#I’ve had a zoot snack

[quispyme]

“boner” is a misnomer

[no-see-um-incorrect]

Could you write about Finn and his lis getting high and both of them are really really snuggly?

(Half my fam is stoners so I’ve had my fair share of interactions with high people)

So sunflower made Cookies…

✨Special Cookies✨

Now Finn smokes when he’s anxious. But today was his Day off so when he saw that his love made delicious chocolate chip cookies…. He decided to indulge himself…….with 4 of them.

So sunflower is sitting there on the couch reading. snacking on there second cookie when they see their sweet honey Bee boy coming to the couch with a Absolutely zooted look on his face.

“Sunflower~” he slides on the couch wrapping his arms around there waist. “Hey Bunny~ What are you up too?” He nuzzles his face in there side “I’m just Mmmm just cuddling you~” they think for a moment about the tone in his voice and the look on his face. Before it clicked “..Finny~ did you eat any of my Cookies?” They smiled running their fingers through his hair “A few Mmm~” they thought about telling him but boyfriend cuddles are more important right now. They adjust themselves so they’re in a more horizontal ready from napping position. 

“Scooch let me hold you” he moves up and lays his head on there chest “Mmm your sOooO soft~” is tone was softer sleepier. He lightly lifts up his head to plant kisses along their collar bones. They wrap their arms and legs around him and nuzzle their face in his hair. “my favorite cuddle bug~” they felt him smile against their skin. A perfect moment made from a little mistake. Maybe sunflowers should make their special cookies more often. If it gets there oh so anxious boy this hungry for cuddles.

I hope I did you request justice. Ngl I did shed a tear of loneliness while writing this.  but it’s OK (i’m out here living) loved this request 

Sorry if there’s any spelling errors 

[yinyanchan]

Housemates x Zoot Suit Riot Crossover: Lucky and Strike part 1

Wanted to post this for my birthday. You guys get to see it here first before the parts are combined and put on AO3. I will update when that happens as I’d like to do POV’s I’ve written for housemates and Zoot Suit Riot as well. The rating on it will be M as we do have a lot a pervs to cover and well Lucky being Lucky.

Summary: In which Blue and Orange from Housemates end up getting sucked through the still active machine in the basement of the house and swaps them with Lucky (Underswap Mafia Sans) and Strike (Underswap Mafia Papyrus) from my fic. Zoot Suit Riot. If you haven’t read Zoot Suit Riot… you are in for a treat with Lucky. Rating is what is and you will find out soon enough.

Check it out under the cut!

Blue was cleaning up near the dryer as Orange was helping him fold clothes in the basement. Both of them zoned out at what they were doing… until…

“You hear that bro?” Orange looks around. He faintly hears a soft whirring sound but both the dryer and washing machine were off.

Blue pauses and looks around.

“I HEAR IT BUT WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE IT IS? I MEAN I FEEL LIKE I’VE HEARD IT BEFORE BUT I CAN’T HONESTLY PLACE IT.” He hums as he continues to investigate with his brother.

“Oh crap. It’s getting louder behind the locked door.” Oranges’ sockets widen as do Blues.

“YOU DON’T THINK THE MACHINE STARTED UP ON IT’S OWN DO YOU!?” Blue looks highly concerned over at his brother.

“It doesn’t seem possible. Go get Sans… I’ll take it from here.” Orange says undoing the lock on the door only to have his hand gripped by his brother.

“I DON’T WANT YOU GOING IN ALONE. MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING LIKE AN UPDATE BUT I DON’T WANT YOU TO GO IN AND IT POSSIBLY TAKES YOU FROM ME.” Blue is serious and Orange relents… he knows if he doesn’t comply he won’t even get the chance to investigate. Blue will ground his sorry behind that’s for sure.

“Ok bro. On the count of 3 we go in together.” Blue nods, getting that serious big brother mode game face on.

“1...2...3” They open the door and are instantly bathed in light and are instantly sucked into the room. Then moments later two skeletons who look eerily similar are thrown into the room.

They both groan slowly getting up from their awkward positions on the floor. They both look at each other only to do a double take.

“Brother, I know you are lazy but honestly?” The Blue look alike scowls at the orange hoodie clad skeleton next to him. The skeleton in question looks himself over and then scoffs.

“At least you can tell what I’m wearin’ unlike you bro… what even is that?” His brow raised in question.

The Blue imposter looked down at the battle body that Blue so lovingly wore in absolute disgust.

“THE FUCKING HELL IS THIS!? WHERE IS MY GODDAMN SUIT!?” He raves then touches head for his hat… and instantly blue tears are welling up in his sockets.

“Strike… my hat is gone… my classy yet uniquely me bowler hat has gone missing… I CAN’T BE CLASSY, yet highly adorable, AND GET PUSSY IN THIS!!!” The blue skeleton has tears cascading down as he looks around for something far more wearable… he only can find more of what his brother Strike is wearing and aprons.

“Lucky, Look, it's a bit more serious than our clothes right now. Forget our soulmate was in the world we left behind?” Strike asks his brother who looks ready to combust.

“THAT IS THE PUSSY I WAS TALKING ABOUT!!! IF WE ARE HERE THEN WHERE IS SHE!? SHE BETTER NOT BE STUCK WITH THOSE ASSHOLES WITHOUT US BIDDING FOR HER AFFECTION!” Lucky looked positively pissed.

“Well she’s not here obviously.” Strike meanders to the machine listening to its soft dronning hum.

“FIX THIS NOW!!!” Lucky demands but Strike laughs.

“Unfortunately this is out of my league. My machine doesn’t even have one of these usb ports. I had to print orders on a card file for the machine to read it… one mistakenly placed card would throw everything out of order.” Strike sighs.

“Hmmm perhaps this may be a similar situation we were in… multiple versions of ourselves convening in one alternate universe. I say we go out there and pretend to be whoever these skeletons are and single out the one who is responsible for this mishap.” Lucky says lifting up the battle body attire with a repulsed look.

“Great plan bro but how are you sure that they will think we’re them.” Strike questions.

Lucky pulls out the photo in the chest plate of Blue and Orange posing for the picture.

“I think we can handle it.” Lucky smirks, his blue eyes sharpened to blue icy stars.

Strike chuckles as the pose gives everything away. They were just plain ordinary versions of themselves in a different universe… How hard could it be?

They go up the stairs and find themselves face to face with someone so strikingly familiar their soul about leapt out of their chest.

“Y/N?” Lucky asks almost in a whisper but loud enough for you to turn around and smile. Lucky is in a daze and he feels the familiar pull of his soul's longing.... Could it be that there was another soulmate version of you in this world.

“What’s up Blue? Done with the laundry already? From the way you were lecturing Orange about his growing pile of filth… I thought you’d be down there a lot longer.” You chuckle as you come up to pat his shoulder.

The silence was obviously starting to worry you.

“You ok…..” You start but are instantly cut off by Strike chuckling.

“It’s okay honeybun, he’s a little speechless after he found a snack in the pockets of one of these (Slightly lifts the hoodie for emphasis) and it’s well traumatized him a bit. He’ll be back to good ol’ Blue in a moment.” Strike knew he slipped up by the way you look at him puzzled when he called you honeybun but fortunately his deductions about himself in this world were correct. You snort making both Lucky and Strike ease up from the tense situation they were in.

You give Lucky a hug which he’s shocked but instantly hugs you back.

“I’m so sorry Blue. At least it’s not like when Red went on a full cursing rampage… You and Berry both were mortified for days.” From Lucky’s position he was able to make eye contact with his brother.

