#who is the pepper poppers for i wonder

[luckyxmisfortune]

more farmer Karma and what has become his daily life.

[sashiavi]

Bear Shane insisting on cuddle time every day... He doesn't appreciate someone interrupting his time with you, this old man needs his naps

BearHybrid!Shane has my heart ♡

This might have gotten out of hand- this man consumes my brain and I went o f f on a tangent - hopefully it's legible :')

Warnings : Pure Fluff | smut writer attempts fluff | BearHybrid!Shane | this could be bad- | cuddling | alludes to sex occurring - aftercare |

additional message : 18+ minors please do not follow - my blog is not a safe space for minors - thank you ♡

•··········🍑···········• ֪٘ ︶ ͝ ٘⏝𖹭⏝ ͝ ٘︶٘ ֪•···········🍑··········•

Bear Shane is so soft - Literally - His body just made for big, warm, squeezing hugs. Bear Shane has filled out a little with age - and with other habits he'd cut out - Body still strong enough to lift haybales and chop hefty chunks of firewood, tough muscle hidden behind a man who eats and treats himself well.

Cuddling with him is always a treat, sweeter than molasses - and he can't keep himself off of you - You wonder if your heart beats so hard and fast from love- or if you're having a sugar rush from the deep syrupy way he whispers confessions into your ear.

"Lovin' you so much, Doll.." His voice is low, grumbling, tinged in a soft drawl unique to The Valley. Bear Shane paws over your skin in rhythmic caresses, a little clumsy with a heavy hand, and yet still sending soft shivers down your spine and to your toes never the less.

One way or another, you're always in Bear Shane's arms, in his lap, laying on his chest, always touching him in some form.

Bear Shane nestles you in his lap, reclined and relaxed in an arm chair, hand feeding you snacks you prepared together earlier while the Gridball game drones on the television. He mocks an aeroplane with a pepper popper, playfully popping it in your mouth. His thumb comes up to wipe a stray stain off sauce off of the corner of your mouth - and he licks it up with a smack of his lips. He can't help but chuckle at the face you give him, all too cute and scrunched up with faux disgust. His smile is goofy, nose nuzzling against your own, foreheads pressed together for just a moment, a sloppy wet kiss pressed to your cheek just to get another silly reaction out of you. His bear ears twitch and wiggle, following the teasing and goofy smile plastered on his face.

The hours after Bear Shane sends you into pure syrup sweet bliss in the bedroom are always the softest. After a wash and dry of your bodies, feeling soft and clean, back bundled up under the cool sheets of your bed. Bear Shane beckons you to him, big arms outstretched for you to fall into. He lays on his back, holding you to his body, watching your head rise and fall with his breathing. You can't help it- laying on his chest. Swollen pecs built from muscle and fat, skin warm, decorated in a decent sheen of dark hair- and his heart, pumping behind his ribcage, thumbing in your ear as you nuzzle and kiss him.

Yoba, the twinkle in your eye makes the moment all the more golden- glazed and sleepy dazzled in the soft lamp light, carefully brightening the room from the bedside table. You were warm, so warm on his skin, eyes warm for him, bathed in a room of warm golden light, kissed sweet in a honey glaze.

"Yer' my Sunshine," His voice is low, rasped with exhaustion and a huff of amusement, purposely saying such corny things to make your nose wrinkle for him to kiss.

Bear Shane is big on his afternoon naps. The man was tired from doing his duty on the farm; Tending to the chickens, tidying their coop with utmost care. Harvesting the tree tappers for maple syrup, trying is very best to resist just a little teeny taste of the forbidden nectre - lest you scold him for it. Last time he looked like a kicked baby cub, ears droopy, lips pouted, his teddy bear eyes eventually got him out of it. Poor Bear Shane dregs himself inside, gobbling up his afternoon lunch with you, wiping off a stray stain of muck and soot off of your cheek with a wet cloth while you wash up the dishes.

Exhaustion lays thick in his bones, he practically has to man-handle you from running out the door, coddling you up in a big bear hug. It's all giggles and smooches though, as he drags the both of you to the lounge or the bed, wrapping his thick arms around your torso and stuffing his face in the back of your neck. He can't help but place a big, wet kiss on your skin, his prickly stubble scrapping gently over the spot. His laugh is goofy, arms squeezing you tight for just a moment when you whine and visibly shiver at the sensitive tickling.

His bear ear flicks when the sound of the farm house door rasps with a knock. His thick brows furrow, lips coming to a town turned frown, exasperated when you shift to leave. He cooes a dramatic 'noooo', arms caging you in comically, rolling over, dragging you with him while you giggle and fein protest.

When you finally answer the door, the poor visitor jumps in surprise when they find a sleepy Bear Shane hanging over your shoulder, chin tucked against your neck, honey brown eyes glaring up at the intruder.

"Whadaya' want.." He grumbles, earning a soft smack on his hip. When the visitor states their business Bear Shane blissfully ignores them, using their boring droning voice to slowly doze back into your neck. He breathes in deep, savouring the subtle twinge of sweetness coming off of your skin- maybe your honey milk soap, or the pretty vanilla perfume you put on thay day- whatever it was it was golden behind his eyes, melting his heart down into syrup- strong enough to flavour anything in your life with his love.

•· ֪٘ ︶ ͝ ٘⏝𖹭⏝ ͝ ٘︶٘ ֪·····.•🍑•.····· ֪٘ ︶ ͝ ٘⏝𖹭⏝ ͝ ٘︶٘ ֪·•

Was this corny? It feels corny- confession: it's been probably 8 years since I have written just fluff- go easy on me ♡ and pls lmk how I could improve if I can!

shane my love, my mess, my chunkins- my heart blooms for him~

My inbox is very very full right now- thank you for all the wonderful ideas :)) I will do my best to catch up on them ♡

Bear Shane is May-pal serrup coded

[klaprisun]

One Sunny Day

(Stardew Valley)(Haley x Female Farmer)

Chapter 28

As promised, I decided to stay for dinner at Haley's. Emily has taken off to a shift at the saloon so we have the house to ourselves.

"What do you want to have to eat?" Haley questions me as she skims through the fridge for something to make.

"I'm fine with anything. I'm not picky," I shrug while sitting at the kitchen table, particularly interested in looking at Haley bent over looking in the fridge.

"Really? I set you up for a perfect joke and nothing?" Haley had whipped around with her hands on her hips. I feel my face get hot and I just shrug again.

"I figured it's too soon for that..?" I sheepishly say while giving her a goofy grin. I have never been so nervous and tame with jokes like that around other girls before. I don't want to say the wrong thing and make her run for the hills.

"It's never too early to make a joke, silly," she sings as she searches around the kitchen for food. Haley has also never given me back my cowboy hat either. She is still strutting around wearing it.

"I'll keep that in mind," I reply while I follow Haley's pacing with my eyes. She is making me dizzy from watching her.

"I really don't know what to make for you," She whines as she covers her face with her hands. Standing up, I make my way over to her and rest my hand on her shoulder. With my other hand, I take the cowboy hat and tilt it up. She takes her hands away from her face and looks up at me with her sparkling eyes.

"You could make me Algae Soup and I'd still eat it. Make whatever your pretty heart desires," I gently shake the cowboy hat on her head, causing her to giggle.

"Sit tight. I have an idea," she says as she leads me back to the kitchen table and sits me down in my chair.

When she returns to the kitchen work space, she immediately gets to work. Pulling all sorts of things from the fridge, stirring in large bowls, measuring ingredients, she was putting in work.

She finally slows down with the cooking and takes whatever it is from the oven.

"Ta da! It's pepper poppers!" She exclaims, holding out the tray of them with oven mitts on. "I know it kind of clashes, but I also made a fruit salad to go with them. I just love fruit salad so much."

"I think it's wonderful, Haley. Thank you," I say with a huge smile. She gives me a smile back and sets the pepper poppers on the table. Next, she brings over the fruit salad bowl and places it down.

"Dig in!" she announces while taking a seat across from me.

"Oh I will," I mutter, already taking a huge bite. Uncivilly, I use my hands and fingers to eat the pepper poppers. I should've known better and tried to be more polite, but I just couldn't wait a second longer.

Before you know it, I cleared my plate entirely. Haley, who is only on her second pepper popper, stares at me in disbelief. I start sucking my fingers clean of grease and cheese instead of using a napkin like the hooligan I am. However, the gesture makes Haley start blushing. When I catch her gaze, she quickly looks down at her food and takes a bite.

"Sorry... I'm not very polite. I'm used to eating alone at home," I apologized to her.

"You're alright. I can tell you enjoyed it," she waves me off, still looking down at her plate with a blush.

"Am I disgusting you already?" I nervously laugh, unsure why she is looking away.

"Quite the opposite actually," she mumbles, finally looking back up at me. I feel my cheeks heat up now at the seductive look she is giving me.

She finishes her last bite of food and takes her plate into her arms. She reaches across the table to take mine, but I knock her hand away.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Let me help you. These are my dishes after all," I scolded her playfully. She backs up and goes to the sink to start the dishes. I follow after her.

"You don't have to help, you know? You are a guest here," she sighs while scrubbing one of the plates.

"Don't matter. I want to help you," I retort while grabbing a towel to start drying the dishes. Since it was only the two of us, washing the dishes was going to take no time at all.

"How'd you know you were into girls?" Haley blurts out after a few minutes of silently washing dishes.

"I absolutely despised the thought of being with a man," I answered with a chuckle. "Now women..." I bump her with my hip and wag my eyebrows at her. This causes her to chuckle with me and she shakes her head.

She suddenly puts down the dish she was washing and turns her whole body towards me. I realize she seems to be in a serious stance, so I finish drying the dish I had and turn to face her.

"You said you've had one night stands. Why did those not work out? Why did you never want to settle down with someone?" She asks me very forwardly.

"I just never liked them enough to be more than a one night stand. I couldn't see a future with anyone, and mostly was focused on having fun rather than settling down. I didn't care about anyone enough to continue a romantic relationship..." I sigh, thinking back to the city days. I look at her to see if she was satisfied with my response.

"What makes me different?" I notice her take a deep breath and kind of hold it.

"You had my attention the moment I got here. My brain and body knew what I wanted and it was you, Haley. You aren't like everyone back in the city, you are so much more. How I so desperately hoped you'd be into girls so I'd at least have somewhat of a chance with you," I rest my hand on her cheek. She leans into it as she listens to what I have to say. I slowly creep closer to her so that we are only inches apart. I gently tip her head back so I can see her beautiful face that was hidden by the brim of the cowboy hat.

Neither of us saying another word, the two of us start leaning in closer to each other. I start lowering my head down to her as she brings hers up closer to mine. I didn't dare close my eyes yet so I could watch as her lips got closer to mine. We both freeze for a moment, making sure we are both okay with it. I slide my arm around her waist and pull her in closer.

Just as our lips are about to connect, the front door bursts open startling us both. We both quickly back away from each other and go back to doing the dishes. Haley fumbles one of the dishes she tries to pick up and it falls back into the sink. I start drying an already dry dish.

"I hope y'all are decent," Emily shouts from the front door, dramatically covering her eyes. I hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. Somehow, the time slipped by and it's already 11 o'clock at night.

"Wow. Old married couple much? I give you guys the house to yourselves and you are playing house?" Emily judges teasingly.

"Can't you go back to the saloon and stay there permanently?" Haley rolls her eyes, annoyed.

"Ouch. Did I just cock block or something?" Emily bursts out laughing at her own joke, making Haley more annoyed.

"I should probably get going. It's pretty late," I bend down and plant a kiss on Haley's cheek, causing her face to flush pink at the sudden gesture. It calmed her down immediately, bringing her out of the annoyed state.

I set the dish towel on the counter and head towards the door.

"Thank you again for dinner. It's my turn to make dinner for us next time." I give Haley a quick wink. "See you later, Haley."

