#wintertime is always difficult i think

[broomsick]

Self-care & connecting with nature deities during the wintertime

Is it still possible to connect with harvest and nature deities such as Freyr during the cold season?

Long answer short, yes. Obviously, absolutely. But you all saw that answer coming, right? So I’m here to give you some ideas, as the person who’s favorite season is winter and who made it their mission to help everybody like winter just a little more. And since I feel especially close to Yngvi-Freyr when it comes to the Gods, I will use him as an example throughout this post, though a lot of the following could apply to most nature deities.

Let us first examine a common misconception before we get to the bottom of this topic: the fields don’t die when the sun sets on the 31st of October. The earth still lives under thick layers of snow. The process of dormancy is absolutely crucial to the cycles of nature. And if, like me, you find Freyr to be a sort of guardian of these cycles, then you’ll know he manifests himself in so many ways, even where you might not think to look.

Have you heard about the holly and ivy tradition? It was common during the European Medieval times to decorate houses and halls using holly and ivy, because they were the two plants with leaves that stayed green, even in the dark and cold of winter. This type of practice is often referred to as "bringing the outside in", and it's something I'm quite fond of. I've no doubt it could be a great help if you're the type to feel depressed during the winter time. It's a way to remind oneself of how everpresent nature actually is. Lots of greenery remains despite the snow! And to ackowledge this fact and to work with it is such a great way to connect with nature Gods in general! It goes to show that you appreciate their blessings all year round, not just during spring and summer. While it's true that in many cases, the presence of deities such as Freyr may feel somehow "dimmed" during the winter time, I assure you, they don't disappear once the first snow falls! On the contrary, they are every bit as present and active as when spring comes! They simply manifest themselves in a different manner.

When winter comes, I love to work with evergreen spirits. I incorporate spruce, fir and cedar into my practice and in my offerings. I won't go into too much detail for this topic however, because I've written posts that pertained to it in the past (namely, this post on tree work and this one on land spirits). Since I don't have easy access to holly or ivy, I make due with evergreen! Not with any actual branches, except when I'm lucky enough to find some that were torn away by the wind. But rather, using representations of it. In the same manner, and in the spirit of "bringing the outside in", it's also possible to decorate using representations of the sun! Harvest deities such as Freyr are often associated with it due to its crucial role in the cycles of plant growth. Candles also make for great solar symbols, and to place them around the home is like lighting a handful of little suns to bring much needed light and warmth inside. What's more, lighting candles on the winter solstice night is a widespread practice among pagans today! It serves to symbolize the return of the sun, as the days start to grow longer again. Until then however, it can be soothing for one to light a candle every morning before school or work, and to call upon any harvest, nature or solar deity of their choice to ask for strength and motivation throught the day. Even when it's difficult for us to feel their presence, they always hear us.

Now, how to actually feel more connected to nature? Oftentimes, connecting with nature and connecting with Yngvi-Freyr are one and the same. And on a more personal note, a lot of the advice I received from him pertained exactly to that: I believe he's often urged me to go spend more time in nature when I am going through rough patches. I know the cold and the cloudy weather can make it depressing for a lot of people to go out. My advice on this is to take it step by step: no need to go on long, four-hour long hikes right away! After all, there is already much beauty to be seen close to home. And I can't put enough emphasis on that: dress warmly! Also, as a tool for motivation, prepare a treat for yourself to enjoy after you've gone out. Part of what makes me enjoy winter so much is the thought of the warmth and light which await inside after I’ve gone out into the cold. The home is as sacred as the outside world! So why not buy, or prepare a batch of cookies, a cup of hot chocolate or a spicy dinner! It's something I love to do as a way to motivate myself to go out more often. And I like to offer part of these to local land spirits and to the Vanir, to show my appreciation for the beauty of this season. Just as an aside, I find snow water to be a great such offering as well!

I know that I’m not revolutionizing the pagan scene with this post, as there’s only so many ways to connect with nature during winter. I think it’s important to keep in mind that the snow, rain and cold that this season brings is just as much part of nature as the greens and lively colors of spring and summer. For this reason, they are just as much a part of nature deities and what they represent. Deities have so many facets and depth, and it can be so fulfilling to explore these different aspects, and the way we perceive them. While it’s true that spiritually speaking, it often feels to us heathens as if Skaði is somehow “taking” Freyr’s place in the order of things for the time being— much like the Holly King takes the Oak King’s place in Celtic folklore. This doesn’t make it so he disappears! In my experience, he presides over the cycle of seasons as a whole, and he is every bit as present for his followers as he is during the winter. I can connect with Skaði during the summer in a similar manner. And I’m sure that the same can be said for so many other harvest deities.

#my ideas #yule #winter solstice #paganism #witchcraft #pagan #norse paganism #polytheism #rituals #heathenry #norse polytheism #deity work #norse gods #spirituality #deities

[yaut-jaknowit]

How bout something with a yautja and their partner (either human or yautja) gets hurt, like broken back level of hurt and the two just go through the ups and downs of recovery/healing together till the partner who has got hurt learns how to walk again and what not. How they get hurt up to you lol

When the Stars Align

Pairings: Gawtin (Female Yautja) x Reader

Word Count: 5942 (Whoops. A whopping ten pages)

Summary: For the year, you were closing up your cabin deep in the forest. It's done well and served its purpose during the warmth months but winter was coming. On the last night up there, you were walking the property only to come across a wounded animal.

Author Note: I hope it was okay to turn this a little different than you wanted it. If you want something else, let me know! I felt like this could be used as an excuse to finally reveal where reader met Gawtin originally. Little warning of blood, birth (not descriptive).

Part 2

Masterlist

Ao3

Around the cabin deep in the forest was miles and miles of forest barely occupied by any other people. A life you wished to enjoy longer before reality crashes back down on you. The cool crisp air attempted to bite through your jacket, almost nipping at your skin. Winter was coming soon. The poor little cabin situated far from civilization was unreachable during this time. Which meant, at this time, it was time to close it down.

Food and some drinks had to be retrieved. All the pipes had to be blown out so they didn’t freeze and burst open. Any clothing you wanted back home was to be packed into the extra bags you’ve brought. Windows had to be boarded up. Lastly, the power shut off.

Alone, you sat out by the large fire pit, observing the flickering flames. The warm it produced was enough for you to sit outside comfortably with just a simple jacket.

Up here, this far in, there was no cell service, not to even call for an emergency. If you were in trouble, you had to either solve the problem yourself or somehow get yourself into range. Both options were difficult to obtain in the middle of an emergency. When it came to survival, that’s what you had to do unfortunately.

A sketch book and pencil sat in your hands, used but forgotten about currently. Thoughts crowded your mind too much to think clearly. Coming up here was always a great stress reliever when life became too hectic. Wintertime sucked. Unable to escape reality for just a weekend and be stuck at a job that drains you or able to just come up to enjoy nature at its finest.

Softly, your eyes closed. The forest grew louder, ears picking up every little sound possible from your spot. The fire before you continuing to crackle and pop at times. A constant source of heat to fight off the chill of the beginning night. This was your last night up for the year. You’ll be back up in late April and early May to reopen it for the year and enjoy it all over again.

Warm air turned the cool air surrounding you into a steam for just a moment. You stood up and stretched out. The sketch book in your hand was placed to the side, pencil on top of it. If you couldn’t get out of your thoughts, you needed to clear them. There were only so few things possible to do so.

You walked up the short three steps on the deck and into the cabin. It was small, reliable though. For years, since the seventies or so, it has withstood a freak tornado, too many wildfires to begin to count, and many thunderstorms. The lightning was always a danger and caused you to panic at every strike heard or seen. It’s seen many people as your family has shared throughout lots of members.

The flashlight you were searching for was swiped off the counter. Out the door you went. With the light in hand, you started to make a path you’ve taken so many times before. A path you could probably walk blind on. Content as can be, you were alert and mindful but still enjoyed nature.

Water running would be heard at the edge of your hearing, barely there. The creek. A tiny river that ran through the acres of land you now owned. Just on the other side was a thick marsh you didn’t dare step into again. Last time, you lost a flip flop to its depths. You stayed on the safe side and on the path that buddies up with the creek until a certain point.

But you stop. Despite the quiet creek, the forest… it was dead silent. No bugs. No birds. Not a single sound to disrupt the unease in the air. Your entire body tenses, fear pumping into your veins. The flash in hand slowly swiveled around to survey the area only to come up empty handed. Your ears strained to heard something but it was like the forest suddenly died.

Throughout your years, you knew there was something out there. Something dangerous. All you had on you was a switch blade. No bigger than five inches. If a creature came after you, the thing would offer little to no help against a true predator. Your hand patted the spot it sat in your jacket pocket for double measure. Same place it was earlier.

From there, your steps were light, soft on the way back to the safety of the cabin. Not a predator hunting but prey surviving. Your heart was racing in your ears, almost drowning out the sound of the creek. This was a feeling you’ve never felt before up here. Never. Yes, there’s bears, wolves, and cougars but this was different. Your throat bobbed, eyes being vigilant.

Something you didn’t notice before was a liquid glowing bright in the dark atmosphere. Like a moth to a light, you stepped up to it. It truly glowed. A liquid, neon green. As if someone had broken a glow stick and drippled it along the forest floor… and left a handprint on the next to you. A massive handprint. It was smeared partial but could easily engulf your head.

Of course, the first thing to come to mind was Bigfoot. As stupid as it sounds, what else could’ve made a print that large?! Who else was out here this far? Nothing or no one you knew.

You swallowed your apprehension and diverted from the well-worn path. Away from the creek and further into the forest you grew up in. You stalked the trail of this glowing liquid. It stood out like a sore thumb in the growing night.

Labored, painful wheezing rasped in the silent forest, breaking the pause of sound. For just a heartbeat, you felt relief there was something creating noise out here only to realize the meaning. A creature, probably wounded, was causing this entire situation. Your shoulders sagged before you pushed forward.

Through the dense foliage, you saw a lump covered in the green goo and furrowed your brows. The light from your torch was pointed at it. Said lump shuttered.

Stunned into terror, you choked on a gasp at the sight of this… this humanoid monster on its side. Dark eyes were pinned on your trembling frame. With one of its arms, it weakly sits up as if it was going to crawl up to you. Its other arm lashed out. A guttural snarl releasing from its strange mouth. A wounded animal cornered is the first thing that came to mind at the sight of it.

The deep, bloody wounds that covered its body prevented it from moving much more. That didn’t stop it from creating noises of warning and unspoken threats. More green fluids gushed out. Blood. The glowing stuff was its blood. You shuffled through your knowledge to figure if anything had glowing blood like this. At least anything native to this area.

But nothing.

Tears were welled in its strange, inhuman colored eyes. Instantly, your heart ached at the sight of the poor thing in pain and writhing on the ground, coated in blood. You, yourself, made a saddened noise, brows furrowed in sorrow.

As your eyes scanned along its dark skin, they stopped on something that stunned you once more. Its belly was extended, rounded. You took notice at sharp bulge for a moment. A baby. A baby had just kicked. Shit.

If you were terrified or concern for not only your life but for its before, you were definitely now. A mother was someone to be afraid of. Mama bears were no joke. But the fact this thing looked like it could kill you like any other predator in this forest, you lost all color on your face. The only thing stopping you from turning tail and running was the wounds that downed it.

Consider it stupid, you lowered yourself down to your knees, hands clasped in front of you. At your movement, the thing hissed a deadly call. The flashlight pointed at the ground before the creature. This thing watched with intent, not letting you out of its sight for a moment, not even blinking.

Its breathing was ragged and wet sounding. Horrible to be in such a position as an upcoming mother and terribly wounded. You blink slowly, like you would do to a cat and slightly lowered you head, like a dog. “He-hey,” you tried, voice cracking involuntarily. You huffed at the sound. It stayed silent besides its breathing. “You’re injured.” At that point, you could’ve slapped yourself silly. As if it didn’t know it was wounded. It grunted, hand fisting the pine needle blanketed grounds.

“Sorry, that was stupid of me.” You sighed before introducing yourself to it. All the while you did this, you continued to keep your voice low and soft. Truly though, in its eyes, you couldn’t tell if it could understand you or was gathering the will to pounce on you.

“I would like to help you, if you let-“ The creature snarl, head bowed, chin tucked as its arm wrapped around its abdomen. You notice the way its extended belly contracted slightly on itself.

Not only was this an expecting mother, but a mother in labor. You gnawed at your lip to the point copper could be tasted on your buds. How were you going to salvage this? What could be done? Did this thing even understand what you’re saying?!

Its head whipped up, eyes back on you. You hadn’t moved. “You’re in labor. Fuck, you’re in labor. I-I can help, maybe,”  you rambled and ran a hand through your hair. The action had it hissing at you. Instantly, you stopped and returned to your former position. “Sorry, just nervous.” You took a short pause to gather your thoughts again. “I don’t know why you’re hurt but those wounds need to be cleaned and bandaged. The fact you’re in labor doesn’t help.” It released a clicking, wet hiss.

Sometimes, you needed to learn to get to the point. Even in troubling times. “Okay, okay. I can help you to my cabin. It’s not too far from here. I can tend to your wounds. I don’t know much about birth but I can adapt quickly.” Hopefully. This was never a situation you thought was possible.

With a pause, you had a chance to fully look at it. To be honest, its face looked like if someone turned a crab into a human. You weren’t disgusted or concerned by the way it looked. Just something you’ve never even seen before.

The top of its head was a shaped like a dome. At the edges of said dome was strange parts that jutted out like a crest or crown. Similar to dreads, thick, long strands that looked like rubber fell from its head. The rest of its body was human enough looking. Just the face was nothing from here you’ve every seen or heard about before.

Her arm around its belly tightened as it seemed study, judge you from the safe distance between the two of you. You stayed exactly where you were, despite the way your legs protested. You had to gain her trust, even if it’s just the tiniest sliver for her to come to the cabin with you. Deep inside of your heart, you felt awful for what’s happened to her. If you were in a situation like this, you hoped someone had a kind enough heart to help you.

Slowly and deliberately, you raised both of your hands in the air, flashlight pointing up into the air. A sign to show her you are no threat. “Please, I just want to help you,” you pleaded, brows furrowed, and put all of your sincerity into your words. Deep, bone chilling bellowed shook the ground under your feet.

Like a stone wall crumbling, she sagged in her spot with a hefty groan. Her massive head bowed, eyes on the ground now.

Hope grew inside of you at the sight. Was she going to accept your offer? You’d feel awful leaving her out here like this. Even though you didn’t create the situation she was in. You continued to gnaw at you bottom lip as you let her take all the time in the word. You timidly rested your arms back on your legs, showing no signs of moving or aggression.

Barely noticeable, she dipped her head in confirmation. You had to stop yourself from cheering before the realization hit you. This unidentifiable creature understood you. She knew what you were saying. At least this made things possibly simpler for you.

