#3 of them got into a fight on the first day

[goldengamer2500]

Personal vent Below cut:

My life has kinda gone to shit ever since COVID and it's not gotten better since. I'll try to summarize the last 5 years in as quick of a manner as i can:

The only context you need for this is that I'm about to turn 19, recently figured out im trans and I lived with my little brother and both of my parents before covid.

Covid hits, forced to online school, no interaction with friends

Parents get separated without telling us

Dad forces us to move to a separate state to get as far away from my mom as possible, we didn't know why at the time

Lost contact with old friends cause of that

Moved like 4 separate times in the span of three months.

Eventually Mom and Dad seemingly get their shit together and reconcile, Mom moves back with us.

Spoiler alert: They didn't get their shit together. The next 3 years will be filled with constant fighting and bickering between them, which they tried to keep away from us but failed miserably

Homeschooled for a year, it sucked.

Still no interaction with the outside world cause the lockdown is still a thing

This is about the time where I was supposed to enter highschool. I'm enrolled into a tiny-ass online school with like 10 students, none of which I particularly liked.

Starting to become aware of gender dysphoria, even if I didn't know what it was at the time, it sucked.

Total shut-in by this point, even if it's not entirely my fault. Stop taking care of my health at all. I'm so dangerously underweight my parents think I have anemia. (I didn't)

Parents try to put me on a diet and shit, somehow that sucked even more.

Second year of highschool. By this time the lockdown was over and schools were returning to in-person classes. Even though the school I was had also returned to in-person classes my parents insisted on keeping me online only for the first half of the year. (Remember that the school has like 10 students, so you can imagine how that was unbelievably awkward for everyone involved)

Fights and arguments between my parents become more frequent and violent at this point.

Finally return to in-person classes, super awkward cause of my long period of isolation and the weird online/in-person arrangement we had at the beginning of the year. Didn't make any friends.

^ Not like any of that mattered because not long after I finally returned to in-person classes my parents got divorced for real this time and they started fighting over custody. Which meant that I started missing classes because of jumping between living with my dad and my mom. (My dad kept the family car)

Their fighting only got worse during this time.

Right when I was about to finish my second year of highschool (literally like a week before that) my parents have this huge fight and my mom puts a restraining order on my dad, forcing us to stay with her indefinitely.

My dad obviously contests this and they begin a long, honestly stupid legal battle that's still fucking ongoing over custody and child support.

Mom is barely able to afford to take care of me and my brother because of her low salary and the fact that my dad was trying to pay as little child support as he physically could.

Mom begins to drink constantly, getting drunk every few days.

Basically forced to take care of her and my brother instead of myself. (not like I cared for myself either way)

Completely skipped third year of highschool because of this.

This continues for about a year, we pretty much go no-contact with our dad or with the outside world during this time because my mom doesn't have a car.

Move other few times during this time.

Mom is still unable to afford to take care of me and my brother and dad still refuses to pay child support so she's forced to send my brother to live with my grandparents so that they can help him go to an actual highschool.

Figure out im trans, cue gender dysphoria being a bitch.

Mom forces me to find an online college to enroll into. (I had been postponing this as much as possible due to lack of motivation towards life, possibly because of depression (haven't been able to afford to go to a therapist so i cant say if that was actually the reason))

Moved again, the legal battle between my parents continues to be on a stalemate.

And that's basically where we are now. Mom and Dad have been fighting their legal battle for almost two years now and I haven't seen my dad in that time (particularly due to lack of trying). My brother was forced to move to a different state. Mom still drinks (but thankfully much less), she got a better job so we're not as tight with money but the situation there is not great. Dad still refuses to pay child support. The online college I'm on isn't great and I haven't talked to people my age in years.

So yeah. I don't want to blame it all on COVID, but it certainly didn't help.

me in five years when i still don’t have my life together:

[moody-alcoholic]

This Is Going To Hurt

Part 3 - Useful Hostage

Summary: Poly141 x reader, established relationship, medic reader, kidnapped reader, mini fic.

CW: Dead dove don’t eat, use of weapons, death, torture, blood, assault.

AN: My birthday is on Wednesday so I'm taking a break from writing to do birthday things.

Masterlist and A03 links coming soon™ Part 1, Part 2

Enjoy <3

You actually get a break from the torture. Which means you get some sleep. Maybe it’s a thank you, but more likely they’re going to let you get your strength back up before it continues. The room you’re being held in is small, there’s only the door, no windows or vents. 

In fact you haven’t seen the sun since you were taken. You have no idea what time of day it is, how long it has been. There’s no point in trying to keep track, they purposely avoid a schedule, come for you at what seems like random times to take you to the bathroom or for more torture. 

You’re woken mid sleep and dragged back into the wetroom. That’s what you’ve started calling it, you always leave the place wet and shivering. It’s getting harder and harder to fight against your instincts and keep quiet, not panic. The safe space in your mind is getting harder and harder to imagine, it’s almost like the mental barriers you try to put up are being pulled down one by one. 

“No one is coming for you.” The stranger says, you turn your head to look at him while you gasp for air.

“You’ll die here. Alone.” You can’t help but scoff. You always knew this would happen, now they’re switching up their tactics. Maybe they’ll try and flip you, try and promise you a new life. It’s not going to work, it will never work. 

He doesn’t try the new tactic for long before switching back to the questioning. At one point you think you pass out because the next thing you know your straps have been undone and you’re rolled on your side heaving onto the floor. 

Angry voices ring in your head before you’re hauled back to your room. Everything hurts, your stomach and your lungs. The wound on your arm- you’re pretty sure is infected at this point. You can barely keep yourself up as you're thrown back into the room and the door is slammed closed. Like you have the energy to do anything right now. You pull yourself up into the corner of the room. 

Laying down just makes your stomach turn. You wish it would end. For the first time you feel your resolve slip. 

He’s right, they’re not coming for you. You’ve always known that, you just didn’t want to admit it, somewhere deep down you hoped they would come for you. You feel tears come even though you’re too exhausted to cry. 

You just hope they’re safe wherever they are.

___

“We’re in.” Soap says in Price’s ear. 

“Keep it tight, we need at least one of them alive.” Price says. This is their only chance to get intel, without having to resort to other methods. Price and Gaz move to the front door of the small house. There’s at least 5 people in here, all hostile.

Price pushes through the door first hearing Gaz following behind him, Ghost and Soap will be making their way around the ground floor so Price makes a b-line for the stairs. He looks around quickly, making sure Gaz is following him as they make it up the steps. 

They take it one room at a time. There are 2 people both sleeping. They take them out silently, hands over their mouths, their throats slit. Price takes the first one, Gaz gets the second one. 

There’s no third floor which means the last 3 are on the ground floor. 

“Ghost, sitrep.” 

“Ground floor’s clear. 2 down, one in custody.” He responds. 

“We’re clear here too.” Price responds and nods at Gaz to make it back down the stairs. When they make it into the living room, Ghost and Soap already have him tied to the chair. 

“He speaks English.” Ghost says his eyes meeting Price. They’ve done a good job, they were quick, they have what they need. 

“Yeah, beggin’ for his life when we got him.” Soap says. Price sighs walking round the chair to stand in front of the man. He shouts something in Arabic. Price’s patience is wearing thin already. He has to keep cool, keep it together. 

It’s like there’s a timer in his head though, ticking down each second, minute, hour. The longer they take, the more chance you’ll be killed. The thought makes his stomach sink, he swallows the lump in his throat and lets the adrenaline calm his mind. 

