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shaunamilfman · 5 months

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Being Lottie Matthews Controversially Young Girlfriend

Adult Timeline Headcanons

nsfw mention

you and lottie definitely have a meet-cute moment at the farmers market. love at first sight fr she's trying to get you to move in the wellness center within the month. “but y/n if you live in the dorms again you'd be here all the time anyways. Just move in 😁. it's cheaper that way.”

coming home after a long day to see Lottie laying in bed and just burying your face in her cleavage. She's surprised the first time you do it, nearly dropping her book and tries to catch you thinking you've fallen, but she's gotten so used to it now that she doesn't even react. she sets her book down gently on the nightstand and runs her hands soothingly through your hair.

she has absolutely no shame about dating you despite the large age difference. she's hyping you up to her cult wellness center members talking about how good you're doing in college and shit. “yeah 😁 she really aced that exam she was worried about 😁😁”. she got one of those stickers like “my girlfriend goes to x college”.

she def packs you lunch and stuff to take with you. lottie can't cook for shit but she can make a mean sandwich. you're like “i only have one class today.” and she's still shoving snacks into your bag lmao.

im convinced lottie is a bit of a technophobe so she's consulting your ass on everything. you get woken up in the middle of your nap to go turn the wellness center computer off and on again. you spend 20 minutes trying to talk her through sending an email before you give up and type it yourself while she dictates. she looks particularly smug after that one, so you think she may have gotten one over on you. she's so genuine most of the time that you're never quite sure.

Lottie's a lot older than you but I really don't think she'd have all that much sexual experience given her circumstances. if she had slept with others before you it wouldn't have been that all that many. lottie would definitely be aware that she'd be expected to have more experience and is a little hesitant about telling you that she doesn't. point is I mostly just think she'd be very shy and blushy the first few times you had sex.

going along with it once when someone assumes you’re her daughter to try to playfully embarrass her. she just shrugs and makes a note in the back of her mind to kiss you in front of them at some point. some poor cult member walks in on you like two fingers deep in your ‘mom’ and is so traumatized by the ordeal. Lottie's all smiles the whole time. she fr giggled a bit when they left she's so devious.

Lottie mentions movies she liked as a kid and you're off-handedly like “oh I don't think I was alive when that came out.” and she just full on winces. she spirals a bit over it every time she's so dramatic.

Lottie's constantly trying to initiate sex wearing like beautiful and intricate lingerie all the time while you're wearing whatever random shit you happened to have on like "please warn a girl omg". Lottie's ass is still like 😍😍. she does not care in the slightest what your wearing lmao it's on site.

Lottie wears silk pajamas with like robes and shit to sleep. they've got her initials monogrammed on the pocket and she buys you matching ones in your favorite colors. she wouldn't be upset if you didn't wear them but she always looks so excited when you do. she also has like a ridiculously expensive sheet set on her bed. it's soft as hell though you've got to give her that. all that and your little cotton blanket you bring for when she inevitably steals all of the bigger blanket from you in her sleep.

Lottie for sure tries to pay for all of your things. you try to pay for them yourself but she always seems to know. she pops out of nowhere with her debit card just as you're checking out like 😁. Lottie's not paying for your things expecting sexual favors out of it but she'd absolutely receive them. dropping to your knees in front of her after she pays for your textbooks??

she has no idea how much things cost. she's def like “how much could a banana cost? $10?”

the reading glasses stay on during sex. she's so embarrassed the first time you see her with them on but gets over it very quickly when you immediately jump her bones.

Lottie buys you a shit ton of clothes. they're all styles you like, but you can't help but notice they're all heliotrope. you're just like 🙄 whenever she gifts you a new shirt.

grinning ear to ear whenever you introduce your milf girlfriend to your friends. you're so smug about it that it honestly makes lottie a little shy. she def really likes it though she's just always so blushy when you compliment her in any way.

she calls you so many pet names. it's all honey, baby, sweetie, princess, etc with Lottie. going feral over the idea of lottie calling you love.

Lottie's so physically clingy. she just loves laying on top of you with her head against your chest so she can hear your heartbeat. she loves when you play with her hair. she chases your hand with her head like a dog if you try to stop lmao.

you'll catch her just staring at you all the time she has no shame

#yellowjackets x you #yellowjackets x reader #lottie matthews x reader #minors dni

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astermath · 11 months

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sweet like you🍓

pairing: carmen berzatto x fem!reader

summary: carmen stumbles across a local farmer’s market on accident and discovers a family run strawberry stand. he discovers that not only the strawberries are delicious and sweet, but so is the girl selling them to him.

word count: 2.1K

notes: yk what’s really funny,, i never realised so far a lot of my fics involve the color red. perhaps it’s becoming my new favorite color and I love to make it obvious dsgdfsj,, anyways first time writing for carmen, been obsessed w him since the bear came out. i’m a whore for jeremy allen white in case you haven’t noticed. anyways this will def get a part two!!

P.S. let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for further carmen berzatto related content! comments and reblogs are highly appreciated, requests are open!

Saturday was farmer’s market day.

Every Saturday morning, dozens of independent businesses, farmers and food stands would come together at Lincoln Park to sell their wares. It made for a colorful and interesting blend of smells, sounds and sights, and for most, a great way to start off their weekend.

And Carmen was no exception to this. He’d first stumbled upon it by accident on his way to the Beef. Taking a wrong turn because of his still waking morning head resulted in him walking through the park and, unavoidably, being distracted by what vendors there were. A chef at heart, he couldn’t help but look around the wide array of fresh ingredients available for purchase. He’d taken out his notebook and started writing down business names as he tried a sample every now and then.

He held a bag of fresh paprikas in one hand, making his way down the line before he came across a peculiar and seemingly very busy stand. The fresh, sweet scent of strawberries allured him, stepping closer to take a look at what they had to offer. And it was exactly that, just strawberries. It appeared to be a family business, your mother and father packing orders, and you at the front taking them and accepting payments. For a second he just kind of stood there, bag in hand, staring at you. There was no way you were from here, Chicago doesn’t let a smile like that survive very long. Or maybe that was just his cynical mind doing its usual thing.

He snapped out of it when you glanced his way, looking to the side. He felt his cheeks getting warmer, embarrassed that just looking at a pretty girl got such a reaction from him. He’s a collected person, he should be acting like one. He took a deep breath and got in line. Lord knows what he’d be using strawberries for, he’d figure something out, might as well just eat them as a snack while the season allowed it.

“Hi! How many?” Your voice was sweet and chipper, something he couldn’t even think of being after taking orders all morning. Somehow, you kept it up.

“Oh, uh...” He looked at your display, before remembering that all you sold were strawberries, so browsing just made him look even more stupid. “How many... Strawberries?”