"Don't forget your hat!" she calls after me, taking it off her head.

"Keep it until next time. It'll give me an excuse to come back," I call back to her as I step through the front door.

[honey-crypt]

Can I request some responses to a farmer with a feeding tube (either nasally or surgically). Specifically Harvey, Shane, and Sam. Thank you!

a/n: delayed due to recovering from tear gas exposure ( ; w ;) but uhhh enjoy! (this work refers to a nasal feeding tube)

★ harvey, sam, & shane with a farmer who has a nasogastric feeding tube ★

harvey

★ dr. harvey's here to give you hugs and kisses (and help you change your tube when necessary) for being such a wonderful person

★ a bit of a worrywart when it comes to your feeding tube, he gets the craziest of worries ("what if it gets caught on a fence and it rips out of your nose?!" "harv, that sounds veryyyyy unlikely" "D: but but)

★ a pro at tube care, he always gives you a bunch of kisses after he flushes your feeding tube and likes to praise you whenever you have to do tube changes

sam

★ gets you some cool, funky tapes to secure your feeding tube with (his favorite is the one with the lighting pattern)

★ accidentally walked in on you doing a tube change and freaked the fuck out at the sight, he gets very queasy when it comes to medical procedures (he's the kinda guy to pass out at the sight of a IV)

★ nonetheless, he finds his ways to support you with your feeding tube, he's more than willing to sacrifice his comfort if necessary (like the times he had to help you unclog the feeding tube)

shane

★ sheds a tear when he realizes that you can't enjoy the wonders of pizza or pepper poppers because of your feeding tube, he hopes that the solution you're fed is at least somewhat tasty

★ he genuinely likes seeing you do your tube care, he finds it really interesting and admires how easy you make it seem (bro definitely could not handle a feeding tube if he had one)

★ lets you hold charlie when you need to get your tube unclogged, the chicken is now your emotional support critter (charlie loves you just as much as shane loves you)

[barkspawn]

Are you still doing requests? Would you be up for Shane SDV with #16 of the random prompts you recently reblogged? I love your writing and thank you whether you take the request or not!

Bruh I love doing these, and no one's ever loved my writing before. 🥺 send as many as you want. I appreciate your patience. :)

Shane had finally stopped glaring at Amelia every time she said hello or gave him a small wave across the plaza. For some reason, this made her feel extra happy today; because this morning he gave the faintest wave back. Granted, he sneered a little while doing it, but progress is progress. 

She celebrated by planning to get dinner at the saloon. She had a great harvest and genuinely wanted to let herself splurge on that, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to see Shane again. She just knew he was a sweet guy under all of that shell. She knew that a little kindness makes a huge difference. 

Emily grinned as she brought the plate of spaghetti to the table and touched Amelia's shoulder, "Let me know if you need anything else! I'm trying out some cool cocktails," she started back toward the counter as Pam made her way into her spot far to the side of the counter.

Amelia sat herself at a small table by the back wall, wanting to have a quiet moment. She liked the people in town, but she also liked the solace every once in a while. Thankfully it was Tuesday and there are only a few people who come out during the week. 

Scrolling through social media absent-mindedly, she made it halfway through her food before his voice startled her. 

"I gotta ask you a question," Shane started, his voice only mildly slurred, "gonna step outside. Come out when you finish."

She blinked up at him, her eyes wide and mouth full of half-chewed noodles. She gave a small nod and he turned, walking to and out of the front door. 

Hurriedly, she finished the last few bites and dropped her plate off at the counter for Emily to bus who gave her a confused wave. She took a breath and pushed the door open. No sooner than the door closed did she hear him start. 

"Why the hell are you so nice to me?" He asked, his tone almost angry, but there was something else there. 

"Well.. I-"

"I've been a dick to you since you moved here. Yet you buy me beers and bring me fresh peppers. Or your homemade food? What's the deal, kid?"

She stood there for a moment, grimacing at the name, "Shane, you're like 3 years older than I am," she started as he looked surprised for a millisecond, "and because everyone deserves to be cared about," her voice softened, a little embarrassed by the confession. But why stop? Despite his sneer, she continued, "look, you're a dick sometimes, sure. But it's just you pushing people away. I'm not asking you to spill your guts to me, I'm just trying to show you that you can let people in. At least I know I'm not out to get you."

He stood there for a long moment, leaning against the wall. His brows were knit together as he stared down at the ground. After a minute. He finally spoke, his voice much softer, "and if I don't want anyone close to me?"

Something about the way he said it made her stomach sink. She kept her tone soft as she hesitantly touched his shoulder, which looked like it confused him more than anything, "well, if you don't want anyone to be your friend, I'll just be that cool, friendly neighbor who brings you shit because she can."

She grinned as he chuckled, pleased that she could earn such a reaction. Though he looked uncomfortable, like he felt vulnerable and hated it. With a deep sigh, he exhaled, "uh, thanks. I guess," he pushed forward off the wall glancing her for a second. Amelia couldn't tell, but she thought for a second he might be blushing. 

She gave him a warm smile, stepping back toward the door, half in effort to give him space, "hey, I was going to get a plate of pepper poppers. I'm not quite full yet. Why don't you join me? My treat," as she asked, she panicked a bit, wondering if it was too much. 

To her surprise, he smiled. It was small, but it was there. He shook his head a little, a slightly sarcastic tone taking over, "it's like you know they're my favorite," he stepped forward and opened the door, letting her go inside. 

Yoba damn. Maybe a friend won't be so bad. Can't complain about free food… or that smile. 

[garbagefarm]

Garbage Farm

2023-02-21, Garbage Farm session #[???]!

Cast:

Me (@mothmute)

E.B. (@salamand3rin)

Kimi (@2kimi2furious)

Highlights include, but are not limited to:

pre-egg chores

egg!!

emily sewed little pants and hats for the eggs

Alex muses, “I wonder what would happen to my arms and legs if I ate thirty eggs a day?”

Harvey retorts, “Eggs are fine, but I’d advise against eating thirty per day!”

Penny hopes Vincent can find one (1) egg, for his self-esteem

egg??

Kimi wins egg!!

conclusion of egg day

Big cauliflower is here!!

We’re gonna leave it up for the year, see if we can get it some melon and pumpkin friends

Desert Obelisk is summoned

Robin starts building Kimi’s stables (and included horse)

I deliver the Leeks to Evelyn and George’s house (she wants them hidden in the oven)

Coffee maker is here!!

E.B. ventures into the Skull Caverns, RIP E.B.

Harvey, her husband, charges her for the surgery

Kimi decides to take an island day ... and finds Alex (her husband) there without having invited her

He wishes he’d brought a frisbee (which Kimi would’ve brought if she’d been invited)

E.B. watches the kids (Violet and Pizza) while Kimi and Alex are at the beach

Violet watches the skeleton

(Kimi’s decor is still being revamped)

E.B. recieves pepper poppers in the mail from Shane, who stole them from his job at Joja ... which we drove out of town something like a couple years ago, now. Those pepper poppers are probably past their best-by date......

Horse is done!

Kimi names her horse Pie-O-My, after the horse of noted horse girl Tony Soprano

Shed construction

Alex wants to eat garlic to “stay manly”

???

E.B. insinuates that garlic is for beta males, after which we all say “hell yeah, garlic! beta male pride!”

RIP me, died at the bus stop

Elliott made me coffee! ... honey, we have a coffee-maker, now, see?

I take a day to start reorganizing the museum, god that UI sucks

Kent mails me a bomb, that is a felony

Kimi finds a golden coconut hat, which she proudly places on Pie-O-My (until we can find more garbage can lids)

Haley hits on Kimi, suggesting a camping trip.........

(Kimi resists temptation, she wouldn’t hurt her himbo hubby)

... oh right, I put some wine in the bin, ka-ching!

Pizza is possessed??? floating over the crib, descending into the ground???

“great job, except for exposing my son’s soul to demons”

(E.B. hypothesizes it was the lack of garbage hat to shield him)

We attempt to bomb the Big Cauliflower ... but it survives???

TO-DO:

build some ponds!

upgrade tools and be done with Clint

find another damned prismatic shard to finish the museum

planning a journey into Skull.........

I wanna convert Kegshed into PreservesShed and put the kegs somewhere else

Gallery:

big cauliflower!

[commandermeg]

.

I am having the most wonderful Christmas eve right now.

My whole family is here (at least, the people I care about lol), there's tons of junk food in the kitchen (as is tradition on Christmas eve), everyone is wearing dorky pajamas, and we've been binging Christmas movies since noon.

The house is warm with pets, people, children, and the chaos that comes with something burning because nobody can find the oven mitts in time to save the pepper poppers. (they taste better burned anyway imho)

So to those who celebrate, Merry Christmas!

To those who don't, I hope your evening is peaceful, relaxing, and warm!

[gaemkyuu]

Mommy will you marry Charlie? (Charlie Gillespie x Fictional Character)

Warnings: mention of teenage pregnancy A/N: I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of love “Mommy can we keep him” received. I was originally going to upload the proposal AND the wedding, but I’ve been struggling a bit with the wedding portion. I hope you enjoy the proposal! Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.

Masterlist *now taking requests ;)

Mommy will you marry Charlie?

“Hey! Are you ready to go?” Charlie knocked and popped his head into Riley’s ensuite, pausing to take in her beauty. She was dressed in a pretty summer dress and placed a few more bobby pins into her hair, smiling at him in the mirror.

“Just about. Are Owen and Savannah here?” Riley’s answer came at that moment when the doorbell rang. Charlie left the ensuite and headed for the door just as Emerson got to it.

“Emmy, what did we say about answering the door?” Charlie chastised, moving quicker to the door. Emerson slightly pouted knowing he was right and sat on the entryway bench, waiting for Charlie to open the door. “You guys are just in time!” “No thanks to Owen” Savannah scoffed, motioning to the giant behind her.

“I hadn’t eaten yet, I needed My Chick-fil-A, but then I forgot to order some for Emmy, so we had to go back through the drive through” he sighed, showing him the two bags of take out in his hands. “Where is the little stinker?”

“I’m not stinky! I took a bath!” she hopped on the entryway bench and into Savannah’s arms first, Owen dramatically displayed his offense to the toddler.

“How come she gets a hug first?! I brought you Chicken Strips!” Savannah picked her up and balanced her on her hip. “I even convinced the lady to give you two books!”

“Aunty Savannah didn’t call me stinky and knows that I ate supper before you came.” she giggled and shook her head. “Plus, I like the chicken nuggets and not the strips” Owen rolled his eyes and muttered a ‘oh come on’ under his breath, but as soon as Savannah put her down, Emerson gave Owen’s leg a hug.

Riley came to the front door and greeted her friends, thanking them again for being so willing to babysit while they went out for the evening. After Charlie and Emerson’s date, the couple decided that they would go on more family dates as a request from the little girl and Charlie. Riley didn’t think anything of it, but she certainly didn’t want to come between the relationship they were both developing. This was the first time Emerson ever really accepted another man into their lives.

At the young age of 18 and saving enough money, Riley moved out of her mother’s home in Chino Hills to a one bedroom, one bath in downtown LA that was closer to her office. Riley was grateful that her mom agreed to come over to their apartment to babysit Emerson while she was at work as it helped her to save up more money to eventually move into a chic modern home on the outskirts of downtown. She was always so focused on providing for Emerson that she rarely let anyone into her life and when she did, she always had to make sure that they got the seal of approval from Emerson.

There was Nick from the marketing department at Netflix who she thought was cute, but he wasn’t very open to the idea of potentially becoming a dad so early on. Emerson really didn’t like him as she would cry every time he looked at her or moved towards her. That didn’t last more than three weeks.

