are you feeling, Vil? — the brunette asked, standing right next to him.

— How should I feel if my girlfriend has been lying here for three days? — The tone of his voice was as cold as ice. It pierced menacingly through the silence in the room.

— Girlfriend?

If there was one thing LeBlanche didn't expect, it was this. He had never heard that they were a couple before.

— We didn't flaunt our relationship.

Probably because of his career. In Schoenheit's industry, couples were viewed quite unfavorably. Single people were perceived better by fans. He knew something about it himself. Although in his case he had never had to choose before.

He looked at [Reader]. So he had been getting his hopes up all this time. He hoped that everything would be alright with her and that she and Vil would be happy again soon. And, although he felt a slight twinge somewhere near his heart, he decided to ignore it. His friend was a truly wonderful and hard-working man. No wonder she chose him.

He sat down on an old, worn-out stool, right next to the headboard.

— Ummm... hey, [Reader]. I don't really know what to say in situations like this. It's the first time I've encountered something like this — Neige laughed quietly. — I hope you feel better soon and...

— Don't you have anything else to do? — asked the blonde, giving him an angry look.

Vil was standing in a dark part of the room, away from the window. He crossed his arms over his chest. His high heels hit the old boards again and again.

That was not nice. Despite everything, the boy decided not to worry about his friend's words. He must have been nervous. It's natural in such a situation. He'll definitely get over it soon, so he had to be understanding.

— I'm leaving now — he nodded.

In fact, he didn't have much time to say anything. But he didn't want to upset Vil even more. He grabbed [Reader]'s hand. She was cold to the touch. He hoped she would be warm again soon. When she is healthy, they will talk as before. Even if only for a moment, he will be satisfied. He kissed her knuckles gently.

— Wake up quickly — he whispered.

He turned to leave the room. In his thoughts he prayed for the patient's quick recovery. Suddenly he heard a loud yawn. He couldn't believe his eyes. [Reader] was already awake. She rubbed her eyelids and looked around.

— Vil. — Her voice was quiet, but definitely not friendly. — She stared at her boyfriend, her fingers clenching the sheets.

She stood up, wobbling and Neige immediately ran over to help her stay upright. She was furious. He had never seen her like this before.

Loud laughter echoed throughout the dormitory. It was Vil. It started with a chuckle and then progressed to a mocking laugh.

— Him? — He pointed to the brunette. — Of all people it had to be him?

He pulled out his magical pen. A purple mist began to creep out from under his feet. Fairest One of All flowed across the floor, trying to fill the room.

— Everything's all right? We heard… — Rook almost got hit by a spell.

Magic flew right above his head.

Vil stared ahead. He was aware of what was happening. He was on the road to the overblot again. Dark goo filled the crystal in his pen. Faster and faster with every second. And yet he had no desire to stop it. What was the point?

They were standing right in front of him. [Reader] in front. How it suited her. She was the first one ready to rush towards danger, despite her lack of magic. It's been like that since she got here. He was impressed by it. She was like a legendary prince in shining armor. Neige stood behind her. With his naive kindness as a shield against everything life threw at him. How idiotic. Like a damsell in distress.

— Vil, let's talk...

Prince and princess. Perfect couple. He was never allowed to play the main character. He was always the villain. So where he stood was his place on the stage. On the opposite side.

— True love's kiss! — He heard himself, as if from a distance, laughing hysterically.

Of all the possible people, it had to be LeBlanche. The man he hated. He had everything he always wanted. And now he even had her. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to be consumed by the approaching darkness.

If he couldn't become the hero, he would be the villain...

#vil shoenheit x reader #neige leblanche x reader #vil schoenheit #oneshot #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland #epel felmier #rook hunt #neige leblanche #yandere #yandere au

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and-claudia · 3 months ago

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Against All Odds pt. 13 (Joel Miller x fem! reader)

General Warnings for later on: The main story will have an age gap between Joel and the reader (Reader will be 25 once we get to the main storyline), this will also be your warning that it will eventually be an x pregnant reader (if that’s not your jam, I’m sorry) there is also going to be more graphic/trigger parts later on so please always to be sure to read the warnings BEFORE reading. This story will also be 18+ and TO BE ON THE TAGLIST YOU CAN NOT BE AN AGELESS BLOG (i do actually check that) also there first hand full of parts are all prologue so Joel won’t actually be in it for a bit

Warnings for this part: storms, smut, fingering, possible accent kink if you squint (idk if that's even a thing tbh)

So like I said this is a small tribute to my online bestie turned IRL bestie @fan-g0rl we became friends over a part of my Mandalorian fanfic that was titled "The Storm" and so I wanted to do this part as a little easter egg for her... I didn't mean for there to be smut at the end of this either it just kinda happened...

word count: 4200+

Taglist Sign-Up (read my rules carefully before filling it out)

gif not mine

A couple of weeks and many miles later:

"Hey Joel, I know it's risky, but we need to find proper shelter for tonight... those updrafts are gonna be a storm here soon." I said, nodding over to some clouds in the distance.

"I was afraid of that... keep an eye on them, okay?" He said.

"I will."

And true to my word, I did. And just as I predicted, they formed into storms. And big ones at that. We were in the country side where clearly some farmers had lived. Joel pointed out one of the houses situated up on a hill that would give us a good vantage point on the storms and would keep us up away from any flooding. The back half of the ranch house was still mostly intact, and we were using that as our shelter for the time being.

"I don't like the look of that..." I said from where we had found shelter for the night. "What are you looking at?" Ellie asked.

"You see how the whole storm is spinnin'?"

She nodded.

"It's a supercell. Which means hail, heavy rain... maybe a tornado."

"Tornado?" Ellie asked nervously.

"Yeah... not super likely, but possible. That's why Joel's out looking for a storm cellar. This big of house is bound to have one somewhere. The worst-case scenario is we hold up there for the night. It'll be safer than here." I explained, trying not to scare her.

“How will we know if there’s a tornado coming?” She asked.

I sighed, “Honestly, we probably won’t. Before the outbreak, and even from what I remember in some of the QZs, they had sirens that would go off if there was really any hazardous weather heading for an area, not just for tornadoes but now, especially for us being out here, we’re kinda just relying on our eyes and ears to know. We don’t even have radar anymore.” I explained.

“Fun.” She said, clearly nervous.

“Don’t worry, I doubt anything is going to happen. It’s been getting too cold already. I think we’re just going to get a lot of rain, probably some hail. Hopefully, the hail core won’t pass directly over us.”

She nodded just as Joel was coming back.

“Find anything?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s around the side of the house. I checked it out. It’s empty, save for a few mice.” He said.

I nodded, “If you want any shot at catching dinner, you should go now before that storm hits.” I said, not taking my eyes off of it.

“Actually, I found some cans down there brought a variety back that weren’t bloated.” He said, squatting down and setting them down on the ground.

I glanced over and saw the variety he was setting out. Some of them actually didn’t look half bad.

“What’s the storm lookin like?” He asked, coming to stand beside me as Ellie went over to raid the selection of cans.

“We’re definitely getting rain, maybe hail. That thing is spinning like a top. I think we’ll be okay here, though. It’s been too cold for anything, I think…” I said with a sigh, finally turning to look at him.

He nodded, “Okay, worst-case scenario, like I said, the cellar is just around the corner.”

“So, what’d you bring up?” I asked, walking over to join Ellie in looking at our options for dinner.

We all picked out our dinner and then sat together, watching the storm roll in. There was a lot of cloud-to-ground lightning in it, and it was stunning. By the time we were done eating, the storm was fast approaching. I went ahead and told Ellie to get some rest while Joel and I watched the storm come in. Joel was being our usual lookout, despite the fact that we hadn’t seen any signs of any people in weeks. I was still keeping an eye on the storm.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen a storm like this.” I whispered to him as we sat on the old back porch.

“It’s really something.” He said, nodding before looking over at me. I was sitting in the doorway, resting my head against the frame.

“Hey, come here.” He said, nodding me over as he adjusted the way he was sitting so I could come over and sit between his legs.

I smiled and got up to walk over. I sat down and settled down between his legs, leaning back to rest against his chest. The lightning continued to put on a show in front of us and the rain had finally started falling. The pitter-patter of it on the roof was slowly lulling me to sleep.

His arms snaked around my waist, allowing him to rest his hands against my small bump. I smiled as his large hands cradled it so gently, and I relaxed even more into him.

“They’re getting bigger.” He commented.

“Gee, thanks.” I said with a small laugh.

“Hey, it’s a good thing.” He said, pressing a small kiss to the side of my head.

“I know, means everything is assumingly okay in there.” I said, bring my hands to join his.

About a week ago, I had expressed to him how scared I was that something would go wrong with the baby. The QZs didn’t have the best prenatal care, but it was at least something. Out here, I had nothing. There was no one who could check on the baby and make sure everything was going the way it should. And with this being my first baby, I literally had no clue what was normal and what wasn’t besides the obvious, common sense stuff.

“Have you felt them yet?” He asked.

“I don’t think so… at least not that I was able to be like that was definitely the baby.” I explained.

“I’m sure you will soon.” He said, rubbing my bump slightly.

I shifted some and moved to undo the button and zipper of my jeans, and once I did, I relaxed back into Joel.

“Feel better?” He teased.

“Mhm, much better. I am betting I’ve got two more weeks before these jeans cut in too much for me to wear them.” I said, sighing.

I felt him nod, “Okay, we’ll figure it out.”

Despite the loud claps of thunder, I was getting quite tired, but I wanted to stay awake until the storm passed, just in case something happened. A small yawn slipped past my lips, and I heard Joel chuckle behind me.

“Getting tired?” He asked, his voice low.

“Nope.” I said, shaking my head, but another yawn slipped out.

“You should go get some sleep.” He said.

“No, I’d rather stay here with you.” I said, leaning my head to the side to rest on his shoulder so I could turn my head and look at him.

“We haven’t seen anyone in weeks, not even evidence of others… just tonight, leave it be and come lay with me. Please?” I said, giving him my best puppy eyes.

“You make it hard to say no to you when you do that…” He said, leaning over to kiss me.

He had become much more affectionate the past few weeks, and I wasn’t complaining in the least. I was loving it.

“Come on, before I change my mind.” He said, dropping his hands from my bump to my hips and giving one of them a small tap.

I scooted forward and stood up, then turned to offer him a hand up.

“I’m the one that’s supposed to be helping you up.” He said, but took my hand anyway.

Once he was up, I quietly led us back inside, never dropping his hand. I looked over to where Ellie was and found her fast asleep, using her backpack as a pillow. Joel and I settled down together and eventually fell asleep as well.

When I woke up, I sat up and noticed Ellie was gone.

“Joel!” I said, shaking his leg harshly to get him to wake up.

He woke with a start and looked around panicked for a moment before focusing on me.

“What? What’s wrong?” He asked, his voice raspy from sleep.

“Dude, what’s wrong with his voice?” Ellie asked as she walked in through where the back door should be.

I let out a huge sigh when I saw her and rested my head in my hand.

“Oh my god, Ellie, where were you? I woke up and didn’t see you anywhere. It scared the shit out of me.” I said.

I wasn’t trying to make her feel bad for it. It had just truly scared me.

“I’m sorry, I woke up and really had to pee… I just went out back. I didn’t mean to worry you.” She said.

“It’s okay. Really, just wasn’t prepared for you to be gone… and actually, now that you mention it, I’m going to go do the same.” I said before standing up and stretching. I cringed slightly at the sound of my joints popping.

When I got back, Joel was more awake, now sitting up, leaning against the wall.

“Mornin’” He said when I walked in.

“Good morning. Sorry for startling you awake.” I said.

“S’okay. Rather you do I, and there be nothing wrong, then not do it and something be wrong.” He said with a nod.

We ended up packing up and raiding what cans we could before setting off again. We actually found some more shot gun ammo in their cellar as well that we were all shocked hadn’t been raided. Our best guess was the house was falling into disrepair before the outbreak so no one really ever considered raiding it.

There was a new chill in the air now. That storm was probably the last big one of the season. The leaves around us had already changed and slowly were falling from the trees. I knew that as it got even colder, our pace would slow even more, which made me even more nervous about the baby than I already was. I was really starting to have doubts that we would make it there in time.

