#I can't even begin to figure out how to navigate the first one. 1/15??? how do I even find the rest????

[camellcat]

you guys I'm losing my MIND

I have NEVER seen this sort of thing in any other fandom I've been in and I LOVE IT

[tiny-wooden-robot-fics]

Magnolia - Chapter Fourteen

Rating: Explicit Media: Jujutsu Kaisen Pairing(s): Geto Suguru x Original Female Character, Geto Suguru x Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru x Gojo Satoru x Original Female Character Additional Tags: Vampire AU, Dark Themes, Attempted Suicide, Implied/Referenced Rape and Mutilation, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Smut

A/N: Tags will be added as chapters are updated. Please be mindful of the tags and warnings at the beginning of each chapter, as they will tell you what you need to know about the content within.

Minors, DNI.

Summary:

He looks away from her, his eyes on the magnolia tree visible through the window. "I guess what I'm saying is, this is the first time I've ever felt like Suguru's found someone else he'd want to stick around for a while."

"I can't understand why," Lia murmurs, dropping her gaze to the table once more.

"Neither can I," Satoru shrugs, his eyes on her again. His bluntly honest words hurt.

Chapter Navigation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Chapter Masterlist

Read on AO3

Chapter Warnings: None A/N: I'm sorry for the sporadic posting - real life is kind of putting me through the mill right now. If you're still reading this, thank you for sticking with me, and I'll update when I can. 💙

Chapter Fourteen: The Seedling

“You’re awfully quiet.” 

Satoru lifts his head to look up at him. “I thought you liked it when I was quiet,” he teases, reaching up and winding a loose strand of Suguru’s hair around his finger.

Suguru rolls his eyes, though there is no real annoyance in the expression. “I have never said, thought, or implied that.”

“Never,” Satoru agrees, lowering his hand and flopping back down to rest his head on Suguru’s lap once more. “You love me.”

“I do.”

“Even after all these years?” He asks after a moment, purposely keeping his tone light. Nothing to suggest the slightest hint of insecurity or uncertainty. A nonchalant question, posed more out of formality than a need to be reassured.

Suguru is not fooled. He knows Satoru better than anyone else, after all. 

“Especially after all these years. You haven’t figured that out by now? You’re stuck with me.” He looks at him. “Have I said or done something to make you feel differently?”

There is only a split second pause before Satoru answers, and when he does, Suguru has to bite back a smile at his pout. “No… but you’ve always been better at handling it when I’m with someone else than I am when you’re with someone else.”

“I wonder,” hums Suguru thoughtfully. “Maybe I’m just better at hiding it, hm? Is this about Amelia?” He knows that it is, but he also knows that trying to force Satoru to talk about it when he isn’t ready will yield him nothing. Once again he is reminded of all the ways Satoru and Lia are similar. 

He keeps this one to himself.

“She reminds me of you,” Satoru tells him. It isn’t a direct answer to his question, but he knows that it means Lia has been on Satoru’s mind, and he has to smile at the irony of it. 

“How so?” He asks patiently, neutrally. 

Satoru shifts, sliding up in bed until his back is flush with the pillows resting against the headboard. “She’s so hard to read,” he starts. “I can read you because I know you. But she’s quiet. She doesn’t smile a lot, and I can’t sense her emotions like you can. Sometimes I think I might see it - a glimpse of whatever it is that you love about her - but she doesn’t show it to me, not intentionally.”

“Well, it did take you  years to learn to read me the way you have,” Suguru reminds him. “But she’s not nearly as closed off as I was when you and I met.”

Satoru raises both eyebrows at him skeptically. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“It’s supposed to encourage you to keep trying,” he laughs. “You know, I wasn’t going to mention this, but her feelings are clearer than you think they are. You just can’t see them yet.”

“Any chance you’re gonna help me out with what that means?”

Suguru considers leaving him in the dark; after all, he wants Satoru and Lia to come to know each other at their own pace. But it is obvious that Satoru is trying, and for that, Suguru thinks he deserves an assist. “She likes you,” he shrugs. “But she’s worried about what it means for her… you being back.”

