#mud cricket meaning

[bitterpotionn]

Johnny Slaughter - My Love Mine All Mine

This fic is inspired by Mitski's song "My Love Mine All Mine"! This is a heavy one. Johnny is very scummy and mean but that's how we all like him! This is a bit different than what I normally write so let’s hope for the best! (It’s been sitting in my drafts a while)

As always any feedback or constructive criticism is welcome!

Warnings: Dubcon, unhealthy relationships, slapping, stockholm syndrome, spit, licking, begging, Johnny is mean

The room didn't provide much light. A single window at the very end of the attic was the only light she had most of the day. The slanted ceilings caved her in. Sometimes she would count the specks in the old wooden floorboards. Nothing else was in the room but an old iron frame bed with a flat mattress. The comforter was old and torn. It smelled musty and didn't provide much heat. Nights without him were cold.

There wasn't much else to do other than wait; wait for Johnny. He was everything. He was her provider, her lover, her caretaker. He always was there for her. Sometimes, she would be alone for a couple days but she knew that was just because he was so busy out there. It took a lot of work to provide for her. She was a handful after all, he said it so himself. Too much trouble than she's worth.

The days melted together. The only indication of time was when the sun went down and came back up again. She cherished the sounds of the morning birds and the crickets. She would talk to them, and they'd answer back instantly. They always listened.

--

She lay on her back in the middle of the room. She had her arms lifted up as she made shapes in the morning sunlight. The warm beams blended between her fingers. She felt the warm glow kiss her hands, making them glow a beautiful gold.

She then heard the loud familiar creaking of the attic stairs. He was steadily making his way to the room. She eagerly shot up. Practically beaming as she crawled towards the door. She sat on her knees and waited with her hands behind her back, just the way he liked her. The door creaked open slowly as his tall looming figure stepped into the small space. He slowly walked up to her, staring down at her with a wide smirk.

She couldn't help but admire him. He was so handsome. The way his hair fell perfectly complimenting his sharp features. His eyes were so stunning she could drown in their depths with just one look. She might as well had big red hearts in her eyes. Her whole body seemingly vibrated with excitement and love from him just standing near her.

He reached out a hand and gripped her face, he tapped her cheek with his pointer finger. She knew what this meant. She opened her mouth. Johnny quickly spit in her mouth and tapped her cheek again. She quickly closed her mouth and swallowed, all while smiling widely at him. "Good girl" he purred out. His hand found its way to her hair, he tugged on the strands, making her head bobble back and forth.

She was beaming at the praise. Her eyes wide as she gave him a love-sick smile. He shook her head a bit and chuckled, admiring the dazed look on her face "My dumb girl" Johnny scanned her face, her mouth agape and her eyes filled with admiration; it made him feel giddy. He then threw her head down to the floor and kicked his boot up in her face. "You know what to do"

She quickly got to work licking at his dirty work boots. Blood and mud coated the worn leather. But that didn't matter to her. Johnny asked her to do something, so she did it. It's common sense after all. Johnny was nice enough to let her touch him, she had to cherish every moment.

After he was satisfied with her cleanup job he kicked his boot up to her face, making her fall backward on her butt. He quickly approached her, grabbing her neck and yanking her up to her feet. She made a small noise of surprise as he did so. His smirk was wide, and his teeth resembled those of a hungry predator. He was drooling at this point, ready to strike on his prey.

"Were you a good girl today?" he asked lowly, staring at her. She quickly nodded and smiled at him, his voice made her heart beat faster. "I hope so…." he left sloppy kisses up and down her neck. She was panting at this point, her body shaking in anticipation. She could feel how wet she was, she was desperate for some friction. She tried to squeeze together her thighs.

Johnny's eyes snapped up to her when he noticed her movements. He gave her a hard slap across the face. "Did I say you could do that, bitch?" he growled out, throwing her down on the floor. She whimpered at the red-hot sting on her cheek. She shook her head, mumbling out small apologies. "You're gonna be sorry" he grabbed her throat and reached into his belt holster, pulling out his signature blade. He pressed the blade up to her throat, just light enough that it didn't break skin.

Her head felt dizzy. She craved any form of interaction with him. Senseless violence was no different. It's not like he did this for no reason, right? She broke his rules this was the punishment. At least that's how she justified it. "Just when I thought you were my good girl. I'm very disappointed" his words resembled that of an angry father, condensing and sharp. He kept the knife to her throat as his eyes trailed down her body. He got an idea.

He sat down on the bed, still holding her neck firmly. Her bruised and cut-up knees dragged on the hardwood floor as she dangled from him. Once he was settled he kicked her stomach, shoving her backward. "Since you wanna be a little impatient slut, do it yourself" he sat on the bed, his legs spread as he watched her, knife still in his scarred hand. "Go on"

Her hands quickly found their way to the waistband of her shorts. She pulled them down, revealing her bare sex. No panties, Johnny's rule; He liked the easy access. She hesitated a bit before spreading her legs wide as she leaned back on one of her forearms. Her anxious eyes flicked to his, looking for any sign of approval. All he gave was a curt nod.

Her fingers stroked against her soaked folds. She whined at the contact with her clit as she lightly rubbed it. Sure, it felt good but she was so used to Johnny's fingers. She knew that she couldn't get off by herself and he knew it too. Her eyebrows furrowed as she desperately rubbed at her swollen clit. Letting out small moans as she did so. She stared at Johnny. She tried to picture that it was his hands pleasuring her, she needed him for everything after all.

Johnny wore a wide smirk as he watched her pathetic attempts at pleasing herself. He let out a sarcastic coo, "Aw can the slut not get off without me?" he snickered and palmed at his growing erection through his jeans. He wants to rip her apart, right here. But she needed to be punished after all.

After an excruciatingly long time of her rubbing at her clit to no avail, he decided to show her some mercy. He stood up and grabbed her up off the floor again, bending her over the bed. He pressed his bulge against her ass as he held both of her hands behind her back. She craned her neck to look at him, she needed to look at him. Much to her dismay, Johnny grabbed her face, forcing her to look straight at the wall. "Sluts don't get those privileges" She let out a small whine as her body shook in anticipation.

Johnny wasn't stupid, he knew that her infatuation with him was purely the result of torture and manipulation. He didn't care though. No, he basked in it. He enjoyed showing her just a small sliver of love and then snatching it away from her just as quick. It made him feel powerful.

He palmed her bare ass, spreading her cheeks apart painfully. He let out a low hum as he pulled out his cock. He rubbed his tip through her soaked folds, one hand hand held her waist while the other kept her hands behind her back. "How bad do you want it?" his voice was laced with spite.

"Please Johnny...I'll be good. I'll be good!" her voice was whiny as she pleaded with him. Johnny let out an exaggerated sigh as he tipped his head back. "Not good enough, doll. Tell me what you want me to do"

"P-please fuck me, Johnny! I need your cock that's all I want!" her words cut off with a small sob as tears streamed down her face. She needed to feel him in some way. It was almost unbearable. Yet, begging like this made her feel humiliated.

He snickered and suddenly pushed into her without warning. He sank fully into her with one hard thrust, earning a loud moan from her. He hissed, gripping the plush of her thighs. Deep red nail marks burned into her skin from his force.

Like usual, his thrusts were brutal and jagged. Hitting her deep and raw. Her eyes stayed focused on the wall, as much as they could considering the amount of tears flowing freely from her eyes. She tried to focus on the feeling, trying to picture that he was doing this out of love rather than spite. She loved him so much and while she knew that it was mostly one-sided. She could delude herself into thinking this was for her pleasure too, not just his.

His hand gripped her neck as he pulled her closer to him, lifting her upper half off the bed. She desperately tried to remain steady, not wanting to upset him if she lost balance. She squeezed her eyes shut, she pictured his face. Not in a smirk or a snarl. But in a genuine smile, his eyes brimming with love as he gazed down at her. Sometimes she felt she was in love with her version of Johnny, not the one currently buried inside of her.

After a painfully long time, she felt his thrusts become uneven and shaky. She knew he was close. He yanked her head back as he shot his load deep inside of her. He let out a low rumbling groan.

He quickly pulled out of her and admired the way his cum dripped out of her and onto the floor below. Johnny's hand grabbed her neck as he threw her shivering body on the floor. "Clean it up." he said simply, a malicious smirk adorning his face.

She didn't argue, she didn't hesitate, she did what he said and licked the floor clean of his cum. After she was sure she got every last drop she turned to Johnny with hopeful eyes, yearning for his approval. He crouched down and let out a low hum as his eyes scanned her face. "Good job, darlin'" he reached his free hand out and stroked her head like she was some pet.

She stared at his lips and then back at him, trying to subconsciously tell him she wanted a kiss. He must have picked up on it because he let out a dry laugh. "I'm not kissin' your dirty mouth, doll" he gave her cheek a rough pat as he fully stood from his crouching position. "I'll be back later with dinner," he said as he walked out of the attic. She heard the click of the lock as his footsteps retreated down the stairs.

She sat there on the floor staring at the door with a blank expression. She shakily stood up making her way toward the bed with wobbly legs. She allowed herself to get under the covers, pulling them up and over her chin as she watched the trees from the window. She hoped Johnny would be back soon.

#johnny slaughter #texas chainsaw massacre #johnny tcm game #tcm #tcm game #johnny slaughter x reader #johnny slaughter smut #smut #bitterpotionnfics

[minmos]

below the cut (because there are so many bug pictures) i would like to post. a gallery of WASP DIVERSITY

ruby tailed wasp. it rolls up like a pillbug to protect itself and cannot sting. it lays its eggs in other wasp nests

blue mud dauber. not aggressive, males cannot sting. adults are pollinators, their young eat black widow spiders. It's also blue if you can believe that

pelecinid wasp. cannot sting. this has two population groups - one in the southern us & most of south america that does regular parasitic wasp stuff, and a population in the rest of north america consisting only of females that reproduce asexually.

baeus wasp. this guy is fucking crazy. flightless & preys on spider eggs. and it's small as hell

fairyfly. world's smallest insect. lays eggs in other insects' eggs and only lives a few days.

doddifoenus rex. having trouble finding more information about the species.

chalcura. check out those antennae! preys on ants.

tarantula hawk. even more pretty antennae! one of the largest parasitoid wasps. preys on tarantulas. very docile, but does have one of the most painful recorded stings of all insects - it's beat only by the bullet ant on the schmidt pain index. just don't fuck with it though it's not going to go after you

thread waisted wasp. isnt she cool! one got stuck in my bathroom once.

giant ichneumon wasp. isn't that crazy! unable to sting. preys on one specific other species of wasp (pigeon horntail).

organ pipe mud dauber. described by wikipedia as "exceedingly docile" so you know she knows what's up... and she makes nests out of clay because she's a beautiful little potter. so apparently these guys are haplodiploid, which means that they'll just lay eggs and any unfertilized eggs generate males and fertilized eggs generate females. that's weird.

steel blue cricket hunter. You'll never guess what she hunts.

anyway umm yes. WASPS. theres so many cool wasps out there. Dont let yellow jackets poison wasps for you i promise theyre not all like that ...