A cold front came through within the following days, forcing us to double up some of our clothes as temperatures dropped. Luckily, we had managed to find some warmer gear at Bill and Frank’s that survived the crash back in Kanssas City. I was also greatful that I had remembered to find a jacket that was too big so it would fit me as the baby grew.

Conversation, as we walked, varied from stories from before the outbreak to what we would be doing if the outbreak had never happened to the baby and everything in between.

“So, what were you doing before everything happened, Joel?” Ellie asked as we walked along.

“Nothing, I just did my job.” He said bluntly.

“Which was… building?” She asked, causing me to smile.

“That’s right. Houses, stores, that kinda thing. We were called contractors.” He explained.

“That contractor,” Ellie said in a dramatic voice, “That’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah, we were pretty cool. Everybody loved contractors.” He said, and I actually let out a small laugh.

“What’s funny?” He asked, looking over at me.

“Nothing.” I said, shaking my head with a smile.

“It’s obviously something, please share.” He pressed teasingly.

“Well, I don’t have much experience with them… but everybody definitely did not love contractors. I can vaguely remember us having one come to look at our foundation or something, and I swear my pa complained about him for weeks.” I said with a laugh, causing Joel and Ellie to do the same.

“Okay, so maybe not everyone loved us.” Joel conceded.

Once the laughter ended, Ellie looked over to me, “I’m just curious because you’ve talked about him after the outbreak, but what was your dad like before it? Was he the same?”

I shook my head, “No, he was so different before everything.” I said, picturing what fuzzy memories I could.

“He was a fairly stereotypical dad, honestly, but when I was little, I swear he hung the moon. He would go to work every weekday, come home, eat dinner with us, have a beer, then go sit in his recliner and watch whatever game was on, but definitely preferred watching NASCAR.” I said, remembering sitting with all my brothers around the TV, watching the different colored cars go around the track.

“What’s NASCAR?” Ellie asked.

“Racing, like in cars. It was honestly pretty boring most of the time. They just went around an oval track… but honestly… I would give just about anything to watch one more race with all of them…” I said suddenly, feeling tears well up in my eyes at the sudden feeling of missing them.

Joel must have seen me wiping my eyes because his steps fell into rhythm with mine as he put his arm around my shoulders as we walked.

“What about you, Joel? Were you a NASCAR fan?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

He shook his head.

“Not really. I was more of a football guy.” He said.

“My brother played. I got dragged to so many high school games. But I was way too young to actually understand what was happening.” I said.

“Wait, is it that hard to understand?” Ellie asked.

That led us into a long conversation that was mostly just Joel trying to explain the rules of the game while Ellie and I listened, nodded along, and asked questions. To tell the truth, I was getting more confused the more he explained but I just continued along with it.

The next day, we decided to just walk for half the day and stopped after a few hours to rest. Since finding the additional ammo, Ellie had been itching to learn how to use the shotgun, and Joel was finally giving in. He had set up a makeshift shooting range in an open clearing and was finally trying to teach her how to use it. I sat back, watching the two of them. Ellie let off a few shots, each one of them missing the target Joel had set up.

“Wide right. You’re flinchin’.” He said to her.

“The target’s too small.” She said with a little frustration.

“I made it bigger than I should’ve. Eject the cartridge.”

She did as he said, “And I am not flinching.” She defended herself.

“Mm-hmm.” He hummed in response.

“This rifle just sucks.” She said, looking over at him.

“Okay, give it.” He said, moving away so she could pass it to him.

She handed it to him and then stood up to walk closer to me.

“It doesn’t aim right. You’ll see.” She insisted.

“Mm-hmm.” Joel hummed again as he adjusted his position.

“Deep breath in, slow breath out. You squeeze the trigger, like you love it.” Joel explained, making me stifle a laugh behind my hand as Ellie shot me a funny look.

“Steady… nice and slow.” He continued to narrate.

“You gonna shoot this this or get it pregnant?” Ellie said with a sigh.

Before I could stop myself, I chimed in, “Oh, trust me, that’s not how he did it.”

Joel took his shot but then immediately looked over to Ellie and me. Ellie was giving me a disgusted look, and I was covering my mouth, trying not to laugh as Joel gave me a look that just said, “Did you really just say that?”.

“I am so sorry! It slipped out before I could even think!” I said, finally letting my laughter out.

“That was single-handedly the most disgusting thing I think you have ever said to me.” Ellie said.

I couldn’t even apologize because I was laughing so hard. By this time, Joel had stood up and was walking over to us. He just shook his head at me, clearly trying not to smile. He handed the gun back over to Ellie.

“Oh, and it aims just fine, by the way.” He said, nodding behind him to the target he had hit perfectly.

“You dick!” Ellie said upon seeing that. She went back over to where they had been shooting from to try a few more times.

“I cannot believe you said that.” He said, finally letting his smile show.

“I swear it crossed my mind, and before I could stop myself, I was saying it.” I said, finally regaining my composure.

“I mean, it is the truth…” He teased, nudging my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, resting my head against his shoulder with a dreamy sigh. It had been a while since he and had sex like that. Honestly, it would still probably be a while before we were able to do it like that. Between traveling, the unknown of what was actually in Jackson, and being pregnant, our sex life was on hold for an undisclosed amount of time currently.

“Have you thought about what might be in Jackson in terms of like a settlement, like what it’s like there?” I asked as we watched Ellie.

“A little, trying not to get my hopes up, though.” He said, and I nodded in understanding.

“Same… but there are two-no wait, three, yeah, three things I am hoping to get once we are there.” I said.

“Oh yeah?” Joel turned to me and picked my head up from his shoulder, “And what are they?”

“One, a hot meal. Now, don’t get me wrong, you’re a great chef out here,” I said, teasing and putting my hand on his knee, “But let's be honest, we’re eating what would have been roadkill pre-breakout. I want a real, true hot meal.”

Joel let out a small laugh and nodded, “Okay, fair enough, that does sound really good. What else?”

“A bed.” I said bluntly, and he smiled at that with a nod, clearly agreeing, “I don’t even care if it is just a few blankets on the ground and a pillow. I just want a bed that isn’t just the hard ground.” I said.

“I agree.” He said.

“Lastly, this one is a more recent desire, I must admit. But if I am able to still,” I leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, “I want to be properly fucked on that bed.”

I pulled back just enough to see his reaction, and he was smiling at me.

“I think I can make that happen, darlin’.” He said, leaning in.

I leaned up to kiss him, smiling into it. I hadn’t even heard the gunshots stopping until I heard Ellie’s voice, causing us to separate. “You two are disgusting.” She said, shaking her head and causing us to laugh.

We all packed up and gathered our stuff before making our way out of the clearing for the night as the sun began to set. Finding shelter was getting harder because of the cold and the morning frosts that were now happening consistently. We were pretty far from any old towns, so actual buildings were few and far between. Luckily, there was the occasional cave and that is where we were holding up for the night.

Joel rummaged through the can and found us each one for dinner. He even spoiled us tonight and heated them up carefully over the fire. He handed Ellie’s to her, then brought his and mine over to me to sit next to me while we ate.

“I hope this can hold you over in terms of a warm meal.” He joked, handing me the warm can.

“It’ll do for now.” I said with a smile.

When he sat down, he was oddly close, not that I really minded just caught me off guard a little. As did him, leaning over to whisper in my ear.

“If you promise to keep quiet, I have something that can try to help hold you over until I can properly fuck you again.” He whispered before causally leaning back away from me as if nothing had happened.

I looked over at him but he was as casual as can be.

“Do you want first watch?” Joel asked once we all finished up eating.

“Sure.” She nodded.

“I’m going to go refill the waters before Yn and settle in for the night.” Joel told her, collecting all of our canteens before disappearing.

When he got back, I had already cleared an area for us too far away from the entrance to the cave but not too far away from the fire. I told Ellie goodnight before settling down with Joel. His back was to the entrance of the cave, and I was in front of him with my back to him as he held me from behind.

Suddenly, his face came a little closer, and soon, his lips were on my neck. I small gasp escaped my lips.

“Gotta stay quite, darlin’.” He said, his southern accent slipping out way thicker than it usually does.

I bit my lip to keep myself quiet and melted into Joel. His hand then slipped under my shirt and began trailing up towards my breast before I stopped him by gently grabbing his wrist.

“Joel…” I whispered cautiously. My breast had become very sensitive the past couple of days, and he knew that.

“Sshh, I know, I’ll be gentle. Promise.” He whispered.

And true to his words, he was extremely gentle as he groped at my breast. By this point, I had rolled onto my back so he could kiss my lips instead of just my neck. We lied like that for a bit before I began to get impatient. As much as I was enjoying this, I needed something more, or this would be a huge tease.

Then, as if he had read my mind, his hand slowly retreated away from my breasts and went down to my already undone jeans.

“Turn back to your side.” He said gently and I did as he requested and went back to how we were originally laying.

“Gonna stay quiet for me?” He whispered lowly in my ear.

I nodded.

“Good, girl.”

His hand then dipped under the fabric of my panties and went straight to where I wanted them the most. He hadn’t even properly touched me, and my back was already arching slightly with anticipation.

His fingers gently ran through my folds, feeling how wet I already was.

“Damn, darlin’ all of this for me?” He asked.

I bit my lip harder, trying not to moan in response to what he was saying to me. He’s usually not one to talk much during sex, but when he’s in the right mood to, his voice is sweet like honey, saying filthy things in the sweetest, smoothest southern accent. All I could do was nod in response.

My breathing hitched as he slipped his finger into me. I pumped it only a few times before slipping in a second one. My whole body stiffened at the feeling.

“Relax, darlin’, I got you.”

That was all it took for me to become absolutely putty in his hands. He continued to fuck me slowly with his fingers. When his thumb found my clit and began circling it slowly, I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer.

I sigh left my lips before I whispered, “Joel… m’close.”

“Go ahead, come for me, sugar, just keep it quiet.” He said.

That pet name, mixed with the accent and the magic he was working between my legs, sent me over the edge as my walls gripped his fingers. He continued to pump them in and out of me, helping me ride my orgasm as long as possible. When my body finally stilled and relaxed back against him, his fingers stilled before gently pulling out. Without any hesitation, he brought his fingers to his and sucked them clean. I lay there for a few minutes, coming down from my high and catching my breath.

Eventually, though, I sighed, knowing I would need to change out of these panties and go to the bathroom. Luckily, I still had a clean pair from when we rinsed clothes last. I patted Joel’s arm that was around me.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom real quick.” I said, sitting up once his arm loosened.

He knew what I was about to go do and sat up, grabbing my pack for me and handing it over. I found what I needed and put them in my back pocket to not alert Ellie of anything that had just happened.

“I’ll be right back.” I said, leaning over to kiss Joel one last time.

“We can rinse all the clothes tomorrow night and dry them by the fire.” He said before I stood up, to which I nodded to.

I made sure that my footsteps were loud enough to alert Ellie of my approach so as not to startle her.

“What are you doing? I thought y'all went to bed?” She asked, looking over at me.

“Yeah, I just had to pee.” I said, and she nodded as I walked past to find an area to do my business and change.

Once I got back, I put the old pair in my bag to get rinsed tomorrow before settling back down with Joel. His arm snaked around my waist, and I scooted back until I was flush against him. A content sigh left my lips as my eyes slipped shut, and I drifted off to sleep.

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#joel the last of us #joel miller smut #joel miller tlou #joel x reader #joel tlou #hbo the last of us #the last of us hbo #the last of us #joel miller x pregnant reader #joel miller x reader fluff #joel miller

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theresattrpgforthat · 2 years ago

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THEME: Paws, Feathers & Scales

Mausritter, by Losing Games.

It’s a huge and dangerous world out there, and it does not look kindly on a small mouse. But if you are very brave and very clever and just a bit lucky, you might be able to survive. And if you survive long enough, you might even become a hero amongst mice.

Take up the sword and don the whiskers of a brave mouse adventurer in Mausritter, a rules-light fantasy adventure roleplaying game. Mausritter is built on the chassis of Into the Odd, with new rules for setting, character generation, magical artefacts, and mouse-scale adventures.

Mausritter is a game that makes character creation deceptively simple - your little mouse doesn’t have much to them, but that’s because they’re small creatures in a much larger world. It’s very easy to kill your mouse, which means that your team is going to have to focus on solving a lot of problems without diving head-first into combat. This is a game built off of other games that are OSR, which has a lot of ties to dungeon-delving kinds of games. There’s an online character generator if you want a character fast, and a seriously gigantic amount of third-party content created for these little adventurers. If you like creating and solving challenges more than diving head-first into combat, you should absolutely check this game out.