“You took a hostage. Female, British, medic, we want to know where she is.” Price says. The man's eyes flick to him, there’s blood on his forehead.

“I don’t know anything about a medic.” He says. It’s a lie, Price knows that. He nods at Ghost who throws his fist into the man's face. As Ghost straightens back up, Price watches the man spit blood. 

“The hostage. Where is she?” Price asks. 

“Fucking American pigs!” He snaps spitting at Price’s feet. Price crosses his arms looking over at Ghost, who pulls a knife off his vest. 

“The hostage!” Price snaps. The man just laughs and Price lets out a sigh. Ghost walks over and plunges the knife into his thigh. He screams thrashing against the chair, shouting in Arabic. Price goes over bending down in front of his face. 

“Tell us where she is.” He orders through gritted teeth. 

“I don’t know.” He says between breaths. Price doesn’t believe him, he has to know something. Suddenly there’s a beeping Price shoots up watching as everyone raises their weapons towards the origin of the noise. 

Soap is the closest and he moves over to the table. “It’s a laptop.” He calls lowering his weapon. 

“Bring it over.” Price says and he comes over placing it down on the coffee table. When they open it, it shows a page with a video. In the middle a chair, the backdrop is all al qatala flags, Price sees the red ‘live’ watermark flashing in the corner of the video.

“What the hell?” Gaz asks. Price reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. 

This can’t be good. 

__

The door to your cell opens, jolting you from sleep. It’s Sayyid, he has a bottle of water. You don’t even want it. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks putting the bottle down on the floor. You scoff as you move yourself back into the corner. Your body is stiff and sore, you wonder how long you were asleep for. 

“Fuck you. You don’t care.” You say. 

“I came to ask for your help.” He says, you look up at him confused. You can’t believe what you’re hearing. You laugh, maybe you’re dead and this is hell.

“There was a missile strike, injured are being brought here.” Sayyid says. 

“Oh my God you’re not joking.” You say. He looks somber as he shakes his head. You get up to your feet taking a step towards him.

“I’m not helping patch up terrorists.” You say with anger in your voice. How dare he ask you to help the very people keeping you here. 

“Innocent people are hurt too. Civilians with no affiliation. You took an oath when you became a medic. Do no harm.” He says. Fuck him, how dare he throw that in your face. 

“Fuck you!” You spit your fist crashes into his face. “I spent the last few days being tortured and you want to lecture me about not wanting to help terrorists.” 

The door to the room opens, someone steps in but Sayyid shouts at them holding his hand up. You watch as he rubs his cheek. You wish you had the energy to throw a proper punch, you wish you broke his nose. 

“Your allies are the ones firing the bombs at us!” He snaps. You shake your head, you don’t have to help them. No one would blame you. 

You look back up at Sayyid. You would blame yourself though, you will blame yourself. Do no harm, who dares wins, none of it fucking matters at the end of the day. 

You joined to help people, to make a difference. You've treated the enemy before and if you get out here you will again. You won’t treat them, the people holding you here, just the innocent people caught in the crossfire. 

“Why are civs coming here and not going to a hospital?” You ask. He looks up at you sad. “Shit, they hit the hospital.” 

Fucking Americans. Why did they fire on a hospital? Maybe it was a stray? 

“They’re diverting critical cases elsewhere but we have to pick up the rest.” 

“I can’t believe this. I’m your prisoner. Why do you even trust me?” You say throwing your arms up.

“I don’t but what are you going to do? Run? You wouldn’t make it to the door.” He says. “We need- I need help. You might as well be useful.” 

“Okay. I need to see what you’re working with though.” You say crossing your arms. He nods and moves to the side so the man standing behind him can grab you. 

His grip is strong, his fingers digging into your skin as he drags you down corridors and staircases. You catch your first glimpse of the outside world. It’s dark out, you don’t get to look for long before you’re dragged away. You’re moving deeper and deeper into the building and down more stairs. You’re pretty sure you’re on the ground floor, or a basement by now. 

You’re about to go through some double doors that you assume lead deeper into a basement. This place is huge, way bigger than you thought it was. Suddenly there’s an eruption of shouting. You’re stopped and you turn behind you to see 3 men walking towards you. They sound angry, they have weapons in their hands. 

Sayyid walks past you talking to them. He gets shoved out the way and two of them grab you. You resist this time. 

“What the hell!” You snap. You look back at Sayyid who looks confused as you’re dragged back to the stairs.

“What’s going on?” You ask as you’re pulled up them. Something's wrong, somethings changed. They shout at you in Arabic as they continue to drag you down the corridors. You’re bought into a room and it makes your stomach sink. 

There are more terrorists, all holding weapons. One of the walls is covered by al qatala flags, there’s a chair and a camera, lights and a microphone. The whole place looks like a shitty movie studio. You’re dragged over to the chair and they force you down. You have to squint and the lights are bright in your eyes. 

The two men stand directly behind you. One them presses the barrel of his weapon against the base of your skull. You feel sick, your body freezes up. You look over and you can see yourself on a laptop screen, this is live. They’re doing a livestream? Why? 

There’s no way this ends well, you wonder if 141 are watching. You hope not. 

One of the men comes up to you and hands you a piece of paper. You look down at it then back up at him. 

“Read.” He says. You swallow looking back down quickly. 

“I can’t read.” You say. You’re not going to give them what they want that easily. He hits you with the butt off his weapon, it stings forcing your head to the side. His hand then grips round your neck forcing your head up to see him. 

“Read!” He spits before letting your head go. You clear your throat and look back down at the piece of paper in your hands. 

“In response to the recent missile attacks by the Americans on civilian targets including a local hospital.” You pause for a second looking over at the laptop. The barrel of the weapon is pressed harder into your head. 

“We have no other choice but to-” Your eyes snap up at the man standing next to the laptop. This can’t be real, this is not how things work. 

You’re worth something to them, you're a hostage. You look back down at the words on the paper. Apparently not. 

“Execute the hostage.” You finish. This is it, this is how you die. You feel fear rise in you, there’s no way you can get out of this you’re dead anyway. The paper is ripped out of your hands. You look back over at the laptop. Now you really hope they’re not watching. 

The man by the laptop moves to the front of the camera and says something in Arabic. You look down at the floor, you're not sure what you're feeling. Sadness, fear, confusion.

You're about to die.

You won’t cry, you won’t give them the satisfaction. When he’s done talking he comes over and presses a pistol to your temple. 

You look into the camera, you wish you could see them one more time, the people in the room start chanting when they’re done the man moves to stand in front of you. The barrel moving to your forehead. You look at him, right in his eyes. 

See you in hell fucker, you let yourself smile. He doesn’t deserve to break you, even now. You let out a breath and think of them all, John and Simon, Kyle and Johnny. You never stopped loving them. 

There’s a loud bang of a door being thrown open. Someone shouting in arabic. The gun barrel is pulled from your forehead. The man moves and you look over to see Sayyid rush in. There are more angry voices, people shouting. You wish you knew what they were saying. 

The same man turns back around to you, you see confusion in his eyes.

“Is it true, you are part of 141?” Your stomach sinks. How did they know? You didn’t tell them. His fist crashes into your face.

“Answer!” He demands. You’re not going to say anything. He pulls out a knife pressing it up against your throat. 

You swallow and it digs into your skin. “Where are they?” He spits. You keep as still as you can, your heart is pounding in your chest. you hold your breath.

“I don’t know.” You say through gritted teeth. You feel the blade slice into your skin. It makes your eyes water. Sayyid says something again. The knife is dragged away from your neck. Your hand goes up to it and you feel blood pool between your fingers, the wound is not deep, just enough to bleed. 

