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#CHATTERBUG
cairavende · 6 months
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Worm Arc 11 thoughts (pre-interludes):
Taylor's dad sees his daughter for the first time since she ran away. Since the fucking Endbringer attack! And literally says the line "“I need to go handle this" about a fucking work thing. No Danny. You do not NEED TO HANDLE THIS. God damn. It is fucking hard to be a co-parent for Taylor when I'm the only one doing any parenting!
Speaking of parenting - Taylor, you really should get some therapy. That was a pretty detailed level of fucked up nightmare you had. I love you and just want you to take care of yourself.
Skitter just like "all right, for day 1 I'm going to gain complete fucking control over my territory and establish myself as an unkillable bug goddess". And then she worries if she is doing enough!
Seriously though, letting that guy stab her and counting on her costume to block the knife? Fucking baller move. Also stupidly risky. So pretty much on point for my wonderful but stress inducing bug daughter.
And then she just sits in her chair drinking tea while she destroys two groups of Merchants? Doesn't just beat them, but absolutely terrorizes them. Lights one of them on fire with their own matches! WITH BUGS! I love her so much.
She also gained two minions as a side bonus to controlling her territory. And ensured their loyalty and dedication to her.
For real. Sierra would take a bullet. She'd die for Taylor. But Charlotte? Charlotte would kill for Taylor.
The speech Taylor gave Charlotte when giving her the options "leave town" or "work for me" was so well done! Came across as incredibly fair so Charlotte couldn't complain, but also just tied her in a little bundle all nice and neat. Set her up to want to work for you. Very nicely done. Taylor clearly has been learning from Lisa.
We're just pretty much giving up on that whole secret identity thing huh? It just started cascading out of control quite quickly. I don't expect Taylor and Skitter to be different people for much longer.
Lisa and Taylor went to a party together! A shitty villain party that was dangerous and almost killed them. But villain prom is villain prom. GAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
Just a number of good Chatterbug (Smugbug) moments here.
Lisa has a MURDER WALL! AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I love her so fucking much and I will just sit in there with her working on the murder wall for hours. (She isn't trying to solve a murder so I know it isn't technically a murder wall, but it's a murder wall cause that's the best name.)
Fucking Bryce. Sure went through a lot of trouble for that asshole.
Skidmark just doing a thunderdome up in here. Some people use their powers for cool things and others build a fence.
Also really not seeming to do great for loyalty. Like ya you get a cape or two out of it but it left everyone in your gang not trusting anyone else.
I love everyone in Faultline's crew. Newter was my favorite but Shamrock may have beaten him out. I always loved Domino and Shamrock gives the same vibe.
Newter got a few good Nightcrawler like moments here too which was fun (grabbing things with his tail, talking to people from weird perches).
God DAMN Labyrinth is powerful. Like I knew she was but getting to see it. Holy shit. That was so fucking cool. Literal goddess of reality right here.
I'm really excited to learn more about Cauldron and the superhero in a can stuff. Very Weapon X with the memory wiping and such. (I'm just really on an X-men comparison thought process right now I guess)
Taylor "I'm not a skilled combatant" Hebert over here as she dual wields knives and successfully fights off multiple people, most bigger than her, while specifically using non-lethal attacks on them. Taylor that isn't what "not skilled" means!
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CHILD, STOP GETTING HIT IN THE HEAD! I WORRY!
Seeing the trigger event thing was really cool. I don't think the fact that any cape near a trigger event appears to almost pass out has been mentioned before. Obviously in universe know one would know anything beyond them appearing to stumble, but still. And we got to see more of the higher dimension beings. We in Flatland now.
Oh god there is so much more I think I'm missing huge amounts. AHHH!!!
Oh, this is important. While describing Mush Taylor says "He bore a resemblance to a particular pink skinned, scrawny goblin of a creature from those fantasy movies." That open endedness of that context made me decide she must be talking about The Goblin King in Labyrinth. David Bowie. But to keep things simple, since it might seem like she is talking about Gollum, I decided that on Earth Bet David Bowie played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. This is canon as far as I am concerned.
That does also mean Mush looks at least a little bit like David Bowie.
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sleepy-ghost-puppy · 1 year
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uh oh bad time to be tiny rn
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puppyeared · 4 months
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throws oc lore at u <3 (anton belongs to @poicyss )
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olichat-reads · 5 months
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the way something in me BURNS whenever someone talks over someone else mid-speech
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cartoonemotion · 6 months
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send me asks
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pahtoosh · 3 months
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mind reader
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[image ID: a distraught Sebastian Stan looking at a sheet of paper. the paper has three sections. the first has three boxes labeled "yes", "no", and the last one with ellipses. the second one has three boxes labeled "please", "hugs", and "kisses". the last section has scribbles. the first section is in black and white and uses a mature font, while the second section is colorful and uses a playful font. /.end ID]
masterlist
18+
wc: ~1000 words
warnings: crowded mall. reader goes nonverbal. fluff
a/n: this was requested by @valetim09 ! thank you so much for your patience <3 I also want to add that everyone has a different experience with going nonverbal. this story is a reflection of my own. if anyone has a different experience and would like to share, I'd love to listen so I can write something different next time!
pairing: mafia!daddy!bucky x gn!little!reader
summary: Bucky takes you to the mall and you go nonverbal.
⋆。゚☁︎。⋆。 ゚☾ ゚。⋆ ⋆。゚☁︎。⋆。 ゚☾ ゚。⋆ ⋆。゚☁︎。⋆。 ゚☾
“Just one more store okay? You’re doing so good for me, bubba.” Bucky praised. 
You took a deep breath, a difficult feat while your Daddy had you speed walking across the mall. He led you to a store full of bath and shower products. The storefront was brightly decorated for the holiday season, twinkle lights dangled behind animal statues posing with bottles of soap. This display would normally have you tugging on Bucky’s sleeve, begging to take a look, but today it was just another addition to your overstimulation. 
“Okay we just need to grab washcloths, lotion, and the bubble bath set for your little friend.” He squinted at the list.
