#Also I went to a pop up store of south park

[caracolcondiarrea]

Couldn’t fulfill a promise I made my 9y/o me of buying the Link and Marin notebook from the Nintendo store in Japan. There were not there. I think that after 5 years they decided to stop making them or something 💔

It was this beautiful notebook. But I didn’t see it. If anybody knows where I can buy it online PLEASE TELL

[skenisasleb]

Oliver Intro Post

TW: There are some references to touchy real-life events. There is also verbal abuse and child neglect. Proceed with caution.

Oliver Ranch is the second South Park OC I have made. I made him originally to ship with my OC, Ted, since I shipped Ted with Kyle before and I realized that may be kiiiiinda cringe. 😭

Now he’s one of my favorites out my SP OCs.

(All forms of him below are ‘episode’ scenarios I have created for him.)

Oliver’s Main Story

He is the firstborn of his three siblings; he has a baby brother, Bryce, and a younger sister, Blair. He cares for the both of them to substitute for his parent’s horrible behavior.

His mother is a overall angry person, probably where Oliver got his own anger issues. She verbally abuses everyone in the family, and gets close to hitting them on the occasion. Oliver’s father is a drunk and spends all his time drinking, watching football on the TV, and falling asleep on the pull-out couch.

Oliver’s Relationships

Oliver is in a relationship with Ted, and even though before he wanted to punt Ted into the street in the beginning, he now is overly protective of Ted and would resort to dangerous measures to protect him. Oliver also allows Ted to call him “Olive.��� If anyone else tries to call him this, he will most likely pop them in the mouth.

Oliver absolutely hates Augustus. He has thought about wringing the clown’s neck multiple times; even making up fake scenarios where he could just gut the guy. In secret, Oliver is envious of Augustus’ progress, running a circus all by himself without anyone overlooking him.

Oliver doesn’t really approach Casey and Ernesto. He prefers to keep his circle tight, where the circle only consists of Ted (Ted takes up his whole social battery anyway).

Oliver’s Sub-Plots/‘Episodes’

“Self-Defense”

The government has passed a law, allowing kids in America under the age of 10 to own and carry guns in order to protect themselves. Most kids don’t know what to do with a gun, or don’t know how to work it and end up massacring each other. Oliver, already owning a pistol beforehand (illegally, might I add) and now with the freedom to own as many guns as he wants, he goes absolutely ballistic and joins in the chaos on purpose.

“Come Get My Ass”

Oliver is deathly afraid of the visitors. Everyone in South Park seems to pass it up as just a thing that happens, but Oliver doesn’t want something he doesn’t want up his ass. He has nightmares where he would look in the mirror and see himself as a visitor. He decides that he will try and stop the visitors himself if the people of South Park won’t.

“AI Generated Slavery”

…. If you couldn’t tell, this is a play off of the disasters of the recent Willy Wonka incident. 💀

But this time, the organizer of the event hired children for low pay because his budget dropped from the shipping of the hologram interactive activity that was meant to arrive for the event, but never came. So now the organizer would be charged for MORE heinous crimes :DD

“Phantom of the Soap Opera”

“The Phantom of the Opera,” but make it a soap opera with goofy-ass side characters like the neighbor, Dave Hillis, and Christine’s boss, Junior.

In this case, the Phantom is Oliver, who is a shut-in who practices the piano, and Christine is Ted, who works a casual job at the hardware store.

It’s really just silly goofy stuff.

“Pride Misconseption”

Oliver completely misunderstood what a Pride parade actually is for. He thought it was just a place to be proud of ANYTHING. Therefore, he went to the Pride parade decked out in Scottish flags. People present were pissed and confused at Oliver, accusing him of not taking it seriously and kicking him out of the parade after shaming him. The whole time, Oliver was just confused, never really knowing what the parade was truly for.

“The Mishaps of the Furry and the School Shooter”

Pretty much an ‘episode’ featuring Blackbear and Dire Dune teaming up in order to beat Cartman’s ass, forming a duo that strayed from both Freedom Pals and the C**n and Friends.

Dire Dune is Oliver’s superhero persona; he is an elemental class that controls sand and strives to control the rocks that the grains came from.

Contrary to his actual personality, Dire Dune is a more calm and collected character who shares wisdom instead of spitting harsh truths.

I have made other ‘episode’ ideas, but they’re not as fully developed as the ones I have shared, so I decided not to share them. That’s all for Oliver’s backstory!! Thank you for reading this far!! :DD

[trivialbob]

Yesterday Sheila and I rode bikes on an 18-mile loop we like through Minneapolis. It took us three hours.

Two miles im my front tire popped. I have no idea what I ran over, but the tire was flat before I came to a stop.

Luckily I had tools, a pump, and a spare tube. It's been a while since I changed a tube. This time I accomplished the task in under five minutes, barely getting my hands dirty.

With that taken care of we re-started the ride. The Minneapolis Greenway is in better shape that previous years. The path has been repaved and re-striped. No tents were set up along the way.

When we got off the Greenway we went to one of my favorite local bike shops, Hub Bike Coop. Sheila pet the dog that was in there; I looked at bikes and bought two new tubes for spares (one for each of our bikes).

Years ago I put a Hub Bike Coop sticker on my old Corolla. Matt ended up with that car. The Hub sticker and another for the University of Wisconsin remained on the car while Matt lived in New York, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. It's a Corolla, so despite being nearly two decades years old I like to think that little blue car with my two stickers is still banging around somewhere on the east coast.

From the bike shop we pedaled south to Venn Brewing. An Australian Shepherd and three other dogs were inside. Sheila pet all of them. For her drink she ordered a Fruited Plains: Grapefruite Wheat. After taking a sip of it, I ordered the same thing. Wow, what an excellent beer on a warm day while biking.

Then we headed south and east to Lake Nokomis. There's a concession stand there where we've ordered beer before. Yesterday we saw a sign posted by the counter stating no beer and wine sales.

The place had been serving alcohol illegally for 12 years. Someone finally noticed that there isn't sufficient "covered seating" to allow beer and wine sales. Good thing after a dozen years of alcoholic chaos someone put an end to that madness and pulled the liquor license.

Still thirsty, we headed west along Minnehaha Parkway to Chicago Ave. Then it was just two blocks north to the Town Hall Tap. Sheila had a blood orange lager while I went with the Masala Mama IPA.

We sat at a table on the front sidewalk and split an appetizer. People watching was decent. Sheila, however, thought it was "people talking." She had nice comments for everyone who walked by.

"Oh I like that dress you're wearing." The woman in it was flattered and chatted with Sheila briefly.

"That's a cool tattoo." That woman also stopped to talk with Sheila, explaining how there was still a lot of coloring to be added to it and what it was going to look like. The tattoo parlor two storefronts away.

"Those are nice sandals. Are the straps a light auburn brown, or is that a darker eggshell (free range, not grocery store egg)?"

Now do you understand why it took us three hours to complete the loop?

Next door to Town Hall Tap is a theater. An old movie projector sits in front of the building. A theater employee told me it had been in use there from about 1945 to 1965.

Next to the theater is the Creekside Supper Club. As Sheila talked to everyone walking down Chicago Avenue, I went over to check the supper club's menu. Next time we are in that neighborhood I want to eat there. Maybe I can also find out how that woman's tattoo coloring is coming along.

Finally we paid our tab. Sheila said goodbye to all her new friends and acquaintances. Then we rode more of Minnehaha Parkway over to Lake Harriet where the car was parked. We thought about getting a beer at the Lake Harriet concession stand (which apparently does have sufficient covered seating). But after seeing all the bike shop and brewery dogs, we wanted to get home to our dogs.

At home we swapped two bikes for three Aussies and went to our local brewery. Sheila went to get us a beer. Oliver, Sulley, and Ella would not stop staring in the direction she went. Sheila always comes back, but they don't trust me on that.

The food truck on site served pizza. We didn't want any. The dogs had other ideas.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #201

For the first half of today, M and I played this new game called Grounded, and it's basically a survival game in which you are some teenagers who have been shrunken down to the size of little bugs. It's a lot of fun, even if some aspects of it are kinda janky (for example, the spiders don't even have to touch you in order to hurt you; it's kinda lame). I found a nice spot to build a base, and told M about it. And then J returned home from his overnight at Br's house.

A little while after J returned home, he and I went out for pizza and an unexpected walk. I took lots and lots of pictures for you of all the things I thought were pretty. I have over 200 pictures. But I can only share 30 of them with you in a letter. So I'll send along only the best ones, in a little bit.

Today was a very hot day. In addition to the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, I also have asthma that triggers in response to humid air, being overheated, or having a high heart rate. The asthma is the result of my mother not quitting smoking while she was pregnant with me, being born premature (my lungs were missing surfactant when I popped out, and there was a hole in my heart, and I had to spend a while in an incubator, and even then I almost didn't make it), and growing up for 18 years in houses full of chain smokers. I make the best of it, but on days like today, if I'm going to be outside, I have to move slowly so that I don't overheat and my heart rate is kept relatively low.

But... on days when the air outside is like getting smacked in the face with a hot, wet towel (it's not quite that bad out today), I can't go outside at all. My lungs close up immediately, and it's not long before the telltale navy-blue dots of oxygen deprivation start creeping over my vision. One of my most memorable instances of this was when I was in college for the first time. During one of the summer breaks, I went with my partner at the time to a place called Maryland.

Maryland is pretty far south of where I live - closer to the equator relative to me - and it's near the ocean, so the air is very hot and humid. I have a memory of trying to go to a grocery store called Wegman's (it is an AMAZING place), and it was only like 9am, and still I couldn't even make it across the parking lot because my lungs refused to cooperate. I didn't have any albuterol then, so I got dizzy and fell down, and my partner at the time had to carry me like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder into the Wegman's, where there was air conditioning, and the asthma subsided after a while in the cooler air. Very unpleasant. -67/10 stars, absolutely would not recommend.

I'll be going back there at the beginning of August, to try to help you. I'm a little scared, admittedly. But I have an inhaler now. I don't like using it, because it makes me both twitchy and tired after the fact. But whatever I gotta do to get to the place, I'll do. If I have to crawl there on my hands and knees, I will.

But anyhoot. I'm sure I've prattled on long enough. You're looking forward to those pictures, right? So here they are:

The sky was especially lovely today:

And then we got pizza:

I found a feather after we left the pizza place. It wasn't there before. This one was HUGE:

Then, J and I got some ice cream. This one was vanilla with watermelon twist. It was REALLY GOOD. And I took some pictures in the general area.

We decided to go to a park after that.

We came across a bridge. If you look closely, I managed to snap a little bird as it flew by, over the grass; it's the black spot on the path.

...Hey, Sephiroth? What would it take to build a bridge strong enough to reach you? I wonder...

Along the way, I found another feather. This one is black, but it shines greenish-blue when the light hits it just right...

We also found a swing set:

Hey, Sephiroth? Have you ever been on a swing like this before? They're a lot of fun. And as long as it's high enough off the ground, you're never too old or too tall for it. If you haven't swung on one of these before, I'll suggest that you try it out.

I played on the swing for a little while. I took some pictures for you there, too:

J and I have since returned home. Pretty soon, I will probably play more Grounded with M.

I don't have anything really groundbreaking or profound to say today, so I guess I'll stop writing now. I just hope you can look at the pictures I took for you and remember how beautiful living is.

I love you. And I hope it comes out in the things that I write to you. I hope it is easily visible, recognized, and understood by you. Life isn't made only of suffering, if only because of the way the sunlight sparkles through the leaves of trees.

Please stay safe. Please think about the things I write and show to you. I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[omegaremix]

High Score Pinball + Game On; Spring 2021 & Spring 2022.

If you were an Eighties child, the video game was the pinnacle of your childhood. On Saturdays, my dad took me to the toy store where I sprinted to the game wall, have me choose any stamped ticket and hand it over the counter to customer service where they stocked all the solid state cartridges in the back. They’d hand me the game of choice and I was golden until next week. If I was lucky, he’d take us to Nunley’s Carousel in Baldwin where it was the final time in my life I’d play old electromagnetic machines and driving games that ran on paper sheets - and even film reels and plastic parts (Atari’s F1). We’d also go to Nathan’s in Oceanside. It, too, had an arcade there. Once we came back from his dietician or from my half-sister in Bensonhurst, he ended up taking the whole family for sit-in Chinese and to the Nellie Bly Amusement Park where for one time only I played Atari’s Superman and Hercules pinball tables.