#minmoment #for bl: #bugs #insects #wasps

[bloodskipper]

Bo Sinclair x reader | Hell or High Water | Pt. 18

CONTENT WARNINGS: kissing/making out, sexuality, cigarette smoking

Sneaking in and out of Bo’s room became your new favorite pastime. 

In-between your daily boring duties, you and Bo would tacitly grab each other’s attention with a wink or a smile or quite deliberately brushing past one another’s hips on your way to separate destinations (he’d always turn to watch your ass as you left). Sooner or later, you knew you two would end up in an empty house, Bo’s bedroom door cracked open, a mix of sweat and hands and breath enveloping you.

Bo’s fingers were forever stained with motor oil, but it never mattered, especially when he was frantically unbuttoning his shirt, his lips still focused on yours. Pinning you against the wall with one hand while the other crept inside your shirt, your back arching in response. A devious smile would spread across his face while he ran his tongue along his lips.

“I know what you need, baby…” 

Before you knew it, your clothes were scattered on the ground, you and Bo gripping each other in a frenzy. Pleasing you seemed like second nature to him as he knew when and where to lay on the pressure or barely graze your skin. 

Keeping your secret wasn’t difficult, but you played the part well.

One particular evening, you were washing dishes in the kitchen sink when a pair of arms snaked around your waist, grabbing you tightly.

“Hey, pretty thing,” Bo whispered, his warm lips quickly moving down to kiss your neck.

You grinned and wriggled from his grip. “Be careful! What if-”

“Y/N!” Lester called as he plodded in, work boots leaving a trail of mud through the front of the house.

Turning with a wince, you whined, “Man, I just mopped!”

“That’s why I was calling your name, honey-bun.”

He nodded his chin toward the mop bucket and slipped out of his shoes over to you and Bo.

“What do we got goin’ on here?” Lester’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean!?” shot out of your mouth.

Bo slid a toothpick in between his teeth and cooly leaned against the counter. “Ah, I was just tellin’ Y/N a little bit about cars, in case we ever want ‘em to fix up the truck.”  

“Hmm,” Lester breathed. “Well it just so happens a headlight’s out. Ya get that far yet?”

“No, sir,” you chuckled, turning back to dry a plate.

Lester slapped his knee and hollered, “Hoo-wee! Now that’s what I like to hear. I always like an open mind.” He peered out the window and turned to you.

“Looks like we got a little bit of daylight left. I can take ya out front and give ya a pointer or two, just you n’ me.” He batted his eyelashes and shrugged cutely.

You dried your hands, shooting Bo a questioning glance; he replicated your look and shrugged.

“Sure, why not.”

Lester grabbed two beers out of the fridge, handing one to you and leading you out of the house. He popped the hood and got out a flashlight.

“Here, hold this,” he instructed.

You snorted. “Tch, you sound like a dad.” 

“Just do it.”

He reached inside to disassemble the necessary components, explaining every step in excruciating detail.

“... so here’s the bulb. See? The filament’s busted. It ain’t good… Y/N, are you listening?”

“Yep, got it.” You swore you had just fallen asleep standing up.

Lester sighed. “I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Say, did you finish your beer?”

A few drops of liquid swished around in the bottom of your bottle. “Yeah, almost.”

“Need another?”

Red flag: why was Lester being nice to you?

“No… I’m good.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “Okay, well… if ya ever wanna learn more about cars, ya know my number.” He nodded with an earnest smile before heading back in.

Your head swam for a moment as you looked back at the truck’s hood, Lester’s tone uncomfortably mixing with the sight of the oily machinery. The sound of a lighter flaring caught your attention.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Bo took a drag off his cigarette and kissed your cheek from behind. Crickets chirping and Bo’s presence always made nights feel extra-special.

“Learn anything?”

With a confused expression, your eyes darted around the machinery within the front of the truck.

“Uh… no. Not really.”

Bo scoffed. “Yeah, Lester’s never really been much of a teacher.”

“Then I guess I’m just stuck learning from you.” You scrunched your nose at Bo playfully. A cigarette between his lips, he pulled you into a sweet hug around your waist.

“That’s right, honey. Me, and only me.”

The inflection on his last sentence melted you deeper into Bo’s chest. He never missed a chance to rouse you, whether it be with his words or his touch. 

“Should we… head up to your room?” you whispered against his neck.

Stomping out his cigarette, he looked at you with a smirk. “A little eager, ain’t we?” He chuckled and gave your hip a squeeze. “No. I got a better idea.”

Your hand soon found its way in Bo’s, and he led you down the driveway into the middle of Ambrose. The power was off in the town for the night, making the sky’s dark background pop against the glimmer of stars. Your pace gradually slowed until you were at a full stop, gazing in awe at the beautiful sky above.

“Wow,” was all you could quietly say.

Bo stayed silent, draping an arm over your shoulders, lightly tracing circles on your arm with his thumb. Pulling you close, he rested his lips on your head to pepper in a few tender kisses.

“Mmm, it’s nice to see this… with somebody else.”

The humid summers of Louisiana were emphatic with nature, the chirping of frogs and crickets blending into the buzz of cicada wings. Bo surprised you with a spin and a dip, softly whistling “Southern Nights” by Glenn Campbell. Time in Bo’s arms was always perfectly spent; the energy that radiated from him during your secluded moments filled the space around you with nothing but comforting bliss.

With another glance up at the sky, he turned back to you. “It’s gorgeous, but it ain’t got nothin’ on you.” You laughed as he started burying kisses into the curve of your neck, pulling your hips closer to his. 

“Now who’s eager?” you giggled. “We’re in the middle of town. How obvious is that?”

“Just a liiiittle longer, honey pie...”

Bo eased you backwards onto the front door of the mechanic’s shop, its darkness especially enticing, considering that’s where you had first met one another. His lips met yours in a sugary kiss laced with more desire than you bargained for. One of his hands pinned you against the door while the other found its way to your lower back, over the stretch of your hips. You couldn’t help but close your eyes as they rolled further back into your head, your tongues circling the other’s. Bo slowly licked the inside of your lips and looked at you.

“I can’t get enough of you.” 

He ran a hand through his hair and stared at you.

“Darlin’, I don’t know what I was doin’ here without you all this time.”

You grinned and planted a kiss on his jawline. “You don’t have to know.”

He returned your smile and went right back to work, his touch encouraging chills across your body. It was impossible not to let your hands wander around Bo with sweat dampening his work shirt and hair.

With a swift reach for his keys, Bo unlocked the shop’s front door and led you inside. Bright moonbeams glowed through the back windows, barely illuminating the outline of the room’s fixtures. Obviously Bo knew every step in and out of that shop as he insisted you up against the front counter.

“Maybe we can finally finish what we started back at the House the other night.” Eyes softening, he brushed the tip of his nose against yours.

Truck lights briefly flooded the shop through its large front windows, causing you and Bo to freeze in your tracks.

Bo haphazardly shoved his shirt back into his jeans before smoothing down his hair in the process of meeting his brother outside.

“Hey man, what’s goin’ on with you?” Bo shakily called out to him. Lester’s expression was painfully cloudy.

Bo watched him as he stepped out of the truck and slammed the driver door. 

“There you are!” Lester’s voice held the slightest tinge of annoyance. 

Clearing his throat, Bo took a few steps toward him. “Where else would I be?”

Lester frowned, shrugging off his brother’s weak attempt at a joke.

“Listen, I need to talk to you about somethin’. It’s Y/N.”

-

Wow wow wow!!!! Lester is thinking up something... but where's old Vince in all this?

#bo sinclair #bo sinclair house of wax #bo sinclair fanfic #bo sinclair x reader #slasher x reader #slashers #horror #house of wax fanfic #house of wax 2005 #house of wax imagine #cw kissing #cw making out #cw sexuality

[quotidianish]

Meaningless wurtle Drabble

Turtle wasn’t prideful by any means, he hardly thought about things like “loyalty to his tribe,” despite being a prince, or maybe because he was one of thirty. Winter made it clear he was never afforded that comfort of mind. “You don’t act like a prince.” Winter had crudely stated. They were stationed just east of Sanctuary, doing chores for the local doctor.

Neither of us are, not now, thought Turtle, knees deep in mud, struggling to reach for a hanging bucket in the middle of a well. Winter wasn’t exactly looking any more dignified, wrestling carrots out of the ground a few meters away.

“You told me that before.” He made a grab for the bucket and pulled it towards himself. Turtle knew better than to think Winter was being hostile at that point, otherwise he would’ve been shouting. This is just how he talks.

Winter yanked at a patch of leaves, blinking as dirt spewed in his face.

The doctor, a herbalist, offered them a spare room to stay in for the night. The rug on the floor barely had space for two, so they lay awkwardly, haphazardly piling on top of eachother. Crickets outside drowned out Turtle’s thoughts. “Hey,” he whispered, after thoughtless deliberation. “Are you asleep yet?”

“Maybe I would be if you weren’t so warm.”

Turtle expected him to use a different adjective, one he could be sorry for. On a summer's day it felt good having a cold blanket draped groggily over him. He sighed and furrowed his head into one of the rug’s creases, Winter’s glittering tail softly lashing back and forth in front of him, eventually lulled to sleep by its slow clattering.

#I CANNOT write fanfiction. I don’t go there (words of a bad writer) #they the type of homies to say as little as possible to eachother if they can #mutual understanding #wings of fire #it was originally gonna be longer but I cut this part out of the larger story #WoF #art #WoF fanart #wings of fire fanart #artwork #wof turtle #wof winter #wurtle #I insist #Quotidianish

[blueberry-ovaries]

CHAPTER FOUR : BOLD FACED LIES AND CIGARETTES

A/N: Hello?! what’s this? a new chapter? that’s right chapter four of hiraeth!!

Word Count: 2.2k

Content Warnings: mentions of war, injuries, bullying (?), strong language, horrible accent writing and probable OOC and historical inaccuracies

< previous chapter > - < next chapter >

The sun had started to set by the time a new person arrived at Winnie’s hiding spot. Ron had left a few minutes prior claiming he was needed for food service preparations. Winnie thought it was just because the man didn’t know how to talk to people

“Winnie?” The voice of Dick Winters called out “are you alright?”

Winnie huffs an unamused laugh

“I just bit and drew blood from one of the men” she mumbles

“I suppose you did” he counters “but, I was more worried about what caused that reaction”

Glancing up at the red headed Lieutenant, Winnie pursed her lips, before turning away from him

“I’m fine. Won’t happen again” she mutters

Dick let’s put a low sigh, folding his hands behind his back, nodding

“While that is appreciated, i am more concerned about why you were in such a panic” he sighs “what you did, while not best case scenario, was not against the rules”

Winnie picks at the grass, drawing shapes in the dirt.

“i talked to Lieutenant Sobel, convinced him that having you on latrine duty would serve as better punishment than removing you from the airbourne” He continues

Nodding silently Winnie stands, dusting off her shorts she bites her cheek

“Thank you Dick- Lieutenant Winters” she stumbles “that was not necessary, i would have taken my punishment for my wrong doing”

Dick sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“As i mentioned, there was no technical wrong doing” he glances back towards the Easy company barrack “Shifty is pretty worried about you, kid, at-least tell him you didn’t die a tragic death”

Winnie nods.