Then there was Jaime from the grocery store who loved children and really liked Riley, but Emerson didn’t like the fact that Riley made more money than Jaime and warned her mom several times about him, despite her young age. Riley learned her lesson that sometimes four year olds are very perceptive because Jaime asked to borrow money for his rent a month later.

Lastly, there was Greg, a single dad who had twins the same age as Emerson. That didn’t last because the kids would often fight. Emerson thought the children were dumb and immature, while the twins thought Emerson was acting like a weird grown up.

Riley always prioritized Emerson in any decision making process she had, but at her core she felt lonely. She couldn’t tell her daughter this despite her intelligence. She was still a child. What kind of a mother would she be if she vented to her child? But Emerson knew her mom was lonely. She often heard her crying in the pantry and quietly talking on the phone late at night. That’s why when Charlie walked in their lives, she knew she had to play nice for a little while for the sake of her mother. Neither girls expected that Charlie would become such an important piece of their lives.

“Emerson we will be back past your bedtime, so give me kisses now” Riley requested as she hugged her little girl and peppered her with kisses. She giggled and kissed her mother back until she let go. Instinctively, Charlie knelt down too and opened his arms, giving her a quick peck on the head. Emerson gave him a hug back and kissed him on the cheek, the gesture garnering a loud “aw” from Owen, as the girls silently admired the interaction. Charlie rolled his eyes and whispered to Emerson quickly, making her giggle as his breath tickled her ear and neck. 

“You guys should get going so we can start painting Uncle Owen’s nails!” Savannah interrupted, glancing at the time on her phone. “We also get to facetime Uncle Jeremy, Aunty Carolyn and Aunty Madison too!” Emerson got super excited and skipped to her bedroom to grab her “nail kit”, a toy Savannah had bought her last Christmas. With a laugh, the couple headed out the door and off to supper. 

As soon as the door closed, the two friends and Emerson got to work. They were in on the plan and set about decorating their house. Emerson and Charlie had gone to PartyCity a few days ago while Riley was at an executive meeting and picked out a bunch of decorations for his proposal. At first, Charlie was hesitant, but Emerson was absolutely sure her mother said yes. Knowing his past of always being proven wrong by Emerson, he decided to listen to the little girl and follow her lead.

“Remember, mommy had me when she was a kid so she missed out on kid things. Do a bunch of kid things with mommy!” 

That’s what prompted Charlie to take her to Santa Monica. Charlie had made a reservation at a restaurant on the Santa Monica beachfront and the two enjoyed a lovely casual dinner. They talked about projects they were excited about and started ‘people watching’ from their seats, laughing and making silly jokes about the people who passed them by. After dinner, they set out to do “Kid Things” and played games on the pier, settling for mini donuts as dessert and eventually watching the sunset. Charlie tensed for a moment, but quickly relaxed as he felt the small box in his pocket.

“Mommy won’t say yes unless I’m there. She would be too busy thinking about me before she says yes, so ask her at home”

“But what about bedtime?”

“I mean if you say I can stay up, then that should be okay right?”

“You okay? You looked tense for a second” Riley snapped him out of his thoughts, but he was grateful that she shivered because it gave him a chance to change the topic. 

“Yeah, I was just thinking about the sunset in Dieppe. Can’t wait to take you one day. Cold?” he draped his denim jacket over her shoulders, and hugged her from behind. As soon as the glow from the sunset disappeared and the glow of the carnival lights replaced them, Charlie decided that instead of walking on the beach, they would go home and watch a movie on the couch. They spent the drive back to Riley’s place in a comfortable silence with the radio gently playing music. Charlie started to feel more excited and antsy the closer they got to her place. Before exiting the car, he held her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “I love you, you know that?” Riley smiled, nodded and kissed him on the lips. Charlie raced her to the door, knowing full well that he would beat her to it, but that didn’t stop Riley from trying. They stumbled through the entry a fit of giggles and laughter, but Riley stumbled on a pair of shoes. 

“Charlie! I told you to... put your shoes...away?” she became more confused as she stared at the pair. They weren’t Owen’s, Charlie’s, Savannah’s or Emmerson’s. Who could be in their house? She looked up to see Charlie nowhere in sight and began to worry. “Char, this isn’t funny. This is like the scene from a horror movie” she quickly shed her shoes and walked down the corridor to the living room. She didn’t expect to see her mother, Charlie’s mom and their closest friends standing behind Charlie and Emerson with excited looks on their faces. To add to her confusion, they held party poppers and noise makers, while a giant Congratulations banner decorated her living room. She heard Emerson clear her throat and Charlie stood proudly beside her.

“Dear mommy, I stayed up past my bedtime because Charlie said I had to” everyone in the room laughed at this, as Emerson continued to read from the piece of paper in her hands. 

“Mommy, you work so hard to give me the best life and the best toys. Sometimes I wonder how I can give you the best life and the best toys, but adults don’t play with toys. I asked aunty Carolyn why she was so happy with uncle Jeremy, and she said it was because she gets to be with uncle Jeremy forever” Carolyn wiped the tear that had formed in her eyes. 

“I asked uncle Owen why aunty Carolyn and uncle Jeremy got to be together forever, and that’s when uncle Owen said it was because they were married.” She took a deep breath and lost her place on her paper. Charlie peaked over and pointed to where she needed to keep reading from. 

“Oh, right. When I asked you were getting married, you told me never and that it was a rude question, but I think that was because you had a bad day at work” despite the teary eyes, her comment made everyone laugh. 

“So I asked Charlie to go on a date with me and ask him when he would marry you” Riley gasped as Charlie pulled out the box with the ring, getting down on one knee. “I know Charlie makes you happy and I think you should be together forever. Charlie has a question for you and the answer is yes.”

“Riley King, I love you and I love Emerson. I can’t think of anyone I want to spend the rest of my life with. You and Emerson are my family now, so let’s make it official” Charlie winked at Emerson who put her paper down and also got onto one knee beside Charlie.

“Mommy, will you marry Charlie?” Riley was crying full tears at this point listening to her daughter’s words, but she nodded and whispered a yes. Everyone erupted in a cheer and the party poppers went off as he put the ring on her finger, kissing her and picking up Emerson. “You did so good, Emmy!”

“You’re gonna be my daddy!!!” Emerson exclaimed, full of excitement and squeezing Charlie. 

Riley wiped her tears and kissed her daughter on the cheek, truly speechless. Everyone came around to congratulate them, Savannah, Madison, and Carolyn all wanting to see the ring first and then hugs. She was on cloud nine, still not able to understand how this was all being planned behind her back. “Is that why you volunteered to babysit?” Savannah nodded her head sheepishly and hugged her friend. Charlie’s mother gave her a big hug congratulating her on their engagement expressing her excitement to have another daughter in law, while Riley’s mother hugged Charlie, crying happy tears. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying everyone’s company that the couple lost track of time. By the time they said goodbye to Owen, the last to leave, Emerson had fallen asleep on the couch. 

“You mean to tell me, you planned this entire thing with my daughter behind my back?” Charlie smiled and nodded, picking the little girl up from the couch, careful not to wake her up. “I mean, I am touched, but I’m also afraid of what else you two are capable of doing”

“Just wait til you hear her ideas for the wedding.” Charlie chuckled as they headed to her room to tuck her in for the night. He put the little girl into bed and Riley watched the whole scene from the doorway, tears coming to her eyes as it finally sank in that this was her family. Emerson stirred and shifted around, uncomfortable all of a sudden. Charlie cooed at her and assured that she was fine, humming softly to her, something that he often used since the first night he helped her through a nightmare.

“G’night daddy” she mumbled in her sleepy daze, settling back to sleep. Charlie was taken off guard as the new title fell from her mouth. He felt his heart explode and wiped a tear that fell from his eyes.

“Sleep tight Princess” he sniffled, clearing his throat and kissing the top of her head. He pulled another blanket over her frame as she often got cold in the middle of the night. It amazed Riley how much Charlie knew of her daughter despite the amount of time he had been present in their lives. They softly shut the door behind them and walked hand in hand to their room. “Planning the wedding is going to be fun”

“I was thinking we do it in Dieppe or Moncton” Riley suggested, something to which Charlie lit up at. He looked at her with wide eyes in disbelief.

“If you’re pulling an Emerson on me right now, I’m going to be so mad” they had come up with the term ‘pulling an Emerson’ to describe the sarcasm they often received from the little girl. But Charlie became overjoyed as Riley bit her lip and shook her head, confirming that she did in fact want to get married in his hometown.

“We start planning tomorrow”

A/N: if you really want a wedding scene or a glimpse of life after the wedding let me know!

[sdv-mostly-shane]

The Flowers.

Summary: the farmer is inundated with anonymous flowers-they can’t figure out who it is, until a certain hooded someone is seen in the shadows.

‘Hm. That’s strange.”

The farmer huffed in a bemused manner. Right in front of them, stuffed precariously in their mailbox, was a carefully tied bundle of flowers: but not just any flowers- handpicked wildflowers. From the looks of it, they came directly from the little patch of meadow right by the mountain lake. They were vibrant and effervescent (even if a little disheveled from being stuffed in the mailbox)

“How beautiful. There’s no note though.. I wonder who left them.”

The famer had never received flowers prior to this moment, but they were able to hunt down a vase from the dusty rafters of the cellar. The wildflowers, now decidedly placed on the center of the small dinning table, stood proud; the farmer admired their beauty, and then continued about their day-happy to see them once more before they clamored into bed for the night.

“Huh. Another one?”

The farmer stopped themselves from bursting through the door before they trampled over the bundle on their doorstop. The first floral arrangement sitting on their table had not even begun to wilt yet, and yet the farmer had now recieved double the amount of flowers they’ve ever gotten in their lifetime. They scooped down to pick up the flowers, noticing how this bundle was delicately wrapped in newspaper and twine. The delicate petals were pristine this time, having been carefully laid on the doormat. As the farmer searched for another vase, eventually settling for an empty mason jar, they briefly wondered who could have sent them- maybe their parents in the city? For now, they settled with placing their prize on the table, next to the first arrangement.

“Okay that’s a little weird-“ the farmer exclaimed while removing a parcel of sunflowers from inside the hay bailer in their chicken coop “-why here?”

The farmer had already recieved, arranged, and placed their third flower bundle on the table next to the other two from the days prior, but was taken aback by having found a fourth one that very same day.

“Sunflowers aren’t even in season right now... they’re so hard to come by. Why give me these-they’d be much better given to someone they lo-“

The farmer stopped themselves from finishing their sentence; they didn’t want to admit that they potentially had a secret admirer, and was more comforted by telling themselves that it must just be Lewis making them feel at home... okay, maybe not comforted by that thought, but it was better than the anxiety of wondering who could possibly like them enough to deliver anonymous, expensive flowers. The farmer curiously inspected the beautiful specimens as they made their way to the kitchen to find yet another vessel to work as a vase- this time, a small bucket.

“If this keeps happening I’m gonna have to go buy an actual vase... and maybe a bigger table.”

Over the month, the discoveries of more flowers had increased in frequency to the point where the farmer had almost expected them. Parcels of sweet peas, tulips, roses, crocuses, daffodils, and more had now made daily appearances, each day to be found in a more curious spot. It had expanded to where the farmer was finding their secret gifts not only on their farm, but around town. Some of these places the farmer had an easy time of finding, such as tied to the saddle of their horse, hidden in one of their many storage chests, or stuffed in the trelles of a green bean stalk. Others, such as tied upside down to a branch on a tree next to the wizards tower, floating on a log in a puddle on the beach, and (the most curious-) placed under a light rock on the 34th level of the mines, were quite a bit harder to find. Thankfully, these more obscurely hidden ones had a note with the word ‘FARMER’ scribbled on them, but still no name.

“Yeah I definitely need a bigger table.”

The mysterious flowers had completely taken over the kitchen table, and had migrated to every available surface space in their cabin.

