#and gave me cottonmouth
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Restless
*Requested from this ask :)*
Era: Prison
Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader
Pronouns: She/Her
Word Count: 2.2k
Warnings: language, anxiety, nightmares, brief descriptions of typical twd violence/gore, comfort-fluff!!
Summary: After another nightmare startles you awake in the middle of the night, you find it hard to fall back to sleep. Your boyfriend Daryl comes to the rescue when he senses your spot beside him in bed is empty.
“You should be sleepin’.” Daryl drawled as his gravelly voice sounded from the doorway behind you as you stood outside on the bridge that connected one cellblock to another.
“I’m sorry for waking you.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, mental and physical exhaustion making you too weary to sound any louder.
Although you didn't directly wake Daryl up when you snuck out of your shared cell, despite him being a notoriously light sleeper, the archer seemed to have a sixth sense about you and only awoke when his subconscious didn’t feel you beside him anymore. Daryl wasn’t surprised when he rolled over and only felt a cold mattress under his hand after blindly searching for your figure in the dark.
“Don’t gotta be.” Daryl quickly dismissed as he shuffled over so he was standing beside you. Wordlessly, he handed you a cup of water that he knew you needed. You always got cottonmouth after being awoken from a nightmare, and often neglected the task of getting yourself some water so you could relieve the dryness in your throat.
“You rarely sleep, and I woke you up.” You insisted after taking a few gracious sips of the refreshing water. Your head ducked in shame and your posture slumped in defeat when you thought back to the image of Daryl’s sleeping figure snoring into his pillow only a few moments ago.
“Was probably gonna wake up anyway from my own hellish mind, so I should be thankin’ ya for sparin’ me the trouble.” Daryl glanced over at you as a half smile lifted one corner of his mouth. He was unsure if his attempt at comforting you worked, judging by the worry line that only seemed to deepen between your furrowed eyebrows.
A bittersweet silence fell over you both as you looked out at the darkened landscape of the prison yard and shadowy trees that lined the woods in the distance. Through the holes of the wired fence in front of you, your gaze would occasionally skim over the darkened outlines of the lifeless walkers as they stalked around the most outer fence. If you strained your hearing just enough, you could make out their groans and snarls. You tried to ignore their burdening presence as much as possible.
“What was it about this time?” Daryl lightly prodded; not wanting to upset you and make you even more uncomfortable than you already were, but still wanting to give you the chance to open up if you chose too.
“Those dead assholes over there.” You scoffed while pointing an accusing finger at the walkers that lined the fence. “I’m pretty sure I was just about to get torn to bits before waking up.”
Before the end of the world happened, going to sleep was a way for you to escape from the daily stresses of your once domestic life. Although it wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, it worked for you. After coming home from a particularly demanding work shift, you’d often take a nap the second your head hit the pillow of your couch. If you had the type of day that required you to be on your feet all day, you’d look forward to the moment you’d be able to sleep the stress away in the comfort of your bed.
The escape that sleep once gave you was now taken away, thanks to the apocalypse. The horror, anxiety, and daily stress that came with living in a corrupt world didn’t leave you even when you slept. It haunted your consciousness during the day, and infiltrated your dreams whenever you managed to get a couple of hours of shuteye. Your dreams were no longer filled with weird scenarios that often made you laugh for the few moments you could remember them whenever you awoke in the morning. All you knew now were nightmares that seemed far too plausible for your liking.
Some nights you’d dream about your new found family getting eaten by walkers: hearing their pained and desperate pleas for help that your dream prevented you from giving them. Other times, you’d dream about their walkerfied corpses chasing you, trying to tear your flesh apart in order to satisfy their indefinite hunger. Most nights though, you’d dream about the Governor. His voice haunted you as he spoke of his bloodlust for your family. You could vividly see him breaking down the protective fences surrounding the prison as he came back for vengeance. Just before you awoke, the last thing that would be engraved in your mind’s eye would be the bloodbath the dictator would leave in his wake.
The gruesome and haunting images of walkers and the Governor isn’t what scared you the most, it was the fear of losing the ones you loved.
You would often fight sleep for as long as you could, just so you could avoid those poignant dreams. This resulted in you volunteering to take the nightly watch shift. You took as many shifts as you could, which was a lot since a majority of the people who lived in the prison were more than willing to give their shift to you. That coping mechanism got shut down before it even had the chance to start, since Daryl quickly caught wind of your extensive nightly shift-load. In a rare move, the archer had personally reported to the board to demand that they restrict the number of shifts you could take in a week.
Daryl didn’t push matters, as he often let you come to him when you were ready to talk about whatever it was that was bothering you. However, he cared about your well being tremendously and grew concerned when he began to notice just how dark and heavy the circles and bags under your eyes were getting. You couldn’t be mad at the archer for too long, since his attentiveness was quite endearing.
Whenever you did manage to fall asleep, a distressing nightmare would commonly wake you up with a start a few hours later. Much like tonight, your eyes would dart around every wall and dark corner that made up your tiny cell like a ritual, and you would struggle to differentiate between what was fiction and reality due to the disorienting fog that clouded your brain.
From the cold sweat you had accumulated while you slept, your mismatched pajama set stuck to your body like glue; drenched and causing chills to wrack through your bones. Your body would still be in fight or flight mode, adrenaline surging through your veins and causing anxiety to keep you from finding sleep once again.
Daryl didn’t know how to respond. Everything he thought of saying would only make him sound like a broken record. You knew you were safe within the prison walls, and that walkers wouldn’t get to you unless you ventured outside the protective fences. You knew that Daryl would do everything in his power to protect you from harm if it ever came your way. You knew that he, Michonne, and yourself were going above and beyond to try to find the governor and take him down once and for all.
The only thing Daryl could do was wrap his arm around your shoulders and pull you into his warm chest. You practically melted into his touch, your achy muscles going limp as you basked in his comforting embrace. No words had to be said between you two during times like these; his presence was enough to calm you down and make the looming aftershocks of your nightmare become still once again.
“I wish it got easier…living like this.” You admitted in a whisper as your gaze drifted back towards the dark prison yard.
Daryl could relate to what you were feeling, he felt it too. It was hard not to. A pang shot through his chest in empathy. “It ain’t supposed to be…if we don’t feel it, then we’re just as bad as those assholes out there.” Daryl expressed earnestly after a few moments of stilled silence had passed.
You didn’t respond. Instead, you pried your eyes away from the looming figures of the walkers that swayed in the distance and hid your face in Daryl’s chest.
“What do ya wanna do?” Daryl asked gently as he adjusted his chin against your head. His large hand rubbed soothing strides up and down your arm before moving to your back.
“I don’t know.” You admitted with your eyes closed. Your body was practically screaming at you to go to sleep, as the exhaustion was threatening to forcibly knock you unconscious. You didn’t know if you were ready to reface the daunting shadows that made up your tiny cell and practically suffocated you every time you laid down for the night.
Swallowing the lump that was beginning to form in your throat, you lifted your head up from Daryl’s broad chest just enough to look at his moonlit face. “Would you make fun of me if I lit a candle?”
“What, like a nightlight?” Daryl raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at you. His heart simultaneously broke and swelled at the sight of the pout that contorted your fatigued face.
“Sort of.” You mumbled in embarrassment while ducking your eyes from him. Letting out a chuckle, Daryl tightened his arms around your body.
“Nah, I won’t make fun of ya…at least not tonight.”
Groaning in embarrassment at his goading, you weakly whacked Daryl in the chest with your open palm. You could feel heat rush to the tips of your ears and the apples of your cheeks at your rather juvenile request. With your head still laid on Daryl’s chest, you turned so your gaze fell back onto the darkened prison yard for one last lingering glance.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Daryl kept his arm wrapped over your shoulders as he led you back into the cellblock and into the dank and small cell you now called home. Although you avoided looking at him as you struck a match to light the candle that sat on the nightstand, you knew Daryl was smirking at you; and most likely having hundreds of teasing remarks burning the tip of his tongue.
With a sigh, you slipped out of your slippers and set your hunting knife back on the nightstand before getting into bed. Daryl already had an arm open for you, waiting for the moment you’d scoot yourself into his side and rest your head on his chest. The archer didn’t mind when you spent the next few moments squirming around beside him, struggling to find a comfortable position that wouldn’t flare up your sensitive anxiety. When you did find that sweet spot, your muscles relaxed as you let the feeling of Daryl’s soothing heartbeat settle your heightened nerves.
“Thank you.” You murmured into the material of Daryl’s cotton black t-shirt after a few moments of comfortable silence had passed.
“For?” Daryl was genuinely unsure about what you were thankful for as he couldn’t recall doing anything within the last twenty minutes or so that was worthy of gratitude.
You felt the pads of Daryl’s calloused fingers trail up and down your spine and occasionally massage your scalp, not only bringing you comfort, but for himself as well. Your fingers traced random designs on the expanse of his chest as you thought of a way to accurately express what you were feeling and thinking.
“For helping me.” You stated simply before lifting your head up slightly so you could peer up at him. Daryl scoffed lightly at your notion before tightening his arms around your frame. Your eyes closed as he placed a kiss on your hairline.
“Told ya it’s nothin’,” Pausing, Daryl looked down at you and raised his hand to gently sweep a few strands of loose hair from out of your face. “It don’t matter what time of day or night it is, I’ll always be here for ya…you know that.”
You didn’t know if it was the sleep deprivation, the crash that followed the adrenaline rush you had, or both, but your eyes began to pool with salty tears that stung the corners of your eyes. Daryl’s thumb caressed over your cheek and you found yourself melting into the comforting touch. Nodding your head in acknowledgment, you leaned forwards and placed a gentle kiss on Daryl’s lips. The archer found himself holding the back of your neck more securely so he could deepen the kiss as a way to wordlessly express to you how much he meant what he had previously stated.