Sunday was an even bigger event. My pop would drive from (also) Bensonhurst all the way out to Long Island where my family and I lived. He’d arrive anywhere between noon to 1PM and stay for an hour before taking me to the South Shore Mall. I’d have the luxury of two hours and $5.00 worth of quarters to play as many games as I could. Roadblasters, Space Harrier, Chase HQ, Marble Madness, skee ball - you name it, they had it, I played it. Pop would break it up and take me to The Emporium (later becoming Nathan’s and after that a sushi house that closed down in 2010) where they also had an arcade itself. Same time limit, same amount of pocket change. The neighborhood delis and convenience stores also had arcade and pinball machines where I clearly remember playing Seicross, Legion, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, and other games too many to mention. I had the best of both worlds at home and beyond. By the time my grade-school years ended, I replenished the game collection my dad once sold for $50.00 and more thanks to my Dallas aunt and uncle. 

The Brentwood era just started for me and Pop had a heart attack while watching the game. He woke up out of it but later relapsed and that was the end for him. I had to take it upon myself to ride my bike to the mall or the pizzeria in the local shopping center behind the middle school to get my Neo-Geo, Super Monaco GP, or Mortal Kombat fix. With reward came risk: Brentwood wasn’t a safe neighborhood compared to the others. Every day I worried about random newjacks and youngbucks coming up to me for handouts just for being seen. Seven or eight kids waiting their turn surrounded the Street Fighter machines at any one of three stores out of fifteen who had them; some even got jumped and assaulted over them because they were caught cheating. Chain-snatchers got the unsuspecting kids when their backs were turned, and even the resting bitch-faces came up to entice me to fight their boyfriends who tried stealing my bike.

As time went by, I moved on from the scummy parts. Visits to the arcades became less frequented no matter at the mall or the amusement park. The carousels and hot dog places went out of business. Console gaming, however, kept going with the Genesis, SNES, Dreamcast, and Playstation throughout my community college and Stony Brook era. I discovered MAME and VPinball so I could stay in touch with myself. I kept it all going until I was sick of dozing off and throwing my time away while my friends, co-workers, and associates made the best of theirs. I finally moved on from gaming, and all the best for it.

It was more than ten years since I played a game of pinball. The Sopranos to be exact. Almost no place on the island where one was to be found. But that all changed last spring when the Video Game Trading Post opened up Long Island’s very first pinball arcade in the South Shore Mall / Westfield. I was stunned and paralyzed. We never asked for it, let alone couldn’t even imagine happening, but we got it. We lost Manhattan’s Modern Pinball and Greenpoint’s Sunshine Laundromat was never the same after the pandemic, so having the arcade return (to the very place where it all started for me and not having to travel to the city for it) was the pale-skinned redheaded Godiva riding on the fucking horse.

It was amazement at first sight. I enter the mall and the sounds emanating from the dark space tells me I’m close. I finally found it. My soul pushed back because I couldn’t believe it. I walk in and the darkness swallowed me in as all the flashing lights, LEDS, and the brightly-lit back-panels fight to be noticed. For $25.00, sometimes $35.00, it was all-you-can-play. I walk around in the dark vortex and the place was huge of its concrete flooring and aromatic wood smell. All three Black Knight tables, all three Pinbots, both Firepowers, Bank Shot, Evel Knievel, Harlem Globetrotters, Tron Legacy, even Police Force when it was at Vinardo’s. I spotted Big Guns, a game I remember from my Nintendo childhood. To my amusement, it was real having to find that Slugfest returned to the exact same mall I played at during the Brentwood era. The best part? Learning that both High Speed and Nine Ball would make their stay. It would make that next return trip all the more urgent. High Speed was the very first machine I ever scored a million on, let alone three. And Nine Ball? The overall design and sound effects of it was a personal must-play for me.

All throughout last Spring and Summer I’d make the effort to be the first one there and the last one to leave. Noon to 8PM. I made one final trip to High Score- before the year was over, leaving it behind in its former incarnation forever. It’s now half of what it used to be. The other half is now home gaming and memorabilia. I knew it would never be as good after when I first found it and won’t expect it to be better. But I’ll never, ever forget it - just like I’ll never forget the ride to Williamsburg’s Rough Trade, the post-punk / d.i.y. and jazz-fusion finds, the Jewish girl from Queens with the straight shoulder-length hair and green eyes who asked me if I had a copy of KIDS, or the two pale gingers with brown eyes I spent forever with at my store. Another day, another payout.

The alignments had another card up its sleeve. The King of Diamonds would be super-ceded by the Ace. The Boy Harsher show was less than two weeks away and I had to visit the Smithhaven Mall to find me a leather jacket and black hat. I walked out with the hat but no jac-. And, as I was walking out, something caught my eye: a shiny colorful array of neon lights. I stop to look at my right and there it was: a new video arcade I never knew existed. I was shut. I step in and to my immediate right was Baby Pac-Man: a cabinet shaped like an upright with a CRT monitor and small pinball playfield below it. It was a machine I only read about but was curious to seek out. Now, here it is. But, I couldn’t go any further as entry was roped off. But I see the sign at the front desk: $20.00 free play all day. It’s 3PM, I wouldn’t get my money’s worth. But I owed it to myself to come back and visit, and visit I did.

The following Wednesday I came back at noon and paid the frail emo casualty up front my $20.00. Does he have any idea what he’s doing here or what this is all about? He wouldn’t care, really. He’s only here to collect and will elicit a fake half-enthusiastic “oh, uh…that’s cool!” when asked. I’m here to revisit my Atari / Nintendo childhood. Eight hours and no time to waste. Let’s have it.

I walk in and there’s three Pac-Man machines grouped together: the 1980 original that became the first-ever character franchise, Baby Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man. Across from it is Ms. Pac-Man. How shameful they couldn’t include her in the boys’ club. There were vector games in Tempest, Lunar Lander, Asteroids, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in super-sharp and blindingly bright on original CRT monitors. There was Gorf, arguably my very first arcade memory living in Brooklyn. Classics such as Centipede, Marble Madness and Spy Hunter which I haven’t played in its true form since forever. Defender, Robotron 2084, and Berzerk rounded out three of four parts of the Williams epic (Blaster was the fourth). Moon Patrol, Galaxian, Zaxxon, Gyruss, Phoenix, Dig Dug, Vanguard, and Missile Command - games I played endlessly on the home system - were there. Crystal Castles, one I always played on the Atari 2600, felt super-frantic and ultra-responsive on my first time ever playing it. Pengo and Mr. Do! - two games I remember my sis- B-Bomb telling me about - were finally crossed off the must-play list.

I found two extremely rare Nintendo Vs. red tents and with that came Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Punch Out, Popeye, and the original Super Mario Bros. which I always used to play at the neighborhood deli (thanks ma’). Even more impressive was the fact that they had Playchoice machines when the South Shore Mall had them. I walk further and there’s Bad Dudes and the first Double Dragon: agonizingly slow and sluggish as fuck like I remembered it.

There’s driving games such as Super Sprint, Crazy Taxi, Chase HQ, and The Cruisin’ series. But, none more important than Sega’s Hang-On and Outrun, one which my younger bro- and I fought over to play first when our parents took us to the ice cream parlor. Next to those were Virtua Cop and Point Blank which I had zero interest playing because it wasn’t Cheyenne.

Konami, known for some of the best multi-player titles ever, made their presence felt with Super Contra, The Simpsons, Sunset Riders, X-Men, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the final being the gateway and the token example of nostalgia. There was the fighters’ row: Mortal Kombat II, Virtua Fighter, Tekken 4, Killer Instinct, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, and Street Fighter II; that final one the basis of my early Brentwood years hanging out in dangerous neighborhoods and being harassed by the youngbucks in pizzerias for quarters. How about not one, not - fuck it - four Neo-Geo MVS’s with such games as Metal Slug 4, Ninja Warriors, Fatal Fury 2, and Samurai Shodown all plugged in and more. Three of those four aforementioned Neo-Geo games all happened during various points of my Brentwood era, coincidentally at the same shopping center as the pizzeria and that down-low mom-and-pop video store in Central Islip.

There were pinball tables such as Spider-Man, Stranger Things, and Star Wars: Episode 1, but couldn’t ever compare to what High Score used to have. Foosball, (a rare) Super Chexx, a Ms. Pac-Man & Galaga cocktail machine, and even Alley Cats: a shuffleboard-slash-bowling hybrid were found. Never played anything like it. Sports-themed uprights in NBA Jam, NHL Ice, and Blades Of Steel which I played all of three minutes before walking away from it and headed for Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh. I was even taken back by seeing games I never knew existed: Warp Warp and Lady Bug. And finally…Smash TV. I wasted an hour of my valuable life on cheap deaths and repetitious gameplay. I’ll never ever recommend it.

I look above and there was a scoreboard with all the high scores and initials written in chalk. Twin Galaxies this wasn’t and thankfully there were no Billy Mitchell sightings. Another thing up above us was a mural of Blaze, Axel, and Adam of Sega’s Streets Of Rage, deemed one of the best and most successful side-scrolling beat ‘em-ups ever. Further back of the arcade I found a bar set-up and a big projector screen behind it for anyone wanting to play Mario Kart on the big-screen. I looked hard enough to find authentic original operator’s manuals of Jungle Hunt, Centipede, Xevious, Asteroids, and Missile Command framed and hung on the wall. I also laserdiscs also framed and hung on the wall near the arcades storefront. Flashdance, License To Drive, Vision Quest, and - I kid you not - Dirty Dancing. Which reminded me…where the hell were Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace? And no Eighties’ fantasy world wouldn’t be complete without at least two small CRT TV’s set up to play Super Mario Bros. 3 and E.T. It was the perfect set-up found in millions of kid’s rooms everywhere. And they still weren’t done.

The one thing Game On had that High Score Pinball didn’t, and this is the major validator here, was the Eighties soundtrack streamed on the overhead. High Score- only had the natural sound of licensed one-liners, PCBs, electromagnetics, and solid states emanating all the bells and hard solenoid knocks of free games. Only once had they brought out a portable speaker blasting Ozzy’s Nineties hits and alternative. Not Game On. Every song was an unforgettable Eighties throwback. It had to be to fit within the nostalgic theme of gaming’s wonder years of the very-late Seventies to the mid-Nineties.

The Seventies will always be something I’ll explore because it’s a decade I mostly missed out on. Exploring and discovering obscure jazz / fusion, soul, groove, and the hits are all a product of my fascination with hip-hop and rap’s sampling culture, console gaming, money shows, chyrons, station i.d.’s, production logos, opening and closing credits, and promos-. The Eighties were different because I lived through them 100% and still remember it clear as day. I can appreciate new wave, synthpop, the new romantics, Billboard hits, freestyle, radio plays, hair metal, and anything else I listened to as part of my Atari / Nintendo childhood. The arcade’s streaming playlist (could they not afford a cassette player?) was paired with the many original arcade cabinets of their time and served its nostalgic purpose, as intended, to its full unbeatable meaning. 