You look up at Sayyid who smiles at you. What the hell? What the fuck just happened? You watch the livestream get turned off. There’s another shout, another order, the barrel of the weapon is moved off the back of your head. You feel a sharp pain as something hits you over your head and everything goes black. 

__

No one moves. No one says a word. 

Price can feel eyes digging into the back of his head, looking at the same screen they just saw you on. 

“She’ll be dead already.” The terrorist chuckles.

“John?” Price hears Laswells voice in his ear. 

“Send traffic.” He replies, trying his best to keep a level voice. 

“I traced it to a relay but that was as far as I got. Chances are you’ll be able to pick up the signal from there. I’ll send you the details.” She says. Price doesn’t reply, ending the call.

He reaches down, unclipping his pistol. He’s not even thinking as he clicks the safety off and shoots the terrorist in the head. 

“Laswell has a lead. Let's move.” he says putting his weapon back in his holster and walking to the exit.

Now they have even less time.

Banners by plum98

[emacrow]

Dani wasn't the only clone that Danny saved.

There were 3 other clones that were prematurely made, kind of stabled, but didn't look how Vlad wanted and were going to be terminated, in which Dani was desperate in the first place.

Three clones varieties mixed between his dna and ectoplasm between ages of 1-5 The panic danny had felt holding toddler that look like him except for a star birthmark his cheek while looking at Sam and Tucker with big pleading puppy blue eyes along with Dani.

Thankfully, Sam had a backup backup bunker plan already refurbished and full of food using her three month allowance in case things went bad with his parents, along telling jazz because she will full murder him if he kept four little possibly now his children/cousins/clones? away from him.

The juggling and balancing between fighting ghosts, raising little kids, and school alongside the GIW, Beating Pariah King, his future self and revealing to the town that he was Phantom to save the world was brutal to him, Sam, Jazz and tucker.

Thankfully, his parents accepted him, but the paranoia scratched at his brain to hide about his clones/kids and overpowered him to not say anything about his kids to them yet.

Then came clockwork and his crytic words and Crown of Fire and ring of rage nonstop appearing floating rather innocently following him.

He has tried everything at this point, stuffing it in his locker, putting it in a fenton ghost proof chest and dumping it into the distant deep lake, freezing it which only made it a crown of ice that drips snowflakes and the ring of rage into a ring with a aurora instead of a skull.

It took him half a day to figure out he accidentally became King of the Ghost Zone, which is also known as the infinite realm of the dead due to conquest after he accidentally commanded Ghost writer to tell him why the crown of fire kept following him like paulina before she knew he was Phantom.

Apparently, since he was the last one to take the final blow on Pariah King using everything he got, the crown took a liking to his protection/space core and decided that he would be king whether he like it or not.

He was clearly king material after he balanced everything he went through alongside raising 3 baby ghostlings, which was rather proud achievement.

Leaving Danny in control of an infinite realm of the dead alongside a much more infinite amount of paperwork now streaming to him, half of them being complain about a guy name constantine with overdue summonings now set to him instead of Pariah King on paused time.

What's next? Is the Justice League actually real?

[matchpointfaist]

me & you together song

best friend! connor murphy 𝜗𝜚

a/n: no smut! this is just soft connor falling in love <3

when you proposed the plan for connor to come with you on your weekend trip for a college tour, you hadn't entirely expected your parents to agree. some combination of safety in numbers and the general inseparability convinced them, though, and you were college bound with connor's black backpack snug next to your pink duffel, taking turns controlling the radio like you didn't have all the same taste.

he was in his own head, like always, thinking of all the million ways the two of you could grow apart when you left. he was never very strong academically, struggling with authority and retention and all the things you seemed to excel at. he knew, in some way, that it would always come to this; you moving on.

he tried his best to keep a smile, for you, unable to allow himself to ruin your mood. you'd been all smiles all day, wearing your "lucky sweater" and insisting that this was the one- you could feel it. the one in question happened to be nine hours from home, from him, and he selfishly could not seem to push the thought from his mind.

above everything, always, connor wanted you to be happy. so there he sat in the passenger seat of your car, watching the way the sun weaved through strands of your hair and your smile as you pointed out little landmarks. when you finally arrived at the campus, he could understand why you wanted to go so desperately- it was beautiful, lively, creative. everything your hometown was not.

you didn't have to tell him to take a million photos; one of you walking past the entrance sign, one of you grabbing a tour pamphlet, one of you with your tour guide. he had his phone out before you could even ask, capturing a million little memories that he could make a home in once you were gone.

you stayed in a hotel just off campus, courtesy of your parents, in a connecting room that you were both sure to take advantage of. you got pizza from a local place, and connor just listened intently as you raved about how excited you were to live like this every night, growing more and more uncertain in his ability to keep his thoughts to himself.

"it won't be like this, not really," he finally said, regretting it as soon as it left his mouth, "i mean, i won't be here, that's all. but you're gonna have so much fun," his encouraging smile felt more like a cringe.

"you could always come with me," you frowned slightly, and his chest ached, "i know you don't wanna go to college, but maybe you could get a job and then we could rent a place after my first year?" you'd discussed it before, of course, but it never went anywhere. he'd always shaken off the idea, not wanting to hold you down or hold you back from anything you wanted. you'd always insisted that it would be the opposite, but he couldn't shake the nagging thoughts.

"maybe," he said after a moment, "we'll see, yeah? we'll figure something out. maybe you can just come visit every month?" "i guess, yeah," you nodded hesitantly, "i don't wanna just see you once a month, con. i mean- you know i love you, and i believe in you. but sometimes you frustrate me so bad," you ran a hand through your hair, "i know your parents are overbearing, but they'd pay for you to go to school or for you to get an apartment if you'd just ask. you don't have to come with me, of course, but it seems like you want to and that's a perfect solution-"

he stopped you, standing to pace the room, his unease at the mention of his parents making him antsy. "please don't pretend to understand my relationship with my parents," he said quietly, his voice heavy with tension. "pretend?" you repeated with a scoff, "connor, i know you better than anyone! i'm the one who's always there after your fights, that's not fair,"

"just because you're there after doesn't mean you understand! your parents love you, they-" he paused, trying to calm down, "look, i'm sorry, okay? i shouldn't have come with you," you looked stricken at that, a pained, distant look in your eyes, "what?"

"i shouldn't have come, it was a mistake. this is a big thing for you and i'm messing it up," he said with a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. "you're not messing it up, connor. i just don't understand-" "that's right, you don't understand," he cut you off, "look- let's just go to bed, okay? i'll see you in the morning," he grabbed his phone from the bed and disappearing behind the connecting room door, leaving you speechless.

you ran over the argument what felt like a hundred times, trying to figure out what went wrong. he could be so frustrating, so single minded when it came to his potential, but he'd never lashed out at you. you'd always been the one calming him down, not working him up. you hated this, whatever this even was.

on the other side of the door, connor wasn't doing any better. he felt sick with guilt, hating the way you'd looked at him as he snapped at you, hating the way he'd said you didn't understand. you understood better than anyone else, and he knew that, deep down. you saw him in a way he could never allow anyone else to.

he glanced up as he heard a quiet knock at the door, recognizing the little pattern tapped against it, feeling silly as his heart rate spiked at the idea of you on the other side, coming to him despite his temper. "come in," he called, smoothing out the blanket to busy his hands. you stepped inside quietly, the hoodie of his that you always slept in catching his eye immediately.