Soon, when the kiss you two shared had simmered down, you settled back down against Daryl’s chest and watched the dim light of the candle flicker against the concrete walls that surrounded you. Daryl’s hand resumed its soothing motions on your back. The longer you laid like that, basking in the safety that Daryl’s arms gave you, impending sleep began to loom over you.
When you heard Daryl whisper the three words that always filled your heart with warmth and caused your stomach to flutter, you allowed sleep to overcome you with a smile uplifting the corners of your mouth.
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A/N: Thank you to the anon for this request! I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!❤️
#daryl dixon#daryl dixon fanfiction#daryl dixon x reader#daryl dixon x you#daryl dixon x y/n#the walking dead#twd#the walking dead fanfiction#twd fanfiction
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Brain and Heart
Ignis Scientia x reader
Warnings: Fluff, rejection
Requested by @batsandbirdsposts
Tysm for making this request! I hope you like it!!! (I’m sorry it took so long 😭)
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Stepping outside, you stared out at the sky full of stars above. Even if they couldn’t deliver any comfort tonight, you needed this moment to clear your head.
Then you heard the soft crackle of the fire. When you turned your head, A small luminescent campfire glowed at the center of camp. Ignis was sitting next to the flame.
His features were softened by the glow of the fire. A soft streak of light highlighted his face. His hair was disheveled, contrasting with his usual spiked pompadour.
He looked content… almost ethereal, like some sort of celestial being. You approached slowly, to not startle him, “Hey there, Specs.”
He didn’t look surprised when he caught sight of you and simply said, “Care to join me?”
As he gestured towards the ground, you walked towards him and sat next to the small patch of grass he was patting.
Ignis shifted into a more comfortable pose before breaking the silence with his eloquence. “It’s not like you to be up so late…” Looking directly at the embers of the campfire, he continued. “Is something troubling you?”
“I could ask the same,” You tried to give him a smile despite the abrupt awkwardness in the silence.
For a short moment, Ignis said nothing. He kept his gaze firmly planted on the embers as they rose into the air. “It’s been difficult to fall asleep lately…” His voice softened, then so did his eyes as he looked at the sky.
A sigh left your lips as you ran a hand through your hair. “Same here… Something’s been on my mind.” You swallowed hard, almost too afraid to admit it.
You fiddled with your hands in your lap, staring at the fire alongside him.
His gaze drifted from the stars, towards you, and settled on your face. It seemed as though he wanted to say something else but he refrained. He merely kept his eyes on you, a silent plea for you to continue.
So you did, “It’s about Noct…” you paused, taking a deep breath. “How much I care about him.”
Ignis observed your face, his eyes boring into yours, which somehow brought you comfort. He sighed quietly, “I think we all feel that way…” He glanced at the flames dancing in front of him.
After a few moments, his voice returned to normal, sounding distant. “Perhaps you shouldn’t dwell on your feelings… But don’t forget who you are. We will never lose Noctis, but we should not hold onto him so tightly.” A faint hint of concern shone briefly in his eyes. “We all love him…” Then he added in a softer tone, “even if he has trouble showing it in return.”
That statement gave you pause.
“That’s not what I meant-“ You said, trying to explain your point of view to him. But then you realized that you weren’t even sure what you meant. “I just… wish things were different.”
“You wish he would’ve chosen you instead of Lunafreya? You have feelings for him, do you not?” He interjected with utmost speed and punctuation.
You shook your head vehemently. “Not really. I mean, yes. Of course, I do. But that’s not the point.” Iggy’s glass fogged up with surprise, but it was only faint. “What exactly is the point of this talk, (Name)?”
“I don’t know…” You replied truthfully, looking anywhere but at him. Silence descended on the two of you again. You leaned backward until you were laying flat on your back, staring up at the black sky. You felt yellow all over, going stiff from the anxiousness.
Neither of you spoke until Ignis broke the silence once again. “Do you love Noct?” His emerald gaze fell upon you once more. The question caught you off guard not because of its nature, but because of his tone when he asked. He sounded anxious.
It sent a shiver down your spine, making you want to curl into yourself even further. You wondered if you should lie. “Well… I… uh…” Words wouldn’t come to you. Cottonmouthed, all you could manage was a defeated sigh. “Yes, I love him…”
At that simple answer, Ignis visibly relaxed, although you could tell the tension in his shoulders wasn’t entirely gone. “I see,” he muttered softly.
The fire was beginning to die out, getting dimmer and dimmer. “And yet, you do not pursue anything. What happens to the relationship between you and him if you keep waiting?” The fire cast eerie shadows over both of you; the flickering light made it seem like the two of you were facing each other.
You slowly rose back into a sitting position. “I want to tell him, I do. But…” You paused again. The words stuck in your throat.
“But I don’t think it would go well.” You balled up your fists against your leg, looking at the ground sheepishly.
Ignis draped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him. “A confession isn’t guaranteed to change the circumstances. All one can do is hope. That hope may be futile, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be attempted.”
You leaned your head against his shoulder, shrouding yourself in silence for yet another long moment. “How do you get to be so wise, Iggy?”
As expected, a warm chuckle escaped his lips. “Human nature I suppose.” He squeezed your shoulder gently before releasing his grip, “Though I’m not as knowledgeable as I seem.”
He turned his head slightly and looked at you. Although it might have looked innocent, it held the slightest trace of worry within it. “There are times when people need encouragement to make their way forward. And I am always here to assist.”
His expression softened, turning gentle.
You smiled weakly in response. Just after a while, he stood up from the ground, looking down at you and offering his hand. “Get some rest. Tomorrow might bring with it many chances for you.”
The next day, you woke up with a heavy feeling inside your chest. The sun shone brightly through the tent flap, painting everything orange and yellow.
It was a new day, and you were brimming with confidence thanks you Iggy’s encouragement.
Leaving the tent, you immediately searched for Noctis. Though he wasn’t at the camp when you searched around.
Noctis was sitting near the lake’s shore, holding a sword in the palm of his hand as he watched the water. He looked like he was roughed up pretty well; no doubt he was training with Gladio all morning.
Seemingly lost in thought, the prince had a vacant look on his face as though he was thinking deeply about something. Every so often his hand would run over the blunt end of the blade before looking at the lake once again.
His features were hardened by the reflection of the lake on his skin, shielding the scenery around him in a soft blue dye. His eyes were narrowed with a cold expression that gave you butterflies just by looking into them.
Hair disheveled, and skin covered in bruises, Noct managed to look as majestic as ever.
After a few moments of watching him silently, you took a deep breath and decided enough was enough. “Hey, Noct.” You greeted him in a cheery tone as you approached him.
At hearing your voice, Noctis looked up and blinked. “Hey,” he managed in an exhausted tone. There were dark rings under his eyes; not having gotten enough rest either. And didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk.
“Gladio beat your ass again?” You chuckled softly with an amused smile tugging at your lips as you crossed your arms.
Noct only scoffed and rolled his eyes at the comment, planting his sword on the ground. “Only cause he’s a monster. All about ‘power’ and ‘strength’… Stuff like that…” He groaned as he stood up, rubbing the hell out of his sore neck.
Stepping away from the rock you were just leaning on, you moved closer—leaving enough space between the two of you. “I could give you some pointers if you wanna try again-“ At the utterance of your suggestion, he cut your words short.
“Yeah right. I’m done.” He interjected almost comically, sitting on the grass and then falling onto his back. “I don’t think I can take any more of this.” He threw his arms out, causing the grass under his arms to rustle.
A small laugh escaped you as you sat beside him, looking up at the clouds in the sky, which appeared to be forming a perfect circle. “It’s only for a little while longer,” You turned to him with a hopeful look in your eyes.
“Once you get married…“
Suddenly the air was taken from your lungs. Your body went rigid as the words registered in your brain. “Married…” You repeated much quieter; your mood turned sour.
Noctis seemed to sense your sudden shift, as his gaze shifted towards you, softening as he studied your reaction.
For a brief moment, you saw confusion and uncertainty flash across his face before he completed your statement. “Yeah… Once I marry Luna, we’ll have an advantage over the empire.” He raised a brow at you as if you weren’t already aware of the fact.
You swallowed hard, trying not to grimace from the embarrassment you felt at the moment. “Right…” You managed to breathe out, clearing your throat. “Then you’ll be leaving… With her?”
Noctis raised both brows and leaned in your direction. “Of course not. Where did you get that idea?” Even though he didn’t sound annoyed, but rather curious, it still caused you to shrink down a bit inside.
You looked away, avoiding his curious gaze. “Nothing... just wondering…” An intense amount of heat flowed to your face, making you sweat.
Silence engulfed the pair of you again, and tension continued to grow stronger by the minute. It didn’t help that tears were beginning to spill from your eyes, yet you didn’t know why.
“What’s wrong?” He prodded, scooting closer to examine you. However, you were afraid of what might happen if you looked back at him.
You sniffled, “Because…”
Your head hung low from the embarrassment you felt. Taking a moment to wipe your eyes until they turned dark and puffy, you sucked up every ounce of courage you had left, forcing out:
“Because I love you.”
Noct’s hitching breath was uncomfortably audible, “What?” He was taken aback by your words. His body went stiff as he sat there wide-eyed and genuinely surprised,
“You love me?” He repeated a soft utterance of your words, leaning back on his palms and continuing to look at you. “Like, really love me?”
