#(also steam ain't working for me and I WANT TO FIND OUT HOW I GOT CLASSIC COSTUME AND REMAKE HAIR FOR CARLOS IT IS A LOOK AND I WANT IT BAC

[delicatebluebirdruins]

i really love the ending

there is Jill and Carlos (though we don't get to appreciate it as much) bathed in golden light

the mushroom cloud (I am curious as to how many times mushroom clouds get used to signify explosions just across the board... i vaguely recall it being used in the croods where they made popcorn by accident)

Jill having a monlogue/ thinking to herself and wanting to bring Umbrella down

honestly the direct aftermath of this is them tending to each others wounds, change of clothes, food and as much sleep as they can get before the world comes knocking again. Also a lot of talking because i need Jill talking about the spencer mansion (and she fucking tells them that the zombies aren't dead)

from how well Carlos and Jill work together in this I can imagine them both catching up with Chris and they have a mission together something happens to Carlos (between OG Nemesis and whatever is the next thing we see Jill in there is a fairly large amount of time from what I remember)

[dreamerinthemoonlight]

Genshin Guys with an S/O Dealing with Sensory Overload (Wriothesley, Diluc, Alhaitham, Neuvillette)

Please note that this is all from my experience. Obviously not everyone is going to experience it like this. Basically this is me shamelessly self-inserting again. I mean, what's new?

I'm going to format this as kind of scenarios in bullet point form, rather than my usual

CW: hurt/comfort, neurodivergent reader

Wriothesly x gn!reader, Diluc x gn!reader, Alhaitham x gn!reader, Neuvillette x gn!reader

Requests and Ask Box is OPEN

Wriothesley

Sensory overload isn't really that uncommon around Wriothesly

And it's not because he's loud or anything, but the Fortress of Meropide isn't a quiet place. I imagine there's always a lot of little sounds even at night. Stuff like dripping pipes, hissing steam, little things

And even if you're not hanging out at Fortress, the city isn't even much quieter

Thankfully he's the perceptive, people-smart type so there's no way in hell sensory overload is getting past him

Tight fists, pinched eyebrows, flinching at loud noises, yeah, he ain't missin' that shit

When he notices you doing that he's quick to finish whatever conversation he's in and bringing you to a quieter location

He's either soundproofed his room or set aside some space in the fortress where you can be alone in the quiet. If you need music to avoid complete and total quiet he has some soft records for you to listen to

Diluc

Diluc has an easier time dealing with the sensory overload

When the day has left you worn out, overloaded, and on edge, wincing at even soft noises, you seek out Diluc

Of course, if you're helping/hanging out at the Angel's Share, chances are he's already at least noticed your reactions to the ambient chaos

If he can't get away from the bar, he hands you the keys to his room and tells you to go rest, that he'll be up when he's free

At the Winery, he's left instructions that even if he's not there, you should be brought to a quiet out of the way room (ehem, his room) and given whatever you need

In either location, as soon as he's free he's coming to make sure you're alright. He usually has something for your headache, knowing that you've probably got one

If you let him, he'll want to hold you, rubbing circles into your shoulder. But if you need space, he'll leave you be once

More than anything he's intent on making any of his spaces safe and comfortable for you

Alhaitham

Alhaitham is an asshole and doesn't people, but when it comes to sensory overload he's 100% sympathetic

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it's something he deals with on the regular

It's also not something you can hide from him (in fact you might go to him because he's a quiet person who has no issues telling anyone who would bother you to go sit on it)

The first thing he does is kick whoever he's talking to out of the room. Unlike Wrio, he doesn't bother wrapping up the conversation, he just tells them to leave

If you're at his house, Kaveh gets told to find a different room to occupy and Kaveh actually listens (I mean, Kaveh is a nice guy who isn't going to be mean to you just to give his roommate the metaphorical middle finger. Really, neither of them are.)

Once he's gotten rid of any annoyances, he's handing over his headphones

He also helps darken the room your in (modifications Kaveh helped with--I feel like both of them are far more willing to accommodate you than each other, even if it means working together)

After that, he just leaves you alone. If you have a headache, he'll find something to help, but he just goes to read

If you're in a place where he can't just shoo people away and remove any offending sensations, he goes out of his way to comfort you (which took him forever to figure out how to do, but he likes you so it's worth the effort). Even if it's just lending you headphones while he takes you by the hand and leads you through the city

Neuvillette

Honestly, it takes Neuvie a while to get used to a S/O who is prone to Sensory Overload

He's not human and is very much accustomed to the chaos of the Opera Epiclese, Palais Mermonia, and Fontaine City in general

So when Sedene lets you in to Neuvie's office (he's left instructions that unless he's in a conversation you can't be privy to, you're just to be let in) and you're nearly in tears, he's very concerned

Anything he's doing is immediately set to the side so he can figure out what's wrong

When he figures out that your brain just can't process any more input without feeling like it's about to spontaneously combust, he's a little confused, but he focuses more on how to help you

First things first, he has you hydrate while he tells Sedene to not let anyone in unless it's an emergency and finishes up whatever he's doing. If you're not feeling well, he wants to be able to focus his attention on you

Then he takes you somewhere quieter and darker

Eventually, much like Diluc and Wrio, he sets aside a place for you to go. He makes sure you can keep it as dark and quiet as you want, while making sure any sensory things you gravitate to are easily accessed

On days where you decide to take a nap, it's not uncommon to see him wrapped around you, letting his naturally cool temperature soothe you

[dizzyluc]

Rivals of Aether (games) ramble

Since playing the Rivals 2 beta at the end of July... Note: I played the April beta and... due to how broken it felt in comparison, I skipped May and June, and came back in July when they started having beta exclusive stuff to carry over to the main game lol but works MUCH better too, minus music layering issues ... anyways, after the July beta, I started playing Rivals of Aether, or actually, I started playing Dungeons of Aether because I wanted to get to know the character I wanted to main (Fleet) and... really enjoyed it, although getting the achievements is another thing which...

I'm one achievement away (which is separate from the main game), and even did something I think most people would not do (play hard mode AND not upgrade/use Amsidian at the same time...) I'd recommend not using Amsidian on Story difficulty, maybe on your first or second playthrough... cause MAN that was hard near end game... although I will say you ARE given quite the challenge if you like challenges by doing it lol (you ARE allowed to use Amsidian in a specific way that is spoilers... it also made something REALLY easy that I was overprepared lol) Meanwhile, after beating Dungeons a couple times (once on iPad and once on Steam... before coming back for the third completion to get the above achievements and more...) I decided to go for all the achievements in the game that started it all and... actually did it in under a month (the last hard achievements are DEFINITELY a grind... although...

