#we are the fish and this scene is the bait on a fishing rod

[hilsonisthecure]

when wilson asked cameron if she slept with house and she said, "i couldn't have lived with myself" and wilson said "you'd be surprised what you can live with"

[middletone]

Introduction Post

Spring – Year 1: Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4

Summer – Year 1: Week 1- Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4

Current Goals:

Fast-track Blue Chickens

Fishing Level 10

Weekly Summary: Leander has taken the first steps towards becoming a part of the Pelican Town community! Having heard rumors of Shane’s chicken husbandry skills, our farmer is attempting to befriend possibly the only person in town to actively avoid having friends. Very rude; we just want to talk about chickens!

Leander has found solace in fishing. He prefers fishing at the dock in front of Willy’s shop, but will sometimes move to one of the small islands of the mountain lake. The Fiberglass Rod was a much needed purchase. The mines do instill a growing need for adventure, however…

Having met with the Wizard and “partaken” of his brew, Leander’s magics have begun to reawaken; enough that the Fae saw it within their good graces to bless our first crops. A fruitful first week back at Aurora Fields.

Daily summary & donation checklists under the cut; mod list in the Introduction post.

Day 01:

Beginner chickens are Honey (white) & Biscuit (brown)

Cleared some of the farm

Collected enough wood for 2 chests

Bought and planted: 1 Parsnip, 1 Cauliflower, 1 Kale, 1 Green Bean, 1 Blue Jazz, 1 Tulip, 3 Potatoes

Said “Hi” to everyone excluding Alex, Willy, & the Wizard - Not bad!

Found all possible Spring Foragables - Great start!

Dug up a Rusty Spoon and spoke with Gunther about the museum

Hit Foraging Level 1

Day 02:

Forgot to pet the chickens; continue to be mad I can’t pet them while they’re sleeping

Got word from Willy & went to the beach for our first fishing rod

Dropped a chest in front of Willy’s shop & fished until 5pm; treasure: iron ore, frozen geodes

Found Glass Shards on the beach - Serious safety hazard!

Said “Hi” to Willy & Alex

Gifted a daffodil to Linus for the ‘Making Friends’ quest

Cleared some of the farm before heading to bed

Hit Fishing Levels 1 & 2

Day 03:

Caught all rain fish except the Shad

Fenced off a portion of the Coop area for the blue chewy grass to spread without being eaten

Chickens fully grown - Got our first eggs!

Gifted Shane an egg; Operation Fast-track Blue Chickens is a go!

Purchased a Fiberglass Rod & Bait from Willy’s Shop

Spent the day fishing; treasure: iron ore, geode, Aquamarine

Cleared some of the farm before heading to bed

Hit Fishing Levels 3 & 4

Got Fisherman achievement

Day 04:

Spent the day fishing

Gave Pam a Joja Cola to rub on her sore nose - ?

Egg for Shane

Did some foraging before bed

Hit Fishing Level 5 - Chose Fisher perk

Day 05:

Adopted our first cat, Steve “Captain America” Rogers

Cleared some of the farm towards the southern exit

Completed the Rat Problem & Mine cut scenes

Dropped a chest in the mine by the elevator for future use

Dropped a chest in front of the Community Center & moved items in preparation for first round of donations - Reminds me of stacking bugs/fish outside Blather’s while the museum upgrades in ACNH lol

Spent the day fishing

Day 06:

Got high with the wizard and made first round of donations to the Community Center

Gave Sam a Flounder that he wanted for unspecified reasons

Spent the day fishing

Cleared some of the farm before heading to bed

Received a visit from the Fairy!

Hit Fishing Level 6 & Foraging Level 2

Day 07:

Learned Stir Fry recipe

Bought a Red Mushroom from the Traveling Cart

Gave Lewis a Daffodil for his birthday

Bought & planted 8 Potatoes; purchased the first pack upgrade

Spent the day fishing; treasure: Skeletal Tail

Cleared some of the farm before heading to bed

Found & read Mining Monthly; gained mining XP

Hit Farming Level 1 & Mining Level 1; got Mother Catch achievement

Donations:

Community Center - Crafts Room 1/6:

4/4 Spring Foraging: Wild Horseradish, Daffodil, Leek, Spring Onion

0/3 Summer Foraging: Grape, Spice Berry, Sweet Pea

0/4 Fall Foraging: Common Mushroom, Wild Plum, Hazelnut, Blackberry

0/4 Winter Foraging: Crystal Fruit, Snow Yam, Crocus, Holly

0/5 Exotic Foraging: Coconut, Cactus Fruit, Cave Carrot, Red Mushroom, Purple Mushroom, Maple Syrup, Oak Resin, Pine Tar, Morel

0/3 Forest: Moss (10), Fiber (200), Maple Seed (10)

Community Center - Pantry 1/6:

4/4 Spring Crops: Parsnip, Green Bean, Cauliflower, Potato

0/4 Summer Crops: Hot Pepper, Blueberry, Melon, Summer Squash

0/4 Fall Crops: Corn, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Yam

0/1 Rare Crops: Ancient Fruit, Sweet Gem Berry

2/4 Garden: Tulip, Summer Spangle, Fairy Rose, Blue Jazz, Sunflower

0/4 Brewer’s: Mead, Wine, Juice, Pale Ale, Green Tea

Community Center - Fish Tank 0/6:

1/4 River Fish: Sunfish, Catfish, Shad, Tiger Trout

3/4 Lake Fish: Largemouth Bass, Carp, Bullhead, Sturgeon

1/4 Ocean Fish: Sardine, Tuna, Red Snapper, Tilapia

2/3 Night Fishing: Walleye, Bream, Eel

2/5 Crab Pot: Lobster, Crayfish, Crab, Cockle, Mussel, Shrimp, Snail, Periwinkle, Oyster, Clam

0/2 Master Fisher’s: Lava Eel, Scorpion Carp, Octopus, Blobfish

Community Center - Boiler Room 0/3:

0/4 Geologist’s: Quartz, Earth Crystal, Frozen Tear, Fire Quartz

0/5 Treasure Hunter’s: Amethyst, Topaz, Emerald, Diamond, Ruby, Aquamarine

0/3 Engineer’s: Iridium Ore, Battery Pack, Refined Quartz (5)

Museum - Artifacts 1/42:

Dwarf Scroll I, Dwarf Scroll II, Dwarf Scroll III, Dwarf Scroll IV, Chipped Amphora, Arrowhead, Ancient Doll, Elvish Jewelry, Chewing Stick, Ornamental Fan, Dinosaur Egg, Rare Disc, Ancient Sword, Rusty Spoon, Rusty Spur, Rusty Cog, Chicken Statue, Ancient Seed, Prehistoric Tool, Dried Starfish, Anchor, Glass Shards, Bone Flute, Prehistoric Handaxe, Dwarvish Helm, Dwarf Gadget, Ancient Drum, Golden Mask, Golden Relic, Strange Doll, Prehistoric Scapula, Prehistoric Tibia, Prehistoric Skull, Skeletal Hand, Prehistoric Rib, Prehistoric Vertebra, Skeletal Tail, Nautilus Fossil, Amphibian Fossil, Palm Fossil, Trilobite

Museum – Minerals 0/53:

Emerald, Aquamarine, Ruby, Amethyst, Topaz, Jade, Diamond, Prismatic Shard, Quartz, Fire Quartz, Frozen Tear, Earth Crystal, Alamite, Bixite, Baryte, Aerinite, Calcite, Dolomite, Esperite, Fluorapatite, Geminite, Helvite, Jamborite, Jagoite, Kyanite, Lunarite, Malachite, Neptunite, Lemon Stone, Nekoite, Orpiment, Petrified Slime, Thunder Egg, Pyrite, Ocean Stone, Ghost Crystal, Tigerseye, Jasper, Opal, Fire Opal, Celestine, Marble, Sandstone, Granite, Basalt, Limestone, Soapstone, Hematite, Mudstone, Obsidian, Slate, Fairy Stone, Star Shards

[skygodtraumabond]

<Looks like a video file is attached! Let me provide a transcript!>

<The scene opens at night at Slateport Harbor. Ray is sitting on the dock with Dominique, gazing up into the night sky. With their goggles on their head, they seem to be trying to spot something through the intermittent clouds and light pollution, but to little success. Dominique, on the other hand, seems to be shifting their gaze between the water below and the twinkling lights on the horizon, kicking their feet off the side of the dock.

Ray: ... It's around this time of year we usually start seeing flying types from other regions migrating here. Flocks of Chatot from Sinnoh, Murkrow from Johto... Sometimes you'll even see Braviary. Though, if everything's getting warmer...

Dominique: Mmhm...

Ray returns their gaze to the kid upon hearing the faraway tone of their voice, following their eyes to stare off into the horizon. Their gaze softens as they realize what the kid is looking for, and they find themelf staring off into the distance with them.

Ray: ... She'll be home soon. Boats just take a while to reach the shore, you know?

Dominique: I know... I just wish they were faster...

Ray: Yeah... Me too.

They both stare in silence for a while, the scene silent save for the chatter of passersby, the crashing of the waves, and the distsnt squabbling of Wingull. Then, Ray takes their backpack off and starts shuffling through it, drawing Domi's attention as they go elbow-deep in it for something.

Dominique: What are you—

Ray: I have something to show you. It's in here somewhere... Ah!

They grab hold of something and pull it free from the bag. It's long, slender, and wrapped in old fabric and tied with a small length of rope. Untying it and unrolling the fabric reveals a fishing rod that's been folded up. It seems to be at least two decades old judging by the model and the amount of wear on it.

Dominique: ... A fishing pole?

Ray: Well... Yes.

Dominique: I... I know how to fish, Mx. Ray.

Ray: I know you do. But... How much do you know about the pokemon you can fish up?

Domi has to think for a minute, staring into the water and kicking their legs as Ray assembles the pole. They hum a tune long-firgotten as they attach a minnow-shaped lure and take out a small jar of worms to use as bait. The worms are long-dead, it seems.

Dominique: Well... You can find Magikarp pretty much anywhere... I think you can find Tentacool in environments with saltwater like this one. Um... If you're lucky, you might find a Horsea.

Ray: Hmm... Yes, you're right that you can find all of those pokemon by fishing. But what do you know about those pokemon?

Dominique: ... Magikarp is kind of weak and can only really use splash. Which... Does nothing. Um... Tentacool... They sting you I think. Horsea... Uh...

As Domi wracks their brain, Ray hands them the fishing rod, startling them out of their thoughts for a moment.

Ray: A lot of trainers will battle you using pokemon they caught while fishing. Some trainers even specialize solely in water-types. It helps to know a lot about the pokemon they might have found in the area. So... How about we fish up some pokemon? I'll teach you what I know about them, then we can let them go. It's... It'll probably make time go by a little faster than just staring into the water. You know?

Ray tilts their head at Domi slightly as they inspect the fishing rod, hoping they'll agree. Then, to the ex-champ's relief, they nod slightly and cast the line out off the edge of the dock, reeling it in slowly and intermittently to simulate the movement of a fish beneath the waves.

Dominique: ... What if we catch an actual fish? Not a fish pokemon just... A fish?

Ray: What do you mean? We'll keep it and clean it just like we usually do. Your maman will probably appreciate the warm meal.

Dominique: Well yeah, but... Isn't that illegal here? Without a license?

Ray: It's only illegal if you get caught. Besides, you're a ten-year-old with a fishing pole and a belt full of pokeballs, no one's going to question you.

Domi doesn't seem totally convinced, but they nod anyways, scooting a little closer to their stepparent with the ghost of a smile as they check the line, then cast it back out to try their luck again. The tension almost seems lifted as the waves crash unaffected against the dock.

<This transcript was provided by me: Techie the Rotom! Let me know how I did! Your feedback is greatly appreciated! :> >

[bonespired]

Cleaning Bones: The Cheap Burying Method

When I decided to jump into this skull-collecting hobby, I kind of made a roadmap for myself. Good thing it is simple! I just needed to:

Find bones.

Clean them.

The first step is done I found my bones in the ways I talked about in the longer post I made about how and where to find bones when you are living in the city, so that part is done - now I am happily owning several stinky, rotting and disease-infected bones. Now I just have to clean them!

(Just to be sure: in this post under the words "cleaning bones" I strictly mean get rid of the meat/other soft tissue, not degreasing and disinfecting! Degreasing already has its own beginner-friendly post - which was reblogged so many times, I couldn't believe it!

This is easier to say than do because there are several options for cleaning bones from bugs to chemicals:

The complete list looks like this - you can clean bones by:

letting them rot on the surface

macerate it, which means let them rot in a bucket of water

boil them

toss them to the bugs - beetle colony

bury them

Not every method is suitable for every individual or even for every bone. Someone living in a busy neighbourhood on the 6th floor probably won't let the head rot naturally or start a beetle colony. So let's start simple and talk about the

Rot Pot aka. The Burying Method

The burying method basically means you bury your bones under ground and leave them to do their things naturally. There are some pros and cons to this method:

Pros:

it is doable in a flat (will tell you how!)

it has zero smell - nothing!

it is cheap!

doesn't require your time or effort at all (during rotting)

Did you just say I can rot carcasses in my flat without ANY smell and constant health department visits????

