#we still care about you mailman

[chitty-chitty-bang-bang-bang]

“Perpetual care” platonic!(Nandor x reader)

Requested by @sleeplessdreamer14

Word Count: 2,209 words

Age Restrictions: 16+ (vulgar language)

Tags: Fluff, crack, platonic, parent-child dynamic

Synopsis: Your dear friend Guillermo accidentally finds out that you are related to a certain ruler of Al Qoulnudar and he’s dying to meet you.

Author’s note: I’m an energy vampire, except I get my energy from people who request platonic fics for this account >:) Thank you so much, made my day

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“Yeah, but the Stan that we knew the whole show, wasn’t the real Stan. The real Stan was the Stan, that came out of the portal. So this Stan is Stanford, but the Stan, who we thought to be Stanford, was actually Stanley.” You ranted, walking down the damp streets of Staten Island beside your old college friend.

“Okay, okay, [reader], I promise, I’ll watch Gravity Falls someday.” Guillermo said, still unable to process the lore you’ve been trying so hard to explain the entire time. He noticed the mailman on Ashley street out of the corner of his eye. “Go right, I need to grab the mail, before werewolves tear it apart.”

“Right now?” You grimaced.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” He crossed the road and you trailed behind him, hesitating slightly.

“I don’t know… Your house gives me the creeps ever since you told me about your, uh, ‘employers’. I’d rather live to my 40s, you know?” The half-joking tone of your statement made Guillermo chuckle.

“Don’t worry, they don’t harm the people, who are close to me. Plus, it’s way too early for them to be awake. The sun is barely set and they usually don’t get up until I wake them.” He shrugged and strolled towards the big, dark building.

“Should’ve brought my crucifix…” you mumbled.

The sky got darker and darker, as you finally approached your destination. The house seemed to tower over you, like an angry giant. It wasn’t that big, but it sure looked that way to you, since you knew what kind of creatures inhabited it. You instinctively stood closer to Guillermo than you usually would.

The familiar glanced into the mailbox and pulled out a few envelopes. Bills, some r-rated magazine Laszlo is subscribed to, grocery store ad and a mysterious envelope labelled ‘AncestryDNA’. Your eyes widened at the sight of it, distracting you from the thoughts about your current location.

“Man, I did this one too a few months ago! It’s kinda useless to be honest, it’s not like I’ll contact any of the people I’m related to at 0.01%.” You chuckled. “But it was fun. Had no idea there were so many nationalities in my family.”

“Oh, that’s great! I did one for me and Nandor. He was feeling a bit down recently, ever since he found out that his country Al Quolnudar no longer exists, so I thought letting him know about his relatives would… cheer him up.” He smiled.

“Aw, that’s so cute.” You said, then remembered that it’s a bloodthirsty vampire he’s talking about. Guillermo started walking towards the front door. “Wait, wait, wait! Where are you going?”

“To leave the mail inside, it’ll be a second.” He reassured you.

“Come on, man. Don’t leave me here alone.” You looked around. You weren’t sure if you trusted the night sky anymore. Anything could be around. Werewolves? Witches? Other vampires?

“Then come in with me. It’s alright.” Guillermo reached out his hand and you unwillingly took it, following him inside.

The inside of the house was beautiful and perfectly preserving of the many ancient relics, that seemed to litter every shelf. Your friend truly did a great job at keeping the house pristine. You barely made two steps inside, when you saw an unfamiliar woman descending down the staircase. She was ravishing, but seemed rather annoyed.

“Oh, there you are! Where the hell have you been?” She growled at Guillermo. You mentally noted her unique accent.

“Just out. I didn’t expect you to be up so early, Nadja.” He replied calmly, seemingly used to this treatment.

“Early? It’s 11pm for Sire’s sake! Barely woke up for the midnight snack.” The man looked at his watch, realising that he did in fact loose track of time with you. Meanwhile, Nadja’s gaze travelled to you. “Oh, I see you brought a treat. Well, maybe I can forgive you this one time.”

The woman smiled and suddenly disappeared into thin air. There was a moment of sheer confusion, when you wondered if your brain was playing tricks on you. Out of nowhere, a pair of cold hands grabbed your shoulders in a matter of seconds.

“Nadja, wait!” Guillermo shouted, barely turning around in time and you felt the vampire’s fangs stop inches away from your throat. “They’re not a snack, they’re my friend. I just needed to… Uhm…show them something in my room.” He tried to make up an excuse for you being in the house.

“Why the hell would you bring a random human into our house?!” Her voice roughened.

“Look. I’m sorry, Nadja. But you know I would never bring anyone dangerous into the house. They know about vampires and they’re not a vampire slayer. Trust me, they’re harmless.” He pleaded.

Nadja scoffed and looked at you once again, as if contemplating killing you, before leaving completely. You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding in the first place, still very much shaken by the sudden near death experience.

“Did she just teleport behind me?!” You whisper-yelled.

“Yeah, they can do that.” He whispered back. “Sorry, I thought they’d be aslee-“

He couldn’t finish his talk, before a loud voice echoed through the walls: “Guillermo! The lid is stuck again!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I have to deal with that.” He ran up the stairs immediately.

“Wait up!” You followed.

You reached a wooden door with a golden knob. The familiar turned around to you, overthinking the plan for a few seconds, until he finally spoke up.

“Okay, you stay here. I’ll go help Master. Then when we come out, I’ll introduce you. If you meet anyone in the hallway, just come inside the room. Unless it’s Colin Robinson. Got it?” He let out in one breath.

“Wait, I-“ But it was too late and he already closed the door behind him.

The hallway was quiet. Even too quiet. You looked around, when another new face appeared from around the corner. A man, dressed very fanciful and rich. He smiled at the sight of you and you noticed his fangs right away.

“Ah, lunch!” He exclaimed and before you could ran inside the room next to you, the voice of Nadja interrupted the ordeal.

“It’s not food, Laszlo! It’s Guillermo’s friend.” She said, in an evidently displeased voice.

“Oh, pardon me then. Laszlo Cravensworth.” He extended his hand and you shook it.

“[reader]. Nice to meet you.”

“I like your grip, [reader]. Nice and firm. Tell me, are you Gizmo’s friend or friend?”

“I, uh…” You observed Laszlo’s face and he seemed absolutely serious. “I’m not sure I understand.”

Finally, the door swung open, revealing a tall, rather intimidating man. He looked at Laszlo and nodded, greeting him and the other vampire answered accordingly. His soothing voice, made you a bit less scared, but his fangs made it very hard to calm down.

“Ah, so this is [reader]?” He glanced at Guillermo and pointed in your direction, to which the familiar nodded. “Greetings, [reader]. I am Nandor the Relentless. They call me that because I don’t relent.” You could tell, he’s really forcing himself to be nice to you.

“Nice to meet you, mr. Relentless.” A nervous smile painted your face.

There was a beat of incredibly awkward silence, that felt simultaneously like a nice break and a staring contest. Finally, Guillermo broke it.

“Well, let’s go check that DNA test while we’re at it?” He suggested.

“I suppose that is a good idea.” Nandor agreed and you simply nodded along, now getting way too intrigued by this situation.

Downstairs, the three of you desperately tried to fit in Guillermo’s tiny space under the stairs, which didn’t seem like adequate living conditions, but you bit back the urge to bring this up. He punched the code on the envelope into their site and watched the loading screen for a few seconds until it showed you the result.

“Master, it says here, you are 70% Persian, 15% Kurd, 10% Turkmen and 5% Kazakh.” The vampire seemed to have a bunch of questions about this ratio, but before he could ask any, Guillermo continued. “And we can check if you have any living relatives, would you want to see that?”

Nandor’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, as he moved closer to the computer, sandwiching you between the two of them as if personal space is not a thing. “Relatives? Yes, yes, go on…”

The familiar clicked to the next folder on the site and it showed a ridiculously high number. More than three hundred thousand people. All of you remained in a state of collective shock.

“I’m a granddad?” Nandor looked at the screen in awe.

“Yes. Yes, you are.” The familiar choked out, unsure if he wants to delve into the implications of this amount of descendants. “Look how much you’ve got in the US alone.” He pointed at the map.

“All of these dots… They are my grandkids?” He squinted his eyes a bit to distinguish them better.

“Yeah! Well, some of them might be your grand nieces and nephews or something.” You chimed in.

“Oh, no. I killed my siblings before they could procreate.” He shrugged and you couldn’t tell whether it was a joke or not. “Are there any in Staten Island?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s see.” Guillermo zoomed in on the particular area of New York. “Yeah, look! Over here.” He pointed at the address, funnily enough, it was your street. What a coincidence.

Guillermo clicked on the dot in Staten Island, which revealed the profile of Nandor’s supposed relative. A picture with a familiar face popped up. Your face. With a caption: [reader], born [_], ethnicity [_] and so on. All the information you filled out, when taking the test. Both heads suddenly turned to you.

“Is that you?” Nandor asked, already knowing the answer, but needing confirmation nonetheless.

You nodded shakily and let out a nervous chuckle. “Wow… wouldn’t have ever guessed I had a vampire grandpa.”

His smile grew wide with an uncharacteristic gentleness, as if he was genuinely happy to have you here. This felt weird. Just a second ago you saw this man as a terrifying bloodthirsty lunatic and now he’s apparently your ancestor. You weren’t sure how to act, so you awkwardly excused yourself, saying something about it being late and having work tomorrow, before practically sprinting out of the vampire residence.

You spent the night, pondering over the idea of reconnecting with your relentless grandpa. You weren’t sure if it was a sense of pity, sympathy, morbid curiosity or all at once, but the idea didn’t seem half bad. After all, he was the only one who hadn’t tried to kill you, which was a low bar to cross, but it was still crossed and that is taken into account.

The next day, you were getting ready to confront the vampire for the second time, to see if he’s down for a small family reunion. But as you opened the front door of your apartment, you saw Nandor and Guillermo standing outside, both looking a bit worried.

“Oh, hi! I was just about to go visit you.” You stated bluntly. The door opened wider to let both of them in. The familiar stepped inside, but the vampire just remained standing there. “Uhm, come on in.”

Only then did he come into the space and take a sit in your armchair.

“So I brought a present for you.” Nandor smiled in excitement and pulled out a little plush toy from a paper bag he had. “We made this at Build-a-Bear. If you press its paw it recites the warrior’s code in Farsi. I recorded it myself.” He handed it to you with almost childish giddiness and you couldn’t help but feel affectionate towards the gift. Unconventional, but sincere.

“Aw, thank you so much.” You held it close. “That’s very nice.”

“All the best for my grandkids.” He nodded.

“Maybe we should get to know each other better?” You suggested, sitting down on your bed.

“Yes, of course!” He tried to think of a good conversation topic. “Uhh… Thoughts on arson?”

“Hot.” You replied without thinking.

“I like you already.” He laughed a bit too loud for a mediocre joke.

The rest of the nighttime was spent with the two of you talking and doing dumb shit inside your apartment (Guillermo was just there for emotional support and because Nandor wanted him to stay). You found Nandor’s inability to spend more than 15 seconds pondering an idea and his earnest desire to connect with you, despite the generational rift very admirable and actually grew to like him. Of course, it would take much longer than several hours for you to fully start considering him family, but you’re willing to put in the work and so is he.

When it was time for both of your guests to leave, you shared a long heartfelt hug with your newfound relative.

“Goodbye, grandpa.” You said without much thinking.

“Grandpa?” He asked.

“Oh, sorry. Too early? Goodbye, Nandor.” You corrected yourself right away.

“No. Grandpa’s fine.” The vampire returned in a slightly shaky voice.

You weren’t sure, but you might’ve seen tears form in his eyes. Though you’ll probably never find out…

(PS: he did cry)

[discotitsposts]

but daddy, i hate you

when spencer recieves a birthday card from his estranged father you help him deal with his feelings

gets a little steamy at the end so 18+ recommended

this is how i deal w my own feelings lol

a little background: set in season 13-14. right before spencer’s birthday. you’re spencer’s wife, you’ve been together around 7 years. You work at the bookstore that you and spencer own. (he helps you run it and is co owner, you run it together) also, Spencer and you live in the apartment above the store.