You only managed to nod your head. A few more minutes of silence passed before you began to curl up into a ball.
“I know it makes no difference when I tell you,” Your eyes stayed fixed on the grass in front of you. You couldn’t stand to even imagine the look in his eyes anymore. “But I wanted to.”
He sighed, running his fingers over the grass as he stared straight at the lake, “I always saw us as just friends. You, me, and the guys…”
Visibly uncomfortable with his choice of wording, Noct searched for a better term for his feelings. “I like you all the same.”
“As friends…” You returned in a gloomy tone.
“No, more than that…” He shook his head and waves his hand out in front of him like he was denying your statement. With a frustrated grunt, he forced out the only thing he would think of:
“I love you as a family!”
It didn’t hurt as much as you thought it would. The word “family” hit you right in the feels and almost brought fresh tears to your eyes, but the heartache was soon replaced with a wave of relief.
“That’s the only way I can say it,” Noctis showed a hint of remorse for making you feel upset. “Sorry…” His apology was genuine, though I necessary since he wasn’t at fault for anything.
“I’m sorry for getting all mopey…” You uttered in a quiet tone, calming yourself down until your breathing was even again. “I knew what to expect and shot for it anyway,” You laughed softly, wiping your tears on your sleeve.
You felt pathetic crying over something like this, but Noct was surprisingly understanding.
He stood up from the grass, offering a hand to you. You accepted it, allowing him to pull you up off the ground.
After brushing yourself off a bit, you glanced back up at Noct and saw that his arms were outstretched. An invitation for a hug—something he rarely ever did.
You took the chance, hugging him tight. Closing your eyes, you used the time to lean into him and let your bodies sync in both pulse and movement. You sighed,
“Thank you for listening.” You mumbled into his shoulder, holding him tighter with a tender embrace. He patted your back gently, saying nothing before pulling away.
You could tell by the expression on his face that he probably wanted to say something else but decided against it in the end. “You gonna be okay?” He asked awkwardly.
You nodded, “I think so.”
Walking back uphill to the haven, you noticed Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis packing up the camp as they prepared for the next voyage.
As they spotted you walking toward them, they waved excitedly, “Yo! You’ve been gone for a while now. Did something happen?” Prompto inquired, dropping everything as he faced you.
“Was just talking to Noct over there…” You pointed behind yourself, continuing to walk towards them.
As Ignis stepped away from his makeshift kitchen space, he stepped towards you cautiously. “How did It go?” He whispered, placing his arm on your back and leading you away from the earshot of the others.
“Guess.” You groaned, leaning into his touch; eventually pressing your forehead on the upper part of his shoulder.
“You knew what would happen and told me to talk to him anyway. You set me up.”
Though your tone was more playful than hurt, a small part of you regretted even confessing to Noct in the first place. If only Iggy never talked you into it.
You felt his hand travel up your back, slowly making its way to your head—where he stroked your hair softly. “My apologies… it is simply impossible for someone to predict what will happen in a situation such as this.”
His eyes seemed to smile at you, yet you could hardly tell through the tinted lens of his glasses.
Sighing, you closed your eyes tightly, feeling your stomach churning... “I knew how it would turn out, and still told him like an idiot…” You felt nauseous.
Ignis gave a soft chuckle, “Well… I’m sure he won’t hold it against you.” His tone was hopeful and gentle as he squeezed your shoulders lightly. He always tried his best to make you feel better.
You nodded absentmindedly. “Still sucks though.”
Ignis, still holding you close, brought you to his cooking space—he hadn’t finished packing it all up just yet. “It will get easier once you get used to it. If you need to talk, you know I’m always here.”
Your lips curved up a bit as you felt a warm feeling enveloping your chest. “Thanks.” You mouthed, stepping away from Ignis and taking a seat on a log.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw you sit down, anticipating your next action behind a blank stare.
“Gonna join me, Specs?” Tapping the space on the log beside yourself, you gestured at him expectantly. Ignis looked over at where the others stood, who were doing well on their own, before nodding and following your instruction.
As soon as he was seated, you reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly. When you released it again, he looked down at his fingers and smiled faintly. The two of you sat together without saying anything, just enjoying a platonic moment of intimacy in silence.
The calm breeze gently blew through your hair, bringing with it a cool feeling, making you sigh content.
Once again you leaned against him, resting your head on his shoulder. It did feel like Ignis was the only one in the group who truly understood you. You could tell him anything so easily and he would listen with or without reply.
He would just listen with patience and understanding. That alone made you believe he cared about you, which made it easy for you to trust him more and more.
With his hand wrapped around yours, Ignis continued to rub soothing circles on your wrist, hoping that it would calm your nerves a little more.
You closed your eyes, humming softly under your breath and letting out a long breath.
The two of you remained in silent comfort and warmth, enjoying each other’s company while being able to do nothing but enjoy it.
When the others started to make their way back to join you at the camp, neither of you made any move to get up.
Instead, Ignis kept looking at you and smiling fondly as he watched you relax further into him. His hand squeezed yours again as he turned his head to look up at the sky.
Your breathing was growing softer and eventually, you fell asleep right on his shoulder. With a soft chuckle, Ignis continued to hold you against him while uttering quietly to himself:
“I love you, (name).”
#x reader#fanfic#ffxv fic#ffvx#final fantasy ignis#ignis scientia#ignis#ff15 ignis#ffxv x reader#final fantasy x reader#final fantasy xv#ao3 author#ignis x reader#ignis scientia x reader#final fantasy#fluff#noctis caelum#noctis x reader#ffxv noctis#final fantasy noctis#ff15 noctis#noctis lucis caelum#fanfic writing
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hii, can I request a fluff one-shot with Eddie Munson, where him and the reader are very close friends, and they're just drinking and getting high in his room, when reader says she always hoped he'd be her first one (no smut though, dw), because she always felt comfortable and safe with him. And it's basically just Eddie being head over heels for her, and panicking because the girl he loves wants him back, and them confessing their feelings for each other. Thank you.
Ribs
Request: hii, can i request a fluff one-shot with Eddie Munson, where him and the reader are very close friends, and they’re just drinking and getting high in his room, when the reader says she always hoped he’d be her first one (no smut though, dw), because she always felt comfortable and safe with him. And it’s basically just Eddie being head over heels for her, and panicking because the girl he loves wants him back, and them confessing their feelings for each other. Thank you.
Hi! Babe this is incredible, you’re so smart for this one, you had me immediately thinking about this, it’s too good. I hope it’s ok that I made this a fem reader, I can change it to be gender neutral if you’d like. I hope you like it!
(Warnings: use of weed and alcohol, swearing, mentions of sex, let me know if i missed anything)
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Smoke billowed throughout Eddie’s room as you giggled, sprawled out on his bed. Eddie had passed you the rest of his joint, opting for a beer he found in the back of his fridge, and you weren’t one to turn down free weed. Although, Eddie gave it to you for practically free anyways.
It was one of the many perks of having Eddie as a best friend. Another, was the seemingly always empty trailer he lived in, with no parent to get onto you. Times like these were the ones you cherished with him, able to sit in silence and keep each other company for hours. Or, you could find some bullshit to talk about for hours on end, never running out of entertainment.
Your random giggling had led to him finally chuckling along with you, and you welcomed the sound. It was one of your favorite sounds. You gazed down at Eddie, who was propped up on his arm at the end of his bed.
He was already looking at you through lidded eyes, a tired smile on his face.
Something about this time felt different. You felt off. Not necessarily higher than usual, or out of it, but something was definitely different. And Eddie, he was looking at you, amused at your giggly self. He looked almost completely normal, if it weren’t for the little gleam in his eye you had never noticed. Of course it was always there, this was just the first time you had picked up on it, since it was directed at you.
“You alright there?”
Your brow must have furrowed, or your train of thought was looking a little too strenuous for your current state, because Eddie had shifted towards you, offering a hand to pull you up into a sitting position. You took it, and leaned against the stacked pillows, nodding.
“Yeah, yeah…I’m ok,” you said, not very convincingly.
“Is it cottonmouth? I can get you some water–”
Eddie moved to stand, and you quickly shook your head, stopping him. “No, Eds, really, I’m ok.”
He didn’t seem to believe you, looking at you warily, but he dropped it. Silence lingered for a moment, and you became all too aware of how your usual comfortable silence wasn’t feeling very comfortable anymore.
It was for sure, something was different. Off. And you think that it’s you. You felt bolder, and in a momentary lapse of judgment, you blurted it out.
“Are you a virgin?”
Eddie choked on his drink, fighting down coughs. He looked at you with wide eyes, a rosy tint rising to his cheeks, adding to the warm flush he already had from drinking. It suited him..
“Uh…no, no.”
You nodded, thinking to yourself. You couldn’t remember the last time the topic of sex had even come up between you two. It wasn’t as if you were embarrassed about it or uncomfortable hearing about it, and you were best friends, you told each other everything. But you couldn’t remember him ever telling you about losing his virginity.
Another moment of silence was held between you two.
Finally, Eddie cleared his throat, scooting closer to you and stopping once your knees were touching, and your eyes were level with his. He treaded carefully, knowing you both weren’t sober.
“Why? Are you a virgin?”
You took a deep breath, nodding. You absentmindedly reached a hand out to grab one of Eddie’s to fiddle with his rings, pretending like you didn’t notice him stiffening, before he was relaxing his hand in yours.
“Yeah, I’m still one. It’s not like the opportunity to lose it hasn’t come up, I just...never really wanted to. It never felt like the right time, you know?”
Eddie slowly nodded, looking like he didn’t know what to say, and you saved him from the awkwardness, slightly unaware that you were rambling.
