#we still have a TON of leftovers and all the food I made was REALLY good and I love not having to cook lol

[imwritesometimes]

I've been having weird anxiety today and I think it's cause I'm excited? about too many things? at once? Like what is happening? Who am I?

[haven-is-happy]

Meeting the family

Summary: Echo gets some shore leave and turns his comm off

Word count: 2,3 k

Warnings: Just kissing, this is completely sfw

A/N: Had a ton on fun writing this, I hope it's good enough for your expectations. The sentence prompt is in there

Tags: @cloneficgiftexchange @wizardmando

As a general rule (gently suggested by Captain Rex to the 501st), Echo is not to be disturbed when calling with his girlfriend. Not only because of possible less-than-innocent activities on the call, but also because of how damn happy Echo was when he ends the call himself undisturbed.

When he got together with Y/N, his optimism skyrocketed. Every mission, assignment and battle was done quickly but thoroughly, so he could come back to her. He made the other troopers work faster to be done with the paperwork (much to the displeasure of Fives), cleaned up when others didn’t want to, anything to get rewarded more time off.

Even general Skywalker noticed a difference. Echo no longer went with any crazy plan Fives threw on the table. He’s stubborn enough to convince them of a safer route, or staying behind on base for the craziest assignments. 

“I want to come back home,” he answered every time. Nobody asked him what “home” was. It was against regulations, but everyone turned a blind eye.

Rex has never actually met her, but he was sure he like will like her when he does.

—---

“Well, call him again! What if it’s an emergency and we need to leave for an impromptu mission?” 

Despite Rex loving his men with all his heart like brothers, sometimes, he gets quite frustrated with their headstrong attitude. Especially if he does a headcount at breakfast and finds some of them missing.

“Maybe he went to a bar and slept over?” Jesse suggests and shovels a spoonful of military rations into his mouth.

“Impossible. It’s been more than a day. Echo is not that kind of person,” Kix counters, “I would expect that more from Fives.” He points at the trooper with his clean spoon, his face sporting a half-smirk.

From the other end of the table, he hears an offended “OI!”.

“Don’t pretend to be offended, Fives, your tab at 79’s is still open. Besides, Echo has someone waiting for him home, he wouldn’t do that.”

As if a lightbulb went off in his head, Kix turns to Rex.

“Have we checked if he isn’t with them?”

Rex shrugs. “We don’t even know if the person lives on Coruscant, much less know their location.”

Fives froze for a second in realisation. He starts hitting Jesse next to him, as if possessed.

“She is on Coruscant! I have her address in case of an emergency!”

The entire table groans.

“Then kriffin lead with that!” “Fives!” “And you didn’t tell us this sooner?!”

—

"Hear me out: Melted cheese with carrots."

"You know what, that actually might be good."

Since your leftovers ran out for lunch, Echo and you were brainstorming cooking ideas. 

Well, it is more of "Echo says a food combination and you shoot it down". It sometimes feels like he has no sense of taste, his tongue fried from eating republic rations all the time.

The holomovie has become white noise at some point, background in your conversation while you cuddle on the couch.

"The carrots have to be boiled so they don't crunch, we could maybe even use blue cheese," you list off ingredients, in thought.

"I'm sorry, WHAT cheese?!" Echo is half horrified and half curious at your statement. 

"Oh, you know, a cheese that has a bit of grown mold on it. It adds flavour and it's not bad for the body at all," you explain, watching his expression go from 100 to 200.

"How could mold on cheese be anything other than bad?"

"Actually, I have no idea. It just is," you shrug and pull out a datapad, putting in a shopping list.

Echo peers over your shoulder. 

"Does it really need that many ingredients?"

"Yeah. You need the pasta, salt - which we already have - and the sauce needs some cream, garlic, cheese and carrots. If you want to spice it up we can add some ham," you say, counting the ingredients on your fingers. You're by no means a master in the kitchen, but you want to feed your boyfriend food with ACTUAL flavour.

Echo lays his head on top of yours, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

"Can you teach me how to do it? I want to cook you something someday," he mumbles into your scalp, pressing another peck after he finishes the sentence.

"I will if you want to, but you don't need to cook me anything! I can always look up recipes or we can order takeout."

"But I want to."

It makes the corners of your mouth rise and warmth spread to your chest. What the republic thinks is a hardened soldier is also a softie who wants to learn how to cook for someone he loves.

"Thank you, love."

Echo doesn't need to move his head to see your smile, he just knows. The tone is obvious to him.

"Cooking is really complicated," he puffs out.

"Oh you have no idea. Pasta is mostly simple to do, one of the easiest dishes in fact," you point out. After sending the shopping list into the app, you toss the datapad to the side.

Now just to wait half an hour for the groceries to arrive, carried by a simple task droid.

You don't want to point your attention towards the TV or go out shopping. It feels like you're wasting precious time you have while Echo is on shore leave. You want to be wrapped up in him for the entire remainder of his vacation.

Curled in his side, you can feel every single muscle of his athletic body through the thin shirt of his blacks. He knows you don't mean anything by it when you snake a hand under his shirt and start drawing shapes into his skin. 

As always, his skin is warm to the touch, bringing you instant comfort.

By the time the movie ends, the hypnotic nature of drawing circles into Echo’s skin puts you in the sweet zone between awake and asleep. His chest rises and falls as he watches the credits (something only he ever does), syncing your breathing with his.

Warmth blooms in his heart at your sleepy form, like small fireworks in his veins. He feels as if body will burst.

“I cannot stop smiling when I look at you,” he whispers to you, making you smile in return. He isn’t even sure if your brain registered it or turned it into a pleasant dream. 

He slowly moves by centimetres on the couch into a more comfortable position to take a nap and let you snooze.

However, before Echo could even begin falling asleep with you, a sharp ring makes him flinch out of his own head.

An adorable whine leaves your throat.

“Is the food here?” Echo asks and gently takes your arm off him, getting up to get whatever is at the door.

“Hopefully,” you grumble out and lay down flat on the couch, covering where Echo was sitting.

“Can you put everything but the bread in the fridge? I’ll cook in an hour,” you speak up, louder than usual so Echo hears you through the apartment.

You hear the door open and then-

“What the kriff are you doing here?!”

You shoot up from the couch so fast your head nearly spins. Echo rarely swears so to you, this would be a jedi-level threat.

“Well you didn’t answer your comm so Fives told me where your partner lives-” “That information is for emergencies!” an identical voice replies to your boyfriend before getting shot down by (what you assume is) your Echo.

When you get into the line of sight of the door, you realise why.

There, right outside the threshold of your door, stand at least six clones, all wearing the same armour Echo has left neatly in a pile by your shoes. All of them have lines, triangles and patterns painted on their helmets in blue, black or red.

Echo’s legion.

“Well you weren’t answering your comm and… oh…” a blonde trooper in the front with his helmet under his arm speaks out and trails off when his eyes land on you.

“Yeah, I have told you I am away.” You’d think his annoyed voice is hot if you weren’t in a situation that could put him at such risk.

Right behind the blonde clone (who you assume is his caprain Rex from what he Echo told you) is a clone with a standard haircut and a number five tattooed on his temple in galactic basic.

His twin, Fives. You remember his tattoo from a conversation you’ve had with Echo. You wanted to meet him some day as he means so much to your boyfriend, but you have hoped that the meeting would be in better circumstances.

Before anything else can happen, you want to diffuse the situation. You don’t know if a clone trooper legally be in a relationship, as the war made the Senate refuse to look at anything else (certainly not look at the rights of the soldiers fighting said war). You might be in deep waters.

“Good afternoon sir. Is Echo in trouble?” You inwardly grimace. That was such a stupid question to ask, acting guilty in the court before even getting called to the stand.

A small smile gets to the captain’s lips.

“No, he isn’t. We’re just here to check on him because he wasn’t answering his comm.”

Some of the weight leaves your shoulders. You really didn’t want the first meeting with his brothers to be about disciplinary actions.

Echo’s entire face goes red, caught in the act. “I thought I put it on emergency only,” he tries justifying.

“Next time, double check. I sent you a message an hour ago. We wanted to know where you are,” another clone, one with a republic tattoo across his face, suggests.

“I told commander Cody that I am taking a day of shore leave. Did he not tell you guys?” Something shifts in Echo, like a knot coming loose. His stance shifts to be more relaxed and a single hand reaches out for your own.

His captain takes out a datapad and reads through messages while you two watch, previous anxiety dissipating just a smidge  .

“Ah, Cody got called away yesterday for a diplomatic mission.” The captain puts away his device and turns back to Echo.

“I- didn’t know that. Sorry Rex” utters your boyfriend and squeezes your hand. You squeeze back, seeing the guilty look on his face.

“It’s alright, you couldn’t have known, General Kenobi got the call and needed to leave immediately,” the blonde, Rex, reaches out a hand and pats his shoulder. 

Then, his head turns to you and he nods respectfully. “Nice to meet you ma’am. We’ll be going, sorry to bother you.”

“No problem at all,” you reply and watch the troopers utter variations of hellos and goodbyes, with his twin being the last to leave your porch.

He sends you a mischievous smile and reaches out a hand to shake yours. “I’ll stop by some time.”

He sends him a glare as he pulls away. Fives pats his shoulder and turns around, jogging to catch up with the rest of his brothers.

You lead Echo back inside your apartment and shut the door behind. His hand leaves yours and he kneels next to his armour to take out the commlink from his pack. He pushes a button, switching it on.

A bit sheepish, he puts it back and stands up. “Sorry you had to meet my captain and brothers for the first time like this,” he looks down.

You reach out a hand to cup his cheek and lift up his head to make him look at you.

“It’s fine, I’m just glad you’re not in trouble,” you say softly and curl your free arm against his waist. His hands instinctively reach out to rest at your hips and bring you closer.

“I really wanted my comm to be off for the day, to spend the time with you. I’m sorry mesh’la.”

“Stop saying sorry for things out of your control. Your captain is sweet for wanting to check on you.”

He brings your foreheads together, something you have learnt is a kiss in his culture.

“Still, we could have gone through our day without this. I want to be here with you. For you. I don’t want you to feel like we are one message away from never seeing eachother again,” he murmurs.

You sigh with a sad look on your face.

“But we are, Echo. And that’s the reality. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t here for me,” you reply and pull away just enough so you can kiss his cheek and then bury your face in his neck. 

His hands go from your hips to hugging you. It’s the kind of bear hug that makes it impossible to breathe deeply, but you’re okay with that.

“I’m here for you too,” you whisper into his skin and land a peck on the junction of his neck and shoulder.

His arms falter and he pulls away, only to kiss you like his life depends on it.

He has no qualms pushing his tongue past your lips, multitasking while gently walking the two of you over to your couch.

“Kriff!” you squeak out as you stumble a bit, unaware of your surroundings from the haze of kissing. You stabilise yourself against Echo’s muscular chest and plant your feet firmly, making your boyfriend almost lose balance in return.

As you both regain your footing, your eyes meet again and you both snicker at the clumsy attempt at romance.

You want to lead Echo towards your couch to continue the session, but the bell rings again.

“So help me force Fives, if it’s you, I am going to put sand in your bed!”

“I think that’s just the delivery droid. It’s been an hour.”

“Oh, cool. Can you show me the recipe?”

[breesays]

New Year, new idea, same stuff

My new year's idea - experiment (not resolution, at that sort of adheres to a pass/fail attitude) is to use what I have.

I think the STUFF we collect becomes more obvious, more questionable when we move from place (Los Feliz) to place (North Hollywood) to place (Studio City). I'm not a minimalist by any means - nor a hoarder. But the best way for me to use what I have is to have those things be visible. For some categories, this is easy - my hand weights, my yoga mat, my kettle bell, my foam roller are all in the living room. My planner is open, pen usually uncapped. Books are bookmarked on the dining table, recipes taped to cupboards, all my favorite clothes piled in my yellow butterfly chair.The abundance of counter space where we live now allows me to have the blender, instant pot, air fryer at the ready. I used all of them a ton in 2023. I even became one of those assholes who makes their own refried beans because they taste better. It would be insufferable, if I had told anyone about it.

The use-it challenge comes in food, ingredients. I bought a tub of couscous, so what am I going to DO with it? I can't really keep cans of coconut milk, diced tomatoes visible. Or, I don't want to. All the aspirational dry goods have to be put to use this year.

Pinterest used to have a "tried it" check box. I liked that. Made the pins actionable rather than wishful. No matter, I do it on my own now. I pull up my "work out" board after I finish Jillian Michaels and try a few of the tiktok pins.

Hoping to teach myself how to make planters out of glass jars, candles out of wine bottles. Seeing things not for just what they are, but what they could be. Part of this is inspired by Des, of course, who uses Amazon boxes as boats, sleds, playpens, you name it -- he always finds new ways to play with things. He still has orange paper cups leftover from his 2nd birthday that he plays with regularly.

There's also the library, Buy Nothing, craigslist.

I watched FIVE movies yesterday, while my COVID booster coursed through my body and made me twinge with pain every so often. The Olivia Experiment (an "Ace" movie but didn't love it), Saltburn (traumatized by it, thanks), Elemental (heart-warming), Orphan (delightfully horrific) and I started the Hunger Games prequel but didn't finish.

To close 2023, here were some of my favorites

Book: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Song: Fake Out by Fall Out Boy

Band I hadn't heard of before this year: The Beaches

Show: Yellowcard @ YouTube Theater

Hike: Mount Baden-Powell

Addition to my life: Music League

Food: Lobster Bisque and the Butter Lettuce salad kit from Trader Joes

New icon: Olivia Rodrigo

Game: Just One (aff link) https://amzn.to/3RoKPjC

Tiny delight: Propagating succulents

Milk: Chobani extra creamy oat milk

Instagrammer: Welcome to Heidi

[queer-erin]

End of the year question answers

(stolen from someone else's ask list but posted in one long go)

Song of the year?

Poetry by Dead Men by Sara Bareilles (don't care that it's not released this year, it was still the song of my year)

Album of the year?

Mini World by Indila

Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

Icon for hire ... blindside was a bop

Movie of the year?

Nimona, hands down, I'm still not quite over how good it was, fuck disney

TV show of the year?

Star Trek Lower Decks. They did a really good job with the overarching plot this season

Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

Game Changer: Escape the green room, like it was back in March and I still can't stop thinking about it, so we'll done, and Lou and Brennan immediately breaking stuff will never not be funny

Favorite actor of the year?