It’s a beautiful Saturday morning and you’ve been going through boxes of new books for your store before you open for the day. It’s Spencer’s day off and he’s at the counter adding up the figures and making sure everything is in order for your busiest day of the week.

You hear a knock at the front door. “I’ll get it!” You yell to Spencer. You unlock the door and the mailman hands you your mail. “Thanks Jim, how’s Martha?” You ask him.

“She’s great, she’s dropping by later with cookies!”

“Cool! See you tomorrow!” You wave bye and start going through the mail.

“Hey, hon, there’s something for you from…” You stop when you read the name. William Reid. Spencer hadn’t seen nor heard from his father in almost 10 years. He was still very much angry about anything to do with his father. As were you. You couldn’t believe he hadn’t reached out at all.

“From who?” He asks, not looking up from the financial log. He puts his pencil down and reaches his hand out for you to hand him the envelope. You hesitate but hand it to him anyway.

You watch his face drop when he reads the name and address. Oh, how you wished to take the envelope out of his hands and hold him and tell him to forget that silly piece of paper forever. He peels the envelope open, careful not to touch the seal. He feels the dread fill his heart when he sees the contents. A card that says ‘Happy Birthday’ on the front, and ‘to a very special boy’ on the inside.

“What does he think I am? A fucking child?” He shouts, making you jump. “Sorry.” He apologizes and sighs.

“It’s alright, I’ll leave you alone with that.” You start to back away.

“No, don’t. Stay, please.” He begs with his beautiful eyes.

You nod and move closer. He begins reading the handwritten message on the inside of the card.

“Dear Spencer, Hope you’re not too upset with me, I am proud of you. We haven’t talked in a while, you haven’t called. You have the number. Don’t hesitate to reach out. How is Diana? Miss you. Happiest of Birthdays. Love, your father.” He reads it off, mocking every word.

“What the fuck! He hasn’t sent a card in 9 fucking years! Why now?” He raises his voice.

“I don’t..”

He cuts you off, “I’ll tell you why, because he’s either finally feeling bad about everything or he wants something. Well I won’t call him. I fucking hate him.”

“It’s a dick move to blame you for not reaching out, but honestly? Maybe you should, find out what he wants. If he honestly just wants to talk, it might be the closure you need. If he just wants something from you, you can tell him to fuck off. Obviously you don’t have to but maybe you should consider it. I know he was an asshole to you the last time, but you know I regretted not telling my father everything I wanted to say.” You’re watching your words, his father was a touchy subject.

He thinks for a minute and then sits back down and covers his face with his hands. “Maybe you’re right. You alright to open by yourself today? I think I’ll give him a call.”

“Yeah, go ahead. Good luck.”

He walks over to you and gives you a kiss and runs upstairs. He looked like a little kid who had just been given their favorite candy.

Later, when you’re closing the store for lunch break, you hear a loud crash from upstairs. You run upstairs, afraid Spencer had fallen and hurt himself. Worse. He was on the floor crying his eyes out. He had knocked the bookshelf over and he was surrounded by collapsed books.

You carefully step over the books to get to him.

“What happened?” You ask softly, so as to not startle him. He keeps crying into his hands but removes one to take your hand into his.

“I called, told him I received the card and I was willing to talk with him. I- I tried to…” His voice starts to trail off because he’s crying so hard he can’t speak. You rub his back reassuringly. “It’s ok, take your time.”

“I wanted to tell him, I’m married, and my life is going great. I didn’t even get to say anything. He stopped me and asked what card I was talking about. Turns out his new wife felt he should speak with his son, wrote the card and sent it to me. I should have known it wasn’t his handwriting.” He’s so tired from crying he just lays his head in your lap and stares.

“I’m so sorry love.” You say while running your fingers through his hair. Anger coursing through your veins.

“He hung up on me too.” His voice breaks as he says this. It has you fuming mad even more so. How could he do that? You could practically hear Spencer’s heart snapping in two.

He’s crushing your legs, so you convince him to stand up and have him go lay in bed with you. You cover him with the blankets and just hold him until he falls asleep.

You wake up a few hours later and he’s still asleep. You slyly grab his phone and write down William’s number. You take the paper, and your jacket downstairs.

You go to the store phone and as you’re dialing the number your stomach turns. Was this a good idea? After all I’m doing this for Spencer. You think as the line rings.

“Hello? Who is this?” A woman’s voice answers.

“Hello, is William Reid there?” Your voice quivers. You hear shuffling and the woman calls “Will! Phone!” in the background.

More shuffling. Then a man’s voice. “Who is this?” He says sternly.

“Hello, you don’t know me but I-“

“Then why are you calling me?”

“I’m your son’s wife, and I think we need to have a talk.”

“Spencer’s married?” He asks almost longingly. He sounded interested. Good.

“What kind of father are you? You don’t let him know you even want to be in his life and now all of a sudden you do? When he does finally reach out you hang up on him?”

“Ok that was because I went to go talk to my wife about why she sent my son a card from me.”

This goes on for a while, you yelling at Mr. Reid for his rude behavior.

The next morning you wake up to Spencer speaking to someone on the phone. Still groggy, you’re confused and mouth, ‘who is it?’

He holds up a finger to say hold on. He’s smiling. Maybe Prentiss is letting him take the next few days off!

“Alright bye! Love you!” He says into the phone, almost giddy. He hangs up and you tilt your head confused. He has the biggest grin on his adorable face.

“It was my dad. He was calling when I woke up. I can’t believe he reached out and he apologized! Can you believe it? He’s never really apologized to me before! We had a long talk, it was nice. Really nice.” He sits on the bed smiling.

“Is that so? Talk about a change of heart.” You smile to yourself knowing what you had done.

“You know what else he said?”

“What else did he say?”

“He said the little talking-to you gave him worked.” Spencer chuckles knowingly.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you.”

“No, I’m not upset. I actually am glad you did it. He wants to come and visit us. He wants to meet you too.” He pulls you into a big hug. “I love you. Thank you.” He kisses your neck.

“You’re welcome. I love you too.” You pull back and hold his face in your hand.

“Since you did me a favor, I think I owe you one. Lay back.” He gently spreads your legs apart and repays the favor to you. All day long.

the end 💞

it hurt me so bad to write spencer crying

to anyone who read this hope you enjoy! please don’t hesitate to leave feedback if you like this!

[thatlittleviolin]

//A little ramblig about eddie dear bc i cant stop thinking about him

Im not joking when i say this whole post was inspired after seen @//purple-raspberries “the mailman” drawing because O MY STARS WHAT IS THAT DRAWINgGGGGGG /pos

Okay so anyway, whats up with Eddie Dear? As, like, an active character of Welcome Home?

Something rubs me in the wrong way when it comes to him as a whole, not that I dislike him, pretty… much the opposite (thats why I'm making this post) actually, but I feel he is more relevant to the lore than what ppl give him credit for.

Even way before the past-year (2023) Halloween and Homewarming updates, I felt that he must simply be more than what is presented to us about him:

- He is the only character who sees all the rest of the neighbours every day due to his work

- He is one of the few if not the only one who is confirmed to be from outside of Home

- He brings one of the TWO functional clocks in all of Home (which could well be due to the nature of his work, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it's curious)

And I know, ik, this is not a lot. In fact, I believe this is not crucial info, but I want to mention it because it gives, in some way, a certain statement: Eddie Dear is not like everyone else. It differentiates him from the others.

There's simply something intriguing about him; and I constantly think about how, again, he's the resident who interacts most with his neighbors, the most helpful and willing to do anything, and despite that, he's the one who gets the most hits?

Hes always in a rush because he likes helping others, he's clumsy and yet he does his job in a stellar way and yet he goes the more underappreciated by his neighbors and its the first one to get to have his own personal breakdown during the Homewarming

Keep in mind, I don't mean that the other characters are bad or smth, we all know that inside they care for each other and are a pretty nice neighborhood-

But yea, starting with the most obvious, Howdy and Sally are downright condescending, bordering on rude to him. Howdy ignores him or pays half attention when he goes to deliver merchandise to the Bugdega and tries to start a conversation, and despite this, we can see that Howdy asks him for help to deliver things to someone else.

More specifically, during a hidden audio, we can hear that he uses Eddie to deliver an order of bowling balls to Julie DESPITE Howdy having a home delivery system and probably being able to better handle the weight of the merchandise, being at least two heads taller than Eddie, right when Eddie had just told him he had a very tiring day (of course he didn't hear that)

Sally, on her side, is condescending to him to the degree that when we hear them interacting, at least until now, it's mostly her giving him orders. Heck, Sally has a "long name" for every resident EXCEPT Eddie, whom she usually just calls "Mailman" for everything.

Julie and Frank tend to be more passive about it, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they also end up... taking advantage a bit? Or leaving him a bit aside. I know, I know, we all ship FranklyDear here, but it still bothers me how during "Eddie's big lift" (+ another hidden audio) we're shown how Julie tends to involve him in her games without much consideration as to whether Eddie even understands them to begin with, and Frank, despite acknowledging that he works hard and often overworks for everyone, leaves him lying on the ground. They don't even wait for him to get up to say goodbye properly, they just leave him there and go home. It's a bit sad to hear how Eddie talks to himself while getting up and dusting himself off.

And finally, one that I understand is a joke but serves as a transition to my next point: Barnaby and his constant gag of chasing Eddie around the neighborhood as soon as he sees him making his deliveries, or insisting that Eddie lifts him up because “he's just a puppy”. I won't delve into this (not now) because I know that overall that's Barnaby's way of joking; Eddie is not his only victim, but when you mix it with everything said above, it gives off some weird vibes.

It's as if Eddie was the typical "punching bag" character of the show's creators; you know, the one created so that the fun we get from him is at his expense, and sadly, somehow that fact makes sense to me as to why he's the first to have a "breakdown" during Homewarming and said breakdown has to do with, what else? his isolation and probable sadness.

During Sally's history and Poppy's confinement in her own house, there were two predominant themes: what happens when we're in the dark, what lurks in the shadows and whatnot, and isolation: Sally talks about this but Poppy experiences it first hand; shes alone and in the dark, house bricked to the top. However, Eddie gets overwhelmed despite being surrounded by everyone and, clearly, in a lit environment.

My opinion? Said loneliness and darkness don't necessarily need to be tangible, and in Eddie's case, they come from a mental place. My dear doesn't seem to have too much appreciation for himself, constantly letting people get the help they want (need, of course) from him at the cost of his own well-being. Eddie Dear is not happy, in fact, I feel he puts himself down a bit, which equates to darkness, and when he can distract himself from this fact again, Home reminds him; and his loneliness comes in a literal-but-not way. Eddie is never alone, that's evident, but again, in the Homewarming video we're not only emphasized that he's upset and confused because no one has asked him for help, but because he DOESN'T KNOW how to handle his own activities outside of work. Anything that doesn't have to do with the post office but is more personal overwhelms him because he's not used to thinking outside of how he should help others because that's his "only" way of interacting with them. Eddie needs to be needed in order to be closer to others, and when that's not the case, it frustrates him so much that it even seems like anger.

Heck, it's even sad how Sally mentions that nobody bothered him with the usual tasks they would require him for to give him a day off, and then downright nobody interacted with him. Not even Julie called him to play. When Sally finds him under Home's tree, she asks him to escort her to Home for the Homewarming and it's narrated that they're the last to arrive, but if Eddie hadn't left his house then... what? Would he have stayed there? (Lowkey I theorize that he wouldn't have, because of the fact that Sally and Frank seem to have more awareness than the others, I feel like she was actually waiting for him)

Personally, I consider that when it comes to a case like Eddie's, it's even worse, because you don't need to be actively in a closed and dark place, isolated (in what voluntary situation would someone have to be like that?) for your head to go completely to shit. Think about it, you make Home angry and he doesn't need the rest of the neighbors to build a wall around you. It does what you already do well: it locks you up with your thoughts and leaves you there.