It was an unspoken acknowledgement of the information they had just gathered. So there was a Red and a Berry… then you leaned back to look at Lucky once more.

“I’m sure you’ll be my cheery, bubbly Blueberry in no time.” Lucky almost cringed and Strike couldn’t hold back his laughter. Leaving you confused and Lucky glaring daggers at him while your focus was off.

Lucky only used that persona as a ruse… He hated being cute but he would do it in a heartbeat if it meant he could get something he could use. Everyone usually thought Strike was in charge and were left confused when Lucky showed up and made sure everyone knew their place. Strike knows that persona works like magic… no matter how much Lucky hates it.

“MWEH HEH! YOU HAVE ME THERE Y/N” Lucky throws himself into the act. You give him a concerned look again but shake it off with a grin. Lucky saw it and knew that Blue must’ve given you a term of endearment that he must call you by constantly… He wished he knew what it was…

Luckily he and Strike were always a team and Strike has his back.

“Sorry honeybun but it looks like he’s still a little out of it.” Strike snickers and Lucky puts on a playful pout that instantly has you looking relieved.

“Well this homework isn’t going to do itself… If only…” You sigh and grab a backpack off the floor and start heading upstairs after waving to them.

“Strike, She’s not used to you calling her honeybun. She seemed okay with honey before the bun. Just call her honey but there must be something this Blue was calling her… I can’t think of anything at the moment of what it could be…” Lucky has his game face on again as they both stand around thinking about their gameplan.

Well… if they couldn’t get back to where they were… There was a soulmate for them here and they both smirked at one another.

“There ya are pipsqueak.” Both Luck and Strike turn to see someone who was definitely a shorter version of Sweets… Had the most atrocious shorts with a parka… but red and black per the normal color pattern. Also the gold fang that stuck out like a sore thumb… So that could mean that their version of Swisher was here too if his brother was.

Lucky actually looked behind him in confusion and worry like there was someone else that he hadn’t seen. Strike noticed the skeleton rolls his eyelights.

“You, You dumbass.” As Lucky turns to glare and Strike straightens himself a little… ready for a fight.

Then all of a sudden the other skeleton starts laughing.

“What? am I in trouble? I shouldn’t be cursing is that it? I hope I don’t invoke big brother mode.” The skeleton continues to guffaw only when he notices that the two skeletons aren’t really reacting the way he was wanting… in fact they seemed deathly serious.

“Hey come on… didn’t mean it. Ya not seriously gonna go inta big brother mode because of that?” The skeleton that resembled Sweets starts to look them over concerned.

“What the actual fuck are you going on about?” Lucky is seething. Strike coughs to let his brother know he’s slipped character because of his anger once again.

Too late the damage has been done. 

The skeleton starts to eyeball them both a little more and starts to sweat.

“Who the…” He pauses in his question then in a blink disappears while yelling “Sans!”

“Well isn’t this a total shit fuck of a mess I put us in?” Lucky groans.

“Told ya ta watch yer anger bro… now all I can say is we gotta sell who we’re impersonating.” Strike sighs as both walk around and try to get familiar with things as quickly as possible.

Both of them find themselves wandering into the living room to be cornered by someone who looked like Black from their world. Only they almost had their jaws drop at his outfit. Bandanna with ragged looking black and red clothes that showed off his spine like a midriff. 

“YOU TWO KNOW WHY RED IS SHOUTING LIKE THAT? IT’S NOT LIKE HIM TO BE THAT OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD.” The new skeleton loudly hisses out.

Strike had to nudge Lucky as he saw his brother's eye sockets narrow in what was sure to be a retort. Shocking his brother to let out a “MWEH” as he suddenly remembers.

Strike was good on hunches and was definitely a walking talking lie detector… even though that doesn’t stop Lucky from lying all the time.

“Come on, Berry, don't be like that. Poor bro is traumatized enough as it is going through my laundry.” His hunch was right as he watched ‘Berry’ shudder in absolute disgust.

“INDEED. I’VE SEEN THE WAY YOU AND RUSS LAZE ABOUT… THAT ROOM OF YOURS MUST BE EQUALLY ATROCIOUS TO HIS.” Berry shakes his head.

“Where is everyone?” Strike grins as he knows this will get them names at least.

“FORGET ALREADY? SANS IS AT THE UNIVERSITY ALONG WITH PAPYRUS AND RUSS. YOU KNOW? DOING THEIR JOBS. EDGE IS AT HIS JOB AS WELL. AXE AND NOOK ARE IN THE GARDEN AND RED OF COURSE IS BEING AN IDIOT. DEAREST IS ATTENDING HER HOMEWORK.” Both skeletons flinch at the smile on Berry’s face when he mentions well… you… who else would it be that a skeleton like this would be so fond of?

Yet Strike and Lucky are grateful to the access of information that was just handed to them on a silver platter.

Lucky has been in thought while listening to the drivel of his newest rival. What would he call someone absolutely dear to him? Obviously it would be something similar to this Blue… would it be Starshine? He likes stars and the way they shimmer and shine… but even Strike seemed to be a little off with honeybun.

“YES! DOING HER BEST! S-ORANGE? AFTER ALL OF THAT YOU’RE SURE YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEEDS TO GO IN THE WASH?” Lucky almost slipped but pulled through.

“I’m sure bro.” Strike says with a grin knowing where this would go.

“I DON’T BELIEVE YOU. LET US TAKE ANOTHER LOOK SHALL WE?” Lucky and Strike begin to make their way upstairs leaving Berry… without realizing that Berry is looking at the stairs they chose weren’t the stairs they often took to go to their rooms.

Shrugging it off. Blue might’ve wanted to pop in to see how you were doing.

As Lucky and Strike crest the landing both look at each other seriously. You were in one of these rooms so they couldn’t go barging in but all skeletons were accounted for either not being here, inside, or upstairs… save for Red.

He was another problem. If he knew where Sans was he probably took a shortcut there but possibly could be in one of the rooms himself.

Strike shrugged and Lucky sighed walking over to the first door and knocked.

“Yes?” You called out and Lucky swooned.

“JUST CHECKING IF YOU NEEDED ANY HELP!” He calls out and you laugh.

“I might need some help with math later okay?” You tell him through the door.

“THEN I SHALL BE BACK TO HELP YOU.” Lucky preens but Strike pulls him away before he can say anything else.

“Bro, you forget that math is a subject you don’t excel at unless it’s you figuring out how to do something successfully in your own head?” Strike urges his brother to stop while they are ahead. Lucky was only good at numbers from his perspective and not from a textbook.

“Of course and by successful, it is! And Doing…?” His grin is lecherous as he looks back at your door.

“I will be.” He licks his teeth and Strike sighs. 

“Bro, I feel the pull too but we need our head in the game, so we can win it before they find out we aren’t who they thought we are.” Strike pulls him to the next door and knocks.

No answer. Looking around they slowly open it to not make a sound. They see a room in squalor and Lucky nearly gags. Lucky might be a little lazy in the mornings but he likes things nice and tidy.

This must be Red's room from the shorts they see lying about and the red and black color scheme… the only thing that really just has them floored are the pin ups… Naked pin ups…

Lucky looks around and sees a magazine. As he picks up the magazine the centerfold unfolds to a nude woman in a very sensual position.

“L-Lucky put that down!” Strike is flushed with embarrassment as his brother looks awestruck.

“I feel jipped. Where was this stuff in our timeline!? The only things naughty I had were stuffy pin ups with people in their unmentionables but only some skin was shown… This. Shows. Everything.” Lucky wipes a little drool away instantly pinning your face onto what he’s seeing.