Cats of Catthulu, by Catthulu.

In Cats of Catthulhu, players take on the roles of a variety of ordinary-seeming cats fighting conspiracies of cosmic chaos. Mighty spirits such as Snarlyathotep, slimy Phatphroggua, and Hastpurr of the Yellow Eye inspire their cultists to destroy civilization-but that’s where all the comfy furniture is!

One person acts as the Cat Herder, arranging the secret plots, challenges, and rewards and guiding the others through the process of making an adventure. Rules are light and quick, emphasizing player cleverness and the fun of being feline. There’s plenty of darkness and chaos in the world, but our fuzzy heroes can handle it!... Usually.

This game is perfect for players who don’t want to deal with math, because cats can’t do math either! Normally you play using special cat dice, but using regular d6’s will work just fine. Your cats will dive into situations that have a Lovecraftian twist, but aren’t too scary for children. On top of rolling dice to determine whether you succeed, there are a few optional rules that add to the goofy feel of the game - particularly the rule of Wum Fing, which states that if a cat character picks up something in game, the player must put their pencil in their mouth and speak around it. If the player gets annoyed and takes the pencil out of their mouth, the cat drops what they are holding.

You only really need the Nekonomikon to play, but Cat Herders might benefit from picking up the Cat Herder’s Guide.

Capybara Capers, by momatoes.

A super elite team of capybaras has been assembled to steal the mythical Awesome Lemon once and for all. But each of you have your own motives...and there may very well be a traitor in your midst. Can you afford to trust one another?

Capybara Capers offers a smooth, seamless tabletop RPG experience for playing a criminal critter, with mechanics for sharing trust, escalating rolls, and even individual win conditions. Ideal for 3-6 players, plus a Game Master!

Each character has their own idea of what victory looks like. There are up to 6 unique Win Conditions that your character may draw from the deck - from gaining the trust of all of the other players, to betraying the rest of the capybaras. Characters also descriptors that will add dice to relevant rolls, in order to increase their chances of success. Throughout the game, players may exchange Trust tokens to give each-other aid or remove Escalation Tokens, which are added whenever the group fails three or more consecutive tasks in a row. If you like wacky hi-jinx and the possibility to betray your friends, Capybara Capers is for you!

Pugmire, by Onyx Path Publishing.

“Be a good dog. Protect your home. Be loyal to those who are true. These are the words of the Code of Man.”

— Sister Picassa Collie, Shepherd of the Church of Man

Dogs have inherited the world, building the kingdom of Pugmire untold centuries after the Ages of Man are over. These dogs have been uplifted to use tools and language, and they seek to rediscover the ruins of the Old Ones. Some have learned to use the leftover technology of humanity, but they believe it to be magic handed to them by their lost gods. Others seek to create an ideal civilization, using a Code of Man compiled from ancient, fragmentary lore left behind by humanity. The world is dangerous and mysterious, but good dogs will persevere.

Pugmire uses a simplified version of 5e, which makes it great for kids or first-timers to the RPG scene. You may clear the forest of Giant Ants, foil the plots of scheming cats, or race rat cultists from the Cult of Labo Tor in order to retrieve a ruin from an artifact. As adventurers, all of your endeavours serve to fulfill your over-arching goal: to become Very Good Dogs. For players, the core rulebook for Pugmire is free as a phone version on DriveThruRpg. For cat lovers, you can instead play in the scheming Monarchies of Mau, if that is what your heart desires.

Crustacean Bus Station, by kumada1 (Sprinting Owl).

You are a crab.

You live in a tidepool community with other crabs. However, your crab factory job is at the other end of the beach. To get there, you must traverse dangerous terrain, evade seagulls and seals and morays, and wear yourself out scrambling over barnacle-covered rocks. This commute would be so much easier if you had a bus.

Unfortunately, crab bus stops are banned by seal civic ordinances. Crabs are rejected from the prestigious Seagull School Of Engineering. And Moray Refreshments, your factory job, is very strict about attendance. Miss even a few minutes of your shift and you risk having your pay docked---which will put you behind on your rent and give Octopus Realty all the incentive it needs to start processing evictions.Tonight, you're going to build your own bus with nothing but pincers and theft.

Buckle up and ready your pincers, because this is a game full of crime and creativity. You’re playing the underdogs, crabs with only a few hit points and a lot of obstacles in the way of building your bus. Each character gets something called a Scuttle Score, which acts as player currency in order to get out of a terrible situation. However, if you Scuttle out of a situation, it makes the situation worse for your friends! Will you leave them behind, or will you stick it out and solve your problems together?

Geese at the Beach, by Justin Joyce.

THE GOOSE KING HAS AWOKEN. The annual event has arrived, in which the Goose King rises and sends his most powerful Geese soldiers to the dangerous lands of The Beach to gather Shiny things for his most powerful Horde. Perhaps he simply wants as much treasure as possible, or perhaps he yearns for the greatest treasure of all.

Regardless of his wants, it is on you and your squad of geese to brave the horrors of The Beach and battle the Goose King's enemies to bring the king what he desires most: Shinies. If the Goose King's wants are not met, the risk of all out war between The Goose King and the Seagull Armada could threaten to drown the world.

This game picks up a lot of cues from Belonging Outside Belonging games, which don’t usually use dice. This game uses 2d8, but much of your character abilities rely not on dice, but on the Favors you gain by doing certain actions. Players choose from five Goose playbooks: The Buff Goose, The Duck, The Pelican, The Cat, and the Fish. Each one of these playbooks is hilarious and guaranteed to elicit a game full of laughter.

Wanderhome, by Possum Creek Games.

Wanderhome is a pastoral fantasy role-playing game about traveling animal-folk, the world they inhabit, and the way the seasons change. It is a game filled with grassy fields, mossy shrines, herds of chubby bumblebees, opossums in sundresses, salamanders with suspenders, starry night skies, and the most beautiful sunsets you can imagine.

You might be a tamarin who dances with small and forgotten gods, a leporine mail carrier who relies on moths to get packages where they belong, a little lizard with a big heart and a mysterious past, or a near-endless number of other thrilling possibilities. No matter what, we’re always travelers—animal-folk who go from village to village and get to see the length and breadth of all the world of Hæth. The seasons will change as we play, and we will change with them.

Wanderhome is enchanting and endearing, and fundamentally encourages a different kind of roleplaying experience than you find in a traditional roleplaying game. Built on the Belonging Outside Belonging system, it requires absolutely no dice. Character sheets will give you the ability to describe the world around you, and encourage you to step into making mistakes in order to set your character up for successes down the road. If you are interested in stories about small critters travelling to pastoral locations and helping out the characters they find along the way, Wanderhome is definitely for you.

You can find both official and non-official Wanderhome supplements here.

#game recommendations #dnd #animals #cats #tabletop games #indie ttrpgs

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ritunn · 11 months ago

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5 TTRPGs to Try in 2024

In 2023, I wrote up a short post pitching 5 TTRPGs I think folks should give a look at over the year in light of WotC's controversy. WotC has yet to do something on the scale of what happened last year again, but I think it's fun to tell people about the cool Indie TTRPGs I've been reading since then. So, here are 5 MORE TTRPGs you should read in 2024.

1. Lancer

Do you like mecha? Well, Indie darling, Lancer, has you covered! A highly tactical TTRPG that makes use of a hex-grid for combat and even has its own online character builder, Lancer has you play as well... lancers! Professional mech pilots who are called in when the going gets tough. There is an insane level of customization in Lancer for your mech, being able to use parts from 4 different manufacturers each with their own pros and cons, and then mix and match them together to create your ideal fighting style based on your choice of frame, weapons, and systems! The RP doesn't fall behind either, with the trigger system allowing one choose a variety of phrases that give you a bonus on skill checks when it applies, while outside of mech combat. The dice system itself is also quite simple, with a majority of checks being a d20 against a difficulty level of 10 with some modifications based on the situation. If none of this convinces you however, just check out the vibrant community for the game here on Tumblr and the terrifying ransom note style memes.

2. Ryuutama

Last year, I highlighted Fabula Ultima, but a lot of that game was influenced by other games, primarily D&D 4e and Ryuutama. The latter of which it gets some of its mechanics from! Coming straight from Japan, in Ryuutama you take on the role of a traveler venturing out into a vibrant medieval world straight out of a Ghibli film, your adventure helping the growth of the seasonal dragons who made the world. It's a game that emphasizes travel, exploration, and preparation with a simple class system. One could really call it the Oregon Trail of TTRPGs! Except with less dysentery and more dragons and Dragon Quest influence. The dice system is identical to Fabula Ultima, your stats being assigned a die and rolling those for checks. However, something that stands out is the Ryujin system, which has the GM make a character as well! The GM's Ryujin can be carried over multiple games and grows as the parties they challenge and protect accomplish more. Honestly, a great game of choice for a forever GM! Just like Fabula Ultima as well, the whole group helps build the world, so everyone gets to add a little something.

3. Mausritter

Mausritter is an OSR style game that has you play a mice on an adventure in our own wide world! There they contend with other animal threats and dungeons composed of buildings in the countryside. Doing away with classes, inventory management takes center stage in Mausritter, your items expanding what you're capable of in the absence of class specific abilities. Spells themselves are even items, each with their own set of charges that make them a valuable but limited resource. Other than this however, the system emphasizes hexploration and provides plenty of tools for GMs to make an adventure just as grand for the mice as any other. The dice system is also d20 based, but focuses on a roll under your stat style instead of meeting difficulty classes, with d6s and d8s used for other rolls like damage and stat generation. Though, you'll mostly be rolling those d20s for saves as your attacks always hit! Attacks first taking away from your HP, then your Strength stat when you're hit by the enemy. If the latter gets too low, that's game over for you, but getting your Dexterity and Willpower reduced can be just as detrimental for more than just saves.

4. Corvid Court

In the city of the Nest, you're members of a cult of assassins called the Corvid Court. Are you actual birds or just bird-themed cultists? That's up to you. Either way, Corvid Court is a very short TTRPG that has you carrying out assassination missions for the cult against others who are often just as terrible of people as you are. With 5 corvid themed classes to pick from, each with their own unique capabilities to benefit the party for taking out targets, like the murderous Crow and the talkative Jay, you'll need to be clever or incredibly violent if you want to take down your targets. However, don't expect to be around for a long time. The system is a d6 dice pool system where the best result you roll determines the outcome, most of them coming with the consequence of stress for one of your stats. Accumulate too much and you'll quickly fall into a downward spiral and have to deal with the fallout... or perhaps just die. No one ever said this was an easy life.

5. Quest

Quest's goal is to be approachable and inclusive, the best option for someone's first foray into TTRPGs, and in that it very much succeeds. A high fantasy TTRPG, Quest simplifies the formula while still keeping it interesting and deep by cutting out modifiers and grid based combat and simply having you roll 1d20 with the outcome depending on the roll. 11 - 20 being a success, 1 - 10 being failure, each with their own degrees of such however. Combat itself being based on distances. Damage is also just a simple number, no need for another die to roll after that. Other than this, there is a wide selection of classes to choose from that pull from your typical themes with the Ranger, Fighter, and Wizard with newer ideas too like the reality bending Magician! Each class has different subclass tracks of which you can invest into each as little or much as you want. Characters then get a pool of ability points they can spend to activate their most powerful abilities, with standard features being free. Overall, however, Quest shines in being a casual TTRPG that doesn't require tons of rules expertise and rewards creative thinking and use of abilities. It's free too! So, if you got someone you want to introduce to the hobby, don't bother with D&D 5e, grab Quest instead.

Conclusions

Got a TTRPG you love? Talk about it in the tags or a reblog! I'm always looking for new systems to check out and others are too, so do share. I hope you get to check these systems out though, each is loads of fun, that I can promise. Feel free to check out last year's suggestions here.

#ttrpg #lancer #ryuutama #mausritter #corvid court #quest #rit writes

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yorkiegregg · 11 days ago

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I really need to “learn” more on how to describe how being a Yorkie is like for me. It’s so strange to describe and I mostly cannot explain it into comprehensible sentences, which is so frustrating - because it’s such a vigorous aspect of myself but I can’t even say how much it means. But I guess that also gives it it’s power.