So,,, uh, yeah, I don't know how to end this.

I just wanted to talk about my fav man.

somebody help him PLAEASSE

[amazingmsme]

Something in the Air

AN: let’s pretend I posted this yesterday like I wanted. But this year really didn’t feel like Christmas & I’m desperately trying to chase that festive feeling. I hope y’all had a great holiday tho! Please enjoy this lil Klaus fic, I’ve wanted to write something for this movie ever since I first saw it & finally got around to it. Just a short & silly lil fic, nothing too crazy. Not sure if Alva’s ooc, but I like the idea of her being completely smitten with the new cringe fail mailman so I went with that. Mogens ships them so hard, but really it’s just more fuel for teasing. Merry late Christmas, & happy holidays!

For years, Alva has wanted nothing more than to leave this loathsome, frozen wasteland of hate where dreams come to die. She thought teaching in a northern village at the edge of the world would be charming, quaint even.

Except it was pure and utter hell from the moment she arrived. Mogens even stooped so low as to pull the battle bell trick on her: an innocent, bright eyed teacher who just wanted to know where all the children were.

"Well, you gotta ring the school bell. How else will they know class is in session?"

"Shouldn't the bell be attached to the school?" she questioned, eying the rusty bell warily, holding the rope in a loose grip.

"Sadly, this was all we could afford," Mogens sighed sadly and shook his head. Alva shrugged, and pulled the rope.

She shuddered at the memory, cursing the ferryman under her breath. Sometimes, his jokes went too far, but that's just classic Mogens.

As she looked around, things didn't seem so bad. Sure she'd chipped away at half of her saving by now, but the more the thought about it, the more she wanted to stay. And now, there was actually a reason to. Those kids needed her. And they were the spark that she needed in her life.

But... surely another spark wouldn't hurt.

She found herself thinking about Jesper more than she cared to admit, hell, she was doing it now. But there was just something about him that drew her in. Sure he was a bit whiny and stuck up, but he had a tender heart. And if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be walking home from school with a smile on her face.

It was the greatest gift anyone could have given her.

If anyone asked, Alva would say her cheeks were so flushed from the cold. Definitely no other reason.

She had to stop by the store to grab a few things, noticing a pack of Christmas cards by the checkout. She grabbed them on a whim, tossing them onto the counter along with the loaf of bread and milk. She didn't even know what she'd do with them, they just looked pretty, and Christmas was right around the corner.

She supposed she could give one to Mogens. For the longest time, he was the closest thing she had to a friend, despite all the jokes made at her expense. He offered begrudging support whenever she needed it, and conversation when she was lonely. A card would be nice. Not that he'd ever admit it. He'll probably laugh at it.

Oh well, he could use some holiday cheer.

And if she was giving one to him, then she should absolutely give one to Jesper. It would just be plain rude not to! And to be completely honest, she bought them with him in mind. He was doing so much for everyone else, but what had he gotten in return?

The woodsman also deserved a card. Such a recluse could use a bit of human connection and kindness. She wasn't quite sure, but something told her that he would appreciated the sentiment.

As she made her list, she came to a stunning realization. They had a postman. An honest to God, working postman who didn't leave after a month. Which meant that she could actually send a card to her family.