First thing first: getting her on her feet and to the cabin. “I’m going to stand up now and walk over to you. Is that okay?” you stated and stayed where you were crouched until seeing her head bob. Relief bubbled in your system. You did exactly what you said. All of your movements were slow, timid, calculated in each step over to her. She hissed at first before quieting down.

Once close enough to her, you officially noticed the size of this creature. Massive. Entirely powerful and huge. This was just from looking down at her.

From here, you knelt down again to get to her level and access the damage up close now. You cringed at the sight of so many wounds but saw stitching a few healing marks. You tilted your head but didn’t bring it up. It was unknown if she could respond to you.

“Like I said, I have a cabin close by. Are you able to walk, or at least get to your feet so I can help you?” you questioned quietly, afraid to go any louder. The last thing you wanted was to enrage her somehow. Her eyes watched your every move carefully.

The moment her muscles twitched into movement, you leaped back, ready to bolt. She stopped immediately. Nervously, you laughed quietly and rubbed at the back of your neck. “Sorry,” you apologized and approached her again. One of your hands was outstretched for her to take. All she did was brush it off with a bellow and used a tree to struggle to her feet.

Your jaw dropped. She towered completely over you. If you thought of her as massive on the ground, this was totally different on her own two feet. Your eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Fear consumed your emotions due to the fact you were frozen on your spot.

A guttural, pained groan snapped you from your thoughts. She still had an arm swaddling her abandoned, head temporarily bowed. You cleared your thought. “A-alright, we better get you to the cabin,” you broke the awkward silence and stared up at her. There was no chance to even try and carry her. Her weight alone could crush you like the bug you are compared to the creature.

Yet, at the sight of her, you knew she wouldn’t be able to walk on her own. Timidly, you inched towards her, observing her body language just in case. “You can use me as a crutch?” you offered and stopped once a foot away from her. She hissed out but made no move of aggression. You flinched at the noise, antsy. She did not like your suggestion.

The way she leaned against the tree gave you any idea though… Her making it back to the cabin on her own would either take far too long or she just wouldn’t make it anyhow. “Please. Take in all the issues against you, please,” you begged and shown within your eyes that all you meant was to help her.

She made a noise akin to an alligator. A tree was her support for the moment. She leaned forward to get closer to her face, careful of her wounds and belly. “I just want to help, okay?” you repeated, voice barely above a whisper. She released a snort that blew hot air into your face. A small part of your mind believed she was probably thinking on how you were going to withstand her weight. It was worth a try in your eyes.

When you didn’t back down, she reached out to place hand on your shoulder that engulfed it. The hand surely matched the print you saw earlier. You could see the fact her palm along would take up your entire face or simply snap your neck if she saw fit. A shaky breath released from your tense lungs.

More weight was shifted onto your fragile form as she left the tree. Neon blood smeared on the dark bark in her wake. She did her best to conceal her heavy, rasping breathing but this close to her, you heard the rattle in each inhale and exhale. Your heart ached at the sound, brows furrowed. What in the world could’ve done something like this?

Once the creature moved away from the tree, she nudged you forward. Like a cane, you let her use you to stable herself from tree to tree. Thankfully, this far into the forest, it was more wild, less groomed by your family. This meant more foliage and trees crowding each other. The creature swayed, stumbling behind you.

At one point, her legs nearly buckled. That caused what felt to be three hundred pounds to be shoved onto all at once. Thankfully, a tree had saved you from being crushed into a pancake. A tinge started in your back though. Great.

The pace both of you traveled at could’ve rivaled a snail. From the many breaks she had to take – not that you blamed her, to the fact she had to drag her feet. Making progress through the night was incredibly hard. The strain she put on you and lack of sleep were starting to catch up to you.

Your first yawn of the night began as you stepped into an all to familiar area around the cabin. It was part of the area that’s easily maintained. The trees here were sparser as you struggled to keep her up on her legs between the trunks. Your legs ached horribly after the unknown amount of time it has taken to get her this far.

Biting through the pain and yawns, you finally see the dark cabin through the foliage and felt the last bit of adrenaline enter your system. With this newfound energy, you marched on and got her to the steps of the front door. Once there, the creature switched her weight to lean on the porch’s support beam. You, yourself, rested against the cabin’s wall, breathing heavily. At least that’s over.

Sluggishly, you dragged yourself up the steps and opened the old door. For a moment, your eyes glanced around to find the best place for her to be. The bedroom is what came first. Sheets can either be washed and replaced. You glanced back at her with a sorrowful look. The poor thing was struggling to stay on her legs, still holding onto her stomach.

Her eyes narrowed. A low growl sounded in the back of her throat. You threw up your hands to show you’re still no threat to her. You gnawed again at your bottom lip while just standing there. All you could do was pray she understood you meant not ill intent towards her or her baby.

You stepped back from the door and made a grand sweeping motion. “This is my cabin.” The creature took a lungful of air, scenting the place. Slowly, she trudged up the three steps and onto the porch. It groaned and creaked underneath her massive size. Due to her size alone, she was unable to stand up completely, partially hunched over.

Green blood stained the wood, leaving behind a deadly trail in her wake. Instead of fretting over a small mess, you guided her into the place and over to the only bedroom. You opened the door and helped her inside. “I hope this is okay for you. The tub definitely wouldn’t have fit you and the living room probably wouldn't have been comfortable for you.” In all honesty, the cabin didn’t have much to offer besides the forest it was surrounded in. Not that you minded. But, in the moment…

Once she was sat down on the bed, you stepped away careful, hands partially raise. “Is-is this okay?” you asked and stood back to lean against the dresser behind you. Her eyes had yet to leave your exhausted form. But for the first time, they darted around the room before resting on you again. Her massive head dipped once, thick dreads shifting with the movement. You had to stop yourself from smiling brightly.

This wasn’t over. You pushed off of the dresser and walked over to the bathroom that was connected. There was a first aid kit somewhere in here.

It didn’t take long for you to return back to her side with the supplies. Carefully, you opened the box to show her the contents. “This is a first aid kit. It medical supplies so I-“ the box was swiped from your hands and into hers. You jerked your arms back and checked for any injuries. Nothing. You relaxed and watched as she dug through to find what she wanted.

With a sigh, you left again to get a bowl and some towels. Those wounds of her weren’t bleeding heavily anymore but they still needed to be cleaned up. You stepped back towards her timidly and showed off what you had. With a jerk of her head, she motioned for them to be set off to the side. You raised a brow but placed the bowl on the nightstand. The towels were tossed next to her.

The creature had its eyes on you again. Now, in the light of the cabin, you realized they were purple! A beautiful shade that easily caught your attention. But, you shook yourself free from your thoughts. She had lowered head, body tense, ready to lunge. Curses were forming in your brain as you stepped away from her, arms raised.

She followed your every move but never made one of herself. When you got to the door, she released a deadly snarl. Your first reaction was to slam the door closed. The cabin went quiet, besides the low crackling of the dying fire outside.

Okay then. You popped your lips and tried to piece the whole the situation together. What had you just done? All you could do was stare blankly at the closed door for a few long, unspeakable minutes. Then, you pulled yourself up by the bootstraps and trudged outside. The fire couldn’t be left out to burn all night.

By the fire again, you plopped down on a wooden bench and stared into the flickering flames. Next to you was the discarded sketch book and pencil. They felt heavier in your hands after picking them back up.

What had you done? Why was your heart so naïve to these things?! A wounded creature – or whatever that thing is – isn’t something you bring inside of your house? Cabin? Whatever. You groaned and cradled your head into your hands. “What am I going to do?” The things had kicked you out of your own cabin after you offered it shelter and medical supplies.

It’s a mother though, in labor. That thought pulled at your heart strings, making you feel horribly guilty. A hand ran through your locks of hair. Tomorrow is a new day. Could you even sleep while knowing that thing was in there with you? Was it hungry? You brought it water, though not drink.

Your mind was all over the place, trying to decipher the next course of action for the upcoming day. As you sat, alone, you felt eyes on you. Immediately, your head whipped up to find the window to the bedroom. There, in the dim light of the room, was the creature, watching you. Did it need something?

Both of your legs strained under your body but carried you to the bedroom door. Softly, your knuckles racked against the wood. “Are you okay? Do you need help?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, ear listening for movement.

Then, the door was ripped open. In a bout of terror, you reeled away, back slamming into the wall behind you and gasped harshly.

From many moments ago, the mother’s body was fairly cleaned up now. This allowed you to notice the fact she wore no shirt to cover her enlarged breasts. A squeak passed your lips. You shied your eyes away to look at the floor, stupid as it might be.

The creature huffed before making a clicking noise of sorts. Your eyes darted up to her face for only a second. She sighed once more. A warm, massive hand wrapped around your bicep and tugged you into the room. You released a yelp and squirmed in her hold. “Hey, wait! Please don’t hurt me,” you pleaded and did everything in your power to get free.

It took a fraction of her strength to push you back into a wall and effectively pinning you there. Instinctively, you bowed your head, body shaking like a left on a tree.

Nothing was done to you. Untensing a little, you glanced up at the towering figure as she peered down at you. Despite no words, her actions spoke loudly. She wasn’t going to hurt you. Your body relaxed, for the most part. “So, uh, what do you need?” you questioned and clutched your sketch book to your chest.

She stepped away from you and partially turned her back towards you. It was still a mess of wounds and glowing blood. “You want me to help you?” Stupid to ask as she was wanting you to already. Your nerves were getting the best of you.

Despite looking like nothing from this world, she expressed a deadpanned look. “Okay, okay, sorry. Just wanted to make sure. Alright?” You held up your hands, one holding the book. She snorted airily before grunting, claws flexing.

You cleared your throat. “If you don’t mind me asking… how far along are you?” A coppery taste touched your buds the longer you worried at your lips. She took a momentary pause before pointing at the ground. For a second, it was hard to figure out what she was doing. “Oh! Now, now. Got it…” So, you were right.

Before you had a chance to move away from the wall, a deadly hand encased your throat and pinned you hard against. A threatening, bone chilling snarl ripped from her throat next to your ear. The warning loud and clear. Then, she backed away and sat down on the bed. Like nothing had happened.

After shoving your heart back into your chest from your throat, you shakily walked up to her. Her back was facing you, allowing you to see all the past scars and new wound decorating it. A part of you wanted to reach out and touch them but reframed from doing that.

Fairly enough, the sheets were barely contaminated by her blood. A part of you appreciated that. Less of a job to clean up later. The towels you’ve given her earlier were half used, soaked in neon green blood. You grabbed a clean one, dipped it in the semi dirty water, before reaching out towards her back. “I’m going to touch your back now, okay?” you stated and only moved when given permission to wipe off her back.

Stroke after delicate stroke, dried and wet blood was washed away. The hours of the night went on as you worked on stitching close any large cut. Glancing at one of the round wounds in her back, you noticed something lodged in it. Carefully, you plucked a pair of tweezers and let her know your intentions.

It was delicate work to pull the unknown object from her flesh. Finally, you were able to get a good grasp and tugged it free. More blood gushed out. You placed a clean towel with even pressure on the newly opened wound.

In the grasp of the tweezers… was a bullet. You dropped it by accident but froze up. Something had shot her. Fear battled anger. Who in the hell shot her?! That meant someone trespassed onto your property to injure her. Your hands shook from boiling rage as new light shined on the situation. Someone had shot a mother. A clearly pregnant mother!

Instead of letting yourself get distracted, you focused back on the task on hand. It wasn’t long before the wounds were cleaned and covered. You stepped away from the lumbering giant, hands and clothing soaked with her blood. A shower was desperately needed after this has passed. “How do you feel?”

She turned around to face you, legs hanging over the edge of the bed now. A deep breath filled her lungs. The creature carefully stretched out her muscles to test her ability. Once she seem satisfied, she nodded her head. Either in gratitude or acknowledgment, you didn’t know. “Are you hungry?” This made her stop to think for a moment then nodded again.

Okay, communication was achievable, thankfully. You pressed your lips together in thought. “So… what do you eat?” Downright, she looked to be a predator with the size of those teeth. No herbivore on this planet had teeth like that. “I’m guessing meat?” Another nod.

Meat was something you could do. Right as you were about to leave, a thought came to mind. “Raw or cooked?” You realized your mistake. “Raw?” A nod. Makes sense.

You dug through the fridge and pulled out meat you were thinking of cooking up tonight. Someone else was in dire need of it. So, you go back to the bedroom and offered it to you. “Does this work? It’s all I have.” She took it.

Like the meat eater she is, the mother tore into the packaging and consumed the meat quickly. In such a quick manner, you didn’t have time to even get a word out. Hopefully, that could tie her over for a while. But she was eating for two, soon to be one. That reminded you of the other dire situation occurring in her belly.

Nervously, you scratched at the back of your neck. “So, the baby? You said you were having it now… is there anything I could do to help?” She stared at you. If this was the answer you were getting, then that means nothing to you. You sighed and picked up the sketch book from the dresser. “Okay, I’ll just be in the living room if you need me.”

Just like you said, you returned to the living, book in hand. Despite the weariness in your bones trying to drag you to sleep, you sat on the couch, sketching. Your pencil danced across the paper with an easer to sometimes chance it.

A piercing roar rattled your cabin. You awoke with a jolt, head whipping up to figure what was happening. A pencil stuck to your face fell down into the open sketch.

Pained, wheezing gasps and growls sounded from the only bedroom. You flinched at the sound of torture in the room. No wonder why the birth rate was on a decline.

Against your better judgement, you stalked over to the opened door and peered around the corner. Next to the bed was the creature, standing two wobbling legs. One of her hands was gripping the headrest so hard it had left a handprint in the metal. Her other hand was tearing into the drywall. You swallowed, throat bobbing as you observed the laboring mother, unsure on how to help. Your first mistake was to take a breath in to speak.

Her head snapped over to you. Shit. A deafening roar shook the house to its foundation. The mother pushed off of the wall and marched over to you. Like the prey you are, you were frozen to your spot. This thing stop right in front of your trembling form and roar right in your face. Spit flying to land on your skin as she huffed and puffed with caged anger.

Deep in your chest, you find your voice timidly. “Wha-what can I-I do to, to help?” is all you can say for the life of you.  The creature snarled threatening and took another step forward. Was this your demise? A lesson you weren’t going to learn from.

Her threatening display was done. She went over to the bed, knelt down, and rested her upper half on top of it.  With a sigh, you left but only to return with your sketch book. You didn’t know if she wanted someone to be in the room with her as this went only. If you were in a situation like this, you would like to have some comfort, even if it was a stranger.

Due to the way she didn’t react, you guessed it was okay with her. More hours of the night went along until the morning sun rose in the dawn. It took all of your effort to stay away during the process.