But lately I’ve been especially thinking extra hard on how I relate Yorkiehood to the working life. Both working as in literal, manual labor, and working as in being surrounded by those workers - seeing yourself in them and constantly having that spirit, whether wanted or not. It was pretty much integrated into my mind and soul since day 1.

I talked about it on the old blog(s) of my mine before, now deleted, how I used to believe in past lives with myself. And I thought me being a dog could deal with that, but now I realize that that’s not how it is at-all. But rather, it’s that I correspond my existence as a Yorkie (now) onto the past of other Yorkies, and that is represented everyday. Psychosis is weird, I see through a double-vision the mines in my situation. The ruggedness. I remember the smell of grime and fresh rock, I remember how it felt to lay there in the cool dark outside of them or in them. The dirt. I remember it all. But it’s not remembering, because it was never a past - it is a now. But I don’t experience that now; The mine’s at-least…. but I experience being a Yorkie.

-I experience being a small animal in a “work work work” environment. I stare at the dirt and see the coals, rock. I stare at the workers that I understand to be vital to the environment around me - and how I correlate with them in terms of endurance and how they’ve existed in my heritage and surroundings forever. I smell wet concrete and I smell the tracks of trains that pass through those old towns. How can I be such a small dog with such a big view..?

And the ratting. That punts-in too, obviously. I see small game and instantly think to sustain. I see the vermin, mice, that contaminate our house now and I know my place. …When I cower down in the basement (to check for mice) and it’s cold and rough, whilst the others are too scared to go down - it’s far too small and scary… that’s what being a Yorkie means. It was never about trying to be something else, it was never about being too small and frail - too scared, it was… is about encapsulating life through a lens that is only understandable by the beholder.

#dog talk #dog therian #clinical cynanthropy

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chloe-spade · 2 years ago

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The Glass Slipper Ch. 1: A Meeting to Remember

Sun rises as a new day began. 6:00 is as early as they come, early for everyone to start the day. Even the clock thought so too, as every single second passed since 6:00, the bell rang throughout town, loud enough that some may felt the ground move as it rang.

Cater was one of the those who hates waking up, twisting, and turning to cover his face, hoping that the pillow would somehow soften the loud sounds of the clock. But it doesn't work for everybody.

"Ugh..." Cater groaned, looking up from his bed and at the clock, "It's too early for this." He yawned and got up at his bed, "You always alert everyone with such loud booming sounds, as if it was peaceful way to start the day. And I'm sorry to tell you, but it's not."

With that, Cater closes the window, which somehow muffled the clock.

"...too early," Ace yawned, "wanna sleep in.."

"You always sleep in," scoffed Riddle, "get up, you two! It's early in the morning and we have work to do."

"...not now," Ruggie groaned.

"Ugh, you two are always the laziest," Riddle pulled them both by the tails, "it's not healthy to stay asleep."

"Today's going to be a great day," Kalim spoke, stretching, "We should get our bodies moving and our brains tinkering."

"Easy for you to say..."

Cater grinned and sat down on the bed.

"Shame," Cater sighs, "I was having the most wonderful dream."

"Hmm? What was it about?"

"Oh no," Cater laughs, "I am not telling any of you. Besides, my mother always says that if you tell a wish, it won't come true."

✨

A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're fast asleep

In dreams you will lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for, you keep

✨

Cater got dressed in his usual rags as he begins to brush his hair, looking at the mirror. He opens the windows to let some birds in as some chirped to greet him for the day. He opens the door to prepare the new day of same old chores, same old demands and same old bossy people.

✨

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true

✨

As Cater walked downstairs, he heard clashes and clangs of a nearby cage. It was one of Last Rosalind's mousetraps, a way to keep mice away, to starve and die when the time comes.

"A new one?" Riddle ponders, "I thought we got rid of every single one of those stupid things."

"Maybe we missed one?" Ruggie added.

Cater walked over to the mousetrap, and checked inside, seeing a small blue mouse, lunging himself forward to break over the cage that trapped him inside. Cater uses his finger to stop the mouse from injuring himself.

"Hello," He greeted, "What's your name?"

The mouse didn't answer, only staring in fear.

"Cater, let us do the talking," Ace spoke before jumping down from Cater's pocket before walking over to the mousetrap. "Hey hey," Ace chuckles, "I see you accidentally got yourself in this situation, and I can also see you're scared."

Ace walks over at the mice, "Trust me, I've been there myself, everyone else as well.' Ace pointed at the other mice behind him, which calmed down the mouse. "See that human?" Ace asked, then turning over to the mouse, "That's Cater, the only nice human in this old house, and he won't hurt you, we promise."

"How can you be so sure?" The mouse questioned.

"Because we're alive, aren't we?"

The mouse looks at Ace and sighs, before following Ace out. "...so, this guy says your a nice human?" The mouse asked.

"Well, yes," Cater chuckles, "I'm Cater, one of the residence here. And I'm sorry about the mice traps, my step mother hates mice."

"And you don't?"

"No! I find them to be the smallest but the bestest friends you can have..which is saying much before I don't have much contact with my other friends." Cater looks down at the mouse, "So, what's your name?"

"Deuce," the mouse introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

Cater grinned and takes some extra clothes, "Now, try these on."

Deuce was confused but got dressed in the tiny clothes Cater gave him, and what do you know? It fits perfectly and it's comfy. "You made these?"

"Yeah, small hobby of mine," Cater looks over at the other mice, "Make sure you show him around," Cater gets up and looks back, "and please, stay away from Pom-Pom."

He walks downstairs to the kitchen. After a few minutes, breakfast was prepared along with a pot of herbal tea, all in their separate pans. He was so busy that he didn't noticed Ruggie now on counter, staring at the delicious bread. Ruggie snickered as he goes up to sneak some food, hiding beneath a teacup, and plan his next move.

"Is this normal for him?" Deuce asked.

"You'd be lucky if he didn't alert Pom-Pom," Kalim answered, watching Ruggie.

"Who?"

"Stepmother's evil cat," Ace looks around, "She has an eye for us mice," he looks around more before climbing down. "Oh, that doesn't sound nice," Deuce mumbled.

Cater rolls his eyes as he set up the trays. "Don't scare him, Ace."

"I wasn't!"

"You are," Riddle concluded.

Cater begins to carefully balancing the trays of food on his head and hands, before walking up the long row of stairs without a single wobble.

"Woah," Deuce gasps on awe, "How can he do that? Aren't those very heavy?"

"Cater's a professional," Ruggie chuckled, grabbing some cheese, "He's good at what he does, though under sucky circumstances."

"Sucky?" Deuce echoed.

"It's a story for another time." Riddle answered, "Let's just get some food and leave."

"You don't have to tell me tell twice," Ruggie laughed, grabbing everything he could carried.

Cater, meanwhile, had the trays set down and started to open the blinds that covered the windows, adding light to the hallway. He looked over to the door and started with Astrid. "Good morning, Astrid," he greeted.

"Ugh! It's too early for this!" She gasped as Cater opened the blinds, "Close them!" She demanded, covering herself in the blanket.

"That can't do," Cater says with a proud smile," You can't miss out on a good breakfast, now, can you?"

He sets the tray by her side table, a perfect breakfast that they are all so used to. She pouts as she gets up and takes her tray, puts it on her lap, and begrudgingly starts to eat. "Now, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" Cater teased with a smile, grabbing the remaining trays.

"Shut up, worm," Astrid hissed venomously, "now, leave me alone."

Cater shrugs and leaves the room. "Suit yourself." He strolls over to Elise's room and does the same thing with a smile.

A small groan was heard from under the sheets.

"Good morning, Elise," Cater greeted, "I hope you had a good rest. Here's your breakfast and tea, and some extras like you requested."

Elise sighs as she looks over at the food beside her. ".... leave," she mumbled, "...didn't you hear me? I said leave."

Cater nodded and walks out the room, closing the door behind him, now ready to enter that last room Lady Rosalind's. With hesitant breath, he walks inside.

"Ah, you're here, Cater. And with a delightful breakfast," Rosalind's voice rang from her bed, "you've seen nervous. Is something the matter?"

Cater shakes his head. "No, ma'am, just early morning getting to me." He gives her a cup of tea. "It is nothing."

"So formal."

Cater kept a grin as he set down Rosalind's tray and gives her a cup of tea, and cat food for Pom-Pom.

"How's your tea?"

"Delightful. Now, your chores," Rosalind starts, petting her cat, Pom-Pom, who wickedly grinned at Cater, "sweep the stairs at front and back, scrub the floors again, take care of the laundry and do the dishes, and clean the chimney,"

"I've cleaned the chimney yesterday," Cater reminded.

"Clean it again!" Rosalind snapped but gave a small smile. "I do not like arguments, dear Cater, and you should know that if I make the order, you do it. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cater sighs.

"And," Rosalind added, "feed the chickens. They seem hostile lately, and if they have eggs, please do collect them. I do want my girls to have a very healthy breakfast, like this one."

"Of course, Lady Rosalind." Cater nods and starts to walk out the door.

"Don't forget, Cater," Lady Rosalind added, "My daughters are going to need you at the village today, as they have been lacking in dresses."

"I haven't forgotten."

"That's why I like you. You don't ask any questions." Cater left the room as fast as possible, before sighing in relief, watching the mice reach the final step.

"Now, what are you all doing?" Cater whispered, walking over to them, offering his hands.

"Deuce wanted to see you in action," Ace explained.

"Well, I was interested on how he can do this, day to day."

Cater takes them and helps them in his pocket and walks down the stairs. "Well, try not to get caught, and prepare for a day in town...a long day in town."

✨

Malleus was staring at a window towards town, ignoring his grandmother and Lilia speaking about his future spouse and his time as king, for when the Queen passed.

"Malleus, are you listening?" The Queen asked, "Did you hear anything we've said."

Malleus looks over and didn't respond and looks back at the window.

"For heaven's sake, Malleus," the queen groaned, "Don't you understand what's happening?"

"That I am of age and to wed soon," Malleus spoke solemnly, "But the lady you brought in wasn't someone I felt a connection with. She seemed to care about wealth and wealth alone, which is not I want in a relationship, even in an arranged one."

"Malleus, who cares about connection. You need someone to rule with and I am running out of options for you."

"Lilia said it was important."

"I did say that," Lilia admitted, "because, your highness, I truly believed that love is essential for a positive marriage and a fruitful ruling. Malleus should be with someone he chooses."

The Queen looked at Lilia and back at Malleus. "Do you still have your handmade letter for our annual engagement ball?" The Queen asked.

"I do, Grandmother." Malleus answered.

"Here's what I'll agree too," The Queen explained, "If you happen to meet someone that you feel that you really care about, I'll let marry them."

"Then I should start at the village."

"Pardon?" The queen stammered, "I-I didn't say you should do the village."

"But you did say I should choose whoever I want, villager included."

"It does count," Lilia agreed, "You didn't say it wasn't allowed."

The Queen groaned and sighed, "Fine, go to the village and watch how those will tremble at your feet for money and status."

"Grandmother..."

"No. I will not interfere with this process. This is your idea, and I won't say a word." The Queen walked away after, leaving Malleus and Lilia in the ballroom, verbally speechless on what the queen had said.

"You are welcome," Lilia chuckles, "So? How's about it? Going to the village today?"

"I don't know, Lilia," Malleus sighs, "Grandmother seemed upset and what if she's right? About the connection to the greediness of others? I'll be honest, Lilia, I have no idea how love works and yet I just made a deal to find love."

"Oh, remember what I said? You'll know when you know, Malleus. Now, get ready! We have a day in the village!"

✨

"Oh! And this! And also this!" Astrid shrieked in glee, picking many dresses, fabrics, shoes and more.

"Ooh, these shoes are much more my style!" Elise cheered, grabbing a pair of shoes.

How long as Cater's been in the village? At least for 3 hours, no breaks and he was carrying every single thing that they've bought with or without thinking. It was taking a toll on his physical strength, but he's surviving. The mice in his pocket say otherwise. It was painful to watch Cater do this much physical labor, even through he said he was fine, but the small shakes of his arms claimed otherwise.

"Now you! Wait outside until we are done." Ordered Astrid, who was still looking for more jewelry to try on. Cater sighs as he walks outside and waits.