“Boxes. They’re 500 grams, 5 bucks each. So how many?” Your smile remained the same, though you were slightly amused by his confusion.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” He could have sank into the ground right then and there. Of course you meant boxes, who in their right mind is buying individual strawberries? “Uh... Just one box is fine, please.” He reached for his wallet while you took over a box from your mom.

“Great! That’ll be 5 dollars please.” You took the slightly crumpled bill from his hand, storing it in the tin box in front of you and quickly writing down something on a paper. Seemed like you still did everything by hand, he couldn’t imagine what a mess it would be if he had to do that at the restaurant.

“Here you go, have a great day!” The box you gave him was neatly wrapped in brown paper, with a sticker serving as a business card on top.

“Uh...” He stared at the sticker, reading over it before looking back up at you.

Ask for her name.

“Yeah...”

Her name.

“You too.”

You idiot.

He picked up the box and walked away, walking a little faster than usual. He was never good at talking to people, but god, that was just embarrassing. He opened up the packaging, and took out a perfectly plump strawberry. He took a bite, humming as the juicy sweetness washed over his tastebuds.

Lunch rush had just ended, and Carmen was sat outside the back of the restaurant with Richie, smoking as per usual. Except now, a small cardboard box sat between them. It was almost empty as the two of them snacked on the fruit between puffs of their cigarettes.

“Ya know, I read somewhere on Facebook that these are supposed to help with uh... Cancer or something.” Richie said, throwing the green leafy part back into the box.

“You’re a fuckin’ idiot, cousin.” Carmy smiled to himself, back leaned against the wall as he brought the cigarette to his lips.

“Oh, why’s that huh? Cause I can’t read shit online anymore without having to do an hour of research behind it?” Richie furrowed his brows, blowing smoke out his nose.

“No, stupid,” Carmen put the cigarette out on the concrete. “Cause you’re fuckin’ smoking, man. The fuck is a strawberry gonna do against that.”

“Yeah, well... I try to stay positive, you should fucking try it sometime, ya depressed asshole.” He grabbed another strawberry. “Where d’you get these from anyways? Shit’s pretty good.”

The image of you working at the stand flashed through his mind. “Passed by some random farmer’s market this morning. Might stop by there again, got a ton of fresh produce there for not much money.”

“Speakin’ of produce.” Richie used his thumb to point back over his shoulder to the kitchen. “Place’s out of onions. Your magical farmer’s market got those? Cause we need more by the dinner shift.”

Carmen groaned, wanting to curse at Richie for not letting him know earlier. But honestly, if it gave him a chance to go back, get more delicious strawberries and possibly redeem his awkward first impression to the pretty girl there... It might not be a bad idea. He checked the time on his watch, early afternoon, you’d probably be wrapping up right now. If he was fast, he could totally still make it. “Fine, but I’m taking your car.”

“Don’t crash it.” Richie said as he got up, ready to get back inside.

“You’re the one with a suspended license.” He joked, catching the keys Richie threw at him that were totally not aimed at his head.

“Fuck you cousin.”

Parking was a bitch, as always, but Carmen had managed to find a stall selling onions for about half of what he usually got them for. He was starting to like this market, not just for the prices, but because these were all people who worked hard and loved their products. A lot of work goes into putting something out there to sell, he would know.

He realized he might be pushing his luck if he still wanted to see you, but he decided to take the chance nonetheless and walk down the lineup. It seemed to be his lucky day, as he caught sight of your parents loading up mostly empty boxes back in the car. You were working on breaking down the stand, doing so with relative ease. You were currently folding up the tables, kneeled down onto the ground.

Again, he stared. Honestly, how could he not? It wasn’t every day he saw someone so beautiful, and with a sweet personality to match. Granted his only interaction with you had been brief, but still, he got a good vibe from you, and he was usually so distrustful.

You looked up, and by pure coincidence, your eyes met. His eyes were so intense, hues of blue that anyone would recognize, even from a mile away. You certainly recognized them from this morning at least. Your face brightened with the same smile he saw you had before, and for a second he wondered if it was just a customer service thing.

“Hi! Hope you enjoyed your strawberries!” You got up, holding the folded table under your arm.

“Sure did.” He put on a bit of an awkward smile. God, why was he doing this... What was he even supposed to say?

Your eyes squinted slightly when you read the words on his shirt. “Nice shirt... Oh, wait, you work at the Beef?”

His body tenses up a little when you mention the restaurant. Given its... Peculiar reputation, that question could be followed up by any kind of statement. “Yeah, yeah, I uh... I kinda run it now.” He decided not to mention Mikey. Seemed a bit overkill to mention your dead brother to someone whose name you don��t even know.

“Ohhh, that’s you! Yeah, I’ve seen you smoking outside before.” You extend your hand and you both introduce yourselves. “I work at a café just two blocks over. You might have seen it, it’s called Odette’s?”

Carmy nodded. He knew that place. He also knew the cranky old French lady who owned it. “Ah... Yeah. Menu still the same?”

“As long as Odette is still alive, I doubt she’ll ever let me change anything. ‘Over my dead body, cherie’”. You jokingly imitated her French accent, chuckling to yourself.

Carmen smiled, glad that he’s at least not making a complete fool out of himself now. This was good, he knew this, work and food, those were his safe topics. “Yeah, well... Maybe if she tasted one of these strawberries first, you might convince her.”

“Huh,” You thought to yourself for a second, imagining your usual grumpy boss overflowing with glee after trying the fruit from your family’s farm. “You know what, I’ve never actually thought of that. Maybe I’ll try it out!” You smile. “You know I’ve been meaning to try and serve some of my pastries there. I’m a huge baking fanatic, but she’s so... Set in her ways. I don’t know if my amateur baking skills could possibly convince her, no matter how tasty the strawberries I use are.”

“Yeah, I know what that’s like...” Carmen thought about his crew, and how much they loved their so called ‘system’. Change was good, change meant progress, but it was also scary. On that part, he didn’t blame her boss for refusing to switch things up. “If you want, I could help you out. I’m a full time chef, so... Always willing to taste test.” He hoped his poorly masked excuse to stay in touch came across as friendly, and not pushy. He always felt like he was overthinking everything when he was trying to socialize, like he was reading off some type of script. Your chipper personality made things a tad easier, at least.

“Really?” You seem to brighten up even more. Carmen is sure there’s light shining from your face from how excited you look, but he doesn’t mind. It’s amusing, almost... Cute.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. Just uh... Let me know when.” He puts his hands in his pockets.

“Of course!” You pause, realizing he’s probably expecting you to give him some kind of contact information. Unless he was planning to use telepathic communication. You put down the folded table. “Right, sorry, uh...” You laughed awkwardly and pulled out a pen and an old receipt from your back pocket to scribble your number on, before handing it to him. “There we go!”

