#ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU CAME UP TO ME AT WORK AT WALMART IN THE MIDDLE OF BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING

[pisshandkerchief]

HETEROSEXUAL MEN STOP HITTING ON ME AT WORK CHALLENGE

[onyourhyuck]

Never-Ending Goodbyes. | Johnny Suh (M) | PART ONE.

Prologue: “No, No you cannot return after 16 years thinking you can walk back into her life, Johnny. That’s now how it freaking works.” + “I beg you to give me a chance and let me see her. I realised the mistake I made and I don’t plan on letting her go.”

The Summary: It’s always been you and your daughter Eve. Johnny’s never intended to be in the family picture considering he chose his career instead, but after sixteen years your daughter’s seventeen birthday came up and now Johnny is back asking for a second chance.

The Warnings: Second Chance trope. Johnny got the milk bro. Found family trope. Romance. Angst. Very angsty. Lots of heartbreak. Single mum supremacy. Slight crack but only mild funny relief.

The Taglist: @roxyvogue @lanawyi @thedaisyarchive @1-800-call-ria @rjreins @pckeia @baeyrah @reader221 @hoseokssl

The Notes: Who wants more parts to see fanfic? Lemme know.

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“Mummmmmmmmmm.”

Your daughter, Evelyn whines as she pushes the stroller full of the groceries you were picking up from the shelves inside Walmart. She never liked shopping, especially because all she does is push the stroller and having to deal with hours of watching you become indecisive of what to get and not to get. It’s ridiculous, knowing she could’ve been at HOME, playing overwatch and Valorant and grinding on that game. But no, you dragged her inside Walmart for your daily grocery shopping because your house is empty and the fridge needs to be restocked.

You didn’t pay attention to all that whining and complaining behind you as your thumb caressed the peanut butter jar spread humming. “What ya think, should we get this peanut butter spread to try out?” You ask turning to your daughter Evelyn.

Evelyn scowls as she sassily grabs the jar and puts it back on the shelf. Instead she grabs the Nutella jar. “Ew mum, Nutella is better. Get Nutella.” She tells and you smile. “I knew you’d say that.”

“Guess who’s seventeen tomorrow.” You sang in a sweet tone acting like you wouldn’t know who. Your daughter smirks at your endless teasing looking away slightly embarrassed as she whines out again, “Mummm.” She tells you and you close your lips shut nodding.

“Okay okay I’ll stop annoying you.”

You tell Evelyn, but you can’t help but to annoy her even more.

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Morning washed over Evelyn’s face when she saw your figure standing in front of her bedroom window , wide open curtains allowing the sunshine to hit her face. Heck she didn’t even hear you walking inside you were like a ghost. You turn to your daughter who whines pushing the pillows on top of her face to cover the damn sun from blinding her.

“Wakey wakey sleeping beauty, you’re seventeen today!” You cheer and she kicks herself up from the bed stretching. You embrace her lovingly and Evelyn allows you to basically suffocate her in this warm hearting hug of the century.

She muffled in your shoulder. “Yeah- thanks mum love you too, but there’s no need to suffocate me.” She jokingly adds and you let go with a beckoning grin. Evelyn always throws in sarcastic and dry jokes. It reminds you of someone but you wouldn’t want to reminiscent about who that was. It would only ruin the happy and cheerful mood of today. You bring your hand from the back pocket as you turn it to Evelyn with your both hands closed right.

She looks at you in suspicious manner as her eyebrows curve upright. “What’s this?” She questions and you lean closer whispering. “Guess which hand.” You tell her and Evelyn turns your right hand over revealing a small jewellery box. You smile opening it as your daughter looks astonished by the beautiful necklace in sight. It was golden and the middle diamond was green, her favourite colour and her favourite gem; emerald.

You let a few words of acknowledgment as Evelyn stands in front of a mirror with her pyjamas on still, but as you were behind her (you were still slightly taller than her however she was nearing close to your height considering she’s at your shoulder length now.) putting the necklace around her neck from behind and smiling proudly at how grown up she is.

“Do you like it, Eve?” You tell her kindly and she traces her finger on the emerald in awe. “Like it? Mum I freaking love it!” She blurts out before turning around engulfing you in a deep and exciting hug.

You laugh out loud as you rub her back and until both bodies pull apart she looks in the mirror again, checking out how the beautiful necklace looks on her fair skin. You cross your arms as you point to the closet now.

“Come on get ready, I’m taking you out to the diner to get breakfast.” You tell her .

Eve gasps dramatically. “Oh my god what happened to mum and who are you? You never like to eat at diners because the foods greasy.”

“Ha ha ha very funny.” You roll your eyes at the words as you click your lips pointing at your watch on the arm. “Hurry up before I change my mind Eve.” You tease closing the door. You heard the sudden footsteps rushingly trying to change, you know how much your daughter loves the diners especially the sweet American styled diners. Chicago has a lot of open spaces and it’s practically American culture.

You’re an American too but you never seem to fit in considering the fact that you weren’t born here. But the love of your life was born here unfortunately, not anymore. You brush past your inner thoughts and get inside the car waiting for your daughter to come out.

Speaking of your daughter she rushed out with her shoes barely on. Locking the front door as she opens the car door and goes inside, fixing on the chunky sneakers on her feet. You smile admiring how she was dressed today.

Evelyn wore an outfit perfect for the January season. It’s cold and Chicago is known for being the most windy state. Her natural curls fall on her shoulders, she cut her hair few months ago and now it’s grown quite a lot. She used to have super long hair and you guess she got bored of it, so she cut it really short. Her naturally curly eyelashes perk up as she put on some blush and lip balm on. It was natural beauty she has, honestly, you wish you looked like that when you were younger. Because puberty hit you like a truck.

Evelyn fixed her white sweater in the car mirror as you start the car. “You got everything you need?” You ask and the teenage girl hums a nod. “Yeah, lesgo I’m starving mama.” She complained rubbing her stomach as she closed the mirror on the car. You chuckle driving out of the car space.

The drive to the diner wasn’t that long however to your hangry daughter it felt more than a fifteen minute drive considering the fact her stomach kept on growling and growling. You wanted to joke that she’s hiding a bear or something in that stomach of hers. Once you and your daughter entered the driver you took a seat nearby the windows with four seats, the red cushion chairs and brown table with a candy theme going on. The waitress took your order and than you had to wait a few minutes which was also another crisis for your daughter who was impatiently waiting. The minute your plates arrive on the table let’s just say, Evelyn was possibly the most happiest person in the diner. She was clapping her hands and everything. You told her that she can get whatever she wants because you’ll pay for it.

Who would Evelyn be if she didn’t take you upon that offer huh? Let’s say you try to not look at the bill paper afterwards because you just know it would hurt your damn bank balance but let’s ignore that for today. You ordered waffles on the side of butter and covered with maple syrup and a flat white coffee; you need your daily dose cup of coffee that’s for sure. Evelyn on the other hand ordered extra. She ordered a stack of pancakes with nuttella and whipcream and a desert shake afterwards. You have to laugh a little because the amount of sugar she will intake but at least you’re glad she’s getting lots.

It is her seventeen and you are happy she’s still your little girl. Because next year she won’t be so little unfortunately and it might pain you. It’s already paining you to see her grow up from being such a little bean and now into a full grown human. You birthed her and it’s still, kinda shocking for you to admit how much the years have passed.

“Whoa slow down Eve it won’t run away.” You laugh as you saw Eve eat her pancakes, she was excited and you can tell the way she bops her head to the music of the diner.

Eve hums. “Oh by the way are we seeing nana later on?” She questions and you flash her a smile as you sip on your flat white.

Eve and your mother get along really well. If you have to be honest you’d have to say your mum replaced you with Eve. But you really don’t mind, you love their closeness. On the other hand Eve and your dad have a little love hate thing going on. It’s all banter though. Your dad has always been strict and he thinks Eve is getting slightly spoiled by you and nana.

“Yeah we are. She has presents to give you later.” You wiggle your eyebrows and Eve’s eyes sparkle. “Wait what did she get me?”

“I’m not telling you that!”

You exclaim with a smile and Eve flashed her puppy eyes at you that you often struggle to say no to. You look away and Eve huffs inside her seat. “Okay don’t tell me, I’ll know eventually today.” She says and you look at her with a hum, nomming on the waffles.

As your plates were crystal clear with no food left behind Eve took her shake drink and you would leave the diner going back inside your car heading home. As you arrive home you would get ready for your grandparents visit, every year you held your daughters birthday party at their house. They have a bigger house than you and considering they live nearby everyone related to you it’s best to spend Eve’s birthday there.

Eve comes downstairs wearing a white flowy dress and her hair prettily in a half up and half down style, wearing that emerald new necklace and her slippers on currently (god forbid if she wore shoes inside the house you’d murder her.) you smile looking her up and down.

“What?” She shyly said to you.

“You’re beautiful. Ready to leave?” You ask and she grins out. “I was born ready, comeee I miss nana.” She whines rushing to the door to put her shoes on but the minute the door opened she soon saw a figure standing there about to knock, she blinks at the person few times before questioning in confusion.

“Uh… can I help you?” Evelyn bluntly tells as she finally puts on the shoes and you couldn’t help but recognise the voice from the kitchen.

“I’m looking for…” he pauses as he realised who he was talking to, it was like a copy and paste of himself but female. You rush to the door and your eyes widen. Oh, oh god what’s happening you ask yourself before bringing Evelyn back, giving her the car keys.

“Evelyn go inside the car I’ll be right there .” You tell her rather hurried and she looks at you weirdly and at the man before pushing past him. Johnny bites his bottom lip awkwardly as he points at Eve and back at you. “Eve? That’s eve?” He questions. He swears she had her first birthday literally last week.

You stare at him as if he was serious or pretending to be dumb with you.

“Johnny what the hell are you doing here.” You said coldly not really looking at home as you push your jacket back on. Johnny however couldn’t take his eyes off you, he was admiring you and trying his hardest not to stare too hard for you to notice. He pushes past and clears his throat. “I wanted to see Eve. It’s her birthday so..”

“Yeah? do you know how old she is now?” You retort back as you close the door shut slamming it. Johnny flinched watching you become frustrated, actually emotional and he didn’t mean to upset you if he knew his presence would make you angry. You glare up at him as Johnny stared back, with guilty.

“I…” He begins and you cut him off with a scoff. “You don’t even know your daughter’s birthday. Wow.”

Yup. There it goes. Johnny thought. You push Johnny away from the pathway as you make it to the car, Evelyn sitting inside the car confused and both scared when she saw Johnny grab your wrist and stop you from walking way. You turn around with an enticing deathly glare before snatching your wrist back.

“I’m sorry Y/n please listen to me.” Johnny trails slowly.

“I beg you to give me a chance and let me see her. I realised the mistake I made and I don’t plan on letting her go.”

“No, No you cannot return after 16 years thinking you can walk back into her life, Johnny. That’s now how it freaking works.”

You shout at him this time loudly and he stands there quiet as he watches you. It’s terrifying to be yelled at by you but it’s not hurting him as much as seeing you and Evelyn living your life without him and all because he made a wrong choice years ago. Who would’ve thought he left such a large scar in your heart and now his daughter’s life too? He reaches to hold your hands together as you let him but you can’t help but feel ashamed. Clenching your eyes as you are avoiding to cry. You don’t want your daughter’s seventeenth to be depressing and shit, Johnny didn’t want this either.

“I made a mistake and I regret it. I don’t know what I was thinking back then choosing and prioritising my work over my family. If I knew how this would’ve hurt you I would’ve never done it. I mean this.” He stated thickly as his dark longing eyes watch yours, becoming teary eyed you shake your head clearing your voice. “I have to go. Eve’s watching and my parents are waiting for me to drop her.” You explain to him and he nods softly letting your hands go.

You were about to walk away, until his voice calls out from behind and you turn around.

“Do you think i can come back?”

Johnny solely says out and you watch him with brimming tears rolling down your cheek. Clenching your fists as your look down.

“It’s not up to me.” You tell him. “It’s Evelyn’s choice.”

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@onyourhyuck please refer from translating copyrighting and plagiarising my work thank youu! REBLOG AND FOLLOW ME FOR MORE UPDATES ON THE FIC <3 HELPS A GIRL OUT.

[dollsonmain]

An I Have a Job Now ramble that is less about the job than about other things.

So the job is basically Do All the Things including some management activities like ordering goods at a small, family owned gas station/convenience mart at the edge of my housing complex which makes it convenient to get to, other than the part where I live in the far-middle of the complex so it's a bit of a slog. I could live farther away from it, but not by a lot. It's about a 20 minute walk.