I did! You can totally rot away things even if you don't live in the middle of the forest - all you need is a plant pot that is big enough for your carcass, soil, some pebbles if you like (explaining in a sec), a plant if you like it, maggots if you feel like and you are good to go!

So the very basic equation for this is the carcass + pot + soil = bones. Your starter pack can be only the pot and soil. You grab the pot, fill it with one layer of soil - I like to make it quite thick to make a carcass sandwich here: I want my skull to be in the middle, so I am aiming for circa the same amount of soil on the bottom and on the top as well. Put your carcass into the pot and cover it with more soil. Keep it moist, so water it, like you'd water a plant and you are done.

For dirt, you can have plant dirt, bought in a store or you can bring some dirt in from nature. Pro, nature dirt has all the nice living bacteria colonies in it, hungry for some meat. Con, it can look weird if you start to shovel up the dirt of your local park. If you can get natural dirt, go for it!

If you wanna go fancy, you can put some pebbles into the pot as the first layer, so pebbles -> soil -> carcass -> soil. The pebbles' job is to ensure drainage. Drainage, you may ask? What kind of drainage? Well, water ofc and eh... body juices. Do not worry, nothing nasty will come out of your rot pot! But you have to let the rot pot drain, it won't be like a flood, trust me, I buried several things and no horror scene happened, ever. It is more for the water than the juice, just like for any plant case.

As for the maggots, you can go to a fish store - like a fishermen's store? To the store where you can buy rods and such things? Where do people go to get their baits for fishing? Idk what it is named in English, so go to the fish bait store and ask for maggots. We call them "bony"s over here, they eat rotting things. You can sprinkle these guys as sugar confetti over your bones and bury them with it! They will be fine, happily munching away on the flesh - maybe some of them will be outraged, disagreeing with being buried alive and they climb around on the surface, but once they realise the good thing is under them, they will deep dive into the ground. In this case, however, keep your pot outside. These guys become flies over 2-3 days and then they will be ready to discover the world, so they will be swarming and you definitely do not want to keep them in your living quarters.

You can also get free maggots by leaving the carcass out in the open for a day or two as a peace offering to the Fly Gods, but your carcass will definitely smell during the offering.

You can plant a plant(??? English ffs) over it, making it fancy. That is just for the fanciness.

And that's it, job done! You can totally forget about the pot, except for the watering and you can chill around.

But, like every method, this also has cons:

the waiting time: it won't be done tomorrow

not knowing when it is done

stains. on the bones. from dirt.

small bones are falling apart

oh and you have to skin your carcass!

Skinning?????

Ah, yessss..... You know, skin is problematic. But the real asshole here is creatine. Creatine is the stuff that builds up nails, whiskers and fur and they refuse to rot away easily. It takes a significantly long amount of time to dig out a corpse fully cleaned, with no flesh and fur. Ain't have years to wait for that, so to avoid rotting skin with still attached creatin to it - also skin loves to stick to the bones like a glove, especially on the head, I swear to God.... - you have to get rid of it beforehand. This means you have to skin your carcass. Your possibly smelly carcass. Not everyone has the stomach for it or the heart. I skinned a fresh rat I had found outside - and I am obsessed with rats. I seriously adore them, I have pet rats, I rescued rats, I supported our local wild rat colony with rat-friendly food during winter, and I love the buggers. I basically worship them. I did some anatomy studies of them for my art and I love biology, but there is a difference between actually skinning the animal you love and drawing the muscles. So I really wanted a rat skull, because I draw lots of rats, need a reference. And I have a rat carcass. But I love rats. But if I let it rot I am risking losing the rat and the skin will be a problem. So I made the decision of skinning. But not only skinning, oh no. You see, I only needed the head. Everything else is just too small for me to put together. So I not only needed to skin the animal I love I also needed to cut the head off of it. And I did exactly that. I wanted the skull more than I wanted to adore and feel sorry for the poor rat. How was it going? I constantly asked her forgiveness - she was dead for hours, I didn't kill her, a cat did - and once I was done and buried and cleaned up, I cried for 20 minutes, thinking about how horrible a rat parent am I because I just skinned a rat and buried its head. It was with me for days. The psychological effect is definitely something you have to think about. Maybe you will find a cat and you are into vulture culture, but also a cat person: then what? Skinning animals, especially the ones we keep as pets can be challenging.

The waiting is over... or is it not?

The other cons factor is the waiting time. It differs from carcass to carcass, how meaty it was, whether was it skinned before, and how big the carcass is.... my rat skull (skinned) was done in under 2 weeks, but a bigger animal, like a skinned sheep, can take a month - month and a half. The bigger the skull is, the more soft tissues it has due to its size, the longer it will be under the ground. But how can you be sure about the end of the process? That's it, you cannot! You have to check it out manually, you have to dig it out to see yourself. And digging out early, well, that is not a pleasant experience.

Stains?

Dirt causes some brown discolouring in the bones. Personally, I like it, I think it is a cool colour! But if you want museum-quality, well, burying is probably not the best method. You can still use H2O2 ofc, but there is the chance some stains stay.

The 3D puzzle problem

And lastly, the problem I hate the most: if you bury a small skull, it will fall apart. Period. Every time. I saw people pulling out fully attached big skulls, but I buried small skulls - you cannot macerate rodents, so I guessed my rat goes into the pot to avoid this problem! And now I have this nice 3D puzzle to put together - yes, I am crying inside.

My rabbit doesn't look better either.

You wouldn't even think how fragile, thin and small pieces are part of a skull. And now I have the luck to know. Yaaaaay.

If you wanna get into bone restoration, this is a great starter package for you, but if not, then once again: burying is not for you.

Overall, burying is indeed a flat-friendly method, and takes little effort - well, not counting the skinning - smell-free, which is a big pro. I did not lose a tooth with burying, everything rots away wonderfully - even too well. But there is the skinning, there is the small skull problem, and staining can be a problem for many... personally, I will ditch this method because I did not want to get into restoring small skulls, but now I have to. For small skulls, I rather secure them somewhere and let nature take its course. (I never want to skin a rat ever again, so I will do my best to restore that skull.)

[justcastcharters-blog]

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Summer Fishing in Galveston

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[19761107]

『The River Runs Through It』 ～Just, just beautiful…a epic poem and a lyrical poem. The gift of the Blackfoot River～

Hello everyone.

This is a movie with very beautiful scenery.

How beautifully and poetically can a video recording called a camera depict true nature through the eyes of the author?

How well can we satisfy our sense organs such as eyes, sound, touch, and smell?

Can you make people want to watch it anytime?

Not paintings, not music, not photographs.

This is a work that expands the possibilities of film by packaging memories that can be felt with all five senses in their original, fresh state.

In the opening scene, the gentle fluctuations of the river surface are shown along with the soothing sound of a murmuring river.

An old man is skillfully attaching an artificial bait called a dry fly to the hook.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man's narration:

"Once upon a time, when I was young, my father said to me, ‘Norman, you seem to like writing‘.''

"‘Then, someday, write about your family‘.''

"‘You'll find out what happened and why‘.''

ーーーーーーーーーー

McLean and his son live in Missoula, Montana, a town surrounded by a rich forest and a large river that flows through it.

The father is a pastor, and although strict, he raises his two sons with love.

Her mother seems to follow her father's educational policies, and has a rather modest presence in the MacLean household.

The eldest son, Norman, is the main character and narrator of this work.

This work is written in the form of his memories as he grows older.

Son Norman is relatively obedient to his father.

For his second son Paul, he has the jealousy that only a brother can have, but at the same time he has a lot of love for him.

In contrast to Paul, who is solitary and seems to be loved by God, Norman is more human.

The second son, Paul, rebels against his father's strict educational environment and continues to develop his artistry.

Despite the harsh upbringing of his pastor father, he never becomes subservient and grows up with his unique innate spirituality intact.

Two brothers grow up in a forestry town in Missouri, Montana.

The story is set in the 1920s, when America was booming after World War I.

Under the education of his father, a pastor, they led an exemplary life of strict simplicity.

The father taught his sons how to cast a fly-fishing rod, beating the rhythm with a metronome.

While the brothers' friends studied at school, the MacLeans took the time to learn to read and write with their father.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man's narration:

"Montana was the perfect place back then."

"A world that feels wet with morning dew"

"It was full of endless mystery and possibilities."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman is often asked to summarize newspaper articles.

After a pleasant morning of study, they go out for some fun in the afternoon.

In addition to writing, the father teaches his sons fly fishing as a way to enjoy life.

The teachings of fly fishing must have included the desire to feel God in harmony with nature.

Their father encourages them to pursue spirituality even in fishing.

The rhythm of tilting the fishing rod back and throwing the line into the river.

Swing the rod back and stop.

Then, due to the sudden stop of the rod, the line makes a beautiful horizontal U-shape for a moment, and the tension in the line continues until the moment of casting, and the fly is released onto the swaying surface of the water.

It imitates the trajectory of insects dancing wildly in the arc of life.

The brothers watch and imitate adult fights in town, sneak peeks into brothels, and grow up observing society with their own eyes.

Paul once refused to eat his breakfast oats.

The father does not allow the child to leave the table until he has finished eating.

But Paul continued to refuse until lunch.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man's narration:

"Paul had strength in his core, and he knew it himself."

ーーーーーーーーーー

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"What will you be when you grow up?"

Norman:

"Maybe a pastor, maybe a boxer."

"What are you for?"

Paul:

"Professional fly fisherman"

Norman:

"There's no such job."

Paul:

"No?"

Norman:

"No."

Paul:

"Then I'm a boxer."

Norman:

"Do you not like being a pastor?"

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul chuckled.

Eventually, they become young adults and sneak out of their homes in the middle of the night to hang out with their friends in town.

The Blackfoot River flows majestically through the town of these brothers.

Paul suggests going whitewater on a boat to test his courage.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"Good idea. It'll go down in history."

"Let's get a boat and go down the waterfall."

"They'll give us a hero's funeral."

Norman:

"Become the king of the town."

Paul:

"We'll become famous and have our photo published in the newspaper."

"I'll do it, absolutely."

ーーーーーーーーーー

They bring their boats to the waterfall in high spirits.

The amount of water was huge, the water flow was ferocious, and they could see the waterfall flying in a vivid manner.

His friends cower in fear and don't participate.

Perhaps out of rivalry with his younger brother Paul and pride as an older brother, Norman unconsciously takes on the challenge of torrents, solid rocks, and plunging waterfalls.

The brothers use the oars as masters to boldly steer the boat and change course from rocks that block them.

However, they fall headlong into the sudden drop of the waterfall that awaited them.

They were swallowed up by the waterfall of a mountain stream and thrown down by the torrent.

Friends discover a boat that has crashed into a rock and been torn apart.

As if to shock one of his friends, Paul came out from behind him and they started to wrestle with each other.

Paul's firm determination and fearless courage, his unconventional and unconventional nature, made him fear for his life in a way different from ordinary people.

Paul simply sacrificed his life for a gamble.

Norman and Paul being lectured by their father.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"Go to church and ask God's forgiveness."

"Your mother was worried to death."

Mother:

"Mr. Cameron called…"

Father:

"Where does the boat come from?"

Paul:

"I borrowed it."

Father:

"Did you borrow it?"

"What the hell?"

"Work for yourself, buy a boat and return it."

Norman:

"Yes, Dad."

Paul:

"I said it. I…"

ーーーーーーーーーー

Later, while Norman is eating breakfast alone, Paul comes over.

Norman was feeling frustrated.

He had done something stupid out of a sense of inferiority to his younger brother and worried his mother, his father had gotten angry at him, and his younger brother had defended him and hurt his pride.

On the other hand, Paul can't get enough of the excitement of going down the river.

Paul harasses his irritated brother over his breakfast.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"What did you put on it?"

"It's not enough, put some sardines in there."

Norman:

"I hate sardines."

Paul:

"They say they were on the boat too."

"If I were to write about it in the newspaper, it would be a ‘brother's feat'.''

"At least tell the truth in the school newspaper."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul put a bunch of sardines on Norman's sandwich and pressed it against the bread.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"I hate sardines!"

ーーーーーーーーーー

There, Norman and Paul got into a physical fight for the first time in their lives.

Her mother desperately tries to stop them, but she loses her footing due to the force of the fight.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Mother:

"Both of you, stop!"

Paul:

"You hit my mom!"

Norman:

"You were the one who hit her!"

Mother:

"My foot slipped!"

ーーーーーーーーーー

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man's narration:

"That's one sibling fight."

