#too much for me... hopefully my sibling will be better when she can stay with our mother if she chooses to (or...if she is kicked out)

[angered-box]

not homeless btw!! just a reminder ik i was being vague earlier while panicking sorry >n<

[cosmicalls]

if you like dead poets society, you may like these!

just for fun: a little list of movies, shows, and books i like that i feel have something in common with dps. hopefully you'll find something you'd like, too!

not in any particular order. just the order that i thought of them in really

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles - published 1959

a coming-of-age novel set at an all-boys new england boarding school. follows two boys, Gene and Finny, and their experiences during the summer and winter sessions of 1942. talks a bit about WWII and what role the boys may have to play in that, but it stays pretty focused on the school and the emotions involved during this time in one's life. all the growth and transformation and oddly homoerotic, perhaps very codependent, friendship of a bildungsroman that we love to look for.

one of my personal favorite books, even considering that it was assigned reading. i truly believe many of you would like it and i know for a fact some of you can vouch for me

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky - published 1999 movie adaptation: dir. Stephen Chbosky - released 2012

follows Charlie and his general struggles of high school and with being, well, a wallflower. from goodreads: "Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite."

very emotional. that's all! i preferred the movie, but i liked the format of the book being completely in letters that Charlie was writing. they're both good! (if you watch the movie, the english teacher's name is Mr. Anderson. so do with that information what you will...!)

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Matilda

by Roald Dahl - published 1988 movie adaptation: dir. Danny DeVito - released 1996 musical adaptation: dir. Matthew Warchus - released 2022

a young girl with an aptitude for reading discovers she has telekinetic abilities at the same time she begins attending school. unfortunately, the principal is an extremely harsh woman, and none of the students seem to enjoy it there. Matilda uses her courage and newfound powers to change her environment for the better, both at school and in her abrasive home.

such a good movie, a childhood favorite. the musical has a great soundtrack too!

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Good Will Hunting

dir. Gus Van Sant - released 1997

a janitor is recognized as a mathematical genius by an MIT professor, and he goes on an emotional journey to embrace his intellect. starring Robin Williams, our dearly beloved inspiration, as the therapist Will goes to see for much of the film.

i only saw it once and my description is lacking but ooh it hurt...... just trust me on this one

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A Series of Unfortunate Events

by Lemony Snicket - published 1999-2006 tv series adaptation: aired 2017-2019

JUST HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE okay. it's about a trio of siblings, orphaned, who are shuttled from one parental unit to another while being followed by a man after their immense wealth. they quickly discover they are in the midst of an intellectual conflict in a secret organization. they must rely on only each other, seeing as all the adults around them are wildly incompetent and/or unhelpful. and it is filled to the brim with literary references!!

both versions have really fun and witty narration, and the tv adaptation is extremely faithful. i don't know how else to describe it without going overboard so i'll settle for not descriptive enough! just trust me. yes it is a kids' series and yes it is one of my favorites ever. it's the vibes of it all

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

If We Were Villains

by M.L. Rio - published 2017

about a group of Shakespeare theater students at a very pretentious arts school who find themselves in a very high-tension dynamic following a disaster that occurs after their halloween performance of Macbeth. lots and lots of Shakespeare, lots of dramatics, and the book itself is divided into five acts.

i finished this in about two nights and it was extremely creatively inspiring. it was a bit predictable, but that's not a bad thing. it still had me clutching my pearls and dropping my jaw

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"The Artist of the Beautiful"

by Nathaniel Hawthorne - published 1844

a romantic era short story about a man who feels utterly trapped by his occupation. he would rather concern himself with the delicate beauty of nature, and he attempts to realize this in his passion project - much to the disdain of the people around him.

a bit of a sneak sorry. i just think it's just in line with neil's whole thing you know. it's a lot of long and flowery sentences but it works really well i promise

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The Breakfast Club

dir. John Hughes - released 1985

the letterboxd synopsis really says it all: "They only met once, but it changed their lives forever. | Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently – and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same."

i don't have much to add and to be honest! kind of a stretch for this list! but i have faith

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

obviously there are other shows and movies with the dead poets society leads, but i wanted to sort of branch out a bit for the bulk of this list. i will still list the ones i had in mind though

House M.D. (2004-2012) - tv series about genius diagnostician Dr. Gregory House and his team at a hospital in new jersey. Robert Sean Leonard stars as House's best friend and head of oncology Dr. James Wilson. very comedic but also very heartwrenching.

Tape (2001) - three friends meet at a motel room and dredge up and argue over unpleasant events of the past. starring Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard.

Before Sunrise (1995) - from letterboxd: "A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together." Ethan Hawke plays one half of the lead duo.

and yeah there's a LOT more but those are the ones i've seen and sincerely recommend. not to say others aren't good but this is a (very) curated list you see.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

phew that's not as many as i thought i had in my back pocket but it's still pretty good. plus, there's some things i havent read/watched yet that perhaps would have made it but alas! such is life

absolutely add to the list if you'd like!! let's all share our favorite stories

[hysteria-things]

SNEAK AWAY (part two)

read part one here

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: nate x sls!reader

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you and nate are still going strong, but a lot of fans notice a few things in the new video…

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: FLUFF, swearing

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 539

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: short and sweet!

chris fic tomorrow😌 (or tonight it depends when i start writing it)

y/nsturniolo

liked by madifilipowicz and 23,492 others

y/nsturniolo hawaii dump with my favorite people ever😌🌺☀️🏝️🩷

4,940 comments

nicolassturniolo yup yup yup

user you’re so pretty

↳ y/nsturniolo i love you🥹

↳ user HOLY SHIT HI QUEEN

nathandoe8 hey (with rizz)

↳ matthew.sturniolo what the hell

↳ user YIKES LMAOOO

↳ user praying for you nate🙏

madifilipowicz 🎉💕🌊

user what’s with all the nate pics🤨

↳ y/nsturniolo idk :/

user why do i ship her and nate🫣

↳ user THIS

↳ christophersturniolo no lol

“boys, please leave your sister alone.“ you hear your mother scold from outside of the bedroom door.

you guys got back from hawaii two days ago, but the triplets are staying in boston for an extra week before going back to LA.

“do not barge in there—” she scolds again, but it’s too late when the door swings open.

the three of them stand there panting, while marylou looks at them with her hands on her hips. it doesn’t end there; trevor comes running in and jumps on your bed.

his tail wags as he climbs onto your lap, leaving kisses on your face.

nick turns to her. “she’ll survive, mom.”

she sighs, walking out of your vision. your brothers stare at you like you’re in trouble. “we need to talk.” chris says, crossing his arms.

oh boy.

“about?”

they side eye each other. “you and nate.” matt says.

oh boy.

you clear your throat, trying not to barf everywhere. “w-what do you mean?”

“have you not seen the clips or comments?” chris asks, them now walking over to your bed and sitting. at this point, trevor has fallen asleep on your legs.

“no,” you answer, playing with the dog’s ears.

“girl.” nick tuts, pulling out his phone and tapping buttons before turning it to you. “look at this.”

you take his phone, scrolling through the comments on a tiktok.

thank GOD i’m not the only one who thought this

they HAVE to be hiding something they seem a little too close in this video😭

damn y’all detectives or something💀

imagine this is how nick, matt, and chris find out LMAOOOO

i always shipped them they seem so cute together :(

you stop scrolling the comments and watch the video. it’s a compilation of you and nate in the background.

one of the clips is when you guys were in the restaurant, and your chin rests on nate’s shoulder as the both of you look over something on his phone.

another clip is when you guys are walking, you and nate in the back of the group with his hand brushing against yours.

a few others show the way you two look at each other, eyes full of love and lust.

maybe you guys weren’t being as slick as you thought.

you hand nick’s phone back, nuzzling more into your blanket. “why didn’t you tell us?!” chris exclaims.

you shrug. “‘cause you’ll kill him.”

they roll their eyes. “we won’t kill him. we’ll threaten him.” nick clarifies.

as if that’s any better.

walking hand in hand, you and nate make way through the local park that's bare at this hour of the night. “so you’re telling me i should look out for threats?”

“yeah.” you smile, looking up at him before he gives you a sneak-attack kiss.

he sighs. “i’m kind of glad we don’t need to sneak away anymore. it got so depressing.”

you laugh, followed by an exhale. words cannot explain how much you love this kid. even though it was a hard launch to the public, you’re happy that you can show him off now. to make sure people know he’s yours and you’re his.

hopefully, no threats or killings take place by your overprotective siblings.

𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!

@bunbunbl0gs @lexisecretaccx @thy-mission @angelic-sturniolos111 @sophssturn @mattsneezing @janiellasblog @blahbel668 @meg-sturniolo @hearts4chris @mattslolita @sturnbaby @imwetforyourmom @tillies33ssss @sturnifyed @mayhem-72 @ripmattitude @p1xieswrld @alorsxsturn @txssvx @sttzee @multiluvr @delilahprentiss @matthewsspecial @sturnolio-luvs @sturniolho @suga-daddy-69 @tworosesblackthorn @luckistar-posts @gnxosblog @junnniiieee07 @sturnioloslurps @tylerthecreatorsrealwife @flowerxbunnie @imaslut4kehlani @sturniolosandmoree @hertvgirl @whoreforchrissturniolo @r4iyaa @sturniolotriplettoplover @mattybswife @freshsturns @loverrsposts @saturncanyon @elliesturniolo1

[onskepa]

Saw your post about a mother's day event. Could I request a piece where the reader is Jake's sister. She's an avatar like him, & traveled with him & his family to seek Uturu from the Metkayina. During their stay, she remembers that mother's day is coming up, & makes Neytiri some gifts along with the kids. This catches the attention of some of the Metkayina, & they ask her about it. Soon enough, word of the tradition spreads, & a good chunk of the clan has adapted it into their practice. If this is too much to write, I understand. Best wishes!

Helloooooooo honey!!! Gosh dang this is a cute idea!!! Hopefully you and everyone else will enjoy it!

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

Muwintxu

Sun was out, people doing their tasks, little ones causing either mischief or chaos. It was a good day at the Metkayina village. In the new sully family pod, at the edge was tuk splashing around with her feet, beside her was her super, amazing aunt! 

Muwintxu as everyone calls her, or in the words of jake. His “super cute, dorky baby sister junnie” which is a name she hates. 

“Hhmmmm……” muwintxu hums out in thought as she too splashes the water on her feet. 

“I want night to come already” she says with a groan, tuk looks up at her aunt. 

“Why?” she asks 

“To measure the stars, time is different here so I gotta use the old fashion way, by calculating the stars” her aunt replies. Tuk tilts her head in confusion. But muwintxu pats her head, “it will be better if I explain it when its night time” 

“Ok!” tuk cheers

“Ok it's 45 degrees more than last week….” as promised, muwintxu was teaching tuk how to measure the stars in the sky. Both of their blue tails curled in fascination. 

“When we left it was february in human time….so aha! In a week it will be mothers day!” the sully sister cheers. Tuk gasps happily and goes to tell her siblings. Upon hearing the great news, they all go back to their aunt. 

“Your mother hasn't adjusted well these months, so how about we give her the best mother’s day she ever had?” muwintxu suggest, all of her nieces and nephews cheer in joy. Already thinking of what to make for their mother. 

“And this time please keep your mouths shut, we don't want a repeat of last year” she says while side eyeing tuk playfully. 

“It was an accident!”

Neteyam, lo’ak, kiri and tuk all explored every nook and cranny of the island. Either being together or doing separate things. The fellow metkayina members took notice of the behavior, while it is nothing alarming, they were accustomed to the sully family being together and away from the population. So what is behind the sudden change? 