It's going to suck when it's hot, and it's going to suck when it's cold.

It's also going to suck because the only reason my chronic hip and back pain has been even marginally manageable the past decade or so is because I haven't been moving or standing on my feet much, and now I'm going to be suddenly walking 40 minutes a day and on my feet working for hours between walks.

I'm also going to go from basically no UV exposure to 40 minutes/day so will probably start aging pretty fast. I look a good bit younger than I am due to that lack of UV exposure and being plump. I did order some lighter sunscreen as suggested, and hopefully that will at least take some discomfort out of those walks (and work) if I don't have to be super greased up.

It's $10/hr which is nothing and I likely won't get full time because then they have to provide insurance and I have no idea if their company is big enough to do that. Normally I would be annoyed by that but I've put in hundreds of applications and need a current job on my resume. It won't hurt just to get used to being At Work again, either, and it's both more than no money and so little money that leaving when something better comes up won't be too difficult.

Have to remember to manage my potty mouth, belching, and poots, though. That's not something I've had to care about other than when I was at the store for the past 17 years.

Also have to change my routine to hopping in the shower as soon as That Guy leaves instead of sitting at the computer because my hair takes forever to dry. This will suck more when it's cold.

They hired me despite my very poorly filled out application, which is a big red flag, or could mean no one else applied for early mornings which wouldn't surprise me considering how low the pay they're offering is. Will find out today when I get my schedule, I guess.

I will also find out what I'm expected to wear, then as soon as That Guy gets home with the car have to run out and buy work clothes, then come home and wash them because I start work TOMORROW. I'm hoping they'll either let me wear soft lounge pants or basic men's cargo work pants because Walmart has lots of those, and even had some softer ones yesterday which are better for me because of how hard it is for me to find pants that fit.

No idea what hours, yet, or if I need to bring a lunch/get a lunch break, or anything.

That Guy, after I had those kidney problems, he nearly let me die from them, and then the medical bills came in demanded I get a job and health insurance while being completely in the way of me getting either, and then also told me to get out when Son turns 18 and blah blah blah, and now that I've gotten hired somewhere, especially somewhere I don't need him to drive me, he's moping. He does not like not being in control, and he does not like me having my own money. He grills me on where every dollar I've come up with has come from and tries to monitor what I buy etc. Me having money makes him nervous.

He tried to demand information yesterday "how are we going to manage logistics" without being specific and when I finally got him to be specific, I didn't have any answers for him because I don't know, yet. He also whined "I just want you to talk to me... No one talks to me....." and yep, no one talks to him because he's consistently, distressingly unpleasant to talk to.

-

Then, to add stress to the stress, before I went to bed I got an incoming package email from USPS Informed Delivery stating that another big box of ponies for the salon is on the way, then another which is a doll hair plus chemicals experiment subject, and then a THIRD which is from Scott.

He sent me his old android phone so I can use the camera because the camera on the iPhone6s is kind of not great. Explaining the extra, unfamiliar phone to That Guy is going to be... Fun... It doesn't even have a SIM card.

I have no idea how I'm going to manage the salon now with a job, especially a job that WILL hurt, and have two boxes incoming.... Outgoing boxes will likely have to be taken to the post office because I can't sit and watch them to be sure they're not stolen anymore, unless I schedule pick ups on Saturdays. I guess I can do that.

It's going to be even slower than before, and I will not be able to work on personal projects at all for lack of spoons after working on commissions.

[moonfurthetemmie]

I feel like i gotta add ‘DS verses’ in the title for all of these but i really am just completely out of titles. I should’ve just called them part 1 part 2 etc. god

what part even is this now

No content warnings, except that there is Walmart

Previous

“That should do for now,” Pluto huffed, standing up straight.

“We should’ve just broken into someone’s house and taken over,” Slash grunted.

“Slash,” Byte warned.

“I know, I know. It just would’ve been easier, is all I’m saying.” Slash gave the heavy ivy one last tug, and a whole wall of it came down on top of her. “Bitch-“

Pluto and Byte snickered, watching her summon her sword and hack at the thick tangle of vines that had so rudely attacked her.

They’d found an old, old tree house, in the middle of nowhere, and decided it was their new house. Byte had been using her strings and some sticks to repair—or at the very least, shore up—the supports, floor, and ladder. Pluto was in charge of cleaning out the inside; clearing dirt and dust, making sure there weren’t any critters or creatures, so on. The ivy was creeping in through the windows, and that wasn’t so hard to deal with, but it was also all over the walls and the tree, and it was very resistant to their Pluto’s attempts to pry it off.

Instead he asked Slash, being the objectively strongest of the three, to deal with it instead, and he’d help Byte when he was done picked up inside.

It was looking pretty nice, so far. Empty, yes, but certainly livable for a period of time.

“I’m going to burn down this fucking forest,” Slash growled. “This fucking ivy-“

“You sure showed it,” Byte snickered. “Cmon, there’s only a little left. I’ll help.”

Pluto carefully climbed back inside the treehouse, while they were doing that. There was a good amount of room in there. They’d have plenty of room, especially if they rolled up their sleeping bags when they weren’t using them. …Ah, they needed sleeping bags. They didn’t have any, having been teleported to another multiverse very suddenly.

They’d need some other things too, he mused. Lights, something for food, maybe some chairs if they wanted to hang out and not sit on the floor…

“Hey, guys, what do you think of putting string lights in here?” He called. “Maybe ones with funky shapes.”

“Where are we going to plug those in?” Slash yelled back, ripping off some ivy.

“We get battery powered ones, dumbass,” Pluto said.

“Do they even-“ Cross huffed. “Ok, I need a break—do they even make battery-powered string lights?”

“Come join me in the tree castle. And yes, they do. I’ve seen them.”

Slash climbed up to the treehouse, and sat in the corner. “Man, I wish we had chairs.”

“Yeah, I was thinking that too,” Pluto drummed his fingers against the window frame. “Maybe we could get folding chairs?”

Slash hummed. “That would work. Not sure I trust the floor with anything heavier.”

“Let’s go shopping, then,” Byte said, climbing in after her. “We need to get a bunch of stuff anyways, and now’s a good time to take a break from the hard stuff. We can get a cooler and drinks while we’re out.”

“And dinner!”

Byte cracked a smile. “And dinner.”

Slash and Pluto cheered. The three of them grabbed what few disguise items they had, and did their best to find a Walmart. It was harder than usual, as they weren’t familiar with this new multiverse, but they only had to portal hop a few times. Once they did finally get there, Byte pulled out her phone.

“Alright, I’m sending you guys a list of stuff. I’ll grab stuff from the craft section. Pluto, you grab the stuff from the camping aisle. Slash, you’re on drink duty.”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Call me ma’am again, I dare you.”

Pluto checked over his part of the list again. He got the sleeping bags, a back-up lamp, camping chairs, and some blankets. He was about to swing over to the home improvement section for pillows, because they weren’t going to sleep on a hard wooden floor without pillows, when his phone buzzed. Slash was texting the group chat.

The Bimbo(TM): yk it occurs 2 me that we have no idea how long we’re going 2 b here

The Bimbo(TM): n we brought literally nothing from home bc of how we got dropped here

The Bimbo(TM): so uhhhhh. maybe we should get period supplies

Hard Drive: O shit good point

Hard Drive: Who’s closest to the health and beauty part of the store???

Purple Hobbit: im just passing it

Purple Hobbit: i was on my way to get pillows

The Bimbo(TM): Would u mind?

Purple Hobbit: nah i got chu

Detour time! Pluto swung his cart around, and down the toothpaste aisle he went, looking for where the hell this Walmart keeps their pads and stuff. Ah, he should probably get some ibuprofen or something, too. Slash gets really grouchy when she has bad cramps. Byte too, sometimes, but Slash especially.

Fortunately, the important stuff Pluto needed was very easy to spot on the wall. Even more fortunate, the few people who were there didn’t look like they’d be bitchy about him being there. The ones who noticed him just ignored him. Some of them were uneasy, but he figured it was just because they didn’t want to be, like, perceived there, especially by a dude. They certainly hadn’t recognized him.

He ignored them all, too, and tried to remember what Slash and Byte had wanted the last time he had to get supplies for them. Slash used tampons, right…? Or was that Byte? Or did they both use…

…Nope, he didn’t remember at all. Well, whatever; he’d just get some of each.

As he was putting stuff in his cart, a familiar voice behind him said, “What the hell are you doing here?”

He turned, a box of tampons in his hands. “…Is this a trick question? What are you doing here?”

Ink snorted. “I meant in Walmart, dumbass.” She lowered her voice, glancing at the other people in the aisle, most of which were snickering at Pluto’s comment. “Aren’t you supposed to be staying hidden?”

Pluto scoffed, tossing the box in his cart. “We are. I’m wearing my nice contacts, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He paused. “…Wait, how did you recognize me with my hood up?”

Ink shrugged, reaching past him with her tattooed hand to grab something off the shelves to put in her own cart. Which was full of food. Enough for two people, or one for several weeks. Odd.

“I don’t know. Dirty purple jacket, shittiest posture I’ve ever seen in my life, moves like a hunting tiger. It was either you or that other guy.”

Pluto folded his arms. “Are you trying to say I walk like a pussy?”

“No, you just are a pussy.”

Pluto’s eye twitched. It took a lot of self control not to threaten to stab her. Even if it was a joke (this time), now was really not the place or time. She grinned at him, like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“You’re lucky there’s people around,” he muttered.

“Sure, grape boy.” She checked her phone, then glanced at his cart. “I gotta get going, I have shit to do. Have fun with your…camping trip.”

“Eat my ass, Stapler Lady.”

Ink’s head jerked to the side, but Pluto was already on his way to find the pain medicine.

[somebucky]

Saw this on insta...

This guy goes on to say that its different for a male child vs female child and for different sensitivity levels within the child. So no parent/household dynamic is the same for any child.

And I full heartedly agree. I am the youngest middle daughter (third born of four). When it came to achievements or academic success, I always have felt like I have to try especially hard to be perfect.

Because my brothers who had learning disabilities were told with academics "as long as you try, you're succeeding." But I remember my sister and I got told "you got a B? Did you even bother with the assignment?" I remember getting into National Honor Society, and my parents left after the ceremony. But when my brothers got into show choir, they took them to get ice cream.

Or when my brother told my mom that for only few weeks, some boys were picking on him for his walmart sneakers not being a big brand name. My mom offered to buy him new sneakers. But the bullies got over it and became friends with my brother. While I begged my mom from 6th-12th grade to homeschool me or let me switch schools because I was getting bullied so badly. But my mom told me "thats just girls being girls." And when I acted out at home my dad would give me speeches on behavior and not ask me what was going on like he did with my brother. (FYI this brother and I are known to be the most sensitive siblings. But were not addressed the same when it came to bullies).

So I 100% believe parents show up different for each child, and the child's sensitivities play into it too.

I think parents need to actively work at asking some important questions:

whats going on? - DO NOT ASSUME A CHILD'S BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS ONLY BASED ON WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU.

What are you feeling? - ASK THE CHILD TO SHARE HIS/HER FEELINGS - DO NOT ASSUME

How can i help? - is this something that needs a solution, opinions, or support

When children share something with an adult, they are doing it for a purpose. Do not break that trust by disregarding that. - wanting to share joy, or needing help/comfort.

[livingwithlosingyou]

Living with Losing You - 12/13/2022

I GOT A REAL TREE!

Today was a pretty good day!

I had work, obviously. It wasn’t too crazy of a day luckily, so that was nice. I really like how my schedule allows me to go in the office at times, and then WFH most other times. The variety is great. PRIOR to work though, I ate shit. I finally had decided to go on a run, it hadn’t been raining. Then, all of a sudden, bam. Rain. I slipped not even while I was running, but when I went to press the button to cross the street. Love that for me. Anyway, In the middle of the day, took a PS lunch break, which was delicious as always. 

At around 3:30pm, Bri came over and I did her hair. She is now an elected official, so she was getting sworn in this evening. Super proud of her! I was supposed to meet up with another friend and his fiancé, but he forgot about it (lol) so I ended up just walking her to the swearing in. 

Since I did not have plans, I decided to take myself out on a date to the Christmas tree farm to get myself a real tree this year. I was very back and forth on this decision, but ultimately I am glad that I made it. I guess people do not typically go alone to get a Christmas tree, so I totally got called out by one of the guys. It didn’t take me long to find which tree I wanted, the issue was that the trunk was crooked. After multiple attempts to straighten it, the guy (the one who also made the comment about me  being alone) offered to pull a small tree from the side that they had just recently cut down / twined. I figured, why not. Well, this was the PERFECT tree. Literally, so cute. It was slightly bigger than my tree that I originally had chosen, but he ended up giving me a discount. Not sure if it’s cause he felt bad for me, or thought I was cute, or both. Either way, Christmas miracle that I didn’t spend a completely obscene amount of money on a real tree (lol).