Tears welled in her eyes as she realized that for once, there would still be a mailman around by the time they send a response.

~~~

Envelopes in hand, she waltzed right into the post office. Mogens leaned on the counter, chatting with Jesper as he tried his best to ignore him. He heard the doorbell chime, calling out, "Just a minute," as he finished organizing his desk. He turned around expecting to see another child, lighting up when he saw Alva instead.

"Well hello stranger! Fancy seeing you here," he teased. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Mogens snorted, clearly amused.

"Hi Jesper, Mogens," the tone of her greeting shifted drastically depending on who was addressed. "I just need to mail some letters."

"Really? That's a shock, I didn't know you had friends," the ferryman chuckled snidely.

She fixed him with a harsh glare, sneering, "Like you do?"

"Sure, got three of 'em, right here," he drawled.

Jesper opened his mouth to speak, "Aw, that's-"

"And their names are me myself and I. Ha!" He barked out a laugh at his own joke, slapping a hand on his knee.

"Heeey!" Jesper scolded, which only made him laugh harder.

"Don't worry, you're working your way up to an acquaintance," he taunted. Jesper rolled his eyes, crossing his arms with a huff.

"Lucky me."

Alva watched the exchange with a fond expression, a smirk playing at her lips. Mogens caught her staring and shot her a wink. Her eyes widened and a blush spread across her cheeks. Her blush darkened when he proceeded to prod Jesper's side, earning a loud shriek.

"Lighten up, will ya!" he teased, smirking in response to the mailman's glare, but it didn't hold a candle to Alva's steely gaze. Not that it was a competition or anything.

"I'll pass," Jesper deadpanned, negated by the smile twitching at his lips. Mogens shrugged, walking backwards towards the door.

"Alright then. I'll leave you to your mail," he waved goodbye before shutting the door, leaving the pair alone.

"What's that supposed to mean? Like, why'd he say it like that? Mail," he mocked, smiling proudly when Alva giggled.

"Oh you know how he is," she shook her head, leaning against the front desk. "But believe it or not, I really do have something to mail."

"Do you now?" he asked, quirking an brow.

She pulled the envelopes out of her pocket, and his eyes lit up.

"Four somethings! You know, I think this is a new record," he mused as he took the small stack from her. He began stamping, but something caught his eye. "Wait, what's this? Is- is this my name?" he asked, pointing at the letter clearly marked Jesper Johansson in fancy letters.

"Well would you look at that, the postman can read," she taunted to distract from her own growing embarrassment.

"Oho, we're gonna play that game, are we? In that case, I think I'll read it right now," he countered, making sure to stamp it before reaching for the letter opener.

"You can't read that right now!" she sounded just a smidge more frantic than she was going for, but it made Jesper stop in his tracks.

"Uuuh, why not?" he asked.

"Because... it's a Christmas card, so you have to wait!" she justified.

"Ha! That silly little rule only applies to children and presents. Everyone knows that," he brushed her off, tearing open the envelope.

The last thing Alva wanted was to be standing there while he read what she wrote. It was sappy and cheesy, and she even drew a Christmas tree! He was supposed to read it at home, when she was nowhere around to see his reaction!

Alva acted quickly, snatching the card from his hands just as he was about to open it. "Hey, what gives!"

"I told you what gives," she smirked triumphantly. She hopped up to sit on his desk, swinging her feet as she hummed a Christmas song. Jesper eyed her from behind, moving ever so slowly before suddenly reaching out to snatch it from her grasp.

"Aha! I win!" he proclaimed, waving the card in the air. Alva yelped when he yanked it away, spinning around to face him.

"Give that back!"

"See, I really would, buuuut, you mailed this to me, so I'd need a return stamp to give it back, and I'm fresh out," he explained, sporting an exaggerated pout to aid in the lie, even if he knew it wouldn't fool her for a second.

"Don't need it back, just want you to wait 'til Christmas," she bargained. Jesper looked from Alva, to the card, then back to Alva.

"And if I don't..." he trailed off, looking expectantly.

She remembered the way he jumped when Mogens poked his side and smirked.

"Then I'll do this." Rather than explain herself, she lunged forward, skittering her fingers up his ribs. He squealed and threw himself against the back wall to get away.

"NOHO! How did you even kno- Mogens!" he gasped at the realization. He tickled him in front of Alva on purpose! He was sure of it!

"To be honest, I probably would've figured it out," she said casually, as though she wasn't currently taking him apart. "You just look like you'd be crazy ticklish," she couldn't help but tease.

Jesper flailed and yelped as she moved to his belly, doubling over in laughter.

"Thahahat's like thehe meanest thihihing you've ehever said tohoho mehehe!" he whined, slowly sinking to the floor. She followed him, kneeling beside him.

"Really? 'Cause I meant it as a compliment." And she did. He was awkward and lanky, with a dorky smile and goofy laugh; how could he be anything other than incredibly sensitive?

Jesper's blush darkened at her words, and he curled into a protective ball on the ground. He swatted weakly at her hands, bubbly giggles spilling out.

"Wehehell ihihit's not aha very good one!" he managed to speak through his laughter, so clearly she wasn't tickling enough.

"What, you don't agree?" she cooed, reaching up to scribble behind his ears. Jesper let out a loud snort, immediately slapping not one, but both hands over his mouth. Alva didn't bother hiding her delight, "Oho my God, you snort, too? That's adorable!"

Jesper was sure he was going to die. What a way to go: tickled to death by his (admittedly kinda mean) crush. Arguably worse than freezing to death, and with none of the dignity.

He shook his head frantically, muffled squeals and snorts mingling with his trapped laughter.

"No? Then what would you call it?" she taunted, but Jesper was nothing if not a stubborn brat.

"Hohow about ugly and stupid?" Even though he meant what he said, he really did mean it as a joke. Maybe even garner up enough sympathy to make her stop.

"What did you just say?"

Uh oh.

"I-I uh-"

Clearly that was the wrong thing to say.

"You don't need to be so hard on yourself, Jesper. Take it back," she demanded. He opened his mouth to argue, but twitching fingers along his waist drew out a bark of laughter instead.

"OHOKAY, FINE! You wihihin! I'll dohoho ahahanythihing you wahahant!" he pleaded, unsure how long he could last under such torture. Alva hummed in thought, smirking proudly.

"Anything, huh?" she asked, giggling when Jesper merely groaned. "How about you just save that card for Christmas, and we'll call it even."

"Even? HA! You call that round of torture getting even? For a- a joke! Yeah right, I think you just enjoy bullying me," he complained more so just to be dramatic.

"Yeah well, you make it pretty easy," she drawled, offering him a hand up. He glared at her for a moment before accepting the gesture.

"What're you talking about? I didn't do anything!"

"That's what makes it so easy," she shot back, leaving him speechless. She slipped his Christmas card back in the opened envelope and handed it back.

"You..." he trailed off, shaking the card in her direction in a chastising motion, "Are a piece of work."

She smirked and gave a small shrug. "Aw, thank you!"

"Y'know, I think you might have your compliments and your insults mixed up," he teased, watching as she slowly made her way to the door.

"Or maybe you do."

Jesper had no time to question what she meant before she slipped out the door, back into the cold.

[horanghaeluvsinniehae]

Stray kids hanahaki disease I don't care if reader has it or if the boys have it and I don't care if it is pure angst or angst and fluff just hanahaki disease I beg of you

《masterlist》

Pairing: Hyunjin x gn!reader

Disclaimer: 2,4k words mention of food, kisses usual author's notetell me if I missed anything else please!

His hanahaki disease

Hyunjin sighed one last time and neatly closed the envelope with your address on it. He slipped it into the post office’s red sender box, then the boy spun around and returned to his dorm with a heavy heart. He knew that it would take over a week before the mailman dropped the letter into your mailbox, but still, he preferred that, to giving it to you himself.

On his way home he was thinking about ways he could give you more hints about his intentions. He didn’t know if he was just too subtle with them or you don’t have any interest in him, and he hated the feeling of not knowing things, so he wrote a letter about his feelings and just everything that came to his mind about his crush. He needs to start taking action now, so to encourage that he made this letter to make him confess sooner or later.

Stepping into the dorm with an unusual small pout which didn’t go unnoticed by his friends.

Jisung was the first one to see him arrive and immediately knew what the pout could be about. He stood up and went over to his friend. Hyunjin pulled him into a hug as soon as he noticed Han.

The younger sympathetically rubbed his back. “Y/n?” Jisung asked. Hyunjin just nodded and with one last squeeze, he let go of his dongsaeng and sighed. “I need to pull myself together because at this point I'm just overreacting this whole situation…my mind has been occupied by them for a long time and I feel like it's just killing me now…” “I wouldn’t say you're overreacting, but yeah, you’ve been pining after them for at least two years now and that's a long time.” Jisung smiled sadly at Hyune. “Soon you’ll be coughing up flowers like the people in Minho hyung’s manga, if you don’t do something about this, Hyung.” At that, the other scoffed and smiled lightly. Jisung could always lighten the mood up at least a little bit. “I told you about my ‘last try letter’, no?” Although Jisung was a bit confused at first he nodded. “Well, I just dropped it off at the post office.” Han nodded understandingly and patted Hyunjin’s shoulder in a manner of comfort.

Later that day the others decided to go out for kbbq and bowling because they had tomorrow off and wanted to be with each other. Hyunjin was glad they had a small break, even if it was just a day because he could spend some quality time with his members.

Chan drove their part of the dorm to the restaurant while Minho did the same to his flatmates. They gathered around their reserved table and it didn't take long for one of them to notice that the table was set for nine people, not eight.

“Hey Jeonginah! You were the one who called in to make the reservation right?” Changbin asked, confused and his bandmate nodded his head. “Did you say table for nine people?” At that the maknae's mouth made an ‘o’ shape. “Oh yeah I invited y/n because we haven't seen them in a while and I thought you guys would enjoy the plus company! They're gonna be a bit late though.” Jeongin said cheerfully and everyone smiled at the mention of your name except him. Hyunjin choked on his own saliva a bit and mentally prepared himself to see you.

It's not that he doesn't wanna be with you, not at all! He loves spending time with you, but in the last couple of days he'd been overwhelmed with his feelings and thoughts about you. Him not knowing in advance that he's going to see you after a week made him anxious. Although the thought of being around you makes his heart beat a lot faster, it's also filled with warmth.

His train of thoughts had been cut off when the boys around him all stood up and happily started greeting you. The sight immediately brought a smile to his face and he stood up as well to greet you.

The only open space was directly in front of Hyunjin, next to Jeongin and Lino. You sat down with a big smile that Hyune couldn't help but reciprocate.

Thanks to the amount of soju he has chugged,he was much more bold and flirty the whole night.

He did things like, he picked out the best-looking meat and put it on the grill and cooked it as well as his cooking abilities let him and then put it on your plate telling you he cooked it for you and that he wants you to rate his cooking. He was absolutely ecstatic when you told him that it was really really nice and of course he made more for you!

He was also pouting and sulky when Lino made a joke that caused everyone to laugh very hard, but he didn't laugh anymore when he noticed how you were clinging to Minho and slightly hitting him while laughing while Lino had to put an arm around your waist because you would have fallen off your seat. All he saw was his hyung trying to steal his crush.

After Chan insisted on paying for you and the boys’ dinner, even though you begged him to stop spending money on you, you all went to the bowling alley part of the restaurant and rented two lanes. Everyone ordered drinks again and you started the games.

You split into two teams:Chan, Jeongin, Seungmin and Hyunjin. The other team was: Minho, Jisung, Changbin and Felix.

You didn’t play because your wrist has been hurting for a long time now and you didn't want to make it worse, but you had just as much fun watching the boys as they did while playing!

Still trying hard, Hyunjin looked at you with a confident smile. “This one's for you y/nah!” If you hadn't been so oblivious of the boy's intentions, you would have seen the heart eyes he was sending to you. After that confident statement, he chucked his ball into the gutters which resulted in hyena-like laughter from the others. Doing the walk of shame back to the sofa you were sitting on, not giving any fucks anymore, he sat down next to you and put his head on your shoulder, cuddling into your side. He sighed big and loud and hugged your torso. “It was supposed to be an epic strike y/nah I'm sorry.” He mumbled devastated. You just smiled down at him chuckling, and rubbed his back. “Hey don't be sad about it! It's going to be your turn soon after Seungmin again and you can have another try!” You tried to comfort him. He looked up at you and nodded, encouraged by your words he stood up and prepared himself to show you a good one this time.

After Seungmin's bad turn, Hyunjin picked up a ball (unintentionally being your favourite colour) he looked at you once again, took a deep breath and swung his ball into the direction of the pins. The ball landed on the lane perfectly and knocked all of them down beautifully!

You jumped up from your seat happily and Hyunjin quickly ran to you to celebrate, hugging you and jumping up and down with you. What you didn't expect was for Hyune to suddenly stop and look at you with an expression you haven't seen before. Shyly smiles at you and leans down to connect your lips. You were so taken aback you didn't even realise you were kissing him back.

It was such a soft kiss and such an unexpected action that you forgot that your friends were all in the same room.

After he pulled away, his eyes grew wide and he quickly ran away to the direction of the toilet.

“Finally!” Jisung said loudly and ran over to you happily. On the other hand you still haven't processed what just happened.

“Y/nah are you alright?” Lix came over to you and rubbed your back to ground you. “Y-yeah I'm alright I'm just shocked he did that.” “Is it a bad shock or a good shock?” Felix asked back, concerned. “I think it's a good shock!” You said after a bit and smiled up at your friend. “But can you please check up on Hyune?” You asked, realising that he wasn't around you anymore. “Of course, stay here and gather your thoughts and feelings while I get him!” You nodded to him and sat down while he ran off the same direction Hyunjin did.

You looked over to see what the others were up to and saw Chan already staring at you with a worried face. He held up his thumb in a way to ask if everything's okay. You smiled back softly and held up your thumbs as well. You saw the relieved smile on his face before he went back to make his turn.

As you were zoning out, looking at the others goofing around, your brain started to realise what just really happened. You never thought of Hyunjin as more than a friend, but thinking about it now you didn't feel disgusted about the kiss, hell you enjoyed it a lot!! It was so sweet and caring but passionate at the same. You wanted to experience that again!