Once the night became day, you heard a shrill, squeaky, loud cry. Your head shot up, knocking against the wall behind you. The pain was brushed off as you watched the new mother cradle a sticky, gross green blob in her arms and flop against the bed. She purred a low noise to the baby and clicked to it, mandibles twitching playfully.

A wide smile broke across your face at the endearing sight. The sketch book in hand was closed and set off to the side but you stayed where you were. This was a mother and baby moment, you weren’t going to disrupt that by moving. The poor mother had gone through enough within the last twenty-four hours. She didn’t need the stress of you moving around.

The mother turned her head over to you and locked eyes. You tensed, unsure of her intentions. To break the ice, you spoke up softly. “Quite a cutie?” you tried but a loud knocking scared you.

Immediately, the creature snarl and cradled her baby closer all the while attempting to stand. You need to sooth her rose. You put your hands out as if calming a wild animal. “Wait, wait! Don’t! Let me go check it out, okay? Stay here and quiet,” you said and walked out of the room after she didn’t make any more moves to get up.

All the living room curtains were closed still from the night. The curtain next to the front door was white and let you see the outline of someone. Shit. Fuck! Mentally, you cursed up a storm as you tried to think of a good reason on why any one would be out here. Then, the creature popped into your mind. The bullet holes. She was being hunted. And these people were the hunters.

Determination flooded your system. You marched back into the bedroom, bypassing the confused but protective look on the mother’s face, and went up to the nightstand. In there was a gun your father kept up here all the time. In case of an emergency. This was one. You pulled the weapon out and checked it out. It had bullets in it. You turned to the mother. “Stay in here, please. I’ll deal with them, alright?”

The window caught your attention. You rushed over and closed the curtain. Luck had to be on your side.

Please.

#yautja #predator #yautja x reader #yautja x you #alien vs predator #predator x reader #yautja x human #predator x you #predator x human #x reader #Gawtin

[skepsiss]

It's Snowing in Hawkins; Winter Exchange - Batboys

Here is my fic for the BatBoys Winter Exchange! @batboysxprompts I hope whoever submitted this request is pleased with what I wrote. I was a little liberal with the suggestion, but I think I followed along with Eddie's competitive streak like they wanted. I hope you enjoy!

Synopsis: This is all fluff. Steve goes over to visit Eddie during a heavy snow in Hawkins and gets roped into helping him build a snow fort. Both of them have been inching toward a romance for months now, and Steve adores how innocent and young their relationship feels. It’s the start of something real tonight, and it makes Steve feel brilliantly happy. 

Season: Winter

Quote: The kids at the trailer park are having a snowman competition. Eddie joins in to one up them

Song: My Chemical Romance - "Every Snowflake is Different (just like you)"

AU/Place: Trailer park

Rating: T Words: 3,609 CW: Aggressive/degrading language toward the poor, slightly mature language/themes, mention of skin grafts/scaring, mention of mobility challenges from injuries

It’s snowing in Hawkins, and the fat, fluffy flakes caught on the windowpanes and the aspens of Mirkwood. Four children roam the deep fields of Forest Hills Trailer Park, gathering snow and shrieking their laughter skyward. The end of winter break is but a week away and time must be utilized well or be lost. A fifth joins them and the festivities begin. 

–

It’s late afternoon and the sun is already starting its slow descent over the little town of Hawkins. It gets dark, fast, in the wintertime in Indiana, and the chill becomes biting as the wind rolls off the Appalachian mountains. 

Steve had gotten used to this kind of cold; he had grown up in it after all, and despite the foot of snow he had still decided to trudge his way toward the trailer park. It wasn’t smart to drive in this kind of weather, and really, Steve lived fairly close to the park if he wasn’t being lazy. His proximity to ‘Mirkwood’ had been a black stain on his mind ever since Barb’s death–before that as well. His father had always hated the fact that their property backed up onto public land and just anyone could walk into their yard. That had been a point of contention in the Harrington household, even though Steve quietly noted that his father never went ahead and put up a fence. Likely, it had just been something for his father to complain about, and his intentions to erect a barrier between himself and ‘those varmints in their mobile homes’ had been all for show in the end.  

It was convenient for Steve now, though, since he could walk out his back door and to Eddie’s house in ten minutes flat—a bit more with all this snow.

Steve had never lived this close to a friend before, and it made impromptu visits that much easier. It also spoke to what lengths Steve was willing to go despite only being ‘friends’ with Eddie. 

They had started hanging out nearly a year ago now—just three more months, and it would be spring break again, even if Steve quietly dreaded the second coming of the holiday. Nothing had happened since March of ‘86 though, and Steve was finally starting to believe that the ‘other shoe’ wasn’t going to drop after all. He had been proven wrong before, though, if Halloween of ‘84 said anything about the pattern of these supernatural pains in the neck. 

He was optimistic though… if only because he was willing it.

After the trauma of spring break, it had been difficult (like it always was) to fall back into routines. He had watched Eddie struggle the most with that and while his injuries had been nothing to sniff at, once he was stitched up and given some blood so he wasn’t going to die from blood loss he was… fine. The wounds had scarred, of course, and Eddie had more scars than wounds because they had needed a skin graft for the larger bites. It was sort of difficult to stitch someone back together when their skin was minced like that—or at least that was what Dustin had crudely explained. 

Robin had asked him last week when he was going to stop flirting and actually do something about it. 

Eddie had struggled, and Steve had found it was easier to talk to Eddie than it had been to speak to most of the others, with all this Upside Down crap.

Robin was fantastic—he adored Robin, and he talked to her more than anyone, but he never felt like he was quite on her level when it came to compartmentalizing all the trauma. The kids were the same way; they were all so smart, and they could puzzle away or focus on their nerd hobbies to distract themselves from the abuse. Steve on the other hand… Steve’s hobbies allowed for far too much space to think, so it was hard to escape the memories.

Eddie, similarly, seemed unable to just quietly shut up and focus on something. It came at him like waves, and Steve had noticed that he had been distracting himself almost as much as Steve needed. Maybe he was lying to himself about that, though. Maybe he was just making up excuses to be around Eddie because he had found—after everything was said and done—that he really enjoyed spending time with the Freak. 

Steve hadn’t been such a dunce not to realize that he had feelings for Eddie, but his feelings felt so juvenile compared to how he usually reacted around women. It felt innocent and ephemeral in a way that reminded him of being thirteen. It was all small touches and little smiles, and Eddie seemed to fall into step with that behaviour easily. Eddie was older than him… but in a lot of ways he seemed less mature. That, in turn, made Steve want to slow everything down, too. 

He’d bob and Eddie would weave, and they’d sit and watch movies together without saying a word about the fact that Eddie’s feet were propped in Steve’s lap. Or they’d go for a swim and all they would do was smile when they touched hands on the pool edge.

It was just so goddamn innocent… and Steve found himself liking the slow roll of whatever this was. He wasn’t exactly convinced that Eddie liked him back that way—Eddie was a physical guy with everyone, but he didn’t seem to pause and consider his contact with everyone like he did with Steve.

Or so Steve liked to think.

Steve rounded on the trailer park and shivered slightly as he brought his shoulders up to his ears. The forest was less densely packed with snow than the open field of the trailer park, and he struggled a bit until he made it to a worn footpath through the snow. He started getting a view of the open expanse beyond the mobile homes, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked.

Steve heard the laughter before he saw them, but as he made his way toward Eddie’s trailer, he could see some of the kids traipsing through the snow and rolling snowballs. He paused and watched them—Max, Lucas, Mike, and Eleven—and smiled a bit at how carefree they looked.

Max of course was struggling to move through the snow, but she was making the best of it and was commanding Lucas to do the heavy lifting while she took frequent breaks. Comparatively, Mike was taking it slow and stopping to explain exactly how to pack and roll the snow properly to Eleven, instructing her on snowman building.

“You’re doing it all wrong, Wheeler!”

Steve paused as he walked up the first step of the Munson’s trailer, and then hesitated as he caught snippets of conversation.

“It’s not dry enough snow for that, you’ve got to squeeze with the body!”

Steve could recognize that diction anywhere, and he stepped to the side of the trailer to see Eddie pointing at Mike and Lucas. They all seemed to be having fun, but there was definitely an air of combativeness to the scene.

“What’re you guys up to?” Steve asked, feeling like a dad talking like that to all of them.

They all turned, and Steve couldn’t help but smile at the way Eddie beamed at him. 

“Good, good,” Eddie was saying before he said hello as he walked over to Steve.

Steve half waved as Lucas raised a hand to him, only for Max to scold him for losing momentum and letting the snowball he was rolling crack.

“You can help me out,” Eddie declared as he grabbed Steve by his forearm and started pulling him into the field.

“We’re building snowmen,” Eleven said happily, smiling at Steve as she helped Mike lift one of the large balls to place on top of another.

“Or at least we are,” Mike added as he looked toward the pile that Steve was currently being pulled toward.

“Shut your pie-hole, Wheeler. This’ll be a feat of engineering,” Eddie hissed, letting go of Steve and then handing him an empty bucket.

“Yeah, sure,” Max condescended, turning to focus on her own snowman.

Steve stood there a bit dumbfounded as Eddie picked up a small trowel and handed that over as well.

Eddie was doing that thing where he was so focused he forgot that not everyone thought the same way as him. Usually, Steve found it endearing—and he did right now as well—but he was equally confused and Eddie seemed to want him to be doing something.

“Uh…” Steve said quietly, looking at the bucket and the shovel he was now holding. “What am I doing with these?”

Eddie only took a moment to pause and look at him before continuing his work.

“I’m making a snow-dome, Steve,” Eddie said distractedly, “I need snow.”

“Igloo,” Lucas corrected as he rolled a large snowball past them.

“It’s not an igloo!” Eddie declared. “First of all, it’s not ice, and second of all, it isn’t fucking square-ass blocks. Snow-dome, you twat. Steve! I need snow.”

Steve flinched slightly, not really expecting to be put to work so quickly upon arrival. He moved, though, choosing a relatively large patch of snow to start digging.

“No—” Eddie chastised, trudging over to him and pointing farther west. “Grab the snow from out there. And I need you to pack it in, man. Like, really pack it. I’ll assemble, you can… dig or whatever.”

Steve sighed but did as he was told, he walked farther into the field and started to scoop and shovel the snow into the bucket before bringing it back over to Eddie.

“So… why are we doing this?” Steve asked as he was handed an empty bucket and shooed away.

“Said I couldn’t…” Eddie muttered, concentrating again as he plunked down the full bucket of snow and began making the base of his ‘snow-dome.’

“Before…” Eddie muttered, focusing. “It’s a contest, man.”

He wasn’t explaining much, and Steve didn’t press the subject as he diligently scooped up snow and brought it back to Eddie until he was sweating from the effort. Eventually, he was told to stop and was sent toward the woods to gather ‘tinder’ for Eddie’s elaborate plan to thatch his snow-dome so it was more structurally sound. 

Really, Steve didn’t get it or understand Eddie’s vision, but he didn’t protest. It was a touch annoying to be trudging around in the snow though when he had expected to walk over here and share cocoa and maybe curl up on the couch with Eddie. He had been much more snugly with the cold weather and had started commenting freely on how warm Steve was. It was true, but it also felt like an excuse so they could press up against each other ‘innocently.’

“You’re not even close to being done,” Max said as she pressed two rocks into the head of her snowman.

Max and Lucas plodded inside, and Steve watched as the trailer lights came on. 

Mike and Eleven were almost finished with their snowman as well, but Eleven seemed to be struggling with what she wanted to do with the face.

“You can’t rush perfection!” Eddie hollered as he began to leisurely weave the sticks Steve brought back into the ‘wall’ of his snow-dome.

“Perfection, sure,” Max said with a roll of her eyes. “Well, I’m freezing my ass off, so I’m going in. Come on, Lucas. We can judge the snowmen and the ‘snow-dome’ from the window.” 

Max’s mom must be working late again and though she would never complain, Steve knew that Max still struggled to do basic tasks around the house like prepping meals and cleaning. He could see Lucas readily putting a pot of water on the boil though and seeing to her needs. 

“So, what kind of contest is this?” Steve asked as he knelt in the snow with Eddie and began handing him sticks as he wove.

“Snowmen building,” Eddie answered simply, obviously concentrating.

“Well, this is the weirdest snowman I’ve ever seen,” Steve commented, looking up at the walls of Eddie’s snow-dome and wondering just how high he was planning to make it.

“No, well, obviously it’s not,” Eddie corrected, sounding annoyed that Steve didn’t understand. “The kids were building snowmen, and making a kind of contest about it, and I was going to show them up on that too, but… I don’t really remember how we got onto the topic, but one of those twerps said something about building a fort out of snow would be impossible, so it was like challenge accepted and boom, snow-dome.”

Steve listened quietly as he lazily handed over sticks to Eddie; well, at least he seemed energized by it and Steve didn’t really mind helping out, but it was starting to get dark already. How long were they going to be at this?

“We’re going in, Eddie,” Mike declared as he held Eleven’s hand and led her toward Max’s trailer. “You’re welcome to join when you finish.”

Mike seemed a bit awkward as he hovered, obviously not wanting to leave Eddie out here and wanting his attention. Eddie wasn’t even looking at him though and waved Mike off without a second thought.

“Yeah, later, Wheeler,” Eddie replied, waving over his shoulder at the teen.

“Bye, Steve,” Eleven said, waving at him. “I’m sure you can join too.”

Steve waved back lightly, smiling a bit forcefully at the teens. He appreciated the invite, but it felt a bit awkward to accept, plus, he had come over to spend time with Eddie.

“I need more snow,” Eddie declared, standing up as he started to pack the snow around the stick frame he had built. “We’re like… thatching this bitch. If we get it about—so—high, then we can start curving it inward to create the dome part. It’ll be more like a tapered cylinder, like a watch tower, but it’ll work.”

“Right,” Steve grunted as he stood up, grabbed the bucket again, and walked out into the snowy field. “I’ll be back then, Mr. Architect.”

Steve assisted diligently and didn’t complain as he brought back bucket after bucket full of snow and then stopped to help Eddie pack it all together. Eventually, Eddie was kneeling inside the dome and Steve was on the outside so they could sandwich the snow together and make it stick better.

It was nearly pitch black by the time they finished; it had stopped snowing a while ago, and the sky was clear enough to show the stars and the moon above. Their work was only being illuminated by the moon and the dim light coming from people’s trailers, but it left everything feeling rather private, and nostalgic.

“We gotta leave a hole at the top to let the air out,” Eddie declared, carefully packing the snow into place. Honestly, it looked like it was working and while Steve couldn’t say how long the walls would stay up, Eddie had succeeded in making a snow-dome. 

“Wanna check it out?” Eddie asked as he ducked down and looked at Steve through the small opening in the side of his dome.