After I grabbed my tree, I quickly went to pick up Pho and Walmart to grab a few things, and then headed home to eat. Today was a productive and good day though, I did a lot of laundry too. I feel like I do laundry so often. I guess I wear a lot of clothes and a lot of layers, especially recently. 

It was a little sad to go alone to the tree farm, but I have also been feeling quite empowered to just do “me”. I think you’d be proud of that. 

Rest in Peace, James Burton Nichols

Thank you <3

10/1/1993 - 7/16/2022

[slashersgostabbystabstab]

Halloween Oreos (Michael Myers x Reader)

Original Ask: How about some snack time with Micheal uwu sharing Halloween oreos with his s/o or someone me whose getting close to him. Perhaps they buy him some huehue

_____________

Haddonfield had become a rather quiet place following the Halloween murders, the following years becoming somewhat grim.

Halloween was no longer the same, or at least it was something that made the residents of Haddonfield tense up. Even after thirteen years, people were sometimes too afraid to speak the Boogeyman’s name. At least, people finally came out of their homes, as if the plague was already over with. After thirteen years, one could have said that the Boogeyman was no more.

October had finally come around, and this year Haddonfield was gifted with a veil of fresh white snow on just the third day of the month.

You grunted as you fixed the plastic bags in your hands, the mittens you wore making it somewhat difficult to properly hold them.Today was the day to go out for groceries, a task you only did every now and then due to your current living condition.

“Need help there?” you heard a voice behind you, prompting you to turn and see the cashier that had rung you up in the grocery store.

“Oh! Ah,” you gave a nervous chuckle as you once again fixed the plastic bags. “I-I can bear, thank you though.”

“I really don’t mind lending a hand, especially in this weather.”

“It’s alright.” you insisted, especially after a chill ran down your back, your eyes glancing around as an uneasy feeling came over you. “Thank you, I really appreciate it. I just need to get going right now. Somebody’s waiting for me.”

“Ah, I see.” he nodded, taking a step back as you sighed in relief. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Thank you, have a nice day.” you nodded as well, not bothering to watch him leave as you knew the consequences of such things.

As you headed to your car, you took notice of a news crew that had stationed itself across the road, right at a sidewalk that led to another array of stores. The crew was specifically focused on a hardware store that had its glass windows broken, even the farthest eye could see the bloody handprints that were splattered on the walls inside as well as other blood prints.

You shivered at the thought of what had gone down inside, instead focusing on the trunk of your car before loading everything inside. Not paying much attention to the camera crew, or at least not wanting to do so, you hopped into your car to drive out of town. But not before taking a good look at your surroundings, on edge about the eyes that were possibly watching your every move.

_____________

Home was a rather lengthy ride, no more than an hour’s time thankfully, but the searching for it was what made up for that isolation you required. Considering the situation you lived in, your partially preferred living arrangements lie in the woods outside of town, where things were calm and quiet.

Hopping out of your car, you felt as the snow began to fall once again. This meant that in the morning, the veil would be much thicker and there was no going out, especially as your small home was situated in a deep part of the woods.

Hearing your boots with every step, you unloaded the groceries which would definitely be taking more than one go. You made your way towards the cabin in front of you, coming to stop after walking onto the porch as your eyes caught crimson.

Right on the wood were boot prints, every single one as red as the blood from the hardware store.

Your eyes followed the trail that led to the door itself, and you took notice of it being ajar.

Dropping the bags onto the porch, you placed a hand on the door to cautiously take a step inside. The creak of the door was enough to have you jump back the slightest bit, especially as your eyes continued to examine the trail of blood that led into the kitchen.

Now, you knew not to act like a girl in a horror movie but…

“Hello?” you called out into the emptiness of your home, holding your keys close to either fight with them or immediately flee to the car. “Is that you-”

Soon enough your scream pierced the air as you jumped off the ground, this due to feeling a rough hand clasp onto your shoulder from behind.

Once you had turned around, you groaned at the sight of an older man that stared down at you with dead eyes.

“Michael!” you yelled at him, then fixing your jacket which had slightly crumpled up at the shoulder where you had been grabbed. “I thought you were someone else.”

The man before you in no way flinched, not even bothering to blink as he continued to watch your every move.

“You leave in the middle of the night without a word and leave me alone all day.” you mentioned before passing by him, knowing that he turned his entire body to always be facing you. “Well now that you’re done with scaring the hell out of me, I’m done with the groceries. Won’t need to go out until January I think. I hope so, since it’s starting to get pretty cold out.”

Michael Myers, the Shape or Boogeyman of Haddonfield, stood right at your door with not a care in the world. If anything, your door to your house, was his door to his house. It had been this way for quite awhile now.

A few years actually.

It was surprising that he was not wearing his mask, his blue and clouded eye completely fixated on your figure as you grabbed the bags right at the entrance.

Once you had grabbed the bags at the door and then the remaining ones in the car, you shut and locked the door before being followed by Michael into the kitchen.

After he had spared you years back, Michael had come to act like a cat. Always with his nose on the lookout for what it is you would be feeding him. Hilariously, that was just how Michael reluctantly came into your life.

“I haven’t prepared anything since I’ve been out most of the day.” you admitted, ever so quietly laughing at the soft groan that rumble in Michael’s throat. “I did find some sweet goodies at the market though. Especially at WalMart.”

Michael didn’t always understand the things you talked about, but he was always listening. Always watching. Learning.

“They have these new cookies for the season. The orange looks kind of funny, but I’m pretty sure they taste the same as the originals.” you mentioned as you set the groceries on the counter, looking through the bags as you began to put everything in its place. “I also got you some stuff to shave off that scruff.”

Michael’s eyes darted down in an attempt to look at his chin, instead seeing you hand placed under it as you softly rubbed your thumb on it.

“Though I have to admit that it’s starting to grow on me.” you smiled before making your way back to the groceries. “Just like the greys in your hair.”

It really had been a few years since you had met Michael, a relationship forming after a pretty good while. He was in his mid-twenties, practically a middle-aged man now who hadn’t been found by the authorities this entire time thanks to you.

As you began to prepare a hot beverage for yourself, and Michael who you knew would ignore it but drink it behind your back, you knew that Michael was watching you intently. His eyes were glued on your hands that grabbed a pumpkin you had purchased. Somehow, he had not even realized the large vegetable as you brought it in.

“Found a recipe you might like, especially for the cold.” you spoke before grabbing a kitchen knife, one that piqued Michale’s interest but was not enough to have him snatching it away due to its size. “Especially with all the pumpkins that are out now.”

To his dissatisfaction, you set the knife down besides the pumpkin on the counter before facing him.

“But before I make that, I’m gonna go change. These clothes are starting to make me feel stuffy.” you removed your jacket as you walked around the counter and out the kitchen, for once not being followed by Michael who was now focused on the knife you had left behind.

Knowing that you would be too focused on finding one of his shirts to wear, he approached the counter to take hold of the knife, bringing it to his face to admire how it shone under the kitchen light. He first held it pointing upwards, but changed it so that he was instead gripping it with the blade pointing down. His head craned to the vegetable beside him, and instinct got the best of him.

“I see you got started with the pumpkin.” he heard your voice, turning around after having jabbed the knife down into the pumpkin which had more than a simple wound.

Michael grabbed the knife once again to pull it out, his entire body facing you once again as he tilted his head at your figure.

Your eyes fell to the knife that contained a bit of pumpkin residue, even a seed or two managed to slip out due to Michael’s brute strength. Now your eyes were on his blank features, and you couldn’t help but give him a smirk.

_____________

It wasn’t often that you lit the fireplace as to avoid any attention from outsiders, especially authorities who had honestly given up on the search for Michael despite his former psychiatrist’s demands, but you believed that tonight was just the night for a warm fire.

Despite the cold weather, you only wore one of Michael’s shirts with socks, perhaps a little something on your bottom. You figured that there wasn’t an entire need for covering yourself when Michael was your human blanket, and one that refused to come off you.

With all of the day’s work done, you sat on the couch, or more like Michael’s lap as he sat on the couch. Your legs were crossed as your torso was constricted by Michael’s strong arms, his chin casually laying on top of your head as you ate the last of your pumpkin soup.

Both pairs of eyes stared up ahead, almost next to the fireplace where your TV screen was placed. You were both watching the moving pictures, or at least Michael resumed that when you made comments about the movie.

“That’s so cheesy, no girl would scream and faint on the spot if she saw a monster.” you ever so slightly shook your head, Michael’s chin too heavy to actually complete the motion. “At least, nowadays. However, that looked like that one scene from the latest Child’s Play movie where the guy has a heart attack.”

It was an old monster movie kind of night, your mood demanding it and Michael no doubt being curious. Frankenstein actually seemed to catch his attention.

The man’s eyes glanced down at you as he saw your arms stretch out with your empty bowl, attempting to put it on the coffee table in front of the couch. This of course was quite impossible with Michael holding you back, his grip on you only becoming tighter as you were managing to barely escape his grasp.

“Michael!” you groaned, pulling your head forwards until his arms made a ring around your hips after you were able to snake the top part of your body out.

As you reached out to set the bowl down, you felt Michael bury his face right into your back before rubbing himself all over and taking in your scent simultaneously.

“I just want to put the damn bowl down.” you wheezed, eventually releasing a sigh of relief when your glass bowl safely landed on the table. But it made you also pleased to have grabbed the plate you had prepared along with the bowls of soup, making sure it or its contents didn’t slip out of your hands as you adjusted your body to the former position.

Michael gave a grunt as he placed his chin on your head again, this time making sure that you had no way of escaping him.

“You wanna try one, Michael?” you lifted the plate just a bit, having Michael peer down at the plate that contained black little circles that smelled weirdly to him. “They’re the newest Oreos. The cookies I mentioned earlier.”

You placed the plate on your lap, wishing that that was enough to hold them up while you took one of the cookies and offered it up to Michael.

“I don’t have any milk right now because you’re not gonna let me get any, so take it like this.

Michael squinted at the cookie, the orange filling enough to have him blinking at least once. In this state of his, you were able to break free and spin your body in place so that your legs were no longer crossed but instead on either side of Michaels’ waist. The plate of cookies was safely put on the empty space of the couch so that nothing could fall.

Having a mind of their own, Michael’s hands wrapped themselves around you as he once again stared at the cookie.

“It’s just a cookie Michael.” you giggled, lowering it before taking a bite out of it yourself.

Michael’s eyes landed on your lips, watching the way they moved as you chewed the cookie piece. Tiny black crumbs adorned your lips, every now and then shifting the more you chewed.

You watched him as well, finding it how funny his curiosity was. So, you popped in the remainder of your cookie before eating it as well, now feeling one of Michael’s arms leave your waist.

Instead, his fingers brushed against the warmth of your skin as his nails carefully scraped your cheeks. The tips of his fingers now coming close to your lips, his index finger actually on your bottom lip before it pulled it down and open.

“Michael,” you breathed out, knowing that Michael was merely observing the crumbs left on your lips.

Blinking up at Michael, you saw as he brought his face down to yours. His lips now dangerously close to yours as he continued to play with your bottom lip, making your breath hitch as he neared more and more.

Soon enough you closed your eyes when Michael closed the gasp, but not with his lips but his tongue.

Your eyes shot open as you felt his tongue lick the corner of your lip, continuing onto your lips themselves. You placed your hands on his shoulders, gripping onto them as you felt his own twist around the shirt you wore.

Your lips had already been parted from the shock of Michael’s actions, that good enough for Michael to slip in his tongue to get a taste of your mouth.

He didn’t care about your nails digging into his shoulders but in fact enjoyed it, pressing your chest against his as his tongue continued to explore your cavern, tasting every bit he could. But before you could follow along with his treatment, Michael retreated himself and looked down at you with half-lidded eyes that matched yours. Well, his didn’t have as much emotion as yours for he was difficult to faze of course.

“Michael?” you sighed at him, thoughts clouded with what just happened. You were then snapped out of it when Michael let go of you with one hand, reaching to the side where the plate of cookies was.

He had grabbed another one, bringing up in between your faces and leaving it there for just a moment. Soon after, he brought it to your lips, scraping it against them before slowly slipping it in so that you could take a bite.

As you chewed the cookie, Michael took the other piece into his mouth, leaving the two of you with crumbs on each of your lips.

His tongue slid out once again, licking the crumbs off of his lips before you got the memo.

