#you are either going to love or hate what I do with sheep boy

[oceanera12]

Guys, I am trying to finish Impulse's chapter and then I'm trying to plan out the next several chapters of "Built Family" (which includes: interlude, Cub, Scar, Iskall, Ren, Wels, Beef, interlude, Stress) and guess who keeps rearing his head?

ZEDAPH STAY DOWN YOU ARE NOT FOR ANOTHER TEN CHAPTERS, I KNOW YOU'RE EXCITED BUT WAIT YOUR TURN!

[personal-progress-dropout]

The Rainbow Sheep

(Yes, I know, very original and creative title, but it gets the job done. Get ready for personal stories and too many parenthesis.)

In my childhood, whenever gay people were mentioned, it was with the same tone you’d use for someone with terminal cancer. It was a tragedy. They were lost, they had distanced themselves from God, and they were grieved like the dead. Sometimes it felt like people would rather their gay brothers and sisters be dead instead of gay. Of course, we should always be kind and welcoming, love the sinner hate the sin, etc., but honestly, it felt like you could never truly be accepted if you were gay. There was a distance, and it was always the gay person's fault.

For example—on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all fifty states. I was thirteen years old. That Sunday, there was a special meeting at church to discuss the new development and reinforce The Family Proclamation. I remember very little of what was said, but I remember what I felt. I remember that the atmosphere felt like the greatest of tragedies had occurred, and I remember being told that we had to defend traditional marriage. We had been given the duty of defending the Family, something that the world wanted to destroy. (I use Family with a capital F because it always seems like we’re defending an unreachable ideal instead of the messy, glorious reality.) Nobody ever used that language directly, but I certainly felt the implication, and the language they did use drew up a stark divide of ‘us vs. them.’ 

I wholeheartedly believed this, and I was going to do everything I could to strive towards the ideal. I was going to get married in the temple and start my own eternal family! There was just one problem with that—I didn’t see men as romantic partners. My future husband was a faceless doll set in the life I wanted to have: my vision for the future included kids, a house, pets, and a job, but I had no idea where a husband was supposed to fit in my life. The ‘crushes’ I had as a kid were a fun game of pretend because girls were supposed to crush on boys. The older I got, the more exhausting the game of make-believe became. Looking back on my high school years, I realize that I was never actually attracted to the boys I wanted to date; I simply wanted to hang out with them. If they were attracted to me, that would be nice, and it would definitely stroke my ego, but I didn’t want them. I wanted to be wanted.  

I’ve always gravitated to women more than men, even as a child. It’s a running joke among queer women that when you see a beautiful girl you don’t know if you want to be her or be with her, but I’ve always been able to make the distinction. Women were easier to develop crushes on than men. I could differentiate between attraction and admiration, and after I came out it was incredibly frustrating to hear people say I was confusing the two. I was enchanted with the sway of a classmate’s hips, the bark of her laughter, the passion of her voice. If I had changed the pronoun to ‘he’, everyone would assume I was in love. 

I realized I was queer when I was sixteen years old, and it was terrifying. Gay people were the ‘other’, they were either set on destroying the Family or they were expected to live out a solitary life in the hope that they would get a heterosexual happily-ever-after in the Celestial Kingdom. I didn’t want to destroy the Family! I didn’t want to die alone! There were certain men that I found handsome, so I determined that I was attracted to men (in theory) and therefore nobody needed to know. I could go through my life with nobody the wiser, and I would never have to risk the alienation that comes with coming out.

And it's a risk. Parents will tell their children that they will always love them and there’s nothing they can do to change that. This is simply not true. I grew up with these same reassurances, but I was never specifically told that I could be gay and my parents would still love me. I’m incredibly lucky. Despite the way my parents were raised to regard LGBTQ+ people (which in all honesty was pretty mild compared to some of my friends' parents), they valued the commandment to love God and their neighbors over anything else. It was still one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life because I was walking into unknown, potentially dangerous territory. In the end, I’m so glad that I did. My parents and I understand each other better now, and I don't have to carry the weight of secret-keeping anymore.

Of course, there are still misunderstandings and miscommunication. I was frustrated because my parents didn’t want me to come out to my sisters until we were older. I felt like a dirty secret, and it felt like there was a layer of separation between me and my sisters. There are moments when I feel othered—when I know I can never come out to certain parts of my family, because they would never look at me the same way. (I might someday. Who knows.) When I see legislation that forbids talking about LGBT in schools and how gay literature is being banned from libraries, and how members of my family don't see a problem with this, because aren't they a bit young for that anyways? (I wasn't too young to be taught that I should marry a man in the temple and have children that I should raise in the faith, but that's besides the point.)

I get annoyed when I hear my orientation referred to as a ‘trial’ and something that will be made right in the afterlife. I don't consider it to be a trial--I think it's an aspect of who I am, and the trial comes from people who have a restricted view of the world.

I love my faith. I love the assurance that comes with knowing I'm a child of God, and I love how we as a church believe that we can become greater than we are through living gospel principles, but it should come as a surprise to nobody that the church is an institution made up of imperfect people. We have a long way to go, but I have hope. Look at me! I went from a deeply conservative teenager who believed that gay marriage was a sin (I'm not even sure I knew trans people existed at the time) to someone who accepts their identity as queer and tries to make the world a more accepting place. I can change, and I like to believe that the people around me can too. We can become greater than what we are today.

[kandyshoppe]

So! I’m going to school to (hopefully) become a farm vet, and I also enjoy those hybrid Aus, SO! Farm Hybrid Au! (Or just farm au!)

Riddle: a rooster, specifically a red cornish. Cornish are known to be a bit aggressive, and finicky. I think he would have been a neglected chick and didn’t get to the full size, instead staying kinda small instead of becoming big like other Cornish.

Trey: Highlander cow, soft, sweet babys! They’re just happy to be here, and are stocky tough cattle. Their coats are double coated, so they can get matted but it’s rare with a proper diet and care.

Cater: a part indoor part outdoor cat, a beautiful orange tabby mix, who goes through moods of cuddle monster and hates everyone. Never a hiss from him, but a grumpy huff and he trots away.

Deuce: mastiff, a guard/live stock guardian dog breed. Big, aggressive to strangers, but love bugs once they get to know you. Specifically a Pyrenean mastiff, they’re polish, and suited for cold weather best.

Ace: definitely a Nubian goat, head strong, rebellious, LOUD, but they’re not aggressive! They’re actually very friendly, to their detriment since they will try to befriend predators!

Leona: farm cat, probably a Maine coon mix, cause he’s so big and fluffy! Maine coons are also very “dog like” and can learn tricks, to play fetch etc. They also tend to have a resting mad face, which Leona seems to have sometimes!

Ruggie: a stray dog that helps hunt vermin on the farm. I feel he wondered up once, and made sure to avoid the live stock (and their guard dogs) and got some rats or something. He doesn’t live on the farm by nearby in the woods with his pack of strays (including granny!)

Jack: another guard dog! Anatolian Shepard, a middle eastern breed suited for colder climates, and lovingly called “nanny dogs” and they will happily let goats jump on them. They’re a bit dominant, preferring to do their own thing vs what others say though.

Azul: cull duck! They’re a bit noisy, enjoying the sound of their own voice. They’re the white ones most people think of for ducks, small and fairly friendly but they do enjoy nibbling to show affection…

Jade: runner duck! They can’t fly, but enjoy scrabbling among rocks to find grubs, or in Jade’s case, mushrooms! They don’t waddle either! They run! They’re not as friendly as other duck breeds, being stand off-ish sometimes.

Floyd: just like his brother, a runner duck. He lives up to the runner in his name! Prances around, and enjoys tormenting the other animals on the farm. Someone stop him! Sneaks up on others and nips their feet. Has been kicked before, it didn’t stop him.

Kalim: brown Swiss, in the top three cattle breeds! They’re known for being fairly docile, calm and friendly. They’re very affectionate, and can get upset when not given affection from their handlers! This boy is BEGGING for ear scritches!

Jamil: Brahman bull, he can get aggressive much easier than Kalim. He’s also a very intelligent boy, as his breed usually is. But they’re also known to be shy, preferring to be alone or with a specific quiet few vs a large herd! Brahmans also are sensitive to the cold, so his hoodie is a need!

Vil: a jersey cow (my favorite!) they’re so pretty, but also the divas of milking cows. But it’s worth it for their thick, buttery and fatty milk! They’re also very curious, choosing to follow new comers vs hiding. They’re very social, but sassy things!

Rook: a trained hawk! (I’ve never seen a trained hawk around chickens but he is!) he was found as a baby and ended up bonding with the farmer I bet, so now he protects the others from birds, and more sneaky attacks! He enjoys sitting with Vil, a strange pair but it works.

Epel: a Southdown sheep, also known as “baby dolls” cause they’re so little and cute! He’s still a ram though, and hates being called cute! Head butts at will! Is mad that Vil has chosen him as their “calf” and follows him around, keeping him out of trouble. Vil’s no fun.

Idia: a British soay sheep, but he’s got a genetic mutation that makes him a deep blue instead of a dark brown. British soay are shy and flighty, they’re timid even among sheep breeds! Idia probably struggles with joining herds because of his color, which makes him more nervous about predators!

Ortho: à shetland sheep, another smaller breed, but quite friendly and inquisitive (which is rare among sheep, I’m sorry they’re dumb) Don’t let his size fool you though! Shetlands are one of the hardiest breeds out there! Small but mighty!

Malleus: a big black shire horse, now I don’t know as much about horses, but shires are docile and friendly draft horses! I bet cause of his size though, many of the other farm animals avoid him cause he’s scary. Shires are sometimes used for riding, and I bet he REALLY enjoys riding!

Lilia: a fell pony! They’re one of the smartest ponies, and while they can be finicky at times because of their intelligence, they are sweet ponies. He’s too intelligent for his own good I bet, enjoying to open the gates and wander out, but doesn’t close it and now EVERYONE is out and about!

Silver: an Icelandic horse (my brother’s favorite), they’re super sweet and hardworking sweethearts, with a beautiful grey coat! One of the friendliest horse breeds in the world, he’s just a big old love bug! Loves rolling around and laying in a nice patch of grass I bet.

Sebek: a shetland pony, but he’s one of the ones who give shetlands a bad rap. He’s nippy, and stubborn, and loves to whiney whenever he can! Likes the sound of his own voice. Is entranced with Malleus, and wants to be a big horse like him one day!

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: tw: rape, tw: talk of being raped but not the act itself, tw: verbal abuse, tw: emotional abuse, john is a really bad person, super sweet bucky, relief and being free at the end

Summary: Ever since your failed one-night stand with John, you two have been in a "relationship". He won't let you leave and treats you like less than. Will you ever find your way out of this abuse cycle?

Squares Filled: romania (2021) for @star-spangled-bingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

The person staring back at you in the mirror is someone you don’t recognize. How did you get to this point in your life? You used to be so full of life and loved going out with your friends. Now? You’d rather stay in and not see a single person in fear they’re going to see who you really are: a weak bitch. At least, that’s what John tells you daily. Your eyes used to hold so much light but now they’re sunken in. Your skin used to be glowing but now is pale.