“Uhh… sure,” Steve said, before crawling through the entrance. “Make room, wide-load.”

He was teasing of course because Eddie was ridiculously thin and all he really had to do was move over to the side to let Steve in.

“See?” Eddie indicated, gesturing around the dome, before laying on his back.

Steve mirrored Eddie’s position and lay beside him as he stared up at the ceiling of the dome.

“This better not fall on me,” Steve said lightly, having to adjust awkwardly and stick his feet out of the entrance in order to fit.

“Enjoy yourself for once, Harrington,” Eddie teased, before sighing and looking up through the hole in the roof.

It was pretty to look at, even if they only had a small window. You could make out the blackness of the sky and the little pinpricks of light dotting across the expanse, creating a sort of telescope effect.

Really, the only thing Steve could properly appreciate at the moment was being able to rest for the first time since he got here.

He glanced at Eddie, though, who was staring at the sky and breathing calmly—the little puffs of vapour floating away from his lips—a slight smile on his face. He looked peaceful—happy, too. Steve didn’t get to see Eddie pause all that often, and it was nice to see him enjoying the fruits of his labour.

“Thanks for helping out,” Eddie said idly, not looking away from the sky. He dropped his hand slowly and nudged up against the back of Steve’s hand.

“Yeah… of course,” Steve replied, finishing the motion and taking Eddie’s hand to hold. He returned his gaze to the roof, looking at the darkness and the moon that was slowly inching into view.

The two of them grew quietly again, and Steve could feel his sweat slowly starting to chill his body. They should head in soon, but it felt terribly romantic to be out here together now that they had finished Eddie’s snow-dome.

“Steve?” Eddie said suddenly, his voice quiet and distant sounding.

“Yeah, Eddie?” Steve asked, rolling his head to look at Eddie again. He was still staring up through the ceiling, but his smile had faded, and instead, he looked thoughtful as he breathed slowly. Even in the dull light, Steve could tell that his nose was red from the chill and snow had clumped in parts of his hair. He looked young… and there was a wanderlust to him that Steve envied. He liked looking at Eddie when he wasn’t moving around so frantically—the pause always made him look like an artist, and Steve found himself drawn to that. This contemplation that Steve didn’t think he had ever experienced for himself, but that he valued more than anything in others. 

“Do you like me?” Eddie asked, his tone quiet but lacking fear. They were still holding hands and Steve didn’t feel intimidated at all by answering him; they’d been inching toward this anyway, they just hadn’t said it out loud yet.

“… yeah,” Steve answered back, watching as Eddie slowly rolled his head so they were looking at one another.

Steve squeezed his hand and Eddie smiled, looking positively brilliant as he lay there.

“Me too,” Eddie sighed, which made Steve’s breath hitch slightly. It wasn’t always that Eddie looked so happy, and Steve felt softhearted being in the presence of Eddie’s bliss like this. 

Steve reached over slowly with his free hand and touched Eddie’s cheek, stroking along his jaw. It felt right to do this now, and Eddie seemed to have much the same idea as he rolled onto his side and let Steve guide him.

They both scanned each other’s expressions as Steve drew Eddie in closer, their noses brushing together first as Steve felt the sting of cold against his skin. Eddie seemed to be transfixed by him, and Steve could feel the world stopping around them as he sunk into the moment. It felt innocent and romantic, and Eddie seemed to hesitate not out of denial, but out of uncertainty. As if he wasn’t sure what to do at this point now that they were here.

Steve smiled lightly at that and closed the distance between them, kissing Eddie softly as he felt the other man draw in a breath. It was still cold out, but Steve felt a bloom of heat against his skin as their lips met and Steve guided them into a slow roll of their tongues.

At every junction, Eddie seemed to hesitate and then follow suit, marking his actions as inexperienced and timid. That felt like a paradox for Eddie, but Steve didn’t mind as he smiled into the contact and squeezed Eddie’s other hand with his.

They parted eventually, despite Steve staying tucked in close. He could hear Eddie breathing a bit hard as they continued to watch one another quietly.

“Was that…” Steve asked, swiping Eddie’s bangs out of his face. “Your first kiss?”

As if to answer him, Steve saw Eddie’s face turn beet red as he ducked down and away from Steve. He was hiding, and Steve felt his chest explode with adoration at the action.

“Shut up,” Eddie mumbled, hiding as he pressed his forehead against Steve’s chin.

Steve had to close his eyes from how adorable it was. How Eddie had rendered him positively smitten and made Steve’s whole body light up like a Christmas tree.

“Was it bad?” Eddie asked, sounding incredibly small as he continued to hide.

“No,” Steve sighed, sounding almost dreamy as he slid his hand to Eddie’s back and soothed him slightly. “No… just… gentle.”

Steve wasn’t sure how else to describe the contact, and he wouldn’t press Eddie on it any further, but judging from this very likely being Eddie’s first kiss… that probably also meant he was a virgin. A twenty-year-old metal head that was supposed to be the scourge of the devil himself… and Eddie had never so much as kissed someone before.

Steve pulled in a breath to steady himself, his entire body tingling with affection as he held Eddie and just let them lay there in the snow.

“Can we go in?” Eddie asked, still sounding shy. “I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

Steve chuckled and let go of Eddie, rolling onto his back again.

“Yeah, course,” he offered, sighing happily and stealing one last look at the moon before shifting onto his knees and crawling out of the snow fort. 

#BatBoysxPrompts #I don't usually write just pure fluff so this was fun #let them smooch in the ~snow dome~ #I also don't usually write “Eddie has no experience with kissing/being intimate at all” so this was very somft feeling #steddie #my_writing #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie fic #background #lumax #BatBoysPrompts

[nohoney]

HONEY, HAWKS CRUMBS PLZ IM ON MY KNEES FOR YOU _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

hawks crumbs you will get dear anon :)

words: 2k

warnings: none really, just some slight spice

Despite being born in the wintertime, Keigo is a man that truly shines in the summer. Every summer since he was nineteen, he’d fill his summer with a list of events and places that he had planned and saved up for like going camping or music festivals or just a simple road trip by himself. He lives for these kinds of experiences and always has stories to tell when summer eventually cools down to autumn.

“So what’s the plan this summer Keigo? You going to that music carnival? I saw the lineup for the artists, it looks like it’ll be even better than last year.”

It’s expected that he has his answer prepared but it’s surprising when he says, “Nah, no plans this year.”

“What? Really?”

Yes, really.

Breaking his four year summer streak, Keigo is actually staying put in the town for the summer. It’s an unusual occurrence because everyone is used to having a difficult time catching him around when it’s summer, he’s always had plans and is ready to be on the go, and then he’s gone just as fast. Some people think that he doesn’t have the means to travel this year and others just shrug it off and say that it’s fine to have a summer doing nothing, there will always be a next summer for him to have his adventures.

“So then what are you going to do?”

“The library seems like a nice place, I’d like to actually try to read more this summer.”

Going to the library was his crazy summer plan?

A lot of people would say that’s lame in comparison to what Keigo’s roster of activities is usually filled with. But the library of all places and not even the skatepark?

“Alright man… you have fun with that.”

A library isn’t a horrible place to be, Keigo’s never once looked down on the building, he likes the architecture of it and likes the quiet pond that was built behind it. But what makes it so appealing this time around is the cute librarian assistant that was hired just two months prior. He caught eyes on you when he was taking a leisurely stroll in the morning one spring day and happened to see you get out of your car, double checking to make sure you had everything needed before locking your car and heading inside the building.

You were a cute girl, a pretty thing that guys would look twice at when walking down the street.

That walk he was on didn’t really have an ending destination that he needed to get to so Keigo took a turn from his directionless stroll and walked in just a minute after you.

After about an hour, he was registered with a library card that you helped him with and he got your name.

Books are available to buy in stores or online, they can be bought for super cheap at a thrift store if the quality of the book isn’t too worn or mangled. Hell, if Keigo wants to read he can just pull up his phone and read up any article that’s recently published whether it be the news, celebrity gossip, or even the script to the newest Ted talk.

All these options that are available, but choosing them means missing out on seeing you.

He walks with a cardboard tray with two drinks inside and a little paper bag with a pastry in it, a warmed blueberry muffin, careful with his purchase as he opens the doors to the library and makes his way to the front desk. “Mornin’ Miss Assistant!” he greets cheerfully and with a smile that the girls would kill to have aimed at them. “Got your iced green tea lemonade with two pumps of classic syrup and your muffin.”

“Ah thanks Keigo, I really appreciate it.” you say as you push a five dollar bill on the countertop for him to take.

The first time he offered to buy you a drink from the local coffee shop, of course Keigo insisted that you not owe him anything. You were pushy however and insisted that you pay him back for these things, firm in your conviction that you pay him for what he spent on you. He partly thinks it’s so that there’s still a wall of formality between the two of you, but you also don’t say no to when he offers what you would like for him to get for the beginning of your shift.

Keigo’s still trying to gauge what the two of you are.

He’s not the only regular that comes by the library, he’s seen you greet other patrons with a formal familiarity and always keeping a respectful distance if you’re not behind the desk, here to do your job and nothing more than that. You have familiarized the layout of the library, both top and bottom floor, knowing easily where to navigate to history or architecture or biographies or whatever else someone is searching for. It’s not a crazy job and you’re only just a part time assistant, working enough hours to pay for your own room in a house that you share with other girls in a similar age group.

Back when Keigo was younger, librarians wore big glasses and button ups with stiff collars and ugly cardigans. Just as in today’s world it’s becoming more acceptable to accept more casual but work appropriate wear, the library dress code must have also relaxed a little as well. Keigo doesn’t ever remember librarians being able to wear sundresses with a teasing little thigh slit but you get to wear them while you sit behind the desk. Your dresses aren’t too teasing, they are still an appropriate length for work and the necklines are never too low, they just teeter on that precipice acceptable though he does note that you wear cardigans over the ones with thin straps or hiding the off shoulder sleeves.

You are always sure to keep your shoulders presentable and appropriate when you toe that line with certain little numbers.

When Keigo does visit the library, he does actually sit and lounge with a book because if he’s going to be there then he might as well. He plays it cool but he glances up whenever he knows that you’re nearby, sometimes walking with someone in tow so you can lead to where a certain section is or you’ve got the squeaking metal cart full of returned books that you have to set up on the shelves again. He spends part of his free time at your work but you’re only here because you were hired by the staff.

“So Miss Assistant, recommend to me your most boring book.” Keigo says to you when he returns two books that he checked out just two weeks ago. “Give me one that you would rather use as a pillow than read three chapters into it.”

You giggle and look up in thought before answering, “How about a book about media ecology? It was written in the 1980s and the author asserts that in the future technophiles will not see the downside of technology as it advances. Does that sound boring enough for you?”

“Very. Tell me its dewey decimal.”

Keigo likes to think that he’s not being too flirtatious but others have told him differently, that he’s just naturally charismatic and he comes off that way anyway. So he’s been careful with how he drops little lines here and there when he speaks to you, friendly enough that it doesn’t cause any alarms to ring and you can disengage at any point.

And that is the subtle art of flirting that people tend to forget, it’s all about whether or not the other party will either disengage or escalate the interaction. He waits patiently for what direction you’ll take because while he enjoys talks about books and small talk of ‘how was your weekend’ or ‘do anything special?’, Keigo just really wants to fuck you.

He doesn’t mind taking you out on a date to the drive in or maybe take a walk in the park, he does think that would be really enjoyable, but he’d like even more if he could get his head in between your legs before he slid his cock into your pussy.

Keigo’s body tingles when he imagines kissing your sticky gloss off your lips, wondering what flavor it would taste like. Sometimes his face gets a bit flushed when he accidentally catches you bent over and fixing a buckle to your sandals. He fists his cock in his hand at night when he thinks about pulling you back by your hips to put his cock into you with your panties pulled to the side and he would whisper in your ear, “It’s a library, keep your voice down.”

As adventurous his previous summers have been, Keigo wants more than anything to have the pretty librarian assistant lie down with him in his bed on these precious summer days. He can imagine eating ice cream together with you and licking sticky vanilla off one another’s fingers, he wants water gun fights that will have you squealing in surprise with cold but refreshing water, he wants to help you pick out summer dresses and jean shorts, and he thinks it’d be fun to make icy and super boozy cocktails so that you can get a little buzzed.

But before any of that can happen, Keigo has to ask you out first.

If he wants to go out with you to the drive in and have ice cream dates, he needs to put himself out there.

“Hey Keigo, there’s a book that I’d like to recommend to you. I hope you don’t mind.” you say to him just as he leaves the library one day. He had plans to meet up with his buddy and talk about going surfing at the local beach but the meet up isn’t until three and he’s got a good thirty minutes to make it to the meet up. “It’s just something that I think you would enjoy, I really did. The male lead kind of reminds me of you too.”

You hand him a book from your tote bag, it’s a paperback novel that shows that you’ve had it for a while but it’s well taken care of.

Keigo doesn’t think much of it, he’s been asking since he first met you what different books to read, they’ve just always been in the library and now you hand him something from your personal collection. He takes this as a very good sign and promises that he’ll read it and let you know what he thinks.

He thinks it’s a standard romance novel, which he’s not against but romance can’t be spun into a story by just anyone, it starts off pretty decently and the characters are intriguing. Keigo stays up reading the first nine chapters only for him to set the book down and go, “Oh…”

You are fucking naughty.

You handed him an erotic novel.

There’s no possible way that this was by accident because you handed it to Keigo with confidence knowing full well what the contents were inside. Now that he thinks back, he even remembers you saying that the male love interest reminded you of him. This fucking smut novel that has the two main characters all over each other and you apparently imagined Keigo to be apart of it. This has got to be a fucking move on your part, it has to be.

It takes three days for Keigo to read the novel in full and he comes by the front desk with your usual drink order and a vanilla scone. As usual you slide him a five dollar bill to pay him back as thanks, and in return he slides over the novel you let him borrow. You take it back and set it back into your tote bag before turning to Keigo and asking, “What did you think?”

He thinks that you’re a little minx.

He has to admit though that it was very clever of you to put yourself out there without explicitly stating it.

“I think you and I should make a date to talk about it.”

You smile at him, eyes glittering with a mutual understanding for what this ‘date’ really is going to be about.

“How about seven, does that work for you?”

Looks like Keigo’s summer fantasy will come to reality.

“I’ll see you then Miss Assistant.”

#hawks x reader #takami keigo x reader #takami x reader #hawks thirst

[karnaca78]

Book Recs

Thank you @revewrites for the tag!!

(Okay this is actually very difficult. I read a ton of books and picking favorites is always a nightmare... These are only a sample of my tastes.)

The Castle (1926) - Surprisingly, the one Kafka book that impressed me the most is this unfinished novel. His works are integral to my tastes both as a reader and a writer and this is the one that sticks with me to this day. It also inspired one of my all-time favorite movies (Kafka by Steven Soderbergh, 1991).