The flush on your cheeks was more than enough to warm you up on this chilly October night.

[feralaot]

random scouts hcs!

I did a post like this for the warriors my beloved (here) and people seemed to like it so here's one for the scouts :) had some input from @afrival for this one luv u

no warnings I think

eren

if he had twitter he would have a vaporwave bart simpson profile picture and tweet lil peep lyrics. also uses way too many hashtags

he's scared of snakes and hates armin's ball python

his eyes are probably crusty as hell and mikasa has to wipe em for him because he won't

when he's losing an argument he goes "ooh you wanna kiss me so bad" and it always escalates things but he doesn't stop

almost exclusively wears american eagle

"what's a pronoun".mp3

uses the 💯 emoji in every other text message he sends

armin

sends his friends pictures of cats cuddling/hanging out and says "me n you <3"

genuinely can't stand when people have dirt under their fingernails. he gets so mad at eren bc his nails are dirty asf and armin forces him to clean them

he calls himself sexy a lot (e.g. "that was really sexy of me")

chews on bottle caps then is like hmm why do my teeth hurt

he hates feet. toes look weird to him. nobody in his house is allowed to take their socks off

unironically uses faces like ^-^ and :3

acne :(

mikasa

she's really bad at giving advice. don't go to her for help she'll literally be like "that's tough"

probably has like 4 instagram accounts made just to follow eren

solid black profile picture and no bio

maybe now and then she'll put a my chemical romance quote on her story but that's about it, she doesn't respond to dms or anything

doesn't wash that damn scarf so it's probably stinky

sticks staples, pins, etc through the tips of her fingers for no reason other than she likes freaking people out

probably hisses at people

jean

the only possible relationship dynamic somebody can have with him is rivals to lovers

very short social fuse and has to stay home for several days after public events bc it's just exhausting

he's an introvert adopted by extroverts (connie and sasha) and has to deal with their shenanigans. truly the mom figure between the three of them

marco has to listen to him ranting about connie and sasha's foolery and doesn't have much advice to offer bc he doesn't know either

for a long time he only knew "straight" and "gay" and when he found out about the concept of bisexuality his mind almost imploded

he sighs and yawns a lot and doesn't even realize he does it. people always think he's either annoyed or tired

probably dresses like a diet e-boy. crewneck king

connie

the kind of kid in your high school gym class that wears mismatching neon clothes. bonus points if it's nike

also the most likely to start a food fight for funsies

he doesn't yell often because his voice cracks when he does and it's embarrassing

sasha and him hate cafeteria food so he always brings an ungodly amount of food in his backpack instead to share with sasha. connie's backpack is 90% food

unironically says things like "pogchamp" and "rad"

he works at zumiez and probably lives there. always rocking their latest drip

jumps up and slaps exit signs

sasha

randomly breaks into song (usually disney songs) and connie will automatically duet

manages to fall asleep in any situation. on buses, while watching movies, sometimes even mid conversation if she's zoned out enough

tried to take armin fishing one time but he almost cried because he felt so bad about it

at least reiner will fish with her though. the himbos always come through

her instagram is all pictures of fish she caught and now and then there's an awkward candid pic of niccolo

stayed overnight in a walmart one time and got away and brags about it but she won't admit it was an accident. panicked and spent the night eating snacks off the shelves to "survive"

while she's talking her voice slowly gets louder and louder and she doesn't realize it until people tell her to stop yelling

historia

pulls people by the ears to bring them down to her level

also kicks people in the shins a lot, if she's arguing with someone they'll usually keep their distance to avoid getting shin kicked

loves climbing on ymir's back and just being carried around like the little creature she is

posts inspirational quotes on her story

would definitely be a cheerleader in high school. nobody would guess a prep like her is dating some grunge girl w a pretty much opposite personality

she always has bandaids with her for some reason. if someone gets scraped she'll whip out a bandaid immediately. her friends call her "mom" sometimes

hates grilled cheese so god damn much. can't stand it

ymir

"damn I don't remember asking".mp3

is always the first one to comment on historia's instagram posts. her comments range from "beautiful my queen!!!" to "damn ma yo ass fat"

she always called reiner gay as a joke then he came out as gay and for a while she thought it was her fault

her and reiner have wlw and mlm solidarity, they're bffs for that matter

if someone tells her that her music is too loud she'll say "huh?" and turn it up

similarly if someone scolds her for something she'll go "hm? repeat that, I'm a little deaf in this ear"

"bro stfu you always tell me you're gonna fire me for being late"

levi

really really hates cooking pasta because straining the water is for some reason more difficult than it should be

"do not underestimate me, bitches"

always refuses to get his hair cut at places in shopping centers. especially walmart great clips

makes monkey noises when he sees something he likes. he started doing this as a joke to mock zeke but it evolved and now he can't stop doing it randomly

will not hesitate to knock someone on their ass if they're talking shit

coffee makes him jittery so he drinks tea instead but won't admit to anyone that he lowkey also has a redbull addiction

hange calls him a catboy but he doesn't know what that means so he's always like "yeah" bc he thinks it means he's a cat person

hange

buys levi shoes from the kids section and doesnt tell him bc he likes them anyway

such a millennial, they say shit like "doggo" and "adulting"

"for practical reasons I don't exist. do not perceive me"

probably wants to marry mothman

levi has had to scold them on several different occasions for bringing live animals into the house

legally isn't allowed to cook bc they can and they will blow something up

goes on tipsy rants almost nightly

erwin

white skechers king

hosts barbecues in those white skechers. he talks shit about people with nile and pyxis like a bunch of gossiping middle aged fath- wait

his profile pictures on social media are probably pictures of himself taken from awkward angles with an empty expression. it's always posted like six times as well

when levi is getting Out Of Hand he'll pick him up from under the arms and carry him away like "okay, that's enough" and levi kicks around but can't escape

rubs his hands together a lot like a fly. nobody knows why he does it. what are you scheming

falls asleep on couches while watching sports games

[swinging his keys around his finger] "let's rock and roll"

[rwhague]

Schizophrenia for Writers

Schizophrenia for Writers

Schizophrenia is probably the most well-known illness, as in most have heard about it, but do people really know what it looks like? Probably the best image brought up by the population is a homeless person walking around in circles talking to the air. It can be startling to encounter someone in the middle of an episode like that. Schizophrenics have a tendency to be more aggressive and hostile than the general population. But after working with several schizophrenics, I have less fear and more sadness for those suffering with this debilitating illness.

I was initially going to crack open my textbook like usual and tell you all the ‘official’ things about schizophrenia, but I’m going to put that off until next week. Instead, I’m going to tell you what I’ve seen from my nursing practice.

My first up-close encounter with schizophrenia in the clinical setting was with Mary*. Mary was a well-known frequent flier of the psychiatric institute I was completing my nursing clinical hours in. I was given Mary’s file to read then sent to speak with her for an hour. Since my previous vision of schizophrenia was of homeless people walking talking to the air, I was quite nervous about even approaching Mary, let alone sitting in the drab stone-walled courtyard on a bench and chatting.

Mary, however, acknowledged me with a courteous nod. She never smiled at me, but she was never hostile or aggressive toward me. Instead, she talked about her life as I would expect anyone too, with earnestness about her life experiences. She had no verbal slurring or strange repetition of words. I could have walked up to this woman at Walmart and never known she was schizophrenic.

Mary told me all about her conniving sister who was hell-bent on destroying her life. If Mary had a chance at getting a job, her sister would call the manager and convince him not to hire her. When Mary tried to move away, her sister followed her to the next state over and continued to keep her under her thumb. Even while she was being institutionalized, her sister was stealing her social security check and paying the people inside to watch her. And the people here—oh she’d tell you about them. Everything you ate or drank was laced in parasites that would eat you from the inside out. The pills were laced too, which was why she was refusing to take hers.

Of course, very little of this (if any) was true. But Mary believed it was. Because everyone was out to get her, she had no hope of securing a good job, good employment, or establishing any lasting relationships in her life.

The next week, I met Todd*, a 20-year-old schizophrenic who, per the staff, had been practically abandoned in the institution by his family. Todd was heavily medicated when I met him. His posture was stooped, his speech was slurred, and his reaction time was comically slow. I asked him about his life, and my heart broke. Todd had accepted his diagnosis and knew he was mentally ill, but with this knowledge came the fact he would never be able to have a family or a real relationship of any kind. Or have sex. When he said this last part, he slapped his hand over his mouth—with exaggerated slowness due to the meds. It would have been funny had it not been sad and possibly true. He drew me a picture before I left. The drawing was the skill of a 3rd grader in markers. I still have it.

Then we have Johnnie*. Johnnie was a patient of mine at the hospital. He came in for a bacterial gut infection which we treated in half a week, but while he was in our care, the psychiatric hospital discharged him. Getting an empty bed in a psychiatric hospital is nearly impossible, but Johnnie was so unwell we could not discharge him to the streets either.

Hospitals are not designed for long-term care of anyone, especially psych patients. Johnnie would walk down the hall outside his room and bang his head against the walls. Because of this, he was forced to stay in his room the whole time. Johnnie would scream and wail so loud you could hear him throughout the whole floor. Patients would complain, but what could we do? He would try to hit nurses and fight. He jammed his hand into his mouth and bit until it drew blood. We tried to place him in an institution somewhere—anywhere, but no one would take him. I don’t know how many combinations of medications we tried, but we couldn’t find the right balance to keep him calm. So what was the solution?

Johnnie was tied to his bed. Still screaming, still fighting. His wrists became sores from pulling against the restraints. He stayed in the hospital like that for a month.

Johnnie was pretty much non-communicative, but we can imagine his thoughts knowing how Mary thought. He thought we were trying to kill him, so we tied him to a bed. That helped.

Johnnie was just a little older than Todd. Similar dreams, similar hopes—like all of us, but this was his life. Terrified, trapped, and being harmed by the people who should be helping him.

Our system is broken.

And so is our view of mental illness. Yes, schizophrenics commit violent crimes more often than the general population, but they are victims of crimes more often too. What if someone raped Mary? She could report it, but would anyone believe her? What if someone beat up Todd? He could report it, but would someone think it was self-inflicted?

I don’t know what to do about our broken system. But I do know, as writers, we have a responsibility to portray characters accurately. So, think on this before you write a schizophrenic character. Are they flat and cartoon-like? Or do they have hopes, loves, and broken dreams as well?

*names changed

[woodsteingirl]

A case in suburbia, domestic dynamics, and a forever home. What could go wrong?

the moment i’ve been waiting for! chapter one is up now! read here or under the cut.

Cas and Dean were searching for a forever house. They had been pretty much since Cas got back from the empty. They were ready to distance themselves from hunting. Dean had always wanted a sort of suburban, white picket fence life, even if he didn’t admit it to anyone. And since he already admitted how he truly felt to Cas, why not throw his need for a domestic lifestyle into the mix. Cas was all for it. Ever since Jack had given up most of his powers to Amara, thus causing her to take his place as God and him almost human, Cas had been hoping for a place to raise him like a normal child. The bunker was great for hunting and a place for Cas, Dean, and Sam, but not so much for raising a 5-year-old kid.

House hunting had been a burden to bear, but they were making out alright. Up till this, they’d looked at about 3 other houses. They were all a no for different reasons. The first one Cas decided was in a school district that wouldn’t be good for Jack, the second didn’t have a big enough garage or backyard, and the third didn’t have enough bedrooms for all of their family to stay. With the whole credit card scam they’d been running for as long as they remember, budget wasn’t really a problem, but they didn’t want something extravagant.

There it was, 538 Chapel Street in Pine River Crossings. It wasn’t too far out of Lawrence, only a few hours' drive, and all the houses looked nice. Very cookie cutter, but that was sort of the appeal. They couldn’t guarantee that they would fit in with the traditional, upper middle-class people, but what the hell, if they could kill god they could take suburbia.

A few days passed, and they were set up to look at the home. They drove the hour and a half to the next medium-sized town with the belief in their minds that this was the one. It had all they needed, a two-car garage, a respectable school district, and two guest bedrooms. They were so caught up in this concept they made the mistake of not checking the news for the nearby areas. Once they arrived, a realtor who showed them around the dwelling greeted them. It was all they could ask for and more practically too good to be true, especially for people like them. The actual presentation of the house went over without too many problems. The person exhibiting the residence commented on how it had been on display for almost a month now, which was the first red flag. A house as nice as this, in a densely populated area, would usually not be on the market for that long in weeks unless there was some hidden con.