Jess McKenna, between Play it by ear, lower decks, and the off book podcast relisten, she's seemingly everywhere I'm watching/listening

Game of the year?

Littlewood cuz I like collecting and crafting and I can play this game for hours and hours and hours

Best month for you this year?

There wasn't really one unfortunately.

Something that made you cry this year?

A lot of things, but most recently @ zoestormwriting's Enchanted Forest anthology. (Good tears), like the stories were so sweet and they resonated so hard on an emotional level.

Something you want to do again next year?

Take the California Zephyr (but likely out east this time instead of just up into the mountains

Talk about a new friend you made this year

I met a transfem person and their then partner at a friend's birthday and loved chatting with both of them, it did sound like they broke up but I've had coffee with one of them a few times and we've had lovely conversations each time.

How was your birthday this year?

Really good! My partner asked a bunch of friends to get together for lunch with me at this open air food place and it was a small thing but I loved getting to see everyone. Likely the best birthday in a long time.

Favorite book you read this year?

There were a lot, Through Verdant Mirrors was a delight, Already mentioned Enchanted Forest, I bought and read a ton of @ beedokwrites' books on itch, all of which were lovely, also the light novels for I'm in Love with the Villainess

What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

Skipping breakfast, I used to be extremely regular about it.

Post a picture from the beginning of the year

Post a picture from the end of the year

A memorable meal this year?

I made a turkey and potato dumpling soup from November leftovers and it's my favorite soup to make.

What’re you excited about for next year?

I had to drop out of a Spanish class I was taking from the community college cuz the instructor, he was a jerk who didn't teach well, so I'm taking it next semester with an instructor who knows her shit and wasn't a jerk

What’s something you learned this year?

I started learning how to spin yarn on a drop spindle, I didn't know they were a thing until I read @ niki-smith's deep and dark blue and it's been a delightful experience.

What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

We have a working fireplace now

Favorite place you visited this year?

Glenwood springs, in that it was the only place we went, took the train up, best way to go.

If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

Shoe sizes don't stop being gendered at 12, understand hat you've already lost two and a half sizes when you're telling other trans women "amazing for you" when they share how much they lost!

Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?

I didn't make any, so no

Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

I made a character for a Halloween zine that I didn't end up submitting to, a dragoness writing a recipe blog style story for a "dragon readers digest" print publication found footage sort of deal. Still have like half of it written and a lot of her details in my head.

[englishsocietyrso]

Ingredients

When the shift is over what is the first thing you think of? What is my recovery drink, what is for dinner, did I make enough money to pay the bills? First, the drink drowns the buzzing anxiety as the liquid cools the heat of the mind. The last call is made and the patrons leave allowing for the final call to really be made. Glasses clink and the floor is swept as we divulge the chaos of the night. Who was a bitch, which local drunk was slumped on the stoop, who was going home, and who was going out? 

All I can think of is what the hell I am going to consume the moment I get home. 

Something about the bar ruins your love for food: grease, liquor, and bar grime are the worst kind of ingredients. You would think that being a cook means you love food. Sure, I love food…my food. Not the shit I make at work that is deep-fried and smothered in calories. I think I just like to make people happy. Cooking for those around me and chatting with patrons make my night go by quicker. Without the food, I don’t really think I would be who I am today. It may be cheesy but I put everything into what I cook. Whether it is for myself or those around me, everything goes into my food. I finish polishing up my station and returning my knives to their roll as I flip through the recipe Rolodex of my brain. Something quick tonight I am exhausted, pasta is off the list because I hate boxed pasta and have zero effort to make it from scratch. I could make a salad but that is if I still have lettuce leftover from the Thai lettuce wraps I had the other night. 

I know I have some tofu hidden in the fridge and plenty of scraps that need to be used up so a stir-fry it is. 

I send my love and thanks to the bartenders and toss the trash out as I slam the backdoor. Finally, fresh air, the sweat, and the scum of a Saturday night infest my lungs as I take a deep breath. A cigarette enters my lips as I make it down the block, unlit but the notion is still there. It is just a habit at this point, keeps me sane as I make my last turn toward my apartment. 

Thankfully at 3 in the morning, I don’t encounter any neighbors as I pad through the halls of my complex. The dark halls are comforting as the lock of my door clicks open. Finally, sanctuary. No yelling, no glass breaking, and absolutely no one else to invade my space. My keys clink on the counter as I drop my bag to the floor and kick my shoes off in one swift motion. One thing I have adapted from working in the bar is the sheer speed I have getting it off of me. Hot shower, clean sweats, and in minutes I am back over the flame of the stove. 

Vegetables snap and sizzle as I toss them about in the wok. The leftover veggies from the week mix in the oil as they begin to blister and brown. Some bell peppers, an onion, frozen carrots, a handful of snap peas, and shit ton of garlic because I’m not a vampire. The pan crackles when I toss the sauce in, a little soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, a teaspoon of brown sugar, and a large pinch of chili flakes, even with the heaping swirl of Sriracha that ends up on all of my food. As for the protein, I know I have tofu in the fridge but, as for those scraps I mentioned, those need to be used up before anyone gets suspicious of their disappearance. 

Perks of the job, I can cook anything.

[belovedrival]

Random Sunday thoughts.

Even though I post on here almost every day, it feels like forever since I’ve posted about actual personal things.

Minerva sometimes will jump on my leg. Like she’s attacking me. I’m like, girl, I’ll play with you but keep your claws to yourself!

If Jonas’s next clear word is “gentle”, it wouldn’t be a surprise. We say it 800 times daily. He loves Minerva but…toddler and kitten 😳

Oh, and both of them climb everything. I might as well let my hair go all grey. Although I looked in the mirror today and thought I needed it highlighted again because otherwise I look 50. Sheesh. Like getting older? Fine. I can live with that. But I look way older than I feel. Does that make sense?

My in-laws were here a couple weeks ago. It was a good visit. They were here during the last gasp of Indian summer (is that still a phrase that’s used?) - like clear blue skies, 60s and 70 degree weather. My father-in-law (my Other Dad; I love him) did various projects, like installing a cat door. He and I raked up the trillion leaves that were piled up.

On the afternoon before they left, Mister, Dad and I took Jonas to a local lake. There’s a little beach there and a fantastic playground. Jonas waded right into the water (even though it was cold 🥶) and had a blast just digging in the sand. He loved the playground, too. We’re going to have to take him back there.

We enjoyed the 70 degree afternoon on the beach just in time…the next day, the 11th, my in-laws left and it was colder and windy. We woke up early on the 12th to see several inches of snow on the ground. From 70 degrees at 5 pm on Thursday to just after 5 am on Saturday with 20 degrees and snow!! 😱❄️ I’m sure others have had bigger weather swings but nobody here expected snow on November 12th. Not surprisingly, it’s still autumn here but it’s felt like winter for the last week. Which is okay because…

Thanksgiving. 🥐🦃

We’re staying home for Thanksgiving for the first time since we were DATING. Like the last time it was *just us* (well, before Jonas and Minerva the Crazy Cat), it was 2011. That year Mister and I celebrated Thanksgiving at his tiny apartment in Chicago and drove around to several grocery stores on the day (to find an open one) because we’d forgotten to get a pie.

I am ridiculously excited to stay home. It’s about having our own traditions, not just going along with other people’s. I’m going to attempt to bake the crescent rolls my mom’s made for years, and a low sugar apple crisp for dessert. Beyond that, the turkey breast is going into the crockpot, mashed potatoes are on the menu because of course, and there’s green beans that I haven’t decided how to cook yet. It’s not eleventy side dishes but I only really wanted to make the rolls and neither of us want to have a ton to do on the day. The turkey breast is big enough to have leftovers, so there’s going to be plenty of food regardless. Choir is singing on Thanksgiving so as soon as I get home from that mid-morning, I’ll probably just wear pajamas the rest of the day 😂❤️

Mister has been working crazy hours. He’s got an extra class he’s teaching this year (5/6th grade religion) and a bigger 7/8th grade class than last year. Plus finding time to do administrative work. He usually leaves the house around 6 am, gets home about 4:30 or 5, then goes back to school after Jonas is in bed. I’m worried about him burning the candle at both ends but there’s not really a solution other than him getting a sub a couple times a month just so he can keep up with grading. And his class this year is just…not a good one. Like there’s no behavioral issues but the kids just aren’t motivated to do anything other than the bare minimum. He asks questions to get a discussion going, and there’s crickets. The only thing most of the junior high kids (and others) seem to care about is sports. They’ll get the grades to pass, but…there’s no “I want more in my life”. We don’t know if it’s just a rural area thing for kids to not be motivated, if it’s this particular area, or just this group of kids. Mister has heard repeatedly that the kids 3-4 years younger are a lot more engaged, but honestly I wonder what they’ll be like by 7th grade.

All that to say that Mister is not having a good year. After 20 years teaching, he knows how to get kids engaged and interacting, but “talking to these kids is like talking to a brick wall”. And the result of this is we’re actually talking about moving. Again. Maybe next year, or the year after, depending on what other job comes along. He (and I) aren’t super impressed by the kindergarten teacher here and the 1st/2nd grade teacher has been here for decades and is just not what we want for Jonas. She’s stuck in her ways and will NOT change. Beyond that, there’s fewer opportunities here (I won’t say none, because that’s not true) but the sports-mad culture here puts us both off. Like if Jonas loves/is good at sports when he’s older, great - but if not?

Argh, now I’ve written a novel. Sorry. Anyway, if you’re in the US have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving; if you’re from farther away, have a great week and take care of yourself 😊

Until later, friends. ❤️

[dsenvs3000w24]

How Nature is Interpreted Through Jewish Culture

Hey everyone, for this week’s topic, since I’m Jewish, I decided I would talk about how Judaism relates to nature and interprets the environment.

There is an important concept in Judaism called bal tashchit (Hebrew: בל תשחי��). This is the idea not to destroy or waste unnecessarily and refers anything natural or manmade that may still be useful in some capacity (Neril, 2024). This comes with a strong sentiment to only use natural resources as necessary, and make sure not to overexploit them (Neril, 2024). It also further applies to wasting food such as leftovers that get left in the fridge, or extra food left on a plate after getting full (Neril, 2024). The idea is that nothing should be wasted, and we should make sure to be mindful of how and why we use things, especially natural resources around us.

Environmental considerations can also be seen in many Jewish holidays and practices. The most obvious example of this is the holiday Tu Bishvat (Hebrew: ט״ו בִּשְׁבָט). Tu Bishvat is the name of a date in the Hebrew calendar which is considered the first day of spring in the land of Israel. The entire holiday is based around celebrating the plants native to Israel, and people normally celebrate by making sure to eat Israeli fruits and talking about the trees or plants of the region. This breeds a sense of appreciation for what we get from nature and celebrates the start of spring and the return of greenery. There is actually a common practice in Israel that every seven years all farming is stopped for a full year to give the land time to rest and recuperate from the strains of farming (My Jewish Learning, 2024). It is believed that environmental issues are actually symptomatic of moral degradation, and that we have an obligation to take care of the land around us (My Jewish Learning, 2024). Another holiday that celebrates nature is Sukkot (Hebrew: סכות). Part of this holiday involves taking four species native to Israel: lulav (palm frond; Hebrew: לולב‎), etrog (citron; Hebrew: אתרוג‎), hadass (myrtle; Hebrew: הדס‎), and aravah (willow; Hebrew: ערבה‎) and incorporating them as part of prayers during the holiday. These specific species are used to display and appreciate the natural beauty of the plants Jewish culture developed around. Jewish practices have many aspects emphasizing nature, and appreciation for the environment is vital to Jewish culture.

One way that Jewish environmentalism is currently expressed is through kibbutzim (Hebrew: קיבוצים). A kibbutz is a type of secular Jewish commune established in Israel that is traditionally based on agriculture. People living in kibbutzim tend to be very environmentally oriented, both because of their agricultural livelihood and because the people who choose to live in them are very left-leaning politically (they are choosing to live in a socialist or communist commune) which tends to accompany environmentalism. I stayed on a kibbutz with my partner’s family for a few days during a trip to Israel, and I had the chance to experience the way they interact with nature first-hand. The kibbutz itself was very green and covered in fruit trees and edible plants despite being in the middle of a desert. The people there also seemed to really appreciate interacting with nature. I was given a tour of the kibbutz, where at almost every spot they mentioned some aspect of the nature there with a ton of excitement. I also noticed that the family I was staying with did not even have a garbage can, since their only waste was either compostable or occasionally recycling, which they had a little blue bin for. Most of the food they ate was either grown there or bought from a local farm. They made sure to show me (very proudly) where they grew their fruits and veggies, where they kept their cows, and how they made their own bread. They also had me come out a choose what herbs I liked from their garden to make tea. There was an abundance of solar panels, and everyone seemed to walk or bike everywhere within the community. Every aspect of life there was extremely focused on being environmentally sustainable and with great appreciation for nature. After staying there for just a few days, I found myself significantly more appreciative of how feasible and enjoyable living sustainably feels. Overall, Jewish culture has a significant emphasis on appreciation for nature and this is generally expressed through environmental practices and celebrations of the nature in the land of Israel.

A famous waterfall I visited (Ein Gedi) in Israel near the kibbutz I stayed in.

Works Cited

Y. Neril (Feb. 6, 2024). Judaism and environmentalism: bal tashchit. Chabad.org https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1892179/jewish/Judaism-and-Environmentalism-Bal-Tashchit.htm

My Jewish Learning (Feb. 6, 2024). Jewish teachings on nature and the environment.  https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/traditional-jewish-teachings-on-nature-and-the-environment/

My Jewish Learning (Feb. 6, 2024). Jewish views on nature and the environment. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/nature-the-environment-101/

[mutecrows]

I'm gonna actually do propaganda for real for the first time like I know the TMA fandom is huge, besties I get it, I love Jon too but listen to me… he does not have the autism swag levels of Yoo Joonghyuk especially bc YJH is just Like That as a built in character status not bc of outside forces (yes,yes, infodumping about emulsifiers hush. I was in the trenches too. The Eye had a big part in his statements being a fixation and you know it. That and the Web was there from like,,, young childhood.)