“Sweetheart, which scent did you want to get for them? We’ve got bubblegum and blueberry written down but they’re also crossed out.”
He looked to you for a response but figured you might be distracted by the display shelf in front of you. 
“It’s okay, we’ll just get both. Let’s keep moving.” He darted back and forth between aisles, trying to gather everything as quickly as possible. Your daddy was so distracted, he didn’t notice how overwhelmed you were getting. All the different, potent scents in the store were no help. For the moment, the only thing you could do was hold onto Bucky’s sleeve with one hand and use your other to cover your nose. 
It took Bucky a while to find the items. By the time you finished checking out and walked back into the mall, it had gotten significantly more crowded. Ever the strategist, your daddy held all the shopping bags in his vibranium arm so he could wrap his other arm around you and move both of your bodies as one to a faster exit. 
He let out a relieved exhale once entering the parking lot. “Oh man, that crowd was crazy, wasn’t it?” Bucky loosened his grip so he could look at you. You were clearly listening, but didn’t respond. 
He looked at you curiously. “What happened to my little chatterbug?”
You simply tugged his shirt and pointed to the car. 
“Okay, we’ll go home, baby. I know that’s what you’ve been wanting.” Bucky looked both ways before stepping off the sidewalk and walking to the car with you. 
He helped you buckle into your seat and placed the shopping bags in the trunk before sitting in the driver’s seat. Some days Bucky would have a chauffeur so that he could sit in the backseat with you, but today was not one of those days. 
After making sure it was safe to go, he wasted no time before pulling out of the lot and driving home. Bucky wanted to ask you if something was wrong, but he knew you’d be more comfortable discussing it at home. He settled for softly playing your favorite music and glancing at you in the rear view mirror once in a while. 
When you reached the house, one of Bucky’s employees put away the shopping bags as he led you upstairs. 
“You doin’ okay, baby?” He asked, holding your hand as you two walked towards your room. 
You shook your head. 
“Can you use your big kid words and tell Daddy what’s going on?”
You shook your head again. He helped you sit on your bed while he stood in front of you. 
“Okay then,” Bucky said, placing a hand on his chin. He looked at you carefully, as if he could tell what you were thinking if he just looked hard enough.
“Are you feeling extra tiny today?”
You shrugged, still looking up at Bucky unblinkingly. 
“Did something happen at the mall?”
You shrugged again. 
“Let’s try something new, sweetheart.” He went to your desk and picked up a crayon and a sheet of paper. “Can Daddy use these?”
You nodded. 
Bucky crouched down at your desk while he wrote on the paper. As with everything he did, he looked completely focused. His concentration face was a familiar sight when paired with the large oak desk in his office, but it looked a little silly and out of place with your bright, plastic table. The only seats available were a few floor cushions. He settled for sitting on the floor as to not mess up your cushions with his “outside pants”. You craned your neck trying to see what your daddy was up to. You could just barely make out a few letters before he was finished. He drew a few more lines, then handed you the sheet of paper with a hard book underneath and a new crayon. 
“Daddy made some ‘buttons’ for you, okay. You press this one to say yes, this one for no, and this one for I’m not sure. This spot is for you to make your own buttons. And this spot is if you want to write more. Does this help?”
You pointed at the “yes” button. 
His eyes lit up, then he complimented you for being such a fast learner. 
“Can you tell Daddy why you aren’t speaking right now?”
“Mall. Too much,” you wrote. 
“You got overwhelmed at the mall, bubba? And now talking is too much?”
“Yes.”
He let the crease in his brow deepen before taking a breath and relaxing his features. “I know we were supposed to have dinner with Natty and your little friends today, but how about we push those plans to another day? We’ll have a quiet night with just us. See if we can calm this baby down.”
You gave him a small smile. “Yes.” Then you created a new button. “Please.”
Bucky chuckled. “Even when you’re not speaking you’re still the smartest, most polite baby in the entire world. Can I give you some kisses?”
“Yes.”
He peppered your face with kisses until you were giggling and smiling so hard it hurt. You took things easy for the rest of the night, just watching tv, eating the dinner Bucky made, and listening to him read a book. You kept the button sheet that Bucky made in a special folder in case something like this happened again. After you added two new buttons labeled “cuddles” and “kisses” of course.
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neristudy · 8 months
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Android app for German Learning
Do note * - it is means that I use apps only with apk/premium unlocker, bc for one reason or another, free version of the app is not usable/not so great.
And yes, I have duolingo as well - but we all had it at some point, so heh.
LingoDeer*:
great for picking up vocab;
better prononciation than in Duolingo;
though it is quite better for asian languages.
Chatterbug:
German videos;
German "shorts" like Youtubes/TikTok one;
Learngerman DW:
Basically cheating, bc we all love DW here, and if you don't - check it out, it is really great;
Easy German:
Learn german by reading newspaper articles!
Seedlang*:
Similar to an old duolingo with its tree, but quite lacking w/o premium.
LingQ*:
Read, listen, add your own sites/apps/videos for it to create a captions in German!
Create flashcards.
Readle:
Great app with a lot of short stories to test your reading skills;
little test at the end of each text to check if you understand what you have read;
Voice overs for every text!
Flashcards:
Better than Anki for me, since it is a lot easier to set up;
Avaliable voice overs for both sides of a flashcard.
Beelinguapp*:
App for reading!
Have a split screen and read 2 text (in your native & in German) at the same time;
Create flashcards~
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love-and-hisses · 26 days
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Look who's 8 weeks old - these little goobers! As a special treat for their 8 week pictures, they all gave us smiles. Turns out Pumpernickel isn't the only chatterbug in the litter. (How did I get them to "smile"? Waved a feather teaser at them, took a bunch of pictures while they chattered at me.)
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cairavende · 7 months
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Worm Arc 6 thoughts:
Holy shit what an arc.
ABB is brought down, Lung is in the Birdcage. I'm sure the Birdcage will keep it's escape proof status forever and he will never be a problem again.
Some great Chatterbug moments. I'm still team Wolfspider if I had to pick one, but I don't see a reason I have to pick one.