They signed on it not a day after seeing the house in person. It was all set up and they could officially start moving stuff in the next week. They officially shared the good news with everyone the day after they signed. Sam was beyond happy for them. Not only would he finally have a space to himself, he was proud of his brother for living the life he’d always wanted. Jack was thrilled that he would get to go to actual school and have friends that were his age and not cosmic entities. In the meantime, Cas did more research into the neighborhood. There was their hidden con. The newspaper Cas had pulled up on his phone said, “Local Couple Murdered in Own Home.”

“Dean, look at this.”

Okay, that was a setback. A murderer on the loose in the neighborhood they were moving into was not exactly what he had planned, but he had delt with worse. “Alright, that could be a problem.”

“I think it’s a little bigger than a problem,” Cas retorted.

“Is it our type of thing or just something local law enforcement could deal with?”

Cas read on in the article, “the couple was stabbed, there was no sign of forced entry, neighbors reported nothing amiss besides lights flickering before the murder. The weapon, as well as the perpetrator, was never found. No official suspects have been labeled, everyone has seemed to have an alibi.”

“It definitely sounds like our thing. Lights flickering, no breaking and entering, and all.”

They decided they could pose as residents, as it seemed perfectly normal for the newcomers to be concerned about the literal murderer on the loose. Since Cas was newly human, and Jack was, well, 5, Dean thought they might need outside help. Being out of practice to spend more time with your husband and child really had its fallbacks. Sam was off the table as backup. He was out of town and Dean didn't want to interrupt his first weekend without him in god knows how long. Plus, they needed someone who wouldn't draw too much attention to their family dynamic.

“Hey, Cas, what do you think about calling in Claire to help us with this one? You think she’d do it?”

“Calling her in for help is a good idea, whether or not shed actually do it is another question.”

“I’ll call and ask, and if she wants to help, and if not then I can think of something else.”

He kept his promise and called Claire not an hour later. He decided it might be best not to tell her it was undercover work, or that it was taking place in a white picket fence neighborhood, as that might turn her off from it almost immediately.

“Hey Claire, its been too long since we’ve talked,” he started.

“Hi Dean. what do you want, there’s no way you’re just calling to catch up if you’re starting with ‘its been too long.’”

“You got me there. I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me and Cas on a hunt. Its not too far from the bunker and we’d have you back home in a week.”

“Sure, that works. When do we start?” She hadnt seen Dean and Cas since they rescued Cas. That was over a month ago, she’d been meaning to visit, but she’d been so busy with hunting, and getting to know Kaia again now that she was finally back. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to reconnect and not miss out on anything too big back at home.

“If you could come down here by Wednesday, that’d be great.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” She was tempted to sign off with an ‘I love you’ but she was never a lovey-dovey person in that way.

On tuesday she promised Jody she’d be extra careful and would be back in under a week. Kaia told her to make sure to call every day and update her on what was happening. Claire agreed, promising to keep in touch. She spent the rest of the day driving down to Kansas.

Back on Dean and Cas’s end, they were trying to get the house set up for 4 people when they had no furniture prior to this. Cas had always loved furniture shopping even before he had a use for it. When he worked at the Gas-and-Sip, he would browse the home improvement magazines in his spare time. Dean was pretty much the opposite. He had never had reason to care for it, so he didn't. Maybe his hatred for Swedish furniture was rooted in his deep-seated commitment issues. It didn't matter much why he hated it, he just left most of the choices up to Cas. there was then the issue of appliances and such you couldn't find in a furniture store. That was left up to him. Cas sent him out to Walmart to get things for the kitchen. That was something he could do. He picked out a mixer, some silverware, and a pioneer woman kitchenware set. It came with pots and pans, mixing bowls, and a few normal sized plates. That was enough for him to consider it an absolute steal. He brought his finds home to the bunker, setting them on the table designated for things that were to go in the new house. Jack was sitting on Cas’s lap, pointing at things on the computer.

“What’re you guys finding?” Dean asked, hovering behind Cas’s shoulder.

“Djungelskog!” Jack exclaimed, showing Dean a photo of a large stuffed brown bear.

“I thought you were looking for furniture?” Dean directed the question more at Cas, but he was still looking at Jack.

“We are. Jack just got us a bit sidetracked. We found the majority of what we need. Among other things not of as grave importance.”

Dean looked over the shopping cart and then gave the go ahead. Not before adding the stuffed bear to the cart, though.

The next day Claire arrived. Everyone was thrilled to see her. Jack ran up and threw himself around one of her legs and Cas gave her an awkward dad side hug. Dean wondered when he would tell her what the hunt would actually consist of, but he didn't want to interrupt the moment.

A few hours later, Dean fixed everyone a real dinner and had them sit down at the kitchen table. The realization dawned on him that this was going to be his last sit down meal officially living in the bunker. Everyone sort of just sat in silence for a beat. Perhaps reflecting on their own lasts of officially living there. “Claire, I sorta forgot to add this when I called you, but the case is a lot of undercover work. Also its in a suburban area.”

“And why didn't you tell me this sooner?”

“Well to speak freely, I wanted you on this case and I was worried it would make you not want to come.”

“It almost does, but i'm already here now, and i wouldn't want to waste a days driving on something i'm not actually going to do.” She guessed this would probably take longer than a week. “And i'm guessing this isn't just something you decided to do out of the goodness of your hearts?”

“We bought a house in the area, and we just wanted to make sure it was safe,” Cas explained.

“Hang on, you bought a house for real and you didnt even think to tell me? You didn't think that that was valuable information?”

“It didn't come up in our phone call,” Dean said.

“And? That’s no excuse to leave your daughter out of major life events!” The ‘daughter’ part just sort of came out without her noticing, but seconds after she said it she regretted it. God, how embarrassing.

“You’re right. We should’ve told you sooner. It was kind of a recent decision, though, so you haven’t been out of the loop for too long,” Cas said.

The next day was moving day. Dean loaded the appliances into the back of Claire’s car, since the back of the Impala was already full. Claire took her own car, while Dean, Cas, and Jack rode in Baby. Their real furniture was being delivered as they spoke. Cas offered to ride with Claire, but she assured him she’d be fine by herself. The drive wasn’t even that long, especially compared to the distance she drove yesterday.

Dean was silently nervous. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but it was written all over his face. His first real stable house, with the man he loved, and his two kids, he could only hope that he didn’t mess it up. Cas put a hand on his shoulder showing he saw how Dean was feeling.

They turned onto Chapel Street and pulled up into the driveway of the house. It somehow looked bigger and more daunting than it had during the walkthrough. Claire arrived almost ten minutes later. Everyone just sort of paused in front of the house for a minute, reveling in the stability most of them had never had.

[readingonpluto]

To Me, You are Perfect - Nessian Modern AU

Part 1

@madie-max & @sjm-things hope you enjoy :)

What kind of movies do you like? 

My phone buzzes beside me, startling me up from my book. Ever since Cassian came, I moved downstairs to my small living room. I told myself that it was because he called me out for sitting in my room all night, but I really knew it was because I was closer to the door here. 

Picking up my phone, I frowned down at the message.

Who is this?

Cassian. I was there about half an hour ago?

How did you get my number?

Feyre. 

I scowl. Of course, my sister would give out my number and address to a man I had met once before. At least it was someone she trusted… But still…

What do you want?

Read above, sweetheart 

What kind of movies do I like?

Why the hell do you need to know that?

 Its a surprise ;)

Great… Another surprise on my peaceful night. I would be lying though if I said my heart didn’t skip a little… 

I like romance. 

Couldn’t have guessed!

You’re the one who asked. 

I don’t get a reply. 

All I wanted to do tonight was read, but now every time I look at the pages my mind wanders back to Cassian. How much do I really know of him? Yes, he showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night and now is texting me about movies. And yes, he was at Feyre’s wedding, but truly, I know nothing about him. 

He is Rhysand’s best friend and close to Feyre. He must be slightly insane. He danced at her wedding in the most ridiculous fashion. He tried to talk to me, but I brushed him off. He was never pushy, but very flirty. He ate a lot of food. 

I stare down at my fingers. That’s it. That is all I know about him. 

And I’m still hoping he comes back… What is wrong with me?

Maybe I’m too deprived of love that I will do anything at this point. Both of my younger sisters are in happy relationships, and one is already married, and where am I? 

However, Cassian isn’t truly a stranger… I asked about him at Feyre’s wedding, curious who he was. He danced with the children doing anything to make them smile, even letting them dance on his feet. He looked so joyous bringing happiness to all those around him. Then, when he saw how miserable I was, he tried his best to make me feel that same joy. I was an idiot to brush him off. Maybe I would have had a better night if I let him--

The doorbell rings. 

I spring up faster than I’d like to admit, padding over to the door. I don’t swing it open with as much force as the first time already anticipating who will be standing there.

Cassian grins down at me, a bag in his hand. “Hello again.”

“Hello,” I stare down my nose at him, pushing away any feelings that had be building. I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know anything about him.

“Okay, this whole plan is based around the fact that I’m assuming you have a TV and a disk player. Please tell me you have both of those.”

“I do…” I say, curiosity overtaking everything else. I can tell he is waiting for me to ask, do I just go for it. “Why?”

“I’m glad you asked,” His smile only grows. “I just have so happened to go down to a Walmart and happened across Love Actually and some popcorn and chocolates.”

“Happened across?” I suppress the smile that tries to push my way across. 

“Yes, you see there is a very beautiful woman who likes romance movies who was waiting for me to come back and I tried my best to be as quick as I could. These,” He holds up the bag. “Are the best I could do.”

Beautiful woman. I push away the words. 

“So you want me to just let you into my house? A person I just met.”

“No, I want you to invite me in since we’re not strangers.” 

“What if I don’t invite you in?”

He shrugs. “I guess I’ll head home and watch Love Actually on my own.”

“You would leave?”

He laughs at my question. “I’m not here to break into your house, sweetheart.”

“Just to watch a movie and eat snacks?” 

“And make sure you have a good night.” Just like at Feyre’s wedding. But you pushed him away… And now we’re here, with you regretting that decision every moment since.

I open the door wider, looking down at the floor. 

“You’re letting me in?” He seems surprised. Did he really go through all that trouble to expect me to not let him in? 

“Yes.” My voice holds venom, years of building walls. “I can slam the door back in your face if you’d prefer.” 

“No, no,” Cassian walks in before I can do just that. “I just wanted to make sure.”

Clicking the door closed I don’t wait for him to take off his coat and boots, just heading straight to where I was sitting before. I haven’t touched the macaroons yet too nervous to eat. To be honest, I have just been staring at the wall for most of the time since he has been gone. 

“Nice house,” Cassian says, coming into the room. He is wearing a grey knitted sweater and dark jeans. He has little llamas on his socks. Something so simple, yet he pulls it off. It almost makes me smile to think that he has a whole drawer of fun socks to wear on miserable days. I wonder if he was wearing such socks on the day of the wedding…?

“Nesta?” I realize he had been asking me something. 

“Yeah?” I ask, blinking a few times. 

“I asked if it was alright if I set up the movie.” A small smile forms on his lips, causing my face to flush. I look away quickly. 

“Yeah.” He moves to do so and I stand, picking up the small bag he brought with him. “I’ll put them in bowls,” I explain, heading straight for my kitchen.

What is wrong with me? How can a man I’ve met twice make me feel like I’m floating on a cloud? Elain always talks about love at first sight, but that never really happens… does it? 

“Sweetheart?” Cassian pokes his head in the kitchen, quickly noting that I have done nothing but stand here for the last five minutes. “I got the movie ready.”

Nodding, I quickly pull down a bowl pouring the popcorn into it, then moving onto the chocolates but pausing just as quickly. 

I turn to Cassian to find him smiling at me, his eyes soft. 

“How…?” I don’t have to finish. How did you know these were my favourite? 

“Elain. I texted her and asked.” 

“Why?” Why go through all that trouble?

“So I knew your favourite. I thought it might be good knowledge to know, especially for tonight.” 

I can’t bring myself to say thank you. Thank you didn’t cover it. 

Nodding once more, I handed him the bowl, taking the chocolates for myself, and headed back to the room. The title music was humming softly from the television but I made no move to sit down. 

“Something wrong?” Cassian asks from behind me. 

I turn to him slowly. “Why are you really here?”

A look of confusion crosses his face. “What do you mean?”

“Did Feyre put you up to this? Or Elain?”

He blinks. “I’m here because I want to be here.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.” 

I take in a breath, shoving all my emotions down. Suppressed. Like always. “Please, tell me the truth.” My voice breaks on the word. I didn’t want to ask, but there has to be a reason for why he is here. No one in their right mind would try to get to know me of their own free will. I have been told as much on countless occasions. 

“I am telling you the truth.”

“The whole truth.” I snap, it comes out harsher than I want it. But then again, so does everything.  