"We argued about who was stronger, but young people don't repeat things when they can't find an answer to a question.''

"We have returned to being close brothers, just as God taught us.''

ーーーーーーーーーー

Bird calls echo through the deep Missoula mountain forests.

The surface of the river shined golden in the sunlight.

The majestic murmur of the river echoes through the abundant water.

The sound of water splashing cheerfully as fishermen move.

The sound of the reel being wound slowly and the sound of the rod bending.

The trajectory of the line creates a beautiful U-shape over and over again in the blink of an eye.

Norman brought the trout, which had been bitten by a hook, close to him as if to comfort him, gently picked it up by its shiny silver belly, and smiled.

At that time, Norman felt something beautiful in the sight of Paul flexibly swinging his rod a little upstream.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man's narration:

"That's when it caught my eye."

"Paul went beyond the tricks he learned from his father and found his own rhythm."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman was fascinated by his younger brother Paul, who was in harmony with the forest air, the flow of the river, the movement of the trout, the trajectory of the line, and the bend of the rod.

At the end, the three parents and children will show off their fishing results.

The beautifully patterned trout that Norman and Paul caught are lined up on the shore.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"Both are wonderful."

ーーーーーーーーーー

The father proudly took out a large trout from the basket and placed it next to the trout that his brother had caught.

Norman and Paul looked on as if it was impossible for it to be this big.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"God's blessings were on everyone today."

"And especially to your father, HAHAHAHA."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Their father catches a big trout and heads home with a proud smile on his face.

Eventually, Norman leaves his hometown to study at Dartmouth College in the eastern United States.

He studies literature, enjoys sports, gets to know people through interaction with their friends, and grows.

This is where Norman's literary talent, which he had been accustomed to since childhood, blossomed.

Paul entered a local university and continued to chase big fish on the Blackfoot River.

After graduating from university, he moved to a nearby city and worked as a newspaper reporter.

Paul also rarely returned home to his father and mother.

Norman triumphantly returns to his hometown with a smoking locomotive.

The scenery of his hometown, including fields, forests, hills, and valleys, spread out from the train window.

Norman looked at the scenery with a nostalgic smile on his face.

Six years have passed since I left my hometown.

On the platform, a slightly elderly father and mother were waiting for their beloved eldest son to return home.

When his father saw Norman as the train was about to stop, he was so happy that he tried to wave his hand in the air, but he lowered his hand down to maintain his dignity.

Norman noticed a change in the atmosphere of the house.

It all started from a trivial incident in which Paul didn't come to see his face even though Norman had returned home.

Norman personally visits the newspaper office where Paul works to meet him.

While chatting, Paul spotted a familiar face leaning through the door.

The two brothers hug each other and are happy to be reunited for the first time in six years.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"What about last night?"

Paul:

"Sorry, I was thinking of going home."

"Didn’t your father tell you? ‘Norman, go to the study.'"

"You really do look like a professor."

"Let's have a toast"

Norman:

"From daytime?"

Paul:

"Did you lose your head in the East?"

Norman:

"You told me so."

Paul:

"What about fishing in the East?"

Norman:

"Not at all."

Paul:

"Not at all?"

"Let's go to Blackfoot."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Returning to the familiar Blackfoot River, Norman stopped and smiled.

There was a nostalgic smell of life and a world of bright gold and dark green, just as it was six years ago.

The brothers enjoyed fishing together for the first time in a while.

When Norman is blank and his intuition doesn't come back, Paul tries to teach him without any malice.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"Use the reel wisely."

"Go further"

"A little over there."

"Just throw the thread into the center of the flow."

"Your intuition will come back soon."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman feels a little miffed.

Paul, who noticed Norman's reluctance, headed upstream by himself out of consideration for his brother.

Norman takes careful aim and concentrates completely on the rod.

Release the bend of the rod, feel the weight of the line, and cast to the point where the trout is likely to be hiding.

It was a moment when the flow of the river and the dry fly were in tune.

As the trout irresistibly pounced on the shadow moving across the surface of the river, Norman had perfect timing to place the hook in the trout's mouth.

The sound of the reel catches up with the light sound of the trout bouncing and dancing on the river surface.

The weight of the trout made the rod and line soft and pliable.

Norman felt a sense of satisfaction after winning his first fight with a trout in a long time.

Norman suddenly becomes curious about Paul and goes to take a look.

While Paul wasn't meeting Norman, his skills had improved again.

Norman was fascinated by his younger brother becoming one with the river.

At that time, Norman's feelings of inferiority toward his younger brother were transformed into admiration, respect, and love.

When he returned home, nothing had changed, and the great enveloping power of the majestic river enveloped Norman's heart.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man Norman's narration:

"Shadow Casting"

"Attract rainbow trout by swimming the line just below the surface of the water."

"My young brother became an artist while I was gone."

ーーーーーーーーーー

However, Paul's personal life was in turmoil.

One night at a Fourth of July party, Norman falls in love with a woman named Jessie.

Then the brothers go on a double date.

Paul brought in an indigenous woman.

In the 1920s, discrimination still remained strong.

The tavern where the Normans came was forbidden to Native Americans.

But Paul doesn't care and enters the store.

Paul glared confidently at the eyes of the surrounding customers.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Jesse:

"Your hair is so beautiful."

Native Mabel:

"I think I'll cut it…"

Jesse:

"No, it's a waste."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Mabel, who had been angry at the clerk's attitude earlier, looked at Paul and smiled.

Norman learned about Jesse's kind personality.

The four then toast to celebrate their encounter.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"The candle burns from both ends and will soon burn out."

"Let's enjoy tonight, friends and enemies alike.''

ーーーーーーーーーー

Jesse looks at Norman with wonder and respect for his impromptu poem.

Paul, who is famous for his articles as a newspaper reporter and is sociable, gets along well with Jesse.

The indigenous woman and Paul danced a fierce but brilliant dance to show off to the guests around them.

It was a dance by two people that exhilaratingly pierced through the age of old and closed-minded people.

Paul's unconventional personality had not changed in the slightest, and his innate rebelliousness expanded to the point where he persisted in his disobedience even against the closed town and the times.

You can get a glimpse of Paul's temperament from his occupation as a newspaper reporter.

Norman also invited Jesse to the dance.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"I'm nowhere near as good as my brother, but would you like to dance?"

ーーーーーーーーーー

The next day, Norman sends Jesse a confessional love letter.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman's letter: "

To Jesse

The moon is left behind

trying to disappear behind the mountains.

My heart is singing

not some melody

in conjunction with something else.

A song flows through my memory.

A green meadow where only deer have stepped foot

dancing in my nervous arms

with your memories…

From norman

"

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul sometimes drank during the day, and at night he went to gambling shacks and racked up huge debts.

One night, Norman receives a call from the police station that Paul has been arrested with Mabel, a Native American, in a fight.

On the way home after taking custody.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"If you need money…"

"Anything, not just money…"

Paul:

"Her house is just around the corner."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul interrupted Norman.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"Don't hesitate…"

Paul:

"Turn over."

ーーーーーーーーーー

At Jesse's request, Norman takes Jesse's brother, who was returning home from Hollywood, fishing.

Norman asked Paul to go fishing with him.

Jesse's brother came fishing drunk with a prostitute.

Exasperated, Norman and Paul express affection for Jesse's older brother.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"Where is he?"

Norman:

"I don't know."

Paul:

"We're going to help, right?"

Norman:

"How did he do that?"

Paul:

"You invited him fishing, right?"

Norman:

"He hates fishing, he hates Montana, and he hates me."

Paul:

"He doesn't feel any help from other people."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman looked at Paul at what he said.

I think Paul felt he might be like that too.

I think Paul felt pity for Jesse's brother.

Jesse's brother got a really bad sunburn from sleeping naked during the day.

Norman and Jesse get into trouble when they drop off Jesse's brother home.

That night, the family has dinner together for the first time in a while.

Norman hangs his head and can't eat.

Paul cheerfully entertains his father and mother with conversation.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"What kind of article are you writing?"

Paul:

"The Reverend MacLean family had a great time over a roast dinner, with the exception of the eldest son.''

Mother:

"What's wrong?"

Paul:

"Not funny, not funny man."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul said the line that Jesse said to Norman.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"That's not the only thing that makes us human."

Paul:

"It’s okay to be bored."

Mother:

"You're a good son."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul also pleased his father and mother with his filial piety.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"Mom, that was delicious."

ーーーーーーーーーー

As Paul tries to go home, his father and mother look restless and anxious.

After Paul left, his father and mother felt depressed and finished the meal.

While Norman was away, Paul was like the sun to his father and mother.

There is a scene similar to the one where Jesse's family members are constantly worrying about Jesse's brother.

Jesse's family treated Jesse's older brother with excessive courtesy, as they were the hope of a fallen family.

I think this is a scene in which you can feel the loneliness, loss, and emptiness of humans.

Norman received an offer to become a professor at the University of Chicago, to which he had applied for some time.

Norman reads the letter and trembles with joy.

He heard a line from Wordsworth's poem coming from his father's study.

Norman quietly approaches the voice and listens to it, making eye contact as they listen together.

ーーーーーーーーーー

「Splendor in the Grass」

Not in entire forgetfulness and not in utter nakedness.

But trailing cloud of glory do we come from god who is our home.

Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in thegrass, of glory in the flower, we will grieve not.

Rather find strength in what remains behind.

In the primal sympathy which having been must ever be.

In the soothing thoughts that spring out of human suffering.

In the faith that looks through death.

Thanks to the human heart by which we live, thanks to its tenderness, its joy, its fears.

To me, the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Loneliness and farewell to Paul who is leaving, Norman and others who are leaving.

Their father was looking for peace of mind, a purpose in life, and salvation in his faith.

Both his father and Norman recite this poem.

This poem comes to mind at the most appropriate time in their life.

In his father's study, which is a bitter but memorable place.

This scene brings tears to our eyes and makes us realize how correct the father and Norman's life up until now was.

Norman and Jesse's family see off Jesse's brother as he returns to the West Coast.

When Jesse's brother Neil returns home, he is full of vanity.

He was carrying all the expectations of his family.

The pain of trying to present himself as successful is immeasurable.

Now, healed in the warmth and comfort of his hometown, Neil returns to the West Coast.

The train slowly leaves this town.

Its majestic strength and roar carry the fate of the passengers and their families on their shoulders.

The train quietly disappeared into the sunset.

After seeing him off, Norman and Jesse take a walk nearby.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Jesse:

"If my brother comes back next year, will I meet him?"

Norman:

"If that's what you want."

Jesse:

"My brother isn't coming back."

Norman:

"He has friends over there…"

Jesse:

"Ronald Colman?"

"People want friends, but they aren't honest enough."

Norman:

"I wonder why."

Jesse:

"I want to cry, but I'll hold back."

ーーーーーーーーーー

As tears run down Jesse's cheeks, Norman gently uses a handkerchief to stop them.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"I want to show you something."

Jesse:

"If it’s something good."

Norman:

"Read it."

ーーーーーーーーーー

So Norman made Jesse read his letter of invitation from the University of Chicago.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"What do you think?"

Jesse:

"What do you think? Isn't it amazing!"

"To be able to go to Chicago! That's amazing."

Norman:

"Do you know?"

Jesse:

"I only know Helena here."

"Congratulations, Norman!"

Norman:

"I'm lost."

Jesse:

"Montana isn't going anywhere."

Norman:

"Not Montana."

Jesse:

"Then what?"

"What"

Norman:

"I don't want to leave you."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Jesse hugged Norman tightly.

On the night that Norman celebrated his engagement to Jesse with Paul, Paul disappeared into the shadows of a dangerous poker game, leaving behind the idea that the three of them would go fishing together the next morning.

Paul is normally on time for his appointment.

After 30 minutes, he finally showed up.

Norman was deeply relieved that Paul was safe.

As the four of them eat breakfast, Norman tells his family that he has accepted a position at the University of Chicago.

Then, amidst the joy, the three went fishing.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"Let's go upstream today."

"There's a hidden gem"

Paul:

"I'm sure you'll catch it. I'm sure you'll catch it."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul sent his father away cheerfully.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"Let's go fishing together today."

Norman:

"Good."

ーーーーーーーーーー

The two of them descended from the small hill to the shore with nimble steps, like brothers when they were young.

There were many large rocks lying around, and the sound of the river was so deep that it sounded like it was breathing.

Norman immediately caught a trout.

Despite Paul's struggles, Norman caught another fish.

Paul was both physically and mentally exhausted from drinking and gambling the night before.

Paul can't catch any fish and He's frustrated.

Paul asks Norman what kind of dry fly he has.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"What kind of needle are you using?"

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman pretends not to hear.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"What?"

Paul:

"What kind of needle are you using?"

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman laughs a little this time and pretends not to hear again.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"I can't hear you."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul understands Norman's evil plan and calls out to him again.

This time, Paul doesn't say anything, just lip syncing.