Thank God for makeup.

You paint your face to make yourself look happy, to conceal the tear stains away, and to make your skin shine like how it used to. Just as you put the final brush down, John walks in with a scowl on his face.

“You take fucking forever to get ready. The boys are waiting on you. You’re either ready in five minutes or I’m gonna leave you here and I’ll punish you when I get home.”

“I’m ready.”

You turn to him with a fake smile plastered on your face.

“Fucking finally. Come on.”

As soon as John leaves the room, your smile drops. This is getting to be very exhausting and you’re not sure how long you can do this for. Still, you grab your purse and meet John at the car. One of his good friends is hosting a small party with drinks and dinner, so he doesn’t live far from you and John. John has his hand on your thigh the entire ride as a sort of reminder. His touch makes you want to throw up, everything about him you hate, and he’s not a good person. 

Not only is he mentally, verbally, and emotionally abusive toward you, but he crosses the line into physical abuse almost every night. He’s only hit you once out of anger but the physical abuse is sexual. One night a year ago, you were looking for a meaningless hookup to get over your ex and John had taken you back to his place. Everything was going great until the point where you two got into it. You backed down at the last second because you didn’t want to do that to yourself, but John didn’t take no for an answer.

He ended up raping you that night and has been almost every night after that. He became obsessed with you and had been for months before that, and now that he got his hands on you, he didn’t want to let you go.

He won’t let you leave, and you don’t know how to break this cycle.

You and John arrive at his friend’s house just as Bucky and Sam get there. It was John’s idea to invite them as a sort of “get to know my neighbors” type deal. He wants to prove to them that he’s just as capable of being Captain America as Steve was. Bucky isn’t going to go for his bullshit but Sam made him come here.

Bucky smiles when he sees you. He’s always thought you were too good for John but he’s kept his mouth shut because it seemed like you were happy in the relationship. However, when you pass by him to get into the house, he can see how terrified you are in your eyes.

“It’s good to see you two. I’m glad you could make it,” John smiles.

The worst thing about John is that he’s super charming and can convince a town full of people that he’s the good guy.

“Sam made me come.”

“Hush,” Sam says and whacks Bucky on the back of his head.

All four of you walk inside and greet the men who are already here. The only other woman who is here is one of John’s friend’s wife. You’d much rather go off on your own with the wife and make small talk but John keeps you by his side all night. Even as he’s talking to Bucky and Sam about his plans regarding Captain America, his arm is tightly wrapped around your waist. Bucky looks at you briefly and sees the look in your eyes. You’re smiling and agreeing with what John is saying but your eyes are telling him a different story.

Something is wrong here but he doesn't know what or how to help you.

Eventually, dinner is served and you’re seated next to John and the other woman. Bucky and Sam are on the other side of the table but Bucky’s eyes haven’t left you since you walked past him. It’s bugging him that he knows something is wrong without knowing exactly what it is. Everyone is eating and having a good time while you pick at your food cautiously. You can eat only what John approves of you to eat since he’s told you constantly that he doesn’t want you getting fat on him. If you look a certain way, he’ll force you to lose weight until you can fit into the clothes he buys you.

It’s your fault for eating too much anyway.

You’re not sure how the conversation ended up on languages, but John is always looking for an excuse to talk about this. You’ve pretty much tuned out this entire evening.

“I don’t know if you guys know this but Y/N can speak five languages, Romanian being one of them. It’s the one I find the most romantic.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I grew up with it,” you nod.

“Tell them how great I am in Romanian,” John chuckles.

The only other person at this table who can speak Romanian is Bucky. This is your chance. This is your chance to ask for some real help without alerting John you’re doing it.

“Am nevoie de ajutor. John nu mă lasă să-l părăsesc. Mă violează de câteva ori pe săptămână. Este abuziv fizic, verbal, mental și emoțional. Mi-e teamă că mă voi trezi într-o zi să-l văd cu un cuțit în față. Vă rog să mă ajutați. Nu mă va lăsa să plec.”

I need help. John won't let me leave him. He rapes me several times a week. He's abusive physically, verbally, mentally, and emotionally. I'm scared I'll wake up one day to see him with a knife in my face. Please help me. He won't let me leave.

You can’t look at anyone in the eyes, especially Bucky. Still, you peek a look at him to see shock written on his face. He understood every word you said but John is still smiling next to you as if you told everyone how loving and kind he is. John reaches over and grips your thigh gently to let you know he has all the power here.

“What did you tell them?”

You look at John and smile at him.

“How much you love me and how much you treat me like a princess. How much I love you.”

“See?” John chuckles. “She’s a keeper.”

John goes back to eating and chatter resumes as normal. However, Bucky can’t stop looking at you. You lock eyes with him before looking down and finishing your meal. The rest of the dinner goes by without a hitch and John is saying goodbye to his friends.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom real fast. I’ll be quick.”

John can’t be his usual self around company so he kisses the side of your head and allows you to do that.

“Hurry back.”

It’s a simple request but it holds so much threat behind it. You leave his side and head to the upstairs bathroom since that’s the only one working. As soon as the door is closed, you rush over to the toilet and throw up everything you ate. You want to cry until there is no more water in you but you have to remind yourself that John is waiting and he’ll get meaner the longer you make him wait.

Someone knocks on the door and the panic and fear in your body spike to a high level. You wipe your mouth with toilet paper and flush the toilet to make it seem like you’re done.

“Who is it?”

“Bucky.”

Relief replaces your panic but the fear is still there. He knows what John does. He knows everything. What is he going to do? You open the door carefully and he pushes his way inside with determination.

“Is what you said true?”

“I can’t do this here, Bucky.” If you talk about it openly, then you’re going to cry and John will know for sure something is up. “If I talk about it, I’ll cry and I won’t be able to stop.” You look at your reflection to make sure your makeup isn’t ruined. “I have to go. John is waiting.”

“Wait just a minute,” Bucky says and prevents you from leaving.

“Bucky, please. John will get angry. I need to leave now.”

“John is no longer going to hurt you.”

“What?”

“Stay here and wait for my return.”

Bucky leaves before you can say anything else. John sees Bucky come back alone and he’s getting a bit frustrated with you. He can’t do anything in front of his friends but just wait until he gets you home.

“Where’s Y/N?”

“In the bathroom. It sounded like she was washing her hands when I passed by. Can I talk to you for a second outside?”

John looks confused but follows Bucky outside nonetheless. John passes by Bucky while he stares at his vibranium arm. The metal flexes with power and Bucky is trying so hard to contain it.

“You want to know an interesting fact about me?” Bucky asks and looks at John.

“What?”

“Vorbesc fluent Romana.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m fluent in Romanian.”

John immediately gets nervous. You told him you told everyone how much you love him but based on Bucky’s reaction, he knows you said something else.

“That’s cool, man. You and Y/N have something in common.”

With his vibranium arm, Bucky sends what’s supposed to be a deadly blow to the face. It would be deadly if the person he is punching didn’t have the super soldier serum in him. John crashes into the car behind him and sets off the car alarm. Everyone inside rushes outside to see what the commotion is.

“Never lay a hand on her again!” Bucky yells angrily.

Bucky sends another hard blow with his flesh hand to the side of John’s face. This is when the fight or flight response in John kicks in. He starts to fight Bucky back but there is no use in stopping the Winter Soldier. They both have the serum in them but Bucky has always been and will always be stronger than John. Bucky grabs John’s collar and pulls him up to his feet only to slam him to the concrete down below. Bucky punches John’s chest so hard with his metal arm that John’s ribs break and he coughs up blood.

“Hey! What the hell is going on!” Sam yells and pulls his friend off your abuser.

“He’s a fucking abuser and a coward! He’s hurting Y/N, and it’s gonna stop now. Don’t fucking go near her or I’ll do more than break your ribs,” Bucky threatens.

Everyone looks at John who just groans in pain with his eyes closed. Bucky pushes past everyone to get back into the house and to the bathroom where you are. You’re sitting on the toilet biting your nails nervously. You have no idea what is going on out there or what Bucky can do to help you. The bathroom door opens and Bucky enters without a second thought. You stand up to greet him when you smell blood. Your eyes trail down his body until they land on his flesh hand which has open wounds on it.

“What did you do?” you gasp.

“I should have killed him.” The realization that you’re free, at least at this moment, hits you and the floodgates open. The tears come flowing out and won’t stop, and Bucky pulls you into his arms. “He will never hurt you again. Sam and I have an extra room you can use.”

Your grip on him gets tighter.

“Thank you,” you cry and shake in his arms.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[echoesofriver]

Is it still cool to make character inspired playlists? I don't care either way. Have some songs that remind me of the trash king himself. Specific lyrics under the cut. I listen to a lot of Halsey and MARINA, sue me

listen on Youtube

listen on Spotify (minus Lessons because it's not on Spotify)

you should see me in a crown Billie Ellish 

You should see me in a crown; Your silence is my favorite sound; Watch me make 'em bow; One by one by one

Everybody Loves Me OneRepublic 

Head down; Swingin' to my own sound; Flashes in my face now; All I know is everybody loves me

Teenagers My Chemical Romance 

They said, "All teenagers scare the livin' shit out of me"; They could care less as long as someone'll bleed; So darken your clothes, or strike a violent pose; Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me

Absinthe iDKHOW 

I don't believe whatever this is; Until you burn all of the witches; I won't believe whatever this is; Whatever they give you, stop drinking it down

Choke iDKHOW 

Now shut your dirty mouth; If I could burn this town; I wouldn't hesitate; To smile while you suffocate and die

Are You Satisfied? MARINA 

Are you satisfied with an average life?; Do I need to lie to make my way in life?

Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked Cage The Elephant

I know I can't slow down; I can't hold back; Though you know; I wish I could; Oh, no there ain't no rest for the wicked; Until we close our eyes for good

Do It All The TIme iDKHOW 

No reason why; I'm only doing anything I want to do; Because I do it all the time

Bittersweet Panic! At the Disco

Everything I do is bittersweet; You could tell me secrets that I'll probably repeat; I'm not trying to hurt you, I just love to speak

My Kink is Karma Chappell Roan

People say I'm jealous, but my kink is watching; You crashing your car; You breaking your heart; You thinking I care; People say I'm jealous, but my kink is karma

Oh No! MARINA 

One track mind, one track heart; If I fail, I'll fall apart; Maybe it is all a test; 'Cause, I feel like I'm the worst; So I always act like I'm the best

Lilith Halsey

You got me thinking that I was too mean; Well, everything that I say I believe; Tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve

High On Humans Oh Wonder

Animate the air with a stone cold question; Do you have the time? Do you hate your life?; Now I'm locking eyes with a silent stranger; Don't run, don't hide

Ego Halsey 

I think that I should try to kill my ego; 'Cause if I don't, my ego might kill me; I'm all grown up, but somehow lately; I'm acting like a fucking baby; I'm really not as happy as I seem

Fake Happy Paramore

I love making you believe; What you get is what you see

The Kids Aren’t Alright Fall Out Boy 

Bad trip I couldn't get off; And maybe I bit off more than I could chew

Gasoline Halsey 

With your face all made up, living on a screen; Low on self-esteem, so you run on gasoline

Control Halsey 

I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds; And I couldn't stand the person inside me; I turned all the mirrors around

Valley Of The Dolls MARINA 

Born with a void, hard to destroy; With love or hope; Built with a heart, broken from the start; And now, I die slow

Blame all your life on me

Blame Me The Pretty Reckless 

Outrunning Karma Alec Benjamin 

He's never gonna make it, all the; Poor people he's forsaken, karma; Is always gonna chase him for his lies

Fear and Loathing MARINA 

I've lived a lot of different lives; Been different people many times; I live my life in bitterness; And fill my heart with emptiness

Lessons Halsey 

I'm alive, that's a plus; But it's getting heavy, better lighten up; I'm a liar, I'm a lush; I don't think I'm ready to let go of the rush

Numb MARINA 

I feel numb most of the time; Lower I get the higher; I'll climb, and I will wonder why

Black Sheep (Brie Larson Vocal Version) Metric 

Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend; You crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Ain’t It Fun Paramore

Where you're from; You might be the one who's running things; Where you can ring anybody's bell and get what you want

You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid The Offspring 

Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time; And turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach; Another clever word sets off an unsuspecting herd; And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet

Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time Panic! At The Disco 

The Outsider MARINA 

This night is heating up; Raise hell and turn it up; Saying "If you go on, you might pass out in a drain pipe"; Oh, yeah, don't threaten me with a good time

Don't get on my bad side; I can work a gun; Hop into the backseat baby; I'll show you some fun

I am not a woman, I’m a god Halsey 

I am not a woman, I'm a God; I am not a martyr, I'm a problem; I am not a legend, I'm a fraud; So keep your heart, 'cause I already got one

[vodika-vibes]

Oh ho ho ask and you shall receive.

Can I get a western au with Misfit and dealers choice on genre. Just at one point can I hug him. Thank you

Love oo

Better Place

Summary: After losing his career due to gross insubordination towards his Commanding Officer, Misfit finds himself moving back to the small ranching town he grew up in because he has no other options. He’s surprised when he realizes that this is his chance to heal.

Pairing: Pre Specialist Misfit (Clone OC) x F!Reader

Word Count: 2421

Warnings: Mentions of drug and alcohol abuse

Prompt: Western AU - though it doesn't really have a Western vibe, sorry.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @kimiheartblade

A/N: So, I had an idea, and I think I'm happy with it. Jango was a good dad to some of his children, but was a bad dad to others. Misfit, Hunter, Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Sister are all the "undesirable" children, and I have ideas as to where they are, but I couldn't work it into the story.

“Here’s the Ranch,” Boba says to Misfit as he unlocks the door and walks over to a window to pull it open, “No one’s lived here since dad died, but I’ve had people coming out and keeping it clean. Everything is still in working order.” 

Awkwardly, Misfit lingers in the doorway, he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket and sticks it between his lips, though he doesn’t light it just yet. He watches Boba move around the kitchen, pulling open curtains and opening windows.

He hates this place.

He never wanted to return here.

Being in this house makes him feel like a child again. Unwanted. Unheard.

Ghosts of memories dance across his vision. He can see Jango—father— sitting at the dining room table, holding court with his favored sons: golden boy Boba. Ponds. Cody. Both sets of twins, Neyo and Bacara as well as Wolffe and Fox. The baby, Bly.

All the while, the less favored kids are left watching from the outside, in the hopes that they might earn an approving look from their father.

Not that they ever did.

He wonders if Jango regretted it, ignoring so many of his children, before the end. Misfit knows that he didn’t come and visit when he got word that Jango was dying.

He also knows that the other undesirable kids didn’t come either.

Knowing Jango, he didn’t even notice.

In any event, Boba inherited the ranch after Jango died. Though, it’s clear to Misfit that his older brother hadn’t actually stepped foot in the place since before Jango died.

It should make him feel better, the knowledge that Jango must be rolling in his grave since Boba’s just giving him the ranch. But it just makes him feel hollow and empty.

“Are you sure you want to just give me this place?” Misfit asks.

Boba turns to look at him, “We talked about this already, vod.” He leans against the counter, his arms folding over his chest, “The ranch is too far away from where I work.”

“We both know that Jango wouldn’t want me to have this place.”

“Yeah, well,” Boba shrugs, “Dad’s dead. What he does or doesn’t want is unimportant. He left the ranch to me, and I’m giving it to you.” He pauses, “The animals were sold after dad died, but I do remember that you never cared much for cattle or sheep.”

Misfit’s grin is slightly wry, Boba’s not wrong, that’s for sure.

“So, do you have any plans for the place?” Boba asks.

“Plant a garden, probably. Assuming the garden boxes don’t need to be repaired.” Misfit shrugs, “Turn the old barn into a workshop for my woodworking.”

“Oh, you’re still doing that?”

“I like working with my hands. It makes me less likely to turn to alcohol or drugs.”

Boba pauses and for a moment a pained look crosses his face, “I had heard…there are meetings in town for people fighting addictions. Support groups.”

“Yeah, I know.” Misfit pauses, “I already reached out for a sponsor.”

Relief washes across Boba’s face, “You have? That’s great.”

“Contrary to what you all seem to believe, I don’t actually like being high or drunk.”

“We’re just worried, Misfit.” Boba replies, “We thought you were going to get Court Martialed.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You-” Boba exhales slowly, “Never mind.” He pushes his hair through his curls, “When I heard you were coming, I went out and bought some food for you.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s the least I could do. You’re still my brother.” Boba stops leaning against the counter and walks over to another window and ties the curtain open, “Honestly, I was worried I’d never see you again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the others…they’ve completely cut us off.” Boba says awkwardly. 

“Can you blame them?” Misfit asks as he finally steps into the house properly. He’ll have to redo the entire house to make it less anxiety inducing, but it’s always nice to have a project.

“No.” Boba admits, “Dad was great…for some of us. It took a long time for me to recognize that the way he treated you younger kids was…” He sighs and shakes his head, “None of you deserved that.”

“No, we didn’t.” Misfit agrees. “Anything else?”

Boba’s quiet for a moment, “I left my old motorcycle in the barn, you can have it. I can’t ride it anymore. The helmet and leather jacket are back there too. They’ll both fit you.”

“Thanks Boba,”

“You need a way to get around. It’s not super, you won’t be able to do a massive grocery trip, but it’s good enough.” Boba walks over to Misfit, and reaches out to grip his shoulder, “Listen, if you need anything, just give me a call. We’re family.”

Misfit stares at him for a moment, “Yeah, sure.”

“I mean it, vod.” Boba drops his hand, “I wasn’t always the best brother, but I’ve grown up since then.”

Misfit sighs and nods, “Alright, Boba. I’ll let you know.”

“Great. I’m going to get out of here, let you get settled.” Boba heads to the door, and then turns around to walk backwards, “Answer your phone when I call, Misfit. I mean it.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Then Boba is gone, leaving Misfit alone with his thoughts and memories.

His hands twitch, and he finally lights his cigarette, in the hopes that the familiar sensation will help him feel a little less like a child again. 

It helps settle him, a little bit, and Misfit starts poking his way through the house. It is in pretty solid condition, all things considered, he decides as he goes up the stairs.

The paint and wallpaper in the rooms are dated, but both are easily corrected. Besides, wallpaper is outdated as a whole anyway. 

The bedroom he used to share with Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair will probably be reworked into an office, Misfit decides as he peeks into his old bedroom. It needs a new coat of paint, and he’ll probably take the door off, to make it more open.

Misfit clicks his tongue and heads back downstairs. He finds a notepad and a pen in the kitchen, and then heads back upstairs, making a list of everything he’s going to need to make the house less nightmare fuel for himself.

As he heads out to the barn later, to make sure the motorcycle still works, Misfit can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this won’t be as terrible as he fears.

Three months later, Misfit thinks that he’s about as settled as he’s going to get. He has a dog, a mastiff he named Bull, and the entire house has been repainted so that it doesn’t look like the same house.

He managed to get his garden in, and rigged up the hoses to automatically water the plants on a set schedule (he had to get on a video call with Tech to hammer out the more finicky details when some of the coding didn’t work properly, but it works now and that’s the important thing.)

Misfit has even managed to repair the old fences so that Bull has free reign of the yard. 

All in all, this place feels more like home now than it ever did when he was a child. Even his relationship with Boba has settled into something safe and comfortable. 

They don’t talk about Jango. Ever.

But they get together once a week, have lunch or dinner together. It’s settled something, an old hurt, in Misfit’s heart. It’s nice to know that his older brothers don’t actually hate him.

It’s around that time when his neighbor across the street sells their home. The original owners, an older couple who used to babysit Misfit when he was a little kid, had been thrilled to see him again when he moved in.

But they are an older couple, so Misfit wasn’t surprised when they admitted that they were moving out. He also wasn’t surprised when they asked for him to come and help with a few repairs around their home before they sold it.

The new owner is a young woman around the same age as him. Though Misfit hasn’t met her yet.

The morning he meets her, he’s out in the front yard working on his garden, while also playing with Bull. In fairness, he doesn’t notice her first, but Bull releases a loud bark and tears over to the fence.

Misfit straightens from where he’s pulling weeds, and he whistles sharply. Bull immediately sits, though his entire body is wiggling with excitement. “Good boy, Bull.” Misfit praises as he pulls a cookie out of a pouch on his hip and passes it to the dog.

“He’s so well trained!” The woman standing at the fence says, her eyes wide as she looks from Bull to Misfit and then back again, “Did you train him yourself?”

“Had some help from my cousin.” Misfit says, “He’s a dog trainer here in town.”

“The one who visits every week?” She asks, “I saw him the other day.”

“No. That’s one of my brothers. Hound doesn’t visit often.” He pulls off his thick work gloves and sticks them in his back pocket, “Anyway, can I help you?”

“Oh! I was just coming over to introduce myself!” She holds out her hand, and introduces herself with a broad smile, “I just moved in, and I’ve been wanting to come and introduce myself, but you’re a hard man to catch.”

“I’m a pretty busy guy.” He pauses, “Misfit.”

“I…sorry?”

“My name. It’s Misfit.”

Her lips part, “Oh. That’s…not really a name.” She finally says.

“You get used to it. There’s a bunch of us Fetts around here with names like that.” Misfit replies with a shrug, “You get used to it.”

She frowns slightly, and then her smile returns, “So, you take care of all this land on your own?”

Misfit pulls a cigarette from behind his ear and lights it, “Pretty much.” 

“The previous owners told me that you hand carved the railing in my home,” She bubbles excitedly, “Is that true?”

“Yeah. I make furniture and stuff for a living. Never been much for farm work.” Misfit pauses, he looks at her eager face, and then sighs, “Would you like to come in?”

“Only if it’s not too much hassle,” She replies sheepishly, “I’ve never met someone who can make furniture with their own hands.”

Misfit sighs and pushes the gate open, moving to the side to let her into his yard. “How do you think furniture gets made?”

“Uh…in factories?”

“Sure, if you want cheap things that’ll break in a year, I guess.” Misfit motions to Bull, “My dog, Bull. Let him sniff your hand before you try to pet him.”