LazyTown call out. The second "pink wig" and "pirate" were said I was pulling up the YouTube video.
Nothing like spending time putting IKEA furniture together with a cute boy. IKEA, the true furniture of romance.
Brian's sister is fun. I expect we'll get to see a lot more of her. Hope she gets a cool power.
The fucking attack on the gala OH MY GOD! Just coming in through the fucking roof, taking out most of the opposition in seconds. Christ they went all in.
I hope Emma got stung a lot. I'm pretty sure Sophia is Shadow Stalker (though not positive) so I hope she got stung too.
Taylor fucking figuring out how to get them all out of there? How to beat Polearm Man? Fucking jumping under the halberd to prevent the bug zapper from happening? Goading him? Ok so tossing the halberd off the roof didn't end up being as useful as she hoped, but still! THAT'S MY FUCKING GIRL!
I did enjoy watching Metalstick McGee get the absolute shit kicked out of him in the parking garage. (Can you tell I never liked the guy?)
Dauntless could empower literally anything. Fucking ANYTHING. And he just went for a standard spartan getup. So boring OMG. Get a whip or a super-soaker or fucking anything interesting god damn.
Did not expect Coil to be the secret boss, caught me off guard. His powerset is pretty interesting. I hope he isn't too horrible of a person.
Holy fuck the scene with Taylor's dad. Fucking locking her in the room to force a confrontation. God damn. He clearly does care about her but man does he not do the right thing to show it. My man fucked the hell up. Lisa to the rescue though, all the more reason for her to be one of my favorites.
Taylor finally lets herself just be a supervillain! YAAAAAYYYY! Go get em champ, make mommy proud!
Interlude thoughts - Well it sure fucking sucks to be Paige don't it.
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sleepy-ghost-puppy · 2 years
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any time i see a rabbit its like woah thats me
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sciencesansbutcooler · 2 months
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Intro time!!!!
Because I’m starting to post here
Name: Sci, anthony, chatterbug/chatter (with the numbers in the name or not idc), any nicknames you wanna come up with xoxo
Pronouns: he/they
What i do: i draw, i talk, i rant. Anything your heart desires!!
Warnings: if you try and interact with me, i cant guarantee that im gonna respond. Im like, really really bad at talking to people. Also, i find it really hard to take anything seriously, so watch out for that.
You can do requests!!!
The only rules are just. Dont ask me to draw weird stuff. Also dont get angry if i dont do one of your requests quick enough. I still have school and stuff i need to get done.
Thats all!!! Have fun looking at my goofy drawings :3
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olichat-reads · 1 year
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Mountain
Bakugou x reader
Summary: Your love for Bakugou is like a mountain but even mountains crack & crumble eventually, don't they?
Warnings: angst :D like all the way. its just angst. maybe w a sprinkle of fluff. major character death not katsu dw.
A/n: its one in the morning & i chose violence 😂😌 here's to the first proper angsty fic i've ever written. please join my mourning.
🌟
"Hey, Katsu. I know this is pretty selfish of me. And I know this will be nothing but a nuisance to you. Even so.." you trailed off, lifting your gaze off the ground to meet those ruby eyes you've fallen for, practiaclly beaming up at him.
"I like you, Katsuki!"
That was the day it all started, the day your friendship changed.
Bakugou & Y/n. The two of you were a well known pair amongst the students in UA & everyone in your presence in general. Everyone knew the explosive blonde who was loud, rash & rude, the ambitious Bakugou Katsuki who vowed to devote his life to become the future number one hero.
Then there was you, his bestfriend since childhood. The complete opposite of the angry blonde- a good natured, friendly chatterbug who is seemingly blind to her bestfriend's outright menacing demeanor, Bakugou's happy second shadow he can't seem to get rid of. You made quite the jarring pair indeed. But being friends with Bakugou came to you easily.
It was no wonder loving him felt just as simple. Regardless of your feelings being unrequited.
Somehow, despite having attempted crossing the line of platonic friends, you managed to keep your friendship with Bakugou. Persistent enough to stay by his side. Never allowing things to be awkward. Sometimes it felt like nothing ever changed, like you were the same annoying bestfriend that stuck by him growing up.
And sometimes you'd randomly blurt out your feelings for him when he so much as buys you your favourite drink on a whim.
"Aahhh Katsuki I love you-"
"Why the fuck must you go out & say it at the weirdest times?!"
"I can't help it! I have so much love for you y'know? Sometimes it just overflows! Especially when you're so nice to me!"
"I'm never being nice to you again, dammit!"
Every valentine's day held a memory Bakugou obtained against his will.
"Bakugou Katsuki, please go out with me!"
"Hah? Is this whats got you so damn twitchy all day?"
"Aw come on! I'm asking out the guy I like here. Of course I'm nervous!" You pout childishly, still holding out the black box of chocolates wrapped neatly in an orange bow.
"Tch. As if you haven't been doing that every other day for the past 2 years. Whats left to be nervous about?" He rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. Shifting his attention to the box in your hands, he narrowed his eyes as if it personally insulted him, before returning his annoyed gaze to you.
"You know I'm not taking it. When are you going to learn that this ain't going nowhere, hah?"
"Ugh, you meanie," you huffed, flopping down in Midoriya's empty seat, spinning it round to face the grumbling blonde's desk. "Its always worth a shot," you mumbled out. Undoing the the ribbons, you'd open the box & share the chocolates with him. Chattering about your internship & studies as if you didn't just got rejected by him.
He asked once, after rejecting you yet again, if you were ever going to give up on your feelings for him. If you were ever going to realize that your efforts were futile & there was nothing for you to keep fighting for.
"I can't give up so easily, silly! My love for you is so heavy, it feels like I'd suffocate sometimes you know. Its like- like a mountain!" You explained eagerly, hands waving in the air to emphasis your point.
"Tsk. And what happens when you run out hm? What happens when that mountain chips away bit by bit, until there's nothing left?"
He'd seen it that day. Something flickering in your eyes just for a second, disappearing before he could put a finger on what it was, replaced by that same stupid smile you always wore.