Carmen’s eyes went over the number, putting it in his wallet so he wouldn’t forget to save it later. “Cool, cool... So uh, text you later.” He silently cringed at his own words, trying painfully hard to play it cool.

“Yeah, totally!” Your mom called your name, and you look over your shoulder, seeing her gesture to you to hurry up. “Be right there, mama!” You chuckled. “Sorry, duty calls! But yeah, I’ll hear from you. And if I don’t, I know where you work, Berzatto.”

He chuckles slightly at your joking threat. “Sure, I’ll hold you to that.” He gives you a curt wave before walking off and letting you go back to work.

He really hoped you didn’t mean that “threat”. He’d rather die than let you see him at the Beef right when they got such a bad hygiene rating.

He was laid down on the couch late at night, watching an episode on the food network about an olive farm in Italy. He wondered if your family’s farm was anything like this one, and remembered he hadn’t even saved your number or texted you yet. Carmen rubbed his sleepy eyes and pulled out his phone, saving your number under a new contact and typing out a few quick texts. He stared at the screen for a few seconds, realized he was overthinking it and fell asleep not long after, the sound of an elderly Italian woman speaking on TV in the background.

[unknown]: hey, it’s carmen

[unknown]: guy from the beef

[unknown]: next thursday work for you?

You groaned in your bed, looking over at your phone and cursing yourself for forgetting to turn off your notifications. “The fuck...” Your eyes squinted at the brightness of the screen. A sleepy smile adorned your face when you read his name, saving his contact and texting something back quickly before putting the phone away and going back to sleep.

[y/n]: for sure!

[y/n]: let’s do 4:30 PM? café closes at 4 anyways so we’ll have the kitchen to ourselves :)))

#aster writes the bear #carmen berzatto #carmenmath #carmen berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto fic #carmen berzatto imagine #carmen berzatto the bear #the bear fic #the bear imagine #the bear #carmen berzatto fan fiction #carmen berzatto x fem!reader #jeremy allen white #jeremy allen white imagine

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phantomrose96 · 1 year

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Oh while I'm on U.S. economics, I have another thing that bugs the hell out of me: the hiking of mortgage interest rates.

For those who don't know, mortgage interest rates dropped low during the pandemic. Which is not all sunshine since it resulted in many bidding wars and a ton of way-over-asking offers in competitive areas, but it put home-ownership way more within reach for a lot of people.

Then the fed started to pee their pants over inflation, and hiked their rates up, prompting mortgage companies to follow.

Here's a chart of mortgage interest rates over the last 4 years

It hit a trough at 2.65% on average in early January 2021, and then you see it hiked itself way back up, now chilling at 6.27%

For context on how different these are: let's use an example of a $400,000 home - someone pays 20% down ($80,000) in cash, and finances the remaining 80% ($320,000).

Monthly payments at 2.65%:

This results in paying back, in total, $464,040. You'll notice that's well over the initial $320,000, and that's because of the interest paid over those 30 years.

Now, monthly payments at 6.27%:

This results in paying back, in total, $710,640. That's more than twice the initial loan of $320,000.

And, of course, it means the same exact property which could be paid for with a monthly budget of ~$1,300 in early 2021 now requires a monthly budget of ~$2,000 in 2023.

Also, those pandemic lows were an anomaly... Historically, mortgage interest rates were on average HIGHER than 6.27% - but also, historically, wages were much better relative to the prices of homes and people could afford the high interest rates (with the exception of the people who got screwed over in the 2008 housing market meltdown... There's a really good Cold Fusion video on that.)

And because these low interest rates were an anomaly, they may never come back...

So with mortgage interest rates going up, home-buying becomes harder. When home-buying becomes harder, rents increase (because renters have no alternative).

So who DOESN'T get affected?

ENTITIES THAT CAN PAY IN ALL CASH.

They need no mortgage. They pay the sticker price on-spot with no interest applying to them. And I say ENTITIES because, sure, some people can buy their home in all-cash. But a huge number of the entities that can buy in all cash are BIG investment companies--the Blackrocks and the Mega-landlords who scoop up properties to sit on, rent out, and turn for a profit later like it's a piece of stock, and not a habitable property...

Anyway I don't have a conclusion for this. Fix wages, or bring interest rates back down, or kill Blackrock. Preferably all 3.

#Federal Reserve shivering quaking 'but if poor people have disposable income then companies will have no CHOICE but to price-gouge and #turn record profits and fuel inflation... theres no helping it... we have to make #everything harder for poor people...'#gonna start a bingo card if this breaches containment and sparks an argument on libertarian tumblr

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vilevenom · 22 days

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Hey there, Anon! So, I think that, for the most part, Floyd, Clay & Bruce wouldn't really have much of a reaction to Hickory, outside of being happy for JD. Primarily because none of them have any context for who Hickory is. Branch, though? Hoo, boy! They never really did reconcile him with Hickory before the end of the second movie, did they? This fic has nothing to do with my current Hickdory series. It is its own, stand alone fic! I hope you enjoy❤️

Branch had, quite honestly, not been expecting to ever see Hickory again. Or, if he did, he was only expecting to see him in passing while the ex-bounty hunter was visiting Pop Village, or when he traveled with Poppy on a royal delegation trip to Lonesome Flats (as that was, according to Poppy, where Hickory had decided to settle). He was very much not expecting to find him chatting pleasantly with John Dory while the two had lunch in the market, their fingers intertwined over the table they were sitting at.

"What the…?" Branch muttered to himself, frozen next to the market stall he'd just been perusing, only to jerk into motion as John spotted him and waved him over with a shout. He quickly moved across the market, shooting awkward little smiles at any troll who greeted him as he went.

"Branch!" John Dory said cheerfully as his youngest brother made it to the table, "What's up, bro? There's someone I'd like you to meet!"

"Oh. We've met," Branch grumbled, arching an eyebrow at Hickory, who had the decency to look embarrassed as Branch stared him down.

"Really? Huh. Small world," John said with a light laugh, the tension between Hickory and Branch flying right over his head. "Well then, I'll skip the introductions."

"Mmm," Branch hummed, scowling at Hickory, who tipped his hat a bit so he was no longer making eye contact with the blue troll. "Yeah, we go a fair ways back. Where'd you two meet?"

John let out a quiet laugh, pulling his hand away from Hickory's to tap his fingers idly across the table. "That is a bit of a story, honestly," he admitted, only to startle slightly as Branch pulled over a chair and sat himself between his brother and Hickory.

"I'm not busy," Branch stated bluntly, sitting back and folding his arms over his chest. Hickory shot him an odd look, but Branch ignored him. "Do tell."

