#I am literally only in sit at a computer most of the day phase and will be for a bit but I'm already overwhelmed

[death-rebirth-senshi]

I had a very good day today physically and mentally.

[elllisaaa]

in ur last svt post (which made me fold btw) you mentioned you love doing bf thoughts (and we love reading them!!) so i’m gonna be the one to do it… any dirty bf!wonwoo headcanons sweetie? 🫣

not me dropping two wonwoo asks in one day like i’m not hansol biased i’m gonna run away 🏃‍♀️ he’s so husband material tho (getting back into my svt phase is fun 🙂‍↕️)

lmaoo honestly it's valid being whipped for wonwoo, i am too even though i'm a seokmin and chan girlie (hansol is coming at me these days though...)

BF!WONWOO who's a silent lover, but who loves you so much that everyone can see who smitten by you he is.

another member of seventeen that i think is a very good listener. wonwoo is always ready to listen to you when you need to talk, be that because something funny happened to you or because you had a bad day. and he's also really good at giving you advice when you have a problem. he strikes me as someone who's emotionally smart, so it isn't difficult for him to know that you're sad without you having to tell hims. sometimes he'll notice that you're not doing well and he will prepare you a little snack and deliver it with a kiss and a sweet "i love you, i'm here if you need to talk." that almost makes you tear up from how caring he is. also, wonwoo's hugs must feel incredibly good, like being engulfed in a warm bubble of love that's so soothing you immediately relax in his embrace. you could literally spend your whole life hugging him because it's genuinely the best feeling in the world.

"it's okay darling, i'm here now. everything is going to be alright."

wonwoo would love to play video games with you. it's good if you are already into it, but it would be even better if you don't because he would love to teach you how to play his favourite games. he would even use it as an excuse to make you sit on his lap while he's trying to show you how to play. from there, you would often play together, but it's also not rare for you to simply sit in wonwoo's lap and watch him play, or take a nap there, lulled to sleep by his breathing and heartbeat. one of his favourite ways to spend a date night at home with you is playing board games. you'd pick out one or two games together, make yourself some tea and prepare snacks and then you'll spend your night playing together. the members often joke about how the two of you are like an old couple but you don't care because what matters is that you're having fun during these game nights. also, wonwoo loves to just stay at home with you, all cozy in your matching pajamas and getting to see you all relaxed. he obviously loves it when you're dressing up when the two of you are going out, but you're the most beautiful to him with only a big beautiful smile on your face.

"let's just watch a movie tonight, i don't want to see other people, only you."

he's adamant on reminding you of how beautiful you are every single day. and that's the way he says it that makes you blush - like it's the most natural thing ever and that it's obvious. however, when it's your turn to praise wonwoo, he gets shy and bashful, and you literally have to fight him to get him to accept the compliment. but wonwoo loves your insistence on adoring him and he loves the attention - he's down bad for you, but it's good to know that you're down bad for him as well. he would often take photos of you without you noticing when he thinks you look particularly pretty. he won't show these pictures to you, but he has folder of them on his phone and on his computer too, and he looks at them when he's away from you and that he misses you. wonwoo would put all these secret photos into a pretty album he made and decorated himself, and he would gift it to you for your anniversary. overall, he would gift you a lot of mindful things like these, and you keep all of them in a little box under your bed.

"when did you take this one nonu ?" - "when we went to the botanical garden, you were so pretty that day."

BF!WONWOO who's a service top and who loves to please you, but who can also get a little bit mean when he wants to.

wonwoo definitely loves cockwarming with you. when you sit on his lap while he's playing video games, it's not impossible that he'll end up pushing your panties to the side and slipping his cock inside of you, not moving at all. he just loves the intimacy of it, how much you trust him and relax into his touch immediately. but it's impossible to not get hard when your pussy feels this wet and this warm, nor when you're sometimes clenching around him. wonwoo usually gives up pretty quickly, because he loves the feeling as much as you. most of the time, he would grip your hips and help you drop down on his cock slowly until the both of you cum. but when he's feeling more needy, he would bend you over his desk and fuck you rough from behind until you're screaming his name. but sometimes, you can stay like this for a long time, even managing to fall asleep because it feels so warm and safe to be so close to him. it's the way you feel so comfortable around him that gets him going mostly.

"just sit on my cock for while baby, then i'll fuck you, okay ?"

overall, wonwoo just loves to please you in every way he can. he's inflexible about foreplay because he loves to have you cumming at least once before he fucks you - his girl should get as much orgasms as possible because you only deserve the best. he woul often keep his glasses on while eating you out, because even if it's the most comfortable for him, he knows how crazy you go when he looks up at you through the fogged lenses and how hot you think he is when he has them on. wonwoo prefers positions where he can see your face as he fucks you, so missionary is a must with him. he loves to see your face contort when you're close to the edge, and he loves to watch you as he brings you to your orgasm - your pretty expressions and the sounds you make often enough to trigger his own release. again, he loves how close he can be to you in this position, chest and forehead pressed against each other's, whispering praises and love confessions against your lips while he ruts his hips into you deep.

"you're so pretty darling… so fucking pretty like this."

despite him being very romantic, he also knows how much you like it when he shows you how strong he is. wonwoo would definitely manhandle you into bending over for him if that's what you want - and he's not gonna lie by saying that he doesn't like it when you become all putty in his hands because he's holding your hands firmly behind your back. it's quite good for his ego too to hear you gush about how attractive he is, how hot his strength and his muscles are. wonwoo also uses it to his advantage when you've been a little tease or that he's frustrated. all these hours spent at the gym are worth it when it allows him to hold you down against the mattress while he pounds into you until you're crying out his name and that tears are running down your face. of course, he's always mindful of any signs of discomfort when he's rougher, but you both love it when wonwoo doesn't hold back and ruins you. it feels rewarding to know that he can make his girl scream his name so loud that the neighbors complain the next day.

"i'm not gonna let you go until you're dripping baby, i need to have you again."

[ghostie-luther]

Hello! I loved reading about your modern, adopted au, TMNT 2012 VERSE, headcanons! I was wondering if you could do some more headcanons for everyone? I'm hooked on your headcanons and AU :3

Hi hello!! I'm so glad you like them!! And ABSOLUTELY!!

Leo

Leo was gifted a sword by splinter when he was 12. It's nicknamed Mochi and its absolutey gorgeous.

It was locked away for a couple of months when splinter found Leo trying to show off to Raph by trying to play in real life fruit ninja.

Watermelon UP THE WALLS

(And lemon juice in his own eyes. Lesson learned).

His favourite hairstyle is a messy half up half down look. He wants to grow it out a little though as its just under his ears at the minute and wants to dye the underneath white!

However it's normally just swept across his forehead and styled neatly.

Hes the poster boy for golden child.

Does most of the housework.

Suuuuper into acoustic guitar though he can't sing for his life, and normally gets mikey to pick up the slack for him in that regard

His bedroom is the second cleanest, and it's literally so minimal. Like. Not even that. It's nearly completely plain.

The only thing he has on his walls is the rack for his sword.

Wants to be a sensei when he's older!

Loves loves loves kids

Second most empathetic out of the kids (Mikeys the first).

Hes normally the one to calm the others down when they're painfully reminded of their past.

With Raph, he never says when somethings bothering him, but he has tells. He explodes more, he's rough with the others, he goes a deadly quiet, and he comes home later everyday somethings amiss. With Raph, the best thing to do is to put him in a headlock and sit on him until all the fight goes out of him. They never talk about it, but Raph'll tap his leg and theyll give eachother silent fistbumps before going their separate ways.

With Donnie he'll notice the genius staying up later and later, multiple unfinished coffee cups and eyebags galore. In these phases Don's usually too out of his staring at his computer screen, fingers twitching without touching the keyboard, to notice Leo wheeling him away and putting him to bed, turning off his alarms and calling him in sick to school.

Mikeys tell is his body language. The boy wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't often have bad days (that they notice), but when he does, it's an instant tell. His lip will quiver, his chin wobble, and his eyes will brim with tears doing the most mundane, normal things. He'll be slow, and often excuse himself to bed early and reemerge late into the afternoon. Like he's exhausted. These days Leo will wrap him up firmly in a hug, deposit them both on the sofa, and cuddle with eachother while watching movies. It's the only cure that works with him. Human contact.

(Leo's own tell is when he gets stuck in his own head. Why can't I help them? Can I be as good as my dad? Do I offend them with my perfect life? Why can't I get my grades up? Why can't I perfect this kata? Why am I feeling like this? He'll go on to completely overwork himself, before reaching a complete block and passing out. That's when his brothers come in, putting him in bed and laying around the room, nursing him back to health. He's never felt more loved).

Some of his favourite songs are;

Shinunoga E-wa, I'm still standing, The nights, house of memories, Mary on a cross, white blank page, the nights, golden hour, Midas, and Youth.

Raph

He has his big brothers motorbike in the garage, but it's pretty busted. He's trying to fix it up but he's also penniless lol.

So to fix that, he got himself an afterschool job!

He currently works changing tyres and transporting cars in their local mechanics shop, and he literally loves it.

He loves the grease, the smell of burnt rubber, the sound of his fellow mechanics swearing and cursing as loud as they can across the shop.

It's like therapy.

Goes to visit his brother maybe twice a month, if only to smooth out kinks of his release for whenever he gets out. Namely, a list of rules. These are;

Don't ever come near his brothers,

He goes to his ma's grave and begs for forgiveness,

He straightens out his act.

Because maybe, just maybe, one day Raph will let him back into his life.

He and casey are the ultimate bros. Ride or dies, besties, you name it, they are it.

Really really wants an American pitbull.

Splinter doesn't really allow animals in the home at the minute, so he rescued a baby turtle he found in a drain!

He named it slash, and that little thing gets vented to and lives like a fucking KING.

Nobody can get close to him. No one.

Hid him for three months before splinter found him looking for Raphs dirty clothes to wash.

Has a stash of camomile hidden at the very top of the kitchen cupboard.

Has a 'situationship' with his bosses daughter, Mona.

By which he'll try to make a move and she'll mop the floor with him, yet call him up at three in the morning.

He thinks he's too stupid for college, as he dropped out of school for a while to help his ma, and then was thrown about the foster system a couple times. He never settled back into a school setting until he was eleven, and he had to retake a year.

Tries to teach splinter how to box.

Goes to the gym and heavy lifts nearly three times a week.

Bench presses mikey.

Super into kids shows, though he tries to keep it a secret.

Learnt how to make fufu from a video on tiktok, and fell in love with it.

He served it with beef stew, which was nicely spiced.

(Though donnie hated the fufu, Mikey loved it).

Some of his favourite songs are;

Lost in the fire, 505, anything by The Score, Mary on a cross, cigarettes out the window, they dont really care about us, and hot girl bummer.

Donnie

Really really hates being cold, yet that's never a problem because he's always extremely warm??

Like so warm it literally makes him miserable.

Always takes cold showers just to lower his own body temperature.

Broke his old glasses so much he made a pair of heavy duty metal ones that have a torch built into the side for reading in the dark.

The CLEANEST bedroom ever. He can't sleep if there's clutter in his room.

You may be thinking, hold on, Isn't Donnie the mad scientist?? What about all of his science sheets and whatnot?

Well dear reader, I said bedroom, not LAB.

Jesus CHRIST that thing is a bombsite.

There is shit EVERYWHERE.

On the floor, on the ceiling, on his desks, in the desks, on the walls, etc.

His "lab" is actually the old conservatory where splinter used to grow his plants.

He gave it up to Donnie when the boy was trying to do his experiments in his room but kept having meltdowns over the mess and lack of space.

(Psst, Donnie is autistic).

Hates the feel of Leather.

Donnie doesn't bring up the fact that he has autism. Not because he's ashamed, but he just doesn't think it's a big deal. There's only a few things that really agitate him as a result of his 'diagnosis' but they're things that alot of neurotypical people have too.

He literally gives zero fucks and neither do his brothers. Nobody ever talks about it because its so normal to them.

Microwave pasta is his comfort food. Will eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner with no problem.

We've established the massive monster crush on April right?

Well, turns out someone likes him too.

Irma. It's irma guys.

Shes like infatuated with him.

Poor boy is literally blind to it though.

She'll trip through a door trying to open it for him and he'll be like "Oh, thanks", and just walk through leaving her behind.

April knows everything. She thinks it's hilarious.

Some of his favourite songs are;

SNAP, Colypso, don't blame me, Tek It, cooler than me, Josslyn, blood sweat and tears, tainted love, beautiful boy, and take me to church.

Mikey

Ah yes, my favourite.

As said in Raphs section, he loved his attempt at Fufu, though Donnie hated it. Donnie mostly hated it because he didn't like using his hands, but with Mikey it was like second nature.

Mikey used to eat with his hands alot, and most of it was messier than fufu.

For example, Poi.

Some of his older neighbours used to make poi, and he remembers the sound of the pestle grinding away as he sat on his back porch so vividly.

It also tasted lovely, even though sometimes he'd forget to wash his hands before digging in, resulting in a wet dirt mix.

Has one very sharp canine that is utterly adorable when he smiles.

Sorta mayyyybe has a little puppy crush on one of the seniors in his school.

His name is leatherhead.

Hes young, and he's figuring things out, but he's mostly just happy being in his company when leatherhead tutors him for math and science.

He knows nothing will ever happen, and the crush is slowly going away.

Mikey has trouble with the academic side of things at his school.

He didn't really go to school between the ages of 6-10.

He was knowledgeable about things that he could actually use, instead of bothering around with algebra that he wouldn't even use on his island.

He comes from a tiny little island off the coast of Hawaii, so rural that it doesn't even show up on Google maps.

It's called Uliuli Nani.

It roughly means "beautiful blue", which is true. Completely surrounded by water, it has lush trees and has plenty of wildlife.

It is accessible by boats, or there is a singular landing strip towards the north.

Mikey was escorted away by plane, and the villagers gathered along the landing strip to wave him away.

Misses his siblings like crazy, though he misses his brother Dami the most. He's determined to find him.

He parkours like crazy on top of buildings. He's giving splinter grey hairs.

Is very concious of money, even though Splinters sat him down and told him that he doesn't need to worry after Mikey hid the fact that his only pair of shoes had no bottom in one of them. As in, none at all, it was basically sock against floor.

It's hard to break the habit though, after worrying about 7 other siblings.

Was the quickest to call Splinter dad.

Has a special place in Caseys heart. The dude walks him home from school most days if he doesn't want to take the bus.

Has a butt load of small scars from his rowdy childhood lol.

(And one other that he really doesn't want to talk about).

As mentioned in Leo's section, can go through rough periods of time.

Most days he's fine, but then he'll see or hear things that'll remind him of his childhood, and then he's back there.

Oh god we've run out of baby milk. We can't afford more. We need a new crib. Mamas pregnant again. Dad's coming, quick hide the babies! "Mikey have you eaten? You look really pale!" "No..ran out. Gave the last of it to miā." "We need a doctor! Tūlus burning up!" God did she really need another child?

Then comes the guilt. Did he really leave his kids behind?

His kids. His. No child should feel as if they're the parent at the age he did.

Then comes the fear. He can still remember breaking down, the deep rooted dread everytime his mother came back to the house with a barely sloped belly and a curved smile. He remembers the feeling of his chest caving in, his heart beating out of time, the nervous sweats.

Remembers screaming at her to look after HIM GODDAMNIT!

He never wanted to be the glorified babysitter. Sometimes he wished he wasn't there at all.

When he told Dami this, the elder grabbed his face and made him swear to never say that again.

He promised.

Doesn't mean he never thought it, though.

Lived without WiFi until he moved to the US. They had WiFi, he just didn't have a phone and there was terrible service anyway.

Some of his favourite songs are;

The night we met, false confidence, je te lesserai des mots, Kids, I lived, just a little while, Mary on a cross, family line, somewhere only we know, house of memories, something in the orange, softcore, I gotta feeling, the nights, Midas etc.

I highly associate Mikey to the song Family line by Conan Gray.

Also softcore by the neighbourhood. Namely this part "I've been confused as of late (yeah)

Watching my youth slip away (yeah)

You're like the sun, you wake me up

But you drain me out if I get too much

I might need you or I'll break

Are we too young for this?

Feels like I can't move"

Donnie usually takes his coffee black. Though sometimes he decides he needs sugar and dumps about 5 tsps in.

Raph boxes mona frequently, and used to let her win. However, she found out, and was livid, so now he actually tries.

Mikeys playlist is all over the place. So many favourite songs all at once!!

Leo feels extremely guilty and honoured that he grew up in the loving household he did. He feels honoured, because he grew up with a father that loved him, three meals a day, healthcare, and a warm bed. He feels guilty when he hears Donnie going to his father's room at 3 in the morning, asking if he's sure he still wants him. When Raph stares dead eyed into space, hands clenched and shaking, around the mandatory letters that the state prison sends him about his brothers progress. When Mikey flinches when a man shouts too loud, when he puts his headphones in and speeds up when he walks past a park, trying to avoid the sound of children shriek and yell as they play, when he turns off the TV when anything about his home country is mentioned. Leo tries, he really does.

Mikeys favourite series is shameless US (for obvious reasons).

Aaaand that's all for now!! See you and thank you for the ask!!

[purpleyellow]

Spaces

BTS 8th member

Sunny’s masterlist

“Sehun confronts her about a particular interview that went viral”

a/n:Your opinion is very important for me, send feedback and requests anytime 💜 Also, don’t be shy and interact a little, ask box is always open.

Sunny was peacefully scrolling down her email box while Sehun went on about this meeting he had during the day, his call nothing but a minimized tab on her computer to allow her to read the messages and spread clean her inbox in the empty studio she was in.

“So yeah, after that we went back- Why do your eyes keep going around the screen?” Sehun’s tone suddenly became worried and he gasped in realization “I’m not your main window, am I?”

Quickly switching tabs, Sunny tried not to laugh at his hurt expression, instead frowning at him with his hand on his chest.

“Of course you are. That’s just how eyes work, you’re not staring at a straight point either.” She snickered, making him humm and look outside the car he was in. “I’m sure whoever’s driving you must be having a lot of fun hearing one side of our conversation”

“Are you sure this isn’t you trying to send a message” Sehun pursed his lips, clearly annoyed and the girl tilted her head to one side “I mean? You obviously would prefer to date someone shorter, so should I just take the hint and leave?”

Rolling her eyes at him, Sunny couldn’t hide her smile at his cynical face, which only increased the amount of his whining. 

“C’mon, you can’t just say those kinds of things and expect me not to get insecure over it”

“I never said anything like that” 

“You said shorter men are better”

“I said height doesn’t matter as much as everyone says” She rolled her eyes, quickly switching tabs again since the topic didn’t actually phase her “Don’t you think I would have dropped you long ago if that was actually important to me”

“I don’t know what to think now that I know I’m dating a liar” He puffed and she knew he was pouting by the tone of his voice.

“I’m  a what now?” The girl tried to sound as offended as possible and he scoffed.

“Don’t play saint on me, you blatantly lied about never dating before and-”

“I did it to protect our relationship. And how do you even know about this? Are you searching my name on the internet again?”

“It’s everywhere online, I didn’t have to look for it to find the interview. It’s trending right now you know, Shorter men is number three worldwide” He said it annoyed, giving a dramatic pause and after a few seconds of silence the two of them began laughing.

“This is so dumb” Sunny giggled leaning back on her chair and pressing her hands on her face “People shouldn’t care this much about a single joke” 

“I know,” He said and waited for a minute, almost making her forget she was on a call with him. Cleaning his throat, Sehun awkwardly said “Next time, you don’t have to lie though”

“I kind of do” Sunny shrugged her shoulders, still scrolling down on her inbox.

“No, you don’t. Just go around the question like we’ve been doing this whole time”

“Sure, my bad” She scoffed, reaching for the coffee mug on the table.

“I’m serious here” Sehun sounded more affirmative and she quickly clicked on his tab to see he was now walking down the hallway for his apartment “The more lies you build up, the more the press can hold against you” 

“Okay but that one just slipped up. The interviewer was getting on my nerves and-” The girl began rambling and as she switched tabs again he cut her off.

“I’m just saying, you could’ve just said you didn’t want to answer it instead of making up a persona” He ironically spoke as she heard the sound of a door clicking.

“I never made up anything. We both know dating isn’t a top priority on my mind” Sunny tried to sound calm as she deleted another spam by pressing a little too harshly on the key.

