#(or is this also a midlife crisis? >:/ gotta learn—)
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zu-is-here · 28 days ago
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During the post dark cream arc where Cross was pregnant with Aim, is it possible for Aim to mive and kick while in the soul…? And if so is it painful for Cross+
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continuing @clownyclowns' comic's topic <3
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mrstsung · 7 months ago
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Omfg these shang tsung pics be sending me
Cw: mini vent in there. Srry bout that.
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Especially this last one. Omfg the face and reaction is how i feel about mk12/mk1
* (and personal vent here but the fact people just seems to me,never liked or truly appreciated shang until he was turned way younger and it pisses me off and grosses me out that people are obsessed with alan lees shang tsung's appearance,yet don't appreciate shang tsung as a character truly. Like honey i find shang hot young or old,but especially that dilf look,and love his complex character as well,we are not the fucking same,like i feel so much more can be done with his character yet people are too damn scaredy cat on it to do it properly. Also plz be normal about mr.alan lee,he doesn't deserve to be hounded by horny fangirls/guys like that,plz be normal about his shang tsung at least try to. He has amazing talent,he's a cool dude it seems,but damn man. Chill. I could say the same for Mr.Tagawa, tho that man has earned his dues and deserves rest and respect. I dunno man i just feel nobody truly loves the character and if they cant love him at his dilf and gilf look. Then they don't deserve him young,scholarly, and college guy age. Also it concerns me they gotta make everyone so young. It's disturbing. More so cuz there's no natural facelines or wrinkles or anything. It feel fake and airbrushed. Mk12/mk1 is so gross on the faces to me. Mk11 felt like fucking real people because they actually used face models. And it was better. Because maybe it's me but when they go freehand,it feels fake,wonky,and grossly dated and it's supposed to be a "new" game? Like i dunno maybe it's just me. But there's no shame in using actual references. But they dont wanna pay them and they wanna use them without giving them body autonomy. That's the problem. And that's where this becomes an issue. If they learned,they'd actually give the characters face lines and not make them so young and babyfaced and maybe im tired of games having people look like they are going thru a midlife crisis? I just feel mk11 didn't deserve the hate it got. And i am guilty i admit for harsh judgment. And i apologize. But i never knew the mk12/mk1 game was gonna be THAT bad. But it did,and it is,and for that i gotta say on a final note. Fuck 12.) *
But mk11 shang tsung,mk11 aftermath especially. His facial expressions are priceless.
And i feel it needs to be talked about more the charisma shang has in mk11. (Again not saying he never had it. He does. But nobody does sassy,rizz worthy,bad guy swagger lioe cary hiroyuki tagawa. Im sorry.)
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jojotier · 2 years ago
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thinking Extremely Hard about a Mamma Mia!-stuck au like:
- Dave originally being a director and having essentially raised Dirk but without the water apocalypse his midlife crisis hits Hard, so he gives away most of the money, buys an island, and creates a lil resort on it, which that’s cool!! He can handle it!!! But now the remainder of the money is in Dirk’s college fund so okay, he’s fallen on some financial straits, but he can still keep the place up and running.
- Dirk helps out and gets them online but eventually comes the day where he meets Jake and then after that comes the day when they decide to sail the world together. Dirk’s ready to go whenever except Dave would be left with the resort all on his lonesome. And Dave is visibly buckling under the stress.
- So Dirk’s trying to figure out how to get this asshole some help when he stumbles on The Notebook.
- The Notebook is actually a Journal which is actually a Diary, Dave’s old diary, and there’s some illicit details in there that Dirk wishes he could scrub from his memory forever, but it proves useful because it mentions that years and years ago, he brought three separate love interests to the island before they all ran off and broke his fuckin’ heart. And now Dirk’s got the gears turning in his brain.
- So Dirk goes to Jake and says hey. I want a wedding. Let’s get married. and Jake’s like ???? okay ?????? what brought this on and Dirk’s like Do I need a reason to have a wedding.
- And Dirk of course is sending letters to the three love interests, posing as Dave, to invite them to Dirk’s wedding. Best case scenario, one of the assholes reconnects with his brother and he won’t be so lonely. Even better case scenario, Dirk can guilt trip the FUCK out of all three of them for breaking his brother’s heart and get Money off of it to give to Dave
- So who are the love interests? Glad you asked!
- You have June, once a childhood friend now estranged, and now also a famous comedian- she might have talked to Dave once or twice after everything, but once Dave fucked off the map, there were no more opportunities to even try to bring up what’d happened between them
- You have Karkat, once someone he fell into a relationship hard and fast, now a famous romance novelist and screenwriter. Is he still an alien? Fuck if I know, but the point is, their break up was messy enough that Dave never contacted him again, and Karkat’s got a shit ton of regrets
- Now my gut reaction for number 3 is Jade, but I’m not entirely sure, since I’m not sure how her relation to Jake is in this yet hbkj. Likely a famous scientist and adventurer at this point.
- If not Jade we could probs do Terezi in that slot? Or else pare it down to just the two love interests lol anyway not important rn
- Point is, once they get there, Dirk is doing double time trying to keep Dave from finding out that Dirk’s the one who invited the love interests, pretending to be excited for a wedding he’s only staging to parent trap his bro, trying to keep Jake from knowing that he’s only staging this to parent trap his bro because he’s afraid Jake will believe the relationship was Only there so Dirk could use their relationship as an excuse even though he still loves Jake, and not-so-subtly implying that Dave’s stress is all these chucklefucks’ fault, so like. Pay up.
- Meanwhile Dave has no knowledge of what the fuck’s happening and has just learned that Dirk wants to have a wedding, actually, which while coming out of left field Dave’s actually pretty excited for. As far as Dave’s concerned, he’ll never have a big white wedding of his own, so it’s probably fine to live vicariously through his lil bro right? Just a little? Meaning he’s gotta get this shit on Lockdown
- and, predictably, Shenanigans Ensue.
- and I have no idea who Dave ends up with.
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hamburgerhowdy · 1 year ago
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Don't be boring with your midlife crisis and buy a sports car. Go hard. Learn magic. Lease a falcon. Start a cult. Are people worried about you? Sure. But are they also a little curious? Yeah man sign them up for the cult, you gotta make those falcon payments
Nah, that sounds like some Artie shit.
I say start a speakeasy only accessible through a series of secret doors in the back of a rundown bookstore in the bad part of town, but instead of a 1920s vibe, it's made up like an '80s biker bar.
...okay, maybe a bit of a 1920s vibe mixed in. Get some genre-blending bullshit up in there.
Ooh! Ooh! And all the barkeeps get t' dress in costume. Any costume they like. Renaissance fair? Sexy firefighter? Slasher movie? Comic books? Theme changes every week, and ya only get to know the theme if ya got the secret knock and codeword.
#ic
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kafkaoftherubble · 1 year ago
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Yo, other than the intrigue and the enthusiasm for Sukuna (mine is much, much lower than yours 😝) you spoke the words outta me mouth!
Sukuna? To me, he's an interesting villain, but not the most interesting character I care about. I am shamelessly pro-Yuta pro-Gojo (welp this one's gone) and lowkey pro-Hakari and pro-Yuji and pro-Higgy (oops another one gone). Yuta's eyebags supremacy!
Him as a source of philosophical tension was rather surprising to me, not gonna lie, but when I really think about it... It actually is in line with Gege's (also surprising) penchant to sneak philosophy in under the flashy stuff.
However, I think Sukuna's waxing philosophy is only more... substantive if he has actual philosophical foils or counters to play off with. Him v. Jogo and him v Gojo, to me, were great showcases. Due to my personal interest, Sukuna v. Gojo back then had been really meaty because I could draw it to Buddhist philosophy, particularly on the doctrine of "the self" and "non-self." I'm quite infamous for being rather into this whole shebang, heh! Two or three of my friends have already suffered impromptu lectures regarding Buddhism.
Don't ask me for that ramble though! First off, the best person to spout it was the Lyns of Last Year, because they were the ones who had the most thoughts and cohesive points for it. The me now? My head's currently dominated by Ajin: Demi-human and... Astral Chain, which isn't even that deep, haha! I can't cook a good ramble regarding this at the moment!!!
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I did save (screenshot) some exchanges I had on the YouTube comment section back when Sukuna V. Gojo was at its peak. The gentleman I was speaking to was pretty learned in Buddhism too, so we had a really great conversation interpreting the philosophical underpinning of that fight. I intended to transfer it here to make it part of my rambles, but I hadn't gotten the time, and now I'm a bit lacking on the will, heh heh 😅/scratches head. Nonetheless, I do wanna revisit that conversation and at least toss it out here someday for people who snort meta essays like coke. I just... need time... and the willingness... and the intent... and the impetus... and the... Gojo... I mean maybe I'm just waiting for more info about Sukuna and his thought process? Oh, yea. That's gotta be the excuse reason!
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I wasn't too impressed with the conversation between Sukuna and Hajime "Twinkachu" Kashimo, though. I think it's because I find Kashimo's characterization kinda... off when you compare it to his throwdown with Hakari. It was quite the whiplash for me.
Sukuna made his own life philosophy much clearer in that conversation, I'll give you that—personally, it harkens to the Daoist idea of 无为 (Wuwei, "effortless effort"). But the concept of 无为 is so flexible and malleable that it encompasses many different interpretations, ranging from morality and ethics, to statecraft and politics, to strategy and tactics, to supernatural pursuits and metaphysics. Personally, I don't think Sukuna's way of practicing 无为 (if we would even call it that!) is actually as noble and enlightened as some others in r/Jujutsushi made it sound; eating other humans, for example, is hardly concise with the sort of natural order Daoism stresses.
And yea, I was no fan of how the fight between Kashimo and Sukuna ended. Maybe it covered the beats Gege wanted, I don't know. I just didn't feel rewarded.
The one good thing about that fight, though, is that it sets up for Sukuna's midlife crisis moment in c248! I laughed when I saw its glory unfold! I have never thought of him as the type to do a whole-ass monologue, but man, his hate game for Yuji is so strong it sends him into an internal debate because "fucking brat learned RCT?! Fucking brat... has that cursed shonen superpower called INDOMITABLE WILL?! What am I here for?! I hate the fact that I almost praise him! Aaarghhhhhh"
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Yea, I really did not like the way the Courtroom fight ended! Worse, we seemed to have traded that Legal Battle for old-fashioned throwing hands, and yet even that was unsatisfactory. Higgy just died like that after taking away Sukuna's baby rattle. The Executioner Sword was a dud (we expected that, but I really had hoped it was a dud in a more... creative way). The whole sequence was, to me, as big of a waste as Kashimo v. Sukuna. And it really made me even sicker of this four-armed son of a Gege.
Also, hear-hear on Kenjaku bowing out of the story! Nowhere did any of us in the past ever think that was the last of Kenny because of how unceremonious it was; I just thought it was a fake-out! Dude is the other tether to the Heian Era! He's... Yuji and Choso's parent! There is so much more to be learned about, come on! Even if Sukuna ended up becoming the link to Heian past (through flashbacks or something), it still wouldn't necessarily tell us more about Kenny's relationship with Tengen. I get that we have learned enough about Kenny as a person, but he's also a really good device for us to learn about the period he was from.
I really hope that's not the end of Kenny. I really, really do. I commend the protagonists for finally scoring a win by outsmarting a talking brain, but can it not be at the cost of exploring a wee bit more about JJK lore? Or even more about Yuji himself? Come on!
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Finally, of course. I'm a (begrudging, do-not-want-to-admit-it) Gojo fan. I do get excited thinking about him possibly making a comeback, preferably in a genius, nani-the-fuck-is-this way par Shibuya Incident's ingenuity. Or just... him coming back, period. But well, part of me is rather worried about its execution (if it happens). It will definitely be hyped as fuck—internet-breaking, even, just like c236 was—but will it come at a cost of the story's philosophy and themes?
Ah, I'm so torn.
I hope I didn't mistake you for someone else, but I think you're the other mutual I have who's into JJK, right? I only have two mutuals who reads JJK ahahahha. So it should be you...
Have ya read the (albeit terribly-translated) leaks for C248 yet? Thoughts?
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Yes I am the other JJK mutual lol, you weren’t mistaken! I have read the leaks, but I usually wait till TCB scanlations and then official translations (although I hate official translations, John Werry really needs to be replaced) so I can compare them and come to a conclusion about my thoughts.
I’m a bit more ready to negatively criticize JJK than most, but I do so because I know Gege is capable of really good writing. Shibuya is one of the best written arcs I’ve seen, and the philosophy and themes aren’t new but they are written in ways that are intriguing to me.