Listen, you should vote Yoo Joonghyuk

So first and foremost homie literally runs his whole life on scripts and with schedules that he doesn't like deviating from even going so far as to consider everything a lost cause because it has gone too far from the plan he had in his head. I'm talking full meltdown buddy. He was NOT happy and is never happy about the things changing too far from what he is planning it to be like when the script fails badly (usually leading to dying) he just edits them a bit and does it again like a trial run over and over until he gets that much of a step closer to perfecting it.

He's a gamer who can minmax his stats in his mind because his brain just clicks with it that well and he applies it to his own life too. Hell, he does it to other people too using the Sage's Eye skill he has. He literally strategizes all of his approaches because he needs to for his scripts to work and it's how he keeps himself stable

He's often blunt and almost crass in a way that is like totally missing social cues from others and he still bulldozes forward with that but since he's attractive the wider world just sees this colder exterior as him being cool or whatever (this happens for a lot of him actually, being attractive does a lot of heavy lifting in life). As a result though people do find him rude or just strange but really he does mean to be doing the best he just doesn't adapt well to deviations from what he is expecting things to be like. He will work HARD to get things back onto familiar tracks too

He's also a minimally verbal KING like yes girl, give us nothing!!! He will say bare minimum and instead just act because it's faster and easier, which his party gets used to eventually and just turn to Kim Dokja (another autism king tbh) to pick up where YJH left off. If he could get away with never talking he absolutely would too. This man does NOT want to talk and explain if he doesn't have to. In fact he repeatedly just thinks his words at KDJ when he suspects mind reading is a skill that Dokja has instead of verbally speaking to him. This isn't to say he doesn't talk and he does show to be good with words when he tries but I will once again point at the script usage I keep mentioning. He absolutely has practiced these speeches a ton by the time you get to them in the book.

When it comes to things he has down pat he is so straight forward with explaining it that he even teaches like the kids things and sees people progress in leaps and bounds from it (although this is arguably also because he redid this over and over as a regressor but we love him for it)

He also has the running theme of not eating food made by other people because it's not delicious' to which i say no! He doesn't want to explain to others his texture sensitivities and to get people off his back he just taught himself to cook. So now he makes bomb ass food that everyone else pines after because this autism king cracked the code on being social. I mean fr people won't treat you as too weird if the food you make is bangin and before someone says he doesn't cook for others, he literally makes a show of having a minor fit over it before he just lets it go and people can try it or 'have the leftovers'. I mean he lets KDJ have bits rather early on and this is someone who regularly ruins the plans he has and frustrates him to no end by having figured out ways to work his scripts into more efficient ways (allegedly)

And don't even get me started on the constant cleaning of his swords and such. Buddy, talk about a stim of fiddling with things he is shown to be messing with his swords so often when they aren't actively completing tasks it's practically his idle animation. The fact that it fits his practical approach to life with his scripts he uses because it means his weapons will be in good condition is just icing on the cake too.

He also straight up has tics that are so consistent people who know what to look for can read his moods off of them which is also iconic tbh… this along with his minimal affecting outside of it, which bc he's handsome people just look at him as being cool again, is something that is pointed out over and over in the novel and is depicted in the webtoon too it's just less evident bc of the visual medium.

When he does have his full meltdowns, blended with his other mental illnesses, they get so bad that he is regularly referred to as a sunfish bastard by KDJ because of how susceptible he is to being overloaded by the stress of big changes

So like i don't know how to avoid getting into spoilers here so don't read the rest of this if you haven't read the novel to completion

YJH really does end up getting pulled out of a number of meltdowns by KDJ and as a result does start to subconsciously rely on him for that and does actually have meltdowns specifically over the fact that KDJ isn't there as an anchor even tho he hadn't had him in any of the prior regressions. Regardless of this he trusts this other (autistic in a similar but more adaptably masking way) dude to edit the script he holds onto so strongly for him. Don't get me wrong he does repeatedly try to get back on familiar ground over and over but he does eventually trust KDJ to the point that when he is told by KDJ that he could rest and it would be handled for him he feels literal relief at being able to just… not have to be in control of himself for a bit.

He is NOT capable of handling losing things well either. This is like his biggest masking point, like he experienced his mentor dying and was like "i'm never coming back" because it was a point that was technically avoidable now that he had already learned the skills. Unlike his core party that he intentionally keeps as small as possible (4 maybe 5 core members, depending on the round) and even with that barrier he still starts masking HARD to avoid letting himself get hurt too badly. AND STILL he absolutely fails at that and it still gets to him over and over to the point of regular nightmares across his regressions and is a huge part of his depression

When he kills the only person that he thought truly understood him on a better level than the rest, not knowing he was just in a different realm bc KDJ is a slippery bastard who knows how to game the system, he continues to pay the subscription for their shared personal chat room for THREE YEARS to keep talking to him about things that were happening on earth. Homie was like "nah nah nah the standard is you die, i get very upset but dont say or show it, and you come back. This was NOT a discussed NOR APPROVED CHANGE to the routine KIM DOKJA." This gets him so keyed up, after watching KDJ die multiple times to keep everyone else alive, and he wants to have control over how things are going around him back SO badly that he was 100% fine with the entire party hating and not trusting him just to have a little bit of control back for his own mental and emotional security.

Hell, a version of YJH has his memories and some of his personality broken up into little kkomas (chibis) that are set up to handle different tasks, which is compartmentalizing tasks to make your brain run better at the most litersl sense, and the fact that the kkoma's themselves have little name tags to help differentiate is also great. They also have routine schedules they follow, which includes daily rotations of tasks like I'm talking "It's 81's day to cook" levels of LITERAL self scheduling to keep a routine. Arguably each of the kkomas could even be seen as different masking fronts too, since the regressions they represent each have different variations that cover a whole spectrum of personalities that work better in different situations, including which ones mesh better with different people. They keep notes that they share with each other.

Also the moment the scenarios were over and he wasn't able to use the scripts he had been fine tuning for hundreds of years, reliving the same years over and over, he stood there and went "I have no idea what to do now that my situation I've learned to handle has changed." Like when the standard for the world finally changed for the first time in (for him) centuries to not be the literal apocalypse he really was so lost he was ready to just quit everything (including living). The plan had been that after the scenarios ended the entire party would get a house with KDJ and all live together but this failed because to get out of the apocalypse for real KDJ did his own sacrificial bs. So now out of the apocalypse he already lost his newly found major anchor point and he wasn't able to ask "so what now" essentially. All he wanted was someone to tell him what he's supposed to do now because he doesn't know how to handle this absolutely massive change. He was so desperate that he literally regressed again, after swearing he wouldn't, to try and just get KDJ back as an anchor so he could have that plan back.

Anyways vote Yoo Joonghyuk, I'm begging

ROUND 2 PART 2

Yoo Joonghyuk X Jonathan Sims

[sheepishfreeloader]

Roomies make tons of leftovers they never eat and buy fruits and cut veggies they also don’t eat which rot in the fridge

It’s all their food but they made it so it’s my partners “chore” to deal with their leftovers even though it’s literally all theirs

I try and discuss how maybe they can just do it since it’s all their food and we already take care of our own leftovers, I don’t see why we have to do theirs too since we make so little and they make so much

Instead of a waiting for a normal discussion after work, the one roomie who doesn’t work decides to get up early and stomp downstairs and slam doors and slam the garbage lid tossing out her and her partners nasty leftovers 😑

Girl no one told you you had to get up at 8am to stomp your butt downstairs and clean. We were literally just discussing changing the chore because it’s not working and our cooking situation changed earlier this year. If you wanna be mad be mad, it’s your own problem. Your going on your second vacation this year that your partner is 100% paying for and driving you to. Get over it. It’s a chore you should have been doing anyway instead of shoving it off on my partner 😑

I’ve been doing great this year not letting her bad attitude, inability to small talk normally with friends, and general crabbiness not get me too worked up like it did all the time last year. Pretending she doesn’t exist usually helps lmao, and since she pretty much just lives in the living room watching TV all day and we stopped eating her cooking several months ago she usually just blends in like she’s barely there. But god dang. Stomping and slamming shit like a child when someone asks her to take care of her rotten food? Incomprehensible. But I need to remember most of the time anger isn’t about you, it’s about things they’re going through being misdirected. My request and discussion is reasonable, but her explosive reaction is due to stress from her mother, having to pack, and doctors appointments, and doesn’t make what I asked any less normal. It’s a her problem.

“Can you take care of your rotten food, and maybe discuss changing the chore because you make a ton of leftovers and shouldn’t expect my fiancé to take care of our food AND your food” is NOT unreasonable. Her anger is not my problem. It is not my issue. I don’t have to let her emotional issues bleed into me or keep me from my own peace of mind.

If she wants to push off all the major chores on her already overworked husband, fine. They can suffer together.

If she wants to sit on the couch and binge watch TV and movies for 8 hours straight everyday in a windowless room, fine. She can let her brain rot and it’s not my business.

If she wants to make necklaces and clothes that she shows nobody but my fiancé and which sit in an already bursting closet because she doesn’t go anywhere, fine. It’s her husband’s money and his side of the closet thats bursting with her shit, and he doesn’t care.

If she wants to avoid all social contact with people and old friends in a discord because she didn’t get a joke 1 time and so “the server just isn’t for her,” fine. She can sit alone in her windowless room and forget how to talk like a normal human being, that's her prerogative.

I’m doing really well this year and she continues to flounder in her own pity. She used to be a great friend, I still lament our dead relationship where we would go to the store together and have really good long talks, back when she used to say she really admired and looked up to me.

And I know this all started when her father passed away nearly two years ago, but does that make her treatment of us any better? Does that make her continued disregard for her future self any healthier? Grief can really destroy a person. But no matter how much empathy or patience we’ve given her she continues to be this stubborn mass of nothingness. Either blending into the couch or exploding when push comes to shove because she’s gotten so out of practice with the world that she can barely function. But we are not therapists, and being her friend has also not helped her, so there’s nothing to do but prioritize ourselves now. We can’t stop our own lives for hers, even if we care… we cannot be doormats.

[badwolfweightloss-blog]

1-31

End of January. Lost 13 pounds. Still feel dejected because its so much higher than where I need to be. And more importantly, its higher than 200, which I was already at back around September. So I am having trouble drumming up positive feelings about this 13 pound loss when its still higher than it was in September. its not like anybody will notice right now. Why should they, when the only thing they probably noticed was the 13 pound gain I had to get up to 216 pounds this year. Ugh. I'm trying to be positive, really I am. I spend a great deal of time all day just telling myself that I can do it, I am doing it, I have changed my life already. And its true, I have. Sobriety is new to me for this decade, and I am sober right now as of 25 days. And, I am going to stay sober. It was hard to have the recipe yesterday call for red wine. I thought about it, really I did. But the thought of an open wine bottle, with just 4 ounces missing for the recipe would leave a lot of leftover ounces. I would have loved to drink them up. A little for the recipe, a little for the cook. Some more for dinner, where I'd already be tipsy and some extra portions of food too because it was delicious - omg, this recipe really was. But because I was sober, I was able to hold it to 1 portion and really eat it slowly, enjoying it. Practicing being in the moment. It was good - and having dinner with the family was good. But then hubby brought up how he can and should have a glass of red wine a day because its good for his heart and I completely had a meltdown. I started shaking I was so angry at him - he who was recently diagnosed with high A1C and should cut back on sugar, carbs - but the doctor apparently never mentioned alcohol, because he is still drinking. i think a part of me thinks that he should give up alcohol now too because I have. But once again, he will never, ever give anything up for me, at least not without rubbing it in my face that he has made such a sacrifice for me. I hate that. Just don't do the thing for me in the first place if that's how you are going to be. Anyway, he has no plans to stop drinking, and has said that many, many times - even through my pregnancies. Its fine. Everyone has their own journey when it comes to alcohol. And I'll be strong. Maybe I can lead by example as I become a better version of myself. Either way, I was triggered by his declaration that he was going to be able to drink my favorite alcohol. That's all I need is to sit down at dinner and have him sitting there drinking a glass of red wine, throwing it in my face with his smug stupid face. I'm angry at him at the moment right now too because he added how I look so much sexier to our bedroom talk last time and it really upset me, but we were in the moment, and he was drunk, so what the hell was I supposed to say? I guess I have to address it during a non-sexy time, but its really awkward to bring up without making it sound so, so strange. I mean, do I want weight loss compliments from him or not? The problem is I don't think he's smart enough to understand how to form a proper compliment when it comes to this. And if I tell him what I want, he will take it personally and make it all about him and get defensive. The proper way to compliment my weight loss is tell me how I look healthy and happy and look good in my clothes. I don't want comparisons like I look so much better, or sexier, or less fat or anything that underhandedly insults the way I looked before. The thing that stands out in my head is the insult the last time I lost a ton of weight. I showed him the before and after picture and he said "I can't believe I used to sleep with THAT." I will never, ever get over that. I'm sure I've written about it before. I know I have. I don't know how to get it out of my head. And the other night, when he said I look so much sexier - it really fucking triggered me.

[nempthis]

Happy Birthday to me

Before I even forget, this is what happened to my birthday last November 30.

The night before I turn 23, I was having a really severe cold and I got the news that there will be a power interruption the next day. I thought the world was against me for giving me cold on my birthday and for also scheduling a fucking power interruption on that date. Like how am I supposed to cook when we use an electric stove here? So no birthday then? As if this year is a total bullshit in my part.

Gladly, people behind the electric corp rescheduled the power interruption because November 30 is a holiday for fuck's sake and having no electricity will bum everyone out so they have to do what they need to. Long story short, power interruption didn't happen and I was able to cook food for my bday.

First, I woke up tired and not feeling special as if my birthday is just an ordinary day but good thing my closest friends and my family greeted me. I didn't receive gifts from anyone except from my mom, dad, gek and van. Dad also arrived before 12 noon and then he gave me the budget for my bday so Gek and I can finally go to the market and shop the things that I need.

Yeah, this birthday happened because of me. If it wasn't for me then no one would celebrate it for me. I mean I did everything from thinking the menu under the budget, shopping the ingredients, cooking, decorations and even the cleaning afterwards.

I appreciate that my dad was here on my birthday, my best friend van bought me a cake as her gift and my boyfriend gek helped me with everything. He spent his rest day helping me do stuff on my birthday and I appreciate it of course. He promised me that we'll have a date and it's his treat when he finally got his first pay check that's why he can't give me anything on my birthday but his time, presence and effort to assist me.