With almost every song played on the overhead there were more childhood memories that followed them. J. Geils Band’s “Centerfold” was my first-ever music memory when my other half-sister played it constantly on our turntable in our family’s second-floor Borough Park apartment. The night my dad threw the Christmas tree out on the porch and my ma’ taking both my younger brother and I to stay at gramma’s for a few days. Riding in the passenger’s seat of our white rusted ‘78 Cadillac Coupe Deville and the bubbled rainbow that formed at the top of its windshield. Being stuck on the side of the Southern State Parkway heading home as my younger bro- and I rode in the backseat with toy dashboards. The trips in my parents rusty beige Chevy van where its crusty steel interior and the smell of petrichor created a viciously sickening mess. The two ‘79 yellow and blue AMC VAM Pacer X’s my parents had. Hurricane Gloria and the week-long power outage. Friday night’s Miami Vice. Saturday afternoons spent in the basement playing Atari and watching WWF and NWA. Saturday night’s Golden Girls where the whole family died laughing. Sunday’s Long Island pop station WBLI’s Top Ten countdown on public access television. Our babysitter’s daughter who was the cutest thing of curly black hair, dark eyes, and tall stature who smelled like sparkle and white plush. My bro- and I taking apart our ma’s floral-print couches and making pillow forts out of them. Dad’s in-wall Akai eight-track player and the overhead speakers. Easter’s various assortment of sweet-smelling wax crayons and activity books. Nights spent watching New York Yankee games on PIX, New York Rangers on MSG, Night Flight and Dance Party USA. Family dinner night at Enzo’s in Bay Shore for minestrone, calzones, and newspaper clippings of Italy’s World Cup victories. Assholes in Chams tank-tops smoking in their garages while working on their prized ‘77 Trans Ams. Playing NES all night before getting ready to ride to Staten Island at three in the morning to pick up my dad’s side of the family.

The more I played the more I immersed myself back into familiar territory that I haven’t visited in decades. It’s an absolute rarity when all the right authentic elements that used to be come together as one and re-create a near-perfect rendition of what the Eighties felt like. It’s not just the soundtrack, the manuals and laserdiscs that supplanted the setting, but the actual aesthetic itself. See the decals on the side of the cabinets and the built-in one-of-a-kind joysticks and steering wheels. The amazing control panel artwork. Plenty of CRT monitors and their rasterized graphics, scanlines, ripples, burn-in, and scrambled graphical glitches. Buttons, plenty of buttons of all types. And no more having to bang on the steel coin doors when those quarters got jammed. Not a burn mark in sight and the smell of old wood cabinets filled the room - exactly how I remembered it all.

It was nearing 9PM. The trip back in time was about to end and the mall was finally winding down. I had to have one last game in before having to walk off memory lane and say goodbye. That idiot kid wasn’t there but was replaced by some cute skinny hipster girl punk with pink hair and ladened with piercings, eager to talk to any cliched grown-up punk dad or fading former Gen-X’er wanting to share a story or two about how they missed those simpler days. I’ll never get the spirit and being of the Eighties back, but I no longer miss them now that I have a monthly pilgrimage to Game On. I retire for the night and head out. She unhooks the velvet rope and clears the way for me to leave with a smile.

“Have a good night!” she says. You know I will.

Heart: “Magic Man”

Eddie Money & Ronnie Spector: “Take Me Home Tonight”

Run DMC: “It’s Tricky”

Cutting Crew: “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight”

Toto: “Africa”

A-Ha: “Take On Me”

Foreigner: “Waiting For A Girl Like You”

Bananarama: “I Heard A Rumor”

Wham: “Wake Me Up Befoe You Go-Go”

Mike & The Mechanics: “Silent Running”

Michael Jackson: “Billie Jean”

Rick Springfield: “Jessie’s Girl”

Bruce Springsteen: “Dancer In The Dark”

Pat Benetar: “Love Is A Battlefield”

J. Geils Band: “Centerfold”

Simple Minds: “Don’t You Forget About Me”

Tommy Tutone: “867-5309 / Jenny”

Cyndi Lauper: “Girls Just Wanna’ Have Fun”

Pointer Sisters: “I’m So Excited”

Starship: “We Built This City”

Steve Winwood: “Higher Love”

Whitney Houston: “I Wanna’ Dance With Somebody”

Survivor: “The Search Is Over”

The Outfields: “I Don’t Wanna’ Lose Your Love Tonight”

Flashdance original motion picture soundtrack

The Romantics: “What I Like About You”

Scorpions: Rock You Like A Hurricane”

Quiet Riot: “Come On (Feel The Noise)”

Pointer Sisters: “I’m So Excited”

Fabulous Thunderbirds: “Tough Enough”

Steve Perry: “Oh Sherrie”

Madonna: “Borderline”

Tiffany: “I Think We’re Alone Now”

Belinda Carlisle: “Mad About You”

Debbie Gibson: “Out Of The Blue”

Phil Collins: “Sssudio”

Lionel Richie: “All Night Long”

RUM DMC & Aerosmith: “Walk This Way”

Rick Astley: “Never Gonna’ Give You Up”

Bananarama: “Cruel Summer”

Cyndi Lauper: “Time After Time”

Kim Carnes: “Bette Davis Eyes”

Sting: “Every Breath You Take”

Heart: “What About Love”

Foreigner: “I Wanna’ Know What Love Is”

Bruce Springsteen: “Jack & Diane”

Mr. Mister: “Take These Broken Wings”

Bangles: “Hazy Shade Of Winter”

Don Henley: “Boys Of Summer”

Dire Straits: “Money For Nothing”

The Cars: “Shake It Up”

Peter Gabriel: “Big Time”

Bon Jovi: “Livin’ On A Prayer”

Allanah Myles: “Black Velvet”

Culture Club: “Karma Chamelion”

Mike & The Mechanics: “All I Need Is A Miracle”

Starship: “Sarah”

Wham: “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)”

Billy Ocean: “Caribbean Queen”

[alliluyevas]

hey fun fact, my girlfriends coworker just quit and is going to Utah for a while. this guy smokes, drinks, does drugs, he's a real hippie. he's going for the nature and national parks and stuff. we had to be the ones to tell him he might have a hard time finding coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, etc because it's a predominantly mormon state! he had no idea!

he's just like...going to chill in the national parks? honestly good on him. i will say, my experience might be skewed because i don't use any substances (or drink coffee, I had to go back and add that because coffee is not A Substance unless you're Mormon) but when I went to utah I was with 2 people who do drink both alcohol and coffee and they had no trouble acquiring those in slc or around zion/bryce canyon national parks. slc has a large secular population and there's a lot of tourist traffic around the two parks so they know how to cater to non Mormons.

my friends don't smoke and no one was looking to do drugs so idk about that, and it might be harder to find even alcohol in areas that aren't the far north or far south of the state and are predominantly mormon without a lot of tourist traffic. i imagine you could probably get grocery store ground coffee at a supermarket but coffee shops would be pretty scarce.

that being said omg how did he not know that? I feel like Utah is so polarized in terms of its population/pop culture presence because it's like Outdoorsy Hippie Place but also Mormon Central.

also just musing but--the interesting thing about visiting Utah as someone who doesn't drink alcohol or coffee but isn't Mormon and was traveling with people who do is that establishments feel really polarized--they either don't offer things that don't conform to Mormon consumption standards (like those soda shops, they may have juices or flavored water or something lighter but they don't also offer coffee), or they are very obviously catering to non-Mormons and don't offer a lot of variety for either practicing Mormons or people who just choose not to drink.

Like we went to a restaurant that had a wine list, extensive cocktail menu, big bar right in the center, etc, and I feel like an equivalent restaurant in most of the cities I've been to would have had mocktails offered, something a little more fun and upscale for non-drinkers. This place had Coke, Sprite, or water. Similarly, we stopped at a trendy-looking coffee place that was either independent or a local chain so my friends could get a coffee. They had lots of different types of coffee preparations and a few different tea options and the only thing that a Mormon guest could have gotten was Swiss Miss hot chocolate. (Which is what I got, lol). These places were both in Salt Lake City. We did go to one place near Zion that had beer and wine but also a wider range of options for non-drinkers including this giant prickly pear lemonade that I ordered which was bright purple and unfortunately not very good kjesdfhdas I thought it was too sweet. Utah moment.

It kind of made me feel a bit weird personally...I felt like I was going to that coffee shop and the barista was thinking oh look at this cringelord Mormon ordering the Swiss Miss. but also on a sociological level it's really interesting because it's a real reflection of cultural polarization in utah, like I'm sure there are plenty of mixed friend groups that have some Mormon and some non-Mormon members, but some Mormons I think would prefer not to go to a restaurant that has a bar or to a coffee shop in general. (Appearance of evil, etc). And I think also like...some people who do drink may kind of look down on those who don't especially because of the religious context so you end up with establishments that basically offer the bare minimum in non-alcohol/non-coffee.

[alister312]

South Park Fukuoka Pop-Up

Thanks to a heads up from the ever lovely @/danilazuli, I found out about another South Park pop-up shop opening today! Unlike the last two which were in Tokyo, this one is in Fukuoka. Since that means I don’t have to get on a flight to get there, I went after work today.

First difference from the anniversary one in Tokyo last summer is that this one wasn’t its own store, but instead shared the space with some other pop-up events going on. Specifically, a Capcom pop-up, a Doraemon pop-up, and TMNT pop-up. This meant it was much smaller than the big Tokyo one I went to and didn’t really have any extra themed stuff like the school bus photo op.

As you can see, it was pretty much just the merch. This was still pretty nice because they had a lot of stuff from both the anniversary Tokyo pop-up and the second one I didn't go to! In particular, my friend and I were thrilled to see that they had the non-pixel acrylic standee with all four main boys that completely sold out last summer. Unlike the other ones that sold out, that one was not sold as a part of the secondary distribution in Village Vanguards so this was very exciting. They also had the Creek-themed totes, something only sold at the second pop-up that I didn’t see being resold online afterward.

Other highlights include many character buttons and keychains. They only seemed to have the Stan, Butters, and Towlie acrylic keychains, though they also had Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman as well last summer. I’m not sure if they stopped selling those ones or if they were simply out of them for the day. I’ll check when I go back again. I don’t remember the buttons or the plasticky key pouches being available at last summer’s pop-up, but maybe they were at the other Tokyo pop-up. Or maybe they’re exclusive to the Fukuoka one! I’m not sure.

Speaking of stuff I hadn’t seen before, I don’t think they had these shirts at either of the Tokyo pop-ups before. I really like both of them! The pixel Butters is very cute and simple, but the Let’s Fighting Love one is just so funny and classic. I didn’t get either one today but I’m definitely considering it for when I go back 👀

Even if I didn’t get the shirts, I did get a bunch of other stuff! I have quite a lot of clothes, but as I said, I am very tempted. One of the things the pop-up advertised was a sticker if you spent ¥3000 (~$30). I assumed this was just one sticker if you spent at least that much, but apparently it was one sticker for every ¥3000 you spent. I got 2 of these stickers. They’re blue with the classic lineup and I honestly like it a lot. I do wish they had more more options though, especially because it’s very easy to spend over ¥3000 (all of the shirts are ¥3300).

All in all, I think it was definitely worth the trip over there! Hopefully a lot of people go to it and let Matt and Trey know that there’s fans down in Kyushu.

[holidayvisa]

22 February 2024 - I woke up at 6:30 am in the back of the AWOL van, parked in from of my house in Henderson. I woke up to the sound of Jimmy turning his car on. I looked up and saw the house was open, and I went in and went straight to bed. I slept until around 9:30 am. I had a lazy day. I chatted with Judah for a while and played some age of empires with him. That was a blast! He told about his days with Mason. He'd had one day where he and Mason went to pickleball together, and Judah was just helping out. Judah also had a day where he and Mason volunteered together at a volunteer community garden, weeding and gardening. I was so excited to hear Judah's stories!

I drove the motorbike to the liquor store and bought two bottles of champagne to bring over to Elise's. Elise flew back to Auckland today from Wellington, where she had competed in the women's nationals spearfishing competition. Elise got the results from the New Zealand women's nationals spearfishing competition - she got third place!!! 🥳🥳🥳 The competition was the day before, but results only just came out today. So, I made sure to get some champagne so we could celebrate! I drove to Piha, and Elise wanted to go on a sunset hike to a place she called "the gap." We drove to Piha Beach south, where I'd never been before; every time I'd been to Piha Beach, I'd gone to Piha Beach North. We walked from the car to the gap, which is this really cool cave that goes through the rock from the shore out to the ocean. It looked like some fantasy landscape out of a movie! We kept walking south along the beach and passed the blowhole. We couldn't see the waves crashing at the blowhole, because the waves were hitting the opposite side of the rock, but we could see the huge spray of water when the waves would hit and shoot up through the blowhole! We hiked up from there up to a really cool viewpoint; we had the place to ourselves, and it felt like the entire Piha beach and sunset was ours. We hung out up there and had a little picnic celebration. I popped open a bottle of champagne, and we poured it into some fancy wine glasses. We sipped on our champagne and talked about the spearfishing competition, family, friends, and other stories. We laughed and talked for a long time as we watched golden hour turn into sunset.