Sukuna is one of my favorite characters, but the mass Sukuna v. Everyone fight has steadily become more and more boring to me. There’s only so many times I can be “off the edge of my seat” with constant deaths and death scares and “Sukuna defeat” close calls before I just become blasé to it. I was expecting there to be many deaths (it is a war after all), I was expecting Sukuna to be difficult (He is known as the most powerful sorcerer for a reason), but it feels less like a battle of tension and cunning and more close to levels of “last season of Game of Thrones” writing (although not nearly as egregious, Gege is still a competent writer and he clearly is trying to tie this up as best as he can).
The Kenjaku v Takaba fight is, no joke, one of my favorite fights in the series. I think it’s a wonderful display of how cunning Sorcerers need to be whilst showing the creativity of the power system Gege has made. And I think that’s what I feel is missing from the Sukuna fight, or is steadily disappearing. Sukuna is meant to be cunning, he’s meant to be smart, but it feels less like he’s winning because he’s cunning and more because he’s winning because well…Gege needs him to for tension reasons.
The court room fight is a good example of this. Lord I would’ve loved to see Sukuna utilize his intelligence to overcome Higuruma’s domain, it would’ve been much more satisfying than Sukuna getting that one weapon confiscated and the whole fight just ending in like 4 panels and that’s that.
I also will be majorly rankled if Kenjaku is actually dead and gone. There is no reason they should be as Kenjaku, the person that prepared for this whole debacle for over 800 years, is much more cunning than to just be killed by a decapitation. I think it’s fair to say that Kenjaku is the main overarching villain, none of this would be happening if it wasn’t for them, nor would Sukuna be here either. To kill then off as if they were some dumb goon obstacle boss would be an insult to their character. Kenjaku’s connections to the Heian era, to Tengen, to Yuuji and Choso, is too valuable for them to just be gone.
Anyways, I’m intrigued to see where this will go and what Sukuna will do know that he has the ability to go forward with the Merger. Although I’m confused on why he would even bother doing that or what interest he would have in that.
I’m also interested to see where Gege is trying to go when it comes to themes of love, power, and loneliness when it comes to Sukuna. The theme of “it is lonely to be at the top” is budding into something intriguing, which is why I think Sukuna is fascinating to me. I don’t care to much about his fights, and more of him as a philosophical figure, because he his quite philosophical in and outside of fights. His ending conversation with Kashimo was quite cool. He also can’t stop being very homoerotic towards the enemies he fights and defeats. It’s funny to see hm having fun and being satisfied by an opponent and then being sent into a philosophical crisis over human emotion.
Also I am always fascinated by Gojo fans absolute hope in Gojo coming back. I think this chapter sent them into more of a fervor, I am rooting for them it would be funny to see honestly.
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jisungsmochi · 4 years ago
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nct dream reaction - pissing you off
short little scenarios of you getting pissed off at the members and how they’d react
MARK:
tbh he wouldn’t even realise it was a proper argument until you raised your voice
he would be like 👁👄👁
he’s pretty clueless, so when he saw you storm off to your room he was like
“oh shit what did i do?”
would probably assume that you needed your space
so he’d brainstorm things to say once you were ready to talk to him again
would consider begging on his knees but didn’t want you to end up laughing at him or anything
he’d rethink over the situation and try and identify what he said/did
once you came out of your room, mark would be right infront of you
he barely gave you time to breathe before he blurts:
“i’m sorry that i was being an idiot before. i didn’t realise how insensitive i was”
you would almost forgive him in an instant i mean
he’s mark lee
but you would still explain to him how you felt, and mark would be all ears!
he’s definitely someone who wants to grow as a person
who learns from his mistakes
also never wants you to be mad at him, you were a bit scary hehe
RENJUN:
he can be a bit confrontational (i mean have you seen him rage at some of the members?)
so when he pisses you off, he would try and brushes it off as you being sensitive
but inside he knew he fucked up
depending on the situation, renjun would have a certain level of stubbornness
it prevented him from apologising first
he would try and speak to you like nothing happened the next day
but once you gave him to cold shoulder he was like
“oh no they didn’t”
is not the grovelling type but will definitely make his presence known to you
he would trail behind you throughout the apartment you shared
whether it be in the kitchen or in the living room, he needed you to look at him or atleast acknowledge he existed
eventually you were fed up with him always following you, so you snapped
once he heard the real reason you were upset, he immediately regretted it
quick to make it up to you tho
in any form of forgiveness you wanted!
this time it was in sweet treats from the local cafe
JENO:
he would rarely piss you off but in the case he does
he takes the situation really seriously
part of him wants to resolve it instantly
so he’d badger you until you snapped,
“i really don’t want you around me right now”
“but you need talk to me, we can’t be mad at eachother for long”
but honestly sometimes you just gotta work through things separately
so you distance yourself
he gets really worried, probably an over thinker
this leads him to slip into a phase of sadness himself
calls the older members to vent, wanting nothing more but to see you happy again
once you got over it, you’d see him curled up on his bed all weepy
“hey, i’m not mad anymore, we can talk it out”
he’d hold out his arms, begging you to hold him
you’d basically be the big spoon as you explain why you were upset with him
felt like an idiot after hearing it, opting to making it up to you by giving you plenty of kisses
HAECHAN:
could drive you insane sometimes
one day he takes one of his pranks too far and you just completely shut off from him
immediate silent treatment
ofc he doesn’t take it seriously, still trying to prank you / annoy you into talking to him again
but you stood your ground, the only words leaving your mouth were ‘leave me alone’
he knew he had to respect your space, but it didn’t stop him from feeling awful
he’d probably brainstorm ideas about how to get you to give him attention again
whether it was knocking on your door while cooing endearing pet names that you liked
or singing to you (he knew you loved whenever he sang hehe)
eventually you’d pull open the door and envelope him in a huge hug
“okay so now that we’ve made up, don’t tell the guys all this stuff i did for you okay? i’m gonna get teased!”
“uhhh too late, sent an audio message of you singing to me, to the group chat oops”
he would tackle you on the ground while pecking your cheeks
JAEMIN:
i see him getting mad at you for being mad at him
like he doesn't realise that he's being lowkey childish
he would let you have time to yourself, mainly also giving himself time to stop being mad at you lmao
he then realised that he may or may not have messed up
really doesn’t know if he should apologise asap or leave you be
the lovey dovey side of jaemin wants to cuddle you and kiss you and mumble apologises over and over
but right now he wasn’t sure if that’s what you wanted
goes through a midlife crisis honestly
tries to talk to you a few times but you’d just mumble back to him or just shrug it off
he eventually was like, nope enough
barges into your room, walks right over to you and says
“i’m sorry okay? i’m really freaking sorry now please stop being sad, my heart aches”
you’d look up at him, softly pouting which only added to his guilt
but as soon as he stepped closer to you, and you saw how apologetic he was
you could hold up the act anymore
he engulfed you into a warm hug, mumbling
“my baby can’t be mad at me, right? you love me too much, and i love you even more”
would pepper you with kisses and stay by your side for the rest of the day
CHENLE:
doesn’t realise you’re actually pissed off
honestly thinks you’re just trying to be all petty
until you refuse a hug from him, that’s when he’s like ‘oh fuck’
chenle wasn’t overly affectionate with you, so when you denied his hug, he knew something was up
becomes a clueless baby
really doesn’t know how to get you to talk to him again
considers asking the other members for advice but he’s got trust issues with them lmao
he just waits it out, probably tries to google some advice oop
but you don’t stay too mad for long so when you see him again
he’s sitting on the couch, head in hands, softly scolding himself for making you mad
you just go up to him and attack him with a hug
you both have a long talk about what to do if the other person is mad
after you’d watch movies while cuddling hehe
JISUNG:
god deadass the others would have to spell out that you were mad at him
once you stormed out of the room during a group hang out, jisung shrugged it off
jeno: “uhh dude aren’t you going to ask if they’re okay?”
jisung: “wdym, they just went to the toilet?”
jaemin: “my god, do we have to tell you everything?”
he walked to his bedroom where you were seated on his bed
he was about to walk in before you rushed to close the door but he stopped it before you could
“you seem mad, are you okay?”
“no i’m not, jisung. i would like some space”
he goes back to the others, really worried at this point
he knew he needed to make sure you were good before he could even consider going on with the rest of the day
eventually the rest leave
he knocks on the door repeatedly, waiting for a response
you open the door slightly, hiding your face
“i-i’m sorry that i upset you, please talk to me, i can’t leave you sad” he pouts
you pull him into the room, burying yourself into his chest as he slowly hugged you back
“it’s okay, i just needed time to calm down, sung.”
you both sat on the bed together, going over the events that led to what made you mad
jisung appreciated how you explained it to him, he just liked the fact you were talking to him again :)
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tumbleweedmemes · 3 years ago
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drew gooden sentence starters
sentences from youtuber drew gooden’s videos.
“i was just wondering, since i guess you’re going to be gone for a while, could i crash here?”
“why would i have a picture of you on the wall of my office?”
“yeah, but i feel like you turned into a dog.”
“i can’t touch my boys?”
“well, i saw some markers, and then i just started drawing on my face.”
“here’s a butt--i don’t know who’s that is, but don’t touch that.”
“almost everything i say, at all times, is stupid.”
“my doctor says it’s a bad idea to get out of my chair.”
“i plead beethoven’s fifth!”
“i feel like with this one i was having like a midlife crisis at the age of twenty.”
“i think i was still learning how to like, be in a relationship even though that was like my fifth one.”
“if everything you do is ironic, then what’s real?”
“you see, the way my brain works is that it doesn’t.”
“sorry, dad, i can’t have dinner with you this year... i need to sit at my computer so i can sign up for a scam.”
“i just got scammed out of getting scammed.”
“i turned it on... and then blacked out after about four seconds and woke up in my bathtub covered in sweat.”
“the things i would do that that hunk of plastic.”
“instead of two people kissing in front of a christmas tree, what if they were screaming at each other at a macaroni grill?”
“i’m all for out-of-the-box thinking, but... no.”
“sure, maybe my body has a few too many orifices for your liking, but that’s not always a bad thing.”
“he’s the perfect guy: handsome, charitable, causes scenes in restaurants, tall.”
“don’t get me started on the socks.”
“ladies, if you’re trying to get a boyfriend, don’t forget you gotta have skin! and a mouth! if you don’t have skin or a mouth, you’re not gonna get a boyfriend.”
“the keys to popularity are to dress well, be bisexual, and just don’t get into any trouble.”
“honey, how do i put this politely, if i were to come home tonight and discovered your dead body on the floor, the only emotion i would feel is relief.”
“nothing like a nice, warm, afternoon cup of... nothing.”
“hey, guys, i’m sick. and because i’m sick, i think i’m a little angrier than i normally am.”
“everything i’ve eaten today has tasted awful, i slept like shit last night, also when i was brushing my tongue this morning, i put the toothbrush back too far--which i do sometimes, and i’ll usually gag--but this was such a violent gag my throat hurt for like fifteen minutes, and even though that happened a few hours ago, i’m still pissed about it.”
“‘seems to be delicious’ is something a robot would say if he saw food for the first time, and was trying to convey to a human that he’s not really a robot.”
“i knew that, i am a human.”
“the last time i had a bagel that i didn’t toast was, um--i have never done that.”
“what are we, we’re fighting a nuclear war out there and we’re worried about how to cut a bagel? we’re lucky we even have bagels to cut however which way we want.”
“i dice my bagels. and i eat them like little--like m&ms.”
“call it controversy, but i think this is pretty stupid.”
“maybe i’ll get sick more often, so i can be an asshole about stuff and complain more.”
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avengers-age-of-fanfics · 4 years ago
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just for you, honeybee (2/?)
pairing: bucky barnes x reader, steve rogers x reader (platonic)
word count: 2,107
authors note: second part of this ongoing series! i still don't know how many parts this is going to be but i seriously want to finish this lmao. hopefully this will be a series i actually complete! please leave feedback - i truly appreciate it!
warnings: mention of bucky's death, uncontrollable sobbing, character death, a few curse words
summary: dating back to 1943, you, james barnes, and steve rogers were best friends, including bucky being your boyfriend. when you get a notice that bucky died in the war, you make it your mission to find closure for yourself and protect steve as he is the only remaining piece of bucky you have left. once you are offered the super soldier serum, you and steve must make your way through world war 2 - and the unknown future hardships to come.
recap: Steve seemed shocked that you were able to read him like that, but was defeated. With a sigh, he turned and reached into his handbag, pulling out a file, “there was this Doctor there, Doctor Erskine, who uh – he approved me for the army, y/n. But it’s for an experiment, something they call a super-soldier experiment, I’m not sure. I’m going – I leave in a couple days.”
How is your world falling apart this quickly?
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Sending Steve off was honestly just as painful as it was when Bucky was shipped off. You didn’t want to guilt-trip Steve into staying – you knew how important it was to him to join the army and do something. However, now you were completely alone. You knew you had Becca and you could always write to Bucky and Steve, but it just wasn’t the same.
