#I've never had a smore either

[oricienthecutecryptid]

The five types of autism

[3milesup]

My BoB ships ranking

(as encouraged by @sleepy-hyperfixations - thanks!)

i have thought about this from all sides to find a criteria and then i decided it probably comes down to which ships make me feel a particular way about them or spark thoughts, curiosity, creativity, and i found a compromise between the two things^^

so, here's what i come up with:

1. winnix - aka the pinnacle of ships, the Relationship Goals™ that i can't even bring myself to read much for because it stirs some deep deep nostalgia for what i've never had... but they've been for me the stamp of true love ever since i saw the show...

1. webgott - a ship that to me is almost too emotional to think about because either way you turn it around, it is always so painful (but so meant to be as well). but also: sizzling, fiery dynamics, so much depth to dive into, ahh they're everything...

3. now, here i am, shamelessly putting on the pedestal what i believe is a figment of my imagination, as i have never seen it anywhere (if anyone has, pretty please let me know^^) but it owns a chunk of my heart, and it is smokey gordon/alton more (what would that make them? smore? idek anymore... what even is my life…) i could write an essay but i'll keep it lowkey and say (affectionately): how have you people not seen it? they sooo had a thing, and a tad complicated, repressed, emotionally constipated but passionate one for that matter…

on shared 3th, because *shielding my eyes from the first two places* i will however die on rarepair hill, is speirsroe - it makes so much sense if you stop to look for a while and i love to do so. many feelings abt those two.

4. luztoye  - i wanted to put them higher, actually, bcs i am biased, bcs they are my flagship (that currently is like, adrift and half sunken but i'll pull it back afloat just like i will do myself) but alas, they're here. yes, i acknowledge that it is a ship standing on pillars of quite dry sand of two (2) interactions in the whole show lol, but the possibilities it offers to explore the personalities are vast and interesting...

5. speirton, bull/martin - are here in the ranking because i totally get the appeal and the dynamic and they are sort of "comfort ships" to me? like, an... angst-proofish certainty but just... never say never, but for the moment not quite on top of my list^^

6. quite the same for baberoe, placed here because it's an integral part of the fandom and i have all the respect but i'm sorry, i just can't see it, no matter how hard i squint...

ALSO, there is speirs/nix out there somewhere, but i can't for the life of me rank it, it just exists in my subconscious, intriguing and sadly underdeveloped, and i just wanted the world to know, because i think they are a gem full of potential^^

...'aight, i can't seem to think of other ships, so... i guess this is it^^ if you have any thoughts or your own rankings i'd love to know <3

[dwarf-vader-of-middle-earth]

Every once in a very rare while, I'm reminded of the tragedy in my life that was growing up unable to participate in Boy Scouts.

For those who don't know, up until 2017, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) did not permit anyone who wasn't a biological male to join them. Trans men could not be part of their organization, and until I think 2015, gay men couldn't be part of it, either.

When I was growing up, I had a brother who did BSA, and he would go once a week or so to the meeting hall with all the scouts in town (it's a VERY small town), and they'd, together, participate in an hour long meeting.

All my friends at the time were boys. I knew almost every boy in the town that was my age, by name first and last. And they knew me. We hung out together at recess, played basketball, or on the playgrounds, and so on. They, too, went to BSA meetings with my little brother, and basically every single boy in my town was a BSA kid period.

My mother would help out with the leadership, since there wasn't a restriction on which gender adults could be leaders, but that meant for every single meeting, since I was too young to stay home alone, she took me with her, and I would have to sit there watching basically every single boy ever doing Boy Scout things.

Now, since all my friends were boys, and two of those friends' parents were leaders, those friends would occasionally drag me into the meetings and forcefully make their parents let me participate.

But I could NEVER be an official member.

No matter how bad I wanted to, I couldn't go to camps, I couldn't go to field trips, I couldn't earn badges, I couldn't earn trophies, I couldn't gain ranks and someday achieve Eagle Scout status.

The only girl scout troop in my town was run by a mother of an autistic child who required constant attention, which is perfectly fine genuinely, I'm autistic myself and I've had autistic adult family members who also require specific care and constant assistance, but because of this mother's position, she never in over 10 straight years could coordinate a single field trip, a single camping trip, a single excursion, and we NEVER earned more than 2 badges in an entire year. By the time I was supposed to be above a Junior Scout, I'd only JUST earned my Junior Scout status like a month before this.

What's more is, I didn't quite know I was trans by this point, but I most certainly did not get along with any girls. They were VERY catty, clique-based, and all the girls my age in town HATED me. They jumped me, pulled my hair, excluded me unless it was to make fun of me, made memes and jokes about me in school, and I was there in Girl Scouts surrounded by dozens of bullies, in a singular room of a house, and I just FELT the tension there. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife, but we weren't taught how to use knives so nobody would be able to. We weren't taught anything period. No survival skills, no life skills, no educational skills, nothing. We literally just sat there each meeting reading from our Girl Scout guidebook, and that was it.

Meanwhile, all my friends, and my little brother, went on camping trips several times yearly across the country, they gained DOZENS of badges, trophies, held town events and went to other towns' events for BSA, but I was sitting there in Girl Scouts. Miserable. Lonely. Out of place. Hoping each meeting we'd do SOMETHING (plant trees at a park, go hiking, camping, cook smores over a campfire, whatever). We never did any of this. At all.

Eventually I quit Girl Scouts to take on MMA classes instead.

And by the time I'd come out as male, there was still the ban on trans guys in BSA.

In mid 2017, BSA lifted this ban.

I was 4 months away from my 18th birthday, wherein I'd be too old to join them. And what experience would 4 months of BSA give me when I'd be starting from the bottom while all the other guys my age would have been mid Eagle Scout project??

I never did join BSA... I just do my damndest now to take solace knowing that young trans men now won't have to endure what I did, that they're free now to have the experience I always wanted. Their lives can be better than my own, and that's genuinely beautiful. The whole point of creating a future is to make the world and their lives better than what we have lived.

But I'd be lying if I said it didn't cause me pain to this day when I'm reminded BSA is a thing that I never got to do.

Just recently, BSA changed their name to "Scouting America", and they're allowing all people to join regardless of gender. That's genuinely beautiful, and I am honestly SO happy to hear this!!!! Their goal is to be more inclusive, which is fantastic and I am very proud of the leaders for doing this, especially considering the announcement was made at an official meeting in Florida of all places, where LGBT+ rights are being taken away left and right.

I just wish that, somehow, I could be a part of it all not as a leader, but as a kid... That I could've gone to camps for weeks at a time in the mountains, and gone hiking, all before my now disabled body went to hell and I can't even walk anymore...

I make up for this doing LARP events in the mountains and woods for 3 days at a time, at least. I find that even more fun because instead of just doing regular camp stuff, you're dressing up in fantasy gear and metal armor, and fighting each other with foam and latex weapons the entire weekend while playing along to a story, and making epic memories.

But again. It still hurts me to know I'll never have the experience that BSA could've provided me, if only they'd dropped their gender bans sooner...

[campbyler]

i've never eaten smores nor roasted marshmallows before-- never tried going to summer camps. i'll still read tho, even if i don't get anything :')

i honestly have not had a s’more in like. two years (?) and i’ve never been to a summer camp either so honestly i have no clue what it is i’m writing about LOL but we are so excited to have you along for the ride !!

[toonrandy]

Loud House fans...we need to talk.

So, yeah...

I was a big fan of The Loud House and I met several great friends -- one who became a best friend of mine and has since played an important role in my life through the good and the bad. And I drew fan art of the series. A whole lot, in fact -- more than any other animated series I've watched because for whatever reason I constantly came with ideas for TLH and that I drew stuff for the fans when I was taking requests at the time.