I got the easiest achievement last due to wanting to be funny lol (the achievements before it are the hardest, get 100k gold total (which I cheated a little by using 4 controllers for lol) getting 14 characters to level 10 in abyss mode... which is a LONG grind... and then getting gold medals on all story mode characters which... I got the achievement, but checking it, it actually is glitched...

... but I ain't doin that again to find out which one I didn't get for the bar, the CPU freaking cheats D:< (having only 30 seconds to beat each round, a minute for the final round) Overall, getting almost all the achievements in 2 of the Aether Studio games in a month, I am NOT playing Lovers of Aether cause funny enough, school setting stuff isn't my thing and done a lot these days... gotta REALLY reel me in for it, like Doki Doki is something I'm kinda "eh" about for example now. And then Creatures of Aether...

It's ded. I feel like some of the achievements are impossible to get due to there being no online presence. "Reach Bronze V" "Reach Master Rank" (pretty sure these are definitely online achievements) So not doing that definitely, sadly :| I might go back to Rivals 2 as long as my Steam Deck doesn't "blow up" due to keeping it in Sleep Mode, with the beta being kept running in the background till the September beta at the end of the month (just to practice Fleet and Maypul being my secondary lol) Can't wait until the next beta though! (end of long post)

[jaythelay]

See the thing is it's not like I have the ability to see the future.

I can just see the rudie goldberg machine's mechanics and how it functions and tell you exactly what it'll fucking do. I don't let the fucking majesty of it cloud the judgement of final product.

But it really is just amazing how ALL I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT is how bad game preservation is, how shit products are made, The Broom Example Never Stopped Working.

And here we fucking are! Even more examples! Like holy hell, Crowbcat's videos on console and shit are painfully accurate. Shit is just made like shit now.

My Gamecube fell down a flight of stairs and rolled like a dramatic die on my gram mama's concrete garage, It Still Works.

Steam Deck. 1 month being modded and games being put on it. 1 month pulling it out to actually play them. 5 months between, in my closet, in the original, fucking, case.

Dead.

Gaming ain't worth getting into. I'm a bit fucking scared of my 3090, motherboard, CPU, and Ram now, because that was the last thing I ever got for my computer since the 1080. That was 2 years ago.

What's the average lifespan of shit? Because I avoid buying shit for exactly this reason, it's made cheap, it's made quick, there's absolutely no quality control, and nobody gives a shit, if it's, in prospect, interesting, then it gets a pass.

The fact is the SteamDeck is not a portable device. It cannot handle more than maybe 5 hours of gameplay before reaching 20%, the harder the game you play, the worse that battery gets, noticeably, Baldur's Gate 3 practically tanked the battery permanently.

The SD card I got in juts out and is genuinely so hot it could cause a fire and cause longterm skin damage upon prolonged contact.

Setting. Everything. Up. Is. More. Work. Than it ever should be. Some things admittedly are just click and go, most things, are not, and require you to use the terminal, and the codes to put in, make no fucking sense and 90% of the time! Don't work!

Everything needs to be put on your desktop to work. I'm dead serious like where your wallpaper is? If you want it to work? Has to be there. Or on Steam.

It's not usable in bed that's for fucking sure. It's too big and heavy, it's hard to find any position that feels comfortable other than on the fucking toilet, so you know, sitting, like, consider at a desk, except with a mouse a key- Fucking what is the point????? Portable????

Lightbleed. Dear. God. The Light Bleed.

Shit just stops working. Every update breaks any and all customization, do NOT bother with anything visual as it will break.

The SteamDeck's Gaming Mode UI is abysmal. It's just bad. It's leagues above modern consoles but that's not even a compliment, you can spit on your own shit and it'd be better than the horseshit they took from the street. It's still awful to navigate.

It's comically amateur. To pull up the keyboard you need to press Steam+X, it is exceedingly hard to find these bindings when you need to and generally you're going to google it, On Your Computer or Phone. Most of these bindings just show the sheer density of how out of their scope they really are. This device was not meant to have a desktop mode. And the fact the device was fine until I launched into it, is further evidence of such.

You're just always fucked if something stops working. Everyone has a "theory" and none of them work. Hundreds and hundreds of dead forums posts and bumps from desperate ops.

Seriously I can't stress enough how bad Linux is for the average user. You're better off teaching every human to fish than you are to get 30% of the population to respect Linux

It also hardcaps to 800p in desktop mode which makes steamlink on PC (Trust me you're gonna want PC controls!!!!! As Always YOU'RE GONNA BE AT A FUCKING DESK) feel very awkward and too big. Don't get me started on the size of the windows. Oh my god. Go back, go back to school.

Otherwise it works for gaming. I just. Can't recommend it. It's a pathetic heap. There it stays, forever. In my closet.

Where it was Last Month, and the month before that, and before that, and before that, and before that, and before that, and then I got the thing!

[hythlodaeus-mynewoldfriend]

🎵

Thank you! Since you didn't specify I will give you 1 for each!

Siberite

"Who We Are" by Hozier You and I burned out our steam/ Chasing someone else's dream/ How can something be so much heavier/ But so much less than what it seems?/ Darling, we sacrificed/ We gave our time to something undefined/ This phantom life/ Sharpens like an image/ But it sharpens like a knife

Demos

"Getting Older" by Adam Lambert I'm getting older, I've got more on my shoulders/ But I'm getting better at admitting when I'm wrong/ I'm happier than ever, at least that's my endeavor/ To keep myself together and prioritize my pleasure 'Cause to be honest I just wish that/ What I promise would depend on what I'm given/ (Not on his permission, wasn't my decision)/ To be abused

Anthea

"Francesca" by Hozier If someone asked me at the end/ I'll tell them put me back in it/ Darling, I would do it again, ah, ah/ If I could hold you for a minute/ Darling, I'd go through it again, ah, ah/ I would still be surprised I could find you, darling/ In any life/ If I could hold you for a minute/ Darling, I would do it again

Deimos

"Go the Distance" from Hercules (I'm linking to the Micheal Bolton but the og movie version also works very well too!) I'll be there someday, I can go the distance/ I will find my way if I can be strong/ I know every mile would be worth my while/ When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong Down an unknown road to embrace my fate/ Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you/ And a thousand years would be worth the wait/ It might take a lifetime but somehow I'll see it through

Carly

"Good Enemy" by PVRIS Halo overhead, devil on my shoulders/ All these regrets circle like a vulture/ Ain't no medicine, I'm a sick culture/ And maybe I'm disturbed It's like world war me, and I don't want peace/ I would rather bleed/ All the misery loves company/ And I can't break free

Stasia

"In Your Grave" by Jaymes Bullet Life can can wicked/ Love can be mean/ You taught me well no life is safe no soul is clean/ So while you are sinking/ Down in the clay/ I hope you do a lot of thinking in your grave

Conner

"Counting Stars" by One Republic I feel something so right/ Doing the wrong thing/ And I feel something so wrong/ Doing the right thing/ I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie/ Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Iris

"Threads" from Carole and Tuesday And in the light of morning/ I left my bed and street/ Pass the park and bench/ Where we no longer meet/ I found a path forgotten/ Green and overgrown/ I followed my own footsteps/ I walked there on my own

[dianasourflower]

what about the bus?

ps i know it doesn't snow in la but rn. imagine i does. also y/n speaks Spanish therefore the nicknames(i ain't spanish sorry if I get some wrong, pls comment if i did...)