Both of your boys were gone.
Once Steve had told you about this super-soldier serum experiment, you chewed his ear off for a good 10 minutes. It was brutal, to say the least, and while pacing in your small living room, Steve sat in his seat, hands folded as he waited for you to finish.
This was his final chance to get into the army and while he hated the idea of leaving you, he needed to do something, not only with his life, but with the army. He needed to prove himself. He knew you could take care of yourself – you were independent and a firecracker – there was nothing you couldn’t do. However, while slowly trying to convince himself that you would be okay, Steve was also having a midlife crisis of his own friendship with Bucky. If he found out he left you alone while the both of them were at war, Steve knew Bucky’s reaction wasn’t going to be great.
Once you were done tearing Steve a new one, telling him that you supported him all the way, but you honestly wished he would stay – and possibly called him a dipshit in between all of that – you calmed down. With a quiet voice, you looked to Steve, “can I at least send you off?”
Steve felt his cheeks grow warm and let a smile slip onto his lips, “I would be honored if my biggest fan were there.”
You shoved his shoulder lightly, “shut it, you fat-head. C’mon, we gotta get you all dolled up.”
While it was just as painful to see Steve go, you knew he’d be in good hands and wouldn’t do anything too stupid. You had told him sternly, “I want the name of your commanding officer, his commanding officer, and any fat-headed buffoons that are in charge at your camp, okay?”
Steve had shaken his head, “yes mom, whatever you say.” His eyes rolled but he had a smile on his face, “just so you can keep an eye on me?”
You hummed, “that, and to know whose ass I hav’ta kick if anything happens to you, Stevie. And if you see Bucky, you tell him I love him, you hear?”
Steve saluted before he headed towards the platform, “love ya, y/n!”
You had a small smile on your life, “love you too, Rogers. Kill some Nazis for me.”
That interaction was nearly 6 months ago, and every day felt like a new hill you had to climb over. You sent postcards to both Steve and Bucky in hopes that they would respond every time you sent one, but that wasn’t the case. You weren’t mad, nor upset, just lonely. Steve had let you know that the serum worked and he had been reunited with Bucky after taking over a HYDRA base where you learned Buck was captured. God, that letter caused you so much turmoil and anxiety, but Steve had calmed your fears, letting you know that Bucky was okay. You had also recognized his handwriting at the end, “can’t get rid of me that easily, honeybee. I love you.”
You hadn’t heard from them in a couple weeks, and your anxiety was beginning to show. Nothing new had happened, so you truly had no reason to write to them, but you did anyway, just updating them both on your life and how much you missed them. You had seen Captain America’s tours and his posters all over Brooklyn, and you were so proud of your Steve.
But it was weird seeing him so tall and…built.
Tearing your eyes away from another Captain America poster with his boys behind him, you continued your journey to some local shops, stocking up on groceries and possibly a new pair of shoes. Brooklyn was quiet today, which was certainly odd; there was nothing ominous about it, but it was not something anyone there was used to.
Hands skimming through some plums, you picked one that you knew Bucky would love. With a soft smile, you put the fruit in your basket, continuing through the store until you heard quiet whispers:
“Are you sure he’s here? The Captain America?”
“Mary, I told you, I saw him clear as day; no clue where the man was headin’, but he’s here.”
“Is there a tour or somethin’ here in Brooklyn?”
“Mary…I ain’t no mind reader, he could be stoppin’ by before he goes back off to war.”
Your heart nearly exploded out of your chest. Steve was here, back in Brooklyn? Wait – if Steve was here, then Bucky could be, too!
Quickly dropping the items you had in your hands, you ran out of the grocery store as fast as your heels would let you, passing by Grover in such a rush, he couldn’t even say hello. Crossing the street in a hurry, you grabbed your purse tightly and ran up your apartment fire escape stairs. Once you reached your floor, you grabbed your key and opened the door, being met with your Steve Grant Rogers and a very beautiful woman dressed in an army’s uniform.
“I – holy shit, Steve – oh my god,” you stumbled, out of breath as Steve stood up, towering over you, “I thought you were smaller.”
Steve stepped forward, hands out in case you fell or needed a hug, “side effect of that serum I told you about, remember?” The woman behind him gave Steve a look at the mention.
You caught your breath, “give me a hug, you doofus! Oh my gosh, those letters do you no good – nor do the posters!”
The two of you embraced as Steve held you in his arms, careful of his trembling hands, “’used my spare key, hope you don’t mind.”
You ran your hands over his back and his hair, “I get to see my best friend again, I don’t care how you got in here. Now, where’s Jamie, I – I need’ta see him.”
Steve pulled away and laid his hands on your shoulders, “actually, I wanted you to meet someone before… this is uh, Peggy Carter, she’s an agent of that Strategic Scientific Reserve for the serum and one of the best. Peg, this is y/n, the one who wrote to me and…Bucky, all the time.”
Peggy stood up, hand outstretched towards you as you shook hers, “nice to finally meet you, y/n. Steve here talked lots about you.”
You didn’t fail to notice her solemn look and the file of papers tucked underneath her other arm, “it’s, um, nice to meet you too, Agent Carter.”
The three of you stood in silence as Steve guided you to the remaining chair in the living room. With a bite to your lip, you turned towards Peggy, “I hate to be so forward, Agent, but I’ve seen those files before. I know what – what they mean.”
“Y/N,“ Steve began, “please let her –“
You cut Steve off, “Stevie…where is James?” Your eyes immediately started to fill with tears but you held them back for the sake of your own.
Peggy cleared her throat, “Miss L/N, there was a mission that included James Buchanan Barnes and during that mission, a part of the train that the soldiers were riding on exploded. Amongst the fight, we believe Barnes –“
Steve stopped her, “Peg, she – she doesn’t need to know how…”
Tears escaped your eyes as you looked at your best friend, “Stevie… Is he..?”
Steve ran his hands over his face, “he – he was hangin’ onto the side of the train, y/n, and I let him fall. I couldn’t reach him and…”
The rest of Steve’s story fell upon deaf ears. No, not deaf ears, but ones that were ringing. Bucky was dead. He was dead. He fell off a train and was dead. He wasn’t coming home.
Bucky wasn’t coming home to you.
At that revelation, your body began to shake uncontrollably as the tears fell from your eyes, unable to be stopped. You tried to breathe but the pressure on your chest was unbearable. You tried to look at Steve, but your eyes were so blurry, “St-“
No words left your mouth, only the sounds of your sobbing. Steve leaped forward, wrapping his arms around you as you cried, screamed for Bucky, for your Jamie.
"No, no, not James! Steve, please!" you cried, falling onto the floor with Steve as he held you.
Peggy let her own tear slip, overwhelmed with your reaction. Leaving his dog tags, his files, and a medal on your table, she stepped out of your apartment.
Mrs. Betty Davis stepped out of her apartment just as Peggy shut the door, hoping nobody heard your cries and screams for James. Mrs. Davis looked to Peggy, “that boy, Barnes… he never came home?”
Peggy wiped her stray tear and cleared her throat, “I’m afraid not, ma’am. He died an honorable death, taking down a,” she paused, “a Nazi base.”
Mrs. Davis shifted her gaze to the door where she could clearly hear you crying and yelling for Bucky, that he wasn’t dead. She looked down to her welcome mat, “he was a good man, always takin’ care of that girl. His heart beat for her, he turned her world. Wouldn’t surprise anyone if he had a ring lyin’ around. She was just as in love with him as he was her.”
Peggy’s eyes filled up with tears as your neighbor explained you and Bucky’s love for one another, “I had only met him once but he… he seemed genuinely good.”
Mrs. Davis gave a sad smile, “he was. Thank you…for letting me know.” Peggy nodded at her.
Back inside, your tears had stained Steve’s shirt as he held you close, “I know y/n, I – I know. I got you.”
You had stopped screaming for Bucky, but your hands shook as they held onto Steve, fresh tears still running down your cheeks. With a shaky breath, you grasped onto Steve’s shirt, “do – do you think he was in pain?”
Steve let his own tears slip but held his own, “I don’t know y/n, but I’d like to think he wasn’t. He – uh – he told me, before he fell… he told me to tell his honeybee that he loves you so, so much and he – he wanted you to have his tags.”
You pulled away from Steve’s chest, looking at him in slight confusion, “his…tags?” It had then dawned on you:
Bucky wanted you to have his dog tags from the army.
Feeling a new thread of tears about to be shed, your lip quivered but you covered it up, glancing over the room until you saw the file Peggy had sat on the table. With shaky hands, you leaned towards your coffee table – the one that Bucky would rest his feet upon all the time until you smacked them off – and grabbed the file. Opening it up, you immediately saw his army identification photo and his dog tags hanging in the middle of the file.
You shut the flimsy piece of paper before you could cry anymore. Turning to Steve, you noticed his eyes were also red from crying, “what now?”
Steve and you now sat on the floor, backs resting on one of your chairs, “I hav’ta finish what I started, with Johann Schmidt and Zola. Can I be honest with you?”
You nodded your head, wiping your remaining tears on your shirt, “of – of course Steve.”
He let out a shaky breath, “I wish I could take away your pain, but I can’t. Before Buck was shipped off, I promised him I would take care of you, and right now, I need to be here for you. So, if you want to, I can ask Peg if you can come along with us, with me, and once I’m done, we can… we can do whatever you want to do.”
You picked at your nails, anxiety swallowing you whole, “and what if you don’t make it back, either?”
“I will.”
-
Honeybee Taglist:
@clownerlyluv
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elk-ambrose-scott-writing · 4 years ago
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Top Five Favourite Classic Books
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Genre: Adventure
Author: Jack London
When it was published: 1906
Plot in 20 words or less: Spicy good doggo lives rough life, wolves eat everything, and eventually someone manages to pet doggo.
“Normal For The Times” Factor: Racism, in text and in Jack London’s personal views (see the link at the bottom for the full post and explanation of what those messed up views are)
Why it’s awesome: 
White Fang is one of the first classic books I sought out and read as a younger adult. 
While the graphic animal death isn’t for everyone, I really enjoyed seeing everything from White Fang’s point of view, and I found him to be an interesting character to see the world of the Yukon through.
I was drawn in by the horror elements to the introduction, and the more realistic view of nature that other animal POV books I’d read (much love to the Warrior Cats series but they aren’t realistic AT ALL) didn’t have. It felt, to me, like an animal book written for those who wanted to learn about animals. 
It was paced well, it was written well, and I really, really enjoyed the ending. 
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Genre: Tragedy
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
When it was published: 1925
Plot in 20 words or less: Friendly chap meets his cousin’s ex and dude’s got mad money and great people skills, both lead to his downfall
“Normal For The Times” Factor: Character expresses challenged racism, negative stereotypes about Jewish people (proof in full post)
Why it’s awesome: 
The Great Gatsby feels like a fly stuck in amber; it cannot exist outside of the time period it’s in, and it’s one of the most fascinating times in history. 
I was hooked from the first sentence.
I connected with Nick, though the character I was drawn to the most was, of course, Jay Gatsby. I adored him. I didn’t see what he saw in Daisy and I kind of wanted her to quietly leave the novel and never return, but I also see that Gatsby and Daisy were both flawed people. 
It’s a well-written book with excellent characters, and it is a slice of history that deserves it’s timelessness.
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Genre: Comedy, tragedy, mostly a social commentary
Author: Miguel de Cervantes
When it was published: 1605 (for the first part)
Plot in 20 words or less: A man from La Mancha has a midlife crisis and decides reality is overrated and becomes a “knight”
“Normal For The Times” Factor: Written in old Spanish, and translated from old Spanish, so some of the phrases are a bit dated. Pretty sure de Cervantes was not a racist or sexist dude, but he’s also been dead for like 300 years. 
Why it’s awesome: 
Don Quioxote is the second most translated book ever, after the freaking Bible, so you know it’s gotta be good. 
It’s like the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure of literature; once you read it, you see tributes and references to it EVERYWHERE. 
While it is a tragedy and a portrayal of Spanish society at the time, it’s also freaking hilarious, which makes the tragedy hit all the harder.
I don’t know if I agree with scholars who say it’s the greatest work of literature, but it’s definitely one of the best. 
If you haven’t read it I’d recommend trying it, but make sure you get a good translation because the book is originally in Spanish. If you don’t want to read this long book, see if you can find a recording of “The Man of La Mancha”, the musical play I mentioned. It’s also excellent!
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Genre: Horror, Science Fiction (The first of it’s kind, the OG scifi novel)
Author: Mary Shelley
When it was published: 1818
Plot in 20 words or less: Man creates monster, decides to be a deadbeat parent, comes to regret it
“Normal For The Times” Factor: None, except for the way the novel is written which is different from how we use language now. Mary Shelley was fucking badass and had awesome parents.  