“Tell me about it” The boy scoffed, throwing his coat around and she raised an eyebrow. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I just find ironic how I call you almost every day to tell you what I did and you always say you didn’t do anything special”

“Because I haven’t” The girl chewed on the inside of her cheek and paused her reading, but not bringing herself to change back to him and what she assumed would be his disappointed face. “My days are literally all the same, and you’ve had them almost twice as much as I have, you’d get so bored if I were to tell you about them”

“Well, I spent today in a meeting and we both know there’s nothing as boring as that. But I tell you about it anyway because I want to feel like you were there with me” He huffed and threw himself on the bed “But instead of allowing me to be with you, you don't tell me much and I only find out what happened after half of the world did”

“I told you we did that interview weeks ago. I never touched the subject because-”

“This isn’t about one case, love” Sehun groaned and paused for a second, trying not to raise his voice as his desperation grew “For weeks now, all I get from you is the ‘same old’ without any detailing. It’s like you don’t even care that I want to connect with you. You’re not even on my tab right now, I can see it from the reflection behind you”

Quickly exiting her email, Sunny maximized the call so that it was the only thing on her screen, and just like she expected Sehun was laying on his bed as pissed as she'd ever seen him.

“You could get someone to clean your inbox for you” He coldly raised an eyebrow at her after realizing she didn’t have anything to say.

“I enjoy doing it”

“Clearly you like it more than talking to me” He scoffed and Sunny closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“I don’t. It’s just... I have a lot on my plate right now. I need to make the most out of my time” The girl tried to reason and he shook his head.

“I’m just asking you to make a little time to talk to me, is that too much?” 

“I’m doing it right now” She spoke, making him sit up annoyed.

“You were listening most of the time. If you were even paying attention to me at all” Sehun accused watching her slowly lose her posture and tiredly lay back on the chair “Since I called you, this is the first time I actually feel like I’m not talking alone”

“I’m sorry I don’t have-”

“Enough time, I know. I work just like you. But apparently, I still can put effort in this relationship”

“Sehun…” Sunny whined, hugging one of her legs and resting her head on her knee. “I’m trying my best”

“I don’t feel like you are though” His laugh lacked emotion “I’m going to hang up because I need to rest for a minute”

“No, wait. I’m sorry, really” She frowned, speaking softly as she also didn’t have much energy left “I can’t connect much when we’re apart like this. I wish we were together”

“I was trying to make you feel like we’re together this whole time” The boy smiled sadly “We’ll talk about this another time, hopefully in person and when you’re not working so at least you will care enough to focus”

“Sehun…”

“Good night, HyeSun”

[idohistorysometimes]

The War on Christmas is not real and is kind of stupid.

The holiday season has just wrapped up. Christmas has passed, 2021 became 2022, and I find myself sitting at my computer desk in-between interpretive seasons at my home village. But for whatever reason the title topic of this post has been cropping up in my general sphere of existing and I figured I would talk about it given both my unique historical insight... and the fact I am just a person living in the US.

The War on Christmas is something that I have been fundamentally annoyed by. A majority of it is not based in reality and it more or less gives me the impression that many people out there is the world want to be oppressed even when they are not. Its fairly sad since a lot of the arguments I hear for “The War on Christmas” are not based in reality or historical fact. And for the sake of being thorough I will go into many of these arguments individually. 

Religious statistics in the USA

A very common argument I am hearing for this issue is that Christianity is somehow being usurped by ‘evil atheists’ or some other ‘other’ group. For the sake of clarity I will be pulling the following statistics from both the Pew Research Center (since it gives percentages) and  The Public Religion Research Institute (who gives statistics from 2020 which are some of the most recent I am seeing on the issue). As for what faith has religious dominance in the USA Christians take the cake at making up roughly 70% of the population. This includes both protestant and catholic denominations along with smaller splinter sects. Non-Christian faiths (such as Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism) make up roughly 5% although it is closer to 6. And religiously unaffiliated people make up somewhere around 20-22%.

 So statistically the number of people who would be celebrating Christmas would be much higher than the number of people who would not be. Is this inherently a bad thing? No. But saying that Christmas is somehow being oppressed by some much larger/more powerful ‘other’ is simply not true due to how large the holiday is along with how many people celebrate it. It is like saying Walmart is being financially harmed by people who shop at a much smaller mom&pop grocery store in that same town. Sure Walmart is not making more money in that scenario due to the Mom&Pop store, but due to how large of an entity Walmart is the fact not EVERYBODY is shopping there literally does not effect it at all. Same thing goes for Christmas: the fact that portions of the American population do not celebrate Christmas does not negatively impact the existence or practice of the holiday. It may be frustrating to some, but at the end of the day nothing is fundamentally changed. 

Political correctness and “Happy Holidays”

Another comment argument I hear is that Christmas is being censored by political correctness and slowly being phased out of American culture by phrases like “Happy Holidays”.

First off I would like to state that the establishment clause in the US constitution prohibits the Federal Government from establishing a federal religion along with allowing citizens to be able to publicly practice their religions and be protected by federal law for doing so. However, also makes it so that not only can the federal government not establish a national religion, it cannot favor 1 religious belief over another. All are equal under the eyes of the law and all are given the same treatment under the law. Lets take the supreme court case Lynch v. Donnelly for example. This ruling allowed a Nativity scene to stand on public property because in this same display: other non-denominational and symbols from other religions were also displayed. And because this specific Nativity display also had other elements of a non-religious nature it was allowed to stand because the entire display did not cater specifically to one religion. The space was shared with other symbols. If it were just the nativity on its own on public property, either other religious symbols or non-religious/non-denominational references need to be added or else it violates the establishment clause. 

The phrase “Happy Holidays” is not some cruel attack at Christmas, family values, and whatever else you can think of: its simply a way of recognizing the establishment clause (aka there is more than 1 holiday happening in December). 

When you say “Happy Holidays” you are not saying “happy every other holiday but Christmas” you are simply acknowledging the fact that other holidays exist. By saying this you are not celebrating them yourself, nor are you taking away from Christmas. You are simply just acknowledging the fact that Christmas is not the only holiday going on during December. Hanukkah, Santa Lucia, Yule, Boxing Day, Christmas, and Kwanzaa among others all happen roughly around the same time. Some of these holidays are strictly religious, others are not, there is no harm in simply nodding to the fact they exist. Its not political correctness: its just politeness. Its a way if including those other holidays without singling any of them out. If you do not like it, stick with just saying “Merry Christmas” and if somebody replies with “Happy Holidays” just leave it at that. Do not try to force them to say “Merry Christmas” or ‘flip the fuck out’ because they may not even celebrate Christmas. There is no use crying over milk that has ever even been spilt. Everybody is entitled to their own religions, and if they do not celebrate yours its not your place to try to force them to as if they owe you as such. Nobody owes anyone anything other than basic respect and implementing this basic respect does not involve you stopping the celebration of your holiday of choice in any way. 

Plus as a little side note: Obama has said “Merry Christmas” before (several times in fact on live television). 

Holiday Symbolism (and the fact its not all inherently ‘Christian’)

Many proponents of this ‘War on Christmas’ argument will frequently cite appropriation of Christmas symbols as evidence for there being a symbolic war on Christmas. These symbols often vary but one of the more recent ones I have been seeing people get pissed off over is this Nutcracker made by Target: 

As you can see, it is quite homosexual. 

In all seriousness many people seem to think many of the symbols now commonly associated with Christmas are mutually excusive to it and have no other roots. Or they in a way ‘belong’ to Christmas. This is also not true. 

Lets look at the Nutcracker for example: 

Even though Nutcrackers became associated with Christmas (thanks to the ballet partly) they do not really have any connection to Christmas other than the fact they were commonly given as gifts. Were they actually able to crack nuts? Yep. They also served as spiritual protectors of a household and warded of unwanted spirits. Now they mostly serve as decorations but, no, these are not exclusively Christmas items (although over time they have been heavily associated with Christmas). So people being offended at this specifically on the grounds of it being “a Christmas symbol” is pretty unwarranted. 

Another symbol I would like to bring up is the Christmas tree!

Christmas trees or the use of evergreens have been practiced long before Christmas was even a holiday. The use of the evergreen has been used symbolically by Romans during their festival of Saturnalia (which ironically occurs during when modern day Christmas does) along with many European Pagan faiths as a symbol of bountiful harvests or to help brighten their homes during the cold winters. Please keep in mind that the meaning of this symbol can differ from culture to culture and thus mean different things: but it originates from paganism. Same goes for wreaths which generally follow the same principles. 

This also applies to other things as well. The Yule log tradition (no not the cake, the actual log) has ties with Yule and thus Paganism (go figure). Gift giving in general can even be traced back to Saturnalia. My point to this entire section is that Christmas borrows from a lot of different places. Hell, even the date of Christmas was intentionally chosen to be around Yule and these other Pagan winter holidays. The immaculate conception of the blessed virgin Mary is traditionally celebrated either on the 8th or 9th of December. Assuming this is the actual date Jesus was conceived this would place his birth sometime in September. So even the date of Christmas’s celebration is even attributed from something else. Again, not a bad thing, but this should be taken into account before one goes out of their way to claim ownership over symbols and tradition. 

This is something I do not think a lot of people understand about how culture, symbols, and things of that nature work. Due to how cultures change and borrow from each other sometimes you get instances where a Holiday or even a culture borrows large chunks of itself from somewhere else. And that's fine. That's to be expected. But when looking at this “War on Christmas” thing and looking at the origins of very large chunks of Christmas... you cannot make the argument that leftists, ‘libs’, or this perceived ‘other’ is stealing your symbols/traditions without acknowledging the history and origins of said symbols/traditions. 

Some closing thoughts

I feel like many people like to go out of their way to make themselves angry and create villains that justify that anger. The War on Christmas is a prime example of this.  

If you take anything away from this post its that everybody (Christian or not) is entitled to their own holidays and religions. However, just because you believe in one thing does not mean other people need to bend over backwards and believe in it with you. Christmas is not the only holiday that has significance in December and admitting that is not the end of the world. 

Hopefully everyone reading this had a Happy Holiday season and can feel confidence wishing people a happy ‘whatever’. 

[nose-bandaid]

stud.hui.o fanatic

hello!! i see that your requests are open so,,, could i request a non-romantic gender-neutral reader & hui scenario where the reader brings food to the studio late at night and convinces hui to eat and get some rest bc everyone is worried abt him? maybe with some platonic hand-holding.........? thank u so much 😖

Hui (Hwitaek) x (gender neutral) Reader - platonic fluff:D | 2.1k words

synopsis: late night phone calls weren’t uncommon when you’re lee hwitaek’s best friend, because more often than not, the man is sucked into the void known as his studio, and it’s your responsibility to drag him out of there.

a/n: hey there anon!! gosh when i say that i loved this prompt i really do mean it, so i hope that you enjoy this fic and that it’s what you were looking for:) apologies for the multitude of italicized words they just felt necessary.

=====

Your phone had to buzz endlessly for a second time to bring you to your senses. It was far too early in the morning for a phone call, and typically, you would’ve just ignored it and gone back to bed. But when you read the caller ID, you begrudgingly hit the answer button.

“Wooseok?” His name came out slurred as you tried to rub the sleep out of your eyes. “What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Hi y/n, sorry to call you at this time, but Hui’s been in the studio literally all day, plus for like, half of yesterday, and we can’t get him to go home and rest. Practice ended like an hour ago, but he’s still in there.” His reply came out in a tired rush, and his voice was hushed as if he was trying to hide from someone. That someone probably being Hwitaek himself.

You caught onto what Wooseok was asking of you. This wasn’t the first time you had to drag him out of the studio. Being his best friend had many perks, way more perks that outweighed the few downsides that came along with it, and one of them was that you now carried the responsibility of kicking some sense into his overworking butt when he fell into this overloaded phase.

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” You answered without asking for any more details and bid your brief goodbyes before hanging up. Then, you got changed into some comfier clothes to match the chillier weather outside and grabbed your car keys.

It was late, and the only restaurant still open on your way to the studio was a small shop next to a karaoke bar, and you stopped by to pick up some fried rice. It wasn’t the most exciting meal out there, but for a 2am dinner run — or rather, breakfast-lunch-dinner run, if you were Hwitaek — it seemed pretty fitting.

When you arrived at the building and made your way to the studio floor, you saw the tall boy sitting on one of the benches in the hallways. He was hunched over, scrolling mindlessly on his phone and you could tell he was trying his hardest to stay awake for his leader’s sake.

You said a soft greeting as you approached him and he sent you a smile before letting a worried expression wash over him again. The door to the studio slightly ajar and Wooseok gestured for you to take a peek into the small gap, placing a warm hand on your back as he stood behind you.

“Just look at him.” He whispered, and you stared at your best friend working away on his computer, seemingly without any breaks to even think about what to do next. He simply clicked a few times, played something, shook his head, and then repeated the process all over again.

You turned back to Wooseok and began ushering him away from the door. “I’ll take care of this. I’m also guessing he hasn’t eaten much—” He nodded in agreement when you said that. “—so I brought some food with me. Go home and get some rest, I know you’re tired, just tell the others that I’ll bring him home... eventually.” You smiled reassuringly, but had to add in that “eventually” because deep down, you knew how just stubborn Hwitaek could be, and getting him out of the studio was a hefty task. Add in the upcoming planned promotions, then you get an even more stubborn version of him to work with — one that doesn’t understand the boundaries between work and self care.

Wooseok nodded slowly and your heart melted at the exhausted expression on his face. They’ve all been working so hard recently, heck, their packed schedules were a constant these days, and you could sense that it was taking a toll on them. Though no matter how tired they were, they always made sure to look out for each other, and you wanted to do your best to help ease at least some of the stress off the group. With a little more convincing, you finally got Wooseok to leave, giving him a hug before he did, and then you turned towards the task at hand. Even though the door was already opened, you knocked once to grab Hwitaek’s attention.

No answer.

You knocked again, this time calling out his name a couple times.

When he still didn’t answer, you gently opened the door all the way and let out a sigh when you fully took in his appearance.

“Hey, Hui.”

Still no answer.

You walked closer to him and leaned over to get a better look at his face. His eyes looked like they were seconds away from slumber, and his head rested on his hand like a makeshift pillow. “Hui? Hwitaek? Hui? Pentagon of Leader? Huiiiiiii?”

You placed the takeout gently next to his keyboard and then slowly nudged it so that it touched his arms resting on the table. When he didn’t respond to that either  — and opted to mess around with the dynamics of the percussion in his composition instead — you stood straight up and let out a huff.

“Lee Hwitaek!” You called boldly and for the first time that day, he took notice of your presence.

“Oh, hey y/n. Could you check if this sounds okay?” He greeted you nonchalantly as if you hadn’t travelled all this way in the middle of the night to see him, and proceeded to play an excerpt of what he had splayed out on the screen. You stood there speechless until the music finished blasting from the speakers and then just stared at his expectant face.

“Hui you need to snap out of it! I know this comeback means a lot to you and you want to get the work done but you can’t do it like this.” You told him exasperatedly.

“What do you mean I can’t do it like this? I’ve always been doing it like this, and it works every time.” He defended, and he replayed the section for you to hear, but you still refused to pay attention to it.

“You do this every time only to have one of us literally drag you out of the studio! And then you face the consequences days later ‘cause your body’s exhausted, your mind’s exhausted — don’t you think you’ll work better if you were refreshed?” You moved his hand away from the mouse when he tried to go back to work and ignore you.

“I just have a little bit left to do and I’ll finish up soon, I promise.” He muttered. It was almost as if he was entranced by the idea of never ending work hours, and Lee Hwitaek was being sucked into the void of his monitor right before your eyes.

“I’ll finish it up soon, my ass. We’ve been best friends for what? 12 years now? I know you’re lying when you say that, and I know that you’ll be sick by the time you ‘finish’ this and then you’ll regret it later. It’s the same cycle over and over again and you need to stop, please I’m begging you, we’ve been through this so many times already.” You tried to calm yourself down. Getting frustrated over his stubbornness wasn’t going to do any good, if anything, it’ll only make the problem worse. He finally gave you his full attention when he noticed that you took a deep breath to collect yourself. Taking a deep breath has always been a sign that you meant business.

And yet he still replied to you blatantly. “If I don’t finish it up all at once, I’m going to forget about it later.”

You rubbed your forehead, trying to get rid of the annoyance that was building up within you. “And then you’re going to finish that part, only to think of another idea to work on right after that. Like I said, it’s a cycle and you need to realize that. Please, I’ll give you 30 minutes to finish what you’re doing and write your notes down, and then we’re going to take a walk, no matter what you say.”

He nodded at your firm tone and quietly got back to work after muttering a small “okay”. You spent the next 20 or so minutes watching him work, occasionally feeding him spoonfuls of the rice you brought, until he finally shut everything down and turned to you to scarf down what was left in the foam container. 

“I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” He pointed out the obvious when there was no rice left, and he stretched before getting up from his seat. You giggled when you heard his joints crack at the sudden movement.

“Geez, you really are getting old, huh? And that’s what happens when you get stuck in sitting in this chair for more than 24 hours.” You lightly smacked his head to get some sense into him. “You don’t take care of yourself and don’t realize that your body needs food.”

He rolled his eyes, giving in to your light scolding. “Okay, okay, you’re right.” 

“Sir, I am always right.”

-----

Not too long later, you were both taking a walk outside the building, entering the quiet night life of the city.

The winter air had a chill to it and you shivered a little, taking Hwitaek’s free hand into yours. He responded by squeezing it gently. 

Small physical affirmations like these have always got you through your friendships. As people who both relied on them as a source of comfort, it’s what allowed you to be as close as you were now. Though there were times where you’d have your disagreements — take the little argument you had earlier — holding hands especially, has always been what you used to remind yourselves that in the end, you still loved each other. That you were still best friends.

“I’m so proud of you, you know that?” You told him quietly.

He laughed. “What? Am I getting a pep talk now?”

Your cheeks heated at his words and you stopped walking, pulling him into a stop as well. “I’m being serious here!”

He gave you a teasing look. “I know you are, and I appreciate you always coming to take care of me. Even though I’m not in your shoes, I do know how stubborn I can get and how frustrating it must be for you guys to watch me make the same mistakes over and over again.” He let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. “But some habits are hard to break, yeah?”

You let out a small hum in agreement. It was true, everyone had their own habits — some good, some bad — and while Hwitaek had a fair share of endearing habits, between you and the rest of the boys, his were also the most concerning. You’d all rather have him stay healthy than have him work his soul away on some songs that can ultimately, only do the group so much. And getting him to realize that was a challenge, but it was a challenge you were all willing to take.

Your walk didn’t have a set destination, and you crossed streets and changed directions on a whim, adding more thrill to your little adventure. At one point, you even stopped at one of the convenience stores still open so that he could buy himself a drink. Which ended up simply being a carton of milk after you insisted that no, coffee at 3 am is not going to help him rest at all. You allowed him to at least get chocolate milk though. And you spent your time talking about anything unrelated to his work, sharing stories that you’ve missed during your time apart.

The two of you pretended like it wasn’t the middle of the night and that you weren’t freezing in the cold because neither of you were responsible enough to have prepared layers for the weather. Because so what if it was pitch dark and the only sign of life were the lonely taxis that drove by? If the only sound joining the chirps of the crickets were your laughter and you couldn’t feel the tips of your ears anymore? Your best friend finally had the chance to rest and be himself once again, and you’d be there for him no matter what time of day it was. As long as you got to see his shoulders relax a little and his smile genuinely reach his eyes again. As long as you knew that he’d listen to you, as his best friend, and that he’d let you take care of him when you needed to. It didn’t matter how often that had to happen.

When you turned the corner back to the entrance of the entertainment building, you looked at Hwitaek and nodded your head towards the floors upon floors towering above. “You wanna go back to the studio and work for a little while longer to let me hear what you’ve got so far?”

Getting him to take a break was already a miracle, and as much as you wished he would at least spend the night resting, you felt bad for dragging him out like this. You understood that he probably worked best if he was allowed to follow his train of thoughts without disruption, as bad as that habit was.

Thinking that he would agree to your offer, you were already making your way towards the entrance. But to your surprise, he grabbed your wrist to stop you and instead gave you a relaxed smile.

“Nah.” He pulled you closer to him and slung an arm around your shoulder, leaning into it a little bit. His body was pleasantly warm against yours.

“Let’s just go home, work can wait.”

[shesawriter39049]

|Got Me Loosin All My Cool| M|

Pairings: Jungkook X Reader | Jimin X Reader( Smut) FT- Side Tae & Yoongi

Note: Kook is in 80% of this but he’s “new” to the dynamic...so the smut is with Jimin and the OC...not Kookie!

About- Jimin and yourself take Jungkook shopping for a new suit to wear to the “Spectrum” launch party! OH, and Jimin fucks you in the backseat of your truck in the parking garage of the mall…..

OR: You know Kookie still in that “Broke college grad” phase only being with the company barley a month, and you don’t want him to feel self-conscious at the event! You’ve also been too busy to really check in with him to see how he’s adjusting! So, you thought something like this, in a more laxed atmosphere, would be a good solution! Oh and Jimin, honestly he’s just nosey as fuck and inched himself along, like nobody really invited him he invited his damn self! Also Jungook can’t underatand why the fuck your all so damn attractive...like...why!?

Jungkook’s a sweetheart and lowkey confused and whipped for everybody

Tae’s kinda being a spoiled asshole

Yoongi’s over it!