“Excuse me, can you help me?” tuk asked a weaver one afternoon, showing him her materials. “I'm trying to make a quadruple braid but I can't do it” she explains. The weaver assists her happily, but as he does, he notices it was a band, one a bit too big for her arms. 

“Is this for someone little one?” the weaver asks, tuk nods enthusiastically. “Yes! Its for my mama, mother’s day is coming up and I wanna give her a pretty gift!” she says. This caught his attention, “mothers day? What is that?” he asks, tuk began to chat away what it was, by the words of her aunt. 

Little did tuk know that she would cause a chain reaction. 

The weaver told his brother, who told his children, and who the children told their friend, and so on and so forth. Word began to spread massively of this “mothers day” thing. The name seemed so intriguing, and the word reached to muwintxu who was fishing the next day. 

“Muwintxu?” a fellow fisher called out to her. She looks up at him, “yes?” she replies. The fisher had a few friends behind him, all looking a bit nervous. “We heard that something is coming soon, a ‘mothers day’ it was. Can you explain what that is?” he asks. 

Sully girl blinked in surprise, guessing one of the kids chatted away of what it was. But, seeing it as an opportunity to connect more with the people, she was happy to explain what it was.

Ronal enters her marui, tired but pleased with her day.  The first thing she sees is her two children shuffling about, covering whatever it was from her eyes. It raises suspicions. “What are you two doing?” she asks. Her children look at each other then back at her. 

“We can't tell you, not yet at least” tsireya answered with a nervous smile. 

“Oh? And why is that?” ronal presses further. 

“Because it is a surprise, you will have to wait until mothers day” ao’nung answers happily. Ronal felt confused, she never heard of that before. 

“Ay, toruk makto’s sister explained to us and the village of a day about mothers is upon us. A human tradition, "Tonowari says as he walks up behind her with a smile. 

Tsireya nodes and happily relayed what she learned. “Yes, and lo’ak said they celebrated that tradition with their old clan. Apparently, mother’s day is a tradition where everyone celebrates their mothers, giving them gifts, letting them rest, and being given the greatest treatment”. 

The more Ronal hears of mothers day, the more tempting it sounds. A day with no duties to worry about? 

“And we, along with others, want to give it a try. Everyone is doing something for their mothers, so we want to do something for you” ao’nung says. 

Ronal smiles and closes her eyes, “I do not see the harm in it” 

Neytiri slowly awakens from her slumber, getting up and stretching out her limbs. Rubbing her, ridding of her sleepiness, she looks around and sees Jake, Muwintxu and her children around the cook pit, a delicious smell emits from it. 

“She’s awake!” lo’ak announces. 

Everyone was quick to surround her, all with happy smiles on their faces. 

“HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!” they are shouted together. 

Neytiri gasps in happiness and surprise. 

“I thought we left that tradition behind with everyone” she says, jake and muwintxu scoff together. 

“Never, mother’s day will always happen no matter where we are tsmuke” the sully sister says. Jake nods in agreement. 

Everyone gave her individual hugs and kisses, jake of course hogging up neytiri’s attention. 

“Daaaaaaaaad!! No fair!” tuk whines, but Jake picks up neytiri bridal style and runs around their home, their children giving chase. 

“Ma’jake!” neytiri squeaks but in delight. 

“MUAHAHA! All mine!” Jake taunts. 

“Not for long!” lo’ak said confidently. Laughter filled their home, neytiri feeling her mood lighten by the display of her family.

After breakfast, everyone was way too excited to give neytiri their gifts. 

“Me first! Me first!” tuk insisted, but was pushed away by lo’ak. 

“Too bad baby sister, I'll go first” he says. But he too was pushed away by neteyam. “Sorry baby bro, but eldest goes first”. 

It didn't really matter who went first, neytiri was just too happy to enjoy this day. 

Neteyam gave her a head piece made of sea glass, with small beads that dangle on the side, while beautiful, it also helped keep her hair from getting into her face while swimming underwater. 

Kiri made her a new shawl made of yellow sea weed with pieces of shells here and there, making a studding pattern. 

Lo’ak created a new bracelet made of small sea glass and shells, making a omatikaya patter with metkayina materials. 

Tuk, though with help, gifted neytiri an arm band that has familiar colors but with metkayina weaving. 

Munwintxu made a new top and loin cloth that matches with her, almost in twin clothing. 

And Jake said the gift is saved for later. 

“You all worked hard to make these wonderful gifts, but really the best gift I can have is to live another day and see you all is enough happiness for me” neytiri says in appreciation. 

After breakfast, which was done by Jake and muwintxu, all walked together through the village. Where they noticed something. 

Women were being given gifts by others, children and mates all treating the mothers like queens that they are. 

“Huh, wonder whats going on? '' Jake wonders. 

Munwintxu chuckles, “I um ... .might have taught everyone what mothers day was and they sort of….picked it up…?” 

“Again? You did it with the people back at the forest, now you are doing it here "Jake looks at his sister. Remember her doing the same thing with the Omatikaya people. 

“What's next, Junnie? Fathers day? Halloween?” he asks. 

“Ok first, stop calling me that, second, why the hell not? They are fun traditions!” the sister snaps back. 

“Indeed, a fun tradition it is” 

Everyone turns to see Tonowari, who had Ronal sitting on his shoulder. His arm on her legs to support her. They and along with tsireya and ao’nung all smile at the sully family. 

“Everyone is participating on mothers day with their families! Giving gifts, showing so much appreciation, love, it is so exciting!” tsrieya says in glee.  

Her family nods in agreement. 

“A very exciting tradition, one that we wish to continue in future years” tonowari says. 

“That is if you do not mind,” ronal adds as she looks between neytiri and muwintxu. 

“Oh, not at all. We are very happy you love this tradition. My sister introduced this very same tradition with my clan years ago, and it is still very much practiced, "Neytiri says as she happily gestures to muwintxu who blushes. 

“However, if there is more human traditions your have, please share with us” ao’nung encourages. This makes Jake grin. “Oh you will love one that is called may the force” 

“Jake don't you dare!” 

Overall, it was a successful first mothers day in the metkayina village. And many more to come. 

This was short but sweet! And very fun to write, hope you all like it! Until next time! See ya!

----------

Munwintxu = introduce present (person, idea, report etc.)

[imperfectnothing]

Kay's intimacy levels (inspired by @apriciticreveries)

Note: this might be a lil bit smaller than Apri's, simply because Kay as a person doesn't have many friends and he's not very good at maintaining relationships!!

Also his percentages are going to be on the lower end for most people and that's because of his own person issues around relationships- not at all indicative of him disliking someone!!

(in alphabetical order) (if there's anyone who i missed who wants to know theirs, put it in the tags or replies and i will do it special!)

Akane (@aakaneeee) - 30%

They're so articulate, I admire how well they explain their thoughts, and they're considerate and understanding, too? It's really quite impressive. I always enjoy talking with them in our classes.

Airin (@apriciticreveries) - 80% (views him as a little sibling)

You've grown up so beautifully. Every time I see you, my chest aches, and I reach out a hand only to withdraw it. You don't seem to need me, anymore. I should not weigh you down with my worries and my love, no matter how much I wish to wrap you up in my arms and protect you from the bitterness of the world. I'm sorry for everything. You deserve better than me.

Aoki (@bluemoonscape) - 95% (boyfriend)

Despite my responsibilities, he knows, and I am plagued with unimaginable guilt. He has lost so much and all of it is my fault. He told me he would stay, but I can't help but wait for the day when he breaks his promise.

August (@junebluues) - 40%

He reminds me too much of myself and I worry for him, the shadows cast underneath his eyes, the hollowness in his gaze. He's a lovely fellow and he's so important to Airin, I would hate to see anything happen to him.

Daian (@apple8ees) - 95% (adoptive brother)

Maybe if I can prepare you for this world, you can survive to see it become better.

Ish (@chevalperd) - 30%

Nadohan's sweetest one. Ish is such a hopeful, bright light, sometimes so much so that it is blinding. I am glad you exist, and I'm sorry, if I've ever made you sad.

Kel (@sotogalmo) - 35%

So clever and creative. I fear for the day they squash your passion.

Nadohan (@alien-til-i-stage) - 55%

I do not know why you let me rely on you. I love you too much.

Para (@solei-eclipse) - 40%

You are truly one of the coolest people I know. It is an honor to know you at all. I hope you know how important you are, to all of us.

Plip (@awaggaa) - 50%

I can never tell when you are angry with me but nevertheless, I love you terribly. You are going to go so far, even if you don't believe it.

Starry (@starry-skiez) - 40%

Sometimes you scare me but only because I worry for you. You, too, remind me of myself. You are much more cheerful, though. You have more friends. Hopefully, you will not fall the way I did.

Sun (@paradisedisconcert) - 40%

Kind, thoughtful, and always manages to make me laugh. I hope I am not too much of a burden on your time.

Syd (@tsukacchako) - 30%

I'm sorry.

Toon (@nottoonedin) - 50%

I never want to meet you on stage, I know I would lose. The audience would see your brilliance and they wouldn't be able to take their eyes off of you. They would have to notice how amazing you are, no one can truly miss it.

Vant (@ivanttakethis) - 50%

Too kind to me, she makes me feel like I really might be worthy of this. I can't be worthy of this.

Zen (@zerostyrant) - 40%

I admire you and you care for D, so you can't be all bad. You don't seem to like me much, though, so I'll keep my distance for now.

[starry-hughes]

fireplace snuggling (mackie samoskevich)

day 15 of star’s ficmas

kasey tkachuk x mackie samoskevich (au)

Mackie got into Sunrise late, some rain caused his flight to be delayed. It wasnt Christmas Day or even Christmas Eve but the delayed flight caused him to miss the yearly Tkachuk Christmas skate at wherever arena rink they were in the city for. He had received pictures of Kasey on the bench, not wanting to skate. She hadn’t really skated since her injury that caused her to be terrified of skating, decommitted herself from college and caused the worst family tension.

He tried not to think about how bad of a look it was for him to show up late, especially to Kasey Tkachuk’s parents. Kasey was excited though, she would have waited hours in the airport for her boyfriend. Her older brother, Matthew, was circling around the airport as she waited inside.

Mackie wouldn’t have expected anything less, seeing his girlfriend standing there as he was walking out of the airport. It was a day before Christmas and the airport was crowded, but he immediately spotted his girlfriend, standing in the Charlotte Checkers Christmas sweater he had sent her.

Kasey didn’t want to let go of Mackie as soon as she yanked him into her arms. “I missed you so much,” she practically cried as he hugged her. “I missed you too… hopefully no one is that upset I’m coming in at midnight?”

Kasey grinned, “Oh Matty is pissed, but he can get over it.”

The three got back to the house and Matthew mumbled something about going up to bed, telling Mackie that he better sleep on the couch. “He’s joking,” Kasey reassured. She was full of energy for it being almost one in the morning. “My mom made Matthew get this electric fireplace, she wanted a real one, but we live in Florida,” Kasey dragged her boyfriend over to the fireplace. Mackie sat next to his girlfriend who plopped herself down on the floor. He took the moment to finally kiss her.

Mackie wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but his lips were swollen and his hair tousled. “Kasey, I’m not sleeping with you on the floor of the living room,” Mackie warned as her hands fiddled with the sweatband of his sweatpants. Kasey reached over to grab the remote that controlled the fireplace and the sound of crackling and warmth entered the room.

“I’m hoping they send me back here soon, get to see you more,” Mackie started before yanking a pillow off the couch and laying down on the carpeted living room floor. Kasey was quick to snuggle into his side. “I hope so too,” Kasey played with his chain around his neck, “I like when you’re around.”

The young couple stayed up for another two hours, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. “Mack?” Kasey whispered when she realized he hadn’t answered her question and looked over to find her boyfriend asleep. She smiled, snuggling into his side and closing her eyes, the sound of the crackling fireplace putting her to sleep.