Cassian takes a deep breath. “You want to know why I’m here? It’s because I find you interesting. You’re a hard shell to crack, and I want to know what is behind those walls you put up. At Feyre’s wedding, you hid from me no matter how many times I poked at you, and when your sister told me what you did every Valentine’s day, it broke my heart. No one should be alone if they don’t want to be, so I came down to make sure you didn’t want to be alone.” 

“What if I do want to be alone?” I can’t look at him. 

“Then I’ll leave. I told you so. If you don’t want me to be here, I will go.”

A beat. Two. Three. Five. Ten.

“I don’t want to be alone,” I say quietly. 

Cassian gestures to the couch. “Then by all means.”

The movie goes by in silence. We sit close, but not too close, eyes glued to the screen. I can’t focus on the movie, too afraid that I’ve messed everything up. I don’t dare look over at him for fear of seeing boredom written across his face. 

The one chance I have at something, even if it is just friendship, and I mess it all up. Typical. 

Credits roll, and I don’t know if I have been breathing. 

Cassian stretches and turns to me on the couch. “It’s getting late.”

“Do you want to head home?” I ask, trying to sound if that doesn’t bother me. 

“I have work in the morning.” His tone is apologetic. 

“Then I won’t keep you.” I stand, walking to the door, wrapping myself in my arms. Cassian follows, slowly putting on his boots and coat. 

“Well… Guess this is goodbye.”

“Don’t be dramatic, you have my number.”

 His smile returns. “Do you want me to text you?”

I look away. “I don’t care either way.” Lie. I do care. I want him to text me.

“Then I will. Tomorrow.” 

“Fine.”

I can feel his smile as he opens the door, stepping out into the cool night. “Goodnight, Nesta.”

“Goodnight,” I say flatly. But he doesn’t move, still standing in my doorway so I can’t close the door. When I look up to ask him what the hell he is doing, he captures my lips with his own. They are soft and warm and being pulled away too quickly for my liking. 

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He says softly, turning to leave. 

“You better.” 

He stops, spinning on his heel to face me. “I better?”

“After what you just pulled, yeah.”

Cassian grins, stalking back towards me. “After what I just pulled?”

“Are you just going to repeat everything I say?”

“Maybe.”

I scowl. “Goodnight, Cassian.” The door closes with a bang and a click as I lock it. I wonder if that is how I will always leave him. 

Goodnight, Sweetheart. My phone pings. I’ll make sure to fulfill your wishes tomorrow. 

Bastard. I write back. But I can’t help the smile that crosses my lips at the promises and hope that tomorrow will bring. 

[dog-day-morning]

The word of God tells us we shall suffer for the cause of Christ, he who seeks a greater reward must attain a greater faith. Unto whom much is given that much more is required. You wanna eat that whole caramel cake, you crave that sweet tea, you pursue that woman in a nightclub hoping to get her in a compromised position, face down tail up because face it, we're not willing to bow down to the will of God, but we’re so happy, and ready to give in to that round mound of doo doo brown. The 3 Hebrew boys Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego went into the fiery furnace defying Nebuchadnezzar's declaration to worship him. These men had the inspiration, strength, and courage to say, even if He doesn't deliver us, we know that He can. That kind of faith is called perfected faith. We can be lazy because we refuse to work with what God gave us before the day of calamity comes to devour us. Tribulation is kicking into high gear, and many of God’s people are none the wiser. There are people who were working 3 jobs before, and after this pandemic became a global concern who know what is on the horizon. You don't need an Issachar spirit to discern the times; read the Bible. He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? The gov't has pulled back on unemployment benefits forcing many to find a job. The 2 righteous servants in the parable of the 3 servants increased the wealth of their employer who trusted 3 men with different amounts of talents [money], and the 1 who didn't work diligently for his master inherited weeping, and gnashing of teeth. God invested in us, and He expected a greater return from this major investment. Jesus was the greatest financial venture ever made. The Father placed His faith in His Son who in turn gave Him many more sons that walk amongst us waiting for the Day of Judgment. This investment which supersedes all, but are intertwined will never decrease, and forever increase. The 144,000 isn't a spiritually inspired interpretation based on mine, and Mima getting the Holy Ghost or having an encounter with the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. Sit down grandma, your Depends are leaking brown stuff that reeks of formaldehyde, and raw chitlins. God is looking for a righteous Nation to worship Him not themselves. These men, and boys who represent the 12 tribes of Israel have never been defiled by women, and hopefully not by men either. You lucky mother You can take the word literally or as a misinterpretation. Those who don't believe in the written word who believe that God's word isn't infallible aren't all to blame for this heresy. Those who originally interpreted the King James Bible added to, and took from are suffering for a misleading interpretation. The prophetic which God didn't let man corrupt altogether has pretty much played out verbatim. We may be dying to a world that is trying to kill our faith that God has no intention of doing until He finds His true worshippers, and He’ll never destroy one's faith in Him. Winter is coming and you and I must be prepared. We must live like today is our last without being caught up in fear. I'm suffering from a form of laziness called jackass. God shall supply all your needs, but faith without works is dead. The ant has the intuition to work throughout the Summer knowing that Winter is coming. A lot of these drones won't live to see the finished product. Ant mounds look like the Pyramids of Giza that secure the Queen, but where is the King? They serve the one who gives life that sustains the colony, she is their goddess, but what happens if the Queen dies? There's more than one Queen serving the colony who can breed an entire colony independent of one other. fulfilling their role while working together in unison with the others who all serve a greater purpose. This

is a major element that drives the Kingdome of heaven. Christ is just like His Father In the Kingdome that includes the Holy Spirit which they will pour upon all flesh again soon. There are no cowards or sinners in the Kingdome. The angels are not as drones, they are blessed warriors.

Revelation 21:8

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

1 Corinthians 6:8-10

8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Alkebulan we need to wake up and get right. Black American's of the tribes of Judah, Gad, Reuben, and Issachar you need to aim at my forehead, and scatter my scatter brained grey matter all over the pavement. When Joe Biden told a radio podcaster if you don't vote for me you're not Black, he must be color blind. This vaccine that suspiciously looks like the Mark of Whodunnit. They can plant a microchip in your arm that can track your every move, financial transaction, and possibly your dreams while you sleep. Some Walmart stores are refusing to take cash when you check out; they only take debit, and credit cards. These are signs that we’re living in the End Times. The Last Days. I'm looking at this as a sign to get the hell outta this city, and decompose. What in God's name am I afraid of? Jesus took a beat down like a man on a mission.. You're not weak or simping if you gave your life for a people you fed, healed, gave sight to, preached to, taught them a new way to live, pray, love, told them about a Kingdome greater than Jerusalem, and you didn't kill anybody in the process knowing what they were going to do to your physical body in an almost retarded like bid to destroy their salvation. I've done none of that; my bad. Stop looking for men, especially zaddy to deliver us. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Some of us foolheartedly called Bill Clinton the first Black president when he's not, never can, or will be to me in any sense, Barack wasn't either. Thomas Jefferson, the third elected president, who served two terms between 1801 and 1809 was described as the “son of a half-breed Indian squaw (Black) and a Virginia mulatto father (Black).” Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, served between 1861, and 1865. Lincoln had very dark skin, and coarse hair and his mother allegedly came from an Ethiopian tribe. His heritage fueled so much controversy that Lincoln was nicknamed “Abraham Africanus the First” by his presidential opponents and cartoons were drawn depicting him as a Negro. Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Dwight David Eisenhower, and the scourge of the South Andrew Jackson were all n**gahs. I’ll see you come Hanukkah you self-hating black, Uncle Ruckus’s. I don't celebrate Thanksgiving, why should I be overjoyed about the genocide, and enslavement of God's people? Christmas is what it is. Hopefully you will celebrate this holiday season together fulfilling God's prophetic word. I can't unless you kill me. The Christmas holiday is as pagan as Joel Osteen is at scamming. David Duke, you might wanna go to ancestry.com, and take a DNA test. You might be 30% Swahili. By the looks of those big, gorilla nostrals you had before that rhinoplasty. You, and Bull Connor may be related to Idi Amin. Your biggest shame is your greatest blessing. Personally you can kiss the skid marks in the middle of my skid marks after I take a fresh dump. Conservative, political pundits, and wannabes whose names I won't mention, but one in particular who looks like he smoked 23 blunts in 15min. with no filter. Please keep him in California, and let him drown with his zaddy, and pancaked tail, bowed hipped women. Use your lips as a floatation device dude. These people are ashamed of the God who has blessed many, and plenty. These people suffer, hopefully not always, from the white savior or white zaddy complex. The truth isn't in any of them, that's why they're so adept at lying when making bold-faced statements before the public that opposes their previous opinion like people don’t have YouTube or google. I’ll Bing a factoid or Yahoo that mother to get the truth I may even pay for it, gimme a dollar. My inability to walk amongst men as a man has stagnated my propensity to live That's BS, my Apostle said something this past Sunday that's stuck on my forehead. YOU'RE LAZY!!! I am what I am, a pain in the rear end. This has gone on way too long. Sometimes

I feel as though God wants me to kill myself because the PO PO won’t. I would feel better if my natural family would stab me in the neck, not my back, with a piece of diseased, pork, spare rib from a boar hog, and let me die from a rare form of trichinosis. The people have spoken while I’m playing Jay, and Silent Bob. Father, get me outta here. Elohim, 9/16/2021

[tangent101]

Perceptions of Wealth with Max Caulfield in Life is Strange

One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly in Life is Strange fanfics (and in occasional commentaries elsewhere) is how people assume Max Caulfield comes from a wealthy family. And while I’ve talked about this in the past, it’s probably about time to mention yet again that Max is in fact from a poor family, and that her parents either live in an apartment complex or in her grandfather’s house.

It’s easy to claim otherwise, especially when you compare Max to Chloe, but when you look a little deeper, the signs are clear that not only is Max poor, but she may in fact be as poor as Chloe. We can start by looking at Max’s clothes. Let’s start by looking at Max’s journal entries on clothes:

My mom cried, and my dad laughed. They're so weird. But they're happy and this means extra financial support because they don't have to pay anything to Blackwell. This means new clothes and if I can work it, a new laptop.

Max’s journal entry for July 10th already lays the groundwork here. She believes that seeing her family doesn’t have to pay for tuition, she can get new clothes and maybe even a new laptop. And to be honest, I actually bought into this... until just now when I saw this August 25th entry as well:

That made me want to cry like a little girl. And never leave Seattle. So instead of packing, I feel like burning all my clothes, then just raiding a thrift store to build up a new Max wardrobe over my junior year. Not that I even have an old Max wardrobe.

First, do note that Max talked about “raiding a thrift store” to build up a wardrobe. Her comment here is so matter-of-fact that the point Max was thinking of going to a thrift store for her clothes slipped past my radar... but as a middle-class woman, I do have to admit that it wasn’t until finances got rather tight that I started buying at thrift stores myself. Given that clothes aren’t tremendously expensive at Walmart and the like (especially if you hit sales) that’s perhaps not surprising. But there are no back-to-school sales for Max mentioned or the like.

In fact, we see no signs that Max got a new wardrobe (and admittedly she doesn’t have a lot of outfits, even accounting for keeping jeans in the bureau). Her laptop also is a fairly small one and may in fact be her old laptop. I cannot recall anything Max says or does that genuinely states that anything Max brings with her is new. (This also is true for alt-Max, seeing alt-Max’s journal states on September 14th “Yes, I'm older and thanks to Vic and Nathan I'm now a bit more fashionable too.” In other words, the nice clothing alt-Max wore were gifts from Victoria and Nathan.)

Max even comments on this when perusing Victoria’s clothes. She comes across some socks that “cost more than my entire wardrobe” and given a nice pair of thigh-high silk stockings can cost $75 or more, this might not have been hyperbole. Given that if you’re very lucky on sales you could probably snag skinny jeans for $8 new, and designer t-shirts for close to that (and let’s not go into the hoodies)... and it becomes most likely Max’s wardrobe, with (as Chloe puts it) “chlorine brand [T-shirts] and generic jeans” is cheap used clothing.

Hell, even Chloe’s clothing is in better shape. Despite the fact Chloe’s “poorer” than Max, her clothes look much less shabby and worn. Her ripped jeans look designer. Her shirts are likewise in good shape, with any “damage” being strategic and done for looks. Admittedly, Chloe may prefer certain outfits over others, and thus the lack of wear is Chloe not wearing most of her outfits all the time... but if you put Max and Chloe side-by-side (without Max’s camera evident) and ask which girl is from a wealthier family... and people would probably think Chloe is.