So, as you may have already known about me as well as the series and the fandom itself, things have happened to me and it led me to be no longer interested in TLH. But what you may have not known is that (aside from two pieces of art that I drew as a favor to a friend as well as another idea I just couldn't resist drawing last month) I made the decision to stop drawing TLH fan art at the end of last year. For good.

More recently, events have led to this decision. On DeviantArt (and on Instagram to a lesser extent), I've experienced art theft from various people in the fandom and they posted it as their own. They even made some weird edits to my art; on one piece they inserted some OC they created in the place of a character from the series. All of this has happened without my knowledge or consent. Many of them are even followers of mine (I didn't follow them back).

Another event that happened was that on Twitter I noticed that a TLH fan who ships Lincoln and Lynn (blech!) -- and it's even on his username, BTW, and has some NSFW stuff on his account -- used a drawing of mine showing Lincoln and Lynn simply hugging, which I had since deleted. Unfortunately, for a drawing that was only intended to show a happy, innocent moment between siblings -- which is nothing wrong with that and it's something that pretty much all siblings do in real life to show their support and I have brothers myself -- in addition to the Lincoln/Lynn shipper who misused my drawing I got some pushback, mainly from the series' non-fans. I mean, people who look at that drawing and say that it's pro-incest are saying more about themselves, let's be honest. My God, the fandom has ruined its reputation to everyone else.

Before those events, there was also at least one user on DA who had misused my art and looked really deep into them and treated it as if it was a fetish or something. Another user has added my TLH fan art to their weirdly named folders (I had since blocked them), and I have had people who made NSFW roleplaying to my art for whatever reason and I disabled comments whenever I noticed it.

And, of course, there are people giving me art requests of TLH characters in situations involving a fetish. Most of the time when I say no, they either ask why or continue to insist that I should draw it. They really have no boundaries for themselves. And what happened here this morning with me dealing with a user is further proof. They even followed me presumably to get me to finally cave in or whatever.

That's the Loud House fandom in a nutshell. I know you would make an argument saying that all fandoms are like that and any fandom can have its share of good people, which I can agree only to that second part. But I've never seen such a fandom for an animated series that's being made with kids in mind that have so many psychotic and nasty people. And unfortunately I know a few people who are adults (not gonna name names) acting weirdly over the series' main characters. It's filled with weirdos. No other fandom I've ever involved with had that kind of a problem.

I shouldn't draw anymore fan art for a show I no longer care about that also has a problematic fandom. I guess I'm the kind of person who bore some of these negative interactions and other abuse because I was kinda prominent within the fandom and was drawing TLH regularly and constantly receiving high marks for them. There was the fact that I was lamenting that my TLH fan art always get smore attention than everything else I drew and I wanted people to check out my other stuff because I had worked hard on them. I love other shows, too. I didn't want to be known only as that guy who draws TLH fan art. I have a mutual who feels the same way and have similar problems with the fandom as well.

Another thing: Long after I began to disassociate myself with the fandom, long story short I was in a spat with someone on Twitter (also one of my followers) and I got some backlash over an opinion I made that they don't like. I quit Twitter and deleted my original account but I have later returned. It was in reaction to a fan of the series on DA who was also a stalker and I was very frustrated. I even alluded to it on a few earlier tweets.

Looking back at it now, I think I should've done things differently regarding this situation. But that guy I dealt with is, like, a stalker. He keeps being banned from DA but he comes back with a variation of the same name as with all accounts he'd created. He would ask someone to draw stuff for him but when he was told no he would then respond with something disturbing. And I was unfortunate to see the same person on Twitter. He went as far to make around TEN accounts with a variation of his name and even left some disturbing responses to various accounts. Repeatedly.

As of late there are people within the fandom who are pushing back negativity from non-fans who gave them various labels mainly because of the other people who gave the TLH fandom notoriety. Again, there are some good people. But I really think that the fandom as a whole cares more about the people criticizing them instead of actually trying to use a lot of their energy fixing the problems and improving their image, even if they don't like such people. The fandom has stalkers, abusers, p*dos, fetishes -- you name it. And there are some bullies, too -- maybe the fandom would also worry about the bullies within the fandom in addition to those outside it.

And that's something I wish my former follower I had a spat with would understand because I was stalked and bullied. (Then again, maybe the fandom is too big for any actual changes to be made.) I do believe he made it sound like I was looking for trouble when in reality I did nothing and was minding my own business. Such people find me on their own. And the whole thing happened after I got out of the fandom and moved on to other things.

I had continued to like The Loud House after I left the fandom and quit watching new episodes, and I even watched The Loud House Movie and liked it despite its flaws. However, the controversies relating to TLH franchise that erupted over the internet last fall made me change a lot of opinions I had towards it since. Although I think I'm not ready to say it now, maybe I'll wait until there's an announcement about the main series ending in the future.

And I sincerely hope that no future children's show will amass such as a large and problematic fandom like TLH's. It shouldn't have happened. But it did. And hopefully it will be something we all should learn from. To paraphrase what my mutual have said about the fandom, the bad far outweighs the good. And besides, several people I know including my friends gave up on the show at one point and moved on to other things.

One last thing: I'm considering deleting all of my TLH-related posts here...for reasons.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I agree with your opinion on marshmallows. I don’t actually eat normal marshmallows since I don’t eat pork, but I have marshmallows without it and got the texture sucks. How do people stand it I will never know.

-⚙️

I've never had marshmallows without (to my knowledge), but I just. It feels icky in my mouth :(. I actually didn't mind it as much when I was little (or maybe I ate them too fast to tell), but whatever the case now I can't eat raw marshmallow.

Toasted marshmallows are fine for me though! When they get all melty then that gummy texture isn't a problem anymore because it isn't there! It's still sticky, but I don't mind that. And I've also got very positive memories associated with making smores (actual smores, not the GBBO atrocity), so that's a bonus

When making mallowmelt i'd hoped that the marshmallows would get melty and it would be a better texture, but it was a fool's dream. They just kinda puffed up (which makes sense. ovens are not as hot as fire)--and even if they had melted, you gotta let it sit and cool. And then it gets gummy again.

Anyway, suffice to say I'm nervous for the mallowmelt cupcakes, whenever I get around to making them. I've never had marshamallow creme/fluff, so I don't know if I'll also dislike the texture. But either way, I'm making them!

[laconic-void]

hey hello, i'm also hyperfixated on the sandlot (it's been an on-and-off fixation of mine for years) and i would love to hear you talk about it

Oh my goodness gracious. Hello. Hi!!! It's like 11pm rn but I'll try my best! I am so sorry I didn't see this btw I'm not gonna be as active for the next couple weeks. Here's a link where you can watch the movie btw https://archive.org/details/the-sandlot-1993-vhs-full-60fps

Yeah so I first got into the sandlot pretty recently. My teacher showed The Sandlot 2 to my class several years ago and I only remembered it because I thought David Durango was hot (I'm 16 dw) so I watched the second movie again because someone uploaded it on youtube.

I thought it was okay but at that point I had never seen the first one, so I watched it shortly after and I was like wow!!!! This one is definitely a lot better! Then I watched it two more times in the same week! I'll include a bit about the second one at the end of this but anyway.