He waits until Bull decides that she’s boring, before he leads her around to the barn. “This used to be an actual farm, then?” She asks as she looks up at the, recently painted, barn. “I thought these came in red?”

“I painted it because I don’t like red.” Misfit says as he slides one of the barn doors open, “And yeah, it was a farm for years. It’s only in the last couple of years that there haven’t been animals living here.” He moves to the side as three cats sprint out of the barn.

“You have cats too!” She asks, excited.

“They’re strays. They keep the mouse population down, so I’m happy to feed them.” He pushes the other barn door open, and gestures vaguely towards his workshop. 

“Oh, it smells nice!”

“That would be because that shelf is made of cedar.” Misfit replies as he steps around her and goes over to his workbench, “It’s for my brother. His bookshelf collapsed because of too many books.”

“You’re a good brother,” She sounds marveled. 

“Nah. I’m making him pay me for it.” Misfit says, “He’s a professor at an Ivy league university, he can afford it.”

“So if this used to be a ranch and now isn’t, what are you doing with all of the land?” She asks, curious.

“Planting trees.”

She laughs, and then pauses, “Wait, really?”

“Yeah, really.”

She blinks at him, twice, and then she grins. “Wow, you’re like, the whole package, aren’t you?”

“...what?”

“It’s just,” She flushes, “You’re handy,” She gestures to the shelf, “You’re good with animals, you care about the environment and you’re close to your family-”

Misfit stares at her, blankly, “I have a dishonorable discharge from the military, and am in recovery for both alcohol and drug addictions.” He says flatly, “The only reason I’m allowed to live here is because no one else wanted to, and they don’t care what I do with it.”

She shakes her head, “Addiction is an illness! Not a moral failing! And your brothers clearly love you enough to give you all of this.”

“...you’re very kind, but I promise I don’t deserve it.”

She scowls at him, and takes several large steps towards him, and wraps her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

Misfit’s hands raise to hover over her shoulders, unsure what he’s supposed to do in this situation. “Um…”

She doesn’t pull away, “I don’t know who told you that you’re not deserving of basic kindness, but they’re wrong.” She tightens her arms around him, “You’re a good guy. Bad guys don’t take care of animals or worry about the environment or take time out of their busy day to humor someone’s curiosity.”

Misfit sighs and lightly places his hands on her shoulders, and pushes her away gently, “Thank you. I’m not the best at taking compliments, but…thank you.”

She smiles at him, her face slowly turning red in embarrassment, “You’re welcome! But you must think I’m so weird-” She says with a sheepish laugh.

“Weird isn’t so bad.” Misfit replies as he turns his attention away from her. He hesitates for a moment, considering something, before he looks at her again, “So…I’m holding a cookout this weekend, with my brother and my cousins and their partners. There’s going to be a bunch of people here, if you want to come over and meet some people.”

“Ah! Really?”

Misfit shrugs, “It’s not easy being the new person in town.”

She beams at him, warm and wide, “And you think you’re a bad guy.”

And Misfit looks away from her, his ears burning.  He’s not sure if he’s a good guy, exactly, but…maybe he could try to be. If only to keep her smiling at him like that.

[sammyluvr]

sam is so oxford university in autumn/winter coded to me, like i js know he’d love the radcliffe camera library n like being on the balcony bit overlooking everything n everyone n js thinking abt what they’re thinking abt n recognizing everyone is different n i feel like he’d a magdalen or brasenose boy. honestly he’d go to the colleges founded in like the 1400s bc i feel like he’s rlly into old architecture

also he’d deffo js like go roaming through his college n he makes it a routine n now it’s his second yr at oxford that’s how he’d come across an ethereally beautiful girl who’s in first year (you) crying bc the food in the food hall is so shit (i remember i went to magdalen college on a skl trip like 2 years ago n it was a slab of chicken n some chips with broccoli n a pot of gravy) and also apparently from what ive heard first years dont get a kitchen in their accommodation so they hv to eat in the food hall every night for first yr.

so he and u become friends, go out drinking, u study wtv u wanna study n obvs he does law so yous study together like all the time, and when i say all the time after like a lecture u call each other n its like “yeah let’s meet here” or “already saved ur seat in the library” and its so cute. or if its like getting dark early n u dont feel safe hes like “stay where u r i’ll come get u” even if hes like on the other side of campus he’s js such a lil cutie pie

then eventually he invites u over to his dorm (u guys r in the same college) n u guys cook and together and hv set nights together after a while and u both start dating and he graduates a year before you and goes back to america but at the beginning of ur last year u put ur name down for a PhD scholarship wtv thing at stanford n get in so u guys r reunited n live happily ever after

also fun fact: the oxford scenes in saltburn were shot in brasenose college and obvs some harry potter was shot there

genuinely though oxford is such a beautiful place it’s my dream uni, like i went to christ church too and it was so pretty, magdalen was pretty too there was like a lake and we walked past like a field with animals on it (i forgot what they were but it was either sheep or alpacas) and u can walk all over the place

-💽

I COULDN'T AGREE MOREEEE he is so oxford coded, esp for the colder months. sam is sooo autumn core <33 i do not understand all the references here but! i'm sure they're all facts, and i hugely agree he'd like the school's with old architecture like that !!! which on a side tangent, i think he'd like my school too bc of the old buildings and the campus is so pretty! (but would not fit him academically too well LOL... not intellectually simulating enough i fear, though i do think he would've liked. a liberal arts school hehe)

anyways!! FIRST YEAR CRYING ABOUT THE FOOD LOLLLL THAT'S SO FACTS SO ME CORE... I HATE MY SCHOOLS DINING HALLLL T_T and yeah he would absolutely always come get you and walk you where you need to go when it's dark! even if you don't ask. like especially when it's at a regularly scheduled time, he knows your whole class schedule, so he'll come get you when your class is done if he's not in class himself!!

MMM the idea of you getting your phd at stanford is so cute!! i love it i love it <333 literally happily ever after, i need that shit hehe <#

no because oxford is SO beautiful ofc i've never seen it in person, but i've ofc seen it in movies and pictures and it's such a dream. i have faith you'll make it to your dream school!! with all the sheepies and alpacas and the pretty lake!

[snuurp]

i made more of them whoops. six wasn't enough apparently.

also i don't normally draw fluffy dogs or long face dogs because both of mine are short haired BRICKS so any advice is appreciated :) i love Scratch so much. more info and plain text under the cut again

i will draw Halsin and Jaheira eventually i swear. the diner doesn't have a name yet either, but it WILL. one day. i kinda want Astarion to work there in the future, his cafe job is a different, worse one. Halsin lovers i need your feedback because i do not know much at all about this man.

and thank you for the support on my first post!! i've never gotten this many notes before lol

sidenote: Fennel is a drow. she's just got that dragonsblood sorcerer thing going on and also i like horns. (she IS lolthsworn in game, i'm still debating how to include that here. is three characters with religious trauma too many??)

FENNEL

5'9"

works at Halsin's coffee shop/diner as a line cook.

first stable job she's had in ages because she has no tolerance for rude customers and kept saying things that got her fired.

adopted Scratch after his owner passed away, does everything to improve herself for his sake.

met Jaheira through the diner as well, who recommended the support group to her.

this was 90% because Jaheira likes collecting these nonfunctional gay losers to watch the drama unfold in ways better than any sitcom, but she (probably) actually cares at least a little.

hates the idea of going until something (or someone) suddenly motivates her ooOOOo what could it beeeeee........

coffee order is a plain americano until she gets introduced to sweet drinks and realizes life is worth living.

it's hot chocolate now, caffeine doesn't do anything for her anyway.

favourite board game is phase ten, but she never wins. just happy 2 be there.

absolute beast in mario kart tho, matches Karlach's competitive streak.

SCRATCH

best boy!!!!!!

used to be a drug sniffing dog, VERY task oriented. Fennel has to hide things for him to search for daily or he gets antsy.

he's shockingly intelligent, knows more than a dog should.

misses his previous owner a lot. has to be walked to the cemetary weekly for visits.

likes all foods, but LOVES fruit a weird amount.

blueberries are his high-value treat.

calm in thunderstorms but can't handle fireworks. howls at sirens because that's the noise that took his best friend away :(

his previous owner was a handler for a different dog. he knew Scratch wouldn't hurt without a good reason, so when Scratch attacked a TSA agent, he took Scratch with him and left the job.

this saved Scratch and he knew it, was extremely loyal. the other dog got moved to a new handler, no harm done.

very protective little guy, he loves the gang. sees them all as his responsibility.

those losers are HIS sheeps, and he is a VERY GOOD GUARDIAN.

can his sheeps stop being sad please. also stop having "jobs". walk him instead.

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

So I watched that Under the Boardwalk movie and it's surprisingly amazing? + my thoughts on other upcoming movies

Okay, when my friend texted me the trailer I was shocked to find out it was by Nickelodeon and Paramount (When I think of Nickelodeon I think of perverted jokes in trashy sitcoms and cartoons) but when Nickelodeon actually has something good, I'm surprised! I feel like I have sort of a love-hate relationship with Nickelodeon stuff as I do with Disney, but there's more stuff by Nickelodeon that I love more than there is Disney, and I mostly have more nostalgia for Nickelodeon (I'm not like other people 0w0). There was literally one foot joke in the movie! Just one! Not filled with dirty jokes either, and it had a good message!

The message and the songs were actually amazing and the characters were adorable and sweet! They actually had amazing character development, which I wasn't expecting from this movie. Armen and Ramona had a cute relationship with Armen being the scared one at first but then turns to being the braver one, and Ramona being the wildcard and adventurous one but ending up needing rescued in the end. They could have done the whole "damsel in distress needs rescued by guy" type of thing that I get sick of seeing in old Disney movies, but they didn't! Ramona's sister, Shelly was adorable as well, and she was deaf and couldn't hear but she didn't let that stop her from trying to save her sister! I also love how the big tough guy Bobby had a soft side and didn't pick on Armen like we would expect him to. Like, the big tough strong crabs were actually Armen's friends and supported him even though he wasn't like them. Also, can we talk about the villain? Like, it was cool to see the posh spoiled rich boy be the villain but also just a guy you gotta hate (he tried hitting on Ramona, Shelly, and their mom which was weird). Like, they combined the snobby spoiled rich mama's boy traits with also making him a womanizer and full of himself. Almost like Victor Quartermaine but without the lip fillers, and more of a flirty womanizer. (spoilers; even the villain, Meiko, got redemption in the end). I also liked how they showed the humans in the story as well. They didn't try and make the humans seem all evil but still had the dumb human antagonist who gave them different shells and tried to sell them, but that's only a minor part in the movie and not the main conflict which is a plus! Like, I don't like when animal movies try to make all the humans seem evil (I kind of like how the movie Barnyard, which is also Paramount and Nickelodeon, did kind of the same thing where the animals weren't afraid of being eaten by humans, they were just trying to hide from them).