This also helps explain why Max never visited her best friend even in the summer despite living six hours away. If Max’s parents lived paycheck to paycheck then the cost of fueling up a car to drive Max to Arcadia Bay would be painful. (I say this as someone who once had to put her last two dollars in her car so to have just enough gas to last a week, back when that would buy two gallons of gas.) Max didn’t fall out of touch because of stressing out over William or being a bad friend. Max probably didn’t have a cell phone for the first year she lived in Seattle. 

Again. Max and her parents moved to Seattle in the middle of the Great Recession. Yes, that was 11 years back but a lot of people lost their homes. Some of those who become financially destitute never recovered, even today. Others were forced to move in with parents. So if Max is living in a house, it belongs to her grandfather. She probably lives in a two-bedroom apartment and one that’s not even in a good part of Seattle. (She most definitely never rubbed elbows with Victoria in Seattle and never met Victoria prior to Blackwell.)

Speaking of Victoria, this gives another reason for Victoria’s harassment of Max and that is classism. Victoria acts like the typical snobby rich girl who sneers at those who struggle financially. Add in that Max has actual talent despite her lack of wealth, and she becomes a prime target for Victoria (along with Kate for her religious upbringing and lack of “shame” over her religiosity). 

There’s another aspect of this “economic value” with Max that you might not expect, and that’s behavior. When you’re poor, you tend to become invisible to people wealthier than you. In return, some poor people will try and avoid standing out and drawing attention to them. Max has this in spades. She is a “shy cliched geek” who hides behind a lens rather than interact with a world that judges based on appearances. Well, Max appears as shabby and without value. 

She is treated as such by various people as well. And trust me, if Max dressed like Victoria or Juliet, she would not be treated as dismissively. Appearance and behavior are reflections of each other, and we again see this with alt-Max with her nice clothes and more assertive personality, compared to the original Max who feels out of place.

Amusingly enough, as she starts wearing Rachel and Chloe’s clothing she increasingly becomes assertive and willing to take a stand. A good part of this lies with Chloe’s confidence with her, but we the players get to see this as well with Max’s clothes changing and becoming more vibrant. 

So, why do people think Max is financially comfortable? I suspect it’s primarily because Max uses an instant camera. I once calculated out the financial value of the Caulfield Photo Wall, and came to over $100. Admittedly, that may have been all of Max’s photos (outside of ones that Chloe or other people had claimed over the years)... but when you also account for however many photos get rejected for not being good enough (and Max rips up several photographs in Life is Strange) and you’re left with the possibility Max has taken probably a thousand dollars’ worth of pictures.

That said? This doesn’t mean Max has spent a thousand dollars on film. Don’t forget, Max starts out with a battered camera that despite the design being extremely sturdy falls apart when it is knocked off a desk. Polaroid Instant Cameras are much sturdier than that, so the only way that camera fell apart that easily is if it had been broken in the past (which would explain why Max knows how to repair the camera). And with Max’s own journal, we know that Max is perfectly willing to buy and utilize previously-owned items.

In all likelihood, Max lucked across an estate sale or yard sale where someone was getting rid of an old camera they didn’t know the value of and all the film with it and Max walked away with $500+ of film and camera for $10 or so. If she bought more film via eBay and was lucky? She could very well be getting more film for only a couple dollars per cartridge of eight shots. It is also noteworthy to state Max doesn’t have a backup camera. She doesn’t have a digital camera on the side for most of her shots. She uses her phone for some pictures but mostly it’s that old beast of a camera that barely is holding together. 

There’s another reason why a lot of people just assume Max is from a nice middle-class family and that’s because many gamers are from that setting. Who wants to think of Max as a poor girl who is only attending Blackwell because of a art grant? Especially when you add in shabby clothes that highlight Max’s shy and withdrawn personality... you end up with someone that people can have difficulty connecting with. So it’s understandable people just assume the best for Max. After all, they are Max in the game, and who wants to be poor?

[looking4mybambi]

Alright soo ik bdsm/dominant & submissive relationships have so many gender roles that differ from couple to couple, and how each person partakes in that role as individuals in a relationship are different.

As people we all like different things as well and we all SHOULD know what we like as individuals and in a real COMMITTED goal oriented unbreakable successful dom/sub relationship each person knows everything that their person likes and should naturally forget about knowing his or her own likes because each of you got that on lock and can please there person without them telling you when its needed and how to do it or what they are in the mood for..

I am a dominant. But for me I'm a bit different from most . Growing up as a kid very familiar with poverty, I didn't have very many friends so what attention I got was being laughed at for having such bug feet being so young plus I was the tallest in my class up till the end of middleschool, I had long lanky arms a good bit of baby fat (as ma use to call it) and long legs with goofy ass knees so I hated shorts because back in elementary where the bullying started, I may be wrong about this but I don't think Walmart could carry any and1 basket ball shorts that covered my knees nor could we afford It honestly. The kids would call me things like "jolly green giant, sasquach, big dumb (especially if I had to read out loud.. I'm not a good out loud reader) big retard or just tard.. that line of name-calling cease to exist come my 5th and 6th grade years.. mind u I spent an extra year in 4th grade soo I was just adding more fule t on the fire for my later years.

My mother, a single mom of 2 terrorists that worked her hardest to make sure we had what we needed and by doing so came overtime hours after working solid 12s 5 nights a week so she now worked 7 12s a week to get her ot in and be home in the morning to feed us and get us off to school so she can relax and sleep. Like any exhausted human, if there's something that can help you feel good enough to work 7 days a week and be able to parent with the bare minimum sleep, I think most would consider the option heavly. And then addiction..... sooo yeah more hell in school. Long story short .. I got tortured in school. It subsided in the last 2 years before I quit my jr year. But anywho my friends consisted of band in 5-6 grade football and wrestling in 7-8 -9-10 (injuries wrecked my entire school also didn't help my popularity non. And lastly jrotc my freshman year in high school. And a ton of females did band and jrotc (basically a free period lol) so I got tight with females in school while the dudes bullied the fuck out of me... I learned how to be a gorls best friend, do hair, nails, make up. Whatever I needed to learn I did... then sports was where I learned that most men are pigs weather its in a locker room. Or at home she another huge plus and can relate to females. I learned how to gossip and and learned any and all kinds of things girls like from fat free foods to why yell what those socks that look kinda like jon boats or canoes yaknow the shortest socks and adult human could even wear def entirely to short to even be related to ankle socks and how do yall keep them things on your feet while in shoes?!?! Some welfare witchcraft type shit goin on there ima throw that out there 🤣 hell my moms almost died one day she asked me how her hair looked after she curled the sides of her hair on either cheek but she curled both sides to the insides of her cheeks and I told her teacher try curling them out it would look better and she was stunned that I knew what I was talking about . Long story short I took so much time knowing whT makes yell tick, physically, mentally, stomachally ;p, definitely sexually.

Sooo on to this i watched ole ma get beet on by men my whole life and when I tried to fight em off her ( almost every fight that got physical between my mom and a man) there i was right i. The middle of the action knot knowing what the fuck ima do next i was only 11 so I took moms beating more than once.

I've been beaten on by females, alot... yea big ole me.. absolutely refuses to hit back. and ill die that way.

All these events me me the dominant that I am today... I'm strong and I will fight even if I don't want to. I am a protector. My person will feel safe, I can't take fear away ofcorse but I promise she won't be fearful of me.

I take care of my person idc what she ASKS of me ill do it. My rules are simple.

1.) Don't fuckin lie to me.

2.) Don't fucking cheat on me.

3.) Fuckin communicate

4.) DONT FUCKIN BREAK RULE ONE!

Lol I wear my heart on my sleeve and am a very passionate dom. I love giving my person attention and I love to cuddle up to movies, I'm even a hopeless romantic sometimes and I cook I love cooking honestly.

Im also into all sorts of shit forced play, cnc role play and love me a good brat that likes to play hard to get ;)

Most importantly im a dominant that builds his relationship off honesty, respect, compromise and the glue that most dominant men now phase completely out...

LOVE!❤

Now lady's can I ask a very simple question.. well this if me telling whoever will read it about the kind of man I am ofcorse with a recent pic of me (earlier today) to show that im not a terrible looking man.. soo why am I single?

All this is 1000% honest I absolutely DO NOT LIE. I will not play any sort of spin games with anyone. Lol hope someone enjoys

[i-did]

I love your hc about kevin being bisexual aromantic and the part about his relationship with thea! I like hows it not just a "they lived happily ever after" situation, it feels more realistic. You also mentioned how you have some ideas for seth? I'd love to hear them!

Yeah! I'm not super into happily ever afters, I men to an extent sure, but for me they're so unrealistic that it pulls me out. I like how in aftg the happily ever after is that neil gets to live and hes with andrew and just has to pay a shit ton of money but we know that doesnt matter to him. Outside of context that doesn't seem very happily ever after, and I like it. It seems achievable and realistic while still romantic.

I think Kevin loves thea and thea loves Kevin, but out of habit and as partners with shared truama more than anything to do with the person themselves. Thea might not even love kevin romantically and he doesn't love her romantically but they don't really know that. And you don't need to know that because you don't need it. They fight and everything and have struggles but don't ever split up imo.

Okay seth ideas:

I have a lot of ideas for seth, I headcanon his mom was Vietnamese and his dad was white. He grew up with a racist dad who instilled toxic masculinity into him especially as an Asian man and then his dad dipped leaving him with insecurity of not being manly enough as well as abandonment issues. His mom worked a lot a lot a lot a lot to keep them afloat, he had a lot of brothers and the hierarchy was enforced with rough housing, the 2 oldest brothers suddenly parents. None of the kids ever got Vietnamese names legally because the dad wouldn't want them to have "funny sounding names" but the mom occasionally called them pet names, seth was hoping after the dad dipped at least their mom would finally be able to teach them more Vietnamese to close the barrier between them, her finally being able to speak in the language she was most comfortable in, but she was too busy and communication was always simple and shallow.

The whole EC deal with seth, the same family who left him giving him bigger abandonment issues etc etc

What seth looks like in my mind:

Obviosly he looks half Vietnamese half white, but he's a skinny lanky guy with a tooth gap he used to stick dumdum lolipop stick in between when he was little, he's got ashy medium brown hair, its dark when grown out but lightens a bit in the sun, he is one of those people with a lot of moles and freckles he got from his father. He used to be the guy who wore fake tapers and skate shoes, basket ball shorts, and a monster energy drink snap back. He starts to just wear tee shirts and jeans and takes out the fake tapers. He's got nobby knees and elbows he bangs on things and he swears everytime.

If Seth Lived:

Him and allison would have broken up a few more times until one really explosive fight and she says "I can't do this anymore" and he says "I know" and she says "I'm not going to leave you" and he says nothing.

She realizes staying friends with your ex was a promise she couldn't quite keep as much as she wanted to. They drift apart. He relapses but this time Kevin finds him. He's out the rest of the season for rehab, getting his degree online and Wymack pleads with them to let him keep scholarship. They cut him off. Wymack pays for what he can before seth can say no, and just drops off a bunch of applications for scholarships and says "I'm not letting you quit." And someone doesn't leave him.

He becomes a social worker. He actually really loves it. He reconnects with 2 out of his ~7 brothers. One of them died and he didn't even know, and he wishes for a second it was him instead, before remembering that they haven't talked in at least 10 years.

He becomes less homophobic but will still say anything to make someone hurt if he hates them, but he becomes less explosive and more worn out. The second hand trauma from being a social worker weighs on him and kne of his coworkers opens up about talking to someone. Their job doesn't cover therapy. He goes to AA and NA meetings. He's not relapsing, but its free therapy and he knows if he feels tempted he could get a sponsor.

He beats the shit out of someone outside one of the meetings who was trying to sell to the people coming out (he runs away and doesn't get caught,)

He goes on a dating website half assed at around 40 years old.

He meets a woman who is also on there half assed. She's very blunt and it reminds him of allison, but she's no frills and they come from the same type of world. He can relate to her and they don't have screaming matches that start with him refusing to take a gift of a 1200 dollar dress shirt when his from Ross is just fine.

5th date in he tells her he's sober and she says "why don't you think we've never gone to a bar?" And he realizes she's sober too.

10th date she says "i know this was fun, but I have a son and I can't be casual anymore. You have to be in or out."

And he thinks about it. And they talk about it. And he says he's in.

Its years of dating until the mom decides its steady enough to meet the son. He's 12 and says "you're not my new dad" and seth laughs, and the kid is confused, because he was trying to say something that would hurt.

His girlfriend becomes his fiance after she gets pregnant, not just because of the baby but because they've been dating for 6 years now and its been serious. Its a miscarriage and its hard, but they get though it.