“Why the hell would she be worried about me?”

Suguru reaches up, poking Satoru’s cheek. “Because neither of you seem to understand that it’s possible for me to love more than one person,” he sighs. “You both keep thinking - and hinting - that I’m going to ‘choose’ one of you over the other. She’s insinuating that she was just a placeholder, and you seem to have it in your head that you’ve been replaced. Neither of those things is true.”

“I never said I felt like I was being replaced.” Satoru is pouting again.

“You never said it,” Suguru agrees. “But I know you thought it.”

The other man goes uncharacteristically silent again. 

In the silence, Satoru’s phone chimes. He retrieves it from the nightstand, his eyebrows going up once more - this time in surprise - when he sees who the message is from. “She made pancakes,” he reports, showing Lia’s message to Suguru. 

“Then you should go down and eat some,” Suguru asserts. “She was nice enough to make your favorite breakfast - and to tell you about it, not me,” he adds pointedly.

Satoru is out of bed in a second, pulling on clothes. “Are you coming down?” He asks, his voice muffled into the fabric of the shirt he’s pulling over his head. 

“No,” he answers unhesitatingly, biting back a knowing smile. “I’m not in the mood for pancakes so I’m going back to sleep.” He burrows into the pillows, closing his eyes. A split second later he opens them again, and this time he does smile. “Enjoy your breakfast, though.”

--

If there is one thing Lia finds herself grateful for as she sits across the table from him, it is this: 

Gojo Satoru couldn’t hide his feelings even if he wanted to.

He’s so expressive, so openly emotive that whatever he’s feeling will show on his face whether he’s trying to convey it or not. It’s how she can guess what he might be thinking at any given time, and how she’s able to gauge his moods from day to day. 

And it’s how now, she knows that her pancakes have passed the Gojo Satoru taste test. For someone who doesn’t actually need to eat human food, Satoru is an exceptionally  picky eater, and she’s been nervous about debuting these pancakes for him since she decided on making them two days ago.

“These are good,” he says around a mouthful of them. He eats like he does everything else - dramatically, with gusto. 

“I’m glad you like them,” she says, relief clear in her voice.

“Suguru’s missing out.”

“Although he doesn’t care too much for sweet breakfasts,” she muses thoughtfully. Two seconds after she says it, she realizes what it may have sounded like to him. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “I didn’t mean that to imply I know more about him than you do---”

“You might,” Satoru shrugs, peering at her with those bright eyes. “You’ve spent more time with him in person than I have lately. A lot more.”

It doesn’t sound like an accusation, but it makes her feel that way. She falls silent, unsure of how to respond. 

He doesn’t seem to notice the awkward silence that ensues, still focused on his breakfast. 

“It was never my intention to stay here,” she offers quietly, her eyes on her own plate.

“I know.” He sounds more nonchalant than she would expect. 

“So I’m sorry if it’s caused any trouble---”

His laughter cuts her off. Puzzled, she gapes at him. 

“You really do apologize for everything, don’t you?” He sits back in his chair, pushing his empty plate away from him. “You know what he said to me, just a few minutes before I came down here?”

Lia wouldn’t even begin to know how to guess the answer. Instead, she shakes her head, the gesture silently acknowledging that she wants him to tell her.

Satoru leans forward, his elbows on the table. “He said that neither of us seem to understand that it’s possible for him to love more than one person.” 

She blinks at him. 

“It’s never bothered me before,” he sighs. “He’s been with other people, and so have I. When you live as long as we do, you’re bound to meet other people you bond with, other people you feel a connection with. But I think,” he goes on, “that in the back of my mind, I always knew it was all superficial. That no matter how long we were away from each other, no matter how much temporary fun we had with other people, there would only ever be one person for me… and one person for him.” 

He looks away from her, his eyes on the magnolia tree visible through the window. “I guess what I’m saying is, this is the first time I’ve ever felt like Suguru’s found someone else he’d want to stick around for a while.”