It's a play on words that only siblings have been playing since childhood.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"Listen carefully."

「………」

Norman:

"Banyan needle."

"Shall I take one?"

Paul:

"I'll go over there."

ーーーーーーーーーー

He goes to Norman's place to pick up some dry flies, but his legs are unsteady.

It seemed to announce the terminal state of Paul's mind and body.

It was like a trout with a needle stuck in its mouth, unable to move and surrendering to Norman's lap.

Norman lights a cigarette, smokes it, then hands it to Paul.

Paul takes it, smokes it, and hands it back to Norman.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"Proposing marriage to Jesse"

Paul:

"Really?"

"Today is a good day."

ーーーーーーーーーー

After taking a breath, Norman gently and with respect rather than pity says to his younger brother.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman:

"You're going to Chicago with me."

"It's 3,000 kilometers away and there are plenty of newspapers."

"It's a vibrant metropolis."

"What do you think? Let's go together."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul did not get angry and spoke respectfully to his brother.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Paul:

"I'm not leaving Montana."

ーーーーーーーーーー

Norman and his father had each caught a trout of a satisfying size, and they watched Paul from a distance as they both took a break.

Paul set his sights on the stagnation in the shadow of the rock, gathered his spirit, and methodically brought the rod back.

Then release the line forward.

Cutting through the air, the line drew an arc and headed straight for the point.

Eventually the line becomes tense and the trout bite.

For a moment, a fire was lit in Paul's dying soul, which seemed to be extinguishing at any moment.

Paul struggled with the trout for life as he was carried deep in the rapids.

Loosen the line to absorb the trout's momentum, and tighten it to draw the trout towards him.

No matter how much he was pulled, he never let go of the rod, even when he was swept as deep as his face.

As if Paul's devoted nature had been cultivated for this moment, he fights the trout for his life.

After much effort, Paul caught a trout that was twice as big as his father's.

The father was overjoyed and took a picture of it as if it were his own.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father:

"You're a great fisherman."

Paul:

"I'll be able to read the thoughts of fish in three years."

Norman:

"You're still an unparalleled angler."

ーーーーーーーーーー

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old m-an Norman's narration:

"At that moment I felt it clearly."

"The beauty of the completed thing"

"It wasn't on the Blackfoot River, and my brother was standing there, like a piece of art, in an ethereal space."

"But at the same time, I felt it."

"The human world is not art and does not have eternal life."

ーーーーーーーーーー

That was the last time Paul was seen.

Norman learns from the police that Paul was beaten to death and left on the side of the road after a gambling dispute.

Mother and father receive news from Norman.

My father and mother were depressed and walked slowly and quietly up to their room on the second floor.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old m-an Norman's narration:

"Even after that, my father asked me, "That's all you know,'' perhaps because he was clinging to his memories.''

"I had no answer, "Paul was amazing at fishing.''

"My father said, "That's not all, he was beautiful.''

"But Paul lived on in my father's heart."

"I remember my father's last sermon before he died.''

ーーーーーーーーーー

ーーーーーーーーーー

Father's sermon:

"Everyone has a similar experience at least once in their life."

"When I see someone I love suffering, I ask God."

"I want to help those I love. What should I do? ""

"It's hard to be really helpful."

"What should I give of myself?"

"Or even if you offer it to them, the other person will refuse."

"It slips through my arms even though I’m close to them."

"All you can do is love"

"People can break away from logic and truly love others."

ーーーーーーーーーー

It was a teaching in which the father confessed his years of suffering since his son's death.

What can a single person with an independent ego do?

No one can correct anything against the other person.

Control in the name of help is meaningless.

All I can do is watch over them with love.

Time passes, and an old man is fishing alone in an eternal river, quieter than the murmuring sound.

Norman's children had become independent, his wife, father, and mother had all passed away, and he was now alone.

He returned to his hometown and enjoyed fishing, reminiscing about his old dreams.

Nothing has changed from the old days, a majestic, tranquil, divine river gently enveloping Norman.

He was not alone in his heart.

ーーーーーーーーーー

Old man Norman's narration:

"At that time, the people I loved even though we didn't understand each other, including my wife, have passed away.''

"Now I speak in my heart."

"I'm not even good at fishing at this age."

"My friends will stop me, but I will throw the line into the flow by myself."

"When twilight creeps into the valley, everything disappears, leaving only my soul and my memories."

"And the murmuring of the river and the rhythm of four beats."

"Expecting fish to swim on the river surface"

"Eventually everything will merge into one, and a river runs through it."

"The rivers carved into the earth during the Flood period have washed the rocks since the beginning of time, and the rocks have been soaked by rain since time immemorial."

"There are words under the rock…"

"Some of those words are of rocks."

"I'm addicted to the river."

ーーーーーーーーーー

A canvas called Blackfoot River.

There, various unique colors gather, make a statement, and play together.

However, they harmonize with each other with a sense of unity.

In the human world, eternal beauty that transcends reality occurs as many times as sunlight is reflected in a babbling stream.

The theme of this work is

"What is hometown? What is beauty? "is.

The characteristics of this work are:

The eternity and tolerance of Montana's rivers Harmony, unity, and melody between the trout and humans that live there Paul's ephemeral life as a chosen artist The fruit of Norman's human power

It is made up of these four pillars.

The Blackfoot River is deeply involved in this.

The role of the Blackfoot River:

/Home /God /Mother /Spirituality /Coexistence /Constancy /Inclusion /Brilliance /Tranquility /Playground /Classroom /Healing place

Even though he is old, Norman still goes to the river because he sees the things he loves there.

The untold memories of the past, such as the younger brother who fell into disrepair, the proud father who was in awe and respect, and the foolish schemes he had with his friends, all stand still like a vacuum pack and shine brightly.

This work is simply beautiful…

Visual art that cannot be explained logically.

What did this work leave behind?

It's hard to express in words, but we want to see it again, take a peek at it, and come back.

This is a work that makes us want to come back here.

This is a work that you can always have in your heart.

The director was Robert Redford, and the actor was Brad Pitt.

Well then, on to the next work.

Goodbye.

～Related works～

『The Great Gatsby』Directed by Jack Clayton and Robert Redford

『Out of Africa』 Directed by Sidney Pollack, Robert Redford

『The Great River with Two Hearts』 Written by Hemingway

『The Splendor of the Grass』Written by Words Worth

[i-wear-the-cheese]

I’m imaging this really intricate set up scene with jaunty music in which there is no dialogue and we see Lapis over the course of a morning pitch a little tent, put out a cool box, get out a bait box and several lure options (over which she seriously deliberates which one to attach to the rod), set out a small net, a rod stand…

And just at the end as it zooms out to the full image of her setup and you see that the sky has clearly changed time of day, she proudly puffs her chest out and then immediately ignores the rod, lifts her hands and raises half the water in the lake, streaming more fish than the bucket will allow into her bucket

“Well that’s done!” with satisfaction, she immediately throws all the fish back and leaves without packing up

steven got them for her

[talesofesther]

Darkest nights

Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: You find Eddie after he witnesses Chrissy's death.

A/N: This is just a small drabble, I guess to warm myself up into writing for Eddie, because I love him loads but for some reason, he's kinda hard for me to write about. Also, because in the scene where they first find him at Rick's home, I just wanted to give him a hug man, he was so goddamn scared. Do send in Eddie requests if you have any, I lack ideas.

Masterlist

"Can you just please drive a little faster?" You held onto Steve's seat, from the backseat of the car, peering over at him.

"I am going fast, don't worry we'll find him." Steve took a sharp turn. Trees and darkness surrounded the moving car as you made your way to Lover's Lake, and to Rick Lipton's house, where hopefully, Eddie would be.

Your knee bumped up and down in anxiousness, eager to find him and see for yourself that he was okay. If what Dustin said was right, and this had anything to do with the upside-down, you could only imagine what Eddie had gone through.

The isolated house came into view amongst the dark night, the car's headlights illuminating the front porch. The wheels had barely stopped moving and you were jumping from your seat. It was a cold night, there was a soft fog looming over from the trees around you.

Grass crushed beneath your feet, crickets singing in the distance, and the quietly moving water of the lake were the only other sounds.

"Eddie!! It's Dustin, we just wanna talk!" Dustin called out, pounding on Rick's door as soon as you all reached it. You pointed your flashlight against one of the windows, the house was a mess but it looked abandoned, no one seemed to have come here in a long time. Your eyebrows furrowed, your mind running a mile a minute with every possible scenario.

"Hey, guys." Max's voice called your attention, you and everyone else walked up to her. There was a boathouse at the back, with metal walls and small enough to not call much attention.

The air was eery as you carefully made your way inside, feeling goosebumps rise on your skin; the boathouse was devoid of any light, save for your flashlights and a clear blueish moonlight seeping through small windows. A boat rested in the water right in the middle, soft waves making it rock back and forth from time to time. You directed your flashlight around to see floaters, various buckets with fish bait, fishing rods, nets, and many other fishing supplies. Just like the house, it was messy and abandoned. Your heart accelerated in fear that maybe Eddie wasn't here, your palms holding the flashlight became clammy.

Steve had started to poke the tarp above the old boat with an oar, you tuned out his bickering with Dustin, rummaging through one of the counters in search of anything that told you someone had recently been here. You found discarded chocolate wrappings and were about to speak up when the loud noise of the tarp and the boat moving made you jump, followed by screaming and a loud thud as someone shoved Steve against the wall.

"Woah woah woah, Eddie stop," Dustin exclaimed worriedly, raising his hands and keeping a safe distance from Eddie, who had a broken bottle against Steve's neck. Robin and Max stood behind him, and you rushed beside them.

Your breathing got caught up in your throat when your eyes finally found Eddie. You didn't pay much attention to Dustin trying to calm him down and telling him you were all there to help. You had never seen him so distraught, and it tore your heart into two. Small beads of sweat covered his forehead despite the cold night, his hand around the broken bottle was shaking and his voice broke when he spoke.

With a gentle hand on Dustin's shoulder, you stopped his rambling and walked around him slowly, careful to not spook Eddie more.

The glow from Steve's flashlight on the floor illuminated your face as you walked forward. Your lips curled up in a bittersweet smile. Eddie's gaze laid on you and his eyes softened, you saw tears collecting at the bottom of the brown orbs you loved so much.

"Eddie." You called out lowly, extending a hand to him. "It's okay." You promised, your own voice breaking at the last syllable.

He gulped, his gaze averting from your eyes. He didn't pull away when you touched his cheek, it was wet, making you realize the tears were already falling. And he didn't object when you carefully took the broken bottle from him, handing it to Steve.

"You're okay." You breathed out for him only, thumb moving to wipe away the wetness beneath it.

It was instant, his lips parting in a quiet sob as he lowered his head on your shoulder. Eddie felt the tension leaving him in waves, his hands were shaking violently as he clung to you, to the feeling of finally not being alone after all that happened.

Your hand moved to the back of his head, tangling in the fluffy hair there and pulling him more towards you. "I was so worried about you."

"I didn't know where to go, or- or what to do, I'm sorry." He cried against your skin, you could feel the lapel of your jacket getting wet.

"Don't apologize, I'm just glad you're okay." You rubbed his back soothingly, closing your eyes in relief.

Eddie wouldn't be letting you go anytime soon, you could tell from the way his grip on you never wavered. His body shook on your hold, you could only imagine what happened for him to be this terrified. As you nuzzled your head on his shoulder, all you wished you could do was drag him away from all this mess; even if deep down there was no turning back now.

"I didn't do it." His quiet voice brought your focus back to him. A sob broke through, you felt his fist closing on the fabric of your jacket. "I promise I didn't do it."

The break in his words cut through your heart, how his main concern was telling you he wasn't a murderer, as if you'd ever believe otherwise. Eddie was the sweetest man you knew. "I know, Eddie. I know."

"Are they, like, together or something?" You caught up on Steve's voice.

"I have no idea." You heard Dustin answer, dumbfounded; making you roll your eyes at them, even if they couldn't see it.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are very much appreciated. <3

Eddie’s taglist: @milkiane

Let me know if you wanna be added to his taglist.

[strawberrymilk-sunshine]

His song

So like... this is a long one. Hope you like it!

Warning(s): possessive yandere Jade, implied death, implied eating of human flesh, mind control(?), isolation

No fish have been biting today. What a tragedy. You had hoped you'd get at least a nibble on your bait, but... you had no such luck.

Then, you felt a tug on the line.

You excitedly began to reel in your catch, feeling a strong amount of resistance. You continued using all your strength to reel in the fish, despite the resistance, and then-!

It was pulled out of water, and it landed on the soft sand of the beach. Except, it wasn't a fish, not entirely. The top half of it's body seemed to be human, though the skin was shades of cyan, there were fins on it's back and arms... you'd reeled in a merman!