“I’m not really saving myself or anything, I’m just not actively trying to lose it. I don’t know, that might just be a girl thing…was it like that for you?
He watched you twist the rings around his fingers, a little bewildered as he answered.
“It just happened, I guess? Someone I was selling to, we hung out a few times, hooked up, and that was it. I’ve never really thought much about it. It wasn’t this big moment or anything, I kinda just saw an opportunity and took it.”
You nodded again, still not meeting his eyes, and he squeezed your hand, getting your attention. You looked up to see him closer than you remembered him being.
“Why the sudden interest, hmm? You’re not saying something.”
He waited anxiously for your response, hoping that you couldn’t hear how fast his heart was beating in his chest. Still, he gave you an encouraging squeeze of your hand, nodding for you to go on.
Fuck.
He caught you. Might as well take advantage of this temporary courage you seemed to have found, and fess up.
“I just…I don’t know. I guess I always thought…well, hoped, that maybe…you’d be the one I lose it to.”
The glaze over Eddie’s eyes faded, and he seemed to sober up real quick. He stared at you, unmoving, and you were beginning to think you had just royally fucked up. Little did you know, his brain had just short circuited, and he was going to need a minute to recover from what he had officially declared back in middle school as the love of his life, confessing that she wanted him like that.
You waved your free hand in front of his face.
“Eddie? Please say something.”
He quickly shook his head, snapping out of it.
“Sorry! I, um…why? Why me?”
You thought about it for a moment. You’d always felt completely safe and comfortable around Eddie, never questioning why you’d wanted it to be him. You were surprised he’d even ask.
“Well, your first time should be with someone you love, right?”
He made a noise that sounded like a whimper, and his breath hitched in his throat. He looked at you with complete desperation, like he couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of your mouth.
“Love?”
You nodded, squeezing his hand in yours, this time locking your fingers with his.
“Yes, love. I love you, Eddie.”
Eddie could feel his shoulders slump, like he could fall into you at any moment. His eyes were watering.
For a moment, you were beginning to think he didn’t return the feeling, and was scared to tell you, and ruin years of friendship. But all of your fears were burnt away when he finally spoke, and let out the smallest murmur.
“Really?”
You nodded enthusiastically. He still wasn’t entirely convinced, half believing that he was dreaming, and was going to wake up from what had to be the best dream he ever had.
“You’re not just saying that, because we’re high, or something? You really mean it, Y/N?”
“Of course, baby. I wouldn’t lie about this. You didn’t know that I loved you? I really wasn’t being subtle about it over the years.”
Eddie sighed in relief, not able to hold himself up anymore, and he slumped into your arms, head on your chest and arms around your waist. He held you tight as you brought your arms up to hold him, a hand running through his hair. He let out a muffled chuckle.
“God, I love you too. So much, you don’t even know.”
Your heart warmed, and your stomach was doing somersaults as you held your boy close to you. You swayed back and forth with Eddie in your arms, in disbelief that you’d both finally confessed.
“So…how are we feeling about my offer? It’s a two part role, and one’s for you, do you want it?”
He looked up from your chest, nothing but love and adoration in his eyes, letting out an exasperated laugh.
“Oh my god, it got better, how could today get better?”
You smiled at him, bringing a hand to brush the hair out of his eyes.
“That a yes?”
“Of course it’s a yes! But we’re doing it right, yeah? You held out for so long, the least I can do is make it special. Deal?”
You laughed at his humor, a full chested laugh, the kind that is so good that it hurts in the ribs, but you don’t care because you’re so, so happy. You both couldn’t have been smiling harder, wrapped up in eachother on Eddie's bed, completely in heaven.
“I think you’ve got yourself a deal, Eds.”
—
A/N - Hi! I hope you liked this! I’ve got a few more Eddie requests to get through that’ll be out soon, and for those of you waiting for my Marauders era requests to be filled, I know, I promise they’re coming, I’m just currently hyperfixated on Stranger Things.
#stranger things volume 2#stranger things season 4#stranger things x reader#stranger things imagine#stranger things#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson#eddie munson x reader
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Hounds of Hell: Hero
Jade -- I came back to town because my grandmother passed away and she was the only family I had left. Grams never wanted me involved with the MCs, but I always knew my father was a member. That was all I knew about him. Now he’s the president of Hounds of Hell MC. Or, as it turns out, he could also be the president of their rival MC, the Cottonmouths. Hounds of Hell MC sent one of their men, Hero, to keep me safe until my parentage gets figured out. No one is telling me why that’s necessary. I should go back to Providence. But I’m done with grad school, and there’s really nothing for me back there. And Hero is one beefy, gorgeous temptation of a biker. Part of me wants to stay here, in the home where I grew up. Part of me just wants him.
Hero -- When my prez gave me the babysitting assignment to keep an eye on the daughter he’s never known, I resented it. Until I got a look at her. Choosing me to protect her was the right call. The Cottonmouths took her from me once. No one is taking her away from me again -- no matter who has to die. I don’t care who her father is. Jade is mine.
Buy it today!
Excerpt
Christian Hammond, Hero to his brothers, watched from the inside of his Jeep as the leggy brunette made her way to the small SUV. She was probably heading to town, so he decided to give her a head start and see what she was up to. He didn’t have anything else going on at the moment.
When Razor told him to go see if his daughter had come home, Hero had been annoyed by the assignment. What the fuck was he? A babysitter?
Now that he got a look at her, he didn’t have much to complain about. Her jeans were tight, showing off legs a mile long and a nice ass to go with them. Her baggy college sweatshirt didn’t do her any favors, but her long dark hair framed a face that was delicate, beautiful.
How the fuck did Razor have a daughter who looked like that?
His club president probably wouldn’t appreciate him ogling his only child the way he was either but… Look at her.
Scrubbing a hand over his beard, Hero waited as she started the car and threw on her seat belt. Finally, she started down the long gravel driveway that took her to Route 8. Hero let her reach town, not having any trouble spotting her as she parked on Main Street and headed straight for the local coffee shop.
Hero liked the way she walked with her shoulders back, her head held high. Confidence was sexy as hell on a woman and the sway of her round little ass didn’t hurt either.
His phone rang before he could shut off the engine and follow her on foot. Not surprisingly, it was Razor.
“She make it into town?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Hero told him. “Old man Phillips was there and talked to her for a while.”
“Hmm.” A pause. “I’ve got Snow working on the girl over at the attorney’s office. She’s sweet on him. We’ll see if she can find out if my girl means to keep the house or sell it.”
“Want me to stay on her?” As much as he’d bitched to himself about the assignment, he was minding a lot less now.
A long pause which was odd. Razor usually didn’t have any trouble issuing orders.
“Yeah, man, I need you to,” Razor said in a lower voice. “I’d give it to the prospects but… I need someone I can trust on this. I’m going to need eyes on her at all times until I can resolve some shit. If you’d stay on her until midnight, I’ll have Snow come relieve you.”
What was this about?
Hero wouldn’t question his prez. He appreciated that Razor trusted him.
“I’m on it,” Hero told him. “She’s here in town now, so I’m keeping an eye out.”
“Talk to you soon,” Razor told him, ending the call.
His daughter had come home for the funeral just like Razor said she would.
Everyone in Mercy knew Mina Dock. The old woman had a lot of friends so tomorrow was bound to be a circus.
The girl’s grandmother taught school for years and had retired not too long ago. She was apparently as stubborn as Razor and that was saying a lot. The president of his club had been trying for years to see his daughter, to see if Mina would agree to any type of shared custody arrangement or visitation rights. The old woman wouldn’t hear of it.
Razor never talked about it. Hero had heard stories.
Razor had never taken an old lady, and the girl’s mother, by all accounts, had been one of the club sluts for a time. Apparently, when she got knocked up, Mina Dock took control of the situation and that was the end of it.
Razor had a daughter he wasn’t allowed to see any more than he had her mother before that. The girl’s mother died a long time ago. Mina Dock had to have been one tough bitch to have kept Razor away.
Hero climbed out of his Jeep when she darted back out of the shop, a coffee cup in hand as she continued up the sidewalk. Her movements were fast, determined.
Hero grinned. There it was.
Razor walked like that when he meant business, or he was pissed at someone.
Speeding up a little, Hero headed in her direction. He was enjoying the sunny day, his curvy assignment. Things could certainly be worse.
When he saw a white delivery van come up the road behind him, he couldn’t have said why he noticed. Three familiar-looking men jumped out and he froze.
Fucking Cottonmouths. What the fuck were they doing here? They weren’t wearing their cuts but he knew who they were.
And he’d lost her. He didn’t know which shop she’d darted into, but he moved even faster. He couldn’t help but feel they were here for her, same as him.
Fuck.
While he was fairly sure he could handle the three of them on his own, he’d been in enough skirmishes to know better than to be one against three with the girl in play. He couldn’t risk texting, so he called Razor back.
“Yeah.”
“Three Cottonmouths just showed up,” Hero said quickly. “We’re on Main Street.”
“Really?” Razor didn’t sound amused. “The posse’s coming.”
“Thanks.” Hero pocketed his phone and watched as the three of them darted across the street, walking in front of him on the sidewalk. They didn’t even notice him.
The first one was Jimmy Jazz, a scrappy little fucker who put on a good show until things got physical. Then he tended to fade into the background like the little coward he was. The second one, Big Dog, had the tender sweetness of a pit bull and was one hell of a fighter. Hero knew he could stand toe-to-toe against the massive, shaggy-looking asshole. But he’d rather not.
The one that worried him was Baby Face.