Jimin’s being a brat, he’s not use to having to “Behave” around others, espeically while your wearing “that” dress.....

-Song Reference- COOL-  Dua lipa

WC: 6K

WARNINGS: Semi-public sex/Top OC/Power bottom Jimin/ Spit play/ Cum play/ Fingering (F receiving) Cockrings/Lube (yes ppl actually use that IRL )Dirty talk/ biting, finger sucking

FINAL NOTE: This little excerpt is the prequel to the next full-length one-shot “All Eyes On Me” which is Hoseoks official ‘Intro” if you will. The full Summary for that can be found in the Masterlist which is linked below! Also if you’re new here..this is a stand-alone one-shot within my OT7Poly AU called “7 Deep” Short version: Your husband Namjoon and yourself run a successful Adult Film Entertainment Company called “Onyx” with your 5 best friends from college who you also happen to be in an open relationship with!

(Sneak peek)

~~~~~~

ONXY ENTERTAINEMENT 10:45 AM

Jungkook’s happy I guess almost surprisingly so, I mean yeah Yoongi and yourself seemed cool in the interview, and when he did is work interview the vibe was chill. But let’s get real, we all know shit always seems better than it actually is in the interviews!

For one he honestly wasn’t expecting to be given such free reign already which is also why he’s happy as hell he didn’t listen to his roommate’s Mark and Ten and lie on his resume. Granted, everything still had to go through Yoongi first but he wasn’t just... I don’t know editing thumbnails like he thought he was actually doing real work. He’s been here barely a month and he already has reels he can add to his portfolio! Learning new tips and tricks, believe it or not, even through his internships he’s learned that some people are stingy when it comes to sharing knowledge. Yoongi however was far from that, thankfully he was well aware that just because you teach someone your “secrets” doesn’t mean you’re essentially replacing yourself! What makes you good at your job isn’t just how it’s done its how you do it!

If only Kookie could stop internally fangirling over Yoongi his life would be a little easier! He’d seen hundreds of your companies films before and being the production major he is..of course, he’d watch it the first time to jack off..then the second time he’d find himself just as if not even more turned on for the production quality. That’s something Onyx is always praised for..”Aesthetically pleasing porn”. Every morning, Yoongi would sit him down and show him something new and for the first time he finally understands what people mean when they say that someones mind is..attractive! Not Yoongi himself though, because that’s his boss and that would be weird but like his brain, ya know? Yoongi’s brian is sexy in a broboss way...I don’t know just go with it!

Anyway, Kook’s current project was actually one of his favorites so far because it was forcing him to actually challenge himself! This was something actually requested by Hoseok, who he learned was 26, the head of marketing, always bouncing around like he’s had 6 expresso shots and somehow manages to make streetwear look professional…. But anyway the task is creating trailers for films that are pc enough to not be blocked on platforms like IG but spicy enough to get ppl to wanna watch the full thing. Making a climax without the actual climax if you know what I mean. So he’d have to sit there and watch the films, try not to get hard and wanna jack off while watching said films...then take notes and screencaps of the best moments and compile them together without showing “too much”. He’s never been so thankful that he could wear sweatpants to work….because…..yeah it was hard..literally and figuratively hard...but like I said he’s happy and can pay his bills so that’s cool too!

Don’t get me wrong he still feels a little out of place at times and surprisingly enough not for the reason he expected! Two months shy of his 21st bday he assumed he’d feel a type of way because he’s the youngest but that’s not the case! Hell, they went to Nobu for lunch last week and Jin actually slid him his drunk so he wasn’t the only one not drinking!  Flashing him a cheeky little wink and whispering “Don’t tell mom” in reference to you once Kook looked back at him like a deer in headlights! It seems as though they care more about his talent than his age which is the way it should be because he knows he’s good at what he dose!

However, Onyx is kinda like those offices you see on TV, the kind he never thought where real, behind closed doors the environment is far from pc! It’s not a normal morning unless somebodies cursing out there computers! This morning he swore Taehyung told Jimin he had a shrimp dick…… There’s “that’s what she said” jokes being thrown out left and right, people cracking jokes on one another. And it’s not that he feels uncomfortable by any means again he’s a 20 y/o kid from LA it’s just ...he’s new...ya know? So he doesn’t know if he’s “allowed” to do that! So in the meantime, he just spends his days laughing until his chest hurts!

But besides that everybody’s chill , he’s still trying to learn people, regardless of how laxed the office is everybody’s busy as all hell especially Namjoon and yourself! The two of you are actually his biggest mystery, he’s never thought of marriage being something that he’d want. He’s always heard that people change, and shit gets boring, but even in a work environment that’s far from the vibe he gets from the two of you! You actually make marriage seem exciting, worth it, like a gift, not a task…..

Something else that he can’t truly wrap his head around is that your his boss, like legitimately his boss! Somebody that looks like you,I mean fuck your not even 30, you sway around the office in your little dresses and designer heels! Always dolled up hell sometimes he questions if he’s the one in some upscale porno! Actually, not just you all of you why the fuck are all of you so effortlessly attractive and put together?! To make it even worse you all know your shit too! Two days ago for example Kook went to Yoongi to ask if there was a certain way he wanted the ending credits to come into frame, and instead of Yoongi responding you did! Using terminology that had him ready to run home and pull out his “Intro to production” text box! Shit don’t make any Goodman sense...even Yoongi sitting in his office looking like he could be in one of the films he’s editing and no, god no why is he thinking this about his higher-ups?! No, no, nope try again Jeon!

However, now that we’re on this topic, there is one person that he can’t quite wrap his head around...I mean yeah he’s nice but he just seems more reserved around Jungkook than everyone else. Which is odd considering he’s the one Kook meet first, he’s actually the one that encouraged him to even submit his resume, to begin with! What makes it even odder is Yoongi and yourself actually told him that Tae was the most outgoing...it’s not that Jungkook nessercally thinks Tae dislikes him it’s just ...I don’t know, I don’t know…I guess he was just...warmer when the two of them met at Starbucks then he is now that they actually work together!

...And I guess that’s why he almost shit himself when his phone rang and the incoming name rang though as….”Taehyung Kim”...he kinda hoped he pocket dialed him and would just hand up! But wait, I guess you can’t really do that from a landline can you?? Fuckkkkkk

“I know technologies come a long way Kook, but phones don’t answer themselves ya know…” Eyes fluttering over to see Yoongi smirking at him, tone blatantly amused as he flipped through a file he had in his hands.It’s like he could sense how nervous he is too “Don’t worry about Tae, he’s more bark than he is bite, he’s literally a puppy dressed in Gucci…” Flicking his chin in the direction of the phone with a reassuring smile.

With a timid nod and shaky fingers Jungkook picks up  the call on the final ring “H-hello??”

“Jungkook? Can you come to my office in the next 5 or so minutes?” His tone wasn’t rude by any means but it also wasn’t the most inviting. Eyes fluttering overly timidly in Yoongis direction because he knew Tae was loud enough that the elder could hear and he smiled fondly, nodding in approval. Arms crossed firm against his chest, head cocked to the side, eyes squinting slightly from under his black baseball cap, as if he was now purposely trying to hear the conversation.

“Umm, yeah, yeah of course…” God, why does he sound like he’s still going through puberty right now!? Voice fluttering ina and out of an octave!

“Great!”

Tae just hangs up, no goodbye ...promoting Yoongi to roll his eyes, with an exasperated sigh...Jungkook just sits there for a moment, not too sure what to do!

“You’re free to go, Seok dosen’t need these until Friday and your deifiently far enough along, a little time away from your desk wont hurt! Oh, just save your stuff first though! The systems moving slow as fuck and I’m about ready to break my damn computer so I’ll probably do a system reboot while you’re gone!”

Jungkook nods timidly, swallowing so hard he’s sure Yoongi heard it, fingers scattering to do as Yoongis instructed, he literally feels like he’s going to throw up! Why does Tae make him so nervous? I mean no offense but Tae isn’t even his boss why is he more freaked out of Taehyung than is actual boss!

He hears a heavy sigh fall from behind him, as Yoongi invites himself to take a seat, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder ‘First off, you’re doing fucking great, and I mean that, so step back...and breath...” Squeezing his shoulder slightly, tone calm yet stable enough to ground the younger! 

 “Second, I’m ordering lunch from that coney up the street, Hyungs treat” He watches Jungkook go to open his mouth in protest and Yoongi just groans, loud and obnoxious, eyes fluttering to the back of his head more times than he can count!

“Don’t even try and give me that “Your not hungry bullshit” Eyes narrowing in the youngers direction challangingly “So let’s try this again, what do you want? And yes Tae can wait I already texted him and told him so you’re fine! Now go to google and pull up Leo’s menu and lets order lu-”

“Yonngggggiiiii!!!’ Whines through the studio, which only promps the man in question to slowly sink into his chair as if he was trying to make himself dissapear! And before Jungkook can even make heads or tails as to what’s happening...a pair of skin-tight leather pants, a florial silk shirt, that was sitting so low it mideswell not even be buttoned, flashy shades and windswept pastel pink hair comes strutting in... Looking like something straight out of Vouge so again he asks why the fuck does everybody look like this!?

Not even botherng to ask if he’s interupted anything, just flinging his arms around the production manager’s neck, propping his chin on top of his head,

“I need like...20 headshots edited...in the next half hour” Jungkook watched Yoongi go completely ridgit a scowl on his face as he tried to pull away but the casting manager only held on tigher “...and before you kill me even though I drunk some of it this Amerciano is for you soooo, I feel like I’ve made it worth or while, please and thank you! ” Smiling so big his eyes dispered into his face it took everything in him not to coo and swoon all at the same damn time!

Jimin fucking Park......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heyyyyyyyy,

That’s all she wrote for now, don’t know the post date yet, I’ve written up wo when they actually go to the mall so it’s like halfway done.....

MASTERLIST FOR THIS AU IS DOWN BELOW, I’M GLAD PEOPLE ARE ENYOING THIS “UNIVERSE”!

7 DEEP

[dukeofonions]

Puppet vs Video Games (The Gimmicks of Sanders Sides)

If you’ve followed me for awhile (meaning the short amount of time I’ve been running this blog) then you’ll probably be aware of what my opinions are of the “gimmicks” that have been making themselves prevalent in recent Sanders Sides episodes. Now just to make things clear, almost every episode of Sanders Sides uses some kind of gimmick. 

Well, besides the first one, which consists entirely of talking with no added effects. 

And I, being the faceless entity that sits behind a computer screen judging an online web series, am going to rant about that because this is my blog and I do what I want. So let’s begin… 

The Prologue

As season one progresses we see things like location changes, a song, Thomas’ friends making several appearances, simple editing tricks (like putting text or pictures on a screen) minor costume changes (Logan and Patton dressing as Sherlock and Watson) split screen effects, and even an episode featuring an animated segment. 

At the end of Season One we were introduced to the concept of “Rooms” which added a whole new layer to the story and got people excited to see what the other rooms would entail. Still, up to this point, the gimmicks remained mostly in the background as small ways to sprinkle in some extra storytelling while the dialogue continued to be the main thing carrying the series. 

Then Season Two began with Fitting In, which featured a few more props that served to signify each of the Hogwarts houses. This made sense seeing as that was the focus of the video, and for fans of Harry Potter, it would be fun to see the characters wearing things from the different houses. 

After Fitting In, we got Moving On which featured the introduction of Patton’s room. Like with Virgil’s, a lot went into designing his room. There is a lot to look at, who knows how long it took to find all the stuff they showcased in the background? On top of that they also had the filter they used to give the room a dreamlike quality, and my favorite detail, the pictures that continue to change throughout the episode depending on what the characters are talking about. 

It remains one of my favorite set pieces from the series just from the amount of detail they put into it, and it felt like a step up from Virgil’s room (which I also love) and it makes me excited for the rest of the rooms that have yet to be revealed. 

However! I am not here to discuss the rooms. Even though I already did… 

After Moving On, however, is when things start to change with the series. 

During the 12 Days of Christmas, the Sides are each given their own custom Christmas sweaters, but that’s only part of the gimmick. The centerpiece for this episode is, of course, the song sung by all four Sides. This moment is pretty significant as it marks the first time all four of them appeared on screen together at the same time. 

This was just the tip of the iceberg for what was to come… 

Immediately following 12 Days we get Can Lying Be Good? Which featured a new location where the video spent the majority in, using quick cuts with the cameras to give off the illusion of Roman pretending to be Joan (including clever uses of audio) and of course, Deceit himself. The makeup and costume was unlike anything we’d seen in the series yet. Throw in some more split screen to show two Sides on screen together, as well as some clever costume choices for character Thomas, makes this episode (in my opinion) the best at utilizing its effects and filming techniques to tell its story. 

And then, things start to shift again…. 

The next episode we get is Why Do We Get Out Of Bed In The Morning? Which took some time to produce, coming out in April after CLBG? Was released in February. Still, good time considering what was to come. 

This episode had some mixed reviews once it finally came out, but I plan on tackling that later. The reason this episode (which was really just a longer, drawn out version of Losing My Motivation but starring Logan and Roman) was the use of animations. 

For Logan, his arguments were displayed via “Stop Motion” writings of graphs and charts which he used to explain his points. And from a short behind the scenes video, each of these were drawn by hand and took hours to make. From what I understand, all of Roman’s bits were animated on a computer, though I don’t have much info on how they were made. 

Within the episode, these different types of animations were used to help Roman and Logan illustrate their points. And while on their own they’re quite adorable, they aren’t necessary for the telling of this story. One thing this episode was criticised for was how the writing felt off. Everything seemed rushed and none of the characters felt in character, and while I don’t recall anyone outright saying it, it’s likely that perhaps the team felt pressured to get this video out on time, and thus might have skipped out on other elements in order to make up for the time spent working on the animations. 

Whether that was writing the script, filming, or editing, we don’t know. All I know is that the general consensus for this episode was that it was just okay. As a Logan and Roman fan though, it was kinda disappointing for their first episode with them taking the spotlight together to just be viewed as “okay” and isn’t a favorite of mine. 

Things picked up a little after Crofters: The Musical was released only a few days after WDWGOOBITM (that title is a monster to type no matter how ya do it) and it featured a song as its gimmick. The mood was a bit lighter, we got to see Logan having fun, and hey we even got our first main Roman angst foreshadowing! Good thing that wouldn’t be dragged out for several episodes, right?

All in all, things were definitely looking up for Sanders Sides. From the looks of it, we were going to start getting more frequent updates! 

Then the Drought happened and we had to wait almost six months for a new episode. 

At least that would be the longest we ever had to wait for something. 

Before I get into the beef of this post I wanna bring up three more episodes, Embarrassing Phases, Selfishness vs Selflessness, and Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts. 

Like the other episodes throughout Season Two, each of these episodes have different gimmicks. In Embarrassing Phases, it’s the Halloween costumes. In SVS, it’s a location change plus costume change, and in DWIT we get the introduction of Remus along with a musical number and a few props. 

I’d say each of these episodes does a good job at incorporating their gimmicks into the story. Embarrassing Phases involves them talking about Halloween and using costumes as metaphors or something like that (This may be one of the few times I say something positive about this episode don’t get used to it)

With SVS, thanks to some clever acting, we can see Janus get the idea of using the courtroom scenario to try and get his point across. He first does this by suggesting that Thomas may not be as innocent as he seems, and after Patton defends him, that’s when Janus switches to the courtroom in order to put Patton to the test and literally defend Thomas as a lawyer. 

Then in DWIT, given that Remus is a very outgoing character, it makes sense that he’d use a song to explain who he is and make a dramatic entrance. Plus, the series has used songs before so it’s not surprising to see this here. And seeing as Remus is creativity, it’s only fitting that he’s able to conjure random things throughout the episode. Okay, that was a long prologue, onto the actual reason most of you  probably clicked on this post. Part One: The Puppets

Learning New Things About Ourselves also does a good job of handling its gimmick and incorporating it into the story. Like the three I just mentioned, there’s a set up and a pay off. We get an idea of what’s to come with this moment: 

“I don’t feel content,” 

“With my content.” 

Which is obviously a reference to some random children’s educational program (most likely Sesame Street) by showcasing how two words that are spelled the same can have different meanings. Great now I sound like some educational children’s program. 

Then later on, we get the actual set up that comes from Thomas becoming frustrated that he can’t figure out what the problem is that’s causing this whole dilemma. He says, “We’ve got an issue. Something that I’m not aware of yet, something that may be unlocked with the right question. This is like...  fundamental learning!”

After he says that, he gets an idea and asks the others how he used to learn things and each one responds accordingly: 

Logan: Textbooks! 

Roman and Virgil: Mistakes. 

Patton: Puppets! 

And of course, initially, Thomas questions this and no one really understands what Patton means by this. But he explains and makes a case for it, “Thomas used to learn all kinds of new and helpful things from puppets when he was younger! Like how to count and his ABCs. Maybe it’ll be easier to work through issues when puppets are involved.” 

We see Thomas consider the idea, and then Logan sets up a joke with him saying Thomas has outgrown that kind of stuff only to have him express his love for the idea. 

After that, the Sides (excluding Logan) change into their respective puppets and continue on the episode. 

One important thing to note (which I will bring up later) is that this scene takes place around the 15 minute mark. At least by that point, everyone except Logan has changed into a puppet. With the video being 38 minutes long, this is about halfway through the episode, and by the 31 minute mark the Sides begin turning back to normal. 

Which means the puppets roughly take up only about 15 minutes of the video, slightly longer if you count Logan’s puppet, but you get the idea. 

Also I’m bad at math so if I got this wrong sue me. There’s a reason I’m sitting here writing this instead of doing something with my life.

From then on, the conversation continues with everyone still trying to figure out what the question they need to be asking is. Of course, plenty of references to other educational kid shows are thrown around, but that now makes sense seeing as they’re fully embracing the puppet idea. Patton furthers the conversation along by finally getting Thomas to start asking “Why” and uses another reference to do so, which starts the next part of the conversation and brings us the next major conflict in this episode, Logan.

He gives his opinion, stating that no one takes Thomas seriously and that he should switch careers in order to obtain that status instead of devoting his time to making silly videos. 

This of course, causes dissension within the group, and leads to Roman once again insulting Logan before realizing that he’s been going too far. After being prompted to apologize, Roman attempts to express his feelings to Logan and say sorry, but it doesn’t exactly help him feel any better which is when Patton suggests he try a different way.

And, Roman being Roman, decides the best way to do this is through song. A song that’s reminiscent of those one might hear on Sesame Street (there’s probably others but I’m rolling with this one) so it fits with the puppet thing. Again, it’s justified. 

The episode ends with Logan finally understanding where the others are coming from and Thomas finding the right question to ask, which he is able to answer and it solves the dilemma. 

Logan turns into a puppet, there’s another Sesame Street reference, and Roman is finally gonna start addressing his issues! 

Good thing that won’t be brushed under a rug by the other characters for three more episodes right? 

All in all, in case you couldn’t tell, I adore this episode and it still remains one of my favorites to this day. It doesn’t beat you over the head with the references, which are used cleverly and in a fun way that also keeps the story moving along. The designs for the puppets are cute and match each of the characters, and the puppetry is amazing! 

Plus the song is an absolute bop and it still makes me emotional sometimes. 

Which begs the question, was the sixth month wait worth it? Well, after hearing all that went into making this episode and seeing the final result, I’d say it was worth it. 

It’s also nice that we got a behind the scenes video where we got to see the full story on how this episode was made and all the difficulties Thomas, Joan, and Talyn faced when trying to make it a reality. Did they need to use puppets? No, but what matters is that they were able to take the idea and incorporate it into a story in a way that was fun and felt justified for existing. 

Not saying this episode is perfect, there are a few problems here and there, but overall this remains one of my top Sanders Sides episodes and one I’ve watched repeatedly since it came out. 

Now that all that positive stuff is out of the way, let’s get to the fun part….

Part Two: The Video Games

I’m gonna be blunt, Putting Others First does not do as good of a job with incorporating video games into its story like LNTAO does. 

However, I can’t exactly talk about this episode without talking about the extremely long wait we had in between episodes. The last official episode (that follows the main storyline, so not Asides) came out on June 25, 2019. POF came out May 1st, 2020. 