“I can’t understand why,” Lia murmurs, dropping her gaze to the table once more. 

“Neither can I,” Satoru shrugs, his eyes on her again. His bluntly honest words hurt. “But Suguru doesn’t choose people based on whims or shallow feelings. He’s different from me in that way,” he continues, laughing a little self-deprecatingly. “So if he loves you - which he does - there’s a good reason why. Maybe several good reasons.”

She looks at him helplessly. 

“Don’t look so sad about it,” he grins at her. “I’m telling you I want you to stick around, too. Not just because he feels that way, but because I want to find out why he feels that way.”

His words surprise her. She looks up at him. “Do you mean that?”

“I never say anything I don’t mean, even if I don’t mean to say it,” he answers, and she believes him. “So stay here. And who knows?” He grins at her. “You might get to know me and discover you love me more than him.”

This time, it’s Satoru who’s surprised - she actually giggles.

--

As a quiet little seedling Lay within its darksome bed, To itself it fell a-talking, And this is what it said: “I am not so very robust, But I’ll do the best I can;” And the seedling from that moment Its work of life began. Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Seedling (excerpt)

Chapter Navigation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Chapter Masterlist

Chapter Fifteen: Coming Soon

Tag list: @therealestpussyeater

[jennawynn]

Chronotrek: TOS Season 1 Part 2

A long one because I thought I'd made a post more recently than I had... but this is the one! This is the one that means those of you who have been following along finally get your money's worth because I did not put two and two together and had the biggest OH SHIT moment... at the end. lol

8- So Korby's the one that is into 'archaeological' medicine on SNW that Chapel's going to study with, right? I thought he was Vulcan, but I guess just ON Vulcan.

Kirk's silly little tuck and roll maneuvers are so cute. Like a toddler pretending to fight.

Kinda figured Korby was also an android.

9- Another Earth?? Oh, good job, Jim. You punched a big kid.

Eww. Sudden dislike of plotline intensifies. "She's becoming a woman." I guess the 'kids age imperceptibly slow' thing makes it a little more palatable? Maybe?

You know... I've gotten so used to having so many aliens on the shows that it feels like they're practically absent in this one. I guess the pilot, Spock, the dog in an alien costume... oh and Nancy and Charlie. It feels out of place that even the aliens are so... human.

10- Helen's skirt is so short you can tell they wear shorts underneath. SKORTS!

Damn, Helen's got a body count!

11- What in the Windows XP screensaver is that??

Spock's inflections when he gives/receives orders are... part amusing part irritating. Is that Nimoy or a Choice? The way his voice lilts at the end of an order.

Do I know what the First Federation is? Or Balok?

GDI Bailey, get your shit together! He should have been relieved.

12- OH SHIT, PIKE?! The sfx have gotten so much better lmao. I never put 2 & 2 together and realize that Pike's future might be in TOS. This is another in a long line of things that I probably should have anticipated that their introductions in Disco/SNW means that they were probably fleshing out backstory to things that happened in TOS. I just assumed that everything in Disco/SNW was created for those shows :joy:

Side note: This is a 2 and 2 and OH SHIT moment, but count it as a midseason finale cause we've got more to go!

13- I don't know... I think I like that Pike got his happy ending, even if they really should have advanced enough medicine to heal him.

14 THEY HAVE SHUTTLES!

I didn't realize TOS!Uhura sang so much. Guess that explains SNW!Uhura.

DOUBLE Red Alert... you're in trouble now!

15- One thing I do appreciate is how many people are in the show. So many extras and small parts instead of just 7 senior staff. It makes it feel more real, like a real ship. Like if you're gonna tell me that there are (checks notes) 428 people on the ship, there need to be more than 4 people on screen. I also like that it's clear they have a duty rotation. It's not always the same person in the navigator's chair. Sulu's not always the helmsman. Ortegas can't stand watch 24 hours a day!

