#Also in a dilemma. i have a concert coming up and other dude said he wanted to go but hasnt bought a ticket bc he doesnt

[possum-tooth]

happy wednesday i cannot wait until friday ~9p <3

[juniorfics]

Favorite color

mina x GN!reader

written by: R

word count: 1.8k

Warning!: one-sided pining, the word dude used as slang, slight angst, and just a wee bit of internalized homophobia (but only for like, a paragraph) ((also, mina might be slightly out of character, so..sorry about that :p))

y/n was distraught.

No, distraught wasn't the right word...conflicted maybe? Well, whatever the correct word is, they were feeling it.

Allow me to give a bit of context; you see, y/n was crushing on someone. Quite aggressively, actually. they couldn't stop thinking about them. the way they smiled, the way their hair bounced slightly when they walked, the way they could brighten a room so easily with only their presence. Yes, y/n was crushing, but that wasn't the issue. they've had many crushes before. So many, some would see it as a bit of a problem. No, the crushing itself wasn't a huge deal, rather, it was who the crush was on. The gender of the person, to be more specific.

y/n was always more attracted to guys, never finding herself attracted to females in any sort of romantic way. But ever since their first year of high school had begun, it seemed to them that that might not be the case anymore. All because of a certain pink-haired individual. Well, pink hair is a bit of an understatement. Everything about her is pink! Her hair, her skin, her personality, everything! And it suited her too, the color pink. She was a very bright and optimistic person, looking to the bright side of things as often as she could, making others happy by just simply being herself. Not to mention she was very pretty to look at, but that’s more of an opinion that can vary from person to person.

It's pretty safe to say that y/n was more than a bit confused when these feelings first emerged. they can practically pinpoint the moment it happened- when all this crushing began. It was during the school festival, back when they were all still first years. To be more precise, it was when 1-A was performing their concert. The two of them hadn't been in the same class at the time, in fact, y/n wasn't even planning on going to the concert at all, but their friend had convinced them that it would be fun, and they eventually caved, agreeing to go only if he would buy them a strawberry-banana crepe afterward. They had managed to get good seats near the front and patiently waited for the show to start. Then, the lights went out, the curtains opened, and a bunch of people, including their friend, began shouting out the name of one of the girls on stage. ‘Fanboys..’ they thought, waiting for the show to start. Then, before they knew it, the music started, and a bunch of dancers came out. That's when they saw her- Ashido. they had remembered her from the sports festival, as well as seeing her in the hallway a few times. they thought nothing of it and continued enjoying the show. But then, something happened that would change y/n’s perception of the world forever- Ashido had winked.

Granted, Ashido hadn't winked directly at her, rather to that general area of the audience, but y/n saw it nonetheless, and suddenly, their heart had started beating faster, their face steadily increasing in temperature, their hands went clammy and their mouth went dry. Why were they feeling like this? they had never reacted to anything as subtle as a wink this aggressively before. Plus, they had never developed a crush for someone this quickly before, ever! Even their fastest crush had taken a day to develop. ‘Wait, crush? No, I can't have a crush on her! That-that's impossible!’ they thought, shaking their head. they had tuned out the rest of the concert at this point. ‘I don’t like her! No, I can't like her! I like guys! Dudes! Men! people who portray as masculine! I don't like girls! Never have, never will!’ they thought, the words sounding like screams to them. 'And besides! The wink probably wasn't even for me. There's no way she could even see me among all these other people! Yeah, it was probably just to the crowd.’ that's what they told themself, but there was a small voice in the back of their mind that stayed with them for the rest of the day, once the concert was over, while they were eating the crepe they were promised, while they were lying in their bed in the middle of the night; “what if it was for me? What if she did see me? What if she winked at me?’

Over the next few months, they had come to terms with their emotions, accepting the fact that they did, indeed, have a crush on Ashido. Well, less of a crush, more of an obsession. But hey, this was how they always handled these things. their feelings were still a bit confusing, but they couldn't just ignore them. they promised themselves a long time ago that they would always acknowledge their feelings, no matter who they were for. So this has become y/n’s current dilemma. They were already halfway through their second year and they hadn't even made an attempt at confessing. However, a few weeks ago, they decided that they would confess on the last day of April.

Which just so happened to be today.

y/n was extremely nervous. they were gonna confess her feelings, of course they were nervous! But they told themself they would, and that's what they were gonna do.

~

The final bell rang, and school was officially over. y/n practically jumped out of their seat, speed walking out of the classroom, and into the hallway. This was it! they were gonna confess her feelings! they had to find Ashido first, though. Luckily, they had memorized Ashido’s schedule, and what hallways she normally took, so this wouldn't really be a problem. Yes, a bit stalkerish, but it came in handy for moments like this. Finally, they got to the hallway they needed to be at and waited for a moment. Soon enough, a bunch of footsteps, along with idle chatter, got closer and closer, and closer, until-

“Aghhh, today’s training was super tough today! I'm so soreee…”

“Right? I can barely feel my legs, it's like I'm walking on jello,”

“It doesn't help that midterms are coming up as well, my brain is just as sore,”

y/n watched as the friend group passed by, not even noticing them. Just when they were far enough so it didn't seem creepy, they walked out, clearing their throat.

“U-um...Ashido?”

The group turned around, signs of confusion on their faces. The girl in question stepped towards them slightly, a small bounce in her step.

“Hmm?”

y/n’s face tinted pink. they hoped it wasn't too noticeable. “U-uh, hi. I-i know you don't know me, b-but do you think I could talk to you for a sec? I-it won't take long, promise!” they blurted out, hands behind their back.

Ashido smiled, thinking it was probably a shy fan or something. “Yea, of course! What's up?”

There was a small silence.

“...a-alone?” y/n muttered, their face getting slightly redder.

Ashido blinked. “Oh, alright!-” she turned to her friends, making a small shooing motion with her hand.- “you guys go on ahead! I'll catch up later,”

“Well, okay. Just don't take too long, or we're gonna get boba tea without you!” the blonde one joked, waving behind him as the other two followed after him. Ashido stuck her tongue out at them, before chuckling and turning back to face y/n.