"Wah~ I'd actually be crushed, huh? Who knows if I'd survive~" you sang out playfully.
It was hurt.
He recognized it now. Who knew how many more times you've blinked that look away, locked up the agony he inflicted upon your heart that only yearned for him to accept its love. How many times that stupid smile masked the heartbreak underneath. How many times he convinced himself it was fine, because you were smiling. That you were fine.
"Goddamn idiot."
Your love for him was like a mountain, you'd say. He wondered if it hurt, every time he chipped of a piece by his harsh words. He wondered if it pained you everytime his rejection made a little of that love crumble.
There were times you'd appear at his door in the middle of the night. So late, that you didn't wear that smile & he didn't yell at you for waking him up, both of you too tired to keep your own walls up to notice the others' was down. You'd look so tired, so small & frail, like a broken soul defeated by life itself. Yet something would still faintly sparkle in your eyes, no matter how dull, when you looked up at him apologetically.
Neither of you would speak. You'd climb into bed with him & hide away in his chest. He'd never see it, having you curled uo so tightly against him, but he knew you'd cry yourself to sleep, feeling the tremble in your body & the tears soaking his shirt. He'd stay awake until your breathing finally evened out.
He'd never ask you. Everything seemed like a dream the next day. He'd wake up alone, no signs of your late night visit. He'd see you in class as usual, the spark back in your eyes as bright as ever, as if it never dimmed in the first place. You'd act as you always would, bubbly & way too excited.
He never knew what had you crying on those nights.
He'd be convinced he dreamt up the night before if you didn't address it in your own subtle way.
When Mina & Kaminari would go on their daily pestering about your blatant crush on your bestfriend. Moaning for you to just go out with one of them instead, whining why you'd waste your feelings on their grumpy friend while you giggled at their antics.
"How could I not love Katsu," you'd say, subtly locking your eyes with him from across the classroom. Something soft & grateful in your gaze before you turned back to your noisy friends.
Your heart seemed thethered to him no matter what he does.
He remembered the time you burst into recovery girl's office. You've been away on your internship. You must have heard about his incident from your classmates when you got back. Knowing them, they must've made a bigger deal off his injuries than they actually were.
He'd jump slightly as the door slammed open to reveal you- wide eyed & panting. Your frantic gaze searched the room until they landed on him, scanning him for the severity of his injuries.
Having seen he was okay, that he was conscious & well, you all but fell to your knees, the last of the adrenaline seeming to have drained from your exhausted body.
"Fuck," you breathed out a shaky laugh. "Fuck, Katsu. That's bad for my heart."
He saw you crying that night, tears wetting your cheeks & dripping off your face. Yet you still wore that smile, as wobbly as it was.
He hated that stupid smile.
Even now, as you lay on the hospital, it never leaves your face. That dopey, lovesick expression looked terribly out of place on your broken body.
"I thought you loved me, hah? Was that a lie? If you love me then hold on, you little shit. You want me to love back, don't you? Then, stay alive. Don't you dare die on me now or I'll kill you myself, you hear?" He heard his own voice crack, felt his cheeks grew wet, but he didn't care.
"Fuck. Fuck. I love you too, you fucking dumbass."
You laughed at that. It sounded wrong. Weak & frail, muffled by the oxygen mask that was barely helping your shallow breaths. Yet, it was just as melodic as Bakugou remembered. It has always been such a pretty sound.
"Thank you, Katsu."
Standing at the edge of the beach alone, he felt as though he could almost hear you laughing by his side as he looked on at the blue sea. Just as you did all those time you pestered him into going to 'your favourite place in the entire world' you claimed.
"Because this is the place I fell in love with you," you'd tell him every single time. Recalling the day your entire world changed & your heart grew twice its size with love for your bestfriend.
"Sounds fucking cursed." His response the same each time as he watched the waves crash into the shore, lightly lapping at his feet.
And you'd laugh something so happy & free in the golden light of the setting sun, the bubbly joy so contagious, he couldn't help but crack a smile.
He holds onto the memory, keeps it safe in his heart as to never forget what your laughter sounded like, worried one day he'll forget.
Its been awhile since he heard it after all.
5 years felt like forever with the emptiness you left behind.
His life felt too quiet with you no longer around to fill the silence. It left his heart heavy. He could almost hear your teasing at the thought.
'I thought you said you'd enjoy the peace & quiet when I'm no longer around, hm, Katsu? Gonna finally admit that you were wrong?'
It was a weird feeling. He knew you so well, he could guess what you'd say to him as if you were still around. Could almost hear it, to the point it felt like he was talking to a ghost of you.
Somedays it was comforting. Other days it felt like a knife twisting in his chest.
"I miss you, stupid."
'I know, Katsu.'
Sometimes Bakugou wondered.
If he hadn't left so many cracks in your mountain, if he hadn't let it crumble & chip away along the years, would you have had enough love to stay alive?
🌟
A/n: i can't believe i actually wrote this in one sitting. i feel like i'd hate the formating when i reread this tomorrow morning. but hey i hope you enjoy the read. or broke your heart. one of those.
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Aproveitar as últimas horas do SYLD, e fazer uma versão séria daquele post de dicas/métodos para quem está aprendendo um idioma novo:
1) Foque mais em entender o que as pessoas dizem, não em falar perfeitamente. Eu recomendo bastante as séries Extra — Extra English, Extra Español, Extra Deutsch, Extra Français — da BBC
2) Equilibre essa exposição com videoaulas que foquem na gramática. Pense em algo como 70% se acostumar com o idioma e se forçar a entender, e 30% a parte chata, e aos poucos uma etapa ajuda a outra
3) Escreva um diário no idioma-alvo
4) Fale o idioma-alvo com uma pelúcia
5) Traduza seus pensamentos
6) Ouça podcasts com transcrições. Leia as transcrições várias vezes. Sim, em voz alta, seu arrombado
7) Chatterbug. LingoClip. Busuu. Duolingo. Slowly, pra encontrar remetentes. Use e abuse dessas aplicações
8) Se for aprender dois idiomas ao mesmo tempo, espera pelo menos adquirir um nível intermediário em um deles ou procura fazer o segundo idioma ter uma raiz diferente do primeiro, pra ser menos confuso
9) Seja cringe, mas seja livre
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outerghost · 2 months
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Hey hey! I’m new to tumblr, haven’t really posted anything but i’m an artist, and I’ve always enjoyed writing so we’ll see what becomes of this page.