"i hate when we fight," you said softly, still standing like you weren't sure how close to get to him, "i can't sleep knowing you're upset," you looked so vulnerable in that moment, he would've done anything to make it better. ask his parents for college tuition, move hours away with you, whatever it took to get the teary eyed expression off of your face. "i hate it too," he sighed, opening his arms and gesturing you over, "not mad at you, just- it's hard,"

you crossed the room, settling on the bed and melting into his arms in the way he'd grown so addicted to. "didn't mean to pressure you," you mumbled into his shirt, "i'm really sorry, con," god, you had it all wrong. "you aren't pressuring me," he said quietly, running his hand through your hair absentmindedly, "i don't even know how to say all of this," you pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him, your brows knit. "say all what?"

"i want you to do whatever you want, go wherever you want, and i hope you know that. you're gonna do so many great things, and i'm scared i'll hold you back from that, or that you'll have so many things that you won't need me anymore. and i know that's unfair, and you've always shown that i'm important, but it terrifies me, the idea of not having you in my life," he hated the way his voice cracked, "and you're my best friend, and i've sat with this and i haven't said anything because i'd never do anything to jeopardize that,"

i'm really doing this, he thought, as he continued on, "the idea of not being in your life terrifies me because i'm- well, fuck, i'm in love with you. you're so funny and so fucking smart, and you always know what to say, but you never really have to say anything. just being with you is the easiest part of my life. and i'd love to follow you to college, i'd love to get us a place just for the two of us, i would love nothing more than to make a little life with you, and i know we're so young and we're friends and if this is all wrong, we can forget it, okay? but i couldn't act like i wasn't feeling this way, it wasn't fair to either-"

"connor," he opened his eyes, not realizing he'd ever even closed them, to find you beaming and giddy and close to laughing, "i've been waiting so long for you to say that to me, do you have any idea? god, we're both so stubborn," and then you were on him, your arms around his shoulders and your face buried in his neck, hugging him the tightest anyone ever had.

he laughed, breathless and shocked, holding you closer to him, "are you serious?" "of course i'm serious," he could feel your smile against his skin, "i've been in love with you for ages," he pulled you back slightly, your cheeks pink and your smile giddy as you looked up at him, and he couldn't resist it anymore, he kissed you with all the emotion he'd been holding back for what felt like a lifetime, smiling against your lips, laughing as you pulled away to rest your forehead on his.

the two of you just laid there for a while, your legs tangled together and your hands trailing over each others arms, backs, hair, anywhere the other could reach. he hadn't even realized he'd dozed off until you were yawning softly and shifting to lay your head on the pillow. "i love you," you mumbled, a sleepy smile on your lips. "i love you,"

you fell asleep hand in hand, your own bed on the other side of the door long forgotten.

[yourlocalbadgerscales]

Okay guys REALISTICALLY what gates and theories do you want to become real Byler moments in s5? I’ll go first.

— Will Byers and Holly Wheeler bonding and Mike absolutely meltinggg yes please (bro is so cooked)

— Will and Mike babysitting Holly, they start flirting and that’s one of the reasons Holly disappeares. Mike ofc blames himself for getting distracted and carried away with his flirting and VOILA! ANGSTTT (Mike Queerler blaming himself for acting queer and seeing Holly’s disappearance as a punishment from some higher power for being gay)

— I want the moment Will sees Mike’s new haircut so baddd you guys don’t understand. “You look… it looks great, Mike” AIDHWKHDKWHRKAHSJWHRJIWEU

— Byler hugs come home, we miss you. Byler hugs. Home. Byler. HUGS. Byler HUGS. HUGGIES AND CUDDLINGGG

— One of them in the hospital and the other by his bedside and he gives him a forehead kiss while he sleeps <3 (idk where I got this from to begin with but it hasn’t left my mind since)

— Byler cleaning each other’s wounds in the green house at at Lover’s Lake

— AN ALMOST KISS AND I TRULY CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. ALSO DID I MENTION AN ALMOST KI- *gunshots*

— That pic of Finn sitting in a room with wide open yellow curtains right behind him, looking troubled as the light falls on him…? Yeah. I want to see whatever revelations Mike’s having in that scene (hmm I wonder what they might be about…) CLEARLY on his face! I want to see the “Oh. Oh.” moment in action. (Although I think he’s already had his oh OH moment in s3 and/or s4 so maybe that’s not what’s going on in this scene, but still I want 🤌EMOTIONS🤌✨)

— Chill Mileven breakup on the rooftop, Mike immediately moving on to talk about how worried he is for Will and El immediately clocking his shit but keeping it to herself

— The bullies that used to bully the Party back in the days teasingly call Mike “Zombie Boy’s Boyfriend” and he doesn’t bat an eye, but then they shove Will into a locker or something with no intention of picking a fight and Mike IS NOT HAVING IT… fighting ensues and punches are thrown and Wheelers are beaten black and blue ❤️ (Go bad bitch go bad bitch go)

— SCENES LIKE THE ROVICKIE SCENE MAKINV SANDWITCGES BUT BYLERRR

— CHURCHGATE! Will is possessed and choking Mike, Mike is literally dying but smiles a lil smile through his tears and taps “I love you” into Morse code against Will’s wrist in what he thinks is his last moments… little does he know that’s what saves Will and also himself! Hooray! 🥰 (For now I might add, it’s far from over innit) (Also I just saw a post about how actions speak louder than words in ST and that Byler probably won’t say out loud — or tap — ily to each other. Alternatively Mike taps “crazy together”? But I’m also not too big on the GIVE-US-THROWBACKS-TO-PREVIOUS-SEASONS-AND-THEIR-BYLER-MOMENTS stuff so… yk what idk but Mike IS using morse code to snap Will out of it because I SAID SO!)

— Y’all this is smth I made up myself in a late night Byler scenario once and never shared (I thenk) so it’s technically not a hate but: yk how the only part of Will not possessed in s2 (the one hand he used to tap messages in morse code to the others) was the hand Mike held earlier on in the season? Well, what if that’s the key to snap him out of his possession temporarily? Idk how Mike figures it out, maybe he connects the dots somehow and just goes with it, but picture this: Will is possessed, fighting back as Mike holds him close and just — touches him. NOTHING SEXUAL! Just, the sensuality of it? Mike holding Will close after ages of not properly hugging him, running his hands through his hair and over his backs and shoulders and arms and yeee Will slowly starts to regain control over his body, all whilst still spitting things that undeniably sting. Because yk. Vecna and allat. So it’s like Mike is being Vecna’s but it’s real, but it’s also not real because Will doesn’t mean that and he’s not even the one saying those things, it’s Vecna. And then ig Mike maybe… KISSES Will in the end to stop him from talking and give him back the ability to speak freely too? Idk just a thought DONT MIND ME GUYS THE LATE NIGHT SCENARIOS BE LIKE THAT OKAY DONT JUDGEEE IM A SAP AND A SUCKER FOR NON-SEXUAL INTIMACY

— Let’s ignore that lost thing I wrote kay? REALISTICALLY: I don’t want the kiss to be the love confession. Yk? Make them happen on two separate occasions. Love confession first, kiss on a later occasion, because yk what they say: if a kiss is needed to confess ur love then is it rlly love? The confession shall be in the form of WORDS

— Byler get Lucas-and-Dustin’d buttttt it’s discreet, like when Jonathan let Will know that he knew he was gay and in love with Mike in s4 but without explicitly saying it! And this could happen somewhere at the end of the season, maybe they speak to Will and Mike on separate occasions, maybe with both of them at the same time, yk anything works

— ROBIN BONDING WITH THEM BOTH AND CLOCKING THEIR SHITTT but she speaks to them both without the other one present

— Y’all have heard about “Painting? What painting?” before, now get ready for “You know… the painting I gave you before?” “Mhm?” “It was from me. And— me only. El didn’t commission it.” “Just like she didn’t commission that speech you gave me?” “Huh?” “Will. I know the painting was from you. I knew this whole time.” (I am a MIKE WHEELER ISNT FUCKING OBLIVIOUS HE KNEE WHAT THE GELL WAS GOING ON HE WAS JUST CONFLICTED AYDJWKDJEJ truther always and forever. Oh and this conversations happens while Will and Mike are in an established relationship btw.)