"Oh! Um! I-I'm sorry about that!" You said, walking towards him. You placed a hand on his face to try and remove the hook from his cheek, but he dove back into the sea before you could, taking your fishing rod with you.

"Aw... that was my favourite rod, too..." You sighed.

It's a peaceful morning, under the sea. An eel and an octopus sit alone, having a conversation. All is peaceful... until another eel enters the scene.

"Jade! Azul! I almost died!"

"That's nice, Floyd." Azul continues looking over over his latest contract.

"No, really! I was almost eaten! Sick, right?!"

"What was it? A shark? Whale? Lionfish?" Jade tilts his head.

"It was one o' those huuuuuuumans!"

After that is said, Jade and Azul freeze.

"Floyd, did you just say it was a human?" Jade asks his brother.

"Yeah. Look, I even have their hook in my mouth still!"

"Ugh. Come here, I'll get it out." Azul offers.

"Ooooooookkkk... just be gentle! I might just decide to chomp down on one of those tasty looking tentacles of yours if not!"

"You do realize I'm venomous, right?" Azul asks. "I could just as easily bite and paralyze you."

"Whatever. It did really hurt though... ohhhhhhhh, if only I had a sibling who could mind control humans with his singing... alas, no such sibling exists..."

"I was already planning on doing so." Jade smiles. "Azul, Floyd, we'll be having human for dinner."

"Yaaaay!!"

"Must the two of you solve everything with violence...?"

You walked along the shoreline as the moon reflected on the water.

You're not sure why you were doing it. Maybe you wanted to apologize to that merman you caught earlier, or maybe you wanted to get your fishing rod back, or maybe...

...someone is singing.

Someone is singing a song... a beautiful song you've never heard before... you were almost entranced by it.

Whoever was singing had a powerful voice. It was as if he were purposefully singing loud enough for you to hear, but quiet enough for nobody else to.

You needed to find this person.

You continued walking along the shore for what felt like forever, until eventually... you saw someone- or something- sitting on a rock. His top half looked human, but his skin was shades of cyan... he had fins on his back, arms, and where his ears should be...

Wait a second... that's the merman you accidentally reeled in earlier!

"Hey! You!" You yelled to him. He turned around, looking surprised to see you. "I-I'm sorry for what happened this morning! I didn't mean to scare you, I was just trying to get the hook out of your mouth."

"Hm? What are you talking about?" He asked. "Ah... you must be thinking of my twin brother. I suppose that would be confusing for you."

"Um... were you the one singing?" You asked.

"Why yes, I was."

"It sounded really nice!" You told him. "What's your name?"

"My, my... carefree, aren't you?" He asked, amused. "I suppose I may indulge you. My name is Jade Leech, and you are...?"

"(Y/N)!"

"What a lovely name." Jade said, smiling. "(Y/N)... could you come closer? I'd like to see your face."

You did as he asked. You stepped into the water, towards the rock Jade was sat upon. He grabbed your face with his wet hands, observing every little detail of your face. In turn, that allowed you to better see his face as well. His eyes were an olive colour on the right, and a vibrant yellow on the left. His hair was turquoise, with a long strip of darker hair on the same side as his yellow eye. He had markings beneath his eyes, and on his shoulders... he was beautiful.

"You look quite lovely, (Y/N)." Jade told you. "...for someone with legs, that is." He looked away from you.

"Thanks, Jade...!" You said. "It's getting really late, though... I should get going. Could we meet again tomorrow night? I'd like to get to know you!"

"Oh my-! Um, yes, of course, (Y/N)."

"Thanks! See you tomorrow!"

As Jade watched you run off, he couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he had with you.

"Why... why didn't I drown them...?" He asked himself.

When Jade returned, Floyd was quite disappointed he didn't get to eat a human.

Over the next nights, you and Jade would continue meeting each other. He would bring you many gifts; seashells, sunken treasures, and even the fishing rod you lost!

Jade seemed to like you. He really seemed to like you. You, on the other hand... you just saw him as a weird friend. So, one night, you told Jade that you were dating someone. And, the next night...

"Ah, (Y/N), apologies for being late! You must understand, I was taking care of some very important business."

Jade's face was covered in blood... and you could see bits of flesh stuck in his teeth.

"Wha... w-what did you do...?" You asked, terrified.

"Oh, how rude of me, to not clean myself before our meeting." He said, creepily smiling, showing off all of his bloodstained teeth. "Well, you see, you told me you were seeing someone other than me, and... mhm, I simply couldn't have that!"

"Y-you're a monster!" You yelled.

"Indeed I am, (Y/N)~"

You stumbled backwards in fear, and then... you ran. Jade wasn't too worried about that, though.

He began singing once more...

And in that very instant, everything stopped.

The only thing you could hear was his song... and the only thing you wanted to do was to return to him.

And that was exactly what you did. You walked back to him, you walked into the sea, into Jade's arms. He trapped you in a tight hug.

"Humans are such simple creatures." He told you as he stroked the back of your head. "All I need is to sing to your kind and they throw themselves into the water. It's impressive how easy it is to manipulate their minds, wouldn't you agree?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" You tried pushing him away, but he kept a tight grip on you.

"(Y/N). Why are you trying to leave?" Jade asked. He dug his claws into your back, causing you to wince in pain. "It's a kill or be killed world, where I come from. I could never knowingly take you into my world... so we must make a compromise."

With a tight grip on you, he swam away from the shore. You were held under the water while he swam, the freezing cold water.

Before you knew it, you were above the surface again. You were in a cave on an island far away from your home. You were shivering, and coughing up the water that you swallowed.

"Now, (Y/N), please stay here. For your safety." Jade said. "I'll return here tomorrow morning. I'm planning on introducing you to my family."

"N-no-! Please, d-don't leave m-me here...!" You cried.

"Ah..." He reached his hand out of the water, placing it on your cheek. "You're quite cute when you're scared, (Y/N)."

"I d-don't want to b-be alone here..." You begged, shaking both from fear and the cold. Yes, you were scared of Jade... he was a monster that killed and presumbly ate your partner... but you knew him. He was the only thing you knew here.

"...fine." Jade smirked. "I suppose I could stay with you the night." He crawled out of the water, and wrapped his arms around you once again. "I'll keep you warm. And I'll keep you safe, (Y/N). I love you so much... isn't it wonderful, this life we'll live together?"

Even if you wanted to escape, you can't. Your home is too far away, you can't swim that far...

You can't survive in his world. So, soon enough, you will rely on Jade entirely.

"Would you like me to sing you to sleep, (Y/N)?"

He will keep you safe no matter what. You're his perfect little human, the love of his life...

You're his, now and forever.

"Good night, (Y/N)."

As you srifted off to sleep, the only thing you heard was his song.

[blue-knightshade]

Yos Thank you for the juice, its much appreciated

Without further ado-

Wild and Four were out fishing in the pond in Ordon Village, Twilight’s home town. He had suggested for the two of them go and get some food for dinner, as it wasn’t harvest season yet, and the food was sparser than usual. It was really only a one person job, but Four was more or less there to keep Wild from doing anything crazy. Twilight knew Wild was capable and to be trusted, but after what happened last time they went fishing . . . He didn’t want him to put on a scene in front of the whole village. That would look bad on him, and he didn’t want to have to deal with that at the moment.

”So, have you ever even used a fishing rod before?” Four asked, getting the bait ready for the him and Wild. They were seated on the grass next to the pond with their fishing supplies.

”No?” Wild said slowly. “To be honest, I’ve never even heard of one before I met you guys.”

Maybe they just don’t exist in Wild’s Hyrule, Four speculated. But how would anyone get fish? Surely not everyone used the same technique that Wild did. Whatever, he thought. His world is a post-apocalyptic ruin. There must have been other methods at some point.

Perhaps Four was overthinking. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll show you how to use one right now.” He handed Wild his rod.

Wild took the rod and eyed it curiously. “It sure seems like a much more convenient way of getting it done.”

”It is,” Four said. “Here, watch what I do.” He cast his fishing rod onto the crystal blue water and waited, until he eventually hoisted a Greengill up from under the water, and they both watched it flail around on the end of the rod. Four looked at Wild, and said, “You think you can do that?”

”Seems easy enough,” Wild said with uncertainty. He picked up his rod and mimicked Four’s actions, whipping the lure into the water. He didn’t pull his gaze from it. “So I just wait?”

“Yup,“ Four replied, keeping an eye on the lure as well. “When you feel something tugging at it, start pulling.”

Wild nodded, gripping the fishing rod with both hands, as if he were about to pull out a sea monster from the small pond. The lure went under, and Wild let out a yelp as he started pulling with his entire weight. Four simply watched in amusement, as there was nothing else for him to really do. “Just keep pulling, and you’ll have it,” He said, chuckling a bit.

As Wild finally pulled another Greengill out of the water, a striped cat leapt up and caught it in its sharp teeth. Wild dropped the rod as if it had bit him, and let out a disgruntled yell.

”Oi!” He yelled half angry and half shocked, as he eyed the creature sitting about three meters away from him, gnawing on his catch. He pointed an accusing finger at the feline. “What is Hylia’s name is that thing?!”

Four thought he was joking for a moment, until he realized Wild was serious. “You don’t know what a cat is?” He asked, bemused. “Do you really not have cats in your Hyrule either?”

”No!” Wild said, with his eye on the kitty, as if it was a monster. He gave it a particularly nasty look as he said, “I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s like a dog, but smaller, and ruder!”

Four couldn’t help but laugh. Wild certainly had a way with words. “It’s not gonna hurt you, Champion,” He said, still chuckling.

“Well look at the thing!“ Wild replied, making a dramatic gesture toward the cat. ”You can’t blame me for thinking it.” He let out a sigh, and ran his hand through his hair as he went silent for a moment in thought. “Well, looks like we found our dinner.”

“Wild, no.” Four said hastily, snapping out of his fit of laughter. “That’s someone‘s pet, cats are not for eating!”

“Hmph,” Wild grunted unhappily as he got up off the ground. “That was our dinner that it’s eating, the filthy thing.”

Four found it quite amusing seeing Wild so heated up over the situation. Normally Wild would just laugh and get back to whatever it was he was doing. The frustration was comical. “We can just catch another one, Wild. It’ll be alright.”

The pair kept fishing for the next hour or so, with neither of them being ambushed by a cat again. They returned to Twilight’s house with a nice basketful of fish, mostly Greengills, and over supper Four told the rest of the group about the kitty incident earlier that day, which Twilight found greatly amusing. Wild rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit, too embarrassed to press the subject any further. That didn’t stop him from cursing the cat under his breath, though. He didn’t take kindly to these new creatures.

[carriereedwrites]

WTF is The Promise of The Premise?

The other day I wrote about Premise - that deceptively simple but complex singular sentence that, if crafted well, can hook a reader and tell them what the story will be about without giving the story away.

Today, I want to talk about The Promise of The Premise and why it’s so stinking important to deliver on your promises.

First, let’s review. WTF is a Premise?

A premise is a single sentence that describes four things:

1. The protagonist

2. The protagonist’s goal

3. The crisis

4. Something unique or interesting that sets the story apart from others like it

Got it? Good. Now...

WTF is The Promise of The Premise?

I touched a bit on this explanation in my previous post about Premise here, but it bears repeating.

A well-crafted Premise will do two things:

1. Present questions to the reader without having to ask a single one

2. Pique their curiosity to the point where they need the answers to those questions

The Promise of The Premise will be how you, the writer, fulfill these two things. And yes, there is a wrong way to do this. First, I want to clarify how we identify the Promises in The Premise.

Here's an example Premise:

A witch whose magic constantly misfires accidentally summons the most terrifyingly tempting Alpha werewolf to rule the US in order to save magical families being hunted by a demon.

We've fulfilled the four requirements here. We have a witch (The Protagonist) whose magic constantly misfires (something unique) accidentally summons the most terrifyingly tempting Alpha werewolf to rule the US (the crisis) in order to save magical families being hunted by a demon (the goal).

Just by a few key words, you can tell what kind of book this might be, or the genre/sub-genre this story is in.

Take a guess. Read the premise over again and write it down or remember it.

Do you know?

It's a fantasy romance. (Duh, I write romances.)

Fantasy for the witches, werewolves and magic. Romance for the "terrifyingly tempting" description of the Alpha werewolf. We have two promises we already need to fulfill here. Subconsciously, the reader will expect some kind of magical adventure and our witch is going to be tempted by this werewolf's hotness.

Now, keep in mind, you're not just trying to hook every single reader out there. And this Premise isn't meant to hook someone who's looking to read a mystery or sci-fi. This Premise is built to hook romance readers. And trust me, readers know what to look for.

If you've ever been fishing, you don't just go to any ol' body of water, throw your bait in with whatever fishing rod you got and hope to catch something good. There's some planning involved. There's a particular fish you're after and it's your job to know what kind of bait, hook and rod to use. If you don't, you may be catching fish you don't want or worse - no fish at all.