“Guys!? Are you in Red’s room!?” They both freeze and Lucky instantly chucks the evidence away from him by instinct.

Only for them to sigh in relief that you were calling out from the otherside of the wall. Yet strike sees Lucky quickly stuff something in his pocket.

“YES WE WERE DROPPING OFF A TURTLENECK SWEATER WE FOUND IN THE DRYER!” Lucky quickly lies at the drop of a hat. Something that was both a blessing and a curse for poor Strike.

“Ok, but you know he doesn’t like anyone being in there when he’s not!” You call out again. You were still pretty muffled due to the wall… which had them looking at one another in curiosity if you had heard anything they said.

Seeing as you didn’t seem weirded out or come over in a huff they speculated that it wasn’t something to be upset about. So they quickly left and shut the door loud enough behind them for you to know they had left.

They went over and gently knocked on the next door so that you couldn’t hear but any occupant would. No answer so they silently slipped in. It was a very nice simple room. Had some books arranged neatly on a few shelves and at least they could see the computer on the desk without piles of dirty dishes and… well they didn’t want to think about what all those kleenex wipes were doing there.

There was a picture on the desk and this one showed Red and a Tall skeleton resembling Swisher from where they were whisked away from. Strike narrowed down the names listed and since it seemed to go in pairs the way it was given. Russ was obviously Berry’s brother. Sans and Papyrus of course the originals… That left Axe, Nook, and Edge. Since Axe and Nook were working together they might be brothers so that left Edge.

“Edge right?” Lucky smirks as he also narrowed it down. Well this wasn’t either of their rooms so they went down another door. Gently knock only to be spooked by a loud voice.

“OH! IS SOMEONE THERE? I WILL JUST BE A MINUTE.” They listen closely, leaning towards the door. They heard water stop running and then the door was thrown open startling them to both jump back. Panic stricken as they see a lumbering disfigured Papyrus lean down quizzically eyeing them.

“Figures there’d be one of him too.” Lucky gripes under his breath and gets elbowed by Strike.

“I AM TERRIBLY SORRY FRIENDS… WERE YOU NOT WANTING TO USE THE RESTROOM? OR WERE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMEONE?” They were at a pause… this was either Axe or Nook and since they had nothing to go by, playing it off was going to be a difficult feat.

“SCAVENGER HUNT.” Lucky blurted out and Strike looked at him like he’s lost his mind.

“WE DIDN’T WANT TO INTRUDE ON ANYONE MWEH HEH HEH.” Lucky gets that big sweet adorable grin as he rubs the back of his skull.

“OOOH A SCAVENGER HUNT!? WHO ARE WE SCAVENGING!?” The tall lanky skeleton of nightmares looks positively joyous and ready to join.

“Ummm who?” Strike looks between the skeletons nervously.

“MEHH NO! NOT WHO BUT A WHAT!” Even Lucky seems at a loss as his shoulders droop.

“YOU HAVE ME PUZZLED BLUE… TO SCAVENGE IS A HUNT FOR FOOD.” Both Lucky and Strike look floored.

“Then why did you say who?” Strike chuckles nervously.

“OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE I MADE A FUNNY. AXE AND PEACHES WOULD HAVE LAUGHED.” The one that is now known to be Nook poses dramatically and somehow his tattered cape like scarf blowing in wind that was not there.

Now the question was… who the hell was Peaches?

“MWEH! OF COURSE I GET IT NOW! VERY FUNNY NOOK!” Nook looks at Lucky weirdly but smiles.

“GOOD TO KNOW THAT MY DARK CANNIBAL JOKES AREN’T *Snicker* DRY.” He pauses and both skeletons seem to have no choice but to laugh while they are screaming internally.

“YES, WELL, NOOK PERHAPS YOU CAN HELP US?” Lucky quickly rebounds to change the subject. Lucky may have seen guts and glory in his line of work but the actual thought of eating someone was not something that sat with him lightly.

Nor for Strike who only sweats as Nook continues to chuckle and say “BONE DRY” under his breath.

“YOU SEE, ABSOLUTELY THE DARNDEST THING. WE ARE MISSING A SOCK. WE’VE BEEN HUNTING FOR IT BECAUSE ORANGE DOESN’T KNOW WHERE HE COULD HAVE LEFT IT… BEST TO RETRIEVE IT BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE STUMBLES UPON IT… LIKE Y/N.” He does the best bubbly impression he has but that doesn’t stop the tall skeleton looking down at him, with a knowing that something isn’t right.

“STARLIGHT.” Nook says bluntly at Lucky who falters.

“I BEG YOUR PARDON?” Lucky tries to keep his cool but even Strike knows when his brother is getting close to the ‘Fuck it’ stage and guns start blazing. Lucky was never really patient unless there was a type of goal that he really wanted to strive for.

“BLUE ARE YOU OKAY? YOU HARDLY EVER CALL PEACHES BY HER NAME ANYMORE. IT’S BEEN AGES SINCE I HEARD YOU SAY IT OTHER THAN STARLIGHT… YOU ALSO LAUGHED AT AXE’S TERRIBLE JOKES. ONLY I AND PEACHES… SOMETIMES EDGE AND RED FIND THEM AMUSING. EVEN RUSS AND YOU ORANGE ABHOR WHAT WE HAD DONE IN OUR TIMELINE AND CRINGE WHEN WE SAY THEM. SANS WON’T EVEN LET AXE TRY THEM IN HIS PRESENCE… PAPYRUS ACCEPTS US FOR WHO WE ARE BUT EVEN HE DOESN’T LIKE THAT KIND OF HUMOR. BERRY STRAIGHT UP FORBIDS US…. THAT IS UNLESS OF COURSE IT'S OVER SOMEONE WHO WAS MEAN TO PEACHES THEN HE FINDS IT HYSTERICAL AND ENCOURAGES IT… CAN NEVER REALLY TELL WITH HIM…” Nook goes off on a tangent… seems to be because he often does. Both skeletons just worriedly shoot glances at one another until he seems done.

“CONSIDER IT US BRANCHING OUT IN UNDERSTANDING FRIEND! MWEH HEH! NOW WE MUST FIND THAT SOCK!” Lucky puffs out his chest.

“OH YES! IT WOULD BE VERY EMBARRASSING FOR PEACHES TO FIND IT. HAVE YOU TRIED LOOKING IN YOUR ROOMS?” Nook questions and Lucky falters.

“WELL UM YES WE THOUGHT BUT PERHAPS YOU COULD HELP US? MORE EYES THE BETTER AT FINDING IT!” Lucky is trying to persuade Nook into helping them find at least Blue or Orange’s room.

Strike smirks. His bro is really good at handling things when he tries.

“NO THANKS.” Nook shrugs and walks off leaving Lucky and Strike to their stupor.

“Uh… Ok…” Strike looks at him quizzically and Nook pauses with a brow raised.

“LOOK, I’M NOT PAPYRUS… WELL TECHNICALLY I AM BUT I’M NOT JUST GOING TO RUN AROUND LOOKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S UNMENTIONABLES. THAT’S JUST… WELL UNSANITARY AND RUDE.” Nook scoffs at the other two and meanders off a ways… then turns and eyes them making them stiff.

“YOU TWO ARE ACTING VERY STRANGE. IT’S ALMOST AS IF YOU NEED ME TO FIND YOUR ROOMS ON THE OTHER SIDE DOWN THAT HALL.” He points and both skeletons waive their hands in defense.

“NO NO! OF COURSE NOT! IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY HELPING ORANGE GET THAT FILTHY LAUNDRY TOGETHER.” Lucky is quick on the draw to lie again.

