#not by much but like. AHH i was really trying to gain weight

[reginaofdoctorwho]

anyone else feel rage after a doctor's (technically np) appointment when u realize they were completely bullshitting what they said to you?

#'blah blah sorry there's not really anything we can do :'( #that seems to be reynaud's and there's not any treatment for that. u just have to live w it. looks horrible tho' #MA'AM. MA'AM I TAKE NURSING CLASSES. I FUCKING KNOW WHAT REYNAUD'S IS #ALSO! MULTIPLE MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY HAVE IT #IT RESOLVES (MOSTLY) W WARMTH. THIS FUCKING D O E S N ' T #THIS ONLY RESOLVES W ELEVATION WHICH IS NOT NORMALLY AS MUCH OF A FACTOR #AND ASIDE FROM T H A T #there fucking ARE treatmemts for reynaud's! there's medication there's surgeries fuck YOU #i always realize it as i walk out of the office i hate this #like god fucking dammit when i'm told i'm high risk for tissue damage i freak out ok?? and it might be a circulation thing because my pulse #is ALSO normally fucked up #she had to take it multiple times and my bp's low #pulse high bp is low #i have a sister w supraventricular tachycardia that had to have surgical correction #and a cousin that was 'healthy' and dropped dead from a heart attack at 22 #i fucking hate this shit #also i'm still losing weight so 🙃 that's going on too #not by much but like. AHH i was really trying to gain weight

[chuluoyi]

࿐ ࿔ 🕰️ 「 08:25 P.M 」

tw: pregnancy. overall, just some domestic dad-to-be gojo trying to show how much he loves you even with how your body changes and all <3 based on a request!

a part of gojo's love entries

don’t think that satoru hasn’t noticed how you linger in front of the mirror these days, touching your body all over—particularly your baby bump. seeing your face twist into a sad frown dampens his spirits too.

on the other hand, you understand that it’s a natural process, but you have never gained this much weight before, and despite already having your husband reassure you before, you still feel somewhat meh about yourself.

“how’s my favorite girl and little rascal doing today?” he flopped down on the bed beside you as soon as he returned from school, caressing your belly. “ready to come out yet?”

you throw him an unamused look. “no, satoru. and don’t make it sound so effortless. i’m the one pushing him out.”

“ahh, but i can’t wait though~”

his palpable excitement actually made you smile as you placed your hand over his. but then your smile fell a bit and he was quick to notice it.

“what’s on your mind?” he asked then. “talk to me, hmm?”

“no… it’s nothing.” you looked away, a bit ashamed. if satoru says he’s not bothered by your figure, you really shouldn’t be thinking about this any longer. you didn't want to make him worry… but it really wasn't easy to let it go.

“hmm, my baby mama can’t be sad,” your husband pouted, and suddenly he pulled you closer, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. “she’s the cutest when she smiles.”

you looked up to him, feeling the security in his arms and yet still a hint of uncertainty in your voice. “am i just cute… to you?”

you wanted to be beautiful too. like how he used to sing you praises during your school days.

satoru grinned. and it’s the kind of toothy grin that makes your heart soar.

“no. you’re also pretty.” he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “and you’re smart, kind, nags a lot, gets pouty easily… and you're sweet like a dango, makes me want to gobble you up.”

“so now i’m a dango?” you nestled your head against his broad chest, feeling your face start to heat up, and a smile beginning to curve your lips. stupid satoru. he said all of them so easily it was making you giddy and felt silly for doubting him at all.

“just because our baby is going to be a mochi. and look, you’re so close to carrying him to full-term,” he rubbed your swollen tummy again, this time with a more sincere smile. “i love you the most for it.”

your eyes took a shine, processing his words, and you could’ve sworn that right now, nothing could’ve shaken your feelings for your silly husband.

suddenly your baby kicked you hard as if to reprimand you too for your insecurities, and you winced.

“hurts?” satoru questioned, slightly concerned when you nodded. “wait i’ll tell him off.”

he cleared his throat and began making circular motions on your abdomen, as if to summon him.

“yo, brat. you can’t kick your mama like that too often these days. you’re accumulating karma and she counts it. when you come out, she’ll forbid you from eating our favorite mochis and—”

“satoru!!”

and then the two of you just burst into giggles, and once again, you utterly and thoroughly fell in love with him. for always making you feel safe... and loved.

“you know, satoru...” this time it was you who hugged him, breathing in his scent for comfort. now you were totally worry-free, the softest of smile on your face. “i’m really grateful that... we found each other.”

at your heartfelt confession, satoru felt his chest tighten with warmth and his cheeks flush. he is so blushing and he tries covering it with a chuckle. and the words lingering at the tip of his tongue were—

“heh, aren’t you glad you married me?”

yeah... i’m so glad that it’s you too.

#𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 #gojo satoru x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #jjk imagines #jjk drabbles #jujutsu kaisen x reader #dad!gojo #satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru fluff #jjk fluff #gojo x you #satoru gojo fluff #jjk x reader fluff

[stardewstardropthoughts]

Ahh just two things, I love your blog so much :)! I’d love to see what you think the bachelor's parenting styles would be like? And also you’ve been spelling Elliott's name wrong D:

Oh god I keep forgetting the second t in his name don’t I 😂😅 entirely my bad I gotta get better at checking my spelling lol I kept having to go back and respell Haley’s name for a bit too 😂 I’ll go fix that lmao, also thank you!! I enjoy writing these little blurbs and stuff, and interacting with y’all! Also reading tags y’all leave on reblogs gives me so much joy cause some are so funny, most of it’s written at like five am cause sleep evades me lol

Alright! Parenting styles!

Elliott: he strikes me as a very gentle parent, he doesn’t like to give timeouts unless absolutely necessary since he always feels bad, especially if your kids only a toddler still since Theyer only learning right from wrong and it’s all brand new, he would love to read with your kid and colour pictures with them, he definitely loves doing bedtime with them because thats when the most stories are read! Also loves taking them to the beach to play in the sand or swim for a bit

Harvey: I don’t think he really knows what he’s doing to well, honestly it’s all a learning curve for him but with doing comes learning and he sure can learn, he’ll make healthy meals and a large variety of snacks for your kids and always takes them on walks, he’s the best when it comes to little ouchies and booboos like scraped knees or paper cuts, always has colorful little bandaids on hand for them! Cute little junimo themed ones and woodland creatures, will panic if they break a bone or something serious though, kids can be quite clumsy

Sam: he’s definitely a cool dad, he’s teaching your kids to skateboard and play guitar, feeding them pizza and joja cola. You have to inform him they can’t live off of those things and teach him how to make healthy foods and snacks for the kids but he picks up on it pretty easy, will probably call his mom for advice more then once but she’s always happy to help

Sebastian: he’s not entirely clueless in the baby department since he was around when maru was a baby, he likes to play games with them, teaches them how to play video games when They’re older so he can have a player two, also gets them into solarian chronicles, he’s the ultimate cool dad, will buy your kid a sword (probably a few honestly, it’s a collection they have together now) won’t however let your kids in the mines because he’s heard your stories of what’s down there and he doesn’t want them to get hurt

Shane: he’s been around jas a lot, he’s definitely applying whatever skills he’s gained from that to his own kid, loves to get them new toys. They have a whole Lego chicken coop complete with Lego chickens that they put together as a bonding activity. He does not know how to cook very many things but he will try, he doesn’t want to be seen as useless so he’s definitely putting in the effort! He asks you to teach him how to cook and how to put together cute snack plates (he definitely has those little shape cutouts for veggies so he can make little cucumber flowers and carrot bunny’s for your kids).

Alex: definitely an active parent, literally. Loves taking the kids on jogs and walks through town, will 100% use your toddler as a weight while he’s doing squats, just holds them on his shoulders the whole time, they think it’s hilarious and he gets in a workout, it’s a win win. If your kid wants to help him make breakfast he’s thrilled, tells them all about the nutrition and how it helps with the farm work and keeps your muscles fed and happy, of course he doesn’t deny the kid of sweets either, it’s all about balance,

#stardew fanfic #stardew valley #stardew farmer #stardew x reader #stardew headcanon #stardew marriage #stardew elliott #stardew harvey #stardew sam #stardew sebastian #stardew shane #stardew alex

[viktheviking1]

Blitz gets ready for a date

"You look fine!" Loona shouted. Blitz was scampering from one room to the next, tossing rejected clothes to the side. Loona followed close behind him, catching most of the discarded garments. The pile in her arms was growing at an alarming rate.

"Fine isn't good enough!" Blitz hopped towards the bathroom as he tried to put some skinny jeans on, "Do you know the last time I went on a real date? Not a set up date, a real date."

Loona rolled her eyes, "Like two weeks ago?"

"Wrong!" Blitz started shoveling his way through the cabinet under the sink, shoving Loona's large makeup stash to the side, trying to gain access to his own, "That was a booty call, and it didn't even work out! He had gonorrhea and refused to wear protection."

"I really didn't need to hear that." Loona said, as she watched Blitz try to get a good wing with eyeliner that had definitely expired.

"And she had a third n*pple. Which I was just going to make a joke about it and move on but then she asks me if I like it, saying that it was expensive. She gave herself a third n*pple on purpose!" He said, struggling to match the wing on the other side.

"Okay, I really didn't want to hear that." Loona couldn't wipe the image from her mind.

"Ahh! How did I not see that!? This shirt is stained, now I have to start over!" He shouted, crawling past her to get back to his pile of laundry, throwing the rejects again, "Point is, I haven't had a real, emotions-included date in years."

Loona caught the clothes he threw, "Wait . . . Emotions included? You can't be serious."

"As serious as that guy's case of gonorrhea!" He gave up on the laundry pile and began relooking through the pile in her arms.

"Stop bringing that up!" Loona gave up trying to catch any of the clothes, and watched as they landed on the TV, in the walkway, and in the kitchen sink, "And are you sure you're ready for that . . . ? I mean, just yesterday you were a mess over-"

"Over a case of beer, I know." He sighed, holding the last shirt from the pile, and sat on the couch, "Look sweetie, I met a nice guy online and we've been talking for weeks now. He has a kid too, he laughs at my jokes, we watch the same shows, and . . . I don't know, he gets me."

"That explains why you've been giggling like a school girl at your phone constantly. Wait, did you say weeks? And you haven't met up yet? Is he hiding something?" Loona sat down next to him, her weight sinking her side down, causing him to bounce.

"No, well he was, but he told me. And then there was some stuff with his ex. And you know, I had st- . . . stuff going on so.” He shrugged, “For a bit we thought we were just going to be friends but things just worked out." He paused, smiling, before catching himself and cleared his throat, "Anyway, I want to look nice, but everything is either dirty or not the vibe so uh . . ."

Loona just looked at him, surprised to see him giddy about a person other than her, then sighed, “Well, if you want you can raid my closet too."

His face lit up and his tail swished back and forth, "Really?"

“Yes, but you have to get permission before trying anything on. Because the moment you do, it'll rip holes in it and it will officially be your shirt."

“Cool!” He skittered away on all fours, and she was left unsure if he had actually heard her or not.

Want to know who the date is with? Find out here:

#blitz helluva boss #helluva boss blitz #helluva loona #helluva boss loona #loona helluva boss #loona hellhound #blitzo helluva boss #helluva blitzo #blitzø helluva boss #helluva boss blitzø #helluva blitzø #blitzø x stolas #helluva boss blitzo #blitzo #blitzo x stolas #stolas x blitz #blitz x stolas #hb loona #hb blitzo #hb blitz #helluva boss fanfiction #helluva boss fanfic #helluva boss fic #stolitz fanfic #helluva fanfiction #helluva fic #helluva fanfic #stolas x blitzo #viktheviking1 #wattpad link

[ofthecaravel]

Brandy

Chapter Two

Summary: A port on a western bay serves a hundred ships a day, and the lonely sailors flock to the Caravel Cantina, run by the Kiszka brothers (minus one). But when their brother returns with a handsome sailor in tow, the youngest Kiszka brother finds his perspective about his family and himself turned upside down.

Tags: Even more brotherly shenanigans, angst, tension (both good and bad), cutesy first date butterflies, some tears