All the food I listed in the menu was on the table, prepared by yours truly. We had buttered garlic chicken, carbonara, pizza, cheese sticks, cake and sweet corn as side dish. For few people who attended, the food was bountiful so I gave the leftovers to dad and gek. I also saved for myself.

Van helped me cleaned up and by the way, the decorations were recycled from van's birthday. I also bought that myself but I didn't take it down yet because I still have to use it on my day.

I also made a ton of wishes and blew a candle so hopefully all my wishes will come true.

I went to bed with gek happy and satisfied because I was still able to spend my bday with the important people of my life. There was food, the power interruption didn't happen and my cold was also getting better. This year's bday was simple but still blessed that I am still alive at 23 somehow.

As I get older, my birthdays are becoming a regular day but it's cute that only the closest people to me can remember it :)

This is me and Neptune. Cheers to 23!

[secretobsessionstuff]

I know you've been getting tons of requests lately but can I suggest for later a very burpy Blair please? (no emeto, sfw) something is bothering her stomach and it gives her a really bad belly ache, just lots of tummy rubs and fluff :>

Thank you so much for your patience, anon! I hope you like it.

This is sfw but the ending got me feeling some type of way ;)

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

Blair started the conversation on the other side of the couch. She and Dakota weren’t even touching. Halfway through the conversation, she had somehow appeared right next to him. But so far only their hands were touching. 

She wasn’t big on PDA, and this was Shawn and Mateo’s apartment after all—it wouldn’t be polite for them to be on top of each other. Besides, the conversation was lively enough that Dakota was more focused on what they were talking about. He held her hands in his lap, but that was all. 

Normally, Blair would be okay with the minimal amount of touching. She was content to just have his hand on her thigh or on her lower back. It was the little touches that reminded her that even when they were with other people, his mind was still on her. But that night she felt clingy and achy. And sleepy. Her head kept lolling forward and she had to resist the temptation to rest it on Dakota’s arm. 

Heavy meals always made her tired. They had eaten fish and chips. Shawn had battered the fish himself and fried potatoes wedges to make homemade fries. Perhaps he was trying to make up for the last time they had dinner together. That night had ended early with Shawn on the kitchen floor, breathing through a panic attack. 

The food was good, but Blair found it greasy. Of course, Dakota had cleaned his plate and moved onto Blair’s plate when he saw that she still had fries leftovers. She had not hesitated to push her plate closer to him. She was grateful for her boyfriend who never seemed to have a limit to his appetite. This way, Shawn and Mateo wouldn’t question the food leftover on her plate.

“Do you cook from scratch often?” Dakota asked Shawn as they ate ice cream in the living room. Blair had declined, saying she was full which wasn’t a lie. She just didn’t mention that the fullness came with a twinge of nausea. 

Shawn looked down at his bowl of ice cream, “Only the easy stuff. We had a cook growing up and I picked up a few things. I used to make bread, cream soup, and pasta with my siblings but not so much anymore.” 

Dakota gave Blair a nudge. “Damn, Bee, we need to make these dinners a weekly thing.” 

Blair winced at the movement. So apparently, she hadn’t been able to resist the temptation of melting into her boyfriend. Her head was properly planted against his arm, and she could feel herself slowly sinking lower. Pretty soon she’d be using his lap as a pillow. 

The rumbling in her belly was making her sluggish and uncomfortable. All this talk of food was not doing her any favours. She waited until Dakota’s attention moved back to Shawn and Mateo before letting out a burp, using his body to muffle the sound. 

Dakota kept on talking about food, occasionally glancing down at her whenever she burped. He didn’t mention anything in front of their friends, but he gave her hand a small squeeze. 

For most of the conversation, Blair zoned out. Dakota’s deep voice moved through his body, creating a muffled background noise from having her ear pressed up against him. She didn’t think her eyes were closed until someone said her name, snapping her out of her bellyache-induced daze. 

“You sure you don’t want anything else, Blair?” It was Mateo asking. He was standing now in front of them with empty bowls of ice cream in his hands.

Blair sniffled and blinked her eyes open. “I’m good. Dinner really filled me up. I could fall asleep."

“Fair enough,” he said. “You do look quite tired.” 

“Sorry,” she said, sketching out her neck. 

“No worries. You can lie down in my room for a while if you want.” 

Blair hesitated. The offer sounded nice, but she didn’t want to impose. “I’ll think about it.” 

Mateo grabbed Dakota's dishes. “Sure, whatever you want.” He looked at Shawn.” “Will you help me in the kitchen?” 

Blair and Dakota found themselves alone in the living room. In the sudden silence, Blair felt like the entire world could hear her belly gurgle as it tried to digest the greasy meal. Trapped air and food shifted nauseatingly inside of her. The momentary quiet was peaceful, and then Blair killed it by burping wetly into her hand. 

“You’re doing that a lot,” Dakota remarked. “Are you feeling okay?” 

“I think the food upset my stomach a little.” 

“Do you want to leave?” 

“No, it’s not that bad,” she said with a hand on his leg to keep him from standing up. “Besides, seems like you’re having a nice time.” 

“I am, but if you’re sick—”

“—I’m not sick, just tired and full. I might actually take Mateo up on his offer.” 

“What’s that now?” Mateo asked, walking back in the room with Shawn behind him. 

Blair had to admit that she was exhausted so she explained that lying down for a bit would be nice. She was also exhausted of hiding how she felt. Mateo led her to his room. It was very clean and monochromatic. The bed was made with the sheets tucked in tightly. Nothing was out of place. 

“It’s so tidy,” she said as she slowly sat on the edge of the bed. 

“I mostly sleep with Shawn in his room.” He looked away awkwardly. “It’s not this clean, I assure you.” 

Blair nodded. She bowed her head when another burp travelled up her throat. Mateo was politely staring at the ground when she looked back up. She cleared her throat and shuffled to the head of the bed where crisp clean pillows awaited her head. 

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked. “You’re paler than usual.”

“Yeah.” Blair didn’t want to say anything about the food because they had been nice enough to make it. “Thanks for letting me rest here for a bit.” 

Mateo gave her a smile. He understood his cue to leave, turning off the light as he did. 

Blair sighed and curled up on the mattress. She didn’t get under the blankets because that seemed invasive somehow. And she was warm enough as it was. That whole ordeal left her cheeks pink and hot. Each burp that escaped past her lips made her anxious that someone would notice how uncomfortable she felt. Dakota noticed obviously, but it was her friends that she worried about. 

Now as she rested in Mateo’s room, her worries drifted to the ache in her middle. It was a dull pain that radiated up her throat. Her stomach was not used to overly greasy food and it was vocal about its disapproval. Each burp made her shiver and hug her knees tighter to her chest. There was a throw blanket at the end of the bed which did she did end up using to cover her legs.

Blair wasn’t sure how long she slept for—or if she even slept—when the bedroom door creaked open. The persistent ache in her belly told her it must not have been a long nap. Dakota’s head peeked into the room. 

He silently came in and crawled his way up the bed. He dragged his hand along her body and let it come to a rest in the dip of her waist. “You awake?” he whispered. Blair mumbled a yes. “How are you feeling?” 

“Bloated,” she said. “What are you doing here?” 

“I came to check on you,” Dakota replied as if it were obvious. And it was obvious because she had clearly been feeling very bad. As he rested his hand on her stomach, he realized that he was right to check on her, and that she was right about being bloated. He reached further down the side of belly, feeling just how full she really was. “Oh Bee—”

“I know. It hurts a lot and I keep needing to burp but it’s not helping much.” She shifted around on the bed, making the blankets bunch up under her. Then she remembered that this wasn’t her bed. “You left Mateo and Shawn by themselves?” 

“Well, who else was I going to leave them with?” he chuckled but Blair did not laugh back. Her body stayed as rigid as a stone. “It’s fine. We were playing a video game, so they’re distracted.” 

“You should—hic—go back,” she mumbled in between a hiccup. The hiccup got caught in her chest and came out as a strangled burp. She moaned and put her hand over Dakota’s that was on her stomach. 

“Mhm,” Dakota hummed, “I think I should stay right here.” His voice was husky as he continued to whisper. Blair shivered at his breath on the back on her neck. “Let me help.” And he started making circles with his hand.

Blair closed her eyes again. His touch was soft and soothing. She let Dakota rub her stomach for a while. Her breathing was beginning to even out when a loud wet gurgle moved through her belly. Without warning, a burst from her mouth. “Ugh, I’m—”

“—Shh, don’t say you’re sorry. You’re fine.” The soothing circles slowed down as Dakota thought about something. “Did that help?” 

“A little.” 

“There’s a lot of trapped gas in here, isn’t there?” Dakota said, unaware that Blair’s face was heating up. “Maybe I can make it happen again.” He gave her tummy a small push which immediately elicited another burp from the pit of her stomach. Blair exhaled deeply, feeling the first taste of relief. 

“There you go,” Dakota said. He traced more circles on her middle before daring to push again. “Let’s see if there’s one more.” 

Blair gasped as he pushed harder this time. This one worked wonders. She let out a deep belch that brought with it the taste of dinner. But it made her so much lighter. She swore she could feel her belly deflate and relax against Dakota’s touch. 

“Good girl,” Dakota said, kissing the back of her neck. 

Blair sighed and melted into her boyfriend. She felt as if she would float off the bed if it weren’t for Dakota’s arm over her body. He stopped pushing and simply traced along her tummy with his fingertips until she was ready to leave. 

[hikari-kaitou]

Capcom's Official AA Fanclub Surveys - DGS Edition

Many Western fans may be familiar with the Turnabout 4koma comics that get posted on the official AA fanclub site that Capcom runs, thanks to some lovely fans on tumblr and elsewhere who have shared their translations. What fewer people seem to know about is the character surveys.

Back in the old days, they used to hold a survey on Capcom's official AA fansite every few months where they'd write about the seasonal activities of a handful of characters and ask fans to vote for the funniest/most pleasant/strangest/etc answer.

They stopped doing them in like... 2016? 2017? The original text is lost for good as far as I can tell. Even the wayback machine couldn't help because the content was password locked and you can't get past the password wall while remaining in the archived version.

Fortunately, I saved some of my translations of them so I thought I’d share them.

Cut for length...

"February has begun, and the DGS cast is nearing the end of their journey aboard the RFS Alacrei. Which of them acted the most strangely?"

Ryuunosuke ~ Exhausted from his intensive study session, he decided to try some katana swinging practice as a change of pace and to combat his recent lack of exercise. But because he wasn't used to handling the katana, he swung it too hard and it went flying out of his hands and got stuck in the wall right next to Sherlock, who had just entered the room. Sherlock asked him, "aren't you supposed to be studying right now, Mr. Naruhodo?" and handcuffed him to his desk.

Susato- worked on developing a curriculum for Ryuunosuke. 'If we keep going at this pace, he won't be able to learn it all in time... It'll be hard on Naruhodo-sama, but we'll have to work hard through a couple of nights together.' With that thought, she created a harsh study schedule, and almost seemed to be looking forward to it for some reason.

Sherlock- Driven by excitement over the thought of returning to England after a long absence, he went up on deck to stare at the ocean. Being February, it was very cold out there and he ended up being chilled all the way to the tips of his fingers. He returned to the ship cabins and amused himself by putting his frozen hands on Ryuunosuke, who was stuck in his room studying.

Van Zieks- Upon hearing from Vortex that there was a Japanese exchange student coming to England to study law, he smashed a Lord's Bottle. He apparently also didn't care for the fact that that Japanese student wouldn't be alone, because he proceeded to shatter his chalice, too.

Hosonaga- in order to provide a respite from studying, he provided some hot chocolate. They enjoyed a pleasant tea time, marveling over how sweet and delicious the drink was until Sherlock piped up with some unnecessary trivia: 'Actually folks, chocolate has long been used in Europe as an aphrodisiac!' Everyone promptly spat it out."

"The long winter is nearly over and spring is on it's way, putting the DGS cast members in a celebratory mood. Who found the best way of enjoying spring?"

Ryuunosuke: the Yuumei University faculty members were holding a flower viewing event, and he joined the assistance committee. He exhausted himself keeping the blankets clean so the intense shower of flower petals wouldn't pile up too high on them, delivering sake and snacks, and mediating whatever pointless fights arose. To top it all off, for some reason his compensation was only a single piece of leftover candy. Talk about a sad result!

Susato- her father and the others living in his dormitory were  holding the flower viewing event, so she got up early to prepare the bentos. But her father carelessly forgot to tell her that they wanted tea cakes, so she had to go around the house and neighborhood collecting sweets. For some reason, she ended up being able to gather caramels, biscuits, candy sticks, basically everything but tea cakes, for the tea ceremony.

Sherlock- he disguised himself as a beat officer and infiltrated Scotland Yard to have some fun. There was a real beat officer napping on his feet in the spring sunshine, and while observing him, Sherlock ended up falling asleep too. Detective Gregson gave them a good scolding when he found them, but then Sherlock revealed his true identity with a "hey, it's me, folks!" "What the blazes do you think you're doing?!" Gregson shouted, his rage growing even more, and Sherlock ended up making a run for it.

Van Zieks- went to the vineyard to oversee the production of the contents of his Lord's Bottle. As he viewed the still unopened grape blossom buds, he thought about how they would someday grow up to fill his Lord's Bottle, and ended up going around to look at each one. But the farm hands couldn't stop wondering whether the bottle itself or its owner's heel might come flying at them and were quite uneasy.

Asougi: exhausted himself running around since early morning helping with the professors' flower viewing event. When it was over, he took a break, sharing his reward candy stick [the name of the candy literally translates to 1,000 year candy] with Ryuunosuke, who had also been helping out. 

"I wonder if the candy's effect is halved if you share it with someone."

"That still gives us 500 years."

They laughed and enjoyed looking at the flowers until dark. Then they parted ways with a handshake and a "see you later, best friend."

(This one was something about celebrating New Years. For some reason I didn't save the original question)

"Ryuunosuke ~ To celebrate New Years, he planned to pound mochi with everyone at the office. He somehow managed to get his hands on some mochi rice and he and Sherlock started pounding. Iris was having such fun watching them that she steamed a whole bunch more mochi rice so they could have some to share, and he and Sherlock spent the whole evening pounding mochi like crazy.