"Exhausting..." he mumbled, "who knew shopping at the town square was an exhausting encounter," Cater paused for a moment, "Hold on, it's not the first time I've done this." "I'd say, you've gotten stronger though," Kalim complimented, "But do you need help?"

*Jingles Jingles*

Kalim's perked up. "Oh! Looks like I'm needed for something!" He climbs out and grabs his wand. "I'll be right back!"

"Be careful," Cater smiles, "and don't cause a scene like last time."

Kalim nods as he disappears, leaving a sparkling trail.

Deuce could only stare and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"We'll explain," Ruggie started.

✨

Kalim appeared in a small alleyway, cleaning himself up, and was clearly dizzy.

"Ah, Kalim." Lilia greeted, "Look at you, fruitful as ever."

"Nice to see you again, Lilia." Kalim spoke, "Sorry if I'm a little dizzy! I've been a mice for way too long! Anyways, do you need a daily report?"

"One would be nice."

"Well, helping Cater! He still doesn't want me to just *poof* him out of there. But he was right about us having a plan before I could even consider it."

"Fairy Godfather business does feel like that sometimes. You just want to help but they won't let you."

"But I am great at using my magic for small specks of revenge." This caught Lilia attention and a cat like grin appeared on his face. "Do tell." "Well, The mean stepmother so cruel that I stick her nose into a spoon. She has a spoon on her nose for the rest of the day...or well, a week." Lilia let's out a laugh, "Oh, I would've done that too if it wasn't for me retiring."

"But I just wish we could so something to actually help Cater and not just...help with chores. I need some sort of plan."

"Oh, lucky for you." Lilia guided Kalim to Malleus, who was looking at some sorts of desserts, clearly distracted.

"Isn't that the prince?" Kalim gasps.

"Yeah, surprise," Lilia softly cheered, "I'm the queen's royal advisor and I take him to town to find someone he fancies, but no luck."

"Lilia, are you saying...?"

"Oh, I am. Watch this." Summoning his wand, he aims towards Malleus and carefully takes the envelope out of pocket, alerting Malleus.

"Hmm, must be a windy day," he mumbled as he followed but failed to grab the letter each time, causing giggles from Lilia.

"Now, let's get to Cater."

✨

Cater was now internally cursing at the sky above as the new items were causing a decreased to Cater's speed.

"Great Stars, must you be so slow!?" Astrid complained, "Mother is right. You do get lazier and lazier everyday."

"Hurry up! Or else everything is off sale!" Elise added, "It seems you like getting locked in your room."

"..I don't think you noticed that I have besn carrying everything for 3 hours," Cater murmured underneath his breath, clearly spiteful.

"I'm just surprised you can carry it all." Deuce spoke, "Look at all of that. It's a mountain that's ready to collapse."

Because it was about to. With the boxes covering his vision, he could only depend on hearing to get him moving. What he didn't expect was a carriage that zoomed across carelessly, startling Cater enough to trip. Everything else happened so fast. Cater gasped as he felt a hand around his waist, and heard an unfamiliar voice, "are you ok?" Cater looks up to see someone he can't recognize but a strangely handsome man, Cater thought. Over them was all the boxes, surrounding by fae magic, not even close to the floor.

"Y-yes, I'm fine," He looks up. The man above him took a relief and helped Cater up on his feet, fixing his outfit. Cater was distracted by how tall he was and the unusual but amazing horns on top of head.

"Cater! You clumsy worm!! I hope everything didn't break when dropped them!" Elise screamed.

"Mother will hear about this!" Astrid screamed as well. The stranger looked over and gave them a glare, which silenced them immediately, but ignored them, still brushing off Cater. "Hello, Cater." The stranger greeted, "I hope you didn't hurt yourself when you almost fell." "No," Cater gulped, "I just..uh, I should thank you for helping me. I appreciate it."

"I'm glad I came by in time. And also, I believe Cater is a lovely name." The stranger spoke, taking Cater's hand and kissing his hand.

Cater gasps. "W-what's your name?" "Malleus," he introduced himself. "Like the-" "Not in front of your...what am I supposed to call them?" "Oh you mean my stepsister?" Malleus nodded and kept the boxes above as he approached the girls. "Hello ladies."

"What do you want?" Astrid asks.

"I simply requested that you should not overwork Cater, he seems very lovely and I hate the thought of him possibly fainting of exhaustion. So I recommend we bring you guys back to your home and Cater will have a nice rest."

Cater just had to blush at that. The prince himself was calmly scolding his stepsister not to overwork him. It wasn't the first time he was defended but considering that it was Prince Malleus himself doing it. It was doing something to Cater. Ace took notice of it.

"Oh, there's the look," Ace said.

"What look, Ace?" Riddle asked.

"That's what I call the look of love." Ace answered, "Come on, the evil stepsisters are getting scolded by that man."

"Yeah, how can Cater not fall for him?" Ruggie added.

"Well, I suppose I can see it," Riddle admitted, "I just think it might to sudden for you."

Cater didn't add much to the conversation as he continued to watch, as well as the other townfolk.

"Although," Malleus continued, "Look at all of this. You bought so much that it could've lead to an injury. Tsk tsk. How about this, I'll come along as a helping hand. Would that work for you, Cater?"

Cater, still amazed, just nodded. Malleus smiles. "Ladies, would you please lead the way?"

With a small huff, Astrid and Elise started to lead Malleus, Cater walking with him.

✨

"I can't believe that worked." Kalim gasps, "I didn't mean to summon the carriage!"

"Even if you didn't mean to, that definitely helped us a lot." Lilia laughed and watch them walk away, "and besides, did you see the way Cater looked at Malleus?"

"And Malleus scolding them?"

"Perfect."

"Cute."

"We should follow them."

"Right!"

✨

"Thank you for helping," Cater thanked Malleus as they walked down the path to the Diamond Estate.

"Of course, and here's everything that they bought. And I must say, you are quite a conversationalist, Cater."

Cater smiles.

"Oh, I had plenty of practice, with animals. Hmm, yeah I can tell that shouldn't be a good thing, right?"

Malleus looks over at Cater and does a small chuckle. "Oh, I have a Knight who can talk to animals as well, so I'm used to that. And I think it's a good thing, as you may understand all animals around you."

"Oh, phew!" Cater sighs of relief, "that's a relief. I'm used to being called weird because of it."

"Oh, I am very aware of weird it is but it never weirds me out." "Really? I suppose someone like you seen so many stuff."

"That is true. But sometimes it's all repeated affairs, so going to the village was a nice change of pace for me." Malleus explained. "And that did lead me to meet you, Cater. So today is a lucky day."

"Oh..lucky?"

Malleus smiles as he takes out a envelope and hands it to Cater.

"This is for you to open," Malleus explained, looking over at the sisters, "When you are alone of course."

A neigh from a horse caught Cater off guard again and stumbled into Malleus.

"My, my, you seem very clumsy, Cater," Malleus laughs, "Perhaps you have fallen for me?"

"Or is it perhaps you made me weak at the knees?" Cater flirted and laughed at his off guard Malleus was at that comment.

"Our coach is here!!" Astrid called, "You two! Put the stuff away and get a move on!"

"Are they always so demanding?" Malleus whispered as he loaded the coach of their bags and boxes.

"You should've seen them in the mornings." Cater answered. Malleus looks back as everything was now packed. He grabbed Cater's hand once last time and couldn't help but ask: "When will I ever see you again?"

Cater smiles and brings Malleus down for a kiss on the cheek. "Soon. If fate brought us here once, I bet it'll do again."

Malleus liked the answer and helps Cater get into the coach. Malleus watched as the coach rode off, waving back at Cater before it was no where to be seen.

"... fate will bring us together again," Malleus whispered before walking back to the village.

✨

As soon as the returned, Cater was already putting things inside, but he was humming and softly dancing as he did so.

"So did something happen while I was away?" Kalim asked, startling the mice.

"Yeah! Cater's fallen in love," Deuce exclaimed, "I mean, look at him!" "This could be a good or bad thing," Riddle muttered. "Nah," Ace disagrees, "Cater's so happy. What's the best thing you can ask for?"

"Nothing I suppose."

✨

"Well, I hope your happy," Lilia pouted in fake anger, "Leaving me with more grey hairs then pink ones?"

"Sorry for my scare, Lilia," Malleus apologies, "but you need to hear this." He spoke with a smile and started walking ahead. "You should've met him, Lilia. I never thought I...I could meet someone as understand as him. Cater is so exhilarating."

"My, did fate help you?"

"...for the first time? Yes, fate has helped me learn love."

#the glass slipper #twisted wonderland #twst #cater diamond #malleus draconia #lilia vanrouge #kalim al asim #riddle rosehearts #ace trappola #deuce spade #ruggie bucchi #original characters #cinderella au

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kidge-planet · 2 years ago

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Pidge's birthday!! (late..)

(contain kidge !! also, I didn't took the time to check for mistakes bc it's late, I'll check tomorrow! hope you don't mind!! )

Hunk rush in the hang out room of the castle of lions with a big smile on his face . Everyone looked at him with concerne .

"GUYS !! "

"what is it big guy?"

Lance said .

"I was one more time looking in Pidge's stufs and despite of finding weird stufs , I took her journal and journal and read it !"

"So what ? "

Keith asked .

"Hey birthday is tomorrow and she didn't told us . WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING!"

Everyone stayed silent and then Lance spoke up:

"Ok Hunk , first , you should stop playing in her stuffs because you know her , if she founds out , she'll kill you .. secondly , what interesting stuffs have you read in her journal? And lastly, how comes she didn't told us ?.."

Lance leaned in the couch with a face full of wonder.

"I can't tell you what I read , She'll get so mad .. and I have no idea of why ."

Hunk answered has he crossed his arms.

"Well. Should we do something? "

Shiro asked, unsure .

"OF COURSE WE SHOULD!! I haven't celebrated a birthday since 10 thousand years! Let's do a surprise party ! "

They all looked towards Allura that was looking exited by the situation and then turned to Shiro, asking if it was a good idea.

"Yeah. Ok. A party sounds fun. that'll clear our minds."

Shiro smiled at them.

"Let's do it then I'll bake the cake! How about a cake that tastes vanilla ?"

Hunk was happily jumping.

"How will you bake a vanilla cake in space?"

Lance asked with a curious look.

"Never said that It'll contain vanilla... ANYWAYS! If someone needs me , I'll be in the kitchen!"

"We should get organised!"

"Yea , the princess is right! ok ... So hunk is baking the cake. Allura , what do you think about you and the mice decorating ? "

"Decorating? that's a job for me!"

Allura jumped but then looked down at the mice that were frowning.

"A job for us , sorry."

she grabed the mice is her hand and smiled.

"I'll help you with that, princess!"

Coran added.

"All right! So they are decorating. I'll be getting a gift because what would a birthday be without a gift! I'll probably need someone to help me choose tho.. Lance? You know Pidge since a moment, right? you might be helpfull with that!"

"Of course! I'll help, you've choosed the best personne to choose a gift, everyone always loves my gift! Plus, I know exactly what to get her! "

"Good! Then Keith, I would like you to keep her busy and away from us while we prepare all that. are you ok with that?"

"Keith looked at Shiro with confusion."

"I mean... Do I realy havve to do that? She is always in green's hangar.. besides, I am maybe not the best to keep her busy.. Why doesn't Lance do it? "

"WOWOWOW!! Are you trying to steal my job? If no, never!! I'll be the one choosing the gift! "

Lance shooted at Keith, frowning.

"Lance, stop. Keith, we need your help with that. just keep her away from us.. Get it?"

Keith sighed at Shiro's words. Not that he didn't liked the idea of spending time with her or not like he didn't like he! He does! she is amazing and he admire her a lot! But, he felt like he didn't had a lot to tell her and that she'll just think he is boring.. That's what other people used to think about him back in school. He didn't wanted her to feel the same so he just oftenly tended to not talk to her out of missions.. ( Even if he felt like the both of them worked well together , he was scared to break that bond they had and even if he doesn't admit it, he is too scaredd to let her get closer because he knew that if one day she went away, he would suffer. A lot. )

"OK!! Everyone knows their mission! go! "

Everyone nodded but then, the door of the room opened.

"Mission? What mission?"

Pidge asked, standing in the entrance.

everyone stayed quiet and then Shiro spoke up:

"we were talking about the next mission!.. you know, we thought that to gather more information could help us a lot.."