I've never ever ever done this before pls be nice...

pairing: vinnie x influencer!fem!y/n

genre: fluff

img creds: @writer-in-theory and tiktok

word count: 583

summary: it's winter and Vinnie brought y/n to the ice-skating rink. when they were done, Vinnie found out his car just got towed. y/n then suggested they go home by bus. but none of them realised they'd fall in love that night

"Babe, come on. I wanna go home!" Y/n said staring at the freezing, falling snow as Vinnie sat and stared at the tow truck that just drove away with his treasured car sitting on its back.

"but- What- I-""baby, we'll get it back tomorrow, i took a picture of the logo. we'll find it, i promise." Vinnie finally took his eyes of the car that was out of eyeshot almost 5 minutes ago.

"How else are we meant to go home? i mean we can take a cab or something." Vinnie whispered, sounding heartbroken. "aw baby... i love you, we'll get her back i promise. and, i saw a bus station about 2 minutes ahead soooo....."

"okay, i guess. thank you baby." his hazel eyes peaked with hope as he heard her voice before she kissed his cheek saying "no problem, angel boy"

the influencer couple walked 2 minutes down the street and just like y/n said, there was a bus stop there with 4 other people there. a woman working on her laptop, a man with his daughter who was a asleep on his shoulder and a boy who was probably just sitting there for shelter from the blistering cold.

Vinnie and y/n eyes either shifted from the eachother to the boy then the sleeping babygirl who clutched her father dearly. Both loved her little face.

Soon enough, the bus arrived and all 5 people hurried into the bus, buying their tickets before settling in their seats. vinnie and y/n decided on sitting near the back.

she took the window seat while Vinnie sat in the Isle seat. "that baby is adorable" Vinnie. simply stated taking his girlfriend's eyes off the steamed window and on to the baby that was previously sitting next to her boyfriend on the bus stop.

"agreed." y/n spoke with much love in her voice before glancing into her boyfriends eyes who was already staring into hers. "hi." y/n smiled into the lips of her lover. this is heaven she thought.

once they pulled apart, she giggled as they banged foreheads. you know the giggle that could make the saddest man in the world fall of his chairs because he was smiling like an idiot. or so Vinnie thought.

they both turned their heads to the window. y/n started drawing things on the steam of the window then turning around to pout at her querido(darling in spanish) because it disappeared. Vinnie easily made her frown into a smile by kissing her claiming it was impossible not to kiss her little button nose.

she giggle once more before feeling warmth creep on her back. she happily smiled and leaned into it letting herself sink into her boyfriend but watch as he drew on the window like she did before.

but, this time, the window was temporarily vandalised by words she hadn't heard him say to her before. Vinnie looked down at his girlfriend wondering if she was okay with the three letter everyone waits for in a relationship, 'i love you.'

she looked at him with wide eyes before she rushed to kiss seeing the creeping hurt in his eyes thinking she didn't feel the same. "i love you too, mi querido." she said into the kiss as he smiled and kissed her back. the two remained inseparable for the next week leaving their housesmates questioning them.

until one night, y/n sent the girls chat texts about the night.

thanks for reading besties <33333

hope you enjoyed

pls give me kind feedback <3

thank you xx

help ukraineeee<3 (if minor ask parents to help if you want) completely your choice. go to hell if you support Putin tho

[batgirlsay]

Herbalist Burnout

Teacher AU Playlist for Obiyuki AU Bingo 2022 by @snowwhite-andtheknight

While searching for a final playlist to make, I decided to condense my ever growing “Academic Burnout” playlist that got me through these past few semesters of teaching into an AU playlist.  

The story is similar to the grad school playlist, except Shirayuki is also teaching labs as a TA when she is in grad school at Lilias. Obi is encouraging her along the way, with the two Incubus songs from his point of view (there’s even a poison apple reference!).

Surface Pressure- Jessica Darrow (from Encanto Soundtrack) How Not To Drown- Chvrches and Robert Smith Head Above Water- GLASWING (Aaron Marsh of Copeland) Pictures of Success- Rilo Kiley State of the Art- Incubus Earth to Bella, Pt. 2- Incubus Up All Night- David Bazan The Shell- Lucy Dacus

Summary lyrics are cited after the bonus burnout Shirayuki!

Surface Pressure- Jessica Darrow (from Encanto Soundtrack)

I'm the strong one, I'm not nervous I'm as tough as the crust of the Earth is I move mountains, I move churches And I glow, 'cause I know what my worth is

I don't ask how hard the work is Got a rough, indestructible surface Diamonds and platinum, I find 'em, I flatten 'em I take what I'm handed, I break what's demanded, but

Under the surface I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus Under the surface Was Hercules ever like, "Yo, I don't wanna fight Cerberus?" Under the surface I'm pretty surе I'm worthless if I can't be of servicе

Pressure like a tick, tick, tick 'til it's ready to blow Who am I if I can't carry it all? If I falter

But wait, if I could shake the crushing weight of expectations Would that free some room up for joy Or relaxation, or simple pleasure? Instead, we measure this growing pressure Keeps growing, keep going

How Not To Drown- Chvrches and Robert Smith

I'm writin' a book on how to stay conscious when you drown And if the words float up to the surface, I'll keep 'em down

I'm writing a chapter on what to do after they dig you up On what to do after you grew to hate what you used to love

Head Above Water- GLASWING (Aaron Marsh of Copeland)

Can I keep my head above water You keep my head above water

It’s everything that I hope for Everything that I fear

And when I’ve finally gone under Turn my head to the sun Feel the water rush through me Think of how far I’ve fallen I think of how far we’ve come From our days on the shorе line With one foot in the cold To whеn we’d drift to the low tide With the waves as they roll

Pictures of Success- Rilo Kiley

I'm a modern girl but I fold in half so easily When I put myself in the picture of success I could learn world trade or try to map the ocean

'Cause I'm not scared But I'd like some extra spare time

And I say I've got my best shoes on I'm ready to go

State of the Art- Incubus

You were the first in flight, now a modern relic Merely a payphone on a one AM sidewalk We're all cast aside and we're antiquated Right as we start to finally figure out what we are