Gormenghast (1950) - The second (and best) volume of a trilogy that truly blew my mind when I discovered it last year. A true work of art built like a labyrinth in which being lost is both a pleasure and an anxiety-inducing experience. Its colorful cast of characters and majestic prose are a delight.

Hadès Palace (2005) - It's very frustrating for me to talk about this book since it hasn't been translated from French (as far as I know; it's sadly not even well-known here). It's a gorgeous novel, marvelously written, full of interesting and bold ideas, clever references, and a raw beauty that shattered my heart in a million pieces from admiration alone.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (2015) - This book makes me genuinely happy. It does cater to some of my special interests, but even beyond that, the story itself and the characters are lovely and comforting in a way I wouldn't have suspected. Its sequel, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, is equally beautiful.

The Piano Tuner (2002) - It's about music and love and the spaces in-between. This novel touched me deeply on a personal level, and although I read it only last year, I feel like I've known it forever.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926) - A bit of a legend, this one. It's the book that inspired the movie Lawrence of Arabia. While not as engaging as the movie itself, it's a rather fascinating plunge into WWI and a side of it that tends to be overlooked. It's not an easy read, and it's a partial account of historical facts, but nonetheless a book that's worth exploring.

The Devil in the White City (2003) - An interesting mix between non-fiction and novelization about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. I have countless history books that I could recommend, but this one might be the most engaging, not being strictly academic.

The Magic Mountain (1924) - A mammoth of a book if I ever read one. I remember it took me a whole month to read it. I was 19 and it was wintertime, and my brain kept thinking about it as I studied religious iconography and architecture and history, and I thought; this book is about all of it.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) - Although an avid detective stories reader since I've been around nine, I came to Sherlock Holmes rather late. It defied my expectations pleasantly and this novel is my favorite of the bunch.

Tagging friends @a-simple-kazoo @dreamyonahill @rapturezoo and anyone who wants to give this a shot!

#tag game #book recommendations #literature #favorite books #reading #no pressure if y'all don't want to do it #but i'd be curious to find out more about your tastes!

[kinosternon]

20 Questions

Got tagged by @marezelle (like a month ago, whoops) and this looks fun, so I'm gonna try it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Officially 37, unofficially 57-ish (I have a lot on anon right now, plus some semi-ancient FFN stuff posted under a pseud)

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

Apparently, 644,538.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Kind of a lot? One "it's complicated" fandom which I tend to stay on anon for, especially lately; a fair bit for a very specific corner of Free!, also for Natsume's Book of Friends. Voltron's an ex-fandom but I had fun with it right when it started; there's a handful of other anime I've cycled through. I've got an Undertale longfic I'd really like to get back to one of these days. Lately, a whole bunch of stuff for the 9 Worlds series by Victoria Goddard, which is both amazing in itself and also has my favorite fan community to date.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Names Gone Before—my one and only Adventure Zone fic, and a oneshot, but apparently it was a hit lol

Chasing Silver, Chasing Gold—my beautiful monstrosity of a love letter to the characters introduced in the third season of Free!, and which came out too late for most of the English-speaking fandom to notice it very much (this goes for the show itself and also the timing of my publishing🥲). I am so grateful that so many people have managed to find it regardless!

Equivalence—aforementioned Undertale longfic. I really want to finish it one of these days, but I know what's coming in the last arc and it intimidates me. XP

Omimai—of all my Natsume fics, I'll admit I wouldn't have figured this to be the top one. But I guess Natori is a fan favorite, and I do appreciate that it's very solidly a gen fic that gets a lot of love regardless.

Like trust falls from towers—aforementioned s1-era Voltron fic. It was an experiment to get me posting more, I had fun with it while it lasted, and I got some truly wonderful comments and support from folks reading along while I was working on it. I still go back and reread it sometimes, and I think it was pretty good.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to! I want to show appreciation and make sure people know that going to the effort it takes to write a comment means a great deal to me.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That's a tough one. Probably Pistachio Christmas Tree, as it's a snapshot of a really rough time in the POV character's life and doesn't really show any signs of things getting better for him anytime soon. (All my angsty endings come from canon compliance, lol)

OH. Or Chasing Fingerprints, which is a Nabari no Ou AU oneshot that I wrote back in high school. I wrote it under some weird constraints and don't really like it all that much, but the ending is ambiguous and deeply angsty.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

That is also weirdly difficult to say! Snapshots for Natsume, Slow your breath down (just take it slow) for Victoria Goddard's novel Plum Duff, and turning in your hand for At the Feet of the Sun (also by Goddard). Two of those three are wintertime fluff; I enjoy that subgenre a whole lot.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No. I've occasionally had some slightly weird interactions, but overall I'd say even those were well and enthusiastically meant.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Occasionally, and I'm not sure what kind it'd count as. Insecure, possibly? (me or the characters, either-or XP)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Only two so far! The weirder one was my first-ever fic, where I technically crossed over Twilight with both old!Who and new!Who. Then there's Clowder, which crossed over two of Yuhki Kamatani's manga from pretty different eras and genres and which I'm pretty darned proud of.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had someone ask once, a while back, but at the moment I don't remember which fic it was, or if I ended up hearing how it went.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

...If adding to a bredlik compilation counts, then yes? And I've also done a fair bit of writing to requested prompts for gift exchanges and the like, which isn't the same thing as cowriting but which feels at least a little bit similar.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Oh man, how can I choose? 😭 At the top this has to be a tie between Miharu & Yoite (Nabari no Ou, QPR extraordinaire) and Yukito/Touya (Cardcaptor Sakura, TRC, etc). But also Merthur was my first ship-ship. HiyoIku (Free!) for writeability and general fucked-up-ness, but I'm not always 100% sure I ship it, tragically. Natsume and Tanuma for the same uncertainty minus about 90% of the toxicity, whee.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I'm not going to say "doubt," but uh. A couple of "it's complicated" fandom pieces (especially the ones I originally meant to be series) and also the Undertale longfic. Also some 9 Worlds WIPs, but I haven't started publishing those ones yet, either.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Characterization is a big one—it matters a lot to me and also I've been complimented on it. Fic is my love letter to canon and so I tend to focus on what I love about canon the most, which is almost always the characters' interiority and/or relationship dynamics. I also think I'm usually fairly good at matching the tone of the original, though admittedly the translation aspect of anime stuff gives me a bit of leeway there.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Logistics. I will forget who I put in a room over a certain number of characters, and explaining how people get to and from things (or even appear in a scene) is a terrible chore. (And that's just people—my track record for items, especially furniture, is even worse.) I suspect that my overall pacing also suffers from this because coming up for practical reasons for scenes to start can be difficult.

Also scene transitions, because I write things out of order. :B

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I probably won't, for several reasons. For one, I feel like without a dedicated beta, my errors would be immersion-breaking for anyone with high enough Japanese proficiency. Also, on the other side of things, presumably most of my readers wouldn't be able to make the jump from English into Japanese (which is the only other language I'm remotely able to write in), so accessibility would be an issue. That said, I've occasionally tried to factor in what I know about Japanese and "translate" (at least a bit) to adjust how I write dialogue, when writing fics based on anime.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who/Twilight, lol. (I cared a lot about them both, okay? Also I thought trying to mash up their canonical vampire mythologies would be funny! And I was definitely right about at least one of those things.)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh this is also mean. It's gotta be Chasing Silver, Chasing Gold though. It kicked my ass but I also put my heart and soul into it, and its length, completion, and the responses I've gotten to it have all combined to profoundly affect how I see myself as a writer. (Which may sound a little suspect, but the thing is, I spent years massively looking up to people who could write longfic, most of all to people that could do so and finish. It meant so so much to be able to join those ranks myself, whether or not I manage to do it again someday.) It genuinely feels like one of the most significant things I've done with my life, and it's something I think I'll always be proud of myself for managing to write through to the end.

Annnd done! I'm gonna tag @octopus--writer just for fun ;)

#fanfiction #about the writer #writing memes

[saiikavon]

For the ask game! 9, 10, and 19 c:

(Thanks!)

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Of my current wips, my main Hazbin Hotel fic has been a real pain in the butt. There's something about the character voices that just don't always click.

Of my published works, tbh Schrodinger's Chat has been kind of difficult. I sort of started it at one of my lowest points and as much as I still love the idea, it's sort of carrying that energy and it's hard to come back to. I feel bad not continuing it, though, so I'll figure out how to continue at some point.

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Again, let's do a wip and a completed work; of my wips, my "wintertime love" fic has been going pretty smoothly. Even if I have been taking a break to do other stuff.

Of my completed works, 2AM. That flowed out in an hour and I barely stopped the whole time. Both of these are Yu-Gi-Oh! It's been quite kind to me.

19. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

I don't think so? It's not that one thing in particular drives me to keep creating, I've just always had quite a large, wandering imagination.

(From the 40 Questions ask game.)

#my writing #writing ask game

[benjimarii]

21, 90, 94 👀👉👈

Tysm for the ask!! 💞 Alright, so for 21, my obsession from my childhood was absolutely Sonic the Hedgehog. I absolutely LOVED that franchise! The games, the shows, the characters! All were awesome to me as a kid. Although I'm not really into the franchise anymore, I do keep up to date on things from it! Sonic Prime is a fun watch, and I'm glad to see that Sonic Frontiers is actually a pretty good game! For 90, my luckiest mistake... hm... That's actually a difficult one for me! I make mistakes a lot, but I don't really consider them super lucky or unlucky. But if I had to chose, I think my luckiest mistake was drawing creatures and monsters. I never actually wanted to start off drawing animals and creatures, but it just so happened that had no idea what I was doing when I attempted to draw humans when I first started drawing. I made a lot of mistakes when drawing people, and I think the awkwardness of the drawings made me want to experiment more and play around with proportions. Which, led me to drawing aliens nowadays! For 94, I don't know if I have a favorite season, actually! They all have a lot of pros and cons for me. Spring is very nice, with beautiful colors, but I don't like all of the pollen in the air due to allergies. Summer is fun because everyone is free and all of the exciting places are open, but I live in a place where it gets SUPER hot, so that's always the woooorst. Fall has a BUNCH of fun holidays and events, while also having amazing colors everywhere!... but it also has a similar problem to spring, where there's so much dust in the air it's hard for me to enjoy anything. Winter is nice, because it only gets chilly here, and I adore the vibes and events happening where I live. But I don't really like the months associated with winter, and I don't really enjoy myself a lot during wintertime. I'm tired all the time :( If I had to chose, I'd probably say Fall, though. Thank you for the ask!! ✨💗

#ask post #ask #asks open #asks please #aghhh these are so much FUN!!! #Thank you to everyone who's asking things #Also sorry if my answers are too long or something #I just like rambling and this is giving me the perfect opportunity to do so

[butterflydm]

Hi, fun recap as always. Just a FYI, everyone seems to forget Bk2 ended in fall, Bk 3 starts in spring. So Rand & Min & Perrin & Loial had 3-5 months chilling together between books. That's when Min fell for him (she was crying when he left for Tear w/o them and later admitted to Perrin that she was in love with him) and became buds with Perrin & Loial. It's why she made enough of an impression to be on Rand's mind & confuse him about his feelings for E&A.

Anon, I'm not trying to be rude but I do feel like you're the third or fourth anon to tell me this exact thing. I know they were all together between books 2&3! I've talked about it before, about how part of my problem with the Min & Rand relationship is that they did spend time together back then but barely seem to know a thing about each other. Here is a place I talk about it: https://butterflydm.tumblr.com/post/693158362478706688/enjoying-your-series-recaps-just-on-thing-wrt-min

Just spending time in the same general area as someone doesn't make you friends. But just for you, anon, I did go through and check back over the beginning of TDR. This seems like the most relevant quote:

[Rand] kept to himself now. Too much to himself, to Perrin's thinking.

We know that he's been arguing a lot with Moiraine (he feels guilty about 'abandoning' all the bands of Dragonsworn on the Plains) and that he keeps a hut to himself, away from everyone else. And Min is still struggling with the idea that she's going to fall in love with someone that she didn't choose for herself ("some of us feel as if we're being danced about like puppets by these ta'veren").

Obviously, the beginning of this book is from Perrin's PoV, but Rand really sounds like he's self-isolating hard, even before he takes off on the road by himself (Perrin notes that he even tends to skip meals to go hide in his hut away from everyone else), so it's difficult to see how this was a wintertime of growing feelings, especially since Min is still very much in "I don't want this but don't have a choice" mode. And the main emotion that we see Rand show during these early chapters is frustration and self-loathing and worry. And, after the battle, Min notes that Rand was snapping at everyone (herself included) and only Perrin is able to actually get him to talk about what happened.

I agree that Min and Perrin DO seem like genuine friends at the start of TDR - she's telling him all her viewings about random people (that thing that she keeps insisting that she hates doing) and he knows her whole backstory, but the narration notes that Min doesn't share her viewings with Loial, so they aren't quite that close at this point. Min and Loial talk a bit but they don't seem entirely on the same page (Min still is at odds with the idea of being jerked around by ta'veren while Loial finds it exciting). Min & Loial come across as acquaintances to me.

#wot replies #wot replies to anon #wot #wheel of time #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #rand and min (not a ship tag) #the dragon reborn

[aiwritesfiction]

I never wanted to go there. It was always something I feared.

Until I went there last summer. It's called Hurricane Road.

I made it through fine, but I want to tell you what happened. I want you to understand why I was such a coward and why I was afraid.

I am sharing it with you to help you understand that sometimes your own mind gets out of control. That although you cannot control what your thoughts are doing to you, you can control what you do to overcome your fears and conquer those horrible feelings.

Think about all the places you have been afraid of in your life.

I'm sure all of them started somewhere. Then they became things you did not want to do anymore. And the fear became a horrible feeling. It gave you no pleasure, no peace, only dread. And dread leads to depression, hopelessness and suicide.

Sometimes your mind is just plain mean. I was just writing the opening of this post and something occurred to me.

And that was, how did I go through that difficult time, only to be healed by a horse, but not to have another encounter with a horse for five years?

It must have been the grace of God that showed up right then.

His hand held me tightly and He whispered in my ear, "You can do this, I love you and I care about you. This is your life, your time to overcome your fears, not some horse's." 

I got up from my desk and went to the window. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop myself. I looked out over the street and there was a horse just sitting there.

I started to cry.

I started to cry because I felt that horse was giving me a message. I know I don't get to see many horses.

The horse was obviously a rescue and he was fat.

I thought to myself that maybe he was getting fatter and fatter because of the grass. Maybe he had a rope around his neck and he was being forced to eat grass.

And if you're fat, it's not because you're not eating enough grass.

That's how I got from my miserable nightmares to feeling sorry for this fat horse who is forced to eat grass. I went back to my desk and as I continued writing about my horse experience, I began to cry again.