“So, what were you saying?” she said, smiling at them.

y/n almost had a heart attack. ‘So cute..’ they thought, fidgeting with the hem of their shirt. “W-well, I just wanted to-”

“Wait...you’re the crush dude, right?” Ashido questioned, snapping her fingers as if she had an ‘aha!’ moment.

y/n blinked. “...c-crush dude?”

“Yea! I've heard about you from some of the general student kids!”

“O-oh...well I just wanted to tell you that-”

“Wait, WAIT! Don't tell me...you like one of my friends, right?”

“H-huh? No, that's not-”

“Lemme guess, it's Denki, isn't it? Wait, no, you don't really seem like you’d be into him...what about Hanta? He's pretty cool, and you guys would look good together! Ooh, did you want me to tell him to you? Cause I can do that if you want-”

“ASHIDO!” y/n yelled, getting frustrated. Ashido froze, looking at y/n. She admits that she does have a tendency to talk over people, but she definitely didn't expect someone like y/n to flat out yell at her. y/n took a deep breath, looking back at Ashido.

“Look, i-I'm sorry I yelled, it's just- I have something really important I wanna tell you.” they looked at the ground, their blush getting darker. Ashido wasn't saying anything, so they began speaking again.

“I-i don't like any of your friends...I like you, Ashido. A-and I'm not entirely sure if you swing that way or anything, to be honest, I didn't think I did either, but here I am!” they chuckled nervously, staring at their shoes. “A-anyway, what I'm trying to say is, y-you don't have to reciprocate, I-i just thought you should know.”

they looked up, finally ready to see Ashido's reaction, and- blank. Her face was completely blank. y/n could feel tears welling up in their eyes. Had they said something wrong? Who were they kidding, of course they had. they had confessed to a girl. Ashido probably thought they were super weird. To make matters worse, they’ve never even spoken to each other before this! y/n had completely screwed up. If there was any sort of chance that they could've been friends, let alone romantic partners, it was all gone now. they sniffed, wiping their eyes. they turned around, not wanting to hear any of the comments they expected.

“Hey, wait!”

they froze, turning back around. Ashido was a few steps closer now, a look of concern on her face. She looked like she had to say something, but couldn't find the words to do so. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke, clearly nervous.

“Well, first of all, thank you for telling me. I appreciate it. And, um…” her face began getting pinker. “I...I wouldn't mind going on a date. A-as long as you’re comfortable with it, of course.” she smiled, rubbing the back of her neck.

A date? y/n couldn't believe it. they were speechless. they didn't think they were weird, or a freak, or anything? “You...you don't think I'm weird? We’ve never even talked..”

“Well, that may be true, but that's what dates are for, right? To get to know someone better! Plus, it would be nice being seen in public with someone as cute as you!” she winked, a huge grin on her face.

‘C-cute?!?!? She thinks I'm cute!! Omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg-’ y/n’s face was practically as red as an apple, but so was Ashido's, so they felt a little bit better about it.

“Y-yeah, a date sounds wonderful,” they said, fidgeting with the hem of their shirt again. “I-i’m free on the 4th!”

“Alrighty then! Here, gimme your phone.”

They then traded numbers, and Ashido ran off to meet up with her friends again, promising to work out the details later. y/n smiled.

Yep, there was no denying it- pink was definitely their favorite color.

[sturnioloshacker]

Secret Feelings Get You Caught - Christopher Velez x Richard Camacho x Reader Imagine *SMUT*

Requested - Yes @stellastyless: Hey! Can I have Christopher younger sister X Richard? She and Richard literally argue over anything but have secret feelings for one another. Her best friend is Erick, they are flirty friends but mean nothing. So maybe a scenario where they argue and accidentally confess and adding in scenes where they get jealous. (Like her and Richard when someone else flirts with her and him respectively?) And they begin secretly dating. Chris comes to know. Angry at first but accepts it. Jealousy smut wid some daddy kink?

Warnings: smut, daddy kink

Being the younger sister of Christopher Velez of CNCO has its perks. I get to travel with him, I get to hang out with the guys and I get to be at awards shows and concerts with him. It also has its limitations. I can’t date any of the guys. But I want that to change. For a while, I’ve had my eyes on Richard. He’s everything I want in a guy. Amazing hair, gorgeous eyes, perfect smile, cute face, the best personality and chiselled abs. Erick is the only one that knows. I can tell him everything because we’re so close. I really want to get with Richard but there’s a dilemma: Christopher. If Chris were to ever find out that I like Richard, it would be the end of the world in a split second. 

After some hard thinking and advice from my friends at school, I finally developed a plan. “Hey guys! Who wants to play a game of charades?” I ask. “Sure, amor!” Zabdiel replies and the boys sit on the couches. I insisted that each of the boys go before me so I could develop my plan. When it came to my turn, it was time to execute my plan. “Standing still!” Joel shouts and I facepalm and shake my head. I begin my walk over to Erick and all I can feel is everyone’s eyes burning into the back of my head. I sit on his lap and my plan unfolds in front of everyone. Wolf whistles and Chris yelling at us to stop was all I could hear. “You’re so cute!” I say to Erick. A fit of giggles washes over me as I continue to touch Erick’s face and tug at his hoodie. “Alright that’s enough! Too far! You’re flirting!” Chris cries out, wanting this to end. “Correct!” you yell and jump off Erick’s lap. “I think it’s time out for you��, Chris mumbles and you whine. “I was having fun though!” Chris shakes his head and takes your hand. 

He leads you to your room and sits you on your bed. “Too far. Way too far”. You pout like a child as Chris scolds you. “I’ll call you when dinner’s on the table”, Chris says and closes your door. A second later, the door opens. Chris walks in and takes your phone. “You won’t be needing this”, he says and before you could yell, he closes the door. You scream and put your face in the pillow. “This sucks!” you mumble into your pillow. After an hour or so of boredom, you hear a knock at the door. “Come in”, you groan out. Richard walks in and you begin questioning yourself. “Bored?” he asks. You nod as you snuggle closer to your pillow. “Well let’s talk”, he says. You slowly sit up and get comfy. 