Words: 9.7k

A/N: Very cute lil chapter but...something's definitely up

~~~

Sam was awoken by the unmistakable feeling of a gentle pressure on his forehead, as well as hushed whispers he could barely make out. He started blinking and trying to open his eyes when he heard Jake go "Fuck!" and audibly drop something, and when Sam tried to turn his head, the pressure on his head left and he heard even more things hitting the ground. He sat up with a jolt and looked around in a frenzy, trying to make sense of his surroundings as he tried to gain coherency. He was met by the sight of his brothers in their pajamas, Josh with a stack of books and a poorly concealed smile, and Jake with a book in his hand right at the head of Sam's bed. At his feet was a pile of books, varying from thin pamphlets to thick textbooks. 

"Oh, for crying out loud, you guys," Sam moaned, his voice still gravelly with sleep. "When was the last time you did this forehead book balance shit? I was, like, seven." 

"We just missed it so much," Josh whined, flashing a wide smile that Jake mirrored without even having to look at him.

"We're recreating memories of yore," Jake insisted, bending to scoop the books up, stopping to gently smack Sam on the side of the head with a book when he straightened and handed them to Josh. Josh's knees buckled slightly at the further onslaught of weight and let them collapse into a sliding pile across Sam's desk.

"Then I suppose you'll let me relive the glory of  when I filled your shoes with shrimp?" Sam smiled blearily. "That's one of my favorite pieces of 'yore'."

"Absolutely not," Josh hissed as Sam giggled, turning to swing his legs out of bed but Jake put a firm hand on his chest and held him steadfast.

"No, no, no, don't move," Jake commanded, exchanging a look with Josh that sent him out of the room before turning back to grin at his little brother. "Since you slept so late, we've decided to pull out another abandoned Kiszka brothers tradition to celebrate my glorious return."

As if on cue, Josh came sailing into the room balancing three plates, terribly singing a childhood Sunday school song as he distributed them to Jake and Sam, who accepted them with oohs and ahhs. 

"Aww, you shouldn't have," Sam fawned. "Breakfast in bed day!"

"A Kiszka classic," Jake proclaimed as he and Josh sat heavily on the end of the bed, crossing their legs and immediately tucking into their breakfasts.

Sam felt a warmth in his chest he hadn't felt in a long time as he stared down at the eggs dumped sloppily over darkly toasted bread ripe with nuts and seeds, with a scattering of chunkily cut apple slices. Josh had even served it on Sam's designated plate, a pale blue porcelain with a slight chip that had come from the first time Sam had ever done the dishes himself.

"Is it really that late in the morning?" Sam asked sheepishly, snapping an apple slice cleanly between his incisors. "We only did these after I slept in super late when I was sick."

"It's 11ish," Jake explained through loud chews. "But we both woke up early so, to us, this is late."

"You don't have scarlet fever again, do you?" Josh prodded, squinting suspiciously at Sam.

"No, I certainly do not," Sam replied indignantly as he swallowed his bite of apple.

"You had me fooled," Jake hummed coolly. "Last night, you looked unmistakably...flushed."

Josh snickered into his bite of toast and Sam frowned, his brow knitting in the certain way that always made his brothers even more entertained in their razzing. 

"Well, yeah, you had me working like a dog," Sam explained, pointing his fork purposefully. "I was running all over the place for hours."

"Oh, like when you ran over to the jukebox?" Josh asked innocently, and Jake giggled as Sam felt the calm warmth in his stomach shoot up to his cheeks and ears as a hot rush of adrenaline as the memories of the night came trickling back in.

"Or when you closed?" Jake egged on as Sam shot glares between his two chuckling brothers. They were all grown men, but as they giggled and Sam scoffed, it was like they had traveled back in time to when they were small and all their energy was reserved for picking on one another over the breakfast table.

"I don't know what you mean," Sam muttered as he took a big bite of eggs, hiding any expression his face might betray while he chewed. 

"Mmm, I think you do," Josh sang, batting his lashes at Sam theatrically while Jake twirled a piece of his hair.

"Ooh, I'm Sam, what's your name, sailor?" Jake mocked in a high pitched voice. "What's that? Your name is Daaaniel? What a handsome name!"

"Fuck's sake," Sam groveled, pushing Jake's shoulder. "I was going to ask you about that!"

"So you are going out with him this week?" Jake perked up, and Josh's eyebrows shot up as his mouth fell open, revealing the half chewed food in his mouth. 

"Why did you tell some poor lackey on your ship that I was dying for a date?" Sam complained, his frustration from last night finally being released. "Does the whole crew think I'm some desperate floozy? Huh?"

"I didn't say that!" Jake insisted, putting his fork down and adopting a serious look. "You know I love talking about you guys, and when we took on Daniel he just seemed so perfect for you! I mean, he looks just like the guys you would write about in your-"

"YOU READ MY JOURNAL?" Sam shrieked, putting his plate on his nightstand with a loud clack as Jake recoiled with a nervous grin. "YOU READ MY JOURNAL AND YOU TOLD A STRANGER?" 

"Sorry, what's going on?" Josh interjected meekly, his legs pulled up to his chest as he watched Sam's fiery gaze burn through Jake, who was protesting through weak, restrained laughter.

"Sammy, c'mon, give me a second to explain," Jake choked out as Sam spun his fork in his head fiercely, giving a loud exhale through his nose. "I never said you wrote about hot guys in your diary, calm down, I'm not completely evil. I sAAAID, mister, that you two have a lot in common and would be a good match. He asked about you all the time after that, and I didn't have any pictures to show him of you, so, you know, last night was a culmination of a lot of waiting."

"I guess that would explain some things," Sam grumbled, recalling Daniel's enthusiasm and saccharine charm. "But, I mean, he wasn't all bad. Except that he's a damn thief."

"What'd he thieve from you?" Josh asked amusedly, reaching out and plucking an apple slice from Jake's plate. "Your heeeart?" 

"Can't you two get out?" Sam whined, only getting laughs in response as the twins continued to happily eat their breakfast. Jake seemed to take the hint that one more tease would end in a sea of porcelain shards and launched into a retelling of he and Josh's morning adventure on the wharf. One of the things that Sam had missed so much about his brother was his shocking abundance of grace; Jake could rile him up to the point of complete fury, but never pushed hard enough to make him explode. He was the perfect diffuser for Sam's ticking time bomb temper, a skill quickly learned in the aftermath of their parent's death. That was when Sam's fuse had been the shortest and spared no one. 

But that time had passed. Now, they were all back together again, piling commentary and laughter on each other as Josh elaborated on their haggling with the egg vendor at the crack of dawn. Sam leaned back against his headboard and just observed for a minute, refamiliarizing himself with the way that his brothers would trade off sentences and throw words in for the other to enhance their part of the story. 

"Hey, where'd you go there, Sammy?" Jake asked, wiggling his fingers in front of Sam's face, making Sam blink back to the present and smile without thinking.

"Sorry, still a little sleepy," Sam lied, sitting up straighter and cracking his neck.

"You didn't miss the part where the chicken followed Josh home, did you?" 

"I'm an animal whisperer," Josh declared proudly. "She wouldn't even look at Jake. She just trotted up right behind me all the way up to the front steps. I thought that chicken was gonna break down the door the way she was pecking at it."

"Where is she now?" Sam asked through a laugh. This was such a thoroughly Josh situation, running into oddities at every turn. Sam had to be the sole errand runner for a while when the woman who sold from the dairy cart had her sister visiting and she kept trying to marry Josh off to her daughter in the Côte-Nord. 

Josh paused for a moment and Jake started cackling, collecting the plates from him and Sam.

"Don't tell me there's a chicken in this house, Josh, don't you dare," Sam started lamenting, kicking at his brothers to get off the bed with his legs still covered by the quilt. Josh immediately scrambled off the bed and closed Sam's bedroom door with a bang, blocking it with outstretched arms. Sam swung himself out of bed and rushed to the door, only to be stopped by Jake setting down the plate and then grabbing him around the waist in one swift motion. 

"Let me go!" Sam shrieked, smacking at Jake's head. "When did you get so freakishly strong?"

"When I started working on a fuckin' cargo ship!" Jake replied cheerfully, hoisting Sam an inch off the ground and whooping in delight when Sam started full on screaming and kicking.

"Show me the chicken! I know she's out there!" 

"You have to say the magic word!" Josh announced, looking up at Sam with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Come on, Sammy, we raised you better than this. Where's the courtesy?"

"Show me the chicken, please and thank you!" Sam obliged defeatedly, wiggling free of Jake's grip and swatting at Josh's arms. 

"You can meet Clarice after you answer a few questions," Jake assured, clapping a firm hand on Sam's shoulder and shaking him back and forth a few times, Sam bending like a ruler under his hold. 

"Clarice?" Sam snorted. "That's the name you went with? Is this chicken 80 years old?"

"Hey, she's a part of the family now, show some respect," Josh chastised, his arms still splayed out firmly over the expanse of the door. "Now. We have some serious stuff to talk about."

"Okay..."

"So..." Jake trailed off, strolling casually over to Sam's dresser, and then suddenly started to throw the drawers open. "What are you wearing tonight?"

Sam flushed and spun, letting out a cry of protest when Jake crouched to open the lower drawers and started pulling out shirts and pants, tossing them over his shoulder into premeditated piles on the floor.

"Hey, hey, hey, gentle, gentle!" Sam cried, dropping to his knees next to Jake and picking the clothes right back up, starting a cycle of him shoving them back into the drawers only for them to be yanked right back out by Jake. 

"You need the perfect outfit for your date," Jake insisted, handing a shirt to Josh, who had come over to sit cross legged with them and was sifting through Jake's piles. "Too much?"

"Too much," Josh agreed, tossing it onto the bed. "What's Daniel's favorite color?"

"Indigo," Jake said, pulling out a dark blue button down. "This is sorta indigo."

"You guys really have nothing else to talk about on the ship, huh," Sam teased, still grabbing clothes and neatly folding them. "What's his second favorite? Vermillion? Chartreuse?" 

"No, smartass," Jake replied, handing the dark blue shirt to Sam. "It's goldenrod. Try this one on."

"You guys are being so weird about this," Sam accused, slipping the shirt on and buttoning it over his bare chest. "It's just dinner. I don't even know the guy."

"Daniel's my best worker," Jake said, shaking a finger at Sam. "And my best friend on the ship. He's not just some guy. I really trust him."

"And you obviously already like him, so stop pretending like this is some arduous task you're doing for charity," Josh scolded good-naturedly, cocking his head to the side to appraise Sam. "Mm. That's not working for me. Jakey?"

"I agree, off with it," Jake affirmed. "Josh, you wanna decide on some pants for the young lad?"

"Already done," Josh said proudly, plucking out a pair of espresso tweed pants. 

"Oh, I love those ones," Sam gushed as he shed the shirt, finally giving in to letting them play dress up. This was another childhood tradition being resurrected, Sam realized with a nostalgic pang. Only this time it wouldn't end with them sending him out onto the street decked out in their mom's wedding jewelry and a pillowcase dress and locking the door when he flew back to the doorstep wailing. 

"Heeeere we go," Jake whistled, holding up a button down colored the warm yellow of the inside of a dandelion. "This is one of the ones I sent you, right?"

"Uh huh," Sam affirmed, taking it from Jake and putting it on. "From Sierra Leone. You said you bought it from a guy with one eye."

"You remember all that?" Jake looked genuinely surprised, finally stopping his frenzy and casting soft eyes on his baby brother. "I've sent a hundred letters and you remember a throwaway detail like that?"

A sudden hush fell over the brothers in their wreckage of Sam's room. 

"Of course," Sam replied, his tone the gentlest it had been all morning, maybe in years.

"It's not like we have much else to read," Josh continued, clearing his throat thickly. "We missed you, you know."

'More than anything,' was said silently by both Josh and Sam. The afternoons they received a letter or package from Jake were followed by a night of reading and re-reading and then an evening of closed doors and lamentations.

"Yeah," Jake said weakly, looking at the ground. "I do know. And you know I'm sorry."

'So, so sorry,' was the silent reply of Jake. It had always been written in invisible ink right after he signed his name on his letters, folded and sealed with shaking fingers and guilt that pounded behind his eyes like a headache. The crew knew not to bother Jake after they touched down on a port with postal service; they just bought an extra bottle of whiskey and put it out for him to take to bed.

"We know," Sam said, his voice slightly above a whisper. "I'm happy to have you back, even if just for a little bit."

"Me too," Josh agreed, gently tapping his socked foot against Jake's knee.

"I'd stay longer if we could," Jake said seriously. "If it was up to me, we'd stay for a month. Maybe two."

"Isn't it quite literally up to you what you guys do?" Sam pointed out, trying not to let any frustration creep into his voice. 

"Not really," Jake explained, almost meek. "We have a schedule to stick to when it comes to docking and buyers and suppliers and all that technical bullshit. Some shipyard in St. John's is expecting us next week."

"That's dumb," Sam mumbled petulantly, playing with the sleeve of the yellow shirt. "You've barely even told us what your cargo is. Don't they have whatever you guys carry already?"

"Don't be snippy, Sammy," Josh scolded, even though Sam knew damn well that he was thinking the same thing. "We're very proud of you, Jake. Just...hopefully next time you can stay longer."

"Hopefully next time you can stay," Sam whispered, fully sinking back into the hole he'd been digging the past 2 years. This morning was a dream, but he was starting to wake up again. 

"I'm here now," Jake reminded them, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and leaning in. "Let's make the most of the time I have, okay? I don't want to spoil this time with my favorite brothers."

"We're your only brothers," Josh finished the age-old joke with a small smile. "You're right. If anything, Sam is the one impeding our time with his little date tonight."

Sam scoffed loudly, pushing both of them back and getting to his feet while Jake and Josh started giggling again.

"YOU guys are the ones who- y'know what, forget it," Sam threw his hands in the air. "Everybody out! Let a man put his pants on."

"Aye, aye, captain," Jake agreed, both him and Josh getting up while trading glances in an unspoken conversation. "We know you want to get all primped and proper for your suitor."

"We'll walk you to Skipper's," Josh asserted, ducking his curly head when Sam raised his hand in preparation for a noogie.

"Like hell you will!" Sam argued, firmly shutting his scheming brothers out of his room. 

-

At 4:50, Sam was blushing 10 angry shades of pink as he walked down the street to Skipper's Pub to meet Daniel, with Jake, Josh, and Clarice the chicken in tow. 

"Stop following me," he hissed over his shoulder for the thousandth time. "I'm fine."

"We need to make sure you get there safely," Josh insisted with a shit eating grin on his face, his hands happily stuffed in his pockets while he strolled with a spring in his step.

"I need to lay down the law with Daniel," Jake explained looking mock stern, clearly enjoying this just as much as Josh. "He needs to know how to behave around my beloved baby brother."

"BAWK," squawked Clarice, drawing the attention of every passerby and storefront as their misfit parade continued onwards as Skipper's came into sight. 

Sam could see a tall, familiar figure leaning against the lamp post up ahead and his body started to come alive with an entire power grid setting his nerves alight. His palms started sweating and he spun around one more time.

"Go. Away!" he whispered furiously again, nearly jumping out of his skin when a yell cut off Jake's impending reply.

"Kiszkas! What a pleasure!"

Daniel had spotted them and was giving them an enthusiastic wave, approaching them at a rapid pace that left Sam faltering slightly in his stride. It wasn't until he was right in front of him that Sam realized just how unprepared he had been to see Daniel in the sunlight. He was donning a lightweight, cream shirt and simple black slacks, but the thing that made Sam clear his throat to avoid choking on a gasp was how Daniel had thrown up his hair in a curly twist, leaving his face somehow more open. A few curls had escaped and curled up under his jaw and bounced as he moved his head and gestured, taking a moment to acknowledge Sam's brothers and pointing to the chicken.

"I see you've brought your posse," Daniel teased, raising his brows at Clarice, who clucked quietly in response and clung to Josh's ankles. "I don't remember mention of a chicken, Jake, I'm surprised you'd leave that out."

"Clarice is a new addition to the family, Daniel," Jake chuckled, admiring her dark plumage. "You know me, I'd never not tell you about the family chicken. How was your sleep at the inn?"

"Deepest sleep I've had in years," Daniel laughed, his body language reading nothing but comfort and confidence. "Much easier to nod off when you don't wake up seasick every 2 hours."

"Amen to that," Jake replied, shaking his head. "I slept like the dead last night. I don't even think I dreamt."

"That's a bummer, the crew always looks forward to hearing about the crazy shit you get up to in Dreamland."

Sam cleared his throat again, this time to snap his brother back to reality. As he had gotten ready, he had wanted nothing more than to get dinner over with. But now that he was here, and Daniel was standing so tall in front of him with the early evening light bathing him in warmth, he suddenly felt he wanted Daniel all to himself for a few hours. Or the whole night. Dinner would decide that, he figured.

"We have reservations, gentlemen, shall we catch up later tonight?" Daniel proposed coolly, picking up on Sam's signal before one of the twins jumped at the chance to make a teasing comment. "I'd love to swing by for this famous Jake whiskey I've heard so much about."

"Sounds perfect," Jake agreed, giving Daniel a professional handshake that made Sam want to roll his eyes into the back of his head. "We just wanted to make sure our darling Sweetie Sammy didn't get to wandering."

"He was born without an internal compass," Josh confirmed, nodding sagely as Sam stared daggers. "Poor Sammy."

"Well, I'll get him where we need to be," Daniel assured them, putting a warm hand on Sam's upper arm and sending a jolt through his system. "Think you can manage the 1 minute walk without getting lost?"

"I can manage, thank you," Sam finally spoke, his heart giving an embarrassed jump at how his voice wavered ever so slightly. Jake and Josh noticed this subtlety and gave him identical looks of subtle amusement.

"Good, good," Daniel murmured, rubbing his arm twice and finally steering them away from Jake and Josh and the chicken that had now begun to wander between Josh's legs in boredom. "See you guys later!"

"Bye, Daniel!" they both called in the sing-song voice they had teased Sam with that morning, and Sam wished with all his might that they would explode as he heard them whispering excitedly while they walked away.

"They never leave you alone, do they?" Daniel asked Sam, his voice pitched in a lower register that made Sam's ears twitch and spine straighten. 

"Not since I've been alive," Sam responded, his nerves escaping as a breathy little laugh he wasn't expecting. "They're the most embarrassing people on Earth but I love 'em."

"That's good, they certainly love you," Daniel hummed, letting his hand fall from Sam's arm. "That's why they annoy the shit out of you. I should know, I'm an older brother myself. Thousands of miles and a sea that's as deep as it is wide couldn't stop me from bugging my baby sister."

"What's her name?" Sam found himself asking as Daniel opened the door to the pub for him, and Daniel blinked in surprise at the question.

"Josephine," he answered with a smile, the bell on the door chiming cheerfully as they stepped inside. "Pretty as a peach. I'm sure you two would get on." 

As Sam took in the scene at Skipper's, he became aware of the sheer lack of ...well, the scene itself. There was no hazy cloud of tobacco blanketing everything in its scent, no loud cacophony of shouting men, no violin whistling in the corner with its accompanying hat of crumpled bills and scattered coins. No waitresses bustling, no bartender snapping, no smell of grease and salt. 

"Uh," Sam stuttered, looking around with visible confusion. "Wow, I've never seen it so empty here. It's usually a madhouse."

"I figured," Daniel said slyly, walking ahead of Sam and training a cool grin on him. "I got here early this morning and talked to Skipper and rented it for a few hours. We have the whole place to ourselves until 8. You think you can fit your interrogation of my character into that time frame?"

Sam had never been one to be rendered speechless, and yet there he stood, his mouth slightly ajar as Daniel's smile grew while he watched Sam blink, knitting and unknitting his brow with sweaty palms.

"Last night, at your bar, it was pretty crazy with the guys," Daniel started to explain, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I saw you flinch every time somebody yelled. I thought you might appreciate the peace and quiet."

"What do you want from me?" Sam asked quietly, his voice cracking ever so slightly as he squinted at Daniel. 

"This one dinner," Daniel said simply, walking backwards towards the backroom. "With you. Come on, let's sit down and get a drink."

Sam followed Daniel as he led him over to one of the booths, one in the corner that was usually snatched up as quickly as they opened. The table was laden with a stubby candle, a wilting flower in a smooth blue vase, and two menus carefully placed across from each other. Sam slid into his seat, landing hard as he took the weight off his weak knees. He was having a very hard time adjusting to this environment. How was it he had gone 20 plus years and never been on a date before? How had he gone this long and never been thought of with this much care?

"You're over 21, right?" Daniel asked nervously as he settled in his seat, picking up his menu as he sat back and spread his legs, his knee knocking against Sam's under the table and making him jump. Daniel didn't seem to notice this, not moving his leg and poring over the menu's measly contents.

"Yeah, I'm 22," Sam replied, trying not to shift around as much as he wanted to while he started to look over the menu himself. God forbid he bumps Daniel and he moves his knee from his. "But they don't ask here. Or anywhere else in town, really. If you're old enough to walk and keep a coin in your palm, they'll serve you."

"Surely not at The Caravel?" Daniel accused over the top of his menu. 

"We're young enough to know who's who and how old," Sam elaborated, a smile creeping onto his face. "We only throw 'em out if we don't like them, but those people usually stay away. The rest, we just water down their drinks a little and keep an eye on them."

"That's pretty courteous," Daniel complimented. "That's probably why you guys are so popular. It has a good atmosphere. Very inviting energy."

"And great service, right?" Sam joked, raising an eyebrow. "That's the one I always hear. Even though I'm not sure that's really what they mean when they say it."

"Sounds like you deal with a lot of colorful characters."

"That's one way to put it."

"I should know, I have a feeling I'm one of them," Daniel grinned, and Sam laughed.

"Honestly? I've dealt with so much worse," Sam replied truthfully. "Overall, you rank pretty low." 

"Sounds like you're liking me better," Daniel said triumphantly. "I knew this would happen. I've charmed you."

"It's only been 3 minutes," Sam pointed out coolly.

"And I've already had you speechless," Daniel countered, his eyes flicking over Sam's face and upper body for a few seconds. "That's the power of my charm. It works fast. I like your button down."

"Thanks," Sam replied, his heart beating against his rib cage so fast he was nearly breathless. "I like yours, too."

"I'm so glad you like my plain, white shirt," Daniel chuckled. "I was really worried."

"I'm bad at compliments," Sam blurted, his face heating up at his own admission. "I do mean it, though. It's...nice. More formal than I see a lot of sailors wear. And, I mean, we're a port, so I see a lot of sailors."

'Oh my god, stop talking,' screamed his inner monologue, whom he indulged by biting on his lower lip and turning his attention back to his menu, pretending to be suddenly engrossed by the misspelled description of a tuna melt.

"Are you nervous, Sam?" Daniel asked slowly, resting his forearms on the table with a flirtatious grin, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "You seem a little nervous. I mean, it's not like this is your first date or anything, is it?"

Sam tried not to bristle at his words, instead maintaining eye contact for a brief moment before silently returning to his fake menu reading, politely scratching his nose and willing himself to not go beet red in the cheeks. All the teasing joy on Daniel's face slowly faded into a genuine shock, his mouth opening ever so slightly as he leaned further across the table.

"No way in Hell," he whispered. "Ain't no way. You? You mean to tell me YOU have never been on a date before?"

"What do you mean, me?" Sam asked, lowering his menu finally to look Daniel head on. "It's really not a big deal."

"I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it's odd. I mean, from a statistical standpoint."

"Sorry?"

"You're attractive," Daniel breathed, adopting a look of real confusion. "You could have anyone you wanted."