Walking ahead of the other two, Baby Face was average size with a pretty face the girls loved. And he could draw them to him like a bee charmer, all honey and smiles.
His pretty face concealed a black heart. A more sadistic little fucker Hero hadn’t met. What he lacked in size, he made up for in savagery. He was good with knives and could take most down with his blades before they even realized they were bleeding out.
He’d cut up many a club slut, too.
That they were here for Razor’s daughter had him wondering what the hell was going on. Why were the Cottonmouths after the girl?
When she darted out of another shop - he didn’t know which store it was - his heart sank to see them right on her heels. Hero sped up, hoping his backup got there fucking fast.
Baby Face called out to her. When she didn’t stop, he did it again.
Don’t stop.
Copyright Notification: All Changeling Press LLC publications and cover art are copyright and may not be used in any AI generated work. No AI content is included or allowed in any Changeling Press LLC publication or artwork.
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Screaming in Silence
Summary: If anyone asked Jake how four words had impacted his life, he wouldn't have been able to tell them.
FebWhump Prompt - Day 12: "Can you hear me?".
//
No one questioned Jake about his tattoo, he knew it was weird. It was unusual, worrying for people who didn't understand it. He had been asked to see a psychologist and he had seen the odd looks people give him.
But no one knew the significance behind those four words. The four words that had changed his life forever. The four words that had been the first thing that wasn’t shouted in abuse at him.
From the cop who gently pulled him out from under his bed and wrapped him in his own jacket.
‘Seresin’
The man who saved his life, who took him away from his abusive foster home, who adopted him and gave him a life he had once thought could only happen in a fairy tale.
It all started with four words. “Can you hear me?”.
It started when he was 7. Hiding under his bed terrified as the police raided the house, his foster parents were screaming and flailing making a fuss.
Jake held his breath as a pair of black boots stopped In front of his bed. He pressed himself back further against the wall. The shine of the flashlight the man was holding was pointed at the floor.
He watched in bated breaths as the man knelt down carefully and sucked his head under the bed.
Jake stared at him terrified, his chest caving under the stress of breathing and his heart pounded as every instinct in his body told him to run. To fight, to escape this hell he was trapped in.
“Can you hear me?” The man asked gently with a small smile, he seemed generous perhaps if Jake was compliment he would receive less of a beating.
With a jolty head movement he nodded in his cramped space under the bed.
The man looked around before moving back, providing him more space between them.
Ensuring he didn’t feel crowded, Jake realized in awe.
“Hey bud, can you come out for me?” He asked softly, Jake watched the man lower the flashlight to see him more clearly. It was pointed away from him but the light still made him wince.
The cop grimaced “Sorry buddy, I can’t do much about that. I have to be able to see you”.
He shifted so he was down on his stomach copying Jake's position, urging the boy out softly, both of them attempting to ignore the yelling and sound of things crashing in the other room. It was slightly muffled, as the man extended a hand out to him.
Jake flinched, yanking himself away from the man watching the man tentatively for any movement that could hint towards the man hitting him. He found none.
The man patiently waited for Jake to examine him before Jake shook his head at him, his eyes filled with terror, no he couldn’t go with him. They would take him, it would be worse, so much worse.
“No?” The officer asked “That's alright we can stay here”. He seemed almost laid back, keeping his hand extended out as an olive branch as he rested his chin on top of his hand just watching. Waiting. “My name is David Seresin, I’m an Officer for LAPD. What’s your name?”
Jake shifted uncomfortably “Jacob” he said quietly biting down the the feeling of a car to heavy tongue and cottonmouth,
“Jacob” David tilted his head “That’s a nice name, so you like it?”
Thinking through all the abuse and names his fosters had screamed at him, he shook his head nervously.
David smiled calmly at him “Would you rather me call you something else?”
“Jay?” He requested hesitantly. He had always been ‘Jacob’, ‘that boy’, ‘Foster’. He had never had a nickname before.
“Alright Jay, why don’t we get you out from under there now yeah?” David smiled, wiggling his fingers enticingly.
Hesitantly Jay reached out clawing their hand together letting David lead him out from Under the bed watching the man’s slow calculated movements carefully as the man helped him stand. Shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around him. It was heavy on his shoulders far too big, then again he was far too small for his age.
“Come on kid, let’s get you out of here” David wrapped an arm around him protectively as he led him out of the house that had housed his own personal hell.
He let David walk him out to a new leaf off his life. The better half, the half where David took him in and encouraged his love for flying. It was a slow process but he was there, every event, every graduation without fail, right up until he got shot in the line of duty.
Jake stood in front of David’s body laying on a slab, his hand pulled back the sheet and brushed the stray lock of hair off his fathers check.
David always hated how wild his hair was, he was cold to the touch. He had gone out saving a friend, a colleague. Just as he would have wanted too, he had saved another person.
It all started with 4 words, “Can you hear me?”.
#Implied/Referenced Child Abuse#child abuse#past child abuse#hurt/comfort#POV Jake “Hangman” Seresin#Hurt Jake “Hangman” Seresin#febwhump#hangman fanfiction#hangman fic#hangman x reader#hangman imagine#jake hangman seresin#hangman angst
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Find the Word Tag
Going to (hopefully) catch up on some of these. Tagged by @space-writes for this one!
Going off the old draft of Phagophobia:
Faint
Once again, Isaac had to avert his eyes before he could check the expression of whatever lurked in the mirror. “And, what? That’s it?”
“You asked for advice about your best shot at survival. I gave it.”
His foot started to bounce. “Well, yeah…sure…”
“I feel a ‘but’ coming on.”
“I’m just…surprised, I guess. I thought you hated the Coven.”
There was a faint, wet smacking noise by his ear, like lips peeling away from teeth in a sudden snarl. “I do. Doesn’t change what I said, though.”
Expanse
Nada in this document. However, there was one in the newer version of Apophenia:
The front door unlocked and opened without a hitch. He stepped out onto a porch showing the first signs of age in its cracking white paint. The steps sagged and groaned under his weight but held. Goosebumps sprung up across Isaac’s skin on contact with the night air. He scanned the yard for any signs of impending death or dismemberment. Nothing except a few clustered colonies of cacti and succulents broke up the barren expanse of packed, sand-colored dirt. He couldn’t smell any sign of a dog or other guard animal. Beyond the post fence decorated with cow skulls that marked the property boundary, Isaac could see his humble yet reliable car waiting next to the bloodborn’s fancy model. Only the rocky hills and open dirt road waited for him after that.
Beyond
On Isaac’s list of favorite things, drifting between sleep and wakefulness occupied a spot somewhere in the top five. Especially when the bedding and pillows hit the perfect temperature, either a couple of degrees cooler or warmer than his body. Only hangovers had the power to dampen the experience. Had he been drinking? A hollowness that mercifully passed beyond nausea altogether occupied where his stomach usually sat. Cognitive fog dampened his thoughts, but his skull wasn’t in any danger of splitting down the middle. Other than a case of cottonmouth and lead-weighed limbs he was in good condition. Okay, so whatever was wrong wasn’t physical.
Black
“You may just have more brains than your coworkers combined, friend. Do me a favor and walk on over to the other lane, then turn around.”
While Isaac did as told, he began to catalogue the stranger’s voice, marking hints of identity and intention. Their words oozed out in a drawl, the cousin of Yi’s Floodlands twang. Mid-range pitch. Smooth, no cracking or raspy quality. Possible military or civic guard background given how they projected and their ease with issuing orders. Or maybe holding people at gunpoint was routine for them.
Isaac reached the appointed spot in the road and turned. The blue-tinged headlights of the sleek black car parked right behind theirs drove the night into the crannies of the canyon within a twenty-foot radius. They also rendered the owner of the voice into a slim silhouette standing on the passenger’s side. Isaac estimated they stood the same height as him. Their frame wasn’t what he’d consider broad or menacing, but they were strong enough to keep a rifle leveled at him without wavering.
If anybody feels like it @jezifster @pertinax--loculos @drawnecromancy @kaylinalexanderbooks @amaralionelli @angsty-prompt-hole
Share a line/snippet with the words borrow, beg, steal, and manage.
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I know the corn field thing was just to show how Darrell would deal with his fear in case a victim ran into a cornfield but since I am thinking about the ending lines rn ("He would get her. He always got them. That was why he didn't wear a mask. His face was the last thing they ever saw.") I wonder what the woman could have done to earn his ire ;D
Hey Cylas! I've been rotating this idea in my microwave brain for so long and I finally got the caffeine fix to power me through writing this lil drabble so here goes:
Dog Days
A/N: The dog survived. Preface(?) to Corn
It was his second day at the station. He had not seen or felt a bed in that time since. The air conditioning was broken, and the sweltering Louisiana heat made the store feel like a pressure cooker. He was tired, he stank, and he was pissed.
On the open automatic grill beside the register, hotdogs sizzled, rolling over and over like eager, legless Dachshunds. The gargantuan softy machine rattled and hummed like a fat shiny bug, and a wave of ridiculous temperature wafted from its exhaust.
Why do I keep this job, he thinks to himself. The pay is terrible. The hours are awful. There's little to no benefits. What the fuck is holding you back from leaving?
Devil's Peak, like some dark and omnipresent entity, made itself known by the shadow it cast. It wasn't the type you saw. It was the type you felt. Like a hand stretched out over that sad, forgotten waste.
Devil's Peak wasn't exactly a destination town. It had nothing to boast but its mountain trails and the limited camping spots surrounding the prussian blue waters of the Devil's Basin. However, the thrillseekers had all but abandoned the once popular trails on account of the accidents and disappearances that have happened over the years. Nowadays, Devil's Peak was delegated to a roadside attraction. People just passed by.