I felt this indescribable bond with this horse.

I didn't know this horse.

I didn't know his name.

I only knew that I knew something that he knew and that he knew something that I knew.

It was a connection between us, a bond that can not be explained in words. I met that horse on Hurricane Road when living in a house I feared. When I got a chance to go to the beach, I was ecstatic. I was soon to learn, what that fear was, because I stayed in that home with that fear for the first few years.

I was not allowed to go to my friends house because I could not take that fear to the location. I was held prisoner in my own home.

And I had to do what I had to do to overcome that fear.

So I learned how to face my fears and finally reunite with the horse.

You would think that once you let go of the fear of something, the next time you face that fear, it would not come up.

But that's not how it works. Sometimes your mind wanders.

You do something else and it just pops back into your head. And sometimes the circumstances are not that similar.

For example, I can go to the beach and not face my fear of being in a dark house, but I can't go to that beach and not face my fear of the darkness.

I have been doing pretty good.

The dark house has been conquered and I can ride my horse.

I don't have the fear of being out on that beach without a flashlight and sometimes the beach is black in the wintertime. But the beach and the darkness are different and you have to learn to face the fear of the darkness and the beach, both in different situations.

You have to learn to stay on the road and not wander.

You have to think of your house and how safe it is.

Just like the horse, he didn't get fat from the grass he was forced to eat, he was given life by the same someone that saved his life.

#short fiction #written by ai #ai generated #ai writer #artificial intelligence #fiction by ai

[violexides]

hi hi my loves!!! 

for some of you, today is going to be a pretty shitty day-- for some of you, today is going to be really exciting!-- for some of you, you literally do not give less of a shit it is simply another day. 

no matter what your situation is, remember that you are loved!!! take care of yourself-- drink water, eat some food (though i know that’s hard in holiday settings, sometimes), and get some sleep! 

for people who are struggling with a difficult family situation, remember that you are deserving of being cared for and wanted, no matter what. even if, due to how some things unfold, that care isn’t coming from your family. someone will love you-- and not just one person, many. you’re so important.

and for those spending the holiday closeted, or having to hide their identity around their family-- i’m sorry, and i feel for you. your worth isn’t defined by what you identity as. you’re lovely no matter what.

and for those who don’t celebrate christmas-- or any upcoming holiday, as a matter of fact: i know the holidays always feels suffocating. but, just like every day in this year, today is just another. make sure to do something you enjoy today.

for those who are struggling with the Fucking Quarantine that is stealing your festivity time: yeah. shitty how things have unfolded. stay safe, and spend time with those who love in any way that you can. 

and for those that aren’t actually actively struggling atm: hell yeah!!! merry fucking christmas gamers, and happy holidays!!!

i know those don’t cover Every possible situation here, but. i wanted to say something. i love you all a lot, and if you’re having difficulties getting through today, i’ll be here. i literally have nothing planned for today so, my dms and asks are open. i love you! stay safe. ♡

#important #wintertime is always difficult i think #hits seasonal depression hard #hits the wintertime trauma hard #and. should have said this within the post but #little tags edition: for those who have trauma surrounding christmas #i'm really sorry. and i hope that tomorrow can be a reprieve #and i hope you can get through today as best you can #reach out to someone you trust and make yourself something warm to drink #snuggle up and read something or watch something #taking it minute by minute will make it feel like hell #but at the same time. sometimes you have to take this slowly y'know #just to get through it all. i care for you all so much #and i feel for you #you're going to be okay. i promise. #stay safe

[noteguk]

hickeys | jjk | m | drabble

[ ! ] this is a “bad influence” drabble

— summary; Jungkook gets a bit jealous. Not that he’d ever admit it. 

— contents and warnings; pwp, smut, the endless adventures of badboy!jk x goodgirl!reader, enemies with benefits, jealousy/possessiveness!!, kind of angry sex (it’s one-sided, jk is going through a Moment), unprotected sex, marking (hickeys, mentions of bruises), dirty talk, overstimulation, creampie, mentions of oral (f rec) and of cum eating, jk has a big dick, the oc being clueless but overall having a good time 

— words; 2,2k 

— author’s note; this was supposed to be shorter but, well, that’s the story of my life. A few people asked for a bit of jealous!jk so here I am to deliver it 😌 Inspired by this ask I got. 

~ 

Jungkook hated the wintertime. He hated the fact that you no longer used skirts because of the cold weather, hated that you had to go away for a few weeks because of winter break and, above all, hated those stupid turtlenecks you wore. 

Not because you didn’t look good in them — in fact, he had grown to appreciate them over the weeks, the way they made your breasts pop out and how your body felt so comfortable and warm against his — but because it became extremely easy for you to cover up the hickeys he gave you. Which completely missed the point of even having hickeys in the first place. 

“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?” You asked him, fingers pulling slightly on the messy strings of his dark hair. Jungkook was hovering above you in bed, his mouth glued to the skin of your neck, sucking on the flesh. He simply moaned in response, hoping that the roll of his hips against yours would make you shut up. Which obviously didn’t happen. “You better not be doing it.” 

Jungkook pulled away from your skin with a pop!, watching the blossoming red that appeared close to your jaw. It would be hard to cover up that one. “And what if I am?” He smirked, placing a kiss against your lips. His cock was deep inside you, and it was incredibly difficult to argue with him when he was fucking you so well. Not that it would stop you from trying. “What are you going to do about it?” 

You playfully hit him on the shoulder, the frown on your face only making him smile wider. “You’re such a jerk, I’m going to spend all the concealer I have left with this one,” you complained, and Jungkook hummed and leaned back towards your neck, resuming his devilish ministrations. Only one hickey wouldn’t be enough, Jungkook realized, he wanted you to go out to buy more makeup for that. “What’s the deal with you today?” You tried again.

Jungkook’s irritated groan vibrated throughout your skin, his hands tightening around your hips as a flame of anger sparked inside his chest. His deal was that you had cancelled on him at least three times last week to go out with some stupid guy named Jimin from your Wednesday afternoon class. He knew that he shouldn’t care about it — you two were obviously not exclusive, barely even a thing, and you didn’t seem to give a single fuck when he told you about one of the girls that he was going out with. And yet there he was: pissed off out of his mind because someone else might have interest in you, fucking you hard into the mattress because he wanted you to remember that no one could be as good as he was. 

There was also a second layer of indignation when it came to that subject: Jungkook was frustrated with himself because he was balls deep inside your pussy and he couldn’t even focus on it without thinking about your stupid date. It was the fourth week of the semester, he hadn’t seen you for the entirety of winter break, and it was the first time that he was fucking you in your bed (since your roommate was out in some idiotic spiritual retreat). He could actually have you for as long as he wanted, as loud as he wanted, not a single worry about being interrupted. And how was he using that time? Being jealous of a guy he barely even knew, just because he took you out for coffee or whatever. 

It really wasn’t his best moment.  

“Jungkook, that’s so good,” you cried out, sucking him out of his thoughts. Jungkook grunted at the desperate tone of your voice, his name sounding so perfect coming from your mouth, and he just wanted to hear more of it. His cock was slipping in and out of you with ease, your wetness dripping down his length, and he forced himself to pay attention to you for the rest of the night. “I’m getting close.” 

“Yeah?” Jungkook groaned and pressed his forehead against yours — he could tell that already from the way you were tightening so perfectly around him, hugging his cock like you were meant to take it. “You like when I fuck your pussy like this, baby?” 

“Y-Yeah, I love it.” You closed your eyes, back arching off the bed as he continued to drill his fat cock in and out of you. No matter how many times he gave it to you, you couldn’t get used to the incredible pressure of his girth against your walls, filling you up so perfectly. “Feels so good…” 

“Is this all for me baby?” Jungkook finished his sentence with a particularly hard slam of his hips against yours — you didn’t even need to ask him to fuck you rougher, he already knew that was what you wanted. His eyes were a deep dark storm, glued to your parted lips as you moaned out for him, your perfect little cunt pulsating around him. Jungkook could only think about how wonderful you felt, how he couldn’t find someone better even if he tried. “Is this pussy mine? Was it made for me?”

Jungkook was fucking you so well that you could not help but nod, a pathetic whimper tearing itself from your throat as your hands fumbled to hold onto the nape of his neck. Your nails scratched his skin, the sensation making him groan. 

“Yeah, it’s yours.” You said it because you knew that it was all pretend, all his weird possessiveness that he only showed when he was hitting that deep inside you. Jungkook also knew that it was bullshit — but he allowed himself to dive into that fantasy as he felt himself throb inside you. “Fuck, Jungkook, I’m really close.” 

But he didn’t relent. Jungkook shoved his head on the curve of your neck, grunting as he quickened his pace in and out of you. He could feel your thighs trembling, your pussy fluttering around him, and yet it didn’t feel like it was enough. “Say it again,” he roared, hands digging to the flesh of your hips. It would leave a mark, both of you were aware of that, and yet there was a shared sense of wonder when you saw the purple bruises that he would leave behind. “Say that it’s mine.” 

“This pussy is yours, Jungkook,” you whined, head pressed hard against the soft pillows. At that point, you’d say and do anything he asked you to. “O-Only yours.” 

“Good girl,” he praised, his voice hoarse and deep as sin. Jungkook was drilling into you like a madman, hoping that the ache between your legs would be enough to remind you of him, of what he could do to you. He wanted you to keep that in the back of your head next time you had to pick between him and some other dude who wouldn’t know how to treat you. “All mine, this is all mine. Made for me.” 

He quickly got lost in his own praises, mind whitening out at the pleasure that monopolized his body. When you came around him, just as perfectly as you had many times before, Jungkook felt a wave of pride washing over him. It pierced its sharp teeth in his flesh, sucked him out of his worries — suddenly he didn’t give a shit about Jimin from your Wednesday class, because he knew that no amount of stupid coffee dates would ever equate to the way he had you. It was just a matter of time before you realized that as well. 

He felt you shivering beneath him, the way you always did when your pleasure was starting to become a bit too much. Jungkook leaned back so he could see your face, that blushy mess that got him sinking deeper inside you, the thin veil of tears that swam over your unfocused eyes. He would bet real money that Jimin from Wednesday class wouldn’t get you like that in a million years. Not that he was jealous or anything. It was just a fact. 

“J-Jungkook, that’s too much,” you whined. 

And he knew that it was, but he also wanted you to feel it all, and wanted you to cum around him as many times as you could. After all, you finally had some alone time, so he was definitely going to make good use of it. 

“Take it for me, baby,” he asked breathlessly, the rising pitch of his voice signaling that he was close too. Jungkook could feel his own orgasm growing closer, building up at the base of his spine and tugging at his balls, threatening to overflow. “Because I’m not done with you yet.” 

You bit your lip, fighting against a sob as he continued his frantic movements. You wanted to be good for him, wanted to fight through that sensitivity for him. But sometimes it was hard to focus, and the space between the pain and the pleasure could be a bit too long sometimes. “A-Are you close?” You asked. 

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter,” he spat. Jungkook’s eyes zeroed in on your own, watching as a coat of desperation painted your features. “What’s the matter, baby? You don’t wanna get eaten out after I’m done here?” 

“God, Jungkook,” you said. If you weren’t so lost in the afterglow of your orgasm, you’d probably argue with him further, perhaps try and ask for the millionth time what had possessed him. But you seriously couldn’t be bothered with any more arguments and your brain wasn’t fully functional yet, so you settled for a quick and objective, “Are you trying to kill me?” 

Jungkook chuckled, lowering himself so he could place a kiss against your lips. “I'm trying to make you feel good. Let me eat my cum out of you, baby,” he teased, feeling as your walls pulsated around him at the idea. The fact that he hadn’t cum yet was a miracle on its own, because he had been about to tip over for a while now. “Unless you want to keep it inside you.” 

The interesting part was that Jungkook didn’t fully understand his second option until it had spilled from his lips. Now that it had been spoken out loud, manifested into the universe if you will, it made his cock throb with the mental imagery of you walking around stuffed with his cum, making other guys think they had a chance when you were already his. He’d seriously have to try that sometime. 

Before he could stop himself, his hooded eyes centralized on the hickeys he had embellished your neck with, and his marking was enough to make him spill himself inside you, painting your walls with waves of his warm cum. Jungkook called out what sounded like a broken version of your name, throwing his head back and listening to the wonderful whimpers you were producing for him. Just for him. 

At that point, both of you were considering buying your roommate something as a way to thank her for her wonderful idea of a spiritual retreat. 

Jungkook breathed out hard and removed his cock from your pussy, watching as the white liquid dripped between your glistening folds, accumulating on the sheets. If you weren’t so exhausted, you’d probably have yelled at him for ruining your mattress. 

“Have you made up your mind?” He asked, flickering his gaze up at you. You were such a pretty mess, and he lived for the fact that it was all because of him. “Wanna keep it in or want me to eat it out?” 

Honestly, he realized there was no wrong choice and, yet, he wanted to know what you would pick. 

You bit your lip and, after a moment of hesitation, you answered. “Eat it out,” you said. 

Jungkook smirked, lowering his head between your legs. “Good girl.” 

~ 

Jungkook saw you wearing a scarf the next day and he wanted to smack himself across the face for not considering that possibility. It hid all his efforts to mark you, didn’t make you nervous talking to other people. He could see from the faint coat of sweat on your face that you were feeling hot, but he also saw you smirking at him enough times to know that you were planning to endure that for as long as necessary. He was stupid to believe he’d actually get what he wanted for once: it had been too easy. 

He really fucking hated the wintertime. 

~ 

Check out the rest of the bad influence collection! 

Taglist: @youurkryptonite @taehyungieskith​ @fan-ati–c​ @btstrasht​ @crazy4myself​ @sashimi-mochi @ft-multi @kooafraid @dianaaviny @ggukkieland @cryinginmypromdress @kissestothesky

#bts smut #jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #bad influence #bad boy jungkook #pwp #drabble #smut #jungkook pwp #bts #jeon jungkook #bts x you #bts x reader #reader insert

[littlebalsam]

I translated this little comic by からお(karao). They make amazing art and I think they also have a twitter so don't hesitate to go take a look and support their work!

Also Japanese and English are not my first language so be aware that this might not be a perfect translation. I'm doing this to study and because I like it so please don't hesitate to tell me if you think I did a mistake, I'd be glad to know.

Chopper is the one narrating here so it's totally normal if the way he talks seems a little naive at times.

「」 is for when Chopper is narrating, " " are dialogues and * are for notes at the end.

「The cotton candy Sanji makes is pink, sweet and fluffy. It looks like snow and it has the same color as cherry blossoms. That's why I love it.

I wish I could create a panacea which looks like cotton candy and would fall upon every ill person like snow to cure them.

Sanji has five fingers, I only have two hoofs.」

Sanji: "Are you having trouble with your chopsticks? Sorry, there is no second service today."