Why it’s awesome: 
Even before I’d read the book, I knew the basic gist of the story, and I knew some of the famous lines from the 1930’s motion picture.
When I read the book I fell in love. It’s much different from the movie, which I don’t understand, and so far there hasn’t been many mainstream movies that capture the greatness of this work. 
Pop culture leaves a lot to be desired, including perpetuating the idea that the Creature is called Frankenstein. Ugh. 
I could go on and on, but I will sum it up with this quote from Tumblr: knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein is not the monster. Wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein is the monster.
Back to the great book. And it is great. Not only is it the first science fiction novel, it is also an examination of science, of society, and of the consequences of abuses of both.
It is a classic because the themes of alienation and of science without morality is still so relevant today. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is an example of all the best parts of sci-fi, and if you haven’t read it, do so. Then join me in ranting about how the movies got most of it wrong.
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Genre: Science Fiction
Author: H. G. Wells
When it was published: 1898
Plot in 20 words or less: The Martians are coming, it’s definitely a metaphor for something, cough on aliens to save the world
“Normal For The Times” Factor: H. G. Wells was an anti-Semitic eugenicist, so there’s that 
Why it’s awesome: 
This book is the quintessential science fiction novel, as famous as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. 
It’s narrated by a nameless man living in London, and the whole book details the arrival of Martians, his perilous escape from them, and the world under the Martians and their eventual defeat via germs.
I personally found the narrative very tense, despite the old-timey language, and I enjoyed the suspense I was in despite knowing how the whole thing ended. 
This one, like Frankenstein, doesn’t have a movie adaptation exactly like the book, as it keeps getting updated for the era the movie is in. Unlike Frankenstein, that doesn’t take away from the book. While the book is tense and well-written, the main character is just kind of there. 
The whole book is used to illustrate why colonialism is really bad to England, which I personally enjoy because it’s hilarious how they didn’t get it, though Wells seemed to not really understand himself the depth of the way England tried to wipe out entire cultures. It was more than just diseases. CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the uninitiated) recently started broadcasting the Australian adaptation of this story, and I’m looking forward to watching it. he novel isn’t for everyone, but it was a good introduction to scifi for tiny Elka, and is a good example of the genre.
Full Post Here: https://wordpress.com/post/elkascott.wordpress.com/1498
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purplerose244 · 4 years ago
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Thoughts journal Ninjago season 13!! 🖤🖤 (4/4)
Here we are, at the end of just another season of Ninjago! And I've gotta say, until now it has been very good, I think I'm liking this season better than Prime Empire and Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu. I liked them too, but this one feels more complete and deep, also LILLY GOT A BACKSTORY HECK YEAH 😍😍
Prime Empire had one really great ending, so I'm very curious how this season will conclude! Spinjitzu burst? Some last minute plot twist? Cole and Vania confirmed...? 🙄
Here we go!!
THE DARKEST HOUR
So I'm guessing the guys aren't doing too good at the moment 😅
I know this is kind of a tense situation, but honestly Kai looking so confused at having to lead cracks me up 😂 "Do I have to say it? Is that what being in charge means?"
Lloyd: YOU
Jay: SHALL
Kai: NOT
Zane: BE GRANTED THE PERMISSION TO TRAVERSE BEYOND THIS POINT
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I have no words, that was such an obvious reference in full Zane style so in character, I have tears. Beautiful 🤣🤣
Also they all look SO COOL 💚💙❤🤍
My ninja babies fighting together screaming NINJA-GOO!! Really this season feels like we're back in the old days, so cool! And they are so in sync, Kai lifting Lloyd up and Zane pushing others away and I LOVE THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS 🤩
Poor Skull dude, he's trying to do his big bad guy monologue and he keeps getting interrupted 😂
It was cute that both tribes immediately refused to surrender, not sure if it was for pride or they actually care about their new ninja friends, but it was nice
Aahh, near death life experiences, the best way to elicit teamwork 👍 Nice scene, nice cute scene
Nnnnnyyyggg, Lloyd, that's the sacrifice look right there 😱 At least they just turned themselves in peacefully after reuniting the tribes... aaand of course he was lying, I hate that Skull dude 👿👿
THE ASCENT
Back to team Cole! Back to the Upply! 🖤 Quick guys, we're only three episodes left!! NEED TO GO BIG!!
Heeeeeyy, Wu back in business! I kinda missed him a bit taking control of the situation, it used to be him because he was the master. It really is a jump into the past this season! 🤩🤩
Sure let's go with the explosive cart, not like Cole and the other ninja haven't been piloting a falling apart rocket back to Earth before 🤷‍♀️
A Mech on rolleskates, why not? Does Cole even know how to go on those though? He was already out of the Tournament of Elements during Chen's Thunder Blade so I don't really know...
Lolz the monster was actually waiting staring at the wall, guess you don't get much fun in this mine 😅
COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE 🖤🖤🖤
And a poor old couple of civilians traumatized. They need to be trained by the people of Ninjago City on how to deal with weird appearances 💪
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I guess we're doing this 😅 Gonna be honest, this is the first very evident sweet look I see from these two. I like Vania, a lot, but another classic love interest? Uuuuhhh, Idk, Imma see the rest of the season and see what happens 🤷‍♀️
A baby dragon on a giant spider, one of my favorite things ever on one thing I fear... I'll let it pass just because Adam is a good boy 🕷🕷🕷
GO VANIA GO GIRL LET HIM KNOW WHO IS THE BOSS HERE!!! 💛💛💛
THE UPPLY STRIKES BACK!
I really like these DnD guys, they've grown on me, let's see what they have in store! 😁
Munce and Geckles under chains, ninja in a cage, the Skull dude has the control, we're back when we started... sucks to be a ninja sometimes 😅
Omg I'm loving that this dude is trying so hard to be menacing and he keeps getting ignored 😂😂 Aww cute, you think you're the first that wants to destroy the ninja? Such a special little snowflake 😘 Evil monologue, we've been going for 13 seasons now with various specials and a movie, we heard it already 🤷‍♀️
Also the reveal, and he's all "Your friend Cole is dead" and Lloyd "That's what they all say, buddy" 👌👌
Poor Cole just wants justice for his mom HELP EMOTIONAL AGAIN
I'm all for Cole's personal team, they should do missions together, like Jay's team in Skybound!... that technically never happened, BUT STILL COOL 🖤💙🖤💙
Oh boy oh boy oh boy got the swords, confrontation ready, BRING IT!! Ninja team is all in for this!! ❤💚💙🤍🌊
REVOLUTION!!!! 💪💪💪💪
Swords aren't usually Cole's weapon of choice... BUT DANG IT HE CAN SWING THEM, HOLY GARMADON!!! THIS IS THE FIGHTING SCENES I WANT!!! 😍😍
How is this the episode prior the finale? It already feels like the finale! What else is going to happen?
SON'S OF LILY
Oh with a title like this, it's a given that I will not survive. Oh boy, here goes, the FINALE!
Chaos, chaos, beautiful dragon of death and distraction, also gently reminder that Mino is also a very good boy 💕 Are the skeletons connected to the skull? Are they gonna stop reform when Cole defeats the Skull Sorcerer?
The swords are not actually magical? Huh, first weapon in this show that turns out to be a fluke, apart maybe the Dragon Armor of the Firstborne... that one stayed intact at least 😅
HERE COMES THE VALKIRIES!!! *classic related music plays*
THIS. FIGHTING. SCENES. ARE. SO. FREAKING. GOOD 😍 Also wow sensei, full kamikaze with a dragon? I guess the sacrifice gene really runs into that family 😅
COLE NO DON'T HURT ROCK BABY 😭
"Always." KIRBY STOP MAKING ME CRY WITH YOUR AMAZING VOICE ACTING SKILLS ALSO HOLY HOOLA GANG
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THAT'S LIKE A SPINJITZU WITH THE TRUE POTENTIAL OMG HECK YEAH SHINE COLE SHINE!!! 🖤🖤🖤
A bit red, could mistake it for Kai's, but it's an orange earth lava burst so I understand
Cole: okay guys, done my part
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Cole: wake me up when next season is out
LOOK AT VANIA BECOMING THE QUEEN WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL ATTIRE AND USING COLE'S MOTHER QUOTE BECAUSE SHE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM COLE AWWW 💛
Okay, since there weren't evident references to Nexo Knights this season, can I pretend Fungus shooting fireworks is one? Merlok used to do that almost at every season finale... IMMA PRETEND 🙃
She is so adorable, I really love her. Wished we've seen more of her bond with her father, it felt a little easy her giving up on him. Idk, Sky and Chen didn't have that much of a bond but she struggled a lot! But she is super cool and cute, I ADORE her 💕
This sounds like a pretty good experience for Lloyd who FINALLY spent a season without being scarred for life!!! He even met a princess who didn't plan his death!!! Montgomery things are getting better 💚
Well, that surprised me, I guess Cole and Vania like each other but not heavily? Just a very light mood, like they care a lot but no other step further. I'm very happy about this choice, you can see it as a couple if you want, but you can also say they are just good friends. Nice 👍
Oh no, Wu got his midlife crisis, SOMEBODY STOPS HIM 😱
Wherever the wind will take them okay, wherever the producers will decide to torture them 😗
Overall, great finale! 😁
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think I enjoyed Prime Empire's finale more than this one, but this season with all of its episodes was absolutely AMAZING 🖤
The Skull Sorcerer wasn't necessarily a bad villain, but the story kinda went into another direction in my opinion so his part wasn't fundamental. Which isn't a bad thing for me, it's actually new and exciting see the attention to the story instead of the villain, and I did enjoy how they made fun of how cliche he was being 😂
Vania was GREAT. Wished we had more time with her father to really establish what kind of bond they had, but overall I loved her, new best girl acquired 💛💛💛
FREAKING ROCK MOM!! FREAKING LILLY!! I'm so emotional just thinking about this family, omg, THIS is the content I want for Ninjago! Impactful, that makes sense, connected to the heart that makes you so much closer to a character! Finally the Rock family is getting more complex 🖤
I think this season really gave Cole justice, we got her mom's story, we've got him leading a team again, we've got him with a cool new power! 😍😍
For the other ninja it was okay, I really liked the shenanigans with the tribes and the cultures were really fun to explore. Was kinda like a side quest and for me didn't bring that much to the main story, but it was fun and it's fair, Cole had all the attention he deserved 👌
FIGHTING ANIMATION OMG HECK FREAKING YEAH 10/NINJA-GOOOO ❤💚💙🖤🤍🌊
Beautiful designs for the characters, in particular the Shintaro citizens, and also wonderful backgrounds and sceneries, that I thought were starting to lack but here seems much nicer to look at 🤩
What can I say? Ninjago still knows how to mess with my heart, and I'm so very happy about it. I think the so wanted Cole season was definitely worth it 🖤🖤🖤
Now, I heard voices about a possible Nya season... ABSOLUTELY YES, YES TO EVERYTHING, QUEEN GETTING HER OWN SEASON YES YES YES!!! 😍😍😍🌊🌊🌊 Besides that apparently Maya will come back, which is a dream coming true, if they give Nya the same attention they gave to Cole this season, I will be happy 😊
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eirabach · 5 years ago
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For @gumnut-logic 's FabFiveFeb Challenge
Prompt Two - Gordon
[Can't / No clothes]
Also inspired by Nutty's TAG ages meta, because it gave me *emotions*. I'm super sorry. Added Vance Joy because it’s Gordon.
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Under the surface you don't know what you'll find,
Until it's your time.
---
The night that Jeff Tracy took humanity's first step on the surface of Mars, he had three little boys watching at home. Gordon, he liked to say, was born of the fall out. A child created in a whirlwind of press tours and ticker tape and eventually brought home to that quiet little homestead that would never be truly quiet or homely again. 
By the time Gordon became a Tracy being a Tracy mattered. And sure money's great and influence is better, but Gordon's sixteen years old with sunlight in his hair and his eyes and his soul, and for him, for him the best part of being a Tracy is that no one ever tells you you can't.
Not that Gordon would listen if they did.
Because the other important thing to know about being a Tracy, is that Gordon isn't very good at it.
He's uninterested in physics or engineering or math. He has minimal desire to blow things up or shoot people or study space dust. He likes a party and he loves people, but he's miserable in a cummerbund and he kinda never understood capitalism.
When you're fourth, you gotta find your own way to be first. And all right Scott's a fighter pilot and John's a genius and Virgil's some sort of goddamn savant, but at least Alan can't even tie his shoelaces yet so Gordon's got one up on him. Gordon doesn't even wear shoes. Doesn't wear much of anything at all except teeny weeny trunks splattered red, white and blue.
Gordon won't be a hero, won't have a theory named after him, but what Gordon will have will be his.
Gordon's going for gold.