1:50 AM struck on the farmers watch-they had just finished milking the sleeping cows, and had in their hand their 49th bundle of flowers, found waiting for them in their milk pail. Only a little exasperated at having to search for a container at 2AM, and a lot anxious to know who they hell, why the hell, and how the hell someone was playing this game on them. As they cautiously made their way toward the farmhouse, eyes opened for any straggling bundles of flowers, a figure hovering by the side of the cabin caught their eye.

A blue tattered hoody, a tangle of jet black hair, and solid hands had clutched in them a bouquet of gardenias; the farmer gasped in recognition and realization of their mystery flower deliverer.

Shane, startled by the farmers loud gasp, had a few moments of brief terror in his eyes, and then hastily ran down the path into town, still clutching the flowers.

“Wait, don’t-!” But Shane was already out of sight. “Does that mean he’s been the one giving me all these flowers...?”

The next day, the farmer got their answer... well, AN answer. When the farmer opened their door at the strike of 6AM, there on their doorstep was not a bouquet a flowers, but their long awaited note. Hurrying, the farmer bent down and read it-

FARMER:

it’s NOT ME. You didn’t see me at your house last night, and I DEFFINITELY WAS NOT holding anything. Not anything, not even flowers. I wasn’t hiding anything, especially not flowers. And I am deffinitely NOT the one responsible for hiding any flowers. Not me. No. And even if I WAS there, I deffinitely WAS NOT trying to hide anything in the rafters of your house. Nope. Okay bye.

love ,

SINCERELY,

SHANE

ps totally not me.

“Yoba please don’t let them know it was me.”

Shane sank into his bed, now back at home at 6:10 AM. Unfortunately for him, his 6:30 alarm had just screamed at him to get ready for work, and he begrudgingly made his way to the shower.

7:10 AM, and Shane was out the door. Or, at least he WAS out the door, until he stopped himself from trampling a box left on his doorstep. He cautiously opened the package to be greeted by the beautiful warm scent of fresh pepper poppers, and taped to the lid, a note :

Shane:

This box was totally and 100% from me. I DEFFINITELY cooked the fastest batch of poppers in my life, and I FOR SURE ran down here to deliver them, all in the span of an hour. It was me. And I also DEFFINITELY tried to take a peek in your window to catch a glimpse of you. Me. Okay bye

Love,

Farmer

ps, nice try on crossing the ‘love’ out on your letter-still DEFFINITELY saw it.

pss, thank you.

“Well fuck.”

Shane looked up to see the smiling face of the farmer leaning against a tree in front of him.

“Maybe they still don’t know it was me who hid the flowers...”

Inspired by :

[phoebe-lou]

A Forgotten Birthday

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Pairing: Number Five x reader

Summary: After saving the world from the apocalypse, Five struggles with living a simple life causing a strain on his relationship.

Word Count: 2009

__________________________________

5...4...3...2..1! Happy Birthday to me.

Sunlight shone throughout my room, and a gentle breeze drifted through the open windows. Looking over at the clock which now read 6.00am, I allowed a smile to grace over my lips. I had been restless all night and had been sat up worrying about Five like usual. I hoped today would be different, giving both of us one day to take a break from his obsessive apocalyptic nature.

Rolling over on my side, I was shocked to find the other side of the bed empty and Five's early morning 'signature' coffee missing. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I peeled back the duvet and groggily trudged over to the bathroom. After gently splashing some cold water over my face and brushing my teeth, I tossed my crazy-ass hair into a messy bun like a boss, and began the trek to the kitchen.

Expecting to be greeted with breakfast and a fresh cup of coffee, I found non other than a half-naked Klaus passed out on the table, and Five no where in sight. For fucks sake. I rolled my eyes and began making Klaus some breakfast as he'll need some hangover food to soak up all the alcohol. I decided to just throw in some toast and pour a glass of orange juice, as Klaus began waking up and mumbling something about his ass and chocolate pudding?

"Morning sunshine." I said with an amused smile on my face, whilst Klaus began to groan and pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"What rude bitch opened the blinds this morning?" He said after accepting a glass of orange juice I handed him.

"That would have been you, and your amazing Picasso skills last night I'm guessing."

Klaus looked up at the blinds to see that someone had cut them up to make some clothes, since there was underwear shaped holes missing.

"I was wondering what I was wearing, it's definitely not yours or Allison's."

"I think the yellow 'blind' underwear, really complements your eyes." I laughed winking at him, as I took the toast out and began buttering it.

"Danke."

"So what year is it again?" Klaus mumbled as he began munching on the toast I put in front of him.

"You mean the date Klaus?."

"Yeah that."

"It's __________ (insert birthday🥳)."

"Holy shit!" Klaus shot up, knocking his chair over and throwing the toast to the ground. Then sassily marched over to me, where he pulled me into a giant bone crushing hug. Jesus how does he wake up so fast?

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU SEXY MIDGET."

"I'M ONLY 4"10, FIGHT ME BITCH."

"ALSO BEN SAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY."

"TELL HIM I LOVE HIM."

*Meanwhile Ben just rolls his eyes*

"There is way too much Klaus and Y/N in here, this early in the morning." Diego huffed as he began filling up the kettle, not even bothering to comment on Klaus's attire.

"Good morning to you too Antonio Banderas." Klaus laughed and high-fived me.

"Besides it's only 7.00am." I smiled.

"Whatever."

"Oooo whose got your panties in a twist?."

"Anyway, Happy Birthday Y/N." Diego huffed.

"Awww you remembered, I knew you loved me really." I said forcing Diego into a hug which he eventually gave into. Suddenly another pair of arms wrapped around us. Diego became alarmed and shouted "What is wrong with you?!"

Klaus innocently smiled "I just wanted to be part of the moment."

"What's wrong with who?" Trust monkey boy to enter at this moment.

"I'll take this as my leave." Diego shrugged Klaus's arms off him, then subtly tilted his head at me, towards a card he placed by the microwave. Before marching off, after I gave him a beaming smile and a wave.

"Happy Birthday kid."

"Thanks Luther but you know I'm 28 years older than you."

"And your even more immature than Klaus, and trust me that's saying something."

"Rude. Hey don't agree with him Ben, you're supposed to be on my side." Klaus began to have a one-sided argument with 'Ben.' While I took this as a chance to slip out the kitchen and get ready.

*2 hours later*

Yes I'm high maintenance, and looking this gorgeous takes a while.

I finally finished my outfit my adding my new moon necklace, which was a birthday present from Luther (that was probably picked by Allison).

I sprayed some perfume and let my h/c  hair fall down. Mission was ago. Find Five. Get drunk. Party. Have an awesome birthday. Go back a few steps and whoop Five's ass for no breakfast in bed. Perfect.

I looked through the entire house, where there was no trace of him so decided to head over to Griddy's Doughnuts. As I opened the front door, I walked into Allison and Vanya who immediately wished me a Happy Birthday and began planning a girls night out. Just what I need after putting up with all this shit, Five keeps throwing at me.

*Flashback* - Warning Mild Smut ⚠️

I was lounging across Five's bed pretending to read this boring romance novel, whilst Five was consistently writing long, complicated equations all over his wall. I wasn't expecting this is what he meant when he invited me over to spend sometime together. My patience was wearing thin, as I tried to tell myself that he was just not used to having a life outside of the apocalypse. But I went through it with him, so if I can learn to adapt, he should to.

Sneakily looking over at him, I came up with a plan to draw his attention away. Gently placing the book on the bed, I slowly walked towards him and placed my arms around his neck. It was no shocker that he immediately tensed up and his brows began to frown deeper.

"What do you want Y/N?"

"Not much." I whispered in his ear, as I ghosted my lips over his neck. "Just a little bit of attention."

Five sighed and tried to focus on the equation he was working on, which had now proven difficult as I began to pepper kisses along his jaw.

"Come on, enough."

I ignored him and began to drag my soft kisses down his neck, sucking a little harder until I found his sweet spot. Got you.

"Y/N...." He drifted off, as the pen dropped from his hands.

"Hmm?" I smirked and began grasping at his dark hair.

He finally turned around and smashed our lips together sloppily, as our tongues began fighting for dominance. He obviously won. His hands began to gently slide up the bottom of my top, just resting above my hips as he began to draw circles on my skin. Suddenly blue sparks surrounded us as I found ourselves teleported onto his desk.

He shoved all of his work out the way and began making out with me again. I gradually lifted my arms up, as he began to pull my top off...

"Y/N?"

"Y/N?"

"Y/N?!!"

My eyes fluttered dreamily as I looked over at Five who was frowning at me.

"For gods sake, did you fall asleep?! I wanted some help with these equations as you're the only non-idiotic person I know. Ugh forget it, of course it doesn't matter if there's another apocalypse." He whined sarcastically, and turned back around, continuing his work.

Five's writing came to a stop and as I launched my book at the walk near his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He shouted, finally exploding with frustration.

"You're an ass." I mumbled. He rolled his eyes and teleported away, probably before he did or said something he'd regret.

I preferred dream Five.

*Flashback over*

Arriving at Griddy's, I locked the car and walked over to the entrance and went inside. Surprise, surprise my 'affectionate' boyfriend was sat with a mug of coffee writing equations on napkins.

"Well, well, well good afternoon handsome." Five looked up irritated and forced a smile.

"What is it?" Was he joking?

"I thought we were going to spend the day together, you said you had something planned last week."

"We'll have to reschedule or something."

"Hahaha very funny grumpy-ass." He didn't look very amused, as he sighed and took a long sip of coffee.

"Can we talk later, I'm kind of in the middle of something?"

Alarms were going off. He had forgotten. Maybe he needed a little more convincing and a few hints.

"Well today is kind of a special day." He looked blankly at me before he gave me a genuine smile.

"Is it national coffee day? Thanks for reminding me gorgeous." He smirked and winked. Was he for fucking real?

"Maybe you should get some cake with that coffee."

"The sweetness ruins the bitter taste I like." You bitter old bugger.

"Isn't there something you're forgetting Five? Some sort of special day, for a special girl."

"Shit. You're right. Meet me at the house in 20 mins." With that he teleported away. Well my work here is done. I'm expecting a decent last minute party though.

After wasting 30 mins shopping, I decided to head back and see what Five had done. As I entered the house it was really quiet, until I reached the living room....

Where Five sat lounging on a sofa drinking margaritas with Dolores.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!"

"Well when you say about a special day for a special lady, I remembered-d that it's been some years years since we found the lovely-y Dolores." He smirked cheekily at me and offered me a glass.

"Are you drunk?"

"No...."

"......."

"Maybe..."

"......"

"Yes..."

Just at the wrong time everyone came rushing in with party poppers, and balloons shouting 'SURPRISE.' I looked down to the floor with angry tears burning down my cheeks, I couldn't believe him. Everyone could sense the tension in the room, except for Five who still looked completely clueless.

"What's goin-n on? He slurred.

"Check the calendar..." I whispered.

I couldn't stand everyone looking at me with such pity so I went straight to our room, crying myself to sleep early.

*A few hours later*

I woke up to knocking at the door.

"Go away."

Hearing the familiar sound of Five's special jump I buried my face into my pillow.

"Can we talk...?"

"...."

"Please... Y/N."

"...."

"Can we just..."

"WHAT?!" I hissed, ripping the duvet off me to glare at him.

He straight away noticed my red, blotchy face, and long tear lines causing my mascara to run down my face.

"I'm sorry..." With that Five burst into tears. I'd only ever seem him cry twice so I wasn't sure what to do.

"I'm sorry-y... I've j-just been trying-g to be ready f-for something bad to happen-n again, as I know the c-commission wants order-r. We've both been-n to hell and b-back, and I can't imagine-e loosing you. I j-just wanted to keep-p you safe, but I've b-been so wrapped up in d-doing all these possible equations-s, that I've p-pushed you away.... Then I've been-n so preoccupied that I forgot-t your b-birthday..."