"Oh, please. Now you're just buttering me up," Sam scoffed, shaking his head reflexively as he tried to look anywhere but the hazel abyss of Daniel's stare. "I just, I don't know. I'm busy."

"Sure," Daniel rolled his eyes. "You must have been asked two dozen times."

"A night," Sam corrected. "I never said I hadn't been asked."

"But you've never said yes."

"Let me put it this way, Dan," Sam said, leaning forward in a spontaneous moment of bravery until there were only inches separating their noses. "The dates I get asked on aren't really meant to take place during the day, or exceed more than 10 minutes. After a while, the "flattery" gets sort of lost on you."

Daniel blinked and frowned, his face deflating into a somberness that confused Sam. 

"So..." Daniel started, twiddling his fingers pensively. "You didn't think I was actually going to take you out on a real date?"

 Sam held his gaze, feeling nervous for a minute that Daniel could see right through his eyes and into his head, nervous that he would see the replay of all the crude comments and requests that Sam had accumulated over the years and never, ever forgotten. No matter how much he pretended they didn't bother him. 

"No," Sam relinquished quietly. "I did not. And, if I'm being completely honest, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"What would I ever spring on you?" Daniel asked sincerely. Sam realized, then, that Daniel really didn't know the answer, and his heart ached in a foreign way that felt almost uncomfortable.

"That your intentions with me are not as pure as you're pretending they are," Sam said, but he immediately knew that his concerns were not the accusation he had been so certain of. "But maybe you're starting to change my mind a little."

Daniel's puzzled frown lifted into a small smile, his big eyes softening as he looked at Sam for a beat more, stretching the silence until it twanged with a tension that Sam was starting to get a taste for. 

"I'm happy to hear that," Daniel murmured, leaning back against his seat again. "I hope to change your mind more than a little bit by the end of the night. And I hope you know that Jake would have my ass if I ever tried to hurt you."

Sam let out a laugh, relaxing into its release as Daniel lifted the darkness from the booth with his crooked grin and ease. 

"It could be fun to watch you get thrown overboard," Sam teased, and Daniel scoffed in mock offense. "We'll borrow a plank from a pirate ship. Get a good crowd, pass around some smokes. It could be a whole event."

"Your cruelty wounds me," Daniel accused, even though his smile was practically dripping off his face. "Hey, that'll be our next date. I'll give you a proper tour of The Barbarian."

"We haven't even finished this one," Sam laughed, looking around the empty restaurant. "Are they even going to serve us? You promised me dinner."

"And dinner you will get," Daniel promised. "I already ordered for us both ahead of time, don't worry about it."

"What?" Sam said, shocked by Daniel's preparations once again. "Then what did they give us menus for?"

"I thought keeping them would be more authentic," Daniel admitted sheepishly, securing Sam's menu with a finger and sliding it under his own. "Plus, I knew I wanted to set up as many opportunities as possible to see your cute little surprised expression. Why would I pass up on such a fun chance?"

Sam felt the heat rise to his face again as Daniel tossed him a casual wink. A minute later, a waitress came through the kitchen doors carrying a slew of plates topped with pink fish, greens, and golden potatoes that threatened to roll over and across the floor. Daniel whooped excitedly and the waitress laughed, the two of them striking up a lighthearted chat as she set down the plates and their rolls of silverware. 

"Can I get you two any drinks?" she asked, pulling out her notepad and pen. "They're on the house."

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked as he unfurled his napkin. "It's not an issue if-"

"Oh, no, no," she refused, flashing Sam a smile. "The Kiszkas supply all our best liquors, it's the least we can do, really."

"You guys are regular tycoons, huh?" Daniel whistled, and Sam waved him away.

"No, no," Sam insisted humbly. "We just look out for each other. We'll both have a brandy on the rocks, please, Violet."

"Of course, Sammy," she smiled as she jotted it down, nodding politely before walking away. As Danny looked down to admire their dinner, she caught Sam's eye, pointing at Daniel and mouthing 'Wow!'. Sam laughed and Daniel looked up, his fork already deep in his salad.

"What?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Sam replied with a mysterious smile, popping a baby potato into his mouth and looking down shyly. He could still feel Daniel's eyes on him as he chewed. 

"Brandy, huh?" Daniel continued, and Sam silently looked up at him, shrugging gently.

"Yep," Sam said simply. "Brandy."

-

At 8:15, Daniel and Sam rolled into the Caravel in a burst of giggles and flushed cheeks, the sound of their chatter filling the empty expanse of the bar. Jake and Josh had been engrossed in a lively conversation as they prepped for the evening, but they went silent with wonder as they watched their brother float up to the bar with Daniel right behind him, watching Sam unwaveringly as he babbled enthusiastically. 

"Hey, you two," Jake greeted gingerly, almost as if not to scare away whatever demon had clearly possessed Sam to be this bright before a shift. "How's it over at ol' Skips?"

"Delightful," Daniel grinned, patting Sam loudly on the back as he took a seat next to him. "I learned so much about this guy right here. Like the fact that he cannot handle his liquor."

"For the last time, I'm not drunk!" Sam exclaimed in annoyance. "I had two drinks. Two. God forbid I let loose a little."

"I don't know, Sam, I haven't seen you this "relaxed" in a while," Josh teased, pulling his wild halo of curls back into a weak little ponytail as Sam gave him a private look of warning. "You can work tonight, right?"

"Of course," Sam defended, mirroring Josh's motions and starting to comb his fingers through his hair and brushing it away from his face. "Like I said, I'm not drunk."

He really wasn't. If he was drunk on anything, it was Daniel. Hours had sped by as they talked over dinner about everything and anything that came to mind. Daniel had clearly prepared some talking points beforehand, but the conversation had taken natural twists and turns of its own that had followed them all the way to the bar. Sam was already trying to memorize what he could of Daniel; his favorite season was summer, he cracked his knuckles when he was deep in thought, he was the quietest guy on the ship (which came as a big surprise to Sam, all things considered). 

"Well, even if you were, I don't expect we'll get many patrons besides a few of my men," Jake said as rubbed a glass on his shirt before putting it back. "You need a hair tie, Brandy?"

"I got it," Daniel interjected before Sam could snap at Jake for calling him Brandy yet again, reaching up and releasing the jaws of his hair clip. He casually shook his curls loose, one of them brushing Sam's cheek as Daniel leaned over to fasten the clip over the mess of hair that Sam had bundled at the back of his head. The contact made Sam inhale sharply and sit straight as a board while Daniel worked securing every loose strand of hair, humming as if it were nothing. Jake and Josh stood there in awkward silence, both of them making intense eye contact with Sam as they all had an unspoken family talk. 

'Get a room,' started Josh, speaking through a smile playing on his lips.

'I knew this was a good idea,' added Jake by purposefully looking down into the glass in his hand.

'I hate you both,' replied Sam by narrowing his eyes at them. They all snapped back to reality when Daniel held his hands up and admired his handiwork, patting Sam on the back yet again.

"There you go," he said proudly, tucking his own hair behind his hair and assessing Sam's bun. "Looks close enough to the one you were rockin' last night."

"What do you say, Sammy?" Jake sang, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Thank you," Sam muttered. 

"You're welcome," Daniel replied with a smile. "I do all the guys' hair on Barbarian. I guess that's the perk you get with being the only one with a sister. Can you believe I'm the only one? I've never met so many only children in my life."

"Barbarian?" Josh echoed, knitting his brows. "I thought-"

"Can I get you anything to drink, Danny boy?" Jake blurted, loudly placing an empty glass in front of Daniel and startling Josh away from his train of thought, who instead just threw him an annoyed glance. "Whatever you want, that was the deal."

"The deal?" Sam asked critically. "He buys me dinner, you buy him a drink?"

"You betcha," Jake laughed, pulling out a bottle of his whiskey and pouring Daniel a tall drink, loudly dropping a few ice cubes in the liquor and sliding it until it nudged Daniel's hand. "Bon appétit."

Daniel looked embarrassed as he took the glass, melting under Sam's pointed glare. Sam realized he wasn't all that justified in being as annoyed as he was; Jake had told him that he had set this date up from the get go. But Daniel had been so sincere and fun and genuinely caring during their dinner that maybe for a second Sam forgot he might only be doing it to fulfill that agreement, and not because he was actually interested in Sam. 

"Well, enjoy your hard earned drink," Sam bid sarcastically, getting up with a start and stomping to the back to grab his apron and tray. 

"Oh, come on, Sam," Jake called after him, but Sam didn't look, simply turning the corner into the cramped backroom and snatching his apron violently from the wall. He stood in front of the cracked mirror next to the hook that held the aprons and maintained a steely staring contest with himself as he cinched the fabric around his waist, his heart hammering angrily in his chest. Sam had never felt so stupid in his life. Something during that date had made him a little lighter, but here he was, crashing back down to Earth like he had this morning. He scolded himself for getting so caught up in temporary reliefs from reality, letting out a heavy sigh as he clenched his jaw and tried to trick his mind into ignoring the pressure building in his waterline and clouding his sight.

"Fuck," he whispered, holding the heels of his palms against his eyes and swallowing purposefully, steadying his breathing as he tried to force any runaway tears back into his tear ducts. This was so stupid, he thought. So fucking stupid. He was getting worked up over nothing.

"Hey."

Sam cursed and removed his hands from his face, wiping his palms on his apron and harshly turning to face the voice in one, fluid motion. 

"Woah," whispered Daniel, who was standing behind him with an apron in his hand, concern painted all over his face. "I..."

"I'm fine," Sam snapped, the emotion in his voice betraying him. "You're not supposed to be back here."

"I'm serving tonight," Daniel announced, holding up the aforementioned apron, which looked almost like a washcloth in comparison to his arm. "Captain's orders."

"For fuck's sake, I can handle myself," Sam groaned, trying to grab the apron from Daniel, who held it tight in his hand. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"It didn't seem like that was the case half an hour ago," Daniel retorted, pulling the apron away from Sam and tossing it over his head. "It seemed like you were pretty happy to be in my company."

"Yeah, well, that was before-" Sam stopped, unsure of where that sentence was going.

"Before Jake uncouthly reminded us both that our date started out as a scummy sailor's deal?"

Sam huffed and rolled his eyes, turning back around to the mirror. Of course, he could still see Daniel in the reflection, and the frustration surrounding his expression tensed his nerves even further. Daniel with his sad, lapdog eyes roaming over Sam's face, which was flush with color and adorned with his trademark scowl.

"Maybe that's what it was supposed to be," Daniel spoke again. "But it was never at your expense. Jake made it very clear from the beginning that I didn't have to do a damn thing. It was just an idea, but I was the one who agreed to actually do it. And maybe I was playing it up a little bit initially last night but..."

Daniel paused, his eyes wandering in space as he finished tying his apron until Sam finally caught his eye in the mirror.

"I only continued playing it up because I realized I actually liked you as a person," Daniel confessed. "It wasn't a bet anymore. I just wanted to get some actual one on one time with you when you weren't on the clock and rightfully annoyed with me. And I meant what I said at dinner tonight. No bad intentions. My cards are on the table."

Sam stood there numbly, trying to absorb what he was hearing and trying to sort through his thoughts. If there was one thing Sam was good at, it was being overwhelmed.

"And, I mean," Daniel plowed on, smoothing the apron against his legs and allowing a hesitant smile to tug at his lips. "I don't have enough time to make any other friends, so you'd really be doing me a favor by hanging out with me some more."

Sam stayed silent, keeping his lips tight to avoid Daniel's smile from infecting him too, instead sniffing once and staring at his shoes.

"I'll give you a dollar if you get breakfast with me tomorrow?"

"Shut up, man," Sam finally said, giving in to a little laugh and turning to face Daniel. "I guess...I guess it wouldn't be so bad if we hung out again."

"Thank goodness," Daniel said with an exaggerated sigh of relief, half of it genuine. "I'm sorry I keep giving you so many reasons to hate my guts."

"I don't hate your guts," Sam replied softly. "But I am going to give you all my worst tables tonight."

"That's fair."

"And I get half of your tips."

"Take them all, I don't want them," Daniel grinned.

"How can you turn down spare change like that?" 

"I don't need it."

"Surely you don't make enough to always live this lavishly when you're docked," Sam accused as he grabbed his tray from its little shelf and handed one back to Daniel. 

"I have a great accountant."

"Maybe you're a pirate."

"Maybe I am," Daniel smirked devilishly, raising an eyebrow at Sam and making his heart race faster than it already was. Sam approached him, feeling a little emboldened by the equal ground that Daniel had established and the liquor that lingered in his bloodstream.

"You're too nice to be a pirate," Sam murmured, smacking his serving tray against Daniel's broad chest. Daniel held his gaze and his crooked smile grew, cocking his head and appraising Sam from under low lids and heavy, dark lashes.

"You sure about that?" he responded calmly, his voice low and husky as his eyes flicked down to Sam's lips, reminding him of just how close he had gotten. He felt his breath rattling excitedly in his chest as he watched Daniel's pupils unmistakably expand in their hazel pools when the tip of Sam's tongue flicked out to lick his lips, feeling the few seconds that passed like they were hours. 

"BOYS!" came the rolling shriek of Josh's voice, jolting them away from each other as they turned to the sound. "Customers! Quit sucking face and make me some money!"

"We are NOT!" Sam screamed back, immediately powering towards the eruption of laughter from the bar. He left Daniel standing there, who took only a second to catch his breath and stifle a smile before obediently following after him.

The Caravel didn't have many patrons that night, but Daniel made it more than worth their while. The Kiszka kept having mini meetings at the bar where they hunched over and spoke in rapid fire whispers and giggles as they watched Daniel weave between tables and charm every customer into turning out their pockets for him. Sam was still at the beck and call of a few of his regulars, but after someone had suggested he "show a little skin" to get a tip, Daniel had swooped in, pointedly tied up his own shirt, and skirted Sam to the sidelines. 

"Pigtails next, Wagner!" one of Jake's men called from a corner table, where 6 of them had huddled and crammed their glasses together on the small surface.

"Do a spin!" yelled the guy next to him, and they all cracked up when Daniel did just that, blowing them a kiss as they wolf whistled and yowled while hustling over to the bar to discard his tray of empty glassware. 

"You want a job, Danny?" proposed Josh, pouring up a new round. "I can't pay you much more than Jake, but if you keep this up you'll be drowning in tips."

"Then who would carry all of Jake's big, heavy boxes?" Daniel said, cracking his back and rubbing his neck. "I'd think about it but I'm not even keeping these tips."

"What?" Jake spluttered, pulling down his sunglasses to stare Daniel down. "You just made 40 bucks in 20 minutes. What are you going to do with all that?"

Daniel looked over at Sam, who had been leaning against the bar resting his chin in his hand and enjoying the break that Daniel had allowed him. Plus, he couldn't say he hadn't been enjoying the view a little, too. Sam looked up at Daniel and they all watched as Daniel scooped out all of his tips and piled them in front of Sam, giving him a wink and striding off back into the fray. The brothers stayed silent for another minute, blinking at the pile of money glimmering on the wood. 

"Sammy," Jake said slowly as Sam quietly started separating the coins and bills. "I need you to listen to me very carefully. You need to marry him."

"Shut up, Jake," Sam muttered, pursing his lips slightly to keep a giddy smile at bay as he pushed the stacks of coins towards Josh to roll. 

"I've never seen anything like that," Josh remarked as he slid the coins into their paper towers and pushed them right back to Sam. "I mean, I thought I was a gentleman, but, wow."

"I told him I got half of his tips tonight," Sam explained as he slid the money into his apron pocket.

"Pretty sure that was more than half," Jake scoffed, looking back over to Daniel, who was laughing with the men at the corner table. "Look at that, he's even got Carson and the guys docile. I can never get them to settle after a few drinks."

"What a guy," Josh sighed longingly, shaking his head theatrically. 

"He's alright," Sam said, sneaking another sidelong glance at Daniel and startling when he saw Daniel had already been looking at him, shooting Sam a surprisingly shy smile before turning back to his customers. 

'He's more than alright,' Sam thought to himself as he watched Josh place a round of shots on his tray. The thought scared the shit out of him.

"Walk you home?"

Daniel bumped his shoulder against Sam as Sam locked the register up for the night.

"I won't be alone this time," Sam reminded him. "My brothers are surprisingly sober tonight."

"Whatever," Daniel said, pulling off his apron and messily folding. "We can walk ahead of them or something."

"You're so obsessed with me," Sam accused, taking Daniel's apron and walking to the back room to hang it next to his. Daniel followed him and offered an offended scoff, standing in Sam's way.

"Forgive me for wanting to keep you company," Daniel teased, reaching up and flicking the end of Sam's nose, who scrunched it in annoyance and slapped his hand. "Alright, I'll leave you alone this time. What are you up to tomorrow?"

"I have to go to the market in the morning, and I planned on stopping at the glassblowing shop sometime before my shift," Sam groaned, his lip curling. "Customers break our glasses like they think we're made of money. Glass is more expensive than you'd think."

"Well, if you have any free time, you should swing by the inn," Daniel smiled, leaning his head against the wall and appraising Sam with a soft look. "My room has a record player and a great view of the alley where all the drunks go to fight. It's a pretty sweet deal. Room 1, 'cause, you know, I'm your number one."

"How tempting," Sam hummed, crossing his arms. "I'll think about it. But if you're trying to seduce me, it's not working."

"Isn't it?" Daniel purred, winking and sending Sam a flurry of butterflies in his stomach, which he masked with a roll of his eyes and smacking his shoulder against Daniel's, trying to pass him.

"Go home, get outta here," Sam ordered as he strode into Daniel's side again, trying to make him budge. Daniel grinned, unmoving.

"Mm, nope, try again," Daniel challenged, leaning further against the wall with a cocky look. "Push me aside."

"Fuck off," Sam grumbled, slamming his shoulder into Daniel's but stumbling backwards instantaneously. He then proceeded to place his palms flat against Daniel's chest and push with all his might, causing Daniel to shuffle ever so slightly and chuckle. 

"You're killing me, man," Daniel laughed, looking down at Sam with a delighted warmth in his eyes. 

"Move!" Sam whined, slapping his palms on him again, nerves fluttering in his stomach with every moment that passed with Daniel's body so close to his. He made the mistake of making eye contact with Daniel, finding himself frozen with his hands still pressed against Daniel's shirt as he became more and more aware of how little there was separating their skin. Sam's heart jumped into his throat when Daniel leaned down so that their noses were nearly touching.

"You're adorable," Daniel whispered. Sam could feel his sweet breath on his face, blowing the loose strands that brushed against his ears. Before Sam could reply, Daniel straightened again and flattened his back against the wall, allowing Sam to breeze by him and burst out onto the floor. 

Jake and Josh were huddled by the jukebox, talking in a low register that would have surprised Sam any other time when he wasn't so overwhelmed and jittery. 

"Ready?" he asked, trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

"You two go ahead, I'll wrap up here," Josh insisted, clapping Jake on the shoulder and turning him in Sam's direction. His voice was oddly tight, and Sam passed a curious look between the two of them before Jake grinned cheerfully and moved past Sam.

"Come on, Sammy, you know if we linger he'll change his mind and give us chores," Jake said, yanking on Sam's arm and looking back at Josh. "Hey, we'll talk in the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah," Josh answered simply, immediately spinning to give his attention to the jukebox and leaving Sam even more confused as Jake led him to the back. Daniel was still there, waiting by the door.

"What are you still doing here, sailor?" Jake laughed, blissfully unaware of the tense stare Sam was sneaking at Daniel. "Aren't you sick of us yet?"

"Completely," Daniel shot back, nodding his head at the door. "But I can't leave in good conscience without knowing if the ol' girl is safely locked up or not."

"You don't trust us to remember to lock our own establishment?" Sam countered as they stepped out into the fresh night air. 

"Like anybody would try to break into this dump," Jake snorted as he locked the door behind them with an exaggerated jangle of the extra key ring. "There. Now Josh is locked in."

"Oh yeah, Josh," Daniel said as they started walking. "Why's he hanging back? Did our boys bust up the place that bad?"

"Yeah, what's up with him? He seemed cranky," Sam chimed in. Jake let out a half laugh, half sigh as he shook his head.

"He's fine, he's just..." Jake thought about it for a moment before settling on a diagnosis. "It was a hectic night and he's just sort of wound up. You know what I mean, Sam."

"I don't know, J, he seemed pissed at you."

"Whatever it is, don't get me involved," Danny interjected. Jake laughed.

"Dan, you schmoozed a mountain of tips for us tonight, Josh couldn't get pissed at you if he tried," Jake smiled, reaching past Sam to pat Daniel on the shoulder. "Sure you're not gonna leave your ol' captain behind to work for Josh?"

"Nah," Daniel said flippantly. "Although I admit it's very tempting." 

Daniel gave Sam a private elbow to the ribs and Sam stumbled, glaring at him while Daniel gave him a wink. 

"How did you get into the cargo biz, anyhow?" Sam asked as they turned onto their street. 

For the first time, Daniel hesitated. If Sam didn't know any better, he'd think he exchanged a look with Jake, but it was over before he got the chance to figure out if it was the dim light playing a trick on his sleepy eyes. 

"Well," Daniel started, knitting his eyebrows in thought. "It's a complicated answer. I needed a job but I knew that'd mean working at the schoolhouse in my hometown and I...I don't know. I wasn't sure if I was teacher material. I had bigger dreams. So, I hopped a boat and sailed away."

He smiled at that, looking down at his boots as they echoed over the cobblestone.

"I'm happy you did, Dan," Jake hummed as they approached the door. "I only wish we could've gotten our hands on you a little sooner. There were some keg shipments before your time that still haunt my dreams."

"You can probably lift those like a beer can," Sam blurted, allowing his thoughts to bleed through into his speech and immediately flushing hotly at it. Daniel and Jake looked at him in amusement as he tilted his face away to pat his pocket for his keys.

"You bet I do," Daniel agreed, a laugh tittering on the edge of his voice. "Come here and I'll lift you like a feather."

Sam squeaked out a protest and shimmied away from him. Daniel chuckled as Sam stuck his key in the door, scowling at Daniel over his shoulder as he opened the door and held it open for Jake to strut through.  

"You two kill me," Jake teased, giving Daniel a side hug before strolling into the threshold of their home. "You want to come in for a nightcap?"

"I should turn in," Daniel declined politely, shyly rocking back on his heels. "But I'd love to come by sometime before we head out."

"We'd love that," Jake smiled, turning to Sam. "Wouldn't we, Sammy?"

"Sure," Sam agreed softly, not quite looking Daniel in the eye as he lingered in the doorway. 

"Sure," Daniel mocked quietly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head with a smile on his face. "So enthusiastic. I feel sooo welcome."

"What's happened to your manners since I left?" Jake scolded Sam. "Sheesh."

"Sor-ry," Sam drawled, looking up at Daniel with a toothy grin. "Daniel, it would be ever so wonderful if you'd join us for a meal sometime."

"Why, thank you, Brandy," Daniel replied just as mockingly, dipping into a sarcastic curtsy before taking a step back. "Goodnight, you two. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Jake bid, raising a hand before heading off towards his room, his hat already off his head as he let out a deep sigh and disappeared into the dark house. 

Sam stayed in the doorway for a second, stepping inside but looking over his shoulder one more time. Daniel gave him a little wave.

"What are you waiting for?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows with his hands deep in his pockets. "A goodnight kiss?"

Sam slammed the door behind him, locking it loudly. He heard Daniel's laugh muffled through the wood and Sam smiled bashfully at the sound, leaning his forehead against the door as he listened to Daniel walk away.