I also noticed other details I thought was cool, besides the fact that they made fun of... you know who **cough cough dirty dan**, with the one foot joke. Or at least I hope they were making fun of him (at a scene where Armen and Ramona were in a photobooth together they were going through filters and Armen ended up as a foot and Ramona was laughing at him). I also love that this movie was a musical and included songs that fit in with the "cheesy teen beach musical" type of vibes, but they also made it take place in New Jersey and the conflict was focused around the sea crabs coming up and bothering the land crabs. It was also a good anti-racism type of symbolism because they were both crabs, and it's not the same as what Zootopia or Sheep & Wolves did and use other animals (although Sheep & Wolves is still a great movie). Like, I can't ship a fox and a rabbit but I can ship a sea crab and a land crab because they're BOTH CRABS! I noticed a lot of other little details in it and I'm really proud of Paramount on this one! I don't understand but I'm curious to know if they have an animation studio in Italy, since I saw the Italian flag in the background of some scenes. If they do have an animation studio there, then that's awesome! If not, it's still fine, I'm just curious! I'm an American and I support other countries when it comes to them making animated family movies. Just to see a smaller foreign studio make a movie that's better than what Disney puts out...

Also, I'm still pumped up about Butterfly Tale and I'm furious that it won't be released in the U.S any time soon. If you're in Canada, please go see Butterfly Tale and give that smaller studio some support because Butterfly Tale looks like an amazing movie and my friend loved it! And idc about this knock off Chicken Run sequel dawn of the nugget or some crap, I still consider Chicken Run a DreamWorks movie and I don't want Netflix and Sam Fell to ruin what was once amazing. This Chicken Run 2 looks so dumb and they ruined the movie, this is totally a knock off, no telling me otherwise. DreamWorks isn't working on it and Aardman only works on it because they're being forced to by Netflix. At least I can still support DreamWorks by going to see Trolls 3, but the villain designs look hideous (at least we get that Broppy romance), and i doubt that it'll beat Under the Boardwalk or Butterfly Tale.

nyway, tell me your thoughts on what I said in either of these paragraphs and feel free to state your opinions, even if you don't agree!

[spiralstereo]

ー I'll miss you! Or not.

⚠️ tw! verbal abuse, mentions of emotional & physical abuse, child abuse, blood, gore, violence, cursing, etc.

Firework was always considered an odd woman. Never particularly all that feminine, never interested in men & such, she was... a black sheep, to say the least.

She felt alone for most of her life, despite being surrounded by citizens & servants, & an empty, unloving family. Even that was rather small. Just her, her brother, a couple half-siblings, & her parents. Nobody really cared for each other.

She was also born rather late, all her siblings were adults. Her parents made up their minds to spawn another.. a little too late. But no matter! Here she was.

Her eldest & only blood, fully related sibling seemed to despise her though. Revolver was his name, a grand, elegant gazelle who just so happened to be heir to the throne. He had definitely let that get to his head, & that only seemed to fuel his overinflated ego.

This! That! He was barking orders everywhere, all the time. How he treated his poor son too... she could only feel terrible for the poor boy. He just wanted to make that monster of a man proud, she was ashamed to call him her brother.

This went on for years, decades. She watched him divorce wife after wife, spawn more kids only for them to hate his son, his heir. & all she could do was stand & watch. She hated it.

Well that was, until today.

It was her nephew's birthday, he was a man now. Unfortunately though, a year or so ago a traumatic accident had happened, leaving half of his face absolutely broken. He was fine, but scarred, emotionally & physically.

He seemed to be having a good time, but that was probably because he was away from his sorry excuse of a father. Either way, she was happy. He was having a good time.

His father in question though...

The man was drunk, without a care in the world he was sitting in his little private area, laughing away with his so called 'friends'. So unsuspecting. This was almost too easy. He wife, which once was this- the seventh? She was there aswell, sitting beside him like an obedient dog. They both looked so pathetic.

She decided to wait in the doorway for... an opportunity. That opportunity took hours for it to come, but eventually, it came.

They left. It was just him. Him & her, alone.

A smile crept onto her face, & she watched as he just sat there, watching the night sky & how it filled up with bursts of color, fireworks. She slowly drew out her 'umbrella', approaching her beloved brother.

"Lovely, aren't they?"

A scowl grew on his face. Although she couldn't see his face, she knew it was there.

"The hell do ya want with me?"

She chuckled, halting right before she got to him, looming over him.

"Nothin, nothin. Just wanted ta say some things before ya had ta go."

"Quit bein ominous. Yer not funny."

"Am I? I didn't think I was bein ominous at all! Yer loosin it."

He swung around, a glare, a deep scowl on his aged & defined face. He saw her expression, & he saw how she was leaning up against his seat. He also saw her 'umbrella' out.

"What the fuck are ya doin? Don' play dumb." His voice was noticeably more hostile. He got up to his feet, causing Firework to scramble up aswell. She just laughed.

"Sayin things before ya go! Exactly what I said. I ain't playin dumb, yer the one who ain't pickin up what I'm puttin down. Maybe that's why everybody's better off with ya fuckin gone, eh?"

The two began circling each other, the already growing sense of hostility & hatred between them growing more intense & noticeable by the moment.

"The hell's up yer ass? Knock it the fuck out before I knock it out of ya myself."

"Put yer fuckin hands on me & I'll make sure they keep findin pieces of ya."

Thats when Revolver let out an angered scream, charging at her. He knocked her back, but not off of her feet. She pushed & shoved back, yanking his horns & throwing him back, right on the stone railing of the balcony, the cold breeze sweeping beneath their feet.

She lunged at him, trying to wedge the end of her 'umbrella' into his chest, as he flailed & screamed bloody murder. So much for a king. They continued to thrash around, kicking & knocking each other, pulling on each other's horns & clothes- trying to do anything to get on top.

Firework eventually knocked him to the ground, his head hitting the stone first. Instead of trying to stomp on his head or leaving him there, she grabbed him by the collar, yanking him up & pinning him up against the ledge of the balcony, pointing the end of her 'umbrella' at the back of his head.

"Enjoy hell."

As she 'opened' her 'umbrella', a firework shot down the barrel in her 'umbrella', blowing his head clean off. Blood splattered everywhere, the balcony, the walls, & all over her.

She wasn't bothered though. She just tossed what was left of him off the edge, dusting off her bloodied shoulders.

She had finally gotten rid of him.

[mins-fins]

MY MOST IMPORTANT (P.GW)

SUMMARY . . . gunwook loves his members, but specifically a certain one the most.

PAIRING . . . park gunwook x male!reader

GENRE . . . fluff, somewhat angst

WARNINGS . . . none!

WORD COUNT . . . 1k

NOTES . . . pretty basic but i just really love gunwook so take this :))

gunwook hates that y/n is under appreciated.

to him, y/n is everything but untalented, in his honest totally non-biased opinion, y/n is one of the most talented members and people he's ever met. he doesn't even know why people go on about y/n being the 'black sheep of zerobaseone'.

none of the members understand either, it's a generally known fact that y/n, despite being one of the youngest, is one of the most hardworking members in the whole entire group.

but the thing with y/n is, he always wants to prove himself.

gunwook knows he's seen the comments, because it's like he has this incentive to stay at practice for almost ten hours to prove a point.

usually, the older members are able to persuade him to not to stay longer than he should, and even with how stubborn he is, y/n would always give in after trying his best to put up an argument.

but today, y/n is insistent that he'll be okay.

he keeps putting up arguments, saying that it's better that he practices for longer so that he doesn't screw up at the debut showcase and embarrass himself.

everyone knows those are just his inner most thoughts messing with him, and all the hate comments he's been getting have messed with his already little confidence.

no matter how much they tried to convince him to not stay late, y/n stood his ground and simply smiled, saying he'd be fine, and it wouldn't be for long.

it has been three hours, and gunwook is done.

he tried to wait, he did. he tried to be patient, but he knows, he can't leave y/n there alone, he can't just let y/n overwork himself.

he's very very worried.

so, he grabs his sweater, and whilst he's getting ready to leave, gyuvin the walks by and pauses.

"going to get y/n?"

"yes" gunwook sighs, tired. gyuvin stares at him for a moment before giving a knowing smile, which confuses him. "what?"

gyuvin giggles, clearly having an idea in his head that he didn't want gunwook to know. "nothing, nothing" he snickers. "just make sure you don't come back late".

"it's already late".

"then later".

gunwook rolls his eyes, but gives gyuvin a smile. when he exits the dorm, he sighs at the fact that y/n is probably gonna put up another fight once again. he's lucky the wakeone building isn't that far away, but he also hates the fact that he has to drag y/n away from the practice room again.

gunwook isn't that surprised when he sees y/n still in the practice room, letting out a frustrated groan as he stomps on the floor.

"y/n".

said boy immediately flinches at the sound of his name being called, letting out a sigh of relief. his shoulders slump as he sees gunwook, and he's clearly very tired, but he tries his best to stand.

"gunwook, why are you here?"

"to take you home y/n" gunwook states obviously. he takes his arm but y/n shakes his head, resisting against his grip.

"no no no" y/n says, and gunwook literally can't believe that he still wants to stay late. "i— i still have to perfect this move then i'll finally be done and prepared—"

"y/n, it's almost midnight! you've been practicing almost all day, you need your rest!" gunwook exclaims, and y/n looks hesitant.

"i just— i have to make sure that i don't do anything wrong because then i'll mess it up for the whole group!"

y/n sighs, his shoulders slumping. "gunwook, it's just a few more minutes, i just— it won't take that long".

"y/n" gunwook's voice softens, he tugs his hand, wanting to convince him that it was okay to take a break. "you've been here for almost 10 hours, you have to get your rest".

"but—"

y/n pauses, he bites his inner cheek, a frown comes to his lips as his mind races. "i don't wanna mess anything up, like misstep, or step too early, or not dance at the correct time".

gunwook sighs.

y/n isn't usually like this, well wasn't usually like this before he actually acknowledged the things people said about him online. he remembers hearing him cry into junhyeon's shoulder because of how much it was taking a toll on him.

gunwook's face falls as he thinks about it, y/n shouldn't have to feel like this. he's talented, he deserves to be recognized for that, he shouldn't have to be recognized for stuff that isn't even true, all the rumors people would gossip about when the cameras weren't on.

it upsets him how much people dislike him even though he did nothing wrong.

"your not going to" gunwook states, but y/n just sighs, shaking his head. "stop— don't shake your head, i'm serious y/n, your going to do great".

"but what if i—"

"stop, stop it" gunwook cuts in. "y/n, your talented, creative, smart, funny, pretty, and anyone who disagrees with that is stupid, you don't have to practice for ten hours to prove how amazing of an idol you are, i know your gonna do great, i don't wanna hear you deny that".

y/n pauses again at the blatantly honest words, they're so genuine that his face goes a little red as gunwook continues to hold his hand. gunwook gives a small smile, poking his cheek.

y/n finally sighs after a set of silence, he pretty much stumbles forward because his muscles feel sore from all the dancing he's been doing. he simply wants to fall into gunwook's arms and fall asleep, but he can't do that, he can't be a burden.

gunwook smiles, pulling y/n by his hand, as the boy can finally stand up right due to gunwook supporting him. he lets go of his hand to wrap an arm around his waist, keeping him up.

y/n couldn't deny, everything about this felt nice. he'd always felt this warmth, comfort around gunwook, no one else could really bring him the kind of comfort that he did.

gunwook was just the kind of person who could calm him down, the one kind of person that y/n could just relax around.