Here’s some general information \/
⭐️I go by Mads, M, or by my username
⭐️Any pronouns
⭐️18
⭐️Im majoring in geology and minoring in environmental studies starting in august!
⭐️INFP⭐️Scorpio⭐️Ravenclaw⭐️
⭐️My fandoms include: Sander Sides⭐️Good Omens⭐️Warrior Cats⭐️and a lot more
⭐️I’m a stage manager for a high school group and love all things theatre including musical theatre
⭐️Feel free to reach out i’m a chatterbug and also enjoy roleplay (I’ve mainly stuck to sander sides, but i’m down for whatever)
⭐️Anyone down for a literate roleplay I can send my information to <3 (Preferably Sander Sides)
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maple-writes · 4 months
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WHG 21: Train and Chariots (Rantha and Viper)
Apologies for the length of this one (~2.9K)
tagging: @concealeddarkness13 @ratracechronicler @pen-of-roses
Rantha POV
---
The speaker, who had introduced herself as Concreta, whisked me from Wayton to a train station and on to a very expensive looking train. Shiny-sided and modern I couldn’t help but pause and touch the side of it before stepping through the door. 
The inside felt even nicer than the outside, with plush carpeting, red velvet walls and subtle lighting casting an inviting glow. I ran my hands along the walls as Concreta showed me the way. It should have been welcoming. Edges were softened, and doorways had been designed to be enticing, to invite passengers to pass through. Even the windows letting in daylight cast a bright cheerful glow across the car we were passing through, a workspace by the look of it with warm wood and soft chairs and hot drinks. 
It should have been welcoming but shivers ran down my back the further I followed. Had there ever been a story where someone, anyone, had been picked up and dropped into such luxury without the provider harbouring some sinister motive? My fingertips left  trails in the red velvet of the wall like claws torn through skinned muscle. Like the long bite marks left on a carcass by scavenging animals.  
“Here’s where you’ll be staying,” Concreta slid open a door and led me inside but stopped. “Oh, and who might you be?” 
I slipped in behind her and there was Viper. Sitting in the crook of a couch she didn’t move besides a turn of her head when we entered and my stomach dropped. 
She shouldn’t be here too to face whatever it was they’d taken us for because something told me we were not meant to return once this train delivered us far from home.  
“That’s Viper. She’s a friend.”  
“Ah Viper,” Concreta snapped her fingers. “That makes sense. How in the hell did you get here without Daze noticing? That little chatterbug clings like a leech to anyone who’ll listen to him and you would have been the perfect captive audience.”  
Viper shrugged, and I turned to Concreta. “Viper doesn’t talk. She won’t cause any trouble either.” 
“Alright then she can stay. I have other things to attend to anyway so you can keep each other company until it’s time to send her back where she’s supposed to be.”  
She left us, shutting a door behind her and leaving us alone. Neither moved right away, and gradually my shoulders fell.  
“You shouldn’t be here,” I muttered. “You should have just let them take me. I wouldn’t have called for you if I knew this would happen.” 
Viper shrugged again, waving me closer.  
The couch sunk where I sat beside her. Underfoot something whirred and in the distance Wayton started to slip away as the train pulled out from the station towards who knows where. I’d lied to her about who I was, about why I had left Wayton. I dragged her into this and took her away from everyone she cared about. I swallowed, shame sinking it’s teeth into my flesh. I’d stolen her from Winter. No one ever said anything about them but it was clear how much they loved each other. The way they looked at each other, the way they treated each other, the way they’d disappear together in the night.  
She had every right to be furious but she seemed calm as ever. 
“Viper…” I sat up again, leaning against and being eaten by the soft back of the couch. “I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry I lied to you about who I was.” 
She snorted and laughed and it jarred me out of the shame and weight pressing down on my chest.  
“Come on,” she whispered, “I knew you were lying since the day we met. Really, you expected me to believe your name had been Honey all your life?” She rolled her head to face me. “Of course, it’s none of my business why you tossed out a name like that and none of my business what your other name was, whatever your reason. Figured I’d call you what you told me to until told otherwise.”  
My throat tightened all over again. She’d known all this time. She knew I was a liar and hadn’t said a word about it, not even Winter. She would have said something to me if she had. Winter didn’t seem the kind not to follow on that lead. I swallowed and my face twisted with suppressed tears. Viper had kept quiet even to Winter.  
 “I figured you knew Rita Cathartes somehow too.” She whispered and gestured to me with a flick of her wrist. “I recognized your gun. Rita used it to kill both my parents. Shot them each in the head just to rob them.” 
My heart slammed and my mouth went dry and it felt as if the world had shrunk to just the two of us. Cecil had told me of what my parents had done. He’d explained to me why it was they were executed, and why others in Wayton were cold towards me. Her and my father had left nothing but blood behind them wherever they went.  
“I’m so sorry.” I lowered my eyes and my voice. “I’m sorry.”  
But Viper just shrugged and turned to watch the changing horizon outside. “Don’t be.” Her whisper hardly reached me spoken with her head turned. “You weren��t even born yet” 
I sunk deeper into the couch curling in on myself as my eyes watered. What had I done to earn her kindness? Her forgiveness? Nothing. I’d done nothing to deserve the way she hadn’t spoken a word of what she knew to anyone, protecting me when the news of what had happened in Wayton traveled from town to town. How Rantha Cathartes followed in his mother’s footsteps killing one, then four more in one day.  
“Do you miss them?”  
I couldn’t admit to it in Wayton. Couldn’t admit to grief surrounded by triumph, by satisfaction, by the celebration of their deaths.  
“I do.” I sighed. “Less now than when I was younger but still.” 