I've already forgotten where the Romulans came in previously... Wait. This looks familiar. (Rewatches SNW A Quality of Mercy)

It starts with a wedding, just like before. Some other captain... so I was right! It was an AU of what if Pike was there instead of Kirk. Even the dialogue matches the beginning except that the outpost commander is suddenly Arabic. Visual of the Romulans makes Spock raise his eyebrows- that felt like a reference when I saw it in SNW. The way the camera panned was very tongue in cheek.

I thought Romulans wouldn't be identified until much later- like TNG later- that it was a question for more than the single episode in which they were introduced.

In SNW the bride was killed and Spock injured. In TOS, the groom was lost instead.

"Leave any bigotry in your quarters, not on the bridge."

Romulan = Roman. How did I not catch that?

Makes no damn sense to take half the bridge crew off the bridge during a high pressure situation to take them to a briefing room. Brief on the bridge.

16- What a fey adventure this is... lol

So you think about something and it appears? And the woman just happens to keep thinking about men who assault her? What in the rape fantasy bullshit is this?

17 Tools look like toys from a toddler's toybox.

18- Notify the Discovery... but Discovery's gone! Did they already build a new one?

It's funny bc the women are almost always filmed in closeups with a soft lens... the 'glamor shots' camera. And all the men without... except Kirk. He often gets the soft lens. It makes me wonder just how much they intended to appeal to (straight) female viewers.

19- As soon as I saw 'Gorn' in the episode blurb, I wondered if it was the dino man that Kirk fights in all those old gifs... and it IS!

Slow motion fisticuffs.

Why is Kirk so stupid? They said they would provide weapons, but all I've found are sticks, stones, and sharp diamonds! No phasers anywhere! (They also said they'd give him a translator, and he's sitting there recording his captain's log WHERE THE GORN CAN HEAR HIM. (haha I didn't think that would actually be explicitly explained later)

20- They're so concerned about telling Captain Christopher anything about the future, but tell him that not only does he have a son (he doesn't have yet) but that the son will lead a project to Saturn??

It's annoying how much his attitude changed just because he found out he's going to have a son.

That guy's hat is on sideways.

If it's just a matter of slingshotting the sun to go back or forward in time, why isn't it done more often during the time warp trickery ST likes so much? Also... I get storytelling device but I hate the idea of clocks running backwards to show time is in reverse. Why aren't the people in reverse too, then?

21- Stone is aptly named. He has practically no expressions, especially opposite Kirk.

WHY WOULD THEY PUT THOSE TWO BUTTONS NEXT TO EACH OTHER?? And knowing that they are, why would Kirk press one without looking at it??

Did... he say one to the fourth power? Isn't that... one?

23- The Eugenics Wars were in the mid-90s?

Saying 'mid-90s' was 30 years ago for SNW/Disco, but TOS saying 'mid-90s' was 30 years in the future. I'd be interested to see what they thought the mid-90s would look like.

Is that Singh?

Women (besides Uhura, who exists to make sure there's a Black woman on screen all the time) apparently only exist in the story when they need to do a romantic or sexual storyline.

WAIT. KHAAAAAAAAAAAN is Singh?? (Also I thought the Noonien part of La'an's name was from another ancestor trying to soften the Singh part of the name, not that it was a whole last name.) I thought the KHAAAAAAN guy was just Khan or last name Khan like Kirk. I totally missed that THAT guy was the same guy as the Eugenics War guy.

At least now I assume that Wrath of Khan is the KHAAAAN guy is this guy is La'an's ancestor.

So Jim drops charges from a dictator from 200 years ago and drops him off on a habitable planet with 72 super-men. I'm sure this won't ever come back with negative consequences.

That's uh... brownface, isn't it?

[mgares]

HOW TO BUY A HOUSE - IN 3 EASY STEPS

There is a lot of confusion out there about how to become a Homeowner so I thought I would take a moment and put it into Average Joe speak. That, and in my experience, some people go about it totally backwards which is counter productive to the end goal.