“Yeah it’s been exhausting work waiting for the clothes to be finished… getting pressed…” Strike realizes he didn’t know what those machines were… he only knew dry cleaners… Lucky glares at him briefly.

“OH YES! PERMANENT PRESS! GOOD CYCLE! TAKES FOREVER BUT IT DOES GET EVERYTHING NICELY CRISP AND CLEAN.” Nook nods with a smile and then carries on down stairs.

Lucky and Strike both heave a sigh of relief they didn’t realize they were holding.

[theficplug]

|Next Lifetime|Erik Killmonger|

previous chapters : Part 1 Part 2  Part 3 

erik killmonger x black reader

|part 4|

warnings: um definitely smut this chapter at the end. so 18+ for this chapter! and a possible trigger warning for grief but i promise it gets better and its a romcom.

synopsis:  reader grieves Erik until she doesn’t (i’m trying not give too much away). This one is a long ass chapter. So, grab you a snack and something to drink! I hope y’all like it.

“You promised on our birthday that you would give me something far more special than the charms you would gift to me. In 2018, you wanted to avenge your birth parents and you went off and did something foolish and when you- when they returned you to me you were-.” you struggle for a bit to find the words to explain it all to him as he takes a step back to gather himself. 

He rubs his eyes before grabbing your arms gently and massaging them . He leans down to look you in your eyes before asking “Ma, did you take something before I came to pick you up? You alright? Cause what you saying don’t make no sense at all... Your pupils don't look dilated though.” 

“I know how this must sound. Batshit crazy. I know it sounds crazy to me too. I’m still trying to figure out if I’m losing my own damn mind. I don’t know how or why. I just know that you came back to me.” you say to him and he shakes his head. 

“Erik. You’re talking about your ex boyfriend...The one that passed... . Alright, I’m going to take you home now... I still don’t understand what’s going on here and I’ve had about all I can take of trying to understand what’s going on here.” N’Jadaka says quietly to you before going around and opening your car door. 

The drive was silent as you picked at your nails and let the soft r&b roll over the tension between the two of you. 

Your own thoughts were going in about a billion different directions again. It didn’t feel right to just sit on all of that and not say anything at all. As ripped from a science fiction film as it sounded at least he knows. 

He was never one to think quietly because you could practically read his thoughts with the changing of expressions across his face.

The relief of seeing your building washed over you as he offered to walk you to your door. 

It was bittersweet because there was still so much of him in this different version of him. Even when he was upset with you or livid with whatever ghost that was haunting him back then,  he still showed nothing but tenderness to you.

You nod and give him a small smile before following him up the stairs , to your elevator, and finally your door. 

“I know that this is a lot. I mean who in their right mind would be able to process all of that.I wish there was any other way to say it... But thank you, I had a really nice time.” your soft words snap him out of staring at your face as if he was trying to piece it all together.

He knew deep down that there was something about you and what happened that weekend while dreaming in colours and other worlds but he couldn’t wrap his head around all of this happening in real life.  

You lean up to kiss his cheek and he grabs your shoulders softly. “With all due respect. You seem like a lovely person and a good woman, but I just - this all a lil too weird for me and I don’t think it’s a good idea that we continue seeing each other.” 

He kisses your hand and leaves with one look over your shoulder as you call out “Meet me at our spot. If you are still anywhere in there. You’ll know what I mean.”

“What the hell happened ? I didn’t expect you back until tomorrow morning?” Iri says as she settles on the other side of the sofa and patted the spot next to her as you kick off the sandals and lay your head on her lap with tears already prickling your eyes. 

“Oh you didn’t? Please don’t tell me you told him about the soulmate reincarnation thing? Sweets, you probably scared the hell out of that man. We needed you to keep that waaay down in the vault.” Tiki adds as she pops the cork off the bottle of wine in her hand and pauses the movie playing on the screen in the background. 

“Here’s what we’re gonna do . You’re gonna text him and tell him that you had just gotten your wisdom teeth removed earlier today and the meds had you unexpectedly zooted as fuck. “ Iri suggests and you chuckle softly.

---

Meanwhile at N’Jadaka’s house he was already being pestered by Lina and Penn for some type of details about what happened during the date. Orleans was already in the kitchen cooking and ear hustling but went back to his conversation on the phone with Big Mike when he realized there wasn’t any tea. 

“I don’t feel good. I’m finna go lay down. I’ll talk to y’all in the morning”. He says simply to them before trudging his way to his part of the house.

They had been friends since college and just got used to the idea of living together as they did in the dorms so they made it work after graduation. 

It helped them save money for when they finally separated and all of their schedules kept them busy so they didn't have time to get sick of each other. They also knew him well enough to know when something was bothering him and to leave him alone when he gets this moody.

"What the fuck?" He whispered under his breath 

"What the fuck was all that?" He continues talking to himself as he strips and walks past the bathroom mirror to the shower. 

He stops when something catches his eye. He sees a birthmark on his chest that almost resembles the shape of claw marks. He lets his fingers linger over the mark for a second. Thoughts of a panther mask clouded his memories for a moment before he shook his head and entered the shower. 

---

A few hours later of talking through it with your girls about possibly seeing a therapist about all that's going on and you were ready for bed. 

It didn't take long to drift off, you were ready to put the whole thing behind you. 

The familiar setting of purples , pinks, and hues of blue came into focus and you looked around letting the butterflies land on you again.

 You walk through the flowers and find Erik sitting by a stream of water weaving some of the flowers together. 

"What the hell, E?" You ask as you run over to him and wrap your arms around his neck

He turns to you and smiles big , his dimples on full display before shrugging. 

"It ain't perfect but it's the best I could do. They said it's like a do-over or something like that. I get a second chance but as a result of the way I did things the first time it's a lil different. Like when you restore a computer and it lose all it's files and shit. I get a new life but I'm still kinda stuck. I kinda like it though. I don't remember all the other shit when I'm awake. It really is like starting over. Shits crazy to explain when you think about it. But for you , you already know. I'd find you in this life and the next and the one after that. I don’t think I’mma ever fully remember what happened with all of that when i’m awake. I’m cool with it. It ain’t something I’m tryna remember." He says tipping your chin up to look at you and kissing you softly 

"I know. At least I get to hold you in the real world. It's just different. But guess what I saw today? I seen that bench that you and me signed all them years back. It's still there." You say to him and he places the lil flower bracelet around your wrist as y'all sit and talk for the rest of the night.

By the time you wake up with the aroma of breakfast wavering throughout the loft you feel a little better about the whole situation with Erik, not Erik. 

You opened your phone and sent him an I'm sorry gif with a few extra words inspired by Tina's wisdom tooth lie. 

 After easing into the kitchen and standing in the doorway you see the two lovebirds dancing around the kitchen singing to each other and laying food on the plates. 

"Morning lil sleepy head. Don't forget that I'll still be coming down to the center with you today for the seminar. You hungry?" Iris asks as she places the plate in your hands with a kiss to the top of the head. 

"Of course. There's a young girl, Sophie there that I really think would love to talk to you. She's just starting her transition. And her parents are wonderful but they don't really have much money. She hasn't really had the chance to get more “feminine” presenting clothes and she likes makeup.  " You say and she nods catching your drift.

"Well it'd brighten anybody's day seeing a beautiful successful trans woman like myself honey. But let's lift her spirits even more. I'm gonna bring some of the makeup I got from pr packages and some of the clothes from this collection. I really hope it helps." She answers and Tika just saunters over to her proclaiming her love for her. 