~~~~~

#gvf #greta van fleet #danny wagner #sam kiszka #myart #karoufiction #greta van fleet fanfiction #sweet lil sammy #danny the gentleman #and the twins....brothers of the year

[warmaidensrevenge]

Could you do eddiexplus size reader where her Hellfire shirt was already very tight but it was summer and she gained some more weight and now it would just be obscene to wear it so she has to ask for a bigger one when they’re back at school and she feels ready to die of shame and embarrassment and is seriously considering just quitting Hellfire instead? Maybe she tries to? And of course Eddie is having none of that bullshit. And maybe he’s a little into the weight and the tight shirts. 😳 thx

Hmm sure. I kinda did something like this before in my series. But I can definitely do a different take

Eddie Munson x Plus size reader

If you want to read my other work you can find it HERE

Ope.

One shot

Warning: body insecurities and language, mentions of menstrual cycle. Not proof read and no word count

🖤💀😓

"Son of a bitch. What the fuck?" You said under your breath.

You were trying to put on your Hellfire shirt getting ready for the first day back at school. It was a Friday and you were excited for the continuation of The Cult of Vecna Eddie had started over the summer.

But a summer filled with countless overnights at the local dinner and home cooked meals 3 times a day wrecked havoc on your body. It didn't help that you had a slow metabolism and a refusal to work out. That summer you had added extra poundage to your already over weighted self. And things didn’t seem to get better. But this day was made worst by your irrational thoughts that made their way through your head. So fat, hungry and dealing with your menzies was the worst way to start school. But the cherry on the top of this shit sundae was now your Hellfire shirt fit way too tight for your liking. But you had to wear it. Eddie would have given you so much shit if you didn't. Your good friend for the past 7 years was actually a really nice person. But when it came to Hellfire he had absolutely no mercy. And to make matters worse he was already on edge from not graduating for the second time this year.