'good catch, Shiro.'

Everyone though in union.

"Okkkk? Sure."

Pidge said with confusion in her voice.

they all stayed silent for a few tics.

"Sooo huh, Pidge, what are you doing here?"

Lance asked hesitantly.

"I was ust grabing some snacks and I wondered where everyone was.. Then I heard yelling here so I wanted to check if everything was ok.. But im going to head back to green's hangar.. Sooo... Bye, I guess."

They all awkwardly nodded towards her asshe left the room.

"Well, our surprise party almost blew to our faces.."

Lance complained.

"Yeah, that was close..."

hunk added.

"Ok, so we had to act fast, go!"

everyone walked out of the room, in their way to do what they were assigned to.

Keith walked towards the green lion's hangar. On his way, he was thoughtfull : what am I going to tell her? it's going to be so awkward..

he arrived in front of green's hangar and took a deap breath before to enter.

Inside, Pidge was working on some upgrades for her tech. She didn't notice Keith enter until he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Hey Pidge, what are you working on?" Keith asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Just some upgrades for my tech. What brings you here?" Pidge replied, still focused on her work.

"I was just checking on you, making sure everything's okay," Keith said, trying to keep the conversation going.

Pidge raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's unusual, Keith. Is something wrong?"

Keith shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. We don't really get a chance to chat outside of missions."

Pidge smiled at him, a bit touched by his gesture. "Sure, that sounds great. What did you want to talk about?"

Keith hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say. He didn't want to make things awkward between them, but he also didn't want to waste this opportunity to get to know her better.

"Um, I don't know, just...stuff, I guess," he said, feeling a bit lame.

pidge giggled.

"Okkk?? Come, sit dummy!"

He walked awkwardly towards her and sat next to her at a respectable distance but close enough for him to smell her scent.

"So..."

She looked back at her computer and startedback to type on the keyboard before to continue

"What were you guys talking about earlier before I got in the room?"

She raised hereyes to meat his.

he panicked but tried to keep control.

"Huh.. Well.. Like Shiro said.About the mission."

She raised an eyebrow at those words.

"don't tell me shit, kogane."

They both paused a moment, he didn't knew what to answere. He even hhesitate to tell her about the surprise party but then took over his thoughts:

"Look, I can't tell you yet.. Please, don't try to get me to tell you anything beceause I wont."

pidge frowned and created an eye contact that one more time melted Keith in the inside. After a few tics, she undertood that she couldn't get him to tell her and she juste looked back at he computer.

"ok."

She said with annoyance.

He raised an eyebrow.

" Ok? That's all? Wow, didn't though you'd give up so fast."

He teased her friendly.

"Yeah. I figured that I would find out faster myself. But you guys are weird.. I gope for you that this isn't something too bad. Or else, I'll poison your coffee."

She joked.

"It's not too bad, no need to murder us.."

he said with a slightly serious taun.

"Ok emo guy, stop talking about it if you are not going to tell me.."

She didn't got her eyes of her screen.

Keith stayed silent and just looked at her typing in her computer at an impressive speed.

"How did you learn all that?"

He asked in amazement, not even noticing that he said it out loud.

Turned to him again.

"Learned all... What?"

He then realized that he said it out loud and blushed slightly.

"HUH... Well.. All you know about science and tech. I guess."

She thought before to answere.

"I am a very curious person, I think. I love to learn and I think it is passionating. It is pretty complicated to explain but it just making me feel happy. It was Matt that showed me all I know today. When I was younger, Matt was my heroe. I wanted to be a tech genious, just like him. I wish he was there.

Pidge's smile faded away.

Keith got closer, He couldn't help it, he couldn't just look at her like that. She meant a lot to him.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke up:

"Im sure they'd be proud of you. I don't understand a lot of what you do but, what I know is that you're doing amazing. You realy ARE a tech genious. We'll find your family back, trust me."

He gave her a reassuring smile.

She smiled back before to talk:

"Well, that's realy unlike you keith!"

She giggled as he frowned at her.

"Ho, come on, you know im not god with those stufs.. Im trying my best right now.."

He crossed his arms in embarassement.

She then stoped giggling and gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen:

"Thank you, Keith"

They both looked at each other for a few tics. Keith could feel his cheecks getting warm. He couldn't tell why. he still managed to say a few words.

"it's normal... "

They kept talking for a long moment until Pidge fell asleep on her chaire, her head resting in the desk in front of her.

Keith could't help but think that she was cute. He got up and walked closer to her to put his jacket on her back, stoke a hand inn her haires and then leave with a feeling that he had never known before.

'My job here is done.'

He thought as he was walking to the common room of the castel. When the door opened, he let out a gasp.

"Wow."

Allura, Coran and the mice had decorated it all and it was a little... Too much.

"Do you like it?"

Allura excitedly asked has she was walking towards Keith.

"It's.. Coulorfull."

He hesitantly answered.

In the same time, Shiro and Lance entered the room with a surprised expression onn their faces.

"Wellllll.... That's something!.."

lance said, trying to hold in laughters.

Shiro turned to Keith:

"Where is pidge? Aren't you supposed to be with her right now?"

He asked.

"Well.. She was sleeping so I-

The door opened and Pidge walked in.

"AHA!! I knew something was going o-

Everyone stayed silent.

"Happy... Birthday?.."

She asked has she read the banner in the wall.

"How.. How did you guys knew about it?.."

She continued.

"Well..."

they got cut again by hank that entered the room with a cake in his hands.

"Hi guys! Nice decorations! Im sure Pidge would love it! Ho, hey Pi-

he stoped to talk and everything became silent again.

"Keith, you had onne job."

Lance said, frowning.

"He did his job! Im guessing you aked him to keep me busy, and that's what he did! But I knew something was going on so I pretended I fell asleep!"

she proudly said.

"Hold on, you were... Pretending?.."

"yup!"

she blinked toward him, knowing the sweet gestuure he had earlier: lending his jacket and gently troking her haires.

He blushed.

"Well! Thank you guys for thinking of me! that's very sweet! But I still want to know how you knew!"

After they explained it all to pidge, Hunk died, killed by a smoll smoll smollllll girl...

They had theire little party anyways! It was great and Pidge was glad that she had such amazing friends!

they're the bests!

bonus!! :

Lance: SOOOOOO how old are you now? 14?

Pidge:...16...

Lance: WHAT THE QUIZNACK-

(also..:)

(I got a little bored in class...JRJZISHS)

#vld pidge #pidge #pidge's birthday #i know im late #keith voltron #kidge #voltron #voltron legendary defender #voltron pidge #keith #keith and pidge #pidge and keith #voltron kidge

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yellowcry · 1 year ago

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Deeper through

chapter 5

It would be a blatant lie to say that Luisa felt okay by now. It was better, but she couldn't really feel good. Not here. She held her breath for a second to keep herself together and looked at the shades of leaves in front of her. It was good... It was okay. Her breathing was still shaking a bit, but she managed to lift her head from the ground. She squeezed the flask in her hand, trying to stay awake, remember what was real. She squinted away from the sun and leaned on her arms to sit up. Her head was still pounding from anxiety as she clutched her fists, listening closely to any danger. Any risk from this world. But with how many sounds there actually were, Luisa doubted that she could actually react to something at any time. She twisted her ribbon worriedly, looking at the frogs jumping on the trees, most likely poisonous, but she didn't dare to come close enough to check properly. The big leaves hanged from the bushes; a couple of mice hid under them, probably also wanting to avoid the direct sun. Luisa scratched her hand worriedly, bending down to find anything. She saw sleeping snakes hanging from the trees; their green, squamous skin juggled like another vine. Luisa covered her mouth not to disturb snakes nearby, as she felt like she was about to cough.

Luisa kept getting through the wild, variegated nature. Her arms were covered in scratches as she was trudging between trees. At that point, she wasn't sure what she needed. She wanted to go home so badly, but she was also hungry and getting out of water too quickly. The physical exhaustion didn't help either. Luisa did her best to stay calm and not lose her brain for the second time today. Especially since she was still clutched, even the slightest possibility of dying was too much to handle. Just a few days ago, Luisa would never believe she ended up in this situation at all. But here she is. Unable to do anything but push forward. A lack of people didn't help. Of course, Luisa didn't want anyone in the same situation as her, but she had to admit how lonely she felt. In Encanto, she had her entire family and village to back her up if needed. Of course, it didn't, but the knowledge was still pleasing, even if she never realized it before this entire situation started. Now, Luisa didn't have anyone to talk to but herself.

Ouch!" She let out a short, painful scream as one of the thorns in the tree cut her arm expessialy deeply. Luisa clutched her hands into a fist for a second, staring at how the blood dripped down. She ignored her own trembling and pressed her other hand against the wound for a minute, taking a deep breath to calm down. "I'm fine..." She tried to calm herself down, but it didn't help at all. Instead, she grabbed her own skirt, which was seriously damaged by now. There was a sound of tearing fabric; the amount of gaps allowed Luisa to destroy her cloth freely. She was stunned for a moment, now realizing that she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Her knowledge ended with the fact that people have to wrap their wounds in cloth. A few drops of blood dripped from the cut—not too painful but sertanly unpleasant. She wrapped the blue fabric around it tightly, biting her lip out of worry.

"I'm not nervous..." Luisa muttered to herself, but it sounded more like a weak attempt to deny what was going on. She wasn't sure when she started to use those words, the same that she sang to Mirabel a few days ago in the first verse, as a way of grounding and self-assurance when anxiety was creeping in. Usually, it worked better than this. Of course, usually things are better than this. Luisa knew that she had any right to be scared and alert right now. But it didn't mean that her mind was actively agreeing on that. Because Luisa was never scared or worried. She was just... She was always the one who was supposed to stay calm when there were some problems, or at least she thought that she could do so and not fall on the floor crying. And now her brain refused to keep her at least a little calm. Maybe it was a good thing at some point; it helped her to avoid some danger and stay aware. But the fear was also making it hard to think of something to get out of this. The burning feeling of despair didn't help; the thought of possible death still pulsated in her head.

Luisa looked up, squinting from the sun, trying to find something. Stomach pain kept reminding her that she had to eat after walking so much. But Luisa cletched her fists, squinting from the bright sun. She could see a big, tall tree maybe a kilometre away from her. She read about those in the book once. A Brazilian nut. Luisa never saw one in Encanto; as far as she knew, they weren't growing in their village. But she saw pictures in the textbook. The most important thing is that it was edible.

Luisa walked through the bushes, making sure not to touch anything in safety of what she wasn't sure. She already didn't feel well, and testing her luck wasn't an option.

She winced from a loud thump; her shoulders raised a little, tensing her entire body. It took a second to realize that there wasn't anyone. Only a round nut in a thick shell. Luisa put a hand on her chest, taking deep breaths to calm down. Her eyes widened as she looked at the fetus on the ground. She didn't want to think about what would happen to her if it fell on her head. Luisa grabbed the big ball and ran away from the tree, still breathing heavily.

Was this paranoia normal? She didn't know.

Luisa looked at the food in her arms, now realising another issue. She had to break this putamen somehow. She helplessly twisted a nut in her hands. "Maybe I can..." She muttered to herself, trying to squeeze the shell. But what she would be able to crush with a finger a few days ago now was indestructible for her bare hands.

She tried to ignore another wave of despair as she thought about her missing gift. She wasn't thinking about it much for the last few days due to her circumstances, but it was still painful. If only she had her gift... Luisa would probably avoid all this madness altogether.

She winced at another loud sound, repeating it a few times before there was a crack. "H-huh?" Luisa muttered, looking to see where the sound was coming from. A monkey was holding a sharpened stone, hitting it against the nutshell. Luisa could see that it worked well. The solution formed in her head quickly. If monkeys could break the nut, she could probably do the same thing.

***

Agustin looked at the flames of the cracking campfire as two of them were drying their soaked equipment. The silence was too heavy; he stayed as positive as he could, but it didn't lower his worries. It turned out that the camp really had some problems, leading it to drown in rain. But at least it actually managed to stand the whole night. Honestly, it was way longer than he could ever hope for with his luck.

He saw how Julieta was staring down with an impenetrable facial expression, whispering prayers for Luisa. Agustin wrapped his hand around his wife. "We'll find her." It was not a promise, but knowledge. They would find her no matter what.