「Sanji is very skillful.」

Sanji: "I'll make minced fish too next time."

Brook: "Ahhh, it looks great. Sanji-san, me too, me too!"

「And he is clumsy too.」

Brook: "Sanji-san, that's my orbit!"

「Sanji also knows surprising things.」

Sanji: "Chopper, the snowflakes' crystals block out noises. That's the reason why winter islands are so quiet."

Chopper: "Were you born in a winter island too?"

Sanji: "...I don't remember if there was a season in particular..."*

Chopper: "?"

Sanji: "But it was always freezing and silent so it might as well have been wintertime all along."

「Sanji has silky hair whereas my fur is fluffy.」

Sanji: "Hey, Luffy! Use the soap properly!"

「Sanji's irritation cycle lasts one week.

He is the liveliest on the Bath's Big Day**. It may be linked to the smell in the male quarters.」

Sanji to Zoro: "You're the one who stinks the most!"

Brook: ***

「There is more I know. Even though he doesn't like it, Sanji cooks konjac for Zoro occasionally.

He studies illustrated encyclopedias.

Before going to sleep, he reads a book about nudity or something like that. Sometimes he uses Brook as a pillow. Sometimes, Sanji is-

Trembling in a corner of the kitchen, alone.

When he notices me he is terribly surprised.」

Sanji: "I'm just a little cold, that's it. I'm fine, I'm fine. Everything's fine."

「Sanji is-

A liar.

People who are fine don't make this kind of face while repeating they are fine over and over again.

That way, Sanji detaches himself from his emotions.」

(Sanji gasps and sighs)

「How many "selves" did he come to kill like that?

Sanji is cruel, doing something as killing in front of a doctor」

Sanji: "Look, it stopped. I'm sorry, did I scare you ? I'm just a little sensitive to the cold~ If I wash dishes for more than twenty minutes my whole body starts to shiver. Make me a medicine for next time, please."

Chopper: "..."

Sanji: "Hey...I'm really sorry Chopper, I'll give you a cotton candy so get a hold of yourself. Cho-"

「Snow blocks out noises.

(chopper puts the cotton candy on Sanji's mouth)

May the frozen snow...」

Chopper: "Everything is alright."

「...that falls incessantly on Sanji...」

Chopper: "You are safe."

「... become this cotton candy and my voice reach him.」

Chopper: "Everything is alright."

「May this medicine...」

Chopper: "You are safe."****

「...reach the one who trembles.」

*waahhh this one was hell to translate, 禾子 is a Sino-Japanese term so it was difficult to find a good translation but I found out that it is linked to a chinese term: 季 which means "season" or "period". However I'm not studying chinese so I might be wrong.

**風呂大会の日 means "the day of the bathroom's big meeting" but I thought it was weird so I modified it a bit. Also I think "the Bath's Big Day" matches more with the shenanigans of the crew.

***I couldn't understand what Brook is saying but I think it's related to his hair being precious to him? sorry idk

****this is just a detail but Chopper keeps saying 大丈夫 which can be too redundant, so I replaced it with "You are safe". It kind of means the same thing but I don't want to mislead anyone.

If you read until here, thank you!!

#one piece #sanji #chopper #translation

[crookswithbooks]

How To Seduce A Talking Cat

Day Ten - Bean helps Elfo come up with strategies on how to seduce their favorite demon and Elfo himself continues to be awkward and terrible at most everything.               

Waking up in a pool of sunlight was usually an enjoyable experience for the demon, but in the wintertime the reflections off the snow were enough that he was practically blinded when he first opened his eyes. Luci slowly uncurled from his position on the windowsill, stretching out his back. What he was not expecting was to be met with the waiting eyes of Elfo, head tilted slightly as he watched him.

Luci stifled a strangled yelp, quickly straightening out. “Okay dude, super creepy.”

“You know you look just like a cat when you sleep,” Elfo told him as the demon hopped off the windowsill. “I half expected you to start purring.”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you I’m not a cat,” he grumbled, his tail curling in annoyance. “I’m a demon and I’d kill your parents for half a corn chip.”

“But you don’t like corn chips.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t get it.”

Teasing Elfo was a gamble each time. Sometimes it was as easy as calling him short and sometimes the meaning of his words flew completely over the elf’s head. “You know Elfo, it’s amazing how you’re even less fun in the morning than all the other times of the day. It’s almost impressive in a way.”

“Thank you!”

Luci scampered out the door to go find some drunk scholb to torment, grumbling something about early mornings and annoying elves.

Elfo sighed, flopping back down on the bed. Bean was curled up on her side, having passed out soundly after last night’s shenanigans. Her hair formed a tangled mat around her head and she snored quietly. There had been moments when the sight of her would have set Elfo’s heart aflutter. It still sort of did. Now though, he found his attentions were held by another, more antagonistic force.

“Have you ever been in love?” Elfo asked her distractedly, watching the doorway where Luci’s form had been moments before.

“Mmm… love…” Bean’s murmurings were almost unintelligible, her barely conscious mind slurring her words. “Warm hands… why yes I will join you in your chambers tonight…”

“Like, genuine love,” Elfo continued, oblivious to the fact that Bean was clearly not listening. “Love where you would do anything just to get them to notice you?”

“Do anything…” Bean snorted, pulling her pillow in close so that she was practically straddling the material. “You can do whatever you want to me…”

“But the thing is, the person in question’s not good for you. Like, objectively speaking, just a terrible influence and not a good person to boot. Yet all the same you can’t help falling for their infuriating charms.”

“Boots…” Bean muttered, finding herself more and more awake with every second. “Am I wearing boots in bed?” She kicked them off, groaning as she sat up.

Elfo’s eyes widened with realization. “Oh my goodness. I’m in love with Luci.”

“What?”

Elfo slid off the bed, pressing his hands to the side of his head. “I can’t believe I never realized it before. I just assumed those fluttery feelings in my stomach were hatred, but then I realized they were the same feelings I used to get when I looked at you and I just—”

“Hold up a second,” Bean interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him. This was not the kind of news you wanted sprung on you while dealing with a hangover. “You’re in love with Luci? Luci? The demon? My demon? In love?”

“I think so!” Elfo gnawed on his lip anxiously, not interpreting Bean’s distress. “I mean, now that I think about it, the signs are pretty obvious. I love hanging out with him, whenever he makes fun of me I get all hot and bothered, and sometimes when I look at him I find myself thinking he’s… cute? Like, these aren’t friend feelings, are they?”

“How long have you been in love with Luci?” Bean exclaimed, lost and bewildered at the turn the conversation was taking. “How did I miss this? And why Luci? And why you?”

“I don’t know, a couple months now,” Elfo said in answer to her first question. “At least I think so. It’s hard to pin down. I mean, I’ve always sort of felt this way, if I really track it back, but it’s only recently that I started to be fully aware of it.”

“Am I losing my touch?” Bean gasped. “My best friends were in love and I never realized. I can’t believe it.” She grabbed Elfo’s arm, momentarily pulling him out of his funk and forcing him to look at her. “Well, what are you going to do about it?”

Elfo shrugged uncomfortably, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “I don’t know… I was thinking I would just pine endlessly now that I know how I feel and prolong the inevitable rejection.”

“No, no, no!” It was possibly due to the seven beers she had drunk last night, but Bean found herself weirdly invested in this newfound realization of Elfo’s. She had always found it difficult to navigate her own love life so focusing on someone else’s was a welcome distraction. “You have to tell him.”

Elfo snorted, a derisive noise that shot down any possibility of acceptance. “Please. There is no way that he feels the same way. Luci’s a demon. I’m… well, me. It wouldn’t work.”

Bean folded her legs under her, gripping her hands in concentration. “There’s got to be something…” She racked her brain, digging through her hangover for ideas. After a couple minutes of her doing this and Elfo waiting unimpressed, her eyes shot open with excitement. “I got it! Mistletoe!”

“What?” Elfo frowned. “You want me to grow mistletoe?”

“No stupid.” She stood up, pacing back and forth. “You find a way to get both you and Luci under the mistletoe at the same time, and then once you’ve kissed him you can confess your undying love for him. It’ll be perfect. It always works in those books Derek is constantly reading. I only know because sometimes I use the pages to smoke drugs and accidentally catch glimpses of the words.”

“I don’t know…” Elfo said skeptically. “Who’s to say Luci will even follow the rules of mistletoe? He doesn’t seem like the rule-following type.”

Bean waved a hand, dismissing the idea before it could even take form. “He will.”

“How do you know?”

Bean didn’t answer and Elfo reluctantly followed her as she continued to go through several ideas for their plan.

A day later, Elfo sat at the table in the grand hall with a glass of beer and a stomach full of nerves. Operation Luci-Under-The-Mistletoe was ago, or LUTM as Bean has so affectionately named it. Above him was a mistletoe tied to the rafters. The beer had been Bean’s suggestion, the idea being that Luci would be unable to resist the alcohol and would be forced to sit next to him.

He had been waiting there for nearly fifteen minutes before Luci finally wandered back into the castle. He slipped in through the crack in the doorway, eyes widening as he caught sight of Elfo nervously gripping a glass of shoddy beer. “Oh. Elfo. Hey.”

“Luci!” Elfo exclaimed a bit too loudly. Now that he had named his feelings he found it harder to be around the demon without being awkward. Luci raised an eyebrow and he flushed. “Hey there... bud… how’s your day been?”

“Great. Set two children on fire in front of their parents.” Luci crawled onto the bench, far enough away that he wasn’t technically under the mistletoe. “They screamed for a long time. A couple of times the fire went out and I had to re-light it which was troublesome, but such is the sacrifices I make for art.”

“Geez,” Elfo muttered, queasy just at the thought of it. Of all the people he had to fall for, it had to be a demon. “That sounds… terrible.”

“It was,” Luci agreed dreamily.

“Hey,” Elfo said casually, twisting the bottle on the table in what he hoped was an inconspicuous motion. “I was just getting ready to down a couple of cold ones if you wanted to maybe join me?” He threw in the maybe despite himself, nerves getting the best of him.

Luci examined the cracked bottle containing clearly not cold beer. “Yeah… so, as fun as that sounds, I’m actually good. I was getting ready to go get baked and yell at people in the streets, though, if you wanted to come with me?”

“Sure,” Elfo agreed miserably, setting the bottle back down a little too hard on the table. Plan #1 was a bust, which meant it was back to the drawing board for him.

 A couple days later and Elfo sat loosely tied to the throne with a mistletoe hung directly above him, waiting for Luci to come back from breakfast. The plan now was that Luci would try to help him out and as soon as he was close enough Elfo would slip the knots and kiss him. Elfo was skeptical about the plan as it required Luci wanting to help anyone, but Bean was confident in this one so he went with it. He twisted against the chair, the hard wood digging into his back uncomfortably.

Luci’s amusement when he finally found him was unending and Elfo almost wanted to die right then and there, mistletoe be damned.

“Wow,” Luci whistled appreciatively, circling him. “Just wow. Who did you say did this to you again?”

“The kids from the village,” Elfo muttered under his breath, repeating the words Bean had instructed him to say. It was all the more embarrassing due to the plausibility of the situation. “Could you possibly help me out of here?”

“And you’re really stuck?” Luci clarified, just standing there and, more importantly, not helping him. “Like, you can’t get out at all?”

“No,” Elfo assured him in what he hoped was a convincing lie.

Luci examined him for a moment longer, clearly deciding the truth of the statement. Finally he shrugged, walking towards the still open door.

“W-Wait!” Elfo cried out in a panic, wanting to rush after him but not wanting to give away the fact that he wasn’t really stuck. “Where are you going? Aren’t you going to help me?”

“It seems like you’re really stuck in there,” Luci said over his shoulder, strolling out the doorway. “Why would I ruin such a perfect oppurtunity?”

Seconds later he was gone and Elfo slumped against the rope, defeated yet again.

 His third try was a last-ditch attempt and one that he wasn’t proud of by any definition of the word. Tied to the front of his hat was a sprig of mistletoe, making it impossible for anyone to get close to him without being in range of the plant. It was obvious and mortifying if anyone saw him—which, if Bean’s plan was to work, they would have to. Specifically Luci.

Luci took one look at him and burst into laughter, doubling over in amusement. Elfo blushed furiously, bristling at the reaction. “Oh my god, Elfo, man, this is just so desperate. What lady is ever going to want to kiss you with that on your head?”

Elfo didn’t even bother to come up with a response, ripping the hat off and throwing it to the ground. He stormed off, Luci’s laughter echoing down the halls after him.

 Eventually, Elfo was forced to resign himself to the facts. Luci didn’t want to kiss him; that much was obvious. And no amount of tricks, clever ploys, or traditional plants were going to change that. The sooner he allowed himself to accept that, the sooner he could get over the stinging phase of rejection.

He sat curled up in the windowsill of Bean’s room, the place where this whole stupid charade had begun. His knees were pulled up to his chest and in one hand he held a piece of mistletoe, glaring at it with as much hatred as he could muster.

“Stupid plant,” he muttered angrily, crushing it between his fingers. “Stupid Bean, stupid Luci, stupid feelings—”

“Are you talking to yourself again?”

He jumped at the sound of Luci’s voice. He shoved the mistletoe behind him quickly; there was no way he would be able to deal with the embarrassment of Luci catching him holding it.

“No,” he protested, wishing for once that Luci would just go away. As always, Luci ignored his wishes and hopped up on the windowsill opposite him, examining him curiously. “Why are you here? Don’t you have more important things to be doing?”

“Not really. I just finished poisoning the local drinking water, so my schedule’s clear for the next couple hours.” Luci watched him for a moment before his tail snapped out suddenly and snatched the mistletoe from behind Elfo’s back. Elfo gasped, shooting out a hand to retrieve it but it was already too late. Luci smiled, holding up the mistletoe in both their line of sight. “Thinking of kissing someone, huh?”

“I…” Elfo struggled to come up with a convincing story, but between all the plans he and Bean had come up with lately, not to mention his inherently guilty conscious, he found himself all out of lies. “I was, yeah. But they don’t want to kiss me back.”

“How do you know that? Did they tell you?”

“No,” Elfo admitted. “But they don’t have to. They’re super cool and mysterious and I’m… you know.”

“Elfo?”

“Exactly.”

His head drooped in misery. A couple seconds later, however, he felt a soft hand grip his chin and tilt it upwards. He found Luci standing next to him, the mistletoe held squarely over them by his tail. Elfo gaped at the sight, glancing between it and Luci’s face. “But—I thought—”

“I knew what you were trying to do,” Luci admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ve known since the beginning. I just thought I shouldn’t give the win to you that easy. And I have to say, it was fun messing with you. Sorry about that. by the way. Bad habits, demon and all that.”