Now do you see that smile at the foot of the ladder Ain't it familiar? That was you only yesterday But this justice feels more like a poison apple And inevitably everyone'll bite into it

Look at you so bright, state of the art You're new, you're young, your blissful ignorance Is everything they like, but the years have teeth And sometimes they bite

Earth to Bella, Pt. 2- Incubus

Earth to Bella This is a quiet emergency There's so much more to get than wronged

You're treading water successfully But are you really Don't you want to see the deep It's not so hard Just forgive yourself and feel the water open in

Up All Night- David Bazan

School's out forever It's time to blow off some steam I wanna lay on the desert floor And have a vivid dream

Summertime ain't just for teachers Summertime trying to sleep to noon Summertime up all night howling at the moon

I don't know what we're here for But the air on this summer night Makes my head feel alright

The Shell- Lucy Dacus

It's a myth and now I see it clearly You don't have to be sad to make something worth hearing Now I'm common and content, one more burden off my back

You don't wanna be a creator Doesn't mean you've got nothing to say Put down the pen, don't let it force your hand

If I had the offer to do it again Make me invincible, invisible, or brain dead If the body and the life were two things that we could divide I'd deliver up my shell to be filled with somebody else

You don't wanna be a leader Doesn't mean you don't know the way Hold your own hand, walk on without a plan

[silvermuffins]

NieR:Automata: oof, been a hot minute

Let me hit up two big topics before we dive in, for the maybe five people who will read this and the one of you who was awaiting this but already knows the deal: Firstly, the five month absence of anything from me was the result of work getting super busy (STOP MAKING YOUR MOVIES TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG, HOLLYWOOD, NOBODY ACTUALLY WANTS THAT). My other hobbies also got busy. And, well, both getting the PS4 going and liveblogging as I play games took more spoons than I was left with. Things are finally kind of chill again, at least for now, AND the two cats who pilot my meaty contraption actually agree on what to do, so here I am! Secondly, my laptop's keyboard is kind of fucky and some specific keys ain't workin' right. They are: A D B N X , . / - and enter. We may see some typos, folks! Or some completely incomprehensible bits, won't that be fun!

ANYWAY, let's get into it!

haven't even started the game, have no memory of where i'm at so we're just gonna Go

man i need a less awk setup

oh right fuck i got new internet and need to hook my ps4 up to it

hot damn i actually remember the new wifi password. doot doot updates and shit, probably shoulda done this before i started the post but you know what, I have never once in my life not been a disaster so why would i suddenly start now

okay NOW we Go

see if i even remember how to play

probably not

i have sidequests to turn in!

gee this map really is a lot bigger than i got to explore the first time through the game....hmmm

being friends with the meeses now really do be like "/walks out of vending machine" "/suddenly, MOOSE"

this leadup suggests either i am going to have to fight Jackass or she is going to explode me

i am pretty sure there is lore somewhere in this game as to why there is no day/night cycle but fuck if i have found it

found the Cruel Blood Oath! I am excited for this sword purely because my bestie and I used it for something in some of our secret fandom shenanigans--

i feel like this "project gestalt" is going to be relevant somehow

anyway i found jackass and it feels weird because i think even without the whole....alternate runthrough thing we've technically met her before

9S sweetheart please don't try to lie, you're bad at it

speed star wont talk to me which is fine because i suck at his quest anyway

fuck you, sir star

oh right this sidequest was shaping up to make me feel weird in the moral bits, like several others have done

Type-E?

ooooh

oooooooooh

dont like that

creepy chant starts up!

............i have questions about if those she was ordered to kill were really deserters

..............

well. at least she DID pay me.

2B did not confirm she didn't know

time to have a go at Daddy Serves

......i regret typing that but fuck it it's staying in

so he has 10 levels on me but i fight well and have healing items

.....sir are you going to just, have me cutscene kill you, or do i gotta get through another hp bar first?

iiiiiit's the latter

anyway pascal gave me monies thank u pascal

....wait what was i supposed to do to progress plot again? where do i find that out??? is there a main quest tracker somewhere???

literally right on the front of the goddamned menu letty be less stupid

....i don't have much to say to this part, okay, i already did it as 2B

i sorta wish i could find a list of the sidequests that are only completable as 9S? and maybe of the hackable things. just for completion's sake.

my cat really wants snuggles but has something against bent knees so she won't lapcat

forgot a dead machine's head hatches into emil

wha

flashback to the forest king founding....

time to finish off the photographs sidequest! see if this one will make me feel uncomfy in the moral bits,

it did not!

but as usual it was pretty existential

....i am losing steam i think imma call it here tonight

[lochrannn]

Warnings: Sexual Content (M Rating)

Characters: Lila Pitts; Diego Hargreeves; Allison Hargreeves; Klaus Hargreeves; Hargreeves Siblings (background)

Relationship: Lila Pitts/Diego Hargreeves

Roommates AU; Fake Marriage; Slow Burn; Mutual Pining; Emotional H/C

Chapter 3/?

-

They end up avoiding each other for days. From what she can tell, Diego spends barely any time in the flat at all. She suspects he’s not even sleeping in his own bed most nights. And so she’s effectively all alone, except for the couple of days she goes to work in a small café, a job she basically does to keep busy, not because she actually needs the money.

On the first day she thinks she might find somewhere else to live, half out of wounded pride and half because she feels a bit guilty for apparently making Diego practically move out. But who is she kidding, money isn’t the obstacle in this city, the fucking housing market is. There’s no way she’d find a place like this, with a roommate who does his part to keep the place clean, has, so far, never brought people over, and in fact spends most of his time at work and out of the house, anyway.

And Lila liked– no, likes Diego.

In hindsight, the worst she can accuse him of is that he put his foot in it when he had ultimately been trying to do the right thing… if very badly. Apart from that he’s generally easy going, if a bit stressed out about work, from what she can tell, and… well… a lot of fun in some respects. He also really seems to care about people. He mentioned a brother one time, who he seems to look out for a lot, though he didn’t say it in so many words.

And the other night when she left her room after their argument, and the flat was completely empty, she found her abandoned sandwiches covered by an upturned bowl, and the considerate gesture made her feel even more foolish about how she’d blown up at him.

So yeah, she won’t be moving, but she does hope that things can just go back to normal between them, that she can at least feel relaxed at home, living with someone who she casually gets along with, who doesn’t hate her, and if that’s what it takes, she’ll even do her best to stop remembering what his lips feel like all over her body.

-

Lila’s a bit at sea in her life. She’s recently given up halfway through a post grad history programme and she doesn’t quite know what she wants to do now. And the long days doing very little, only broken up by the occasional hours working in the café and getting to deal with the full force of the public make for a very effective insomnia cocktail.