“What was that all about?” he asks you. “What?” you reply. “That whole thing with Erick. I knew you were close but not that close!” he says. “I was just having some fun!” you retort. “Well I didn’t like it”, he bluntly states. “What?” you say. “I said, I didn’t like it”. You were confused. Is he jealous? “Dude. Erick and I are just friends! Sure, we flirt a lot but it means nothing!” you tell him. “There’s something going on and I’m not a fan”. You groan. You can hear the voice in your head yelling “FIGHT!” “We’re not together Richard! For fuck’s sake we’re just friends! Nothing more! Okay?!” you yell. “Don’t give me that bullshit! I know you and Erick are together!” he yells back. “RICHARD YASHEL CAMACHO I DON’T LIKE ERICK LIKE THAT! WE’RE NOT TOGETHER! JESUS CHRIST I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU AND THAT’S THAT!” 

In that moment, everything stops. “Excuse me?” Richard says. “Did you just say that you’re in love with me?” Your heart races and your mind fogs up. “Yeah?” you say and with that, Richard’s lips are on yours. So delicate yet so passionate. You kiss him back and it immediately heats up. “Papi”, you moan out as his kisses turn into sucks on your neck. “I love you”, Richard confesses. “I know that. Now shut up and kiss me more” you mumble as he goes back to your lips. Within two minutes, your clothes are on the floor and you’re on your back. “Richard...oh my god...” you moan out as Richard teases your sensitive bud. “So gorgeous. All mine”, he says before dipping his tongue in your wetness. 

After what felt like hours of teasing, Richard’s cock is deep in your dripping wet pussy. “Papi! Fuck! Please let me cum!” you beg. You couldn’t take it anymore. His huge cock was balls deep and you wanted to release. “Not yet, baby girl. I wanna cum with you”. You whine cause you know it’s going to be ages before he cums. “I want you to squirm. I want you to beg for me. Keep calling me Papi and maybe I’ll let you cum”, he growls. “Papi! Fuck! Let me cum! I promise I’ll cum so hard for you! Jesus Christ let me cum! Oh god fuck me papi!” you ramble as you feel your walls tightening against Richard’s huge cock that’s ramming your g-spot. “I’m so close, babe. Hold on a little more”, Richard says, struggling to keep his release in just a little longer. “PAPI FUCK! OH MY GOD!” you cry out. “That’s it, bebe. Doing so good for papi. Almost there”. After a few more thrusts, your orgasms wash over you like a tsunami. 

You both clean up your mess and get changed. “So, does this mean we’re together now?” he asks. “I guess so!” you say. “Dinner’s ready!” you Chris yell from downstairs and you both head to the door. As you open the door, you stop and turn to Richard. “Shit”. Richard looks at you, confusion on his face. “What’s wrong?” he asks you. “Chris” was all you could say. Shocked expressions are fixed on your faces as you try to figure out how to avoid getting caught. “You go out first”, he tells you. You walk downstairs to smell the aromas of dinner. “Richard! Dinner!” Chris yells. Richard comes downstairs, rubbing his eyes. “Were you sleeping?” you ask him. “Yeah I was. It was a great nap until this fucker woke me up!” he says as he points to Chris. “Sorry but I didn’t want you starving!” Chris says. 

Throughout dinner, you and Richard were sending each other looks across the dinner table. “Everything okay you two?” Joel asks, sensing that something’s up. “All good, bro!” Richards replies almost immediately and you quietly giggle. Joel shrugs and continues eating. After a few more looks, Chris decides to figure out what’s up. “What’s going on? Is there something that I don’t know?” he asks and your heart stops. You and Richard exchange looks. “Chris. I’m dating Richard”. Chris’ eyes widen and his cutlery falls into his plate. “What?” he asks. “Richard and I are together”. His expressions change every second so you get confused at whether he’s upset or angry or outraged. “I can’t believe! I told you that you’re not allowed to date any of them!” Chris yells. “Chris! Stop! I’m happy when I’m around Richard! Can’t you see that?! I love Richard and that’s all that matters! Just give us a chance! Please?” you explain to your over-protective brother. “Okay. I’ll give it a chance. Hurt her and you’re gonna be dead to me” Chris says. “Love you Chris!” you gush and you give your brother a kiss on the cheek. “At least you’re not with Erick”, Chris adds and you all burst into laughter. Erick slowly sinks in his chair, hand on his heart, pretending he’s just been shot. 

“Hey Chris? Can I just add something?” Richard asks. Chris gestures him to say what he wants to say. “So you know how I’m dating your sister? Well I also fucked her”. Chris chokes on his dinner and glares straight into Richard’s soul. “Run”. And with that, Richard is out on the streets running for his life with Chris hot on his heels. “I’m surrounded by idiots”, Zabdiel says as he packs up the table. 

[hellfirenacht]

Can't Be Unseen Chapter 1

Fandom: Sally Face

Pairing: Sal x Reader

Summary: Flirting is fun, but flirting with Sal Fisher is the most fun of all. 

Ao3

It wasn’t exactly a secret that you were a huge flirt; everyone in your friend group got a taste of it, no matter their gender or sexuality. Larry gets a new shirt? Double pistols and a wink. Todd comes to school wearing contacts? Compliment him on his eye color as he rolls his eyes and reminds you that he’s gay. Ash tries out some new makeup look? She’s once again made a masterpiece of her flawless canvas of a face. 

Flirting was almost second nature to you, but there was one boy whom you liked flirting with the most; your friend Sal “Sally Face” Fisher. You could hardly help yourself around him. Something about his cute short stature, blue pigtails, kind attitude, and sweet guitar skills had you swooning. He was almost like a porcelain doll, though his prosthetic was actually made out of a more sturdy plastic. 

Still though, you never missed a chance to compliment him or flirt with him or even just talk with him. You had known him for 2 years and in that time he’d become someone who you’d felt totally comfortable and happy with. Developing a crush on the boy wasn’t exactly in your plans, but it happened anyway. Despite his obvious feelings for Ashley, you were content just spending time with him. Besides, covering up your crush with the endless flirting made it much more easy. 