"Alright alright alright. I get it. I'm single as hell." You say laughing softly

---

Two weeks ticked by with radio silence on N'Jadaka's end. After the 4th day when he gave you the cold shoulder at a coffee shop, you decided to stop trying.

Maybe it wasn't fate and maybe you were just believing what you wanted to believe. 

You reason with yourself as you walked around the loft making notes about the new housing project you were working on. 

Finally having the house to yourself with the lovebirds gone for the day on a little adventure. You got to work budgeting and calling different areas to rent out apartments to you for women and lgbtq+ with housing insecurities. 

Your ramblings and thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door , thinking that Iri or Tika left something behind. 

"I told you to take your sunscre- Daka?" You question as he stands in front of you

You cross your arms and furrow your brows while waiting for an answer from him.

He stands for a moment like he’s trying to gather all of his thoughts together in a way that makes sense to both of you. 

"What're you doing here?" You ask putting your hand on your hip. 

He drops his shoulders and lets out a soft sigh before looking at you.

"I didn't wanna believe it. What you said that night cause like how the fuck does something like that happen? I’mma be honest.  I wanted to just believe that you were a lil off and leave it at that but something keeps telling me that you right. I can't remember shit before college and all I wanted to do was be with you. From the moment I met you in the store. I was like, this is it. This is what's missing. A piece to a puzzle that's all jumbled up." He admits and you nod slowly before letting him in. 

You walk around the kitchen getting a cup of tea for yourself and sitting a cup of coffee down on the counter for him.

“Don’t worry it’s black, I know you dont like it sweet.”

"You know I didn't exactly expect my fiancee that I buried months before to show up at a damn supermarket of all places. This isn't some movie or fanfiction. These kind of things don't happen in real life. Daka you, you had claw marks all over you. The last time I laid eyes on you. And now you're here in front of me. I thought that I was losing my mind." You say and he starts to unbutton his shirt.

"These." He says peeling his shirt off and showing you the birthmarks on his chest and shoulder.

You trace your fingers over it before leaning your head on his shoulder. 

"I asked my parents about my childhood and when I passed by my old neighborhood a few days ago andI remembered some things. I remember what happened to my other parents, in pieces. Shit’s brutal." He says dropping his gaze

"It's okay." You whisper to him and wrap your arms around him. You rocked him for a moment letting him let all of those feelings wash over him. 

He embraced you for a moment before kissing you tenderly. You tug at his bottom lip before deepening the kiss when he press you against the counter. 

"We'll figure it out... Something telling me I'd be a fuckin fool to lose you again." He says quietly against yours lips. 

"Are you gonna make love to me or are you going to keep looking at me like that?" You ask as he studies your whole face like he's looking at art. 

"A memory. It's you. We stood right here and I kissed you the same way. You were saying something like "you bring yourself home to me"." He says and you nod frantically, holding him closer to you.

"I did. It was right before you left." You admit and he nods before lifting you up onto the counter and kissing you heatedly this time. He kisses down to your breasts before looking up at permission from you to unhook your bra. 

Always a man that knows what he's doing. He takes kisses around your breasts and nipples. He takes his time to lick and caress you until he works his way down.

You shake your head yes before moving to slide off your panties but his kisses and his mouth is already beating you to it as he kisses down to your thigh.

He slides your panties off with his teeth and tosses them over his shoulder. 

You tilt your head back as you feel him wasting no time massaging over your clit and working you over with his fingers, curling them and stroking you gently. 

Your soft moans fill the room when he hooks your leg over his shoulder and begins to suckle your clit softly , swirling his tongue over it. 

"Tika will kil- Ooh god. How does your tongue feel like it's vibrating?" You ask and he only chuckles and grips onto your cheeks to bring you closer to him.

He was feasting on and devouring you like he was going to lose again and you could grind your hips down against his tongue and moan his name sweetly.

He didn't stop his tongue or fingers working in you until your legs are shaking and you're gripping at his head. 

"You have- fuck. I'm a squir-" you moan his name brokenly while trying to get out your words and lean back for a moment licking his lips before realizing what you're trying to say.

"Hold that for me. I wanna come with you." He says to you and you pout and protest as he removes his fingers. He picks you up off the counter and carries you bridal style asking you which room is yours.

"Left , left." You giggle into his shoulder as he helps you slide your dress off and you unbutton his jeans for him. 

You capture him in a kiss for a moment feeling his soft plump lips against yours again for the first time in what feels like forever. 

"It's been a long time since I've done all of this. . . Gentle." You say and he runs a calloused finger over your cheek moving a curl away from your face as he looks at you. 

He gets a quick flash of a memory of you and him in bed. You wore a smile on your face before telling him "happy anniversary".

He trailed his fingers down your body remembering almost every scar , every moment. 

When Erik got to a scar at your side. He chuckled, unlocking a memory of you two running from the neighborhood rottweiler , Smokey. 

That old ass dog hated you and he hoisted you over the fence first after being out late one night in high school. The gate had caught your side when you jumped. 

Erik felt so bad he brought you food from anywhere you wanted everyday from to school for a month. 

He leans down to place open mouthed kisses to it. 

He traced over your thighs to the cellulite and stretch marks remembering when you first got them. 

He was moving homes at the time and he wasn't ready to be further away from you yet.  You two just sat for hours at the park in the grass, talking. 

" You know white men behind all of that anyways. They want y'all to feel like you gotta look the same way. That's how they make them billions. My mama had 'em . Yo mama , and generations back. And it ain't ever stop them from being the women they are. Besides if any dirtneck nigga ever try you , just tell me. Imma handle it." He would say as you sat with your head on his lap, staring at the sun setting, knowing good and well your grandparents were gonna ground you for being late when you get home. 

They never did though cause you were with Erik they knew you were gonna be alright. 

"Nothing to worry about. I… I've never done any of that stuff before…Have you?" you question hesitantly as you stare off. 

"Tisha. From Ms. Wilkes class. We was coming from the kick back-" 

"Uh uh . That's your business , you ain't gotta tell me all of that." You say slightly upset at the fact that Tisha of all people was his first. 

----

"I got you." He says kissing your forehead then your nose before hooking your leg over his hip and easing into you slowly while his lips are still on yours. His eyes never left yours as he cupped your face sweetly like he didn't want to lose you again. 

In this moment he gets a glimpse of prom night and how things changed between the both of you forever. 

He wraps his hands around your waist. One of his hands splayed across your belly. 

He remembers the pregnancy scare you both had afterwards with him holding your hand and telling you no matter what happens he wanna be there for both of you.

Luckily, nothing came of it but you were definitely closer because of it.

You let out an open mouthed gasp at the feeling of being so full of him after so long. 

You rest your hands on his neck and shoulder and he bottoms out fully settling into you as he moves his arms next to  balance himself. 

You close your eyes as he begins to stroke into you trying to set a rhythm for you as his praises for you fall from his lips. 

He kisses his way down your neck licking the marks that are already starting to form there. 

"My lil baby." He mutters out after licking a freshly formed hickey forming on top of your breasts. 

You open your eyes slowly , looking at him and the way he's looking at you . 

"It's been way too long since I've heard that from you. You're remembering?" You ask quietly as you let out a soft moan.

N'Jadaka's muscles flex and tighten as he picks up his pace. His abs clenched as he  pulls out almost completely and filled you at a different angle.

 The sounds of your moans filling the room with every stride and stroke of his hips,  it seems like you're closer to floating in space. The man was fucking you like his life depended on it and at this point all you could do is wrap your arms around him again to comfort you as he shutters and rolls his hips deeper into you. Your walls tighten around him as you relish in the feeling of him. 