Almost 10 months, the longest we’ve ever had to wait for an episode. And if you wanna go further, remember that POF was meant to be the follow up to SVS, a part two if you will, SVS came out March 31st 2019, so by the time POF came out, it had already been a year since this set up the conflict for wedding vs callback.

By that point, some people were no longer interested or as excited about the new episode, but that changed briefly when a trailer for the episode dropped after a new Bloopers video was released a few months before POF was finally released. 

Keep in mind that up until this point, we weren’t entirely sure what the hold up was for this episode. We’d only gotten the vague answer of “There’s a special sequence for this episode and we’re working with another artist in order to make it, which is why it’s taking so long.” 

Okay, fair enough, and the trailer revealed what exactly that sequence was, animation! 

Now I’ve already explained in another post why I have problems with how vague Thomas and co. are when it comes to giving information about upcoming videos, so I won’t get into that here. 

What I am going to bring up since it relates to some of my points is this, remember when they said it was a “special sequence” they were working on? Well, after the video is released we find that it isn’t one, but 10. 

I’m not counting each time a sequence was used (For example, the opening segment which is later followed by Roman imagining a different outcome in the same style or every single one of Logan’s low-down’s, and the two trolley problems are counted as one sequence for this post specifically) because I really don’t wanna go through and count every single time Logan popped up on screen, but tell me, why in the heckity heck did they feel it was necessary to include 10 of these animated segments? 

And okay, there’s actually 12 (maybe 13? The Pokemon reference uses two different styles) but why are there so many? How are they necessary and what is their reason for being in this episode? 

Remember earlier when I mentioned that the puppet stuff didn’t start until the 15 minute mark? Well, POF literally begins with a video game sequence, and then the game references just keep coming. The intro gets a retro remix along with the rest of the music, and once Thomas enters the picture his curse words are covered by a gold coin and the “mario coin” sound effect. 

And then, not even three minutes in, we get yet another video game sequence recapping the last episode, after we already had a recap of the last episode less than a minute ago! 

To be fair though Rhythm Redux is a bop and I’m not sure why they felt the need to include a “flashback” after the intro when they were going to include this song anyway since it does a better job at explaining things than the random shots and dialogue from SVS. 

With LNTAO, none of the “puppet bits” began until after the Sides changed into puppets, besides that one bit of foreshadowing with the “Content with my content” line. There was no change to the intro’s music, nothing besides that one bit to foreshadow the puppets coming into play. 

Another thing LNTAO does that POF doesn’t is establish a set up, and pay off for the video games. Right off the bat, we get the video games, then later we get Patton’s line about how “Life isn’t like one of your video games” just a few minutes before the next video game sequence takes place, which just felt out of place to me the first time I watched it and I felt like that line was put in there just to remind the audience “Oh yeah, this is a video game themed episode!” 

Which, okay, there actually was some bit of set up before this back in SVS. Thomas mentions that he planned to spend his time at the wedding playing “Word Crush” on his phone, then as POF begins, that’s exactly what he’s doing. 

And there are certain instances where the sequences work. 

The beginning sequence ties back into Thomas’ comment from SVS and, in a way, sets up the video game thing (even if it does make me somewhat cringe but that’s mostly Lee and Mary Lee’s characters) and I wouldn’t have as much of a problem with how “Rhythm Redux” was incorporated if they hadn’t included the flash back after the intro. Again, why did they need two different recaps? They only needed one and it did a good job of explaining everything on its own. 

I will also say the Trolley Segments work due to the discussions being held, they’re talking about “Morality” so why wouldn’t you bring up one of the oldest moral dilemmas out there? It also ties in with my favorite part of the video, the “Final Boss” fight with Lilypadton vs Janus. I was not expecting it, and adding Janus’ reveal on top of that just made everything even better. It was dramatic, and I loved how the health bars that were used for Patton and Janus changed to represent Thomas’ deteriorating mental health. 

All in all, there was potential here with the video game theme, and there were scenes where it was used well. But all the others that I didn’t mention? They just felt forced and out of place to me and honestly, took me out of the moment. 

Another episode I want to compare POF to is Logic vs Passion (I am not typing either the title or the acronym out again) where they both incorporate their gimmicks in a similar way. 

Logan and Roman both use their respective animations to illustrate their points of view, and throughout POF all the characters use different video games to illustrate their own points. 

The issues I have with these episodes is that these conversations could have been had without the use of any of these things. The Sides have had discussions and used examples to elaborate their points in the past without the use of visuals. 

Now, can visuals help with storytelling? Yes, and I mentioned several instances where POF does this. But honestly, the whole video game theme seemed out of place for this particular video. Compare it to SVS which only had a location change, the episode focused almost entirely on its dialogue and still manages to be dramatic and engaging. You can easily follow along with the discussion without the need for fancy visuals. 

With POF, it seems like they just try to rush from one video game reference to the next, leaving little room to breathe in between before another video game is thrown into your face. What could have been a simple discussion like in SVS (which still managed to balance humor with its more serious themes) we got a rather bloated middle section which, honestly, I don’t remember much about. 

I’ve watched the video several times and without fail, I always find myself spacing out throughout a good chunk of the middle until the whole Lilypadton scene takes place. That’s when I became interested, especially when Janus entered the picture to bring in his points and act as a bit of an “anti-hero” in the whole thing. 

I simply believe this video could have been a lot simpler, and probably more cohesive if they’d left a lot of the video game stuff out. The last thing I want to be when consuming any type of media is bored, and honestly if it wasn’t for me making all these analysis posts on the episode, I probably wouldn’t have watched it again save for my favorite parts. 

Not only that, but we waited 10 months for this episode because of the video game sequences, and again you have to ask yourself, was the wait worth it? 

I have to say, unlike with LNTAO, it wasn’t worth it to me. They could take the video game sequences out altogether (even my favorite ones) and I wouldn’t really care. This episode just doesn’t need them, they don’t justify their use in this episode. Whereas in LNTAO, I love the use of puppets and if they were to be taken out, I would miss them. 

Now is this to say I hate the episode? No, there’s actually a lot I like about it. Patton’s development, Janus, and the ending with Roman are all amazing on their own. But really, who’s to say Janus couldn’t have confronted Patton in person instead of a video game world? 

Logan didn’t need to appear via little “Pop ups” and could have been called upon by Patton for help only to be brushed aside when what he says doesn’t help his case at all. Then when things start getting out of hand, “Logan” comes back to try to fix things but it doesn’t work, which is when he reveals himself only this time everyone, including the audience, fell for it because Janus has stepped up his game when it comes to disguising himself. 

Of course, the same could be said about LNTAO, they didn’t need to be puppets, right? Well, considering that the message of the episode was that you can use unconventional methods to express different ideas using different mediums, and Logan spent the whole time seeing the puppets at nothing but silly and childish only to come to this realization himself, it makes sense why puppets were used. 

However, you can actually apply that same message to POF, where they used an unconventional method to get their points across. 

The only problem, like with Logic vs Passion, was that the gimmicks alone couldn’t carry the episode. 

Logic vs Passion wasn’t as good as other episodes (and I may do a full review of this in the future) and in POF, it just felt like there was too much being crammed into this one episode. We went from discussing different types of morality and why people do good things to Janus suddenly beginning his “acceptance arc” with Roman having a breakdown at the end. Honestly, the point where Janus enters the conversation feels like a completely separate episode from what we’ve had thus far. Not only that, I have my own issues with how Janus’ character seemed to suddenly do a 180 (which I already talked about in another post) so while I love the ending scenes on their own, I admit that maybe they should have been handled differently. 

Of course, at the end of the day, all of this is just a matter of opinion. Lots of people loved the video game segments, and others didn’t like the puppets. Some people love all the gimmicks used in the videos, others wish for things to go back to the simpler formats of the older episodes and honestly, I agree. 

It seems like with every new episode the team is trying to outdo themselves and take things up another level each time, which is something I can admire, but it is something that can be overdone. Just look at Sanders Asides, it was supposed to be this simple little thing, but it might as well just be another episode. There’s nothing to distinguish it from any of the other main episodes, and if the rest of Asides is going to be the same way, then what’s the point of making it a separate series at all?

Now, Thomas and Joan have said that after this episode, they’re going to start using more practical effects and make things simpler, which I take as a sign of them learning to step back from all the gimmicks they use and just let the characters shine on their own for a while. Which, if that is the case, good on them. 

We don’t come to this series for the effects and flashy scenes, we come for the characters. They’re what we love and want to see more of. If you want more proof, just look at what people mostly took from POF, they took the character moments. It wasn’t the video game references that resonated the most with people, heck, people outright seemed to ignore the fact that Leslie Odom Jr. made a cameo. 

What do you think that says? 

Not saying people didn’t love the video game references, because a lot of people did, but it wasn’t the main thing people responded to. 

It’s okay to explore different mediums for storytelling. But sometimes, as a creator, you have to stop and ask yourself, “Is this really necessary for the story?” And believe me the hardest thing to do is cut out something that I spent hours working on because, when I viewed the story as a whole, that particular thing just wasn’t necessary for the story. Maybe I enjoyed it, and perhaps others would too, but at the end of the day, I’d be glad that I made the decision for the betterment of the story.

Okay, now this got way longer than I meant for it to be (how ironic) but you’ve all been waiting for this post for awhile and I didn’t want to postpone it further. 

I do hope you enjoyed reading this jumbled mess and, as always, feel free to let me know what your opinions were! Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, and I’ll see y’all next time! 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #361

“the world is a vampire, sent to drain”

Have you ever been through a phase of thinking emo guys were hot? A phase? Hunny, they're still hot lmao. Have you ever dated someone that could play an instrument? Yeah. Juan could play guitar, and Girt played I think the tuba in band. What’s so horrible about wearing leggings like pants? I've actually never understood why people freak about this. Like so long as they're not sheer and fit you fine, why exactly is this a problem...? Weirdest picture you’ve ever taken of yourself? Oh dear. When someone claims to be suicidal, do you take them seriously? FUCK you if you don't. Honest to god, fuck you. This is NOT something you just don't even blink at. Even if it's surprising to hear from that person, you take that shit seriously and try to talk to them about it. Ever been kicked out of anywhere? Colleen's house. Ever had Skittles vodka? No, but that shit sounds good. Ever punched someone in the face? No. If you haven’t, do you want to now? Uh, I'll pass. Do you truly HATE anyone? No one I know personally, but people like rapists, pedophiles, etc., I sure as hell do hate them. Most historical/famous landmark/building you’ve been to in your country? No clue. Favorite flavor for most things? Strawberry, watermelon, or blue raspberry, depending on what the thing is. Ever taken pictures in a photobooth? Who with? Yeah: Summer, Jason, and I'm pretty sure Sara and I did? What is the closest book to you? It's a full collection of Poe's poetry that Mom got me. Are you reading it or someone else? I'm not right now. I may eventually. Milkshakes or Sundaes? Hm, I gotta go with milkshakes. Do you like watermelons more or cherries? I'm not a fan of either, but I'd definitely pick watermelons over cherries. Who was the last person you ate with? My family and I went to Ichiban (a Japanese steakhouse that we have here where they cook directly in front of you) yesterday to celebrate Nicole's graduation. Do you prefer broccoli or asparagus? Broccoli. I hate asparagus. Do you have any bug bites? No. Do you have any flowers in your room? No. Do you know anyone that owns horses? Loosely, anyway. It's a family I took pictures for, and I still have the mother on Facebook. When you were little, did you ever go to feed the ducks? Yes, I LOVED doing that. Don't feed ducks bread, by the way. Have you seen any of the seven wonders of the world in person? No. Have you ever won anything out of one of those crane machines? Yeah. Can you remember being taught how to ride a bike? Was it hard for you? Yeah. I don't THINK it was too hard. Did you get carded the last time you ordered an alcoholic drink? No. Do you know anyone who uses medical marijuana? No, it's not legal here. Do you know anyone who’s died in childbirth? No. Which was the worst phase in your life? 2016 was. Towards the end of '15 was the breakup, and through aaaaaaall of 2016, I was just dead inside and totally useless. Every day I wanted to be dead. Can you remember your last dream? I had a nightmare some stupid kids were fucking with my snake Venus, so I was trying to protect her. Do you ever use Snapchat? No, I don't have one. What’s your favorite musical? I don't like musicals. What happened at the last party you went to? Summer prepared some little Halloween treat bags for us guests, we watched a horror movie, and everyone but me smoked some weed. Are you more comfortable sitting or lying down? I would assume everyone is more comfortable lying down... Have you ever been a fan of N*Sync? Yeah, as a kiddo. Favorite kind of cake: Red velvet, yum yum. What is your middle name? Marie. TV shows and anime you watch regularly: None. Do you want to have a big family in the future? Just a big family of pets with a spouse. What was the last thing you did that gave you a rush? Oh boy, I couldn't tell ya. Is Vegas one of your must-see places? No. Pet rat: yay or nay? YAY!! I've had many, but I don't think I'll get any more. I've just had bad luck with them, save for one that died of cancer at an old age. Would you call yourself a writer? Written any stories lately? Yeah. I haven't really written any big RP posts of the late, but I did recently write a poem. Are needles something that you’re afraid of? Okay, so this is super weird. Tattoos and piercings? No problem. Little prick, getting blood drawn, that sorta little stuff, no problem. I am, however, NOT a fan of big needles, which used to not be an issue. It's actually kinda recent, and it's why I'm nervous about my second Covid shot coming up, aha... What was the last unexpected hug you gave/received? I really haven't had an unexpected hug since Jason asked for one before he left my house after our final talk. Who was the last person you held hands with? Either my niece or nephew. Have you ever been in a parade before? If so, was it on TV? No. Do you have a fear of rollercoasters? If so, were you ever forced to go on one? If you don’t, what is your favorite rollercoaster? I have a big fear of them, yeah. Post a picture of you from a recent time. Don't feel like it. Who was the last person to give you some of their food? Miss Tobey let me try one of her dumplings yesterday when we were at Ichiban for dinner. The last person you met, what was your first impression of them? I actually didn't quite like her. Have you ever been to a football game? Yeah, because my sister was a cheerleader. Do you like the snow or rain better? Snowwww. Have you ever faked sick? Yeah. What is your blood-type? A-. Have you ever eaten a bug? Not knowingly. The last time you were in the fridge, what were you looking for? Salsa. Mom got these veggie chips at the store and they apparently taste better with salsa, which it did. They weren't great, though. Are you listening to anything at the moment? It's Gab Smolders' turn for me to watch her Resident Evil 8 upload, haha. I'm literally watching three different people (Mark, John Wolfe, and her) play it. Can you take a bra off with one hand? I haven't tried, I think? I doubt I could, given that I'm not exactly small. Do you have an innie or an outie bellybutton? Innie. Can you crack your neck? NOOOOO AND DO NOT DO IT AROUND ME YOURSELF. Are you donating your organs? Yeah; what am I gonna use 'em for? It just seems like a waste otherwise. They're just gonna decay. When was the last time you talked to you mom? Before she left with Tobey to go to the store. Do you like pumpkin pie? NO. I don't like pie, and I hate pumpkin. Do you own your own computer? Yeah. Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings? Yeah; growing up, my little sister and I did. Is there any piece of technology you want to buy? I REALLY want a PS4. Did you ever have a night light when you were a kid? Yeah. What TV show had you hooked from the very first episode? Meerkat Manor, 100%. I had to know that Shakespeare was okay. What is your least favorite Sour Patch Kids color? Orange or red, can't pick. Have you ever seen the movie Matilda? YES! I love that movie. What is the weirdest chant you have ever heard? Uh, idk. How are you feeling? Annoyed and hurt as fuck because shit Miss Tobey says without thinking for a single goddamn second. I'm honestly beyond sick of this woman. Do you know anyone with a unibrow? I don't think so. Doughy or saucy pizza? Doughy. Do you have anything that’s limited edition? Yeah. Do you have an air freshener in your bathroom? If so, what scent? I... think we do? If so though, I just don't notice it. The bathroom doesn't smell like anything in particular. Do you like Jalapeno Cheetos? Oh man, I forgot about those! Love 'em. Are you a fan of salads? Yeah, they're fine. I have to be in the mood for one, though. What’s one random thing that you don’t like? Uhhh carrots. What’s one random thing that you like? Shrimp. Do you like chicken noodle soup? I don't. Is it easy for you to accept loss? NOPE. I'm the absolute worst with it. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? I really wanna see Sara, so take me to Illinois. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? No, but a former best friend had her birthday the day before mine. Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without? Not anymore, honestly. After Jason, I stopped that "I can't live without you" mindset. Truth is I'm going to lose people through life, and I'm not attaching my ability to happily exist to anyone. Are you wearing a ring? Two. Have your friends ever stopped by your house just to say hi? In the past, yeah. Do you like Chinese food? Not really. I only ever get pork fried rice and eggrolls from Chinese restaurants. Have you done any shopping for something in specific recently? No. Do you still live in your hometown? No. What was the reason behind the last time you stayed up all night? I don't recall, honestly. I haven't done that in a very long time. Have you ever had a UFO sighting or a sighting of strange lights in the sky? A very strange light, yes. Have you ever seen your mom or dad drunk? Yes to both. Seeing Mom drunk is very, very rare though. My dad was an alcoholic when I was growing up, so I saw him drunk plenty. Do your parents vote? Mom does, idk about Dad. Who’s the most romantic person you ever went out with? Jason. What restaurant has the best fries? Nowhere has anything on Bojangle's, y'all. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? No.

[holycatsandrabbits]

Dead Eye

Original fiction ficlet, rated G

Written for the Morning Coffee zine, a free, original art and fiction zine on the topic of coffee. The art pieces were even painted in coffee! Thanks to @yummi-gummi-zines for modding!

It took Gayle an embarrassingly long time to realize that something was off about a certain customer at the coffee shop where she worked. It should have been rather obvious. For one, the man, Craig, spent time every day in the shop, but he didn’t drink any coffee. Craig carried a silver travel mug with him, but he never bought anything to go in it. He didn’t even use the free creamer like a lot of rude people did, bringing coffee from home just to help themselves to what extras the shop put out for free. In fact, Gayle had never actually seen him take a drink from his mug.

For another thing, Craig didn’t talk to anybody. That in itself wasn’t so strange, some people just weren’t social. But it was also the case that nobody ever talked to Craig. When people sat at the table he was occupying, no one ever said Excuse me or Mind if I sit here? And if Craig continued to sit by them instead of moving, they completely ignored him. Gayle only knew his name because she’d tried to strike up a conversation once. He’d given her a bit of a surprised look and introduced himself, but he hadn’t seemed to want to talk to her either.

And finally, Craig was dressed like someone who was employed— nice slacks, dress shirt, and a tie— but he showed up in the coffee shop at all kinds of weird hours, and he never brought any work with him, not a computer, or notebook, or even a phone. He just sat in a chair, usually the one by the window, with his mug in his hand, and watched people.

Even with all that, it still didn’t dawn on Gayle that the man was dead. It took her co-worker Maggie mentioning the coffee shop ghost for Gayle to finally put it all together.

“What ghost?” Gayle asked, as they were cleaning up after closing.

“Oh, I should have figured you hadn’t seen him,” Maggie said, with a dramatic sigh. “You don’t have a psychic bone in your body, I can tell.” She pointed to the table by the window. “I saw him, right there. Wish I hadn’t, though. He’s bad luck. Right after that I broke two china mugs. Jess saw him and she twisted her ankle on her way home. Grant dropped his phone and cracked the screen. It was a couple of days later, but it still counts.”

“What’s he look like?” Gayle asked.

“Nothing scary. Just like a customer. Brown hair, brown eyes. Handsome. Grant saw him twice, and says he carries a silver mug. Nobody ever sees him come in or leave, he’s just in here sometimes.”

“So how do you know he’s a ghost?” asked Gayle.

“Because he doesn’t order anything, doesn’t work on anything, and doesn’t talk to anybody.”

“Oh,” said Gayle. “Huh.”

Maggie went into the kitchen then to mop the floor, and a voice spoke up behind Gayle. “The ankle and the phone weren’t my fault. But I may have been responsible for the mugs. I don’t like Maggie. She always makes the half-cafs full-decafs.”

Gayle turned around to see Craig sitting on the counter she’d just cleaned, his mug beside him and his feet swinging in space.

“You, on the other hand,” he said, “I like. You only sabotage the orders of rude people.”

“Huh,” said Gayle, again.

“Want to know what happened?” Craig asked.

“Sure.”

“I had a heart attack.” Craig pointed to that table by the window. “Right there. Five years ago, before you or Maggie started here. I never saw it coming. I was an athlete, ate a good diet. Maybe I drank too much coffee.”