It was early September when you two were walking home together with Larry. The crisp fall air wasn’t too cold yet, but comfortable enough for flannel and t-shirt combinations. 

“So Ashley’s seeing someone from another school now, huh?” Larry said, looking over at Sal. 

“Yeah, she seems really nice.” Sal said, “I hope we get to meet her sometime.”

“Aren’t you bummed though?” Larry replied. “I mean, I know you liked her and all.”

“That was last year.” Sal shrugged. “I still think she’s pretty, but I don’t think I’ve liked her like that for a while now. I’m happy that we’re friends, that’s all.“ 

You couldn’t help but look up from your phone that you’d been distracted by to listen in on their conversation. Sal didn’t like Ash anymore? Why was this news to you? 

"You’re a mature dude, Sally Face.” Larry nodded as all three of you wandered down into the basement of Addison Apartments. 

It had become a habit by this point- come home from school, go to the basement to do homework, listen to music and hang out, then go home. You all had tried to do homework while listening to music, but it turned out to be more of a distraction than a help. Larry would end up on a tangent about the song, Sal would be listening while his hands would start faking an air guitar, and you just couldn’t handle that much noise when trying to study. 

As you all settled into Larry’s room, a small beeping sound emitted from Sal’s bag. His phone’s alarm went off, reminding him to take some of his many medications. 

“Be right back!” he said, scurrying into the bathroom. You and Larry both had assumed a while ago that some of the medicine involved taking off his face. Though you had both seen it- well you had captured a split second glance on accident once- it was agreed upon that you give him privacy when it came to his face. 

You looked over at Larry who was digging through his bag, pulling out loose pieces of paper, trying to figure out which ones he needed to start his homework. 

“Dude, just get a binder. Or a folder!” you said, watching him. “Hell, I’ll give you one of mine. Your school organization is seriously stressing me out." 

"It’s fine, it’s fine.” Larry replied, as you heard a paper rip. “Woops." 

"Was that the math worksheet?" 

"I think so?” he handed over the paper to you. 

“Larry, this was last week’s homework! We even did this one together!”

“Hahaha, good thing they didn’t check it." 

"They did.”

“Oh… shit.”

You looked over at the bathroom door for a sec, hesitating a moment and lowered your voice. “I think I’m gonna ask him on a date.” you said, pulling out your own homework. 

“Who? Sally Face?” Larry asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, your mom. I’m gonna date your mom and you will be my new step-son.” You replied dead-pan, but then smirked. “Then we can add to the ever growing list of the not-related category on porn hub.”

Larry laughed. “If that wasn’t so messed up I’d almost be down. But seriously, you finally gonna do it?”

You nodded. “I’ve been thinking about this seriously ever since he admitted that he doesn’t like Ash anymore.”

“So, fifteen minutes.”

“Yes.”

“Good luck. I don’t think he’s ever been on a date in his life." 

"Then I’ll just have to make it special. If he agrees that is.” you shrugged. 

“If who agrees to what?” Sal asked, walking out of the bathroom. 

“I’m asking Lisa on a date.” you replied back quickly. “Gonna sweep that sweet lady off her feet, then Larry’s gonna have to call me ‘mommy’ too." 

Sal laughed, "Good luck with that. She’s been spending a lot of time with my dad lately, I think they’re going on a date this week.”

“Is that all that’s standing in my way? Then I’ll just have to date your dad too. Then you’ll both have to call me ‘mommy’." 

"Whatever you say.” Sal laughed, plopping down next to Larry. 

…

Despite it all though, it took you at least a month to work up the nerve to actually ask Sal out. Deciding that you wanted to was easy, but planning a date was becoming a little more difficult than you anticipated. You were sure he’d be happy with anything that you took him to do- but this was if he agreed to the date in the first place. 

Larry suggested taking him to the Sanity Falls concert that was coming up, but you declined that. Sanity Falls was very much Larry and Sals’ thing- not something that you’d ever want to take away from them. Plus, if you were being honest- Sanity Falls and heavy metal wasn’t fully your thing either. Sure you knew more about that band than anything else, but that was because of all the time you spent around the boys. 

In any case, a concert in general didn’t seem like the best idea for a first date. You’d have to get the tickets in advance and even with your part-time job, that was still a bit of money for an evening where you couldn’t even talk to him. You already had a bit of a job listening to his slightly muffled voice, you didn’t want to put loud music and screaming teens on top of that. 

You found a similar dilemma with dinner and a movie. It seemed too cliche, really, and not that personal. Besides, you all had done that a million times before. You weren’t just getting to know Sal at this point- you wanted to woo him! You wanted to make him feel special! You also wanted your feelings to reach him. 

The mall was a no-go. Sal didn’t really like shopping that much, and he usually got harassed by mall security for “wearing a mask”. 

It was too cold for the water park.

Walking around town just seemed like you hadn’t tried at all to plan anything. 

Nothing was coming together at all. 

You groaned and scribbled out what you were working on in art class for the tenth time. Your hands were covered in charcoal, and it was getting everywhere at this point. 

“What’s wrong?” Ash asked, next to you. “That one wasn’t so bad.”

“It’s not the assignment.” you admitted. “I… okay so I’m gonna just tell you. I wanna ask Sally on a date but I have no idea where to take him assuming that he’ll agree." 

"You like Sally?” She asked, a bit surprised. You nodded. “Oh, that does make sense. I thought you flirted with him a bit more than anyone else." 

"He’s sweet.” you said, looking down at your paper again, flipping to a clean page and scribbling to give you something to look at. “And he’s more kind than anyone I’ve met. He talked to Travis once and since then he’s stopped using those words. He’s… got this quiet confidence you know? He turned a cruel nickname into something he wore with pride. He stands up for himself. Sal… even with his self-esteem issues with his face, he… how do I put this? We’re all afraid of rejection, he is too. But he also knows that if someone rejects him, then that’s not the end of it. He always gives people a chance to actually know him. He’s stronger and more brave than anyone else I know.”