With another quiet chuckle, John rocked backwards in his chair, before letting the legs drop back to the ground with an audible thud. "Well, truth be told, I haven't always been, uh, in every trolls good graces."

"You don't say," Branch snorted, leaning his elbow on the table so he could rest his chin in the palm of his hand.

"John, maybe ya don't need to tell this story," Hickory murmured, leaning forward a bit in his seat, only to startle backwards as Branch shot him a glare.

"Let him tell his story," Branch grit out, satisfied when Hickory held his hands up in a placating gesture, settling back.

John glanced between the two, his brow slightly furrowed at the interaction. "Uhm…well, so, like I was saying, not in every trolls good books, as it were. So, obviously, a bounty was put out on me."

"Obviously," Branch snorted, shooting Hickory another look, only for the yodeler turned country troll to glare right back. This surprised Branch into sitting up, turning a questioning look to his brother.

"Hickory and his brother, Dickory, they took the bounty and came after me. Caught me off guard when I was on my way back to Rhonda after scavenging some berries out on the Neverglade Trail," John said with a laugh, grinning at Hickory who returned the smile with a small one of his own. "They eventually got me hogtied, and tossed me into the back of a wagon. But, they neglected to take Rhonda into account."

"To be fair, she'd been pretty far from where we'd caught ya. No one expects an armadillo bus," Hickory noted, his expression lightening as John told his story.

"No one expects an armadillo bus. Ha!" John laughed, smacking the table lightly, "I'm gonna get that on a bumper sticker. But anyway, Rhonda is trained, while we're traveling, to come find me if I'm away from her too long. So she comes barreling out of a bush at the wagon, while these two numpties are screaming about being eaten."

"Ya did tell us yer pet was gonna eat us. We just didn't take ya seriously."

"And that sucked for you, but it worked out well for me. She knocked over the wagon, nearly sending me face first into a river, while Hick and his brother were trying to fend Rhonda off. She was mostly just confused and excited, and thought they were trying to play with her, I think. I managed to get my emergency knife out of my hair and got free before anybody got hurt, thankfully. Rhonda and I took off," John said with a cheeky grin, while Hickory chuckled quietly.

"One of the few marks that got away," Hickory noted, leaning his elbows on the table with what Branch could only describe as hearts in his eyes.

John Dory flushed, while Branch gagged slightly at the looks the two were giving each other. He cleared his throat after a moment, causing them both to turn their attention to him. "Okay. So, you got away. That doesn't explain this," Branch noted, gesturing vaguely between the two.

"Oh, well, the bounty got called off after a while. After that, we sort of kept accidentally running into each other," John explained, "I ruined a couple of their hunts, if I'm being honest."

"Kept gettin' in the way, or springin' our traps before they were meant to be sprung," Hickory chuckled with a slight nod, "A right troublesome troll, this one."

"Pretty sure Dickory still wants to clean my clock for the debacle near Vibe City," John added, the two sharing a smile that told Branch there was a story there that he probably didn't want to hear.

"Anyway," John cleared his throat, "Eventually I ran into Hickory in Lonesome Flats, after the whole rockapocalypse ordeal. He was trying to make a life for himself there, and we got to talking. Eventually I mentioned you guys," John gestured at Branch, "And Hickory was the one who let me know you were alive."

"How long was that before you came looking for us?" Branch asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Oh, uh…a coupe of weeks," John admitted, looking guilty. "I mean, you know I didn't come looking for you until I got Velvet's fake letter. I didn't figure any of you wanted to see me again, until then. Plus, I only knew where you were. I couldn't really figure out a good way to suddenly pop into my baby brother's life again without it being weird."

"Hey now," Hickory reached across the table, taking John's hand in his own and giving it a little squeeze, "You were doin' yer best."

Branch snorted quietly, frowning at their joined hands on the table, before scowling at John. "So, you're perfectly aware of his bounty hunting past. Great. Did he tell you that he's part of the reason the rockapocalypse was even a thing in the first place? He lied to Poppy and me to get to the pop string. He's the reason Poppy got captured!"

John blinked, taken aback by Branch's outburst. Branch simply glared at him, noting but uncaring of the trolls milling around their table, quite obviously eavesdropping for gossip. Hickory, in the meantime, eased his hand away from John's, looking contrite as he ducked his head slightly.

"That's what I thought," Branch grumbled, standing from his seat. "You," he jabbed a finger towards Hickory, who jerked back slightly in surprise, "Stay away from my brother. I don't care if Poppy forgave you for what you did, because I don't. I don't trust you, and the last thing that I want is for you and your brother to rip my family apart when I finally just got it back again."

"Branch," John Dory murmured, standing from his seat, only to flinch back a bit as Branch turned his ire on his brother.

"No, John Dory. If you care about me at all you will not see him again," Branch seethed, before storming away without a backwards glance.

"John, please…"

"You heard him, Hickory. I can't. I can't do that to him. Not again."

Poppy jumped off the elevator to the bunker before it could even finish its descent, looking absolutely distraught as she moved through the bunker to where Branch was sitting at his kitchen table.

"Poppy?" Branch stood from his seat upon seeing the look on his girlfriends face, worry immediately surging through him, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Branch," Poppy sniffed, "It's awful!"

"What is it?"

"Hickory is leaving town."

Branch stopped, his worry evaporating as a look of disinterest settled on his face. "That's all?"

"What do you mean 'That's all'?!" Poppy scoffed, hands on her hips, "After all the trouble I went through to even get him to visit?! I found out from Delta that she saw Hickory hanging out with John Dory before he went to search for you and your brothers. She said they were getting, oh, what'd she say…'real sweet on each other'. I thought it'd be nice to get him to visit and get them back together, since they've both been having trouble settling in. Now Hickory is leaving, and I don't think they've even had a chance to reconnect!"

"Oh, they reconnected, all right," Branch groused, going back to the puzzle he'd left on the kitchen table.

Poppy frowned, following Branch. "What do you mean?"

"I saw them having lunch together in the market," Branch said with a shrug.

"And?" Poppy prompted, tilting her head as she stood across from Branch.

"And I told John about what Hickory did," Branch said with a shrug, picking up a puzzle piece idly, "During Barb's 'World Tour'."

Poppy stared at Branch as he fiddled with the piece, her frown deepening at how dodgy he was being. "What did you do, Branchifer?"

"Just what I said," Branch said, not meeting Poppy's eye as he placed the piece into his puzzle.

"You're not telling me everything," Poppy groused, placing a hand over the puzzle, "You're avoiding eye contact and being all," she wiggled her fingers in the air.

"What does," Branch mimicked her finger wiggling, "even mean?"

"It means you're being all weird and avoiding telling me something! Branch! I thought we were talking to each other now," Poppy huffed, stepping back to place her hands on her hips.