Asougi~ Because it's New Years, he went around to a bunch of shrines. When he drew his new year's fortune, he got a "horrible luck" result. "I'm not worried about it," he claimed, and headed up to the mountains early on New Years morning and work hard on a full training course of purification by water, meditation under a waterfall and wooden sword practice. It seems that he was working really hard to clear his mind of all earthly thoughts

Sherlock- Agreed to help Ryuunosuke pound mochi. As Ryuunosuke was flipping the mochi over, he carelessly dropped his badge into the bowl and Sherlock mixed it in without noticing, so they had to crack open both the hard and soft mochi to look for it. Fortunately they found it in the 4th one they checked, but apparently Sherlock got his hands and face covered in sticky white mochi in the process.

Susato- Wore a furisode and went with her father to do the first shrine visit of the year. The shrine was incredibly crowded and they had to wait in line for a long time, but she brought the Encyclopaedia of British Law and a copy of the Strand Magazine in her sleeves to secretly read as they waited so she actually ended up enjoying the wait.

Van Zieks- Ryuunosuke cheerfully gave him some mochi as a New Year’s (which at that time was celebrated at the same time as the Chinese New Year) gift, which he accepted confusedly, wondering “...Can the Japanese not even keep track of when the New Year is?” Because Ryuunosuke referred to it as a rice cake, he tried to eat it like a regular cake without softening it with heat first. It was so hard that he couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be food, and ended up misunderstanding the Japanese even more!

"Autumn has arrived, and the weather is starting to cool off, which means that everyone is becoming more active. Which character chose the most pleasant autumn activity to keep busy with?"

Iris was making bread but her hands are small and it’s difficult for her to knead the dough, so she asked for Ryuunosuke’s help. She wanted to make enough to hand out to Gina and all the other homeless children in the East End, so she made a massive amount and Ryuunosuke was stuck kneading this massive mountain of bread dough all day. Apparently he became such a expert at kneading that he could be a baker now.

Asougi was practicing with his sword, slicing autumn-colored ginko leaves as they fell from the tree. He cut so many leaves, though, that he ended up making a big mess on the ground, the number of fallen leaves now having increased, and it took him a long time to clean it all up.    

Sherlock: Ryuunosuke told him that he was making anpan (bread filled with sweet red bean paste, the bane of my Asian-dwelling existance) and asked Sherlock to help by being in charge of getting the poppy seeds they’d need to sprinkle on top, so Sherlock went out and gathered a ton of poppy seeds. In fact, he got so many of them that no one knew what to do with them all cuz they had a huge amount of leftovers. Sherlock said, “Well, they’re only the size of poppy seeds! Surely you two can deal with them somehow! Ahahaha!” and Iris scolded him.   

(I couldn’t capture it in English, but Sherlock’s line contained a pun, and a pretty stupid one at that, so that’s part of why he got scolded)

It’s grape harvesting season, so Van Zieks commutes to the winery regularly to direct the production of the contents for his “Lord’s Bottle.” He demands perfection in everything from the selection of the grapes to the way they’re squeezed, and the winery staff is terrified by the “grim reaper’s” gaze and heel swinging (i.e. the leg thing he does in court) so they grumble as they work. 

"Hearing that there’s a holiday in the West called Halloween, the people involved with the court in Japan decided to try it out themselves. Naturally Halloween is a big deal in England as well. So, which member of the DGS cast had the best celebration?"

Team Ryuunosuke and Asougi- Asougi got Naruhodo up on his shoulders and they draped a white sheet over themselves to make a ghost costume. They went out like that, but Naruhodo had such exaggerated reactions to the fear of the people who saw them and to bumping his head on tree branches that they ended up losing their balance and falling on top of each other?!   

Sherlock Holmes- went wearing a horse’s head mask. Iris used her skills to make it a fancy horse covered in stars, but the eye holes weren’t well made and he had to wander around blindly. Because of that he tripped hard over a pile of coal! He ended up getting so dirty that the stars on his costume were covered up!

Van Zieks- took inspiration from his nickname and dressed up as the grim reaper. He covered himself up with a skeleton mask and hood figuring no one would know it was him. Unfortunately he got angry when he saw Megundal (McGilded) pass by and started throwing bottles and glasses and ended up giving himself away.

"November has arrived, and autumn is nearing its end. However, the DGS cast is still keeping busy, even on their days off. Which character chose the most interesting way to spend their late autumn day?"

Ryuunosuke- Thinking that he’d better learn more about British culture if he was going to be a defense attorney in Britain, he went down to the East End with Gina for a little observation. However, because an Asian like him stood out so much, he got mobbed by the other children. On top of it all, his arm band got stolen from him and he had to send a replacement request to Yumei University on the other side of the ocean.

Asougi- He went for a meal at La Quantas. The customer at a nearby table got a persimmon for dessert and scarfed it down, saying “Mm! This is it! This sweetness makes it worthy of being called a treasure among foods!” Asougi tried to comment on this by saying, “The customer at that table sure is enjoying his pershim--gak!” but he may or may not have accidentally bitten his tongue in the process and been unable to finish his sentence.

Iris- She accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and prepared a bagpipe and kilt costume for him. “This outfit sure is breezy,” Ryuunosuke said shyly upon trying it on. With Ryuunosuke now dressed, he, Iris, and the others from their office headed over to Gregson’s place to get him to treat them to some fish and chips.   

Sherlock- He accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and cooked up some European style curry for dinner. Thanks to the fact that his secret ingredient was a large amount of Chinese herbal medicine style spice, it caused some strange side effects and Ryuunosuke, who’d eaten it, ended up passing out and falling over.

“Another taxing trial for Ryuunosuke has finished and now it’s December. As the year draws to a close, which character acts the strangest?”

Ryuunosuke- he was recruited to help with snow removal around Yumei University and the courthouse and he enthusiastically began his task with the help of a large shovel. He got a little carried away, though, and ended up accidentally burying his umbrella, which he’d left propped up against the side of the building, in the snow he’d just finished shoveling.  He had no choice but to share Asougi’s umbrella on the way home.

Asougi- On the way home, he nods silently to Ryuunosuke’s question of whether he’d finished his travel preparations and changes the subject: “...Come to think of it, it seems that tomorrow is celebrated in the West as God’s birthday.” “I’ve heard that they eat chicken as part of the traditional celebration. Wanna try it?” Ryuunosuke asks invitingly. Asougi is strongly opposed to that particular menu item, however, and they end up going out for their usual beef stew that night instead.           

Susato- in addition to her year-end travel preparations, she also was busy with straightening up the book room in her home. She managed to get the law books in order when she suddenly stumbled upon some old issues of Strand Magazine! She hurried through the rest of her cleaning, then began flipping through the magazines she’d found, trying to decide which to take with her on her trip. She accidentally lost herself in her reading and didn’t realize it until it was already the middle of the night.

Sherlock- he was in the middle of a long ship voyage when Christmas night came. His mind on his partner in a far-off country, he made a toast alone on deck, when suddenly the crew began shooting off fireworks with a cry of “Merry Christmas!” Sherlock had to dart back and forth across the deck to prevent the fireworks from hitting him and setting off the explosive chemicals he carries with him.

Main series edition

[fangirlwriting-stories]

By Any Other Name

Chapter One

Chapter Three:

Duke, as it turns out, had made red sauce from actual tomatoes before, and was more than willing to help Anxiety figure out how to do so.  Anxiety had never really focused much on food before.  When It gave him food It was always watching him, for what Anxiety wasn’t sure, but he did know that as a result he focused far more on It than on the food, what it was, or how it tasted.  So while he couldn’t necessarily compare their homemade sauce to something one would buy in the market, he could say that he liked it as it was.  Duke seemed to like it too, and Deceit didn’t say anything about how much he hated it, which was probably a good sign.

The leftover pasta was put in the fridge, and then Anxiety asked if they wanted him to make another storm like the one he’d done last night.  When Duke agreed and Deceit grunted vaguely approvingly, Duke showed him up to the flat part of the roof.  Anxiety pulled storm clouds in and started a storm that should last the night.

“So it seems like the field only affects things outside of it?” Anxiety said.  “Since I can still do magic?”

“Looks like it.  I mean, Deceit and I can’t do magic, so we’ve never really tested it before.”

“The field itself is magic,” Anxiety pointed out.

“We bought it in town.  That device over there that turns it on and off is the whole thing, it brings the field with it if you move it.  This guy we know named Logic made it.  I mean, I don’t think he would have sold it to us directly anymore, but a lot of his inventions get passed around, so.”

“Why wouldn’t he sell it to you directly?” Anxiety asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.

“Oh, he doesn’t like us.  Him and Morality and my brother.  They’re trying to fight It too, but they don’t like our way of going about it, so they refuse to help us.”

Anxiety gave him a baffled look.  “That’s so stupid.”

“Well hey, I mean we don’t like them either.  I don’t want to work with my brother, he’s a dick.  We don’t get along anymore.”

Anxiety kept staring.  “That’s also stupid.”

Duke shrugged.  “We just don’t work well together.”

“You’re trying to take out the same thing.  You can’t bond over shared hatred or something?”

“Look, I mean it, we don’t work well together.  We’ve tried in the past, we just end up arguing and putting everyone in danger.  It’s safer to just do this our own ways.  If one of us takes It out, that’s that.”

Duke sounded almost angry, and Anxiety wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t think he was angry at him, so he leaned back slightly and kept going.  “You can’t come to a compromise of some kind?  What’s their issue with your methods?”

Duke looked out into Anxiety’s storm.  “Deceit doesn’t want to kill It.”

“He… what?”

“Not right away.  He wants to try and find a way to trap It first, so he can experiment on It.”

“He wants to experiment on It?” Anxiety asked, feeling a little sick to his stomach all of a sudden.  “Why?”

“I think he wants some kind of revenge.  And maybe…” Duke shook his head.  “No.  Forget it.  But Morality, uh, kind of the head of the three of them, doesn’t think that’s the way to go about things.  He says experimenting on It gives It time to escape and hurt someone else.”

Anxiety swallowed.  Whoever this Morality guy was, he was kind of right.  If there wasn’t a way to be absolutely sure It couldn’t escape, trying to trap It was too risky to be worth the effort.  There was no way he was going to say that to Deceit, though.  At least not right now.  Maybe once things weren’t so tense between them, if they ever did improve.

Instead, he turned his gaze upwards.  You could see a lot of stars out here, and Anxiety had placed the storm in such a way that actually framed them pretty well.  If he ever got the chance to build a house to live in, he’d probably add something exactly like this.  He remembered nights back at the shack that he’d sit on the front stoop and stargaze.  It was something that he got to do just for him, just because he wanted to.  He didn’t have a ton of things like that.

The trap door to the roof pushed open, and Deceit poked his head out.  “Are you two coming inside or what?”

“We’re stargazing!” Duke called brightly.  His smile faded a bit and he looked a little more wary as he continued.  “Come join us?”

Deceit glared at him and shut the trap door without another word.  Duke sighed.

“What, he doesn’t like stargazing?” Anxiety asked.

“It’s complicated,” Duke muttered, setting his chin on his knees.  He wasn’t looking up at the stars anymore.

Anxiety frowned and looked back up, trying to find something to say that might help.  “Hey,” he said, after a moment.  “Look, that cluster of stars kind of looks like a squirrel.”

Duke glanced over at him, then back up at the sky.  He started to smile a bit.  “Let’s go murder it,” he said.

Anxiety grinned at him.  “Sure, as soon as we can find a way to breathe in space, and get up into space, and murder clusters of stars that are billions of miles apart.”

“Oh, we’ll just use magic, it’ll be easy.”

Anxiety burst out laughing.  “Magic doesn’t work like that!”

“Well, how would I know, you refuse to tell me how it does work!” Duke exclaimed, and Anxiety instantly stopped laughing.

Duke must have picked up on the change.  “Shit, I’m sorry, I forgot you don’t like it when I ask—”

“Whatever,” Anxiety snapped, scooting over.  “It’s whatever.  I’m fine.”

Duke was silent for a long time, just long enough for Anxiety to start kicking himself for getting freaked out and angry when he’d been trying to help Duke feel better.

“I’m sorry.”

Anxiety looked over.  Duke was looking down at his shoes.  “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.  I knew I’d suck at this.”

“At… what?”

“I was trying to help.  Dee was out here all alone and I didn’t want him to stew in everything all by himself.  I’m just so bad at knowing what to do.  I wanted…” he sniffed.  “Maybe I was being selfish.  Maybe I just wanted someone to talk to.”

“Hey, that’s not selfish,” Anxiety said.  “You… you guys lost someone, right?” he asked, voicing the theory that he’d suspected for a little while.

Duke sniffed again, and nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.  I’m fine.  I’m trying to help.  I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine,” Anxiety said hesitantly.

“I’m fine,” Duke repeated.  “I knew that Deceit wouldn’t want to stargaze, and I asked anyway.  My fault.  And I knew you didn’t like it when I asked about how your magic works.  My fault.”

“Woah, woah, hey,” Anxiety said.  “You just forgot, it’s okay.  And you were trying to cheer Deceit up.  He has to know that.”

“I just don’t know what to do,” Duke said, burying his head in his knees.  “I don’t know how to help him.”

“It’s okay,” Anxiety said.  He wasn’t sure what Duke wanted in terms of comfort right now, so he settled for reaching a hand out and resting it on Duke’s arm.

Duke instantly turned and buried his head in Anxiety’s chest.  Anxiety caught him with a grunt of surprise, and then moved to wrap his arms hesitantly around him.  Duke was starting to shake.  Anxiety didn’t really know what to do to help.  He supposed he was rather like Duke with that right now.

After what seemed like much too short of a time frame in Anxiety’s opinion, Duke pulled back and wiped at his eyes.  “Sorry,” he said, giving a wobbly smile.  “I guess that was kind of annoying, huh?”

“You’re not annoying me,” Anxiety said gently, because Duke was so obviously trying to put a mask back on, and Anxiety would love it if he didn’t do that.

Duke gave an uneasy chuckle.  “I met you like, yesterday, barely, I shouldn’t be dumping all of my problems on you.”

Anxiety didn’t know how to respond at first.  That sentence really didn’t sit right with him, though he couldn’t imagine why.  He had only met Duke yesterday.  He was right, it barely counted as yesterday, it had been the middle of the night.  But he wasn’t going to tell Duke to bottle up what were clearly some things he needed to work through.  He didn’t really want to see him bouncy and grinning if it wasn’t real.