“Wow, you’re serious about this, huh?” Ashley said approvingly. 

“Plus did you see his butt when he was wearing that dress at the last Homecoming dance?” you asked, doodling said butt. 

Ashley laughed. “He did look great.” she agreed. 

“I just don’t know what to do.” you admitted. “I like Sal, I really really like him and I want him to give me a chance. To see me as more than just a flirt, you know? But if I can’t even think of a good date to take him on…" 

"He’d love whatever you plan.” Ash replied. “But I understand what you mean. Do you have any ideas at all?" 

You handed over the list, complete with commentary from you and Larry in the margins about why it wouldn’t work or was too expensive, or too not-Sal or too not-you. 

"Prom’s out?” she asked. 

“Prom’s next spring.” you explained. “I mean, I know there’s no time limit on asking him out, but that’s a bit far off. Also just feels like too much for a first date, you know?" 

She nodded and continued down the list. "Yeah, I see what you mean.” she said. “You need something that you can do together that doesn’t lean more towards one person’s interest, that still gives you a chance to talk and get to know each other, and that isn’t super expensive." 

"First dates are stupid if you already know someone.” you grumble. 

“…Oh! I have an idea!” Ashley suddenly grabbed a paper towel in an attempt to wipe off the charcoal on her hands. I got this flier in the mail the other day, I think this would work perfectly!“

You took the flier from her hands carefully as to not make a mess of it. "Fall Festival…?” you read. “Ash, this is perfect!" 

"It’s every weekend until mid-November.” she said, pointing. “Plus there’s a Halloween weekend as well! I think that he’d really like that." 

"Ash, have I mentioned that you are the most amazing and beautiful person I’ve ever met?” you asked. She just laughed. 

“Save it for Sal.”

…

“So you really gonna do it today?” Larry asked, leaning next to your locker. “I’m gonna miss your constant flirting when you and Sally Face get married.”

You snorted. “It’s okay, you can still call me 'mommy’ if you want, but you’ll have to call Sal 'daddy’.”

“Thanks, I hate it."Larry laughed. "Besides, he’s basically like my brother. He can’t be my brother and my dad at the same time.”

“Not with that attitude!” You closed your locker and pulled your backpack over your shoulders. 

“But seriously,” Larry said. “I hope it works out for you. I think you two would be good for each other.”

“Thanks.” you said quietly. “I’m honestly really nervous but I know that even if he says no today, he’ll still be my friend.”

“That’s just the kind of guy he is.” Larry agreed. “And for what it’s worth, he thinks your pretty.”

“…What?” you snapped your head to look at his shit-eating grin. 

“Oh yeah, I may have done some slight digging and wing-manning for you. Got him to tell me some things.”

“What things?!” you demanded. “Tell me everything word for word exactly what he said." 

"I’d love to, but he’s right behind you and as I recall you’ve got an important question to ask him." 

You whipped around behind you and saw the tell-tale pigtails bobbing along down the hall towards the two of you. 

"Larry, I’m gonna kill you one day.”

“You’re welcome." 

"Hey guys.” Sal said as he finally approached you two. “Ready to head home?" 

"Actually, I gotta go pick up some stuff for my mom today.” Larry said casually, lying through his teeth. 

“Oh, well we can come along and help out if you want.” Sal replied, but Larry shook his head. 

“No worries, I got it. You two go on ahead and we’ll catch up later, mk?" 

"Alright then.” Sal nodded, turning to you. “So are you ready?”

You smiled down at him, at 5'2 he was a good 4 inches shorter than you, but it hardly mattered. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” you replied. 

The late-October sky was a bit dark and gloomy with the threat of rain. You zipped up your jacket and hugged yourself for warmth as the wind blew around you. You were starting to regret choosing to look cute over warm today. 

It was quieter walking with Sal without Larry there, but not uncomfortably so. Sal could be both chatty and quiet and it suited him either way. Though normally you wouldn’t mind the quiet, you needed to think of some sort of topic that you could use to segue into asking him out. 

“It’s too damn cold.” you said, blurting out the first thing that came into your mind. 

“It’s only 58 degrees.” Sal replied. 

“Yes, that’s borderline freezing where I’m from." 

"I can keep warm perfectly fine.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re so hot.” you replied with a wink. That was better, now you were starting to find your groove. 

The boy let out a small laugh beside you. “It’s the prosthetic, isn’t it? Girls love the look on Halloween.”

“Mike Meyers chic is very sexy.” you agreed. “Jason’s got nothing on you." 

"Except maybe a foot and a half.” he admitted. 

“Speaking of Halloween.” You said, bracing yourself. “There’s a fall festival coming up this weekend. Actually it’s been going on since last weekend but it’s still happening this weekend.” Shit, you were starting to ramble a bit. You took a deep breath to keep your cool. 

“Yeah? That sounds like it could be fun.”

You stopped walking and turned to him and gave him your trademark smirk to hide your nerves. “Then go on a date with me tomorrow. I’d love to go with you." 

The two seconds it took for Sal to answer felt like an eternity. Everything seemed to slow down as he stopped walking and glanced up at you. 

"Uh, sure!” He replied and you could hear it in his voice that he was smiling at you. Your heart seemed to stop for a moment at his words, and for a second you almost faltered and looked surprised. 

“Awesome!” you replied. “Okay, so meet me at 1 in front of the apartments, mk? I’m gonna show you a great time!" 

…

BlankFace: HE SAID YES! 

You texted Ashley excitedly. You managed to keep calm and collected until you made your way back home, but you immediately jumped on the bed and started giggling like mad. After all that planning, you had not only managed to ask out your crush, but you had managed to plan an amazing date as well. 

AshleyFace: Aww, that’s great! I hope you two have fun!

BlankFace: And also get this, Larry said that he thinks I’m pretty apperenly??

AshleyFace: Well yeah, you are. 

BlankFace: Well I know that but I didn’t think Sal did! 