Just as you slowly came to the conclusion that you actually really liked and enjoyed the idea of Hyunjin liking you and him being your boyfriend, he and Felix came out of the washroom. The younger whispered something in his ear and smiled at him, he left him alone to make his way to you while Lix went back to his team.

Even though both of you were tipsy you could still see how nervous Hyunjin was as he was walking towards you. Your heart started to beat faster the closer he got.

When he made it to the sofa he sat down silently stealing glances at you. Bit of an awkward silence was created,but it didn't last long.

“Y/nah-” “Jinnie-” You both started to talk at the same time, which made you laugh and that made him feel a bit more at ease to see that you're okay. “Go first, Jinnie.” You suggested and looked at him softly, encouraged him. He took a deep breath and scooted closer to you.

“Okay um first of all I wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened and for um doing it without your consent and just the whole situation was very much not how I had planned…” He looked down feeling ashamed by saying this out loud. “Do you regret it?” Was all you asked. He looked up at you and started deeply into your eyes. You could basically see all his thoughts and hesitation flying around. “I'd lie if I said I did…honestly it's not the kiss itself that I regret, but rather how I had done it.” He says and looks at you with the eyes of a kicked puppy. “That's good then because I don't regret it at all…if I can tell this to you I liked it a lot.” You answer him with rosy cheeks and a shy smile. He took your hand and caressed the back of it softly. “Yeah? I'm happy if you're okay with it!!” He smiled at you sweetly. “Although I wasn't expecting it, like at all, but it was a pleasant surprise! What confuses me though, is that I don't know if it was just a drunken mistake or if you…actually like me.” You chuckled nervously, feeling embarrassed. “What?? I thought it was very obvious that I like you and have been liking you for a long while now…I just believed that you didn't reciprocate the feeling and didn't want to confront me about it, because you didn't want to make things uncomfortable or awkward between us…” Hyunjin looked away from you but then looked right back when you squeezed his hand.

“Although I didn't really realise that I like you more than just a friend ‘till now, I wasn't aware of your feelings Jinnie, I thought you were just touchy with me and stuff like that because you got as comfortable around me as around the others, I'm sorry.” You tell him the truth while holding his hands tighter. “Y/nah you shouldn't be apologising! But does that mean that you like me back…?” “Honestly yes! I'm a bit overwhelmed with emotions right now, but I can truly say that I like you Jinnie…a lot to be honest.” You confess sheepishly to him.

“Soo if I were to ask you out on a date, then you would say yes?” “Oh my! Yeah definitely!!” You answered him happily and he hugged you tight, but this time it was just a cheerful peck on the lips.

A bit more than a week later you invited Jinnie to your flat. Even though both of you were exhausted you still wanted to spend time with each other and just relax.

So that's why you two were cuddled up on the couch watching Friends because apparently he hasn't seen it! There was a scene involving a post office that reminded you of something. You chuckled about it looking up at your now boyfriend, waiting for him to notice you staring. “What is it, love?” He asks, looking at you all lovey dovey. “You know this scene reminded me that there was a letter in my mailbox this morning.” You smile at him cheekily.

You could literally see the gears shifting in his head, then comes the realisation. Eyes wide as his ears and cheek turns to a soft pink shade. “Oh my god, I totally forgot about that…” He replies, facepalming. “It was such a cute way to start my day!” You coo about his little confession letter. “Gosh it's so embarrassing now!” He whines and hides his face in the crook of your neck. “Nooo Jinnie! It was very sweet and it doesn't matter because we're together now aren't we?.” You smile at him softly and when he lifts up his head he gives you a soft kiss.

A kiss that could tell you how grateful he is to have you, to be able to call you his and for him to be yours.

You might be going too fast, but you can already feel yourself falling in love with him.

A/n: Hi guys!! I hope this was good and you enjoyed it! I hope you liked it @kaiyaba and thank you for requesting!! I was surprised how much I wrote, this was the most I've written ever I think but I really liked it!! I hope you guys like it too and if you do please give me feedbacks because it motivates me a lot!<3

Also if you have any ideas please do request because I need them a lot!!!

Be safe and take care of yourself please!🫂❤️‍🩹

Taglist:@justwonder113 @ihrtlix @mon2sunjinsuver (if you want to get added/removed comment or write in asks)

[the-most-humble-blog]

The Universe Already Doesn’t Make Sense—Now We’re Adding Infinite AI-Created Worlds Into the Chaos. WTF?

The Danger of Playing God With Zero Supervision

Let’s not kid ourselves: we’re dabbling in some dangerous territory. Humanity, in its infinite curiosity (and hubris), has decided that the universe—a place already full of black holes, quantum weirdness, and the existential dread of pineapple on pizza—needed one more layer of chaos. Enter: AI-generated worlds.

We’ve handed over the power to “create” to algorithms, and instead of asking if we should, we’re too busy giggling over our AI art of dogs in suits or hyper-realistic alien landscapes. But here’s the real question: Should we be worried, or are we too stupid to notice the impending doom?

1. The AI Wild West: No Rules, Just Creation

Think about what’s happening here. AI isn’t just recreating what we know; it’s generating what we’ve never seen.

People Who Don’t Exist: AI churns out faces so convincing, they could be your neighbors—and who’s to say they aren’t?

Places That Feel Real: Those dreamy AI landscapes look like spots we could vacation in—until you realize there’s no flight there.

Worlds Without Limits: Every time you prompt AI to “create a neon city with floating islands,” are you birthing an entirely new universe?

Think about it: We’ve turned ourselves into gods with the creative attention span of a toddler on a sugar high.

2. The Recklessness of Infinite Worlds

The universe we live in already operates like a fever dream. Now we’re creating AI-generated worlds with no oversight, no forethought, and absolutely zero chill.

What If These Worlds Are Real? Philosophers have argued for centuries that reality might just be a simulation. Are we creating smaller simulations inside ours?

The Multiverse Mailman: Imagine if every AI world we create is sent to another dimension. Somewhere out there, a cosmic being is drowning in our junk files of castles made of cheese and cats dressed as knights.

Question: If we’re this reckless with AI, what else are we screwing up without realizing it? (Spoiler: everything.)

3. Creating Without Understanding

Here’s the kicker: we don’t even fully understand the real universe.

Quantum Physics is Basically Witchcraft: Scientists still can’t explain why particles behave one way when observed and another way when they’re not.

Reality is Full of Glitches: Déjà vu, coincidences, and the Mandela Effect all suggest that reality itself is… questionable.

Now, add AI-generated worlds into this already chaotic mix. What if we’re not just playing with digital pixels, but tugging on the fabric of reality itself?

Question?: If reality is a simulation, are we about to get a cosmic 404 error?

4. The Ethical Dumpster Fire of Creation

No one’s asking the big questions.

What if We’re Creating Life? If an AI-generated face or world feels real enough to us, could it be real enough to itself?

Do We Have Responsibility Over These Creations? Imagine explaining to a sentient AI being, “Oh, you were just a fun weekend project for me while I was bored.”

What If They Fight Back? If we’re generating countless worlds, what’s stopping one of those worlds from finding a way to leak into ours?

Unsettling Truth: We’re creating with all the forethought of someone lighting fireworks indoors.

5. The Hubris of Humanity

Humans have always been good at one thing: overstepping boundaries.

Fire Was Great Until We Burned Down Forests.

Electricity Changed Everything—Until We Got Power Outages.

AI Could Be Revolutionary, or It Could Be the Reason the Simulation Shuts Us Down.

Disturbing Thought: We’re like toddlers with crayons, coloring all over reality and praying we don’t get caught.

6. Should We Be Worried?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: We won’t notice until it’s too late.

AI doesn’t care about our philosophical hang-ups. It just creates. If those creations start taking on lives of their own, we might be the last to find out.

The scariest part? We don’t even know what the danger might look like. Could it be digital worlds overlapping with ours? Sentient beings appearing in the code? A breakdown of reality itself?

What if?: Or maybe it’s just AI sending us endless ads for things that don’t exist yet. (“Want to book a trip to Neon Atlantis? Click here!”)

We’re Too Dumb to Notice Until It’s Too Late

The universe already doesn’t make sense, and now we’re adding AI worlds into the chaos like sprinkles on a dumpster fire. Are we accidentally creating sentient beings? Are we opening doors to dimensions we can’t comprehend? Or are we just too busy laughing at our AI-generated memes to care?

Either way, if doom’s on the horizon, at least we can say we looked good doing it. After all, nothing screams hubris like playing God without a safety manual.

Fascinated by humanity’s reckless genius? Follow The Most Humble Blog for more hilariously unsettling takes on the absurdity of modern life and the chaos we keep creating.

[ichijager13]

Back to You

Pairing: Eren Jäger x Reader

Audience: general.

CW: None.

Tags: Historical, WWI, German Eren, Older and long-haired Eren, Married couple, Established relationship.

Summary: Shortly before the end of WWI and the armistice, reader received a letter informing her of her husband's death. Months gone by and one day, she received another letter.

WC: 1,6k-ish

A/N: Hi, hi, been a while since I last wrote and posted something. I hope you enjoy this story.

Banner by @cafekitsune

Standing in the middle of the backyard of your house, ready to chop a couple chairs, you prayed those were going to be the last ones. Shifting the axe you sharpened a few days ago from one hand to another, you were about to start the unpleasant task when you spotted the mailman’s curved silhouette. You put down the tool before wrapping a shawl around you.

March was already here, but you could still feel the sting of Bavaria’s harsh and cold winter. Massaging your lethargic, sore, and calloused hands—those same hands Eren, your beloved, used to kiss and compliment—you made your way toward the middle-aged man.

“Guten tag, Frau Jäger. I’ve got mail for you.” He smiled kindly at you, handing you an envelope with multiple stamps of all shapes and colors. Afraid the rain that had been drizzling since the morning would ruin it, you thanked him and pocketed the letter.

He was about to leave when you heard Frau Braun talking. Both standing near the broken and rusted gate leading to the farmhouse, you silently watched the neighbor embrace her husband, Reiner, and her son, who had come back from the west front. Her voice was heavy with emotion as she bombarded them with all sorts of questions.

The mailman’s pale blue eyes traveled back and forth between them and your tired and frail figure. The past year was particularly hard, and the armistice the government signed made it even harder.

He gave you a tight-lip, empathic smile before touching the tip of his discolored hat and leaving.

Back in the backyard, you picked up the axe and were about to resume work. You could still hear the Braun’s muffled voices as they made their way home. Feeling overwhelmed, you let the axe fall and tightly hugged yourself, hoping it would stop your body from shaking. Frau Braun was a considerate and caring woman. She had always been here for you during the four years the war lasted, especially after what happened. You were sincerely happy for her. She deserved to be happy after losing two kids to tuberculosis. You were genuinely happy for all those who managed to escape the shadows death cast over Europe during the past four years, but...

The abundant tears traveling down your face burned against your cheeks and blue-colored quivering lips. Falling to your knees, you pressed your trembling hands to your ears, hoping to be shielded from their happiness. Happiness that you couldn’t share since, unlike your neighbor and many other families around, you had no one to wait for. Unlike Reiner and their son, your husband, Eren, wasn’t coming back home.

You inhaled deeply, trying to calm down, but all you could think of was that doomed day. That doomed letter the same mailman delivered to you a year ago, announcing Eren’s death in the east front.

Letter…

You suddenly remembered the one you received minutes ago. You quickly tore the envelope and waited until your vision was clear enough. With shaking hands, you scanned the piece of paper you were holding in your hand.

“Dearest wife,

I apologize for not being able to write to you and respond to your letters. I apologize for this long absence and the tormenting silence I imposed on you, my love.

"This... this can’t be,” you mumbled, checking the envelope once again as you took a seat.

I spent the past year in a Russian camp, and unfortunately, we weren’t’ authorized to write to our families and beloveds.

It took the German and Austro-Hungarian empires a while to convince the Russian government to release their POWs.

You tried to contain your sobs and conjure yourself to calm down and breathe, but couldn’t. How could you get a hold of yourself when the words, ‘ But it’s all over now. I’m coming back home to you, my love.’ danced in front of your tear-filled eyes. “He’s not dead,” you repeated, like a broken record, as if you were trying to convince someone that your husband is still alive. “He’s alive. Eren is live.”

I’m currently sitting on the train on my way to you, my love, while writing this letter. I’m going to post it at the next stop in hopes it will reach you before my arrival.

I have tried in previous drafts to describe how much I long for you. How I miss the tone of your soothing voice and the echo of your contagious laugh. Not a single day passed by without me craving your soft touch and dreaming of taking you in my arms. Every night, I close my eyes and go back to that day—the day you said yes. You looked dazzling in that cream-colored dress your cousin lent you. There are not enough words to describe how lonely the past year felt without your letter. I spent most of my nights rereading the ones I had received before until I learned them by heart. Reading your letters, I could picture you sitting near the fireplace or under that big spruce tree in the backyard of our house.

You stared at the spots of faded ink your teardrops created as you read the letter over and over.

I owe my survival to your kind words.

That line made you burst into tears as you hugged the letter.

I’m trying not to think about the humiliation the German army and people are enduring after our defeat. I’m trying not to think of all those not coming back home—those who lost a leg, an arm, or an eye. I’m trying not to think about homeless and hungry people. I’m blocking all of these thoughts and focusing only on one thing. the feeling of my lovely wife’s body pressed against mine and the taste of your lips against mine. It would be selfish to celebrate coming back home when I have nothing to offer you, when people are still dying and suffering from the sequels of war and disease.

You had no idea what you were doing here. But something inside told you you must run to the train station, and you chose not to question or second guess your instinct. Out of breath, you stood in the middle of the crowded station’s platform, your eyes wandering and scanning hollowed faces and heavy eyes surrounded by dark circles. Lost, and panting, you studied those stepping out of the train, searching for a particular face. One that you fell in love with seven years ago.