After the sunset, we decided to pack up and head down from our viewpoint in the twilight before it got too dark. We got down to the beach and walked along the beach with a dark night sky overhead before heading back to the car. We drove to Elise's and put on some Brooklyn 99 before heading to bed.

I'm grateful for Judah. I'm grateful for good chats with Judah, and I'm grateful to hear his stories and catch up with him. I'm grateful for Elise. I'm grateful for sunset hikes and stunning views at Piha Beach.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (919): Tue 24th Sep 2024

Very mixed bag today. I enjoyed a nice lie in until 10 o’clock to celebrate my miniature five day long holiday from work. The plan for today was to go to the town to get my new tattoo of Kenny from South Park being lit on fire by The Demon from KISS riding a motorbike. I got up four whole hours before my appointment which gave me plenty of time to get food and bathed in preparation for a lengthy session of pain. As the clock struck one o’clock I got into my car to set off but as I turned the key in the ignition it made a weird noise like a machine gun starting. I tried pressing every god Damn button on the cunting dashboard but nothing was making the fucker start. I didn’t have time to fuck around for an hour hoping the bastard would turn on so I went inside to order a taxi. I got the “Don’t have enough credit” message from EE when I tried to phone for a taxi so I called the top up service. However it wouldn’t let me pay for the top up presumably because it had my old card details stored so I tried to add a new card but when I got to the very end it said something unforeseen had happened and I should try again later. It which point I let out a scream so bloodcurdling that Lucy backed up and looked really scared. I fretted that I was probably going to miss this appointment and lose the £150 deposit I’d put down but then I remembered Station Taxis app and ordered a taxi on that and to their credit a driver arrived a few minutes later. The pain of a tattoo is  smouldering at the best of times but now I had this maelstrom of bollocks hanging over my head I knew needed sorting out later on I knew I was in for a very rough couple of hours. Luckily the designed tattoo my artist came up with was amazing and put a welcome smile on my face. The AI bot I used to design this also produced a lot of unnecessary extra details such as giant bat wings and a large devil tail on Gene Simmons (which come to think of it may mean the bot I used was anti-Semitic) but Sophie my artist had simplified it for me. Sophie doesn’t tend to chat when she’s tattooing which suits me because I’m not particularly talkative either and my vocal chords were hurting from all the screaming at the car I did earlier anyway. I popped in my headphones and listened to a couple of podcasts to try and help zone out the pain which they did for most of it but towards the end the combination of the ink grinding on my skin plus my arm going to sleep began to feel unbearable. The whole thing took just over two and a half hours but the result was well worth it and for only £300 I am chuffed to bits with the results. The original plan a few years ago was to get all four boys from South Park with different KISS makeup on then but I’m so glad I decided to wait a little longer and hash out new ideas because this one is so much fucking cooler! I'm over the moon with this one. OH MY GOD! KISS KILLED KENNY!

[legion1227]

South Park: The Stick of Truth. A Game Review

I was sitting on this for most of this year. In March, it will have been ten years since its release. It was played on a whim, and it was fun.

Not too far from my university is a store that sells typical nerdy stuff such as Funko pops, board games, and retro video games for the PS3, PS2, etc. One time over there, I saw they had a copy of South Park: The Stick of Truth for the PS3 for cheap. Having never played it before, I bought it. As society strays away from physical media to embrace digital, I still welcome owning physical copies of various games, movies, etc, for a multitude of reasons. Getting to play Stick of Truth was an intriguing experience: Especially on the PS3.

If you're somehow unaware, the long-running animated sitcom, not counting this shit first-person shooter for the N64, released its first video game in the franchise back on March 4th, 2014. Based on the hit series, the game follows your created character, a new kid, who moves into the town of South Park and becomes engrossed in an epic fantasy role-play adventure with the other kids of South Park. After customizing your character's looks, you pick classes ranging from Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Jew. As tempting as it was to see how the Jew class fared, I opted to play a Fighter as I just wanted to hit people really hard.

To put it simply, it's an engaging and fun game. To get the cons out of the way, the game didn't run smoothly, and I suffered performance issues regarding load times and immense lag at times. I blame that more on the fact that I played on the PS3 though I'm sure it would've run more smoothly on a different generation of consoles. I also believe that some of the writing and jokes are a little weak during some of the first half of the game. I love South Park and grew up watching it and still enjoy it to this day, but some of the humor at first wasn't doing anything for me.

However, as the game became more preposterous over time and went more over-the-top with its humor and concepts, it became a lot more hilarious to me. Combat-wise, Stick of Truth works off turn-based combat, and to get a successful hit on your opponents or block attacks, you need to have immaculate timing. My timing was shit most of the time, but I still managed to beat the hell out of other kids, animals, the homeless, and the plethora of other enemies presented throughout the game. You get to have a companion with you throughout the game as you battle with fan-favorite characters like Cartman, Kyle, Stan, Jimmy, Kenny, or Butters. Everyone has their own unique blend of moves and hilarious one-liners or otherwise, but I find Butters was the best companion with the most consistent, high-sustaining damage and landing significantly damaging attacks. The others have their uses, but honestly, I just stuck with Butters for almost the entire game.

The side missions were amusing as they went beyond typical fetch quests, allowing you to travel around the town to fight ridiculous enemies or find people hiding about. This game was tailor-made for South Park fans, full of references to storylines and iconic episodes from the seasons out at the time. I thought the game was good, but it wasn't elevated to greatness for me until about the section where you must travel to Canada. As an RPG fan, I prefer two other games I played this year, like Persona 5 or Final Fantasy X. But as a South Park Fan, this was a wild game I got to experience for the first time and reminiscing on old episodes on bits I haven't seen in years. One of these days I'll get to the sequel, The Fractured But Whole, and maybe even one day, that new attempt at the first-person shooter, Snow Day, releasing in 2024.

In short, Stick of Truth is a pretty great game somewhat for RPG fans and especially for South Park Fans. I'd say give it a try if you haven't already, but the game has also been out for almost ten years so there's a chance that you have played. I prefer other RPGS, but the care put into this? I gotta respect that. 4/5.

[crowfootwrites]

Los Guardianes | Part V [Nestor Oceteva x Fem!Reader]

Ok, I promise there's a comedown from all the adrenaline after this! And very soon we will see characters other than Cristóbal lol.

Warnings: mentions of blood, drugs, and domestic violence; police interactions; language | Words: 1,900+

Taglist: @chibsytelford @megapeacelovemusic-blog @broiderie @est1887 @mveggieburger

Part IV of Los Guardianes

As you thundered down the alley, you glanced over at a wailing Cristóbal, splashes of crimson quickly drying across his arms and t-shirt from where you had carried him.

“It’s gonna be ok, Cristóbal, alright? I promise. Just hang tight,” you shouted over the strained whining of the engine. He quieted, shaking violently in his seat, but you turned your attention back towards the road, quickly reaching the end of the alley. You made a sharp right, having no idea where to go, but hoping to find a main street quickly.

Luck appeared to be on your side. You kept your eye on the rearview, but you didn’t see anyone behind you yet. You came up on a main street, mostly empty of traffic, and made a sharp left, immediately flooring the accelerator again. Your eyes flickered to passing signs, looking for anything you recognized.

“Fuck!” you growled, squeezing the steering wheel as you passed a sign for the Sun Bowl, panic rising in your chest as you realized you were in El Paso, Texas. You had no idea how you were going to get all the way back to California without getting caught, either by your kidnappers or by police, although at this point, you would have preferred the police. But you also had plenty of experience with dirty cops, and if your kidnappers had brought you here, of all places, it seemed likely that the police would be in their pockets.

You whipped past a sign for I-10 northbound and made for the onramp, revving the engine to merge into traffic. You darted immediately into the fast lane. Traffic was relatively light, but you hadn’t yet decided if that was good or bad. Your eyes flicked keenly between the road in front of you, your odometer, and the traffic behind you, watching for signs of a tail. It seemed like you were clear for the time being, but you hesitated to get too comfortable. It wouldn’t be long before the shattered back window drew some kind of attention.

Taking stock of your surroundings, you realized you had an almost full tank of gas. You wouldn’t be able to make it all the way back to Santo Padre on one tank, and you had no idea how you were going to pay for another. But you relegated that to the back of your mind, a concern for later. There was a balled-up hoodie in the backseat, and you stared blankly at the rosary swinging from the rearview. The glove compartment was empty.

Your eyes tracked the nearest freeway sign, realizing I-10 would take you into New Mexico. From there, you could head towards Phoenix. You didn’t love the idea of staying on a major freeway for so long, but it was the quickest way to get where you were going. From just south of Phoenix, you could take smaller highways towards home, and that suited you better. But the feeling of being chased propelled you forward; you were constantly pushing the odometer and scanning of your surroundings.

You reached New Mexico without a problem, but without a solid plan in place, you sped through it. As you careened down the highway towards an empty desert horizon, you heard Cristóbal’s breathing begin to calm. There was no chance of your pulse slowing or your body settling; you sat on the edge of the driver's seat, your thighs and core constantly clenched, ready for hell when it came.

Around two hours after you left El Paso, you were rapidly approaching Deming, New Mexico, and by then your brain was shouting at you to stop. You wanted to try to find a gas station to get yourself and Cristóbal cleaned up, in case you did get pulled over. You also wanted to check the trunk. While you had certainly been making good time, a sneaking suspicion nagged at you, one that questioned why no one had come after you or appeared to have reported the car stolen.

On the far edge of Deming, once you had passed through the center of the city, you followed signs for a gas station that looked, from the highway, to be mostly empty, in the middle of an empty stretch of commercial buildings and vacant lots. You guided the car towards the back of the gas station lot, behind the building, where you breathed a sigh of relief that there were bathrooms on the exterior of the building. You pulled into a parking space and only once you had scanned your surroundings did you get out. You went around to the passenger side door and guided Cristóbal out, grabbing the hoodie from the backseat.

The lock on the bathroom door was broken, so you pushed your way in, gagging a little at the stench. The sink was filthy, but the water ran clear, and you quickly rinsed your skin, watching the pink-tinged water swirl down the drain. Flashes of the man you killed flickered behind your eyes whenever you closed them, bile rising in your throat. The gnawing in your stomach reminded you that you hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours. The adrenaline had kept the hunger at bay, but suddenly you were so hungry you felt nauseous. You helped Cristóbal wash his face and hands, then pulled the hoodie over your soiled shirt, zipping it all the way up.

Back at the car, you popped the trunk and your mouth fell open.

“Oh, fuck,” you groaned. Six bricks of cocaine were packed into the back of the small trunk, along with a duffel bag. You supposed that was why no one had reported the car stolen. It made you feel a little better that the cops wouldn’t necessarily be looking for you, but if you did get pulled over, you’d be fucked. You dug through the duffel bag, finding it full of clothes, and your heart lifted when your fingers skimmed smooth leather. You pulled out a black leather wallet, flipping it over in your hands. There was no ID, but there was a singular twenty dollar bill in it, and that would have to do.

Cash in hand, you tugged Cristóbal into the gas station store with you, grabbing a couple of protein bars and a large bottle of water, wanting to hang on to enough money for gas down the road.

You planned to dispose of the cocaine out in the middle of the desert, so you hightailed it out of Deming. A little less than an hour later, you took a tiny offramp and followed a deserted road past a dilapidated gas station out into the barren desert. You pulled the car off into the dirt, sending a cloud of dust up around you.

“Wait in the car,” you told Cristóbal gently, who nodded at you with wide eyes.

Pulling the sleeves of the hoodie over your hands, you dumped the clothes out of the duffel bag and packed the drugs into it, zipping it up. Careful not to touch anything with your bare hands, you slung it over your shoulder and hauled it towards a thick patch of scrub brush several yards from the road. Dropping the bag behind a clump of brush and prickly pear cacti, you booked it back towards the car, heading immediately back towards the highway.