“You do look healthy,” Gayle said. “I’d never have guessed you were dead.”

Craig nodded. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure it out.”

Maggie hollered from the kitchen. “Who are you talking to out there?” She poked her head out into the seating area. “You better not have let in a customer—” She looked around— counters included— and apparently saw no one.

“Just thinking out loud,” Gayle said, and Maggie went back into the kitchen.

“Nobody sees or hears me as well as you do,” Craig said. “Not a psychic bone in your body, my ass.”

Gayle started cleaning the glass display case. “So how come you didn’t pass on? You know—” She waved her hand. “Go upstairs? Downstairs?”

“No idea.”

“No grander purpose? Unfinished business? Didn’t commit some atrocity and get damned to stay here until you make amends?”

“Huh,” said Craig slowly. “I didn’t think of that last one.” He slid himself off the counter. “I mean, it wasn’t an atrocity.”

“What did you do?”

Craig put his hands up sort of defensively. “Well, look, nobody died. But I may have… possibly… robbed a bank.” Craig looked slightly remorseful.

“You robbed a bank,” Gayle said.

“Well, I worked at a bank. Made it easier. I just used a computer program.”

Maggie came out from the kitchen. “That’s good enough. Let the morning shift handle the rest.” She frowned at Gayle. “Are you okay? You don’t usually talk to yourself about robbing banks.”

Craig popped up again the next Saturday morning when Gayle came in by herself to start the baking. He appeared by the oven, wrinkling his nose at the orange-cinnamon scone batter. “I never liked those,” he complained. “So how does one make amends?”

Gayle gave him a surprised look. “Why are you asking me?”

“Because there’s literally no one else I can ask.”

“Well— I guess you apologize to the bank.”

“Can’t. Most people can only see me for a few minutes at a time, and nobody can hear me except you.”

“Well, then you swear not to to it again.”

“Can’t do it again, I’m dead. What would I even do with money now?” Craig scowled at a platter of blueberry muffins. “This doesn’t make any sense. If I’m supposed to make amends to the bank, why am I not haunting the bank?”

“It does seem like poor organization,” Gayle agreed.

Craig looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he said, “Well, maybe I’m supposed to help you. Since you can see and hear me so well. I mean, you don’t want to work in a coffee shop all your life, do you? You’ve got to have dreams.”

“Oh, I do,” Gayle assured him. “One of them is owning this place. I’ve always wanted to have a coffee shop. I’m going to school for my MBA right now.”

Craig stared at her a moment and then said, “Huh.” He seemed to sort of phase himself through the counter until he was sitting on it again.

“I’ve already included you in my plans,” Gayle said. She pointed out toward the seating area. “When the shop is mine, I’m going to put a sign on that chair you like— Reserved for the Ghost.”

“A haunted coffee shop?” Craig said, looking rather impressed.

“If we get TV crews in, could you give them a bit of a show?” Gayle asked.

Craig nodded. “I can do stuff like with Maggie and the mugs if I try really hard.”

“I’ll probably have themed drinks, too,” Gayle mused. “Ghost white. Phantom Frapp. Dead eye already works.”

Craig cocked his head. “That all sounds nice, but I have to say that helping you make money doesn’t really seem like a good deed on my part. Not exactly making amends.”

Gayle frowned. “Well, I was thinking of having a policy of giving all my day-old food to the needy.”

Craig snapped his fingers. “That could work.”

Gayle paused halfway through filling a muffin tin. “Do you think you’ll move on, then, when I’ve got it all set up?”

Craig shrugged. “I guess we’ll see. I’d almost hate to, though. Sounds like it would be fun. So how long do we have to wait for all that?”

“Well, I’m almost done with school. But I’m going to have to save up enough to buy the place.”

Craig looked thoughtful. “You know— I might know where you can get the funds.” When Gayle raised her eyebrows at him, he said, “The bank never caught me! I died before they could. Money’s just sitting around in an account I set up and nobody even knows about it.”

“Well,” said Gayle, “it’s certainly not doing anything sitting around in some account, is it?”

“Definitely not feeding the needy,” Craig agreed.

The door to the kitchen banged open as Maggie came in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I didn’t want to be here. Are you talking to yourself again?”

“No,” said Gayle. “I’m talking to the ghost.”

Maggie gave her a confused look. “Don’t try to be funny. You aren’t.”

That day Maggie broke three mugs.

Find me at DannyeChase.com and on my Linktree

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

Chapter 3

Over the last few months you and Steve were living a blissfully mundane life. Things were quiet in Wakanda so they asked you to stay state side. Steve only went to the compound a few days a week. Sometimes you would tag along. You liked visiting with Clint and Laura and their children. Steve loved watching you with the kids. Even though you repeatedly said you did not want children he knew you really did. He wouldn’t push the issue.

Everything was so easy that you didn’t even bat an eye when Steve said he and the team were headed to Nigeria. Sure it would be dangerous. They were going after Rumlow and the remainder of the STRIKE team. This would not be an easy mission. He talked to you a lot about strategy and how to minimize casualties. A man like Rumlow would likely go for a big showdown because the Avengers Initiative was already under scrutiny.

“Ok, my love, I’m out of here. I’ll call when we land.” You jump up to kiss Steve goodbye.

“K. I love you. Stay safe. I’ll see you in a few days.” He kisses you deeply dropping his shield which makes an awful sound.

“I love you too. See you in a few days.”

“You come back to me, Captain.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He smiles and he’s out the door.

It was literally disgusting how much you loved Steve Rogers. You’ve never been this happy in your life. Don’t get too comfortable. With the lives you lead there’s bound to be pain. You shoved that thought into the back of your mind and tried to carry on with your day. You just had a nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong. That made you do something you vowed never to do. You hacked into Steve’s computer. Even though you knew he wouldn’t walk back in you still felt paranoid.

Most of the time when girls snooped they were looking for evidence of cheating. Maybe porn. Even his porn was boring. He’d run screaming if he knew what you were really into.

No. You were looking for mission reports. You looked for anything that could give you insight into what Steve was really getting into. You knew some details. They were going after Rumlow. You didn’t know what was in Nigeria. You skimmed some building plans. Looks like a lab. You searched the name of the lab and found mostly pharmaceutical research. Back to Steve’s notes there was mention of a bio weapon. That was it. That was a major operation.

You paced back and forth thinking of all the questions he asked over the last few weeks of the planning phase. Why didn’t you see it? Nat Steve and Sam were highly trained and could handle this sort of thing. Not Wanda. She was too unstable and inexperienced to be on this type of mission. They should have taken Rhodey or Tony instead of her. It pissed you off that they routinely excluded them. Steve was trying to distance himself from Tony a little. You didn’t like any of it.

You decided that was enough intelligence gathering for the day. Quite frankly the whole thing gave you a migraine. You checked your calendar and saw that you had a meeting with T’Challa soon. The UN was meeting in Vienna in a few days and he wanted to go over security.

“Good morning, Mhibu. How is your life of domestic bliss?” T’Challa teased you like a brother. He loved seeing you happy but had reservations about Steve’s motives.

“It’s going well. Thank you. Have you spoken with Nakia?”

“I’m afraid not. Nakia is on her own path. She will find her way back to me. I know her heart.” His face went from joyous to thoughtful. He and Nakia have been in love since they were children. Nakia wanted to save the world. She couldn’t do that from Wakanda. You cleared your throat.

“Well, your highness, Vienna looks pretty well secure. No vehicles are allowed within a 20 block radius. Your security team has already been granted upper level clearance. The floor of your hotel is virtually empty. I think you’re good.”

“Perfect. Thank you for all of your hard work. When will we see you again? Mother has been asking for you.”

“Soon. Steve is in Nigeria now. Hopefully when he gets back I can talk him in to taking the trip.”

“Nigeria? Where exactly?”

“Lagos I think.” His expression changed quickly.

“We have a good will team in Lagos right now.” Your heart sank. There it was again. That overwhelming sense of dread.

“Yikes. Maybe reach out to them? Let them know to be on the look out.”

“I will, Mhibu. Please contact me at once when you speak with Captain Rogers.”

“Yes, sir.” He hung up without saying goodbye. You tried calling Steve. No answer. He was in the air no doubt.

You spent the rest of the day pacing the floor. You didn’t eat. The very thought of food turned your stomach. You couldn’t sleep but your body was exhausted. Steve finally called early the next morning. You jumped when your phone rang.

“Steve? Hey.”

“Y/N. It’s bad. We stopped Rumlow. He ran into a market. It was so crowded. He detonated explosives. Wanda contained the blast and transported it into a building

“How many dead?”

“Thirty. Ten of them were from Wakanda. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you before you heard from someone else.”

You dropped the phone and ran to the sink to vomit. Steve tried calling out to you but you didn’t answer. Your Kimoyo beads started alerting. It was Okoye.

“Y/L/N, you are needed. Transportation will be to you within the hour.” You nodded and she hung up. You scrambled to pack a bag and called Steve.

“Hey, my girl. We have things pretty sewn up here. We’re on the jet. Be home by late tonight.”

“I won’t be. I’ve been called back. I’m leaving shortly. They will call for Wanda’s prosecution. You should know that.”

“She’s just a kid.”

“Right which is why she shouldn’t have been out there. She’s too inexperienced to have dealt with Rumlow. You knew that. People died, Steve. My friends. I have to go face their families. I can’t protect her. I’ll call you when I get there. You should stay at the compound.”

“Are you kicking me out?”

“Of course not. You should stay with Wanda. I have to go. I love you.”

“I love you too. Come home soon. Please.” You hung up.

You reached Wakanda before daylight. You were ushered into the palace. King T’Chaka and the Council were waiting.

“Y/N. Please come in. What can you tell us about Wanda Maximoff?” You stood before the Council. Your hands trembled.

“She has scientifically enhanced magical abilities. She can warp reality. She can manipulate time matter energy and the laws of probability. She was the subject of genetic experimentation by Hydra along with her twin brother Pietro. He was killed in Sokovia.”

“What do you know about the mission in Lagos?”

“Nothing. I am not privy to such information.”

“I see.”

“Miss Y/L/N, this Council would hate to accuse you of protecting your boyfriend. May we remind you that you are an outsider to Wakanda. The King and Queen have accepted you. Not everyone on this Council shares their sentiment.”

“Counselor M’Bali with all due respect, Captain Rogers and I do not discuss sensitive matters. I have more than earned the respect of the Royal Family. I will continue to do my best to earn yours.”

“Miss Y/L/N do you support the Sokovia Accords?” asked King T’Chaka. You were quiet for a moment fighting back tears.

“Yes, Your Grace. I support them fully.”

“Do you think Captain Rogers will support them as well?” You almost laughed. You knew Steve wouldn’t agree. Moreover you knew if he found out you knew, it would break his heart.

“I don’t think he will be quite as accepting.”

“Secretary Ross will be presenting the Avengers with the proposal. You will return home to convince him.”

“Your Grace, Steven Grant Rogers is as stubborn as an ox. But I will do my best. When will I be leaving? I would like to pay my respect to the deceased.”

“Of course. Stay for a few days. You’ll fly home before we leave for Vienna. Please, join us for breakfast. My wife is longing to see you.” You bow and go to your room to freshen up. You felt weak and bone tired.

When you got to the dining room Queen Ramonda stood to embrace you. “Mhibu! Beautiful girl. I’ve missed you.” The Queen served as your surrogate mother over the last few years. When she first met you in the hospital, she wept when you told her how you came to be injured. She insisted on helping you get back to your family. T’Challa explained to her that, because your own men hurt you, it would cause an international incident if you left the country with the help of a foreign government. With that, she arranged for you to return to Wakanda. She would not take no for an answer.

“I don’t mean to sound insensitive but, you don’t look well.”

“I know. I’ve been traveling all night and haven’t really eaten.”

“Well come sit. Eat.” Shuri comes in and kisses her mother. “Wow! Y/N, you look like shit.”

“SHURI! Apologize.” You just laughed. Shuri was never one to mince words.

“Let me look you over after breakfast.” You agree and finally start eating. Others come to join you. You feel more like yourself.

The remains of the good will ambassadors are returning. The Royal Family is hosting a memorial service to honor the deceased and to pray for their souls to enter into their next chapter. You stood with these families sharing their tears, their pain. You prayed with them and listened to their stories. Your sympathy was not enough. Even getting justice was not enough. Putting Wanda in prison would not bring their loved ones back. You had to make sure no other family suffered at the hands of the Avengers.

Once you collected yourself you found Shuri. You were starting to feel sick again. Maybe it was the heat but you were feeling queasy. “Ok, Y/N. Lie down. Let’s have a look.” She started scanning your body starting at your head. “Uh huh. Here’s your problem right here.”

“What?!” you said squinting at the image “What is that?”

“Well that’s your uterus. Here is a sack. And there is your baby. See the heartbeat, Mhibu? I would say you are around eight weeks. I’ll get a midwife.”

You laid on the table in complete shock. You hadn’t spoken to Steve since yesterday. You knew he was dealing with a lot. So were you. A midwife came over to confirm the scan. “Yes, Y/N. Congratulations. Looks like you are nine weeks along. Very healthy.”

“Shuri, not a word about this to anyone until I talk to Steve.”

“Of course. Your secret is safe with me.”

You went to your room and called Steve. He sounded upset.

“Y/N, I’m glad you called. I’m heading to London. Sharon...Peggy passed away.”

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

“Can you come with me?”

“Of course. I’ll be there first thing in the morning. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You said your goodbyes to the family. Shuri gave you some prenatal vitamins and something for nausea. Queen Ramonda’s eyes widened and she winked at you. You smiled and put your finger to your lips.

LONDON

You met Steve at the church. He was quiet. You sat with Sam and Nat. The services were beautiful. Peggy was such an accomplished woman. You understood why he loved her. After the service was over he talked with Sharon. You hung back.

“Are you two ok?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. I think so. We haven’t really talked.”

“That was a bombshell Ross dropped on us. Did you know about the accords?”

“Yes. I’m sorry but I did.”

“Steve is pissed.”

“I watched ten families say goodbye to there loved ones today, Sam. I’m tired of all this bloodshed.”

“I’m sorry you had to do that but you can’t possibly agree....”

“I agree that there needs to be oversight.”

“When it’s an emergency we can’t wait for a committee to decide if we step in.”

“I agree. The US also can’t unleash super people onto foreign soil. Look, I don’t want to talk about this here.”

“You’re right. Let’s go check on our boy.”

You joined Steve and Sharon. Steve put his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his body. “Hey, stranger” he said softly.

“How are you doing?” He pressed his lips to your forehead.

“Could be better. Why aren’t you in Vienna?”

“I didn’t want you to be alone.” He hugged you tighter and all but collapsed in your arms. You cried too but not for the same reasons.

Sam came into the room and cleared his throat. “You guys. I’m sorry to interrupt but you have to see this” There was an explosion in Vienna. King T’Chaka was killed. News footage showed Bucky at the scene. “Oh my God” you said covering your mouth. “I have to go.” They raced behind you helping you gather your things. “Y/N that’s not him..”

“Stop.” You tried holding back tears dialing your phone to arrange transport.

“We can get you there faster than someone can get to you” Sharon said “Please let us help.” Steve tried to grab your hand but you pulled away. Your phone rang. It was one of the Dora calling instead of Okoye. “The General requested that you meet the Prince in Vienna at once.” “I’m on my way. Who is with him?” “He is alone.” “Ok. I will be to him within the hour.”

You got on the jet and flew in silence. Once you were closer you changed clothes and still refused to make eye contact with Steve. He was watching you actively avoid him. “Can you say something? Please?”

“What would you have me say? He is...was like a father to me. T’Challa is alone.”

“I’m sorry. I know how you are feeling but...”

“You have no idea how I’m feeling.” You landed and grabbed your bag. Before exiting the plane you looked at Steve who was standing now. “I will not stop Prince T’Challa from seeking justice for his father. Get to Bucky before he does.”

“Wait. Where does this leave us?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Please don’t walk away from me. I love you” his voice broke.

“Then admit that Bucky can’t be saved and let us take care of it.”

“He can be, Y/N. I know he can. I have to help him.”

“Bucky didn’t become this way because of you. Don’t you see? This isn’t your fault.”

“I LOST HIM THAT DAY. I CANNOT AND WILL NOT LOSE HIM AGAIN.” This is the first time Steve has ever raised his voice to you. It stung like a slap. “Please, Y/N. I’m sorry this is happening. What happened...neither of us can change that. We can’t walk away from each other right now. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you. Tell me you love me.” he grabbed your hand and kissed your fingertips then your palm and pressed it to his face. You held his face for a moment. Your phone was ringing. Sharon called after him. You tried pulling away but he held you tighter.

“Please. I have to go. “

“Tell me..”

“Stop. I have to go.”

“Y/N, please. Tell me you love me.” You couldn’t speak. Of course you loved him. You couldn’t get your dumb brain to make words. You were shaking and crying. He was crying. “I love you, Steve. I have to go.” He let your hand go. You rushed off without looking back.

T’Challa sat on a bench outside of the UN building. His father’s blood spattered his shirt. You sat next to him not knowing if you should touch him or even speak. “I am so sorry I wasn’t there.”

“Mhibu what use would it have been to have you there? He could not have been saved.” He held your hand. You had never laid eyes on Bucky Barnes other than the pictures in his file but you couldn’t help but feel responsible. “I won’t stand in your way, Prince T’Challa.”

“Of course you will. For the man you love you will move mountains. I cannot fault you. And I love my father. The love that a child has for a parent is immeasurable. I will kill Sergeant Barnes. Captain Rogers will need you.”

“But I love you too. Your family has shown me more kindness. I don’t know where I would be without you. I am responsible.”

“No, you aren’t. The man responsible will answer for his crimes.” He hugged you but it did not have anything behind it. He was still in shock. He slipped on his father’s ring and was off.

Nat was already in Vienna but was not injured in the blast. She spoke to T’Challa briefly as well. When she found you on the bench she sat down and said, “Steve and Sam are here.”

“Yes”

“They’ll try find Bucky”

“Yep”

“What will happen if T’Challa does first?”

“He’ll kill him. Or he’ll die trying.” You knew T’Challa would use every resource at his disposal including his suit.

“You have to know this won’t end well.”

“Yep.”

“What will you do?”

“You’re asking me who will I choose. Ask the right questions, Natasha.”

“Are you ready to answer that question?”

“No.” You put your head in your hands and wept. She rubbed your back.

“I wish I could tell you the answer. This is a tough one, buddy.”

“I’m pregnant.” Her eyes got wide and she gasped.

“Shit. Does Steve know?”

“No.”

“Shit.”

“Yep.”

After the tussle with German Special Forces in Bucharest everyone was transferred to Berlin. You and Nat waited in a conference room with Tony who was on the phone with Secretary Ross. You didn’t have access to Steve so you went to T’Challa first.

“Prince T’Challa, are you hurt?”

“No. Go back to Wakanda. Escort the King home. This is not a fight you can be a part of.”

“I should help.”

“And risk your safety? I cannot ask you to do that. Mother will have my head if anything happens to you or the baby. You know I can take care of myself.”

“Shuri?”

“My sister has a big mouth.” You both laughed. “Have you told Captain Rogers?”

“I hardly think this is the time.”

“He should know. He’s about to risk everything. He should know who he should really fight for.” You nodded.

“Will they release your father to me?”

“I will arrange it. You won’t have long. Go. Speak with him.”

“Please be careful.”

“Always.” You hugged him and then left to find Steve. He was sitting at the table being scolded by Tony.

“Ah, Y/N. Are you here as a Wakandan operative or Steve’s girlfriend?”

“Tony...”Nat tried to interrupt. Steve went to speak up but you put your hand up to signal to him that you were ok.

“Both. Steve can I to you alone?”

“Hey don’t try to help him escape. He’s been a bad boy.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Tony.”

You stepped out into the hall. There were too many people. You found an empty room and pulled him in. You wrapped your arms around him and he hugged you back so tight.

“What’s going to happen?”

“Secretary Ross is calling for our prosecution. I’m sorry to put you in this position.”

“It’s fine. I knew the risks going in.” He smiled and kissed you.

“I’m going to escort the King back to Wakanda. I feel like I shouldn’t stick around for what’s going to happen next.”

“Ok. I’ll keep in touch with you the best I can.”

“I know. I have to tell you something. Steve, I’m pregnant.” He stepped back to look at you. His mouth went dry. He was speechless.

“You don’t have to be a part of our lives. I know you have more pressing things to worry about. We’ll be fine....” You paced and stared at the floor while you spoke.

“Look at me.” He grabbed your shoulders to stop you from moving.

“Are you serious right now? How far...how long have you known?”

“Just a few days. It was never the right time to tell you. Now that you’re about to do something incredibly dangerous, it seemed like the only time to do it.” He held you and kissed you. It was the deepest most passionate kiss you could imagine.

“I’m going to take such good care of the two of you.”

“I would hope so. I have to go. You had better come back to us, Captain.”

“Yes, ma’am. Hey. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You had the devastating task of riding with the Dora’s to escort the King home. The Queen and Princess Shuri met them. You stepped away to give them some privacy. You could hear them. The grief was palpable. You excused yourself and hid in your room. A few hours later Queen Ramonda was at your door.

“How are you feeling?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

You patted the bed for her to sit. “I’m ok. Tired.”

“Hmm. I remember when I was pregnant for Shuri chasing after T’Challa. He was so full of life. I was not.”

“So he was high spirited?”

“To say the least. Have you told Captain Rogers?”

“I have. He took it well. Shocked but happy. I didn’t get a chance to really tell you how sorry I am. I should have gone to Vienna.”

“Hush. It was his time. His next chapter is beginning. He is at peace. All of this pomp and circumstance. The crying and carrying on. That is for the living.”

“T’Challa does not share the same sentiment.”