His was two grades ahead of you. But now you were 18 and doing your senior year with him. Honestly it made you happy because he was super cool to hang out with. Definitely not this crazed freak that everyone made him out to be. You liked him. But you didn't know how much you liked him until that summer. Sure you guys were just friends. But something happened then you did not expect.

You were hanging out in his room. You sat on his bed reading his copy of The Silmarillion while he strummed his guitar. You started to cry at The Battle of Sudden Flames. Your sniffles brought Eddies attention to you.

" Ahh The Battle of Sudden Flames huh?"

You nodded.

" I don't know why you cry every time you read it. It was so fucking epic." Eddie said while putting his guitar up and sitting back down. This time next to you.

" It's because they were defeated" You whimpered.

" Yeah but you know how the story ends. You've read it as much as I have."

" I know it just gets me every time." You frowned

That's when he put his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into him.

" It's ok sweetheart. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. Just keep reading. When you get to The Fellowship you will be alright."

You had a sudden feeling of nervousness when he held you. You blushed for the first time when he called you sweetheart. He's called you that many times before and it never had an effect on you until now. What ever it was that was causing you to feel this way towards him didn't matter now. You liked Eddie.

So while trying your best to get as comfortable as you could in the restricted shirt you pulled on a hoodie. You looked like a busted can of biscuits. Shaking your head you decided to not take off your sweater for the rest of the day.

It was extremely hot during lunch and you wanted to take it off but the embarrassment of having your friends see you kept you from it. Eddie was looking at you from across the table. You couldn’t meet his gaze. His eyes always felt like they were piercing your soul. You couldn’t help your knee from bouncing under the table. You just wanted to leave. Quit Hellfire and make new friends. But lost in your thoughts Eddie threw a pretzel at you. You picked it up and looked at him. His smirk made your heart stop. You pressed your lips and looked down at your tray. Placing the pretzel on it.

When the bell rang you hurried out of the cafeteria not wait for Eddie like you normally did, to walk to the class you had together. But instead of going to class you went out into the football field and sat on the bleachers. You watched as the kids in P.E ran laps around the track.

"Hey sweetheart." Eddie voice made you jump.

You looked at him from behind. He held out his hands to let you know he didn't mean to scare you. You turned back to look at the field.

" What's up with you today?" He said sitting next to you.

Your knee continued to bounce but Eddie's big hand rested on it and made you calm down. His calloused fingers grazed your exposed skin from the hole that was in your jeans. You're heart began to race. Your face became insanely hot. You wanted him to touch you lower. But Eddie's voice brought your attention back to him.

" y/n what's up?"

You swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Eddie I don't think I want to be a part of the club anymore."

"What?!" He said standing up and making his way in front of you, stepping down a bench to level his sight with yours.

"I uhh don't have time for it this year." You tried pleading with him to believe you.

"Like hell you do! You’re not quitting. It's the fucking Cult of Vecna. You can't just quit!" His voice was raised and his arms were crossed. The sound of his voice echoed in the small stadium. Bring the attention of the kids running toward you two.

" Eddie I just can't." You hung your head as your eyes swelled with tears.

Eddie sat next to you again and put his hand around your waist squeeze your love handle. You tried to move away but he kept you there.

" What's going on y/n? Just tell me...or I will never let you come over and read my copies of J.R.R Tolkien again."

You chuckled. " Eddie I can just get them out of the library."

"No you won’t, because I will check them all out before you can."

You could feel him smirking. After a while you asked him if it was possible if you could get another shirt. He agreed and instead of going back to finish school he drove you to his trailer.

You sat on his couch while he went to look for an extra hellfire shirt for you. After a few minutes he returned.

" Uhh I think this should work." He said tossing the shirt at you.

He went to get something to snack on and when he turned around you were just pulling off your hoodie. You met his gaze. He had his mouth open and his eyes were fixed on your torso.

You instantly put your arms around your stomach and chest and looked at the floor out of embarrassment.

"Holy shit! You're so hot."

Eddie's words made you look up.

" I mean fuck you've always be gorgeous but man. You just look ...damn!"

" Wait what?" You were confused.

He put down his bag of chips and came towards you. Pulling your arms away from your body. He furrowed his brow shaking his head. Looking you up and down.

" Maybe it's best that you do get a bigger shirt. Wouldn't want the kiddos all worked up over you."

"Eddie? "

He finally met your eyes and smiled and tilted his head to the side." Don't tell me you don't know."

Your silence made him realize you really didn't. He pulled you closer to him. Putting your arms around his neck while he held onto your waist.

" Do you really think I let just any girl come here? Or ever wonder why you're the only girl I hang out with?"

" umm because we’re friends." You said

" No we are not. We are so much more than that." He said moving his face closer to yours. Lips only inches apart.

"Eddie you like me?"

He nodded while grinning.

That was all you needed to see. You pushed your lips to his. After a while you pulled away. Laughing and smiling.

"Common" Eddie said nudging his head towards his room.

You pulled away from him and shook your head. His face fell.

" No no. God no Eddie. I want to. I really do. It's just....it’s um shark week." You blushed at your confession.

He let out a cackle. " Do you really think a little bit of blood scares me?"

" First of all....Gross... second of all, I'm not just gonna sleep with you and then act like nothing happened and go back to normal."

" what do you mean back to normal? You think I just want sex?" He questioned

" What do you want?"

He smirked again. "I want you to be my girlfriend silly. Liked you since you joined Hellfire."

" Seriously? Why didn't you say anything?"

" I uhhh wasn't sure if you wanted too." He stammered.

You made your way to him and kissed him again. " Oh I want to Munson."

He smiled and tried to pull you onto his room.

You resisted. " Nope. If you really do like me then you're gonna have to wait."

He pouted but you didn't give in.

" Alright. So...would you like to go out on a date with me?"

You gave him a cheeky smile. " Where are we going?"

@salenorona23

#fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson x female original character #eddie munson x you #stranger things #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie x reader #eddie my beloved #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x y/n

[lovelykhaleesiii]

chubby!aegon slut #9304 here to discuss this man and his squishy ahh cheeks (both kinds). Like maybe he's insecure about it when he first starts gaining weight, cuz yeah a body is one thing (and you've already shown plenty of love for his belly and thighs), but when it reaches his face is when he really starts worrying about what you'll think. After all, he can't really hide his face, nor the new plump cheeks or blurred jaw or subtle double chin he's recently acquired. He's worried you'll think it's too much, that he's gotten too chubby. I have no idea how to write x reader stuff but we on that y/n life and this bitch (thou) would comfort him with loving kind words and affections (+ hot sexy sex, listen y'know I'm down for dicking down a man in front of a mirror until he loves himself but I know that's not your usual kink, so I'd love to hear your thoughts lmao, how would you threaten this man {lovingly or sadistically} into accepting his little babyface? 🥰)

my fellow thicc Aegon sluzza ✨ thank you for this delicious ask!

listen at this point I’m open to listen / read anything, I just don’t feel comfortable writing for it! BUT GAWD now you’ve got me riled up!!!

the angst because he’d be eyeing himself out in the mirror longer than usual, noticing all the finer details that he thinks are flaws. the noticeable red stretch marks along his waist and hips/love handles, how swollen his face has gotten. before Aegon always thought his looks were decent (he was no narcissist, but he knew people often enjoyed looking at him) but now… he no longer has that same confidence & begins to feel immensely self-conscious. no longer considers himself handsome & then he starts to think about how you must be feeling.

whenever you guys are out in public, especially, his mind often contemplates on what the passer by must be thinking of the two of you together. and they’re often always terrible thoughts…you notice he gets pretty quiet and distant lately, and whenever you’re in the mood or try to get touchy, he just pulls some lame excuse which in turn makes you doubt yourself. you confront him, ask him if you’d done something to upset him, and seeing how worried you are makes him so sad 😫

he has no choice but to open up about his insecurities & you are somewhat surprised. now PERSONALLY in this situation, I’d rather show then tell… I’d much rather prefer to show just how much I appreciate ALL of him, every inch.

some good senseless fucking, mirrors set up strategically so you both get to see all the right angles. praise the fuck out of him, worshipping him like some god (he develops a worshipping kink). this would be one of the few times I insist on doing most of the work, as he relaxes and enjoys himself, accepting the effort and lengths I’m going to until he feels somewhat pleased with himself, letting him see how turned on and pathetic he makes me feel. 🥵

I’d nimble & leave hickeys ALL across that soft, plump jawline / neck of his, as a sign of my admiration for his chubby face.

I’d dry hump the fuck out of his stomach & thighs, god his thighsssssss !!!! my wetness just coating his fat 😫

begging him to manhandle the fuck out of me!!!

grrrrr you get the picture? HAHAHAHA

but if you want some dicking down >>> @bucknastysbabe is your boo 🩷

#aegon ii targaryen #aegon ii targaryen asks #chubby!aegon ii #chubby!aegon ii targaryen

[brainyxbat]

Chapter 12: When the Kingdom's Rule Ends! The Flag of Faith Flies Forever!

(episode 89)

"He's not here!"

"Which guy?"

"That guy!"

"That guy?"

"That tin bastard!"

"Ahhh! That bastard! I'll find him right away, and finish him off!"

"Little girl?"

"Shh."

"What's going on here? What have they done... to my castle?!"

"Doctorine."

"Hm?"

"He called me... his friend."

-

When Wapol wasn't looking, Venus went to work in sculpting a crude snow decoy in her likeness. 'Let's hope this'll keep him busy, so I can take care of him,' She thought to herself. To finish it off, she stripped out of her coat, and put it on the decoy. 'Okay, perfect.' She hid across the room behind her hiding place, and shivered at the freezing breeze. 'This better work.'

"Aha! There you are!" Wapol found the decoy. "I'll chew you up, runt!"

She grimaced when he ate the whole thing, coat included, in one huge bite. 'I shoulda thought this through a little more.' She shivered again, her top not providing nearly enough coverage.

Bundled in a spare coat, Nami headed for the door, determined to leave. 'This is no time to be in bed, resting! I should get out of here while Doctorine isn't around! I couldn't take being stuck here for three days.'

"Huh?" Wapol looked up at a door opening, and grinned evilly upon seeing her.

'Nami?' Venus blinked in confusion.

"I got lucky! Looks like I can leave without a problem." She stopped at the railing upon noticing the man below. "Wh-who's this guy?!"

"You must be one of the Straw Hats!"

Nami stared in shock. 'He definitely looks like a bad guy!' Since she was sleeping, she missed the whole attack on the Merry. "No, that's not true at all!" She lied. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"

"What?!" His eyes widened in surprise. "I'm wrong?! Really?!"

"That's right! I'm a navigator who's just passing by here!"

'What is she doing?!' Venus thought.

"Oh, I see."

"Well then, see ya." With that, she began walking down the pathway.

"Okay!"

Noticing the look in his eye, she prepared an energy ball, and without a word, shot it right at him; she stifled giggles when he crashed into the wall.

"Hey! Who did that?!" He demanded after recovering. "Show yourself!" He glanced around the room, but didn't see the culprit.

Venus stayed silent, trying to keep her teeth from chattering as she hid. She needed to get it together, in order to defeat him. She couldn't fight while shivering like a Chihuahua.

Upon hearing footsteps, he remembered Nami; that fibber was sneaking away. Behind her back, he shimmied up a pole, and jumped down on the next floor.

'Uh oh,' Venus' eye widened. Her distraction wasn't enough.

"Hm?!"

"Liar!" He started running towards her.

"No!"

"You idiot! Wait!" Venus watched helplessly from the first floor.

"Don't come this way! Go away!" She jumped down a trapdoor at a staircase, and to her relief, her pursuer was stuck.

Wapol kicked his legs, as he struggled to free himself. "Did I gain some weight recently? Then I'll do this: Munch Munch Factory! I'll eat myself!"

Nami watched in shock, as his jaws dislocated, and ate up his own body! "Ah! What's that?!" She backed away, as his tin jaws bounced down the stairs like a ball. "H-he turned into a bucket!"

"Miraculous bone structure shaping technique, complete!" His mouth released the rest of his body; all of a sudden, he was much skinner, and taller. "Slim Wapol!" His threatening eyes stayed on Nami. "I won't let you escape."

"No!"

She ran for the door when he leaped towards her; she was pinned face-down to the cold floor. "I'll eat you first!"

"I found you!" Suddenly, a single kick from Luffy sent Wapol back to the wall. He looked on in confusion, as he approached Nami, joined by Venus. "Huh? Was that he that skinny before?"

"Nice one!" The young witch praised.

Nami turned to him, and noticed something wasn't right. "Ahh!" She shot up, and clocked him on the head. "Luffy... why is my jacket all beaten up?" She calmly patted his shoulder.

"Ahh!" He screamed.

"How much do you think I paid for this jacket?! It was 28,800 berries! And that's the price after I talked them down!"

"I'm sorry, but that guy shot a bomb at me! I couldn't help it!"

A mischievous, scheming smile grew on her face, and she put on a facade. "Geez... but oh well. I'll forgive you. I didn't expect it to come back in good shape when I let you borrow it." He stared on in confusion. "As payment for the damages, you owe triple that amount plus some."

"Triple?!" Venus exclaimed angrily.

"The total is 100,000 berries. Consider it a loan."

"Ahh!" He exclaimed. "Don't tell me you expected this to happen!"

Nami's chuckling was abruptly interrupted. "He's not paying it!" Venus glared.

"Oh, yes he is!" Nami retorted.

"You're being ridiculous! I have a sewing kit! I'll fix it for you!"

"No, Luffy's the one who damaged it! He should compensate me for it!"

"It's an ugly jacket anyway!"

"What'd you say?! Wait, why aren't you wearing one?! What happened to-"

"That's it, you bastards!" Wapol indirectly ended the argument. His eyes widened when he saw Venus between them. "Hey, wait! I thought I ate you! You tricked me, you little runt!"

"You can keep the jacket," She deadpanned.

"Darn! His body sure is made tough," Luffy remarked.

He whipped his hand back to point at the large door behind him. "Look! Believe it or not, this is the arsenal! I'm the only one who has the key to this room. Naturally, there are a wide variety of weapons in here. When I eat them up, and make them part of my body using Munch Munch Shock, you'll witness a horrific human weapon!" He laughed evilly. "Now, be prepared. The door will open! It'll be scary! The key to that horrific door is-" He went to grab the key, but to his dismay, it wasn't on the ring anymore. "Gone!" He stared at them in irritation. "No, this isn't over yet."

Luffy was on alert when he made his escape. "Ah! He's running away! Wait!"

"Stop!" Venus glared, running with him.

Wapol ran up the spiral staircase, with the two close behind. "I've got another trump card."

Now alone, Nami analyzed the "misplaced" key in her hand. "Oh, it's just a key to the arsenal. It would've been nice if it were a key to a treasure room. How disappointing."

"Nami-san!" Sanji came fast-crawling over from the door. "Good! You're safe!"

She knelt down in concern when he stopped at her feet. "What happened?! Why're you crawling like that, Sanji-kun? Are you all right?"

As he blushed, his eyes turned into hearts. "Nami-san, you're that concerned about me?!" He started leaning his face towards the small bit of cleavage peeking out from her shirt. "If I get enveloped in that warmth..."