I headcanon Scotty Smalls as trans and autistic because I am so cringe because he reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. I personally believe that the whole reason his family moved to the valley was to find a more hospitable environment for trans people and/or start over going stealth as male. He is shown without a shirt in the pool but he is pretty young, and puberty blockers started being researched in the sixties. Is it unrealistic to say Scotty was able to get his hands on some? Yes. But did he have a stepdad who had a baseball signed by Babe Ruth? Yes. My explanation is that Bill knew a guy, who knew a guy, etc. This would explain how Scotty doesn't know anything about baseball, and possibly why he doesn't have a cap other than the notorious fishing hat, which he probably borrowed.

For most of my life I didn't know I was autistic and had absolutely no idea about dyspraxia. I've been total shit at sports all my life, and Scotty is, well, he's getting there. The instructions he received from Bill were "move the glove where the ball goes," and Scotty obviously attempts to do that, but he isn't able to catch it. I'm not great at throwing, either. I can never aim right. Additionally, Scotty doesn't know what Ham is talking about when he asks him for a smore. "How can I take some more of nothing?" That scene was pretty spot on, as well as the one before it where Scotty actually says "oh, yeah!" too loudly while they are talking about the beast.

Speaking of his stepdad, I see Bill get mischaracterized a lot in fanfics. He's not abusive or mean to Scotty, they are "still getting used to each other." He really was busy with work when Scotty asked him to play, and I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that he hit his eye with the ball on purpose. He did tell Scotty what to do to ensure his eye wouldn't swell anymore, and although he wasn't exactly begging for forgiveness, Bill isn't seen showing much emotion throughout the film. And Scotty explicitly says "I didn't have any trouble calling him dad all the time," so their relationship is pretty good. He did say "my stepdad is going to kill me," but he just swiped the most valuable object he owned and wrecked it, and that's generally a common thing for kids to say when they do something like that, even if it is obviously a hyperbole. In the end, Scotty was only grounded for a week.

I like Benny's characterization in the movie as well. Even if you ignore his compassion towards Scotty, you can tell he's a big softie just from the insults he tries to hurl. At the beginning, while the rest of the gang is getting creative, Benny only says, "base up you blockheads." Before the pool scene, Benny hesitates while he is trying to insult the others, and what he says isn't even that convincing. He also only says "Shut your mouth, Phillips!" in comparison to Ham's insults rolling smoothly off the tongue. Benny was originally supposed to say some of those lines, but I'm glad it was changed, because it definitely would not have made sense. The only exception is when he tells Yeah-Yeah he runs like a duck, which is still a pretty good-natured insult in comparison to what's said during the exchange with Phillips, but it shocks Yeah-Yeah so much that instead of starting his sentence with yeah-yeah he starts it with "kk." I find that interesting. He doesn't say that at all during the rest of the movie as far as I know.

That's all for the first movie I can think of for now, but here's some trivia you may or may not already know:

-A record heatwave was going through Utah at the time and Tom Guiry fainted on set. Unfortunately, this ended when the pool scene came around and if you look closely, you can see the boys' teeth chattering.

-Tom Guiry and Mike Vitar met up weeks earlier than the rest of the cast so they could establish a convincing relationship for the film. It worked and the other cast members thought they had been friends for a long time, and Tom and Mike still keep in touch to this day.

-Unlike most movies, The Sandlot was filmed in chronological order.

-There's a ton more here, I'm not 100% sure on the accuracy of all of it but it matches up pretty well with other websites https://www.daily-choices.com/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-sandlot/44?xcmg=1&_d=d

Now I'll talk for a bit about the second movie, in my opinion, it is not a great movie, but here is the link if you haven't already seen it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIvIbS4__TM. Here's a paragraph defending David Durango I wrote on discord a bit ago (warning, it is a bit aggressive lol):

Guys I'll be real with you, the second sandlot movie kinda sucks, but I will NOT accept any hate towards my boy David Durango. And no, it's not just because he's hot, but because he's actually a decently written character if you stop viewing him as the wannabe Benny Rodriguez that the director tried to frame him as. Is he very nice to Smalls at first? No, but Smalls quite literally set the sandlot on fire at the beginning of the movie. Kind of a dick move. And it is completely fair that he wouldn't want him over there, because unlike Scotty in the first movie, Smalls has zero interest in baseball at the beginning, and he's a foot shorter than him and the rest of the team. Not to mention the little league team was threatening to take the sandlot away. A review I watched complained that it was odd for the kids to approach the team on their own field, but my interpretation is that they have been run out of different fields in the past, especially considering how strong their reaction to the girls is. Also, considering David was badly bitten by Goliath to the point where he STILL has the scar on his leg, it's only fair that he is experiencing some mental health issues. Given how afraid he is of the carnival and of other people seeing his scar, and his adversity to helping the gang get the rocket back, it's fair to say he has PTSD from the incident. The film takes place in the 70s, when mental health care was practically unheard of. It's unlikely that David ever received any effective treatment, and being laughed off by the rest of the gang was a very real possibility. Eventually, he does decide to help the rest of the gang, and he hops the fence and retrieves the rocket. In sandlot fashion Goliath chases him through the town, and he starts on a bike, which is admittedly less impressive than Benny going on foot the whole time, but come on, what would you have done? And he does eventually start running.

That's it for now! I can probably think of more stuff later if you want but I hope this was plenty for you to read!

[letthesunburnyourskin]

the list of specificly american/non american things as someone who grew up in a small french village 🫡

you'll see some tractors in fields advertising local events sometimes, usually during summer but it's something i've seen less and less

yes, yellow buses are your thing (my brother got really excited when he saw a real one lol)

frats are not a thing here, we have student parties but no frats

we do know beer pong but i've never see it play (my friends and i usually stick to the beer cap game)

we have discount stores (Tedi, B&M, Stockomani, and others)

we also have thrift stores

malls is a thing but you won't find them in small cities

i feel like young dumb boys is a thing everywhere (i never saw one bring a ball to class but i've witnessed many shenanigans)

we have motorcycles. I know plenty of bikers

i've had to stop the car to let cattle cross (the school bus had too) it mainly depends where you live. Sometimes you don't see cattle so

deer crossing signs exist, you'll see them in places where there are deeers around. I don't think i have around here BUT i live close to a stud farm and we have horses crossing signs

^just like this one

i don't think we have a share the road sign, but we def have something about bicycles

tailgates parties are not a thing

we have coolers

motorhomes are also a thing, but that's expensive af

never went tadpole hunting but also i'm scared of frogs

never set foot in a mattresses store but it exists

you could technically ride your horse to school or a tractor but why? (also if you're like me from a village you were usually dropped off at elementary school by your parents, mine had a bus because my elementary school was in fact a group of 3 schools in 3 different villages so yeah, if you lived in x village but your class was in z village, you had a bus. Then middle school and high school you'd have a school bus if you didn't live in the city your school was in, if you were you took public transports or walked/biked to school)

we have trailer parks (it's becoming popular among retired people apparently)

slushies are my life. you'd usually find them at fairs but some places have them during the summer!

yeah, never had a smore and PB&J is not a common snack but some people do eat it

having a safe (or two) is not really a thing unless you own a gun (which isn't that common i guess unless you're a hunter) then you need a safe for said gun. it's the law (and yes, authorities will come and take a look at the safe)

nah we usually only have one fridge, some people have a second smaller one outside but it's not really common

we have eggnog, usually drink it around Christmas (we call it lait de poule so, "chicken milk")

we have 4 wheelers but like it's not a really common thing either. I guess it depends if you like it. My neighbours growing up had them (i went and drove one when i was around 8-ish)

mason jars became kind of popular when youtube lifestyle vlogs were a big thing, but yeah it's an american thing i think

a lot of my friends had stocking shelves in their garage growing up! I don't think we're big on pickled things tho

if you know a hunter, yes they'll probably have hunting trophies on the wall

we have gun ranges but i can't tell you what they look like, i never went

things I've seen in America since living here my whole life that I feel are strictly American things

parking old semi trucks in fields and hanging banners up on the side as advertisement

yellow school busses ?