“No. My son is not his father. He will learn.”

“In the mean time my boyfriend and my adopted brother are fighting. I’m worried.”

“I trust T’Challa to show restraint. Captain Rogers is a good man. I trust he will do the same.” She kissed your forehead and left to rest. You could not possibly close your eyes. You stared at the wall wishing one of them would call to let you know everything was ok.

It had been two days and still no word from Steve. Your midwife was breathing down your neck for an appointment but you didn’t want to go without him. You kept yourself busy working with Shuri. You started looking through news reports and anything you could find trying to get a location. You called Sam. No answer.

You tried Nat, “Nat? Have you heard from him?”

“No. Sam, Wanda, Clint and Scott are being held at the moment. I was going to call you. We really need to find him, Y/N.” Your blood went cold. “Why? So you can lock him up too?”

“He almost killed Tony. Rhodey is paralyzed. No one wants him in prison.”

“Ross does.”

“Please. I don’t want this to get worse.”

“Well I haven’t heard from him.”

“Ok. If you do...” You hung up. You found a renewed purpose and started looking for the prison.

Finally, the next day, Shuri heard from T’Challa. He was visibly shaken. “It wasn’t Barnes. I almost killed the wrong man.”

“Where are they now?” you asked looking up the coordinates for the Hydra base.

“Mhibu, when I left, Steve and Tony were fighting. Really fighting. Steve almost killed him. I don’t know where he and Barnes went. I’m sorry.” You had to sit down. Your stomach turned into terrible knots. You were going to be sick. You tried his phone again. No answer.

T’Challa returned. He spent some time with his family before coming to find you.

“How are you?”

“Worried.”

“I promised Captain Rogers I would take care of you myself.”

“No. Please don’t say that. That means he’s not coming back. He promised.”

“We will find him, Mhibu. I will bring your Captain home.” He hugged you and you cried into his shoulder.

T’Challa received word from Everette Ross that there was a breach in the floating prison. Steve sent his communication device back to Tony. No way to track any of them. He was in shock when he heard from Steve the next morning.

Until they could figure out how to deprogram him, Bucky asked to go back into the ice. Wakanda had the capabilities and could keep him safe. Steve watched Bucky as he was frozen. “I believe there is someone waiting for you, Captain.” Steve smiled and shook his hand.

When he found you you were bent over a computer screen tapping your pencil on the desk. “Don’t we have an appointment to get to?” You dropped your cup, jumped up from your seat and ran over. “Should we clean that up?” “After you kiss me.” And so he did. You held each other for what felt like ages. “I promised I’d come back” he said against your hair. “I knew you would.” “Come on. I want to see my baby.” “Wait. Where’s Sam and Bucky? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” “We have all the time in the world to talk about this, kid. Let’s go.”

The midwife was waiting for you. She shook Steve’s hand and let you get on the table. Wakanda had technology far superior to anywhere else so they were able to scan the baby without an ultrasound. She pulled up the screen and turned up the volume. “Is that his heartbeat?”

“What makes you so sure that’s a he?”

“Lucky guess?”

“The baby is not big enough to see yet if it is a boy or a girl.” said the midwife “If you want to know I can run some tests.” You looked at each other. You were eager to know. “What do you think, mommy. Should we wait?”

“I want to know now if that’s ok.”

“Whatever you want.”

“Yes. We want to know.” She touched some points on the screen.

“I am analyzing the baby’s chromosomal make up. This will spot any abnormalities and will determine if Captain Rogers passed on the X or Y chromosome. It will just take a few minutes.” Steve stared at the screen watching the baby’s heart beating. “Is it’s heart supposed to beat so fast.” She smiled, “Yes. Your daughter’s heart is perfectly healthy.” His eyes filled with tears. He kissed your cheek and watched your daughter’s heart beating.

[vczxcxx]

Dwangela

When I watched the office I expect myself to fall in love with Pam/Jim dynamic but I fell in love with Dwight/ Angela dynamic.

I don’t know it’s just something in their chemistry, the slow-burn, the angst and the frustration made me root for them till the end. Kudos to Rainn Wilson and Angela Kinsey for playing them so well. I mean Angela is the complete opposite of Angela( if you listen to podcast of her and Jenna and interviews). With Rainn, he gives a bit of Dwight vibes but still different from him. Overall, Dwight and Angela is so different and the same time fits so well together. They are both miserable without each other but wouldn’t admit it. I am also a sucker for smol-tol couples. I mean Angela’s height barely reach Dwight’s shoulder and that’s with shoes.

Season 2- I presume that’s when their relationship starts? I love their little long glances here and there. And the sexual tension🔥kudos to Rainn and Angela for playing it so well. I really love the moment where Angela gave the bobble head to Dwight and you could see the genuine bliss from his face, and him asking Pam for gifts ideas is just so adorable. I love from here on you could see that Dwight is such an odd character with weird personalities but he treat Angela like a gentleman, respects her and clearly adore her. I also love how Angela is so supportive of her boyfriend especially the episode where Dwight was the best sales man.

Season 3- This season we get to see more of their relationship. I personally love the Christmas episode where Dwight was comforting Angela after the day she had: that little handholding again proves that Dwight is a loving and supportive boyfriend and also we got to hear their nickname to each other. I love how Dwight called her monkey and how Angela called him D so affectionately. I have a little theory of where the nickname derived from; maybe it’s like a code name for each other cause in a deleted scene in the episode where they go meet Jim in the convention, Dwight was calling Angela in front of Michael; and he was using her nickname. Or maybe when she was staying over, there was a high shelf that she could not reach so she climbed around since she did not want to ask for help, and Dwight was witnessing it quietly, thus decided to call her that. Of course, at first Angela would not agree to be call an animal but secretly she likes it because it’s their little secret. Then the convict episode, they decided to sit together as most of the episode prior to this episode you never seen them sitting together just glances here and there. I also liked Dwight’s iconic smirk, that lil smirk they he puts whenever it involves his lady friend. There are so many more that I love.

Season 4&5- for me these 2 season is filled with angst and made me feel sorry for Dwight. The first episode of season 4 started well with their secret gate away place with Angela asking Dwight to take care of sprinkles but Dwight has to mercy kill sprinkles: it’s cruel and inhuman, I understand and feel sad for Angela, it’s one of her first cat that she adopted and it meant a lot to her. She thought Dwight would understand but he went and kill her cat and the part where he wanted to compensate her with garbage; that was so cute but was hoping Dwight would understand that no cat will fill sprinkles gap but still the image of Dwight and the cat; just cute. I think they would gotten back together much faster if they communicate sooner. My heart breaks for both of them but my heart breaks more when Angela started to date Andy. Personally, they are the weirdest couple combination(even worse than jan/ Michael). Dwight proving that he could win against the computer is so Dwight if winning back your lady friend; and Angela not having any of it makes my heart ache for Dwight. And the part where Angela agrees on going out with him:( I just feel like Rainn did such a good job portraying. I feel like the whole season 4 is the phase where Dwight tried to move on but fail( again foreshadowing that they belong together). But they eventually got back together I guess during the episode where nobody was in the office except them. Again their sexual tension filled up the whole office and you can literally feel it( foreshadowing that they are going to get it on in the finale of season 4(?)) in season 5 we open with them getting it on in the warehouse( indication been going on since the summer). Now Cheating is bad and immoral, it would be better that would have communicate, and again I think it’s both their fault. I think Dwight was desperate in any means to be together with Angela because of how he loves her. His love for her burns with a passion so much that he would do anything just to be with her. And I feel like Angela was just meh just contemplating if she wants to take the risk( of being with the one she loves) or some one more safe and stable( Andy). She’s conflicted and at the same time has a lot of pride. Personally, at this point I hated how she handled the situation leading them on. During the duel episode I am kinda glad they both left her. I think at that point she realised how she should have thought it through with the men in her life; being greedy and holding on will make you lose both of them. And I guess they didn’t talk for the rest of the season after that. But we didn’t see Angela’s side of the relationship but it was disclosed in the deleted scenes with the volleyball episode where Dwight defended her; you can see that she has remorse and regret with what she did; clearly she still has feelings for him.

Season 6&7- with season 6, Dwight’s love for Angela is still there but this time he is more guarded and not as reckless as season 4-5 because this woman that he loves hurt him and he’s not sure if he’s willing to go through it again. The episode where he wanted a baby; he asked Angela of all the people indicate that he still thinks highly of her. Of course with how their dynamic is, they have a Contract to go with it; and Angela was hoping that Dwight would fall in love with her again in the baby making process. And Dwight got reluctant as they got through the baby making process. He feel more guarded and reluctant but Angela refused to let it go( her way of wanting to get back in any means(?)) so she found a loophole in the contract and wanted them to procreate for 5 more times expecting Dwight to fall in love with her again. Of course that didn’t work because Dwight seem uninterested to get back to her; so eventually she tries to move on with the senator. I think Dwight wanted to be more alert and not throw himself to love unguarded and with passion. I understand that from what he experienced he wanted to love more cautiously.

Season 8-season 8( we are nearly there), Angela is engaged to the senator. Still she cheated the senator with Dwight. Again they always seem to finds way to get back in any means. Again, Dwight is willing to let this affair happen because he still loves her but not like how he used to love her but regardless still love her so he decided to sleep with her. When Philip was born, you can see the elation in Dwight’s face and how he is certain the boy is his and how he still believed till the end of the season. I don’t understand why Angela still wanted kept the truth from him ( maybe to stretch out their relationship( writers idea?)) maybe of her pride and that she did not want to be an embarrassment?

Season 9- the season starts with the paternity test being negative dun dun dun. But I am still convince that Philip is his( as a Viewer anyway). And we get to the episode where the senator is revealed as being gay and Oscar is cheating with the senator. I love how the first person she seeks is Dwight and how Dwight misunderstand the situation😂. He still wants to help her despite everything, and comforted her. The end part of the episode just sends me when they ask tony about homosexuals. I think at this point you can see their relationship continues to heal and reconcile by means of being a proper friendship. I personally love it when during the Christmas episode, Dwight decided to just whip Oscar dying the bershnike part and he did a little glance to Angela . In 9x16, when they were both taking care of his aunt; I guess that is the only time we get to see glimpses on how Angela was when he was dating him( when she was staying over in the farm). And we could see Dwight’s love for her rekindle more; and with the timing and everything with the senator he jumped the opportunity by kissing her and declare that he wanted her back in her life, how they were meant together( that was the sweetest part). Interestingly the slaughter house turns them on😂. I love at this point Dwight put everything on the table and lay out his love for her, but as stubborn and prideful Angela is, she rejected him( i want to make more in-depth writing in this with the what ifs if Angela does swallow her pride and decided to get back to him). And we get to the few episode where Angela’s life when downhill when the senator reveal himself and also apparently cheated on Oscar; it takes a crisis in her life to become a better person like appreciating things around her, the thing she lost( I.e Dwight). I really love the part where Oscar and Angela supported each other, and the hand holding is just shows their evolved friendship. I also love the part where Angela pour her heart out infornt of Oscar. I think the Esther and Dwight dynamic; is a way that Dwight wanting to move on but can’t( with Esther being perfect on paper). Lastly the episode where Philip was in( he’s so cute and he’s look just like Dwight), the inner dilemma that he faces to propose to esther; and the speech that Jim gave to Dwight is just shows even they are frenemies they still have the utmost respect between them. The proposal scene is one of my fav scene in season 9. It’s just so them( I mean even with their last season ended with a car chase) it’s just so dramatic and them. I can imagine what Philip and their other kids would have to face with their parents. That was my finally moment, where I was like finally they admit their feelings🥺. I was literally cheering and screaming. I love the pure elation with Dwight’s face when Angela Said I love you; I always liked the little smile and the smiles where she’s around Dwight. She so beautiful when she smiles. The part with Philip is so I just was so happy. In the finale, the wedding is just so then weird but perfect. I wish they include the part where Dwight made Oscar the godfather.

Overall, I just love them so much; they were such a rollercoaster and I am glad they lived happily ever after with Schrute babies running around. They were also one of my otp who got together after a long time( most of my OTP didn’t make it :,(). I just wished we see more of it after the proposal scene with that 1 year time skip and personally I think we would see more of their relationship if they got back together in 9x16. Really bravo to Angela and Rainn for playing them so well.

[sassy-pelican]

Soulmate AU: Bucky Barnes

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader Premise: Everyone is born with the soundwaves of the first words their soulmate says on the inside of their dominant hands’ wrist. When those words are said, the birthmark/tattoo turns scar-like. Yours just so happens to turn into a scar when you run into – literally – the former Winter Soldier. Warning: Fluff, language A/N: I am hoping to make this into a multi-part mini-series, but no promises. After seeing the initial and continual response to my Sebastian Stan Soulmate AU, I decided I would try my hand at a different soulmate trope for Bucky.

Your morning was peachy; absolutely marvelous. Nothing beats spilled coffee all over your front, a broken heel, an alarm that did go off – courtesy of your power going out briefly during the night – and realizing that you are going to have to go to work late with a coffee covered shirt. You hurry down the sidewalk, not paying any mind to speed or trajectory. Your only focus is on the destination at hand, the hell that is your job.

It doesn’t even register as you slam into a solid human, build much like a brick wall. You hardly notice as you start falling backwards, almost hitting the ground. Thankfully, the nice human brick wall catches you, saving you from any further embarrassment.

“You okay?” The man says, still holding you upright. You nod. Already trying to brush yourself off, mind still focused on rushing to work. You glance down, catching the sight of your wrist. Your eyes go wide.

“Fucking shit. Today of all days?” You mutter, knowing that his own birthmark tattoo will turn scar-like. You can feel his hand tense on your upper arms. “Sorry. I am already having a shitty day and it isn’t even nine.” Your eyes unconsciously travel up and down the person opposite you. What the hell is he wearing?

“Um …” He trails off before looking down at his own attire. Tactical gear. It is then that you notice one of his hands is gloved. Puzzling, but not exactly enough to set off red flags, even if it should. Sighing, you step away from the strange man that is obviously your soulmate.

“I really have to go. I work at the large building around the corner, you really can’t miss it. It has the big sign that says Stark.” You tell him, clearly ignoring the look of pure shock and horror on his face. “Come by later and ask for [Y/F/N] [Y/L/N]. We can talk then.” Without much more, you begin to hurry back to the Stark building.

Not even five minutes late – a miracle if you had any say in it – you are greeted by your boss, and she looks pissed. “Miss [Y/L/N]! You are late. As the assistant to the head of HR you are expected to be on time and –” She eyes your shirt, nose wrinkling in disgust. “What are you wearing!”

“On the way here, I had a small incident with coffee. And as you pointed out, I am late, therefore I had no time to go back home and change. I have an extra blouse in my desk that I will gladly change into.” You state, far more calmly than you feel.

She nods. “In my office. Ten minutes.” Turning on her heal, she walks off. Everyone who witnessed the small display of false dominance all breathe a sigh of relief once she is out of earshot.

Your closest coworker, Jane, looks at you. “I don’t how you do it [Y/N]. You are the only person I know who can stand up to her.”

“I’m her assistant, I have to be able to tell her what to do. Even if it is under the false guise of submissiveness. Plus, I am not easily intimidated.” You fumble through your desk, pulling out the clean blouse from the bottom drawer. You can still hear Jane muttering to herself and anyone who will listen as you make your way into the bathroom to change.

Fully clothed and in clean clothes, you stride into your boss’s office. She looks up from her computer, her eyes disapproving of your new outfit almost as much as the previous coffee stained shirt. “Sit.” You do so.

“Miss [Y/L/N], would you care to tell me why I have found concept drawing for Mr. Stark’s new residence in your desk?” She asks, her tone far too condescending. You are seething.

While she might be your boss, your desk is considered yours. “The entire under-office was approached, as were all departments, to enter into a contest to design the new Avengers base. I decided to enter. You may check email logs to make sure I am telling the truth, but you will find nothing incriminating.” You say, the calmness in your voice fake.

“I will do so. However, as your superior, I am to be informed of any and all assignments you take, even if it is for personal reasons.” She mocks. You see red, knowing she has no right to treat to you like a piece of meat.

“This is my notice. I will be gone within the week.” You tell her. Standing up, you remove yourself from her office. Returning to your desk, you check your email one last time before beginning to pack your things. One in particular catches your eye. It is the results of the contest.

You won. A time and place are outlined in the email, detailing all the important things. Rushing once more you haul ass to the upper floors. Stark’s floors. Your breathing heavy, you try to calm yourself as you ride the elevator. Still reeling from the shock and awe of actually winning you tentatively knock of the conference room stated in the email.

“Come in.” you recognize the voice as Mr. Stark.

“You must be [Y/F/N] [Y/L/N]. Please sit.” He gestures at a chair next to him at the table.

“I am.” You reply as you sit.

“After seeing your designs and reviewing your degree and background in architecture and engineering, I found that you were the best possible candidate to do what I wanted.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome. Now, walk with me.” He stands before you can utter a protest, not that you would.

“I, of course, need a private wing for Pepper and I, a gym area large enough to house all the current Avengers comfortably and with room to grow. A large common area to lounge in with everyone, a kitchen in both my personal wing and the communal areas, a bar area, a pool area, a game room, a private cinema, guest suites for everyone – preferably split into a few wings opposite my own, a lab, a garage.” He stops.

“May I ask you to write that down?” You ask him, knowing you won’t be able to remember a bit of it.

“Of course. I forget sometimes that most people don’t retain information like I do.” He laughs. You find it hard to choose between taking that as an insult or just a straight fact.

“Mr. Stark. The team has returned. Should I set up a briefing?” The AI. F.R.I.D.A.Y., asks.

“Yes please. Tell everyone to meet me in conference room C. Inform them that I will have a guest.” He says, his tone final. “I suppose I will be introducing you to the team sooner than I planned.”

You nod, a little overwhelmed at the prospect of meeting with the Avengers, or more of them. “That is perfectly fine Mr. Stark.”

“Not yet, you don’t know me well enough, but eventually we will have to get you to phase out of calling me Mr. Stark and start calling me Tony.” He mutters, you don’t think he meant for you to hear that.

You two don’t make to the meeting room before everyone else. You walk in, greeted with dirty and a few bloody people. Eyes scanning the room, you notice familiar gear, a hand holding a glove, a metal gleam. Looking up, you lock eyes with him, instant recognition hitting you. Mr. Stark looks between the two of you, shock and confusion on his face.

“Do you and Tin Man know each other?” He asks.

“We’ve met.” You mutter, still holding his gaze.

Mr. Stark continues to look at the two us, questioning; as does Steve Rogers. “Is there anything you two want to share with the class?” Mr. Stark, you suppose you should call him Tony now, asks.

“Um …” Both you and Bucky mutter, looking at the ground. Neither on of you sure how to broach the subject. You look up, holding out your wrist. “This happened this morning when I quite literally ran into, um, him this morning.” He glances at your wrist, eyes widening at the understanding.

“I see.” He nods, continuing to look between the two of you. “Will it be a problem?” You shake your head.

“No. I can work on the designs without it being an issue. I wanted to get to know everyone anyway to learn likes and dislikes so that I can design the new base more effectively and comfortably for everyone.”

Mr. Stark, Tony, smiles. “I like you. Please, call me Tony. I have a feeling that we are going to be on a first name basis from now on.” He eyes everyone. “Everyone, excluding Bucky, this is [Y/F/N] [Y/L/N], she is going to be designing the new base I talked to you about a few weeks ago. And as she said, she will want to get to know you and as Barnes’ soulmate, you will most likely be seeing a lot of her.”

No one says anything. “Well, get on with it. I don’t want you standing here dirty and bloody any longer than you have to. Get showered and changed.” Tony barks at everyone, sounding much like an indignant chihuahua.

Everyone, including you, hurry out. However, with nowhere to go, you just stand there in the hall. Bucky sheepishly comes up to you. “Hello.”

You smile. “Hey. So … this is what you do.”

He laughs. “Yeah. I take it you work here too?” Your smile drops.

“Um … not exactly.” He lifts his eyebrow. “I may have quit this morning. My boss was a bitch and basically called me out on not being a piece of meat.” His eyes widen.

Tony comes out, surprise on his face. “Who was you boss?” You look at him, not realizing that he could hear you.

“The head of HR.” You mumble, hoping you won’t get in trouble.

“I was going to ask you to transfer over to my private sector anyway, so that just makes this easier, but I now plan on talking to her.” He mutters heading in the direction of my former office.

“So doll, care to take a walk with me?”

[spacegaywritings]

Communication of Silence - Chapter 11 Spi(c)es