“Dumping all of my problems on you guys was literally the first thing I did when I met you,” Anxiety said.  “I’d say you get some right to dump back.”

Duke looked like Anxiety had just said something he’d been dying to hear for a while, but shook himself a second later.  “No,” he said, continuing to shake his head.  “No.  I’m trying to help Dee.  I’m not going to fall apart too.  I can’t.  I don’t need to.  I’m fine.”

“Duke,” Anxiety murmured.  He reached forward and put his hand on Duke’s arm again.  This time, Duke shrugged it off and turned away.  Anxiety let his hand hang there, unsure what else to do.

“I’m going to head to bed,” Duke said, far too brightly.  He stood and moved for the trap door.  “It’s been a longer day than usual, I think I want some sleep.”

“If you want to talk I’m here,” Anxiety called after him as he started inside.  Duke paused for a moment but didn’t respond.  Then he went inside, shutting the door after him.

Anxiety sighed and looked back up at the stars.

…

“Oh, Anxiety!”

Anxiety blearily opened his eyes to see Duke inches from his face.  Thankfully he was too tired to freak out.

“You slept late again!” Duke called.  “Come on, it’s almost 10:30, you need to eat breakfast!”

“Why?” Anxiety grumbled, burying his head in his pillow again.  “What is breakfast but lunch that hasn’t reached its full potential?”

“Uh… what?”

“I’ll have sleep for breakfast,” Anxiety grumbled.

“Aww, come on.  I want to do something fun while Deceit is at the store.”

Anxiety yawned and stretched his arms out behind his head, looking over at Duke.  He was grinning hopefully.

Anxiety sighed.  “Give me ten minutes.”

“Meet you downstairs!” Duke called, lighting up even more.  “I made waffles!”  He bounced out of the room, and Anxiety pushed himself up on the bed, yawning again.  He looked around the bedroom, realizing he hadn’t really had a chance to explore it yet.  It was pretty sparse, just like the rest of the house.  The only thing in it was the bed he was on and a dresser.  Which he supposed made a bit more sense since Duke said it was a spare bedroom.  There was another one down the hall that Anxiety was pretty sure Duke slept in.

His gaze fell back on the dresser, and he looked down at his outfit.  He hadn’t grabbed a change of clothes when he ran, meaning he’d been wearing this one for a while.  He was kind of surprised Duke hadn’t—

Anxiety paused and gave that a moment of thought.  No, he wasn’t surprised Duke hadn’t noticed.

Either way, there were probably clothes in that dresser.  And he would like some new ones to change into.  Anxiety climbed up and headed over to the dresser.  He pulled open the top drawer and found a bunch of hoodies.  He pulled one out that had purple patches on the sleeves and set it on top of the dresser to put on after he found the other parts of the outfit.

In the next drawer down were shirts, and he grabbed a purple one to match the patches.  In the last drawer on the bottom looked like tighter fitting pants, mostly black or grey, and he grabbed a black pair and set them on the dresser.

He was about to pull off his pants, shirt, and ratty cloak in order to change, when his door opened again.

“Hey, Anxiety you—” the voice stopped abruptly.  Anxiety turned and saw Duke in the doorway looking at the clothes on the dresser.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have asked,” Anxiety said, glancing back at the clothes.  “I just kind of left quickly when I ran and I didn’t get a chance to bring any clothes with me, so I was wondering if there were some in the dresser here… sorry. I should have asked.”

Duke seemed to shake himself out of something and looked back at him.  “Oh.  Oh, it’s fine!  Just, uh…”  He walked towards the dresser and grabbed the hoodie.  “Not that.”  He opened the top drawer and shoved it back in.  “And not that.”  He put the purple shirt back in the middle drawer.  “The pants are fine.  I’ll… I’ll loan you one of my plain black shirts.  And I’m sure Deceit has a cloak if you want one.”

“Yeah, because I’m sure he’ll be just thrilled to loan one to me,” Anxiety muttered.

“Dee won’t mind.  I’ll be back in a second,” Duke said, heading out of the room and down the hall to the other bedroom.

Anxiety seriously doubted that Deceit wouldn’t mind, but he wasn’t going to argue, not after the way Duke had been looking at the clothes.  He could put two and two together.

He opened the top drawer and looked at the hoodies again.  Whoever this person was that was gone, they had good taste.  The hoodies looked cool.

He shut the drawer before Duke came back, and changed out of his pants into the new ones.  Just as he finished Duke opened the door again and handed him what did look like a surprisingly simple black shirt for something that Duke owned, along with a black cloak that matched Deceit’s minus the outline of yellow that the one he usually wore had.  “Here,” he said, handing them to Anxiety.  “And I can get you some new clothes in town next time I head in.  It can’t be comfortable in the same ones all the time.  I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Thanks,” Anxiety said as he left.  He changed into the shirt and wrapped the cloak around him.  It was warm, and smelled like Deceit.  Anxiety held it up for a moment by the edges.  He didn’t really think he was the kind of person who looked good in cloaks, but he didn’t really want to wear just a shirt, and the hoodies were apparently off limits.  So he tucked it around himself and headed down the steps, where Duke was putting a plate of waffles in the spot he’d sat yesterday.

Duke smiled at him for a second, then blinked as he seemed to take him in.  “Wow.  You… you’re not a cloak person.”

“I know, right?” Anxiety said, lifting it again.  “I think the old one wasn’t as bad because it was falling apart and barely even a cloak anymore.  Maybe I’ll make some cuts in this one or something.”  He snorted.  “Deceit definitely won’t mind that.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll appreciate your attempts to explore a style,” Duke said, though his smirk told Anxiety that he didn’t seriously believe that.

“What’s Deceit getting in town, anyway?” Anxiety asked, moving towards the table and sitting down.

“We’re trying to find stuff to upgrade our magic field,” Duke said, sitting down at the chair across from him.  “It’s not really meant to stay on all the time,” Duke said.  “But you don’t need to feel bad about it.  It’s better to have you here.”

“Because you need my help with It,” Anxiety said with a nod.  He took a bite of his waffle.

Duke gave him a look.  “Well yeah, but also to make sure you’re safe.”

Anxiety nodded.  “Right, because you need my help.”

“Okay, but not just because you can help.  We also want to make sure It doesn’t get to you.  You don’t seem to feel safe around It.”

Anxiety blinked.  “Oh.”

Duke leaned forward.  “Anxiety, we’re going to care about your safety.  Even Dee does, I promise.”

Anxiety felt a wave of relief swell up in him.  Oh, that was progress.  He had no idea how long it usually took people to care about other people’s safety; but the fact that he’d managed to win Duke and, according to him, Deceit over in just over a day on that front had to be a positive sign.  “Oh,” he said weakly.  “Okay.”

Duke looked concerned for a second, and seemed about to say something, when a second later the front door opened and Deceit walked in.  He was carrying a couple of tools and what looked like a similar contraption to the magic field outside, balancing them all in one arm so he could use the cane with his other.  He set them all down on the table near the door before starting across the room.

“Alright, I’ve got the things we need, I’m going to be upstairs, come get me in half an hour when you—” he stopped when he noticed Anxiety.  “Did you take my cloak without asking me?”

Anxiety leaned backwards, unnerved by the anger on his face.

“No,” Duke said quickly, standing.  “I did.  He didn’t have another set of clothes, I figured he needed something else to wear.  We can get him clothes next time we go into town.”

Deceit shot Duke a glare and stormed off towards the steps without replying.

“I can give it back!” Anxiety called after him, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

“Shut up!” Deceit snapped without turning around.

Anxiety winced and looked back at the waffles on his plate.  He took another bite.

“Okay,” Duke said, sounding very done.  “Give me a second.”  He walked off after Deceit, leaving Anxiety alone in the kitchen to wonder why he cared so much about the opinion of a guy who was clearly just a dick.

Anxiety finished his waffle before Duke came back, and washed his plate in the sink and put it back in the cabinet.  As he finished doing that, Duke walked in with Deceit in tow, who did not look happy with the situation.

“Anxiety,” Duke said.  “Deceit would like to apologize for being a dick.”

“Hey!” Deceit snapped, glaring at Duke.

“Well, you are!” Duke exclaimed.  “You’re being a dick!”

“You take my clothes without asking and yet I’m the dick?”

“Not to me,” Duke said, crossing his arms.  He nodded over at Anxiety.

“He doesn’t need to apologize to me,” Anxiety said quickly, moving to brush past them into the living room.  “I’m sorry I took your cloak, Deceit.”

“Hang on there,” Duke said, grabbing Anxiety’s arm.  “He does need to apologize to you.”

“No, he doesn’t.  I’m fine, seriously.  He doesn’t have to like me.”

“Oh, would you look at that?” Deceit said, giving Duke a look.  “He says I don’t have to like him.”

Anxiety winced and looked away.  There was no way he was letting it show how much that stung.

“You do have to treat him with basic human decency!” Duke snapped.  “He hasn’t done anything to you, Deceit!”

“Hasn’t— Duke, he’s a literal creation of the thing we’re trying to fight!”

“That isn’t his fault!”

“Please stop arguing about me!” Anxiety yelled, just loud enough to be heard over both of their voices.  “It’s fine.  I’m fine.  I know what I am, okay?  Deceit doesn’t have to like it.”

Duke looked about to protest again, but before he could get a word out, Deceit huffed, turned and stalked back up the stairs like he was fed up with the entire conversation.  Duke looked after him and growled through his teeth, then walked over and sat down on the couch in the living room.  “He should apologize to you,” he said.

“He doesn’t have to.”

“He’s being an asshole,” Duke said, glancing up at him.  “And it seems like it’s hurting you.”

“I’m… fine,” Anxiety muttered, looking away.

“You don’t have to lie about that,” Duke said.

“I’ll stop if you do,” Anxiety muttered.

Duke didn’t say anything.  Anxiety didn’t look to see what his facial expression was.

“I’m going to go give Deceit his cloak back,” Anxiety said after another moment.

“Wait—” Duke started, but Anxiety started before the steps before he could say anything else.

Deceit’s room was near the back of the upper floor.  Anxiety knocked before he opened the door, but didn’t wait for an answer.  He wanted to get this over with.

Deceit spun around at the door opening, and scowled when he noticed who was standing there.  “What do you want?”

“Here,” Anxiety said, taking the cloak off, and passing it over.  Deceit looked at it suspiciously, as if Anxiety had somehow poisoned it.  He snatched it back and looked down at it, then looked back up at Anxiety again.

“You—” Anxiety stopped.  “You really don’t have to be so snappy, you know.  I haven’t done anything to you.”

“Oh, right, aside from being made by the thing that ruined my life,” Deceit said coolly.

“Oh, well, you’ve got me there,” Anxiety said, rolling his eyes.  “I mean, my life has just been a joy after all.”

Deceit hesitated at that, and Anxiety got the sense that he’d made a good point.

“Look,” Anxiety said, looking down.  “I get that you don’t like me, okay?  I get why too.  Just… don’t take it out on Duke, alright?  He has enough going on.”  He looked hesitantly back up at Deceit, trying to judge his reaction.

Deceit just narrowed his eyes.  “What are you talking about?”

Anxiety bit his lip.  “Have you talked to him?  About the person you guys lost?”

“Don’t you dare mention him,” Deceit spat.

“Have you?” Anxiety repeated.

Deceit scowled again, and looked away.  “No.  Why would I need to?  He seems to be doing just swell with the whole thing.  Why would he need to talk about it?”

Anxiety sighed.  “You should talk to him.”

“Don’t tell me what I should—”

“Deceit.  You should talk to him,” Anxiety repeated.  “I think he needs you right now.”

“He doesn’t—”

“Are you sure?” Anxiety asked, and left it at that, giving Deceit one more look before heading out of the room, and back to his own bedroom.  He would just have to hope that Deceit didn’t hate him enough that it overrode the way he seemed to care about Duke.  But something told him that he didn’t need to worry too much.

…

Anxiety spent about an hour in his room, but he quickly realized that without anything to do, it got boring very quickly.  So not long after the hour passed, he headed out of the room and downstairs, planning on checking out that bookshelf he’d seen a couple times in the living room.

Instead, when he got to the bottom of the steps, he saw Deceit and Duke sitting on the couch, clearly in the middle of a conversation.  Anxiety was debating whether or not to speak up when Deceit suddenly pulled Duke in for a hug.  Duke said something incomprehensible, and his voice cracked in the middle, which Anxiety would take as his cue to go back upstairs.

But he’d only made it a couple steps when Deceit suddenly called his name.

Anxiety winced before turning back around.  “Uh, sorry, I was just—”

“No, it’s okay,” Deceit said, sounding much less angry than any other time they’d spoken.  “I think we were done.”  He turned to Duke, who nodded in confirmation, wiping his eyes.  Deceit’s eyes looked a little red-rimmed too.

Deceit started towards the steps, and stopped in front of Anxiety.  Anxiety didn’t know quite what to say.  He kind of just hoped Deceit wouldn’t snap at him again.

His hopes were granted when Deceit just nodded slightly.  “Thank you,” he said.  “For telling me to talk to Duke.”

Anxiety nodded back, a little stunned.  “Um.  You’re welcome.”

Deceit nodded again, mostly to himself, and then moved past him upstairs.  Anxiety turned to Duke, who was finishing wiping his eyes.  He started over slowly, stopping in front of him.

“You told Dee I was hurting,” Duke said quietly, looking up at him.

“Um.  I’m sorry.  I wasn’t really intending to, Duke, I just—”

Duke stood and reached out to yank Anxiety forward into a hug.  Anxiety’s breath caught, and then he relaxed, hugging Duke back.

“Remus,” Duke said.  It took Anxiety a minute to process what he said, but when he did he pulled back in surprise.

Remus smiled at him, still looking a little sad but also grateful.  “My name is Remus,” he repeated.  “That’s my real name.”

“Oh,” Anxiety said, still trying to process being trusted so much.  “I— don’t have a real name.”

Remus laughed.  “I know,” he said, pulling Anxiety back in.  “Thank you.”

Anxiety hugged him back again, starting to smile a little.  “You’re welcome.”