Branch huffed and fidgeted under Poppy's glare for a moment before letting out a breath and throwing his arms into the air. "Okay, fine! I told John not to see Hickory again. I'm still mad at him for getting you captured!"

"Branch!" Poppy gasped, "You know I forgave Hickory for that. He even tried to stop Barb from capturing me!"

"I know! I know…" Branch groaned as he raked his fingers through his hair, tilting his head back to rest it against the back of his chair. "They were holding hands, and I just…got mad."

"You got mad because they were holding hands?" Poppy parroted, arching an eyebrow.

"It sounds so bad, I know!" Branch sat up. "But when I saw them, all I could think of was…what if Hickory is planning something? I have no idea what John Dory did for twenty years, but by his own confession he's had a bounty put on his head in the past. I know Hickory told you he was turning over a new leaf, but I don't trust him."

"Oh, Branch," Poppy sighed, walking over to place a hand on her boyfriends shoulder, giving it a little squeeze, "You're afraid Hickory is going to take JD away, aren't you?"

"I mean, obviously," Branch snorted, waving a hand through the air, "Glitter only knows if he's got another bounty out on him or not."

"No, no. I mean…away from you," Poppy sighed, reaching out to tip Branch's face towards her. "JD's been living in Pop Village for a few months now, since we got back with Floyd. But Clay went back to the putt putt trolls, Bruce is on Vacay Island, and Floyd told you that once he's better he needs to go back to Mount Rageous to tie up some loose ends he left behind, and he's not sure how long it will take. JD is the only one who hasn't said he's going anywhere, and you were the most angry with him before everything happened. It only makes sense that you'd get upset with him when something comes along that might take him away, too."

"John's told me that he was thinking about moving to Pop Village," Branch said with a slight shake of his head, frowning up at Poppy.

"But if he and Hickory get together, he might choose to move to Lonesome Flats, instead. We both know that's where he was before everything happened."

Branch swallowed thickly, pulling his face away from Poppy's hold and turning to fiddle with his puzzle again. Poppy sighed, letting her hands fall to her sides. She watched Branch for a moment, before turning to head back to the elevator platform. "You know," she hummed once she was stood on the platform, "Hickory can't leave until morning, because that's when the balloon is scheduled to head to Lonesome Flats. Biggie told me he saw JD heading to Rhonda with his goggles over his eyes and what looked like tear tracks on his cheeks." She tugged on the elevator lever to get it moving, and watched as Branch had an internal battle with himself, before he stood abruptly, his chair clattering to the floor.

"Wait!"

Branch scowled as he stalked towards the balloon platform, where Hickory was sat between his scant luggage with his hat tipped over his face, obviously taking a nap. He paused once he reached the country troll, folding his arms over his chest as he kicked at Hickory's foot. "Wake up."

Hickory startled into wakefulness with a shout, sitting up quickly, a small knife appearing in his hand from glitter only knew where. Branch arched an eyebrow as Hickory fixed his hat enough that he could see it was Branch who had woken him up. "Oh," he murmured after a moment, relaxing and tucking the knife under his hat, "It's you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Hickory sighed, leaning back against the platform to stare up at Branch. He looked tired. "Exactly what I said. It's you. Look, I can't leave town until mornin'. Yer gonna have to deal with that."

"No, that's not why I-" Branch cut himself off with a groan, letting his arms drop to his sides, "I'm not here to pick a fight with you, Hickory. Or to tell you to get out of town faster. I came here to apologize."

"S'at so?" Hickory said with a quiet laugh. "Well, go on then."

Branch bit the inside of his cheek and counted to ten before he puffed out a breath and let his posture relax. It wouldn't do him any good to keep being angry at Hickory, especially since he truly had no reason to be. Poppy had been saved, the troll kingdoms were at peace, and Hickory was just trying to live his life. "I wanted to apologize for getting so angry at you earlier today. So, I'm sorry."

Hickory watched Branch for a moment with a contemplative look, before giving a small nod and leaning back against the platform, tipping his hat back over his face. "Apology accepted."

Branch gaped for a minute, staring down at the country troll in disbelief. "That's it?!" he asked, throwing his arms out wide.

"Did ya expect somethin' more?" Hickory asked, frowning slightly as he peeked up at Branch from beneath the brim of his hat.

"I expected you to get up and go find my brother!" Branch snapped, waving his arms around, "You two were giving each other starry eyes almost the whole time I was at the table with you earlier! So, what? I got upset and suddenly you don't care about him anymore?"

"S'not that," Hickory grumbled, sighing as he shoved himself onto his feet and quickly dusting his pants off. "I care about John Dory a whole lot. An' we've got a whole lotta history. But he made it plain as day that unless you tell 'im it's okay for us to see each other, I'm not welcome 'round these parts. An', quite frankly, I'm not sure I fancy bein' with somebody who'd be so quick to tell me to go kick rocks."

"He cried!" Branch blurted, his cheeks flushing as Hickory gave him an odd look for his outburst. "I…Biggie saw him crying. Because you were leaving. John Dory doesn't cry. So, you must mean a lot to him, too."

"But, not as much as you," Hickory said with a shrug,

"That's because John is stupid," Branch said with a wry grin, "He'll put everyone and everything before himself every damn day. I've seen him do it, over and over again these last couple of months, and I just," he sighed, rubbing at his face, "I made a mistake, okay? I knew he'd make you leave if I gave him that ultimatum. And I feel awful for it. John deserves to be happy, too."

"He does," Hickory easily agreed, tucking his thumbs into the belt loops on his pants. "Does that mean you'll come with me to apologize to 'im, too?"

Branch sighed tiredly, but nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Hold your horses," John groused at the incessant knocking on Rhonda's door. He pulled it open to find a grumpy looking Branch and an amused Hickory standing outside. "Uhh," he blinked, stepping back from the doorway, "Come in?"

"Thanks," Branch grumbled as he stepped inside, followed shortly by Hickory with a quiet, "Much obliged."

John cocked his head slightly and frowned, watching as Branch began to fiddle with his vest, only to be jabbed in the side by Hickory's elbow. "I feel like I missed something…?"

"Right, sorry, yeah," Branch cleared his throat, shooting Hickory a glare, "I came here to apologize for my outburst today at lunch. It was brash and uncalled for."

"…And?" Hickory prompted when Branch didn't seem to be forthcoming with anything more.

"And I was wrong. About Hickory," Branch added, gesturing vaguely at the troll stood next to him. "He's not so bad. I guess."

"I'll take it," Hickory chuckled, tipping his hat slightly at Branch, who simply continued to glare.

"I'm still confused?" John admitted, scratching at his cheek.