“Aww they are so cute!” Emma whispered. “I’m going to wake them up,” Matthew said. “Matthew!” Taryn complained. “I’m waking them up.” Matthew stated. “Dude be nice,” Brady said.

Mackie was kicked gently in the leg and his eyes fluttered open. The sun was shining through the windows, it was morning. There was a blanket over the two of them, Mackie has a vague memory of Kasey getting up in the middle of the night to grab a blanket. “Kasey,” Mackie mumbled, “your family is awake.”

He sat up, realizing that the Tkachuk siblings were all stifling laughter and that Chantal and Keith Tkachuk were sitting close to the two on the floor. “Oh… Morning Mr and Mrs Tkachuk, thanks for inviting me to Christmas?”

Kasey woke up, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, her hair was its messy natural curls. “Hi mom, hi dad… So are we decorating cookies today or…”

[my-castles-crumbling]

Anon Advice Asks - January 31

skating anon, therapist anon, admissions anon (new), guess anon (new), milk anon, outlet anon, two fics anon (new)

Skating Anon

Heyy

I'm skating anon, so basically so far I'm still friends with her but I didn't have the courage to tell her anything about liking her, my friend is telling me I should tell her so that we go out for valentine's day. I know for a fact she doesn't have any plans for valentine's day and I mean I'd even ask her like to go as friends but idk

What should I do

Hi!!

I mean, I think you should!! You could always just say "we should hang out on the 14th" and see how she reacts, you know? like don't specifically say it's a date but don't NOT say that and then see the vibes from there!

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Therapist Anon

Hiya cas, how are we

Therapist anon here with a bit of a long one so hope you're ready :)

One: were having a tour reunion soon (all went away for 3 weeks with a bunch of other people under the same program had such a blast)

Met a boy, talked, went on like a 5 hour hike we talked all the time. After a whileee he went to my friend with a "see ya later!" Then came bounding back (he was like a fawn learning how to walk, beyond adorable) and my friend who was near the front came up to me and was like " *name* you know he came to us stayed for about a minute then said he was bored, I'm gonna go back to *name* (ie me)

OK one was I flattered, boys never looked at me (woah that sounded so pick me, please forgive me) but he was on and off with a girl, later in the trip (like mid week 2 or smth) he was sad cos he ans this girl had a misunderstanding so there I kinda forced myself to give up because ain't no way imma make a move on a taken (?) man

Might not go to the reunion cos train strikes (yay) could only go if they doo a weekend then come back sat night (hopefully they do another one cos I wanna see him) it also doesn't help that all my friends ship us and to this DAY still talk about how cute we were

(Also gonna mention that it was him and two of ny friends bur then it dwindled to just me, my friend and him then just me and him- we didn't say anything and just talked about religion, parent, where we come back etc (in my religion where you're from has quite a big impact ie. If you're from European countries you're gonna have different customs to those from the middle east/Asian countries))

But yeah :D boy trouble am I right?

Two: friends are still being a bit...exclusive

And it pains me that they'll talk about how they've gotten so much better (they havnt) they had another party sat night and I wasn't even doing anything, I would have loved to come but no invite :/

But I also feel like I'm missing out on such teenage things like I've never gotten drunk (yay me I'm being so responsible but I feel like as somebody who's going to uni soon and never had alcohol other than for religious reasons (again alcohol is a pretty big deal here for...numerous reasons I'm not getting into otherwise wrll be here for too long) ans I've never talked to a boy other than school, cousins, sibling friends (and this one) so idk

I don't have a girl gang I don't feel as if I can go to them for boy trouble of course I know they love me (just had a weekend away and as we were lighting Friday night candles we all hugged, blessed each other etc) and I love them but idk....if they realize what they're doing then maybe?? There's definitely leaders and sheep but know I think it's mostly leaders cos of how long it's been going on (since after covid cos long story short, my mom got sick and it was a major health hazard so when bubbles came out I couldn't do it-I didn't step outside my front door for about 6 weeks we were all too scared and then schools opened and I had to distance myself ALOT like if we were in one big room, I was outside the building. Wore a mask until 2022-23 I'd say because of how scared I was so that definitely caused issues yay :) but I feel like that may be part of the issue cos I had to distance myself and push myself away -they were all so sweet coming to say hi and talk, sitting on my porch while I sat inside and for that I love them but that's definitely a factor)

Really really sorry for how long it is but lemme just summarise:

Met a boy, in love, his relationship status=complicated

I am single beyond single and would LOVE A BOYFRIEND HINT HINT HINT G-D

Friends being ignorant, met a new friend but she's going thru a tough spot so I cannot vent, I have to be there for her

Feeling like I'm missing out on ny teenage years ESPECIALLY THANKS TO COVID had depression and have anxiety, kinda feeling like depression is coming back (yay)

Covids a bitch

Also would love to make a huge academic comeback but cannot focus for the life of me, I'm actually addicted to my phone and my other friend doesn't do work until like 2am so that's a no go

Would love if you have any tips:)

Thanks again, really sorry for how long it is, mwah mwah mwah

Hi!

Okay so as far as the boy....Idk, for me...if someone isn't showing genuine interest in me, like it feels like I'm competing or having to work for love...that feels like a red flag. You deserve someone who truly cares about you, you know?

As far as your friends and being a teenager....honestly I feel like I've had so many people say the same thing- and I don't say this to minimize what you're feeling, I say this to tell you that you're not alone. It's okay to experience things in your own time! You'll experience all the things you're meant to WHEN you're meant to, I promise <3

For focusing...have you tried setting timers on your phone? I think there are apps where you can lock it for like 10-20 minutes at a time, and use that time to study, and then give yourself a break.

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Admissions Anon

Hey Cas!

I didn’t really know who I could talk to about this in my everyday life so I’m just gonna leave it here. Don’t feel pressure to reply!

Anyway, the college admissions cycle is underway and I’ve been applying places. I have only heard back from one school (my fav school) and was denied from them, I’m still waiting on about 10 others to get back to me - most of which are easier to get into as my top school has a low acceptance rate.

For context, whenever I would talk about this school to anyone (parents, friends, etc.) it was pretty clear that they didn’t think I’d get in. I’ve had some pretty serious medical stuff over the last few years which has impacted my grades, so my friends at school don’t think of me as capable to get into a difficult school and my parents just didn’t wanna get my hopes up. Guess they were right on that account.

Logically I knew that I likely wouldn’t get in since previously acceptance rates were like 15% (and this year they dropped to 6%) but there was still a little tiny voice in the back of my head that kept whispering “what if…”

So although it’s a little crazy, I kept thinking that I was going to get in. Perhaps more than a little crazy. Whatever. Anyways, clearly I didn’t and I feel like I can’t mope about it or anything because none of my friends will understand cause they’re either super smart nerds who would’ve gotten in or they despise academics and would never apply to a school that difficult to get into. So I just wanted to be able to talk to someone which is why I’m leaving this here.

So all this leads to the fact that since I have bad anxiety and depression I’ve sorta been spiraling a bit since I found out today. I’ll be fine though. Hopefully. Just give it a few days.

I’ll shut up now but if you did read this thank you for listening (or reading I guess since this isn’t audio)

Thanks xx

Hi <3

I completely understand this. I feel like we're sold this lie that if we work hard, we can go to whatever college we want. But in reality, some colleges are almost impossible to get into, and it's so upsetting. And on top of that, even if you get into your top school, there's paying for it.

It's definitely a letdown to know that you won't be able to go to your top choice school. I'm not sure if it would make you feel any better, but I wasn't able to go to my top choice, either, I actually ended up going to one of my last choices. And I ended up LOVING it. Sometimes you end up at the place you're supposed to be, you know?

___________________________________

Guess Anon

hi Cas,

Ive posted a few asks on here but they were public - but this time, I don't think that I'm brave enough to be. Although you'll probably guess who this is if youve seen my other tumblr posts

Its my father's birthday tomorrow and me and my sister are seeing him. The issue is, I tried to bring up the fact that I had dropped out of college last time we saw him, and he told me that he'd be really disappointed and wouldn't want to see me again, so I played it off as a joke and just said that I was thinking about it. He asked me whether I was meant to be in college when we were out last and luckily I had an email saying that my classes were cancelled the day because they were running christmas trips and my teachers were all going (for context I dropped out late november and I still had access to my college email until very recently as I've finally been formally de-enrolled), so I showed him that email (which he originallytbough I'd faked) but obviously this time, I have no messages or anything (cause I've been fully de-enrolled so they deleted my email and stopped messaging my phone number). I'm just scared that he's going to find out tomorrow and get angry and violent, and then he'll blame me like he always does. I'm scared, Cas.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Hi <3

I'm so sorry that I didn't get to this before you saw your dad. I really hope it went well.

I want to remind you of a few things:

First, when your safety is at risk, it is always okay to lie. You could photoshop the email?

Also, when your safety is at risk, it's okay NOT to see family, even if they are family. Nobody deserves to be hurt. I understand if you are still relying on your father for some sort of support, but if you arent...I would reevaluate spending time with someone who is violent.

But also I want to say...I hope you know that you don't have to explain your choices to people. You're allowed to make choices that are best for you, and fuck anyone who judges <3

______________________

Milk Anon

Hey, so milk anon here...

A couple months ago i got a gf, and shes amazing, and beautiful and lovely, and i l'île her a lot

But... im terrified of physical affection (like holding hands and cuddling and kissing etc.) And idk if maybe its because its my first relationship or not but ive started to think maybe that i may not actually be into girls after all, but just guys? I dont want that to be true bc like i said my gf is amazing and i dont want to hurt her, but i also dont wanna lie to her, nor myself, but i also just dont know and its kinda freaking me out

Sorry if its a bit much lol, i just needed to rani a bit to someone not too involved

Hi!!

Honestly...there are so many reasons why someone might not like physical contact and I'm not sure if I can tell you what the reason is for you, you know? Especially since I'm not a professional. But it sounds like you might just need to reflect on the why. Like...is it the person? The situation? The type of contact? That kind of thing. Also you said this is your first relationship...it could simply be that you're not ready for a relationship and that's completely okay!

Also if you do end up realizing you don't want to stay with your gf for whatever reason, just make sure to tell her what you told me- that she's amazing and you care.

Wishing you luck <3

_______________________

Outlet Anon

It made me so happy to read your update! It sounds like things are going so well for you and it amazing how all of those changes have improved things so much! I am sending you love and I hope things continue to go well!

_______________

Two Fics Anon

I promise, there are people who read. Also if it helps motivation, you and try to find people who share similar tastes in tropes and pairings, and then share your writing with them! Fandom friends are wonderful hype people!

[robiin-draws]

Welcome to the HCDA - Chapter 17

Tws: Mentions of death

Notes: Now they get to have a good time (kinda)

Chapter 17 - Chatting

Scar

And then Grian is falling.

The Watchers used some sort of draining spell, and Jimmy had broken free of Tango’s hold to save him. 

Now Grian is falling, and neither of his winged siblings can reach him.

Pearl somehow manages to break free and dives toward him, but it quickly becomes clear she isn’t going to reach him in time.

I reach for my dragon scale, and then realize, Grian has it. He took everyone’s because he didn’t want us helping.

Could I catch him?

There’s no time to think about it, either I do or I don’t. I dart forward, into the empty street they’re fighting above, and position myself where Grian is falling.

“Scar, what are you doing?” Joel calls. Mumbo seems to realize what I’m trying to do, and joins me. Two people is better than one.

And suddenly, the avian has fallen into my arms. I stagger backwards, feeling the strain on my braces as Mumbo steadies me.

“I can’t believe that worked,” I say quietly to Mumbo, meeting his dark amber eyes. My newly healed shoulder is aching again, and so are my legs, but I don’t mind.