Julieta shook her head exhaustingly. "I hope she's okay right now." It wasn't likely, despite Luisa's strength, that this place wasn't for children to play. And Agústin had to admit, they were lacking some skills because the magical gift made it unimportant to learn how to avoid injuries or search for food. But he didn't dare say it, not willing to make Juli even more worried.

They couldn't stay here for too long; it was getting hotter as the sun was going up, until it was way too uncomfortable to sit next to a burning flame. Becides, they had to keep looking for Luisa, she wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. Agustin groaned, standing up to put out the fire. Julieta rubbed off the dust from her pants, grabbing her backpack, before two of them went forward.

He stoically ignored the number of times he hit his own fingers while making nicks. Well, it's not like Agústin never hit himself with an axe while chopping wood.

"Honey..." Julieta breathed out, and he looked at her, surprised. For a second, he thought that maybe she found Luisa or anything from her. She pointed somewhere, and Agústin had to squint to see what she wanted to show. Julieta had already rushed there and tried to understand what was going on.

Only when they got closer did Agústin see a little light lilliac, almost white, ripped-off piece of cloth. It didn't say anything itself, but... It's color looked exactly like Luisa's blouse.

"Do you think..."

"Yes." Julieta didn't even let him finish this sentence. Maybe somebody would think that she had gone mad and assumed things out of nothing. But her motherly instincts were screaming, saying that it couldn't be anything but a sign that Luisa was here recently.

They both looked around; the ground was filled with the chirimoya peels, cut off so well that they were obviously made by a human.

The knowledge that Luisa was here made Agústuin both happy and desperate. They were on the right way! But... It was too late; Luisa wasn't here anymore. The only thing she left here is this little ripped-off piece of her blouse and, most likely, dozens of rinds on the ground. Agústin could say that the fruits that were left were all very high, definitely too high for him to grab even one.

Logically, they should come back to Encanto to tell about this. The other search groups needed to know any important information about where Luisa might be. But Agústin's heart ached from the thought of leaving Luisa, even for an hour. Julieta has the same expression: separating wasn't an option; leaving each other would be too dangerous. At the same time, the idea of stopping looking for their daughter even for an hour was heartbreaking, despite the fact that this was better for her in the long term.

#encanto #fanfic #ao3 author #luisa madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal

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pbandjesse · 2 years ago

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Goodness do these day make me feel exhausted. I feel like even when I was taking a break today, it was go go go. I am excited to go to sleep.

Today had highs and lows. I slept okay enough but waking up wasn't great. I do remember James kissing me good bye. But the night went to fast.

Jeniya texted me she was going to be late. And I was frustrated because I thought she meant like camp late. But she would actually end up beating me by 5 minutes and I arrived just as Dame was getting dropped off. I got stuck at every red light. And then it took us almost an hour to get to camp because of traffic and me missing a turn when the GPS took us off the highway and I got confused. We did have a lot of fun talking though and it was a good time. Even if I was stressed about being late.

I let Heather know but it wouldn't even matter in the end that we were 10 minutes late. We didnt start a really doing anything until 915.

We did a game where we had to learn about the people at our table and I enjoyed that. And then there were tours of camp. I asked Chris if I could go work on my stuff instead and he said that was fine. And then I was off.

I spent the next hour and a half cleaning and putting things away. I finished moving the dining table and set it up to be a work station for me. And I was making great progress.

Celia would join me and helped me sort paint while I went through the disgusting cabinets under the shelves that are filled with old feildtrips materials that have been absolutely decimated by mice. It was honestly horrific. But I got 4 of them totally emptied out and had to fill three trash bags but it felt so good to get that accomplished.

Lunch was less of a mess. We had tacos. The rental group went first this time and I worked on knitting and chatted with Chloe for a while. Snd once we were allowed to eat I got my tacos and chilled.

Then I got a little upset. Because there was some rumors about someone else teaching art. And I was like okay that's it I have to go talk to the office and get some clarity. I texted Heather to see if she was there and then went to talk to her, Alexi, and Elizabeth. I told them what was upsetting me. How there seems to be a general issue with clarity of roles and they were really surprised because they thought everyone was clear. They also though maybe the things that were upsetting me were cultural.

I decided I needed to consult the expert. In this case I needed to talk to Laura.

Thankfully it was 7pm her time and she was available. I told her the whole situation. I asked if maybe it was me misunderstanding sarcasm or maybe just a cultural issue and sheat first thought maybe. But the more I told her the more she thought that this was just someone being mean to me. Which made me feel vindicated but also like. Doesn't exactly change anything. She did help me feel validated in the whole situation. And said I should just let the other person come to me and if they are mean again tell them it hurt me. And she's right. So that's what I would do.

I would spend the next couple hours in the art building listening to music and cleaning. Kieran and a few others came to put the tent up in my building. And help move my tables and chairs outside while I filled paint containers. I felt a lot better.

I also got so many compliments on my earrings. Jess gave me this worm earrings and they are so good!! My one ear still hurts from when I yanked on it yesterday but they were worth it because they made me feel so cute. It was great.

My hair still doesn't feel good though. I think even though I said I was going to grow it out maybe I'll trim it and see how I feel.

Some of the girls who helped with tables stayed up with me while I sorted a few boxes and we chatted and it was nice. Even though some of them were overly freaked out by the spiders. Which I get but also you're going to exhaust yourself freaking out all the time. Gotta turn that part of your brain off.

We had one more check in but there was only half of us! Because the other half were getting riflery certified or working on other trainings. So Chris said we could go swimming.

The water ended up being a little to cold for me. But I enjoyed sitting in it for a while.

Celia forgot her bathing suit so I offered her one of mine but sadly it did not fit. But we sat together with another girl, Jaymie, who was excited to learn that I was also in my 30s. Happy to help.

Annabelle came and sat with us and we chatted about art and plans and collaboration. And I really hope this is a turning point and we can find a way to really work together and that made me feel happy.

I asked Jeniya to let me know when it was 430 and we would roll out to try to beat some traffic. Me, her, and Dame went up to the art building. I hung my bathing suit up to dry and we were off. And it was a long drive back but I let them be in charge of the music and it was fun.

I dropped them off right before 530. And would be home very soon. Me and James decided to walk to brass tap for dinner. And my foot split open again so the walk back was tough. But the walk there was fine. And I really enjoyed James's company. Even if they confused me during a conversation during dinner that made me feel crazy but it was mostly because I was tired. It was a long day.

Dinner was good though. Our waitress was sweet. And the food was good. Me and the waitress bonded on our love of dips. And then once we were done eating, and talking about the weird stuff happening in the golf world, we headed home.

I had training stuff to do when we got home. I spent about two hours doing that. And once my computer freaked out and couldn't handle it anymore I decided it was time to take a shower.

My hair felt horrible. I had tried brushing it on the couch but then Sweetp was interested and let me brush him so that was funny. He's literally never liked being brushed so I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

I decided to trim my ends and see if that helps at all. We'll see once it's dry.

I did a little sewing but I was mostly just excited to get in bed. And that is where I am now.

Tomorrow it is supposed to storm all day. Very glad my tent is up. I hope I get lots of time to do the things I need to do.

Sleep well everyone. I hope you are all having a good night. I love you all.

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popculturebuffet · 2 years ago

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Breaking Cat News Retrospective: Year 3: Bea-ginnings and Endings (Patreon Review for Emma Fici

Hello all you happy newscats to part 3 of my look at Breaking Cat News, one of the best comic strips running. Parts 1 and 2 are HERE and HERE respectively.

Last time we saw a huge wave of change for the strip after a pretty steady first year: The Station met their also in the union Spanish Equilvent, welcomed another baby into the family , got an av cat, met Tommy's distant roomate, found that there's a ghost in their home but it's bette than being alone, and dealt with a mice hostage situation, caused a mice hostage situation and learned the meaning of christmas. IT's also the year where the characters started to Crystalize, the family grew, and the strip really came into it's own. Year 3 rides this momentium and plants it's flag as both one of the strips most ambitious years and one of it's most important. There's only two major storylines this year.. but both leave an impact and are fan faviorites to this day: The first introduces a major addition to the main cats and their family in Beatrix, the second introduces the strips' first and so far only out and out villian, who brings in a LOT of lore with him. Both really up the stakes of the strip, deepn it's world, and change the status quo.

They also serve as an end of an era as 2016 is BCN"s last year as an independent project, with Andrew McMeel aka Uversal Uclick, aka jimmy the reach signed the strip to run on GoComics, a site if you haven't checked out you should as theire's veritable mountain of comics and the strip's dedicated community and wide appeal got it picked up for a newspaper run, joining similar stories like Phoebe and Her Unicorn before it and Crabgrass after it. As such the format changes after this going from fairly big strips to the standard format: 6 daily four or so panel strips, and one sunday. This isn't a bad thing as the new format allowed the strip to both do big stories on the week.. and do the relatable slice of life stuff based out of real life on sundays. We still get plenty of the later in the weekly's too, but it provides a nice ballance and allows her to flesh out some incidents or give the bigger story arcs time to breathe.

It just also means that in order to properly let new readres both print and web into this world.. she had to start the strip over from the top: While this isn't a full continuity reboot as previous storylines NOT covered in the newspaper run (the ghost arc discussed last time and the wicket arc discussed this time), the first few years take their time reintroducing everyone, adding in new storylines, so most of the cast was left on hold until ti was there turn to be reintroduced. It's not a bad thing as we'll get into next time, but it means that with the end of the Wicket arc our heroes stories take a breather for a while and it serves as a bit of a finale. A way to say goodbye so we could say hello again. So let's make the end of this era precious under the cut as we cover two fo the strips finest hours and prepare for a brave new big pink house.

The year starts off breifly with some buisness as usual. The boy is speaking now and has given the cats names

Naturally i'll be using Dad Cat and Mom Cat liberally, though Puck is obviously taken. I can't blame the kid though I got Elvis and LUpin confused name wise a LOT early on and sometimes my brain still screws it up despite being FULLY aquanted with both. We also get some more of our IX Lives, and Elvis gets into some butter with delightful results

So far so normal> But as is tradition at this point, and you don't fuck with tradition, it takes a newcomer to really shake things up. Everything's Coming Up Beatrix It's a standard winter for our heroes: the humans are all cozied up and the cats.. are reporting everything's gone outside because the windows are fogged up and it snowed everywhere. Standard news day… until

Naturally The Man and Woman figure out there's a cat outside via the usual method

The man is able to rescue the little lady whose not doing great, but thankfully Tommy's Woman is more than willing to brave the void to come help, and being an experienced animal rescue, helps get bea back to health.. but since it's really not a good idea to take her back into the cold cruel world, someone's going ot need to foster her and it's not a huge shock the lady with three cats she all fostered first gladly takes her in. Spoilers, this will not be the last time she does this. We soon get one of the sweetest moments in the entire strip: As Puck plans to stand guard and worries about their new charge..

This is possibly my faviorite panel in the whole strip. We've seen Elvis nurture before with the girl .. but it was always tempered by his overprotective shouty side and natural hatred of her actual father. Here we just see him be kind, calm and nurtring. We also see a big change in his character: While Elvis will still puff out at the unknown plenty, after Bea he's a lot quicker to accept new additions to the crew. His experinces with Tommy, Fig, and Burt have had him realize his hair trigger attitude just isn't necessary any more. Will he still freak out like a drama queen at some new arrivals? Yes. He woudln't be elvis if he didn't respond to most new people and things with melodramatic outrage. That's what makes him elvis. But we now see an elvis who instead of taking months to accept someone takes maybe a few hours and who will calmly sit with his newly adopted daughter simply because she's alone in the world.

It opens up a new side to elvis and helps recontecutalize him a bit: while before his age was mostly a tool to explain how crotchety he is and why he hates the Man (being the only one adopted before they moved in together in both real life and the strip), here we see the other side: we get the real sense this isn't the first kitten he's raised (and spoilers once again, won't be the last), as he raised the other two boys. And given PUck turned out a wonderful soft boy angel and Lupin turned out mostly fine, he's good at it. He may be their older brother.. but he's the kind who raised their sibling. It lets him be more than just shouty hilarious angry man… whcih is great, but he became one of my faviorite comic strip characters becaues he got more dimensions to him. He can be old man yelling at cloud one minute, the straight man to lupin's antics the next, and a nurtrting if overprotective daddy guy the next and these are all the same guy.