Viper glanced back out the window. “I still miss mine sometimes.” She paused with a long soft breath. “I found a bedroom earlier. I’m tired and it sounds like we have some time to kill.” She stood with a stretch and leaned in close enough for me to hear her whisper, “If a talkative man covered in glitter comes looking for me you may tell him where to find me.” 
--- 
Concreta had been right about Daze, and so had Viper. Once the train had come to a stop and he came to join us he had hardly stopped talking for more than a minute. All through the train and onto a bustling platform he chattered away and while I found myself ignoring him after a short while Viper kept by his side nodding along and listening closely.  
Him and Concreta brought us into a massive high-ceilinged building filled with people and sectioned off with thin portable walls. It was easy to guess who had arrived on the trains in the same way we had, and who were the ones who came from this strange place. Everyone from here dressed... Excessively.  
“Alright so here we are!” Daze turned back to us with a sweep of his arms, shining and glittering in the scattered light. “Viper, you’ve been assigned to represent district five, and Rantha you are assigned to district four. Lucky for you two our prep rooms are right next to each other's!”  
“Odd definition of luck you have.” Concreta muttered and cast Daze a side-eyed glance. “But if you insist on attaching yourself onto me and my tribute then I guess I better get used to seeing you. Or hearing you more accurately.”  
She ushered me into a small, cubicle-like space formed out of the portable panel walls and followed me inside where three more waited inside for me, each in a different neon colour. She clapped her hands together. “Come on now, get to work!”  
The three of them jumped into some kind of action, holding up different clothes and fabrics to me, consulting with each other and coming to decisions without asking for any of my input. The man in green sat me down, trimmed and styled my hair smooth and orderly and did my makeup before almost physically passing me to the others, the woman in pink and another in yellow.  
The one in yellow held up a folded stack of clothes. “Okay now just change into this real quick.”  
“Right here?” There didn’t look like anywhere else for me to go. 
The pink woman nodded. “Well yes, of course. You don’t see anywhere else to go now do you?”  
Concreta snapped her fingers. “Time’s ticking Rantha.”  
She didn’t seem at all phased by this, and neither did the other three so it didn’t look like I’d be able to make much of an argument. As quickly as I could I undressed, hiding my face and the nervous blush that came with being exposed. Once I’d put on the clothes they’d handed me though it seemed I was the only one who felt any kind of way about the whole thing.  
“Your jewelry too Rantha, it clashes with the vision.” Concreta gestured towards me as she spoke.  
I shook my head, “no I’d rather not.” Almost subconsciously I ran my thumb over the links of the chain bracelet around the opposite wrist. “Its important to me to keep them on.” 
She grimaced and took my hand in hers, lifting my wrist to study the chain. “Really? Are you really sure?” She gently looped her finger underneath to test the weight and feel of the metal. “It’s not even shiny... I’m sure if it’s that important you insist to wear them we can find something nicer to replace them with. Perhaps silver, gold even?” 
Again I shook my head, biting back a comment insulted that I would trade for something fancier because even as she complained and criticized, her inspecting hands were curious and evaluative with no true malice. 
“Alright, fine.” She huffed and let go of my hand. “We don’t have time to go back and forth anyway. Here, take a look.”  
She turned a full-length mirror around to show me what they’d done. They’d dressed me in a tight suit and white shirt, with white gloves tipped with black shiny claws and shoes to match. The man in green had neatly pinned a pair of soft black, cat-like ears in my hair and styled my eyes to match. 
“We were going to go with a tail too, but Concreta said that would be tacky.”  
Concreta grumbled at the stylist but chose not to respond. It was all a lot more form fitting that I liked, but at least more comfortable than it looked. No one had told me yet why it was we were doing any of this though, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long until I found out one way or another. 
A shout came from the other side of the flimsy wall and a moment later Daze came around, a fresh red mark stinging on his cheek.  
“Hey—sorry to interrupt by the way—can I borrow Rantha for just a moment?”  
Concreta huffed. “Fine. You’re lucky I just finished with him.” She shooed me off with a wave of her hand.  
Daze hurried me around the corner to their section where Viper stood pressed up against the far corner, glaring at her petrified stylists. Her eyes darted between them like cornered prey and she tensed as if expecting something to come for her. Glitter sparkled on her right palm.  
“So we need her to get changed but she isn’t having it.” Daze said behind me.  
One of his stylists bristled. “Isn’t having it? The bitch hit you! She’s been a nightmare to style and now she strikes out of nowhere? If I were you I would have found a peacekeeper to deal with her and be done with it.” 
The way he said peacekeeper, it sounded like a threat. I clenched my teeth around the dare for him to say that again, to call her that one more time. No one knew much about where Viper came from, but from the scraps I’d heard it wasn’t somewhere good and I was willing to bet this was much harder for her than it was for me.  
“Oh relax,” Daze waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just a little slap and it is possible I was being a bit of a pest trying to get her to get changed when clearly, in hindsight, something wasn’t working out.” He half-chuckled awkwardly, “after all I am not known for my persuasion and clearly that still holds true. Rantha, she’s a friend of yours right? Could you try and parse out what’s wrong?”  
I slipped past his team, side-eying the one who’d threatened Viper with whatever a peacekeeper was as I passed. Viper stood taller and more relaxed as I stood in front of her. 
“What’s going on?” I whispered. I didn’t like the idea of Daze and his team overhearing what we had to say. “Are you okay?” 
She took a long, deep breath and nodded. “I’m alright.” She spoke softer than normal and I had to focus and strain to even hear her. “I don’t want them to see me. I don’t trust what will come next if they do.” 
I nodded, glancing back over my shoulder. From how Concreta acted earlier, and what Daze’s out of line stylist said it didn’t seem like not changing or going elsewhere were options. Set aside by one of the hemming tables I noticed a pile of extra fabric probably left over from making part of her outfit.  
“What if I held that up so they couldn’t see you?” I pointed at the scrap fabric. 
She eyed the fabric, considering for a moment before giving a nod to give her permission. I took the cloth and shook it out, grabbing it by the top edge and spreading it as wide as I could with my back to the styling team.  