Pearl lands on the ground next to me, and I notice one shoulder is bloody. I ask her about it and she shrugs it off. Jimmy is still up in the sky, wings beating as he talks to the Watchers.

He comes down a moment later, and is immediately met with a tackle hug from Tango. Afterwards, he explains the deal he made with the Watchers: we’ll leave each other alone for one week, and then the boundaries go down. That will hopefully be enough time for everyone to recover. He’s very shaky throughout the whole explanation, but it’s not hard to see Tango’s presence calms him down a bit.

I take my dragon scale back from Grian’s pocket and set him down.

“How are we going to get him home?” I ask Mumbo. The rest of the hermits have begun to leave already,

“Carry him, I guess.” He replies. At that moment, Grian stirs.

“You are not going to carry me,” He says groggily, sitting up. “I am going to fly myself home, and you can’t stop me.”

He tries to take off, and immediately falls again. This time, Pearl has to catch him.

“Nope, we’re definitely carrying you.” I laugh. 

. . .

Mumbo ends up being the one to carry him, despite Grian’s numerous protests. We let him walk once we’re back at the headquarters, but I follow him up to his room. I hope I’m being sneaky and that he hasn’t noticed me, but that’s unlikely.

“Scar, I know you’re there,” Grian says when he sits down on his bed. “Come in here.”

“You caught me,” I sigh, coming out from the hall.

He laughs. “Get over here,” He says, beckoning me to sit down on the bed with him. I sit down next to him and he sighs.

“You good?” I ask.

“The last two weeks have been quite something,” He replies, taking off his shoes. He takes off his sweater too, revealing the white undershirt that only a handful of the hermits have ever seen.

“I know,” I agree, also slipping off my boots and braces. “I hope you don’t mind me leaving these here, by the way.” I gesture to the items.

“Not at all,” Grian smiles. Then he leans into me. “I missed you and Mumbo so much.” He whispers.

“I did too, and Mumbo definitely did.” Grian leans on my shoulder and begins to recount his time with the Watchers. I figure the best thing to do is listen and nod once and a while.

He tells me everything, describing his meeting with Gem and his Watcher powers. When he gets to the part about the mall, his voice cracks.

“Jen died.” He says, clenching his fists. “Because of me.”

“It sounds to me like she chose to die,” I reply. “You said she insisted on staying inside while it was collapsing. If she didn’t like being with the Watchers, dying might’ve been a good thing.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Grain sighs, letting his wings relax and leaning back into me. His hands open up too, and I see scabs on his palms, has he clenched his fists so hard during the past couple weeks his fingernails broke skin? He resumes his explanation. Eventually, he finishes his story with being imprisoned by the Watchers.

“Wow.” I say, shocked by how much he had to tell. “That’s a lot.”

“I know,” He sighs. Then he perks up suddenly, fixing me with his deep brown eyes. “It’s late, Scar. Are you sure you aren’t tired?”

“I’m sure,” I lie. I am actually a bit tired, but I like this, staying up with Grian. 

“If you insist,” He shrugs, but I can tell he doesn’t believe me.

We continue to chat, I tell him about what happened from my end. By the time I’m done, I feel really sleepy, like I could just fall asleep right… here…

[seashellronan]

Hi Haley, just wanted to share something with you if that’s ok. This is not at all the same as your situation with your sister, and I’m not trying to compare the two, but just wanted to share a ‘sibling sad a Christmas time’ so you know you’re not alone. My brother moved to Perth a few years ago and I was lucky enough to go see him in May for a few weeks and everyone kept saying how it was going to be so cool and how it will be like no time has passed and nothing has changed…but actually a lot has changed and he’s so so different now and I’m different too and it’s like we barely know each other. We’re not really close anymore and we have nothing in common, and we barely speak and when we do we disagree and argue or we have awkward catch up conversations and….its sad. He’s probably never going to move back home (to Dublin) and it’s….sad, especially this time of year. He’s my only brother and I’m hoping that it won’t always be like this, but for now, and this Christmas I’m sad about it. Like I said - not trying to compare-but empathising and sympathising with you big time on this one ❤️❤️

oh anon thank you for sharing 💖💖 i’m so sorry to hear you are also struggling with missing someone this christmas! sibling relationships are so complicated and it feels so sad when you feel them slipping like this i keep seeing stuff about sibling relationships recently and i can’t even look at it it makes me feel so sad! i also can really relate to this feeling, back when my sister first moved away to go to college i was still in school and living at home and i didn’t end up staying in college after that and she was in dublin and i was in mayo and i felt like this with our relationship too, we had been really close and i felt like she had moved on to better things and i was just her weird little sister she didn’t have time for. i moved to dublin and it got better and we got close again but that did end up imploding anyway but yeah moral of the story is a lot of the reason that it felt strained at the time was because of my insecurities and i honestly felt kind of abandoned and hurt so i really hope that you can start feeling close to your brother again and hopefully it’s just an adjustment period and you’ll find your feet but yeah siblings man! is such a strange relationship it hurts so much when you feel it slipping because it’s almost like a betrayal we were supposed to be a built in team but sometimes you grow up to be different people. I still have hope that someday things will get better maybe different but hopefully okay and i hope the same for you too thank you for reaching out💖

[jillsandwhichs]

Heart on my sleeve

A Valenfield Story , Chapter 3, Makin' you sweat

Masterlist

Pairing: Jill Valentine & Chris Redfield

Summary: Chris and Jill do end up going on that run together, get breakfast too as well as getting to know each other even more

WC: 3.7k

Type: SFW

A/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Comments, reblogs & likes are appreciated. Thank you

Must be this apartment complex.

Chris stood outside of the complex Jill is currently residing in. They exchanged phone numbers on Tuesday and now it's Saturday and they've talked quite a bit. They set on Chris meeting her outside her place, then they'll begin their run. It'll be a short one, but a sweat breaker for sure. From Jill's place, Moon Donuts is just a couple minutes away and with running, they'll be there in no time.

He sat down on a bench, the bitter air wooshing past him, it felt good, adrenaline pumping. Since it is December, it's rather cold out. Raccoon City is still expecting that blizzard to hit at any moment, that will be pretty shitty once it happens. Usually, during any snowstorm, work is cancelled due to the main roads being way too icy but sometimes, Wesker doesn't care and has everyone come in anyways. The police department is rather keen on attendence.

Although, any day off Chris can get, he will take glady.

Chris's digital watch read the time. It is currently nine in the morning, a perfect time to start a run; Half of the time, he starts even earlier. He hopes this run will go smoothly. Hopefully he doesn't eat shit right in front of Jill, that would be beyond embarrassing. He would rather fall in front of a group of College girls than Jill. Oddly enough, he'd rather impress her which is a notion he never tends to feel for women. Jill is just special, he supposes.

Another thing with this run is that he'll be able to get to know Jill a bit better. He knows some things such as her music taste, her parents and siblings, but not much else and she seems to be an interesting woman.

Chris has just been opened to an entirely new world recently. When Jill became a S.T.A.R.S member, specifically rear security, things in his mind changed. He had told himself he'd never let someone in, that he'd always keep to himself but yet, Jill makes him want to open up by just being with her. Herself alone is great company and Chris always gets bored with the men at the office. He can't tell if it's just because she's fresh meat or because he genuinely feels for her.

Only time will tell.

The sound of the complexes entry door opening was heard, then he saw Jill walk out. She looked great, even in workout wear.

She was wearing a maroon red jacket with capri black leggings, it was suitable for the weather they were having today. Chris stood up and gave her a quick smile. "You look nice." He complimented her. "Thank you Chris, you do too." She chuckled, pushing her brunette hair out of her face. "Yeah..." He huffed out with a snicker, "You ready or is there anything you have to do first?" "I'm ready, just a second though, I'm going to re-tie these shoes, just for safety measures." She stated as she crouched to do her thing.

Chris nodded, understanding where she was coming from.

Deciding to make some small talk, he spoke up.

"How'd ya sleep last night?" "Good, surprisingly." Jill laughed, focusing on her laces. "You?" "Decent, per usual." Chris replied, his voice soft. "Well then, how's your weekend been?" "Also decent, went to visit my sister yesterday." Chris responded. "Sounds like a fun time. I just stayed inside all of yesterday after work, ordered some food and binged watched some television." Jill said kindly, standing back up after finishing off her second shoe.

"Also sounds fun... You ready now?" "Completely." She snorted and got into a running stance as they both began to jog.

The Arctic air in Raccoon City made this run a tad bit more difficult. The cold breeze flowing down their lungs, it hurt but at the same time felt so damn good. Cold sweats break out a lot quicker too, so Chris was already feeling it. Although, Jill on the other hand, barely breaks one - Lucky. Cars flew in by as they ran, most people driving to diners or into work since sadly, some people are required to work weekends. Not only that, some people were out walking their dogs and keeping their peace.

People often paint Raccoon City as a picture perfect town and while it does appear that way in most cases, it really isn't. Most haven't seen it's dark side. That includes both Jill and Chris.

The sound of snow crunching beneath their fast feet was heard and oddly enough, sounded peaceful. It brought a sense of reality to Chris. Chris's footsteps were much louders than Jill's as he weighs much more, he could hardly hear hers. It wasn't the most safe option, running on snow on a chilly day, but alas. It felt nice. Chris hasn't been on a run in God knows how long so finally getting out and going on one, and it being with a pretty lady, he'll call it a win for him.

"Feeling good?" Jill asked Chris, a slight giggle being heard from her too. "Yeah, haven't been on a jog in quite some time, feels great to break the cycle." He huffed out. "I try to go on them as much as possible, they make me feel alive." Jill hummed out. Her hair bounced as she ran and remained looking perfect. Now how is that possible? Maybe she really is an Angel. "It's weird because my insides feel warm whereas my body actually feels cold, but then again, never have I ever ran in the snow." "Not once?" "Never." Jill replied.

Chris found that surprising. An active girl whose never ran during the Winter time?

"Well alrighty then," He chuckled, "You ready to get breakfast today? I haven't been to the donut shop in some time." "I am, I got their menu in the mail the other day, hung it up on my fridge." "Yeah, they send them out every so often, did you glance over it?" "A little bit, but I wanted to look more at the shop itself." Jill responded, her voice sounding a bit deeper than usual due to the cold air and adrenaline from jogging. It's hard to speak and run, of course, you're running out of breath as it is.

They turned a corner, the big movie LED posters shining brightly. Even whilst it snows, they stay on. Currently, three movies are showing in theatre, a stupid teenage girl film, a film about an undercover agent and another Disney film, all look decent at least. The last time he went to the movies was with his little sister, Claire, for her birthday. She wanted to lay it low that day, so they spent it together. It was nice considering she's always off and gone.

So, so, so many stores surrounded the streets to the city. Raccoon City is notorious for its amount of small businesses, that is how a lot of companies started out, was here. Now, a couple companies have gained massive audiences and are doing well for themselves, such as Umbrella. Chris doesn't know too much about it aside from the fact they sell just about everything. Medicine, drinks, food, etc, they seem decent enough although he's never purchased anything from them besides Aquacure.

While running, Jill spoke up, asking Chris a question. "What's that place?" "It's a boutique. There's two in the city, one here and one down by Moons too." "Ah, nice." Jill nodded, turning her head back forward. "I don't perceive you as the girly type though." Chris stated. Truthfully, she came off as a tomboy, which is very attractive in his eyes. "Oh? Well, I'll have you know I'm very into modeling, makeup too. If I wasn't an officer, I bet I could've done modeling." "Yeah, you could've." Chris blurted out, feeling a bit stupid afterwards.

He wasn't wrong though.

She definitely could've and still can, she's stunning.