"let's go home, okay y/n?"

y/n nods tiredly, giving gunwook the fondest of smiles.

home, that's what park gunwook felt like, home.

[ladyofwiltshire]

When Will I See You Again - Chapter 12 now posted!!!!

Chapter 12: I mean c’mon! Midnight trysts in the prefects' bathroom?

“So-” Gareth started, as they made their way up the tower. “When did Sirius decide to get a perm?”

Gil snorted, “You’re a right arse, you know that?” He stopped on the step above Gareth, blocking his way. “His hair is naturally like that, he just suffocates it in sleekeazy’s. It’s a bit wild actually, like some sort of creature-”

“You’re not falling in love with him, are you?” Gareth asked, leaning against the wall.

“No! No, definitely not! He just- he needs a friend right now, one that knows about the way he’s feeling…and fine, I’ve not been completely where he is. In fact, his father makes mine look like bloody Mother Teresa! But, I know what it’s like to be the black sheep in the family.” Gil looked troubled, like he wanted to either burst out into every detail of what happened to the boy -or tears.

“And what exactly happened to him?” Gareth began to pick at the old stone wall.

“All I will say is that his family know about his preferences, he’s broken the engagement with Cissa, and he was up most of the night with tremors-” Gareth watched Gil blink back a few tears.

“Tremors?” Gareth pushed.

“Gareth, please don’t make me say any more -” Gil pleaded.

“Like the sort you would get if-” Gareth didn’t get a chance to finish his question, as Gilderoy turned his back on him and carried on up the stairs.

Gareth followed him up, lighting a fresh cigarette as he entered his room, he saw Sirius sitting up in the bed, batting away the sweet treats Gil was trying to force feed him.  

“Something sweet will help you feel better, you know.” Said Gareth, making his way over to the pair. Sirius’s face paled, but he took a cauldron cake from the plate and began to pick at it. “You should go back to your dorm, Sir. All the lads are worried about you, said they haven’t heard from you in ages. Ray told me what happened in Defence the other day.” Gareth took a seat on the bed next Sirius, handing him a cigarette.

“I can’t. James hates me, and I don’t think Moo- Remus is my biggest fan right now.” Sirius said, taking a drag from the stick and closing his eyes as he blew out swirls of smoke.

“No one hates you, James certainly doesn’t. He’s only being his usual righteous self over what happened with my brother.” Gareth fiddled with the cigarette between his fingers, mulling over whether he should ask the question that has been playing on his own mind the past few weeks. “Why did you do it? Telling the Snape boy how to get past the willow, what happened?”

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, dear.” Gil cut in.

“I’m not going to judge you Sirius, I just want to know what happened.” Gareth put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Sirius looked between the two lads and took a deeper drag.

“He’s been stalking Remus - Snape that is- has been staking Remus. I caught him. He would hide in the corridors, follow him all over the castle. I was scared for my friend. Reg told me that Snape had suspicions over Remus’s condition, that he was trying to get proof. To out him.” Sirius’s hand trembled as he brought the cigarette to his lips. “I caught him, waiting for Remus in the changing rooms for the prefect’s bathroom. James gave us the password and I told him to go down the week before the moon, to see if it helped the aches he gets. I waited for him in the changing room, I felt uneasy about leaving Remus alone. Then, as I sat there I saw him. Snape. Sat disillusioned in the corner, watching Remus get dressed. Obviously he saw all the scars, but what really bothered me was that Remus had no idea of what was going on in the shadows. He violated him Gareth! And I wasn’t going to stand for it!”

Gareth glared at wall, clenching his fists until he could feel his nails dig into his palms, as Sirius continued on. 

“One afternoon, just before the moon, Reg found me and told me that Snape was brewing polyjuice. For Remus. He would have proof then, undeniable proof. I couldn’t let him get away with it, Gareth. I wasn’t going to have him hurt my - hurt my friend.” Sirius finished the cigarette and vanished it in his palm.

“So you thought you’d use Ray to teach the boy a lesson?” Gareth asked, he tried to hard to keep his voice even, still staring ahead of him.

“No, of course not! I didn’t even think he would take it seriously, we were arguing you see. I confronted him, called him a slimy pervert, asked him why he was so obsessed with Remus. He then went on about catching me and Remus by the lake a little while ago, and how he saw us go the willow one night and not leave again til the next morning. He was trying to rile me up, threatened to tell Cissa about my affair with a werewolf.”

“Are you?” Gil finally piped up, “You and Ray, have the pair of you finally-”

[aneurinallday]

Green Eyes

Chapter 25: Decorative

Once Charlie had departed from Arrow House, the mood brightened. Alec was palpably more relaxed - he smiled more, spoke louder, and lived his life with more gusto. He played the piano and sang without a care in the world, and fell into Thomas’s bed with renewed vigour. He would never say a word against the family, but Thomas could tell that he was relieved - sorry at how things had ended, but relieved.

It impressed upon Thomas how much their world had changed in the past three years without either of them even noticing. Once upon a time, Alec Cobb had been an interloper in Arrow House, out-of-place amid all the trappings of wealth and authority. It had seemed impossible for a Cobb’s Boy to ever be welcome among the Shelbys. But now Arrow House was his home and Charles Shelby was the unwelcome stranger, disturbing the peaceful idyll with his intrusion.

It was a cold realisation that left Thomas feeling unsettled. Nothing and no-one was supposed to come between the Shelbys, and he’d always been swift to punish disloyalty among the ranks. Yet here he was, siding with his adopted family instead of his own kin. Every night he tucked someone else’s daughter into bed and kissed her goodnight, while his own son - the son whom Grace had blessed him with - went to sleep hating him.

One family had blossomed while another had deteriorated, and Thomas couldn’t help but feel like he’d sat by and let it happen, too busy enjoying himself to care about the consequences. He loved Clara like his own child, and he loved Alec despite all the strife they’d been through; but he hated the power which that love exerted over him.

On an evening when Thomas was sitting in the library, flipping through a volume of Greek philosophy, Alec entered and lounged beside him in a state of casual disarray. He’d refrained from wearing dresses or make-up or anything other than conventional while Charlie was around, but now he’d regained his sense of style, along with his confidence.

“Mister Shelby?” he said as he draped himself across the chaise longue.

“Mhm?”

“I was reading the newspaper the other day, and there was an article about this new building they unveiled in Paris - they call the style ‘Arts décoratifs’. And it got me thinking, maybe we should go there.”

“To Paris?”

“Yes!” Alec said excitedly, “I was thinking we could take Clara and spend a few days there. Walk around the city, eat the food. See the cathedral and the tower and that museum - oh, what’s it called…?” He waved his hands, groping for the word.

“The Louvre.”

“Yes! They have paintings there, you know.”

“I know…”

“I’d like to see them.”

“What do you care about paintings?”

“Well…” Alec frowned slightly, “It’s not the actual paintings, it’s the…it’s the idea of paintings. The Louvre is where all the clever and rich and important people go, so…so I can go too, can’t I?”

“You want to be cultured, is that it?”

“No - yes. I suppose so? And I want to go to a café, too.”

“You’ve been to plenty of cafés.”

“I mean a proper French one! You know, with all the tiny pâtisseries. Anyway, what do you think? Would it make a nice weekend?”

“Why France, though?” Thomas said half-jokingly. “We could go somewhere quiet in England. A little Cornish village that nobody’s ever heard of, or a cottage out on the Yorkshire moors. Then it’ll be just us. No crowds, no noise, nobody to bother us. We could even - ”

“Mister Shelby, I’m not fucking you outdoors, if that’s what you’re suggesting. I don’t care if nobody sees us except sheep, I’m not doing it.”

“That was…not my suggestion. But it would be nice to sit somewhere quiet, and listen to the birds, and feel the grass...”

“I suppose we could do that. But only after we’ve done Paris. So, when can we go?”

Thomas closed his book, setting it aside.

“Not yet,” he said, “I’ve got a lot of work on. Business is…difficult at the moment. I’m needed here.”

“That’s alright. It doesn’t have to be this month. We could go next month.”

“I’ll still be busy then.”

“Well, how about - ”

“Alec,” Thomas interrupted, “I can’t just fuck off when people are depending on me. I’ve got a lot of businesses to run, without which, we wouldn’t have this big house or all these nice things that you love so much. You understand that, yeah?”

“There’s no need to be short with me. Come on, please! I’ve never been abroad before. And Paris looked so grand in the photographs. I still have the newspaper somewhere, I’ll show you - ”

“I’ve given you an answer. Why keep asking?”

The excitement disappeared, and Alec’s face darkened. He leaned back against the upholstery.

“Don’t give me that look,” Thomas said.

“What look?”

“The fucking sad look you always give me when you don’t get your way. It doesn’t work, you know.”

“I’m not doing anything! You’re seeing what you want to see. This happens every fucking time. Whenever you get angry, you start seeing the worst in me..”

“I’m not angry. But you’re being unreasonable. Besides, the last time I went to France, I didn’t particularly like it.”

“Three years,” Alec snapped, “Three years and the furthest you’ve taken me is shopping in London. And you know what I realised? I realised you only take me to London when you have business down there. You never make a trip just for me.”

“And?” Thomas said, “Why pay twice for train tickets when you can pay once? Is it wrong to be economical?”

“We’re never been on holiday together. You’re always too busy.”

“I’ve got a lot on my plate.”

“Like what?”

“You don’t need to know. We’ll go on holiday at some point, eh? Just not yet.”

“Tell me what’s so important that you can’t take a weekend off. Is business going that badly?”

“Business is never bad. It’s just…tricky.”

“Then maybe you need to run things better.”

“Alec…”

“I thought you were the king of Birmingham. The king of Birmingham doesn’t know how to delegate?”

“Alec,” Thomas’s voice was cold now. “I don’t mind you teasing me. I don’t mind you giving me the cold shoulder. I don’t even mind you rolling your eyes when you think I’m not looking. But don’t insult me.”

“Or what, Mister Shelby? What’ll you do? Throw me out again? Me and Clara?”

“Do you understand what I’ve told you?”

“Yes. I understand that your priority is your work, not your family.”

“Family?” Thomas said sharply.

Alec fell silent.

“Look, if it makes you happy, I’ll write ‘Paris’ in my diary in big fat fucking letters so I don’t forget. Will that make you feel better?”

“I just want to spend more time with you, that’s all,” Alec muttered.

“Oh, is that it? Well, in that case, you should be happy staying home, shouldn’t you? If my companionship is all that matters, then it shouldn’t matter whether we’re in France or in fucking Warwickshire, should it?”

“That - that’s not what I meant. I want us to do more things together, and go more places…”

“And we will. But I can’t just drop everything when you want me to.”

Subconsciously or not, Alec leaned away from him on the chaise longue, folding his arms to remove any risk of accidental touch.

“You could at least pretend to be sorry.”

“Alright. I’m sorry,” Thomas sighed, “I’m sorry I’m not the romantic you want me to be. I’m sorry I’m a businessman and a miserable bastard. But you already knew who I was when you hitched your wagon to me. Why you expected me to change, I have no fucking idea.”