STEP 1. - ASSESS YOUR FINANCES

This is fairly simple. Eliminate non-essentials from your spending budget and stick it in the piggy bank. Modify spending habits to generate savings. Make short-term lifestyle changes.

It's just temporary and if canceling monthly memberships (Netflix, Gyms, Any Subscriptions), adjusting your shopping habits [I got some great tips for this], or eliminating other non-essential spending allows you to keep more money in your pocket to get a home versus flushing rent dollars down the proverbial toilet? Bit of a no-brainer if you ask me.

Bottom line is you have to have money ready-to-hand for the transaction. Even with the "zero down" options like VA and some USDA loans; just to name a couple.

There are inspections, appraisals, escrow funds, repairs, home warranty policies, property taxes, closing costs, and other such considerations that must be paid in order to get a home of your own.

"Do Not Save What Is Left After Spending; Instead Spend What is Left After Saving" - Warren Buffett

Figure out what kind of a down payment your financial situation will allow for. The more, the better, but very few people I know got 20% of the purchase price [a.k.a. - conventional/bank loan] sitting around collecting dust. Good news is you don't necessarily have to have that much.

One of the most common loans is a FHA that only asks for 3-5% down AND there are down payment assistance programs out there if you are really Stuck Like Chuck when it comes to finances. NOTE: This does NOT mean they are going to give you ALL of your down payment; you gotta have some chips in that poker game too.

I like to recommend that people shoot for at least 6-8% of the purchase price of the "kind of home they want" just to make sure all the bases are covered - down payment AND cost(s) of the transaction. Folks, that's a lesser down payment than Owner Finance options for the same "kind of home" as Owners generally ask for 10-15% down.

This total can be a combination of self-savings, down payment assistance, assets that can be used as collateral against the loan, monetary or tangible gifts from friends/family members in some few cases, and more.

Each person is unique and different in how that 6-8% manifests and lenders can vary in what form(s) of down payment they will accept.

EXAMPLE:

Purchase Price: $150k

FHA Down Pymt (3-5%): $4,500 - $7,500

Other Cost(s): (3% +/-): $4,500

Total Savings Needed: $9,000 - $12,000

Kill some bills, sell your "junk" - we all got crap laying around the house we don't use worth money in various amounts - and modify spending habits in a positive manner.

If you are a two car family... can you get by with just one vehicle on a temporary basis [turn that car, and its bills, "into" a house]? Perhaps you have a skill set or piece of equipment that can earn you extra cash here and there on your terms? What changes to your lifestyle can you make that will put another dime or dollar into that kitty bucket?

Finally, do whatever it is you need to do to put those greenbacks into a savings method you can stick with. Whether that is a traditional banking institution or an old shoe box under the bed; you do you. If this means you have to ask someone in a position of trust to hold it so you don't spend it? Guess what you should consider doing?

STEP 2. - TALK TO LENDERS

Let's talk about the "When" of contacting a lender. The only true answer to "When" is... When You Are Ready and only you know how Ready you feel.

I've had clients express the sheer dread they felt about reaching out to a lender and it's an understandable fear. One of my people even said that they felt applying to lenders and having them see their credit condition was akin to stripping naked in front of a total stranger.

But, and as I told my client... think of it like going to the doctor for a full physical exam. Hospital gown over your birthday suit and all. Lenders are professionals there to do a job. They do NOT judge or speculate just because they have intimate knowledge of or about you.

If you suspect you may have some homework to do, credit wise, then it's better to contact a lender sooner rather than later. This allows you to get a game plan together and knock out credit related targets while you are saving funds for your down payment goal. Once completed, you are able to resume your application with confidence moving forward.

"Everything You Want Is On The Other Side of Fear" - Jack Canefield

However, if you are one of the few who feel their credit profile will be a "non-issue" then my suggestion becomes waiting to speak to lenders until you have most, if not all, of your down payment goal met.

When applying to a lender always ask if they perform a Soft or Hard inquiry against your credit report. Most of the lenders I know [and I will list two of my favorites for you here in a second] will execute a Soft Credit Inquiry to determine credit worthiness. This Soft Inquiry does not impact or affect your credit score - should such be a matter of concern to you.