His muscles burn and his hair turns green and he sweats chlorine into his sheets every night, but that doesn't matter. Nothing matters but the next millisecond, the turn, the cleanness of his touch. He can't care about anything but his coach's thumb hovering over the stopwatch and the crest of his fly because it's coming. Gold. It's coming, and it's everything.
Everything.
---
Dad calls on Wednesdays at three. Alan calls at midnight just to hear him swear. He gets weekly updates on daring-do from Scott and a monthly serving of sarcasm and space babble from John.
Virgil calls because they tend to forget.
"You gonna come home, you think? Before?"
Virgil looks different, his floppy black hair cropped short, band shirts exchanged for some weird quasi military uniform. He's still watching Gordon shovel food down his throat with an expression of disgusted awe, though, so some things never change.
"Dunno." Gordon shrugs, mouth full. "Gotta keep training. Four months to go, can't lose form now."
"You should come, there's -- there's a lot changed around here," says Virgil, like that's a reason. Then, when Gordon just chews at him in reply, "Dad built you a pool."
And maybe that's a reason, after all.
Cause sure, his dad's never told him he can't, but Gordon's been gone a long time, and he's not sure he remembers the last time his dad told him he could.
---
Home's not the farm anymore, or the ranch, or the townhouse in Manhattan. Home is some island a billion miles from anywhere, where huge portraits of his older brothers stare expressionlessly down at him and his shoes squeak on the super shiny floor, humidity making his tracksuit stick to his back. 
Gordon has only really spent a few weeks here, his training all taking place under the eagle eye of Uncle Sam and sponsored entirely by Old Glory, but he doesn't remember it like this. 
The decor is still retro spy movie meets crazy billionaire with paranoia problems, and his bedroom is pretty much as he left it, but nothing else seems familiar at all. He'd left Tracy Two in a great cavernous hanger that would have been overkill even for one of dad's crazy projects, Kyrano had rushed him past huge shadowy behemoths that suggested, pretty damn strongly, that Jeff Tracy is in the midst of another too easily financed midlife crisis.
"Please tell me he isn't planning world domination," Gordon had only half joked as they’d emerged into the brightness of the villa proper. "He'd look awful in lycra."
Kyrano had glared at him, swirled back into the bowels of the island, and left him with Scott.
Scott is wearing lycra.
He's sitting behind their dad's desk, two high points of colour in his cheeks and his eyes bright with something Gordon can't name as he pours over datasets. All he's missing to complete the look is a fluffy white cat and a maniacal laugh.
"Hey. Hey." Nothing. Scott mutters to himself as he sweeps his fingers through warning signs. "Scotty, hey!"
Scott looks up.  Blinks. Blinks again.
"Gordon?"
"The one and only."
Scott stands, still grossly tall, and moves to ruffle Gordon's hair. It's not as easy as it used to be, there's an actual lift of his hand, and Gordon can't help but feel satisfaction creep into his bones. 
"You grew."
"Hear it happens."
"Got a girlfriend?"
"Got a pillow."
"Tragic."
"That's me." Gordon throws his arm across his eyes and flops backwards onto the sofa. "Sacrificing everything in pursuit of a noble goal. Hold tight, beautiful people. Only three more months and I'm yours."
He peeks out from behalf of his elbow to see Scott standing over him, arms folded, lips twisted into something a bit like a fond smile. A bit. 
Something unpleasant settles in Gordon's stomach.
"What are you doing desk work for? I thought you were out there --" He gestures to the cloudless sky beyond the glass wall. "Y'know. Saving the world."
Scott opens his mouth, but then there's a chime from the desk and Alan hollering from the staircase and Grandma crushing him to her chest, and Gordon is left to wonder.
---
Scott isn't the only thing that's strange.
There's a fish tank in the corner, empty but for a little model sub from that docudrama he and John used to love to watch with Mom, but when he lays his hand on the glass it hums beneath his fingers and makes his teeth ache. 
John's not here, replaced as resident super nerd by some guy they call Brains who makes John look dumb. Dad isn't there, either, but that's okay. Nor is Gordon, really.
He's lived apart from his family for the best part of two years, he shouldn't be surprised that they've changed. That's he's changed. But somehow, it doesn't feel like he has.
Alan's finally learned to tie his laces but still never bothers, Virgil's taken out his piercing, Grandma is being followed by a robot dog, but Gordon is still the same kid with the same dreams and he isn't sure what anybody else's dreams are anymore. Virgil's in a uniform and Scott's out of his and John is gone and Alan's looking at him like he knows stuff.
This is impossible, of course. Alan is an infant. This is the abiding certainty of Gordon's life and he intends to prove it this evening with three rubber spiders and a trapeze but whatever.
It's just that Gordon isn't quite sure where he fits, just like he doesn't know where to sit when holograms of the great and the good appear in his living room. Doesn't quite know what to make of the way their eyes skip over him to rest on Scott, or Virgil, and where the hell is John, anyway?
"Top secret," Alan says, all pre-teen smugness, "can't tell you."
"Dad'll be home soon," Virgil adds, ever the peacekeeper, "I'm sure he'll tell you everything."
Gordon's not so sure and Scott says nothing at all except a vehement 'no!' when Gordon dares to suggest going for a swim. 
So much for the pool, then.
---
Night is falling and Gordon's already ready for bed when the roar of engines fills the air and the whole family dart for the window, faces pressed against the glass. Gordon hovers behind them, unsure of his place, until Scott grabs him bodily by the elbow and drags him downstairs to where the deck leads down to the pool.
"Come on! You got to see this!"
It's a thing to see, all right. The pool withdraws beneath the villa itself, leaving a great gaping hole in the earth into which a great silver plane descends, jets first. And Gordon remembers the TV-21 and his father's fascination with speed and grace and more speed -- it's the one thing they have in common after all -- but this, this is something else. 
She disappears into the ground, and the pool sweeps over her, only the sway of the water left as evidence. Scott turns to him with an almost hysterical glee.
"Did you see that!?"
Gordon would have pointed out that he'd have to have been dead blind and comatose not to have seen it, but Scott's practically bouncing on his toes, his expression full of what Gordon recognises as real, true love.
"Isn't she beautiful? Come on, come on, Dad's gotta debrief and then --"
"Scott!" They both snap to attention, immediately turning to where their father stands, towering over both of them from the top of the stairs. "Debrief can wait. Let me see your brother."
Scott darts off, probably to hump the shiny thing, and Dad approaches Gordon, his eyes shining, dirt on his cheek.
"What do you think of her, son?"
"I think you've safely guaranteed Scotty won't be bringing you home any surprise grandbabies."
Dad snorts, clapping Gordon on the shoulder and turning him back toward the pool. They head out across the deck together, Gordon barefoot in only his sleep shorts, Jeff in a uniform like Scott's only gently singed.
"I've missed you. How's training?"
Gordon half shrugs. "Wet. Good. Pretty tiring."
Jeff looks him up and down with a critical eye "So I imagine. It looks good on you."
Gordon stretches and grins. "No more noodle arms, right?"
Jeff blinks, and for a moment Gordon almost thinks he sees something like sadness in his eyes, but it's soon gone and his dad's turning him to face the pool again.
"Will it do? I know it's not Olympic standard but we needed some room for the house and --"
"Dad," he says, because his dad is rambling and his dad never rambles. "Dad what's going on?"
Jeff looks down into the pool. The stars flicker into being in his reflection.
"Forest fire. Family home was cut off."
"Your rescue thing. You saved them."
Jeff looks at him, Gordon watches in the water as he schools his features, tightens his jaw. "This time.
"Scott and Virgil?"
"Are involved, yes."
"And John?"
Jeff looks up then, up to the darkening sky, and points. "We built a satellite. It monitors distress calls from all over the world - and beyond."
"Makes sense. Space case."
"Play to your strengths, isn't that what they say?"
"What about Alan?"
"Alan's eleven, Gordon. Even my insanity has its limits."
"And you built me a pool?"
"And I built you a pool. Is it -- " a breath where Gordon wouldn't expect to hear one "is it all right?"
"All right?" Gordon turns to him and grins. "It's perfect."
Because okay, so it's only a short course, and it occasionally has a supersonic plane blasting through it, but it's a pool and it's for him, and that's better than Scotty's super special plane. 
His dad's clapping him on the back again and smiling and that's better than any top secret technology. 
It makes a strange island full of strange things feel a little bit more like home.
Jeff's off again already though, gesturing to the round building above the villa and going on about blast radius and Gordon's content to just watch for a moment, to bask in that feeling for as long as it lasts. Then the subject changes.
"We'll be in Cape Town for the opening ceremony, of course, and I've made arrangements to ensure we can all make your races. I'm sure it won't shock you to hear Alan's made t shirts and John's bringing a banner. I hope it's safe for television."
His eyes snap to his dad's.
"John's coming?"
His dad's eyebrows twitch. "You think he'd miss it? Gordon, none of us will miss this. Not for the world. And as you now know, I mean that quite literally."
Gordon nods, mutely. There's a build up of something in his chest. Lactic acid squeezing his heart. His dad takes pity.
"What about September? Are you still planning on marine biology?"
Gordon scuffs at the tile with his bare heel. This is a conversation he's been avoiding for a long time, now. The after.
"Yeah. UCLA."
"California?"
Gordon shrugs.
"You don't seem keen? Sydney have an excellent program, do you --" Gordon feels more than hears the shudder in his dad's exhale. "No, no Jeff stop it. You tell me, Gordy. What do you want to do?"
Gordon's voice is never small, but it's as close as it's ever been. "Was thinking WASP."
Both of his dad's eyebrows disappear into his hairline. "The military? You?"
It's not an unexpected reaction. Gordon scoffs. "You wound me, Dad. Maybe I have hidden depths."
"I don't doubt that for a moment," his dad says, then he looks up, right up, to where the milky way swirls and John sits. “You’re not old enough.”
“Yeah, I know, I thought, college first - couple of years of credits and I can join as an officer.”
“You’re my son, you can join as whatever you damn well please.”
“Dad--”
"Sorry, sorry.” And his Dad’s looking into space and Gordon’s looking down at the water and it’s kinda always been like this, between them. Gordon suspects his dad hates it even more than he does.”You know I'll support you, if that's what you really want."
Gordon finally follows his gaze, imagines John in the vacuum of space, alone with his books and his stars. He wonders if Dad had had this conversation with him, before sending him up there. "That sounds kinda like a don't do it, Dad, I'm not gonna lie."
"Can I be honest?" Gordon nods, because saying no seems kinda harsh, but his heart is thundering faster than after a sprint. "Gordon, when I designed International Rescue, I designed it for you boys. A legacy, I suppose. I wanted --" he shakes his head. "I'm getting to be a selfish old man."
Gordon scowls. "You're the least selfish man I've ever met. Pretty sure those people whose lives you saved today would agree."
Jeff shakes his head.
"I want you to know," he says, "that there will always be a place for you, here, with us, if you want it. But only if you want it." A twitch of Jeff’s lips. “God knows, I could never make you anyway.”
"Thanks, Dad." Then, a wicked grin pulling at the corner of his mouth, "Race you?"
A splash, a shout, laughter rings out into the night and hell it's cheesy but it's true; for a moment Gordon kinda feels like he's already won.
---
The Olympics are due to start in June.
May, and his father dies.
Gordon flies home immediately, thirty thousand feet over Cape Town without even looking down.
He can't.
He has a place in a legacy.
---
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sollitudde · 4 years ago
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haikyuu & cafes (1/?)
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bigass creds to @luvoikawa with this post that inspired me to write too much nonsense about nonsense
all my writing got deleted edition 🐸 also jesus christ sorry this is super long i just really like cafes and drinkys and coffys...