Darrell, however, was a fixture. He was as much a part of the mountain as the rocks and the trees, as the hogs and the cottonmouths, and the deaths and disappearances. The Devil ain't here, same way God ain't.
There's only me. He swiped his forearm over his forehead. And I'm getting fucking angry.
Nighttime couldn't come any faster, that the heat would ease down, if not disappear entirely. That's when she walked in. Blonde, slender, and tan. Walking beside her, was a shaggy German Shepherd.
She completely ignored the No Pets Allowed sign on the door. When Darrell told her that he couldn't let her in with the dog, she insisted it was fine.
The dog was snappish, slobbering, and didn't obey simple commands. Worst of all, it stood on its hindlegs to nose and pick at the items on display.
When Darrell confronted the woman, she immediately went on the offensive. He had no right, she said, to refuse her service. Darrell said that she can still shop, if she kept the dog in her vehicle. "Just to prevent contamination, ma'am. We've got food and perishables in the store."
She didn't like that. "No. He wants to be in the store with me."
The dog watched Darrell apprehensively. It stuck close to its master's leg, eyes glaring and hackles raised. It yelped when Darrell looked it in the eye.
He'd seen this before. Dogs couldn't stand to be around him. They had that sixth sense. They could spot harm-doers almost instantly. It was like a special scent. Evil was a taint so rank dogs could always smell. When in doubt, you should always trust a dog.
Darrell subtly widened his eyes, quelling the dog. It bolted past the shelves to the door, but it wouldn't open and it was stuck barking to be let out.
"Don't seem too keen to stay, f'ya ask me," he said coolly.
The slap she gave him made his ear ring, and he had to flex his jaw to right himself. "Take what you need and get the hell out," he said lowly.
Darrell rang up her items at the cashier. The dog waited by the door, tail tucked firmly between its legs. He gave the woman his obligatory customer service farewell. "Asshole," she retorted, and she wobbled out the door in her hefty platform slippers.
The bell rang as the door returned to place, and Darrell pulled his hatchet and kabar from under the counter. He went out the back and cut the power. No lights. No cameras. No evidence.
No magic 8 ball opinion either. This was personal. Fuck being the bigger person.
The next morning, when Melvin came to check on his store, he found Darrell patching up the wiring. His cheek was swollen.
"The hell happened to you?" Melvin asked, his dark skin glistening with sweat from the morning heat.
"Power went out," Darrell explained, "Slipped and fell."
His clothes and hair were damp. He had taken a shower. Nevertheless, Melvin wrinkled his nose. "Jesus, Darr. Did you step on somethin'?" he complained as the younger man passed by.
Darrell lifted his foot and looked at the sole of his boot. He went over to the station's water pump and hosed his boots down.
The smell of boar was offensive, but it washed off eventually. Like blood and guilt.
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story time when i was in the first grade my mom's husband's alcoholic mom gave me a pair of binoculars as a present, like legit nice ones, and living in rural dry-red-dirt georgia i was very pleased because it meant i could go outside and eye spy for shit far away, like animals, namely birds, and see things i might not normally
what i didn't really know is that they were for long distances, not to really be used like a microscope, so for a few days, when i wasnt at school, my time was spent alternating between examining the veins (like mine) on leaves and looking straight up into trees for signs of birds or squirrels to watch
i wasnt finding anything of real interest and the novelty of the thing was starting to wear off for me so i started seeking better things to look at. id just start walking with them held up over my eyes, hoping that by chance i'd see something, convinced the binocs were still really cool and i just wasnt finding anything good
so im like. wandering the dirt road cul-de-sac and surrounding area and end up going off into the woods. ive got big boots on and everything starts getting really squelchy and im having a awful time trying to walk but im not paying attention. because the binoculars are over my eyes. so all im seeing is bark from trees. and when i finally look i realize ive walked into some kind of swamp.
my boots are getting superstuck in the mud that is up to my knees now and coming off my feet, my socks are getting muddy from losing my balance trying to get my boots back on, so i decide i need to cap up the lenses on the binoculars to let them hang around my neck so i can get the fuck back home and i end up dropping one of the lenses in the mud where it sinks away to hell and it's lost forever
so im pretty incensed now and aggravated and hot and there's a ton of humidity in this place and mosquitoes (which at this point ive grown nearly impervious to out of being so used to them, to me they weren't as bad as gnats for some reason. those annoyed me nearly to death) and i just wanted to go back home so after a great deal of fighting i managed to get out of the deep mud, into shallower mud, and finally onto solid pine needle earth. then i ran home
now being like 7 i had no sense of time, it felt equally like a long time and no time at all to me. and under the canopy of trees it was very dark. but back in the open world it was almost nighttime and i was very definitely supposed to be home. and when i got back to our brown trailer my mom was sitting on the steps smoking and waiting for me and very much wanted to know where i had been, she had been looking around for me and was about to go look again, et c.
when i told her i found a swamp (probably evident from the way my boots and legs were covered in black mud. and my hands and arms up to the shoulder. and my binoculars) she was quietly mortified and without reacting very strongly, i think to minimize my fear of what i just unknowingly had wandered around in, she informed me that the swamp was dangerous and very heavily infested with my most feared thing, snakes, specifically cottonmouth water moccasins
so needless to say i did not go back there and i got very angry with the binoculars for leading me astray and that is my story
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Spoiler warnings for Flames of Hope!
No read more this time though
I had character ideas! And name ideas! For before the scorching dragons!
What if they have names based off very basic elements of things?
Examples:
- Tree
- Air
- Shape (I'm totally using this one)
- Darkness (Might also use this)
- Plant
I was thinking simple names cause Freedom was simply called Lizard by Cottonmouth, although that is obviously a human just stating what she is to him, it still gave me the idea. Otherwise instead of simple it could be more abstract like the name Freedom. Using concepts, sort of how nightwings are named but more abstractly.
Examples:
- Justice
- Friendly
- Time (Also using)
- Bravery (using this too)
Idk that's what I have so far, also feel free to use any of these names for any ocs, even the ones I'm probably gonna use :3
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2023 Reading Log, pt. 3
011. In Defense of Plants by Matt Candeias. Another podcast to book, this one about plant evolution and ecology. There’s some autobiography here, about how the author’s experiences in restoration ecology gave him an appreciation for plants, and some of his own endeavors making gardens of native species. Chapters cover themes like pollination, seed dispersal, competition, carnivory and parasitism. My issue with the book is not with its content, but its production. There’s enough typos to be distracting, but worse is the approach to pictures. There are a fair amount of photos in the book, but they’re converted from color to black and white on low quality paper. I would have gladly paid a few more dollars for a book where I could tell what the figures are supposed to be.
12. The Atheist’s Bible: The Most Dangerous Book that Never Existed by Georges Minois, translated by Lys Ann Weiss. This is the biography of a book: the Treatise on the Three Imposters. This book, which argues that Moses, Jesus and Mohammed were all frauds who sought personal gain by inventing religions, did eventually exist. In fact, there’s two different versions of it. But it existed as a scandalous rumor for literally centuries before anyone bothered to write it. The author traces its origins as a weapon of papal propaganda, the history of atheist and pantheist thought in Europe as it developed from the Crusades to the Enlightenment, and provides hypotheses for the origins of both versions of Three Imposters and summaries of their contents. One of the noteworthy things about this book is that the author is not a neutral party. He is openly, aggressively, atheist, and pretty much agrees with the thesis of the Three Imposters. The book was originally written in French, and in the introduction he laments how continental Europe is still in thrall to Christendom, as opposed to the more sensibly atheist Anglosphere. I’m not sure I buy either half of that.
13. Secrets of Snakes by David A. Steen. Steen is a wildlife biologist who is active on Twitter (the dedication even uses the phrase “danger noodles” to refer to venomous snakes). And this book is a Q&A derived from his outreach efforts, teaching people that snakes are not monsters and would rather be left alone. The geographic focus of the book is the American Southeast, and copperheads and cottonmouths make up the snakes that are most discussed. The book is well written and a breezy read. The photos are high quality. There’s some good anecdotes about Steen’s career and findings, and I did learn some things, but I feel like I’m not the target audience for the book. I already like snakes, after all, and don’t think of them as monsters.
13a. Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees by Jared Farmer. Maybe I’ve been reading too many books about plants lately, because this didn’t grab me. The premise is talking about individual ancient trees, and how they are growing fewer and farther between due to agroforestry, but still have a cultural connection to people. The introduction talks a lot about how trees act as bridges between historical time and personal time. But I got maybe fifty pages in, and it didn’t really grab me. It’s not a bad book, but like I said, I’ve been reading a lot about plants lately, and this one doesn’t stand out from the pack. And I have so many other books gathering dust on my shelves that I’m more interested in. Like…
14. The Shadow Book of Ji Yun, edited and translated by Yi Izzy Yu and John Yu Branscum. Ji Yun was a bureaucrat in Qing dynasty China, whose memoirs include many tales of ghosts, psychic powers and other paranormal phenomena. This is a collection of the paranormal parts of his books, and it feels remarkably modern. Some of that is due to translation choices, I’m sure, but it takes references to servants, concubines and multiple wives to remind one sometimes that this wasn’t written in the 20th century along with books about UFOs and the Bermuda Triangle. Some of the writings are more intentionally fables, rather than being supposedly true life tales. For people looking for a good source on magical belief in China during the 18th century, or for people who are just looking for some spooky stories, this is highly recommended.