"Don't!" She smacked his head back down.

"Nami... -san." His limbs fell limp.

"Wait! Wait, wait!"

"Dammit!" Wapol burst through the trapdoor, now with ease. "The upper levels are full of snow too!" He trudged through with irritation. "I won't let them get away with this! I won't! I'll make them experience how great the king is!" He shoved a door open, and stomped inside. "The power of Drum is my power," He muttered, "The power of Drum is my power. I'll use the ultimate weapon of the Drum Kingdom." He walked to a purple tarp, and yanked it off, revealing a huge, mechanical cannon with a crown on top. "The Tin Titan Royal Crown Seven Barrel Cannon!"

As he laughed evilly, Luffy and Venus made it to the room. "We've now cornered you!" Luffy announced. "Be prepared!"

"Give up!" She glared.

"Humph! It's you who are cornered, Straw Hats! Time to get blown away!" Wapol pulled the lever on the cannon... but steam blew out of the bottom. "Huh...?" He glared, and yanked it up and down in frustration.

Venus quirked a brow. "We're waiting."

"Shut up!" A small family of chirping Snow Birds hopped out of the cannon's mouth, the mother following her two chicks out. "A bird's nest...!" He gawked.

"Snow Birds!" Luffy beamed.

"So cute!" Venus gushed, before they both started laughing, and pointing at the cannon.

"How dare you make fun of me!"

-

By a windowed tree close to Gyasta, some of the citizens from Big Horn gathered where a white rope was tied to the trunk. "I'm surprised to see a rope connected to the castle from a place like this."

"A young man in town found it by accident."

"This place used to be Dr. Kureha's house!"

A mushroom-shaped gondola was riding along the rope, with Usopp, Vivi, Zoro, Dalton, some residents, and the Twenty MDs on board. "This is a great view!" Zoro remarked.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed, "Hey, isn't this a little overcrowded?"

"We can't let Dalton-san go alone when he's injured!"

"We'll fight too!"

"W-well I get it," Usopp stammered, "But we'll never get there like this!" Dalton panted through his pain, as Vivi watched on in concern. "Paddle! Paddle harder!"

"Dalton-san, don't push too hard," Vivi urged.

"Wapol..." He glared ahead, recalling his arrest for calling the "king" out. "To hell with status! To hell with the king!"

-

In the castle room, Wapol glared up at the mother bird. "I'm the king! I'm the king of the Drum Kingdom! I'm the king!"

"No!" Venus shouted.

He was about to eat the bird, prompting her outburst, when Luffy's hand stopped him. "This is it for you." His grip tightened. "It doesn't matter, if you're a king, or God. It doesn't matter who's great, or who's not great! After all, I'm a pirate."

Wapol laughed behind his hand. "It does matter, Straw Hat! The Drum Kingdom is a member of the World Government." His legs began weakening. "Now listen. This is a world-class offense!"

"Like I said, that doesn't matter, either!" Luffy grinned. "This is my own fight!"

"Y-you damn Straw Idiot! I'll digest you!"

He opened his massive jaws, but Luffy's stretchy fingers kept them from closing. "Try and eat me."

"Not yet! Munch Munch Shock! Tongue Cannon!"

"Ah! His tongue became a cannon!" Luffy exclaimed at the sudden transformation.

"Disappear!"

"Ahh!"

Chopper saw the explosion from down below, but kept his worried feelings hidden.

-

"Dalton-san!" Vivi exclaimed when he coughed up blood. "Please hang in there! What should we do? Dalton-san! Dalton-san!" She cried. "Dalton-san!"

"I'm... I'm all right," He panted.

"Dalton-san."

His breathing rate was still heavy. "I'll make sure... to end this country! To hell with history!" He fell to his knees, remembering when the horrid doctor hunt first started. "To hell with state control!" He recalled Hiriluk showing relief that the Twenty MDs were actually healthy. "What's wrong with wishing the country to have a heart?!"

Everyone noticed him pull something out of his jacket. "D-Dalton-san, what're you-"

They were taken aback when he wielded a link of red dynamite sticks bearing ominous skulls and crossbones. "Dynamite!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Listen, everyone. When we get to the castle, once I get inside, lay on the ground."

-

"Are you worried about him?" Kureha asked the quiet Chopper.

"I'm not worried about him at all!" He replied with determination. "He's a pirate!"

Wapol laughed evilly at the new, smoking hole in the roof. "What an idiot! He let his guard down!"

Venus gaped in horror, but smiled when an unharmed Luffy landed right behind his back, grabbing his shoulders. "Actually, that's you."

"W-what?!"

"One, two..."

"What?! What're you gonna do?!" Luffy spun himself tightly, before planting his feet on Wapol's hips. "Hey, let me go!"

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy aimed him upward, "Blowgun!" On cue, he launched him through the very center of the ceiling, knocking the top off. From where he was stuck, Hiriluk's flag almost mocked him from how it blew proudly in the wind. "Stay here." Ignoring Venus' protest, he began climbing up the roof through the hole from the cannon.

"Doctorine," Chopper continued watching.

"Yeah, it seems... that it's finally come. The end of a long nightmare."

"End," Chopper almost whispered, as his mind took him away again.

"This country is sick right now. Its citizens, king, and the government too, are all sick. People suffer from a sickness of the heart. I'll definitely save this country, using medical science one day."

"Get out of here, quack!"

"Never come back!"

"Run, Chopper!"

"Whoa!"

"Ahh!" Wapol screamed when he climbed up the roof.

Luffy punched his hands together. "You'd better be prepared if you're gonna meddle with someone else's skull flag! Gum-Gum..."

"Ahh! Hold on a sec! I'll give you status, and a medal!"

"Gum-Gum-Gum-Gum-Gum-Gum..."

The fight was noticed from the gondola. "Look! There's someone on top of the castle!"

"Witchy-Witchy..." Venus stood further down, but close enough, preparing to give some surprise assistance.

"Doctor," Chopper muttered, "The kingdom is... the Drum Kingdom is... about to fall!"

Wapol screamed in terror when his hands were launching back like rockets. "Then, I'll make you vice king!"

"Bazooka!!"

"Ball!!"

The combined attack sent Wapol flying; Luffy chuckled, as he watched with a wide grin. Then, he realized that he hadn't attacked alone. "Huh? Venus!" He beamed. She returned the gesture, before they shared a high-five. "Yeah!" He cheered with her.

Nearby, the gondola finally arrived on the top of the mountain. "Alright then!" Usopp hopped out once it slowed to a standstill. "I'll go check. Don't worry. You can come back later." Zoro ignored him, as he disembarked. "Ahh, Zoro's going ahead of me again!" He raged. "Serious power, activated!" He ran further ahead of him, not about to be second-fiddled again. "Venus-chan!" By the time they were out of the elevator, Usopp was hiding fearfully behind Zoro.

"Hey, let go!"

"Alright! I got your back!"

Zoro tried to push him off. "Hey, if you're scared, you can come later!"

"Hm?" Luffy looked down, along with Venus, who perked up.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm not scared!" His legs shook. "Because I'm-"

"Luffy, wait!" She called out, but it was in vain. He was already jumping down with an angry battle cry. "Ugh!" She facepalmed, and began to run down to meet them.

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Luffy!" Zoro gawked.

During his fall, Luffy recognized who he was aiming for. "Ah?! Zoro! Usopp!" Inevitably, he crashed right into them.

Meanwhile, Vivi left the elevator to join the group. "Ah!" Before her was the boys buried in snow, delirious. Luffy straightened up, and laughed sheepishly.

"What'd you do that for, you jerk?!" Zoro shouted.

"Oh, it's you guys! Since I recognized the clothes you're wearing, I thought you were one of them. So you guys came up too." He turned to the sniper, who stood up clumsily. "Usopp, didn't you say you couldn't come up?"

He laughed with confidence. "Don't be silly! If I see a mountain in front of me, I climb it. I'm that kind of guy. But coming up this cliff was quite an adventure."

"We came up by ropeway," Vivi clarified, and he deterred in disappointment, "Luffy-san, are Nami-san, Sanji-san, and Venus-san okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine now," He grinned.

"Ahhh, I'm glad to hear it!"

"Now, get it together," Usopp continued, but was ignored, "We were also attacked by a huge condor on our way! Man, was I surprised."

"I'm glad," Vivi smiled, ignoring the sniper.

"But then I was like, or maybe I should say," Usopp karate-chopped the air with a battle cry, "Just what you'd expect from me." As he stretched his tall tale out, he was ignored.

"So," Zoro turned to Luffy, "What were you doing on top of the castle?"

"I was beating the crap out of the king," Luffy replied, "Venus too."

"Usopp-kun!"

Speaking of which. "Venus-chan!" Usopp exclaimed cheerfully, as she ran out of the castle, and up to him. "Thank goodness you're okay! I- wait, where's your coat?"

She glanced down at herself sheepishly. "I-it's a long story."

-

When Wapol wasn't looking, Venus went to work in sculpting a crude snow decoy in her likeness. 'Let's hope this'll keep him busy, so I can take care of him,' She thought to herself. To finish it off, she stripped out of her coat, and put it on the decoy.

She grimaced when he ate the whole thing, coat included, in one huge bite.

-

"Well, you can't go around like that! Here, take mine."

"R-r-really?" She smiled gratefully through her shivers, as he took it off, and handed it to her. "Thanks!" She pulled it on, and hugged herself. "Still warm," She giggled.

"Oh, come on!" Zoro raged. "You give her your coat, and not me?!"

"She needs it."

"So did I!"

"She needs it more."

At the elevator, Dalton came staggering out, and up to Luffy. "Then as I suspected, the one who flew far into the sky earlier was Wapol! You beat him?!"

"Yep! Me and Venus! Why?"

Dalton stared in awe, as Usopp and Zoro argued. "So what about his top two men?"

"The reindeer beat them up."

"Those two... a reindeer did?"

"Oh yeah!" Luffy raised his hand to the sniper. "Usopp, listen! We found a new friend!"

"Hm?" He turned away from the argument. "What?"

"Reindeer," Dalton muttered in awe, "Reindeer...?" Upon turning, he saw Chopper hiding ineffectively behind a tree nearby. "Blue nose..." He recognized him as the creature he allowed to escape after Hiriluk's death. "You are that reindeer... I see. You've been fighting all this time since then!" He collapsed to his hands and knees in a bow directed to him. "Thank you. Drum will definitely..." He teared up, "Definitely be reborn." Chopper watched silently with caution.

The residents filed out of the elevator. "Ah!"

"Wh-what's that strange creature?!"

"A-a reindeer? No..."

"That's a... m-m-m-mons..."

"Hey, stop it!" Dalton ordered.

"Ahhh!" Usopp screamed in terror. "It's a monster!"

"Usopp!" Venus scolded, as Chopper gaped, then ran further into the woods.

Luffy ran over, and punched his head. "Don't call him a monster! He's the new friend I was talking about!"

"What?! That thing is?!"

"He got shocked, and ran away!" Luffy started going after him. "Wait! Monster!"

"Enough with the monster talk!" Venus yelled after the captain, as he ran off.

"Reindeer!" Kureha and Dalton smiled as they watched. "Hey, wait! Hey! Reindeer! You're my friend! Hey! Reindeer! You're definitely my friend! Hey! Wait!"

"Doctor... this is for the best, right? This is..."

"Wait! Reindeer!"

"No way I'd wait!"

#magical straw hat #one piece #one piece oc #tempeste g. venus #drum island arc #drum island

[thunderstroked]

Poof! Zap!

TIMING: early december. LOCATION: emerald oasis. PARTIES: @gossipsnake & @thunderstroked SUMMARY: anita gives mona a fright and she retaliates, but quickly backs down. CONTENT: none!

The fox ran as fast as she could, slipping beneath flora and underbrush, eager to escape the shutter of the camera behind her. She wasn’t sure why she bothered trapezing the woods, even off the normalized path. All humans were the same– they wanted to see things they didn’t deserve. She could hear their weighted footsteps behind her, eager to follow the abnormal fox to her hiding place. Unlucky for them, she had no intention of leading them anywhere close to something of actual importance. The fox rounded the small clearing, dipping below the brush. Chest heaving, she sent a ball of fox fire from her tail, sending it directly towards the individual with the rather large camera hanging around his neck. 

His eyes glazed over and he began to focus on the ball of blue fire in front of his face. At first, she was mildly worried he might reach out and try to touch it, but instead he diligently followed it in the opposite direction. Grateful for the distraction, the fox crept from underneath her hiding place and slipped out of the clearing, towards the emerald oasis where she could at least catch her breath for a bit. She gained nothing from being there; had heard the stories and its history, but knew that she would not be able to draw any actual energy from it. That wasn’t really her schtick, and it wasn’t something she wanted to do. If there were spirits, long forgotten, however, she would find them. What she hadn’t anticipated was a snake-like woman. She froze in her tracks, eyes glinting amber in the stream of light that pooled at the base of the cove. 

___

The oasis beneath Gatlin Fields had become a favorite spot of the lamia as soon as she had discovered it. She didn’t even really care about its supposedly magical properties, Anita just loved having a place that she could go during any season and simply sit and be in her lamia form. It was dangerous for her to stay scaley for too long once the temperatures began to drop. But in the Emerald Oasis? In there she could swim in warm waters and lay beneath tropical plants for hours. 

Those who knew about the spot were mostly used to supernatural things. Many of the farmers who came to drop withering crops off needed the magic of the oasis too much to question the presence of strange creatures within it. That day, however, it seemed that Anita wasn’t the only creature around. Both the coloring of the fox-like creature and the presence of a second tail drew Anita’s attention as she saw it move towards the cove. Curiosity called her to move closer to the other being, and it didn’t take long until they were face to face. 

“I come in peace,” the lamia said in her best alien impression. “Ahh, sorry no, I don’t actually talk like that. Could you imagine? Gross” she said, switching to her real voice. She knew enough about other shifters to suspect this might be a kitsune, but she was also not disillusioned enough to think she knew every species of creature out there, and the coloring of the creature was not like something she had seen before. 

___

The woman spoke and the fox found her fur standing on end. This town was full of things she’d never encountered, and while she didn’t know what the person in front of her was, there was something beautiful about her, but in the same breath, haunting. She couldn’t put her finger on it– or in this case, paw. A wheeze left the fox, both in response to the snake-woman’s joke, and her own, despite the fact that the woman could not understand why she would have that reaction to begin with. 

The woman was eyeing her and the fox found discomfort in the attention. She glanced around, immediately looking for a possible way out of this situation, but wondered if she’d make it very far. She couldn’t remember the name of what the woman was, but knew to be wary. The only way to communicate would be to shift, but what would happen if she did that? 

Without thinking, an orb of fire shot from her tail, trailing to where the woman stood, catching the base of her tail. The smell made the fox winced and she stumbled backwards, hackles rising. 

_____

Anita couldn’t get a good sense as to what the other being was thinking. If it was responding to her attempts at conversation it was lost on her. Could it not talk? Anita did know that not all shifters could speak in their alternate form which seemed like such a pity. It could also be, of course, that this was an entirely different creature altogether. Either way, Anita was quite captivated. She loved seeing the differing beauty in the world around her, and this was a beauty she had never encountered before. 