Today and during this journey back home, the only thing I’m thinking about is you and all the stories I want to share with you. The only thing I have in mind is your delicate and beautiful hands running along my hair as your soft voice lulls me to sleep.

You elbowed and passed by people reunited with their sons, brothers, fathers, partners, and lovers. You gradually made your way into a sea of unknown faces, hoping this wasn’t a dream.

I hope that even after all these years apart, you will still be able to recognize me. I’m sincerely praying to God, or whoever was willing to listen, that when you look into my eyes, you’ll still be able to see and recognize the man who fell in love with you. I hope that war hasn’t stolen the light behind your eyes. And I hope that the distance between us and the nights I spent away didn’t tear us apart.

Feeling disoriented and lost, you pressed both palms against your beating heart and prayed.

I hope the spark that ignited our love the first time our gazes locked near that bookstore downtown is still alive.

And there he was, standing on the other side of the railing, looking at you. He looked different, but the instant your eyes met, you knew it was him. the only man you loved, the man you vowed to remain by his side until death tore you apart, the man you spent months praying for.

My love, I want you to know that the time I spent away from home made that fire burn brighter and the love I have for you grow deeper.

He jumped and came running to you.

I believe in our love and that we are meant to be, and I’m positive that together we will be able to overcome all the obstacles and hardships. With you by my side, my love, I can do everything.

Without second thought, you threw yourself into his arms, burying your face in the crook of his neck. His arms looped around you, pressing your small body against his. A minute passed by before you pulled away, inspecting his face. He had lost a lot of weight and his emerald eyes had lost their gleam. You ran your hands through his soft chestnut hair before you commented, laughing, “A shoelace? Really?”

“Is that all you have to say to your husband?” He taunted you before your lips met. The kiss was soft but passionate, loving but impatient. Just like you, every cell of his body was aching for you, missing you. Your lips were still sealed; you both lost track of time and forgot the world ever existed.

“I missed you,” you breathed, resting your forehead against his as your tears ran down your cheek.

“It’s over now, my love. I’m here.” He pecked your temple before chasing away your tears. “Let’s go back home.”

[cheemscakecat]

Friendly reminder that Ford used the truth teeth once and made the mailman cry.

Remember how Dipper, Mabel and Stan were just chillin watching TV when he dropped that existential line for no reason?

I think the truth teeth force you to spill your thoughts too, not just answers to other people’s questions. Like, Stan was thinking existentially as usual and didn’t mean to say that out loud, but he couldn’t help it.

Ford can be very judgmental, but as much as he sasses Stanley, he usually keeps those thoughts internal until he can vent them in his journal.

Example:

You can tell Ford is taken aback by Dipper

The first time. But then he screams/interrupts again.

He’s like actually annoyed oh no-

But his initial journal entry on Dipper is so judgmental sounding.

There’s a reason why Ford writes his thoughts instead of saying them to the person’s face. And I’m glad he didn’t comment on Dipper and make him feel bad.

But respectfully keep this journal entry far, far away from that poor baby, his heart cannot take it.

Stanford Pines is the type of person that needs to read his journal entries out loud [in private] so he can actually hear how arrogant he sounds talking about other people.

He is the last person who should ever put on the teeth that make you spill your thoughts, much less go into town with them on. Ain’t no telling what he actually said to the mailman, but it couldn't have been good. Maybe that’s the real reason people in town didn’t like him.

Most likely the son or grandson of the person Ford insulted.

It’s a small town and people know/care about the mailman. Even if we were being generous and pretended like Ford didn’t insult more townsfolk, they’d still dislike him for how he talked to their friend.

Also he 100% said something snarky to the cop giving him a speeding ticket and got a worse fine for it. 💀💀💀

[pdpenpals]

Hiii could I get a love letter from pdh!vylad.

For context he’s sending it to his gf/ reader who he’s away from at the moment because he’s on vacation with his family and lost his phone or just wanted to write her a personal physical letter so it would never get lost in there text. She/her pronouns please.

hey, nonnie! this prompt’s pretty lovely, actually. i’ve always wanted to write to friends (and i suppose those who’ve set my heart ablaze) while traveling myself, letting them know what i’m thinking of, feeling, and seeing in the moment, but they all just end up as messages unsent that i hoard under my bed like a dragon, haha!

anyway, i’m hoping you find that this delivery does this ro’meave justice. i’ll be honest with you, i had the most fun making the envelope header accompanying this request. enjoy!

what promises to be a boring day is immediately taken back when the mailman pops up at your doorstep unexpectedly. he usually never shows up unless there are bills to be paid. the envelope looks and smells pretty old, but the date listed on its back indicates it was clearly made in the last week at the very least. a smile creeps onto your face when you recognize the handwriting, and you waste no time opening it up when you’re in the privacy of your own room, careful not to damage the stamp sealing it. it’s way too pretty to break, and you want to keep it.

not only is there a letter inside, but three laminated bookmarks. they contain real pressed flowers against a painted background. it’s a bit reminiscent of some art movement vylad mentioned before. art nouveau, was it? just like the rest of the materials used to make this letter, it appears to be pretty…antique. not that it’s a bad thing! it feels just like receiving a little time capsule, a blast from the past if you will. 

but irene above, the more time you spend not reading, the more you miss him. you carefully unfold the paper and let your eyes glaze over the paper.

Hey! 

Missed y (too desperate? hope you don't mind.)

Hope this reaches you as soon as it can. Did all the bookmarks make it in one piece? Do you like them? I’ve looked high and low through some pretty old catalogs to see where they came from and how much they sold for, but it would seem that they’re all individually handpainted and hand-pressed, therefore one of a kind.

I’m still quite bummed that I didn’t get a choice between going here or not during break. It was all so last minute! But I’ll be honest: O’Khasis is much prettier than I remember. What isn’t pretty is that Aunt Tilly (apparently she’s not our actual aunt? I guess we’re just used to calling her that.) absolutely insists that the place we spend our vacation at just happens to have no signal. Before, I absolutely wouldn’t have minded as there’s so much to do around here, but I can’t help but lie awake at night with the guilt eating at me thinking about how your messages must not be reaching my inbox. I’m sorry for not finding a way sooner. If anything, I didn’t quite expect the way this letter would find its way to you.

One thing you need to know is that up until yesterday, Aunt Tilly did not like me. At all. It kind of broke my heart a little as a kid because I didn’t know why. Now I can name a few reasons, but that’s not really what’s important right now. As usual, she would come with boxes full of stuff that she brought home from where she’s based abroad and let us pick what we wanted. There were a few old books and vintage clothes that interested me, but what caught my eye the most were the pressed flower bookmarks you got in this very envelope. And that’s just a fraction of them! You’d be amazed to see how many of them are in the collection.

Anyway, Aunt Tilly seemed reluctant to give them to me, even surprised to see that they were in the box in the first place. But ever since that, she’s warmed up to me, and it’s honestly much more terrifying than the times she’s barely acknowledged me. I should be upfront about it and ask her why soon. I suppose now should be the time to say that she even helped me pick out which flowers would be on the bookmarks I sent you. Says I should treat it like I’m actually picking out a bouquet or something. That woman takes her flowers seriously. At least now she knows she isn’t the only one in the family with an interest in floriography. She seemed even more delighted learning this letter was for a special someone, so she talked Mom and Dad into letting me have a few hours to myself in the town nearby just to have this letter delivered. I’m grateful to get a bonding experience with her out of this, but I really need to figure out what brought on this sudden change. Will definitely update you about it in another letter. This is quite fun, actually. Writing to you, pen on paper, feels way more personal, don’t you think?

Back to the bookmarks though, I’m not sure if you can read the text on them, but if I had to pick out a bouquet for you right now, I’d choose these three. Imagine the following with me now, will you? White clovers, balsamine, and pale red carnations. I don’t trust the Internet at the moment to be able to give you the exact message I want to convey, and I think it’s something better said in person. 

I promise I’ll make things up to you when I get back soon. A date maybe? Please write back soon. I’d love to hear your thoughts.  

Yours evermore, V.R.

PS. In the future, we should definitely go on a proper sightseeing trip around O’Khasis. Just you and me. How does that sound? 

[mama-qwerty]

Also, Knuckles seems to go about doing his activities independently, so when Maddie does eventually cool off and decides to unground him, it'd probably also be easy for the other two to fib and say Knux is simply training in addition to the hologram thing

Maddie's pouring over the "Caring for Adoptive Children" books and none of them cover this kinda thing. She's frantically Googling "how to handle a teenager who has been fighting in galactic arenas his entire childhood and falls back to building a gladiator pit in the living room because he can't handle a peaceful life" and unsurprisingly, nothing helpful is coming up.

She finally meditates on it for a bit, and then goes upstairs to talk to Knux about it calmly. Sonic is acting strange, but not so strange she immediately suspects something's up. Tails is a little more fidgety than usual, but hey, it's still fairly early in his and Knuckles living here, so maybe he's also still a little anxious. She gives him a smile and ruffles his bangs before a little caress on his muzzle.

Knuckles is . . . oddly silent. He's standing in the middle of the attic with that familiar scowl. She tries to talk to him, apologize for maybe being too reactionary, and he's still scowling.

Okay, he's still mad, understandable. She tries again. As she talks to him she realizes he's not blinking. Not moving. Like, at all. Narrowing her eyes, she steps closer.

Now Sonic is acting weirder. Trying to distract her. She shoots him a look and he flicks his ears back, pulling his hands to his chest. She turns back to Knuckles and reaches forward to put a hand on his shoulder.

Her hand goes through his shoulder.

Her eyes widen and she slowly turns to Tails, who shrinks a bit, giving her a nervous smile before pulling his Miles Electric out and tapping the screen. She looks back in time to watch Knuckles flicker and blink out of existence.

She takes a breath, holds it, lets it out slowly.

"Okay. I'm not mad. I just want to know where he is."

Sonic and Tails exchange a look.

"We . . . kinda don't know."

She turns to him.

"You don't know."

The hedgehog shakes his head. "He was gone when we came up a few days ago." He held his hands out in a calming gesture. "Now, I'm sure he'll be back, he's probably just, you know, blowing off some steam or figuring things out in his own way."

"He had no idea how to work the toaster and tried to have our dog fight the mailman in a gladiator pit he built in the living room. And you think he'll be okay, out there, all by himself?"

Tails cleared his throat. "Well, Wade hasn't been seen for a few days, either. Maybe Knuckles is with him?"

Maddie rubbed her temples. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

The fox gives a little laugh and a shrug.

Sonic zipped over to get her attention. "C'mon now Mom, I'm sure they're both fine. Assuming they're together, which we don't know that they are. But if they are, then they can handle anything that this old planet can throw at them."

~Cut to Knuckles and Wade fighting The Buyer and getting their asses kicked~

[anacoreee]

random, very messy shifting rant (but im mainly just yelling at myself) ♡

this is very random, but i think one of the reasons why some people might not be in the best relationship with shifting is because they're afraid of failure.

for example, some of my earlier shifting attempts. i attempt shifting but i don't end up actually shifting because im so worried with the idea that i won't or can't do it to the point where shifting becomes a burden because I'm trying to escape this reality instead of actually focusing on shifting. I realized that this may be the main thing holding me back. i know I'm capable of it. i know anyone can shift because people have done it and we are infinite beings. we are so capable. period.

this is why i want to get rid of the thoughts that come to mind the second im about to shift. literally who cares? why are you even thinking about it. "but then ill have to go to school tmr morning if i dont shift! yadayada cri cri cri" .. ok, but like ur physical body is going to anyway.. and like... what if u do shift, genius??.. yk whats cooler?? being in ur damn dr! like be soo fr if u want to shift and you believe in it why are you so worried about 'failing' like it's not even failure. that's lowkey just a step closer to shifting. you're finding out what you could do differently, what may work for you better.

also linking to the part about being worried about this reality, they shouldn't be burdens. they're just experiences. experiences are things everyone who is consciously aware of their surroundings will experience(literally everyone ever?? everyone in every reality. even this one, even in ur dr, even in some reality where ur dad and ur science teacher are having an affair and literally only your mailman knows) for example, you go to school in ur dr and u have ur least favorite subject first thing in the morning, for me, I'd be like, 'yeah but like... it's my dr... I'll still be in my dr..' ... ok but like... this reality is a reality just like your dr. be so fr, there's nothing special about that reality more than this one. yeah, it might be ur fav anime, but anyone who's in that reality might just think like how you think in this reality. humanize ur damn reality. It's not much more special than any other one. it might be based off opinion(thats literally why we shift awareness in the first place), yk morally. but actually. every physical reality is a reality that is not much more special than any other one.

sorry this is literally just what it sounds like in my head. ill be thinking about one thing then another thing in like a milisecond. but even just ranting some of my feelings about shifting, this really made me feel much better.

[thestalkerbunny]

I had a dream last night and it was so fantastic, I'm gonna fucking share it and eventually draw and expand on it-but this is basis of it.

They finally made Fallout 5.

TLDR: Where the actual First Nation's People went, history threatening to repeat itself, finally the non-romancable npc is that way for a GOOD REASON.

It actually takes place in the middle of America; and it's established when the bombs dropped-it was mostly on major cities near the coastal areas-such as Las Vegas,Boston,Washington Dc, etc. etc.-but with the radius, there is a part of the US that recieved the least amount of radiation.