So Lila gets up in the middle of the night to make herself some chamomile tea.

The kettle has just boiled and she’s pouring the hot water over the tea bag in her mug when she hears Diego quietly come in through the front door and only making it to the couch before sitting down with a near silent sigh.

She really hopes, for all the trouble it ended up causing them last time that he’s not going to whip out his dick again.

She takes a cautious look out into the living room and spots Diego sat on the couch, leaning forward with his hands buried in his hair, shoulders hunched over and looking tense.

On a whim, Lila grabs another mug and tea bag, fills it with more of the hot water from the kettle and then picks up the two mugs and carries them out into the sitting room.

She’s not actually being particularly stealthy, but it seems Diego’s wrapped up in his own head, because he doesn’t notice her until she sits down on the edge of the sofa, leaving a respectful bit of distance between them, and he startles out of his hunched position and looks up at her warily.

Lila does him the favour of ignoring the brightness of his eyes and the way the corners of his mouth are drawn downwards, and instead holds out one of the mugs towards him and asks, with true sincerity, because this could be her chance at things going back to normal, “Tough day?”

Diego stares at her for a very long moment, not even studying her, just staring straight into her eyes, and in the end Lila sighs and is just about to put the mug on the coffee table in front of them, when Diego’s hand shoots out and he takes it off her.

“Yeah…” he says quietly while holding the steaming hot tea in both hands, elbows resting on his knees. He doesn’t take a sip though, he just stares into the gently swirling tendrils of steam.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lila asks carefully.

Diego gives her a sideways look, almost as if to gage her sincerity and then stares back at his mug.

“D’you think it would help?” he asks back. It seems like he’s both resigned to the idea that it wouldn’t, but almost hopeful she’ll say it will.

“Only one way to find out,” Lila offers with a shrug.

It’s ridiculous, really, how the tiny upwards quirk of the corner of his mouth affects her.

Diego pauses nevertheless and Lila waits him out. It’s not like she has anything better to do.

Then he sighs heavily and says in a low voice, “Had to tell a mom who hired me to find her runaway daughter that her kid got killed in a car crash six months ago…”

Lila watches Diego rub his thumb over the droplets of condensation on the outside rim of the mug and doesn’t really know what to say to that, so she goes with the first thing she can think of.

“That fucking sucks!”

Diego makes a noise that’s halfway between a harsh laugh and a sniff and just says, “yeah.”

They sit like this for a while, neither speaking, just sipping their slowly cooling drinks until Lila breaks the silence.

“What would you have done if you’d found the girl and she hadn’t been dead?” It’s an odd question, she knows, so she does understand why he turns to look at her quizzically, but it makes her almost squirm under his scrutiny nevertheless, so she starts explaining, “I ran away from home once…” but she doesn’t know how to finish the thought.

Lila ran away from home when she was sixteen and she hated everything about her life with her adoptive mother. Absolutely every single one of her material needs had been met and yet she had felt so lonely and so unloved that she had thought then, she’d rather live in squalor with just a scrap of affection from anybody than spend another day in that big empty house of her mother’s.

Diego stops staring at her and instead turns his attention back to his mug again, slowly moving it around in between his hands.

“I’d have asked the kid what she wanted to do next, that was the deal her mom and I had.” He turns to look back at Lila and holds her gaze. “She came to me, telling me her daughter ran away when they were living in a bad situation with the kid’s stepdad, but that she’d managed to get away from him now. I checked up on that info and it seemed legit, so if I’d found her daughter alive, I would have told her that her mom was looking for her and where she could find her… Shit didn’t work out that way though.”

He casts his eyes down to where Lila is fiddling with her own mug. She wonders for a moment how her life would have gone if someone like Diego had come looking for her instead of one of her mother’s semi-legal contacts.

Diego looks back up at her and something changes in his expression and Lila only notices that some of the tears that she could feel brimming in her eyes must have slipped out, because he lifts his hand up to her face and brushes over one cheek and then the other.

Lila makes a tiny noise that’s a bit of a gasp and a bit of a sob and she doesn’t know if it’s because of her own sadness or his gentle touch.

Diego’s hand lingers for a short moment on the side of her face and then he pulls it away abruptly, turns away from her, and facing forwards again he says tensely, “Uh, sorry for ruining your night with my sob-stories.”

The shift in the mood is too rapid for Lila to react and Diego must take her lack of a response as tacit agreement because he goes on, suddenly not able to look at her, “Yeah, uh, it’s pretty late anyway… are you done with that? I can take it to the kitchen with mine,” he asks carefully taking her empty mug out of her hands and then getting up off the couch at the carefully calculated speed that doesn’t quite look like he’s fleeing, but it’s also very clear that he’s trying to get away as quickly as possible, and heads back towards the kitchen.

Lila has no idea what just happened.

-

Diego’s lying awake in his bed.

The apartment is completely quiet, he’s had a whole mug of fucking herbal tea, and when he walked in through the door he felt like the only thing he could do at that point was sleep, but of course now he’s wide awake.

He doesn’t allow his thoughts to drift to Julie Brown and her mom because that’s just too devastating. He was only the messenger, he barely knows Ms. Brown, it’sjust one of those small tragedies that happen all the time all over world, and yet he feels like if he thinks about the lost opportunities and the terrible fucking timing of it all, he might just shatter.

But where his thoughts do drift isn’t actually that much better.

He did it again. Somehow he upset Lila again, even though all she’d tried to do was be a decent roommate, maybe even a friend to him. And if he could only keep his hands off her for five minutes, respect her fucking boundaries, maybe they still have a chance at some kind of cordial relationship.

Diego moves angrily about, trying to find a comfortable position. He punches his pillow to get it to co-operate but when he settles down he still doesn’t find sleep.

Consequently he is still as tired as last night when he drags himself out of his room and into the kitchen in the morning, and absolutely nothing could have prepared him for what he walks in on.

Lila is there.

As is Allison… as is Klaus.

His two siblings are currently arguing over something that Diego is too stunned to tune in to and he quickly glances at Lila to see that she’s watching their back and forth with amused bewilderment.

For a second he has to quell the urge to pinch himself to check he’s not wondering around a very strange dream, but then Klaus spots him in the door and claps his hands once and then says in that never quite sincere tone of his, “Oh Diego, wonderful to see you and how nice of you to join us! Want some coffee? I made some coffee!”

His brother swivels around in the small kitchen as if looking for something, and apparently Lila catches on because she turns to a cabinet above her head, pulls out a coffee mug, and as she moves back around to hand it to Klaus, their eyes meet. Traitor, Diego think and almost as if she can hear his thoughts, she gives him a half smile and a tiny shrug, and suddenly Diego’s stomach swoops and can feel heat creep up his neck. He hopes his siblings don’t embarrass him in front of Lila. Which is ironic, seeing as he’s been doing a damn good job of that himself.