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karasuno
ukai
for a guy who gets up early every morning coffee is a must. canned coffee is his drink of choice for getting up and it’s one of his morning routines before starting work. he actually dislikes cafes because they have an atmosphere he isn’t too fond of and likes bars (enjoys shit beers = enjoys shit coffee) more- but he could go to a cafe when asked by his friends or if he’s going on a date, just don’t ask him about what type of coffee he’d like specifically because all he wants is it to be hot and black, no milk no sugar. when he was younger he actually disliked coffee, but with age he learned to 1. not be fussy about it 2. just tolerate it to pick him up. it’s not like he dislikes the tastes of it but i don’t see him as picking up oh many tannin inteiciasies cause he’s not developed a pallete, also gets the cheapest no fuss shit. prefers hot over cold even in the summer
for food, he doesn’t enjoy completely western menus. likes meat and doesn’t order any sweets like pastries and whatever the fuck, not only is it too expensive but also he’d just rather have the coffee unless he’s particularly hungry. like i said he isnt a cafe guy but life takes you to a lot of places so ☕️
takeda
actually can taste tanins like some sort of a legend. still though on a teachers salary you’re not going to have an espresso machine at home so he settles for his drip brew. actually doesn’t like espresso too much either if hes working at least. but since he is a teacher and a club supervisor he drinks 2 (two) of those shits a day, one in the morning from home one in the afternoon from the teachers lounge- needs it to deal with the energy at practice. takes just milk in his coffee and prefers it steamed, but has that shitty milk foamer thing that takes so much time to get results out of he just ends up drinking drip w cold milk; the workingmans choice.
with cafes and food he still enjoys drip brew (this time fancier) coffee with milk. could ask to taste test the plain bean coffee if he enjoyed his first cup so much. LOVES a pastry with his drink, if he goes there to do work will get a coffee and a pastry of any kind, i think he likes cream so expect him to get a cream puff esp if on a date cause then he gets to share it and be cute 🥴 loves a cafe hangout with friends or an s/o
kiyoko
pre time skip she did not need coffee at all. like her face at first says either only black coffee or shes so well adjusted she needs nothing and i’d say it’s the latter though i could debate. though she was an enjoyer of canned coffee milk later in life before having to consume coffee for life energy in her adulthood. nothing too fancy either though, small coffee machine that only she uses (tanakas a pussy!) for making coffee, pours milk and adds a teaspoon of sugar into it- doesn’t really like flavors cause to her they taste artificial. busy lady! so she can pick up some starbucks or sit down for a brief second and get coffee wherever she is, thinks it energizes her and also is an enjoyer of the novelty of steamed milk. it actually doesn’t buzz her ever even when she first starts drinking it so rather than having to drink more coffee as the tolerance builds up she just has a plateau of coffee give me caffeine boost
for cafes she just gets whatever looks good to her. also not the biggest fan of sweets rather than a good bread, enjoyer of plain croissants and good bread if she gets a sandwitch. who doesn’t love carbs
yachi
the sweet sugary drink enjoyer has arrived. didn’t even touch coffee until her 3rd year at college, tried a sip of black coffee from her friend in junior high and became instantly afraid of it- managed to skirt by college with a good schedule until the junior terror seeped into her veins and now her early classes she has to drink coffee for. but like she still gets good grades so it’s only the morning she’s required to partake in bean water for- doesn’t even do anything on weekends if she doesn’t have anywhere to be. at home she has 2 syrups 5 milks and overloads her drink so much she’s barely drinking any coffee at all, still the sugar and the hot stuff in the morning has an effect (placebo lol)
loves a starbucks for its accessibility, but gets refreshers and iced drinks more often than any of their caffeine. not only does she think it’s not worth it if she can make coffee at home, but she has a tiny cafe she goes to to cram that serves a mean lavender rose vanilla latte (fucking ew?) that shes in love with. but it costs a lot and she’s a rare visitor, gets sweets and small sandwitches if she goes. w friends she doesn’t know that well she’ll get a flavored coffee to seem mature&cute, but with old friends she’d rather drink a milk tea or a seasonal drink rather than bother w a latte (since she uses it to get energy if it’s 5pm and her day is nearly done whyd she need it then?) no 7-11 coffee or vending machine coffee (junior high trauma) rather sweets and candy if she’s buying from one
daichi
courtesy to @sugardaddykenma, i think daichi oinking his way to the top ended after he had a midlife crisis- so he stops drinking coffee the way he would at the pig pen. sorry ok enough puns but yeah i think he was drinking way too much coffee in both college and at his “job” so coffee now messes with his stomach so much he thinks he might have a heart attack if he drinks more than one cup a week. i don’t know if that directly makes sense but too much coffee can literally kill you and since now he doesn’t fear the revolution here’s another thing for his mind. no coffee, maybe like once if hes at a cafe with his friends but really really prefers plain tea more- especially as he gets older. likes green white and black teas rather than herbal cause caffeine, and doesn’t put sugar in either cause hes #real and genuinely enjoys the flavors more that way
doesn’t go to cafes except for reunions or hanging out with the boys, always more of a “what do they have to eat” rather a “what’s new and exiting to drink” boy. i actually think the only reason he does drink coffee occasionally is because sugawara teases him and also sometimes it’s easier to order something to not be embarassing and to live up to the expectation of a dilf on the prowl rather than well like. dilf drinking tiny mug of jasmine tea. surprisingly an atmosphere enjoyer, people talking all around him is comforting- though if he were to go there frequently he’d grown annoyed
sugawara
king of looking fuckable at a cafe. literally can’t drink coffee black and hates it but still uses it for that energy boost in the morning. has a cheap espresso machine (like 2nd hand and super busted) with a milk frother cause he can’t even drink coffee with just milk it’s so repulsuve to him, he’s gotta fancy it up with syrups & steamed liquids to get anything out of it. but like i said hes king of looking fuckable at a cafe and that’s cause he goes to them all the fucking time. to study to hang for dates like part of it is the ambience is unparalleled but also i mean 1. he likes looking hot 2. he can study 3. man idk hes just a little bitch that wants to look smarter than he actually is. literally in love with the concept of a meet cute so hes in there like “wow... i look so pretty and i’m reading such a big book won’t someone come talk to me”enjoys smiling at other hot patrons and the nines. i think he’d start banter only if you spilled a drink though or something happened hes not that confident to go up to someone full force, and well while he is there sometimes for the hell of it he does actually study there too cause it forces him to do something rather than fuck around on the computer at home. win win system
frequent cafe flyer and frequent cafe snack enjoyer. he’d much rather go for the small snacks like chips and nuts rather than big meal shit cause since his stuff is there he doesn’t wanna get anything on it, and would rather lounge back at home while eating anyways. frequent buys you a sweet on a date type of move, asks if you wanna give him a small bite but doesn’t actually enjoy most sweets that much. ICE LATTE ENJOYER but only when hes on the go or it’s summer, they make a mess when condensation happens.
asahi
hate to tell you folks, but you won’t find this guy in any cafes ever. if he needs to study in a public place he’d rather go to a library and if he can’t go there he’s just seriously gonna sit on the street if it’s the worst of it. can not only not handle cafes if it’s at full capacity, sugawara once shared his cafe strategies with him and now he overthinks whenever he steps foot into one. if he does enter a cafe it’s for a to go order of a cafe au lait (with soy milk, he got in the habit from ordering the wrong thing and never asking them to fix it) because espresso beverages give him anxiety, and add anxiety with a lot of people there it’s just no good and he becomes nervous. he does relax when his friends are there though, and a la p5 enjoys a quiet cafe at night the best. he like herbal teas without sugar (maybe some honey) and aromatic tea blends, but not refresher like beverages at starbucks
since he doesn’t sit down and eat at cafes hes not getting anything substantial, but has a pertulance for sweet stuff! nothing too big but if he gets something sweet with his coffee (and he does get coffee out a lot actually i feel i should clarify. it’s the devil wears prada influence and if you’re a fashion designer chance is you need to go somewhere fast so he needs the energy to power walk and actually ends up picking up coffee for his crew sometimes)
nishinoya
oh christ dude if he got coffee while in high school he’d go fucking insane. way too much current energy + caffeine is such a bad combination- but i think he’d never step into a cafe until his world traveling days. in which case i mean like first of all if you are traveling you’re going to have to keep a tight schedule unless you’re like rich as fuck and can afford to leisure around, and i think he does have some savings but at the same time if he’s himself he’s very likely running around- in summary, cafe visits very dépendant on the culture. cafe dates and cafe stops to get a pick up i think would be the most common stuff here, and coffee would be only used as a wake up i need more energy tool
with food i mean going to a great underground cafe is a right of passage if you’re traveling so i’m sure hes tried all sorts of shit and also hes a big eater, so i can see him getting whatever looks the craziest. big coffee ice cream enjoyer but like i said that’s just to wake up & i think there’s better places to get better juice (& international soda) than a hole in the wall coffee place. did someone say italian sodas or do i have to get my hearing checked
tanaka
man this guys a pussy. thinks starbucks is the fancy coffee place even though it’s a chain and can’t enjoy a non sweetened coffee- even sweetened coffees are a bust. honestly also is too concerned about caffeine being able to “hinder” him, it’s not going to kill you or make you crazy but probably saw someone go balls off the walls with it and is too pussy to try it himself because he thinks he’s so energetic already it’ll make him turn super saiyan. very big enjoyer of a juice, a smoothie, or a refresher again if we’re going from starbucks’ menu. actually yeah it the place offers smoothies he definitely gets that 100% no questions asked, cause it’s the one sweet he can permit himself because he actually thinks it’s healthy when the only reason it “is” is because it’s fruit. does not enjoy the vibes whatsoever and is kinda spooked by everyone drinking coffee in coffee drinking establishments. his wife is more of a man than him in that regard but he can take it
cafe foods aplenty though! likes to walk in and run to get smth and leave, cause it’s less effort than making something and more effort than going to a convenience store. actually has this thing where he picks wifey dearest up snacks he thinks she’ll like. before that he used to scoff at them but now seeing as shes a frequent patron and he is married to her he’s all like look at this treat i bought for you at (blank). it’s kinda sweet! plus he prolly gets a takeout drink for himself too so win win
ennoshita
physical therapy is a lot of work! sorry for the lack of substance for this guy but like a normal adult i think he is normal with his coffee consumption. aka- drinks it to get up, and when hes tired. i think he has a particular interest in trying new things though and will get whatever is interesting to him or something that is weird on the menu like a pumpkin chocolate latte or some shit like that that is unusual but still tasty. adventurous and also you can’t tell at all that hes had coffee, acts completely the same and people even tell him he should drink some coffee cause of the low energy. hes had two cups already and that’s enough!
kinoshita
i think this guy just doesn’t like coffee for whatever reason. he seems like the type of dude to just not drink it and instead go for something energizing in the form of tea or an energy drink but not bean juice, just a vibe! enjoys a cafe every once in a while but goes rarely, i mean hes just chilling! there is a place that hes gone to that he is now an irregular regular of that has a tea infusion of different berries and ingredients that’s meant to clear up your sinuses and calm you. they don’t sell it in packets and hes disappointed about that but the very reason it exists at all is because it’s made out of fresh chopped shit and spices, also it’s a gimmick. they serve them in tea pitchers and he stays there and reads until he finishes. it’s the little things!
kazuhito
writing got erased again but like literally just think of a guy. a guy that works at a company who has to go to work everyday so yeah he drinks coffee and the chances of it being instant are very high. actually doesn’t know that starbucks is a chain and just has the regular drip coffee machine at home, probably takes it with milk and sugar and whatever is there at the time. relaxed guy and relaxed preferences
kageyama
dude doesn’t even know what coffee is to be completely honest. well no that’s a lie he definitely tried some but it made him jittery and he can’t be jittery or else he’s not doing perfect tosses, so no can do. like i know the milk joke is old but i don’t think the habit stops at high school i genuinely think unless one of his teammates or someone with him is like no getting milk or they don’t just serve raw milk because who the fuck would he maybe gets a milk tea at most. honestly not a fan of sugary drinks such as juice or refreshers and whatnot nor iced drinks because well hes just a weirdo. if you take him to a sbucks or somewhere else either order him a london fog or water or a cup of milk if you want your cashier to have something funny to tell. he likes matcha lattes but since they’re high caf he only gets them on off days and like when does he have those? never. genuine weirdo
okay for food it’s anything goes but i think thr funnier thing to talk about would be the amount of time it takes him to read a menu. literally can’t decide on anything especially if a place is out of stock well hes gonna be out of comission for a few minutes as he reconsiders. asks what this has and what’s in this if it’s not listed so it’s really best to just pick smth for him, plain simple and he won’t have any complaints and just sit down w you.