— This isn’t rlly Byler but WILL COMING OIT TO JOYCE AND JOYCE BEING THE QUEEN SHE IS AND ACCEPTING HIMMM tears are shed and hugs are given. Wholesomeness. Just.. Yes.

— “What’s gay?” (Again not rlly Byler but I love El too much not to include this in this list)

— BYLER SHARING CLOTHESSS (Mike’s sweaters being too small for Will but he wears them anyways and Mike DIES every time — yes plss)

— BYLER! SHARING! A BED! Because Will had a nightmare once and “Oh for fuck’s— this is getting stupid. Just— just get up here already, Will.” “Huh? What?” “Get into the bed or you’ll have the back of an old man when you’re twenty/Get in or you’ll freeze to death”… just THEM ATXGWKDJEKKEIE (not me crashing out— mb y’all this post is chaos now and i rule it) And then they just never stop sharing a bed <3

— Them bonding over their shared music taste! (“Smalltown Boy and Boys Don’t Cry? I love those songs!”)

— To be added onto ❤️

[homestuckreplay]

how did we not get 413 leetspeak until page 1524

(page 1509-1530)

It’s a big day for troll enthusiasts because today’s update introduces a whole new troll, gallowsCalibrator, who we get two conversations AND a visual of. We also see carcinoGeneticist, and get some new Sburb lore via Dave and Jade that now feels insignificant by comparison.

I love how Dave’s ‘broken AIR CONDITIONING UNIT was scaled to be a perfect fit for the ALCHEMITER all along’ (p.1398) and then it got to be there for barely a hundred pages before getting moved to the middle of the roof. looks like someone got hoisted by their own lorebuilding petard. Less destructive to existing mechanics is the gristTorrent Sburb extension, an officially-released mod that allows players to redistribute grist amongst themselves – likely helpful as certain rare grists will only be found on specific planets. Dave has no hangups about stealing John’s building materials ‘because he's obviously got too much for his own good’ which is a rare and beautiful anticapitalist W for Dave.

Jade telling Dave to ‘just do whatever you are naturally compelled to do’ with the Sburb beta discs (p.1511) is such a great line, feels like such a perfectly Jade thing to say. To be honest I was just hanging out with my friend who is super into astrology and tarot and they will absolutely say things like ‘it’s because we’re both water signs’ as though it’s a completely average thing to say which is basically just like Jade here.

There’s a quick glimpse of Rose fighting some imps, which are white with nasty fangs and/or cat faces and similar outfits to John’s imps. Are these colorswapped to match the land or are they members of the light kingdom? If yes, why are they fighting Rose, and if no, what are the equivalent numbers of light kingdom citizens doing while the dark kingdom attacks players? Also in case anyone was worried, Dave is still making Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff in the background, a comic which has just teased the beginning of its first full storyline.

The panel of Rose sat on the pier (p.1523) is very relaxing. She’s got a cozy cushion, an umbrella, infinite wifi and battery, the sea air and a kitten for company. I would also like to sit there. Rose finally responds to John’s messages from page 1391, leading to a GREAT Rose and John Pesterlog where they’re both talking around each other in a way that feels like two different flavors of neurodivergent trying to connect. They make no progress figuring out whether they’re on the same land because neither will simply use the word ‘blue’, and while they’re both able to agree that Dave is a bad server player, they totally disagree on whether Rose is a ‘rational orchestrator’. We haven’t had a conversation between these two since page 1025, and this is a lovely reunion with a lot of character from both.

THEN we meet gallowsCalibrator, who talks in partial leetspeak, specifically adding the numbers 4, 1 and 3 to their words. [sidebar: this pesterlog is 1,017 words, making it the third longest page by wordcount in Homestuck so far, losing only to the two walkarounds.]

GC shares alien lore and information about Sburb that may or may not be true, saying they ‘W1LL B3 H3LPFUL’ but still hate all the kids. Act 4 has felt so strongly like an effort to make Homestuck more plot-driven and to make things happen without fucking around, and putting a large group of aliens who’ve already played the game on the table to deliver plot exposition is really helpful there. Establishing those people as mean and unreliable is also really helpful as a cover for any mistakes, and for encouraging readers to spend time thinking about what’s true and what’s not (I know I will be doing it).

Sidebar: Fact-Checking GC’s Lore

1. Upon entry to the Medium, players experience ‘A SUBTL3 VOIC3’ urging them to do things, which is an exile on their ‘D34D PLAN3T’. Exiles help players by ‘D1R3CTLY GU1DING’ their behavior as well as taking ‘4CT1ONS TH4T COMPL3T3 LOOPS 1N TH3 T1M3L1NE’. Verdict: TRUE. ✅ We saw the Wayward Vagabond engage in this behavior throughout Act 2, and PM is the absolute queen of completing timeloops with the mail. GC thinks exiles do this ‘PROB4BLY W1THOUT 3V3N R34L1Z1NG 1T’ which isn’t true in PM’s case – she’s often completely aware of the assignment. 2. The exiles come from Prospit and the dark kingdom, but were ‘3XP4TR14T3D DUR1NG TH3 R3CKON1NG’. Verdict: TRUE?? ✅ GC mentions this Reckoning twice, but we’ve never heard about it before now. GC specifically refers to ‘1TS R3CKON1NG’ in relation to Earth, so this is probably reckoning like wrecking, its destruction via meteor. The continuation of PM’s story will probably explain how this event ties into political intrigue that leads to exile. 3. The exiles will ‘R3BU1LD L1F3 4ND C1V1L1Z4T1ON’ on the players’ dead planet, so that one day it becomes ‘R1P3 FOR S33D1NG 4LL OV3R 4G41N’. Verdict: TRUE?? ✅ With Spades Slick literally building this town (p.1215) and the Earth exiles’ obsession with public infrastructure, I believe that this is Sburb’s goal. Skaian technology being ‘UN34RTH3D’ is reminiscent of Grandpa Harley discovering Jade’s island with its mystic ruins and time capsule inside. Whether it always works out as planned is a totally different question; I don’t know how GC would know that her exiles are one day successful in building a town (also I’m pretty sure seven of their session’s exiles straight up died, which they don’t mention). 4. ‘TH3 UN1V3RS3 W1LL 34T P4R4DOX3S FOR BR34KF4ST 4ND SO W1LL TH1S G4M3’ Verdict: TRUE?!?! ✅ We saw a bunch of partial and splintered timelines in the Intermission, as well as Eggs and Biscuits, whose antics make ‘the fabric of spacetime… tear[] something fierce’ (p.1253). Appearifying something in a way that causes a paradox is technically possible as an act of free will(??), it’s just that the universe auto-corrects for it by making slime instead. I love the implication that any one person’s ability to cause a paradox is fundamentally insignificant on a cosmic scale, and the powerlessness that comes with that. 5. Sburb’s other roles for players include the ‘S33R OF M1ND P4G3 OF BR34TH KN1GHT OF BLOOD M41D OF T1M3’ and their job is ‘OF GR34T3R CONS3QU3NC3’ than rebuilding the planet. Verdict: TRUE*. ✅ Yeah of course it makes sense that the options would be remixed and tailored to the players, and now we know there have to be at least twelve titles and at least twelve domains, which is exciting to speculate about. The titles are all roles in society, while the domains are primal concepts with wide interpretations. → Sidebar Sidebar: Possible Titles. Duke, Wizard, Scion, Herald, Prophet, Champion, Spy, Druid, Monk, Foe(?) → Sidebar Sidebar: Possible Domains. Night, Sea, Force, Fire, Bone, Soul, Storm, Growth, Flight, Loss(.jpg) The kids having an important job that doesn’t involve returning to Earth does echo Nannasprite’s statement that John’s ‘purpose is so much more important than saving that silly old planet’ (p.427). It stinks of Skaian propaganda to me, and I think that returning to Earth should be a valid option if the kids decide they want that, but the Grand Purpose is definitely the narrative Sburb is selling. So overall GC’s lore offerings do seem mostly reliable with a little conjecture, so their claim that they ‘W1LL B3 H3LPFUL’ is true. But I have my eye on them and on all trolls.