——

The crickets chirp all night long, Winnie discovered. After a quick shower to remove the lasting feeling of dried blood off her chin, and a short conversation with Shifty that yes, i am okay. no i don’t want to talk about it right now. thank you for caring. Winnie once again found herself sitting on the steps of the barrack.

Her dog tags jingle slightly as she twists them along the chain, rubbing her thumb over her name and number. That was all she was. a number. Not a person with a family, a person with dreams. A number to be used and moved like a marionette.

The crickets used to remind her of home, when she would stay awake on the farm until the early hours. Just her and the moon, talking. Now it just reminded her of what she lost. Her home, her family, friends and comrades. The crickets taunted her.

Next to her tags, a small necklace. A present from her parents before she left. Winnie was not religious. She did not believe in God or divine intervention. Many of the men wore crosses or stars, or some form of religious jewellery. Winnie wore a small handmade cow charm on a silver chain. Home.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting outside for, her face going numb in the cold. She didn’t even notice the creaking of the door or the groaning of the planks under someone else’s weight.

A warm hand on her shoulder causes her to jump, pulling her fist back instinctively.

“Fuck!” she hisses “you scared the shit outta me!”

“I’m real sorry, didn’t mean ta frighten you” Eugene apologised “called out to ya, didn’t respond, like you were caught in some trance”

“Oh. sorry” Winnie mumbles, rubbing her thumb over her dog tags as she looks out at the grass “must have been lost in thought”

The two soldier sit in silence, only disrupted by the occasional shouts of protest from inside the barracks, from the various games of poker they played. Winnie often wondered what her life would have been like had she of not joined the ANZAC’s. Had her dad gone and died in the mud jungles of new guinea when his knee wouldn’t allow him to climb the treacherous slopes. Had her mother stuck to her denial of allowing her to go off to war. Would she have finished school? worked the farm like her brothers?

She often fell into pits of self guilt. Blaming herself for events out of her control because of an event she could control. She wouldn’t be scarred and broken had she of not deluded herself into thinking her position in the military would make a change. That the efforts of one small, scrawny girl from a town no one had heard of playing dress up, would affect the war. Just like the boys back home who wanted to be soldiers for pride and glory, Winnie played soldier.

“You want to ask about it.” Winnie muttered “That’s why you’re here right?”

Eugene shrugs, lighting up a cigarette before offering the pack to Winnie, who takes one with a tip of her head in gratitude.

“Everyone wants to ask ‘bout it” he counters

Smoke fills the air as the two sit in silence. Winnie wanted Eugene to let it go. To not wonder about her story, her time in the army. Contradictory, she wanted someone to care. To care enough that they would listen to every detail, tell her how brave she was, hold her hand and make her feel like a person again. Not some rabid dog with tags around her neck.

“What is it that everyone wants to know?” she sighs in defeat, a need to belong over taking her need to be distant.

“The scar” he scratches his cheek, the same place of Winnie’s scar.

With a huff, she flicks her cigarette to the ground, stamping it out. Maybe she didn’t want to belong that badly.

“Service wound.” she responds bluntly “I was on the front lines before coming here”

Eugene hums out in understanding, the only noise apart from the men inside, still playing cards.

“Where’d ya serve?” he drawls, taking a final drag of his cigarette and crushing it beneath his boot

“Africa mainly, spent some time in New Guinea” Winnie picks at the skin around her nails.

Eugene nods along softly with the explanation, letting Winnie talk at her own pace.

“That don’t sound too fun, from what we get told about those places anyways” he settles on saying

Winnie let’s out a short scoff

“It definitely had its moments” she looks down at her hands, half expecting to see them coated a deep shade of red

“And the scar?” he asks feigning nonchalance

The memories of that night flood to her all at once. The german soldiers, the hot sand, the moon in the sky overhead. She can still feel the burning in her lungs some nights when it’s all to hard to breathe and her throat feels heavy under an imaginary weight of a forearm

“Africa” she mumbles

Nervously she fiddles with her fingers, the look Eugene gives her goes unnoticed

“Look. I just don’t want people to think of me differently” she mumbles “So if i tell you this, can you keep a secret?”

Eugene nods.

——

“That’s why I bit him.” Winnie concludes “I didn’t want to hurt him… I just… It’s been a long war and I got lost”

“That sounds awful… i’m sorry that happened to you Winnie” the cajun man drawls

“Not your fault” Winnie shrugs “you gotta keep that a secret. Or i will bite you on purpose.”

“Won’t tell a soul” Eugene smirks slightly at her threat

The door to the barracks slams open.

“Winnie! you gotta come play poker with me. I’m loosin’ real bad” Shifty complains “I’ll teach you how to play and everything”

Winnie raises an eyebrow, sending a skeptical look to Gene.

“You want me to play… even if you have to teach me?” she asks “How bad are you losin’?”

“Well I ain’t doing to good, that’s for sure” he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, a grimace on his face

“I don’t know Shifty I don’t wanna make anyone uncomfortable” Winnie hesitates

“She’d love to play” Gene answers

“That’s great! I’ll see you in there!” Shifty grins, walking back into the barracks

Winnie hits Gene in the chest with an open hand

“Why the fuck would you say that” she grumbles “I don’t wanna play poker.”

“You gotta make friends with ‘em at some stage” He retorts

“You know. I’m starting to really hate you yanks” Winnie complains, still she stands and dusts off her pants

She stops infront of the door, turning to look back at Gene

“Thanks for not telling anyone” she mumbles, quickly entering the barracks

——

The hooting and hollering of the easy men come to a deafening silence. Judgemental eyes mixed with looks of skepticism sweep her up and down. Winnie stands in the doorway, fiddling with her fingers behind her back

“Well come on Winnie!” Shifty beams “You can’t be any worse than me at cards”

Shifty sits down on one of the crates, card game abandoned in the middle of the make shift table

“I’m not playing cards with the crazy broad who tried to bite Joe’s finger off” the man in the bed beside her argues… Bob? Maybe it was Bill. Bill sounded right

“He shouldn’t have put his fingers near her mouth then” one of the men countered, someone she hadn’t met yet

“The crazy broad has a name” Winnie raises an eyebrow

“yeah yeah” Bill waves his hand in the air “just hurry up will ya, got me some money to win”

Winnie shuffles over towards the makeshift poker table, pulling up a crate to sit next to shifty. Dealing out the cards, Bill gives Winnie and Shifty the one set of cards.

“What are the rules?” Winnie asks, staring at the cards in her hand

“It’s poker, you don’t know how to play poker?” one of the men ask, He was tall and had a scowl.

“i’m just wondering what the rules are” she mumbles

——

It was with a withering glare that Bill laid his cards down as he folded. Winnie bluffing that her cards were a straight flush instead of two sevens. Most of the men stopped playing after the third round were Winnie cleaned them out of smokes and cash. Bill persisted, claiming that he needed to win his money back.

—

Sitting on the front porch with her dad as he beats her round after round at poker. Chocolate chip cookies and various sweets used as bets, her father had a pile that seemed to be a mile high.

“how do you keep winning daddy?” a six year old Winnie asks. Her front two teeth had fallen out and she waited desperately for the tooth fairy.

“practice, and knowing how to play the game and the players” he responded, ruffling her hair

“play the players? you can’t play the players daddy that’s silly!” she giggled

“my sweet girl, poker is just as much playing the game as it is playing the players” he pulls her to sit on his lap “if you know how to lie and bluff than you can get away with lots of things, like having bad cards in poker”

—

“Did I win again?” Winnie tilts her head in confusion

“Yeah you fucking win again” Bill grumbles

The men jeer and punch him in the arm as he glares at the girl collecting her winnings. She wouldn’t need to worry about cigarettes for months!

“You lost to a broad Bill” Joe Toye slaps him on the chest

“I know I lost to a fucking broad” he hissed

Winnie piled her cigarettes into her crate and collected the money she won into her wallet with the help of Shifty, who was beaming

“Keep the pack” Winnie smiled and threw him two packs of cigarettes

“Boy you really showed them!” Shifty smiled “I didn’t know you could play!”

“Beginners luck?” Winnie smiled

“I ain’t ever seen a beginner play as good as you” he stated

“Guess i was real lucky” She shrugged

“Crazy beginners luck” Someone called out

“Maybe next time you’ll get some too” she smirked

The man made his way over to Shifty and Winnie with a troublesome grin

“George Luz, i believe you stole four of my cigarette packs” he introduced himself

“Well George Luz, I would apologise, but i wouldn’t mean it” Winnie shook his outstretched hand

“Say what happened to your face” George asked

Winnie defensively rolled her shoulders back and set a glare on her face

“It’s rude to ask people about their scars.” she muttered

“I meant your eyes, they’re… purple, d’ya get punched?”

“Oh… broke my nose last night, when Sobel made me run currahee” She blinked in shock, not expecting her broken nose to be a point of interest

“Fuckin’ Sobel” He muttered “Doc fix you up?”

“Hm? oh yeah, Gene set it back into place” she confirms

An awkward silence falls over the conversation before George is called over by a group of the other guys, one of which was Joe. He turned around with a goofy smile

“And, hey, don’t worry too much about the whole biting Joe thing, some of us won some real money off ya” he winked and walked over towards the loud bunch.

Dumbfounded Winnie stood at the end of her bunk, a pack of cigarettes in her hand, looking up at Shifty

“People bet money on me to win?” she spluttered

“Well sure, odds were stacked against ya, but some of us made some money” he replied in his usual soft spoken tone

She thought about his response, a feeling of warmth spreading through her chest. Maybe she would fit in after all.

——

TAGS: @malarkgirlypop @mads-weasley @footprintsinthesxnd @bucky32557038ww2 @grumpy-liebgott @executethyself35

A/N: I really hope you guys are liking this fic! i’m really sorry it’s slow to start, i just want you guys to see Winnie’s struggles as a person before really getting into it, but please feel free to let me know what you think!

#hireath fic #hiraeth #hireathoc #winnie hayes oc #winnie hayes #band of brothers fic #band of brothers fanfiction #band of brothers #babe heffron #ronald speirs #bandofbrothers #dick winters #eugene roe #george luz #hbowar #band of brothers #donald malarkey

[climbthemountain2020]

Hope of Spring - Chapter 25

Friends, we have reached the end!

This was my very first fic that I've written and published, and I can't tell you how much it means to me that you all came along for the ride with me. To those of you who made a habit of following all my updates and regularly commenting, you have no idea how much your comments lit up my day (even when I made you mad lol).

I was so nervous to go out on a limb and share my writing, but this has made me so glad I did. I hope you'll keep an eye out for me--I've got some other good stuff coming :)

And, more than anything, I hope you've enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. <3

Now enjoy this tooth-achingly sweet, self-indulgent epilogue! Also on Ao3! Find Ch. 24 here

The sun was setting over the hills of Spring, and the hot day was giving way to a balmy evening of twinkling stars. The fireflies were dancing around the edges of the garden, and mourning doves and crickets could be heard calling out in the twilight. A shriek pierced the evening, as two figures shot from the garden maze, a dead sprint towards the stairs of the house.

“DAD!”

Tamlin was sitting on the stairs, whittling a small horse into an old piece of willow wood, when the two forms burst forward, hurtling toward him. The first figure dove, attempting to reach him in time, but the second figure was too fast, lunging on to the first with a grunt. The first, a boy, bellowed as the second, a girl, smeared a handful of mud down the side of his face.