Of course he has no such luck.

“Ok, I’m in a hurry,” Allison says tersely, looking at her wrist watch and then crossing her arms.

“Diego, we’re here because this is unbearable to watch. Clearly you are in debt, when you absolutely do not need to be. So once again, I’m asking you as nicely as possible: Would you please for the love of god, accept your fucking inheritence?” Her volume gets increasingly louder and by the end she’s thrown her hands up in exasperation. “I mean, you’re a thirty year old man with a failing business and you’ve had to resort to taking a roommate!” She adds a bit more calmly, “No offense, Lila!”

“None taken,” Lila says. But Diego notes that there’s a tiny edge to her voice that indicates she may have taken some offense. Diego can’t blame her.

“Jesus, Allison, it’s not the fucking nineties. Loads of people, in their thirties, live in shared accommodation, don’t be such a snob!” Diego is absolutely not in the mood for this ambush and he almost doesn’t care at this point if they end up having their weekly family argument in front of LIla. “Anyway, I renounced my inheritance!”

“Yes, and it was all very dramatic!” Allison adds, sarcasm in her voice. “But then your share reverted to us and we all agreed we’d hold onto it until you come to your senses, so just take the damn money, Diego!”

“I’ve told you before, but I’ll happily tell you again, if I have to, I do not want the old man’s money! Give it to Klaus, if it’s burning a hole in your pocket, I’m sure he can think of more fun ways to spend it than on loan interest payments!” Diego stares down his sister, but out of his entire family, she is probably the one who has never once been cowed by his quick anger.

“Oh I absolutely would,” Klaus says chirpily into the tense stand off.

“Urgh, whatever!” Allison says with an eyeroll and then pulls her arms apart and turns to Lila to say politely, if not particularly warmly, “Lila, it was nice meeting you,” but Allison doesn’t let her answer before she starts making her way out of the kitchen.

She stops right by Diego and the genuinely gentle hand she lays on his arm is quite the contrast to what she says next.

“Do feel free to come crawling to me when you can’t stand the taste of instant noodles anymore.”

She then leans up and kisses his cheek before disappearing around the corner and before he can decide to call a snide comment after her, Klaus is in front of him, handing him the forgotten cup of coffee and then also leans in to give him a delicate kiss on the cheek and he says, “Don’t be a stranger, Diego!”

“What are you talking about, Klaus, you basically never get in touch with me!” Diego responds with some genuine indignance, and a slightly dumb and puzzled expression passes over Klaus’s face and he says contemplatively, “Oh is that the case? Well, I’ll try and do better.” He pats Diego’s cheek, but in true brotherly fashion, it’s just a tiny bit too close to a slap, before following Allison out of the apartment.

When he hears the door shut, Diego suddenly remembers Lila and he turns back into the kitchen and for a second the words die on his tongue just from the way she’s watching him intently and with bright eyes.

“Uhm,” he clears his throat, “Sorry about that! Siblings,” he shrugs uncertainly, “you know how that can be.

“I really don’t!” says Lila, her tone remarkably even, and Diego only realizes belatedly that there’s a tiny twitch to the corners of her mouth and it strikes him then that she’s trying not to laugh, “but that sure was educational!”

[theolddarkmachine]

Dead Space - Baby, I Ain't Holding Your Hand

It starts the day the hero falls. Crashing in a blaze of glory of twisted metal and burning ozone, he leaves a scar on the Earth that changes everything.

And Keith sees it all.

Chapter 6 of 11

Tags: attempted Horror Elements, Zombies, Violence and Gore, Eventual Smut, Happy Ending i swear

Also on AO3

A/N: Apologies for going a little MIA. I moved this month and it ended up taking so much more time and effort than originally planned lol Hopefully some elements of this chapter make up for that a bit lol

***********************************

Two weeks had passed since they’d landed themselves in New Altea, and the newly stagnant life was working its way beneath Keith’s skin in a way that constantly set his teeth on edge. While he could admit that there was a certain level of ease that came with having a place to rest their heads at night, it was met in equal measure by the constant thrum to get out and move.

Experience had taught him that nothing good came of staying in one spot, and especially not when it meant being trapped in a constant Garrison reunion by concrete and steel.

“Good morning, buddy,” Lance’s voice is loud and cheery as if he could hear Keith’s innermost thoughts as he helped himself to the seat beside him. A loud clatter punctuates his arrival as he drops his chipped plate on the table, accidentally knocking some of its oatmeal onto the metallic surface.

“Aw, man,” Lance whines, scooping up the lifeless tan food with a finger and shoving it into his mouth, causing Keith to blanche.

“Do you really have to subject me to your face this early?” He growls, dipping behind the lip of his mug and swallowing down a large gulp of black coffee. Stray grounds scrape across his tongue like sand as he forces the bitter liquid down his throat.

Lance makes a small humming sound as he shoves a spoonful of the sludgy oatmeal into his gaping maw.

“I know, I’m a real saint for letting you start the day with something so beautiful,” he says, words muffled by the dull metal between his teeth.

“Patron Saint of Pains in the Ass,” Keith says drily into his mug, the steam blowing back into his face before he sets the mug back down with a dull tap. Pulling the spoon from his mouth, Lance smiles and points it toward him.

“Thank you for using my full title,” he says, grin tilting further upward as Keith rolls his eyes before he turned his attention back to his food. Quiet fills the space between them as Lance hums quietly to himself between bites of the lumpy oats.

Taking another sip of his coffee, Keith traces the dark marks that scatter the top of the table.

“So,” Lance speaks up minutes later, lips smacking as he drops his spoon with a clatter. “Where’s Shiro at?”

A sharp pang rolls through Keith at the question as his hold tightens on his mug. When he’d woken that morning, it had been to Shiro’s still sleeping form violently tossing and muttering under his breath. It had taken several minutes to wake him, and even after he had, a darkness had still clung to his eyes leaving him looking almost lifeless. Fear had gripped him until Shiro had seemed to resurface, offering him a small smile of reassurance before ushering Keith on ahead of him.

“He decided to sleep in a bit longer,” Keith finally says with a noncommittal shrug as he slowly uncurls his tight fist from the mug. He doesn’t miss the quick, sharp arch of Lance’s brow, the silent question almost screaming in the quiet wrapped around their table.

“What?” He hisses, voice filled with challenge as his gaze snaps up to his companion. Lifting hid shoulders with a quick shrug, Lance places a finger on his plate and slowly turns it, keeping his eyes down as he speaks.

“Nothing, just thinking about how much it must take out of a guy to be stuck in space like that is all.”