“Do you live down here?” It seemed unlikely that it lived in the oasis without Anita having seen it before, but life was full of unpredictable possibilities. Instead of there being any response, though, Anita was met with a blazing orb. As she watched it travel the distance between the two she felt mesmerized. That feeling faded rather quickly when it hit the end of her tail, the impact causing an involuntary rattle right before the lamia let out a cry at the intensity of the fiery pain. 

“Oh my god! I was being so nice! What the fuck…” with a quick movement, Anita slithered away from the fox and stuck her burning scales into the stream of water nearby. When she looked back over towards the creature, its hair was raised. She hadn’t intended to get into any altercations today, but Anita was not the kind to not fight back against a threat. After a deep breath, Anita removed her tail from the water and pulled the rest of her body down towards the ground, letting the tall plantlife provide her cover. 

_______

I was being so nice! 

That was true. The fox’s survival instincts had reared their ugly head– a means to cause distraction, or at the very least cause a catastrophe out of something that could have been dealt with with civility, whatever that looked like between a gumiho and a snake-woman. She hated that the name was escaping her, but it wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know everything under the shifter umbrella by what it was called! She was a gumiho, for fuck’s sake. 

Her sister’s voice sounded in her head, if you would just stop and listen! 

The snake-woman was retreating towards the pool of water, tail dipped in for some kind of relief. If she could speak the way she was now, she would apologize, but the thought left her as soon as the woman disappeared beneath the plant life. The fox had no intention of setting this place ablaze– it seemed too important for something so silly, especially because the woman had been nice to her to begin with, but the threat of inaction was like a loud siren in her head, warning bells ringing, telling her if she didn’t do something, she’d end up as a meal. Call it prey mentality, or whatever. 

The fox looked around, desperate to see if she could spot the creature slithering through the plant life that was stretched across the floor of the cavern. Now would be the time to shift back and explain herself if she wanted to live, she realized. 

In a puff of smoke, Mona replaced the fox and she held out her hands, turning in a small circle as she wasn’t sure where the woman would come from next. An orb of foxfire lit her palm and she held it steady. “I’m sorry, okay? You’re a snake, I’m a fox– it’s circle of life, yeah? Always in my head, always gotta be afraid of the bigger thing. I didn’t mean to.” 

__

Even as she laid there, a literal snake in the grass, Anita was a bit torn on how to deal with the creature who had just seriously scorched her scales. Sure, she regularly killed people for far less but she also thought the creature was quite interesting. She’d never seen anything like it before and it seemed like a waste to just eat it so quickly. Not staying in one spot for long, she moved through the tropical cover while keeping her attention on the fox. 

Her scales weren’t meant for this kind of environment though and the green she sported was not as camouflage as it would have been in the Mojave. Instead of running away, however, the fox stood its ground. Maybe it had understood what she had said even though they had not responded. Before Anita could speculate any longer, and almost as though it was a cheesy magic trick, the fox disappeared and a woman appeared. A rather beautiful one at that. 

In response to the reveal, the lamia moved her head above the line of foliage so she could be seen. “You’re a shifter,” she said matter-of-factly. “You know, normally foxes are considered bigger than snakes,” that was obviously not the case in their situation though. There was still a pang of caution that rang through her head, but Anita decided to make a similar gesture of good faith. “Give me a second,” she said, moving to grab a pack she left nearby with a large oversized t-shirt and shorts. 

As she pulled them out of the bag, Anita allowed herself to transform into her human form. Unlike the fox, her transformation did not come with clothes included. 

__

The woman spoke and Mona felt relief flood through her. She wasn’t sure if being a shifter would be enough for this woman to not make a snack out of her, but she hoped so. Then again, she’d been the one to shoot first, technically speaking. “A gumiho, yes.” Mona’s fingers flexed at her sides, deep brown eyes unmoving from the scales that were now singed. She felt bad, and she would definitely apologize. 

At her comment, the gumiho let out a laugh of her own. “You know, that’s usually how it is, right? Still not fond of getting in a toe to toe match, though. Can’t do much about venom.” She wasn’t sure if Maine had any poisonous snakes, but she wasn’t going to take her chances, especially after being faced with something like this. Who knew what else was lingering in the shadows of Wicked’s Rest? 

The woman slithered, quite comically, to a pack left to to the side of where she was standing. She hadn’t ever seen anything like it, the way he scales receded, the way the body morphed into something else, into something more human. She didn’t know a lot about lamia, but she knew that they were not a natural born thing. Still, it shouldn’t matter to her. Mona cleared her throat after a moment. “I’m sorry again, it’s a force of habit. I’m sure you can understand?” She tried to see if the singe of the woman’s tail had translated to her legs. “Do you– I can pay for your doctor’s visit, if you want.” 

__

“Gumiho,” Anita repeated, “I can’t say I’m familiar with that name. I’ve come across some fox shifters before… though not quite like you.” There was something that always sparked a bit of excitement in Anita when she came across something new, or more accurately, new to her. She liked to think that curiosity and excitement was part of what set her apart from humans. Instead of fearing something strange, something different or unknown, she always welcomed it. “Not all snakes have venom,” she countered with a shrug not addressing the fact that she certainly was a venomous snake. 

After shifting into her less intimidating form, Anita quickly threw on the clothes she had from her bag before she slowly moved closer to the other woman again - hesitantly keeping a bit more distance between the two than she did when she had more natural protection. Especially since the burn stung substantially more across her ankles and calf than it did across her tail. “You get attacked a lot or just naturally skittish? Seems like one of the two, maybe a combination of both, would be the case if your habit is to attack first and ask questions later.” She let the comment sit for a second before clarifying her stance. “Not that I necessarily take issue with that approach. In the right circumstances.”

“That’s not necessary. Not gonna need a doctor.” Not that Anita would have taken the assistance even if she had needed one. “How do you do that?” Hands gesturing in a manner to mirror the puff of smoke that had appeared when the gumiho had transformed, “Appearing with your clothes on and everything, I mean. Hell of a lot more convenient than having to carry around a change of clothes almost all the time. Is that something innate in your species?” 

__ 

“I’m going to take that as a compliment, because in my eyes, it is one.” She knew that her form wasn’t exactly what others had in mind when they thought of a kitsune. It all came down to the fact that she’d been electrocuted and she knew that, but sometimes, people thought to ask if she had dyed herself. Those were the people she didn’t mind leaving with a little more bristly static. Mona raised a brow. She hadn’t considered that not all snakes had venom, but if she were being honest, she didn’t know a lot about them to begin with. She wasn’t exactly a snake’s biggest fan, regardless if it was supernaturally inclined or not. 

In place of that of which she’d been so afraid of was a quite normal looking woman– though, definitely beautiful. “Most of what I attack don’t have the means to introduce themselves, or defend themselves.” She was more of a runner than she was a fighter, but today proved the opposite. “You can’t blame me for being scared, can you? I don’t think that’s very fair.” It was fair, because the woman was the one with the burn on her leg. 

“Well, if you change your mind…” Mona offered a small, but hesitant smile. She wasn’t sure what else to say here, but then the woman was asking her how she reappeared with her clothes and she let out a laugh. “That? That’s just how… I’m not really sure. I know that other shifters get the high of indecent exposure, but we– gumiho, we always just appear back with our clothes on.” She had asked at one point, but never got a straight answer. “I’m sure it’s in a book somewhere. One that I haven’t read.” She shrugged, as if it were simple. “I guess it has to do something with our shifting isn’t… necessarily animalistic? It’s more magic than anything.” 

_ 

“It was a compliment,” Anita responded with a soft smile, not having even considered that being told you were unique could have come across as anything but a compliment. Even though she longed for more Lamia in town there was a sort of pride in being a unique being, different from most others around her. Even the other lamia she had come across in town weren’t Mojave like she was. She couldn’t help but wonder if this woman had been made to feel othered by her unique appearance. 

“And what do you usually attack?” The statement was intriguing as was the one that followed. Most people who were quick to attack weren’t also quick to admit feeling scared. Humans must not be their preferred meal if they usually went for things that couldn’t speak or put up much of a fight. Small prey, that had to mean. “I would never fault someone for feeling fear upon coming across me. I would think anyone who didn’t feel that way was a fool. Like I said, I don’t really take issue with the attack first approach. Just don’t prefer to be the one being attacked, naturally.” 

Anita was glad that the conversation was taking a more humorous turn, finding the sound of the gumiho’s laughter to be just as lovely as she was. “It’s not really a choice. Magic may have made me this way but there isn’t much else about it that is magical. I’d love to just reappear in my regular clothes, would save me so much money on tailoring and replacement clothes. Plus, sometimes it’s just too cold to have all your goodies out in the middle of the woods.” Anita, somewhat tentatively, took a few steps closer to the fellow shifter. “I find the differences in how people like us, people who shift, to be truly fascinating. When you say your shifting isn’t as animalistic… do you not feel connected to who you are in the natural form?” Despite all their similarities, those who shifted were certainly their own species, each with their own way of shifting and their own unique limitations. 

_ 

“Well, I appreciate the compliment then.” Mona stood across from the woman, gaze trailing over the distance that the tail had once appeared over. It wasn’t easy to forget that there were others like her, just in different… instances. She felt as though she had the right to be afraid– giant snake versus small fox just didn’t pan out in the way that she figured would be beneficial to her plight. But the woman seemed more so intrigued than actually hungry, and for that, Mona was thankful. 

“Squirrels.” She paused, frowning, “sometimes we do what we have to do.” She wasn’t the kind of being that’d fight for the sake of fighting, but she’d fight for survival if she had to. Mona figured she’d made that particularly clear, given their current situation. “I can’t say I don’t understand that. I feel like that’s perfectly acceptable, not wanting to be burned.” A part of her felt guilty, now that she was speaking to the woman she’d sent her foxfire towards. In the moment, she’d been so sure it was the right move. Now, she was curious as to whether or not it’d be held against her. 

“I’ve heard of werewolves who use spandex. Maybe that’s a market you can enter.” She had no clue if that actually worked or not, but figured it might be better for somebody who had actual control over themselves. “Imagine a snake like yourself in a tutu.” She gestured vaguely towards the woman, “then again, it might not make people afraid of you.” Mona forced herself to relax, even as the woman approached her. She wasn’t going to be hurt, the brunette had already confirmed that. “I feel connected to it, it’s always a part of me, even right now, despite the lack of fur.” Mona crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s different for everyone, I guess. Some people find themselves… looking to be in tune with their abilities, rather than being a fox, itself.” There were dozens of legends of how kitsune had come to be, none of which ever felt right to her. “It’s innate, I suppose.” 

_ 

The thought of this fox chasing squirrels around was rather amusing. Anita wondered if the sight of her chasing her own prey would be amusing to anyone. “Girl’s gotta eat,” she said with a slight shrug. Justifying having to eat live prey was never something Anita was interested in doing. Sure, there were a lot of things that Anita did that were violent but she did not often associate the pure act of sustaining herself as a violent one. 

“Imagining it,” Anita said with a wide grin and a soft laugh. “Loving it. Gonna make it happen.” To her the image of a massive rattlesnake wearing a sensible yet stylish tutu was genuinely hilarious but she had a feeling that the average person wouldn’t be unafraid of her just because she had on some ruffles. “I know what you mean, about feeling connected.” These were the conversations she loved to have with fellow shifters, getting a sense of how they interacted with their duality. “I’m always the rattlesnake. It’s not just a connection, it’s who I am. Maybe it’s by virtue of being born like this, growing up intertwined, but this isn’t me,” she gestured generally at her human form. “That was.” 

Even though they were protected by the underground caves of the oasis they were in, Anita could hear the sounds of someone not too far away. And while her afternoon lounge in the warmth of the inexplicable tropical oasis had been cut short by the arrival of the kitsune, the lamia did have places to be. “See you around, foxy lady,” she said with a smirk before grabbing her things and making her way around the other woman as she headed towards the surface. “Maybe one day we can exchange stories instead of scorch marks.” 

#para: poof! zap! #para: anita #wickedswriting

[likebreadandwine]

i love your blog sm!!! my partner and i have a pretty big size difference between us (they’re much bigger than i am) and we both kiiiinda have feeder and feedee tendencies? and i have a pretty extensive history with disordered eating so it’s been something i’ve struggled to reconcile for a long time, but seeing how affirmative people like you are of feedees that aren’t into gaining weight means so so so much 🥺. its so fun to actually experiment with and participate in a kink ive had for so long in a new way

ahh thank you! 💛 this message means a lot to me.

can I tell you a secret, nonnie? (though I'm not wild about the labels themselves) I would say that I also have both feeder and feedee tendencies. I don't broadcast that fact; I am nervous people will take the idea and run with it, when really I just want to serve up encouragement.

but it still informs what I post. as does my own history with disordered eating. I try to write from a place of care. I engage with this kink in ways that feel safe and affirming and pleasurable to me, and hope my posts make others feel the same way. I love seeing people embrace food, accept their bodies, and engage in this kink in whatever way feels good, whether that involves gaining or not.

wishing you and your partner all the best xx

#just crack my heart wide open why don't you 🥹 #thank you anon #i'm so happy you're here #have fun!! #asks and answers #anonymous

[ell-vellan]

hey if lavellan/mahariel/cousland changed their classes (mage, rogue, warrior) to smth else, would it affect their personality and identity? 👀

Ahh this is a really intriguing question I had to think about! Thank you for asking! <3

My Cousland is a warrior and Mahariel a rogue, and if they switched, I don't think things would be too terribly different. Both are a little bloodthirsty in their own ways. Cousland, being from a powerful noble family, would become more of an assassin inclined for political scheming than a lady knight with visions of grandeur, and Mahariel would be more Elven warrior/defender of the clan than a hunter, but still disdainful of humans, fiercely loyal, and always looking out for his own interests.

The biggest changes would be if any of them jumped to or from being a mage.

Lavellan being her clan's First is a big part of her personality and story. She feels an intense duty to live up to what her people need of her, uphold the old ways, and be a perfect example of a Dalish mage so as to be accepted as Inquisitor amongst the faithful Andrastians. She has to sanitize parts of herself they don't like, at least until she gains more political power. Her training started as a child, which meant she was kept somewhat apart from other kids her age, marked and treated as something Different and Important early on, and in a lot of ways felt outside of daily clan life. It made her seriously uptight, constantly feel as though she is failing, and she doesn't open up to others readily.

If she got to be just another warrior or hunter from her clan, freed from the weight of all that responsibility, I think she would be a much more easygoing and carefree person who smiled easily and spent her days gathering flowers or herbs or with the halla. She would skip out on her duties and definitely not be the best marksman, lol. She'd be less polished as an Inquisitor, without any leadership or diplomacy training, and much more unapologetically Dalish, to the point of being a little stuck up about it. She'd run Josie ragged trying to excuse little slights she'd unintentionally given to nobles all day long.

To have either my Mahariel or Cousland grow up in a Circle or be the First would also be a big change.

Mahariel would probably have wanted Merrill to be the First and him the Second; he'd rather not have all that responsibility on his shoulders if he could help it. And besides, Merrill was always better and more interested in magic and history than he was. He'd also be wary of following in his father's footsteps; he thinks he isn't cut out for leadership and would rather keep a low profile.