"Fuck. I remember all of it." He says half chuckling at the way it's coming to him and half nearly in tears cause he really missed being with you. 

"I also remember that this is your favourite position cause you like to see my face." He teases before leaning down to kiss you again with them plump ass lips.

"E?" You ask , grabbing his face with trembling hands.

"Baby?" You ask again 

He moves his hands from your waist and places your hands in his. Then moving them above your head as he flashes in between making love to you for the last time and now.

You roll over with him and place your hands on your chest riding him slowly getting the rhythm as he strokes into you from below. 

He laughs softly when he realizes what you're doing. 

"Are you spelling my fucking name , baby?" He asks and you tell him that you can spell both.

You let out a whimper when he brushes your spot and let him take over as he runs his hands over your thighs to your butt and over your back as he strokes into you. 

He plants his feet on the bed and work your hips in rhythm with him. 

It didn't take long for you to orgasm with a loud shriek of his name . You had forgotten how he gets when he's close as his hands on gripping all over your thighs and your back. You were already feeling sensitive with your second orgasm coming through and this man felt like he was trying to put it in your belly. 

He rolls you onto your side giving it to you deeply. 

With a loud hiss and panting from him he cums , holding you in his arms.

"I don't think it has felt like that since our birthday last year." He says into your ear as he pulls you closer into his arms. 

He engulfs you fully in his embrace and presses a kiss to the side of your head. 

You laugh softly and roll over to face him , resting your forehead against his.

"I remember. You took me to Paris. I had never been and at the time I was obsessed with everything Parisian. We fucked on the balcony and somehow I ended up popping the straps to my favorite dress. You still owe me by the way." You tease and he shakes his head laughing. 

"I think we ended up saving they marriage from across the way though. They was arguing the whole time. Then they gon watch us like we ain't see them." Erik says laughing as he squeezes your thigh playfully.

"I know they was trying some things." You joke 

"I missed you so much. You don't even understand." You admit with a somehow saddened and relieved expression. 

"I know.  I want to start over this time. All of that Erik Killmonger shit is over with. I wanna keep the name N'Jadaka and just start over. All of that was too heavy on me to carry. I wanna let it all go. I wanna do it right with you." He explains 

"Good because if you put me through that again. Wakanda will be the least of your damn worries." You say to him and he nods giving you his word, sealed with a kiss.

"It'll be alright. Everything happens for a reason. And I think that right now a bath needs to happen and I'm gonna need you to do that thing again that you did in the kitchen cause I'm tryna figure out when you learned that-" 

At some point after the bubble bath/ shower combo you were both out like a light until Iri and Tika decide to come busting in like they usually do with little gifts and food for you. 

"Guess who's your fave- SHE GOT A WHOLEASS MAN IN HER BED" Iri announces to Tika before your pillow hits the door as she closes it. 

"Sorry about that. This is kinda our cuddle hour so they're used to just coming on in." You say sleepily and he just laughs it off while holding you closer. 

"It's all good. I remember that I ain't know them much before but when we did spend time with them, they were good people." He says, still trying to piece it together.  

----

You fell asleep more peacefully than you had in a long time. Now granted, good sex didn't fix the many layers of issues and mysticism surrounding everything.

But for now, you knew that you had him, you had your girls, family and your business. Everything felt alright again. 

Right up until the point of sleeping through the first alarm to meet the property owners.

"Bae. Bae your phone going off." N'Jadaka whispers in the dark room , voice still riddled with sleep and grogginess. 

"Shit. Shit. I'm gonna be so late." You call out , quickly jumping out of bed and stumbling around the room. 

It takes you about 25 minutes to speed through getting dressed in your best skirt suit. 

N'Jadaka sits on the end of the bed putting on his shoes and watching you shuffle around. 

He had offered to drive you there and stay with you and check out the property with you. 

He slows you down by grabbing you by your arms gently and placing a kiss to your lips. 

"Good morning, handsome. Let's go" 

You walk through the living room with Iri and Tika already posted up in the kitchen placing two breakfast burritos in a container to grab and go. 

You grab your things from the counter all while thanking them and jetting towards the door.

"Good luck pooh!" Tika calls after you. 

"Byyyyeeee Dakaaaa" they call out after him

---

"Here it is . These are the apartments. I know they don't look like much now from the outside. But from the pictures it looks great. And they'll be safe and comfortable here-" you babble on to N'Jadaka while you both stand outside of the building where Erik grew up , until you notice two women walking to  a car that clearly wasn't from this area. 

You notice Shuri and your breath hitches in your throat. 

Frozen in your anxiety, the seconds ticked by and it was too late to leave. She looked you dead in the eye and then at N'Jadaka like she had seen a ghost.

She gasped and Nakia followed the eyes before back into the car. 

"SHURI WAIT - PLEASE" you yell out to them but the car was already speeding  away. 

tag list : @doublesidedscoobysnacks @chaneajoyyy @mirandkimy @doitforthevine67​ @amyhennessyhouse @dasia21​ @depressionandfandomsinc @sinfully-dope @ambitionwood @heybriheyyy @wholelotta-melanin @theesotericqueen​ @mbakuwife​ @spookys-girl @teardropzih @bigchoose @ceo-of-baby @sweetpeachjones @lost-ssoull  @shyblackgurl @justpeachee @nijajoha @imayhavemisunderstood @beautifullmelodyxx​ @alookintohersoul @rbhp @champagnesugamama​ @just-peachee @almeda-344  @mahogany2021 

[feverwildehopps]

Fever’s Zoot Oc Q&A

Hey peeps! Thank you so much for sending me questions! I’m always really excited to let you know more about my chars and hoping you guys find at least some interest in them :)

Some of these questions I edited so they could pertain to all three of them and like, a few I left out bc I don’t have the right answers right now. Either way, I hope you enjoy this Q&A and learn a little something

• What are their favorite snacks?

Spencer - Strawberry Pocky

Waverly - Yogurt

Lotus - M&Ms

• Do they keep their rooms clean or messy?

Lotus' room is a mess but she calls it "creative chaos"

Spencer's pretty tidy

Waverly doesn't have a messy room for long, she has her weekly clean up day

• What are their favorite songs?

These characters obviously live in the future so they know songs we haven't even heard yet, but if they lived in our time their favorite songs would be

Lotus - Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Spencer - Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Waverly - Stacy's Mom by Fountains Of Wayne .....she likes it, it makes her laugh

• Do they play any musical instruments?

Lotus didn’t take the time to learn any musical instruments

Spencer had a lot of time on his paws so early on he picked up piano and learned how to play the viola at school

Spencer taught Waverly how to play piano

• Which are their favorite music genres?

Lotus doesn’t care about music genres, she only cares about songs that “matter” (as in songs with exquisite lyricism and meanings)

Spencer likes soft rock

Waverly likes upbeat, happy-sounding pop music

• Do they believe in ghosts?

Lotus says she doesn't believe in ghosts but that's only to get on everyone's nerves, however she does try to summon spirits with Spencer and Waverly sometimes

“Lotus you’re scaring the ghosts away..”

• Who's a procrastinator?

Not Lotus, she's driven

Waverly tends to procrastinate because she can get caught up in videos or games... or texting Spencer

Spencer doesn't necessarily procrastinate but he utilizes all the time he has to make everything 100% perfect

• What’s the longest they’ve ever stayed awake?

Waverly's an early bird so she's only stayed up till about 3-something in the morning before she couldn’t handle it anymore

Spencer's stayed awake until 7-something

Lotus is hard core and pulls all nighters sometimes (as long as she has an energy drink)

• Do they like the warm or the cold?