15. Orchid Muse: A History of Passion in Fifteen Flowers by Erica Hannickel. One last plant book before I put a temporary moratorium on them. I’m a sucker for “history of X in n Y” setups, I guess. What I was not expecting was for this book to approach orchids more from the horticultural perspective than from the biological perspective. Not a lot on their evolution and ecology, a lot on how to grow them at home. Each chapter profiles one or two people (occasionally a whole cultural movement) that were devoted to orchids, and the chapter ends with an infobox about how to best grow one of the orchids discussed. The book leads with its best material, talking about the quasi-erotic orchid poems of Erasmus Darwin. Some of the historical figures are people who I knew, but didn’t know about their orchid hobby, such as Frieda Kahlo and Raymond Burr. The book’s production values are lavish, which is appropriate for orchids, with high quality paper and lots of full color illustrations.
#reading log#botany#horticulture#orchid#plants#chinese folklore#atheism#religious history#trees#snakes
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Thus Spoke the Half-Serpent
I can’t recall the first time I laid down next to the water’s edge and yearned for a home I’d never known. I must have been very young; it wasn’t until much later that I learned shame. In those halcyon days, in the peace between the trauma of birth and adolescence, I dreamed of swimming with nixies—the ones I’d read about in my copy of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. It would be years before I gave up waiting for a soulmate to appear beneath the surface of our neighborhood lake.
I joined the swim team just before the curse of puberty began to take hold. (I didn’t transition until my early twenties.) It was the closest approximation I had—yet, kicking around a pair of human legs felt just as wrong as the way my chest began to jut out beneath my swimsuit. I went to competitions across the state and did quite well, until dysphoria caught up with me and strangled my ambition.
My daydreams shifted as part of my identity once again rose to the surface. I was nearly always human from the waist up, but at times had the body of a massive serpent below. Other times, it was replaced with the digitigrade legs of a wolf, or even the body of a giant spider or scorpion. The serpent’s tail was always the most euphoric, though—the rest felt like using active imagination to cope with the ostracization I felt, being misunderstood and bullied relentlessly by peers. (To be a queer, autistic kid in Kansas is a kind of torture that should be reserved for the lowest circles of Dante’s Hell.)
I could write for hours about how snakes and their habits continued to pop up in the most interesting places—how I was once a ‘proud Slytherin,’ back when I was still ignorant of JKR’s legacy of hate; how euphoric I felt when I realized that getting a forked tongue is not uncommon in the body mod community; how the gods and spirits I encountered on my pagan journey kept pointing me to the serpent in increasingly obvious ways; how even my personal philosophy began to reflect my ophidian nature. “I slough off truths like snakeskin. The world is always changing—why should I remain the same?”
This—and so much more—rapidly coalesced into an awakening that truly began right after I allowed myself to accept my werewolf identity. I had ‘broken the seal,’ so to speak, and the kaleidoscope of my personal mythology erupted from that pinprick of light. Suddenly, it made sense why I sometimes expect to feel scales instead of skin beneath my waist, or why I find myself to be clumsy and awkward when I try to dance, unless my movement is serpentine and centered in my hips. It explained why I sometimes feel the swift forward extension of a viper’s fangs from the roof of my mouth when I open it just so.
When I get in bed, I wait until my legs fall asleep first, overlaid in such a way that they seem to melt into each other under the blankets. When my knees aren’t acting up, I allow the rhythm in my hips to carry me across the room as I dance to the music in my head. I dream of sunning myself beside a calm river, enjoying the feeling of warm rocks beneath my scales before slipping back under the surface. In my mind, I see silvery moonlight reflecting off of the water after nightfall.
There’s a beautiful young femme sitting by the water’s edge, enjoying the cool breeze. Something keeps her there, even as she sees me skim the surface of the water, striped scales suggesting half of my species. Cottonmouth. She speaks to me like a soulmate, our love a foregone conclusion, and I offer my hand with a gentle smile. I’ll teach her how to swim, and I promise not to bite—hard. She laughs, and my butch heart swells.
#alterhuman essays#alterhuman community#alt/non essays#alt/non community#nagakin#nagaposting#idk if this could fall under therian#probably not but i’ll look into it more#otherkin#otherkin essays
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Doing some security work, and they sent me to a hospice facility today. My contact at the facility gave me a rough crash course in procedure this morning then immediately left. There was a lot of detail about things that I'm trying not to forget, but in the middle of his download, the guy was like, "Oh, and sometimes you'll have to remove snakes from the grounds. They're all over around here. Mostly black racers. Some cottonmouths."
I'm like, "Uh. Ok. Is there any equipment or gear or anything for snake handling?," you know, as if I know anything about handling snakes.
Dude says, "There's a snake getter in the office."
Behold, my snake getter:
So, if you guys happen to think of me today, please send up a prayer on my behalf while I try to keep these poor sick people safe from snakes.
#sometimes I think my life is actually a scripted tv show#I can almost hear the laugh track right now
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The northern passage was, well, north of my home. There was a small grave outside the entrance to the tunnel. The marker didn't give a name, but I tipped my hat to whoever was buried there as I went into the mouth of the tunnel.
A small group of six were in the cave, four guards checking over their gear, a cheery-looking man in overalls whose voice I recognized from the advert on the radio, and a very shifty looking guy in a vault suit with a pip-boy on his wrist leaning against one of the tunnel supports. Jed would probably be the best place to start.
Jed's voice had a lot more timbre not being heard through the tinny pip-boy speaker. He greeted me warmly, and took my hand, "Howdy, friend. Heard my broadcast, did you?" He glanced down at my pip-boy, "Yeah, you look the type," He released my hand, and I tipped my hat to him, "Yep. I'm a courier by trade, but business has been slow lately, so I figured I'd sign on for this expedition." Jed stuck his hands in his pockets, "Well, I'd hate to disappoint you, but as long as Ricky over there is around," he pointed to the high-strung young man in the vault suit, "I don't think we'll need you. Tell ya what though, if you can get Ricky to chicken out, we'll have you on board. I'll be honest, I like the look of him a lot less than you."
Jed went back to walking over his checklist with the guards, and I turned my attention to Ricky. He was tapping his foot on the stone tunnel floor, and drumming a tense tune on his arm, looking almost like he was ready to snap right in half at the drop of a pin. I walked up to him calmly, "So, I hear your name's Ricky?" He looked up at me, his bloodshot eyes darting toward me from behind the cop shades on his face, "Hm? Yeah, yeah that's me. You looking for trouble, bud? Cuz I got plenty to spare." He gave me a smile, I could see he was missing a canine on the left side of his mouth.
I shrugged, "Well, this trip only needs one pip-boy, so it looks like we're competing for the spot," Ricky's smile fell from his face, "Yeah? Well, I'm one of a kind, see? I've been places and done things, lot's of 'em!" I stayed quiet, I could tell he was readying some bullshit story as we spoke, "Anything makes the mistake of pissing off Ricky, I'll deadeye him, her or it. In fact, that's my nickname, yeah! 'Deadeye' Ricky." I crossed my arms, "Uhuh, yeah, sure," He continued, "Why, uh, once, I got jumped by three.... Deathjaws! Except, actually, it was four of them! Imagine that!" I raised an eyebrow, "'Deathjaws' huh? You sure you don't mean deathclaws?" His eye twitched a little, but he doubled down, "Nope, you heard me right, deathjaws! They're like deathclaws, but with bigger teeth!"
Ricky didn't even pause for a breath, "Or, there was the time one of them Steel Brotherhood assholes made the mistake of messing with me! Last mistake he ever made!" I shoved my hands into my pockets, "'Steel Brotherhood'.... Do you mean Brotherhood of Steel?" His eyes avoided mine as he thought of a retort, "Uh, well... What's it sound like I'm saying? If I was saying what you said I was saying, then yeah, I said it!" He was cracking, "I was walking right along, and up pops one of them Brotherhoods. He yells, 'hand over that laser rifle, asshole!' and I do, just to make him think I'm scared. But I'm not, because I never am. I draw my 11mm machinegun and BAM! BAM! Right through his eyeslit! D.O.A," I leaned forward, "Too bad there's no such thing as an 11mm machinegun." Ricky gulped and stammered, "Uh, there is so! Or was it 9 or a 10, I don't know! I don't care! Said I was good at killin' shit, not good with numbers!"
I stood back up straight to get away from Ricky's breath. I could see that he had a bad case of cottonmouth, too, "So where ya from, Ricky?" He relaxed a little at me backing off, "Well, I grew up near Dayglow out west, so yeah, I grew a third nut that glows in the dark!" I looked him up and down, "Then where'd you get the pip-boy and the vault suit? There's no vault in Dayglow," The sweat returned to his face, "N-Nice job, eagle eye! Yeah, I got a pit-boy," I corrected him, "Pip-boy," He swallowed, "Yeah, that, pip-boy! And a vault suit, too! What of it?"
I looked Ricky dead in the eye, "So where'd you get them?" He scoffed, "Vault two-two, where you think? It's where I grew up!" I raised an eyebrow again, "So where's that?" He shifted his eyes left and right, "I-I can't tell you that, I am sworn to secrecy, or something like that... To the people I left behind!" He smiled, sure he was safe. I called his bluff, "You're lying. You have no idea where it is." He stopped smiling and he tried to say something before sighing and giving up, "Y-yeah, you caught me. I may have been exaggerating a little. Truth is, I got this here pit-boy and vault suit off a dead prospector who came out of Zion. Guy was dead when I found him, okay? Had a ton of shit on him, that's how I know there's good loot in Zion!"