You couldn’t stop smiling to yourself. In less than 24 hours you’d be on your first date with Sally Face. With Ashley’s help, you had already picked out what you were going to wear and how you were gonna do your make up. In fact, you didn’t really have anything to do except wait. You sat up and grabbed your laptop again, pulling up the page for the festival for the hundredth time. Yup, it was still the same schedule, no changes in the weather reports, and no cancellations. 

You kinda regretted being too prepared. 

Behind you, your phone buzzed, and buzzed…. and buzzed. Your group chat seemed to be exploding. 

SallyFace changed the group name to Scooby Doo Minus the Dog

LarryFace changed the group name to Scooby Doo but Good

BlankFace: You take that back, Larry. Scooby Doo is the shit. 

BlankFace changed the group name to Scooby Doo Appreciation Fan Club

SallyFace changed the name of the group to No Dogs Allowed

LarryFace: Oops. 

BlankFace. oh shit sorry dude

SallyFace: It’s okay!

LarryFace changed the name of the group to The Putting Your Foot In Your Mouth Club

AshleyFace changed the name of the group to Bologna Fan Club

Everyone in the group chat is typing…

Next Chapter

[mikeywm3]

This is a music story. Give it time, it’ll get there.

WRITING TO REACH YOU:

It’s October 3, 2001 and I’m riding the PATH train to NYC for only the second time in the last 3 weeks. The train has just stopped between the stations of Christopher Street and 9th Street. As we patiently await the train to start moving again, a sudden jerk happens. And then it happens again. A look around the train finds very nervous faces, wondering what’s going to happen next. What happens next is the train eventually starts rolling again and gets to 9th Street without incident. I’ll be getting off a stop later, 14th Street. Still, I’m nervous to be on this train.

The first time I was on the PATH again was a little over a week earlier, September 22 to be exact, riding with my cousin Brian and his wife Dana into NYC. They had joined me prior to that at Mulligans Pub in Hoboken, where I was living at the time (Hoboken, not the pub), to watch a rugby match between Ireland and Scotland. The match started with the playing of each country’s national anthems and then, unbeknownst to me at the time, the American national anthem followed by a moment of silence. I’ve never heard such beautiful silence in a pub before. Ireland lost the match that day, but it didn’t matter. We were out of our apartments, and the Scots always make for a fun match and rivalry. We kinda love each other, as Braveheart had shown. My love for the Scots will come up again. 

WHY DOES IT ALWAYS RAIN ON ME?

We decided to go into the city afterwards and walk around a bit and get a bite to eat, settling at a Mexican place just off of Washington Square Park. Margaritas, chips and salsa and some quesadillas are quaffed, and soon we are hugging each other and going our opposite directions, thankful to have seen each other and to be able to hug some family. The hug will come just a little bit too soon.

As I’m walking back to the PATH station at 9th Street, I cross through Washington Square Park, a walk I’d been hoping to avoid, but decide it needs to be done. The area around the arch is now like many other areas in downtown NYC, a shrine to the missing. Walls of posters and leaflets of people whose loved ones found the best picture of them that they could find and affixed them to the arch with words like “MISSING” or “HAVE YOU SEEN…” or “LAST SEEN AT…” After about 10 minutes of looking through them all, I decide to begin my journey back to the PATH station, but then one last look captures the face I’d hope to not see: my roommate’s sister, her big smile and bright eyes staring right at me. I’d seen this picture of her before, but only on the leaflets in the apartment I’d been sharing with 3 others.

Our apartment had been ground zero for the family of my roommate, as they were doing the full rounds of hospital visits hoping to find their daughter, their sister, their niece, their cousin. Many of them lived in Pennsylvania and made treks back and forth many times over the ensuing days. I tried to do the best I could to make them comfortable by making sure our apartment was stocked with things they might need: towels, soft drinks, water, clean bed sheets and blankets, etc… Soon after, I didn’t need to do it anymore. They stopped showing up. Their search was over.

My walk back to the PATH station should’ve been no more than 5 minutes, but it will take 20, because this is the first time in 12 days that I’ve been able to have a private moment. I stopped on 9th Street on the steps of a brownstone and sat myself down and lost it. I cried for about 10 minutes. A kind soul walking by with some friends actually came up to me, didn’t say anything, and just put his hand on my shoulder. I touched his hand, looked up at him, took a deep breath and said “Thank you.” Eventually I would make my way back to the PATH and get the train back to Hoboken. Only two stops away, but like my second ride, filled with sudden stops and jerks between stations, terrifying me. This was a time of terror afterall. I worked at Exchange Place in Jersey City at the time and we unfortunately had a direct view of the WTC. I saw most of it, heard all of it. A lot of terror. My ride ends in Hoboken, and I randomly run into my friends Ann & Steve (in town from Massachusetts), Doug and Maria outside of the station. They’re about to go to the city and pay respects at the shrines and vigils set up in Union Square park. And for the second time in 25 minutes, I melt down and throw myself into their arms.

LAST TRAIN

I’m getting off at 14th Street in order to meet up with my friend Jo, where she is having dinner with some mutual friends. She and I will be attending the Travis concert at Radio City Music Hall that night. This will be the first concert/gig that I’ve been to in the last three weeks. If you knew me then, I was probably going to about 10 shows during that same time frame. We meet at a place called Chat and Chew, and this is the first time I’ve seen Jo or our friends in the last three weeks. Pleasantries are exchanged as are the questions of “How are you holding up?” to each other. It might have been the first time that I said I was alright but that, of course, was a lie. I wanted a return to normalcy that wasn’t going to happen, but dammit, this concert tonight is going to be a step towards that, right?

We get to our seats at Radio City, where the opening act is a band called Remy Zero. In all honesty, I don’t remember anything about their set that night, including if we were even there to see any of it. Remy Zero was a band that, during that time frame, seemed to be the opening act for almost every Britpop band that was on tour at that time. Supergrass? Remy Zero opened. Morrissey? Yup, them again. No disprespect to them, they just didn’t make too much of an indent in my musical psyche.