Because these folks are nasty for real!! They could be written as aliens who come across as mean due to cultural differences, but they’re really not. GC makes a violent death threat to a 12-year-old John on page 1528, and Jade references past conversations with CG where they have mocked Jade for her dream robot and played repeated pranks on her, seemingly to no end as this all happens before the kids’ adventure. They’re just mean little fuckers and they’re all ‘CR4ZY… 1N OUR OWN W4YS’ (p.1524) with very distinct trolling techniques and now that we’re getting visuals of them, they’re on track to be significant characters. It is definitely ambitious to add 12 mean little guys to an already busy story but I’m here for it. The beta kids are all so kind and accepting of each other and never get more than surface-level annoyed with each other; now let’s add 12 malicious aliens to cause some tension.

There’s a recap of a John-Jade conversation from page 1000, now from Jade’s perspective, now with the interlude in which she told CG to ‘go away!’. It seems like these trolls totally played themselves by being super mean to the kids earlier, and by the time they realized they might have something serious to say, they’d already blown more possible trust. (I would like to put together some troll timelines but that’s for another post!) CG says that Jade’s robot ‘WILL BLOW UP FOR SOME REASON’, an event that might be a turning point for the kids and trolls, if Jade listens to her past/future self. Also, I’m really curious how far ahead this ‘WAAAY IN THE FUTURE’ Jade is. How far does the trolls’ ability to contact the kids go??

Jade also has a pen pal! This gets dropped as though it’s come up before, but it definitely hasn’t. Appearing two pages after a discussion about Jade’s past and future selves, I’d guess that Jade’s pen pal is herself from the future, and the green package contains something she originally made in lategame Sburb that she’s trying to send backwards in time so that John will have it earlier in the game.

Finally, GC calls John ‘4 TOT4L D1SGR4C3 TO TH3 F13LD OF 3CTOB1OLOGY’ (p.1528) which causes him to change his chumhandle to ectoBiologist, closing a timeloop I didn’t even know was open. This means John will actually practice this science, which involves creating clones via paradox slime (p.934). Coincidentally, Act 4 is titled ‘Flight of the Paradox Clones’. And GC has promised to be helpful in a mean way. So my guess is that GC will guide an easily led, gullible John into doing some fucked up unethical science sooner rather than later.

[whiteknight-week]

Hello & welcome to White Knight Week 2025! Due to this being the first “White Knight Week” proper in quite some time, we’ve kept the prompts to a simple overall theme:

“Missing Moments”

With this theme, we will explore the moments between moments. The actions that could’ve been done, the fights that may have sparked, and the words that went unspoken. Starting from the early days of Beacon and ending in the dunes of Vacuo, we will seek to fill the void or inspire a new reality altogether.

Let your passions burn and inspiration flow. Be it in written form, art, discussions, or memes! Do as much or as little as you please, but feel free to share on r/WaveOfWhiteKnights on Reddit or the Tumblr page!

White Knight Week will start on: Monday, May 12th, 2025 and go till Sunday, May 18th, 2025, and does cover two very important days in regards to our Knight and Queen: Weiss' birthday and the Canonization day of Jeanne d'Arc.

We are still in the early planning stages for the event and plan to have daily discussions and posts. Please see below for the prompts if you wish to participate! As a note, Fics and art may be featured on White Knight Wednesday!

[ Day 1 ] - “Beacon Bits” ( May 12th )

Have you ever wondered how Jaune got Weiss’ scroll number? Or maybe if they ever talked about the events of the dance? Have you ever thought about a world where Weiss Schnee & Jaune Arc end up as partners? Or maybe a time they team up to help some folks out in Vale during the break between V1 & V2? Explore all these possibilities & more on our first day of White Knight week “Beacon Bits”!

[ Day 2 ] - “Nightmare Nights” ( May 13th )

Day 2 of White Knight week checks into the ‘what if’ world of Ice Queendom. “Nightmare Nights!”. What happens after the Nightmare? Does Weiss simply recover, or do the events haunt her? Maybe a Kind Knight gives her someone to talk to. Or, maybe Jaune has questions of his own to give to her. Why did he have a sword that could kill the nightmares? Why did she give him such a big sword and heavy cape? Maybe while in the Nightmare, Nega Weiss has … problems fighting Jaune. Does Jaune still think about his Nightmare? Does she?

[ Day 3 ] - “Haven House” ( May 14th )

Day 3 of White Knight Week brings us to the Kingdom of Mistral and the wild events that come with it. What did Weiss & Jaune do at the forever house? Did they talk about the fall? Did they miss each other? Were there things left unsaid from Beacon they wanted to get off their chest? What about the time after Weiss’ near-death experience? Maybe there’s a chance they took a tour of the kingdom and ran into some bad guys? While volume 4&5 often get a lot of flack for the “Forever house” maybe we can make it better with some White Knight pizzaz!

[ Day 4 ] - “Argus Adventures” ( May 15th )

Happy Birthday Weiss! Welcome to day 4 of White Knight Week! Today's prompt will be ‘Argus Adventures’. While the group only spent a few days at the seaside city, the setting is ripe with opportunities for our goober duo. What interactions could you see them having? Why did Weiss gravitate towards Jaune when they reunited? Did they have a wild and crazy grocery adventure while Ruby had her chat with Maria? Or did something 100% off the rails happen in a fun little AU side story?

[ Day 5 ] - “Atlas Ambling” ( May 16th )

What happened at the movies!? A common question by many, but - there were so many other things our heroes could have done. Weiss could have brought everyone around to explore Atlas proper. Did Jaune find a place he’d want to bring Weiss to? Or maybe Weiss thought of a place to bring Jaune to? If Volume 7 gave us anything, it gave us the endless possibilities of our heroes hanging out as they would have back in Beacon. Maybe Jaune and Weiss will find themselves alone at the school and decide to watch movies together. Perhaps they train in the Hardlight Training room until banter starts turning into flirting. With the nearly endless possibilities of Atlas & Mantle ( As well as the other villages nearby), what can you see the two of them doing?

[ Day 6 ] - “Everafter Evenings” ( May 17th )

With RWBY reuniting with Jaune in the Everafter, there was so little time to talk. But what if Weiss and Jaune did get to talking in the EA? They could spend some time together in the Paper Village. Or, maybe they will go out to look for Ruby as a duo? Perhaps you should explore an AU where the two fall together and how they come to deal with everything they’ve been through. Do they go back in time? Or do they find a way to find the others? In “Everafter Evenings” please feel free to dive into the ‘what if’s’ of the Ever After and White Knight!