This is why crafting your Premise a certain way is important to the genre of the story you're writing in. 

Most genres have built-in Promises you need to fulfill in order to hook readers in and leave them satisfied. And yes, that's another post for another time.

Right now, what we're going to be focusing on is the concept of The Promise, by using the romance genre as an example.

For a story to be considered a romance, two things are required to happen: Love Conquers All and the book must end with an HEA (Happily Ever After) or an HFN (Happy For Now).

For a story to be considered fantasy, we need to have some sort of, well, fantasy element - we have witches, magic, werewolves and demons. Consistent with this genre, it's also expected that the heroes will save the day from the forces of evil.

Based on these Promises, the reader will automatically expect the following to be fulfilled:

Our witch and werewolf will save these families from the clutches of a demon

The witch and werewolf fall unexpectedly in love

Their love will help them conquer over the forces of evil

And just because the werewolf is "terrifyingly tempting," there may be some naughty scenes between him and our witchy heroine

Through fire and flame, our two heroes will be committed to each other and live in blissful domestication (or if this is Book One, maybe not just yet)

Seems like a lot, yes. But, if you do it right, a lot of these Promises and elements will pull double-triple duty and provide character development, world building, and drive plot. One scene can and should do a multitude of things like foreshadowing, moving plot, upping the stakes, insight to a character’s backstory, etc. 

In the words of Alton Brown, “NO SINGLE USE GADGETS ALLOWED.”

Now, let's address the other Promises you must fulfill. Yes, there's more!

Remember how I said a good Premise will present questions without having to ask a single one? Take a look at this:

A witch whose magic constantly misfires (How did she get like this? Why does it misfire?) accidentally summons (How did she accidentally summon someone?) the most terrifyingly tempting Alpha werewolf to rule the US (Why is he tempting? Is the witch attracted to him? And is he terrifying because he's mean, ruthless, a killer? Why?) in order to save magical families being hunted by a demon (Why is this demon hunting these families? Did these families do something to the demon? What's the reason behind the attack?).

All of these questions aren't just questions to leave the reader in a state of suspense. Yes, you want to hook readers in but you don't want to deceive them, either.

Honestly, you'll have a mob of upset readers for not answering any of these questions. Even more, if you don't answer these questions with a satisfying answer.

If you promise your readers a terrifyingly tempting Alpha werewolf, he better come through with some hot looks, bedroom talk, and a dominant personality.

If you have a witch whose magic misfires and accidentally summons people she doesn't mean to, then she can't be proficient in magic. But, because she's the heroine, she needs to be capable in a different way that causes the reader cheer her on.

If you have a demon hunting magical families, the demon needs to be big, bad and powerful to murder witches, right? Don't magically make him incapable at the climax because your heroes need the good ending. Your heroes need to find a way to defeat this foe through trial and tribulation because your reader is expecting them to meet the challenge.

Fulfilling The Promise of The Premise will leave your readers both satisfied and wanting more. So, why not give them what they want?

As you're plotting and drafting, keep your Premise in mind. Understand and remember the Promises you need to keep. If you can do that, you're well on your way of being an accomplished writer.

If you have any questions, or comments please feel free to drop them here! My DMs are also open! And as always...

~ Happy Writing, Ya'll ~

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LUNATIC PARADE ;; Reiji Route ー Sub Scenario w/Yuma

–> In between the main route chapters, the player is taken to the area map of the Parade where you can freely roam around. There are four different places to visit, each with different mini games and sub scenarios to enjoy.

AREA: SMARAGO MOUNTAIN

CHARACTER: YUMA

ー The scene starts by the lake

Yui: What now...?

Reiji: That’s what I would like to ask. What are you going to do about this?

Not only did you drop the key to our hotel room in the lake, but it got gobbled right up by one of the fish...

Yuma: Oi, are ya for real?

Yui: Ah, Yuma-kun!

Reiji: I cannot call listening in on someone else’s conversation very tasteful.

Yuma: I heard it by accident while I happened to pass by, so can ya really blame me?

Anyway, if that’s the issue, imma do somethin’ ‘bout it real quick.

ー Yuma takes off his jacket and jumps into the lake

Yuma: Off we go!

*SPLASH*

Yui: ( Eh? He jumped into the water...! )

Reiji: Excuse me? What is the plan here?

Yuma: Can’t ya tell? Imma catch that fish.

Reiji: Catch...? Not with your bare hands, I hope?

Yuma: Well duh!

Reiji: You cannot! I will return at once, so wait here.

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ( Ah, Reiji-san’s back. )

Reiji: When attempting to catch a fish with one’s bare hands, the chances of it slipping away are highly likely. Let us use this instead.

Yui: Is that a fishing rod?

Reiji: Exactly. This is what you need to catch a fish.

Yuma: But it might take a while until it goes for the bait, ya know?

Reiji: Leave it to me. I have a great idea.

Yuma, you will skillfully lead the fish towards the rod.

However, you must not overdo it. Stop chasing it when it is at a slight distance away from the fishing rod.

Yuma: Then what are ya gonna do next?

Reiji: The fish should be rather famished by then.

If it spots food closeby under said circumstances, it will surely take the bait, no?

Yui: I see!

Reiji: Well then, let us do this!

Yuma: I don’t like the idea of takin’ orders from ya but well...Guess I have no other choice.

Okay, here we go!

*SPLASH*

Yuma: Come on! That way!

Yui: ( Yuma-kun’s doing a great job leading the fish towards the rod... )

Reiji: Yuma, stop right there!

Yuma: Roger.

Reiji: Right where we want him. Come on, the food is over here...!

Yui: ( Ah! The fish is on the hook! )

Reiji: ーー Now!

*Splash*

Yui: You caught it! 

Reiji: Why of course. I came up with this plan after all.

Yuma: I’m glad!

Yui: Yeah! Thank you too, Yuma-kun!

Reiji: Well then...I suppose we have no other choice but to cut it open to take out the key. 

I suppose I could use it as an opportunity to prepare some fish a la meuniere. Would you like some as well, Yuma?

Yuma: Ah? Me?

Reiji: You helped us after all. I would like to avoid being indebted to the Mukami family.

Yuma: Gotcha. I mean, I don’t mind taggin’ along. I’ll let ya use some of my veggies as well.

Reiji: Well then, I will take you up on your offer. I will present a dish so delicious, it will blow your mind.

Yui: ( I’m glad we managed to get our key back. This really showed how reliable these two are. )

ーー THE END ーー 

[yukikathesnowflower]

Tartaglia | Fishing

Pairing: Childe/Tartaglia x [f]Traveler/Lumine

Genre(s)/theme(s): slow-burn romance, fluff, fantasy, mild rom-com, a slice of life, Tartaglia showing off his fishing skill, an accidental kiss

Summary: After fighting off with the Ruin Guards, Tartaglia took a nap on a hill. As he fell asleep, he unexpectedly dreamt an old memory of his…

Word count: 1.1k+

A/n: I got the idea when I was reading one of his stories in the game. This is my first Genshin Impact fics. Enjoy! | Masterlist

Kindly help me reblog pls. Thank you :)

‘Ajax…this is what fishing is,’ this was the voice of his father teaching him one of the Snezhnaya life skills when he was still a child.

The young man gradually opened his blue eyes from his nostalgic dream. The sweet scent of the grass tickled his nose as the winds breezed over the hill. The corners of his lips curved, recalling that memorable scene of his dream as he yearned to see his old man in his homeland again.

“Look! There are a lot of black-bass fishes in the lake!” Paimon shouted out in a loud voice.

‘Oh! It’s ojou-chan (young lady) and Paimon!’ He turned his gaze at the girls from afar. That familiar high-pitched voice has gained his attention.

Drooling with a drip of saliva from the side of her mouth, she rushed over to the lake. She stared hungrily at the fish while standing at the edge of the lake.

“Let’s catch those fishes for our dinner tonight!” Paimon danced in excitement.

Her hastened gaze searched her baggage and sighed. There was no appropriate equipment for her to catch any fish.

“I don’t want to drench my clothes again, Paimon.” She gazed up to the dusky sky, letting out another sigh, “Let’s search for other ingredients to make our food tonight.”

“Urh…” Paimon groaned.

“Why don't I help you instead?” Tartaglia jumped off after sliding along the slopes of the hill.

“Childe!” Paimon shouted in surprise, unaware that he was nearby.

“Why are you here?” She gave him a cold stare.

“Well,” he chuckled, “I was checking on those ruin guards over there.” his thumb pointed at the direction where those damaged Ruin Guards were.

“So how are you going to help us?” Crossing her arms, Paimon stared at him.

His dull-blue eyes searched for the materials nearby. Glancing at that special Cuihua tree among all, the side of his lips curled. He summoned his treasured Rust Bow and charged toward that tree using Foul Legacy: Raging Tide.

“Is he trying to cut that tree?” Paimon was puzzled.

He jumped onto the tree, swinging his twin blades, cutting out two long branches.

“So...what are you going to do with these branches?” She stared at him as he picked up the branches, “I do not have any strings with me.”

“I happen to have some strings with me though,” beamed with pleasure, he grabbed her hand while holding the branches in his other arm.

Her cheeks blushed red by his unexpected gesture; silently hoping he wouldn’t notice her current state, which he actually did. He let out a satisfied smile as they walked to the lake.

They found some rocks at the lakeside and sat on them. He tied the strings onto the tip of the branches, followed by the fishhooks on the other end of the strings. Her amber eyes widened, amazed that a Fatui Harbinger would craft leisure items other than weapons.

“Here,” handing over his crafted fishing rod onto her hands, “with this, you should be able to catch those fishes.” he grinned.

“Thanks,” she simpered as her eyes met his, “but we need some baits too…”

He turned his gaze away from her, searching for suitable baits around them. He spotted a few small crabs along the sand at his sides. In a swift, he grabbed a handful of it and placed it into his pouch. Hooking one crab onto their fishing rods as bait.

“All right! Let’s get started!” rising from his seat, he swung his fishing rod backward as the hook floated in the air, tossing it toward the lake in the next second. The hook plunged into the water far away from the shore, waiting for its predators to prey on it.

Mimicking his actions, she did the same with her fishing rod. But her hook plunged into the water nearer from the shore.

“It seems you have good fishing skills.” her envious eyes took a glance at him, whose gazes were engrossing on his own fishing rod.

“I was taught by my old man when I was a child. Ice fishing is common in Snezhnaya.” He chuckled.

“I see,” she turned her gaze back to her fishing rod.

“Ohh!” noticing the jerking of his fishing rod. Immediately, he pulled out the string, and a big fish stream in the air. “I caught a big fish!” He grinned.

A blush spread across her cheeks as she gazed at his child-like smile.

“Your fishing rod is jerking…” Paimon commented.

She quickly turned her attention back to her fishing rod, lifting out from the water.

“I caught a fish too!” her amber eyes beamed.

“That’s not enough for Paimon,” Paimon took a glance at the fish, which was smaller in size compared to Tartaglia’s.

She frowned at Paimon.

“Let me teach you the tricks,” he placed a new bait onto her hook before walking over to her side, his hands holding onto hers from behind.

She gripped onto her fishing rod tightly. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest as her cheeks gradually blushed red.

“Relax,” his breath tickled her flushed ear.

They swung the fishing rod to the back and tossed it forward into the lake. This time, the hook plunged further away from the shore. She could feel her skin burning up while waiting for the response from the fishing rod.

A moment later, the string of the fishing rod shook vigorously. They lifted the fishing rod with all their strength.

“It’s a huge fish!” Paimon cheered.

As the fish was too heavy when they pulled together, her foot slipped while stepping backward. His arms held her from her back as they fell onto the ground.

“S-Sorry. Are you all right?” her hands pressed onto his chest, trying to get herself up.

Her amber eyes met his dull-blue eyes when they stared at each other, cheeks blushed red.

“I-I’ll go get some wood to set up the fire!” She pushed herself away from him, stood up, and rushed into the forest.

“Wait! Paimon will come with you!”

Tartaglia got up from the ground. The corners of his lips curled as his fingers touched his lips, which has a thin layer of smudged pink gloss. He chuckled.

As the sky turns dark as time passes. They set up the fire with the woods she had collected.

Tartaglia caught a lot more fish during the time she was in the forest. Seated side by side close to the fire, they grilled all the fishes that they had caught. Paimon munched onto the huge grilled fish.

“H-Here,” she gave him the fish that she had grilled, “thanks for your hard work today,”

“You’re welcome!” he gave a delighted smile, taking the grilled fish from her.

“Let’s go fishing again,” she turned her nervous gaze away from him, “if we see each other next time...” her cheeks blushed lightly.

‘Thanks, Dad! For teaching me this useful skill!’ he cried out in his mind.