“Kalliope, stop!” He slapped at her arms and face as she held him town, Tamlin looking over at the two teenagers brawling a few feet away from him.

“I told you it wasn’t going to go over well if she found out that you ate the last tart, Kyron.” The boy rolled then, pushing the girl’s muddy hands back into her own face as she wrinkled her nose and kicked. The twins rolled down the slight hill next to the manor as Tamlin sighed amusedly.

“Where’s Silas?” He called out after the two, still tumbling and now heaving great handfuls of mulch at each other.

“The fish pond.” Kyron gritted out as he slung the two of them into a nearby puddle, Kalliope gasping with rage. Tamlin sighed again, setting his whittling knife and the small figurine down and pushing himself off the steps to go drag his younger son out of the fish pond. Just as he made toward the gardens, a small boy, bright eyed and carrying a bucket, toddled out from the maze. He had sticks and leaves scattered through his light brown hair, a proud look on his face, and was soaked entirely through.

“Dada!” He pointed animatedly to the heavy bucket. “Fiss!” Tamlin peered into the bucket of, indeed, fish, who looked irritated at having been removed from their home. He laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair, trying to brush some of the nature out of it.

“Good job, buddy.”

“Fiss.” He confirmed, then stomped proudly back towards the pond.

Penny walked out on the porch just in time to see Silas walk back among the flowers, Tamlin watching him go and scratching the back of his neck. She hauled the baby she was carrying higher on her hip, then sent a little breeze to him and she began to walk closer. He turned immediately, love in his eyes as he found her.

“Baths tonight?” She asked, lightly.

“Baths tonight,” he confirmed with a laugh, gesturing over his shoulder to the twins, finally done sparring and attempting to brush themselves off. “How’s my Poppy today?” He came and kissed the cheeks of the baby in her arms.

“Your Poppy refuses to take a nap unless someone is holding her.” Penny cooed at the baby in her arms, who giggled and smacked chubby baby hands on Penny’s arms in response.

“Cass and Nes are coming tomorrow and bringing Irina and Osiris. “Kyron perked up at the mention of Irina, then immediately tried to play it off as Kalliope punched him in the side and snickered. He’d had a thing for Cassian and Nesta’s daughter, Irina, for years now. The twins were seventeen, along with Irina and Kit, the second daughter of Lucien and Elain, and the twins had spent almost every other weekend with the two since then. While the four were thick as thieves, Kyron was hung up on Irina in a much more romantic way.

“Maybe you won’t fuck it up and look like a total idiot in front of her this weekend, Kyron.” She smirked.

“Shut up, Kalliope.” He punched his sister in the shoulder as Tamlin sent them both a look.

“They get that mouth from you, you know.” Penny grinned at him and nodded enthusiastically as Silas waddled back out of the maze again, this time with mud adorning his cheeks and a very empty bucket trailing forlornly at his side.

“Fiss went home.” He shrugged sadly, as Tamlin came to scoop him up.

“It’s alright, sweet boy. We can go see the fish again with Osiris tomorrow, hm?” Osiris, the hulking, four-year old, sweet-as-a-button carbon copy of Cassian, was Silas’ very best friend. The little boy's eyes lit up.

“Siris!”

“Yeah, buddy. He’ll be here tomorrow.”

The group had all grown up together, their parents staying close after the war. Nyx, Nova, Sirene, and Kieran, the four oldest, had been the ones who’d taught Penny and Tamlin all about children–and also encouraged them to wait for a decade or so before trying for their own. The little winged Night Court heirs were all wild will and energy. Their cousin Sirene and her cousin Kieran were wild bursts of fire everywhere they went. The oldest four were off most of the time now, Nyx and Nova training in the Illyrian Steppes much of the time, Sirene shadowing her grandparents in Day, and Kieran learning how to help run Autumn as the heir.

When Tamlin and Penny finally had their fill of quiet and sleeping and decided to try for children of their own, they’d immediately been blessed with twins. Around the same time, Nesta and Cassian had Irina, and Lucien and Elain had Kit, and thus the second group of kids were born. Now, the group of teenagers was always fighting–with each other and everyone else. If you saw dust clouds kicking up or a tavern about to erupt into a brawl, it was certain you’d find the four of them there.

A third wave had hit all the friends another few years past that, which provided them with Osiris, Silas, and Azriel and Gwyn’s daughter, Catrin. The three were a wobbly mess of toddler antics, always sticky, muddy, or otherwise.

Finally, Lucien and Elain had just been graced with a third, their first boy, while earlier in the year Poppy and Nira, Feyre and Rhys’ third and final child, had been born the same month.

More often than Penny would admit, she would think back to that first time in the Night Court, where she’d sat under the stars with Feyre and Nova, shushing the sweet babe to sleep and allowing herself to wonder for the first time if any of this could be possible for her. She had shared her dreams with Feyre, even though she’d never been tempted to tell anyone before, and Feyre had pushed her. Told her it was possible for her to have that here.

Sometimes, she couldn’t believe how much time had passed. They all looked the same except the children–time meant almost nothing to her anymore. Since the war, they’d lived in a period of peace in Prythian, which made being High Lady of Spring a relatively easy job. After the dust had settled, they’d set up a series of town halls in the village, allowing the people to speak about what bothered them. At first, the people were hesitant, but Penny set up an anonymous system of reporting. Once they realized that the things they suggested were being taken to heart and no one was getting singled out, they became more comfortable with sharing and speaking openly about changes they wished to see.

Over the years, the town halls gave way to a council that helped with ruling over Spring. Ideas were shared willingly and enthusiastically, and votes were often held between the different provinces. As had been the plan, the tithe was done away with, and the people flourished for it. The celebrations were resurrected across the holidays in Spring, and Penny and Tamlin had had their fair share of Calanmais together, too–one of which was almost certainly responsible for Poppy. Spring was a place like it had never been before, and trust had been restored in its rulers.

In the summers, the children would spend the majority of their time in the Night Court. When they were young, they would help Elain in the kitchen or the gardens, or paint with Feyre in her studio on the Rainbow. As they grew older, some chose to train with the Valkyries or Azriel and Cassian, though they’d had to break up and separate Kalliope, Kyron, Kit, and Irina on a number of occasions.

In the deep winter, when Velaris was so cold that training was miserable, they’d all travel to Spring and return the favor, spending long warm days outside identifying plants, learning archery, horseback riding, and about all the creatures that lurked in the woods. It was a great exchange, and it allowed all the friends and their children to stay close. As the children grew and Lucien and Elain moved to Day, the warm summers were spent in the sun, running through the towns of white marble and down to the gentle slopes of the sea. It had been a wonderful few decades of peace and memory-making.

Tamlin pressed his lips to Penny’s temple. “It’s the last day of the month, yes?” She perked up.

“Yes! I went into town for it the other day. I’ll run get it and have Tally start the baths up. Stay here.” she handed him Poppy, and raced into the house. She ran into her old bedroom, now mostly storage for items they weren’t currently using and grabbed for the cloak on the bed. She’d purchased one at the seamstress in town this week, as she did the last week of every month. She grabbed it off the bed, wrapped it up gently in tissue paper, and went back to Tamlin so that they could go put it out in the woods by the birch trees.

On her way out, she ran into Tally.

“Baths?” Tally asked, amusedly.

“Baths.” Penny nodded, with a laugh.

Before she made it to the doors, she paused, taking a few steps out of her way to run her hands across the cracks that remained in the walls and floor by the eastern corner of the foyer. Out of the window, she could see Tamlin, baby pulled to his chest, chasing Kyron and Kalliope around the yard, now also covered in mud courtesy of the twins. Silas trampled behind them, roaring and tossing mud around a few steps away, all of them laughing uproariously.

She let her fingers trail along the cracks once more, a smile on her face, and she held the cloak close and walked out into the evening sky of Spring.

#a court of thorns and roses #acotar #elucien #tamlin #tamlin x oc #feysand #gwynriel #tamlin oc #tamdemption #tamlins hea #hope of spring

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Day Two - Bet

Barry was eleven years old when he first met Lup. He and his moma moved from the great empty plains of Georgia into the bustling city of San Diego in California. It was a pretty drastic change, but Mama’s sister lived out here for them to stay with, so Barry was trying not to make a huge fuss about it.

Still, it was weird here. Living in the city was far too loud. Barry didn’t know how anyone could sleep with all the noise. Even at night, there were car horns and bright lights and just- too much, sometimes. Way, way too much. He couldn’t hear the crickets over all the noise. He wasn’t sure California had crickets.

And the kids here were different. Back home, they’d get into scuffles a lot, but they’d always make up after each other. Barry had known the kids there his whole life. Their school was small enough that he knew every face, and everyone knew him. Here, there was more than one classroom per grade. He had already been dreading middle school, but he felt like he could Barry breathe in the hallways with so many people around.

But Mama— or, now just “Mom”, because someone overheard that he still called her Mama and started picking on him- knew what she was doing. She worked a lot more now. Barry supposed that came with the new territory. He was trying to get used to it.

But it was very, very hard.

She was never late picking him up from school on purpose. Sometimes she just ran a little behind. And his aunt and uncle were gone this week for a holiday, so they couldn’t come pick him up. He was trying to learn his way home, but every street corner looked the same here. Barry didn’t remember which towering building their apartment was in, let alone which of the endless streets it was on.

And it was raining.

The line for student pickup was slowly winding down. Barry kept his umbrella over his head, his eyes trained on the parking lot. She should be here soon. Unless she got hurt somehow? Or got fired and she was too sad to pick him up? Or something absolutely terrible had happened—

“Hey!” said a voice above him.

Barry jerked back, nearly falling off the bench. Standing there was someone he just vaguely recognized— from orchestra, maybe? From orchestra, definitely. She was carrying a violin case, which she set on the bench next to him. The bottom half of her pants was covered with mud.

“Uhm,” Barry said. “Hi.”

“Bet I can make a bigger splash in that mud puddle than you,” she said, pointing to a puddle further away from the school doors.

“Uhm,” Barry said again. “Prob— probably?”

“That is not the response I wanted,” mud girl said, somewhat critically. “But I’ll take it. C’mon, I’m gonna prove you right.”

Lup was… wow. Lup was. And from that moment forward, she Was with him included. She didn’t fix all his problems- he had too many of those. But over time, the harsh words from the other kids meant less and the sound of Lup’s laugh meant more. Life wasn’t better, but it was something. She was something.

Barry wouldn’t say that Lup was perfect by any means, but she made it a lot easier on him. Any time he’d get an “anxious face” (which he didn’t know what the fuck looked like, but Lup said it was very obvious), she’d nudge him and say-

“I bet I can talk to our waiter more than you can.”

“I bet I can get dressed faster than you.”

“I bet I can do the solo better than you.”

And Barry’s responses began to build from blubbering excuses into laughter into,

“Yeah? I bet you can’t.”

Barry— man, Barry will admit it, he was not a smart guy. Sure, his grades were good and he got into a good college but, it was sometimes hard to see what was right in front of him. It took several people to make him realize that his affection towards Lup might kinda be crush behavior. And it took over a decade to realize that, oh! Duh! She liked him back.