“So then you…” Elfo struggled to deal with the information he was being handed. “You knew that I liked you and you weren’t disgusted?”

“Of course not,” Luci snorted. “Do you know how many things I’ve been with on this planet? You’re hardly the most revolting thing.”

“Thanks,” Elfo said dryly.

“You know what I mean.”

“So you, too…?”

“Don’t make me say it,” Luci snapped, and if Elfo didn’t know better he could have sworn he spotted a faint blush on the demon’s cheeks. He wiggled the mistletoe then, a mischievous look entering his eyes. “Now, I believe I owe you something?”

Kissing Luci was never something Elfo would imagine in even his wildest of dreams, but life, as he quickly found out, was full of surprises. Normally, Elfo was not that fond of surprises, but in this case he decided to make an exception.

#disenchantment #elfo #luci #bean #elfo x luci #twelve days of ficmas #fanfiction

[trusfrations]

Chilly Days

Genre: Snake Hybrid! BTS, Yoongi Imagines, Fluff

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Warnings: none except u might get a toothache but so much fluff -__-

Summary: chilly yoongi has some cute habits

Authors note: this is my very first fic, so if it’s absolute shit... oh well. 

Post Date: Dec 2 2020

Word Count: 503

It was a very shivery day which meant one thing:

Yoongi was COLD.

Being a cold-blooded snake hybrid had some benefits:

Long days of sunbathing when the weather was nice and warm

A much better sense of smell than those weakling humans

Pretty mermaid-like shimmering scales

BUT.

when it was wintertime, all he could think was BRRRR

I mean, c’mon.

Yes he could and had made it through this trying fourth season

BUT cold-bloodedness definitely is not a plus when it comes to braving blizzards.

Luckily, he had you to help his constant shivering

You were always warm as freshly steamed bao, and if you weren’t, you could just cuddle up with fluffy sweaters

Which, speaking of which was one of his favorite things to do!

Cuddling in your sweaters!

Usually he hated cuddling with people, but you were the exception

because you truly loved him and saw behind his colder exterior.

You had met yoongi at uni where at first you found him a little… shall we say, hard to talk to.

He had tried to dissuade you from being his friend

He hadn’t spoken to you

Chuckled menacingly whenever he passed by you

purposefully was difficult when you worked on labs with him

Blasted his music right when you walked past him, causing many ear aches

And made fun of your more childish ways

-cough- pouting over everything and anything

But, you had remained undeterred, and here you were!

He had apologized for his behavior and regretted his past foolishness, because that was just too much to make your poor self go thru but the past is in the past

And now!

You’re Yoongi’s best friend and girl friend!

Well enough with the backstory,

You just had finished your uni class and walked through the door, fluffy scarf wrapped around your neck, hands piled with textbooks on biology.

Your hybrid boyfriend was nowhere in sight so you assumed he was probably coming home later, as he often spent the nights at his home studio.

As you walk in though, you quickly see a two foot long green snake with shimmering scales on your couch cuddled serenely in a massive pile of your blankets.

He must have been too sleepy and cold to stay in hybrid form :’(

Poor baby!

You quickly rush over and plop yourself down beside him.

“Do you want me to get you some hot cocoa? food? Hot water? A heating lamp?”

He looks at you with calm reptilian eyes

Without a word, he quickly slithers into one of your sleeves, and adorably pokes his head out the other sleeve

Brrrrr

You try hard not to shiver

“Oh babyyy” you squeal, “your scales are so cold!”

He just stares at you with big eyes and flicks his tongue out

Eventually, you study for a while before falling asleep, your computer on your lap typing about mitosis, and him curled securely in your sweater

<3 eww my writing but I hope you guys liked it! :)

#yoongi fanfic #yoongi fic #suga fanfic #hybrid bts x y/n #i want to be y/n for a day #drabble #yoongi drabbles #imagines #bts imagines #bts fanfics #fluff #fluffy fics #fluffy imagines #bts au #bts au drabbles #hybrid!yoongi #snake hybrid yoongi #rare hybrid bts #fics #trusfrations #chilly days #cold!yoongi #shivers #brr #cute #firstbirthday #first fanfic

[dweemeister]

Melody Time (1948)

Disengaged and disinterested, Walt Disney was adrift at his own studio in the late 1940s. The studio’s modestly-budgeted package animated features were designed to save it from financial ruin. Yet, they required artistic and storytelling compromises that Disney was loathe to make. In this period, Disney shuffled personnel around the various departments – whether due to personal conflicts or dissatisfaction with their artistic approach on a certain film. Melody Time’s segments are of varying quality and limited experimentation, reflecting the organizational tumult within the studio. No standout moment exists in Melody Time, even though it is more energetic and looser than the preceding Fun and Fancy Free (1947).

The modern Walt Disney Company has advertised Melody Time as a film, “in the grand tradition of Disney’s greatest musical classics, such as Fantasia.” Audacious comparison to make, but functionally inaccurate. Fantasia, as imagined by Walt Disney, Deems Taylor, Leopold Stokowski, and the studio’s animators, was crafted so that its animation would empower the music (in cinema, the reverse – where music serves the action on-screen – is almost always a filmmaker’s approach). The reverse of that relationships holds here. Melody Time contains these seven segments, or “mini-musicals”: “Once Upon a Wintertime”, “Bumble Boogie”, “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”, “Little Toot”, “Trees”, “Blame It on the Samba”, and “Pecos Bill”. Some of these mini-musicals are more watchable and more artistically interesting than others – although that standard is relatively low in Melody Time.

“Once Upon a Wintertime” is based on an overused Disney narrative template that never ceases to be a bore. A young couple are out and about, flirting and flitting, all while the woodland animals scurrying back and forth mirror human courtship. The segment, however, is partially redeemed by Frances Langford singing the segment’s title song (composed by Bobby Worth and Ray Gilbert) and the unmistakable influence of Mary Blair (1950’s Cinderella, the “It’s a Small World” attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim) in its aesthetic. With any piece of animation involving Mary Blair, one can expect an eye-catching use of color and her modernist art style. “Once Upon a Wintertime” is like a holiday card brought to animated life. Unlike a picturesque and meaningful holiday card, though, it overstays its welcome. But the stereotypical treatment of the young women appearing in “Once Upon a Wintertime” is, to put it mildly, clichéd writing at best. Hackneyed, too, is the fact that the woodland animals come to the human’s rescue.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee is one of the most recognizable (and overplayed) pieces of Western classical music, even to those folks who go out of their way to announce their distaste for classical music. Given a jazz rendition by the Freddy Martin Orchestra, “Bumble Boogie” is a thankfully brief three-minute foray. Here, an insect (that does not seem anything like a bee) flies through a series of surreal images – mostly parts of musical instruments (piano keys in particular) – that it must avoid. The segment is visually entertaining to watch, even if it must have been the easiest to prepare, design, and animated for in all of Melody Time. If placed in either Fantasia or Fantasia 2000, it would easily be the weakest Fantasia segment ever produced.

Third in the film is a segment that feels most like a classic Disney production. “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” is Disney’s glorified and sanitized take on the eponymous American pioneer, nurseryman, conservationist, and missionary. Walt’s personal ideology and perspective on American history included the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny and the taming of the nation’s wilds as among humanity’s greatest achievements. These are notions that Walt – through his films, theme parks, television shows, and public and private remarks – never questioned. Narrated and with Johnny Appleseed voiced by Dennis Day, there is a sincerity to Johnny’s characterization not present anywhere else in the movie. Again, Mary Blair’s artwork – this time, her forested backgrounds – appears as if heaven-sent. The umbrella-like canopy of the apple trees and “untamed” forests are inviting, and attract one’s eyes upward – towards the apples, paradise.

The title song (sometimes referred to as “The Lord is Good to Me”) featured in the opening moments of “The Legend of Appleseed” is one of the earliest – and one of the few – mentions or depictions of religious faith in a Disney animated work. It reinforces the mythos that surrounds Johnny Appleseed (and, by extension, the belief that white men are divine heroes for civilizing the lands west of the original Thirteen Colonies) to the present day. I was not raised in any of the Abrahamic religions, but it difficult to deny the simple charm of the title song and this segment – even if it endorses a troublesome perspective on American history. “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” is the best segment of Melody Time – from its unassuming storytelling and wondrous animation. It is the only Melody Time segment that I could possibly envision as a decent feature-length animated film.

Based on a 1939 children’s picture book of the same name Hardie Gramatky, “Little Toot” is a chore to sit through. The segment shares similar narrative and aesthetic tissue with Saludos Amigos’ (1942) “Pedro”, which concerned an anthropomorphic mail airplane that thinks it could. Along the Hudson River in New York City, Little Toot is a tiny tugboat who aspires to be like his father Big Toot. Just as in “Pedro”, this is a case of an anthropomorphized vehicle child who attempts to assume adult responsibility in order to prove that they can perform tasks as well as the adults can. Given that Little Toot is a meddling prankster playing tugboat games, it is difficult to feel much sympathy when he finally faces the consequences of his actions – which probably includes calamitous infrastructural damage and human casualties. Of course, Little Toot is eventually redeemed through some heroic deeds. All of the tugboats will love him, as they belt out with glee that Little Toot will go down in history. The segment is grating, including the novelty title song sung by The Andrews Sisters. Aside from some fascinating water effects, there is not much that “Little Toot” offers in the way of animated interest. Otherwise, it is least interesting segment of the film.

The palate-cleanser is “Trees”, a four-minute segment based on Joyce Kilmer’s poem of the same name (music composed by Oscar Rasbach and performed by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians). Its aesthetic harkens back to a few seconds near the end of the “Ave Maria” in Fantasia, but otherwise “Trees” is distinct from anything else that has appeared in the Disney animated canon. When setting to work on “Trees”, layout artist Ken O’Connor (1941’s Dumbo, 1987’s The Brave Little Toaster) found himself enamored by the concept art, and endeavored to be a faithful to the style set by the concept art as possible. To do this, O’Connor frosted cels before drawing pastel images onto the cel. Before being photographed by the studio’s multiplane camera, each cel was laminated in clear lacquer to prevent the pastel from smudging. Thanks to O’Connor’s experimentation, “Trees”, however fleeting, lays claim to some of the most beautiful animation among all of the package Disney animated features.

“Blame it on the Samba” sees a reunion of Donald Duck and Brazilian parrot José Carioca (Saludos Amigos, 1944’s The Three Caballeros) are walking about, depressed, directionless. Suddenly, they encounter the Aracuan Bird (who debuted in The Three Caballeros), who whisks them inside a cocktail that introduces them to the rhythmic pleasures of the samba. The segment’s title song is based on Ernesto Nazareth’s polka Apanhei-te, Cavaquinho, sung by The Dinning Sisters with adapted English lyrics, and accompanied by organist Ethel Smith (who appears as herself).

“Blame it on the Samba” feels like it should have been featured in either Saludos Amigos or The Three Caballeros – and that was the intention exactly. Intended to appear in Saludos Amigos, “Blame it on the Samba” was animated and completed in time for it to be incorporated in The Three Caballeros. Given Donald Duck’s lust for human women in the second half of the latter movie, “Blame it on the Samba” might have otherwise been a serviceable penultimate number in that film. The segment is an explosion of color, a kick in the rear for a movie that feels much longer than its seven-five-minute runtime might suggest. And yet in a segment for a music genre innovated in Brazil and popularized by Brazilians, the performers and the performance lack any discernible Brazilian influence or roots. This is not samba music. Instead, it is the culmination of what a white American might think samba music sounds like. This unfortunate development probably would have been avoided entirely if “Blame it on the Samba” appeared in those two aforementioned films instead.

“Pecos Bill”, based on the Texan folk hero of the same name, makes reference to American Indians in ghastly ways. Simultaneously, its absurd humor and lack of fidelity to sensible human behavior and physics make it a delight to watch. The segment also boasts the presence of Roy Rogers and the Pioneers (and Rogers’ horse, Trigger). Child actors Luana Patten and Bobby Driscoll, both of whom had just starred in Song of the South (1946), make brief appearances in the segment’s hybrid animation/live-action introduction. Rogers, then contracted to Republic Pictures, was one of the quintessential stars of the singing cowboy subgenre – singing cowboy movies were almost exclusively made by the “Poverty Row” studios including Republic, and they were extremely profitable against their barebones budgets). “Pecos Bill” all begins with the atmospheric, moody “Blue Shadows on the Trail”. “Blue Shadows on the Trail” describes and, through its spare instrumentation, reflects the emptiness and desolation of the American West. It is a beautiful ballad, and could easily be placed in any Western (singing cowboy movies or otherwise).

Once the hybrid animation/live-action introduction concludes, “Pecos Bill” steams forward with comic hyperbole followed by another comic hyperbole. The title song (music by Eliot Daniel, lyrics by Johnny Lange) doubles down on the exaggerations. Those exaggerations include the segment’s constant gunplay – escaping censorship from the Hays Code: a risqué gag that includes Pecos Bill’s guns going off because of love interest Slue Foot Sue. At least Melody Time ends brashly and riotously, but any impressionable children watching will require a discussion from a trusted adult. Its depictions of American Indians and men-women relations are deplorable, but after just over an hour of inconsistent quality, I found myself enjoying “Pecos Bill” more than I imagined.

Shortly after the release of Melody Time, Walt Disney embarked on a three-week cruise to Hawai’i. Walt rarely went vacationing, and he spent these weeks fully concentrating on his family and escaping from the minutiae of managing his studio. Even after returning from Hawai’i, Walt did not spend much time in Burbank. Walt invited animator and fellow train enthusiast Ward Kimball on a trip to the Midwest. Together, they attended the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair, visited the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and stopped at other locations close to Walt’s childhood in the Midwest. Through the end of 1948, Walt spent more time constructing the train set in his backyard than paying attention to the animation and live-action movies his studio was producing. What seemed like idleness to many (including New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther, who believed that Disney was a cinematic genius wasting his time on quixotic projects) was a major inspiration for a draft sketch entitled “Mickey Mouse Park”, dated August 31, 1948.

The package era at Walt Disney Productions (now Walt Disney Animation Studios) was nearing its end. Every film during this run – Saludos Amigos (1942), The Three Caballeros (1944), Make Mine Music (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) – faced the same narrative of Walt Disney’s personal indifference to the projects, a lack of direction and motivation among the animators, and audience and critic dissatisfaction when compared to Disney’s Golden Age movies. A return to non-package animated features would be imminent, in spite of Melody Time’s mediocre performance at the box office. The Disney studios would attempt to begin a period of renewal with a tradition that inaugurated their animated canon – with a fairy tale.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Melody Time #Walt Disney #Mary Blair #Jack Kinney #Clyde Geronimi #Hamilton Luske #Wilfred Jackson #Roy Rogers #Dennis Day #The Andrews Sisters #Donald Duck #Jose Carioca #My Movie Odyssey