You were approaching Gila Bend in Arizona as dusk gathered over the skyline. You had already gotten off of I-10 and onto the smaller highway that would take you to Yuma. From there it would be an easy drive to Santo Padre, one you had even made before. You had every intention of driving through the night, desperation fluttering in your heart at the thought of home. You were hungry again, and you could hear Cristóbal’s stomach grumbling from the passenger seat, but you were dangerously low on gas.

Pulling into a small gas station in Gila Bend, you went inside the store to pay, bringing Cristóbal with you. When you came back out, your breath hitched in your throat and you froze. A police officer was standing beside the car, inspecting the shattered back window. Flashbacks flooded your brain and you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to force them out. Through the rapid swirling in your mind, you felt Cristóbal squeezing your hand hard, the touch pulling you out of your trance. Immediately, your mind went into overdrive, laying out a plan.

You approached the car, schooling your features into a timid expression.

The burly, dark-haired officer looked up curiously at your approach, and you caught the slightest softening in his eyes as he studied you and the child clinging to you. He looked young and green, fresh on the job, and you wanted to use that to your favor.

“Good evening, ma’am,” he said, hands authoritative on his hips.

“Evening,” you murmured, dropping your gaze meekly.

“You know it’s illegal to drive with a busted window?” he asked sternly.

You let all of the stress of the last couple of days pour into your brain, breaking the dam behind your eyes. Tears tumbled freely over your cheeks as you looked back up at him and he startled slightly at the sight.

“I’m so sorry, officer,” you sniffled. “My son and I, w–we came from El Paso, trying to get away from my husband. He smashed it as we were leaving. I’m just trying to get us to California so we can stay with my brother.” Your voice caught on a sob, cracking on the last syllable.

The officer’s stance softened and your heart lifted just slightly. His inexperience was showing.

“Who is this car registered to?” he asked.

Your chest tightened as you prayed he wouldn’t run plates or ask to see documentation. “It’s mine, sir,” you whispered, meeting his eyes with your most sorrowful look. “He just didn’t like that we were leaving.” You hoped that you looked wretched enough to prevent him from asking too many questions.

The officer pursed his lips, his thumb lightly tapping his utility belt. “Where you headed to in California, ma’am?” he asked.

“Palm Desert,” you lied smoothly, letting your lower lip tremble for good measure. “I have family there, sir.”

The officer hesitated as he considered what to do next. “And you’ll be safe there?” he asked. “Does your husband know where you’re headed?”

“Probably, sir. Th–they’re the only family I have. But they’re going to help me file a protective order against him. And... start the divorce process,” you mumbled, shuffling your feet in the dirt. You felt a quick pang in your heart as you said the words, ones that weren’t too far from true in another time.

Perhaps sensing that it was a good time to lay it on thick, Cristóbal tugged on your hand. As you glanced down at him, he reached his arms up and you pulled his weary form into your arms, depositing him on your hip.

The officer studied the pair of you intently, then sighed. “Alright. I’m not going to write you a ticket, but once you get to Palm Desert, you need to get that window fixed, do you understand me?”

You nodded fervently. “Thank you – officer, thank you so much,” you stammered, hugging Cristóbal tight. The officer tipped his hat and turned on his heel, making his way towards his police cruiser. Your body felt limp as the rush wore off yet again. Your mind reeled, pushing the limits of what you could handle without sleep. You needed to get home, and soon.

You slid into the driver’s side seat and slid Cristóbal over, helping him buckle his seatbelt.

Praying for an uneventful last leg of your journey, you pulled away from the fluorescent lights of the gas station, headed yet again towards the moonlit horizon.

Part VI of Los Guardianes

[takenyoomies]

Takeomi's "Day Off"

Title - Takeomi's "Day Off"

Rated - T

Summary - When Senju said it was his "day off", this was not what Akashi Takeomi had in mind.

Tags - Food, Movies, Wakasa Lock-picking, Swearing, Benkei Slander, Mildly OOC

Characters - Takeomi, Wakasa, Benkei, Senju, Draken(mentioned), Shinichiro(mentioned), Terano South(mentioned)

TWs - mentions of character death

Word Count - 2977

Read on AO3

The evening forecast calls for-

“Rain.”

Thunderstorms until the late evening, and it will then clear up around nine o’clock. Back to you for the local news to talk about how you can protect yourself from-

Click.

Takeomi sighed as he took another drag off of his cigarette, neatly ashing it in a black ceramic ashtray he’d found long ago in the belongings of none other than Shinichiro Sano. With his gaze affixed to the ever infinite tile ceiling, one thing crossed his mind. What was he going to do on his day away from the rest of the members of Brahman?

It wasn’t often that the scar-faced man had a rare “day off,” as Senju called them. He chuckled at the idea as he hadn’t been employed since he lost his ambitions, though all things considered, helping manage the gang members did feel like a full-time job. There was the somewhat apathetic Wakasa, who seemingly followed Senju to the ends of the earth. However, enjoyed the occasional prank. Benkei was pretty hot-headed in their quarrels. However, outside of them, he seemed to enjoy the more minor things...only to also become hot-headed about those too. Takeomi rubbed the bridge of his nose as he remembered the time they went fishing only for Benkei to pick a fight with his fishing pole for not catching him any fish. There also was Senju, his sister, who was calm for the most part until she wasn’t, and it became a game of World War between the five of them as they tried to figure out who stole the last manju from the plate in the middle of the table. And lastly, there was of course the new member of the gang, Draken, who hid mainly in the shadows and made a relatively decent hot curry.

The scar-faced man stood from the well-loved recliner, stretching his back as he made his way to the kitchen to grab a beer, “Wonder what they’re up to today…” He murmured as he opened the fridge, plucking a silver can from its place on the shelf. He turned his body to walk back towards the living room only to hear the doorbell ring. He froze in place, blinking. No one other than four people knew he lived here, and all four of those people knew it was his day off.

The bell rang again.

He pursed his lips, thinking that perhaps they would go away.

“He has to be home, and he never goes anywhere.” A deep voice stated, almost in annoyance.

“True...I don’t see the point in him going anywhere, to be honest, and it’s raining.” A tired voice replied, almost sounding bored with the situation.

Takeomi huffed, “Oh, so they think I’m a hermit?” He thought to himself, crossing his arms with a smirk.

“Well...we could always use...that.” The last voice said, the doorbell ringing one more time.

“Oh! I like that idea.” The deep voice spoke excitedly.

Takeomi blinked, wondering what that meant, only to hear the telltale sound of scratching at his door. He hurriedly rushed over, unlocking the door as he quickly realized what that was.

“How many times have I told you, if I’m not answering the door, don’t get Waka to pick the lock!” He yelled in exasperation as he whipped open the door. Benkei collapsed into the genkan while Senju and Wakasa remained kneeling outside, both looking up at the semi-tired-looking man holding a beer, a cigarette between his lips.

“Oh. Hi Takeomi.” Wakasa finally spoke with a wave, his bored face showing how unaffected he was by the man in front of him.

Benkei groaned as he rose from his position on the floor, “If you would’ve answered the door, maybe we wouldn’t have had to use Waka.” He rubbed his head, “And would it kill you to open the door slower?”

“You act as though I’m some item for you to use when you get locked out…” The two-toned-haired man retorted, standing from his crouched position, patting his pants as he put away the lock-picking kit back into his bag.

The buff man clicked his tongue, “As if that’s the biggest fucking issue here.”

Takeomi sighed, looking at the group in front of him, “What are you three even doing here?” He questioned, noticing the plastic bags, “It’s my day off.”

“Well…” Senju started, standing from her position on the ground as well, “We were going to meet up at the park, but it’s raining.”

“Yeah, I wonder who did that.” Benkei huffed sarcastically, crossing his arms.

“You can’t blame me for the rain every time.” Takeomi pointed out, taking a drag off of his cigarette.

“I can, and I fucking will.”

“Regardless of if Takeomi made it rain,” Senju cut in, looking over at the several plastic bags on the concrete behind them, “Your apartment was the closest.”

Takeomi exhaled, the smoke wrapping around him like the safety he needed in that moment as he paused to think. Yes, he could refuse them entry. Unfortunately, though, that would likely just cause them to force their way in like usual. He sighed in defeat, “Alright, get in.”

Senju smiled, “Yay!” The smallest cheered, rushing into the apartment past Takeomi and Benkei.

“Wait, shit, she’s gonna get the chair!” Bekei roared in sudden realization, attempting to blow past the other man as well, only to be stopped by an arm.

“Pick up the bags and then go fight over the chair. Don’t make Waka carry everything.” Takeomi warned, only to receive a glare in return.

“You do it if you’re so concerned.” He snapped, sliding under the arm that was blocking his path inside and rushing inside, “Hey Senju, you got it last time!”

Takeomi shook his head, “Never changes.” He looked over at the plastic bags that Wakasa was beginning to gather up, “It’s always us, huh?”

“Been that way since…” Wakasa trailed off before shrugging a bit, the lollipop in his mouth shifting, “Take these, and I’ll carry the rest.”

The older man knew what he meant by that sentence and was somewhat thankful he didn’t finish it. Sometimes he wondered if that ghost would ever stop haunting the three of them. He shook the thought as he grabbed onto the two plastic bags, peering into them and noticing the sheer amount of food.

“Just...how much did all of you buy?” He questioned, the cigarette on his lips nearly dropping in astonishment.

A hum of amusement came from Wakasa’s throat, “Senju kept putting things in the basket, and Benkei...Well, you know him.”

“And you?” Takeomi questioned, only to see the two-toned-haired man pull out a bag of lollipops. The scar-faced man's lips tilted into a smile, “How predictable.”

“Please,” Wakasa began as they walked inside, Takeomi could already hear the sounds of an argument, “My simple tastes are far superior to Benkei’s ridiculous tastes in cola-flavored garbage.”

Takeomi snorted, “I didn’t know you had a candy complex.”

Wakasa rolled his eyes, “Is that even real?”

“Beats me.” Takeomi chuckled as they made their way into the living room to see a smug-looking Senju placed in the comfortable recliner and an angry Benkei gesturing.

Benkei groaned, “Like I said, you got it last time so, get up!”

Senju smiled sweetly as she settled herself into the recliner, “No, I’m comfortable.”

You could see a vein pop on the buff man’s forehead, “Oh my god, you’re so!” He attempted to piece together before growling once more.

Senju snickered, “Use your words Benkei.”

“Senju, don’t be mean to the wildlife.” Wakasa sighed, placing the bags on the coffee table.

“I am not an animal!” Benkei yelled in offense.

“Hm. Debatable.” Wakasa shrugged as he sat down on one of the pillows.

Takeomi shook his head, placing the other plastic bags onto the table, opening his beer, taking a sip, and wrinkling his nose. Warm. However, this seemed to get the attention of Benkei.

“Hey, Takeomi, if you’re having a beer, share one with the rest of us.” The bearded man complained, strolling over to him.

“Bring your own.” He breathed, waving his spare hand at him, sitting down at the table beside Wakasa, “You just were at the store.”

“If I remember correctly, you said you were going to bum one off of Takeomi.” Wakasa’s bored voice cut in, exposing the other’s plans as he opened a bag of hard candy.

“I-I did not.” Benkei huffed, crossing his arms and looking to the side.

“I clearly recall you stating, Waka, I’m gonna get a beer from Takeomi, so I don’t have to buy a six-pack! I’m so smart, haha or something of that effect.” Wakasa mimicked the burly man set before himself, popping the lollipop out of his mouth and pointing at him with it.

Takeomi hummed, “Is that right?”

“No way, I would never say that!” Benkei denied, holding his hands up in refusal.

“Senju can confirm it, probably.” Wakasa sighed, popping the sweet back in his mouth.

“Ain’t no way she heard sh-”

“I was in the other aisle. Even I heard you say it, Benkei.” Senju confirmed.

“Okay, maybe I did say that,” Benkei muttered, looking to the side, “But come on, beer is expensive!”

“And bumming it off of me makes that okay?” Takeomi asked incredulously, shaking his head.