“Hey,” Barry said, nudging her. They were sitting in the back of their friend Magnus’s shitty pickup truck, deep into the country. There were crickets chirping around them. Barry always thought it was wild how you couldn’t see the stars in the city. Lup said she didn’t get the big deal of it all until the first time Barry brought her out here. The expression on her face when she first truly saw the sky was one he’d never forget.

“Hm?”

“Bet I can propose better than you can,” Barry said. Lup raised her eyebrows, her mouth quirking up into a smile.

“Oh?” she said. “Is that a challenge, babe?”

“Maybe,” Barry said. “If you want it to be.”

“You are going down,” Lup said, winding her arms around his shoulders. “I am gonna propose to you so hard.”

“I look forward to it,” Barry said, leaning in to kiss her. 

#blupjeansweek2023 #blupjeans #barry bluejeans #lup #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing

[imaginespazzi]

I know we’re trying to transition back to fluffy thoughts and tryna forget the game (which, yes pls) but just wanted to make one last comment real quick. You are so right about paige in this game being so reminiscent of azzi at the nc state game, in terms of forcing it to them when they’re clearly not having a good game. I’m gonna be honest, i’ve only really started watching cbb this year so i’m no expert on geno or anything (so pls take with a grain of salt), and not taking away from everything he’s achieved, but it does seem like he’s off the ball these days with major coaching decisions. Just using those two situations as an example, i know he loves paige and azzi (i do too, a LOT) but sometimes i think he’s too desperate for them to shine that he tries to make them play hero ball when he should have just benched them in those scenarios (i know we were basically down to 6 rotations in that ND game once nika fouled out so take the “benching” paige as more of a metaphor aha). Like bruh, you’re achieving the exact opposite and pretty much just setting them up to fail.

And i just hate it when they have a bad game, cos every other fanbase is just so ready to drag paige through the mud the moment she has a dud and blondie doesn’t deserve that! Also, juju went 8-27 (which has honestly been kinda common with her) and lost to an unranked team at home and yet *crickets*. And ppl will be like, well she’s a freshman and paige isn’t… ok well y’all have also been pushing juju for npoy soooo like y’all can’t have it both ways 🫠 (side note: hannah>>juju for NFOY).

I said “real quick” and wrote an essay i’m so sorry 😭

Anyways, back to regularly scheduled programming - Here’s to eternity is literally my comfort read rn, i’m really out here reading it like a bedtime story to end my days on a good note lmao. So thank you! 💗💗🫂🫂

Never apologize for essays because I really enjoy reading y'alls thoughts on everything. 💗

I think Geno's just been really mentally affected by everything this season and I think he's just been so frazzled this season and it's really affecting his coaching. And it's somehow made him even more stubborn in game sand he just refuses to adjust to how the other team's playing or how we're playing and I honestly just don't get it? Like this man is the greatest to ever do it and I watched him last year, navigate even worse so it's honestly been kinda insane seeing what we're seeing this year. Because Geno really is not the man who would normally make someone play hero ball. He's the coach who'd flat out tell Paige she doesn't have it and make sure Aaliyah got the ball so like I'm actually kinda flabbergasted by what happened last night because that is not the coach I knew.

Also to your second point, I need fanbases to decide if UConn is UConn or just some other wbb program because why was our ranked loss being dissected to the high hells mean while UCLA and USC both lose to unranked teams and everybody's like "oh okie that's bad but nvm" like? Same goes for Paige, like if she's not your best player, not even in your top 10 apparently, then why're your standards so high for her and her only? Just needs folks to keep it consistent.

#ask #wcbb #ncaa wbb #uconn wbb #i have so many questions still because that really was a nightmare huh

[darkworkcourier]

tiny little ghost/dancer fic that's been spinning around in my brain for weeks. the background is that ghost and dancer joined the SAS at the same time (they're only a month apart in age) and they're besties. (also FWBs in the future.)

so around this time, they're about 22 years old. ghost's just staring to really become Ghost, but dancer's just dancer.

cw for PTSD, trauma, and a wee bit of gore.

---

"Ghost. Hey. Hey." A hand tapping his helmet, the dull thunk-thunk reverberates through his skull. Then, with a little more insistence, "Simon. Look at me."

He does. Slowly. His neck feels like it operates on an old, rusty mechanism, aching as he turns to look at Dancer.

Dancer, right? At the moment, his mind is a tempest, throwing thoughts around like flotsam after a wreck, misplacing things he knows are supposed to be important. Their mission, what he's supposed to do next, the face of his best friend—

"Fuck," Dancer whispers. His eyes go wide, searching Simon's face for... something. Whatever he's looking for, Simon isn't sure if he's found it or not. He immediately opens the Humvee door and leans out, calling to their captain. "Give me a minute with him, 'kay? Just—"

He must make a motion with his hand that communicates something, because immediately after, Simon hears the captain grunt and say something like, "If it was anyone else," whatever that means.

The door shuts, leaving them alone in the wide cab, engine muttering quietly like an afterthought.

In an instant, Dancer's undoing the clasp on Simon's helmet, removing it and setting it down on the console. Dancer's own helmet follows, and then one of his hands is on Simon's head, fingernails gently scratching over his scalp—grounding him.

"Talk to me," he says. "Where are you right now?"

Hell if he knows. Maybe ten klicks back, caught in the frozen black mud with ordinance firing and leaving a burning taste in his mouth. He's back with a body, left arm missing, right hand gripping a rifle with fingers bent like claws. Fragments of a skull cling to his gloves, grey matter on his fatigues, patches of blood itchy on his face. All the while, the mantra—if I can hold his head together, he'll live. He'll live.

"Simon." Dancer's voice cuts through the chant, his hand firm and warm on Simon's head. "You're here. With me. You're in the back of this same bloody fuckin' Humvee that brought us out here. Captain Whitman is outside right now with our Lt., an' they're probably talkin' about something really fuckin' boring like... like cricket scores. Or that pub that Whitman never shuts up about. The one with the stupid name— what is it? The Hare and the—"

"The Barking Hare," Simon hears himself say.

Dancer grins. It's exhausted, and there's dirt at the corner of his mouth, but it's earnest. "Yeah," he replies. "The hell kinda name is that, anyway?"

Simon shakes his head. Doesn't know.

"Right, so they're talkin' about their stupid pub and cricket scores. And then they're gonna get in here and keep talkin' about it, so we'll have to hear it all the way back to base," Dancer goes on. His voice moves up and down like a song, and Simon feels himself lean into it. His right side is pressed against Dancer's left, and he nods slowly. Dancer's hand drops to the back of his neck, pulling Simon in close so their foreheads touch. "Whitman'll talk about how they don't play cricket like they did back when he was young, whenever that was. An' Lieutenant Foster will just say the word 'right' over and over because he's not actually listenin'."

"Until they start talkin' about rugby," Simon replies.

He feels Dancer laugh against him, a low rumble that draws Simon in even closer. "At least I can talk about rugby."

"Whitman wouldn't let you get a word in."

"No, but you an' I can talk about it," Dancer says.

Simon closes his eyes, smells the gunpowder-smoke-sweat clinging to Dancer. He focuses on the feeling of his best friend's hand running back and forth across the nape of his neck, drops his head a little to give Dancer more room.

Then Dancer asks in a low, soft voice, "What do you need from me, Si?"

Anything. Everything. He needs Dancer to hold onto him like this, to keep Simon from leaping out of his own body like he's a squatter just barely claiming rights. He needs him to scrub out every drop of blood and brain matter violently embossed into Simon's skin from the man he couldn't save. He needs—

"You," Simon replies, wretched and broken up. His throat feels tight. He hasn't cried in years, but for the first time, he feels perilously close.

Dancer's nuzzling up to him, undoubtedly leaving a dirt smear on Simon's face. "You have me, mate," he tells him. "Y'know that."

He does. They've had each other since day one, when they were scraping their way through SAS selection like two desperate animals. Dancer had him the moment he shoved their shoulders together during an exhausted walk back to the tent during their stamina trials, muttering, 'I feel like I fuck up less when I'm around you.'

"I know," Simon replies. One of his hands finds the back of Dancer's head, fingers running through his sweat-damp hair.

And he thinks, I'm less fucked up around you.

#cod: mw2 #mw2 oc #simon ghost riley #oc: rhion dancer owens #dancer/ghost #simon riley x oc

[shootingsun]

Beyond Birthday headcannons because my post got one note (I have more this is just the ones I can be bothered to write down at the moment)

- He speaks at least 3 languages; Japanese (obviously), English (no shit) and also French because I headcannon that's where he lived before Wammys

- Birthday is on the 1st of December (because 1 + 12 equals 13)

- They saw L exactly 1 Time and went 'holy shit cool gender, HOLY SHIT THATS L-' internally

- Is L his gender presentation inspiration? Yes

- Did Beyond's mother fuck a shinigami? Was it the result of some funky shit happening in the shinigami realm? Was their soul somehow sold to a God of death for the lols? Who knows, they sure as hell don't

- The Akazukin Chacha fixation was not faked, B genuinely has so much love for that manga and will infodump about it at any given time

- He accidentally made Matt cry when he first came to the orphanage. Took one look at Matt and started cackling aggressively at his name

- This got him detention for a month because he couldn't explain why he laughed at the 6 year old

- Walks into doors all the time (is it on accident? Is it on purpose? Who knows!) And just brushes it off, sometimes he doesn't even react to it, just blinks and moves on.

- Staring problem, but this only applies to people who he feels comfortable with/wants to observe. So sometimes they'd be in a room with multiple people having a conversation and nobody will have any clue who they are talking to because he is only looking at one person without blinking

- Bounces very fast between touch repulsed and touch starved

- Hisses at people

- One time he hit another Wammy's kid over the head with a plastic cricket bat because they said his eyeliner was bad (he was 14 and it kinda was bad to be honest)

- Freaked people out unintentionally as a child, genuinely didn't understand why people didn't like him. Then decided as a teenager that if people were gonna think he was weird no matter what he may as well be the most unsettling mf on the planet

- did I mention he's autistic? Yeah he's autistic

- Ginormous clean freak. Will be up at 3am polishing his bookcase and scrubbing the floors because he suddenly decided the room wasn't clean.

- Sometimes he will impulsively clean other people's things depending on if he likes them or not

- If he doesn't like them they are getting MUD AND DIRT poured on their floor

- Genderfluid. Will steal your gender, will also confuse you with said gender

- They're AFAB because I'm projecting

- "are you a boy?" "I mean yes but also no"

- He is definitely on the aromantic spectrum (again projection)

- Once took a pair of classroom scissors and offered to cut people's hair with them (at least 2 people accepted this offer)

#death note #beyond birthday #death note headcannons #death note headcanon #genderfluid beyond birthday #bb death note #death note bb #b death note #death note b #l lawliet #is mentioned in this post #and is also trans #so #trans l lawliet #technically

[totally-not-deacon]

WIP Wednesday - sorta

Just saw I was tagged by @kookaburra1701, my bad! I'll tag @molliehaswords and @electricshoebox if either of y'all want/haven't already.