“Maybe I thought - ” Alec hesitated, then ploughed on recklessly. “Maybe I thought I’d be the special one. The one who could heal you. The one who could make you laugh. But clearly I can’t - nobody can.”

“You’re right about that.”

“You’re beyond help! I don’t know why I even bother trying to please you.”

“You’ve been trying to please me?” Thomas scoffed, “You could’ve fooled me.”

“Never mind,” Alec snapped as he rose and walked out of the library - done exchanging verbal swings. “I don’t want to go to Paris anymore.”

“Well, that problem’s sorted itself out, then,” Thomas said to his disappearing back.

No answer came, and he listened to Alec’s footsteps fading down the corridor, leaving him alone with his Greek philosophers.

Alec was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the evening. Thomas drank whiskey alone in front of the fireplace, half-expecting - or perhaps half-hoping - that the door would open and Alec would come creeping in to apologise, like he would have in the early days. But it wasn’t the early days any more, and the door stayed coldly shut.

As Thomas ascended the stairs and crossed the dark landing to bed, he saw the light under the door of the guest room, and knew he would be sleeping alone that night.

Sleep evaded him, and he stood at the window, gazing out across the darkened gardens, the moonlit hedgerows - the same gravel driveway which Alec had been forced to walk down three years ago, half-clothed and in tears, after being banished from the only place he’d ever felt happy.

Despite all the declarations of love and promises of devotion they’d made since then, it was a trauma which Alec still hadn’t recovered from, and probably never would. Thomas had proven that he was capable of cruelty, and it was a lesson that couldn’t be unlearned. If he could abandon Alec and Clara once, there was no guarantee that he couldn’t again.

Thomas was startled out of his musings by the sound of the door creaking open.

“Daddy?” Clara whispered, peeping inside.

“What is it, darling?”

“Daddy, I’m awake.”

“Can’t you sleep?”

“No.”

“Come here, then.” He reached down, and she clambered into his embrace.

“What are you looking at, Daddy?”

“Nothing. Just the moon.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s pretty. Listen, how would you like to go on holiday?”

“Holiday? Like when we go on the train?”

“That’s right. But this time, when we get off the train, we’re going to get on a big boat, and the big boat is going to take us across the sea to France. What do you think of that, eh? Does it sound like an adventure?”

“I don’t know. I don’t like boats.”

“Me neither. But we’d only be on it for a couple of hours. It’s a very small sea.”

“What’s in France?”

“Lots of things. Big buildings and cakes and chocolate éclairs. Your Daddy’s been wanting to go. I was thinking we could buy the tickets and surprise him, like how we surprise you sometimes.”

“Then I want to go too!”

“Alright. But we’ll keep it a secret until then. Otherwise it won’t be a surprise. Swear?”

“I swear.”

“Good girl.”

Turning away from the window, Thomas lay down on the bed. He nestled his daughter safely in his arms, and closed his eyes - only to open them again a moment later.

“Did you and Daddy have a fight?” Clara asked, “Is that why you need the surprise?”

“What? We don’t fight.”

“Yes you do. You fight all the time. Isn’t that why Daddy’s sleeping in the other room?”

“Well...Sometimes we like to sleep in different beds. That doesn’t mean we’ve had a fight.”

“It does! Don’t lie. When you fight, he goes to the other room and cries.”

“How do you know?”

“I know because I hear. He shuts the door so I can’t see, but I’m clever.”

“Oh.” Troubled, Thomas held her closer. “I’m sorry, darling. Does he do that a lot?”

“Yes. Sometimes, he asks me if I want to go and live somewhere else. But I say no. I don’t want to go somewhere if you’re not there.”

Thomas kissed her forehead, and lay staring at the darkness. Every shred of sleep had fled, and his mind was whirling in frantic circles.

He thought of all the mornings he’d sat silent at the breakfast table, indifferent to Alec’s attempts at small-talk. All the afternoons he’d shut himself in his office, among his papers and books, while Alec had gone out horse-riding by himself. All the nights he’d rebuffed Alec’s advances because he was too busy thinking about Grace.

He thought of all those countless little rejections - each one a tiny chisel, slowly chipping away at Alec’s confidence - and how they must’ve felt to a young man who was already plagued by fears of abandonment. And all those moments had been for what? For loyalty to a dead wife? For spite? For an unconscious desire to keep Alec in his place?

“Clara?”

“Yes?”

“I promise your Daddy and I will never fight again. I promise I’ll be nice to him every day, so he won’t cry anymore.”

“Good. I don’t like it when he cries.”

“Neither do I.”

Thomas felt something he wasn’t accustomed to - a tightening in his face and a telltale stinging in his eyes. He resisted the urge to slap himself, and pursed his lips tightly until the feeling went away.

Thomas Shelby hadn’t cried in fucking years. He wasn’t about to start now.

“Frances, have you seen Alec?” Thomas strode through the second-floor gallery on a sunny Saturday, a few days after the argument.

“He’s downstairs, Mister Shelby,” answered the housekeeper, “I think he’s heading out.”

“Thank you.”

With the ferry tickets in his pocket and an uncharacteristic energy in his step, Thomas descended the stairs. He was greeted by the sight of Alec standing in the entrance hall, dressed for the outdoors, busy putting on his gloves.

“Morning,” Thomas said.

Alec glanced up before looking away. He didn’t smile. For the last few nights, they’d been dining at separate times and sleeping in separate beds, and Alec’s frosty demeanour showed no sign of thawing.

“Got a moment?” Thomas asked, “There’s something I wanted to - ”

“I can’t talk right now,” Alec interrupted, “I’m going into Birmingham for a job interview.”

Thomas slowed to a standstill, and they regarded each other with uncertainty - him waiting for an explanation, Alec waiting for a reprimand.

“You don’t need a job,” Thomas finally said. “I look after you.”

“Well, I want one. Every time I start to get too comfortable, you remind me that I can’t depend on anyone. Besides, I want to set a good example for Clara. I don’t want her to grow up thinking she needs to find a benefactor. Not like her stupid father who can’t get by without a rich man’s charity.”

“It’s not charity, Alec. It’s love.”

“Is it?”

“What else would it be?”

Thomas reached for Alec’s hand, but the young man pulled away with a bitter laugh.

“Even after all this time, there’s still part of you that’s ashamed of me. You say I’m your family, but deep down, you still think of me as that whore from the Arcadia.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

Flustered, Alec pulled out a small pocket mirror, flipped it open, and checked his face. He attempted to smooth out his expression, but was unable to hide his anger.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said as he snapped the mirror shut, “What respectable business would hire Alec Cobb? An illegitimate brat, born on the floor in the back of a dirty brothel? A low-end prostitute who never went to school, and whose only skill is persuading drunk men to spend more money on fucking him? What kind of job can he get that doesn’t involve getting on his knees?”

“That’s not how I think about you.”

“Then how? As your pet? As your property? As decoration? Just like all the other shiny, pretty things in this house? Because you certainly don’t think of me as a partner.”

“Well, since you seem able to read my mind, you should already know the answers to your questions. Here’s a question of my own: how are you getting into Birmingham?”

“By car.”

“And who’s driving?”

“The chauffeur. Who else?” said Alec, confused.

“So, a member of my staff? A man whose wages come out of my pocket? You spend my money while saying you don’t want it.”

Alec’s face flushed. He abruptly turned and headed for the door.

“I need to go,” he said.

“What happens if I tell the chauffeur not to drive you? What then?”

“Then you’ll have proven me right,” Alec snapped. “You’re awful, Mister Shelby.”

Without saying goodbye, he disappeared, leaving the door open behind him so that Thomas was forced to close it.

Barely a moment passed before Thomas heard the familiar sound of Clara pattering down the stairs.

“Daddy?” she was calling.

“I’m here,” he answered, wincing at how curt it sounded as it left his mouth.

“Not you, Daddy,” she laughed as she reached the foot of the stairs. “I’m looking for my daddy - my first one!”

“Right. Sorry.”

“Is he gone already? I saw the car. I wanted to say bye.”

“Did you know he was going out?”

“Uhuh. He said he’s going to work,” she said innocently, “He’s going to work like he used to when I was small.”

“Do you remember being small?”

“No.”

“Good. Things weren’t very nice back then. But now, everything’s nice.” Thomas scooped her up. “I have an idea. Shall we put our boots on?”

For the child’s sake, he pretended that nothing was amiss. He took her out to the stables, and let her sit on the horses and braid their manes, though he gently refused her pleas to go out riding in the fields. She was still too small, and he knew that if she fell from the saddle while in his care, Alec would never forgive him.

“Did you tell Daddy about the surprise yet?” she asked.

“Not yet, darling. I didn’t get a chance to. But I’ll tell him soon, alright?”

“Tonight?”

“No, not tonight. But soon.”

“Oh.” She looked disappointed, but then Monaghan Boy flicked his black hair and she giggled, happy again.

He played with her for a while longer, then took her on a walk around the fields to name all the different flowers and grasses and trees, before they headed back to the house for lunch. Holding her little hand as they walked, Thomas’s thoughts remained with Alec - wondering what he was doing and feeling at that moment. They’d spent the last three years repairing their lost trust, building up Alec’s self-esteem, piecing together a happy life - and now they were unravelling again. Was their love so weak that it threatened to crumble at every obstacle?

His brooding was interrupted by one of the maids greeting them in the hallway.

“Mister Shelby!” she said, “Mister Shelby, there’s a telephone call for you. It’s from Shelby Company Limited.”

“Thanks, Ruth, I’ll take it in my study. Clara, go with Ruth and wash your hands before lunch.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

As Thomas headed to the library, he realised he still had the tickets in his pocket. He pulled them out and considered them for a moment, weighing whether he could salvage this relationship before they expired. He almost threw them in the nearest fireplace, but thought better of it, and stashed them in the bottom of his desk drawer instead. Out of sight, out of mind.

He sank into his leather chair with a sigh, and sat for a moment, gazing at the rows of bookshelves stretching up to the ceiling. It was peaceful here. No Alec, no family, no fucking fighting. Just a comfy chair and enough books to last a lifetime. Then he looked down at the piles of papers in the desk in front of him, and remembered that the work never stopped.

Picking up the phone, he dialled the Shelby offices’ number and waited. After a few seconds, he heard the handset on the other end being snatched up, and John’s voice came crackling down the wire.

“Tom, finally!”

“You called,” Thomas said, more a statement than a question. “What do you want?”

“Bragg’s in hospital. He got shot.”

“What?”

“Bragg’s in fucking hospital. He got shot at one of his properties. We don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

“Fuck.” Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose hard, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them again, trying to focus his thoughts. “When?”

“No idea. I only just heard.”

“Do we know who did it?”

“Not yet. Seems like they don’t know, either.”

“For Christ’s sake.” Thomas rubbed his face. “Alright. This isn’t something we want to get involved in. We’ll wait and see if he gives up the ghost or not. If he does, we’ll get a feel for the new man in charge before deciding if we want to continue our partnership or not.”

“Understood. I swear to God, Tom, we can’t have a moment’s fucking stability in this shit-hole.”