frat parties

beer pong

discount stores like Ross and Marshalls ?? not thrift stores, actual discount stores

thrift stores come to think of it

Malls ?

boys throwing balls at each other in the middle of class

motorcycles ??? idk I've never been outside of America guys

having to stop your car to let cattle cross the street

deer crossing signs

"share the road" signs with the silhouette of the man on the ATV

tailgate parties

the white unfoldable tables

coolers. like the boxes you put drinks in

motorhomes ??

tadpole hunting. yknow when you and your friends walk barefoot and shirtless down to the creek with your green plastic net thingy. and catch tadapoles. i can't see a European doing that

Mattress stores.

riding your horse to and from school

riding your tractor to and from school

riding your four wheeler/ATV to and from school

trailer parks

7/11 especially slushies. US of A i feel is the only place you can get slushies

I've heard s'mores and PB and J is strictly an American thing

having two safes in the house, one for confidentials and one for guns

having two fridges, one inside as a regular fridge, and a cheaper one outside for drinks and party food storage

eggnog ?

actually just four wheelers in general. especially learning how to ride one when you're like 4 years old

Mason Jars, specifically using Mason Jars to drink out of

shelves and shelves of canned/pickled food in the pantry/garage

hunting trophies on the wall?? yk like deer mounts

^ hanging Christmas ornaments on the antlers of the elk trophy

gun ranges? the little warehouse looking things in the old fields where you can practice shooting??

Hunter's Safety Classes that everyone takes when they're ten or younger. with the vending machine where you can get cookies

for reference my family has been US. based for hundreds of years, I have never been outside the US, so this could be completely wrong but these are my thoughts

[sugarandspace]

This or that autumn tag

I was tagged by @schrodingers-catx! Thank you! 💙

🍁 pumpkin or apple // cocoa or cider // halloween or thanksgiving // leaf piles or apple picking // hay ride or corn maze // wooly sweater or furry slippers // pumpkin carving or knitting crocheting // squash or sweet potato // black cat or bat // skeletons or witches // fake blood or fake spiders // mashed potatoes or stuffing // orange or black // apple pie or maple donuts // marshmallows or candy corn // vampire or werewolf // fireplace or cozy nook // spiced wine or craft beer // candied apples or s'mores // big scarf or oversized hoodie 🍁

I'm going to tag @whatanexcitingfewdaysithasbeen, @thatnerdemryn and @loveconfessions!! 🍂

[rocksandrobots]

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 21 - Fishing Trip

"So what do you wanna do this weekend?" Hiro asked Varian.

The other boy only shrugged his shoulders as he had no idea.

It was Friday and they were both walking home from school while trying to make plans for the weekend. All of their other friends were either away or busy due to Father's Day coming up. Fred was going to accompany his dad on a mission. Gogo was driving down to her father's for a few days. Wasabi had bought plane tickets to fly back to his hometown of Seattle. Karmi went back upstate for the weekend with her parents, and Megan was still grounded, but had a full day planned to butter up her dad. Even Honey Lemon was going home to spend time with her abuelo.

This left Varian feeling a little awkward. In Corona they had a Guardians Day, which was meant for both parents or caretakers in general, but for Varian it was always a day for just him and his dad to spend time together. One of the few times in the year when his father wouldn't work in the field, or go to market, or have business at court.

Varian knew precisely what a day like Father's Day meant and how special time spent with the man who raised you could be. He envied his friends, but mostly, knowing this would be the second year without his dad pained him.

In a way, he was thankful that Hiro shared his delima. Though he certainly wouldn't have wished his predicament upon anyone, it was still somewhat comforting to know that he wasn't alone.

They were a less than a block away from the Lucky Cat, still discussing things to do, when a sleek car pulled to a stop beside them. The window rolled down to reveal a man with blonde hair, a large nose, and a wide smile. He was wearing a plaid shirt and a tan floppy hat.

"Hey Hiro! Go grab your overnight bag and some sunscreen!" He joyously ordered. "Your new brother, cousin, thingy too. We're going fishing!"

Varian could only look on confused, he didn't know this man nor why he wanted to him and Hiro to go on a fishing trip with him. However, Hiro apparently did know him and was also apparently not onboard with this idea at all. He stood with his mouth a gape with a look of horror in his eyes.

After processing this terrible news, Hiro could only sputter out, "But.. but why?"

The man in the vehicle began to offhandedly list his reasons. "Because fishing by oneself isn't any fun unless there's someone else around to show off to. Because I had an awful childhood, whose own father would never take fishing, and now I'm living vicariously through you. Also, you're still my intern and for the rest of the year, I still own you."

The man flashed another wide grin and Varian began to put the pieces together. This must be Krei. Owner of Krei Tech, the man in charge of the portals that brought him here, and also Hiro's boss. Though, this new revelation did nothing to stem the confusion in his mind. He couldn't for life of him see why he was being invited along on the trip nor did he understand Hiro's objections.

"But...but...b, but…" Hiro suttered desperately trying to think of way out of going.

"No buts! I've already talk with your aunt and got her permission, reserved the campsite, and I even bought you both fishing poles!" Still grinning, he reached down beside him and lifted the new poles up for Hiro and Varian to see.

Hiro let out a wordless half groan, half whine in defeat, before turning around and slumping towards the cafe. Varian blinked and looked back and forth between the two of them unsure what to do. Krei waved to him cheerfully, clearly excited for the upcoming trip, and Varian numbly waved back before deciding to follow Hiro and pack his own bag.

                                               ----------------------------

Varian found himself enjoying the fishing trip more than he had expected. The first day was spent mainly getting there and setting up the campsite. The second day was spent fishing, exploring, and just taking in the scenery.

Varian had been allowed to bring Ruddiger along, as Hiro had also brought Baymax. His pet was overjoyed to be back in his natural environment and Varian had to admit that he felt more at home here in the great outdoors than in the crowded streets of San Fansokyo. The big city was fascinating but he'd always be a simple farm boy at heart.

Krei felt much the same way. The businessman hadn't been raised in the countryside the way Varian had, but he had a great love of camping, fishing, and being out in nature. His passion stemmed from childhood summers spent on vacation at something called 'summer camp'.

Varian found he got along with older man well. They spent the ride up chatting about science and it's more practical applications, spent the trip sharing wilderness tips, and fishing out in Krei's boat. Fishing had never been Varian's favorite activity, but he now found a new sense of nostalgia for it and the praise Krei would send his way whenever he caught one helped to fuel his enjoyment of the sport even more. Plus he got a chance to show off his cooking skills after they had cleaned their catch. Not the most pleasant task ever, but Varian could stomach it much better than butchering other kinds of meat.

Hiro however did not enjoy fishing, or camping, or anything to do with the outdoors really. The other teen mostly sulked the whole trip. When he wasn't busy gagging at the worms used for bait or getting scared by the unfamiliar sounds of the local wildlife that is. Mainly he stuck close to Baymax and the tent, bored out his mind and annoyed he had been forced to come long. Varian's enthusiasm only aggravated him further and, if he was being honest with himself, he was a little jealous by how easy things came to the other boy. He'd spent half a year trying to get on Krei's good side and impress him, while Varian had managed it in mere minutes of meeting the CEO.