I'll be putting up chapter 4 today or Friday, so I'll give ya a bit of 5's first draft instead. I'm reopening some old wounds for this poor mer cause I gotta pass the bowl of trauma around 👍

Marasa yawned, using a stick to prod at the campfire. It was just before dawn, meaning she and Nebarra’s watch would finally be over, and they could get back on their way to Ustengrav. Aside from the crackling fire, the only other noises were the chirping of crickets and the faint snoring of the other three tucked within their bedrolls inside their tent. She should have brought a book or something with her. As much as she preferred the last shift, it could still be incredibly boring.

“So what exactly does a horn have to do with all this… dragon talk stuff?” Nebarra cut the silence, voice low. “Feels like a useless errand to me.”

She shrugged, honestly having no idea. If she was going to get more answers though, she’d have to play along a while longer. Even if that meant trudging through a half-frozen swamp in the middle of nowhere. This better be worth it.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Ow!” Something smacked against the back of her helm, clattering off into the dark brush. Just as she was about to turn around to search for whatever it was, she felt a hard yank on her epaulet, throwing her to the ground. “What’s you’re pro–“

She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence when another arrow flew directly where she’d been sitting, where she would have been facing, embedding into the ground next to her. Nebarra was up immediately, running into the dark, sword in hand. Shit.

Scrambling to her feet, she chased after him, tripping through the mud and hidden rocks, only just able to see his silhouette in the moonlight.

#wip wednesday #tes #skyrim #skyrim fanfic #skyrim custom followers #skyrim modded followers #oc marasa #choo choo all aboard the trauma train #my writing #nebarra #skyrim nebarra #nebarra skyrim

[ratmuffintherapy]

No Control

based off of one of my favorite one direction songs, "no control!" read the lyrics to "no control" here

imagine: you and eddie are hanging out with robin and steve and he just can't keep his hands off of you. as soon as they leave, he's all over you, not wanting to wait to get home after he's been waiting the whole night to get his hands on you. warning: cursing, drugs, fingering (f receiving), unprotected sex, dom!eddie minors DNI notes: i'm not going to include the lyrics to the song in the story itself, but just... just read the lyrics. also this is my first attempt at smut! feel free to leave feedback!! (i literally don't know how to write smut, i just base it off of my experiences and what i've read lol) word count: 2k

"i told you, i had it, and then you just had to come over and ruin everything!" steve was very worked up, much to everyone else's amusement. robin rolled her eyes at steve's whining.

"steve, there was no way you 'had it.' those poor girls looked so overwhelmed," she retorted, "i had to come over and save them from you."

"well, i was just trying to give them movie options." steve pouted like a baby and the rest of us laughed at him.

i was settled on the bench next to my boyfriend, eddie, who had his arm around me to keep me from shivering in the cool september night. steve and robin, bickering like always, sat on the other side of the wooden table in the the middle of the woods. behind eddie's trailer was a forest, and in the middle of it, there was an old wooden table, and that had become our spot for smoking. we had been sitting at the table for hours, passing around joints and stuffing ourselves on pizza and snacks.

i grabbed eddie's arm, which had been slowly raising a slice of pizza to his mouth, and redirected it so that i could take a bite out of it.

"hey!" eddie exclaimed, and i grinned up at him, mouth full. "if you keep pulling that shit, i'm going to have to take a bite out of you later." he whispered into my ear, as he removed his arm from my shoulders and slowly gripped my thigh. i inhaled sharply at this sudden change in eddie and robin noticed.

"you okay y/n?"

i nodded quickly and smiled at her. she nodded and smiled back at me, and returned to dragging steve's flirting skills through the mud.

"not to even mention when you were trying to flirt with that girl with the curly dark hair and you leaned on a shelf and it fell over!"

"YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE!"

i couldn't help but laugh outright, leaning into eddie, and i could see the image of steve falling over on top of a shelf was making him grin. i involuntarily placed my hand on eddie's thigh, and he shifted. that one move clearly had an effect on him.

"but it's such a good story," robin whined, "you say you're so good at getting the ladies, and then you do that. i have to take down a couple pegs sometimes."

"you mean all the time." steve grumbled.

robin leaned over and grabbed the last slice of pizza from the box.

"as your token lesbian friend, it is my duty to keep you, steve harrington, in check." she proudly took a huge chomp out of the slice and hummed in delight.

steve, who was high out of his mind, went to grab another slice and was dismayed when he came up with nothing.

"robin, this calls for another pizza run."

"hm?"

"pizza. i need. pizza." steve held up the empty box in front of robin and her eyes widened as she nodded furiously.

"you guys good to drive?" eddie raised his eyebrows at the two.

"yeah, i'm fine, steve's the one that shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel right now."

eddie chuckled as the two ran off in the dark towards steve's car.

"SEE YOU GUYS IN SCHOOL ON MONDAY!" robin yelled after us, nearly tripping as she disappeared in the distance.

i leaned on eddie's shoulder and listened to the crickets fill the night air with their chirping. i closed my eyes and let the breeze wash over us, very aware of eddie's hand inching up my thigh.

"i know what you're doing." i chuckled under my breath, keeping my eyes closed.

"and are you going to stop me?"

i made no such move. instead, i held my breath as eddie shifted so he was facing me, keeping his hand on my thigh. i could feel myself heating up at his touch.

"you wouldn't dare try to stop me after you've been teasing me all afternoon with that little top of yours..." his hand moved closer to my core, "and with those pants that hug your ass just right..." his other hand moved to cup the back of my head and he pulled me in for a kiss.

it was gentle at first, savoring the taste of each other. and then it wasn't. eddie's grew more and more desperate against me. our lips moved in harmony and he slipped his tongue into my mouth, making me moan quietly.

"look at that, i don't even have to do anything to make you moan. you're already so ready for me, aren't you?" eddie muttered. i whimpered as his lips danced down to my neck, suckling gently as to not leave any marks i couldn't explain to my parents. "i said, aren't you?" i nodded furiously, breath hitching as he shifted and slowly unzipped me. he moved torturously slow and i ached for him to touch me.

"please, eddie, i-- please touch me." i felt eddie smile against my lips.

"well, since you asked so nicely..." he kissed me deeply and slid a finger into me. i moaned in surprise at the sudden feeling and grinded into his hand. "wow princess, so wet for me, huh? so desperate for my hands?" i nodded quickly and he pumped his finger out, then in again. "stop moving." i listened to eddie's command and tried with all my energy to stop moving against his hand.

"good girl."

those two words made me instantly wetter and my mouth fell open as eddie added another finger, expertly curling them inside me and hitting that sweet spot. with his other hand, he pulled my shirt down and started sucking on the top of my chest, leaving little marks, and moved up to suck that sensitive spot behind my ear. he continued to move in and out of me as he whispered in my ear, "my good girl, i want you to cum for me. i want you to cum all over my hands honey, i want to feel you cum on me."

i whispered, "fuck" as i felt a wave of pleasure start to creep up in my lower stomach. i couldn't help but chant the word under my breath as eddie sped his expert fingers up. he shifted, then used his thumb to rub my clit with just the right amount of pressure.

"fuckkk" i moaned at this new sensation as the pleasure crept closer and closer and i moved desperate to finish, against his hand. i gripped his shoulder to steady myself as i began to pant.

"that's it, there we go," eddie coaxed, "you look so pretty when you're turned on, all flushed and shit, i love the way you moan in my ear." his words brought me closer to the end and i whispered, "eddie, fuck" into his ear, which made him groan.

"say my name again, pretty girl, say it again,"

"oh, eddie" i moaned again, and cursing under his breath, he sped up the pumping. his fingers went in, curled, and went out, all in one motion, over and over again.

"fuck, i'm going to cum eddie."

"that's it babygirl, cum for me. i want to watch you while you cum." his words sent me over the edge and i cried out as my orgasm washed over my whole body. i threw my head back, mouth open, and eddie coaxed more out of me, sucking my neck as i came. "good girl. gooood girl. you look so pretty y/n, cumming all over my hands." i panted heavily as my orgasm dissipated, and buried my face into eddie's neck. he stroked my hair soothingly and chuckled. i climbed into his lap, straddling him, and instantly felt his bulge under me.

"wow, ready to go for round two already?"

"i just-- i just need a second to breathe" i laughed, and wrapped myself around eddie's torso. he held on tight to me and let me sit out my orgasm. i sat, peppering his neck with little kisses.

"oh y/n, i don't know if you want to be doing that if you want a break."

"who said i was still on a break?"

my lips latched onto the side of eddie's neck and i started kissing him roughly, grinding down ever-so-slightly onto the hard-on i was sitting on. he moaned quietly and ran his hands down to my hips, guiding them as i grinded on him. i nipped his earlobe before kissing his full lips, which were open, waiting for me. he kissed me back desperately, pulling me closer, which i didn't think was possible.

"i need these off. like, now." he slipped his thumbs into the waistband of my pants and i giggled.

"what's the magic word?"

"y/n. please." there was no smile in his voice anymore, an indication of his desperation. his eyes darkened and i pecked him on the lips before standing up and slowly sliding my pants off. i began to lift my top off my body, but i raised my eyebrow at him, asking him if he wanted it off. he gulped and nodded furiously.

in just my bra and panties, i watched him take his pants off and pull me to him. he lowered me onto my back on the picnic table. he began to kiss me again, even desperately than before. "you sure you're rested enough to take me?" i nodded furiously and he laughed. "okay then..."

he started kissing me down my body. on my boobs, pulling the top of my bra down enough to lick my sensitive nipples, and down to my stomach until he reached my clothed pussy. he hooked his fingers into my underwear and pulled it off in one swift motion. he then lowered his underwear, his hard cock dripping with precum springing up to hit his stomach. i moaned quietly at the view and eddie smirked.

he lined himself up to my lips and looked deeply into my eyes for confirmation that this is what i wanted.

"please..." i whispered. that was all he needed. with one slow thrust, he groaned and buried himself in me. i let out a loud moan at the feeling of him filling me up, and hugged his chest to me.

"you feel so good, y/n, like always," eddie whispered, as he pulled out slowly, just until the tip was inside me, "you always feel so good baby." he thrusted back inside me, making me cry out in pleasure. he slowly sped up and followed a rhythm as he fucked me senseless in the middle of the woods.

"shhh honey, you're going to wake up the whole trailer park." eddie moaned into my mouth and nipped my earlobe.

"i-- don't-- care." i managed to gasp in between thrusts. i dug my nails into his back and raked down, surely leaving red marks. i could feel eddie fucking me even harder and could hear him panting into my ear with each thrust.

"god y/n, your pussy is so tight, i'm getting close baby." he shifted so that he could roll his thumb over my clit as he fucked me, and i moaned his name even louder. i felt myself working towards my second orgasm of the night as he stimulated my pussy with his pounding and his rubbing.

"keep moaning like that, i'm going to cum right in you."

"cum for me eddie, i want to feel you cum inside me," i moaned desperately, "fuck, i'm going to cum eddie, cum with me"

"shit, i'm gonna cum!" with one final thrust, i felt him spurt his cum inside me, coating my inner walls. his groans sent me over the edge, and he slowly pumped inside me as my orgasm crashed down, making my legs shake.

as our orgasms subsided, eddie flopped down on top of me, sighing.

"fuck, baby, that was amazing." he kissed my forehead. i turned my face to lean into him and give him a kiss on the ear.