Seth gets really close with the son even if he came in later into his life, he recognizes a lot of himself in the kid. He's never like a father to the kid, and seth isn't sure he knows what it means to love someone like a son, but he knows its pretty close and he tries to be the opposite of his dad.

They stay lower middle class their whole lives, her working her way up from grocery self stocker job she had at 16 to store manager just over time, him a social worker, in a cheaper town with not a lot to do, but they have a book shelf were they watch movies.

He turns on a game sometimes and quietly thinks to himself "what the fuck" about the one year of college exy he was benched the most possible drama happens. He'll say "I went to college with that kid" and she'll say "who? Scar face? Isn't he like famous or something?" And he'll say "yeah. He is"

She doesn't tell him he has to do anything he doesnt want to do, but she finds out he's been invited to multiple fox reunions where some of the attendees are rich as fuck athletes and says "i want them to pay for my meal" and so they go. They go in their Walmart dress clothes and they don't feel bad, they think rich people are stupid to spend so much when 20$ is enough for a shirt. Their son is in high school and can watch the house by himself.

Seth sticks to Matt, and then remembers that Dan was always more down to earth and his wife loves dan. Doesn't like the others so much besides Wymack and Matt a bit.

Its the only one they go to, but it reminds him to keep up with the man who had helped him out so much and he stays in contact with Wymack. He feels bad for drifting off but they talk. About once every few months, but its more than before.

Okay I'm ending it about here lol

[creativeskullcreations]

Outside chapter 17: Dinner at Home

New chapter, new plot. Plus got to see a little bit of Danny in this 'verse. :D

And plans are in motion now. What's gonna happen? Stick around to find out.

Stacy sighed as she got into the truck, undoing the professional looking bun her hair was in. Scout popped out of her bag when she set it in the passenger seat, gasping over-dramatically.

"Oh stop that. You're fine." Stacy told her, buckling herself in. She started the car, and got ready to back out of the parking spot.

"Says you! You aren't spending eight hours a day in a fucking bubble!" The puppet flopped out of the bag. "Are we going home yet?"

"No, we've gotta go grocery shopping." Scout groaned and threw one arm over her eyes.

"Aw man. I hate Walmart." She grumbled. "There's always too many kids staring at me."

"It'll be fine. We can go look at movies again before we get the food."

"Okay fine." Scout climbed up the door to look out the window. "But I want Pop Tarts this time! Real ones!"

"I think I can do that." Stacy agreed as she pulled into the parking lot. She reached over and grabbed her wallet before grabbing Scout, letting her settle into the hood of her jacket as they entered the store.

They checked movies, though there was nothing new out yet that they hadn't seen, and then went on to collect the items on Stacy's list. A quick checkout later and they were finally on their way home. It could not have come soon enough for Scout.

The way home from Walmart wasn't too long, maybe a ten minute drive on a bad day. So they got home quick enough, and Scout watched as Stacy started to juggle the many bags. She ended up having to sting them onto her prosthetic in order to get them all into the house, but did succeed in getting all the bags to the kitchen.

Will was downstairs, as he usually was at this time of day. Though, whether he was working on computers or his... hobby, was anyone's guess. Scout certainly wasn't going to go down there to check, either way. Instead she Jumped to her room, which was almost more of a closet with how small it was. But, it held a bed(in her own size!), a charging station for the Switch, and sometimes Stacy's laptop when she could be bothered to drag it in there. The walls were lined with multiple shelves  with rope ladders connecting them, giving her a lot of storage space. Most of it was still empty, but she had collected a few things over the past several months.

Including clothes, apparently. Stacy had expressed concern with Scout running around with Mortimer's face on her shirt, and had enlisted Lisa to make her some new ones. Not that Scout could take her "shirt" off, of course, but she could wear other ones over it. Her favorite so far was a green one that said "eat dick and die". It was the best one, no contest, but Stacy wouldn't let her wear it outside the house.

"It's crude, and while I know you love that stuff it's not a good idea to wear that to my job. Someone could go to HR about it." Her Host had told her. Scout thought that was just stupid, but had agreed not to wear it to the workplace.

Stacy, meanwhile, worked on putting groceries away. It was good practice for her arm, especially in not crushing the groceries. She managed to mangle to bread only a little bit this time,  and figured she was probably doing better than she usually did. Scout reappeared a moment later, wearing the green shirt Lisa had made her. She handed over the Pop Tarts to the puppet, who immediately tore into the box to grab one of the foil packets.

"It's almost suppertime, so don't eat too many of those." Stacy warned her, only to be met by a muffled grunt in response. She sighed, and just collected the stuff she needed; Kraft macs n cheese, premade burger patties, and some green beans for a vegetable. Maybe not the best dinner, but Will was still working and they needed some food.

As she got the stove going, a pan of water for the mac set up, and the pan for the burgers got oiled. She selected three patties and put the rest back in the freezer for another day while things heated up. The beans she dumped in a  third pan on the back of the stove, adding a bit of salt for taste.

Scout watched all of this while softly crunching on the Pop Tarts. Months in the Host World, and she still didn't understand why Stacy wanted to cook. It was much easier and quicker to just grab one of the snacks laying around. Then again, maybe it had to do with that "nutrition" shit Will had told her about once.

As Stacy cooked she started typing out a message to Will on her phone, mostly to let him know dinner was done. He may have been just right in the basement, but she didn't want to go down there if she didn't have to. But as things finished cooking and she started to set the table, Will still hadn't come upstairs or even answered her text. And so, with a sigh, she covered the food and made her way downstairs.

"Will? It's time for dinner." She called as she reached the bottom of the stairs. No answer, but the muffled beat of heavy metal and the high pitched whine of a buzz-saw. She went through the door and was greeted with a mess. A wooden doll was stretched on the exam table in the middle, and Will was standing over it with the buzz-saw, shouting over the pounding music and whining noise.

"Hey, bitch! Make your boyfriend turn it down!" A red haired doll in a welded shut dog crate yelled over the music. She ignored it and instead punched a nearby gong with her metal fist. The resulting metal bang startled Will enough that he almost dropped the saw. He looked over and, once he spotted her, rushed to shut everything down.

"Yeah babe?" He asked, like he hadn't been threatening a sentient doll. The puppet in question was gagged, but sending a quite fierce death-glare at him.

"It's dinner time. Finish up here and come up, I made burgers." She told him, smiling a little as his face lit up.

"Score!" He quickly shoved the saw away before turning to take the doll off the table and put it into a cage. It swapped it's glare to her as he shoved it inside the crate, but Stacy just stared stonily back at it.

"Yeah, you keep trying that buddy. Nothing stops these two assholes. Ow!" The red headed doll sent Stacy his own death glare as she kicked his cage, knocking him over.

"Keep quiet." She growled out, not even looking at him. "Be thankful you're not tied up too."

"Yeah yeah. Go back to your favorite toy, Bitch." He huffed out. "Can't believe you keep that thing living up there with ya. If you had any kind of integrity, she'd be down here, in a cage, with the rest of us. Ow! Fuckin' shit would you stop that?!"

"Chucky, be quiet." A nearby doll in a ripped wedding dress scolded. "You know better than to antagonize her."

"What, it's true! That thing up there is just like us, but she gets to live in the lap of luxury! Hey!"

Stacy propped a foot up on the cage, tipping it onto it's edge and leaning down to glare at the toy inside. "You wanna stop talking now? Or do you want me to come back down here after dinner, Mr. Ray?"

The dolls said nothing more and Stacy righted the cage as Will finished up. The went back upstairs, locking the door behind them.

On the table was Scout, with half a burger patty in her mouth. She froze when the two Hosts walked into the room.

"Scout, seriously?" Stacy asked. "You're supposed to wait for us before you start eating."

Scout spat out the half eaten patty. "You were taking too long. I wanted to eat."

"You still should have waited. We only took a couple of minutes."

"But I didn't want to wait."

Stacy just sighed, and grabbed a bun out of the bag to squirt some ketchup onto. This was a fight just not worth getting into, especially when it wouldn't change anything.

Instead they made up their buns and sides, and were sat down to eat. Will prayed, and Stacy waited for him to be done before digging in. Scout didn't even wait, and just finished off her meat patty before digging into the macs and cheese.

The trio ate in silence, too hungry to talk at first. But eventually Stacy swallowed a bit, and decided she was sick of the quiet.

"So, you make any progress with the Gardner job?" She asked Will. Doll torturer or not, he did still have a "real" job, same as her.

"Eh, a little. Gotta ask who usually uses the computer, though. It's full of viruses from porn sites."

"Ew. Do they have a kid, or just a really stupid adult?"

"They've got a twelve year old girl, so she's the most likely suspect." Will swallowed another bite. "Miss Gardner is always away and working, like, three jobs so it's gotta be the kid or a friend she has."

"Who would go on a porn site? It's just naked sweaty Hosts, they're gross."

"Uh..." Stacy wondered how to handle this. And then wondered if Scout had ever gone on one of those sites, to know about that part. "It's... just a thing. Some people like to look at." She coughed. "Don't question it."

"Sure." Scout comped down on a green bean, and Stacy gave a soft sigh of relief. Scout was bad enough with her language already, and Stacy didn't want to risk her learning more words and terms.

Dinner ended soon after that, with Will loading the new dishwasher when everyone was done eating. He went back downstairs to finish up what he'd been doing. Stacy and Scout meanwhile went to play video-games. Well, Stacy played, while Scout watched her do quests from her lap.

"Go down that tunnel! Go! The left!" Scout pointed forcefully, waving her arms when she was ignored.

"No, that's where we came from." Stacy sighed, annoyed yet also a little amused. "Would you rather be the one playing?"

"No. I can't hold the controller." The Puppet waved her off before suddenly yelling. "You're not looting the bodies!"

"And you won't shut up." The Host muttered, looting a single body before going back to chasing the objective. "Are you sure you don't want to play?"

"How would I even fucking do that? Don't answer that."

"Okay." Stacy fought a few more Drauger. She thought about mentioning that she wouldn't really mind it, if Scout wanted to play, but decided against it. The body swap was still a sore subject, and she didn't want to ruin the good mood.

A ping from her phone, and she paused the game to answer a text from her brother. Being the nosy Puppet that she is, Scout tried to see what she was typing. "Who's that? I thought you didn't have friends."

"It's my younger brother, Danny. Doc wanted me to talk to him more, so I am."

Scout blinked. "You have a brother?" She thought back, tried to think if she'd ever seen any pictures of Stacy's family, but couldn't remember. Will she knew had a picture of his mother, but other than that neither Host talked about their families that much.

"Yeah." A couple of swipes, and she lowered the phone to show the Puppet a photo of a younger boy. He had the same reddish hair she did, but with much paler skin and brighter blue eyes. He was also wearing an absolutely atrocious looking sweater. "He's about eight or nine years younger than me, depending on who's had a birthday at that point."

"Oh..." Scout stared at the picture. "Why is he wearing headphones?"

"Those are part of his cochlear implants. He's deaf." She swiped back over to messaging to finish her text. "But he got the surgery at a young enough age that you pretty much can't tell. He's just got a little bit of a weird sounding accent."

"Oh, cool." Stacy finished her text and went back to the game, Scout watching quietly this time. "I have a brother."

Stacy fumbled an attack, but recovered quickly enough that she didn't die. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah. And three sisters." She squirmed a little, playing with the hem of her shirt. "... They probably all have Hosts by now. They were a lot better at... fitting in, than I was."

"Oh." Stacy paused the game, considering. "I'm... uh, do you you wanna talk about it?"

"Nah. I just thought you should know about them." She settled back, and Stacy unpaused the game. "I doubt I'm ever going to see them again, anyways. They were all assholes."

"Sounds like it, if they were able to "fit in" over there."

-------

Canon huffed, doing her best to try and suck in air. This was the... she didn't know how many times she'd been almost torn apart by the spells Mortimer was working on. Not really, of course, but it certainly felt like it. Like there was a scalpel carefully slicing into each stitch, cutting the small threads one by one.

"Hmm, looks like things are going well. I think I'm just about done with this spell." The magician commented, ignoring how the smaller Puppet lay limply on the floor. "Yes this plan has come together splendidly! Soon your sister will be right where she ought to be."

"... Great..." She groaned, trying to force herself upright. She failed, falling back to the floor with a soft thump. "I... can't... wait..." She had to finish the rhyme, at least, no matter how much it hurt.

"Indeed." He smirked, then grabbed a phone off the wall. "Oh Riley, we're just about ready to start! All we're missing now is the star! So gather your tools and a henchman, and go warm up the car."

"Preparations have already begun!" She relayed with an excited giggle. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"