I looked down at Ricky's pip-boy, and noticed something, "Hey Ricky... You know how that thing works right?" I pointed to the pip-boy, and he said, "Y-yeah, it makes me more badass! Jed says it has maps and shit, that's why I'm here!" I looked him in the eye, "Well, then you should know it's not working. The screen's locked up and the reboot button is missing," He got angry at that and yelled, "Bullshit! Ain't nothing wrong with my pit-boy, I mean pip-boy!" Jed looked over at us concerned, Ricky pulled me into a huddle, looking nervous, "Look, this gig is sweet for me! Don't go blowing it for me. What do you want anyway?" I smirked, "What I want is for you to scram, Ricky. This expedition doesn't need you." He stood up, and yelled again, "Fine! You win, asshole! Have fun leading the expedition into an ambush! I hope you all die!" Ricky scampered out of the cave, everyone staring at him.
Jed walked over to me, laughing, "Haha, good work son, the job's all yours now! It was fun getting to watch Ricky squirm, too. So, the pay is 25 caps per day, half up front, half on return. It's gonna be dangerous, Utah's full of regional warlords and gangs like the 80's. Not a lot of safe places to stop and rest, and we're imposing a weight limit. We'll be going through some box canyons, and we don't want anyone getting stuck." I nodded, "Don't worry about me, Jed. I've hauled myself across the whole Mojave. I can handle it." He smiled, "Well, your gear all looks in order, let's get going then. I'll fill you in on the situation in New Canaan along the way." The guards finished up their equipment checks, and we all headed out the east end of the tunnel. Toward Zion.
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also. it’s hard for me not to think about how wild it is that i’m living in france, and traveling around europe, as someone from my family. my mamaw’s dad was a coal-miner in hazard, kentucky. my mamaw was a waitress her whole life and she gave birth my dad, her third kid, when she was twenty years old. her and my papaw raised eight kids together in a tiny house in kentucky, neither of them ever having the chance to pursue higher education. my dad worked his way through a food science degree at the university of kentucky, something that is hardly possible to do nowadays without amassing tens of thousands of dollars of debt, but something he did in the 80s that granted him class mobility. he met my mom, from a somewhat more affluent norwegian-american farming background, and they could afford to send their bitch-ass daughter (me) off to liberal arts school to study languages or whatever the fuck it is that i did there. and now i am teaching english in france, planning trips around the continent on all of my holidays. things my mamaw would never have dreamed of.
i told her i was moving here and she thought it was hilarious, saying: « can you believe it? the granddaughter of a hillbilly, teaching english in france! » and she laughs, but it draws a divide between us. most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins stayed in kentucky and live close to my mamaw, seeing her all the time. those cousins grew up around each other, their parents work blue collar jobs just like my mamaw and papaw, and when i graduated college in 2021 i was the first grandchild of my mamaw to have a college degree. she bristles when i talk about foreign languages and travel, because my experiences abroad and in university put an insurmountable distance between us. i can never just be a simple kentucky girl, i can never return to that. i am someone who my own mamaw can no longer see herself in, living a life she never fathomed for her or her offspring. and sometimes it feels like, knowing that i can never be part of her world again, country music is the only thing that connects me to it. i live in france but when i pick up my guitar and sing, i’m still singing those same songs from the mountains that raised me. i sing for the mountains and for my mamaw, to remember where i came from, to the red clay that stained my skin where i once ran from cottonmouths in the creek, to the swooping hills of grass so green they become blue in dawn light
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21st birthday
I'm at a rooftop party and everyone is under some kind of influence. I've had a drink or two, and on top of that the birthday boy and I took an edible. I see my friend Dan, he greets me with a tight hug. It's the second time we see each other. The first time was at a dance floor and we were both drunk. I thought he was funny and cute but I didn't say anything. He approached me "I wanna dance with you". Before I could agree my cousin stepped in, "my cousin is off limits". I was a little bummed but all I could respond with was a polite smile and wave. And that was that.
Back to the rooftop party, the birthday boy is my cousin and we're high out of our minds laughing inside while the party continues outside. Dan joins our laughter and stays with me while the birthday boy returns to his celebration. Dan and I are left alone, we make our way to the kitchen because of my cottonmouth. He pours me a cup of SunnyD and watches me drink it. I notice his stare, so I put the cup down and look at him for a few seconds. As we stare at each other I wait, wait for him to break the silence but I eventually laugh out loud "What are you looking at?". His eye shift to my lips then dart back to my eyes. I get the hint and flat out say "Do you want to kiss me?". He awkwardly says "Yes, is that okay?". I give him a shrugged "sure" and he leans in for it. That first kiss felt so good, it felt like a rush of colors I've never experienced before. I laughed as he pulled away, his eyes looked worried, like he was wondering if he made the right call. His hand were on my shoulders and he asked if I was ok. I reassured him with a giggle and nod, I was high as fuck. He then asked for another kiss with his eyes, I invited him to sit next to me on the dining table. He grabbed me and kissed me again, it felt so natural. We made out for what felt like an endless loop of colorful rings and spirals. His hands slid around my body, I could tell he was nervous as he made his way to my hips. I thought it was funny so moaned out a giggle, he did the same in response and gave the excuse "Sorry I'm nervous". As he said that I remembered, he has a girlfriend. We stopped and I suggested we go back, "What would people say if they saw us?". As we started heading up stairs, he grabbed me and kissed me. He held me tightly as if this was something he wanted to remember. Every kiss felt like I was melting into his body, this could probably because I was high.
It felt like I was talking to him as we kissed.
Me: We shouldn't
Him: It's just this one time, let me enjoy every second of it
Me: Just this one time
Before I knew it, he picked me up and sat us on the couch. My hands were in his hair and his attempted to explore my body. Before things got any further, I stopped us and we went up stairs. We saw his friends for a while upstairs, while they talked I disappeared in the crowd and lead myself to an empty bedroom. I charged my phone and laid on the bed, in that moment I chose to end my night. I had my eyes close in the dark and then I heard the door open. Dan's silhouette stood at the doorway, I sat up as if I was greeting him into the room. He closed the door behind him and sat next to me. We kissed for a while but stopped every time we heard someone near the door. Someone eventually came in and saw us on our phones, they didn't think anything of it and asked if they could take a turn with the charger. Eventually everyone left the room to let me sleep it off. Before leaving the party Dan stopped by to say goodnight. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and I fell back asleep.
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A Snake Falls to Earth
A Snake Falls to Earth is a Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy book written by Darcie Little Badger. It has been nominated for multiple literary awards and won the Nebula Award in 2021. The intended age group for this fantasy novel is Young Adults aged 12-18.
The author draws from traditional Lipan Apache culture and combines it with magical realism, to tell the story of Nina, a Lipan Apache teen girl who is on a mission to translate the last story her grandmother told her about the animal people, and Oli who is a cottonmouth snake from the land of spirits and monsters. While these two characters are unaware of one another, their worlds end up connecting through catastrophic events. This story is told from two points of view and touches on important topics such as climate change, family relationships, and the importance of storytelling.
I chose to review this book because I believe that Indigenous representation matters. As a Mexican woman who grew up with an appreciation of the Mexican folk tales and legends that were told to me by my grandparents, I felt a special connection with Nina. I also appreciated how Nina’s grandmother spoke a mix of indigenous and Spanish languages and rather than letting the language barrier get in the way of their relationship Nina used modern technology to communicate with her. I was also interested in the concept of combining the perspectives of Oli from the supernatural world with Nina in the human world to emphasize the importance of protecting our planet. This book gave representation to the LGBTQIA+ community as Nina identifies as Asexual and it covered other important topics that are impacting our youth today.
For this review, I will be evaluating Character, Tension, and Point of View:
Character: I feel that the characters in this story are unique and relatable. I think the author did a good job making the characters personable. As the reader, I felt like I related to Nina’s character and found myself rooting for her as she simultaneously attempted to translate her grandmother's story while trying to find out why her grandmother has fallen ill. At the beginning of the story, Nina is around nine years old and as the story progresses she grows older (16/17). I enjoyed how the author structured this because the reader is essentially “watching” her grow into a young adult. As mentioned previously Oli is a cottonmouth kid from the land of spirits who has left the nest to learn how to survive on his own. Oli reminded me a lot of the animal characters in Disney movies. It was hard not to become attached to him especially as he loses his way. He is also another character who you genuinely want things to work out for as he tries to save his new friend. Both Oli and Nina were very well written and it’s easy for the reader to become involved in their lives.
Tension: I believe that Little Badger did well building up the tension in this book. The first couple of chapters felt a bit slow, but as the story progressed the tension heightened. Most of the tension stems from the characters trying to find the answer to something. For example, Nina is trying to translate her grandmother's story and wants to find out why her grandmother has suddenly fallen ill. Oli is not only trying to find his way back home but he’s also trying to find a solution that will save his new friend Ami in the human world. There were multiple components throughout this story that required the characters to use problem-solving skills, and because this is a YA book I feel like those problems were appropriate for the intended audience. When Oli and Nina finally cross paths they work together to solve their problems. As the reader, I was interested to find out what would happen at the end of the story and the tension kept me invested to the point that I wanted to help the characters on their journey.
Point of View: This story is told from different perspectives. The first is Nina, a Lipan Apache girl who is a storyteller living with her family in Texas. The second is a cottonmouth snake named Oli who has two forms and who lives in the spirit realm. Nina’s story is told from a third person point of view while Oli’s is told from first person. I think taking this approach was successful because the characters are so contrasting. At the beginning of the story, each character has their chapter which allows the reader to get a glimpse of both Oli and Nina's worlds separately. Even though this story is told in alternating points of view between the two characters the transitions are smooth.
Reference:
Badger, D. L. (2021). A Snake Falls to Earth. Levine Querido.
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