ALL I WANNA DO IS ROCK

Soon the lights are dimming and Travis is about to take the stage to what seemed like polite golf claps. It wasn’t that the audience were unappreciative of them. We just didn’t know how to react anymore. Am I allowed to dance? To sing? To show joy? Are we allowed to have fun anymore? What do I do? This was a dilemma that even New York institutions such as Saturday Night Live and David Letterman were struggling to deal with. All I wanna do is rock! Can I? The answer: Yes, you can, but it’ll take some time. Let it ease in.The first smile occurred as the band took the stage and walked to the front of it and did something I’ve never seen at the beginning of a show before: They gave US a standing ovation. The four of them, for a good 30 seconds, just happy to see our faces, knowing that for some of us this was our first attempt at something lighthearted in the last 21 days, applauding the audience.

“We’re so happy to see your faces. We know a lot of events were cancelled around here, but there was no way we were going to cancel this show. We’re here to try to put some smiles back on your faces tonight and are so glad to be here.”These words are paraphrased, but essentially was the message from Fran Healy, Travis’s lead singer, and for the moment, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he COULD put a smile back on my face. And then the show started with ‘Sing’ the first single from their latest album “The Invisible Band,” and Fran and Travis had already done it. I smiled. Also, I sang.

SING

And sing more I did. For the uninitiated, Travis started as a very Britpoppy, guitar based band, before giving way to their emo side and melancholy to write some rather lush and fuller songs. They’ve often been referred to as Radiohead-lite, particularly given their association with producer Nigel Goodrich. An unfortunate tag, I think. They were Coldplay before there was a Coldplay, and I mean that as a positive, irregardless of your feelings about Coldplay.

The set continued with selections from their three album catalog, many tugging at my heartstrings, but even allowing me to sorta dance a bit. Example: their biggest hit, “Why Does It Always Rain On Me,” obviously has a title straight out of the Morrissey songbook, but also a song construct from the Smiths canon: lyrics that hit the emotional buttons of sadness, self doubt and worth (“Even when the sun is shining, I can’t avoid the lightning”), yet a rhythm and melody that allows for happiness, including a chorus that, every time I’ve seen Travis, has led to me, the rest of the audience and Fran to pogo dance. Yes, the show started with me singing and the main set ended with me dancing.

HAPPY

The encore started with a song that was the general feeling that I was hoping to attain from seeing this show, “All I Wanna Do Is Rock,” a foot-stomping, fist-pumping rocker from their first album. And those two things I did. A faithful cover of ‘All The Young Dudes’ followed before Fran and the boys decided to bring tears back to our face, but this time they were good tears. Fran stated that they’d spent part of the day at Ground Zero volunteering, and that every single penny from the show was being donated to one of the WTC funds. I love these Scots. Oh, did I happen to mention that Travis are from Scotland? I told you it would come up again.

And then as if they knew that the setlist that they’d put together was a musical therapy session for 5,500 people who needed it, they closed the show with a rocking song from their first album with the perfect title of “Happy.” And it was probably therapeutic for Travis as well, as the chorus over and over sings “I’m so happy, that you’re so happy.” And for the first time in a while, I was closer to that feeling. A few weeks later, U2 would play 5 fantastic shows (I was at three of them) at Madison Square Garden and receive rightful praise for bringing the right balance of levity and music to a sad city. You may have heard that a lot of cops and firemen are Irish.  Yeah, a lot of them needed those shows. And they got it.

But for me, it all started with this Travis show. The show ended and Jo and I walked out into the night, knowing we had just had a great therapy session. A kiss and a hug goodnight, and a train ride back to Hoboken for me followed. This time I would get on the PATH train at 33rd Street, the end of the PATH line. The station was emptier than I was used to, as this was still early in the return to normalcy process.

The train left the station and I couldn’t help but feeling a little happier than I’d been. But I was also feeling a tremendous sense of guilt, knowing I was returning to an apartment where my roommate’s return to normalcy would never actually be achieved. Nor would it be for me, but nowhere near what he was going through. My guilt was then jolted by the train suddenly stopping between 23rd street and 14th street. And then a sudden jerk. And then a brief return to a feeling of terror. But then a reminder of this being the PATH train. This happens all the time. It’s normal. A new normalcy.

For BS and CS

[spiftynifty]

Voltron Season 8 summaries

As promised, here are the summaries for season 8. They are as unbiased as possible. I know I said I would bold the Sheith parts in this season for easy access. The truth is.... there was nothing for me to bold. :/

8x01 Launch Date Lance asks Allura on a date. She goes with the girls (Pidge/Rivazi/Lief) to buy date clothes while Lance gets grilled by Coran and supported in separate moments by Hunk and Keith. Allura meets Lance's family. Outside Allura brings a park back to life and Lance confesses his feelings. They kiss and Beezer pops out to take a photo. Meanwhile the Altean pilot, Luca, is confronted by Romelle. Luca lashes out and namedrops Honerva before Honerva kills her remotely. The Paladins and Atlas take off for space.

Rest of the episodes under the cut because 13 summaries, though brief, get long. 

8x02 Shadows A history of Haggar/Honerva and Lotor. We see her learn of Lotor's demise, use her powers to massacre a bunch of Galra at the Kral Zera, dismiss her druids, and go to the Altean colony to tell them Voltron killed Lotor. The colony relocates and sets up shop in Oriande, creating an army of Altean robeasts. In the more distant past, Honerva and Zarkon discuss names for Lotor and settle on one that represents both of their cultures. Honerva doesn't remember who she or Zarkon are when she wakes up after Daibazal is destroyed. When Lotor is born neither she nor Zarkon care. We also see the incident Lotor alluded to with Allura, where he tried to work with a planet rather than overtake it and as punishment, Zarkon destroyed the entire planet.

8x03 The Prisoner's Dilemma The 2nd-in-command from 6x01, Lon gets his base taken over by Voltron/Atlas. They try to convince him to join the coalition and suddenly get a distress call from one of his fleets. Voltron & Lon investigate together and discover the beast from 5x05 has destroyed the entire fleet and has been trained to hunt Galra and only Galra. They trap the beast inside the remaining ship and set it to self-destruct. Lon joins the coalition. Voltron and Atlas part ways.