"You think so? I always thought of it morely as a 'maybe'." Jill spoke softly, her lack of confidence making a breakthrough. It's not that she totally lacked it, Jill is aware she's not ugly and has nice looks, but looks for a model? Absolutely not. But to Chris, he feels otherwise. "I think so. You're gorgeous, Jill." Chris tried his best to remain cool about her question. What was he gonna do, fan girl? No. He doesn't wanna seem like a weirdo but yeah, she's hot or whatever.

"Thank you." She cooed to him, her eyes on his face momentarily. Their eye contact was short lived yet intimate in the best way imaginable. "You're welcome, Jill."

He felt the need to run faster now, it felt refreshing. Both things currently felt like a fresh breath of air - The run & Jill. Just being around her awakens something in him. He doesn't mean to feel like a cliche, but she's like a God send. For all the times he's felt down, he's wondered how having a special person in his life would feel. How having someone in his life who he can come to consistently would feel. Not to jump the gun but, maybe, just possibly, Jill could be that very person for him.

It's only a matter of whether or not she feels the same way.

Running even more, they were only about a minute away from 'Moons Donuts' and both of them were increasingly more excited. "What's your usual there?" "Two donuts and a coffee but if I'm not feeling something sweet, I'll get a hot breakfast." "Donuts sound great, especially after this run." Jill tittered. "Good to get some calories back in, huh?" "Definitely." Jill giggled, her cheeks puffing up as she did. Seeing Jill's laughs warmed Chris's heart up. Just seeing her happy in general does.

The wind around them began to pick up. A light amount of snow began to trickle down onto them, and even the snow on the ground started to woosh around them. The burst of cold air felt lovely but at the same time, bad. Chris shivered, his body suddenly getting colder than before, he could feel his hands becoming numb from the cool atmosphere.

"We should pick up the pace, I'm starting to get colder than I should be." "Gotcha." She gave him a determined nod, her legs jogging more briskly. Chris was grateful that she was able to do something so small yet kind for him. He did the same. His fibrow legs bolted faster, he even passed Jill. "Hey," She snickered, "Wait up, Chris!" She also bolted, now passed him. A little competition? Chris doesn't mind one bit.

Moons Donuts was just ahead of them, directly in view. "Let's race then." Chris shouted, his throat feeling scraggly from the chipper winds. "You're on, now!" Jill yelled back, running as fast as she could. "Not fair." Chris chortled, his legs trying their best. He had to give it to her - She is quick. But most definitely not as quick as he can be. Right as Jill hit the stairs that lead down to the second set right before the diner, Chris jumped down them, taking a huge risk.

He didn't wanna fall flat on his ass in front of her, yet he gave it a shot, going to show how competitive he is.

"Holy moly!" She bursted out into a bellow, watching as Chris jumped and landing perfectly. "That was-" She giggled, "Not expected." She stopped running, deeming Chris as the winner. "Guess that means I won?" "I'll give it to you." Jill said sarcastically, it was cute how she spoke sometimes... Or all the time... They now casually ambled down the steps together, side by side, both being careful as to not slip on the ice currently forming on the platforms.

"Looks a little busy." Jill voiced, referencing the donut shop. "It may be, but it's alright, yeah?" "Mhm." She gave him a friendly nod.

Chris opened the door for her, allowing her to enter first. "Ladies first?" "Hah, thank you." Jill snickered, strolling inside. Chris looked around outside for a few seconds before entering the diner. The smell of the fresh breakfast aroma was pleasant as can be and the sounds of families and couples enjoying it brought glee to Chris and Jill. They're both empaths. "Smells amazing." "Tell me about it." Chris agreed with her. It smells all kinds of good. A couple people were in front of Chris and Jill, giving them some time to decide what they'll each order.

"Whatcha thinkin'? I'll pay, it's on me." Chris pulled out his brown leather wallet. A deep concerning look came over Jill's face. "Hey, no no, I can pay for myself." Jill set her hands on Chris's, almost seemingly trying to push his hands away so he'll stuff his wallet back. "Woah, no. You're going to let me pay. It's the least I can do for you accompanying me this morning." Chris countered her pleas, really wanting to do just this one thing for her. "My guilty conscious won't let me." "And my guilty conscious won't let me allow a lady to pay for herself when a man is right here." "Isn't that a bit sexist?" "No, it's chivalrous." Chris snickered, Jill's blushing was obvious.

Maybe she just doesn't want to admit it, but it's clear Jill enjoyed Chris being a gentleman. He doesn't mind. For a woman like her, he'd buy way more, this is nothing compared to what he can do for her.

"What're you feeling though? A donut? Coffee? Muffin?" Chris listed a couple random items, wanting to see if any sounded appealing to her. Jill's eyes went back to his face, a sense of timidness bubbling inside of him. Her eyes on him, it was nerve wracking. What if he looks dumb? Chris worries too much, he has no clue where he gets it from... "I thought about getting a glazed donut and coffee, I'm usually not very hungry in the morning." "Good choice then, I'll order it for you, how about you go sit down, I'll meet you there."

Jill gave him a soft smile, her eyes reminded him of pearls. She nodded and turned around, taking a seat at a booth in the corner of the diner. There was only one more person in front of Chris and they were finishing up their order. Moons Donuts seems to keep it hastey with taking orders and completing them. The staff has adapted to the business they tend to receive on weekends, especially in the earlier hours of the day.

The man in front of Chris finished and walked off, sitting down and waiting for his order. Chris stepped up, wallet in hand as he began to order. "I'll just take one glazed donut with warm coffee... I'll also take two bagels with straight black coffee." "You got it, sir. It'll be done here shortly." The kind woman responded. Chris smiled in a friendly way. "Thanks." He set the cash on the cleansed counter and turned around, wandering over to the booth Jill had chosen for them.

He sat down, taking notice of her pale face - The cold air probably got to her. "You okay?" "Yeah, just thirsty." "Ah," Chris shook his head up and down, "Your coffee will be here shortly, it should be refreshing, their coffee is great." Chris reassured her. Whenever Chris was speaking with Jill, his voice was softer than it normally is. What is it about her that captivates him so immensely? He feels the need to stare at her, talk to her, everything, all of it. Jill is an extraordinary woman and yet, Chris is only at the tip of the iceberg as to who she is as a person.

"Can I ask you something? Or an array of things? I just wanna get to know you better." Chris said with confidence. She isn't going to say no or avoid the question, if she were to, she wouldn't even be here in the first place. Or maybe Chris is just too cocky. "Well, sure, what is your question?" Jill's eyes twinkled as she stared at him, that made Chris feel a particular way, causing him to lose track of his words. "Well, I, it's- Ok." He laughed, rubbing his temple and trying not to feel embarrassed which was hard as all hell.

Jill tittered, her laugh so gleeful that it made Chris feel better by yards.

"Happens to the best of us," Jill said kindly, "Let's take turns asking one another questions, sure? I can go first." "A whole lot better than my idea. Go on." Chris laughed, running his fingers through his deep, dark brown hair. "Okay... What is your favorite color?" "Green, easy. Love it." "Go figure." Jill cackled, "Mine is blue but I fear that's quite obvious." She snickered. "Now, your turn." "Alright... Favorite animal?" "Great question, but I have multiple. Dolphins, dogs and foxes." "Cute but you do know dolphins are evil little critters, right?" Jill sat there for a second after he said that. He wasn't wrong. "Shhh." She giggled, Chris chuckled too.

She is so cute.

Chris thought for a moment. What were also his favorite animals? He finds all of them adorable. "I guess if I had to pick, I think Lions are beautiful and majestic... I'll have to go with them." "Rightfully so, they are gorgeous animals." Jill nodded, her lips making a curvy look, almost as if she was pouting, but not. "Favorite film? Mines a tie between the Ailen movies and Dirty Dancing." Jill said with honesty. Chris found her picks surprising. He didn't take her for a sci-fi enjoyer but alas

"Not gonna lie, Ailen? That was the last thing I expected you to enjoy." "All the films are very good, it's my cup of tea. Dirty Dancing is a guilty pleasure." Jill snorted. "Fair, fair... I like horror movies mainly. Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Poltergeist have always been my go-to movies." "Oh, both are terrifying but I love them as well." Jill nodded. Chris felt happy in this very moment, just by getting to know her a little bit more. Jill is such an interesting woman.

Chris heard the sound of a woman's voice listing of their order, knowing he had to go and grab it. "Be right back." Chris leered at her before quickly standing up and marching to grab their food. "That'll be mine." Chris told the worker, kindly taking the food from her hands. "Have a nice meal." "Thanks." Chris brought their food and drinks back over to the booth and he arranged it so her food was on her side, and his food was on his. It was organized neatly.

"Thank you Chris." Jill said with a serene tone. "It looks good." Jill picked her donut up, a brown clear coat wrapping around it. "They are. I just got to regular bagels." Chris stated, taking his food out of its coating.

He began to spread the plain cream cheese all over all four slices, it smelt delicious; Chris couldn't wait to fuel his body up. Jill was already digging in which made Chris happy. She should eat, she just ran a good bit and eating after running is healthy. Once the cheese was spread nicely, Chris picked a slice up and took a chomp out of it, his body grateful for the nutrients. He finished his first bite and asked Jill yet again, another question.

"So, favorite food?" "Great question. Honestly, anything savory but especially Chinese food. I adore Chinese food." Jill cackled, sipping on her coffee which seemed to brighten her mood by a bit. "Understandable. I love breakfast foods. Eggs, sausage, cheese, etc, all of it is good to me." "Weird because I am totally the opposite," She replied, "I'm so much more of a dinner person, steak, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc, all of it is amazing." "Honestly, I love all food." Chris chuckled, earning a cutesy giggle from Jill.

They ate in silence for a bit.

It felt redeeming. Chris felt as though maybe he is finding himself? Through all of the anger and frustration he has put himself through these past couple years, maybe this is an outlet - Having someone like her around. Or maybe he's a damn fool. A fool whose damned to hell. Chris doesn't know it yet, but there is so, so, so much in store for him.

They eventually finished their food up, their conversation continuing to be casual and friendly until Jill says something rather questionable yet beautiful.

"I like being around you Chris. I heard some false rumors about you but I've out those aside. You're great." Jill cooed to him, her eyes so gentle and sweet it made Chris weak to the core. She doesn't understand how he is as a person but she'll learn. Chris has intense anger issues that he prays Jill will never witness, she doesn't deserve that. Chris gazed at her, his mouth slightly agape at her sentence. Does she really mean that?

"You're a sweet girl, Jill. Thank you. I enjoy being with you too." Chris vocalized softly, a heavy weight on his heart. For all the times he's caused someone pain over something minor, that guilt rests within him, and for some reason, with Jill, he wants to let it all go so he can proceed on with being a better man.

Only knowing her a week doesn't mean much, he feels like it's been forever. Time flies by when you're with someone special, huh?

"We should get going then, we're finished." Chris breathed in deeply, trying to hide his emotions. "You okay?" "Mhm." Chris nodded, cleaning up their food.

"I just don't think you realize how much that means to me, Jill." Chris whispered to her, their eye contact full of passion. "I think I do." Jill replied, setting her hand on top of his but soon pulled it away and stood up. "But you're right, we should." She collected herself and gave him a smile. "I'll be outside waiting." "Yeah, okay." Chris gave her a nod as she began to walk out.

Does she though?

[garricks4thwingqueen]

Always Yours Part 6

Trigger: NSFW, Swearing 

Important events: Threshing, Winter Solstice, Rae’s signet manifests.