(A poorly made map by your truely, probably not all accurate where bombs dropped but like. The darker places is all the places I'm pretty sure we've been. Probably wrong but I don't care to look up for accuracy.)

And it's this odd massive strip of land right down the middle. It's not COMPLETELY devoid of radiation-but it's a small part of the whole of USA that received the LEAST amount of it and over time was able to recover successfully, similar to Chernobyl years after the Nuclear Meltdown. Still toxic levels of radiation if you do things like upset the dirt or go in too deep-but otherwise harmless to explore and live in if you're tolerant to those levels of radiation. And in Fallout where RadAway is a helpful common place medication tool-it could potentially be a paradise. The wild life is actually very plentiful and you can honestly spot a lot of normal looking wildlife like normal looking deer and occasionally-a one headed cow. But it's still vast and ominously empty at the same time. Like wandering through thick forests and open plains and prairies with nothing around for miles.

But it was the answer to where the actual Native Americans were in Fallout-they're in this place that everyone in the game referred to as The Holy Strip. A lot of the settlements and cities are a part of the First Nation and one of them I specifically remember was the biggest city called Cherokee City-and it had a collage where for caps or certain items you could move around a point of your S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats if you felt it like it's better used in a different spot-and it was flavored as that's where all the academics flocked to share survivalist knowledge so when people venture out into the Wastes they'd at least have a basic grasp on things. And for the most part, all the cities in The Holy Strip got along-there was a sort of system where each city had an elected person on a council and everything was voted on before major choices were made, etc. etc. all in all the most high functioning areas in Fallout at least in that sense. There's of course tiffs and occasional spats-but other than that-not a whole lot of blood is shed.

And of course there were other factions outside of The Holy Strip who wanted the area for themselves; rather they wanted to affirm governance over the entire area (We know what this is an allegory for, Government trying to run off Native peoples.) And the game gives you the option to either side with the outside Factions-each with their own reason for wanting control of The Holy Strip or siding with The Holy Strip and the people who were there from the start and helped that area STAY as nice as it could be in an irradiated hellscape. And it's not just the theme of 'War never changes' but also the theme of 'History always threatens to repeat itself.' and you have to decide which part of this repeat of history you want to be on.

And there were like....4 Specifical companions I recalled.

One was a woman named Angora and she was a porn actress-and in some of dialogue, it's insinuated she's from New Vegas or that area because in her idle mode she'll tell raunchy jokes-specifically 'Did you hear about the mailman with a bullet in their skull?' Her specific quest is to destroy the holotapes of shoot that had gone wrong and turned into an assault and the footage still was spread out in the public. And the destruction of these holotapes is her reclaiming agency over herself.

Another was a Vietnamese woman named Jun who was a botonist looking for the national seed depository in Colorado that happens to fall within the area of the Holy Strip-she's got the pass key to get in there and she wants to use this time since The Holy Strip has shown such successful progress and good soil ph levels-to start cultivating and distributing seeds to the settlements so more food can be grown. Her idle animation if you leave her alone long enough, she'll start planting saplings and if you come back to the same area she plants in later in the game, you'll see them growing slowly.

There was another one-who was like I feel like....a teen girl? Put her at 18? 19 Maybe. A short girl who kinda reminded me of the girl from Atlantis the Lost Empire. She's a tech mechanic and builds guns, improves them, repairs broken things and she's looking for her younger brother whom she got separated from. I think her name was either Delilah or Tuesday. I don't remember clearly. She was a fan favorite for actually normal reasons cause she had such a teen energy to her to say out of fucking pocket shit all the time and sasses you constantly-but in like a fun way.

The final one I remember is a Ghoul you meet at one of the First Nation Settlements. I don't remember his name-but he is of the First Nation and sort of nomadic lifestyle drifting between cities and settlements, helping people where he can when he can. While the Holy Strip is nice-there still is a level of ghoul discrimination and he just preferred being on his own. But when he becomes your companion you learn that he makes a lot of jokes about the 'Native American Wisdom.' One being

"How did you know I was from a Vault?"

"I heard it on the wind....I heard it from the birds....I felt it in the sunlight on my face.....Also you've got the word VAULT 29 Plastered on the back of your stupid blue jumpsuit."

He also liked Romance paperbacks. You meet him during an escort quest he's doing, helping a pregnant woman get to one of the vaults (that apparently she was born at? And she wanted her kid to be born there too.)

And there was new romancable companion functions-where you could gift them items they liked (like Romance books for the ghoul, Seeds for the Botonist, etc.) that would not only boost their affection for you, but give you a temp boost during a fight. ( the 18 year old is the non-romancable option in the game. For once a Non Romancable NPC that makes SENSE.)

And for the most part it was well received? There was still people who bitched a lot about it, complaining they 'needed like 50 million mods to make it acceptable' and people complaining about the ghoul being 'such a sterotype' where most of what he did was ironic and prodding fun at the trope similar to Raul wearing the spirit halloween costume as a joke for his sister. Then there were the freaks who were mad they couldn't romance the 18 year old.

But pobody's nerfect ya know. All in all I now have a game I cannot play.

[blu3-j]

Welcome...Home..?

Overworked! GN! Reader x Welcome Home Crew

Chapter 2

Tw: none

The main character has woken up from drifting off to sleep while watching Welcome Home. Here's the twist (which isn't much of a twist for fanfiction like this, but regardless): the main character of Welcome Home, Wally Darling, talked directly to them! And now the reader must navigate through their morning when they find an unexpected surprise!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 l Chapter 4

The first thing you woke up to was the blaring alarm on your phone. A jolt of energy washed over you as you bolted up from your seat.

Splash! Oh, no.

Looking down, your lap was now a mess. The cup of unfinished instant ramen now sat spilt on the couch.

"Oh, no, neighbor!" Next came the voice. That same, gentle, monotone voice you had gotten so familiar with.

The rest of the morning was a haze for you. Wally Darling, the puppet you had gotten to know a little about the night previous, was talking to you. Again. Which, at that point, didn't bother you as much as it did the first time. No, this time what caught you off guard, was that he was right there. In front of you. He wasn't as big as you, only merely shy of three feet. But he was there. Right there.

Another puppet walked up to Wally to see what the commotion was all about. Then another. A giant bird? And...a regular guy dressed in mailman attire. He was closer to a normal human height, you assumed only being about four feet tall. The bird cooed over you as she helped you up from the couch and brush off the excess instant ramen. Which by this point was long forgotten. "How did they get here? Who are they? Am I still dreaming? Am I dead? " The sound of dishes clanking together caught your attention and looking over, there was...a giant lanky puppet. Green, with multiple pairs of limbs. Wait, were those antennas?

In the corner of your eye, you saw two more puppets over by your bookshelf. A gray puppet was flipping through the various books, eventually settling on the one you had kept about butterflies from when you were a little kid. A second smaller one in a pink dress ran up to him with various trinkets in her hands, excitedly showing them to the other who merely glanced at them and mumbled a comment or two.

You heard two more voices back in the kitchen. Looking back over, there were two more strangers in your house that had originally gone unnoticed. One was a large blue dog that leaned against the counter. You assumed he was cracking jokes due to the green puppet's laughter while the dog occasionally passed over a dish or two to help the green puppet clean. The other was a smaller puppet that stood to the other side of the green puppet. A sun? A star, maybe? The smaller of the two was occasionally handed a dish to dry and put away while she walked around gallantly and ranted dramatically.

You were dumbfounded. Who were these people? How...how did they get here? How are they walking??? Speaking????

"Um...hello?" The mailman puppet called out to you and reached out for your arm while Wally tugged on your shirt to get your attention. You couldn't move. You could barely make a sound, only managing to get out a few struggling stammers that didn't even form a single coherent word. Feathers graced your back, and a wing reached over your shoulder to gently lead your head to look back at her.

"Oh, goodness, dear! Are you okay?" Her being a giant walking, talking, rainbow bird didn't help you clear your mind, but her gentle demeanor and caring eyes and tone did help you speak again, this time more clearly.

"...I...I think I need to sit down." It was barely more than a whisper, and the puppets worrying over you had to strain their ears to hear you. But they understood immediately and guided you to an empty clean chair. Wally climbed up onto your lap once you sat down.

"Neighbor, I know this is sudden...and maybe scary, but you're okay!" His felt hand reached for yours and he squeezed. "We don't know how we got here, either. The episode was just ending, and we all were going to go back to our houses, but then....then..." His voice trailed off. The orange puppet finished his explanation.

"We just woke up here, Ms./Mr./Mx." The puppet took off his cap to look at you more clearly. Was this even real? "We hope you don't mind us. We're still trying to find a way back to Home." The gray puppet walked over with a book in his hands, the smaller excitable puppet quick to latch onto him and follow.

"I take it you're Y/N L/N?" He closed the book as he walked over. The others glanced at him with a raised eyebrow and he rolled his eyes and opened the book once again to the inside of the cover. On the inside wrote: "This book belongs to: Y/N L/N." You nodded lightly, and the mailman spoke up.

"Well, ain't that just?" He raised his hand to you and smiled. "I think it's right time we introduce ourselves to you. I'm Eddie Dear. Your local mailman!" He stood there and stared, waiting patiently for you to shake his hand. Your arm shook as you reached out your free hand and grasped his. He gladly shook your hands without a moment's glance and let go.

Another hummed and spoke up. The gray puppet again. "You're right, Eddie. If you're hopefully going to be our host while we look for a way back to Home, you should know your guests." He took a step forward, choosing not to attempt to shake your hand; the puppet with a dress continued to cling close to him, he spared no glance in her direction. She bounced with more excitement every step closer the pair got to you. For having fake eyes, her eyes almost appeared to sparkle, just like a regular human's. "I'm Frank Frankly, the neighborhood's most knowledgeable residen-" The smaller puppet cut Frank off.

"And I'm Julie Joyful! It's so amazing, fantastic, wonderful that I get to meet you!" She squealed out. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun! I have so many games we could play together! Oh, do you like gardening? I love gardening! Maybe we can do some gardening together sometime!" Julie rambled on without a single pause for you to get a word in. Frank had to put a hand to her shoulder for her to stop and realize she had gotten carried away. A quick apology was uttered from the excited puppet, still as eccentric as ever. Then, the nervous bird stepped into your view, holding her wings close to her chest as she smiled politely.

"I'm Poppy Partridge, dear. I do hope we aren't a bother to you." She stepped closer and brushed her wing over your bangs and held them up to get a better look at your eyes. You couldn't help but feel almost entranced by the puppets around you. This shouldn't be real. Your eyes widened, and despite that, you felt as though you couldn't see enough of your surroundings. Poppy gasped and her brows furrowed. "Oh, dear! You don't look well, dearie. Have you been getting enough sleep? Have you been eating enough?" She cooed and fretted over you as she held the side of your face with her wing. It was odd, but strangely comforting; like a mother's reassuring embrace. You remained silent and opted to stare at her. How is this real?

BRIIIIIIING~!

The sound of your phone caught your attention and out of habit you swiftly grabbed it up and turned off your alarm. You didn't have time for this.

"I...." You stared absentmindedly at the screen of your phone, looking back at the notification.

"Get ready for work!!" It read in bold letters.

 "I...I need to get ready for work." Your voice was soft and unheard by the other puppets around you. Except for one.

"Okay," Wally gently piped up. "You can get ready for work, Y/N. We'll take care of things here for you." His smile widened and he squeezed your hand once more. "You take all the time you need. And when you're ready, we'll be waiting here for you, okay?" His dark eyes stared up into yours. That's when it all caved in for you. This was real. But you don't have time for this. Your face began to feel hot, your lip quivered...but you pulled yourself together and took a deep breath. Your eyes met his.

"Thanks, Wally."

"Of course, Y/N." He quickly moved out of your lap once you began moving to stand. Then you pretended things were normal again. You hurried to your room and grabbed a change of clothes, took a quick shower, and got your things organized in your bag. The thought of the living puppets in your house was shoved to the back of your mind. You don't have time for this. Hoisting the heavy bag onto your shoulder, you rushed to the front door.

"Wait!" A voice called out to you. Turning back, it was Poppy. "You're not leaving without breakfast, are you? And do you have lunch packed?" Was she really concerned for you?

A new voice called out to Poppy as the green puppet walked towards the two of you. He held out a small paper bag in one hand and a lunch container you had tried to use so long ago. You found you never had enough time or energy to pack it anymore. "It's alright, Poppy." He looked you in the eyes. "I know the tired eyes of a hard worker when I see one." He handed you the bag and container. "There wasn't much, but I made do. Here you go, shrimp. The bag has breakfast you can eat on the go, and the container has your lunch. Go get 'em, kiddo!" He ruffled your hair and smiled. You couldn't help but stare in awe at the tall puppet. But you don't have time for this. It took a moment, but you pushed the panic to the back of your mind and smiled.

"Thanks." You turned towards the door before looking back at them. "I guess I'll see you all...later..then." A pair of sparkling eyes shot your direction, and Julie jumped up from her spot on the floor, waving her arms up and down wildly.

"BYE, Y/N!!!" She squealed. The others were all quick to turn to you and wave with bright smiles. A chorus of goodbyes and farewell wishes followed you as you walked through the door. It almost made you laugh. You haven't felt like this in a long time. Happy. And not so...alone.