Lotus is very particular and likes a very particular temperature in between hot and cold. But if she had to choose, she likes the warm

Like his species, Spencer prefers warm climates

Waverly isn't bothered all that much by the cold

• Do any of them play sports?

Lotus was in Track and Field in high school - like her dad

Waverly and Spencer don't.. sports..

• Can they cook?

Spencer can, his mom taught him how to cook and he learned a couple kitchen tricks in his own too bc he likes it

Lotus can and her food's pretty good

Waverly can but she's not all that great at it

- and now for character-specific asks -

• Do Waverly and Spencer have best friends besides each other?

Yup, Spencer's best guy friend is a beaver named Drew and Waverly's gal pal is a red panda named Junko (“june-ko”)

• Is Lotus always a killjoy?

Not… all of the time.. but most of the time

• After Lotus was recently born, how did Waverly handle a new edition in the house?

You know how little kids have baby doll toys? That was Lotus to Waverly, but much more special. Waverly wanted a little sister and when she got one, she spent all her time with her - feeding her, giving her baths, changing her, playing with her, making her laugh, climbing into her crib and reading books to her - Waverly was such a big help, basically any time Lotus started crying, she'd tell her mom and dad, "Don't worry, I got this."

• At what age did Waverly meet Spencer? And how did their meeting go? Also when did Spencer get to meet her little sister Lotus?

Spencer and Waverly met on the first day of 6th grade when they were 11 and their meeting was short and sweet ^^ all Spencer could really do was say his name because he was too enamored by Waverly... “she’s so pretty” he wondered if he could ever see her again and there she was in his first class...

His first meeting with Lotus was... awkward.. Lotus: I hear you have the hots for my sister. Spencer: .......the “hots-”?? How old are you??

• What are their favorite flavors of ice cream?

Spencer likes Strawberry

Waverly likes Mint Chocolate Chip mostly because it's close to her favorite color, though Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream is a close second

and Lotus likes Buttered Pecan

• If Lotus was born before Waverly, would she ask for a sibling from her parents like Waverly did? Or no?

Lotus doesn’t mind a little alone time but being an only child might make her feel alone sometimes. Getting along with a baby/little kid in the house might be difficult at first but she warms up to it because she still loves her family - especially her sister! Also a little sibling can do her bidding….

• Is Waverly a fan of cameras?

Yeah! She knows what cameras take the best pictures and videos

• What are Spencer and Waverly's biggest fears? And why?

As we know, Spencer was violent as a kid, and his dream is to be someone to trust and depend on, so he’s afraid his patience might be tested one day and he lashed out and hurts someone he loves without really meaning to…

Waverly sometimes invades other’s space because she can’t always contain her curiosity, and her biggest fear is getting into serious trouble for going way to far with that and losing her friends’ trust in her

• Do Spencer and Waverly ever have babies?

Yes, they have one. I have a whole story thought up in my brain about it, but I didn't think anyone here would be interested in any of that? I know it’s venturing a little far from the original Zootopia characters anyway so I’ve just been keeping the info on their kid between me and peeps on discord, but regardless I thought it was a good way to give a bit of closure to Spencer and Waverly’s “growing-up” arc because now they’re adults with a big responsibility

[organicli]

Day 27, Varanasi and veganism

Later that night, Matt and I went to the rooftop for dinner and zoots. We were soon joined by 7 others who also sought to blaze. Even though we’d been free to smoke before though, we were told we weren’t allowed.

Matt and I spoke to a Brazillian man, whose name I regret not learning. He played Radiohead out of the speakers (I love Radiohead) He told us he’d been living in India and studying Buddhism. Equipped with a girthy camera lens, he also told us about a personal project he was working on to make a documentary about the cruelties of the meat and animal product industries, something that he felt very passionately about.

Every so often this horrible truth comes along and it shakes me and makes me reevaluate my selfishness and pathetic reasons for being part of such barbaric practices.

I am very much in the potential conversion category of listener here. Matt disagreed. He said that at the end of the day, it was horrible, but he liked meat and wouldn’t stop eating it and that was the end of it. He didn’t want to be shown video after video by the Brazillian of the horrors of dairy and egg farming (although in his defence, we had been drawn out of socialising with the rest of the group because of it) (and he was tired) But he very much wanted the Brazillian to keep it to himself, which he vocalised when we were out of earshot.

I decided against arguing strongly with his firm stance just then (I know a lost cause when I see it) but it hung over me for the rest of the next day.

On the walk home, after a day of decidedly vegetarian options for me, we bought a chicken kebab that had sat sticky and roasting over a flaming grill in the market.

Back at the hostel, we sat down to eat with the Buddhist nearby. My conscience was heavy and I felt guilty. I turned myself away from him to hide my betrayal.

Having cleaned most of the meat off, I slowly pulled the joint of the wing open and frowned down at the pearly white bone sticking out the end, flesh frayed and tendrils stretched. Poor little guy. A whole life of suffering colluding in this moment now when I enjoy you as a snack for 10 minutes then toss the remains away. It doesn’t seem right.

To me, vegans and vegetarians are people who have overcome their own simple desires and pleasures of enjoying the taste of meat and the convenience of it because not being a part of the suffering of other living beings is more important, and that’s strength to me. We all have these matrixes of what’s right and what’s important and what we want. I think it’s not right to inflict actions like the ones I saw on any being that can experience pain, no matter how developed their consciousness or abilities of communication. How important is it to me?

But people like the taste. And they just don’t care enough because they like it and they want it. How much worse would the animals’ suffering have to be to make these resilient people change their minds? Im not sure i could feasibly imagine it being any worse than it is already in these videos i’ve seen. I’m feel like people watch these videos and think “yeah, that’s really bad but that can’t be what happened to MY meat. Surely. There are standards where I come from!” My friend, you just don’t know though.

And i think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with people wanting to share that message, with trying to persuade others of their believes. Of course, there’s sharing, and then there’s forcing and shaming but even then, I think the anger is valid and legitimate. These vegan jokes are stupid and tired.

I personally think people need to stop seeing vegetarianism and veganism as all or nothing. Stop thinking “I could never give up meat; I like it too much and it’s a staple part of my diet,” and therefore making no effort or change when you see how awful it is. I think just cutting down your consumption of meat or choosing a diary alternative (there are so many!!) is so much better than nothing, if it’s moved you in any way. That’s where I’m gonna start.

[ghostlystore]

Q&A: Richard Upchurch keeps DIY alive at Brandnewnoise.

Richard Upchurch knows the unique satisfaction of DIY craftsmanship, and he’s slowly but surely spreading the word. Whether it’s motivating his team of woodworkers and engineers at Brandnewnoise to think constructively, or teaching interns the joy of building their own instrument from scratch, the Brooklyn resident and business owner seems to inspire creativity at every turn. And the handcrafted “sound gadgets” his company produces are meant to do the same—Brandnewnoise’s playful, easy-to-use products, like the Shaka-Khan and Loopy Lou, have caught the attention of everyone from Wired to Vice to The Flaming Lips. It says a lot about Upchurch and Brandnewnoise that one their best creations is actually an instrument that isn’t finished; you have to put the thing together on your own.

Needless to say, Ghostly has also been inspired by the Red Hook-based brand, and so we had to collaborate with the crew on a gadget of our own. Thus the Ghostly Zoots was born, an ebony-stained version of Brandnewnoise’s thumb piano device. We were so pleased with how our exclusive Zoots turned out that we had to learn more about the man who made it possible. Upchurch was happy to answer our questions—detailing exactly what got him into making these instruments, how Brandnewnoise operates on a daily basis, why his toy-like creations appeal to adults, and how he learns as much from his ongoing internship program as he aims to teach the kids. Here’s a look at small business done with passion and ingenuity.