Logan and Virgil are at work together but have different shifts at the library. Virgil gets to leave earlier and grabs some food with Remy. Roman makes interesting discoveries and does not know what to feel about it but he is sure Virgil is shadier than he lets on at first glance.

TW: food mentions/eating, working, watching other people, therapy talks, implications of insomnia/ED etc, Roman being a bit radical and protective, slightly stalkerish? and creepy roman, Virgil being shady af (aka dealing drugs, implied)

Tell me if you need me to tag any more than this!

Virgil uses he/they pronouns (for the day) in that chapter so the pronoun use is split for a reason. Yes, they do that for a reason. Just read on, it should be a topic later ao3 link *clicky* read under the cut:

A yawn could be heard and Virgil rubbed the sleepy tears from his eyes. Work was almost over for him and he had barely gotten any sleep after whatever this shitty thing had been with Logan.

The nerd was in the break room working on some project for one of his classes while Virgil had to take the front desk. One of their colleagues had just arrived and was getting ready in the back so they would be able to take Virgil’s part.

Only a few more minutes and Virgil would be on his way to leave. Today was one of the rare days during which he could not even relax with the smell of books surrounding him. A book on folklores from all over the globe was on his lap but he had not bothered turning the page in a long time. By now, it was more decoration than anything else. It was a comforting weight on top of that.

Another yawn caught him and he squeezed his eyes shut and covered his mouth for he was in public and attempted to maintain proper behaviour. However, it did not seem to be enough for some people.

“Dear gosh, this is so rude! Do you greet every costumer like that?”

Ah, that sound. It was the all too familiar noise of annoyance embodied by an actual person. He would have wished to call her a boomer but she was not. She looked like a woman in her uh.... late 30s, maybe fourties. Someone who decided to re-evaluate her life and start studying again even though it was lat. Nothing wrong with that but some people forgot that this was literally a bunch of tired student helping over tired students during the phase of upcoming deadlines for finals, assignments and other kinds of projects.

And there was a slender woman. Taller than him, rather fair skinned in nature but seemingly tanned by artificial help. Wasn’t tan actual damage to the skin? Why would that look healthy to anyone? Society was so weird and he was sure Logan had taught him that shit when they compared their skin colours at some point when working together on putting books into their respective places. (Nobody thought it was fair that Virgil would not put books away since he was small and he did not mean getting some help if it meant not sitting at the help desk and interact with people who smelled of desperation or entitlement at worst.) Virgil barely got to forcefully shut his own jaw and stop the yawn. Uncomfortable.

The woman was already ranting. For the sake of it, the emo just named her Karen. If he had to deal with her, he might as well try to mentally make it a bit more humorous.

He leaned back. On the outside, he seemed okay, awfully calm and probably just sleepy. The woman seemed to hate it and her head was already red as she demanded some book. He could not even ask which one it was because she rapidly blabbered herself into rage.

Did she even want help?

“Um, like.. What do you want?”

Karen had taken one moment to breathe in and Virgil was quick to slip a bookmark between the pages he had long given up on. He had spoken now and taken the wind out of her sails.

Her glossy, empty cans of eyes stared into him without any sense of understanding.

“Excuse me?”

Virgil supported his arm on his elbow and let his chin rest on his outstretched palm. He was not made for costumer interaction. Was it even a costumer? He did not exactly get money from them unless they had to pay overdue loan fees for keeping books for too long.

“I asked you what you want. You kinda talked for like”, he moved his left hand in a circle as if to show that it was an estimate rather than an actual calculation, “two minutes or something.” He shrugged. “Keep it short, it is 2 in the afternoon and I have no attention span for people yelling at me in a library.”

His voice sharpened at the end as to give an extra emphasis to the word library because it was a place of being silent. She was anything but silent.

The woman let out an unholy shriek and her angry eyes narrowed as she tried to eat his poor unfortunate soul.

“You are not listening to me and then you even dare to be this rude to me, a costumer? The costumer is always right and you suck at your job! If you keep up your shitty attitude, I will tell your manager and get you fired.”

Virgil sighed.

“I still do not know what you want. Do you want to return a book, request the library to get a special book or do you want to loan anything? Do you need help finding a book? You know, there is a computer that does not talk back at you, if you want to try with that.”

He pointed towards a row of computers, some of them having special signs to indicate that they were without internet access but only served as means to navigate around the library and find certain books.

Somehow, that must have been the most offensive couple of words ever used around the woman. She seemed to puff up in anger, her hair curling a bit and her face tinting a reddish shade.

“How dare you! You are being so rude! I thought student knew better than to disrespect their elders!”

She went on saying that she wanted to see his manager, had never been mistreated like this before and found it to be an “audacity” to be disregarded like that. Suddenly she started dashing out claims of having been insulted and discriminated against.

Virgil sighed and checked the clock. Yeah, two minutes. It was time to go and he was sure Tiara was gonna be there any second now. He rose to his feet and picked up his bag.

“Where are you going, young man?”

Ugh.. that card... He barely spared her a glance and pocketed his book.

“My shift is over and you are my colleague’s problem now.”

The small student put his bag on and blinked at her before he left his desk. His sass sparked the explosion.

“I want to speak to your manager right now! I am going to get your little ass kicked you stupid -”

She never got around to finishing this sentence but he was sure she was going to say something racist, funnily enough. But glory had it, someone behind her cleared his throat and adjusted his sunglasses.

“Ma’am”, the taller man spoke. He was probably taller because of his hair standing up.

“I am the manager and I am afraid I need you to leave. If you resist, I will ban you from this location and inform campus security about your disturbing presence.”

The woman turned around. Upon seeing the man in a leather jacket and sunglasses, she frowned.

“You are the manager?”

Her words sounded like the hiss of a snake that just met their worst enemy. Eyes narrowed, she focused on the slightly smaller man than him who just nodded towards Virgil.

“Ma’am, I asked you to leave the property. Virgil, I think you need to inform security and help this lady out”, he started and leaned in a bit, his voice just turning a bit sharper than his words already were. “Tell them to inform the police for resistance.”

By now, her head was redder than a glowing fire. She was smoking about as much. Virgil tried to look as nonchalant as ever when he picked up the phone, face unbiased as if he had never picked a side in his life.

The woman let out another screech of fury. It sounded a bit like an angry Chihuahua, ready to eat your fingercap off your hand without hesitation. She was dead serious but so was the manager. Virgil started dialing and clicked his tongue, his dark eyes looking past her raging form.

When he opened his mouth, she stomped her foot and hurried off, he gloomy eyes shooting daggers at the leather-clad man for another moment before she stomped through the library and back outside again.

Virgil immediately dropped the phone and put everything away, his hands rushed as if he was handling hot potatoes.

“Fuckfuckfuck, what if she gets me fired!?”

He ran his hands through his hair, calming the heat and dissipating the energy in his sudden kick of anxiety. The man with the sunglasses walked over and pouted at him.

“Really, you are going to panic before you even greet me? I expected better from you”, he whined and stretched out his arms to take Virgil’s bag. “That bitch cannot do shit and she totally believed I am the manager. Did you see her panic when I mentioned the police? I fucking broker her, like, TBH she will not come back when you are around again.”

His shoulders flexed under the black fabric of his heavy jacket. Eyes rolled under his sunglasses that he wore despite the rather cozy dimness within the building. Outside, it was cloudy and horridly white but there was no sun to illuminate the day. Still, looking up into the sky would hurt worse than looking into the warmth of the sun for just a moment.

“Come on, you don’t need that job anyway and you can get other jobs if she really gets through with this”, he nudged the other who just looked up at him, eyes swollen in worry and decidedly looking at the other, then past him. He made the impression there was something to look out for. “Also, I fucking killed that performance. I want a bit of recognition here.”

He sing-sang his latter sentence, the words and notes wrapping around Virgil and softly pushing him closer to the taller person.

The emo caved.

“Ri, I swear you are going to be the death of me.”

He stepped into the other and just threw his hands around him.

“Whatever the fuck. You are right or whatever. I don’t care. Fuck work, fuck Karen.”

Virgil nudged Remy’s shoulder and started walking towards the exit.

“Karen? That was her name? You know why she was here? Did she come before? She sounded gosh-fucking-awful.”

The younger of the two chuckled and walked them out.

“Do I need to teach you memes, too? Am I obligated to explain every bit of Gen Z culture to you?”

The taller one inhaled the air in offence, one hand on his chest as he slowly craned his head to look at Virgil, his mouth agape in utter shock at the rude betrayal. He got as far as to slide his shades up to his head where it rested in his dark brown hair.

“Gurl, did you just fucking straight up and murder me after I saved your ass from that suburban super mom-monster?”

The student pushed the door open for them and took the time to shoot Remy an arrogant glare.

“Thank you, oh holy knight but I do not need to be saved by some random dude. Believe it or not, I would have handled that. It is the end of my shift and I was about to stall for time.”

Remy shook his head. Before he could try and bite back another comment, Virgil was already speaking again.

“Anyway, your performance did NOT suck, so I guess you are still allowed to call yourself a thespian or actress or whatever you wanna use... “, his voice dropped from high amusement down to sincere interest, “do you feel the actor today? Or, like, just Remy?”

The actor hugged Virgil’s side and blinked slowly as they walked back to his office.

“I am gonna be your brother today. What about you? Are you feeling a sister in you? A sibling or are you my brother as usual?”

This time, he stretched out his hands to open the door.

“Uh.. I mean, .. “, the other started but broke off as he quickly ducked down and walked into the office without missing another beat. Once inside, he shrugged and sat down onto the less cluttered side of Remy’s highly professional desk. “I dunno, man. I am just a thing, I guess”

Remy nodded and gave his sibling their things.

“Ah, alright, thank you for these clear words, Misc “I can stand up for myself” Lee.”

The other reacted with nothing more than a scoff.

“Whatever, just get lunch with me. Any suggestions?”

They pulled out their phone and started typing away on it, pulling up the email app he needed to compute a text to his therapist. If he was lucky, he would get some dismissed appointment and during winter time, maybe he was actually that lucky.

“I talked to your boyfriend, you know”, Remy started and Virgil waved him off.

“I am literally messaging her right now, can you calm down? I am about to go eat with you and you can take a picture if that makes you happy. Don’t get on my ass, I am.. I am trying..”

Virgil sighed and pressed “send” without reading over it or adding these funky “sincerely, yours” words and all that shit. They were not exactly in the mood to discuss the whole thing again. Their mood was already sore enough from everything that had happened before.

“Then she probably told you that I am okay and panicked enough over that. I am trying, okay? Just leave me be and get stupid food with me.” They sighed and threw their phone over. “Please.”

Remy caught the flying device with coordinated hands and skilled fingers. With one simple motion, he fastened his grip around the phone and glared back at Virgil.

“Don’t throw your shit, kid”, he warned them but did not intend to go any further than this. His eyes glanced over the shiny display. With how they used their things and just threw them around, it was a miracle this thing was still intact - at least from what it looked like on the outside. Then again, water damage was more likely than cracking the display, seeing that Virgil was almost constantly on their phone and texting him or other people.

The display was shining brightly into Remy’s face in the unlit office of his.

“Why do you need to have such a high brightness when you work in a library?”

Remy sighed and squinted before letting his shades return to the bridge of his nose. The tinted glasses did their job in making sight a bit more bearable and less painful. It was almost as if looking at bright things did not make his eyes sting dully and his head contract in pain.

In front of his eyes was a white bunch of nothing and some meek, black letters. An email to Virgil’s therapist. Well, it was not the therapist directly but it was the receptionist who was to plan and manage their therapist’s schedule.

“The library is not a dark cave, stop pretending the world is as dark as it looks from watching it through your dumb shades”, Virgil shot back casually as they fidgeted with their hands, fingers pushing together for no reason and curling up together. If they were longer, they would definitely get tied up like wild, cooked noodles. “Also, I am literally sitting right underneath a bigass lamp at the front desk. The shelves are a bit better when you are in the section with that fuckton of heavy books nobody wants to touch unless they are forced to.”

Ah, yes.

“You don’t have to show me. You are an adult and I trust you to do the right thing.”

They scoffed but left the comment unreviewed safe for a quick glance at Remy over their brow for less than a split moment. He almost thought it was nothing but imagined because he would expect them to do that.

The smaller of the two took their phone back and scrolled through it. Their fingers seemed a bit more at rest but they still rubbed over the display as if an apocalypse of message had just exploded in their notification feed. For sure, it was unlikely to get so many messages at once but Remy did not mind the quirks too much.

“Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii”

The student finally put their phone aside and let their nickname for Remy be stretched longer than wet and sugary sweet gum for kids. The one you would use to make really big bubbles before popping them in one wet and lazy sound. Feet swung forward and fell back against the side of the desk with a dull ‘clung’.

The addressed person angled his shades. His eyes were spitting salt at the other.

“Bitch, now you are going all sweet on me -”

“I will get food without you, hoe, I just want to get it done, come ooooon!”

He could not exactly argue with that. Considering Virgil sucked at eating food, at least they seemed to get this issue together around Remy. Possibly, their body just registered that being around him meant eating anyway so there was no faking it away and skipping meals and missing carbs and minerals.

It felt funny to think about it in this way. Honestly, he would not mind it if it was that way. At least then Virgil at properly at regularly.

But threatening to throw off their lunch tradition? Unbelievable.

Virgil took a threatening step down and stood by their words. They were getting their bag.

“If ya don’t hurry, I can get you something - preferences? Disgusting food? Fake Asian food fusion imitation? Weird fruits? Vegan healthy smoothie shit?”

Remy clicked his tongue but held up his hand for a moment to signal his need of time. Then he bent over to get his purse.

“Shut up, it is my treat. I might have eaten your job after all.”

The professor clicked a turn into the ground with his vocal heels and strove for the exit of his office. Virgil was quick to follow behind. When he opened the door and closed it again, he did not notice Roman just a bit away, on the staircase. He had come to find Professor Archimeda after all.

***

”Got it all?”

Virgil’s eyes rolled behind Remy, nearly turning back into the back of their head but they stayed put - as loyal and reliable as always.

“Yeah, just fucking chill for one moment in your existence”

They trailed behind him with the bags of food in their annoyed hands. Remy kept turning around to look at them, checking whether they were there, whether the food was there.

“Like you have to be talking, honestly”

Remy’s voice was so flat, it could barely be taken as more than a joke despite it being drier than any sand-dominated desert could ever be. Virgil snorted at the familiar salty flavour of his response.

“I am not going to disappear and neither is the food, seriously, I mean, you can hear me walking behind you. It is not that much of a big deal. I am just carrying the bags, calm your protective instincts, princess.”

The professor wanted to award that comment with a snarky glare but found his shades to be in the way as always. The brightly lit hallway had the stinging LEDs that would tear into his brain if he dared to even as much as consider taking off his shades and he had done this mistakes enough already.

Sweet relief was nothing compared to the satisfaction of reaching his office once more and finally opening the door to allow the unlit room to swallow them into the dim atmosphere of his beloved office.

“Finally”, the professor announced, clutching his tea tighter and kicking the door shut without glory nor car. One might have thought he just finished a whole day of work and extra chores but no, the dude just felt the pain of migraines and rubbed his temples as soon as he crashed into his chair and got to put his tea down.

On the other side of the desk, Virgil put the food down and looked at his miserable brother.

“You know what?”

Remy sighed and slowly brought his lips to his stupid straw. It was one of these funky things that was made of biodegradable something. No idea what it was but it was something and it was not paper, probably. It kinda felt different but yeah, whatever.

He sipped his tea. Decaffeinated cinnamon winter whatever tea. It was as spicy as the tea around the theatre department. Which was pretty much a lot. To indicate his attention, one of his eyebrows rose and Remy craned his neck a bit to lean towards Virgil who just got around to opening a window yet pull the curtains shut so it would continue to be dark and private. As always.

“You look like a VSCO girl”, Virgil stated with tired eyes as he moved his chair closer to the suffering blob of leather and black. “I am kinda disappointed I noticed only know but you really really do look like one and I actually think you might be the bitch of all VSCO girls. Like, the superior boss bitch.”

Remy snorted his tea back into his straw and decided to stop hugging it and just put it back onto his desk again. Tea spilled everywhere. His pants, his jacket, a bit of floor and a whole bunch of Remy face got a big load the gulp he had meant to swallow rather than spontaneously blow back into his straw (which did not have the capacity to take it all in.

Yeah, he should have never touched it after getting into the chair…. The feeling of drinking just made the migraines a little less worse most of the time. No, before and after was just as miserable. Fuck hydration. But drinking? Drinking was the cure for migraine pains for some weird, magical reason.

At least to him.

He smacked his lips and clicked his tongue. Another sigh flew from his lips as Virgil curled into a ball of laughter at the horrible image before him. It was too good not to. Remy’s lips were slightly apart as he seemed to growl the tea away from him with intimidation skills he definitely did not have on tea.

He looked.. genuinely offended at the liquid for deciding to do any of this to him and jut ruin his jacket.

“Fuck you, Virgil, just fuck you, little hate crab.”

The professor got up and shrugged his jacket off his shoulders. At least it had time to dry before lunch was over.

“You know, you could be helpful and give me something to, like, help and stuff.”

Remy stuck his tongue out at Virgil who finally uncurled but was still grinning as they reached for the napkins and gave them to their sibling.

“Alright, princess”, Virgil commented with a smirk in their voice.

The professor rolled his eyes but refused to thank him. He patted his jacket dry but accepted the loss on his clothing. It was not much, it was not really wet or anything, just damp - if any.

Remy put his jacket over the chair and settled back into his seat.

“Just hand over the food”, he muttered in defeat and Virgil seemed to comply.

They distributed the food by giving Remy some of the boxes and just push some of his stuff aside so the desk was providing some more space for them to clutter it in food items. Not to be a bitch but this was his food space now.

“Mind me, Ri”, Virgil warned before he rose his knees as a first gesture. Remy took the hint and kindly turned his chair a bit so his sibling could access his lap properly. Their feet settled on his lap and got out some bamboo cutlery.

“Yeah, whatever.”

Virgil smiled and put the cutlery between them before he started opening basically any bit of food. No box was left closed (safe for the ones in the bags, still. They were to be spared for another few minutes until it was time for them).

The next minutes were just spent with the two starting to eat, Virgil picking a playlist of Queen songs to play in the background so Remy would be a bit happier with them.

“Hey”, Virgil mumbled and grabbed their bag. Remy hummed in acknowledgment.

“Got some more trash for you and you bet you will love it~”

Virgil whispered and moved their legs so they could pull Remy’s chair closer to him. Because OF COURSE this was an office chair with wheels and movement.This was an office and this was Remy and he would definitely have these kinds of things. The student reached into their bag and handed Remy a little brown bag. It looked like one of these lunch bags.

“Yeah, so, you know.. Met my friend again and they made you something.” They shrugged, deposing the bag in Remy’s lap, right between his feet.

“Well, this just perfect here”, he commented with a sly smile but he took the bag anyway and put it away carefully. “Thank you. How much?”

Virgil rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Just hand me those fucking honey batches, Ri, I am gonna eat them all on my own and we are even.”

Remy did not try to argue with that and silently shoved the box of dessert over to the other. They did not do much more. The rest of their lunch break was filled with some jokes and Virgil eating about as much as two people would. The two would cuddle and talk until time came for the professor to pack up and get ready to be a good teacher for his acting classes.

They parted with a warming hug right before the door, still in the safety of the dimly-lit office. Remy leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Virgil’s head.

”You take care of yourself. See you later - tomorrow? You can sleep at my place if you want to. You look like you need it.”

He touched the darkened circles under their slightly swollen eyes. They looked a bit puffy as is from crying but it was so usual, Remy barely noticed it - that is how they met after all. It was not out of the ordinary. Sadly, that was exactly the point. Insomnia should not be the new normal (especially for a growing zygote like Virgil).

They just shrugged their shoulders.

“Yeah.. I mean, maybe, I guess. I w-”, they started but a notification sound interrupted them.

The emo pulled out their phone and unlocked it with practiced movements, barely looking at the display at all. Once unlocked, they checked for messages.