“Yes.” Benkei grinned, only to receive a look of disapproval from the man.

Takeomi sighed, “I’d say you’re unbelievable, though this is far too in character for you.”

Benkei snorted in amusement, “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Eyebrow twitching, the scar-faced man sighed once more, "If you could stop swearing in front of my sister, that'd be wonderful."

Benkei huffed, "I don't think she minds it."

"Well I-"

Senju waved an arm, interrupting the conversation, “Hey, can you pass me the sour gummy worms?” She asked, as if to ignore the on-going conversation about herself.

Wakasa sighed and looked over to Takeomi, “You’re closer.”

Takeomi stared daggers at Benkei, who shrugged with a lopsided grin. He turned towards Wakasa, “Fine, fine.” Takeomi groaned, putting his cigarette out into the ashtray, “Which bag are they in?”

Wakasa shrugged, opening a can of juice, “Probably the one with the candy.”

Takeomi pulled one of the bags forward, fishing around for the bag of sour candy. “Is this the right bag?” He questioned as he fumbled through the several different types of snacks.

“Probably.” Wakasa’s bored eyes peering over at the man, “Actually, they might be in the other other candy bag.”

Takeomi stopped his search to look up at the two-toned-haired man, “You mean to tell me you have two entire bags of candy?”

The accused party sighed, “Listen, blame Senju for that one.”

“Nuh-uh Waka, you pitched in to at least half the damage!” The light-haired girl chimed in, crossing her arms with a knowing look.

Benkei snorted as he sat down at the table, “And by half, that’d be one bag each.”

“Thank you. I can do basic math,” Wakasa replied, rolling his eyes and pulling the other bag forward. His fingers instantly pulling out the bag of sour gummy worms, much to Takeomi’s surprise.

“How did you…” Takeomi started, only to have the bag of gummy worms flung into his chest, “...Nevermind.” He breathed, standing from his place at the table and walking over to the snowy-haired girl, “Here.”

Senju grinned, “Thanks.” She spoke happily as she grabbed the package of sweets out of his hands, biting open the top with her teeth.

Takeomi sighed attempting to grab the package back from her, “Hey, you’re gonna ruin your teeth like that.”

Wrinkling her nose, Senju looked up at Takeomi, “You’re not the boss of me.” She spoke sarcastically with a slight smile, shoving a gummy worm into her awaiting mouth.

The dark-haired man raised a brow, “...And I’m assuming you forgot that sour food is sour, again.”

Senju’s face had contorted, her nose wrinkling as her lips puckered, “Shut up…” She whimpered, shoving another gummy worm into her mouth.

"You're how old?" Takeomi questioned with an amused smile, as Senju pouted.

"Worst brother ever." She huffed.

Benkei tilted his head over only to burst into laughter, “Happens every time, man.”

“You do the same when you eat spicy food.” Wakasa mentioned as he took a sip from his drink, “Remember the time we ate Draken’s hot curry? You were crying like a baby.”

Takeomi snorted as he remembered the scene, Draken had said he would make them curry since they were eating out too much, and Benkei had been the most excited about it. But, of course, this only seemed to fire up the braid-haired man more when it came to making the curry, so when it came down to them eating, he had even given Benkei an extra serving.

“Do you remember when he took the first bite?” Takeomi pondered as he walked back over to the table, Benkei groaning and placing his head on the table in embarrassment.

“Man, quit it, do you have to?” Benkei pleaded, peeking an eye up towards the man.

“Do you mean the it burns part or take me to the hospital one?” Wakasa questioned with slight amusement.

The buff man grumbled, “I’m going home. This is bullshit.”

“So you can bark, but you can’t take a bite?” Takeomi teased, grabbing his beer and taking another swig, once again scrunching his nose, “This is disgusting.”

“Then why are you still drinking it…?” Wakasa sighed in exasperation.

“Because wasting beer is a cardinal sin.” Takeomi clarified.

Benkei sat up quickly, pointing at both Takeomi and Wakasa, “You know what else a cardinal sin is? Dunking on your homies.”

The two-toned-haired man blinked, before shaking his head and clasping his hands together, and looking directly into Benkei’s eyes, “So is having an IQ of below 70, but we’re still accepting of you, Benkei.” He spoke carefully before downing the rest of his drink, “Alright, are we watching a movie?”

Benkei sat at the table, mouth agape, unsure of what to say or do, all while Takeomi and Senju snickered uncontrollably in the background.

“Sure, we can do that.” Takeomi finally spoke through his laughs, lighting a cigarette, “Though we’re not watching Jurassic Park again and making Terano South references.”

“Aw, come on!” Senju pouted.

“We could always watch Pulp Fiction?” Wakasa offered with a half-hearted shrug.

Takeomi raised a knowing brow, “You just want to say the does he look like a bitch part again, Waka.”

He sighed, “Guilty.”

“What about-” Benkei began.

“No.” Takeomi interrupted.

The burly man huffed and crossed his arms, “But I didn’t even say shit!”

“We are not watching Austin Powers.” The man with the cigarette proclaimed, shaking his head.

“...Fine.”

“What about Goodfellas?” Senju pointed out, swinging her legs from the recliner, “That’s always a favorite.”

Benkei groaned, “We’ve watched that like 20 times, though.”

Takeomi hummed, “What’s 21, though…”

“Waka can probably quote all the lines in that one, too, then.” Benkei thought out loud.

“Did you hear him last time?” Senju asked while tilting her head to the side, “He even did the voices.”

“He wasn’t here last time we watched, remember?” Takeomi pointed out, taking a hit off of his cigarette and exhaling.

“Oh, right!” Senju realized.

“Wait, you mean to tell me I missed Waka doin’ Goodfellas impressions?!” Benkei asked, looking around at the group, “Why did no one tell me!”

“You miss a lot of things when you screw around doing other things.” Wakasa pointed out as he stood, “Goodfellas it is.” He walked over to the bookcase and grabbed a VHS case for the movie.

“The real question is...did we rewind it when we watched it last time,” Senju commented as Wakasa walked over to the television set and shoved it into the VHS player.

“I don’t see why we wouldn’t ha-” It was not rewound, “Goddamn it.” Takeomi huffed.

“Short intermission, I guess.” Wakasa breathed as he hit the rewind button, walking back to the table and plopping down.

The smoking man chuckled, “You know, I didn’t expect to spend my day off like this?”

“Oh?” Wakasa asked, raising a brow.

Benkei snorted, “What, did you expect to sleep all day and drink beer?”

Takeomi rolled his eyes, “No, though that sounds peaceful compared to the mess all of you seem to bring.” He huffed, inhaling the last of the cigarette and putting it out into the ashtray. The VCR clicked, signifying the tape was done rewinding. “I got it,” Takeomi stated as he stood from his seat at the table, walking towards the TV set.

“I guess it is your day off…” Senju hummed, her legs once again moving back and forth as she spoke, “But, we missed you.”

Benkei’s eye’s widened, “Shhh!! You weren’t supposed to tell him!” As he attempted to silence the small leader.

The scar-faced man’s hand stopped as it reached forward. He blinked. They missed him. He felt his heart swell in his chest as a smile spread its way onto his face.

“Hey, Takeomi...” Wakasa questioned boredly after a moment, “Tell me they didn’t take you out with just that?”

“I’m fine.” He responded, pressing play on the VCR and turning to walk towards the light switch. While the smile on his face had disappeared, the warm and fuzzy feelings had not as he switched off the lights. Making his way back to the table, he received an all-knowing look from Wakasa as he sat down.

As the previews for the movie were nearing their end, Takeomi leaned forwards towards Wakasa, attempting not to alert the other two members of the room.

“So, even you missed me?” He questioned quietly as the beginning scene started, the two-toned-haired man not entirely paying attention.

“Yeah, yeah…” the two-toned-haired man dismissed, the piece of candy in his mouth shifting against his teeth.

“Hm.” Takeomi hummed, leaning back on his elbows and looking up at the tiled ceiling once more. He could vaguely hear the storm outside over the sound of Wakasa quoting the movie, Benkei’s obnoxious wheezes of laughter, and Senju’s tiny kicks against his favorite recliner that he always gave up to one of them instead to sit on the floor himself. A gentle smile once again made its way back onto his face.

Maybe it should rain more often.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Bruno Bavota & Chantal Acda

Photo by Cath Van Laere

A Closer Distance, the new collaborative record by composer Bruno Bavota and singer-songwriter Chantal Acda, happened under the now-typical circumstance of long-distance remote creation. What was originally imaged as a small EP blossomed into a full album, with both parties finding the process “weirdly natural” (to quote Acda). Dusted’s Ian Mathers calls the result “the kind of record where its sparseness and concision feel like products of intense focus and care, both for the sounds produced and the people who might hear them.” The two artists have split this Listed between them, with each selecting five records that are important to them.

Bruno Bavota Picks

I'm picking music that had a real impact in my life before I became a musician. I started playing piano at 26 years old and before that I started playing acoustic guitar at 24 years old. Music has had a great impact in my life filling a big emptiness I felt during the beginning of university (18 years old) to my twenty-sixth year. This is really a selection that helped me a lot and as I’ve always said, music saved my life. This is also a music selection for things we lost.

Damien Rice — O

2004. I was in a car with one of my dearest friends. We were parking and the radio started playing “Cannonball” by Damien Rice. It was in the afternoon, a very strange hour to listen to this kind of track on the radio programs. I was 20 years old and that is the exact moment when music came into my life. Before that I didn't properly listen to music — it wasn't part of my life. I went to the music shop and bought the album that kept me company for the whole year, changing my feelings as a human being.

Nick Drake — Pink Moon

I really don't know how to start talking about this. After I discovered the album by Damien Rice, the guys from the music shop told me “Bruno, If you like folk, singer-songwriters you should listen to Nick Drake, who probably inspired all the current songwriters scene.” I never heard about him before and I bought Pink Moon at face value. When I went back home and put this album on my home-stereo I understood, not immediately I have to say, how powerful this album is. I’ve listened a thousand times to “Pink Moon,” “Place to Be” and “Things Behind the Sun”.

Balmorhea — All Is Wild, All Is Silent

This is home for me. I remember exactly the day when I discovered them. I was just surfing around on YouTube and then there was the “suggested for you” feature that worked really well before losing everything with the explosion of the digital era. The track I heard literally blew me away. It was something that I was looking for but never found. This album has always been a safe place for me and I always return to this album. I played “Settler” at my wedding.

Antony and the Johnsons — I Am a Bird Now

This is the time where I discovered new music at the music shop. In my town Napoli we used to have a very nice music store with wonderful staff that always suggested A LOT of wonderful music to me. I always trusted them and one day I came into the music shop and they called me. “Hey Bruno, I think you're gonna like this.” I put my headphones on and “Hope There's Someone” started. The right song and the right time — I was probably also hoping that there will be someone for me.

Micah P. Hinson and The Gospel Of Progress

I clearly remember when I saw him live for the first time in my hometown Napoli (South Italy) playing this album live. As I said, I picked music for the things that we lost and the place where this concert took place is gone. The concert was so intense and it was really for a few people in the audience and I still keep those memories. A really beautiful album.

Chantal Acda Picks

Music has always been a huge part of my life growing up, with a dad who was obsessed with pop music and a mother who was an opera singer. I always felt a bit weird within the kids in my school. But music gave me a safe haven and that actually never changed. It’s not what I choose to do. It happened and it makes me breathe.

Joni Mitchell — Blue

I refused to sing until I was 16 years old. I was quite an intense teenager and because of that I wanted to do what my mother did not! I also spent a lot of time surrounded by horses. A totally different world, but still the combination in my life that works best. My mum was often teaching in my house. In the room next door. I fell asleep with people singing. At a certain moment I took my guitar and started humming a bit. Someone waiting in the hallway heard me, drove home and took this record with her for me. I totally loved it. The stunning combination between melody, craft and depth really inspired me to start singing.

Nils Frahm — Felt

I love this record in so many ways. The sound of this record is just breathtaking. That on top of the choice in melody really sticks with me. I can listen to this album any moment of the day. Nils got on stage with me 10 years ago in Paris and we instantly connected. We decided that he would be the one recording my first real solo album. I had the best time. We were like two kids in a candy store. He put me in his strength. I guess we are both intense people. Both putting music first always. I will never forget what he did for me.