—–

How did you first get into crafting handmade, functional goods?

I grew up in a “try to build it before you buy it” environment. My dad enjoyed the challenge of finding solutions to problems, so we tried building things first. His main hobby is making leather goods, and I’ve always loved watching him work. It was here I learned patience, process, and craftsmanship.

I built one of my first sound objects after being on vacation with my extended family. All of the toys my nieces and nephews had were making a whole lot of noise—pre-recorded sounds that seemed lame and out of context. I thought, “What if you could input your own sounds?” So I set out to find a solution. I bought some parts and ended up making a voice recorder with pitch control. And well, here we are today, still building voice recorders and other creative sound gadgets.

Brandnewnoise seems to be a project inspired by toys and childlike creativity. Why do you think your gadgets interest older people, too?

Who doesn’t love turning knobs and pushing buttons? Really, I think it’s the simplicity. Oddly enough, when you set really narrow limitations, you find yourself with infinite possibilities. Sure, you could do most of what my gadgets do on any device—smart phones, tablets, or laptops. However, I think we long to get away from our work, and the singular function of what we make at Brandnewnoise takes you straight into the realm of play.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Coffee, always coffee. Then I ride my bike down to the wood shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Mornings I try to keep the creative flow going with as few distractions as possible; I’m usually looking at new ideas, hashing out problems with new circuit designs, making adjustments to our manufacturing process. I love collaborating with other artists, so sometimes I’ll be working on various projects I have in the queue.

We have a different crew of staff and interns that are at the shop every day, and at some point or another we will usually walk over to the patio at Fairway or hit the Hope & Anchor for omelets to break for lunch. More coffee is often had at Baked before we buckle down in the afternoons for assembling and building units, filling orders, and shipping out. There is always music playing, people talking about their lives, what shows they’ve seen, something they saw on the train. And snacks, gotta have snacks.

We also make it a point to have “creative hour” at least once a week, where the whole team stops whatever they are doing and we let our imaginations run. Sometimes we make videos, paint or draw, or have discussions like, “If you could invite anyone to visit the studio, who would it be?” The idea is to just do something fresh and out of the ordinary.

With your internship program, what do you aim to teach the kids that come to your workshop?

I tell the kids who come here that I will teach them some woodworking skills and a basic knowledge of electronics, but at the end of the day, I want them to take pride in their work and to leave with a sense of accomplishment. I want them to see a finished gadget and have a proud feeling of “I built that.” What I hope to teach them is that in our shop they are part of a community, they are respected and heard, and when they walk out the door, they feel empowered to be themselves. I can’t begin to tell you how important my whole team is and what I learn from them every day.

Have the kids taught you anything that has changed your approach or process?

Absolutely. I tell everyone who walks through the door that if they have a better way of doing something, they need to speak up. I am wide open to change, and I’ve realized sometimes my way of doing things might be best for me but not for the team or the process. For instance, we recently changed the order of installing our electronics after one of the interns said they thought it would be easier to install the black button before the output jack. Thank goodness, because it’s so much easier to install the black button first! So yeah, something like this happens and then the whole order changes. You get better processes when you find people who are willing to think for themselves and who feel confident to make suggestions.

In what ways do you hope to expand and grow Brandnewnoise in the future?

We are constantly working on new designs, along with working to reach a broader audience of musicians, kids, aliens, and all those who feel the need to make some noise. Long term, I keep thinking towards a vision of expanding the manufacturing to other cities in the US based on our operations here in Brooklyn. I think there is a way to replicate what we do here on a different scale, with various internship programs that create a positive impact so we have other communities who are able to say at the end of the day, “We built that.”

[organicli]

Day 7, Udaipur

This morning we woke up early to go on a day trip to Ranakpur Temple and Kumbhalgarh Fort. In the taxi, we met two Russian women and waited half an hour for an Indian woman and her young son. We had the best seats, I think, sat facing each other in the back with plenty of legroom if you put them up on the crusty, brown material. We also got to look out the large rear window which was like a tv. I imagined we were filming for Topgear as motorbikes rolled along behind us. Coming to Kumbhalgarh Fort first, I frowned as the driver told us to be back in one hour. It had taken us nearly two hours to get there. We shelled out 200 rupees each to go in and had to spend some of our precious little time buying snacks, as I'd only managed to eat four little bruised bananas since waking up. Turns out we only really needed an hour anyway. I wasn't too impressed with the first little temple which was dirty and no one had made any attempt to conceal that they were just using large portions of it for storage. A round room in the middle, with a grand, high ceiling that had potential as a nice part of the temple, was full of fat, black, dusty tubes and cables. Moving on to the main fort, we trekked up the slopes on the hottest day so far and into the building. I don't have a lot to say about it. The views of the surrounding mountainous scenery were probably the best bit; the outside of the fort and the great wall stretching off into the hills were impressive, but the inside was a shell with every corner stained orange with urine. I guess that's what happens when you want to charge 2 rupees to use the toilet. We waited in the heat for the Russians to return. We'd made it back fairly promptly because you can't be certain they won't leave without you here. As the Russians demonstrated, no one would be left behind today, no matter how late you were. The road to Ranakpur was potentially treacherous. Rocks from the mountains littered the road and we passed a truck that had turned onto its side, its passengers still salvaging the bright orange boxes of fruits from the debris. Our band of awkward travellers was brought to a commission restaurant over a stream speckled by cow pats. It was nestled among a bit of a garden which, combined with the stone arches as decor, were the sole redeeming features of the experience. The hosts pulled tables together for our group so we could sit with each other, but the rest of the restaurant was deserted and everyone spoke in hushed voices with their own travel companion. The menu was overpriced. In the corner was a very small and very poor selection of some of the ugliest clothes I've ever seen. The meal they brought us was one of the blandest, most uninspiring things I've ever had the misfortune of eating, and this is coming from someone who will happily eat a bowlful of plain rice. I was thinking, "what would Ramsey say?" He'd say it was a disgrace to India and that they ought to be ashamed to call that a curry. We reached Ranakpur and sighed about the price for entry, after being overcharged for the horrible lunch. We chose not to pay and starting walking around the outside of the white structure, a decision that I was very happy with. Coming around the side, we reached a side door and wondered if we could sneak in. I noticed a beehive 2ft long hanging from one of the decorative ledges, which I thought was really cool. I went up the steps to inspect the door further and realised there was a buzz in the air, before seeing the two massive hives in the porch swarming with thousands of little, furry winged bodies clambering around the comb. It made my skin crawl but I was fascinated as well and started spotting more and more hives on the building. We continued around the back and explored the (free) mini temples and watched the black faced monkeys playing in the trees, and down a lane that I dubbed Monkey Street. There were also loads of cute lil puppies around the complex and a little Indian girl called Sundra pointed out a big monkey looming in a tree over a puppy whose back legs didn't work. She didn't speak English but we knew what each other meant. We made it home in time for the sunset, which we missed anyway, and went up to the roof to meet our friends, who we'll be seeing again in Jodhpur. Sophie gave me the rest of her bottle of vodka when they went out on the hostel's bar crawl, which was kind of her. We stayed out on the roof for a while but it had gotten really windy, and the staff excitedly collected the cushions away with the anticipation of rain. The air smelled of rain. I hoped it would rain for their enjoyment but then I also don't really need rockslides on the mountains for our six hour bus ride tomorrow! I love how fireworks go off every night here; it's wedding season apparently. We had some zoots, watched a bit of slum dog millionaire in the common room, and went to bed.