[ Day 7 ] - “Vivid Vacuo” ( May 18th )

They did it; they’ve finally made it to Vacuo! Yet, things feel so … off? With Jaune still dealing with the experience of the Everafter, trying to acclimate himself to Remnant, & Weiss now dealing with the fall of Atlas, her home, and the people of Vacuo who are less-than-kind towards her in particular, the White Knight Duo has quite a hefty load on their plate. Will Weiss be the one to step up and support Jaune? Will Jaune be the one to protect Weiss from the people? Do they simply find time to have somber chats at night and, maybe, grow closer? On this 7th and final day of White Knight Week we look to the future for our Knight & Queen. What do you see happening for them in Vacuo?

[nowoyas]

koi no yokan 43: 8 october

First - Prev - Next (coming 3/8!) - M.list 1-30 - M.list 30-60 - Ao3

A/N: sorry for the missed update last week--something something author's curse. we should be back on track moving forward!

Summary: October 8th is Sports Day. You have plenty to worry about.

Warnings and Tags: blanket series warnings

Words: 2300+

Sports Day used to be fun. The energy, the chance to show off, no classes to sit through.

This year, of all years, it fucking sucks.

That's what happens when you're participating, apparently. The universe likes to play sick jokes, so on Asuka Chouji's first day back from suspension, he's forced to watch you run a damn competent relay race while he hangs out on the sidelines with a broken thumb and a black eye and his friends pretending like they're not laughing behind his back.

Worse, he's forced to watch you make your way to watch the club relay—of course you'd be front and center, watching the boys from the volleyball club. Somehow, the bitch Nishinoya has made her way over to join you and the two other volleyball managers, an arm slung over your shoulders. He can't help but watch you interact—smiling, rolling your eyes, looking bright in a way you never looked with him, like he wasn't fucking trying to make you happy.

But you're happy over there, watching the volleyball guys in the relay. The younger Nishinoya, your non-negotiable, is running in it, as are a couple first years, though not the ones from Chouji's class. You're laughing at something the bitch Nishinoya said, laughing harder when the redhead runs past the other volleyball first year and both of them run like idiots, like they don't know how relay races work. You're exasperated but smiling when your club gets disqualified for it.

And the bitch Nishinoya touches you the whole time.

"Dude, you are not taking your eyes off [surname]," Matsumoto says, elbowing him harshly. "Are you gonna tell us what happened or just keep staring at her?"

Chouji rolls his eyes. "Do you really think I wanna talk about it?"

"I mean, what I heard was that you started a fight and she completely fucked you up, and then got away with a slap on the wrist. Lost the fight, lost the girl, lost your season—"

"She was cheating on me," he snaps. "Alright? She cheated."

The words surprise even him, but now that he's said it, not only does it feel right, it feels good. The way you immediately jumped to your non-negotiable best friend's defense with a fist and a rage he'd never expected. The way you directed all your concern his way last week, like Chouji hadn't been standing there with a broken thumb and blood running down his face. The way Mr. Non-Negotiable looked at you, immediately proposing, and the way you took it in stride, like you were relieved at being asked to marry him.

Yeah, it makes sense.

"Dude, did you hear me? I asked with who."

"Nishinoya," he says.

Matsumoto chokes on his water, spluttering when he manages a response. "That third year?"

That third year ruffles your hair, and you press into her touch like an affectionate cat. You push her back after a moment with a downright flirty smile, and the other first-year manager looks insanely flustered, and suddenly, he remembers just how fiercely protective she'd been of you, the way she'd laughed in his face, all the threats if he got closer to you.

Oh.

Ohhhh.

"No, dude, there's two," one of the other guys from his club, Kirijo, says. "She's got a little brother in the volleyball club. The dude who was just running with the bleached hair."

There's two Nishinoyas. There's two, and both hated him, and Nishinoya Satsuki was twelve hours away from showing up at his house and breaking his hand if he hadn't done it himself.

As he opens his mouth with a reply on his lips, he wonders what, exactly, it meant that the older lesbian Nishinoya kept you so close at hand.

~

So you survived Sports day. It had only been a problem in the first place because your classmates signed you up against your will—we just need one more person, come on, [surname]-chan, you can run one lap for our class, we've seen you in gym class—so you were forced into netting a solid third place for your class. (No fighting that one—half the first years in the track and field club are in 1-1, so even after they spared their best for the club relay, they had it more or less in the bag.)

Your classmates are getting used to the baleful glares you now shoot everyone except Yachi for subjecting you to that, and more importantly, it's Tuesday, which means tomorrow is Wednesday, which means tomorrow is the tenth.

Which means tomorrow is Noya's birthday.

For all your plans with Satsuki, what you settled on is hardly grand—not that you could tolerate some overly grand gesture. You'll part ways with Noya after practice tonight and spend the night getting everything prepared and out of the way. In the morning, you'll wake up an extra two hours early to make sure everything's ready and be on Noya's doorstep ten minutes before he normally shows up at your door in the mornings.

That'd been the plan, anyway. Sure, your nerves are brewing, but that's to be expected—part of the reason you're going out of your way to do something for him is because you were challenged to do it by Dr. Mifune, and you were challenged because it makes you want to eat an oil painting to get out of it. So you're not really sure why Satsuki texted you right at the start of the lunch, beckoning you to her classroom to talk.

When you arrive at her classroom, she's not even there. You're starting to think that she's fucking with you as Suga takes notice of you.

"Oh, [surname]-chan," he says as he and Sawamura approach. "What's up?"

"I was looking for Nee-san? She texted me saying she needed to talk to me, but I don't see her?"

Like magic, Nishinoya Satsuki teleports behind you. "Hi! [name]-chan! Glad you could come, sorry I got held up—this's Hitomi-chan."

The girl standing beside her waves awkwardly. You vaguely remember Satsuki mentioning a Hitomi-chan, Asuka's older sister in an annoyed tone from when she found out about that whole deal, and now that you've made the connection, you can see the resemblance. You cringe before you can stop yourself. "Oh. Uh, hi. This is awkward—Nee-san, does she—"

"She knows the situation better than your ex does, if that's what you're asking. Come on, walk with your big sis. Thanks for taking care of her, Sawamura, Sugawara."

They nod, and immediately, you're ushered down the hall, a hand splayed between your shoulder blades as Satsuki looks for something. Seclusion, you're guessing. "Uh—what's this about?"

"It's, um…" Hitomi cringes a little. "I should probably let Nishinoya-chan be the one to tell you."

"I'm guessing it involves your brother?"

"You could say that."

You roll your eyes. "Let me guess. He didn't take me finishing a fight he started all that well."

Hitomi doesn't answer. Satsuki guides you up the stairs and into the landing that leads to the roof. Instead of taking you outside, she sits you down on the top step, sits down right beside you. Hitomi takes your other side.

You don't feel very good about the way they're looking at you. Hitomi with guilt, Satsuki with genuine concern. It looks out of place on her face. She's supposed to be teasing, or angry, or protective. Not this.

"Okay, so… agh, I thought about how to say this all day, and it's still not quite right. Fuck it." Satsuki smooths out her skirt, takes a deep breath. "[name]-chan, did you tell anyone that you were bi?"

Your eyes flick to Hitomi. "You're doing this in front of my ex's sister eight days after I broke his nose?"

"You know that we have a thing, it's only fair. She's not out, so you have leverage, and anyway, you're ignoring the question. Did you ever tell anyone other than me and Yuu that you liked girls?"