Amenra — Mass IV

Might sound like a weird choice for me. This is loud music. I play very slow music most of the time. But if there is a band I feel really connected to it's Amenra. Their music and being is all about connecting earth with all that’s above. Their approach is vertical in that way. Like mine. We both go for total surrender. To the music, to the energy and to each other. I don't think in genres or styles. I only think music. And they really touch me very, very deeply.

Kae Tempest — The Book of Traps and Lessons

What to say about Kae. How to love somebody you have never met. They are capable of changing people. Their words are reaching the bottom of my heart. They can break me and be soothing at the same time. They are impressive in being vulnerable and the biggest strength in one split second. Intensity. Depth. Realness. Truth. I saw them live once. The room shifted. Nothing felt the same anymore. The song “People's Faces” is not just beautiful but above all necessary. We need it. I need it and I will never be able to listen to this without tearing up.

dEUS — The Ideal Crash

The band that made me move to Belgium 22 years ago. This Antwerp band has been a part of my life since I was 16 years old and I followed them everywhere. They are exciting, different, edgy but soft at the same time. This record is full of beautiful songs. Great guitar parts. I know it by heart. I sing it when I am alone. It's my ideal crash.

[the-bau-quinjet]

I watched it begin again

Chapter 4 of In Breakable Heaven!

Summary: Reader runs into Spencer again a few weeks later!

Warnings: none

Word Count: ~1800

It was a few weeks later before you ran into Spencer again, literally. You stopped at the grocery store on your way home to pick up some snacks for the binge-watching you were planning for your evening. As you placed the third dessert item in your cart, you turned the corner and ran straight into something- no, someone. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” You exclaimed as you reached for the popcorn you had knocked out of his hands. “Let me get that for you.” As you stood back up, something about the scuff marks on this man’s converse reminded you of someone.

“Hi Y/N.” You finally manage to compose yourself and hand him the popcorn before stuttering out a greeting in return. Spencer glances at your cart before asking, “planning a party?”

  “What? Oh! No, I just had a kind of long day and I wanted to go home and hide from the world while indulging in some sugary treats.” A blush creeps onto your cheeks as you realize you just admitted the multitude of foods in your cart are in fact all for you. “I couldn’t decide what to get, so I figured a little bit of everything would solve the problem.” You laughed awkwardly as you try to explain your cart. It looks as though a three year old had free rein.

  “Trust me, I understand.” Spencer laughed with you. “I always have something sweet nearby. I am definitely known to have a sweet tooth.”

  “Oh, well would you care to join me?” You instantly froze when you realized what you said. You aren’t normally so forward. “I could use a friend.” You add on in hopes of diffusing the growing tension.

  “Um, yeah I’ll, uh, I’ll join you.” Spencer is rubbing the back of his neck as you begin walking through the store.

  “Great! You can pick the ice cream flavor!” You turned and started walking before you could come up with something even more awkward to say.

  You pick out a few more sweet treats before paying for your groceries and heading to your car. Spencer says he will meet you at your place after he helps you load the groceries into the trunk.

15 minutes later, you’ve returned home and put the groceries that need to be kept cold away. You move everything else to the coffee table so you and Spencer can reach whatever you want easily.

  You are reaching up to get some bowls for the ice cream when you hear a knock on your door. You glance through the peephole just to make sure it is Spencer before swinging the door open with a grin. “Welcome to the sweetest apartment in the building!” The two of you laugh as you close and lock the door.

  “Do you want to watch a movie or something?” You aren’t sure what to say now that he’s actually in your apartment. You don’t have the same barriers you had last time. You are both perfectly sober and neither one of you just went through a massive breakup. “Yeah, sure”

  “Got any preference?” You ask as you look through the available movies on Netflix and Hulu. “Oh, uh, no you can pick.” Great, you hate making decisions.

  After a slightly awkward few minutes filled with overanalyzing your movie choices, you finally decide on Mr. and Mrs. Smith because it had a bit of a comedy, action, and romance. “Well, dig in!” You don’t know how else to start the conversation as you rip open a zebra cake, offering Spencer the second one in the bag. He smiles at you as he takes it, easing the tension in the room.

  You fall into a comfortable silence as you both watch the movie. You find yourself sneaking glances at Spencer whenever you really want to see his reaction to a certain scene. You can’t really tell if he’s enjoying it, but he has laughed a few times.

  A half hour into the movie, you decide you want some ice cream. “I’m going to go change and grab some ice cream. Want any?”

  “Oh, yes please” Spencer sounds slightly surprised at your sudden question, but you just walk into your room to find some pajamas. You slip on some shorts and a t-shirt pulling on a pair of fluffy socks as you make your way back into the kitchen to get the ice cream. You decide just to bring the two bowls, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles with you so Spencer can add his own toppings.

  You somehow manage to balance everything as you walk back over to the couch. You are so focused on not dropping the sprinkles that you don’t notice Spencer has been staring at you since you exited your room. He blinks a few times as you set down the toppings exclaiming “it’s a build your own Sunday bar” as you hand him a bowl and a spoon. You sit back down on the couch, closer than before since you need to reach the toppings.

  “Can you pass me the whipped cream?” Butterflies form in your stomach as your hand brushes his.

  “Whipped cream as we know it today was invented by Charles Getz in the 1930s. Of course, hand whipped cream can be dated back to the 16th century. They would use tree or bush branches as a whisk to incorporate air into the cream.” You could listen to Spencer ramble for the rest of your life.

  You smile at him while you squirt enough whipped cream to completely cover the ice cream and then some. You look up to see Spencer staring. Quickly, you look away and hand him the whipped cream. “Sorry, I just really like whipped cream.”

  “No, you don’t need to apologize! I’m just happy.” A confused look forms on your face as you look back, urging him to continue. “I, uh, I’m just glad you feel comfortable enough to be yourself with me. Most people wouldn’t have even admitted this was their plan for the night. I’m happy that you invited me to join you. I absolutely love sugar.”

  “I’m happy that you’re here too. Who else would provide me with unending knowledge about all the sugary treats?” You laugh as you grab the whipped cream, pointing it at him like a weapon. “Now, tell me who invented chocolate or prepare for the consequences!”

  Spencer puts his hands up in mock surrender as he rambles on about chocolate. “Chocolate dates back to 450 B.C.. The Aztecs believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency. Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter liquid, mixed with spices or corn puree. It was believed to be an aphrodisiac and to give the drinker strength. Today, such drinks are also known as "Chilate" and are made by locals in the South of Mexico. After its arrival to Europe in the sixteenth century, sugar was added and it became popular throughout society, first among the ruling classes and then among the common people. In the 20th century, chocolate was considered essential in the rations of United States soldiers during war.” He finished his ramble with a slight smile and a nod.

  You are so taken with his ramblings that you can’t form a response. In a panic, you decide to spray him anyway. Whipped cream goes flying all over the place as he flails in surprise. “Gotcha!” You shriek as he grabs the can and turns it on you. “Not fair, I answered your question! Now you have to answer mine.” He stops to think for a second before asking, “What language is the word dessert derived from?”

  “Now that’s not fair! You are a literal genius. I run a book store.” Spencer laughs at your feeble attempt to protest. “Just answer the question.”

  “Fine, ummmm, Latin?” You are completely guessing and by the smirk growing on his face, you are not correct.

  “Nope.” He says popping the p. “French!” You grins even wider as he sprays the whipped cream, landing some on your face despite you trying to block it with your hands.

  “Damn, I guess this is only fair.” You say rolling your eyes. He just stares at you in response, his mouth falling open just enough to be noticeable. Right as you’re about to ask him what’s wrong, he reaches over and brushes the whipped cream off your face. Before he can reach a napkin, you grab his hand. Pulling it toward you, you wrap your mouth around his fingers, licking all the whipped cream.

You have no idea what possessed you to do that, but instantly you are trying to back track. “Can’t waste any whipped cream!” The two of you had gotten much closer together throughout your whipped cream battle. Close enough that you can look into his warm hazel eyes. 

He leans closer whispering “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Something in his voice spurs you on. You whisper back “you have some on your nose.”

  Leaning impossibly closer, in an uncharacteristic show of bravery he replies “you better take care of that seeing as it’s your fault” in an equally hushed tone. 

You reach up and steady his face with your hands, leaning in to lick the whipped cream off his nose with a slight kiss. Your face flushes as you look into his eyes. You don’t know if you’re moving or he is but you are shifting closer and closer.  

  The sound of explosions break the moment as you both jump back and shift your gaze to the television. “You know, neither one of these two would make a good profiler if they couldn’t tell that their spouse was an assassin.” You laugh at how matter-of-fact that statement was, the moment on the couch drifting to the back of your mind.

  “You’re probably right.” You don’t know what to do with your hands anymore, so you pick up your ice cream. He pulls you back onto the couch and the two of you lean into each other as you eat and finish the movie.

  Two hours later, the two of you are falling asleep on the couch. After the movie ended, you put on random episodes of Parks and Rec. You finished eating and turned off the lights about 45 minutes ago under the ruse that you can see the tv better without the lights. You’ve been talking to each other pretty much nonstop as the episodes play in the background. Nothing too big, just random information about your lives. Your eyes fall shut, yet again, encouraging you to go to bed, but you don’t want the night to end. He seems to feel the same way, and the two of you fall asleep on the couch wrapped up in each other’s arms.

 tag list:

@mac99martin @goldeng1rl8 @eevee0722 @l0ve-0f-my-life @haylaansmi @dinonuggets15 @laurakirsten0502 @green-intervention @burnin-passion @takeyourleap-of-faith @secretpickleprofessordean

[h2bakugou]

Ok cool beans, I just wanted to check first! I wanted to request something with a socially anxious, real hates giving presentations and trying to talk to new people(but one that opens up with time)type person. It's Valentine's Day and they work up the nerve to give him honmei choco. I though this would be cute!

a/n: yess!! this is super cute, i did touch base so this request is for bakugou, thank you for the lovely request, i hope this is good since valentines day is right around the corner!!

summary: you’re shy and rarely open up, but with time, you came to get closest to the polar opposite of your personality, bakugou. and on valentines day, you decide to give him some honmei choco

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: swearing, fluff

word count: 1.7k

;cut for length;

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Bakugou Katsuki. Loud, obnoxious, egotistical, bold, abrasive. The complete opposite of you, quiet, small friend circle, and socially anxious. 

But despite the differences, and the vast contrasts of your character, you opened up to him. 

You had been paired together on a project, and though you’d both much rather work alone, you toughed it out and headed to his dorm to work. And through minimal to soon a never-ending conversation, you became friends.

The following week, everyone was astounded that you’d begun talking and ‘hanging out’ regularly. Now when you were paired together, you got your work done first and spent the rest of the time chatting.

Bakugou hadn’t really known much about you before the project that started your friendship, all he knew was that he thought you were pretty cute. You were quiet, and based on your rather shy personality, he’d half expected you to avoid him at all costs due to his rather loud personality.

But you weren’t scared of him like he thought you would’ve been. Still, he’d steal a few glances in your direction during classes, or when talking breaks during training.

Valentine's day was coming up. You’d been thinking about confessing your feelings to Bakugou for a while, and if all went well, you’d be hopefully closer than friends. And if it all went south, at least you’d have yummy chocolate to eat.

Trying your best not to think of the negatives, your first goal was to hunt down Sato. You figured everyone was going to buy their chocolates and gifts, but you knew better than anyone that homemade sweets were always the best.

You were good friends with Sato, for more than just his amazing cooking. You’d passed the entrance exams together and when you found out you were in class 1-a together, it kind of further moved that friendship along. He was a pretty sweet guy, pun intended, and his food was always a plus.

Hunting him down was easy, he’d been just where you expected him to be, beside the kitchen reading a book on pastries. You leaned over the table and smiled.

“I know that look. To what do I owe my cooking services?” Sato smiled, marking the page in his book by folding the corner in. You smiled and cupped your hands together.