Something else I've noticed is that people don't seem to understand shopping for lender is very much like shopping for an automobile. The overall requirements of any one particular lender (or dealership) can be totally different from a fellow lender's (or dealership's).

Just because one says "No" does not mean they will all will say "No". And even if the first lender tells you "Yes"... I would still encourage you to apply to more than one who does Soft Inquiries. Compare apples to oranges to find the best fit for your home purchasing needs by reviewing interest rates, terms of repayment, mutual rights and remedies, and so on and so forth.

Only after you have secured lender approval (which may be conditional based on various factors) and they have given you the green light to shop up to the amount of $X.00 do you move on to Step 3.

STEP 3 - FIND YOUR REALTOR

The vast majority of the population feels the path to homeownership is "finding the home and then buying it" - through a Real Estate agent. This is NOT the case.

Selecting an agent to help navigate you through the complexities of The Offer and Purchase process is the absolute LAST step to be taken.

What Happens When You Do It Backwards:

You shop for, and find, that PERFECT place and then reach out to an an agent or contact the website that is listing that property. The agent involved determines you haven't spoken with a lender and may now recommend one to get the process started.

Just to let you know... most of us agents are unable to do much of anything at this point without your having secured a lender first. There are some agents out there who are also qualified mortgage consultants but I, personally, haven't met one yet so I don't know how they work.

At this point the agent may also put you on an e-mailer list that scouts the MLS's and regularly sends you properties "matching" the ideal home that you originally asked about.

Why?

Because "that home may not still be there when you are in a position to buy". That's agent speak for... this is gonna take a bit of second and that property will most likely have sold by the time we get you lender approved.

I can't emphasize enough the fact that we agents don't "GET" you that house - the lender does that by providing the loan to pay for it. Us agents help you shop for a home and protect your best interests when buying it.

We deal with the butt-ton of technical paperwork coming/going from every which-a-way at all hours of the day, manage the contract negotiations, handle scheduling and execution of services by professional providers involved in the transaction, are your personal defacto counselor/moral support during the stress mess of buying, and more. None of which can be done until a lender gives us the green light to begin.

Well, most folks aren't mentally or emotionally prepared to reach out to said lender on the fly like this. Fears of "what that lender will see" or personal misgivings about "not qualifying" due to credit condition can halt the whole process at this point. Perhaps leaving you with negative emotions about the whole experience thus far.

But, for the sake of argument let's say you muster up the courage to reach out to a lender anyway. You'll discover that they are people too - most with a generous heart and helpful personality.

You might even discover that your credit was nowhere near as bad as you had built it up in your mind to be. Or, the lender may come back with a little homework for you. Take care of This and That and we'll be able to get you into a home.

The "whammy" of doing it in reverse order like this is that the lender will also share that you will need X thousands of dollars as a down payment to make that happen. Talk about a case of sticker shock!

Obviously, this can be discouraging and disheartening. To overcome one obstacle only run smack dab into another you weren't prepared to tackle? It may start to feel like you are looking up the side of a mountain, the goal of owning a home clearly in your line of sight, but you lack the climbing equipment (not to mention the funds to acquire such) to reach the summit.

It may feel like "that's it, game over" at this point. I know because I, too, approached home ownership azz-backwards like this before I became a Realtor. Felt like someone had ripped a bit of my soul away and left me frustrated and crying inside my heart and mind.

DON'T give up on yourself or your dream of home ownership. Back up, regroup, and attack that goal again. This time, in the correct sequence of events.

"You May Have To Fight A Battle More Than Once To Win It" - Margaret Thatcher

Do this and I promise you that there will be no better feeling in the world than those you experience at the closing table when you are finally handed the keys to your very own home.

Disclaimer: Opinion Editorial for educational and/or informational purposes. Content presented is deemed accurate and/or reliable at the time of authorship. Any errors or omissions present in material(s) are unintentional. You are encouraged to execute your own research.