Viper snorted and half grinned, amused, and with a single raised eyebrow cocked her head and twirled her finger in a circle.  
“Right, right, sorry,” My face flushed hot and embarrassed as I turned around to face her team this time.  
Behind me Viper mumbled something I couldn’t make out, but that sounded like it may have been a fondly delivered taunt. Shuffling fabric and zipper sounds were the only indications that she was doing anything until she rested her hand on one of my arm to indicate I could lower the sheet. I bunched it up in my hands and dropped it back where I found it before turning around and when I did my blood ran cold. 
They’d dressed her like a cowboy, with a bright red shirt showing over her chest where her leather jacket parted, rubies scattered down around the zipper. Blood red, as were the leather gloves they’d given her.  
As if her hands bore her own blood from her heart torn from her chest. As if she bled from the wound, the hold it left behind, dripping down in beads. As if she’d handed me her heart and let me eat it, tear into the still-warm muscle with teeth slicing through the raw meat with ease as she stood willingly and watched me swallow.  
“Almost done in there?” Concreta’s sharp call nearly made me jump. “Because I do not want me and my tribute to be late just because yours is acting unruly and you’re not smart enough to solve your problems yourself.” 
“Yes yes, we’re ready.” Daze dismissed his team and beckoned for me and Viper. “Looks like time’s up and we gotta go! Sorry to rush you like this but this schedule waits for no one, and I don’t want to explain why my one and only tribute isn’t introduced with all the others.”  
The two of them rushed us across the cavernous room towards a line of small, horse-drawn chariots. Daze gathered Viper and took her off to one behind me and Concreta led me to the one in front.  
“So in,” she checked her watch, “a minute or two the big door over there is going to open and these horses are going to take you out in front of a whole crowd of Capitol citizens excited to see you for the first time. It will also be televised. I suggest you appear relaxed and maybe even happy to be here but cool and collected will be good enough. Wave to the crowd if you feel so inclined.”  
A bell rang and she stepped away.  
Just as she said, the door at the end of the building opened and the horses began to pull the chariots forward. The light and wall of sound hit like a slap and I flinched for just a moment before regaining my composure. I steadied myself with my hands on the front bar and made sure to keep my head up and my face relaxed but I couldn’t manage to go so far as to smile. Dread gnawed deep at my bones, unsettled and foreboding. It could hardly be a coincidence, the dream and the red on Viper’s clothes. Something was going to happen, and I had a feeling I would be the one doing it to her whatever that may be.  
Cecil told me once that premonitions were not always set in stone, but that once revealed weren’t easy to subvert. Once a fate had been revealed it was difficult to change but maybe I still had time to try. 
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lunanheartache · 8 months
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this is babygar. young jgar & lamb.. theyve been adventuring for a little bit, known each other a smidge. theyre on watch on a job together and just hangin out. 1.9ish k
nature is loud. nightfall just means new music. sheltered in a small copse just off the road, j'gar sits with his back against a wagon wheel and admires the sound. crickets and cicadas and chatterbugs, each chirping their own recognizable chorus. it sounds like back home, like walking back from town with his family after one of any dozen of festivals with his heart warmer than summer, like staying up late nearly half out the window to read by moonlight. insects themselves don't live for long but the instinct does; there's that almost-butterfly feeling in his bones, a weird sort of comfort that these are the same sounds his momma heard growing up in the valley, same sounds her momma and every other iteration before him heard. he's looking at the same full moon and listening to the same bugsong as back in lunan, and that.
well, it's bittersweet tonight, but bittersweet don't mean not good. it's good. like a pink clay balm, it settles some itch that he knows has been growing under the skin for a while. if he closes his eyes, he can pretend he's out in the field with ruva while he talks about constellations and star stories.
but he's on a job, and ruva is not here. the stray fireflies that wander in, lost from the honeysuckle vines and windy fields, are familiar but new to him. the starlight through cracks in the canopy is unnameable.
j'gar takes a deep breath.
he scans the woods in front of him again. with the full moon drenching everything in thin silver, it isn't hard to see. finer details blur and jumble, but the core is still unmistakeable. the horses are quiet standing side by side, kept in a small makeshift corral. that's a good sign. no smell or sense to frighten them means nothing to worry about. nothing moves beyond leaves in the soft breeze, almost like blessing between the sticky heat of summer. the insect chatter drones unchanged. nothing to disturb it, nothing to break it to silence like a warning.
j'gar twists at the waist, one hip pressed to the dirt, and peeks under the cart. there's a thin shape leaning against it. "lamb, you see anythin'?" he whispers loudly.
"nothing but trees," lamb returns.
"nothin' over here neither. you know how much time we got left 'fore we can wake up what's-his-name?"
lamb's silhouette shifts a fraction. "a few hours," they say.
"damn."
j'gar turns back to his side with a half-hearted sigh. watch is boring. it's easy money at least, some rich guy - a wannabe politician what with his accent but lack of official guards - asking for hired help to make sure he travels safely through the boondocks. hardly feels like honest work, but the money from his last job is down to a few copper and that ain't enough for more than a day or two's room and board at any inn. he don't have to do nothing but stay up late and scan the horizon like a starving hawk, and by the time they reach the next town, his pockets will be plenty replenished. free travel, even.
still, there's something kinda funny. sitting crosslegged, j'gar props an elbow in the meat of his thigh and his cheek on his hand. this is the third job he's handled with lamb. fifth time they've run into each other. half of those, something went wrong. that job in munelle, playing hired hands to protect a shipment of wine until lamb asked a few pointed questions and the courrier flew off the handle (j'gar still isn't sure on the details there, too busy dodging to pay attention); vanerbrook was crooked from the start too, apparently, trying to find a missing mother and child when she had rushed out by the skin of her teeth and this man just weren't going to let her go easy; with ravet, it wasn't even the job but the inn, owners using a combination of magic and sleight of hand to rob folks blind in their sleep.
like lamb spells trouble. a bad omen, but a pretty one. if he were superstitious, he might be worried.
at least they're a familiar face. he'll take that. she says hi when she notices him, stops by his table if they're at the same bar. not quite a friend but not a stranger neither. another liminal space, personhood abandoned in the rush.
insectsong drones on as he stares blankly at a patch of dirt. he hums a vague tune to himself in response. the air smells warm and wet with summer, lifted up by leaflitter, fresh growth, and honeysuckle. too hot for a fire, it stays dark beyond fireflies and the full moon, and that's fine. it's enough to see by. he thinks about taking his shirt off to sleep, but he might just have to sweat.