“I’d like to make some honmei choco.” You expressed quietly. You didn’t feel exactly confident in letting the entire class know you were making ‘true feeling chocolate’ to give to someone. You’d prefer if Mina didn’t know because as much as you loved her, she’d pry until you told her who it was for.

“To whom do i owe my cooking services?” Sato changed the context of his sentence with a devious grin. You rolled your eyes and sighed.

“I’d like to confess to someone, I can buy all the ingredients if you can help make them.” You offer to pay for all the supplies. Sato nods and glances over at where Kaminari, Kirishima, Bakugou, and Sero sat on one of the couches, Kaminari and Sero having a Beyblade battle.

“I’m sure Bakugou’s gonna love them.” Sato’s comment slips past you as you begin to speak.

“Yeah, I think he will too-wait!” You freeze and look at him, your face is hot and red as you stare at Sato.

“Please tell me-”

“I knew it.” Sato grins and hops up, walking into the kitchen to compile a list of all the things you’d need to buy that wasn’t already there.

“Just spare me until Valentine’s.” You sigh, following after him.

The list was fairly simple, so you were off to the store when it had been made while Sato prepared everything back in his room.

When you returned, you were stopped by Sero, one of your closer friends.

“Whatcha’ doin’ with Sato?” Sero asked, helping you with your bags up the stairs. Sero was really there trying to get the inside scoop for Bakugou who had been rather grumpy after seeing you with Sato.

“We’re baking!” You smile, thanking him for helping you carry your bags. Sero nods and pauses for a second.

“You gonna ask him to be your Valentine?” Sero asked bluntly. You freeze and shake your head.

“No! We’re just friends, where’d you get that idea?” You try to play it cool. You’d just friend-zoned one of your friends and now you felt kind of awkward.

“You guys seemed pretty closer earlier, was just curious. So do you have a Valentine at all this year?” Sero’s question was personal for sure, and it made your heart rate quicken.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to ask me-”

“No! Relax, no offense.” Sero laughs, you pat his shoulder and sigh.

“None taken. But I uhm, do have an idea. Just kind of nervous about it.” You were stopped down the hall from Sato’s room chatting.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine, just be confident! You’re totally badass, and if they decline, we’ll play Mario kart and eat pizza and snacks and I’ll knock some sense into them later.” Sero jokes. You giggle at his suggestion. You nod and take the bags from his hand and continue down the hall, feeling way better about what the future was to hold. You had this in the bag, you’d be fine. 

Making the chocolate was fun. Of course, there were some fails, but the ones that turned out good were the ones you decorated and wrapped carefully, making them look pretty. The fails were still incredibly delicious, and Sato was rather impressed for the outcome considering it was his first go at making them.

“So you and Bakugou.” Sato wiped his mouth with a napkin after eating one of the first attempts. You sigh and nod.

“I didn’t think I’d like him. We’re polar opposites! He’ll kill me for saying this, but he’s really sweet.” You confess, staring down at the wine-red heart-shaped box you’d just set the chocolates in, carefully tying a matching red ribbon around it.

“You anchor him. I think he’s got a pretty big crush on you, but that’s just cause I’m observant.” Sato was reassuring you. He knew you were nervous, tomorrow was either going to be really good, or terrible. He respected Bakugou, but he didn’t know if his cooking was going to be able to console you if Bakugou didn’t like you back.

“What does that mean?” You question, staring at him quizically. Sato begins to elaborate.

“You’re the perfect amount of humble and quiet that shows him how peaceful things can be. He needs you to be the calm and serenity in his life.” Sato’s words drifted around in your head as you sat quietly, processing what he’d said.

“Thank you, for helping me make these, and for making me feel better.” You were confident. You were ready. The most nerve-wracking part was going to come tomorrow, when you stood before him and asked him to be your Valentine.

“Please, he’s going to ask you first, I know it.” Sato laughed, offering you one of the failed attempts. You quickly reach over and pop one into your mouth, smiling at the delightful taste.

The following day, you woke up early, took a shower, and put on an outfit you’d picked out the night before. A cute top along with a pair of cute pants to really make you feel good, you were hyping yourself up. Sato and Sero had both texted you telling you good luck, excited about how the day was going to turn out.

Bakugou had woken up fairly early as well. After Sero confirmed that Sato was in fact not your Valentine, he’d felt better about asking you. Sero had also informed Bakugou that you were planning on asking someone. Bakugou was nervous.

That was new.

He put on something casual, his plan was to ask you out to the park, maybe take you to lunch and buy you some flowers if you wanted. He’d been really stuck up on asking you out, not just to be his Valentine, but to be his altogether. He was going to do it. He had to ask you before-

A knock on his dorm room door interrupted his thoughts. He quickly jolted over to the door, buttoning up his shirt save for the top two buttons, leaving just a little bit of room for him to breathe.

You stood in all of your beauty, hair fixed nicely, your lips glossy and pink and perfectly kissable, your outfit something out of a daydream he’d had about you. In your gentle hands sat a red heart-shaped box.

“Hi, Bakugou.” You said softly. Bakugou’s eyes widened as he stared down at the box.

“Hey.” He replied, swallowing the lump in his throat. Were you-

“Will you be my Valentine?” You asked, offering him the box. Bakugou’s eye began to twitch. 

You were asking him? 

“I was supposed to ask you first dumbass!” Bakugou placed his hand on the top of your head carefully as to not mess up your beautiful hair.

“Huh?” You stare at him.

"Will you go out with me?” Bakugou asked. You bit your bottom lip and nodded, a smile slowly growing on your lips.

“Then yes I’ll be your Valentine.” Bakugou hummed, taking the box that sat in your hands. Opening it revealed the yummy honmei choco you’d worked on with Sato.

Taking a bite of one, Bakugou was thoroughly suprised. It was much better than anything store-bought. He offered you one.

“I made them for you, not for me!” You giggled. Bakugou admired you as your hands laid against one another, happy that he had enjoyed his chocolates.

“Let’s go out, come on.” Bakugou set the chocolates down in his room and grabbed a jacket, tugging you along down the hall.

Your hand slid into his and you wrapped your fingers around his. Bakugou tried to hide his blush by tilting his head down, but as you walked out you could hear the cheers of Mina, Sero, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sato, congratulating the two of you.

The date went well considering the hoards of people out spending time with their significant others. The park was beautiful, and surprisingly, not packed. You’d suggested to stop and admire some of the scenery.

Pulling you into him, Bakugou tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“Happy Valentine’s day, beautiful.” Bakugou’s lips collided with yours, his hands resting on your hips. You melted into his touch and his kiss, smiling as your hands rested against his chest.

The kiss was warm and sweet, his lips tasting vaguely of the dessert you’d shared at the small cafe you ate at.

Pulling away you nodded, resting your head against his chest.

“Happy Valentine’s day, handsome.”

“Tch.” 

Handsome.

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masterlist

[y0itsbri]

hii bri, how are you? 🥰

how do you think ian and mickey spent their weekend? ☀️

hello twisha my beloved 💞 i am well thank you ☺️

(thank you for the ask, this got kinda long oops)

ian started out saturday morning with a quick jog around the neighborhood. he easily could have spent the weekend morning sleeping in late and snuggling with mick, but they had plans for the day so ian wanted to start off the day with his normal routine.

he picked up smoothies on his way back from his run, a 'berry good' workout smoothie with added kale and protein for himself and a peanut butter banana chocolate smoothie for mickey.

mickey was already awake when ian got back. well 'awake' was a strong word, given that he was wearing his blanket like a cape while waiting for the coffee to brew with half closed eyes. he perked up a little bit as the door locked close behind ian. ian set the smoothies on the counter and gave mickey a lingering hug and forehead smooch because he's too irresistibly cute in the mornings.

they have a chill morning sitting out on their balcony until debbie comes over to drop off franny around noon. over the past few months, franny had gotten really interested in her uncle ian's gardening and he promised to take her somewhere real cool this weekend.

debbie and ian chatted by the doors while franny enthusiastically showed uncle mickey a super cool rock she found yesterday and mickey told her about how he knows this 'dinosaur guy' who has some super cool rocks that they keep in a museum. franny asks if the dinosaur guy wants her rock for the museum and he tells her he'll ask him next time he sees him.

they pack some snacks in a backpack and head off to garfield park conservatory. they were a little out of their element but they got their tickets for all the exhibits. ian's expression matched franny's in its awestruck wonder as they took in the sights. mickey and ian took turns taking pictures of each other and the flowers in a very 'tourist mom' fashion. franny insisted taking a picture of them together and directed them exactly where to stand. mickey stuck his tongue out in the photo and got reprimanded by franny who insisted they smile, almost a mirror image of her mother's attitude. mickey smiled in the next photo, but ian leaned over to kiss mickeys cheek. franny threw her arms up in frustration and they finally complied. ian lifted franny on his shoulders for the rest of their time at the conservatory.

franny fell asleep eating goldfish crackers on the drive back to their apartment. mickey gently picked her up and carried her inside, setting her on their bed to nap while he and ian started making dinner: french fries, chicken strips, and apple slices. they cracked jokes with each other and one of ian's belly laughs woke up franny who ran into the kitchen, crashing into his legs and hugging him. he told fran to pick out a movie to watch while they ate dinner.

franny is well equipped with using disney plus, so she put on 'luca.' they all settle into the couch and eventually settle into each other once they had finished eating, franny making her way onto uncle mickey's lap with ian's arm around mick as well. one of mickey's fingers traced ian's wrist before linking along with his fingers. ian spent half the time watching the movie and half the time staring at his enchanted husband.

after the movie finished, fran turned around to look at them and asks uncle mickey if he had been crying. he denied it but ian and franny shared a knowing look. ian affectionately squeezes his shoulder while franny gets herself some oreos from the kitchen while they wait for debbie to come pick her up.

ian and mickey spend the rest of their night drinking some new beer ian had picked up at the liquor store and watching sitcoms to relax and relieve the big emotions that came from the kid's movie.

sunday morning was spent in mickey's favorite way, sleeping in late with his husband. the soft warmness of each other and the blankets covering them being pure bliss.

mickey popped some frozen waffles in the toaster for breakfast while ian turned on the tv to catch some of the morning news. it's kind of a gloomy day outside, but that's okay because it's their cleaning and grocery shopping day anyways. ian had followed in fiona's footsteps by making sundays chore days... whenever he felt like it at least.

mickey swept the floors and did laundry while ian wiped down the countertops and made sure the dishwasher was loaded. mickey bitched about one of their neighbors from down the hall, but then revealed that said neighbor had invited them to their barbeque down by the pool next weekend. mick had said he would have to make sure ian didn't have any plans. even though he was content with the friends he had, ian was proud that mickey had become more amenable to the idea of hanging out with new people sometimes.

now that they regularly shop at a nicer grocery store, ian had been determined that they eat better. but somehow, every time they go shopping, they end up with half a cart of frozen meals and snack foods. there's not much complaining because that shit is good. it is what it is.

the other week, ian had picked up a guitar on sale from the music shop next to his yoga studio. both ian and mickey had been fucking around with it in their free time. this evening, mickey tried teaching ian what he knows about guitars, but it went a lot like how it went in friends when phoebe tried to teach joey guitar.

eventually, mickey ended up on the balcony for a smoke while he scrolled through instagram, seeing a new post of mandy in some fancy sunglasses and palm trees in the background. he double taps and comments some dumb shit knowing mandy is probably rolling her eyes at him from a thousand miles away.

ian was just getting off facetime with lip and freddie when mickey comes back inside. ian tells him about all the cute shit that freddie has been up to lately and lip's success at his new part time job where he mentors kids interested in robotics and coding. ian also mentions that carl is stopping by after his late shift so he can bring them takeout for dinner from their favorite asian restaurant on the south side.

they ate their stir fry, spring rolls, and crab rangoons with the house's specialty sauce as carl complained about his new partner and mickey muttered an 'acab' under his breath before ian kicked him in the shin.

after carl left, the boys headed to the bathroom for a rather spicy shower and then laid in bed watching tiktoks with ian's head resting on mickey's chest as they fell asleep. 🖤