Word count: 1949

 Raelynn’s POV

     The week was long and drawn out, but it was finally the morning of October 1st. We had all finished breakfast and we made our way to the meadow. Liam’s arm wrapped around my waist tightly. He was now a member of our squad officially after losing the two we lost during presentation day. “It’s best not to go in a group and better to walk on your own.” Professor Kaori reminded us as we reached the entrance to the field. “Best of luck to you all. You will know when there's a connection, don't try and find one when there's not. Well off you go.” He mentioned for the first year cadets to go into the field. Liam and I walked together for about 50 feet, “I love you.” He whispered as his mouth found mine. “I love you too. Be careful please.” I whispered not wanting to let go of my man. “I’ll see you in our own room tonight my love.” He said giving me one more hug before he made his way to the right of the field and me back down and to the left. 

It had to be approaching late evening . I had  passed Ridoc and Violet who seemed about as lost as me; which felt like hours ago. I had passed reds; but not the one that caught my attention during presentation. Maybe he was Liam’s I thought hopefully to myself; while sighing and leaning my back against a tree. I had also passed pretty much every other dragon color in the book. But none spoke to me. I sighed “Maybe I should just give up and realize that it's not my year.” I don't bond to quitters. I hear a soft female voice say. I glanced around startled but noticed no one around me until I backed up into a brown’s leg. I bond to strong female riders that are different from others. Realization had hit me. “Your lips didn't move. You choose me.” I said with a sigh of relief taking in the brown scorpion tails full size. Yes, now get on my back before I change my mind. She said with a huff. My name is Caelestia, sister of Chradh and mated to a red daggertail named Deigh. She said as she did several flight maneuvers as if she was testing my strength to stay seated on her back. I had my eye on you ever since Chradh bonded but seeming how I'm a mated dragon. I had to make sure my mate was going to bond and bond to your mate. Liam I thought and said to myself, his bonded? I said in my head not intending for it to sound like a question. Yes, that's why you felt more of a connection to Deigh and felt apprehensive towards me during presentation day. Deigh knew he wanted to bond just not sure with whom until your mate walked past and he knew but I had to wait in the shadows for them to bond so I knew it was in fact time for me to bond to you. She said as she landed next to a red daggertail on the flight field and I looked down with Liam smiling back up at me. “I love you.” He said but his mouth didn't move. “I love you so much.” I thought, wait did we just. Yes. said a male voice that was unfamiliar to me as I slide done Caelestia’s leg. You can call me Celeste for short but give the role keeper Caelestia. This time Deigh chimed back in as I gave Liam a hug. Mated dragons and their riders are all connected so congratulations you each just gained two dragons technically.  Deigh said as Chradh came and landed on Celeste’s left as Garrick dismounted. “Please tell me I can't hear both of them too.” Garrick and Liam both chuckled No,  it doesn't work with siblings. Celeste assured me. “Thank Gods.” I breathed out with a sigh of relief as Liam wrapped his arm around me as we made our way to the roll keeper to give her the names of the dragons that chose us. 

                                                Liam’s POV 

It was December 21st also known as the start of winter solstice; it had also been just over two months since threshing. I smiled waking up looking down at my girl who was curled up against my chest still asleep. However, I knew she wouldn't be asleep for long as I just got a wave of hormonal emotions that belonged to our mated dragons who apparently forgot to put up their shields this morning. “Li.” She whispered quietly barely above a whisper. “What time is it?” She whimpered. “5 am.” She sighed “They couldn't even have waited until a decent hour.” She groaned through a yawn. I chuckled as I felt her starting to run her fingers up and down my already hard length. "Come here babes.” I said lifting her chin up and placing a kiss on her soft lips as she adjusted herself over my lower half as I started sucking on one of her nipples. “Li.” she whimpered. “So wet for me baby girl.” I said as I slid my length into her. “That's it my love, you feel so good when you ride me.” I said through a raspy breath as my hands massaged her breasts before I took one of her nipples into my mouth. “Li.” She whimpered, “I'm close to my love.” “Let go my angel.” I replied, flipping us over my cock still inside as we both came undone. I peppered her neck with kisses all the way to her hips before laying my head back down on the pillow and pulling her into my chest.” 

                                                 Raelynn’s POV 

   “Thank the gods it's Sunday.” I said into Liam's chest as he chuckled. Now that we were bonded riders Sunday was our day that we had the least responsibilities with just flight class on our schedules. “And I think they are getting a little easier to handle when they are up to their shenanigans.” Liam chuckled. We were holding back it was early. I didn't want to deal with a miserable human.  Celeste chimed into both of our heads as I knew because Liam was chuckling before placing a kiss on my forehead. “I have something for you love.” He said sitting up and reaching into the top draw of our nightstand. “Li…. I thought we weren't doing solstice gifts this year and that being alive with mated dragons is what we were celebrating.” Liam chuckled again.

“It's not much, don't worry Babes, just a little something.” He said, handing me a purple velvet soft bag. I reached inside and pulled out a silver chain; attached to it was one of Liam's carvings, one that I hadn't noticed he was working on at all. It was small, barely bigger than the size of a quarter but bore the heads of Deigh and Celeste on the back. With all my love, always yours Liam. “Li.” I breathed as he took the necklace and placed it around my neck and I instinctively rubbed my fingers across the pendant. “I love it so much.” I said burying my head into his chest. He held onto me tighter as he responded with his “I love you” as he buried his head into the side of my neck. “Don't you ever let go of me Mairi.” I somehow managed to get out without letting tears escape my eyes. You're whipped and it disgusts me sometimes. Celeste said across our bond yeah well not anymore or less than you. I chided back as there was a knock on our door. I groaned not wanting to let go of Liam as he got up grabbing his pants and tossing me his t-shirt.

“Good morning Rhi.” He said,  “Are you ready to study for that physics test?” She asked me pushing through Liam. I groaned “It's Sunday I started to say in protest. Your dismounts that require a certain aim tells me it doesn't matter what day it is. Celeste butted in across our shared channel as Liam chuckled, “Shut up Mairi.” I said with a shake of my head. “I'll meet you and Violet downstairs. “ I groaned as Rhiannon walked back out and shut the door behind her. “I still don't see why we need that stupid class.” I murmur as we get dressed  “Come here my love.” Liam said as he pulled me in for a tight hug. “Tell you what. We can end tonight with a night ride and a little picnic.” Liam said, opening the door as we were finally ready for the day. “That sounds amazing my love.”  “Babes? You ok?” he questioned as Garrick and Bodhi now joined us making our way down to the dinning hall. “Yeah fine, I just feel a little warm all the sudden.” I replied “Yeah I can feel it.” Liam said in a soft neutral tone. “Has this happened before?” Garrick asked, placing another arm around my waist “Holly shit. You are warm.” He said as I felt the relic that represented my bond to Celeste on my chest start to burn. “I think my signet is manifesting.” I said as we were now paused in the courtyard.

“Which do you think is?” Garrick asked as I looked in a general direction that had nothing in it and lifted my palm up as that felt the warmest touch on my body currently and as soon as I lifted my palm into the air the flower just 10 feet away burnt to a crisp. “Fire.” Liam said, answering Garrick’s question as I could feel my body temp cool down. “Why couldn't it have been something normal like yours.” Liam chuckled “If we all had farsight I think that would be boring. Don't you think my angel?” I chuckled and whispered in my ear “Between you and me that was sexy as hell.” “Heavenly fire, Celeste equals heavenly. Makes sense, Garrick said. Your body will be less warm over time as you learn to control your power. And the squad leader is correct, your signet is heavenly fire. Celeste said “Celeste said my body shouldn't be as warm over time with control.” I said as Xaden was now coming up on Liam's left. “Damn.” Liam said I gave him a questioning look. “Once we realized it was your signet power. Honestly it was a little sexy feeling you that warm.” He said “Li.” I giggled playfully, slapping his chest. “My brother is right there.” “Oh you weren't worried about Me being around? Cause I kinda agree with Mairi here.” Garrick teased as we made our way back to the dinning. “Oh you can hush up to Tavis.” I said, rolling my eyes.  “Alright both of you, that's enough about my sister.” Xaden said as I couldn't help but laugh leaning into Liam's side. As it was still times like these when I had most of my men by my side making small talk and jokes that felt like home the most to me. “ What did I just miss?” Imogen asked as we entered the dining hall. “My signet manifested.” I said. What is it?” Imogen asked. “She's fire.” Liam said with a smirk on his face. “Yeah we know you  think that Mairi.” I couldn't help but chuckle as we all sat down to eat “Im, my signet is being able to control fire.” “Oh. So you really are fire.” “Ridoc!” I said, shaking my head and slapping his shoulder. And it truly was times like this that felt like home.  

[telatire]

💖 🙌🟥🎵🌷 For the ask game!

Oh, thank you so much! (And thank you so much for the follow, too!! It's an honor!!) 💖 Which of your fics is your pride and joy? I think waiting for the longest time (for this empty space to fill) will remain my pride and joy for a little while longer (having topped the prequel fic, this pain that you bear (for this love that you hold). I spent a little over two weeks of my life for ten thousand words, and I think I mostly achieved in all of them being special! There's potentially two fics who may end up topping out in the end, but they remain in the drafts for now (will finish them before I die, hopefully). 🙌 What’s a line or paragraph of yours that you’re proud of? Oh, nelly. There's so many! I am going to cheat, haha. This specific section from a lie's alright, so let it be (just needed to know if you could love me) (jean/barara, f/f, sibling incest, E) For the first time in a really long time, Barbara feels used. She feels spent. She feels like a girl that has had to grovel for every tiny bit that she could get, and she’s just found out that all she’s been doing is grasping at straws, flying away in the wind. The little that she thought she had was gone, and there’s just nothing left. She’s just some pretty little stranger, some pretty little shell, some pretty little doll, pretending to be human. Can’t do anything for herself, can’t make any changes, can’t make any strides, can’t struggle against the tide – she just stays in there to drown.

She’d laugh, if she knew she wouldn’t cry first.

What a tragedy she finds herself in, a one-woman play in the worst horror show of her life…

Admission is free…

Because why wouldn’t it be?

With certain female characters - especially if they are performers of some kind - I like to make comparisons to the stage, the divide between what is real and what is the mask, a loss of self and belonging, as well to dolls/inanimate objects in relation to things that are alive/human/have a soul, often in conjunction with what I think I will call "performative femininity". You can probably tell I was raised religiously, haha. These two pieces from waiting for the longest time (for this empty to fill) (miquella/malenia, f/m, sibling incest, M) Because should it break – the sound haunting her – who shall be there to save her, if it cannot be him?

She hears the guilt rising in his throat again; she feels the ghost of his tears falling on her cheeks; all he utters is his condemnation of himself, of his flaws, of what he lacks, of what he has been unable to attain, in between the space of every word that he says. He would gladly break from carrying all the world’s burdens and its sorrows and its pains, if it meant he could save a single soul; he would gladly soak himself in filth, strip himself of all that he had, if it meant he could wipe all the sin away – but it could never be enough. This small moment from vacivity (miquella/malenia, f/m, fma au, sibling incest, E)

(But how could I feel lonely, he thinks sweetly, when I have you? I can’t feel it, but –

I can still hold your hand in mine; I can see that you’re there; I can know that you’re there.

I’m not alone.) This line from this pain that you bear (for the love that you hold) (miquella/malenia, f/m, sibling incest, M) So, she takes up the sword, believing that perhaps, she’d carve her own path to salivation.

And finally, this line from i have never stopped feeling for you (for nothing has made me better than loving you) (cyrus/iris, f/m, sibling incest, E) Oh, Barbatos, forgive her; oh, please forgive her; has she done enough?