The only time Hiro came out of his grumpy shell was at night, when they built a campfire and roasted marshmallows. Varian had never had smores before, but they were tasty, if also sticky and a little too sweet. Ruddiger however went nuts over the fluffy sweets and had to be kept from stealing the whole bag of them. Hiro didn't really care one way or the other about the traditional treat, but was more than eager to share ghost stories with the rest of the group. Gleefully recalling with gory detail about the spirit of an ax murderer who apparently stalked the woods. Perhaps it was a little vindictive of him, to try his best and scare the other teen, but Hiro couldn't help filling a little thrill whenever Varian gave a little jump or clutched his pet raccoon even tighter in comfort.

Keri was only amused by the story. He'd heard similar ones growing up at camp. He laughed at the end of Hiro's tale.

"Ha! Kids are still telling that one? Let me tell you a real horror story."

It was about tax audits.

Both boys could only shrug at each other.

"I do not understand the purpose of a 'ghost story'." Baymax observed.

"It's suppose to be for fun." Hiro informed him.

"I see; an adrenaline rush within a safe and controlled environment can be considered a pleasant feeling for some people. However I do not understand how taxes figure into that."

"Uuuuh, neither do we." Hiro admitted, "but I guess fear is subjective. Do you have any stories to share, Varian?"

Varian had to rack his brain on that one. His own life was more of a horror story then most ghost tales he knew, but he didn't want to devel into that. Instead he told a folk legend that his dad had once told him. It had been an old story from his home country; a parable about a rich man who was so greedy that he hoarded a well from the poor townspeople during a drought. Forcing them to pay him tribute lest they die of thirst, but he made the mistake of refusing water to a witch and so was cursed to become a vampire. To spend an eternity in thirst himself and to be forever alone, because he could no longer get close to other people without risking harm to them.

"And so a leader must care for his people, son," he remembered his father instructing him at the end of the tale, "He must share and give back to the community. He who sacrifices love for his fellow man in exchanged for selfish possessions, forfeits his right to live among mankind and to even be called a 'man' himself."

If only his father's words had been true. If real life had been as simple as stories, then Corona would have sided with him and not the evil king who kept the wondrous healing flower hidden away and who turned his back upon people need. But Varian conveniently left out this more personal anecdote.

"Wow." Hiro said flatly. "That's deep."

He wasn't used to horror stories having explicit morals attached to them and didn't know how else to respond. The tale hadn't been scary so much as eerie with an unnerving ending. Unlike his serial killer story, it wasn't anything you could be afraid of happening to you, yet questioning your place in the world was somehow more off putting than simple dismemberment.

The mood was broken however, by Ruddiger stealing Hiro's marshmallow off his roasting stick. It turned out to be last one as Krei had spent the majority of Varian's story battling the gluttonous raccoon over their food stores.

"I know racoons aren't 'mankind', but does this mean he's doomed to be a marshmallow vampire now?" Hiro joked as Varian got onto his pet.

"I don't know. Your robot looks like a walking marshmallow though." Varian shot back good naturedly.

Now out of food, save for leftover fish, they all decided to tuck in for the night.

                                              ----------------------------

Hiro hated the woods. He hated how unfamiliar everything was, how inconvenient it was, and most of all he hated how gross it was. He woke up irritated and sore from sleeping on the thin sleeping bag inside the tent. He couldn't find anything decent to eat for breakfast. He never stopped grumbling while he was forced to use the bathroom outside. To make an awful morning even worst, he couldn't shake the feeling of being stalked as strange animals hooted and howled. One bush in particular shook right when he pasted it. He nearly jumped out of skin when Ruddiger pop out of it holding the last of the fish in its mouth.

He groaned as he watched the raccoon scurry away and climb up a tree a little ways off from the campsite. He didn't much care for the creature, or for wild animals in general, but he knew how important the pet was to Varian and so had tried to be polite about having it around. Still Hiro's patience was wearing thin. The walking bottomless pit had eaten practically everything in the camp.

Hiro reluctantly followed after, debating if it was worth trying to get the fish back. Probably not, he didn't even like the taste of fish all that much to begin with. He stopped in surprise when an apple core fell from tree and nearly hit him. He looked up and found Varian sitting in one of the top branches, raccoon by his side, and reaching up to pick another apple off the tree.

The other teen paused when he saw Hiro. "Hey! Morning! You wanna an apple for breakfast?"

Hiro's stomach growled in response but all he actually said was, "How did you get up there?"

Varian laughed, "Climbed up here. How else you do think? Fly?"

Hiro looked up at him blankly. It was an obvious answer, of course, and he felt silly for having asked it.  

"Come on up!" Varian encouraged. "There's plenty of apples to go around."

"I..I can't." Hiro admitted sheepishly.

"Why not?"

"I don't know how to climb a tree." He mumbled.

Varian looked surprised by this revelation and before Hiro could do anything else, the other boy quickly climbed back down to join him.

“You never climb a tree before?”

‘Well, I did once, with Baymax’s help.” He rubbed the back of his neck self consciously.  

“It’s not like there’s a whole lot of trees in San Fransokyo to climb.”

“Oh, well, it’s easy. Here, I’ll show you. Just put your foot there, in that knot, and place your hand here on this bump in the bark.” Varian instructed, helping Hiro find the footholds. “Now you see that groove up here, place your other foot there, and as you hoist yourself up grab that lowest branch with your other hand, like climbing a really uneven ladder.”

Hiro did so, though not without some struggling, but eventually he pulled himself up onto the lowest branch.      

“Great!” Varian cheered and followed after with practiced ease. “The hardest parts done. Now all you gotta do is swing up the rest of the branches, like so.”

Varian took off, showing Hiro the best way to navigate the tree top. Hiro followed him, mimicking the other boys actions. With great effort he hauled himself up onto the final branch and heaved a ‘wooooph’ in relief of having made it up.

His sigh quickly turned to awe though when he caught sight of the view. The early morning sun sparkled on the lake. Further out a misty fog was beginning to disperse and you could see the opposite shoreline reflected in the water like glass. Beyond that giant redwoods poked out of the canopy of trees and way, way off in the distance you just about make out the tips of blue mountains.

“Woah.” He breathed. Hiro had to admit, you didn’t get scenery like this in the city.

‘Here.” Varian handed him an apple. It was smaller than the ones you’d buy in the store, with pink and yellow skin. Hiro tentatively took a bite. It was crunchy and very tart, but edible. Not to mention it was practically the only food they had left in the camp, so Hiro wound up eating it all and started in on a second one.

“So, where did you learn to climb?” Hiro asked taking another large bite of the wild fruit.

“Oh, I’ve been climbing trees since I could walk.” Varian laughed. “We owned an apple orchard along with the farm. Also the forest is right next to my village.”

Ruddiger joined them, procuring his own apple and sitting right on Varian’s lap to enjoy his meal. Varian scratched his pet’s ear.

“Does he ever get full?” Hiro asked.

“Nope.” Varian replied, and then they both broke into giggles.

Once the laughter had subsided Hiro commented, “I guess that’s why you’re so good at this outdoors stuff. This is the first time I ever been fishing, and with any luck, it’ll be my last.”

“My dad taught me.” Varian quitely confessed. “He’d take me on trips like this sometimes. Try to teach me how to hunt and fish. The fishing is a lot better than the hunting, let me tell you. I never could fire an arrow right and I can’t stand the sight of blood.” He cringed as if recalling a gruesome memory. “But, I guess he was just looking out for me. He taught me the skills he had to live on to survive. Apparently there were no farms where he grew up, the land was always baren. I guess that’s why he prefered gardening to being a knight.”

“Wait, your dad was an actual for real knight?”

Varian nodded, “Yeah, I found his armor after...after the accident. Along with a bunch of other important stuff he never told me about.” He added bitterly.