"Oh Five." I wrapped my arms around him as he began to sob into my chest. I whispered soothing words as I gently rubbed his back.

"You'll never loose me, and I'm not upset about my birthday that much. I honestly just miss spending time with you, and can't believe you prioritised coffee and a manikin over me you ass!" At this Five chuckled and began to calm down.

"You know I don't say it enough... but I love you Y/N."

"I love you too Five."

"Did you want to have that amazing party you've been telling me about?"

"Actually can we just spend the rest of today cuddling and watch a move?"

"Anything you want love."

"You were totally jealous of Dolores."

"Shut up Five."

_________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think 💖☂️

[stardew-vxlley]

now or never

summary: Shane’s crush on the farmer isn’t much of a secret around Pelican Town--even the farmer knows. What is a secret, is that the farmer feels very much the same for him. In a fleeting moment of courage, the farmer decides to ask him out. 

pairing: shane x reader 

word count: 2.1k

warnings: mentions of food/alcohol

a/n: requested by @dontletyourchildrenwatchthis !! full of fluffy adorable love and shy, nervous shane. enjoy! 

―

The chilly morning autumn air blew the orange and brown leaves in a flurry around Pelican Town Square. The village was just waking up--Pierre was posting the daily Help Wanted sign in front of his shop, Evelyn was pushing George in his wheelchair across the cobblestones to his monthly check-up at Harvey’s clinic, and Mayor Lewis was walking briskly back to his house, coming from the suspicious direction of Marnie’s ranch. 

These mornings were always your favorite. You waved to Mayor Lewis as you made your way to Pierre’s--and the mayor hastily returned the wave and disappeared into his home with a flustered expression. You chuckled to yourself as you recalled fetching his purple shorts from Marnie’s room not too long ago. 

“Good morning, farmer [Y/N]!” Pierre greeted you warmly as you entered the general store. Sliding the scarf from around your neck, you grinned at him. 

“A good morning indeed,” you replied, eyes traveling over the colorful boxes and jars of various assortments. “I’m all out of wheat flour--trying to make a batch of cookies for everyone.” 

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” he exclaimed, pointing to the aisle closest to you. “Up there on the top.” 

“Perfect, thank you!” 

You studied each of the boxes of flour, trying to decide how many you should buy. You were so deep in thought that you didn’t hear the jingle above the door chime cheerfully, but you registered Pierre’s greeting to who walked in. 

“Shane! You’re up early today,” he remarked. 

You nearly dropped the boxes in your hands, a red tinge creeping into your cheeks. Peeking through the merchandise stocked on the shelves, you saw Shane heading towards the snack aisle. His usual tired expression was as clear as ever, scowling at the rows of chips on the shelf. Biting your lip, you tried to be as discreet as possible as you hurriedly decided that one box of flour was enough for your cookies--and headed directly towards Pierre to pay for it. 

“Just one box today?” Pierre asked, punching a few buttons on his register. “Will it be enough?” 

“Oh, um, yeah--yeah, one box should be plenty,” you rushed out, keeping your eyes trained on the old counter top. Out of your peripheral vision, you noticed Shane was looking in your direction--earning an even deeper blush in your face.

“Just the usual price, then,” Pierre said, and you handed him the bag of coins. “Can I get you anything else?” 

“Nope, nope, thank you!” you said hastily as you quickly gathered the flour in your arms, turning on your heel to make a beeline for the exit. Unfortunately, you hadn’t been paying close enough attention to see that Shane had gotten in line behind you, holding a bag of chips and a jar of sugar. You collided into him, sending everything flying in every direction. 

“Oh, Jesus, I’m so sorry!” you cried out as you scrambled to clean the mess up. 

“N-no, it’s okay,” Shane said, his cheeks flushed with matching embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” 

“I shouldn’t have been moving so fast,” you sheepishly admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. 

Luckily nothing had been harmed. You reached down and retrieved his bag of chips, holding it out to him. He took it from you, and there was a beat of awkward silence. 

“Well,” you uncomfortably cleared your throat. “I’m--I’m gonna go now.” 

“Sorry again,” he offered, passing by you to place his things up on the counter, where an impatient Pierre had been waiting. 

“N-no problem!” You nearly tripped over your own two feet as you walked out of the general store. Once you were outside, you took a deep breath of autumn air and fanned your flushed cheeks. 

Truth be told, you knew Shane had feelings for you. He wasn’t the greatest at keeping secrets--but it’s not like he had to try very hard to keep his mouth shut. It was his actions that gave everything away--you caught him gazing at you from across the saloon on more than one occasion, he sent you heartfelt notes in the mail (along with a smushed frozen pizza), and every time you were near him, he became a blubbering, flustered mess. It was adorable. 

However, what Shane didn’t know, is that you had feelings for him too. Strong ones, at that. You found yourself taking the long way to town, past Marnie’s ranch, in hopes of maybe catching him while he was on his way to work at the Joja Mart. You also would steal glances at him on Friday nights in the saloon, brooding and mysterious in the corner. 

But you could never bring yourself to say anything to him. You had tried, but each time you handed him a plate of pepper poppers as a token of love, you always chickened out and ended up running away. Like--literally running away. At full speed. There was just something about him that made you nervous, but in a good way--with butterflies and giddiness. 

Later that evening, you were pulling the last batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. The warm and inviting smell wafted through your farmhouse, reminding you of the ones that your father used to bake for you as a child. Evelyn had been so kind and generous as to share her secret recipe with you, but you remained convinced yours would never come out as delicious as hers.

You packed them up tight in a container and set off to the saloon to deliver them. An enormous harvest moon was high up in the sky, illuminating Pelican Town with its celestial radiance. The stars twinkled cheerfully around it as you walked across the square. 

You pushed the heavy wooden door open, the warm glow of the saloon washing over the steps of the stoop. The sound of the jukebox echoed across the town, the sound of silverware and drinks joining it in a pleasant symphony. 

“Those look like cookies,” Gus called out from behind the bar, a twinkle in his eyes. “Freshly baked?” 

“I literally just took them out of the oven an hour ago,” you laughed, stepping up to the bar and placing the container down. “You’ll keep them safe and make sure everyone gets one, right?” 

“I’ll guard them with my life,” Gus promised, taking the container and lifting the lid. He inhaled deeply with a satisfied grin. “Smells like Evelyn’s recipe.” 

“You have an incredible nose,” you chuckled, and turned to leave the bar. Your eyes couldn’t help but search for Shane, quickly darting to his usual spot by the fireplace. And...he was there. You locked gazes, that old familiar blush creeping back into your cheeks. 

He awkwardly lifted the beer he was drinking in acknowledgement to you, to which you responded with a little wave. 

“Won’t you have a bite to eat, [Y/N]?” Gus’ voice pulled your attention back to the bar. “I just made some of my classic spaghetti, hot off the pot.” 

You opened your mouth to decline, it was getting late and you needed to get some rest. But on a whim, you smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll take a plate.” 

“Wonderful,” he grinned, and disappeared to fetch it. You nervously tapped your fingers against the wooden bar, feeling Shane’s eyes boring a hole in the side of your head. You suppressed the urge to look at him again, focusing on the various bottles and dishes stacked along the wall. 

Gus returned with a steaming plate of spaghetti, and your worries were placed on a temporary hold as you drew in the mouth-watering scent of homemade tomato sauce and pasta. 

“Thank you so much, it smells divine,” you said graciously, looking up at Gus. “How much do I owe you?” 

“On the house tonight,” he replied, picking up a glass and cleaning it with a dish rag. “For that little favor with the lobster.” 

You beamed at him, and began eating your dinner heartily. It was as delicious as it smelled, and pretty soon you were fighting the urge to lick the sauce off the plate. Emily came by and took the dirty dish away, exchanging pleasantries with you while she did. 

A moment passed where you were alone at the bar, full of pasta. A bolt of courage surged through you and you lifted your eyes to where Shane stood, watching him stare at the floor and drink his beer. His mop of hair fell into his eyes, making him look young and vulnerable. The hand that wasn’t holding the beer was shoved into the pocket of his jeans, sleeves of his sweatshirt pushed up. 

You bit your lip in anticipation. Now was your chance--Gus and Emily were tending to other patrons, no one was in your way--all you had to do was get up and move. 

Forcefully exhaling a breath, you pushed away from the bar and started walking over to where he stood. His focus turned to you, locking on your eyes as you neared him. You almost tucked tail and ran away--again--but something in you told you to just suck it up and get on with it this time. 

You came to a stop just a few feet in front of him. Your mind raced to figure out just what exactly to say, mouth falling open with no words coming out. He stared at you, beer paused just halfway to his lips. 

“Uh,” Shane said, “hi.” 

“H-hi,” you stumbled over the word. You anxiously fiddled with your hands, blushing furiously. 

His eyebrows raised in question. “C-can I help you?” 

You laughed nervously, trying to refrain from tugging on your ear--something you did in any nervous situation. “I--I have something to ask you.” 

You had his full attention now. He set down his beer on the counter before turning back to you and crossing his arms, the muscles in his forearms flexing. 

“What is it?”

This was it. Now or never. 

“Do you want to go out sometime?” you rushed out, squeezing your eyes shut in humiliation. 

When he didn’t answer right away, you slowly cracked one eye open to peek at him. He was in shock--his whole face was red and his mouth was hanging open in surprise. 

“You don’t have to say yes!” you reassured him, holding your hands up in defense. “I just--I really like you, and I want to--uh--ya know, get to know you better.” 

Shane looked around, as if trying to find someone. His gaze landed back on you, brow furrowed in confusion. “I d-don’t get it.” 

Now it was your turn to look confused. “What--what don’t you get?” 

“You’re asking me out?” 

“Ye-e-es?” you replied slowly, not liking where this conversation was going. 

“And it’s--it’s not a prank? Sam didn’t put you up to this, did he?” 

“No!” you exclaimed as you waved your hands. “It’s not a prank--that would be a horrible thing to do. No, I...I just really want to spend more time with you.” 

Shane stared at you, until his adorable cheeks split into a grin. “Alright. Yeah--actually, I got two tickets to the Tunnelers game this weekend, do you want to go with me?” 

“I would love to!” you said, all-too excitedly, and winced at your enthusiasm. “Sorry--I’m, ah, really nervous.” 

“I know the feeling,” he replied, picking up his beer again. “So--gridball game, this weekend. I’ll meet you by the bus stop.” 

“It’s a date,” you said cheerfully, and immediately blushed again. “I’ll see you then.” 

“See you then,” he said. 

Your heart was so full in that moment, that you didn’t realize you were staring at him in silence again, until he cleared his throat. 

“Sorry! I’m gonna--” you gestured to the door with your thumbs, “--gonna get home now. To the farm. That I live on.” Smooth. 

“It’s getting late,” Shane remarked as he glanced at the clock. “Can I--can I walk you home?” 

“That would be really nice of you,” you replied shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Thank you.” 

He led you out of the saloon and into the autumn night, and the two of you talked the entire walk home about anything and everything. And long after he had given you a sweet, nervous goodnight kiss on the cheek while the two of you stood on the porch, you lay awake in your bed and wished with all your might that this next week went by quickly, so you could steel your nerves and kiss Shane for real. 

[sandpumpkin]

Happy Birthday Croco-chan

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧Happy Birthday to my dearest Sand husband.

Little bit of SandPumpkin to celebrate (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ going to spoil my gator.

@one-piece-dumpster-fire​

Hana was very excited, she had the date on her calendar since she had coerced the delicate information out of Bon-chan. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” Rapunzel asked, handing her another plate to dry.

“Well it’s Croco-chan’s birthday tomorrow!” she replied happily, “I can’t wait to- what’s wrong?” she noticed Rapunzel’s pale face.