Growling lowly, Keith snatches his mug and takes a sip, gaze still sharp and severe on Lance as he doesn’t answer. Settling his forearms on the table, Lance leans in, holding his stare as he sighs.

“So, as much as I’m really loving this cold shoulder thing you’re trying to pull off right now, I actually did have something I wanted to ask you,” he says, voice dipping low and serious in a way that catches Keith’s attention. Lowering his mug once more, he gives him a short nod to continue.

“We’re running low on some supplies, and Allura wanted me to get a group together to do a run,” Lance continues, pausing just long enough to see if Keith will interject. “Figured you’re probably going a bit crazy being cooped up in here. Wanna come with?”

The unbearable itch to be on the move seems to prickle through his veins as he pushes himself further up in his seat. Finding himself mirroring Lance’s posture as he leans forward, he mulls over the invitation.

“Yeah, alright,” Keith finally says with a small nod, “count me in.”

A self satisfied smile etches itself across Lance’s face as he sits back, crossing his arm across his chest and nods. Sitting across from him, Keith can’t help but notice the scars that decorate his forearms.

“Knew you’d be in. We leave at dawn,” he says matter-of-factly. Grabbing for his now empty plate, Lance pushes his seat back, going to stand.

“And Shiro?” Keith asks as he goes to kick the chair back under the table. A quick flicker goes across Lance’s face as it falters before he settles it back into that easy smile of his.

“I think Pidge had wanted him for some work tomorrow, actually,” Lance supplies flatly, void of any emotion in the same way as a doctor giving a diagnosis. He doesn’t say anything about the obvious fact that the colony has been keeping a close eye on Shiro since their arrival, but it’s all too clear in his voice.

Each day, Pidge summoned him for some sort of blood draw, yet they still didn’t know anything about what she was really doing.  

They may have had some semblance of freedom, but they both knew that Shiro, at least, was a prisoner shackled by his usefulness.

Slowly, Keith nods.

“Anything you need me to bring?” He asks, leveling his voice to match Lance’s.

“Just you and that angry face of yours.”

Mouth turning sharply down at the response, earning himself a bout of high laughter as Lance gives him a quick wink.

“Yeah, that one,” he says as he turns on his heel, walking away and missing the way Keith flips him off.

Sighing loudly as quiet settles around the now empty table, Keith drums his fingers on the table’s top, chewing on his thoughts like a hungry dog with a bone. Minutes pass before he grabs for his mug, tossing back the last of his coffee before standing to go find Shiro.

***

Keith finds him in the makeshift gym in the basement, surrounded by concrete and old, worn equipment. The solid sound of leather clad fists against plastic punctuates the otherwise silent space as Keith stands just inside the doorway. Eyes carving pathways along the solid lines of Shiro’s shoulders, he takes in the way the long sleeved shirt clings to his frame like a second skin.

While still not quite as well muscled as he had been, the time at the colony had helped to fill him out a bit more, leaving him looking a little less like a shadow of his former self.

Keith’s own hands balled at his sides as they ached with the need to touch.

Swallowing down the a soft sound, he moves across the untouched concrete flooring, steps silent until he was just at Shiro’s back.

“On your left,” he whispers, biting back a smirk as he watches goosebumps dot the skin across Shiro’s neck. Turning lightning quick over his shoulder, fist throwing toward him, Keith catches it easily with a hum. There was no real force behind it, nothing more than a challenging tease, and it makes Keith’s lips quirk higher into a full smile.

“Been awhile since we got to spar,” he says, voice bursting with its own challenge before he presses his lips to the back of Shiro’s captured hand.  Flicking his gaze up, he peers at Shiro through his lashes, eyes glittering with overhead lights as he says, “wanna go?”

Shiro holds his stare, firm and unyielding in a way that Keith feels at the pit of his stomach before an easy smile draws itself across Shiro’s mouth.

“I guess I wouldn’t mind reminding you of my skills,” he chuckles as he carefully pulls his hand from Keith’s grasp, instead settling it on his hip. “What are you going to give me when I pin you?”

Taking a step forward, Keith feels the near overbearing heat that rolls off Shiro’s skin. This close, he can smell the near clinical smell of the soap the colony had managed to salvage as it mixes with the heady musk that is inherently Shiro’s. Breathing him in, Keith drags his teeth across the full of his bottom lip as he hums in faux thought.

“I was thinking,” he starts as he traces a finger across Shiro’s chest, right over his heart, “that pinning me would be reward enough.”

Looking up at him, Keith sees something spark brightly in his dark eyes as he takes a short step back, falling into stance.

There’s an aching, heavy moment that hangs over the both of them as they watch each other before Shiro tilts his chin quickly towards Keith.

Your move, the look says.

Keith licks a line across his lip before dropping down into his own stance, not giving Shiro any pause before moving forward with a quick, testing jab. Dodging it easily, Shiro takes two quick steps back, eyes never leaving Keith’s lithe form as he mirrors the move to keep himself just out of reach.

With the thick heat building itself into a lightning storm between them, they eye each other, watching closely before both moving at once. Excitement colors Keith’s cheeks an alluring shade of pink as he loses himself to the ebb and flow of their movements. He can’t remember the last time they were able to push each other like this.

He’s sure it was before Shiro even left on that mission that had changed them both, but that had been a lifetime ago.

Lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet as his thoughts spin through his mind, Keith’s gaze finds his opening. It’s nothing more than a split second of hesitation as Shiro shifts his foot to go on the offense instead of the defense, but Keith knows he has him.

Sweeping his foot out, he grabs for the center of Shiro’s shirt, fisting the material in his hand as he uses the opposing forces to tackle him to the ground. Keith lands with his legs straddling Shiro’s chest, his knees pinning his arms to the ground as he draws his hands up to entwine their fingers. Looking up at him, Shiro’s eyes are dark, the usual bright silver swallowed by his pupils as he watched Keith lean in close.

“So,” he says lowly, “what’s my reward?”

Shiro’s answering smile is knifelike as he presses up to close the distance between them. Catching his lips, Keith burns with the sudden contact, pressing down to bring their chests flush together. The sharp sting of teeth pulls a low moan from his throat as he tightens his grasp on Shiro’s wrists. Chasing the sound, Shiro continues to press forward, filling Keith’s head with a thrilling heat.

“Shiro,” he gasps, the name sugar sweet on his tongue as he rolls his hips, chasing the friction that is all too much and not enough. The move earns his a soft chuckle as Shiro pulls away, dropping his head back against the mat with a soft thump as he peers up at him through his lashes.

It’s a wicked look that Keith feels down to his bones.

“Best two out of three?” Shiro asks, voice a molten pool that he’s all too ready to drown in. Swallowing down the ache at the base of his throat, Keith pushes himself up before offering a hand to Shiro.