Chapter Four

[bastillewolf]

Hello idk if the requests are still going but if not then its okay ignore this and if they are please don't over work yourself and you don't need to do my request if you don't want to just stay healthy and eat well and drink lots of water we all live your work (and are simps for corpse-)

The ask : could I ask for a corpse husband x reader where they used to get shipped together before they even meet each other and when they meet each other corpse goes soft for reader and they play two rounds In among us together where they are imposters together and corpse is an imposter alone in the other round

Reader info : reader has a very soft voice and is a softie and the pronounce is she/her or they/them ( as you wish)

Again you don't gotta do it if you don't want to

Thanks so much for the ask, An. I was feeling like shit and this was a lot of fun to write. I’m sorry though, I completely read over the part where the reader was supposed to have a soft voice. I’ll see if I can make another one with this specification sometime. Also, I wrote this rather quickly because I’m watching Twilight for the first time and now my feelings are hurt.

#CorpseBride - Oneshot

Pairings: Corpse / Reader

Twitter wasn’t really your forte, but you knew how to get around. It’s just that you never really had the time to check it, let alone to see what’s on the trending page every single day. At the very least, you were capable of replying to your friends’ stuff and letting your viewers know when you were streaming or when a new video would be up. Again, you weren’t a pro, but you got by.

Until you didn’t.

“Hey, everyone,” you greeted, and immediately went to change your Among Us figure to its usual colour and outfit before someone else took it.

Everyone welcomed you, while it seemed Toast was still busy trying to get a last person to join.

“Whaddup, baby,” Corpse’s shot out from the rest of them. It was pure teasing, something he’d grown quite comfortable with ever since people had blatantly started simping for his voice. “Nothing much, honey. How’ve you been?” You cheekily replied. “Pretty good. Streaming still makes me nervous, though.” “You greeted me with ‘Whaddup, baby’ and then proceed to tell me you’re nervous? Don’t get upset when I say that I don’t believe you.” He chuckled at that.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

Impostor

“Ha!” you called out, “I doubt this will soothe your nerves, Corpse. You’re teamed up with me now.” You sneaked in a glance at chat. “We are not an old married couple! If anything, he can be my bitch for this round. I’m just not gonna murder anyone.”

And that’s basically how it went. He managed to kill three people and still wasn’t being sussed. “Alright, I think I’ve tortured him enough,” you laughed, “I’ll even spare Sykkuno for the man.”

You managed to corner Toast and killed him in a corner where the water wheels were, before heading out into admin. You vented until you found Corpse in Labs and jumped out. It was right when Sykkuno walked in.

“Oh, god no. Please, Sykkuno.”

Your kill count still wasn’t down yet and he was obviously planning to run straight out the door to hit the emergency button, but he was stopped. Corpse had murdered him in an instant.

Your mouth was hanging open. “Did… Did he just kill Sykkuno for me?” Chat was going absolutely wild. “What the fuck just happened?” You decided to report the body anyway.

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Corpse growled, “Not my best friend, Sykkuno.”

You had to mute yourself to keep the laughter at bay. Corpse evidently vouched for you, saying you’d walked in on the body together. Felix was sussed and voted out.

“Corpse, you killed me!” Sykkuno cried out.

“I’m so sorry, Sykkuno! I wanted to spare you but you walked in at the wrong time!” You pleaded.

“Sacrifices had to be made,” Corpse merely responded.

“Wait, what happened?” Sean asked.

“I walked in on one of them venting and then Corpse killed me!”

“Collateral damage. You watched me get killed one time, too.”

“Blame me, Sykkuno. It was my fault,” but you were laughing as you said it.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard such regret coming from an imposter,” Sean laughed along, “Also, why the fuck were you two being so slow? Three meetings in and you’d only killed three people.”

“Corpse was simping for me,” you replied.

“I was not.”

“Yes, you were. Otherwise you would’ve asked me what the hell I’d been doing that entire time.”

“Fuck off,” he laughed.

“Corpse is an UWU-boy!”

“Oh my god, you guys are already trending.”

“Wait, what?”

Your phone was being blasted off to space, getting tons of messages with the hashtag #CorpseBride. It was number 1 trending on Twitter.

“So… whaddup, baby?”

“Oh no, you better buy me a drink first.”

“Sure.”

 You hadn’t thought he’d been serious in that moment, until he’d asked you to meet up after the game had ended. You hesitantly agreed, but reminded him that he absolutely did not have to participate in this just for the meme. “I’m not doing this for the meme,” he’d said, “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while, I just never knew how. It seemed like the perfect timing.”

You met him at his apartment, knowing how he was about going out in public, and feeling extremely nervous. You’d brought takeout, and because you hadn’t been sure what he wanted you’d ordered way too much. Upon opening the door, he looked at you, down at the bag, and said, “Shit, you got food?” Not really knowing what else to say, you simply replied, “Uh, yeah.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have lots of leftovers, then.”

He smiled, gave you a hug that ended way too fast and left you paralyzed for a minute, and then invited you in. It turned out he’d already ordered food, too. “Plenty to choose from,” he laughed awkwardly. “Uh… You got any neighbours who might want some?” you asked.

“I-I don’t really talk to anyone outside of my friend group.”

“Oh, of course. I could go around, if you’d like.”

“You’d do that for me?”

You furrowed your brows. “Of course I would. Why not?”

“Alright, but let me at least come with you. You just do the talking.”

Three knocks at three different doors later, and someone accepted the offer and took over some of the food. “Hang on a minute,” the elderly man said, clad in only his pyjamas and a bathrobe, managing to make the situation even more uncomfortable, “Aren’t you my neighbour? You always scurry off before I get the chance to talk to you!”

You looked at Corpse, and he back at you, and you turned back to the elderly man. “He, uh… He’s very people shy. He has anxiety. I’m trying to help him cope. Also, his vocal chords are damaged.” Nothing you’d said so far had been a lie, technically, but the man still remained sceptical. “Then why didn’t you just leave a note or something?”

“Uh…” you jumped at the small voice appearing from behind you. It’s just that his ‘small voice’ is still nothing close to small. “I know, I’m terribly sorry, sir. I also just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anything, I’m just a few doors away.”

This seemed to please the man enough.

“I can’t believe you made me do that.”

“I made you?!” You gasped, “I didn’t make you do anything, you filthy liar! You’re just as bad in real life as in Among Us, when you’re the impostor and I’m the innocent crewmate.”

“No comment.”

“I didn’t even ask you a question.”

“No comment.”

“Deadass?”

“Deadass.”

You both laughed. Corpse hesitated for just a moment, but decided to ask anyway, “Were you nervous when I opened the door?”

You chuckled awkwardly, admitting, “Yeah, I was. I always get anxious meeting people. Well, we’d met before, of course. But just, you know, in real life.”

“I get it.”

You stood there in silence for a moment, until you noticed the rest of the takeout in your hands was getting cold. “Come on, wife,” he joked, linking his pinkie finger with yours, “Let me get you that drink.”

If he hadn’t dragged you along then and there, you could’ve sworn your knees would’ve given out.

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[scorpiobitch95]

Summary: You try convince Walter to love your favorite snack throughout your years together. The best dates are shared over cereal, after all.

Pairing: Walter Marshall x Female Reader

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: sugary sweet fluff, implied smut — nothing graphic, snarkiness, grumpy Walter to fluffy Walter, cursing, cuteness overload.

Author's Note: I let myself get carried away with this one. I needed grumpy but sweet Walter in my life. I hope you enjoy!

Edited by myself, sorry not sorry for the errors.

Taglist: @justaboringadult @greensleeves888 @cavillsharman @beck07990 @summersong69 @myloveforhenrycavill @kebabgirl67

Taglist for this fic: @lumiousmoon

*No permission is given for reposting my work, copying it, or claiming any ideas or parts as your own.

Please comment and reblog if you enjoyed!

It started when you and Walter were early dating.

💋

“Mmmm, pause. I need a snack.” Uncurling yourself from Walter’s warm body on the couch, you made your way to the kitchen to find something to cure your hunger. You called behind you, “Want anything, Marsh?”

“Whatever you’re having... I’ll have the same.”

“Cereal it is!” You pulled the ceramic bowls from the cabinet and opened the fridge to grab the milk. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Walter’s face scrunch in confusion. “What?”

“Cereal? Absolutely not,” Walter scoffed. “Would you grab me those spicy crisps?”

“Spicy chips, coming right up.” Vernacular was the subject of an ongoing heated debate with the Brit: the great ‘Names for Snacks Debate’ was especially hostile.

Once settled back under the blanket and snuggled into his side once more, you unpaused the movie. The energy in the room shifted, you could sense that you were being watched, but you refused to look up to look at Walter’s face. The judgment coming from the bear of a man who crunched his chips beside you was glaring.

"Stop it," you told him as you kept your eyes on the movie.

Walter didn’t say a word. His eyes traveled back to the TV but kept finding their way back to you.

“Walt, what is it? Is there something on my face?” You giggled at him lightly, unsure of what was bothering him.

“You really chose that for a snack?” His face was bewildered as if you were eating a bowl of Jeep parts.

“What? Don’t tell me you don’t eat cereal as a snack.” He shook his head curtly, wearing a look of disgust. Your eyebrows crinkled together as you followed by asking, “Not even as a quick dinner?”

“Cereal is meant for one time and one place, and that’s sometimes in the mornings for breakfast. That's why they call it breakfast cereal, love. Not dinner cereal, not snack cereal... Do you also eat cereal for lunch?” He was poking fun at you now.

“No, I’m not a heathen, Walter. Here, try a bite, just trust me. It’s amazing as a movie snack.”

His eyes were wide as a grimace was sent in your direction, “You’re crazy — no one does that.”

“Plenty of people do that,” you stated matter-of-factly.

“I’m really not the biggest fan…” Walter sighed and settled further into the couch, preparing for your exasperation that he knew was soon to follow.

“WHAT. Not the biggest fan of cereal? I’m sorry, you were sheltered as a child, weren’t you? There's cereal out there for everyone, Walt. Come on, try it.” You scooped a spoonful of your sugary Cinnamon Toast Crunch and held it to him. He reluctantly obliged your wishes, eating the bite but keeping a look of pain on his face for the entire time he chewed.

"See? Delicious. Ice-cold, crunchy, sweet, perfect." A sugary grin accompanied your playful tone, and Walter shook his head again, exaggerating his distaste for having to chew such an atrocity.

"Mhm. Definitely delicious." Your goofy bear was simmering under the surface of his scouring demeanor, though he stuck his tongue out in mock disgust.

"You're not the biggest fan," you muttered under your breath and rolled your eyes for dramatic effect. "I'll show you."

💋

Standing in the grocery store, you and Walter were having a battle of wits, arguing on the subject of your sweet tooth.

“I’m just trying to show concern for your dental health since you obviously won’t; all that sugar isn’t good for you.” Walter stood stern with his arms crossed, unmoving and solid like a brick wall.

“I appreciate your worry, Dad, but I’m going to keep eating it because I love it. One day, I bet I’ll convince you and you’ll be eating it with me. Plus, my dental health is immaculate, my dentist said so.”

The expression on Walter's face was unwavering as his eyebrows raised in a non-verbal challenge to your declaration.

“I don’t know how you can stand to eat that crap,” he muttered, thinking you couldn’t hear him.

“Oh no, don’t you dare, you grump! I don’t get on you about your snacks, back off mine. ” Despite his unnecessary grouchiness, you placed a hand on his crossed arms and raised up on your toes to give him a soft kiss on his bearded face. “Balance, babe. It’s all about balance.” You dug your way through his arms to find his hands and you drug him a little further down the cereal aisle.

“Come on, grumbly, pick out a cereal you think you might enjoy, for experiment’s sake.”

💋

“Fuck, babe. I’m going to be late, we just got called out on another accident. I am so sorry… I’m not sure when I’ll be home.” Walter had been working a ton lately, and his irritation with just how much he’d been working was starting to show. The two of you had been together for a few months now and had started to grow accustomed to having the other around consistently. You both became out of sorts when you hadn’t seen each other in a while.

“Don’t even worry about it, Walter. Just be careful, please... You should still come over when you’re finished tonight, but no pressure if you’re exhausted.”

“Of course, still need to kiss you goodnight. I can’t sleep if I haven’t.”

Walter Marshall might be a grump, but that grump could make your heart flutter in ways that you’d never felt before. Maybe it was that his sweetness and his charms were completely reserved for you and you alone. His teddy bear nature only appeared when he was near you.  After putting back the ingredients for dinner to save for another night, you went to change into your sweats.

Walter appeared at your front door at 12:30 that night, nearly asleep but still standing strong. You’d dozed off on the couch after his call, but were immediately energized again when you saw his beautiful form standing in your doorway.

“Hello, I’m here to have a very late night date with an incredibly beautiful woman,” Walter said, the gravel in his voice making you shiver. Despite his exhaustion, Walter managed to smile at you with one of the biggest smiles you’d ever seen him manage.

You smirked, waving him inside. “Get in here, Bear.”

Walter reached his arms out to you, inviting you into his embrace. Your arms wrapped around his thick torso and you ran your hands up and down his sweater-clad back; he melted into you and burrowed his face into your neck. Walter released an exhaustive exhale. It was heavy and forceful, as though he’d been holding it back behind a stone barricade for the entirety of his day. Warmth flooded your body as his words vibrated from his chest, “Mmm... I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. Let’s get you fed. Preferences?”

Still snuggled in your neck, he gave his reply, “Nothing heavy, please. I don’t want to fall asleep at the table. That wouldn’t make for a good date.”

“Oh Walter, we can postpone date night, you need to eat something and get to bed. It’s nearly one,” you observed gently as you leaned your head back to get a better look at his face.

“No. I came here to have a date night. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day. I need you.” Walter’s warm lips caressed your forehead, placing soft kisses on you. “You think you’re still up for it?”

Nodding at him sweetly, you untangled from his embrace and went to tumble through the fridge, offering out suggestions for food, but he insisted, yet again, that you don’t go to any trouble.

“Okay… you’re going to hate it, but my last option is cereal. Other than that, it’s gonna be random leftovers.” You continued moving containers around in the fridge, taking stock of what you had left from the week before.

“Actually, I think I can handle some cereal.” You whipped your head around incredulously to look and heckle him, but he gruffly interrupted, pointing a finger at you from where he sat at your kitchen table. "Don't. Don't start. It's been a brutal day, and something cold doesn't sound half bad."

You smirked in silence as you turned back and poured your bowls, dancing your hips lightly side to side. Grabbing the candles you had left out for your dinner date, you lit them and placed them gently on the table between the two of you. It was date night, after all.