You shake your head, dread boiling in your stomach. "No one but you, Noya-senpai, and Kaede-nee and Mei-nee. And I guess Asuka-senpai knows now, too." Your eyes linger on her. She wasn't surprised at Satsuki outing you. "Why? What are you—"

She lets out a rough exhale. "I confirmed this with Hitomi-chan, but I've got a guy in the baseball club, owes me big time, sort of a light blackmail situation, and anyway, long story short… according to the baseball club, Asuka's saying you cheated on him."

You choke on your own spit. "What? That's not—Noya and I were hardly even talking when we were—"

Satsuki shakes her head. The connection between her question and statement dawns on you as her hand settles on your shoulder. "Not with Yuu, honey. With me."

~

When you've been through some shit, it's easy to let your body go through the motions while your mind checks out. If your mind checks out, you don't have to pay attention to any whispers, any changed looks you're receiving at practice.

("Hey, do you think [surname]-san's alright? She looks kinda dead today."

"Nishinoya-chan was talking to her at lunch and came back late. No idea what it was about, but…")

When your mom died, you learned this skill. It became easy—after the first weeks barely able to move, you dragged yourself out of bed. Your father needed you to be strong, and your mother's daughter wasn't a failure, was brilliant, so she needed to go to school and sit in class and take her notes and take her exams, even if her mother wasn't around to be disappointed anymore.

In a strange way, you're already grieving. There's no point in looking at whether or not they know yet. You'd made plans with Satsuki. A way to prolong the inevitable, an exit strategy for when they finally found you out.

If the guys are looking at you and whispering, that's fine. It'll take a little bit longer for it to reach Shimizu and Yachi.

When they know, if you're not able to lie successfully, you're gone. You're making your peace with that. After all, it's not like they should have to share a changing room with you. Not when they know. The potential for their suspicion alone is exhausting. You don't know that it's worth it to try to hold onto this.

("I'm not sure if it's relevant, but…"

"Wait, really? No way, right? Everyone already knows she's—"

"If you keep being so obvious, she's going to hear you.")

Of course, Noya doesn't like it that you've checked out. You think he doesn't know what happened yet—not involved in the whispers, not directly—though you suspect that he intends to find out on the way home from practice. If not from you, surely Satsuki will let him know, and then he'll break into your damn house to talk to you while you're working on his birthday present, and—

Shit. You're gonna have to tell him yourself.

Satsuki had told you, when the panic attack had chilled out, to just deny everything. If anyone asks you about it, laugh them off. In the first place, Asuka's telling a petty lie to make himself look better after you wrecked his shit. He doesn't know you're bi, and you've never done more than joke-flirt with Satsuki. In the first place, you're—

I mean, Noya's right there. He's got dibs.

But you can't seem to remain calm without backing your brain out of the situation entirely. There's still the chance—that the girls will hear, that suddenly, they won't be comfortable changing with you, that they're going to slowly push you away until you have to quit for your own sake. And if you think about it at all, you spiral down that path.

So you don't think about it.

You push on through practice, dodge questions with a saccharine smile. Manage to dodge Noya until you're heading home, until you're being pulled in close with an arm around your waist.

"Hey," he says. His tone tells you that he's already heard. "Are you coming over tonight?"

"I can't. I have something important to work on." It's not a lie. "Who'd you hear it from?"

"Yamaguchi."

"How long until the girls hear?"

He shrugs. "Probably not very. From what I can tell, mostly just the first years are hearing about it, and mostly just the ones in that asshole's class. Yamaguchi only brought it up as a suggestion for why you looked dead."

You don't reply. You don't know what to say.

"For what it's worth, I think everyone's mostly just confused because it seems completely made up, but you're still acting like the world is ending."

"Just scared," you whisper. "Yacchan and Shimizu-senpai probably won't want to be in a club with someone who—"

"You deserve friends who don't treat stuff like that as something to overlook, or something wrong with you."

You pause. Look up at him.

He tilts his head. "You said something like that before, right?"

"I was talking about a girlfriend," you mumble, cheeks feeling hot. "You've gotta stop remembering shit I said. People are gonna think you're into me or something."

"Man, what am I gonna do if people think I'm in love with you?"

You hate him.

"But seriously. Yachi-san and Kiyoko-san are good people. They're not gonna do that to you, and if they do, good riddance."

You blink slowly. "…you're talking about Shimizu-senpai, here. Goddess among mortals? She who hung the stars in the sky?"

"Not if she's gonna hurt you for being bi, she's not."

You let out a shuddering sigh. Tamp down the threatening tears. Lean into Noya. "You're not going anywhere, right?"

"Why would I? I know you wouldn't sleep with Satsuki, and it's not like I didn't know you liked girls."

"…thank you. Really."

"I told the guys it was bullshit, but I'll keep an ear out just in case, alright? Keep me updated."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @kazunish

[jflxwr]

we were actually robbed of the gold winglet just. being the gold winglet together cause literally wtf was going on with them

i jst know they were having the most hilariously unhinged, chaotic interactions in the 2 weeks they were together

[ohsweetflips]

my neutral dragon age trait is that 50% of the time i'm like "the more i critique the games, the more i love them. i can appreciate each game for what they are but my criticism and frustration over what they could be are a sign of love" and the other 50% is like "this is the writing of the dragon age series. sure. why not. this may as well happen."

[alexcabotgf]

not to be true crime posting on main but i think i'm falling down the wm3 rabbit hole again

[dimonds456]

Grits my teeth. One of these days I'm gonna rant about HTTYD 3. I hate that movie. I hate it so much. It's such a slap in the face to the entire rest of the series. I keep hearing people praise it like "yeah the other movies are about Hiccup and Toothless as a pair, but this is a movie about them as individuals " THEY WERE ALWAYS INDIVIDUALS! THATS WHAT THE FIRST MOVIE IS ABOUT! ITS WHAT MAKES THEIR RELATIONSHIP SO SPECIAL!!

I've only come across one HTTYD 3 negative video essay I like and it doesn't even cover HALF of why I dislike this fucking thing. The movie pretends TK have seen the rest of the series, but if that were true, it would actually KNOW how to write Ruffnut as someone other than this lovesick dumbass. It would know Tuffnut isn't fucking ableist towards Hiccup?? Snotlout would not fucking make fun of Hiccup like that or insult Stoick.

It completely removes their development from the TV series. Race to the Edge is the best Dragons media out there aside from the first movie and I stand by that. But if this movie's writers has seen it they'd know how much of a joke it is that Hiccup and co can't take on Grimmel. GRIMMEL IS JUST VIGGO AGAIN BUT WAY WORSE. I HATE HIM.

I need to save it. I need to save it. But ooooooo you guys have NOT heard the last from me about this. I have this stupid movie so much.

[arolesbianism]

I was looking at old photos of some of my nuggets yesterday from before I did my first day 1 reset (aka before I got a mod that lets you keep your agents during day 1 resets) and realized that I accidentally remade Eva wrong. Except! Beautiful world! It's actually a good thing because her current back hair was her dead sister's back hair so actually it was intentional from the start and I'm a genius forever <3333

[swimminginwatercolors]

Me - “Ya know, I dont really care for Rock characters, like, I like the Fire or Wind Characters the best!”

Also Me - 

.....

Damn it...

[fifty-ten]

i thought splatfest was next week (& only found out it was this week because i happened to check splatnet) so i missed half of it … really disappointing

[4giorno]

FINALLY. THE ONE REASON I STARTED THIS NEW PLAYTHROUGH. compilation! <3