“You didn’t know but Boss doesn’t celebrate it.. He’s not really the birthday cheer kinda guy..” Rapunzel explained, but watching her shoulders slump made him feel pretty bad “Well..I mean we can sort something..little out..” he suggested. Bentham had overheard and was equally excited.

“Oh come on Rapi..you can’t have a small party for Zero-chan..it has to be lavish.” Bon whined, spinning around in the dining room. 

“How exactly are you going to distract Boss long enough for us to decorate the place and bake him a cake?” Rapunzel asked, setting his hands on his hips. Hana grinned and tapped her chest proudly. 

“Leave that to me...or Chompy..” Hana turned but then handed Rapunzel a carefully folded piece of paper “I can’t bake..I was thinking of a crocodile cake..too much?” 

Rapunzel laughed loudly looking over the poorly drawn crocodile “Why not. If we’re going all in. I’ll make the most spectacular goddamn crocodile cake ever.” Rapunzel chuckled. How can a party be lavish with a crocodile themed cake?

Hana cheered happily and hurried back to her room, to wrap the rest of Crocodile’s gifts. She couldn’t wait. She loved celebrating her loved ones birthdays. They couldn’t get angry at her for buying the gifts. And she had been hanging onto his gifts for a while now.

-

The next morning everyone was up early. Hana told Crocodile she was working on a new dress the night before and would sleep in her room. She procured Crocodile’s breakfast and morning coffee from Rapunzel and eased Chomp awake who was unhappy at being woken up so early. “Morning my little Chomp. Can you help me?” she asked, the bananawani stretched and rubbed itself against Hana’s legs, like a scaly little cat. “Okay Captain Chomp. Your mission is super important. Today is Croco-chan’s birthday. We need you to distract Croco-chan until we come and get you okay? Just means you get to spend lots of time with papa.” she explained seriously to the small gator.

Elon leant closer to Bentham “does that thing actually understand?” he asked quietly, he watched the small bananawani plod behind Hana and clambered up the stairs to Crocodile’s cabin. “If she pulls this off I’ll be amazed.” Elon mumbled as she entered his cabin. 

-

Crocodile had woken up in a terrible mood. He had become so accustomed to having Hana sleep beside him that it was difficult to sleep without her nearby. She always held his hand or trailed little patterns on his left arm, holding it against her as if protecting what was left of his arm. He found it endearing and slept far better than he ever had. He already slumped at his desk when he heard the knock at the door.

“What!” he barked on instinct.

“Good morning Croco-chan.” Hana’s bright voice came, followed by the patter of little claws.

 I shouted at her again.. She set his breakfast and coffee on his desk, followed by the morning paper. Resting a hand on his arm, she leant to kiss his cheek, nuzzling his face affectionately. 

“I hope you won’t be making a habit of sleeping elsewhere.” he stated, glancing up at her. Hana blushed and smiled softly at him, slipping her arms around his neck. 

“I’m sorry. I won’t..” peppering little kisses across his jaw “I slept terribly.” she added with a little sigh, “I got so used to having you near. I just couldn’t get comfortable or warm enough.”

“Then you should have come back.” he huffed, 

“I know..but it was so late..” Crocodile shot her a look, “I know...but..anyway..” she kissed his cheek again. “I’ll let you eat your breakfast in peace.” Crocodile let the smallest of smiles tug at his lips, he did enjoy hearing how much she missed him and how she doted on him. “I’ll come back for the dishes soon.” she added and hurried out of his cabin. Crocodile sank into his chair reaching for his coffee when he felt something tug on his trouser leg. Peering down he saw Captain Chomp tugging ever so carefully, making a strange kind of growl/mewl. 

“I thought I told her to look after you.” he growled, but the bananawani kept on tugging and nudging his leg until Crocodile gave in, lowering his hook for the gator to climb on allowing Crocodile to lift the small reptile onto his lap. “Only until she comes back for you.” Crocodile warned. Chomp gave a happy sounding snort in response and shuffled into a comfortable spot and fell asleep promptly.  I’m starting to wonder who is actually in charge on this ship. 

Crocodile read the paper in delightful silence and drank his coffee before moving onto some left over work. He only looked up when a knock once again brought him out of his work. 

“Croco-chan?” her voice came again, “it’s time for lunch.” she announced. Lunch? Already? He hadn’t even noticed the time. Chomp wiggled on his lap and plopped onto the wooden floor, scurrying towards Hana. He looked up and noticed the plates had gone. 

“When did you sneak in?” he asked, stretching and rising from his chair. Chomp was already in her arms looking proud, his tail swishing contently. Crocodile noticed her outfit had changed. More flamboyant than this morning. “Going somewhere?” he questioned, walking over to her, tilting her head up as he dipped to steal a kiss. She smiled at him brightly. 

“I just felt like wearing something nice.” She guided him out of the room and towards the dining hall. Crocodile frowned deeply, the ship was too quiet. He inhaled deeply as he put the pieces together. She hasn’t…

 She pushed open the door and moved to the side letting Crocodile in as the lights flicked on and party poppers exploded all around him, showering him in strands of coloured string. 

“Happy Birthday Boss!” they all cheered. Crocodile exhaled slowly, turning to Hana. 

“I assume your doing?” he asked flatly, she tensed under his scrutiny and shuffled nervously with Chomp still in her arms, though the small gator was now donning a typical cone party hat.

“I...just wanted to celebrate your birthday.” she said meekly “it’s not their fault.” she added. Crocodile closed his eyes slowly and reached to tousle her bright orange hair,

“This once.” he stated sternly. She nodded and took hold of his hook guiding him to his usual spot at the head of the table. Planting another kiss on his cheek, she set Chomp down who reclaimed his spot on Crocodile’s lap, proudly wearing its party hat.

What a ridiculous hat. 

He saw Bentham edge towards him with another cone hat in his hand “don’t you even dare bring that near me.” he warned coldly,

“Yes Zero-chan!” 

Hana hurried back to him with an arm full of presents setting them down on the table before him.  “Happy Birthday Croco-chan.” she grinned, looking between him and the parcels with an uncontrollable glee. 

“What did I say about-”

“..but it’s your birthday!” she whined, “I should be allowed to give you gifts on your birthday.” this woman… she was not going to back down today it seemed. Reluctantly he reached for the first present, in a rectangular box he could smell the expensive tobacco from within the colourful wrapping paper. His cold eyes floated up to her again. “You can’t complain about the price of things!” she half shouted, like she knew what he was thinking. Opening the wrapping he saw his favourite brand of cigars awaiting him. Setting the cigars down, he opened the next parcel which was considerably larger and softer, his eyes once again wandered back to Hana who smiled excitedly at him. Tearing the wrapping, he was greeted with a new coat though it was reminiscent of his old coat, that he lost at impel down it was a thick soft fur, in an emerald green with thin white lines across it. A smile tugged at his lips as he trailed his fingers across the fur. He reached and placed a hand on her head. 

“Thank you.” 

The moment those words left his lips, the whole room fell quiet before erupting in cheers “Boss is happy!” 

“This was expensive.” he frowned, giving Hana a knowing look. “There better not be anything else like this.” Hana bit her lip and looked away nervously,

“You might not want to open that parcel..” she advised pointing to a box that was probably a shoe box. “Or that one..” gesturing to a small box with a large bow on top which was most likely another ring. He would have to scold her later about spending so much money on him. One gift would have been more than enough.

“Zero-chan! Open my present next!” Bentham shouted, placing a neatly wrapped gift on top of the pile. 

“I baked you a cake,” Rapunzel added “Pumpkin’s, own design.” he grinned, setting a large bananawani cake on the table. I wasn’t aware I was a child. 

Even Bones added a gift to the pile. Crocodile took a deep breath to calm his temper. This was precisely why he hated celebrating his birthday. He looked at Hana once more, “how exactly did you find out?” he questioned, she pointed to Bentham who tried to hide behind Bones.

“Hana-chan asked!” he whined, 

“But I like to celebrate my friends and loved ones birthdays.” she smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek again he could feel her smile against his skin. He couldn’t very well be angry at her. He dragged a hand across his face and up through his hair. “Happy Birthday Croco-chan.” she said again. She had no intention of not celebrating again, he could see it in her eyes.  Chomp wiggled on his lap and tried to climb Crocodile's chest. Chomp managed to jump and nudge Crocodile’s jaw, similar to how Hana showed him affection. Bentham ‘awed’ so loudly making Crocodile grimace. “Chomp was giving you a gift too.” Hana chuckled, “shows how much we all care!”

“Come on, let's party!” the crew cheered, finally breaking open the alcohol. As Crocodile had to finish opening his gifts. He shook his head slowly with a slight deep laugh. Never would he had thought he would celebrate such a day again but he didn’t hate it, his favourite gift was seeing her smile so brightly at him. Maybe next year it would be quieter.

[peachynkeeen]

3 or 20 with shane bc ... i like angst ;w;

I am also a fan of angst ;) sorry this took so long, I was only hit with inspiration at 3am this morning and I got a little carried away, thus the long word count (1282)

Pls enjoy!

20. You’re in a coma and I confess all my feelings only for you to wake up

The weight is almost too much for you. Almost.

You don’t know how you got there, to the steps of the clinic. All you know is the weight and the rain. They both seem to soak into every crevice of your body, drip into every fiber of your being, drown your soul until you can’t think of anything else.

Harvey is by your side in an instant. He relieves the weight from your side, but you can still feel it there when he’s gone.

You can still smell the rotten stench of beer clinging to you.

You stumble inside the clinic, water falling from you like a waterfall. You don’t know where Harvey is. You don’t know where he is…

You fall to the floor. Even though Harvey has relieved you of your weight, it feels like it has increased tenfold. And then the tears start to come.

You begin to lose track of where the raindrops end and your tears begin. Everything is wet, even the white tile floor beneath you. It’s usually so clean, so pristine, but as you’re kneeling and begging and praying, you find that it’s caked with mud. Your boots and hands are filthy, and in better circumstances you’d maybe find the situation comedic. You wonder if Harvey will be cross with you in the morning.

After minutes that feel like hours (or maybe they are hours that feel like minutes?) you feel a warmth around you, and someone lifting you up instead of weighing you down.

Once the tears stop, you realize that Harvey had placed a blanket around your shoulders and moved you to an empty hospital bed. You get up, even though every muscle, every bone, is too weak to support you.

That’s when you see him.

He’s lying in the hospital bed across from you, and your heart stops as you think for a second — the most horrifying moment of your life — that he’s gone. But you see him breathing, a broken, shuddering movement that causes your own breath to hitch in your throat.

You run to him. You want to hug him, kiss him, strangle him, but you cry instead. You cry, and cry, and then you speak.

“You goddamn asshole,” you say, the words slipping from you like a waterfall. “How dare you. How dare you think you are not enough. How dare you think that the world wouldn’t miss you if you left. How fucking dare you.”

You wipe the tears from your face and stare at him, a fire burning within you now, a heat that you never knew was inside you. “There are so many people on this miserable planet who fucking need you, you selfish bastard,” you continue. “Jas. Marnie.” You still for a moment, as you realize the next person on that list. “Me.”

You turn away from him, wanting to hide the heat from inside as it spreads to your cheeks. “I need you, Shane,” you whisper. “I have before I ever came to this town. I just didn’t know how much until now.”

You pinch your nose, trying to hold back more tears. “I was so alone. Lost. I had nothing, not a family, not even a home. And then I met you.”

You smile at the memory, that first day on the farm, where you felt as lost as a spring chicken in Antarctica. You were running around town, trying to meet everyone. Trying to wrap your head around the enormous responsibility you were undertaking. And that’s when you first laid eyes on Shane.