Branch sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face. "You can date Hickory, if you want," he finally spat out, his stance deflating, "Biggie told Poppy he'd seen you crying, after we split up at the market."

John sputtered at Branch, looking between him and Hickory, his cheeks darkening. "Wh-what? I did not cry! I don't cry-" he began, only to stop short as Hickory stepped forward. He jerked back on instinct, only to practically melt into Hickory's hand as the ex-bounty hunter cupped his cheek.

"Hey now, sugar cube," Hickory cooed, ignoring Branch's quiet gagging behind him, "There's no need to get all defensive. I think it's mighty sweet that you'd get so upset over me."

John lifted his hand to hold Hickory's against his face, sighing quietly. "You and Rhonda have been the only constants in my life for the last decade. How could I not be upset at the thought of losing you?" he murmured, only to jerk in surprise when Branch cleared his throat loudly. John cheeks grew impossibly darker, coughing quietly as he pulled Hickory's hand from his face, but kept it tightly clasped in his own. "You heard nothing," he hissed at Branch, who scrunched his nose up at John.

"I wish," Branch scoffed, "I'm gonna leave before this gets any more sappy."

"Like you're one to talk," John called as Branch headed to the door, "I've seen the dumbstruck look on your face when you catch a glimpse of Poppy!"

"Good bye, John Dory," Branch waved over his shoulder, opening the door. He paused for a moment, turning to shoot one last glare at Hickory. "If you hurt my brother, I will hunt you down." And with that he hoped out of Rhonda, the door swinging shut behind him.

"Are all yer brothers that dramatic?"

"Mmm, yeah. Pretty much."

#trolls #dreamworks trolls #trolls john dory #trolls branch #trolls hickory #trolls poppy #hickdory #trolls fanfic #prompt fill #things that i wrote

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f0point5 · 4 months

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going through my saved reels on Insta, and it made me think that we didn't talk enough about the shift between Max and Charles.

at the beginning of the year there still was some tension between them. they didn't talk much, were more cold towards each other... maybe it was the fact that the championship was still in fight. but then summer break came, and it was like you turn a switch. suddenly, so much Lerstappen content EVERYWHERE, the atmosphere between them changed completely. their times at press conferences? during driver parades? shared padel match? shared interview? Max calling Charles "Charlie"? the overall shift of vibes between them? they actually look they like the presence of each other now! like, I really wanna know what happened between them, what changed that atmosphere so suddenly.

and don't let me even start about the RB x Ferrari sticker war. because that. took. the. cake.

-🦥

I love a chat…but I may not be the person to talk about this with because I just never got picked up by the lestappen hype train I’m not going to lie 🫣🫣🫣 (please don’t hate me 🥺)

If I’m being honest, I think what happened is marketing picked up “Lestappen” and ran with it. For whatever reason, in the second half of the year Charles has been doing a lot more work on branding himself away from Ferrari (I got theories but obviously we don’t know why). The intensity of his racing persona has dropped a bit, I think, which coincides with his less “rival” attitude with Max. Also, his increased visibility around another top team probably didn’t hurt his bargaining position for contract negotiations. Also, Max could always do with looking a bit less like the Darth Vader of F1…it’s been undeniably helpful to see him publicly having a good rapport with Charles.

(Plus, wasn’t Max wearing a pair of shoes from Charles’s brand in one of his holiday pictures? You can’t tell me Charles just randomly gave them to him?)

On vibes, I’ve always said, I think Max just copies other people’s vibes most of the time. Like in the cool down room he always waits to see if the other person will talk to him and how open they want to be before he follows suit. I think he was probably always open to being more friendly with Charles but it was Charles that was a bit more reserved with him so he just matched the energy. Now that Charles has more rapport with him he’s happy to build on it. Just my take.

Imo the sticker war was probably a fun thing that started between the engineers and when it blew up on social media there were so many comments wanting Max and Charles involved.

I might be cynical but I think the shift was well timed

Maybe I’m just crazy because SO many people see chemistry between Max and Charles and I just never have. Clearly they get along, but I think racing and a competitive mentality is the only thing they have in common, and I think they know it. To me they’re friendly, but definitely not friends.

I agree with you though I would die to know what the general shift was really about, if it was collusion etc 😂 I would die to know how Max got the shoes (if indeed those were Clace shoes). I would die to know what Charles’s PR strategy has been all about lately.

Basically I’m nosey as hell

#max verstappen #f1 #formula 1 #Charles leclerc

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moosemonstrous · 5 months

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btw I have now put links to both the tag here and on AO3 in my bio bc I got sick of scrolling through tumblr 😌 Full disclosure - I have met lab people who act like small animals caught in the middle of a road whenever someone dares to enter their domain.

Ghost Rider Pacific Rim AU - sticks and stones

“Can’t promise the spot will stay open,” Kwok tells him apologetically. “But this is good, no? All the young’uns want to go to the academy!”

Robbie would bet his working eyeball that none of the young'uns would be so keen on it after ten minutes alone with Major Brooks. “So I keep hearing,” he mutters. “Sorry for the trouble. I appreciate you taking me on in the first place.”

“Navos is good people,” Kwok shrugs. The Shatterdome functions on a rather opaque network of favours and IOUs. ‘Good people’ seems to be a fairly high praise. Not quite on 'one of ours' level, but high. “You remember me when you are a ranger up in the dome and we’re even.”

And just like that, the transport maintenance chapter of Robbie’s career closes with little fanfare. Technically, he didn’t have to come speak to Kwok in person – his assignment has already gone through and the man would’ve been notified either way. He doesn’t want to leave a bad impression, though. For all he knows, the battery of tests he’d been fast-tracked through the day before will spit out some convoluted reason for why the drift activated on its own and he will be back on the job market before the end of the week. At least there are plenty of positions open – it’s easier to hire someone inside the base and train them up than wait for the paperwork to clear for an experienced worker from the outside.

He remembers the last time he let himself think things were finally turning around, though. He’s not going to make that mistake again.

At least his head is clearer after half an hour in a giant magnet and a full night’s sleep. He’s still unable to hold a conversation with Ivanov without some truly strange thoughts popping up like bubbles on the surface of a pot – the more tired or angry he gets, the harder it is to ignore them. He knew he was going to pay for running on fumes for weeks, and being sedated for nearly three days must have knocked something loose, but. Nothing proper sleep hygiene and some semblance of a routine won’t fix.

Or maybe you’re just noticing stuff, because you ain’t an idiot. Huh? Could it be that?

Or maybe this whole business with The Charger is extremely weird and Robbie should be packing up and running for the hills. Unfortunately, his and Gabe’s permits only work in Hong Kong and when he last checked how much it would be to fly back to US, he had to sit down for a long moment. Even if he was willing to risk taking a ship, where would that leave them? Back on a decimated coast, hoping the wind doesn’t blow over nuclear fallout, and struggling to find enough food for both of them? Queuing at state borders for days or weeks, hoping they’ll be lucky enough to get through on the increasingly stringent rules? Nevada already stopped letting in anyone without immediate family members or sponsors in-state.