Published on 20/08/2021

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[hinatastinygiant]

Chapter Twenty Nine

Piscis Promittens

Pairing: Haikyuu!! x Fem!Reader

previous | next | 2099

After running through the woods, you eventually find Kuroo setting up his fishing equipment next to Tsukishima's memorial. Astute as ever, he hears you running up behind him and turns around to face you.

"Care to join while you're here?" he asks as he holds out a second fishing rod.

"Thought you'd never ask," you smile as you slowly walk up to him. "You sure it's alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I feel a lot better now thanks to Kenma. He's a really good friend," he smiles softly. "Ya know, if I'm the next one to go, look out for Kenma for me, will ya?"

"Geez, don't talk like that," you shake your head as you reach into his makeshift tackle box. "As long as I'm around, there's no way I'm letting anything happen to you."

Kuroo nods quietly. You only find it a bit off-putting because it clashes with his outgoing personality. You wish he'd make some silly joke to lighten the mood, but when he doesn't, chains of anxiety and stress wrap around your body until you feel as though you might pass out. You've already lost one person, you can't even fathom the idea of losing anyone else.

"Wipe the tears from your eyes, Y/N," he shakes his head. "I'm just thankful I've made it this far."

You pause just as you impale the bait on the hook. That's when Kuroo's eyes glance to the side as he watches all positivity drain from your body.

"He loved you, ya know," he tells you. "Every time we came out here you're all he'd talk about."

At his words, you're not really sure of what to say. I mean, what are you supposed to say to that after he was probably murdered by one of your friends? Kuroo watches how you continue to ignore his gaze as you throw your link into the lake and stare out waiting for a bite.

"Did you ever feel the same?" he then asks nosily as he pierces a worm with his hook.

"I don't know," you admit sadly with a sigh. "I know that it hurts he's gone and I miss him with all my heart, but I don't know how I truly felt. How can I when we live in this fucked up mess?"

"Can't always blame everything on the 'fucked up' world we're living in. It is our reality now, after all," he explains.

"Yeah, thanks for that, mom," you smile softly as you nudge him in the side. Kuroo chuckles as he wraps his arm around you and pulls you in close to him.

"I know what I said before about me dying sounds super fucking morbid, but I swear on my life, Y/N, that as long as I'm around, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

"Then you better not plan on going anywhere either 'cause if you did, that'd be the worst thing I could think of," you admit.

Kuroo nods in agreement. "I don't plan on leaving any time soon. Besides, we've got to get to the bottom of this whole Tsukishima business."

"Speaking of that," you chime in, "Atsumu said something interesting to me just before I came down here..."

"Something incriminating?" he asks a bit too hopefully.

"No, nothing like that. But he said that we can't rule anybody out," you begin to explain.

"Well, of course not. Everybody who was there is a suspect at this point," he states the obvious as he casts his line.

"I know, but that's not what I mean. He made a point that we can't be certain of Lev, Alisa, Yachi, or even Kenma's whereabouts at the scene of the crime," you spell out. 

"Kenma wouldn't-"

"But can you prove that with one hundred percent certainty? He could have followed us!" you interrupt.

"Y/N, you don't understand. Kenma isn't like that at all," he shakes his head.

"Well from my perspective, I don't think any of us would do it but it seems as though we're all dead set on it being a murder so it's got to be someone!" you remind him.

"It really gets on my nerves how smart you are," he shakes his head once more as he smiles over at you.

"I'm only being logical like everybody else. It's nothing special. I just don't get all angry and try to fight people like someone else..."

"I'd apologize, only I wouldn't want to say sorry just for him to turn around and admit it was him sometime down the road," he tells you as something tugs on the end of his line. You watch as he reels in an odd-looking fish you've never seen before.

"What the hell is that?" you laugh at its strange pink color as though you could see straight through it.

"Tsukki and I called it a promitto," he smiles to himself. "It's Latin for promise. We came up with it 'cause the fish gives us the nutrition we need to see another day, like a promise we can keep on living."

"I've never seen one like it before," you say as you watch the fish wriggle against the hook.

"Don't you know?" he smirks as he looks over at you. "That's because all promises are different."

"Kinda like snowflakes," you laugh.

"Exactly like that."

Just then, you feel a tug on your line. You begin to reel in your fish until finally, it pops out of the water, wriggling just like Kuroo's. It looks somewhat similar to the other, but a bit bigger and more transparent looking."

"Good catch," he chuckles as he watches you struggle to finish reeling it in. "I think you win. I'm gonna toss mine back in. Don't want them all going extinct, do we? Then there'd be no promittos left."

previous | next | 2099

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[dreamescapeswriting]

Cosmic Karma ~ KTH [Request]

WORD COUNT: 1.7K

PAIRING: Taehyung x Fem!Reader

GENRE:  Crack, angsty, jealous boyfriend vibes

It was blatantly obvious that Taehyung was jealous whenever you were hanging around with Soobin but you tried not to let him get too jealous over it. Soobin was like a younger brother to you, there was never going to be something there but it didn't stop your boyfriend from becoming the overly jealous type that wanted to constantly one-up Soobin at everything you did together. It didn't matter what it was that you were doing, if Taehyung knew you were impressed by Soobin doing it, he had to do it better than him. It had started out with small things like playing the guitar, reaching a high note that they couldn't before and then getting onto video games. Slowly it began to develop into this obsessive need to be better than Soobin, so much so that it was starting to put a strain on their friendship but it was as if Taehyung didn't see what he was doing.

"Are we sure the camping trip is a good idea, what if he starts a fight?" Kai asked as he nervously looked over at Taehyung who was helping Jin and the boys take suitcases into each of the cabins you were all staying in that weekend. It had been your idea to get them out of the city for a while and into some fresh air in the countryside. You'd found the perfect private camping ground with log cabins so you guys wouldn't have to freeze in tents all night and there was plenty to do out in the vast green area that surrounded you. Hiking trails, fishing trips, lots of other fun activities.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure the fresh air will calm his testosterone," Jimin laughed as he came over to take your bags from you, you jabbed his side playfully as he walked away from you. 

"Kai, it'll be fine. Taehyung just needs to realise there's nothing between me and Soobin, right?" You glanced over at Soobin who nodded at you and headed down towards the cabin he was sharing with Yeonjun and Taehyun. 

"Noona, are you sharing with Taehyung and Jungkook?" Beomgyu yelled as he stood with Jimin at your cabin door,

"Yes please!" You yelled back, locking up the car you'd driven and heading down to them, hugging Taehyung's side as you smiled up at him. 

"We're on cooking duty tonight baby," You told him as you smiled, squeezing his sides softly as he nodded his head. 

"We will cook the best meal they've ever tasted," He announced to everyone before heading into his room to unpack his bag with you while you nervously looked at Jungkook. It seemed as though your idea for the fresh countryside air clearing out his problem wasn't going to work since he was willing to make cooking into a competition now. 

"It's going to be a long weekend," You mumbled to yourself before following Taehyung inside and going to unpack your own bag. 

Later that night you decided to go off on your own for a while, going for a short walk around the lake with your camera to get some photoshoots of everything that was around you. Taking in all of the nature and scenes of the lake, it was truly the most beautiful place you could have brought the boys and they seemed to be enjoying it. Soobin was fishing with Yoongi and Jin on the lake house so you strolled over to them,

"Y/n!" Yoongi cried out when he saw you walking towards them, 

"Quickly! Get a photo of Soobin with this fish he caught before we put it back!" You laughed softly watching Soobin struggle to hold the fish that was larger than your arms, snapping a couple of photos of him before he threw it back to the water. 

"You guys having fun?" You laughed moving closer and looking over the wooden railing to the fish that were gathering around the bait they had placed into the water. 

"Lots, this was Taehyung's idea but he ditched us," You frowned looking around you for any sign of your boyfriend but he was nowhere to be seen, 

"Probably tired from the drive," You lied, knowing full-well that Taehyung wasn't tired in the slightest. If Soobin was with the boys he probably didn't want to be around him so you smiled at the boys and went to leave when you heard your name being called once again. This time Taehyung was making his way back over to you at the lake with a smile on his face, 

"We were just fishing, wanna see how big a fish I can catch?" You were about to agree when Yoongi laughed, 

"Trust me, you can't beat the one that Soobin just caught. Y/n! Show him the picture," A chill ran down your spine as you felt Taehyung's grip on your waist tighten, you stared up at him hoping that he wasn't about to turn fishing into a competition, it was supposed to be a relaxing hobby.

"I bet I can catch a bigger one," Just like that it was as if someone had taken over Taehyung's body and he was now turning into a big-headed boy who had a need to make himself look better than everyone around him. Sighing to yourself you sat on the bench behind the boys, you knew this was going to end in an argument or one of them laughing at one another so you figured you should stay around for either option. 

"HEY! HEY! I GOT SOMETHING!" Taehyung yelled out to you and the boys who were starting to fall asleep on the benches behind him. The five of you had been out there for the last three hours waiting for him to catch something, it was starting to get dark outside and instead of cooking as you were supposed to be Jungkook took over. 

"Finally," You mumbled, getting up to see what he had caught but he was in a battle with the fishing rod, trying to pull whatever beast he had caught on the line but it wouldn't budge. 

"Here, let us help." Soobin said as he inched closer to Taehyung trying to help out the older member who acted like a child, snapping the rod away from him and mumbling "No" under his breath. 

"Babe, he just wants to help-"

"I don't care-" Taehyung let out a yelp as he was pulled over the railing and into the water below him, 

"TAEHYUNG!" You screamed out in a panic, dropping your camera to the floor before glancing over the railing for any sign of him but there were just little bubbles rising to the service as he sunk to the bottom. 

"I'll help," Soobin yelled, diving into the water after Taehyung. 

The boys emerged seconds later, Taehyung struggling to get away from Soobin while Soobin tried to make sure he was okay at the very least. 

"Leave me alone! I'm fine!" He snapped in a tone you'd never heard him used before, even in your fights when he was angry with you he would never raise his voice like that at you, you never thought he would yell at anyone like that. 

"Tae..." You said slowly trying to get him to say sorry but he was already storming off in the direction of your cabin, mumbling to himself as he did so. 

"I'll figure this out, thanks for helping him Soobin, you should go and warm-up." You patted his back and headed off after your boyfriend, calling after him to stop but he slammed the door once he was inside. 

"Didn't you hear me calling after you?" You questioned once you were inside of the room, Tae was curled up in front of the fireplace that was inside the cabin and you stared at him. His body was shivering as he held himself close to the fire, arms wrapped around his own body as he stuttered out to you, 

"Y-Yes," You rolled your eyes, 

"Get out of the wet clothes dummy, you'll get sick." You hissed as he stood up slowly, heading into the bedroom and changing into some warmer, dry clothes you'd grabbed from the wardrobe for him. 

"You should have let us help you, Soobin was just trying to be nice." You whispered as you wrapped a blanket around his body, sitting in front of the fire with one another. 

"I didn't need his help," He grumbled like an old man as you rolled your eyes at how stupid he was acting, you'd finally had enough of it and decide to speak the truth.

"I'm sick of you acting like this Taehyung." 

"Acting like what?" He snapped, turning to look at you as if you were crazy. Was he really that blind to doing it? 

"An immature teenager always trying to one-up everyone around them...You're always doing it to him. It started with small things but this is getting ridiculous...I thought this trip might calm you down but clearly, I was wrong." You got up from the floor, not wanting to be around him while he was being so jealous and rude to everyone but he reached up to take your hand. 

"Sorry...I didn't mean to get so jealous...I-I just see how close you are with one another and I can't help it, it's like something takes over me and I just have to prove to you how much of a better boyfriend I am," You looked down at him and saw how sorry he was behind his eyes, it wasn't you that he needed to be sorry to though. 

"It's not me you need to say sorry to Taehyung," He nodded his head while sighing at the thought of it, 

"I know and I will say sorry to him, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for being such a jerk lately...I guess this is payback," He gestured at himself and you laughed softly while nodding your head, 

"You know it's Karma, what goes around comes around baby," You placed a small kiss on his cheek, 

"I'll go and get you some soup while you go to Soobin's cabin and say sorry." You ordered him as you got up from the floor and headed out of the cabin without another word to him, not giving him the chance the weasel his way out of going to apologize to the younger boy. 

Tagline: @lyoongx​ @mitzwinchester​ @rjsmochii​ @taestannie​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @innersooya​ @sw33tnight​ @sweeneyblue1​ @jin-from-the-block​ @acciocriativity​ @that-anxious-bisexual​ @mwitsmejk​

[harrysbbby]

Don’t Forget Where You Belong -  JJ Maybank x Reader - Part Three

A/N: new part!!! feedback is always appreciated and please let me know if you’d like to be tagged

Part 1

Part 2

“Okay. So, um... we didn't see anything,” Pope said clearly stressed. “We need to have total and complete amnesia.”

“Actually, Pope's right for once,” JJ piped up. You shot him a confused look. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘and what about it, “See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny,” JJ continued to yabber on.