He definitely didn’t have the most approachable scowl on his face, but you were desperate. Given the fact that you were now the owner of a farm, you knew that would eventually lead to raising farm animals, and your top priority was to befriend whoever sold them. Only problem was, you had no idea who that may be. Shane was your only source for directions, and from the moment you uttered the word “chickens” he had been fairly receptive and helpful, though he still tried to keep the scowl on his face.

It took months to get him to smile. But oh, when you succeeded, it was more rewarding than your first fruitful harvest. After pestering him every night at the Stardrop, you hit the lottery with a plate of pepper poppers. When you first saw that smile, it felt like the sun had started to shine inside of you. You couldn’t help but hug him. He stiffened from your touch at first, as if he was holding his breath, but it didn’t last for long. Something about you could make him relax in the most anxious situations, and he even hugged you back. You could still feel his hands on your waist as you walked home alone that night.

Which brings you to the electric feeling of your first kiss, as you both were exploring the haunted maze on Spirit’s Eve. You had decided to brave the labyrinth together, both laughing and joking until a fake spider popped out in front of you. You screamed and jumped into his arms, feeling like your heart had just rocketed out of your body. He merely laughed, until he realized how close your faces were to each other. Neither of you know who initiated it, only that now both of you couldn’t stop. You ended up in the bushes, almost warring with each other’s mouths, until Marnie’s voice could be heard over the hedges, calling for Shane to come home.

You think about all the kisses after that. The times you visited him at work with a paper bag full of freshly-grown hot peppers, as you both competed to see who could secretly give Morris the finger the most times before he noticed. The time where you sat on the dock to the Cindersap Forest Lake, stealing kisses under the moonlight until Shane dared you to dive into the water naked. The stolen looks across the saloon as you both tried to keep your relationship secret, only to end up quietly fucking each other in the storage room. All the times you made love to him, and that one time that was the first time.

“Shane...I...I love you.”

You turn back around to look at him, and your heart jumps as you see that his eyes are open, looking straight at you. It’s hard to read the emotion on his face. Anger? Confusion? Regret?

But then a weak smile spreads across his face as he reaches for your hand and pulls you closer. You sit down next to him on his bed and you can’t help but smile back at him. “You really think I’m an asshole?” he asks, and you almost have the mind to punch him. You laugh instead, though it’s hoarse from your crying.

“What do you think?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he smirks, but it quickly fades into fear. “What...what about everything else? Is that...did you mean it?”

A tear slides down your cheek as you nod.

“Promise?” he asks, though it sounds more like pleading. Tears begin to fall from his eyes as well, and he does nothing to try and hide them.

“Promise.”

He pulls you closer, so close your lips are barely touching. You can still smell the stench of alcohol, a scent you don’t think you’ll ever want to smell again, but it doesn’t matter anymore. You feel his lips move under yours, and you can hear his whisper in your heart.

“I love you too.”

[yanderemommabean]

Hear me out. Shane (from I can gather is a atheist) sees that the farmer is a decendent of yoba (from the farmer is a god/goddes story) and he is freaking out trying to fix all thise times he has told you about how he dosent belive in that stuff and the farmwr is just " dude chill im not offended"

“How can you say that? I-I completely ignored your existence and insulted your beliefs and-“ Shane begins to ramble and apologize, fear and disbelief in his eyes at how calm you were being and wondering why you didn’t smite him down right then and there.

“Why would I punish you for something Yoba gave you? Yoba gave you free will, and you chose to use it for your own personal gain. There’s no shame in that. How can I punish you for something I knew could be used?”. You sit sipping your coffee, cross legged and shrugging your shoulders as his babbling turns into soft murmurs of anxiety.

Shane has so many questions, so many things he wants to know and understand. He has the descendant of an all knowing being right in front of him, calm and ready for anything he has to say.

And all he can muster is a meek “But...why?”.

You place your cup down and look him over for a minute, watching his lips to see if he had anything else to add to that question. Why? That’s a question you hear all too often, and no answer seems to be satisfactory for anyone.

“Why anything?” You say, sounding more deadpanned than you meant to be. “Why do people or gods do anything? Half of the time it’s because of boredom. Other times it’s because people want to find a purpose or end an emotion they don’t know how to handle”.

Wow shitty answer but you’ve had so many of these things blow up in your face you tend to put up as many walls as possible for your own energy sake. Shane? Shane didn’t seem to like your answer either, but you could see in his eyes he understood. Well, at least some of it.

“What I mean is...in the beginning Yoba wanted to create things because he was curious and then...well he let life take over. Chain reactions, infinite possibilities, he wanted to see what would happen if he stepped back and let humans have the reigns for a few million years”.

Shane shuffled his feet and scowled “so he just let us fend for ourselves? And randomly chose to create you?”.

You nod, smiling a bit. Shane typically acts more moody but he’s showing great maturity for a man of his usual behavior. “You’re doing better than the dinosaurs. Yoba saw that they were becoming more of a circle of life than an infinite number of possible outcomes”.

You wanted Shane to know that this world wasn’t abandoned. It’s just being observed with very little intervention. You’re all creations of this being but there’s so many, he has no personal connections. Even you, his bloodline, are seen as more of a means to inform and entertain him than anything special.

But you’ve come to terms with that eons ago. Shane, he’s going to need more patience. More time. And honestly you’re perfectly fine with being here for him while he unravels all these webs and finally clears his mind.

“I can’t say Yoba will answer your prayers and concerns but I will say, that I am here, and I think if you’re really wanting to be happy and feel like you have no sins or burdens, then treat me like you would anyone else”.

“But-you’re godlike! You have so many amazing qualities!” He blurts, gesturing towards you with a look of exasperation. How can he treat you like you’re a nobody when you’re the family member of Yoba?!

“My powers don’t make me a caring, understanding and patient farmer Shane...they just exist. Without them, I’m still the same nerdy farmer who likes to buy you pizza and make you pepper poppers”. You stand up and walk over to him, doing a little twirl to show that you’re still more human than anything.

“My bloodline doesn’t make me who I am, my actions do. So, calm down, and lets go to the saloon, we can talk all night like we use too”.

Shane gave an unsure look, but nodded his head gingerly. “Yeah...I think me and you both could use a few drinks. Let’s see if booze can’t help me figure this shit out”.

[phantoms-lair]

MSA Secret Santa

@accidental-child

Arthur sighed, leaning against the steering wheel of the van. The bus was a little late, but that wasn’t unexpected. Not out here at any rate.

There was a small selfish part of himself that wished he hadn’t picked up the phone that day. It was selfish - and ridiculous. The call had been at the garage, he needed to answer those calls!

It had been some great Aunt, or far removed cousin. He wasn’t quite sure how they were related. Apparently her son was originally going to spend summer break with one of his friends, but their trip had been cut short. The problem was said parents and their daughter had already made other arrangements and wanted to know if the aforementioned son could stay with Lance.

The problem was, Lance wasn’t there and wouldn’t be for a while. He was off on a road trip with some of his old buddies from his days when he absolutely positively was not a wrestler. It was a well overdue vacation and Arthur wasn’t going to call him back from it.

But something stopped him from just turning her down. It wasn’t her, but… it was the idea that their current plans ‘couldn’t be altered’. Lance had planned his trip to originally be last year, but he’d dropped everything after Arthur had turned up in a hospital without an arm. Also that they were reaching out to family that wasn’t that close at all made Arthur wonder if the closer relatives had also had plans that couldn’t be altered. It stank too much of no one wanting this kid, and damned if he was going to add to that

So here he was, waiting for a cousin he’d never met who’d be spending a month with him. He didn’t think it would matter so much if he wasn’t the age he was - 18. Younger would have been easier to slip into a child-guardian relationship and older meant this wouldn’t have been an issue in the first place. But 18 was an age of feeling you were coming into your own authority, and much more likely to take onus with someone a mere five years older than you being in charge.

The bus pulled up and Arthur braced himself. Two figures got off the bus, his cousin and...a dog? A rather large dog at that. Something else Aunt Wendy had forgot to mention. Hopefully it was good with other dogs and hamsters.

Pushing his misgivings aside, Arthur left the van with a big welcoming smile. No need to borrow trouble till it was here. “Hi, you must be Norville, right?”

The teen winced. “Like, call me Shaggy please. I hate Norville.” 

“Done and done.” Arthur agreed readily. “The name Norville is thus dead and shall never be spoken from mine lips again.”

“Ri’m Scooby Doo.”

Another talking dog, huh. “Just to make certain, you’re not actually an ancient kitsune with an evil Japanese tree after you?”

“Like, not that we know of?” Shaggy looked confused. So did Scooby so Arthur let it slide. 

“Okay, let’s get some food, and we can figure out stuff out.” Apparently he said the right word, because his cousin and dog perked up a lot. “Let me help you with your bags.” “Is your arm metal?” Shaggy asked, surprised.

“Sure is, made it myself.” Arthur wiggled his fingers at him, inwardly bracing himself. “That’s cool.” Shaggy said earnestly, picking up his other suitcase.

No ‘How did that happen?’ or ‘That must be so terrible’? Okay, thus far Arthur was counting this as a win.

~

“So,” Arthur started as they slid into a booth at Pepper Paradiso, “Let’s go over your options.”

“Options?” Shaggy asked, surprised.

“Yeah, you have two main options, and we can tweak them as need be. The first is what I told your Mom. You come to stay with me and my boyfriend and girlfriend. We’ve set up a spare room for you, and Scooby I guess, sorry no one told us he was coming.” “If you’d prefer not to deal with three people being kinda mushy, or just want more privacy  I’d give you a key to Lance’s place. You could stay in my old room and basically have the house to yourself. I’d still be checking in everyday and making sure you had food and stuff, but other than that, you’d be on your own.” 

Shaggy seemed to think a moment. “You have a boyfriend and a girlfriend? You can do that?” “Yes.” Arthur answered simply.

“Okay, like if it’s all the same, man, I’d rather stay with you. I don’t think me or Scoob want to be alone.”

Arthur tried not to take it as a warning sign. True, most teens would jump at the first chance to be on their own, but that was hardly universal. There was a small feeling that something was wrong, not just parental negligence. What, he didn’t know. And truthfully it could be nothing. Arthur had a tendency to jump to worst case scenarios (catastrophizing, his therapist had called it), so for now he’d wait and see.

“So is this the mysterious cousin?” Mrs Chef Pepper came over, winking .

“Yeah, this is Shaggy. Shaggy, this is one half of the best cooking team in Tempo, and honestly Texas.”

“Flatterer. My name’s Carmella Pepper. My husband’s running the kitchen, so I have the front end today. I assume the usual, Arthur?” “With no Cayenne additions, please.”

“She’s banned from the kitchen after the last hot sauce-strawberry shake.” Carmella assured him. “What about you, Shaggy?”

Shaggy looked at the menu. “Like, could Scoob and I each get a ‘Vivi Special’ “ he pointed to the menu.

She raised an eyebrow. With the exception of its namesake, the Vivi Special was usually ordered to be shared by a family. She’d never seen an order of two of them. “Do you want the plate of spicy chorizo or pancake poppers?” Scooby and Shaggy looked at each other. “One of each please. And, like separate checks? Mom set up an account for me for food and stuff.” Arthur tried to hide his relief. One extra mouth he could feed. Two more Vivi appetites would have strained his budget beyond feasibility.

~ “Lewis, Vivi— we’re home!” Arthur called, letting himself and his two guests in.

“Welcome home, Arty.” Lewis greeted, pulling his boyfriend in for a kiss. “So this must be Nor-”

“The name is not to be spoken. It has been cast into the abyss and replaced with Shaggy.” Arthur said with a completely straight face. “It has become one with the void.” Lewis rolled his eyes. “Sorry for the melodramatic one, I’m Lewis. Lewis Pepper.”

Shaggy shook his hand while Arthur sputtered over Lewis calling him melodramatic. “Pepper, like the people who run the restaurant?” “My parents.” Lewis explained.