"hey," comes a soft voice from behind him. something touches his hip.
j'gar startles without a sound, snaps away from the cart and pivots to face it in one smooth motion. his hand claps primed to the pommel of his axe, and.
it's lamb.
lamb, lying on his stomach in the shadowed dirt under the cart, looks at him with wide eyes. her hand stays in the air where it was, where it tapped him for attention. her eyes reflect starlight, color washed away to shiny silver.
the adrenaline collapses with him; j'gar drops the held position for a comfortable slump. "shit-hell, lamb, you scared the fuck outta me," he hisses quietly.
"sorry," lamb says, ears drooped sheepishly. "i didn't mean to. i thought we had talked so. um. sorry."
"s'fine, i just needa minute for my heart to settle. woof."
"want a cookie?" offers lamb hopefully.
"what, you got cookies under there? nevermind, don't needa ask me twice, i'm comin' in."
lamb shuffles back at an angle to make room, disappearing into the dark under the wagon. j'gar crawls forward and flattens to his stomach, squinting to see better; propped up on their elbows, lamb lies halfway under, a small cloth between their arms. it smells buttery, a little floral. distinct enough that it cuts through the wood, sweat, and dirt. he's not hungry but his stomach flips.
he pulls himself to mirror lamb. like this, they can both see out the other side, can still maintain some semblance of a watch.
not that j'gar pays much attention. nothing is going to happen. travel has been uneventful and bland thus far. his attention latches onto lamb eagerly. they're hard to see in the dark but j'gar knows them well enough he can fill in the blanks: messy brown hair, soft brown eyes cracked with amber, and the faintest hint of freckles. their eyes catch with the moon, harder to read but friendly nonetheless. the laced front of his shirt is casually, comfortably halfway undone.
he's not hard to look at. much more interesting than the trees.
j'gar smiles distractedly, half crooked. it widens when lamb returns it. "so what kinda cookies ya got?" he asks.
"lavender thyme shortbreads," lamb says.
"don't think i ever had one'a those," j'gar says, reaching out to take one. "not a chocolate chip fan? i do like a good oatmeal cookie. that's probably my favorite, really. back in lunan, everybody goes to the shed barn an' they make a real good fried sage blossom but i don' think they done nothin' with herb cookies like that. oh, they do gotta herb bread though, but tha's just okay."
"the chocolate at spinner's gorge wasn't exactly high quality. i usually like chocolate."
"just not spinner's chocolate," says j'gar. he cracks the cookie in half, florals light on his tongue. "oh, shit, this ain't bad. you got this in spinner? i guess i'on't really got money to be spendin' on pastries, really, so maybe all'a spinner's got good shit."
"no, i had plenty of bad pastries there," lamb says, nudging the cloth and its contents closer to him, "but these were decent. are you looking for jobs in kaszka?"
"i mean, i look for jobs everywhere. just seemed like there weren't much left in uwlbern. i figured might be time to try a big city, y'know? you know. you from up that way, or somethin'. not from any'a these backwoods villages."
lamb almost looks embarrassed, ducking their head and mumbling grass between their fingers. "you wouldn't be wrong. kaszka can be a lot, though. you know cities have pickpockets," he says.
"i got a good eye on me," j'gar says around a mouthful of cookie.
"how many scrapes have i pulled you out of?"
"that ain't fair," he complains, goodnatured. "none'a those jobs we been on were out there wavin' red flags. they was just borin' scutwork, an' iunno how you seen through what you seen through, lamby. better eye than me, for sure."
"you're too willing to take people at their word," lamb says, not unkindly. there's something almost wistful about it, curling wry at the edges. "people aren't as good as you want them to be."
"i mean, sure, but most folk only got their word an' if i don' take 'em for it, where's that leave me?"
"safer," says lamb, "usually."
j'gar grins and takes another cookie. "i been takin' you for your word, should i not be?" he teases.
"you've taken more than my word."
"lamby," j'gar says, playfully scandalized. his face warms, but it's dark and stupidly hot anyway. he swats at her shoulder. "you taken more than my word way more than me. gettin' cocky on me jus' 'cause i rolled over once?"
ducking their head, lamb laughs, quiet. there's a sleepy sort of fondness plain on their face like this, half-obscured in shadow. like between the dark and the hour, their guard's down and they're something more like a friend than a friendly stranger. a person, if only briefly.
j'gar's heart aches. he thinks about home. thinks about lunan, and everyone he left behind, and all the people he hasn't seen in a handful of years. thinks about all the people he has, and how he don't mean nothing to them beyond a tool, a solution, a quick fix to some problem they can't handle. no connection, no care. he's as nameless and faceless as anyone, meaningless and useful in the same breath, and lamb - and everyone - is in the same stupid boat.
it's funny in a sad sort of way. lying on his stomach under some rich fuck's carriage eating cookies and joking about one night stands with someone he barely knows, and that's what means something.
ah, well. he's lonely.
"shut up. which way you headed after we get to kaszka, tough guy?" j'gar says, poking lamb's arm.
lamb bats his hand away, sticking out her tongue. "haven't decided yet. i was just in kaszka recently. not much for me there," she says.
"whatcha goin' back for then?"
"there's a good- bread i miss," he says. his eyes flicker, hesitant. "nothing fancy. it's just- sweet."
j'gar gasps exaggeratedly. "you like somethin' not fancy? hon, you down here in the dirt eatin' lavender, what's so special about this bread an' where can i try it?"
lamb lets out a little self-conscious laugh, bowing their head to his shoulder. "how about you come with me when we get there?"
"it's a date, lamby."
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