For all my gripes I would have about religion, I also think it is so poignantly, pointedly human to call out to the sky above, to search for answers, to ask for guidance; if a tree falls in a forest, does anyone hear? 🟥How long do you spend in edits? Oh my fucking god, do not ask. My process can literally be described as me having a journal, and the only thing the sticky notes attached to the pages say is "make this not shit". I don't really "edit" as I rewrite, over and over again; which, yes, I admit is a much slower way of handling matters, but as someone who reads everything aloud, I want there to be a sense of flow and rhythm and time to it, so rewriting it is. My best guess is that I can spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half on an edit on one section, which in itself will go through 5-8 drafts (five being the bare minimum), and I often spend at least four hours or more on multiple final edits, so... A long, long time. Multiple days of the week. Until it's done. 🎵Do you make playlists for your fics? On occasion, yes! There's at least two playlists I have for two big fics that I will hope to finish one day, though I do more often just listen a mix of video game osts, instrumental writing playlists on youtube, songs in my own personal playlists on youtube and spotify that I feel fit the scene, and... the Homestuck Discography. Those guys put out a shit load of bangers, let me tell you. 🌷What's one of your fics that isn't as popular, but you hold dear? There's two! echoes of a future we didn't quite get to see (akira howard/player character, sibling incest, f/m, M) is a fic I wrote after finishing a playthrough of Astral Chain (which btw, that ending fucking SUCKED and was stupid, I will die on this goddamn hill). As far as I could tell, the game just never really took off, in a sense, so the fandom around it is pretty tiny, and it's incest ontop of that, haha. Still, I'm proud of it! i have never stopped feeling for you (for nothing has made me better than loving you) (cyrus/iris, f/m, sibling incest, E) This is likely half my fault, half the fault of simply picking an npc ship in a gacha game (yes, we do suffer around here). Written for an incest week event (in which I took on WAY too much), I ended up fucking up my health and it sort of remained unfinished for the longest time (there's still works still up that remain unfinished, but that I promise I will finish by hopefully the end of next year, if not before). So, you can't really blame people for not wanting to read a hurried, unfinished work, but at the same time - it's an NPC ship. It wasn't going to get off the ground, anyways. Thankfully, I'm in a mostly better place then I was back then, and I was happy with what I managed to come up with!

[mrbexwrites]

OC Interview

Tagged by @kaylinalexanderbooks and passing it onto @charlesjosephwrites @minamaybe @spideronthesun @cruelflesh @warriorblood1 and leaving an open tag :) Answering for Connor from Blood Covenant because he gets mentioned a lot, but never gets a spot in the limelight!

Are you named after anyone?

"I don't think so. I never asked mum, and well....I don't want to speak about James."

When was the last time you cried?

"I cried when Hadley accepted my proposal. They were happy tears, of course. I cried a couple of days before that when she shared a cute kitten video with me. It doesn't take much to make me tear up. What can I say? It's healthy to cry!"

Do you have kids?

"Not yet. But one day, hopefully. I can't wait to be a dad. I'm excited to teach the little ones how to ride a bike, swim, read bedtime stories. I'm going to be a better dad than James ever was to me and Mave."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"Not really. Unless I'm talking to Mavis. Then I'm super sarcastic! The joy of being a sibling!"

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"Their smile. I want to make people happy, so if they're not smiling, I'm going to want to change that. And if they are smiling, I want to make it wider. It costs nothing to spread kindness, and I want to make the world a better, happier place!"

What’s your eye colour?

"Brown. I hate that I inherited them from my dad; I'd have loved to have inherited Mum's green eyes."

Scary movies or happy endings?

"I love when everything works out. I want everyone to have their happily-ever-after moment. You've met my dad, right? I can't watch scary movies...they hit too close to home."

Any special talents?

"I'm pretty boring. I can roll my tongue- lemme show you! Oh...that's not what you meant? You want to know more about my psychic link with Mavis? "I don't want to talk about that...it's kinda private. But I can show you my tongue-rolling!"

Where were you born?

"In the back of my father's clapped out campervan."

Do you have any pets?

"We didn't have pets growing up. But I'd love to get a dog, or a cat, or a rabbit, or a goldfish, or a hamster, or a-"

What sort of sports do you play?

"I'm not much of a sports guy. I've kicked a ball about, so I'm going to say football? I was quite good at badminton when I was at school, and Arnauld tried to show me how to fence once. It wasn't my cup of tea!"

How tall are you?

"I'm 5'7". A whole inch taller than Mave, and you can bet your life that I don't let her forget it. It's the one thing I can lord over her!"

What was your favourite subject in school?

"I liked maths and social studies. Probably should have become an account instead of a paralegal! But then I'd not have met Hadley, so it all worked out in the end."

What is your dream job?

"House-husband. I mean, who doesn't want to spend all day at home, with your family, making fresh bread, delicious meals and keeping the house nice and clean? Just give me an apron, a feather duster, and I'm happy. I'd have a bath run for when Hadley gets home, ready to give her a massage after a stressful day at work! I'd be a great house-husband! But until Hadley becomes a super barrister and we can live off one wage, I'll stay a paralegal, doing my bit for Law and Justice!"

[schrijverr]

Tomorrow Will Be Different 12

Chapter 12 out of 26

Instead of managing to meet up later, Oliver has to keep running with Akio. The only way to keep them safe is to go public with Oliver being alive, leaving him back home in charge of Akio, while Tatsu and Maseo are still in the wind

In this chapter, Oliver tries to become part of his own life again, connecting with people and letting Akio out more. However, not everyone is equally thrilled about it.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~

Chapter 12: Make Up and Agree to Forget about It

Oliver’s resolve to make things okay starts with Thea. A thing he decides when he sees her at the dinner table, looking like she is ready to go out, even though she denies having plans when asked. It is obvious that she’s going to sneak out.

Since he has killed her drug dealer – a thing no one will ever know if he has anything to say about it – Oliver knows that she has taken up his bad habits.

However, since Thea doesn’t know that he knows, he can use his cluelessness to his advantage and get her to stay instead of indulging in said bad habits.

So when she says she doesn’t have any plans, he gives her a big smile and says: “That’s great. I wanted to catch up on movies I missed and I didn’t want to do that without a guide. We can watch movies together. You can tell me what’s good.”

“You wanna hold a movie night?” Thea asks, sounding like she’s trying very hard not to show how much that excites her and failing miserably. Then her face falls slightly as her eyes glance over to Akio. In a better bored tone than before, she says: “Isn’t your little buddy good enough company anymore?”

Oh.

Oh that’s on him.

Thea has always been his everything, even when he was an asshole to everyone else, he never could be one to her. She’s his princess, always will be. But he hasn’t really been showing that since he got back.

She’s naturally so important to him that it hadn’t occurred to him that she would ever even question that. However, it’s easy to see why she might be thinking that with how much attention Oliver paid to Akio.

It’s not unusual that he does, given everything they’ve been through, but rationality doesn’t always compute with emotions.

Carefully, he chooses his words. “Akio is always good company, but he’s different from your company and I’ve missed your company. Dig can keep an eye on him if he doesn’t want to join, but I would love it if two of the most important people in my life could get along.”

Akio is following the conversation closely, but stays quiet, looking to Oliver for a cue. Though there’s a happy little grin on his face when he gets grouped as two of the most important people in Oliver’s life.

If he weren’t handling a delicate situation, Oliver would smile at how Akio’s grin matches Thea’s.

Instead, he keeps his expression as open and hopeful as he can, while watching Thea consider his words. Internally he’s holding his breath, hoping the whole thing won’t blow up in his face or make it all even worse.

After what feels like forever, Thea grins: “Alright, I guess I can take an evening out of my busy schedule to educate my brother and his little minion on good movies.”

“Oi, watch it. You’re also my little minion, Speedy,” Oliver says, but he’s grinning too.

Akio pipes up: “I think Oliver is more my minion. He swiped the candy for me and entertained me, not the other way around.”

“Hey! We made a deal not to talk about the candy,” Oliver exclaims indignantly, but he ensures that he keeps smiling.

“No, do keep talking, Akio,” Thea encourages him with an impish look on her face. “I’ve always wanted someone to gang up on Ollie with.”

Getting bullied mercilessly by his two siblings isn’t the most ideal for Oliver’s ego, but it’s so goddamn nice to see them get along that he doesn’t even care. Tonight will be a good first step for all of them and hopefully Thea will see that Oliver didn’t replace her with Akio, but that she has also gained a sibling.

It starts a little awkward, but both Akio and Thea are great kids, so Oliver isn’t surprised they take to one another when given the chance.

With Thea officially taking a shine to Akio, the two spend more time around the house, however, it also means that they spend more times outside of the house. Since, according to Thea, they need to more interesting stuff than sit at a fast food joint or the library, Jesus, Ollie that is so sad, didn’t you used to have a life?

She drags them to an indoor adventure playground that Akio delights in. Oliver is slightly more grumpy about it, but follows the two inside, since he can’t just wait on the edge, because that way he’ll lose sight of them in the twisting structure. As well as a park, where the two of them try to teach Akio about the American joys of baseball.

It’s strangely fun and he can see Akio blossom too. He has been through so much already and even when being here, as safe as he could be, Oliver still has them live as if they’re on the run. With a bit of fun, Akio becomes a lively kid again. When seeing that, he can’t help but be reminded of Thea’s words again; didn’t he used to have a life?

Oliver has been focused on his mission, so focused on moving in public without giving anything away, running from his friends and family so he doesn’t have to talk, keeping Akio safe because it is the only thing that makes sense to him, watching the news to get as much information on what’s happening in Hong Kong and calling with Lyla for updates, that he hasn’t fully come home, that he hasn’t considered that someday this mission will be over and he’ll still be here having to pick up where he left off.

Getting Thea to warm up to Akio has pulled her back into his orbit. It’s easier to hang out with her with Akio there, less space for serious conversations. He knows he can’t outrun them forever, but he isn’t ready yet, so he enjoys getting to know who Thea is now and pushes it forwards.

The combination of Thea’s words and her renewed presence in his life pushes him to reach out to Tommy again too.

It’s not as if they haven’t talked, but they haven’t been attached at the hip like they used to be before either.

Oliver hasn’t realized how bad it has gotten until he calls Tommy and the other greets him with surprise, as if he hadn’t expected the call. He tries to ignore the guilt as he says: “Hey, Tommy. I haven’t really been as back as I wanted to be… Mentally, I mean.” It’s a little more honest than he would’ve liked it to be, but the words are already out now. He clears his throat: “I was wondering if you’d like to come ‘round?”

“Of course I wanna come by, man,” Tommy replies warmly, a knot untying in Oliver’s chest. “No one expected you to just go back to who you were. None of us have a clue what you went through exactly, but no one blames you for needing time.”

“Tommy…” Oliver breathes, unsure of what to say, overwhelmed with emotions.

Luckily, Tommy catches on to the fact that he has no idea where that sentence was supposed to go and lightens the mood: “Besides, I’ve seen you’ve been busy with being the world’s best dad.”

“What?” Oliver chokes.

“Come on, dude, you can’t tell me you haven’t seen what the rags are reporting? Those pictures of you with Thea and Akio in the park are doing numbers. Pretty sure you’re on your way to become the DILF of the year,” Tommy says and Oliver can just picture his grin.

Oliver has been aware of the paparazzi – he is used to it and being aware of who surrounds him has become second nature – he just hadn’t given them any thought beyond the safety the publicity granted them.

Being talked about as a parental figure is weird to Oliver, who has only ever been in the spotlight as an irresponsible playboy and dead. To now be hailed a super dad to someone who still has parents is strange. He never wanted to be Akio’s dad, still doesn’t. Akio is his buddy, a little brother that he is babysitting. It isn’t all that different from his relationship with Thea before the island, since their parents could be absent at times.

Still, it’s a better image to have, he supposes, so he says: “I’m sure the Queen Consolidated PR team are glad I moved on from days of peeing on cops.”

Tommy laughs at that, it’s bright and happy and Oliver feels so proud for making him laugh like that. He is more than his mission, he is capable of making people happy.