It's what makes the best comics: Calvin wouldn't have been as entertaining if he weren't both extremley smart and observant… btu still weighed down by the short sightedness and priorities of a six year old. Opus wouldn't have been as great if his inherent kindness and naivety weren't paired with some slight selfishness and histornics, and Snoopy wouldn't be nearly as loveable if he was just a grandstanding weirdo in his own world, but instead also a good friend when needed who gladly tells his best friend his heart is priceless.

It's the humanity in a character that can make them truly amazing and it's what makes these characters so fantastic.

Soon in addition to a Dad Cat the little Kitty also gets a name, Beatrix, after the boy sees a cat on a collection of beatrix potters stories that looks similar. And now she has a name… it's time to tell the story of how we got here here. See…. most of Bea's story is true to life: Georgia found and fostered a kitten who had big old paws and extra didgets, was curious and kind…. but there was one part that didn't match up. Her real life counterpart.. died of pneumonia despite everything.

So you can imagine when given the chance to do this all again.. this Beatrix gets to live. She gets to have a full life, a family and everything she deserved. Georgia has a habit of using this strip as wish fufillment: not in an endulgent way, but as a way to keep pets from her past near and dear to her. As mentiond Baba was based on Georgia's longtime cat who passed. She and Bea are the first and sadly aren't the last: as of this writing Figaro, Lupin and Tommy have all passed, and it pains my heart to know that. And as you can imagine there is not even a remote chance of any of them dying anytime in the strip: the strip became among the many other wonderful thigns it is, a way to keep these good boys and girls with Georgia forever. A piece of them etched in amber. Now i'm done tearing up as I write that, eventually Bea needs to meet the neighbors, and does so at a climbing contest with all the cats in the house.. except Elvis whose reporting it and the legendary puck

He prefers the journey. Okay so it's just lupin… till a familiar face pops in and Bea handles it with style, classs and the giant paws cat gave her

Thankfully Tabitha took it with pride and while Bea beams in her victory, winning again even with tabitha joining, and while she goes to tell puck the bigger cats have a realization if they don't hire her tabhitha will.. and since Elvis can't have that BCN gets it's first intern, bounding Beatrix who immdietly takes to it with her usual enthuasim, she makes her mistakes sure

And while making her coffee rounds, this time for Tommy and Burt, Bea also introduces us to another new face… and one the rest of our heroes handle with grace and dignity

TBF Burt it'd probably be easier to you know.. educate them instead of judge them for being accidental dog racists. Either way the two are fast friends. Turns out Burt is the bookstore dog for the local lady who runs the bookstore… and bea's future owner. Yes while our little bundle has been a loved addition to the house… she can't stay. The apartment only allows two cats and while they were able to get special permission for Lupin, The Woman dosen't want to push it. And given Bea's knowledge of plants (which the bookstore also sales explaining where the Woman gets all her victims) and warm personality she's a natural fit. While the Bookstore lady resists at first, in part because she's not sure Trevor will accept a new friend given he's a shy soft boy. But while her dickering gives Bea time to get the crew on twitter despite Elvis' strong objections to telling the birds their business….. she eventually folds and Bea has a new job, a new home.. and Elvis.. well

Clearly our heroes aren't going to get out of this emotoinally in tact and needing advice they have Tommy seek out Baba , who having had lots and lots of kittens, may know what their going thorugh if only he can find her

This arc once again shows off her wise side: she tells the cats that some cats need to go, she misses all her kids but you can't keep them forever. You have to let them go and trust you raised them best you can. They'll see her again. She also cuts Elvis drama queenery short

Hr leaving does impact Trevor, whose sad he may never see her again… though in a nice touch we get his name reveal right here…. and thus find out they'll be together again in no time.

We end the arc with bea easily taking to her new home and her dads entirely proud, having realized she's better off here and happy for her...

…. Maybe not her new friend but Elvis eventually settles into it. Also love those proud parent of a bookstore cat shirts… wish that was real merch

Elvis goes through a wee bitt of a clingy phase out of empty nest syndrome...

But otherwise life returns to normal after. We get a brief check in with Sophie dealing with some critcisim I can't really show as the strip, while utterly gorgeous, is spaced out in a way I can't put it here, but shows the secret insecurity beneath her distant shell… something that will be important way later when we dig more into her character. And while we wait for that the Toddler learns a valuable lesson in personal space and stickers

But while the slice of life stuff is as usually, totally awesome… the peace eventualyl breaks in the night with a screech

The Wicked

Said screeching naturally wakes everyone the heck up and the culprit turns out to the worst thing you could possibly have show up screeching on your doorstep at 1 in the morning: an ex

Baba rebuffs his every advance,claming he left her with a turkey, and outright abandoned her… and then backstory's up her claim as we learn her origins: Turns out Baba was one of the many cats at Quinn Animal Shelter, one of Freddie's faviorites. She met Wicket one day when he came in with a broken wing and feel hard and fast for him. The internet in it's early age soon fell hard and fast for them, and they were a sensation, even becoming a children's book that in the newspaper run is read to the boy as a baby.

The reality though.. was much less cute: Winnie soon suspected that Wicket was no good, with him stalking the smaller animals and not trusting him near Baba. Baba being young, stupid and in love fled in the night with him… and not long after she was abandoned on the beach with a turkey while Wicket wasn't heard of again till now. She returned, but sadly too late to reconcile with Freddie who'd died, something that clearly still haunts Baba and one of the few times we see her expression change. She thankfully found a new way in life at least, one I highly supsect winnie would approve of

Turns out she's COMPLETELY right as while Wicket was likely trying to score some time with an ex and got shot down as he should when you abandon your ex with a turkey, as he quickly scoops up Natasha and Alice while their out one night planning some snack crimes. Natasha uses her needles to escpe at Alice's begging… and is forced to leave her closest friend behind and warn the others…

Turns out Wicket CAN somehow sink lower than conning a young lady into leaving home and then dumping her with a turkey as we find out the Mice have been carrying his story around like a legend: Alice and Natasha aren't from these fields (the other two are), but even they knew the story every mice has told to them.. and unlike the cat and the owl it's less a cute bedtime story and mor ea dire legend of an ancient evil to come back.

Wicket was once the terror of these lands, attacking the mice until one brave mouse, the Golden Mouse, stood up to him. She managed to get the bastards wing wedged in a bird cage. As it turns out Wicket's stay at Quinn Farms was simply to keep the mice from finishing the job while he was still weak. They kept informed thanks to Clover, one of the animals that Wicket was said to have harassed, but wicket eventually escaped, taking baba with him and using her to keep him safe till he was better. His return is simply some petty revenge. The Golden Mouse is long gone, but he refuses to let the mice get one over on him The Golden Mouse however was once again one step ahead and thus spread this legend through the generations so when he did return tehy'd be ready with a plan…. and Alice kicks off that plan, escaping and giving Wicket one simple sentence to bait the trap:

Their plan.. is not a very well thoguht out one past that. It's basically "fight an owl and hope we surivive" which even Elvis can see is more like 30% of a plan. Bea meanwhile plans to go interview the arch villian himself but thankfully Baba steps in to scoot her away before Wicket gets ANOTHER hostage. As Alice taunts wicket for a strip, revealing she knows the Golden Mouse's real name.. Agatha. She's a descident, as is Agnes. We also get a nice moment with Agnes and Puck and am I shippping a cat with a mouse?

eh not even in the top 10 weirdest thing's i've shippped. Pucky and Aggie for life. We also get a sweet moment as the plan draws nearer, with Baba more than confident in the mice, even nicer sine the two are reguarly at odds every day, but hey they both have a common enemy. If you can't team up with the robbers you sho away to against their satanic figure who happens your ex when CAN you?

So the fight approaches, on the Big Pink House's lawn no less (broadcast saftely since Wicket dosen't watch the news), but Puck is worried for his friends, and figures they need an extra distraction… and to get the rodent's perspective, the cats gift Agnes a little something something

The fight approaches.. and puck has a revelation of how they can turn the tide so Wicket dosen't tear those meeses to pieces

And with that the plan begins.. and is just… one of the most awesome manuverse i've seen in a comic. Yes including the giant bubbling vat of super hero comics i've read

And with that Bea has the time she needs to unscrew the lid blinding wicket as he chases after our heroines.. and with a small assist from the july bug being his annoying self.. wicket is defeated (old man And thus peace is restored. Baba suprisingly takes what Bea did well, figuring she did the right thing and that she can make up the near heart attack by helping her with some light chores, something Bea happily agrees to.. and with that our heroes bid goodbye to the july bug.. and for some time.. to us.

The Wicket Arc.. is probably the series best so far. Goldie's intro comes close and there's PLENTY of good material, but this arc is one of a kind, taking us from the usual slice of life afairs with the cosional danger to an out and out epic. It's still kept in reality despite the mice spreadin git as a legend, but it's the one time our heroes face an out an dout villian, and it ties into just about everything so far: the robber mice arc, baba, bea's intro last arc. Every character gets to show up , almost all of them get something great or small to do (Tabitha made a cameo grumbling about not being able to just go out and fight Wicket), it's one giant pile of payoffs you didn't know had setups and a grand way to close out this run. My only regret is that it gets left out of the newspaper run and while they made a new story to make up for the ghost story gettting ommitied, this one didn't mak eit. It's likely for similar reasons to said ghost arc: the various newspaper clippings, murals and other stuff just coudln't be condensed into 4 panels well enough and unlike the ghosts, Wicket hasn't needed to be reintroduced yet. As of this writing he's still at the animal shelter and has only been mentioned in a characters in character blog. Still it's one of the series best and highlyw orth your time. And while it is an ending of sorts there's still a few littl ebits sprinkled around the rest of 2016 and the start of 2017 to adress before we tune out for a day.

Oddds and Ends:

The first is a 2 week arc that feels like a tryout, done in a newspaper style (four panels for dailes, sunday every 6 days, you know the deal). It's a fun enough one as the people have a party, Elvis guards the coats, Puck searches for missing ham and Lupin gets his heart broken

It's a fun arc, nothing too heavy but after the fairly detailed and epic Wicket Arc, we needed a bit of a break. We get our final arc on the site later this year with an our IX lives christmas special. Our IX Lives is an in universe soap opera, following Kit Chase as he romances Angora, an uptown kitty whose dad is determined to marry her to local jackass brad and will fake as many illnesses as he has to to make it happen.. but suprise brad sucks even worse, a car chase insues… it's a whole thing. I'm not recapping this arc as it's not really something to analize, it's really funny and uses the kinds of sets cats would use to film a soap well: there's laundry mountains, the sets are all card board and the bad guys guns are sprayer bottles, foiled by the long lost cast member captain nimble, who naturally is a sea cat and immune to water. I highly recommend checking it out. It also dosen't have a ton of character to analyize: it's a great arc, it's just at it's heart an over the top soap opera parody. It's not the first, but the world building, the fact that unlike our main cats actions nothing about how it functions is explained and the over the top nature of it, such as Angora being about ot faint at any moment and her sister grumbling at her helplesness, makes it a treasure. It even gets Elvis into the show.

But otherwise for most of the year the site went on a station break while Georgia prepared for the newspaper run. Elvis naturally is drug into it. The only real big change that affects the future is an explination for Pucky's coloring changing from kind of grayish to full on black as intended. And so we transition to the next stage as Burt redits the old broadcasts and suprises our heroes; they'll be printedi n the newspaper, a sneaky way for georgia to have the reports be an actaual in universe thing, and with that.. our heroes celebrate the fine tradition their joining.

Year 3 is defined by it's arcs, but iwth two very strong arcs and some nice bonus stuff as the strip readies for it's next chapter, it's a good way to close things out, a satisfyign conclusion to an era… while leaving the door open for a brand new chapter. It's one of the strips best and a peak most of the strips best mateiral since aspires to.. and as we'll see many reach

For now though we bid adieu for this month. Next we take a look at said new chapter as our Cats reset the clock to reintroduce our world.. but sprinkle in a few new stories. I'll be taking a look at this era: what changed between versions, the new stories sprinkled in, the new running arcs, and the new format. It's going to be fantastic.. see you next month and thanks for reading.

#breaking cat news #cats #georgia dunn #comics #elvis #puck #lupin #beatrix #wicket #baba mouse

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