Cousland being raised in the Circle, being unable to inherit her family's land or titles, and escaping the massacre of her house by virtue of not being there to help save them would put such a huge chip on her shoulder. After being recruited by Duncan, she'd be out for blood, even more than she is in my cannon as warrior. I think she would have been plotting this opportunity for *years*, steaming at the unfairness of it all, learning all manner of secret magic that would fly under the radar of the templars -- but on the surface would act the demure, obedient, unassuming lady that made the templars pity her fate. Once out of the Circle, she would want to burn it all down, literally, and would still angle herself politically to get Alistair crowned and her by his side, in order to effect the changes she wanted to see in Ferelden.

#my ocs #tbh i should post their profiles on here eventually #asks #thank you for letting me ramble about them!

[bl00dybat]

i miss being pure a lot. it was ruined so early. it didnt even start with SA it started with exposure to sexuality so young and being sexualized. why tf was i sexualizing myself so young?? why tf were people sexualizing me so young and showing me sexual shit?? it feels so disgusting and ive always felt disgusting. it all just escalated with people sexualizing me as well as a kid, harassing me, touching me AHH so much. spring and summer gives me nostalgic feelings from when i was young and nothing mattered. i hate working and seeing kids come in with their parents so full of love and life, i feel so jealous i want to cry, i wish i could start over. i know everyone wishes they were a kid again and having a child is like being able to relive it yourself and shape them in a better way than what you had. i could never have a kid. my parents didnt even know i was being tainted and i felt too much shame to tell them. being think wont resort me back to being a child. i know this. but even as a kid i had in my mind i needed to be small. the more i gained weight the more i appeared like a girl and the more disgusted i felt with myself. being small meant control and looking more masculine. it still feels that way. itll be so long before i can get surgeries and really feel complete. until then i want to shed myself of this shame full of fat. ive failed at restricting these past 3 days and i feel so ill. i was so close to 149. so fucking close. i had to be a fat piece of shit and just stuff my fucking face. craving a bit of comfort and distraction from what i feel. from going to sleep. i dont want to be forced to relive the pain everytime i go to bed. its always something horrible in some twisted way. i dont want to sleep and acknowledge this day is truly over and tomorrow i am still this person. i have to learn to love myself or i can never enjoy this life. i wish it was easier to not have such strong restrictions on what i feel is ok for me to be and do. i keep relapsing in self harm and i know being in servers that have enablers for sh and ed doesnt fucking help but god i just dont want to feel alone. i cant confide in anyone here it just causes more worry and pain and its so difficult to see them suffer because im struggling so much. theres nowhere to hide but here and i feel like eventually itll be discovered and ill be sent to a hospital or some shit to go through the same cycle ive been through 8 times before, just wasting peoples time and money. i do try to get better and not keep up horrible coping skills nothing fucking works nothing is enough to distract running away doesnt help i dont want to run but i dont want to be beat up by my brain anymorw i just want to feel numb i just want to be hurt I JUST WANT TO BE HURT please anything to make this shutupni dont want to see horrible flashbacks anymoreni hate this ptsd i hate the pain i hate the ghosts i dont want a life full of trauma i dony want to focus on all the bad i want to be ok so badly but none of this is okay my body isnt okay ill neveg be okay at this weight i have to punish myself by not eating people spend too much on me as is and its so costly just to keep me alive why bother with the extra shit?? i want to be loved and coveted but also hated and beaten until i have no choice but to die, i never reached my goals i never became a tattoo artist it is so painful to lose what little progress ive made in life but it is more painful than torturing myself everyday unconsciously? its painful to think all memoriesnof this life could be erased, nothing i did ever mattered, a handful of people remember me and when theyre gone it willnbe nobody. but i feel like such a shitstain in the world anyway and undeserving of being remembered. i already fuckednup so much please just let me restart. i would if it wouldnt hurt my bf and family so much. its torture. why be hurt because of losing me? there is nothing that is lost. i promise i dont matter and ive made you think i matter out of desperation. im sorry.

[themainannoyance]

Okay, fuck it, new years resolution is I'm becoming a slut, I'm becoming a whore. Like seriously and for real, I just saw an image of an insanely beautiful woman and she was tan and beautiful and round I also saw an insanely beautiful man and he was tan and beautiful and not quite round, but I can work with it. No excuses, I think that if I'm not going to get fit for myself, I'm going to get fit for the chance to be the most fuckable twink in any given Walmart. or y'know what, even the most fuckable twink at the uhhhh at the um the fuckin uhhh.... idk the most fuckable twink on a hiking trail, I guess. I have to get sexy, I have to be a slut, this is seriously the only way. Here are the things I have to do, concretely, for real by the end of 2024 if I do not have these things in my possession I will LOSE IT. I will lose it.

Either lose weight or gain muscle. Ideally both

Bigger shoulders

boobs in my mouth

at least 4 slutty outfits that I feel good in, like actively I go "ooooh this makes me feel like me"

at least 3 girl outfits that I feel good in, like actively I go "ah, this is interesting, oo ahh hmmm"

at least 10 boy outfits that I feel good in, like actively I go "yesss >: ) YESS!!!!"

More pronounced jawline (?)

Understanding of how makeup works. Not that I want to do it, but I want an understanding of it

A diagnosis of anything at all regarding my mental health

A regular routine that makes me feel good

More friends, I need to learn how to make friends and I need more transgender gay faggot homo friends in particular

Awesome haircut

Job I feel good about, OR life outside of job I feel good about

Like seriously I think that I just need to shift my focus to something a little bit delusional. I need to work out and think to myself "I'm one day closer to a twink body," and while I think that there is a part of me that's like "hmm, maybe working out to be what you deem as more attractive might get something twisted in your brain," I also believe that my two goals of losing stomach fat and increasing muscle is probably just like... normal idk. Maybe I would have more reservations if I wanted to actually have a twink body, but it's more like I desperately want a more muscular build and just need to be healthier overall. I just think that trying to downplay my feelings towards my own body and the way I want it to look is probably a product of the strange sort of racism that comes from being the only SE Asian person in your school, so you just sort of say "okay I'm ugly and unattractive and there is nothing I can do about it. This is what I am resigning myself to" and ALSO being transgender so you say "aw I guess I'll wait until I go on T to really feel like myself, but even then I'm never going to pass so I might as well ignore my feelings towards my body" but then one day you're 22, you realize that no matter how much you want to suppress it, feeling bad when you see yourself is not a good or productive feeling, and moreover, you kind of just want to be a guy who's hot. And the thing about being hot is that it's mainly just confidence 90% of the time, and y'know I guess the way you develop that confidence is really up to you. I dunno, I think it's just about time that I actually start paying attention to what makes me feel good about myself. I'm sick of being in a position where my day can get ruined by looking in a mirror, especially when this wouldn't happen if I just... worked out. Whenever I've worked out, regardless of anything else, I would just feel good about myself because I was aware of the effort going into taking care of myself, and I just gotta go crazier with that. I just need to figure out what working out actually looks like for me. I think I'm going to work with a system in the early days where I promise myself that I'm either going to workout via walking, or actually working out. My problem with working out is that it's just embarrassing to be like "sorry dad, I need to take a break from this family vacation to go do pushups" but it's less embarrassing to like... walk or something idk. I also think I need to actually be 80 years old and start going on walks regularly with the explicit intention to just think. I love love loved the regular 1 hour commute I had to take between my apartment and my gf's apartment (and school) because I had time to just talk to absolutely nobody and think. And perhaps that's what I've been missing is just time to focus on nothing else except for the basics of not dying. Also I, with no doubt in my mind, have to go get diagnosed for something. Next time I see my GP I'll ask for where to go because as much as I am convinced that I'm lying to myself and everyone perpetually, I'm kind of in a place where I'd rather a psychologist just say "hey you've been faking all of these symptoms, you are just a neurotypical guy who is quirky" then having to keep second guessing everything. If I'm a neurotypical guy who's just quirky, I can at least take my feelings at face value and try to work with the constant mood swings instead of just turning evil about it. That being said, I really hope that I'm not neurotypical because if this is the neurotypical experience then I have no idea how anything gets done at all. Something about a joke where it's like... Rome wasn't built in a day, it was built in - wait I'm gonna tweet that old chestnut I think. But yeah so the stuff I have to just commit to hardcore is:

Do a routine OR walk a crazy amount

Drink more water

Treat my body better

Treat my brain better

Get diagnosed

And that's all very doable

#gene talks #Sorry for the insane post I just really had to get these thoughts out #This is the type of stuff that I kinda want on the revamped cursed intellectualism i htink

[champagnepredicament]

tw: food & diet mention

So during lockdown, and with the doctors advice I lost 3 stone, but since Christmas I've struggled to lose the stone I've gained. My willpower seems none existent. Sometimes I do really well and stick two decent meals a day, just juice and water to drink and a treat after my dinner and treats at the weekend. But other times like today muck up a good week by eating a load of chocolate and the weight goes back up. I want to get back to the ideal weight I once was, but it does seem never ending.

Ahh I just feel so annoyed at myself.

Oh dear,

Firstly, I am sending you a virtual hug.

Secondly, I think it's important for you to know this -- eating a load of chocolate does not muck up a good week. Have a good meal tonight (if you haven't had dinner), drink some water, and most importantly BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Tomorrow is a new day!

I spent my teenaged years through the first few years of my 20's basing my worth on the number on my scale and the pain it caused me is not worth it. At least for me, restricting always led to binging and its a vicious cycle.

Instead, when I want a chocolate, I have a chocolate. Because life is too short to not eat the damn chocolate. I always try to make good food choices when I can, eating as healthy as I can but sometimes, I eat junk food and it took me a long time to realize that it's okay.

Another thing that has helped me is to focus on non-scale victories. I am roughly the same weight as I was when my son was born four years ago BUT I am so much physically stronger than I was the day my son was born. Does that mean that I have failed to lose the babyweight? I guess but looking at the number on the scale doesn't tell the whole story.

Figure out how to move your body is ways that make you happy. For me, that's gardening (or at least, attempting to garden, I'm not really a successful gardener), climbing trees, swinging on swings at the park with my son, going rock hunting with my sister or wandering around a cemetery. Exercise doesn't have to be typical nor does it have to be stenuous.

I'm not a doctor but I think if you make good food choices most of the time and make it a point to move your body as often as you can, then I think you're on the right track. Above all else, please be kind to yourself, I think that is most important.

I hope some of this advice is helpful -- please take the bits that are helpful and leave the rest.

Best,

Kate

#i hope this was helpful <3 #tw food #tw diet

[theintrovertwithadhd]

Life is hard

Most of the time I feel like I can’t keep up in this world. It feels like I’m just constantly chasing serotonin highs and obsessing over what I need to do to start this business idea of mine.. Of which I have no idea it should even be.. Ahh, got to love having ADHD.

I find interacting with people generally xhausting so the ones I do let close to me are incredibly special and it runs deep. I’m not sure if it’s because It’s me protecting myself from getting hurt or It’s just who I am. I feel like its weird how much I love to be alone. I mean I do have to go into the office everyday for work so anytime outside of that I just spend trying to decompress and unwind from it all. 

The friends I do have (which are very few at this time in my life, I believe in quality vs. quantity for this), are unique. They understand me, they understand I beat to my own drum, I am spontaneous, I expect honestly, loyalty and respect. And I will always, always have your back. I do have faults, I find sticking to my word very hard when I say I”m going to do something and I’ve had a busy week. I’m not consistent in that sense. I am an amazing listener though, I nurture, I support, I am fun. You’ll know I trust you when I feel comfortable with you in silence. It’s how I unspokenly tell you I feel safe. 

I feel like I”ve been hurt so many times and I’ve allowed myself to trust the wrong people (Dave, Jeff and even Matt). That i’m scared to let anyone in now and feel like they will always betray me. I feel like my radar is so off when it comes to this. I feel like I know, but then I get blind sighted or just ignore the things that I shouldn’t. I mean to be fair I guess I really didn’t like Matt and I really did know he wasn’t going to stick around. 

I guess I just feel like I don’t have a direct direction or steps to do what I want to get to where I want. LIke get a mentor, take a course, get a certificate, make a new community of friends, improve my sense of style and get on a solid workout routine. 

So I guess from here, my goals are:

Seek a mentor

create/find a community of friends 

Improve sense of style

Determine workout rountine/not gain weight during winter

Instead of focusing on improving or changing the weaknesses (ex. Bailing on friends), I choose to focus on my positives and love myself for those. I choose to remember that life ebs and flows, to remember I am always growing. To remember to slow down, enjoy the moments. I choose to remember to trust the process and follow your gut. 

#reflecting

[obscurism]

Hi I absolutely love your Anna fic on ao3 your writing is amazing 😍 I was wondering if you would write something fluffy and smutty (just fluffy if you don’t wanna do smut) for Anna where she hears her s/o making a self deprecating joke and Anna takes it too seriously and makes it her mission to make her feel beautiful 🤩

Ahh you're so sweet anon thank you! 😭 ❤️

I'll do some fluff with hints at smut. I usually reserve the debauchery for longer fics since I like to go big or go home with smut. Can't fit all that into a drabble 😉 but perhaps one day I'll do a kink drabble series... 👀

Content warning perhaps for those that have body image issues, but you're all gorgeous no matter what you look like. I'm just basing this on my own experiences as something I would find comforting as someone with aforementioned issues/something I personally have dealt with. Generally I try to not add character descriptions, but for this I took the risk. Hope you don't mind!

It had been a long while since you had found yourself nestled deep in the Red Forest with The Huntress, so much so you weren't sure how long you had been there anymore. All time had seemed to stop. Days and nights meshed together seamlessly, but the one thing that kept you grounded to passage of time was when you tried on your clothes from when you first were dropped in this purgatory.

Of course, they were much too small for your body now.

You didn't really lament about the weight gain, after all, you were no longer running for your life on a daily basis and living off of whatever small "meals" the Entity gave you. Not that you would call trail mix and protein bars a meal.

"Guess my fat ass isn't wearing this anymore..." you thought aloud, unashamed of the changes that took place on your body.

Anna, however, peaked her head in immediately. A scowl on her face as she watched you toss the garments aside. Her wife wasn't fat! She was happy and healthy! How could she say such things about herself?

"No!" Anna retorted in response and was standing behind you in merely a few strides. Her hands patting your ass, it was quite nice and was meatier now than when you had first met, but she still loved you no matter your size, big or small.

Her hands wandered from your shoulders down to your legs, all the while she kissed each part of you. She made sure that you knew how much she loved you, and your body, through gentle caresses and kisses.

"No, happy and safe." Anna retorted once more, picking you up with ease and resting her masked forehead against your own. The fact that your clothes didn't fit anymore was a good thing in her eyes. It meant she had provided for you in abundance.

You laughed, wrapping your arms around her neck. "Anna, I'm just making fun of myself, don't worry."

Anna's brow furrowed under her mask, not understanding why someone would do this to themselves. "No, Anna won't allow."

Sighing, you kissed the nose of her mask before playfully rolling your eyes at her with a smirk. "Okay fine, I won't do that anymore. Now put me down so I can finish getting dressed?"

In response to the latter part, Anna simply gripped your body to herself tighter, a smirk forming on her lips and instantly you knew that the days hunt would start a little later than usual.

#anna the huntress x reader #the huntress x reader #anna the huntress #anna dbd #the huntress #on this blog we stan weight gain as positive character changes/development