“Late night cereal date, it is.” Reaching down to caress his chin, you kissed one bearded cheek before sitting beside him. Walter’s lips held a slight curl, softly smiling at your glee.

💋

“Love, snack break?”

The two of you were engaged in an intense game of Scrabble, one of your favorite date-night-in traditions. Nodding your head in Walter’s direction, you continued to study your letters and the board with pure focus until you heard the twinkling sound of cereal hitting ceramic.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, you peeked up from your letter rack to make sure your ears weren’t deceiving you. Walter was not just making a bowl for you, but he was also making one for himself.

No way.

Walter made his way back to the table with the cereal, and you looked up at him in shock as though you hadn’t already noticed what he’d done.

“What is this? What is this I see? Walter Marshall choosing breakfast cereal as a snack? Why, I just cannot believe it.” Mock-surprise overtook your form as you motioned fake mind-blowing explosions from your head. Walter rolled his eyes.

“I figured If I can learn to like you, I can learn to like cereal.”

“HEY.”

Walter shrugged, retaking his seat at the table.

You squinted your eyes at him as you declared, “You’re going down for that. And I don’t just mean by losing this game.” A wicked grin crossed your face when you played your double score word:

“CHEERIO”

💋

Walter worked a lot of graveyard shifts while you were dating and during your early years of marriage while you worked a normal 8-5. Sometimes the only moments that you could see each other were when he came home from his shift early in the mornings before you started your day or in the evenings when you got home before he left to start his.

One early morning during your engagement, Walt showed up unannounced after a hard few nights at the PD. He was worn down but happy to see you, smiling through his exhaustion. This was the longest you’d been apart in a while; you hadn't seen each other in 4 days. You kissed him, lips attacking his while his arms snaked around you and pulled you tightly to his body. He hadn’t even come into the house yet.

Pulling him inside, your hands reached up to hold his scruffy face as you placed a more gentle kiss on his lips. “Babe, have you had dinner? Let’s get you something to eat… what would you like?”

He unfastened his holster, dropping it on the table by the door. Sinking into a chair, Walter bent over to untie his boots as he answered, “Honestly, anything is fine, just some kind of food.”

“I can cook you something! Why don’t you let me —“

“Sweet, don’t go to any trouble. I just want to see you before you go to work.”

He looked at the table where you had just sat down to a bowl of cereal for a quick breakfast before he arrived and pointed lazily to it. “That, I’ll take some,” he said, sleep trying to overtake his form.

Slowly grinning at his statement, you mentioned, "Isn't this technically your dinner time?" Walter wasn’t amused as he tilted his head to look at you as you gasped playfully, “You do realize you're about to eat cereal for dinner, right, Marsh?" Too sleepy to give his verbal rebuttal, he glared at you, the corners of his lips turning up slightly, which was your signal to accept your victory and move on.

Smiling softly back at him, you made your way to pour him a big bowl and made him a cup of piping hot tea to accompany it. Watching his face as he ate, you observed the little creases and purple-gray rings that had formed around his deep ocean-blue eyes. His beard was unkempt and had grown past its normal length just in the few days you’d been apart; you could see this was a new level of exhaustion.

“Tough night?” You asked him, moving your chair closer to him.

He nodded. “Very.” The nights were becoming more strenuous recently. Ever since he had switched to the detective unit, work had been holding him hostage and was taking a toll more than he’d like to admit.

His hand reached over to squeeze the free one lying on your lap. “I’m happy to see you, love.” The hard lines on his face softened as he traced lazy circles on the back of your hand with his calloused thumb. You could see in his eyes that he meant it, that you were his safe space. Walter always was in protection mode, always on alert, even though you tried to keep him at ease when he was with you. He was only really ever at ease once he was home and you were safe in his arms.

The food began to rouse him from sleepiness, and as he gained alertness, Walter’s brow furrowed as he took notice of the cereal box sitting on the dining table. “This is the one we’re eating? I expected you to be eating more of one of those tooth-rotting cereals that you love so much.” He looked over at the box of Honey Bunches of Oats with curiosity and then back at you, lifting what you called his ‘detective eyebrow.’

“This is… surprisingly somewhat better for you? Or at least it acts like it is.”

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad. I only let you believe that I am. It is my breakfast time after all,” you winked at him knowingly.

“Good to know my words are finally starting to sink in. I mean, it’s not that much better for you,” he was reading the box now, “but at least it isn’t borderline fluorescent, like those artificial fruity ones you’re always eating.”

“You know, it’s almost like I expect the hate and just enact my deflection shield every time you walk in the door.” You started giggling, unable to keep a straight face as you threw your arms in front of your face as a shield to his words. “Don’t worry, Walt, my guilty pleasure cereal collection is well-stocked. And quit hating on my Fruity Pebbles.”

💋

Slowly over time, these seemingly random cereal dates became a large foundation for quality time. These dates became like snapshots, each one memorable in its own way.

When you two hadn’t seen each other in days, you caught up over a cold bowl of sugary sweetness. You, telling all the details of your days; him, quietly listening and trying his best to leave his nights behind.

From then on, all it took was knowing you could have a cereal date mixed in the chaos of everyday life. Anytime things got hard or heavy, it was time to have a cereal date. Anytime you had a fight: you both would pause and make a bowl of cereal, sitting across the table from each other so that you could speak your feelings. There weren’t many of the world’s problems, or your own, that couldn’t be solved over sugary cereal and cold milk.

💋

You’d dragged Walter to your shared bed as soon as he’d arrived home, having not seen him for more than a few minutes at a time for the past month. This current case of his was intense and ongoing, but he was finally finished. You knew he was defeated in energy, but you were ovulating and your hormones were raging. Your body craved his touch and the feel of his skin gliding upon your own.

The plan was to go to dinner for a romantic evening since it had been a long while since that had been possible, but as soon as he walked through the door, your feral sexuality washed over you and you jumped into his arms. You clung to him with your face in his neck, taking in his scent and the warmth of his strong arms holding you up. He clung to you just as tightly. There was no complaint from the bear, for he was more than happy to spend the evening spoiling his lover.

Cuddling in the afterglow of your countless orgasms, a storm raged outside as tree limbs slapped at your windows incessantly.

“Wow, it sounds awful out there. I know we were going out, but I think that point is moot now.” You glanced up at Walter, kissing his jaw. “Let’s just cook something easy instead.”

“That sounds great, and we can stay naked.” Walt’s eyebrows danced flirtatiously as he grinned down at you, his hands caressing your warm skin. “I’ll go hunt around so I can keep my woman energized for the night ahead. We are nowhere near done.”

He’d only been gone a minute when a crack of thunder shook the house and the lights went dark. You heard his mumbling coming from the kitchen; he had called in to get a status update from the energy company.

Walking back into the bedroom, Walter, in his naked glory, walked over to where you laid, illuminated only by the candle he held in his hand. Wow, your husband was delicious.

"Power’s out for the whole city. It’ll take hours since this storm doesn’t have an end in sight. Looks like a hot dinner is off the table… and no one will deliver in this weather. I guess we know what’s for dinner." Setting the candle on the nightstand, he crawled back into bed.

Feeling seductive, despite being completely spent from your ravenous love-making mere minutes beforehand, you still hadn’t had your fill of your husband. You bit your lip as you ran your eyes up and down his exquisite body and cheekily replied, “Me, I hope.”

He chuckled lowly, the fangs in his pearly-white smile glinting at you in the candlelight. “You? Yes. I plan to feast on you all night long, kitten. But you’re going to need some sustenance first.” He was hovering over you. You couldn’t help yourself as you reached to run your fingers along his hairy chest and wrapped a leg around his hip, pulling him closer to you.

"Make it a cereal date?" You grinned at him.

“You read my mind.”

💋

“Our child is going to come out looking like the Lucky Charms Leprechaun if you don’t change it up some, love.”

Your cravings were intense. You’d heard several different views from your girlfriends and sisters: some craved random things they never even liked before, and some craved more of the things that they already loved and ate religiously before pregnancy. You fell into the latter. Cereal was your most sought-after snack: a big surprise to no one.

There weren’t many cliche late-night ice cream runs, but there were plenty of cereal and milk runs. Walter was a dutiful dad already, not lecturing you too often on what you wanted; he knew you were doing what you had to for the baby, and you ate healthily enough… aside from the copious amounts of junk cereal.

True to numerous other times in your life, date nights were hard to come by, even still. Sometimes the only dates you and Walter would get were in the wee hours of the morning when you’d wake up with a craving.

Walter was extremely doting, and even though he’d always been a caretaker, he really came into his own when you both learned you were to become parents. He’d crawl from the bed without a word, rummaging in the kitchen to bring you a bowl of your favorite and even bringing a small one for himself. You two would snuggle in the bed and talk. Talk about your baby, about future babies, about the future, about your dreams, all of it. You never knew when you met the grumpy bear that he would become this sweet of a man, always tender with you even when he was rough. Maybe it was the cereal sugar that had sweetened him up, at least you’d like to think so.

💋

Your daughter had been in the world for a little over three weeks, and neither you nor Walter had gotten much sleep since her arrival.

Walter finally got her down to sleep while you watched from the nursery doorway. You hadn’t had a meal together or slept at the same time for more than 10 minutes in weeks.

He was standing over her crib, resting his arms on the side as he watched her sleep. He was infatuated with this tiny human who had completely taken hold of his heart.

“Honey, join me for a date?” Your smile was tired, and as your bear’s exhausted eyes met yours, you wondered if you two shouldn’t just go to bed, but you missed him. You’d barely gotten the chance to praise him for how good of a daddy he was to your little girl.

“Mhm, gladly. Our usual?” He quietly followed you to the living room, where the coffee table had already been set up with the works. Craving the feel of his touch on your skin, you both sat on the couch and you laid your legs across his lap while you enjoyed the serenity of each other’s company.

💋

A chill glided across your skin as you awoke from a dream. You rolled over, reaching your arms out to find your sturdy man, searching for his warmth. Instead, you found cold bedsheets.

Unlike Walter to not be in bed with a furry arm draped over you, you pulled on your robe and went to find him, a slight worry filling your mind.

Surely he would have woken me if he’d had to go in?

As you stepped into the hallway, you heard hushed giggles and whispers coming from the kitchen. You stopped to poke your head into your kids’ rooms. Their beds were empty.

At least it’s Saturday.

Quietly pitter-pattering to your kitchen, you peered your head around the corner to find one of the sweetest sights your eyes had ever seen: your two babes, 8 and 5, were playing a princess board game at the table with your Bear. Cereal by their side, giggles ensued as the sugar hit their systems and they tried their best to keep quiet.

Walter’s deep whisper quietly filled the space. “Shh, girls. We can’t wake Mum, she needs her rest.”

“Can I have more Cap’n Crunch, Daddy?” Your youngest had an insatiable sweet tooth, just like her mama. She was quietly bouncing in her chair and smiling a toothy grin at her daddy.

“You’re just like your mum,” Walter beamed at her, obliging her wishes. “Just a little more, love, then we need to brush our teeth and get back to sleep.”

Not wanting the girls to know that you knew about their secret, you decided to make your way back to bed, but not before catching your husband’s eye as he winked at you and a grin radiated from his face.

Warm tingles filled your body as you silently thanked the universe for Walter and the life that the two of you had built together. Walter was the best dad and husband in the world. How had you gotten so lucky?

💋

“Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Golden Grahams, love?” Walter called to you from the kitchen.

The movie was selected, the kids were away for the evening sleeping at friend’s houses, and you and Walter were having a much-deserved night in.

You called back to him, “I’m thinking I’m going to skip the cereal? I’m not really feeling it tonight. I will, however, eat the spicy chips. Oh, and grab that dip out of the fridge, will ya?”

“For the last time, they are crisps.” Annoyance was evident by his tone.

“They’re chips, Walter. You’ve lived in the states for how long now? Just give it up already.”

“No fucking way. Wait… You don’t want cereal? Are you feeling alright?” Walter’s head popped into the doorway that connected the kitchen to the living room, his face stern with confusion and concern.

“Ehh, not right now. Yes, I’m fine, Marsh,” you giggled. “Just feeling like something different for once.”

“Well, that’s shocking. I’m just wondering if you’re really my wife.” Giggles continued to flow out of you as he wandered back to where you were seated. He handed you your snack, and plopped on the couch next to you, cuddling into you as you tossed a blanket over both of your bodies. Walter started the movie and began to chow down on the bowl of cereal he’d made for himself. You couldn’t control the smirk that spread across your lips as you watched him out of the corner of your eye.

“What?” he asked, his mouth full of the golden and cinnamon squares. His eyes met yours, questioning you.

“I would just like to point out that I knew I could convince you.”

His brow furrowed in confusion, not sure what you meant. “Convince me of what?”

“That cereal is the best movie snack.”

“I don’t know if I’d say it’s the best…”

“Walt, I’m sitting here with your previous favorite movie snack in my hands, and you totally skipped over it and went for cereal. I’m just saying, I told you so. It’s okay, I’ve known I was right all along, you don’t have to admit it.”

“Hmm.” He growled, mouth full again as he ignored your statement.

“Give me a bite!” You pressed closer to him, reaching for his spoon as he angled his body and cereal away from you.

“Oh no, nice try. You tease, you don’t get any.”

“Fine, grumpy, I’ll go make my own. Keep watching, I’ll be back.”

Shuffling to the kitchen, you proceeded to grab a bowl and make your own, but you found both cereal boxes empty on the counter. Quickly turning to check your special cereal cabinet for a backup box, you discovered you were completely out.

“WALTER! Are you fucking kidding me? We just bought those!” Standing with your arms crossed in the doorway, you glared at Walt as he stared back at you unfazed.

“I hate to break up your gloating, but you created this monster, love. And don’t forget about our two other little monsters who take after you.” His grin was cocky; he knew he’d bested you. Laser beams could have been shooting from your eyes for all you knew. You shook your head in disbelief at the audacity of your husband.

That bastard. That beautiful bastard.

Walter smiled softly at you and motioned for you to rejoin him on the couch. Much to your dismay, your anger at him diffused immediately. “Love, I’ll go buy more first thing in the morning. Here, come and share mine. I’ll be nice… it is date night, after all.”

* I do not own Walter Marshall, Nomis, Night Hunter, or anything related to it.