Hiro didn’t know how to respond to that. So he stayed quiet and let Varian dictate the conversation.

“Anyways, it worked. The fishing did come in handy. I had to do a lot of that, when.. when I was on my own.” He worked his jaw as he mulled over that last confession, his eyes gazing out to into the distance, clearly not seeing the breathtaking view before them.

Hiro’s heart dropped. He had a vague idea of what happened to Varian, but this was the first time it really hit home just how messed up the other’s teen’s life had been before now. He could empathize with losing a loved one, but he had always had his aunt and his friends to depend upon. If nothing else to be there and take of him as he sank into depression. But Varian had to do everything for himself, even while battling that same depression. The idea of having to catch or scavenge for your own food on top caring for you ill father was a nightmare that Hiro could barely comprehend. A nightmare that only somehow got worse.

“Fortunately, there’s a river that runs through my village, and I could set up lines overnight and just go check them in the morning, and we had food stored up for winter. Like oats, bacon, dried peas, that sort of thing. That is, until spring rolled around and the king's guards run me out of my house.” He said irritably.”Then I just had to forage or steal to survive.”

“Be...because you stole medicine?” Hiro asked disquietly. He couldn’t imagine a world so cruel and yet to his surprise the story got even worse.

“Oh no, this was before I stole the flower.” Varian said matter of factly and Hiro just stared at him in horror. Varian heaved a heavy sigh and went on to explain. “My father was the only other person who knew about the sundrop. The king kept it hidden from everyone. I guess when he found out that my dad, was, was ‘gone’, he decided to try and remove me from the picture, so as to keep his secret safe. He made a bunch of false charges about me ‘attacking the princess’ so that no one would believe me when I asked for help or told them the truth about the flower. Then he sent his elite guard to arrest me and I had to run.”

Varian gave a little shrug and added, “I guess after that, ‘treason’ didn’t seem like that big of deal. I mean they were going to throw me in jail either way, and not many people leave those dungeons alive.”

Hiro could barely process what was being told to him. He didn’t know what to say. His stomach churned and his breath shallowed. Varian’s past was far scarier than any ghost story.

Then suddenly he felt guilty. He’d been so caught up in his own grief and his own struggles with readjusting, that he hadn’t actually stopped to think about things from Varian’s perspective. He had thus far grinned and bared the discomfort of having his life turned upside down, because, well because that's what he thought he needed to do in order to be a mature decent person. And while that was true in part, it never occurred to him that this move was yet another upset in Varian’s life, in a long, long string of seemingly never ending upsets.  

Hiro found himself so easily annoyed by the other teen, yet he really had no right to be. Varian was readjusting to whole new culture and way of life in addition to struggling with his grief and trauma. So what if he cooked weird food sometimes, didn’t always know the appropriate conduct to certain situations, or was so super confident in nearly everything he did that it made Hiro self conscious and a little jealous at times. Deep down, Varian was suffering through something that no one in Hiro’s little corner of the globe could fully understand, and the least that Hiro could do was try to be a little more patient and a little more open about letting Varian into his life.

“You know,” Hiro slowly said, trying to ease the conversation and offer a little understanding, “I never really knew my dad. I was just four when he and my mom died. It was always Tadashi who taught me things, like how to ride a bike or how to hotwire a robot. Though he never taught me to climb to tree, so I guess that’s one I owe you.”

He smiled encouragingly at Varian, who nervously returned it. Once again Varian wasn’t used to praise or acknowledgement that he anything ‘right’.

“Maybe, you could teach me more outdoorsy stuff.” Hiro offered. “And I can teach you more about more modern stuff, like how to play Mind Smith II Turbo .”

“That..that’s that video game you like, isn’t it?” Varian asked as he tried to remember what Hiro even talking about.

“Yeah!” and with that Hiro eagerly launched into a detailed description of the game.

Soon the boys were interrupted by Krei emerging from the tent. He stretched sore back and tried to reheat the leftover instant coffee he’d brought. He then promptly spit it back out in disgust. The boys tried their best to suppress their snickers. Keri spotted them anyways.

“How ‘bout we pack it up and go get tacos instead?” He asked them.

“Yeeesss!” Yelled Hiro, who was more than ready to go.

“Sounds great!” Agreed Varian. “We’ll be right down!”

Keri went back in the tent to start packing and Ruddigger scurried down after him, hoping to maybe steal another treat from the camp.

Varian stood up and started to also make his way down when Hiro’s voice stopped him.

“Ummm...Sooo how do you get down exactly?”

                                              ----------------------------

The day ended with a trip to Yaki Taco and a huge feast of fast food nachos and deep fried burritos. Rudiger was once again confined to his carrying cage, but was allowed a cup of some cheese sauce to snack on. Baymax was let out of his charger case to kept an eye on the mischievous raccoon. All agreed it was actually the best part of the camping trip.

“Say, ‘cheese’.” The robot said, as he took a photograph with his internal camera.  

The three guys sing songed the the word even as actual cheese dripped off the burritos they held in their hands, plastering on dopey grins for the camera. Then a few more pictures with silly faces to complete the set.

“Fantastic!” Krei said. “I want copies for the office.”

“Why?” Hiro asked.

“So if any clients come in I show off ‘my family’ to them instead just the photo of my mother. I love the woman but she doesn’t necessarily impress the image of ‘family friendly company’.”

“I knew there was a catch.” Hiro scoffed.

Keri looked wounded. “Hey, I told you, my employees are my family.”

Hiro rolled his eyes but he couldn’t help giving a little smile at that. He knew Krei well enough by now to know that, underneath his seemingly conviving self-serving self, he had a heart, and he wouldn’t have invited Hiro and Varian along if he didn’t care.

“Aunt Cass put you up to this, didn’t she?” He prodded.

“I’m sworn to secrecy.” Krei insisted and they gave Hiro a knowing wink. Then more seriously he said, “I know what it’s like not having your dad around on Father’s Day. So, I figured, why not a fishing trip? It’s better than being stuck at home while your father’s away on a business trip to Tahiti that weekend.”

Hiro raised in eyebrow. Keri had a tendency of oversharing at times.  

“Buuut, enough about me. Who wants dessert!?”

[thefivecalls]

Things I associate with each of the sides for no reason

Logan:

I understand he's supposed to be dark blue or indigo. Regardless, he will always be teal. This teal:

For some reason when I got detention that one time I got a Logan vibe so yeah theres that

"Space... The final frontier..." But uhhh just the opening has his vibes

Why is he always whereing a neck tie and not a bow tie? If anyone has necktie vibes its Janus not Logan

Logan also has chaos incarnate vibes that are only in check because of his last shreds of humanity one of these days he'll break and when he does thomas can and will set something on fire using bill nye the science guy tactics

He is waking up early and going to bed late

He is framing posters

He is dancing in your bedroom to awesome music that has never been such a vibe before that moment and will never be again.

Broken clocks

Beaker from the muppets? I don't quite get it but yeah

Rock of ages

Getting a pitcher of soda or tea or whatever and setting it on his desk, then getting 23 straws and taping them together so he can lay in bed on his phone and safely drink it without spilling

Grilled cheese

Kahoot music

Remus:

Death waltz. Not the synthesia no the one that takes 14 people to play.

Canoeing

Obviously he has close combat weapons but have you thought about giving him a bow and arrow? I have and yes thats a vibe because he is one of three people I've ever met with those vibes ok

Portable speakers

He is bonfires and fireworks.

He is hyperfixating on something and writing a story until 4 in the morning.

Potions!