Looks like the only way forward is through.

His wristband scans through to the R&D wing now. The soldiers standing guard give Robbie odd looks, but don’t make a move to stop him, so he forces his shoulders down and walks through the armoured door like he knows what he’s doing.

He has no idea what he’s doing. Cho said, ‘come find me in R&D before noon’. There are at least fifteen labs just in this one corridor and none of the doors have anything approaching a comprehensible naming convention. Some signs are just a piece of printer paper with a name scrawled over it, some have the original writing taped over with a KEEP OUT sticker, some seem to list the people working inside. None of those list an Amadeus Cho. It’s half past eleven.

Eventually, Robbie sticks his head in a room labelled ‘HMT DES’. Inside, there are three circular podiums with a mannequin each, showcasing variations of the PPDC hazmat suits. There are three people inside; two hide behind the middle suit as soon as they notice him, leaving the third to fend for herself.

“Can–can I help you?” she asks nervously. She has blue hair and wears fishnet sleeves over a tank top. Not exactly the nerd attire Robbie was expecting.

“I’m looking for Amadeus Cho,” he explains, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. It’s the opposite of what he usually tries to achieve, and she looks like she might be having an anxiety attack. “Any idea where I could find him?”

The girl listens to some frantic whispering from behind the suit. “In the bone lab,” she squeaks. Then blushes so hard Robbie worries she might actually pass out. “Up one floor, two doors down on the left, thankyouseeyoulater.”

What the hell.

He closes the door.

At least with the directions he finds the right room in less than five minutes. The label indeed reads ‘bone lab’. He’s pretty sure the music blasting from the inside is Dead Kennedys. When nobody answers his knocking, he prays he isn’t about to embarrass himself further and pushes the door open.

Cho is standing with his back to him at a table completely covered in… either huge chunks of dirty plaster or – more likely and vastly more disturbingly – massive bone fragments. He’s holding a metal training staff. Before Robbie can call out, he brings it over his head and smashes one of the chunks. When it doesn’t break, he adjusts his grip and tries again. And again. And again, until the greenish-grey surface cracks, at which point he gives out a little whoop.

“Cho?” Robbie risks. The music is too loud, coming from a small bluetooth speaker at the edge of the table. It’s shaped like a cat head. “Hey, Cho!”

Cho whirls around with the staff ready to smack the intruder. He’s wearing thick safety goggles. When he sees Robbie, he drops his weapon to the table with a clatter. “Good news!” he shouts over the music, like it’s normal both for people to just show up in his lab and to start a conversation from the middle. “You don’t have brain cancer!”

Well. That’s definitely good news.

“Was that a–?” He waits for Cho to lower the speaker’s volume through his phone. “Was that a risk?”

Cho is busy checking his messages, frowning. “Did you break my outfitters?”

“What?”

“Hazmat lab?” The frown becomes a grin as he scrolls through a bunch of texts. Robbie feels like that’s worse. “Good job getting on their good side, they might be designing your drivesuit soon.”

“I just–“ Can we get to the point? This kid is missing a screw. “You said to come find you?”

“Yes! Come on, take a–“ he picks up a hammer from an office chair before sliding it towards Robbie. “There you go. I was hoping we could talk without the grown-ups hovering around.”

The grown-ups. Robbie can already feel a headache coming. He takes a seat while Cho leans on the table, untroubled by a pile of skeletal remains inches from his back. “Talk about what?”

Cho scrambles around for a remote and points it at one of the screens at a wall behind Robbie. He flicks through several output sources – one is most definitely a cartoon show Gabe used to love back in L.A. – until he finds what looks like the Hell Charger’s blueprints.

“That,” he says, suddenly serious. “What do you actually know about this jaeger?”

“I already–“

“Yeah, but that can’t be all,” Cho cuts him off impatiently. “I found your records from before your mom took you and your brother off-base. You were eight. Your dad never took you to the hangar?”

Not really. Mama didn’t want you losing fingers in the machinery.

“Wasn’t a place for a kid,” he mumbles. There are records? “I don’t really remember much from that time. Weren’t all the records sealed?”

I told you Ivanov is full of shit.

“Oh, they were,” Cho smirks. “But the last guy in my role had access to some of the classified stuff, and nobody ever revoked it. You know how it is.”

Robbie has no idea how it is. “What do they say?”

“Nothing!” Cho groans. “Just that you and your brother existed. That’s why I’m asking.”

It’s both crushingly disappointing and a perfectly good reason for Ivanov to just say there was no information available. Keep deluding yourself. You’ll see I’m right sooner or later. Still, Robbie doesn’t really have much he can – or wants to – tell Cho.

“Sorry, I can’t help,” he shrugs. “I’m told we left before it was decommissioned. Mom never talked about it.”

Cho lifts up his goggles to his forehead to rub his eyes. He seems frustrated. “No weird work anecdotes? No drama about close calls?” He huffs when Robbie shakes his head. “Great. Another dead end. What did Ivanov tell you?”

“Just that my dad used to be a pilot. That he died killing Daggerblight.”

There is a long moment where Cho watches him like he’s waiting for Robbie to crack and admit to some vast conspiracy. When nothing happens, he blows the air out of his cheeks. “Bummer. Oh well, let’s go find Montesi before she starts wondering where we are.”

Robbie feels the bottom of his stomach freeze over. “We were supposed to be meeting her, too?”

Cho is already walking over to the door. He holds it open with a stupid little bow. “Yep. We better hurry.”

Robbie kind of wants to punch him. He’s beginning to suspect this will be a common occurrence.

#ghost rider pacific rim au #robbie reyes #amadeus cho #the texts amadeus is getting are mostly keysmash followed by 'he cute tho'#amadeus stop bringing up how little he remembers he'll do something stupid about it

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marshallpupfan · 2 months

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Marshall Merchandise Update... Kinda.

Okay, so... funny story. Do any of you remember that merchandise update I made near the beginning of the year? The one where I said my aunt found some items of Marshall, so she bought them for me as a Christmas gift? One was a plush of Mighty (Movie) Marshall, which I said I already owned, and the other was that cube plush of Charger from Rubble & Crew (she thought it was Marshall because of the red hat). Well...

As it turns out, I was wrong about something!

It's not the same plush after all! I mean, it's basically the same style, yet one's slightly smaller and has a plastic nose. I didn't realize it at the time, but placing them side-by-side, it's quite obvious now. Huh... I'm pretty sure these were released around the same time, so I wonder why they made two different versions? The left's from Walmart, while I think the other's from Meijer. How interesting...