“Well, time for me to go get some stupid therapy - I mean.. get therapy. You know.. whatever. I gotta get going or I will be late. I uh..” They stopped and shuffled their feet a bit, black boots clacking together. “I will text you, I guess? Thanks for the food and the...um, all the stuff..”

Remy shrugged and nudged them, warmth quickly seeping into their shoulder. He gave the student a genuine smile, even his eyes were radiating warmth.

“No problem. Now go before any of us is going to be late, Virg.”

The smaller of the two flinched as if hit by the realisation that time was still a and they, in fact, were on a clock to get to their spontaneous appointment. They quickly jumped into another hug before dashing out of the door and disappearing down the hallway with quick steps.

Their feet were walking fast until they picked up further so they would run as the storm, dark jacket flaring out and making them look like an actual storm cloud. Their steps echoing through the halls were the thunder rolling in the sky and scaring your eardrums.

Remy smiled after the figuring shrinking in size and volume before he came to his senses and reminded himself of locking up his office and walking over to his course. Roman was waiting for him and he made a bad example of himself when he was late to his own course.

Little did he know that he would probably be there first because Roman was still struck by seeing his boss and roommate interact so closely, so intimately. He turned his back on the window and hurried away, remembering there was a place he had to be.

He really needed to talk to Patton about this. The thespian was not sure what was going on but it looked shady and he could not tolerate it any longer. Someone needed to make sure that Logan would not fall for some dangerous asshole. Logan was too emotion-dumb for that. Not to talk about putting Patton at danger in his currently still rather fragile state...

Just..

No, he would not take this any longer. As he hurried through the extensive building and the majestic pieces of architectural beauty, he reminded himself to address the issue. He would try his best to convince Logan and Patton to just kick that guy out. Roman had no patience nor understanding left for someone who would constantly snap at him. He was not ready to risk his friends’ well-being for the sake of being fair. Virgil had played all his chances and lost already.

His time was over.

Just you wait, Virgil. Roman knew his friends and come time, they would realise that this stranger was nothing but trouble and needed to leave. No matter the nice benefits of him staying around.

He better watch out. Roman was coming for him.

[teddylawrence]

task 001 baybee!

PREFERRED NAME — bri

PRONOUNS — she/they either work fr me tbh

AGE — 22

TIMEZONE — est

HOW OFTEN ARE YOU ONLINE? — literally too much.......... like if i’m not online on my laptop i’m lurking on mobile it’s a Problem

HOW DID YOU HEAR OF WATERSHED? — i’m friends w the asshole who Created It /:

DISCORD — chocalety milk#0458

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE — uh my personal is here n my pinterest is here im always down to give out twitter n insta too if anyone wants it :B

MYER-BRIGGS — istp

HP HOUSE — slytherin

ZODIAC — gemini

DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY? — like a lot yes an embarrassing amount i am, in fact, that white girl that asks what ur sign is like 3 minutes into meeting them im not PROUD of it its jst me this is real this is me

DO YOU ENJOY ASTROLOGY? — i have the gemini symbol tattooed on me.

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED RPING ON TUMBLR — i think like 13?? or 12 i cant remember tbh

WHAT YEAR WAS IT? — 2011 or something i dnt wanna do math thts jst a random guess

NAME A RANDOM ROLEPLAY THAT STICKS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY — the magic returns, it was a next gen harry potter rp tht i was in fr im not kidding my entire high school career

WHAT WEIRD ANIMAL WOULD YOU HAVE AS A PET IF IT WAS REALISTIC — idk a kangaroo i think........ i kno they can actually b super aggressive and r jacked as fuck bt its rly cute when baby joey’s r in their mama’s pouches

WHAT PET DO YOU GENUINELY CONSIDER GETTING SOMEDAY? — i want another cat so bad and i’d like to have a dog again someday tbh

NAME THE FIRST SONG ON YOUR DISCOVER WEEKLY ON SPOTIFY OR THE FIRST SONG THAT COMES ON APPLE MUSIC / ITUNES SHUFFLE — the first song on my discover weekly is 2all by catfish and the bottlemen n i put my spotify on shuffle too n the first song that came up was imaginary parties by superfruit

NAME A BOOK THAT YOU READ IN SCHOOL THAT YOU SURPRISINGLY LIKED — i think besides to kill a mockingbird, brave new world by aldous huxley was my fave??

NAME A BOOK YOU HATED THAT MOST PEOPLE LIKED — i genuinely can’t even think of a book i hated......... maybe the great gatsby, its my english teacher’s fave n she was hyping it up sm but it jst kinda bored me??

WHAT TV SHOW DID YOU RECENTLY BINGE? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT? — i’m binging stranger things with my mom rn and shameless on my own, both r Dumb Good i’m quite obsessed.................

WHAT FILM DID YOU LAST WATCH? DID YOU LIKE IT? — i finished texas chainsaw massacre like the original with my bf and i thought it was rly boring NSDGLJSKDLGH film nerds everywhere b spitting on me rn /:

FAVOURITE QUOTE — i genuinely don’t think i even have one............ there’s been a few that’ve always Touched Me bt i can’t even think of one rn

LINK TO A VINE / TIK TOK / VIDEO THAT EXUDES YOUR ‘ENERGY’ — this bad boy right here

DO YOU WRITE OUTSIDE OF RP? WHAT DO YOU WRITE? — i’m attempting nanowrimo but it’s frankly not going well and other than that?? i haven’t in forever but should start again tbh

THREE YOUTUBERS YOU STILL LOVE & TRUST — noel miller, cody ko, chris klemens

A CELEBRITY CRUSH THAT JUST WON’T QUIT — harry styles until the day i die baybee!

EVER MEET A CELEBRITY? SHARE YOUR STORY — i met kurtis conner at the last 1975 concert i went to it was quite awkward i cld jst tell he did not want 2 take another picture LHSDGLKHSDG

WHAT’S YOUR PICTURE-PERFECT NIGHT? — tbh in the summer all my friends and i do is sit in my backyard drinking beers and playing card games so that

A CONSPIRACY THEORY YOU KINDA BELIEVE IN — the mandela effeect

ARE ALIENS REAL? — yes ofc u cannot look me in the eye and tell me we’re the only living species in the universe

PLAY ANY PHONE GAMES? WHICH ONES? — /: i have 4 diff versions of candy crush on my phone...............

PLAY ANY OTHER GAMES? WHICH ONES? — i was never allowed to play like any computer/video games growing up so i jst never did it was a sad childhood

WHAT’S A FILM YOU LOVED WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG AND RECENTLY WATCHED, ONLY TO FIND OUT YOU DON’T ANYMORE — i can’t think of one....... maybe surfs up i was obsessed with that when i was little bt i bet if i watched it now i wld hate it LSHDGKLHSDLKG

DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING? — ticket stubs from the movies i go to, weird like vintage/homemade jewelry tht i never wear, old coins, etc.

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUT YOU’RE TOO LAZY? — politics tbh

THREE LANGUAGES YOU DON’T SPEAK, BUT WISH YOU COULD — spanish, latin, mandarin

MOVIE YOU’VE WATCHED MORE THAN 5 TIMES — tangled........ i went thru a phase fr 2 months where i watched it every day i was so obsessed...........

NAME A FICTIONAL CHARACTER FROM TV/FILM/MOVIE/GAME/BOOK THAT YOU FIND YOURSELF PROJECTING ON / YOU RELATE TO — rue from euphoria probs the most tbh

IS THERE ANY MEDIA (BOOK/MOVIE/GAME/TV SHOW) YOU FEEL CHANGED YOU IN SOME WAY? — maybe the harry potter series...... the biggest rp besides this one i was in was based off it n what not so

DO YOU FOLLOW ANY SPORTS? WHO DO YOU ROOT FOR? — like now tht i have a bf who likes sports kind of?? my whole family loves watched the blue jays baseball and maple leafs hockey games so i Sit There bt i dnt rly . care tht much JSDGKLHLDSG

HOBBIES BESIDES WASTING AWAY HERE? — /: reading?? fkin...... Drinking, i do some music stuff tht i need to . focus on again

PLUG A TV SHOW / MOVIE / BOOK / VIDEO GAME / ETC… YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD CHECK OUT — uh?? watch chris klemens on youtube if u dont

TEAM EDWARD OR JACOB? (IF NOT APPLICABLE, WHO DO YOU LIKE MOST IN THE TWILIGHT SERIES) — i was jacob when i was younger now? alice and jasper........ the Real otp of twilight

LAST MOVIE SEEN IN THEATRE — the lighthouse

DO YOU STILL READ FOR FUN? — not as much as i wish i did /:

IF SO, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? — the furies fr the watershed book club

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, HOW MUCH DID YOU HATE FILLING THIS OUT? – i didnt hate it rly i like talking abt myself quite a bit its jst the truth

[chain-unchained]

June 4

(are these blurbs before the actual writing pretentious? ;~; idk)

I always kind of imagined that Shane has this vicious cycle of drinking, feeling like he let Jas and/or Marnie down, trying to make it up to them but failing in some way, and then drinking harder. So this chapter is a bit fluffy and melancholic. I hope you like it ;u;

With the weight of what had transpired a few days ago still fresh in Shane’s mind, he was determined to do what he could to make up for it today, Jas’ eighth birthday. Even with all his failures and him spending most of his paychecks on booze, he’d saved enough to get her a new Welwick Court doll. He didn’t really know much about kids’ toys, but he did know that Jas loved the Welwick dolls, and he’d gone through her collection to make sure that he didn’t get one she already had.

It wasn’t near enough to make up for everything he’d put her through, he knew that. He knew that if he had even an ounce of restraint and saved up his money, he could have gotten her more than just one present—if he had his life together, he could have gotten her a dozen gifts, taken her out to Zuzu city for a day of fun and shopping because he would have remembered to put in for the day off in advance, and actually been the godfather that he was supposed to be. But this was the best he could do. It was all he could do.

The day at Joja-Mart seemed to drag on even more than it usually did; when 5 PM finally rolled around, Shane clocked out, grabbing the gift he’d messily wrapped from his locker and tucked it into his jacket. He’d make a quick pit stop at the saloon on his way home, pick up some pizza for Jas’ birthday dinner and have a drink to help settle his anxiety while it was cooking, and be back at the ranch by 5:30. Plenty of time to celebrate the squirt’s birthday with her and Marnie.

As his feet carried him down the road away from that hell-mart, his thoughts meandered as they often did, filling his mind with fantasies about what life would be like if he didn’t work at Joja, if he hadn’t torn his ACL playing gridball, if he hadn’t dropped out of college. It was almost unbelievable that once upon a time, he had potential to actually make something of his life. He could have been a fullback for the Tunnelers if he hadn’t blown out his knee…

“On your way home?”

Pausing at the sound of Ashe’s voice, Shane took his eyes away from the ground where he had been looking and saw the petite farmboy standing a bit further down the road, covered in dirt—it looked like he’d had quite the day on the farm, to say the least.

“No, I’m walking to my second job at the other Joja-mart.” Shane snorted quietly, coming to a stop before the youth. “But yeah, actually, I am.” He admitted after a moment; after what had happened on the first, he couldn’t bring himself to be as cold and mean as he had used to be with the kid, especially not since Ashe was still treating him like a friend. “Today’s Jas’ birthday, so I’m just gonna stop by the saloon and pick up a pizza or two to bring back.”

“Ah, I thought so!” Ashe clapped his hands together in delight and reached into his bag. “I was so busy on the farm today that I didn’t have the chance to stop by and say hello before the shop closed… Would you mind giving this to her and wishing her a happy birthday for me?” As he spoke, he pulled a bubblegum pink pinkcat flower out and held it out to Shane with a smile.

Shane gave it a thought for a second. “… Nope. Give it to her yourself.” He commented as he began to walk again, not wanting to keep Jas waiting longer than necessary. She could get pretty hangry if dinner was even just a little bit late.  

“Eh--?” Confused, Ashe turned around to watch him go. “But… the shop’s closed--?”

“So?” Shane stopped again to look back at him, jerking his head to indicate for Ashe to follow him. “I’m saying come back with me, ya dingus. Marnie won’t care, she likes you well enough.”

It took a few seconds for Ashe to realize what Shane said; slowly, the biggest smile lit up his face. “Okay~!”

“You’re so fucking slow sometimes.” Shane shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets as he began to walk once more, with Ashe hastening to catch up. “I still don’t get why you keep bothering with an asshole like me. Shouldn’t you be hanging out with people your age, like Sebastian or Abigail?”

To be honest, it was a question he’d had in his mind for awhile now. While it was true that most of his time was spent stocking those damn shelves, he’d never really seen Ashe spend time with the youngers of the valley—he was always busy with something or other, and what little free time he had seemed to be spent bugging Shane or doing favors for the townsfolk. Sometimes, just watching Ashe flit about like a hummingbird made Shane feel tired.  

“Mmm…” A contemplative look came onto Ashe’s face at the question. “I talk to them on the computer during the evenings… it’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but most of the time I have trouble connecting with them.” He looked to Shane with a shrug of his shoulders and an airheaded smile. “Not so much with Sebastian, we actually talk a lot over chat. Sam’s easy enough to talk to because he’s so easygoing, too. Abigail’s nice, but I have trouble keeping up with her sometimes…”

“That so?” It struck Shane as Ashe talked that he really didn’t know much of anything about the kid. “I figured it would be the opposite since you’re such a nosy bugaboo. Guess that means you have nothing to do with Alex or Haley, huh?”

“Not really, no.” Ashe agreed with a vigorous shake of his head. “Haley doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. Alex at least will say hello, but… Oh, I do sometimes talk to Penny. Not very often, though, since she’s usually busy with tutoring.” There was also Emily, but he didn’t need to say anything, since Shane knew how the two of them got on since she worked evenings at the saloon, and Elliot, who was going through one of his rare inspiration phases and had barely left his cabin since spring started.

“What’s stopping you from doing what you did to me to them?” Shane gave Ashe the stink-eye. “I’ve got half a mind to make you go and bother them until you make friends. Kids like you shouldn’t be bothering with old farts like me.”

Defeated, Ashe just gave him another smile and laughed meekly, and Shane looked forward again with a quiet snort. It was an empty threat, honestly, though he was surprised to hear that a cheerful, personable person like Ashe couldn’t connect with people in his age group. He found that hard to believe, but Ashe didn’t seem the type to lie, not about something so trivial at least.

With pizza and 2-liters of soda in hand after a quick stop at the saloon, the pair took the southwest road out of town and made their way to the ranch. Struggling a little to open the front door since his hands were full, Shane let them in; as expected, the shop was empty, and they could hear Jas’ excited chattering coming from the kitchen. “Shh, this’ll be a surprise.” He whispered to Ashe, who nodded his head in silent agreement.

“Aunt Marnie, when is Shane gonna be home?” Jas asked, sitting at the table and swinging her legs restlessly as she colored away in her Welwick courts coloring book; it was hard being patient, especially as a kid, and especially especially as a kid on your birthday. But she’d been extra super good that day in the hopes that it would mean she’d have a good evening.

“I’m not sure, sweetie.” Marnie kept her back turned to Jas as she spoke, putting the finishing touches on the birthday cake as she tried not to let her smile come through in her voice; she certainly hoped that her nephew could pass up the saloon for one day and come home early, and she hated that she honestly didn’t know what he would end up doing. “I’m sure that he’ll be back soon. He at least said he was going to get some pizza, and I don’t think he’d keep the birthday girl waiting for her dinner.”

“… Is he gonna be drunk?” Jas’ legs stopped swinging, her voice becoming quiet and almost somber; at the counter, Marnie paused in her icing.  “I don’t like it when he drinks… and he always seems unhappy. Why does he drink if he doesn’t like it?”

They were difficult words to hear from a little girl. And what made it even harder was that Marnie simply didn’t have an answer to give—not the kind of answer that Jas wanted, at least. “I wish I could say, kiddo.” She turned to look at her young charge with a sympathetic smile. “But that’s something only Shane can answer.”

As expected, Jas struggled to understand why Marnie didn’t have the answer. Before she could prod her aunt any further, however, Shane loudly cleared his throat, announcing his and Ashe’s presence. “I have a large cheese pizza for a Ms. Jas.”

“Shane!” Jas twisted around in her seat to look at her godfather, her face lighting up at his presence; despite it all, it was clear that she adored him more than anything in the whole world. The delight on her face was replaced by surprise as she saw Ashe poke his head out from behind Shane—the hallway was rather on the narrow side, and there was no room for him to stand beside the man. “Mr. Ashe? How come you’re here too?”

“Well, I heard it was a certain someone’s birthday today~” Ashe smiled as Shane stepped fully into the kitchen, setting the pizza down on the table and flipping the box open to reveal its ooey gooey cheesy contents. “I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday, Jas. I didn’t know what all to get you, so…” He held the flower out to the girl. “It’s not much, but I bet it’d look very pretty if you pressed it in a book.”

Jas’ eyes widened even more as she carefully accepted the brightly colored flower. “Thank you…” She didn’t expect him to get her a gift.

“You’re welcome~” Ashe raised his hand in farewell and turned to leave. “I’ll let you all have your evening, then. Bye~”

“What, you’re not going to stay for some pizza and cake?” Marnie inquired, giving Ashe pause. “Come on, sit and relax for a spell.”

“Ah… are you sure?” Ashe turned back to look at the family, uncertainty written on his face. “I don’t want to impose on a day like today.” His expression shifted to one of meekness as he looked down to his dirt-covered self. “And I’m such a mess right now, I—”

“Mr. Ashe?” Jas interrupted, looking from the flower to Ashe with her large, expressive eyes. “If you don’t stay, there’s gonna be a lot of leftovers. Even Shane can’t eat this much pizza.”

“Hey, what are you trying to say there squirt?” Shane pretended to look offended by her comment. “Well, you heard the birthday girl. Might as well, right?”

Momentarily overwhelmed, Ashe looked to Marnie for confirmation; the portly woman smiled and nodded, reaching up into the cupboards to get an extra plate for their guest. “… I guess if Jas wants me to, I don’t have a choice~” He admitted with a sheepish smile.

It felt just a little strange to him, to be sitting with the little family as they ate their way through as much of the massive pizza as they could, but it wasn’t an unwelcome sort of strange. It almost felt like… he had a family again, a feeling that he thought he wouldn’t get to experience again. It was bittersweet.

“Mr. Ashe, how come you decided to be a farmer?” Jas asked, once the pizza had been demolished and the cake polished off (no matter how stuffed you were, there was always room for cake).  Still at the table with Ashe and Shane while Marnie cleared away the dishes, she was quite happily playing with the new doll that was Shane’s gift to her, though it didn’t stop her from being the inquisitive child that she was.

The question caught Ashe off-guard. “Well…” He looked thoughtful as he tried to think of the best way to answer her question. “I just needed a change.” He finally answered after several moments of contemplation. “Before my grandpa died, he gave me an envelope and told me to open it when the time was right. I didn’t know it at the time, of course, but it was the deed to his farm.” He smiled merrily. “I worked at a Joja office for awhile, and then I got tired of being an adult and came to be a farmer instead~”

“You worked for Joja?” Shane couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice, lifting his head up from where he’d been resting it against his hand to look at the kid with raised brows. “When? You look like you just barely graduated high school.”

“Never judge a book by its cover~” Ashe chimed, looking carefree as ever—yet for some reason, Shane got the feeling that this time, that happy go lucky attitude was fake. “I didn’t even finish high school.”

Jas’ jaw hit the floor. “You didn’t? Why? Didn’t you like school?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Ashe nodded his head vigorously. “I loved school.” His smile softened just a little, and for a moment, it almost seemed to become melancholy. “But sometimes, you have to do things that you don’t want to do.” And just like that, he was back to his normal self, giving Jas a big ol’ grin. “And then later down the road, you might be able to do things you want to do again.”

His words gave the little girl quite a lot to think about, as she tried to stifle a yawn behind her hand. “Alright, little missy.” Marnie turned around as she dried her hands on a rag, as though she had eyes in the back of her head that saw it. “It’s way past your bedtime. Come along now, let’s pick out a book to read.”

“Awww…” Jas pouted, her attempt to stay up later duly foiled. “Okay…”

“G’night, squirt.” Shane bid, watching as his aunt led Jas out of the kitchen towards her room; as soon as the two were out of earshot, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the tabletop and burying his face in his hands as he let out the heaviest sigh. Somehow, he’d managed to hold himself together after catching Jas’ comment about him drinking; it had taken everything he had in that moment not to turn and walk right back out the door, her words unintentionally crushing his already crumbling heart.

“Shane…?” Ashe gently touched the man’s arm; he of course had heard what Jas had said, too, and seen the way that Shane’s face had fallen, even if it was just for a moment. “You okay?”

For a long minute, Shane didn’t answer. “No, I’m not okay.” He finally mumbled, curling his fingers to dig his nails into his skin. “I’m a fucking wreck and I can’t even pull myself together for Jas.”

He wouldn’t say it, but hearing how even Ashe had taken control of his life only amplified Shane’s feelings of shame and self-hatred. Here was a kid who by all rights should be out having the time of his life but instead chose to work one of the most grueling, laborious jobs out there, all on his own, without so much as a single complaint. And then there was Shane, still living with his aunt, working a dead-end job that he hated with no savings, no future and no ambitions.

“…” Ashe scooted a little closer, putting his arm around Shane’s shoulders in a sort of semi-hug; abruptly, Shane knocked his arm off, leaning away from the farmer to make sure he couldn’t do it again.

It wasn’t that the gesture wasn’t appreciated. It was that it was so unexpected, and Shane was in such a bad place, that he couldn’t accept it, and his first instinct was to violently reject it before he had a chance to realize how much he needed that kind of support.

Of course, he wasn’t able to verbalize this to Ashe, whose arm fell back to his side, his eyes widening as he realized that he went too far. “S-Sorry.” The farmer apologized. “… I think it’s time I headed home.” He murmured, not wanting to overstay his welcome any longer. “Thank you for inviting me over, Shane.”

Shane couldn’t even bring himself to acknowledge Ashe’s gratitude, burying his face deeper into his hands; he listened to the sound of Ashe’s boot heels as he headed down the hall towards the front door, and could faintly hear him bid a farewell to Marnie and Jas on his way out. The whole time, his shoulders were shaking, his chin quivering as he scrunched up his face in a desperate attempt to keep the tears in his eyes from overflowing. He didn’t even have it in him to treat the person who had gone out of his way to befriend him with the smallest amount of decency…