"as much as i'd love to lay here, why don't we relocate? to the trailer? now that we're just laying here, it's getting kind of cold and you're... you're dripping out of me."

eddie chuckled and nodded. "okay, let's get you home, princess." he helped me get dressed and we headed back to his trailer. "i can't promise that you won't get me all worked again if we cuddle though."

#stranger things #eddie munson #stranger things imagine #stranger things smut #eddie munson smut #eddie munson imagine

[lisutarid-a]

[Gakuen K] Yatogami Kuroh Route Translation

Shining close to the starry sky of Okinawa

LIST OF CHAPTERS

[Translation under the cut]

Neko: Uuugh, I want to go back to Okinawa!

Neko: Shiro, let's go back to Okinawa right now!

Shiro: That's hard to do. I mean, we just got back a little while ago, didn't we?

Neko: Even so, let's go back! Okinawa is waiting for Wagahai!

Kuroh: What a dumb thing to say…

Neko: Wha-at!

Saya: Neko-chan, calm down…

Neko: Don't you want to go to Okinawa, Gohan? Sparkling stars, delicious fish, delicious sweets!

Saya: That's…Well, I want to go.

Neko: Well, Shiro, let's move this island! Let's fly the school to Okinawa~!

Shiro: Ummm. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that's not possible.

Kuroh: Give up already.

Neko: Eeeeeh! Sparkling stars! Fish! Sweets!

Kuroh: …Fish and sweets are not going to happen anytime soon. I'll show you something shining close to the starry sky of Okinawa. Follow me.

Saya: Eh, right now?

Kuroh: Yeah. It won't make sense if it's not done now.

Saya: Where are we going at this hour…

Shiro: I don't know. But it's exciting.

Saya: Kuro-kun…

Kuroh: Don't worry, we almost there.

Neko: Shiro, look! Crickets!

Shiro: Really! It's already autumn.

Saya: ("Something close to the starry sky of Okinawa". I wonder what it is…)

Kuroh: We're here.

Saya: Wow, these is…

Kuroh: Fireflies. They gather at this place at this time of the year.

Kuroh: What do you think, Neko? Is it shining as bright as the starry sky of Okinawa?

Neko: Uhm, it's beatiful! Kurosuke does good things too sometimes!

Neko: Shiro, can I get a firefly? Let's keep it in the clubroom!

Shiro: Let's leave it as it is, okay? It's best to leave these things in in their natural habitat.

Shiro: Put it away in your memory. This time next year, take it out. Then come back here again.

Neko: …Uhm, I got it! Come back again! I'll definitely come back!

Saya: (I didn't know there was such a beautiful place on this island…)

Saya: (Fantastic…It's like I plunged into a tale)

Saya: (I think I'll try to get closer)

Kuroh: Watch out!

Saya: Ah..!

Kuroh: Watch your step. If you don't watch where you're stepping, you can trip in the mud.

Saya: (…Really. It was dangerous)

Saya: Thanks. The firefly lights were so beautiful that I got distracted.

Kuroh: No, it's not your fault. They seem to be glowing especially beautiful tonight.

Kuroh: …

Saya: …Kuro-kun?

Saya: You can let go of my hand already…

Kuroh: !

Kuroh: S-Sorry! What I did was…

Shiro: Eh, what. Kuro, what did you do to her?

Kuroh: I-I didn't do anything.

Neko: Did Kurosuke bully Gohan!?

Kuroh: I didn't bully her! Why are you always trying to ---

Saya: Kuro-kun!

Shiro: Hey, Kuro, are you all right? Don't fall down all of a sudden.

Neko: Kurosuke is dirty…

Kuroh: Ugh…I'll remember this to you…!

[Prev chapter][Next chapter]

#k project #gakuen k #gakuen k wonderful school days #otome translation #yatogami kuroh #isana yashiro #neko #this chapter was really beautiful

[herebegiants]

‿︵‿✎ Friend or Foe? ✎‿︵‿

The last rays of daylight glowed dimly through the leaves. A waxing moon shone overhead, ready to take its turn in the sky as the brightest of stars already flickered in the darkening blue, the crickets chirping their chorus.

Nick landed on a branch, panting to catch his breath. He glanced behind them as the giant slowed to a halt. Trees and underbrush surrounded them in every direction. Ferns and leaf litter on the forest floor snapped beneath the weight of the giant’s feet as he shifted.

“I… I think we’re good now…” Nick nodded. He took a moment to subdue the storming thoughts trying to break into his mind.

Thoughts about everything that had happened. 

Thoughts that made sobs try to rise from his throat. 

But it wasn’t the time for that. Not yet. Not with a stranger at his back.

So he forced them away and turned around - and did a double take as he found the giant staring at him intently.

The giant jumped as well, eyes shot wide. He snapped his gaze away.

Nick shifted his wings. 

Perhaps he’d been looking behind him?

He cast a glance over his shoulder. 

Definitely not.

“Uhh…” He breathed an awkward chuckle as he looked back again. “Can I help you with something?”

Hesitantly, the giant turned back, fixing him in a sideways squint. “Why’d yeh thank me?”

Nick blinked. He snickered. “Because you kinda saved my ass?”

His jaw slacked as he raised a brow, the harshness on his face dissolving away. 

He looked to the ground, thinking.

Nick tilted his head, puzzled. He jumped into the air - wincing at the sharp pang that shot through his wings - and swept over to him.

The man snapped up.

“How about we get all that mud off you?” Nick offered with a smile. After all, he was still caked in it - though clumps had fallen away in their run. “That can’t be very comfortable.”

The giant looked him over, his expression only turning more confused.

“Not really.”

Nick fluttered backward. “Okay then, follow me! There’s a river not too far from here.” He said, and took off through the trees.

It hadn’t taken long for the roar of water to greet their ears. The river surged, a vast split between the dense trees, splashing in waves where it swept over submerged boulders. Its current would have easily dragged anyone under. Except for a giant, apparently. He barely looked twice at the rushing water before wading into it up to his knees to crouch, half submerging himself. He splashed it over his filthy clothes, rubbing the dirt out.

Nick landed on the pebbled riverbank. His feathers ruffled as the chilly air sent a shiver up his spine. He folded his hands behind his back, shifting on his feet with more than a trace of embarrassment weighing on his smile. “I, uh, I should introduce myself, shouldn’t I?”

The giant paused. He twisted back with a tilt of his head.

“If yeh want.” He frowned again. “But know I don’t care what title yeh have, and I couldn’t care less whatever noble family you’re from. I’ll call yeh ‘sir’ or ‘lordship’ or whatever the hell else you’d like, but I’m not gonna be treatin’ yeh any differently otherwise.” His frown turned into a scowl. “Do what yeh want to me for bein’ blunt, but whatever power yeh hold here doesn’t matter in this. So yeh kin save the rant.”

Nick frowned back with confusion. “O…kay? I, don’t have any kind of position or, anything like that, so… doesn’t really apply.”

The giant blinked. His face returned to a void look.

“...O-...oh.”

Nick arched a brow. 

“And what do you mean by:” bending his arms, he rocked them side to side with a mock scowl in an attempt to appear tough, doing his best to imitate the giant’s voice,

“‘do what yeh want to me fer bein’ blunt’?” 

The man lurched. A genuine laugh burst from his lips. It grew into a merry boom that sent birds flying out from the nearby trees.

Nick winced, but the distance between them certainly helped with the volume. He grinned at the sight of him being more comfortable. 

It’s nice to know he CAN be anything besides cranky. He thought. He breathed an amused snort. Maybe he’s even got a more fun side to him.

“Call me Nick. Nick Borealis.” 

Out of habit he stepped forward and extended a hand.

The giant cast a glance between him and it.

Nick followed his gaze. He flashed a sheepish grin and pulled it back, wiping his hands together.

“Right. Bad idea, huh?”

The giant frowned, tightening his lips.

“Hmmm… Actually… Let’s see!”

He ducked his head under the water, scrubbing the dirt from his face and hair before coming back up with a gasp. Getting to his feet he waded onto the riverbank, his waterlogged boots squelching and clacking the rocks together. With a flourish he swung into a bow.

“The name’s Christopher Lynch.” He whipped up straight, tossing the dripping hair away from his eyes with a huff and a shake of his head before crouching on his knees. “But ye’ kin call me Chris.”

Carefully, and keeping an eye on his own hand, he reached out.

Nick leaned back, but stayed where he was. His eyes widened warily as the giant - Chris - took his hand between finger and thumb. The massive digits completely covered his own, each pad of his fingers rough with callouses against his smooth palm. 

Chris gave it a single shake.

Nick’s brow shot up, surprised at how gentle such a big thing could be. 

Especially this one.

An awed laugh bubbled from Nick’s chest. 

“Woa-hoh-hoh!” He craned his neck to beam at him. “Can’t say I’ve ever met a giant before! It’s a pleasure!”

Chris gave him a funny look, the expression twisted almost sadly. But a smile perked at the corners of his mouth.

“Nice to meet ye’, too.” He slowly took back his arm. “Can’t say I’ve ever met a fairy before, either. I’ve met goblins an’ other sorts of little-folk, but...“ He trailed off with a shrug. “Oh, an’, uhh, n-nice wings by the way.” He added, gesturing to the feathers behind his back. “They’re different. Neat. I, I like ‘em.”

His gaze shot distantly over Nick’s head as he blinked, awkwardly frowning to himself.

Nick decidedly ignored that, fanning his wings out to glance them over. “Thanks?” He tucked them tightly away again with a nervous chuckle. “Uh, heh, hopefully not to eat, right?”

The giant snorted a laugh. “The hell does that mean, little man?” He turned a sly grin on him. “What? Scared I’m gonna bite?” He jerked forward, gnashing his huge set of teeth shut in an audible snap.

Nick jumped. His feet scrambled out from under him and sent him falling back to his rear, his feathers standing on end.

Chris’ eyes shot wide as he clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to stifle another laugh. “Oh-hoh-no! Are yeh alright? I didn’t mean teh spook yeh!” He held his other hand out to him, failing to restrain a muffled snicker. “Oh okayyy” He bobbed his head in a nod “I’ll admit, it was rather much for a joke. I’m sorry.”

Nick hesitated, but took his hand. 

Chris pulled him back to his feet. He flashed half a smile as he got up and stepped away, taking off his coat to twist the water from it.

As he did, Nick took the chance to look the now clean giant over from head to toe. He was a stocky blond with a broad, sharply pointed nose and a bearded chin. Layers of rather mismatched clothes were strapped down under a large pair of belts wrapped around his middle. One of the boots he wore was mid-knee length, and both were plated with brass toes. The other was oddly different, glimmering with brass in even more bits and rising nearly halfway up his thigh. His face itself was heavy set and almost friendly - when he was smiling, at least.

��So, ‘Chris’,” Nick briefly frowned - it sounded all too real to be a pseudonym - “I, couldn’t help but notice earlier that you… ate the jail cells?”

Chris paused. “Well, like I said - yeh didn’t have blood ready for me.”

“Uh-huh.” Nick nodded as though he knew what the connection was. 

But it wasn’t good enough. Chris craned his neck toward him. 

“Stars above, yeh really don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”

Nick squared his shoulders. “Well, I did know about the bloodthirst part, but I didn’t think it was a necessity!”