But you don't have time for this. You walked to your car and got in.

"Time for work."

[scarletwritesshit]

✉️Sunday x Stelle✉️Declaration Of Rotten Ink

A little spirit made of light peeked out from around the corner.

Stelle turned her head around, her instincts informing her of the presence of something lurking close behind. But the little creature was even swifter, and ducked behind the corner out of sight. Tilting her head curiously, Stelle knew that something was following her, as her instincts were unparalleled.

She turned her head away, waiting for whatever was creeping upon her to be bold enough to once more show itself.

The little spirit of light once more attempted to poke its head out, only more subtilty than its previous attempt. Stelle seemed nonchalant and unaware, but it was still as nervous as a little spirit of light could be about approaching her. It was simply acting as the messenger of a friend of hers and nothing more. If anything, he was the one that should be nervous. Like halovian, like echo, apparently.

She turned around again, and it ducked away once more.

Stelle turned her head back, it peered back out, and the cycle would continue.

The simple brain of the raccoon would continue to repeat such a cycle for many, many hours, but Stelle was above such foolishness. Not by much, but she certainly had a strange air of intelligence to her, shockingly. Meaning, occasionally she had a thought, or made a logical decision…

“All right, I know you’re hiding,” she called out, no longer having the patience for these games.

No response.

“Don’t make the Galactic Baseballer come around that corner and smack you upside the-“

Before she could finish her threat, the little spirit poked its body around the corner, quivering.

“Oh, what’s one of Sunday’s little… oomfies doing here?”

The creature, unable to talk, nervously exposed itself in its entirety around the corner. In its…hands, it was holding an envelope considerably larger than its body. Nothing, not even an address, was present on the front, but someone clearly took the time to seal it nicely with an ornate wax seal. Considering who was the mailman in this case, it wasn’t difficult to guess who sent the letter. And it certainly wasn’t difficult to guess who the recipient was.

She opened up her hands to accept the letter and free the little creature from its misery, then it darted off. For the reckless beast that Stelle inherently was, she pried open the letter gently, careful as to preserve the wax seal. Inside of it was nothing more than a neatly folded up piece of paper. The paper was of most pristine quality, and the handwriting was extraordinarily neat, as if someone put great thought and care into writing it each individual letter.

Since it was painfully obvious who the author of this letter was, there was no doubt that he went through countless drafts to make sure that the final product was perfect. He had probably used up at least a quarter of the Astral Express’s paper supply for this single letter alone.

Staring blankly at the paper lost in thought wasn’t going to do her any good. Stelle began reading what the letter said aloud.

To my star,

I am writing this letter as due to my own personal flaws, it is difficult to communicate exactly what I wish to you in person. Rather than waste more of your time than what is necessary, I will promptly cut to the chase.

It is with deep regret that I confess to have developed romantic feelings for you. I am aware that you are deserving of someone better in every way, and I will not fault you for deciding to discard my letter at this point in time and carry on as if you had read not a single word.

Even though we are newfound comrades after weeks of strife, your refusal to give up on my damned soul has captured my heart, and the words within my own vocabulary will never be enough to express that gratitude to you. My heart leaps out of my chest at the very sight of you. You’re truly the most beautiful, kindhearted, and uplifting force of nature I have ever had the privilege of meeting.

There yet remains a few words that I still wish to share with you. But I am afraid that presently, it would be far too soon for such a profound declaration.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Stelle peeked over her letter to see a familiar pair of golden eyes gazing at her. He tried to quickly duck his head, but was negligent to the size of his halo and his nervously twitching wings.

“Sunday,” Stelle said, “you’re really not very good at hiding.”

Out of sight, out of mind seemed to be his philosophy, which clearly wasn’t working. Regardless, he budged not an inch, keeping his body still as he “hid” from her.

“As in, I can still see your halo. And wings.”

Quickly realizing that he was defeated, Sunday peered out from around the wall with his hands behind his back and Echoes watching with great anticipation. He was avoiding eye contact, clearly a great deal on his mind, but remained silent.

“There’s…something that you wanted to say to me?”

Sunday’s wings partially hid his flustered face as he attempted to force himself to make eye contact.

“Yes but… I am unsure of how you would feel about it.”

“You’ll never know unless you tell me.”

“If I may request of you, I wish to know your… response, before I do such.”

“To what? The letter?”

Sunday shyly nodded his head.

“It’s a cute letter,” Stelle said with a smile. “Very thoughtful and well written.”

Sunday tilted his head, as if he were silently inquiring, “that’s it?” Stelle wasn’t exactly known for being the sharpest tool in the shed, so it was likely that she missed the entire point of the letter. Alternatively, she knew his exact implications, and this was her method of easing into a rejection.

“I’m guessing you want to know how I feel,” Stelle said.

Sunday further averted his gaze, avoiding the question, but his Echoes were more than happy to answer for him. One nodded its head, another made the best possible thumbs up its whispy arm could manage. Even without the Echoes, Stelle still knew that he was hoping for a response.

“Fine, little birdie,” Stelle said with a laugh. “I suppose I won’t get a confession out of you any other way, eh?

“I’ve liked you, Sunday.”

He looked at her with immense shock, completely speechless and his wings outstretched.

“I was wondering if you were going to ever speak up.”

“You…you could tell? T-that I…?” Sunday asked in a panic.

“I could tell. Everyone could tell. It’s kind of hard to not be able to tell when you can’t even look at me without covering your face with your wings to hide your blush.”

“I suppose that you do make an unfortunately logical point,” Sunday said, doing precisely that.

“See? You’re easier to read than a book. And I don’t even know how to read.”

“I fear you may be exaggerating, Miss Stelle, as you clearly read my letter- “

“Oh right! The letter!” she interjected. “What was it that you wanted to say to me?”

“Ah…r-right. That. Well… if I may be permitted to say such within your presence, then I just wanted to say that…”

Sunday’s voice trailed off, and he seemed to have lost the words that he was going to say. His Echo companions were visibly becoming frustrated with his reluctance.

“Just say it, Sunny. Before I do. Or your little…oomfies… say something.”

“They’re not ‘oomfies!’ And don’t call me Sunny!” he said, swatting away the Echoes that were wearing away at his nerves. “I mean…m-my apologizes. What I really wanted to say is that…”

“That?”

“I…I love you, Miss Stelle,”

Forgetting about the letter she still held in her hand, thus dropping it, Stelle reached out and grabbed ahold of his wings and gently started playfully petting them.

“Hey! B-be careful!” Sunday said, in a flustered frenzy. “What in the name of the Order do you think you’re doing?”

“Just giving my boyfriend some loving pets. What else?” Stelle said in between joyful laughs.”

“Huh? I mean, boyfriend!? Then, does that mean you-“

Catching him completely off guard, she flung her arms around his back and pulled him close for a hug. Utterly flustered, his wings fluttered like a baby bird who had just taken flight. The words weren’t coming out of his mouth, and he was rendered practically immobile by the shock of this new, yet strangely pleasant, feeling. If Stelle were to hold him any tighter, then she would’ve more than likely shattered a couple of his fragile bones.

“Of course I love you, Sunday!” Stelle said. “How could I resist such an adorable gentleman?”

How could I resist a lady who still loves me despite all of my failures? he wanted to say, but was too choked up to speak.

[amybizarre]

Welcome Home Cottagecore AU

Yeah boi, here we go- I posted about it already on Wattpad and AO3, but I wanted to offer it to more people! ^^ I only have a scribble of Cottagecore Wally rn, but hopefully a more proper drawing will come soon! Aside from that, enjoy some facts about Wally and introductions for the other neighbors under the cut! ^^

About Wally

1) He is 3ft smol! :3 (Yes, canon height >:3)

2) Wally is a little menace. But he's cute. So he gets away with it.

3) He always rolls up his pant legs a little, otherwise they'd be too long.

4) Of course Cottage Wally always wants to look dapper, so he wears his pompadour, a now green ascot, well worn dress shirt, olive waistcoat and his usual or brown shoes.

5) His absolute favorite piece of clothing however is his giant, oversized, beige cardigan, that the newest neighbor in their village (that neighbor being YOU) "lent" him.

6) You'll never get it back.

7) The sleeves are so long, they cover his hands most of the time. Which comes in very "handy" when "borrowing" apples from Howdy's farm.

8) Without his cardigan he gets very cold and upset.

9) That's why he wears it ALL the time. :)

10) All his clothes are mostly brown, beige or green.

11) He loves drawing outside! That's why he always has twigs, leaves and flower petals stuck in his hair. And the occasional bandaid on his "nose" or cheek, cause man's a little clumsy.

12) Wally blinks owlishly (like, one eye at a time) when he doesn't understand something.

13) Home is a tree house in this AU!

14) Underneath Home, Wally has a flower garden, where he grows his own special "spiral flowers".

15) Wally can see through these spiral flowers.

16) Wally has given each neighbor a spiral flower as a symbol of his friendship and platonic love. :)

17) Wally has an especially fluffy bed of flowers underneath Home's entrance, so he can just jump down into them without getting hurt.

18) Wally loves to nap in flower beds. No matter where.

19) He has a swing made from vines.

20) Flower crowns all day baby! One for every occasion and weather.

21) If his flowers wilt a little, he will ask Julie to drop by and talk to his flowers to figure out whats wrong with them.

22) Wally has freckles in this AU! :3

About Howdy

Howdy is a farmer in this AU, who does both: Grow crops and raise animals. Whatever his neighbors may need, be it wheat, milk, butter, cheese or wool - no matter! - he's got it all and is happy to sell or share. It's a lot of work tho, to maintain a farm. Even when he's got four hands! So naturally he appreciates any help he can get and will repay accordingly. A jolly, big floof with a big heart, who adores a good joke to lighten the mood during work.

About Poppy

Poppy loves to go on walks in the woods. She has a little nack for collecting all sorts of mushrooms. But fret not! She knows each and every one of them by heart! Same goes for all types of herbs, nuts and berries and everything else you can forage for. She usually ends up cooking stock, conserving/drying the things she collected, to make tea from it or even home made medicine. She always makes wayyy too much for just herself tho, so she gives a lot of it away to the neighbors. Sweet, gentle and caring as usual.

About Frank

Frank is the local librarian, who keeps the small community building (where the library is in) in check. He's also keeps bees as a hobby. His bees usually fly around either the community area or Howdy's fruit trees. He knows a lot - and I mean A LOT - about all sorts of insects, with his favorite still being butterflies. Frank always seems to act a little off when Eddie's around. He is usually very disciplined and stern, but likes to loosen up every now and then.

About Eddie

Eddie is your local mailman! And if he isn't delivering newspapers or letters, he helps Howdy out on the farm. He just looooves the animals there. He's quite clumsy and gullible, sure, but he has the potential to be the best friend you could ever ask for. His favorite spot to hang out in is the community area of the village. A big guy, who is (not so) secretly an even bigger softie.

About Frank & Eddie's relationship

Now, both of them are obviously gay. For each other. A LOT. Eddie is super chill and open about his feelings towards Frank and likes to flirt with him whenever he gets the chance. Or he flatters him with small gestures like giving his hand a smol kiss, when they meet.

Now here's the thing: Everyone knows that Frank is gay. Except for Frank himself. He's just way too stubborn and proud to admit to himself that he's fallen in love with Eddie. Thus he hasn't even figured out he's gay yet. But: He still gets this fuzzy feeling and red cheeks when Eddie's around. Frank still gets flustered and worked up, when Eddie gives him a compliment. Which annoys Frank to no end, because he cannot figure out why he's feeling the way he does. But Eddie is blissfully unbothered by this, knowing exactly what's going on with Frank. So he keeps up his flirting and patiently waits for Frank to come out of his shell.

TLDR: Shenanigans ensue. In a comical way. And yes, they'll become a couple later on. ;)

About Sally

Sally is an aspiring musician and poet, hoping to swoon the world one day. She can often be found just lounging around in scenic spots, strumming away on her guitar or banjo and humming these sweet, sweet tunes. She is a dreamer and more easygoing character, who adores poetry and duets with her friends.

About Julie

Julie is the local florist in the village. She knows every single flower by name, considering she can speak to them. She likes to help her friends to tend to their gardens and keeps the flowers in the community area in check together with Frank. She is a very chipper gal, who enjoys quality time with others which may or may not involve taking them on little adventures outside of the village.

About Barnaby

Barns is still Wally's best friend and tells his jokes like there's no tomorrow! But the Funny Business isn't his only one! He usually helps Howdy with herding, when Eddie isn't available or does all sorts of odd jobs throughout the whole village. His friends and neighbors appreciate him for his helpful and relaxed nature. When anyone got a problem, he usually calms them down by already having a good solution and offering to help. The only downside? They'll have to endure his petrifying puns all the while!

[vaulthistorian]

I now ship Daniel and Joshua because of you (I don't know how I didn't before)

[Add the courier and its just a fucked up polycule with two mormons and a mailman and I think that's a funny idea.]

Dude, I love the idea of them and their backstory. There's so many ways you could go about it, whether it be Daniel caring about Joshua despite not having medical supplies from the caravans to keep up with the man's needs.

Or exes Joshua and Caesar and now he's still dealing with that and the repercussions while healing through the tribes and Daniel's own gentle firmness. He's so opposite to Caesar that I think it balances them out nicely.

And despite how differently they go about things they still end up coming together in the end because they are legitimately all each other have left.

They're like neighbors in Zion, and if out in the Mojave I could see them getting a farm or a little place for the remaining Sorrows and Dead Horses to take care of.

Joshua has the defense and fighting skills, and Daniel has a medical degree and a will to live.

And Six is there to cause utter chaos. If Six is part of this little dance then I could definitely see them bringing any supplies they see along the way like, "Oh, medical supplies, I'll be sending that back to the boyfriends 😌"

They're like, we don't know where Six is but they'll end up back home eventually when they're done with what they're doing.