hinata
actually got fond of espresso in brazil but still prefers juices and shit to actual caffeinated beverages. they don’t make them like they used to there 😔 but he does get lattes. LOVES coconut milk and nut milks cause they have an “oomph” (what?) but honestly anything goes kind of guy in where he can get coffee out of a machine at a convenience store starbucks a cafe anything anywhere no problem. thing is though he can only consume it in a short amount of time aka just the morning or else he’s unable to sleep at night, a thing that is most definitely a placebo but like he believes on it so insistently that he just doesn’t mess with it. is a fan of anything new and anything that catches his interest in coffee places, likes to pick stuff up rather than sit down cause he’s a fan of walking and talking and drinking
pastry guy :) or just anything breaded. again likes to pick whatever catches his interest cause he became more adventurous with food for sure, enjoys a sandwitch or some shit i mean you get the point i think. he’s just a funny little guy
tsukishima
honestly? cant fucking drink black coffee. i think it’d be so funny and well also fitting that if he does drink anything he does drink super sugary sweet stuff, like i mean we know he enjoys sweets anyways so why not push it further and say this motherfucker can’t handle tanins at all? and like by all i mean he has to have tea with milk and sugar no matter what it is (well not herbal tea 🍵 that’s an emoji of a green tea but herbal tea never should be enjoyed with milk) his go to is a hot matcha latte and a cold iced vanilla latte. cause both are sweet and make him look a little less pussy when ordering them. straight up will chug purely black coffee out of spite and suppress gags to seem cool, it’s okay tbough hes so far only worried about this happening in front of friends and it hasn’t yet. he has practiced at home though and he can so far not gag but still squint, which he’s thinking if he has to explain will explain by “well uh it tastes like shit so”
i don’t think he needs coffee to get up but instead does need something sweet. since cake doesn’t last a while i’d see him trying to buy some for himself discreetly like i know this dude isn’t a pussy but also imagine being so hard and then being made fun of for eating a cake alone by yourself in a cafe. doesn’t order sweets therefore unless hes in a private room or with a trusted friend. yamaguchi won’t tell on you bro in fact he’ll order the cake and let you have it. doesn’t like any savory thing on the menu for some reason, no matter the place he goes
yamaguchi
actually enjoys tanins but chugs cheap shitty coffee for energy no matter the time of day. he just got used to the lack of taste and definitely grabbed a caffeine addiction to add to his problems to worry about but it’s okay cause hey while he’d never say it he thinks it’s better to be able to taste them and enjoy a normal cup of good beans than to be like his unnamed friend. enjoyer of the whole menu, entirely dependent on the mood. focusing, straight espresso shots, reading, matcha or peppermint tea, vibing, lemonade or lemonade mixture idk you name it. very into cafe energy and feels good whenever he enters one, but doesn’t do it out of neccesity cause once he did actually have someone slightly hit on him at a cafe and he stopped going to it because he interacted with them very awkwardly. is sure the baristas heard and just can’t do it anymore. has pulled all nighters and 24-hr study sessions in internet cafes chugging coffees like a motherfucker. hasn’t yet poured a redbull into coffee yet but i mean it could be coming we never know (nah hes afraid of it)
not a fan of ordering stuff in cafes at all cause hes not there to eat. can be persuaded for a bite if friends are there but if not then hes avoidant of foods. you can’t blame him! it’s kind of awkward to order food at a coffee place anyways so he just steers clear
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theworryjournal · 4 years ago
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Body Positivist Police
You know the number of body positivist influencers I follow? You wouldn’t believe it but I also follow a few animal/pet profiles on social media that promote body positivism. A very “LOL” moment when I realised that’s how intensely I’m battling body positivism. If there’s one of me, then there are many like me right? A very millennial problem to possess, yet so subjective. You know what I don’t get though, how do I expect someone living outside of my body to help me normalise what’s happening within and on my body? No matter who I follow or what they preach, you can never normalise what I see when I look in the mirror or what I feel when I touch ME. No matter how many stretch mark photos I see, no matter how many uneven breasts I see, no matter how many paunchy human beings I see, its never enough. Do you feel that dissatisfaction? And eventual remorse? Well, I do and I couldn’t fathom, why not? They are doing it, I sort of look like her or him, so its okay. Its not. Its really not (because growing up, I never saw a body like mine up on the big screen and I still don’t see it). Especially those 1000 word essay type captions I see, the ones that do not have a TLDR version saying how they overcame this or that (no disrespect to the ones who have such posts, no offense intended, just normalising), still doesn’t help. 
I’ve batted an issue with weight, almost all my life (at least since I hit puberty, in my head that’s when my life actually began). Not weight exactly because I’ve weighed healthy (according to all the WHO standards) but the way I “looked” to myself, in the mirror. I was never satisfied. I always found my thighs too heavy or “thunderous” if you wanna call it. I’ve always found myself too paunchy, there have been times when I’ve breathed short and heavy so that I’m able to hold my shape at a party (WTF right?). I’ve always caught myself staring for too long at my classmates’ (in high school) legs or arms, how they don’t jiggle and mine always did (and still do). I would starve myself, skip lunch and feed my lunch to the dogs. 4 years of braces and hating on my frizzy and curly hair, you would think growing up helps right? Newsflash, not really. Freud was right. if you don’t figure your childhood out, it’ll be your midlife crisis. Then came my 20s, 4 years of braces and 3 teeth short after, joined college and suddenly I was one of those girls that men looked more than twice. Men and women of all races wanted to look at me twice or felt the need to tell me that I looked “good” or they like how I’m dressed or how it accentuates so and so. I was being talked about, I was a standard to many girls. I couldn’t believe myself. I would still look at myself in the mirror, unsure. When I was eventually used to it, I was satisfied. My idea of satisfaction is allowing myself to eat an extra serving of rice (yes, I’m South Asian) or more meat or extra desserts. I discovered this new found confidence that glowed within me and helped me walk with my chin up because men wanted me. They wanted my sex. I was so confident, I was audacious. Happy. This new treatment mollified everything and I soon forgot I ever had issues with the way I looked. You know, until I was in my early 20s, I didn’t think I was a looker. That someone would look at me twice. It was in my 20s, that I heard someone call me beautiful. Pretty. A looker. Hot. Sexy. Cute. That hair is exquisite on you. Then I graduated and transitioned to my mid-20s. Being a professional and all that jazz. 
Slowly that confidence began to chip away. Maybe because I didn’t have men/women constantly validating me? Or that constant flow of attention? Then came the string of online dates and I got my next (best, apparently) constant source of attention and validation. I wasn’t out there hunting for validation for my wounded ego, it just came my way and of course I lapped it up. I was so used to that by now. I was hungry. With the “Do you know the kind of effect you have on men” to “Come on! You are being modest. You are fetching for compliments, aren’t you?” Well, no. I’m not. I really don’t know how I look. I don’t “believe” how I look. I mean, how can you believe in something you have no understanding of right? I also began noticing that every problem/hurdle I faced in my life, the first to erode, was the way I looked. That’s when I realised that the most fragile part of me is that, what I see when I look at the mirror. Bad relationship and I “let myself go” and ate whatever I could eat. That’s when I saw the scale dip to the higher end, something that’s never happened before. And now, I was unhealthy and of course I didn’t like what I saw either. That didn’t affect me then because he didn’t think I looked bad. He was attracted to me, even if I wasn’t. Then he left and the veil lifted. An alarm went off and I saw her. Me. 
I was sad. Moping everyday. I stopped looking at the mirror. I stopped dressing well. My self-esteem left the building. Being quarantined didn’t help for sure. I knew I was dipping into being unhealthy and finally found that courage in me to face myself and my body. I started eating healthy. Tried not to deprive myself of anything. I exercised (overdid it in the beginning to an extent where I almost injured myself but now I’m learning). It wasn’t easy. I would beat myself bloody (metaphorically) if I cheated or overate or didn’t stick to my regime or didn’t exercise. Now, I’m slowly transitioning. I’m having conversations with my body in front of the mirror. I love looking at myself in the mirror now. I love my hair. I love my skin. I love my stretch marks. I love eating cupcakes. I eat loads of rice. I’ve a paunch and I love it. I sometimes make it talk to me, you know like how kids do it. Yet, there are days when its really difficult. When I’m bloated and I feel like everything I did has gone for a toss. When I look at my arms and think they’re too large. At least, those days are lesser in number than the happy ones. I like taking pictures of myself now and uploading them, regardless of who thinks what. Especially pictures that show my paunch or arms or thighs. I breathe deeply and through my belly now. I finally don’t add as much value as I did when someone compliments me. I thank them and tell myself you bet I do. Because I do. I really do. 
Today I’m 26, a vegan (because animal husbandry is going to drive us to extinction), slightly overweight, paunchy, thunder thighs, beautiful curly hair and hairy sometimes. I eat healthy and unhealthy, I exercise whenever I can and I’m happy. I’m “satisfied”. I still follow those pages and like every post because I’m supportive. I realised that no matter how much positive energy you surround yourself with, its never gonna be enough until you fill your insides with it. I look in the mirror everyday because I like who I see, she makes me happy. I don’t upload photos so that someone else validates it or to help someone else see if I can, so can you. No. I do it because it makes me happy. I’m celebrating, everyday. This body. This smile. This hair. This skin. Every time I hit a block and have difficulty accepting a part of my body, I photograph it and look at it again and again. Until I’ve normalised it for ME. When someone says, do you have any idea the kinda effect you have on people, I genuinely know the answer to that because I’ve that same effect on myself, when I look at myself in the mirror. I’ve created this masterpiece today and I’ll fiercely protect her. 
Its funny how I came to realise that I need to normalise it for myself, every time I’m intoxicated and my inhibitions dropped, I would see someone else in the mirror. A woman fierce from within. Appealing from within. Her personality defining her features. Her personality and her looks amalgamating and reflecting off of my mirror. I would suddenly find every part of my body so appealing and almost turning on. When it would wear off, I wouldn’t see that anymore. That’s when I realised, I’ve to do it for me. Just like how all these influencers are doing it for themselves. 
Don’t get me wrong, I still love makeup, dressing up and being complimented. The only difference is I do it only to accentuate what I already am and have and not to change the way I look or am. 
TLDR- You gotta do it. You gotta do it for yourself. I mean, you live in that body. You feel its feelings. You masturbate with that body. You dress that body. How can someone else do it for you? 
The irony is that my profession is helping others eat healthy and maintain a better lifestyle, I’m a nutritionist. I didn’t plan to be one at all. That’s a story for another time. The universe sure does work in mysterious ways. 
Normalise it. Feel it. Accept it. Love it. We’re on each other’s team. Kinda tired of having to throw my hands in the air. 
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spidaerman · 6 years ago
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Tyrus High School Staff AU
Mutual Pining, Amber knows everyone’s secrets, Bros!Jonah & Marty, Friends to Lovers. 
Cyrus is one of the school counselors 
T.J. is the World History teacher and Men’s Basketball coach 
Andi is the juniors and seniors Art Teacher
Buffy is the Geometry teacher and Women’s Basketball coach 
Jonah is a P.E. teacher and the Men’s Junior Varsity Baseball coach 
Amber is also one of the school counselors 
Walker is the freshman and sophomores art teacher 
Libby is the AP Art History teacher (The class has an ASL Translator, but most of her students learn ASL to communicate more with their favorite teacher)
Marty is a P.E. teacher and Men’s Varsity Soccer coach
T.J. and Cyrus are not subtle about their feelings, everyone knows they like each other….but them.
Miss Amber Kippen knows everything and anything about anyone. 
The massive crush her brother T.J. has over her friend Cyrus the moment he met him when Cyrus excitedly showed him his disnousoar collection. 
The time when Jonah and Marty went to a Beyoncè concert and both lost their voices. They blamed it on the weather change. 
Or when Buffy accidentally ate Jonah’s sandwich one time and never told him it was her who did it. 
She knows Walker is filthy rich, but no one knows, and through an anonymous donor the art department is always funded. 
Andi can’t go a week without eating pizza. 
For some reason Amber doesn’t know anything Libby could be hiding. However, she swears she’s seen Libby’s younger self on TV. 
[ In the teacher’s lounge ]
Amber, drinking her iced coffee: So, when are you going to ask Cyrus out?
TJ, nearly spitting his drink out: Never! Then he’ll know I like him.
Amber: That’s kind of the point, genius.
TJ: I don’t even know if he likes me like that. 
Amber, who knows he likes him like that: I don’t know, it wouldn’t hurt to try.
[ Jonah and Marty walk in ]
Marty, taking a seat at the table: What are you two Kippens talking about?
Amber: TJ is finally going to ask Cyrus out.
TJ, bewildered: What! No, I’m not–
Jonah: Eyyy it’s about time, Kippen!
Marty: That’s awesome, man. But do you think you could ask him out during one of your basketball games, I bet Beck here you’d ask him out when you’d win a home game. 
Jonah: No! Ask him after school, while the flowers on the trees are falling perfectly down on both of you and there’s a light breeze around you.
Jonah, in a serious tone: Free deep dish pizzas are at stake here, okay. 
TJ: Okay, no one is asking anyone out. So please just–
[ Cyrus suddenly walks in with his lunch ]
Cyrus, smiling: Hey everyone, what are you all talking about?
TJ, in a panic: The weather
At the same time as TJ
Amber: TJ’s midlife crisis / Jonah: Global Warming / Marty: Fruit Tarts
Cyrus: O…kay. 
Amber, fake laughing: We were all over the place…Anyways, how’s you day been so far?
Cyrus: Had a meeting with a parent, nothing too exciting. 
Cyrus, suddenly remembering something: Oh, but TJ! I found those chips that you like so much but are hard to find. They’re in my office, I’ll give them to you later. 
TJ, visibly glowing: Oh, hey, thanks Goodman.
TJ: By the way, I got you a drink from Starbucks.
Cyrus: My favorite! TJ, you shouldn’t have. 
TJ, in a bashful tone: It’s no big deal. 
Cyrus, giving him a soft smile: Thank you.