Chris shot him a frown. “I don’t have no ‘bloodthirst’. I’m not an ogre, I’m not about to kill people over it.” He huffed. “I take it ye’ don’t know what being summoned does to yeh then, either.” He thought a moment. “Yeh ever been anemic?”

Nick knitted his brow with concern. “No?”

“Uh-huh.” Chris nodded. “Well the long-an’-short-of-it is that I’ve practically got a long-term iron deficiency. An’ guess what your body needs to function...”

With a subtle grin Nick wagged his head from side to side. “Lots of things.”

The giant stomped over with a sigh and dropped to a crouch, putting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. 

“Magically, smart-arse.” 

One of those huge fingers poked Nick on the forehead. The force of it shoved him a step back on the pebbled riverbank. As far as one might expect from being pushed by a giant, it only left a mild discomfort.

But Chris’s expression still fell for a moment.

Nick hurriedly righted himself with the help of his wings, rubbing the spot and flashing a smile. He didn’t want the man to think he’d hurt him. “Yeah I get it I get it.”

To his surprise Chris’s cheeks bent with a warm grin as he chuckled.

Nick’s own smile grew too. 

Maybe I WON’T have to do this alone, after all. Maybe his company really won’t be so bad.

Chris cleared his throat. “The thing is, I can’t keep this up all by myself. From blood or from metal, or whatever, iron’s a must. It’s the price I gotta pay for bein’ among the living.”

Nick eagerly nodded, fascinated as always by the topic of magic.

He couldn’t help a slight frown.

Would’ve been nice to know these things beforehand, though, too.

Chris arched a brow, giving him a sideways look.

“Kin… kin I ask yeh somethin’?”

“Huh?” Nick snapped himself out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah! Sure!”

He frowned curiously. “Why are yeh bein’ nice to me?”

Nick blinked. “What… what d’you mean? Should I not be?” He chuckled.

»———— .❅*⋆⍋⋆*❅. ————«

He meant it.

He really meant it.

Chris blinked back the tears that threatened to well in his eyes.

The little man had no idea what that meant to him after all this time. After all the people who hadn’t been so kind.

But this summoner seemed different. At every possible turn, he hadn’t wanted him to hurt anyone. Not even the soldiers who then hunted them.

It made no sense.

If it were me I’d-

He bit his lip.

No… No I wouldn’t want that either, actually. Maybe I shouldn’t have assumed he did want me to fight.

He looked back to Nick, who, on top of all that, was treating him like a person. Like an equal.

Chris tried not to frown at him.

Why does this man even want me here then?

He straightened up with a sniff, wiping the side of his face before resting his head in his hand. A knot tightened in his throat - which wasn’t helping, that was for sure.

He looked down and clenched his jaw, taking a long breath, trying to steady himself to keep his voice from exposing his emotions.

Friendly or not, he wasn’t sure he wanted this stranger to see him cry.

Not right now, at least.

“That’s… not a sentiment I’ve often come across.” He admitted.

The fairy’s expression melted. 

“What? Why?”

Chris’s face scrunched in a puzzled frown. 

They were the same questions he’d often asked himself.

“Because I’m a summons! What would yeh need with a dead monster if it weren’t teh use it as one?” He grimaced, his answer coming out harsher than he meant.

Something he’d been doing a lot of recently. He scowled at himself.

He hurriedly dropped the face as he realized Nick was ducking into his shoulders.

Shit, wait, I wasn’t mad at you…

He was about to come out and say it when the little man stepped closer. Hesitantly - and to Chris’ relief - Nick reached out a hand, patting him on the knee with a sorry look.

“I didn’t summon you to be a monster for me. I just… I just need some help.” He looked up at him for a moment, breathing an exhausted sigh as he plopped his forehead against his knee and curled an arm up over his head there, giving Chris a pat.

Chris blinked. And before he could stop it, a tear trickled down his cheek, dripping with a splash onto the dark pebbles. 

Nick snapped his head over to the sound. He turned his face to look at him again with surprise.

Chris forced a weary smile, hurriedly rubbing his eyes. “It’s that damn sand again.” He joked with a laugh.

Nick grinned and snorted in amusement. His shoulders bounced in a chuckle too quiet for Chris to hear as his wings swayed to a more comfortable position, revealing dark red splotches that stained his feathers.

Chris’s eyes widened. 

Those hadn’t been there before.

“What the hell’s on your wings?” 

Nick tilted his head. He bent them over his shoulders and fanned them out in front of himself to get a look.

His jaw dropped.

“O-oh, heh,” he ducked into his shoulders once more, “I, I guess that’s what those arrows did, huh?”

Chris had to restrain himself from latching onto his shoulders to shake some sense into him. Instead he smacked his hands to the sides of his own head.

“GOOD FUCKIN- What-is-the-matter-with-ye’?!”

Nick jumped as Chris grabbed him by the waist and leapt to his feet, bounding into the woods in a heartbeat. He wasn’t a doctor, but there was one thing he could do.

If he could find what he needed to do it.

“W-WAIT where are you taking me!?”

Chris growled under his breath, his eyes darting around the trees that sped by in his vision, wanting to focus yet also afraid to think too much about what was happening - about how long he might have been bleeding there on the riverbank without telling him...

But he forced himself out of his thoughts long enough to reply.

“OFF TO SAVE YOUR ASS AGAIN!”

#reupload #HereBeGiants first draft

[artists-ally]

6,7,12,19,27,31,44,50

🔫🤨

Damn woman why you asking so many questions 😒

6). Baths or showers?

I actually prefer to wallow in a mud pit like a pig

7). If you could be a mythical creature, what would it be?

So actually for my book I created my own monster and I’d wanna be that. It’s called a Thalassa and it’s this big water dragon/snake/eel thing and it’s so sick

12). Would you ever want to be famous? If so what for?

Me wanna be famous author 👉👈

19). What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten?

(Your mom) when I was in biology class we had these cricket chips. They were pretty good, they faintly tasted like cheese balls

27). Do you like cereal crunch or soggy?

If you eat soggy cereal you deserve the death penalty.

31). Do you like ice in your drinks?

Yes I’m American 😭😭😭

44). If you could travel to an era, what would it be?

THE MF 1980’s BITCH. THAT ERA IS EVERYTHING. I WANNA EXPERIENCE THE 80’s SO BAD

50). Invent your own word. What does it mean?

Kerfungil: the art of rotting in bed for days on end

#ally chats #asks games #thelov3lybookworm

[strelles-universe]

Clan Names - Additional Notes

Spruce and Conifer are more common with the lakeside territories than with the forest territories. Pine and Fir are more common to the forest clans. Mostly based on location of growing.

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Number Based Names are more common when there’s a specific name in mind - usually the clans only use up to the number four. 

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Drift is a common suffix for the Escorts of WindClan but also for lakeside RiverClan warriors

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Lightning is also used by ThunderClan for those who are struck by lightning and survive. It’s a very honorable suffix and these survivors are considered blessed by Sunsoul.

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The meaning of Cloud- changes based on what kind of cloud the cat is named after. A dark gray cloud means headstrong and determined - it’s a workaround of storm-. Meanwhile a white cloud implies happiness or gentle emotions.

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All the clans have pet names for the apprentices of other clans; Maggotpaw (ShadowClan), Minnowpaws (RiverClan), Bunnypaws (WindClan), Fawnpaws (ThunderClan), Chickpaws (SkyClan). 

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Burrow is a common tunneler suffix. Burrowers is a nicer term to refer to the tunnelers of WindClan.

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Mud and Muck are often used for Murkers in ShadowClan and within RiverClan, as the name for craftcats. Muckypaws are the titles of both clans’ new apprentices (murker and apprentices) who have just gotten into the messier parts of their jobs.

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RiverClan often uses the borrowed word Kolu- as an alternative to Echo- for their kits. 

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The Special Ranks within the clans are Boreal, Moth, Shark, Anaconda and Raptor. The affix -chant refers to their knowledge of prayers. Cinderpaw’s name could therefore be Cinderchant; acknowledging her new position. There are clan specific staples from the Old Tongue for each rank;

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With Bite vs. Snap vs. Nip; Bite is the most common variant is straightforward. Nip is often for those who are cheeky or mischievous while Snap refers to cats who are sarcastic or dry in tone.

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The Beaver is a common RiverClan title for the most skilled craftscat. In ShadowClan; they’re called the Tarantula; in ThunderClan they’re raccoons; and in WindClan they’re called…

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WindClan primarily uses Lapwing and Snipe while RiverClan is fond of Plover-.

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Cricket refers to a very good singer in WindClan. 

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Ladybug-/Ladybird- doubles to mean, “predator” or “hunter” on the down-low given how pretty they are despite the fact that they demolish aphids. 

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Speckle vs. Freckle has freckle- giving the implications of facial spots while speckle is more body-wide

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The name Lost- is often taking up following traumatic events as a sign that the cat has managed to escape the fear and terror associated with the events. The name Lostfire for example could mean a cat who suffered from a fire is finally moving on. 

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The clans refuse to use the names of the founders as prefixes within their own clans. ShadowClan cannot use Shadow-, RiverClan will not use River-, SkyClan won’t use Sky-, ThunderClan won’t use Thunder- and WindClan won’t use Wind-.

Using the words as suffixes is perfectly fine however; SkyClan won’t have a cat named Skytalon but they’re fine with naming a cat Eveningsky. A founder’s suffix is an honorable thing to be proud of within the clans.

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Many names in this list have doubled names where the words mean the same thing, but one name implies maturity while the other implies childishness. Here are the doubled names;

Pool vs. Puddle Jaw (River/Shadow) vs. Mouth (Wind/Thunder) Stomach (Shadow/Thunder) vs. Belly (River/Wind/Sky) Claw vs. Nail Fang vs. Tooth Ferret (Wind/River) vs. Polecat (Thunder/Sky) Cobra vs. Kait Tortoise vs. Turtle

It’s very common for ShadowClan Prophets to be renamed Moon-. 

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Shrimp and Prawn can refer to an albino cat referencing the pink eyes and flushed spots of the kit

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Birds of prey are extremely popular names in SkyClan - some suspect it's due to Kitesong's own name, but there's evidence that Old SkyClan also had a fondness for them. SkyClan takes hostage most of the more unusual raptor names;

Falcon -> Merlin Kestrel -> Hobby Kite -> Harrier Buzzard -> Vulture

In the same vein, ShadowClan takes claim to the most unusual snake names (Kait, Cobra, Boa, Anaconda) and RiverClan hyperspecific fish names.

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Urchin is essentially the RiverClan version of porcupine or hedgehog.

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Bumble- is an honorable and sacred name in New SkyClan for it was her that encouraged Kitestar to reform the old clan. She was also known as one of the founders of the New Shining Sun (the one in the forest).

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Locust has implications of greediness

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Calla refers to a black or dark gray cat around the lake

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Azalea can also refer to a red or ginger cat when referencing the ones that grow near the Mother Maw; this version usually comes as a suffix - Azalea is also sometimes bundled with Honeysuckle

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Ballad tends to refer to a more serious or solemn cat than -song does

#strelles au #strelles worldbuilding #strelles naming conventions #pride names and meaning #strelles the greenwood empire