The fact that witches ingredients are actually just named strange things but are edible somethings? Like mustard seeds being newts eyes and the like

Acid

In my human anatomy class we dissected deer hearts and when we found the blood clots we called them the Forbidden Jellies.

The county fair

The circus that comes around at fall festival time

Homecoming game in football/rugby

I feel like if he played an instrument he'd be a baritone

The lime green smoke Disney villians have

Roman:

Zootopia the movie

Hopping. Or bouncing in place.

My family's crest?? I think its because of his crest but he had those vibes before the outift upgrade???? Idk

The ponytail thing that give you a unicorn horn when you've got short hair but bangs that are beginning to grow out

He is picnics at the park

He is also going shopping

He is also dancing in the rain at four in the morning with the outside lights on and the music blaring but its ok the neigbors are four acres away and they sleep like the dead.

When I went to my first metal concert and I saw the mosh pit? The exhilaration that comes with wanting to join but not wanting to get crushed is a Roman thing.

Pancakes

Cold pizza at midnight

Succulents!

Fire and cane whiskey

The warm smiles that the bearer never gets to see because they don't get the chance to see it in a reflection

Butterscotch

Janus:

Springtime showers that makes snowmelt rivers

Prom. Dont ask this is just a him vibe ok

He seems like the guy that would make a blanket cacoon/nest when his bedsheets are in the wash and can I say mood

Sunlight

Looking off my back porch and seeing the feilds of corn beginning to dry out in late fall every three years.

Pumpkin soup

Apple cider

Lemonade

Not only is he snowmelt rivers he is also the first thunderstorm of summertime

Sun tea. Not the brand the stuff that you make via harnessing the suns power

Cucumber facemasks

Wildflower honey

The person who youd never guess goes to comic con but is actually the one who wins first place in the costume contest every year

Oversized sweaters

German Sheppards and yellow labs sunbathing after playing for hours

Antique mirrors

Burlap canvas bags

Oil paint

Espressos at ten at night

Late night chinese food runs

Dragons

Spice. Not the average spice either I'm talking could eat a carolina reaper and yes he'll be more red but he could still talk and thats more than I can say for myself

Virgil:

The red rubber balls from kick ball in elementary. By god I can smell the plastic just thinking about it

Flappy stims! Almost every time I flap he comes to mind I never really questioned it

The weighted blanket my dad got that I steal from him all the time

'He's a Mary poppins in a world of hasselhoffs" my friend once said that not even talking about Virgil but like. Come on.

Basically all of Star Lord's vibes are Virgils

Deadpool

Jack Skellington (kinda obvs)

Sample perfumes that are like the size of a pinky

Telescopes

Not writing an essay but instead learning all about world history or astronomy or psychology

Earings. Specifically hoops

Black pearls

Boardwalks that have tiny shops along them with a bunch of food.

Going to a club or a party with flashing lights and even though you're kinda nervous you have fun and live like tomorrow is still a dream away.

Ripped movie posters that the theater is selling

Tying ropes together to make nets.

Fairy lights

Taping movie theater tickets to your wall after you've gone and seen it

Scarecrows sitting on bales of hay at sunset next to my willow tree and the cicadas are on their 13th year so they're the loudest they'll ve until another 13 years have passed

The glint in someone's eye when they think of something mischievous

Bang by AJR

The corpse bride's tale/song

Patton:

The lazer eye meme. This one

Graham Crackers. Not smores, not candy crack-just the cracker ok

Pep rallies

The pet store??

Sugar sculptures

Corn pits (strictly midwestern thing)

Driving for hours upon hours and seeing the strange statues some towns have as you pass them by

Silver sparkles

Art herpes glitter

Photo booths

Riding in the back of a pickup truck on the county's main road

Wedding crystals cabinet where you put the fancy china you're going to give to your children that never gets used once but is probably worth half your house

The chubby bunny challenge

The moment when you tip your chair back too far and you know it but you can't do anything because you'll be on the floor in a second anyway

The thing maya did from Girl Meets World when she slammed lockers closed and caused the chalkboard to let its dust fly

Dusk.

That moment when everything is going by so quickly so you step back and watch the world go by for only a few seconds but then you're back in the present laughing with your friends

Snow cones melting and getting the syrup all over your hands

Orange Side:

All things citrus but especially lemons no not oranges lemons

Sunglasses

Men in black 1 not the rest just the first

Pineapple too hes got a lot of pineapple vibes

Combat boots but with spikes

Also lace?

And tea. Like, all kinds of tea but especially the really expensive stuff that I've only tasted like twice thats imported from Ireland

Himalayan salt lamps.

Sensies. the wax melting things

Candles too

Once we meet him I'll have more but this is it for him for now

Thats it! If this gets notes I might do emile remy and thomas but I think I'll leave this be for the moment. Have a great day y'all!

[thatorigamiguy]

Jaune stepped in front of Weiss with his arms crossed and a stern visage on his face. Which was currently filling out with rough and irritating patches of stubble, made worse with the Vacuo heat.

Jaune: "Weiss. this needs to stop. I know you're still stealing my razors'."

Instead of reeling at the accusation, Weiss addressed Jaune with a cool gaze.

Weiss: "Mmm? I have no idea what you're talking about Jaune. I've not been near any of your personal belongings as per the "restraining order" you issued to me."

Jaune internally winced, though he managed to keep a stern exterior. Leave it to him to have not bothered to double check for grammar and other inaccuracies. Either he's lost his touch, or the forgers in Vacuo really have lower standards than Vale.

Jaune: "I know you haven't, that's why you've been having Ruby steal them for you."

Weiss quirked a brow, before turning away from Jaune.

Weiss: "Ruby, could you come here for a moment?"

A quick petal burst, and Ruby had appeared before her teammate with a bright smile.

Ruby: "Yes Weiss?"

Weiss: "Have I asked you to steal Jaune's razors in the past two weeks?"

Ruby thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head in the negative.

Ruby: "Nope, can't say you have Weiss. I haven't been anywhere near Jaune's stuff since we got back from the Ever After."

Weiss thanked her teammate, before turning to give Jaune a serene smile. But Jaune wasn't fooled, shooting the two of them a deadpan look before uncrossing his arms and opening up his right hand.

Jaune: "Really? Then uh, what's this exactly?"

In the palm of his hands were petals. Rose petals to be exact.

Jaune: "Now, I know that desert roses are a thing, but last I checked? They look nothing like normal rose petals."

But neither Ruby nor Weiss reacted at the accusation, instead staring blankly at the rose petals before staring back at Jaune.

Weiss: "That doesn't mean anything Jaune. In fact, you could have just bought those from a local store here and are using them as falsified evidence to make claimless accusation."

Ruby: "Yeah Jaune, it's not very nice to try and use me as a scapegoat for your missing razors. Besides, I'd never willingly steal anything of yours, especially just because Weiss asked me-"

Jaune: "I'll buy you two bakers dozen of the cookies from that bakery you keep drooling over whenever we head into town if you tell me the truth."

Ruby: "-Is what I would have said, if it wasn't for the fact that yes, Weiss DID in fact ask me to steal them for you, and I want two dozen of the triple chocolate chips and those awesome smores cookies. And oh, throw in half a dozen churros!"

Ruby was drooling as she made her demands, only to wince at the steel melting glare that Weiss shot her.

Weiss: "YOU SOLD ME OUT OVER FUCKING COOKIES?!"

Ruby could only offer a Weiss a meek smile, a nervous laugh bubbling past her lips as she did everything she could to avoid Weiss's furious gaze.

Ruby: "Heh, it uh... slipped out?"