“I know. But we’ll prosper. We always do.”

Thomas was about to hang up, but then he remembered.

“Fuck! John, listen. Alec went into the city this morning and he’s not back yet. I don’t want him getting caught up in this. If Bragg’s Boys think we had something to do with his shooting, and then they see my lover walking around…he’ll have a target on his back. Do me a favour and make sure he gets home safe, alright?”

“Sure.”

“I mean it. If anything happens to him…”

“Relax, Tom,” John sighed, “I care about him too. I’ll send men to keep an eye on him. He’s not exactly inconspicuous.”

“Tell them to keep a distance and don’t cause him any alarm. We’re going through a rough patch, and if he finds out I had him followed…that’s the last thing I need.”

“We’ll be discreet, don’t worry.”

Somewhere in the distance, Thomas heard a bell chime.

“Johnny, I need to go. Anything happens, ring me.”

Thomas hung up, and only then realised his heart was pounding.

[mamamittens]

I was thinking about the Hallmark-y fic idea I had for Nikia and the boys and I'm honestly not sure how I'd condense it to a reasonable sized fic.

Not that that's really stopped me from writing lengthy fics for my ship, mind you.

Got like, two versions of that fucky abo verse end smut scene (I know what I am, shut up) and I'm still waffling on the precise details. Especially since I keep coming up with additional details for it.

But! I'm not here to talk about that!

I'm actually here to talk about one of the devil fruit ideas I had that would compete for Nikia's official... Thing.

So right now she's got the... Size changing fruit solely so I can finagle around the issue of her giant wings and do some comedy with her shrinking or abruptly turning into a massive woman. Lotta fun to be had there.

If it wasn't that though, I've always liked the Cheshire cat. It's just who I am. So that's a possibility, though I am still partial to that sheep devil fruit I made a while back and gave to a daughter of... Akoiji? The ice dude? Big fan of someone who just wants to nap.

Now there's a new devil fruit!

I wanted to play around with the idea of a not-something fruit. Like how the Gum Gum wasn't actually that, not a paramecia either, but a Zoan.

This is like that.

Not sure what it'd be called, but it's basically a reference to Hestia and the hearth. Totally embodying the hearth fire. As a fire meant to represent an idea more than actual fire, I don't think she could actually be burned like Ace was? While not an aggressive fire, she'd be capable of defense of her 'home' burning "all that don't belong in her home". And/or possibly something about burning only those guilty of something. Which means if someone doesn't have any guilt, they'd pass by harmlessly. But someone aware of their total bastardness would likely not have a good time.

Able to fit any 'hearth' space, or more literally in any fire, she'd like to take naps there. Possibly even through someone cooking breakfast. Had a very amused thought of Nikia sleeping in her fireplace and Thatch comes by (first time, totally unaware) and he starts making breakfast after failing to light the stove. Only to wake her up because he keeps tapping the frying pan on her head. Or ass. Or something. And she just waves a fiery hand out at him like

"...mmmmnm--stoooop it. 'anna 'eep. Go 'way."

Thatch screams, convinced the place is haunted but she's just more annoyed he's disturbed her perfect napping spot.

Bonding with Ace in a bonfire because they're the only ones who can understand how comfy it is, logs be damned.

Her power is stronger when she has a "home". Which includes people. And she's capable of sucking the warmth from people she doesn't like with just eye contact. Very harrowing to suddenly feel unwelcomed and unloved in the world.

Amazing fucking hugs. No one wants to let go and she goes by Disney rules (the kid/whoever lets go first is the rule for all characters, basically). Which is obviously abused a bit, but she doesn't mind. Very emotion based fruit and she enjoys the feelings of love and safety the other radiates in return. Even the most sour bastard would be hard pressed to hate it.

Downsides, she's very affected by cold water specifically. Like, she is instantly convinced she has to leave, no matter the context or where she is, it's instinct. Sets things on fire accidentally but has total control after it catches so she usually puts it out. Anything cooked over her is like, 100% better instantly. Has a real "Mom's cooking no one could ever beat" feel to it for no damn reason. Can't control her shrinking to fit the fire she's standing in, so while she can control a fire, the actual strength and size is out of her control. So no explosions for her. Actually, she tends to set a fire at her feet and then become somewhat intangible. Is brutally affected if she's inside a fire when it's put out but reluctant to leave. If it happens hard and fast enough for a small fire, she may be stuck at a certain size until she warms back up.

So not... Super effective in battle unless we're talking psychological warfare for all these father/motherless ass bitches with baggage no airline could cart around without Fuck About Money.

Great emotional support though! Even funnier if I keep her as a sniper still. For no reason I can adequately describe mind you

[apompkwrites]

I imagined that after everyone deals with Idia's overblot is when Yuu gets found in Dottire!Shroud's lab, so I had headcanons for this.

Part 1

Next Part (Ingo!Vanrouge, Older!Crowley, and Bodyguard!Al-Asim)

■

Sans!Zigvolt

You wanna see a teen go from 0 to 2000 in span of a few minutes? You wanna see him do it again, but this time at Crowley?!

Man's pissed the hell off at Crowley's level of incompetence. This is the first time in a long time that anyone seen him this angry. The anger even scared some of the dorm leaders due to how normally chill Sans!Zigvolt. It took Kaeya!Kingscholar, Katakuri!Leech and Ningguang!Grotto to talk/calm him down.

After he calms down, he goes to check on Yuu and almost never leaves their bedside in the school infirmary. He often skips classes to hang out with Yuu and occasionally Malleus since Malleus often visits Yuu as much as possible after what happen.

♣︎☆

Ningguang!Ashengrotto

One of the main ones to pay for Yuu's medical bills after what happened to them. They occasionally visit Yuu to see if they're recovering well and don't care for NRC's rivalry with RSA since any friend of Katakuri!Leech and Sans!Zigvolt is a friendly acquaintance to them.

Got Yuu a whole sercuity force to protect them and therapist to deal with the trauma. They also made an offer for Yuu to seek out RSA assistance if this wasn't enough to help.

Somehow, they and Older!Crowley managed to get Yuu more things to identify themselves like ID and a home with Older!Crowley to go back to and things related to stuff they like.

♤♡

Kaeya!Kingscholar

From Teasing Boy to Protective Lion in instant. Probably stays closer to Yuu after the whole kidnapping even if Yuu said that they're okay. No one hurts his friends and gets away with it!

Probably bares his teeth a lot more to the Shroud Brothers than he realized. He doesn't hate them, but he just doesn't trust them especially around Yuu.

Another one to ditch classes to hang out with Yuu and keep a close eye on them. He already lost loved one, he wasn't ready to lose a beloved friend amongst the Black Sheep.

☆★

Katakuri!Leech

Goes from stoic to scarily furious in instant, but it's more of cold fury than anything. He is now Yuu's personal bodyguard at this point and that means no one is allowed to bully them at all.

A lot more vocal about Yuu trying to help people after the kidnapping. Crowley isn't getting away with anything anymore especially around Katakuri!Leech who Crowley is probably scared of.

Doesn't skip his classes like Sans!Zigvolt and Kaeya!Kingscholar, but does visit Yuu to tell them about his day in class and what they did during the usual Black Sheep Club meetings. He often bring donuts with him to share with Yuu while he's visiting.

ooh love some comfort <33

love the idea of sans!zigvolt going apeshit but calming down to take care of yuu :)

and ningguang!ashengrotto would probably fight to get yuu treatment, either in RSA where they can guarantee the success, or at a hospital of their choice.

kaeya!kingscholar would become a bodyguard no doubt :DD

and katakuri!leech is extra muscle!! ugh yuu isn't gonna get into any trouble with these guys around.

[faisdm]

J K Rowling will come for you. Like you don't even need to be trans, or from another country or disabled. You can just be an ordinary white English person and she'll hate you because you're from The North, or your town's a bit poor.

This is what she thinks my accent sounds like:

Yes, oh boy! In Career of Evil, Cormoran Strike goes to Barrow-in-Furness, a town in Rowling's own country just a couple of hours direct train from Manchester airport and has the residents all talk like strange Fantasy peasants. This isn't even a good rendition of a South Cumbrian accent. "Teeking?" (yeah, try "Tekkin'" Joanne), "Noo"? (WTF are you just making shit up as you go along? I don't think this is even Scottish never mind Northern English) "Tha" (Holy shit, Joanne this is like... something a farmer from right in the middle of the Lakes from a hundred years ago would say, not a lady in probably her seventies from Barrow). She doesn't even get actual characteristics of South Cumbrian speech right, like how "book" and "look" might sometimes be pronounced with an "ooh" (this is very specifically Barrow and not widespread in Cumbria) or "in the" or "to the" might become "in't'" or "'t't'", or ending sentences with "Eh" or "Iike" a lot, or the standard greeting being "Arreet, mate?" or a common saying being "Ah, be reet!" (It'll be fine!).

Side note: The Crow's Nest is not some dive bar. It's a pretty nice, friendly local pub. Seen above. Then again, this does line up with the whole section of the book and how Rowling describes South Cumbria.

Hilarious things Cormoran Strike, brilliant detective, doesn't notice that he definitely would have driven past here include that Ulverston has a big white lighthouse overlooking the town, but clearly not close enough to the sea to function (It is the birthplace of Stan Laurel, but that's a thing you'd notice if you searched it on google, not a thing you'd notice driving through, which is definitely either the Lighthouse, or in early summer that the town is full of big colourful silk banners - By the way, Ulverston is a lovely place to visit if you're in the Lakes but it's too rainy for a walk. It has lovely independent shops and cafes).

Then there's also a zoo next to the main road from Ulverston to Barrow with...er...pink rhinos. You see, the local soil around Dalton there is very rich in iron ore and is a distinctive pink colour, and so the giraffes and rhinos usually seen in the fields visible from the road tend to look pink. That road also features a rather lovely view of the sea and some beautiful old woodland and passes an excellent seaside nature reserve. You don't leave the Lakes and suddenly it stops being sheep and drystone walls and you're in an industrial hellhole!

The general depiction of Barrow in this book really emphasises the ugliness and industry of the town. How it has a lot of pubs (it does, but they're mostly pretty nice pubs) and how the shops often have gloomy jokes for names (there was a hairdresser called "Curl Up & Dye" for a while), but it never mentions that Barrow is actually a rather beautiful town with a sense of faded grandeur. The town centre is built on a huge scale by people who thought it was going to be the next Liverpool back in the Victorian period, so it has some very large and beautiful buildings and bronze statues. By the way, "Vickerstown" looks like this:

Oh noooo...what a horrible place to live! How do we even cope living in such an unlovely industrial town!?

Oh no, save us, Joanne, save us from this horrible town dominated by the enormous ship building sheds (you can *just about see them* right over there in the distance. This is the town centre, and while the ship building sheds do have some of the largest interior spaces in Europe, Barrow is a well spread out town).

tl;dr: Rowling is just a mean-spirited person, barely capable of seeking common humanity or really seeing the best in anyone different from herself. She's transphobic, she's racist and ignorant, she's classist, she's judgemental about appearances, and she treats even a nice town in the north of her own country like it's some horrible gloomy place just because we talk a little funny and aren't so well off.