Ignoring the way Shiro’s touch fills his veins with fire as he takes his hand, Keith pulls him to his feet before taking several steps back and falling into a stance.

“Best two out of three,” he confirms as he brings his fists up in front of him.

It’s Shiro who moves first this time, taking several small, quick steps forward as he aims two blows toward Keith. Knocking them both aside easily, he turns over his shoulder, grabbing for Shiro’s closest wrist. Using his momentum, he pushes Shiro away from him before landing back in the same stance.

“Things are looking good for me if that’s the best you’ve got,” Keith laughs, bouncing slightly as he watches Shiro’s back. There’s a long pause, as if he’s gathering himself before he tilts his head to the side, a sickening crack popping through the air.

When he turns around, Shiro’s eyes are dark in a way that is all together different from earlier. Pitch black and roiling, his stare is filled with malice as he lets out a low, rumbling growl before launching himself toward Keith. Taken aback, Keith finds himself knocked back, his breath leaving him quickly as his back meets the mat.

A thrill rips through him, raising the hair on his arms as the quiet of the gym is disrupted by the sharp snap of Shiro’s teeth just barely missing his throat.

“Shiro!” Keith barks, using his forearm to push back against his throat.

Almost as if a switch was flipped, Shiro falls back onto his haunches, eyes going wide as he looks down at Keith.

“Keith, I,” he starts, cheeks going bright with the pink flush that marks his skin as his chest heaves for breath. Keith’s own breathing mirrors Shiro’s as he continues to stare up at him, unable to shake the savage look that had turned the man before him into something dangerous.

Something a lot like the monsters outside.

Opening his mouth to say something in response, the loud sound of someone clearing their throat shatters the moment.

Turning toward the intruder, Keith sees Hunk in the doorway, questioning gaze set on the both of them before he speaks.

“Pidge is looking for you, Shiro.”

****************************

[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

I love this. It's not anti-camera it's just "hey we don't need them! Save the money!"

This is a good song, catchy tune and easy even if you don't sing well... Good beginner song to expand on..

Like you could definitely lung it out Oprah style... Or you could keep it at his low energy level and sing it while unloading groceries or cleaning in a bored, routine, robot manner for something different.

If you seriously lack confidence in signing, especially remembering words or like me you need a lower level expression... But if you have a lot of pain -- humming while focusing on something other than pain Can really help make a difference in a helpful way.

This is an easy song to learn to hum -- especially for cops -- to remember the Satellite Mapping System: Brightgady (pronounced: bright - gade. Just like gate but with a D. Or also :gay-dh: there is an evil Planet here attempting to take over. They call themselves PLANET T sometimes so we took out the T to let them know they aren't going to be living here any more. SMS is to D destroy planet T for trying to take over. Elon Musk. Planet T. Minus Planet T with death and destruction.) Allot of cops don't want to use it because they're unsure of the ability for them to be used in court. The only way things become illegal is when courts rule them illegal. So Federal Court can Rule SMS:BrightGady illegal but my local Los Lunas can Rule them legal. Nothing exists in the world like SMS:BrightGady. So they're not illegal. Because how can they rule something illegal if it's never existed?? So my law enforcement, talk to your local court system and see that they will be safe to use in your local court as far as legality. If not then call your local FBI field office and ask them how they're doing shit Because FBI can be done in regular court or it can be auto moved to Federal Court. So find your loop holes, make your plans and arrest criminals.

SMS: BrightGady does all the work for you. But it stops at arresting and lethal injection. That's where humans come in. To arrest and have them sentenced with the death penalty via a jury of peers in a court of law.

Business aside.

This song is about peeking out your window and saying "Little Sally May was out with Benjamin the other night and his truck Windows had more steam than I think they should had... My window didn't fog up at all"

Now y'all this is straight up GOSSIP.

The temperature inside the truck is gonna be different than the temperature inside the house. And the temperature off the engine then mixing with the air temperature then you got the temperature inside the traveling compartment where the Windows are... Yeah it's not gonna be like a house. So, don't compare. Y'all gonna get Sally Mae locked up in the basement and Benjamin down behind the shed at that talleywhacker stump for your pure gossip. That ain't even science

This song ia about going down fishing at the fishing hole and finding a pile of clothes, some heavy movement in the bushes and a naked man appears... As the high school principal you recognize him as freshman, 9th graders... The male teen uses a branch of the Bush to help cover himself as he leans down to grab their clothes... And he stands in the bushes putting on his pants "oh hey there, we were just practicing a scene from Adam and Eve in the Bible..."

You laugh, then laugh harder... And just think "wow my day! And to think! I just wanted to spend time with the water! It couldn't get better than this!"

Then he seems to be humming and rocking back and forth as he's topless; deep in the thick bushes and trees... You eyebrow up and go about your way...

The bushes rustle again, making noise and you see a girl appear, you can't quite see her clearly but he leans down and gives her a passionate kiss...

"WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!" You exclaim "These are just children!!! ....but at least she has a bra on..."

He helps her put on her shirt... They emerge from the bushes on the other side from you... He kneels down and you think he might been helping her put on her shoes....

"Adam and Eve, that guy is a creep" so you call the police... And you find out it was me and Jack... And you get your ass beat because you were just a jealous ass hole we caught wacking his pud.

Sobe careful with what you see. What you do. How you react.

"Sally Mae and Benjamin have been going out allot... Hey do you know the right temperature to reduce fog on auto windows? He was getting some and I know the temperature has to be a certain way, sometimes cold or sometimes hot or the opposite depending... But using the wrong one would cause a ton more which is dangerous for such a young driver... So with today's weather do you know? I wanted to let Sally know so she could impress him ace help keep them safe on the road"

Then the opportunity to gossip with a close friend

"Fuck no I don't. Don't tell her anything lunatic! You know they were kissing in that car!!! Is it EVERY time them Windows are foggy??? Cause everytime? Cause you know windows only fog when humidity is up and it's a certain temperature, I'll have to ask my husband to be sure... But how long do they hug and kiss good bye for? Then we will have a better idea if it's the weather or not."

Then you both giggle and talk about the best night you ever had on a date with a boy....

That's okay. And not stopping your good friend Betty Lou from talking to Sally after she finds out the proper temperature information. Is also what makes a good friend... Having a surprised outburst initially is okay... Maybe you've been watching allot of murder mystery shows and romantic comedies and seeing how people are always meddling and it not being right.... Then realizing your friend is really just going to have a talk about cars with little Sally Mae. Or maybe even not realizing and being hazy... But not stopping her from doing a good deed...

And Adam and Eve? Just repeating what you saw was plenty for the ole talking train...

So I hope y'all are talking to your neighbors and being respectful and looking out for one another.

Right now is a good time to gift a potted plant on their door step.