“Guys, we can't keep that money,” Kie said.

“Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara,” JJ shot back at her.

“We really should give it to Lana Grubbs. Technically it was her husbands.” You spoke, raising your hands defensively as JJ shot a glare at you.

“See,” Kie said gesturing towards you, “Otherwise, it's bad karma.”

“Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too,” Pope spoke directly and with conviction. He kept his head down.

“Pope…” you started but he cut you off.

“We gotta go dark.” He said, lifting his gaze to look around at all of you.

“If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree,” JJ settled. You went to open your mouth to say something, but John B’s voice cut you off.

“I don’t agree,” he said to JJ. He moved to the centre of the porch and began explaining as if he was giving a Ted Talk,

“Just think about it. This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden, he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'.”

“It is a little odd,” you said in agreeance, leaning back on your chair and nodding up at John B. He nodded back as if to say, ‘thank you’ and then turned to the rest of the group who still didn’t look quite as convinced.

“I don’t know…” Pope trailed off. Looking around at you all. He stood and grabbed a fishing rod from the side of the doorway and made his way out to the pontoon. JJ grabbed the other and followed. The five of you made your way out to the water, perching yourselves along the wooden structure. The boys launched their baits into the water as John B started up again.

“All right, so think about it, Pope: How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?” he asked. Pope didn’t even look up from his line as he deadpanned,

“Prostitution”

John B shook his head in disbelief, “Square groupers, bro. Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane. What does that mean?” He looked around at the rest of you. You and Kie just shrugged as John B sighed, “JJ?”

“They were straight smugglin'.” He answered

“Smuggling, really?” you asked.

“Yup,” John B asserted, “And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband.”  

“Hell, yeah,” JJ hooted. His line gave a sharp tug and he struggled to keep control as he reeled in it. “Fish on!”

The group decided that it would be a good idea to throw a kegger in order to “lay low”. Somehow this always seemed to happen, but regardless you helped Kie carry the red solo cups onto the beach and placed them next to the keg. You felt an arm rest again your shoulder and when you turned your head your eyes met JJ’s

“Hey hey,” you said to him, moving your arm to wrap it around his waist, “who will be your claim tonight? Pogue or touron?”

JJ was notorious for accumulating at least one hook-up from each of the Boneyard parties. You were able to hold your own every now and then managing to find a cute boy to occupy you for the night, but it wasn’t quite your thing as it was JJ’s.

“I don’t know, think I’m getting kinda over it,” he said shrugging avoiding your gaze. You head did a double take as you whacked his chest.

“JJ Maybank, over hook-ups at keggers? I think the world is ending!” You spoke melodramatically, placing the back of your hand against your forehead and pretending to faint onto him. He let out a small laugh as he grabbed your body that had fallen across his. You stood up again smiling back at him.

“Yeah, think I just want something… I don’t know, different?” in said in a questioning tone. You furrowed your brows at him. You could see the look on his face was stone-cold serious and it confused you. In all the years you had known JJ he had never spoken about relationships like this. You ruffled his hair as you joked with him to lighten the mood again,

“My little boy’s growing up!” you giggled as he picked you up off your feet and tossed you over his shoulder, a joking ‘piss off’ escaping his lips.

He placed you on your feet again before running off to give John B and Pope the drinks he’d originally come to the keg for. As watched him swagger away juggling the three drinks, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to the thought of JJ wanting that relationship with you. Although you met John B first, he was more like a brother, you had always seen JJ differently. Like when he’d run a hand through his hair to put his cap on backwards your breath would catch in your throat. Or when you could feel your skin spark when he would grab your waist as he picked you up to toss you in the water. Or when you could feel your stomach drop and heart sink every time, he would get close to another girl.

You had always had a thing for JJ, but you knew the rule: no Pogue-on-Pogue macking. But it was killing you. You huffed as you took post next to Kie on the log, taking a huge gulp of your beer.

“You good?” she asked at the sight of your clearly distressed demeanour. “Let me guess, JJ?”

“Shh,” you shushed her placing your hand vigorously over her mouth. “Be quiet, I told you that in confidence.”

You and Kie, being the only two girls, would go to each other for anything that even entered the realm of emotional. The other boys just didn’t understand the need to articulate one’s feelings. You had told Kie about your crush on JJ a few months prior, and she had listened like a best friend should. But she agreed with you when you expressed your concerns about ruining your friendship. As much as you liked him, your friendship with him and the other Pogues was something you had to consider if you decided to risk it on a potential relationship.

“But yes, it is JJ. He said something super weird about not wanting to hook-up with anyone cause he wants something “different”.” You said, emphasising the different and looking at her with a bewildered expression. She hummed as she sipped her drink, clearly mulling over the information.

“That’s good though, right?” she asked, “he might like you too then?”

You shook your head at her,

“No, he said “different”, Kie. I’m normal, someone he sees every day. We’re routine.”

“I guess,” she shrugged. As you remembered what had been playing on the back of your mind, you perked up.

“Although,” you dragged out looking at her with pure excitement. She raised her eyebrows at your tone, “what we really need to talk about is you and John B,” you said nudging her with your elbow.

She looked down shyly, “what’s there to know?” she said playing dumb.

“Oh, come on Kie! You kissed him!”

“I did not,” she said sternly, “I only kissed him on the cheek,” she said flipping her over her shoulder.

You kept your eyes trained her as you narrowed them. She looked at you expectantly before she rolled her eyes.

“No! Y/N, god no! I don’t like him, okay? Not like that.” She said giving you a shove which made your coy smile slip slowly from your face. “I’m just worried about him.”

She looked over to where John B was chatting to a girl with long blonde hair. You nodded, accepting her answer as you felt a body sit beside you. You turned to see the usual mop of blonde hair that was usually in your face. Kie smiled as she slid her sunglasses off her face and onto your nose. You laughed as she did, saying she was going to go chat to John B.

You slyly turned around to JJ, the red, love heart sunnies on your eyes. As you did you slid them down your nose and popped your elbow on your hip, giving him a pout.

“What do you think?” you asked him cheekily.

“I mean you’ve looked worse,” he joked.

“Oh, shut up JJ!”

***

You heard the sound of fist hitting skin, followed the commotion of yelling. You looked up from your conversation with Pope to see Topper tackling JJ. You and Pope ran to the front of group that was forming. By the time you were there JJ was out of the equation and John B was shoving Topper.

“We’re supposed to be incognito remember?” Pope yelled. Sarah was trying to break up the fight, but Topper landed a punch on John B face. JJ went to go forward, but you put your hands against his chest.

“Nuh, uh.” You said holding him back. You looked down at your face with an aggressive expression but relaxed once he met your eyes. He lightly shoved your hands off his chest, huffing as the two of you turned to watch the scene unfold.

“Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?” you heard Topper growl. JJ held your shoulders as he saw your body go to move forwards, as rage heated your insides.

“Fight, fight, fight!” the crowd kept chanting as John stayed crouched in the water. John B grunted as he tackled Topper into the water.

“Stop you guys!” you heard Kie yell as the boys continued to wrestle. John B nabbed a punch straight into Topper’s face.

“That's what I'm talking' about” JJ jeered.

“Come on!” “You wanna go?” “Come onnnn!”

The boys were yelling viscously at one another as they sized each other up. Topper landed a sharp blow to John B’s nose making him stumble back into the water.

“Stop!” the scream ripped from your throat. It hurt you to see someone doing this to John B.

“Come on, Topper! Let’s go!” John B yelled at him, fire in his eyes as he pounded his chest.

Topper flipped John B into the water and pinned his face down. John B’s arms flailed as he struggled.

“He’s drowning him!” Pope said, distressed.

“I know,” Kie replied with an equally amount of anxiety laced in her voice.

“We need to do something!” you looked around helplessly.

You saw JJ move from beside you and lift his hand up to Topper’s hand brandishing something black and sleek and metal. You heard it click. Oh no.

“Yeah, you know what that is,” JJ spoke menacingly, pushing the barrel further to Topper’s head, “Your move, broski.”

“Chill dude!” Pope called.

“JJ,” you said warningly, stepping towards him both arms outstretched.

“Put the gun down,” Sarah said calmly. JJ didn’t even move to face her as he fired back,

“Did you say somethin', princess?”

“We're good. We're good.” Topper said, his arms raised in surrender. “All right? Come on, man!”

“Y/N can you check your psycho friend, please?” Sarah yelled gesturing to JJ. You moved towards him as he pushed Topper to the ground. You placed your arms on his shoulders “JJ, please” but he pushed you aside as he charged forward.

“Okay, everyone, listen up!” his voice billowed across the boneyard, “Get the hell off our side of the island!”

He fired the gun into the air twice.  

“Are you crazy?” “You idiot!” “It’s not worth it!”

Pope and Kiara were screaming at JJ. “I was saving his life okay?”

Topper and Sarah had bolted once the gun had fired. You turned to see John B struggle to rise up from the water, only to slump and fall back in, water gushing over him again.

“Guy!” you called to them, but they were still yelling – “You're gonna jeopardize everything” – and you knew you couldn’t move John B alone. You grasped his head to keep his head above water so he could breath as you shouted again, “HEY!” there was gravel in your voice as you used all your might to get their attention. The three of them instantly pivoted towards you, taken aback from your uncharacteristic show of aggression towards your friends, “help me.”

You all managed to get John B back to the Chateau. Between the four of you, you managed to carry him inside and lay him on his bed. You had been silent the whole time, all of you, not daring to be the first to speak.

Pope, the often peace maker piped up first, “I think I’m gonna head home.”

Usually after a kegger you would all pass out, still mildly drunk on any surface at John B’s, but after tonight’s events, none of you wanted to stick around much.

“Me too. I’ll drop you,” Kie said. She gave you a small smile and wave as she and Pope exited the room. You were standing in the doorway of John B’s bedroom, observing at his passed-out body. He was breathing fine, just exhausted. So, you came to the conclusion that he would be fine, just needed a decent sleep. You could see the bruise forming on his face, so you made a mental note to check on it and make sure he iced it when you inevitably saw him the next morning.

JJ was sitting on the end of the pull-out couch. He watched the back of your body as you leant against the door frame. He did not dare to say a word to you before you spoke to him. By the glare you had given him as you gathered everyone’s things as he and Pope lugged John B’s body home, he knew you were furious.

He looked like a wounded puppy when turned around to face him.

“Want a ride?” you asked. All he could do to answer was nod.

You drove in silence all the way to JJ’s house. Usually you would just have him stay at your house. Your stepdad was usually oblivious to your actions and your mum didn’t really care what you did as long as you were safe, so JJ was always welcomed. But not by you tonight, not after what he did. No matter how much you wanted him to stay and not have to be in a house with his dad. You needed time to cool off.

You switched the engine of your car off as you pulled into the grassed drive of his house. You sighed as you ran a hand through your hair.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said keeping your eyes trained forward.

“Y/N…” JJ started but you cut him off.

“No,” you said holding your hand up in front of him. His brows were furrowed together, and his eyes were glassy, and it made you feel terrible. But he needed to hear what you had to say, “what you did tonight was so fucking stupid, JJ. I hate Topper as much as you do but you could have killed him.”

JJ went to open his mouth, but you raised your hand before he could speak.

“I know he was drowning John B, but you didn’t have to pull a gun on him. Word of this is gonna spread, and there’s gonna be consequences to that. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” you looked him directly in the eyes. You could see an emotion flash over them, was it guilt? It was something you definitely hadn’t seen before. You felt some tears well up in your eyes. “You’re just so reckless sometimes JJ. You’re gonna get yourself killed! So please, just think a little more next time okay?” you begged him as a single tear slipped from your eye. You hastily wiped it as he nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said pulling you in for a hug. You wrapped your arms as far around his torso as you could from across the center console.

“S’okay, I just worry about you.”

“I know,” he said pulling back. He kept one hand outstretched on your arm, rubbing small circles with his fingers. “Please don’t cry.”

You laughed as you sniffled and wiped your nose with the back of your hand.

“You know I get emotional, especially when I’m drunk,” you laughed. He joined with you, but it wasn’t quite genuine as it usually was. He sheepishly looked forward, avoiding your gaze, “but thanks for the most awkward hug of my life.”

This grabbled a candid cackle from the back of throat as you smiled.

“Yeah remind me to not try and have a moment over the gear stick of a car again,” he said locking his eyes with yours.

“Ahaha, yeah…” you said, holding his stare.

“Yeah,” he responded still looking deeply into your eyes.

You don’t know how long you stayed like that. Time moved differently with JJ. Eventually, he cleared his throat and opened his door, triggering the inside light. You cringe at the brightness after having stared at JJ eyes in the dim for so long.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked standing in the door, crouching down to make eye contact.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you affirmed. JJ shut the door with a solid thunk and wandered inside his shack.

You took a deep breath as you pressed the start engine button. You rested your head against the steering wheel as you groaned: what was this boy doing to you?

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