8x04 Battle Scars Voltron goes to Olkarion and discover it has been completely destroyed. Pidge uses the power within the plants of the planet to see visions of what happened while the other paladins try to hold off a weblum that's heading to destroy the planet. Olkarion was destroyed by an Altean Robeast, but most of the Olkarions escaped and left behind valuable information for defeating the Robeast. The Weblum destroys Olkarion.

8x05 The Grudge On Atlas, Veronica makes a concerted effort to befriend Acxa. Atlas and Voltron plan a rendezvous point but Voltron is tricked to landing on a volcanic planet. There they are tracked by a group of pirates led by a "mysterious" captain (it's Zethrid). The paladins split up and Zethrid corners Keith over the volcano. She wants revenge because Ezor left her. Acxa and Shiro come to save Keith. They capture Zethrid. Ezor reappears and Acxa tries to convince them both to join the coalition.

8x06 Genesis Voltlas heads to Oriande, with Voltron actually making it fully inside. Honerva kills the Guardian and uses its life force to cast a massive spell. With it she folds reality and brings Lotor-Mech back, though he seems fully under her control. Lotormech pulverizes Voltron, causing the lions to separate. Allura tries to take out Honerva, but Honerva tries to convince her to team up and if she doesn't, Lotor will kill Lance. Allura doesn't take the kill. The Paladins escape with Atlas as Oriande's white hole closes.

8x07 Day Forty Seven Kikaide and Rizavi team up to get video footage around the Atlas so it's all shot handy-cam. Things we see/learn: The team fights a giant tentacle monster. Atlas has 6 Atleans captured but they refuse to speak to Allura or Romelle. Lance and Allura share a private moment and a kiss. Hunk bakes stuff and comes up with an Altean recipe that resonates with the Alteans and they begin to open up to Coran and Allura.

8x08 Clear Day It's clear day for that one planet from the Voltron Show and they're holding a carnival. Shiro and the Paladins, minus Allura, head down to participate. Lance and Pidge both try to win Allura a prize, Coran enters a Yalmore shouting contest, Shiro enters an arm wrestling contest, and Keith and Shiro get stuck on a boring ride. Meanwhile on the ship Allura managed to withdraw and quarantine a dark void entity from one of the Alteans. She then has visions of Lance, Lotor, and her mother encouraging her to bond with the entity to link her to Honerva and thus be strong enough to defeat her. She fights the visions but ultimately succumbs to their persuasions and bonds with the entity.

8x09 Knights of Light pt I The Paladins enter the void of Voltron in an effort to utilize Allura's new power and track down Honerva. They arrive at a place just outside Honerva's mind and all Paladins except Keith are sucked into their Lion's astral plane. They each fight a faceless figure who turns out to be a Paladin of Old whose souls were entrapped and corrupted by Honerva. Allura is able to lift their curse and both sets of Paladins, including Allura and Alfor, are reunited. Allura struggles with the darkness of the entity.

8x10 Knights of Light pt II The Paladins go deeper into Honerva's mind. Together with the old Paladins they fight a robeast. They travel through different places and see different memories, including one that reveals Honerva killed the original paladins. Finally the paladins end up in Honerva's vision of Altea, which looks a little different. Zarkon's mech is there and faces them, but they form Voltron and with the help of the other Paladins, defeat him. Zarkon's mech turns into the astral black lion and OG Zarkon as he was before the rift. He's thrilled to see the other Paladins of Old but Allura shows him visions of all the horror he did as Zarkon and he cries. They ask him to help and he agrees, and tells them to blow up the moon in the sky. When they do they see Honerva's visions of her dreams: she and zarkon and lotor, a happy family. Pidge reveals she could achieve this dream... if she warps realities into that one, destroying all other realities in the process.

8x11 Uncharted Regions Honerva now has a mech of her own with a kind of teladuv device that allows her to travel through realities. Team Voltron prepares a plan of attack but Allura is down for the count because of the entity. Keith supports Lance when he worries about Allura, and Allura awakens to Lance when he tells her he can't imagine a world without her. The rebel forces go to investigate the Honerva mech but are wiped out. Honerva appears before Atlas and controls the Alteans to siphon the power of Atlas' crystal to power her runes so she can have more power. One of the Altean robeasts tries to fight Honerva but is killed. Honerva finishes powering up the runes and then her mech and Lotor's merge to become a supermech. The teladuv spins.

8x12 The Zenith Honerva travels through the portal and Voltron follows. Balmeras surround Voltron and Atlas and merge them into a supermech, Voltlas. They follow after Honerva and fight her as realities crumble while Coran and the Blades struggle to power the portal to keep open. When Voltlas is seemingly trapped in one reality and Honerva finally makes it to her perfect reality where Zarkon welcomes her with open arms. However a young Lotor rejects her as his mother, and Voltlas appears. Honerva declares she will end all universes and teleports to her mech to prepare to fight Voltron.

8x13 The End is the Beginning Honervamech fights Voltlas and they fly into a portal together that leads to a mess of flowing paths that represent all the different realities. In her grief Honerva destroys all but one of them and as Voltlas fights to protect it it gets... wings like 10x its size? It pushes Honerva mech into another portal which is the... feelings of all the universe? Or something? Here all the Paladins and Honerva are not in their mechs. Allura shows Honerva all of her happy memories and together they decide they will sacrifice themselves to use magic to "reboot the realities". She says goodbye to each of the Paladins, and Shiro, and kisses Lance goodbye, leaving altean marks on his cheeks. She and Honerva reboot the timelines, and in this reality, Altea exists. One year later, the Paladins reunite in front of Allura's statue on Altea. They catch up on what each other has been doing; it's clear they haven't really seen each other in a while. At night they wake up and all the lions fly away. In the epilogue, Lance has a farm, Keith helps out with Blade of Marmora Humanitarian stuff with Lotor's generals, and Shiro marries a not-quite random dude (one of his crewmembers, not Roy from Macross).