“I’m sure they are. Pretty sure you were responsible for more people quitting back then than the actual work load,” Tommy jokes.

“Yeah, yeah, hark on me,” Oliver rolls his eyes. “I’m showing Akio the wonders of American childhood. We can go something together. Maybe you’ll dad get off your back if you get snapped in the park.”

“I don’t think he’ll ever get off my back. Besides, I would do something way cooler than a boring average park, we should go to a theme park,” Tommy says. “I mean, when’s the last time you’ve been on a roller coaster? It’ll be fun.”

“Alright, theme park it is,” Oliver says.

Indeed, the three of them (plus Diggle, their trusty shadow) go to a theme park the next day. Thea wants to skip school to go, but Oliver’s new found friendship with her has enough sway to be able to put his foot down about it.

Though, he graciously ignores her conspiratorial whisper to Akio that she’ll skip school to take him in secret if he likes it. He decides a little delinquentism can’t hurt and it’s nice to see the two of them getting along.

Akio absolutely adores the theme park. Oliver is sure he’s going to have to tell Diggle to just go along with Akio if Thea sneaks him out to come here again. He has been doing better at letting Akio out of his sight, the two of them even sleep in separate rooms now, adjoined ones, but still.

Oliver uses the skills he has picked up to win Akio a giant stuffed teddy bear. Tommy is suitably impressed, but Akio just has eyes for the prize.

The day is pleasant, Tommy’s assurance that he doesn’t expect Oliver to snap back into Ollie helps a lot and it’s easy to fall back into their friendship, but it’s not entirely the same. Before they would’ve gotten drunk, probably thrown up in one of the rides and flirted with random women in the lines, making out on the rides, maybe pay to have the love ride all to themselves and whoever they picked up. Now, they just enjoy rides, getting a fast pass to skip the lines and letting Akio dictate where they go. It’s nice.

They’re in high spirits when they leave. The four of them stop by Big Belly Burger to eat to finish off the day properly, before saying goodbye to Tommy, who tells Oliver they should hang out again soon, something Oliver agrees with immediately.

Akio is completely wiped, but content. He falls asleep on the drive back with the giant teddy held close.

Oliver watches him fondly. His heart still aches for the kid and he hopes Lyla will find his parents soon, but he also knows that he’s going to miss the crap out of him when he goes. He’ll have to visit as much as he can.

Wanting to let him sleep, he carefully maneuvers Akio out of the backseat, holding him and the teddy closely in his arms. He lets out a breath when the extraction is successful, then gives Diggle a grateful smile when the man holds the doors open for him, so he can tuck Akio in without waking him.

He gives himself a moment to watch Akio, assuring himself that Akio will be fine on his own, asleep in their house. It’s been two weeks since their arrival. If Shrieve was coming for them, he would have done so already. And on top of that, the security is tight, he made sure of that himself, so even if something were to happen, it’ll be spotted and stopped.

With that final pep talk to himself, he tears himself away. He uses his training to move silently through the room and out the door, holding his breath until the door has clicked close behind him, then he releases it.

Oliver is aware of another presence with him in the hall, but it doesn’t read like a threat, so he waits until the door is closed before turning towards it.

His mother is standing a few meters down, observing him with her arms crossed. She doesn’t say anything when he looks at her and he doesn’t either for a moment. He has been keeping his distance from her, since their fight that second night. However, he’s been letting the others in, so maybe he should try with her as well?

“Me and Tommy took him to a theme park,” he offers with a small smile. “He fell asleep in the car after all the excitement.”

Moira nods and for a moment Oliver thinks she isn’t going to say anything, just stand there. When she does speak, he wishes she hadn’t. “You’ve been spoiling him.”

A spark of anger goes through him, but he tries to civil as he says: “He deserves a little bit of spoiling after everything, don’t you think?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Moira agrees, though Oliver thinks she does more so out of politeness. He doesn’t know what she has against Akio, the kid has been nothing but polite, not to mention that Oliver wants him there. Akio makes him happy, keeps him grounded, why is she so upset about his presence?

“What?” he bites out.

Moira looks surprised by the tone. “What do you mean, dear?”

“Something is obviously bothering you about it, so just spit it out, mom,” Oliver says, crossing his arms right back at her and frowning.

She looks as if she swallowed a lemon at that, but keeps her head held high as she replies: “It has been two weeks already, Oliver. His parents might never be found and you know that as well as I do. Coddling him and letting himself get comfortable here will end badly.”

Now Oliver is pissed and the only thing keeping him from screaming is the fact that Akio is fast asleep on the other side of the door. So he quietly seethes: “This again? Really? I told you the first time that I’m not sheltering him from the future, Tatsu and Maseo will be found. Akio will be able to go home. I’m not resting until he can and it’s not negotiable.”

Sadly, Oliver got much of his stubbornness from his mother. Her jaw sets in response. “You don’t know that they will and even if they do, it could take years. What will you do then?”

“Then I will look after Akio for years.”

“I don’t think you know what that will mean for you. You said that you’re not ready to be a father.”

“I’m not his father.”

“No, but you are his guardian, Oliver,” his mother says, a desperate edge to her voice. Both of them have become a little louder with every reply, but her voice is softer when she says: “I just worry you’re tossing your own future away for his. What if his parents do get found, but they want you to keep him, because of the life you can provide for him? What will you do then?”

Oliver can hardly believe his ears and he lets out a disbelieving chuckle. “Mom, they were desperate. They would’ve given Akio to the devil if he’d been able to get him out of there. They love him. You don’t know what they’re willing to sacrifice for him. They’re going to want to get him back.”

“I still think you’re making a mistake.”

“Okay,” Oliver sighs, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes for a second. When he opens them, he looks his mom in her eyes and says: “You want to have this conversation, we will, but I’m not having it here. Let’s go downstairs and I’ll make us some tea. That sound good?”

Moira hesitates for a second, studying Oliver closely as if to determine whether or not he looks like he is going to do what she wants. She must find something there, because she nods and gestures for Oliver to lead the way.

Silently, they walk down the stairs.

[objecthusbandry]

It's been a busy couple of days, but i finally finished up clove's grazing tank (not sure what to call it, but ykwim its the tank for her to stay in during storms / crappy days lol)!! It was really fun setting it up, despite how much time + resources it took to get everything right because of how big it is. I'm letting her test it out today, since its VERYY windy out and so far shes been liking it!

ALSO, i recently started introducing her to my batteries!! It went surprisingly well, i had chosen to wear a pair of welding gloves my dad gave me a while ago since i'd be holding clove in my hand while using my fingers to gaurd her incase any of them tried spitting / shocking. Luckily for me though, there werent too many issues!! i think the majority of them were mainly just curious, so there wasnt any aggression from most of them. Although, as you can probably guess by my wording, out of the four of them there's still a problem child lol

Her name is Cadi (short for cadmium), and she's the largest and most outwardly aggressive of the litter. She's fine with her littermates, but when i first adopted them she took the longest to adjust out of all of them. She's not too aggressive towards me anymore, aside from the occasional bite when im trying to scoot one of her siblings out of the way when im cleaning their enclosure, but i wasnt sure how she'd react to a new, completely unfamiliar object. Luckily, she didnt hurt clove (since once i saw her come out i became a little more cautious), but she did try shocking me, so thats when i decided to give all of them a break. I'm still taking it slow and only limiting introductions to once per day, but since that first meeting shes been getting better!! i know that it's going to take a while for all of them, including clove, to adjust, but so far we're off to a really strong start :]

-🔋🌼⚡️

i'm glad clove is doing well with the new area!! hopefully it wasn't too difficult to set up.

as for introducing her to the batteries - THIS. this right here. people, THIS is the correct way to introduce small objects to each other. wearing protective gloves, watching for body language in every involved object, paying very close attention to what they do, and being cautious of any possible danger. THIS is the way. you only need to let them interact for a few minutes a day at first, NEVER leave them unattended. thank you 🔋🌼⚡️ for being so thoughtful of these objects!!!!!!

[kateandanthonyaremyparents]

I've got another one in the: "kanthony things I would like to see in s3" section.

A lovely moment shared between Kate, Anthony, Gregory and Hyacinth.

PAINTING MEMORIES:

Can you imagine Kate and Anthony, having dinner with Hy and Greg, talking about random things. They are skipping proper protocol by sitting next to each other with the kids on the other end of the table. And as the evening continues Greg and Hy start to ask both Kate and Anthony about their youths, about what they did for fun. Anthony shares a story about him and Benedict playing hide and seek, and him hiding so well, Benedict was afraid he was truly lost and alarmed his parents. They all laughed, but it was Kate who had the best story that evening.

Because Kate tells about how she always drew with her father. How they took their art supplies with them to sit at a lovely spot alongside the river, often when it was hot and sunny. How they would go in the late afternoon to avoid getting sunburned, sitting under their favorite tree, with a lovely summer breeze cooling them a bit. She tells how every time she would see something new to paint. How her father encouraged her and she kept getting better and better. 

Anthony, who had heard a lot, didn't know this and was just as memorized by her story as his siblings were. When the evening was over, Anthony made sure he was the last to say goodnight to Hy and Greg when both he and Kate put them to bed. 

And just as he suspected, because they love her almost as much as he does, they came up with the same idea; they want to take Kate to the lake at Aubrey Hall, buy the best brushes and surprise her with a family trip to what hopefully will be a restored tradition for them.

So later that week, Hy and Greg blindfolded Kate, guided her through the large gardens, right to where Anthony awaited for them all to arrive.

"My love," Anthony announced himself, he closed the little distance that was still there between him and his wife, "I'm so glad you came." He let his fingers brush over Kate's cheeks before he brought them to the nod on the back of her head that kept the blindfold covering her eyes together, "I've missed you."

"I was not granted the opportunity to say no," Kate smirked, and Anthony felt a glimpse of relief when he noticed how she had given in to the situation, how she understood this was a good thing, that there was no need to be afraid. "So I just decided it was best for me to follow, since both Hyacinth and Gregory seemed very convinced I should."

"You know, I love to see you can obey some that carry the Bridgerton name," Anthony's hands had the nod uncovered but he kept the fold in place, "I love you, and this is for you," he dropped a quick kiss on her mouth before he gave his wife her sight back.

Kate needed a few seconds to adjust to the light, but as soon as she did, tears appeared quickly.

"What is.... what did you... why?"

Gregory jumped up and down, overly excited and ready to tell, but it was Hyacinth who, as usual, was faster.

"We just wanted you to feel as happy as when you were a child again. Like the time you told about, with your Appa," she spread her arms and pointed at the easels, brushes and paint that stood before them. "Are you happy Kate? We really like to paint with you, can you teach us how to?" Hyacinth rambled on.

"Hy," Anthony tried to sush the little girl, "please give Kate some time to react first before you demand all of her time."

"But I want to learn how to paint too," Gregory added, "that is why you brought four easels, right?" Gregory looked expectantly, but when Anthony stayed silent for a bit his face dropped into something more disappointed.

Anthony rubbed his head, the chaotic scene that unfolded was getting a bit too much, and he didn't even know if Kate truly liked it.

So he looked to his right again, to his wife, who kept wiping her face. Worry started to enter his mind. Did he overstep? Was this some tradition that wasn't meant to be claimed as his? 

"My love?" He asked, his voice trembling and the worry he felt was very audible as well, "is this okay? We can go back inside if it is not, I just.. we just.."

Kate inhaled deeply, and Anthony embraced himself for what was about to come. It seemed like forever but eventually Kate nodded softly, and before she spoke she took his hands and squeezed them firmly. Yet it was only when the smile on her face reached her eyes that Anthony could relax again.

"This is utterly beautiful," Kate said, wrapping her arms around him, "thank you, thank you for bringing some part of me that belonged to home back."