While I'm here, I might as well show off a brand new item I found.

This is... er... dang, why do I have such bad luck with cameras? I keep saying I'll break down and buy myself a better one someday, and... well, I probably could, if I stopped buying so much merchandise of Marshall. Hang on, maybe if I turn the flash off, that'll...

...oh my. Alright, back to my $40 TracFone cellphone camera.

Well, that's... better. Still not the results I was hoping for, but it'll have to do. In any case, this is a brand new item I found recently at a Meijer. I suppose this is what we'll get from now on, instead of those True Metal vehicles? Admittedly, I thought "Pup Squad" was something specifically for The Mighty Movie, but I see the merchandise is carrying on with that branding. I don't think they've actually said pup squad in the TV series, unless it was mentioned somewhere in the Mighty Movie (I still haven't seen it, so I've no idea).

One last item, which is...

...a common Marshall figurine and his firetruck? Wait, don't I own one already? Ah, I do... but I found a bunch of these at a flea market for $2.50, so I thought it'd be fun to have one in its original, undamaged, unopened packaging! Admittedly, I was hoping it was one of the first toys of him released back in 2013, but the copyright info instead says it's from 2019. Ah well, it still looks rather nice!

Of course... it'll look much better without that big sticker. Geez, did they have to make it so big? Stickers like that tend to be difficult to remove, since they come apart so easy and leave sticky residue.

Thankfully, I was able to get it off just fine, due to taking my time and whatnot. It pretty much looks good as new now! Of course, now I just need to find a spot for it...

...Someday.

...Eventually.

Oh, speaking of finding a spot for something...

My aunt recently gave me this small display case, and I thought about incorporating it somewhere in my collection. Perhaps I can use it to house some of my favorite and/or rare pieces of merchandise, like that hard-to-find Christmas ornament from 2016? It's kind of big, so I've no idea where I can put it yet, but I'll find a spot for it...

...Someday.

...Eventua- okay, I'll try to find a spot for it before the third movie releases in 2026, I swear! lol

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hmshermitcraft · 11 months

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For the weekly theme: a town with a secret!!!

(Aka Hermittown is a remote village in the wilderness, and it's inhabited by a bunch of fae)

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

You.... might want to think twice before you decide to visit Hermittown for your summer holidays. Don't get me wrong, the town is perfectly pleasant, and the scenic views all around it are a magnet for some people, but... you really shouldn't spend too much time there

You walk through the main street, noticing how the moss growing all around on the walls seems to... almost rustle in the breeze? That's odd, moss should not be able to do that. But that thought quickly exaporates from your head as you see Bdubs waving at you from the doorway of the local inn. "Hey, come on over!!! I have so much new gossip to share with you!!!" His eyes shine in the low afternoon light, beconing you closer

Another day you head towards the docs, eager to breathe in some salty sea air. On your way, you see Xb working on something in his and Keralis' boat repair service. You could have sworn that the lines on the sides of his neck aren't just scars, like he always said. You've seen how long he can stay underwater while working on another ship's broken hull, it should not be possible... but you know better than to push him, especially when his Keralis' cold and calculating gaze sweeps over you, almost pushing you away from the shop

The local apothecary might seem outdated to some, but you know first hand just how well Cub's potions work, no matter what ails you. You shudder, thinking about Cub's icy blue eyes stating at you from the darkness behind the counter. If he can brew excellent medicine, it's only natural he could brew a VERY efficient poison

As you rest on a meadow nearby, with your back against a tree, you hear footsteps behind you. It's Tango, his grin as wide as always. He asks you to come visit him in his mansion. It's just over a hill, next to the village, it's only a short walk away! He has something JUST delightful that he's been working on over there, and he has to show you!!! You politely decline, not missing how sharp his teeth are when he grins at you, or how the twinkle in his eyes turns them red for a split second

There is an antique store in the city, run by an eccentric man called Mumbo. You wanted to peruse his wares a couple of times, but all items in the shop have tiny stickers with text you cannot decipher. It might be better to not purchase them, after all. Who knows what kind of deal are they?

Speaking of deals... Scar can pop up from thin air, whenever you are alone, not doing anything important. He reminds you of a bird of prey a bit, swooping in from the sky when he sees an opening. You don't really understand half of the deals and contracts he talks about, but with the way his teeth are just a bit too sharp and his gaze just a little too hungry, you're sure walking away is the only sane option

Hypno...oh gosh, listening to him tell his stories in the tavern is something you try to avoid at all costs. His voice always draws you in, no matter how you resist. Before you know it, half of the night has passed, and he smiles at you smugly when you hurry back home. You hope he won't ever propose to walk you back, as you're not sure you'll be able to decline

You decide to go shopping in the local market. You're not quite sure how that happened, but you're walking out of there with one too many bags, having bought way more than you initially planned. Etho, the owner, smiles at you from behind his mask, saying his goodbyes and throwing one more "buy 3, pay for 2" coupon to one of the bags you're carrying. The paper seems to shimmer in the morning light, the letters almost moving across its surface

Staying outside of your little rented house when the sun has set is really not ideal. You shudder, as you jump up the stairs and fumble with the key. There is a pair of bright purple eyes watching your every move from the darkness, just outside the radius of your porch light. When you turn around one last time, you swear you see a flash of red fabric, as the eyes disappear

Yeah... you should really think twice before visiting Hermittown

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Aaaand now I wanna turn it into a proper fic, I love this sm

Maybe after my exam season ends

~🌠

The truth is, the hermits aren't malicious people. Some are more mischievous than others, sure. Nobody really knows what Scar's deal is either. Mumbo has more than once reminded him they shouldn't be scaring off visitors but it doesn't seem to stop him. They enjoy messing with the humans that come through, maybe taking a little bit of advantage, but they don't want to actually hurt them.

No, most of the hermits are friendly, but they're protective of each other. Keralis has heard how humans try and take advantage of things they don't understand. Bdubs' eyes are always watching through the moss for ill intentions, and Hypno is a good judge of character when somebody's inhibitions are down. They look after each other.

It also doesn't help that a lot of them can forget how fragile humans can be. Yes, Tango, your mansion might be full of fun, but that fun is also deadly to most humans. Grian, they appreciate him looking after them, but his true form can be a little disturbing. The last thing they need is the town becoming a paranormal hotspot again! Those people were obnoxious. How are they supposed to have date nights when they keep waving their EMF readers around?

#hermitshipping #ask #bdoubleo tag #xbcrafted tag #keralis tag #cubfan tag #tango tag #mumbo tag #scar tag #hypno tag #grian tag #polyhermits #🌠 anon #mod 🎀#weekly theme: small town with a secret

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