Amber, Marty, and Jonah look at each other like they’re in The Office.  
[ Another Day at the teacher’s lounge ]
Buffy: My bet is on Cyrus. 
Andi: Same.
Amber: No faith for my brother I see. 
Libby: I just think he’s afraid of rejection and doesn’t want ruin the friendship.
Walker: But he’s gotta try, or else he’ll regret it later. 
Amber: All I know is that they better ask each other out soon or so help me.
Amber: TJ and I usually have lunch on Saturdays and all it consists of, are talks about Cyrus’ soft hair and beautiful smile. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Cyrus. But I wish TJ would tell that to his face. 
Buffy: I guess we’ll just have to see what happ-
[ Jonah and Marty burst through the door ]
Jonah, out of breath: Guys! You need to…(catches breath) come out to the….parking….lot.
Marty, just out of breath as Jonah: It’s happening…it’s finally happening…TJ…Cyrus….gay…together 
Amber, abruptly stands up: What!
And so they all go out to the parking lot and all seven of them try to hide behind a wall…..very poorly. 
Andi: There they are!
Buffy: They’re talking! Very closely…..
Walker: Oh my god what are they saying?
Libby: Obviously Cyrus is asking TJ out!
Amber: Cyrus is reaching for TJ’s hand!
Jonah: And TJ took it!
Marty: This is SO GAY!
Andi: They’re laughing!
Buffy: Cyrus is nodding his head in agreement to something….and now they’re turning around..quick hide!
Jonah, hiding behind the wall with the rest of them: You think they saw us?
TJ, approaching them: We saw you.  
Cyrus: You guys aren’t the most subtle. 
Amber: Look who’s talking.
Cyrus, laughing: Point taken.
Marty, casually: So what were you two friends doing out in this friendly parking lot at this friendly hour. Just the two of you, alone, by yourselves. Just two friends…
TJ, smiling wide: Cyrus asked me to dinner on Saturday.
Jonah: Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool….as in friends or….?
Cyrus: As a date.
The whole gang then loudly cheers at that statement.
Andi: I’m so happy for you two!
Buffy: Jonah, you owe me a deep dish pizza!
Jonah: I’d be so upset right now if it weren’t for the fact that two of my good friends are finally together.
Libby: Congratulations!
Amber: It’s about damn time, is all I gotta say. 
Walker: For real. 
Marty: Oh love, sweet, beautiful, gay love. 
Suddenly the bell rings indicating that lunch is over. 
Cyrus: Well, we better get back to work.
TJ, agreeing: Yeah, we should.
TJ, smiling and reaching for Cyrus’ hand: I’ll see you later?
Cyrus, smiling to match TJ’s: Of course.
Amber: Okay, ew. Don’t be so gross about it. 
TJ, gasping: We would never. 
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fairyjeff · 5 years ago
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Can I Speak to the Fairy? || SOLO
Jeff v. Karen: Para Sample Edition. 
Mentions: Alcohol
Fucking kids. Why did they always think they could get by him? They couldn’t. He could spot someone under 21 from a mile away. 
“And stay the fuck out of my bar until you turn 21!” Jeff was good at the whole booming voice thing. It certainly helped with throwing people out when they got to rowdy, and honestly, it was a personal quality that he loved about himself. Made him feel just a little bit more manly -- not that he needed to feel manly to survive or anything, but after the whole ‘fairy-thing’, he could use a bit of an ego boost. It was almost closing time, which meant it was time to start throwing the more rowdy people out. 
“Ey, Jeff, I think it’s time to cut her off,” his coworker nudged him, and Jeff grimaced. It was his turn to throw the 40+ year old woman having a midlife crisis because her husband was cheating on her because she had way too much to drink. It wasn’t even their fault. They could never tell when to cut them off because they would be fine, maybe even making polite conversation, and then the waterworks started! Mascara, snot, their frumpled bleached blonde hair sticking up in weird ways because they decided to get bangs so they could stick it to that bitch Kathy or whatever -
“I’ll trade you,” Jeff said, solemnly, nodding towards the rowdy men by the pool table. That was a bar fight ready to happen. He could be down with that - grab a beer and kick some people’s asses. Better than having Karen try to cop a feel while he shoved her into a taxi.
“Not a fucking chance.”
“Ah, fuck off,” Jeff waved him off, and went to go help her out. Before he learned what he was, it was really only mildly inconvenient to do shit like this. Most women, and some men, were happy to do as he asked, stumbling down to grab a cab, but that was only because of his damn pheromones. His buddies he went to school with used to give him shit for it. All the pretty girls were drawn to him and he always got the best dates. 
That definitely would have been an ego boost if he didnt spend most of his adolescent years trying to figure out what to di with the giant fucking wings on his back. 
He was careful not to touch Karen, who was miserably slumped over on her arms. “Miss, we’re closing now. We gotta get you out -”
“Men are GARBAGE!” 
Jeff was not a bright man, but he wasn’t stupid enough to disagree with her. “You’re right.”
She swirled on him, jabbing a finger at him. “Gar. Bage. Trash. How dare he!”
Jeff nodded solemnly. “How dare he,” he agreed. 
“Nineteen years of marriage!” 
“Nineteen fucking years,” he said.
“Down the drain!” 
“Down the fucking drain. What an asshole,” he said, sympathetically. She was gathering her purse, standing up as she scrolled through her phone. Good, it looked like she was ordering a car. It was always difficult when he had to confiscate keys. It was easier when he still lived in Boston and had regulars - White Crest was nothing like Boston. And also, he had yet to meet another fucking fairy, and that was starting to piss him off. 
“- face.” 
“What?” Jeff looked back down at Karen, who was looking drunkenly up at him.
“You had a bad look on your face.” 
“Such a shame, wasting nineteen years of marriage. You could do better.” He said. 
Oh, he was good at talking to drunk people, side effect of his job, because Karen’s face shown with happiness. He could feel the happy waves and body heat roll off her as he lead her out - he hadn’t fed in a while. It was harder to feed now, because before he had been feeding without even… well, realizing what he was doing. He ran a hand down his face for a moment, before reaching out to grab her wrist. 
The contact was all he needed for him to feel better, but he didn’t like watching the happy light leave her. Luckily, her car was here shortly. 
“I’m gunna be sick.” Karen announced. 
“Oh not on me, in the car! Have a good night!” He said, smiling at the uber driver, who looked horrified as he slammed the door. “Good luck with that one.” 
He watched the car jackrabbit out of its makeshift parking spot, and Jeff glanced at his hand. He didn’t take nearly enough, so he was still a little hungry… He glanced behind him as a ruckus started back up in the bar, and he shrugged slightly. He could grab more body heat by punching someone in their fucking face. 
Great. Perfect plan. Now all he needed was a beer.
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bookenders · 6 years ago
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Cutting Down the House
I talk with a lot of novelists, and when I mention I’m a short story writer, most, if not all of them, say the same thing:
“I don’t know how you can write something so short! That takes real skill.”
Like, sure. But long form is, in my opinion, a lot harder. How you can write something so LONG? How do you fill all that space? Where do you find all those words??
But I’m not here to fawn over novelists (again). I’m here to help y’all figure out how to cut, green, trim, and slim down your prose. I’m talking short stories, flash fiction, micro fiction, and other short stacks. 
(I have an obvious bias for short stories because that’s what I do the most.)
Here’s How I Write Short Fiction:
[Under the cut, because long post is looong.]
Let’s Begin
What kind of stories are short stories?
Shorts are somewhere between 1,000-10,000 words on average, less than that is Flash. You’ll see a lot of disagreement on how long a short story can be, but I recommend capping it around 10,000.  [NOTE: Most literary magazines only accept less than 10,000/8,000/5,000 word stories. It varies.] 
I usually put the short story cap at around 20 pages because one time someone turned in a 30+ page story in a workshop out of spite and everyone was very salty about it. 
In a more vague sense, any story can be a short story. It’s all about how you tell it. I mean, I’d pay good money to see someone shorten The Epic of Gilgamesh into a short story and make it good, but you get what I’m saying. I’ve read fairy tales, war stories, romances, holiday fluff, deadbeat father stories, midlife crisis tales, murders, you name it. If you can think it, you can do it.
The trick of the trade lies in - 
Construction
How do you structure a short story?
You don’t have a lot of space, so, like poetry, you gotta make it count. 
[Actually, I recommend trying out writing some poetry, or using it as a warm-up of some kind. Learn some poetic devices because that stuff is crazy helpful. I’m constantly thanking my English teachers and that one poetry class I took for teaching me how to be succinct.]
You don’t have the time to expand everything like you might in a novel. So you gotta whittle down your plot to a few basic steps. Just like an essay. (Eugh.) 
I think of short stories as mini arcs. If you are a long form guru, try to think of a short like a single scene. If you’re doing scenes right, that means that each one has its own arc. Beginning, middle, end, emotional change, ending on a positive, negative, or neutral as long as it’s different from where it starts, the works. But a whole lot more localized and focused. 
In my mind, a mini arc goes like this (and keep in mind, my stories are usually single location, limited cast, dialogue light, and interiority heavy):
The protagonist is in a place (physical and/or emotional) that can be changed and will change. This is your opening paragraph(s) / first page (if you’re writing a longer story, or your structure is a slow start for pacing). Start answering questions: who are they, what do they want, why can’t they get it?
Inciting incident occurs. This, ideally, happens in the first or second paragraph, no later than the end of the first page. Or before the story and is mentioned as early as possible. In short: it should happen early. A skilled writer can even throw it in the first sentence. 
Rising action is as tight as you can get it. It’s more of an approach than a rise, in my opinion. Everything in this part, or these small scenes, leads to the climax and closing - we’re learning about the character(s) and their world, learning what makes them tick and how they think and how the story leads them where they need to go. In my stories, this is the longest part.
The climax point is typically closer to the end than the beginning. Sometimes it’s the last page, last paragraph, or, my personal favorite, the last sentence. 
The falling action/denouement is, in my opinion, optional. If the climax happens right at the end of the story, you don’t have much room for it, maybe a sentence or two to close it. Otherwise, this is where you tie a bow around your theme(s) and exit on a mic drop.
While you’re planning your arc, keep an eye out for connective tissue, or threads. If you bring back a detail you mention early on when you’re writing the end, it’ll look like you knew what you were doing the entire time. 
The fancy term for this kind of thing is rhyming action. Charles Baxter has a fantastic essay about it (I’ll link to it in the reblog). I highly recommend reading it. Here’s an excerpt that hits the point home:
“...the man... is suddenly struck with what we sometimes call déjà vu, which is only an eerie sense of some repetition, of a time spiral, of things having come around back to themselves... The effect is a bit like prophecy, except prophecy run in reverse, so that it cannot be used for purposes of worldly advancement. Prophecy run forward gives the prophet the power of forecasting and a habit of denunciation. Prophecy run backward, into rhyming action or déjà vu, gives the participant a power of understanding.”
It’s one of my favorite tricks, and once you learn it, you’ll start to see it everywhere. It’s the equivalent of a 3-part thesis statement for writers: optional, but a good structural tool to keep around.
Keeping it SS
Short Stories are Short and Sweet.
It’s all about finding a way to say what you want to say in as few words as possible. Show vs tell guidelines come in handy here, but you have to use some good judgment and decide the right moments to show and the right moments to tell. 
Think about campfire stories. If they’re describing a car, they probably won’t mention any details unless they’re relevant to the plot or message. Do we care if the car is blue? No, unless the color reminds the protagonist of their ex’s nail polish, or something, and that reminder impacts the story in a significant way.
(Details are like dialogue. They advance the plot, reveal character, and/or provide a complication.) 
I once read a character description that went like this: “He was the kind of man to never use two words when one would do.” 
Be that man. Get the point across swiftly and succinctly. But also know when to draw a moment out. It’s a lot of back-and-forth with shorts. And, as always, it depends.
Remember: Like snakes, stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Some are tiny, some are a little bit longer. Sometimes they look cyclical. Keep your SS SS. (Get it? Ssss, like hissing? Snakes? 🐍)
What If I Need to Shorten What I Already Have?
There’s a technique called greening that you should reserve until your final draft. Basically, it’s taking out every single word that can be removed without losing any of the meaning. This includes frankensteining sentences together, removing extraneous modifiers, and leaving out that detail you like but has zero impact on anything relevant. It’s hard, it’s very hard, but it’s an amazing skill to have. 
There’s a great New Yorker article about it, which I will also link to in the reblog.
Have any specific short story questions? 
Shoot me an ask! I’ll do my best to help you out! I write lots of short stories and used to be the fiction editor for a literary magazine, so I’ve got all that juicy editor know-how.
Questions? Ask ‘em! Comments? Make ‘em!
For more writing advice and observations, check out my advice tag.
Like my advice and other writing nonsense? Check out the link to my Ko-Fi in my description!
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