“Wow, like they’re great cooks, man. It’s the first place me and Scooby found that we could be full off one thing on the menu.” “If you can call the ‘Vivi Special’ one thing.” Arthur quipped.

“Someone call me?” Vivi slid into the front room, literally, her socks holding no traction on the hardwood floor, causing her to crash into Lewis. “Arthur’s cousin Shaggy is a fan of your addition to my parents menu.” Lewis said.

“Ooooo Did you get the version with the spicy chorizo or pancake poppers?”

“Like, Scoob and I got one of each. I really liked Aztec Chocolate sauce on the sweet chili!”

“I know! And the smoked gouda filled jalapeño poppers!” 

“Arthur, I think our girlfriend just adopted your cousin.” Lewis commented.

~

Vivi stretched as she got home from her morning shift at the Tome Tomb. Arthur was having a full day at Kingsmen’s, so she figured she’d check in on Shaggy and Scooby before getting in some serious cuddle time with Lewis.

She found them in the living room, Shaggy was looking at a book. Not reading it, but staring at the cover, while Scooby leaned against him comfortingly. “Everything okay boys?” She asked softly.

Shaggy took a moment to answer. “Do you believe in this stuff? Magic and monsters?” “As a matter of fact I do.” She tried to keep the humor out of her voice. Shaggy had no idea he was spending the remainder of his summer with a ghost and a kitsune. “Do you?”

Shaggy didn’t answer. “Doesn’t it scare you?” he asked.

“The supernatural? Not really. Or at least, not more than anything else.” She sat down next to him. “There’s good and bad magic, just like there’s good and bad technology. Some beings are friendly, some just want to be left alone, and some are truly evil, just like people. You always, always, have to be careful. But I’d rather know, you know?” Shaggy shook his head. “Like, I think I’d rather not.” He looked at the book again. “Like, have you ever heard of something called the Chest of Demons?”

“Not off the top of my head, why?”

Shaggy shook his head. “Nothing, like what’s for lunch?” Vivi accepted the topic change, but didn’t forget what she’d heard. This merited some digging into.

~

Arthur felt dead on his feet (though not quite as much as Lewis, ha!) as he got home that evening.  Working in the garage was one thing, but running it was quite another. He couldn’t wait for Lance to get back.

It was Vivi who greeted him at the door, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him. Arthur melted into the embrace, the warmth he felt in his heart giving him back the strength spent on budget balancing and unruly customers.

But as he felt himself relax, he realized she wasn’t easing up. Something was wrong. “What is it, Vi?”

“Your cousin.” She answered, her head still buried in the crook of Arthur’s neck. “He was looking at my books and mentioned something called the Chest of Demons. I hadn’t heard of it, so I sent out some feelers.”

“Bad?” Arthur guessed, as if the name didn’t give that away.

“Not just the chest itself. I still don’t know what it is, because one of the few things I did manage to learn is it’s protected by near total secrecy. It’s not something he could have just randomly heard of.”

Arthur’s mouth set into a grim frown. He could think of a few reasons, but none of them were good.

“And this isn’t some random client messing with something he shouldn’t, he’s your cousin and I like him, but this is serious.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Arthur promised. 

“No!” Vivi squeezed him tighter. “I don’t want to think he’s up to anything bad, but-” Honestly with how Shaggy had reacted to ‘Magic and Monsters’ she doubted it, but she couldn’t be sure and she wasn’t willing to put any of her boys in the path of danger.

Arthur laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. “You can have one of the Beats watching over us if it makes you feel better, but we can’t leave this alone and he’s nervous enough I don’t want him to feel like we’re ganging up on him.”

“That still puts you at risk,” Vivi argued.

“There’s always a risk, love. And you can’t take all of them for me. And I think this is a small one. Have you talked to Lewis yet?”

“Talked to be about what?” Lewis popped his head in. “You guys were taking a while. Is everything okay?”

“Shaggy may or may not have gotten mixed up in something supernatural and I want to talk to him about it. I want to do it alone so I don’t overwhelm him, but Vivi doesn’t want me to go talk about an evil artifact with the person who brought it up by myself. I volunteered to take a Beat with me.” “Take Mystery too.” Lewis suggested. “Shaggy likes him, so he wouldn’t feel ganged up on.”

Vivi let out a sigh of relief. “I love your Deadbeats, Lew, but I feel a lot better about that plan.”

~

“Hey Shaggy,” Arthur sat down. Mystery curled up by his feet, looking innocuous, but keeping a careful eye on Shaggy and Scooby.

“Hey,” Shaggy didn’t look up from the video game he was playing. “Like, how was work?”

“Not too bad. Can we talk about something?”

“Sure, man.” Shaggy paused the game. “What’s up?”

So many questions ran through Arthur’s head. Why do you know about the Chest of Demon? How did you find out about it? How much do you know? But there was one question he felt the need to ask above all the others.

“Are you in any danger?”

Shaggy blinked, caught completely off guard. “Huh?”

“You brought up something called the Chest of Demons to Vivi today. She did some digging. It was bad.” Arthur kept it vague to hide how much he didn’t know. “It’s also not a name you’d just stumble on. So, are you in any danger?” Shaggy deflated. “Like, not right now. Probably later. Thirteen seems to be keeping a low profile, but given the other twelve? At least Boggle and Weird are sealed up.”

Okay, Arthur didn’t understand any of that after ‘Probably later’. “Can you start at the beginning?”

“Okay, so like originally the five us were supposed to spend the summer on a global road trip, but Fred and Velma ended up going to camp, so like it was just me, Scooby, and Daphne. And we kinda sorta got lost. We ended up in the place where the chest was hidden. There were these two ghosts, Boggle and Weird. They wanted the thirteen evil spirits in the chest free, but it can only be opened by the living. So they tricked me and Scoob into opening it.and setting their masters free.”

Shaggy then rolled his eyes. “And of course only the ones who open the chest can return them, so like, suddenly we’re chasing down the nastiest ghoulies this side of the River Styx. We got the first twelve and got Boggle and Weird sucked in for good measure but with no sign of number thirteen Vincent cut us loose till he finds him.”

“Vincent?” Arthur inquired.

“A mystic who knows a lot about the Chest of Demon and it’s prisoners. He’s been helping us.” Shaggy shrugged. “Daphne suggested continuing our vacation while we’re on break, but I just kinda wanted to go home.” “Did you tell your family any of this?” Arthur wondered.

His cousin snorted. “Besides you? Like no one would believe me! And Daphne….” Shaggy trailed off.

“And Daphne?” Arthur prompted.

“It sounds weird to say, but this seemed to be, like, good for her? Before she kinda followed whatever Fred said. This summer though, she was taking charge and becoming more confident in herself. And like, I’m happy for her, but it means-” Shaggy seemed to struggle for his words, Scooby putting a reassuring head on his knee. “I’m a coward. I’d rather run from scary things than fight them. And I know I have to get them back in the box, cause it’s my fault they’re out-”

“Rour fault,” Scooby corrected.

“-but I’m scared all the time and I don’t want to be and no one but Scoob seems to get that.”

“Of course you’re scared,” Arthur scoffed. “You’ve had thirteen evil spirits after you. That’s objectively terrifying. You’d be crazy not to be scared.”

Boy and dog seemed taken aback.

While he couldn’t say he had been expecting those details, at least this lined up with what Arthur suspected, that Shaggy had stumbled into trouble, not sought it out.

“Okay, so first things first, what do you know about Spirit #13? What kind of spirit is it?” Arthur’s voice was all business.

“Not yet, Vincent usually tells us about them as he finds them.” Shaggy explained.

“If you can contact him, see if you can find out what we’re dealing with. It’ll be more effective if we can narrow that down.”

“What will be?” Shaggy asked, confused.

“Protective wards. That reminds me. Lewis, Vivi, Shaggy has a potential evil spirit after him. Brainstorming time.” “Huh?”

Lewis and Vivi showed up a bit too quickly to not have been listening in, but Arthur hoped Shaggy wouldn’t notice.

“There’s already some basic wards against hostile entities on the house, Pepper Paradiso, Lance’s, Kingsmen’s, and the Tome Tomb.” Vivi listed.

“I’ve got a few things around town warning me of anything of any level of power entering.” Mystery put forth. “It’s only weak spot is the lake.”

“Which has a protector of its own.” Arthur had a wry grin. “Nothing coming in from that side.”

Shaggy and Scooby shared a confused look. “You guys had this already set up?”

“You get surprised by a Jubokko once, you take precautions.” Vivi said dryly. “But this is all general stuff. The more specifics we know, the better defenses we can make. We can also figure out what places near your home we need to ward, or come up with something portable.”

Shaggy just looked between the four of them, confused. “Why?”

Lewis took a deep breath ( or at least mimed doing so). “Shaggy, you’re Arthur’s cousin, do you know what that means?”

Shaggy shook his head.

“It means you’re family,  you’re our family. And we protect family however we can.” Lewis stated. “And we know monsters exist. We’ll be ready.”

Shaggy seemed at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed a few times. “Thank you,” he finally whispered, his voice raw with emotion.

Arthur pulled him into a hug. “That’s what family does.”

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

It’s late and I started playing Stardew Valley again after a break of a few months and now I’m emotional for hard-to-describe personal growth reasons but like

I feel like the differences in my first and second characters, and in the differences I played them, say a lot about how I’ve developed in the past year? 

Tref was female because of course she was. I felt like she Should Be because I Was, Right? Tref had dark blue hair and gold earrings and had four personality traits: Feral, Wear Leather Jacket, Give Gifts to Villagers and Shane Solidarity. (I fed that man SO many pepper poppers) at some point while I was playing her I realized I was trans. I wondered what it would be like to play as a male character, but I was attached to my forage-crazy, digs-in-trashcans-in-the-rain gremlin girl at this point. I found the Shrine of Illusions and completely changed my appearance, but didn’t save the changes and kept my original appearance because I’d gotten attached to Tref as her own character and forcing a complete and sudden switch in the middle of her story felt fake. Also, I was pretty sure the villagers would keep using female pronouns for me even if I looked like a lumberjack and had a beard, because that’s what I’d set them as in the beginning of the game. 

Later, I started a game as Francis. 

It’s.... interesting, how... normal it feels. How much more normal I am, in life in general, in a good way. Tref’s character was sort of “I use feminine pronouns because they were assigned to me at birth and I can’t be hecked to change em but I swear to God, if a villager sees me coming down the street I don’t want them to say “hello ma’am” I want them to say “WHAT IS THAT” and was devoted to being absolutely as feral as possible. 

Francis is just a dude. I feel like I play him in a much calmer way (though I’ve kept the habit of rummaging in garbage cans which I gained while playing Tref....) What’s interesting is how I can recognize their characters as distinct; I think there was an update while I was gone and I’ve encountered some new stuff recently playing as Francis. I got a big wooden club I don’t really remember, but I feel like it would have suited Tref. The garbage-can-lid-hat absolutely would have fit her. Francis? The big stick works, I mean who doesn’t find a baseball bat effective, but I put the garbage can hat on him and then immediately took it off. He’s not that garbage gremlin full of chaotic energy and unacknowledged personality issues. I still love Tref, but playing as Francis feels like home. So far I’m just saying what Francis ISN’T, and I’m not sure how else to describe it, but knowing who I am.... it was exciting and wild and terrifying and overwhelming at first, yeah, but enduringly it’s just.... calm, solid, steadying. Like knowing who you are for the first time. Like home.  

Obviously everyone’s experiences will be different. Some might lean more into the freeing aspect of identity, which I also get; it’s just so great to finally be me, but right now, right now what I’m focused on is the fact that for once there’s finally something solid under my feet. I know who I am and where I am and I’m comfortable with that. I love Tref as a character but Francis is home.