Jaune didn't even bother hiding the smug smile on his face at how easily Ruby crumbled at the mention of her favorite sweets. Weiss may have the making of a professional businesswomen, but Jaune had the benefit of growing up with seven sisters and that made you get all kinds of crafty when getting people to do what you want.

Jaune: "It's a deal Ruby, I'll buy you both the cookies and churros for you when we head into town. As for you Weiss."

Weiss winced, caught in the act red handed and figured she was going to get a dressing down only for Jaune to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Jaune: "Listen. I know you like the beard and I'm flattered that you think I look handsome with it. Helps out a lot in the self-confidence department."

Jaune said with a smile, before giving Weiss a stern frown.

Jaune: "But having a beard in this environment is a huge pain Weiss. It gets hot under all of that hair and dries it all out. It makes my skin red and irritated and I have to do everything I can not to itch at it. Not to mention, the sand always managed to get in it and make everything worse. Were it anywhere else Weiss, I'd happily grow it out for you but now is not the time."

Weiss went to speak, only to get cut off when Jaune shot her another deadpan look.

Jaune: "And no: using the other men who grew up here with beards does not count as an excuse because they're all accustomed to living with them in this environment. Listen Weiss, when this is all said and done, I'll grow my beard out as long as you want and never touch a razor again in my life aside from the occasional trimming. Until then, can you please, PLEASE, stop stealing my razors?"

Weiss said nothing for a moment, stewing in her thoughts as she thought over Jaune's pleadings before crossing her arms in a huff as she looked away from him.

Weiss: "...Fine, I'll stop stealing your razors."

Jaune: "...And?"

Weiss winced, before reluctantly grumbling out between grit teeth.

Weiss: "...And I won't have other people steal them for me either."

Jaune let out a relieve sigh, before giving Weiss a grateful smile. But before he could thank her for seeing reason, she turned to him with an accusing finger.

Weiss: "But I'm holding you to your word Jaune! Once this is all over, if you so much as even glance in the direction of a razor I'll make you regret it!"

Jaune chuckled at the threat, before he found himself patting Weiss on the head with a warm smile.

Jaune: "I swear upon the Arc Family name that I won't. And we Arcs-"

Weiss: "-Always keep your word, yes I know. Now cut that out!"

Weiss said she slapped his hand away, a furious blush spreading across her pale skin. Jaune only chuckled again, before he departed out of their room, leaving Weiss and Ruby alone together. Despite the blush, Weiss could only breath out a wistful sigh as her gaze lingered on the door while Ruby had a pout on her face.

Ruby: "...It's just a stupid beard, I think he looks better clean shaven."

Weiss: "Silence traitor! He looks dashing with a beard and you know he does!"

Weiss sniffed, before placing her hand on her chest and she developed a smug aura.

Weiss: "Besides, you're just jealous that he both gave me a promise AND headpats."

Ruby: "SHUT UP NO I'M NOT AND YOU CAN'T PROVE IT, RAZOR THEIF!"

Weiss: "BETTER TO BE A THIEF THAN A BACKSTABBER!"

The two girls glared harshly at each other drawing the attention of a passing Yang. She only shook her head at the display, before mumbling something about the two of them just "jumping his bones already."

stupid thought what if jaune gave Weiss a fake yet realistic restraining order

I feel like Weiss would have an eye for detail with contracts, legal documents, and all kinds of business paperwork, so if it does work, it won't for very long.

Plus, you have to consider that Jaune would have to explain it, and I don't think he's quite savvy with verbatum rehearsal.

"This says you have to stay at least fifty feet away from me!" Jaune declared.

"No," Weiss corrected, "this says I have to stay fifteen 'fett' away for you."

Also, this begs the question why Jaune would want to put a straining order against Weiss.

[puroalgarete]

This or That

Character Study

1) Hayride or Haunted Houses?

Haunted Houses. 'Cause ya never know what's behind every corner.

2) Tricks or Treats?

Treats. What? I love sweet things.

3) Witches or Ghosts?

Ghosts. 'Cause I've seen 'em. I'd rather deal with that, than have witches castin' spells and hexes and shit.

4) Carmel Apples or Regular Apples?

Regular. Don't wanna crack a tooth. 🤣

5) Carving Pumpkins or Painting Pumpkins?

Definitely carving them. It's a bitch to do, but it's definitely fun, when it's done.

6) Vampires or Werewolves?

Vampires. 'Cause imagine all the shit you could see, just livin' that long.

7) Pumpkin patches or bobbing for apples?

Pumpkin patches. 'Cause it's just beautiful to see where they come from.

8) Skeletons or Zombies?

Zombies. I just find them interestin'. 'Cause they're dead and they're rottin', yet, they're still movin' around.

9) Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown?

Hocus Pocus. Sorry, Marnie. I just always loved that film more.

10) Spooky costumes or Cute costumes?

Why not both? Or one that starts out cute that turns out spooky.

11) Candy corn or chocolates?

Is it messed up that I like Candy corn? I mean, it's not even the best candy, but I just like it.

12) Wigs or Masks?

Wigs, 'cause masks get hot af. Not hear for that.

13) Mummies or Frankenstein?

Mummies. 'Cause I always liked anythin' havin' to do with Egyptians.

14) Horror movie marathon or Halloween party?

Halloween Party. Unless I'm in a bad way, then I'd go for a marathon.

15) Ghostface or Michael Myers?

Ghost face. 'Cause at least you've got a chance at killin' the dude.

16) Smores or Pumpkin bars?

Definitely s'mores. I mean, that's not even up for discussion.

17) Halloween or Thanksgiving?

Halloween. 'Cause I never had much to do on Thanksgivin' or anyone to celebrate it with.

18) Apple Cider or Pumpkin Spice Lattes?

Pumpkin Spice Latte. 'Cause I can't with the ciders and shit.

19) Spiders or Snakes?

Neither, man. I can't deal with either one of them.

20) Pumpkin pie or Apple pie?

A bit of both. 'Cause I like havin' a variety.

[two-sides-halved]

Gem Steven felt the other ruffle his head, hearing the other didn't think he was weak for feeling his feelings or that his feelings were stupid despite them being about a movie rather than something that actually happened made him feel better.

Gem Steven walked with her. remaining silent as he looked up at the sky. The sky still remaining green still upset him, he truly hasn't shaken off these feelings yet, but baby steps. She was right he did need closure but there was still this part of him that felt as if he didn't deserve closure for something that wasn't real, nor did he deserve closure for what had really happened either.

"I feel a little better that you don't think I'm being stupid... or that you don't find it silly, because I do enjoy the horror genre, sometimes some of the movies are funny, and I do like the visual effects... though stuff with eyes still creep me out... and it's really dumb that this particular horror movie scared me... and it wasn't even because of spooky cult nonsense in it..." He replied. "I really messed up when I took Dad saying I couldn't watch it as a challenge rather than him just telling me it wasn't good for me to watch that movie in particular because of what it contained." He let out a sigh.

"I never hoped she'd ever hurt you. I just hoped you'd see the signs before it was too late." He replied. "I knew she was going to hurt you because she hurts everyone she's ever been in any sort of relationship, platonic or not. Lion, Dad, Steven, Connie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl... Jasper, Peridot and me... then she has the nerve to turn it around on the other person like she wasn't the one to initiate it every time." He replied and let out a soft sigh, holding the other's hand with his smaller one.

"Don't I know it... it's hard to try and out run the past or pretend it doesn't exist... I spent years doing that here... and I can't forget what got me here... I can't forget the mistakes I've made... and it's even harder to forgive myself when I don't feel like I deserve any forgiveness." He replied, looking over. "Yea... maybe it's just that deep seeded identity trait of knowing we're Diamonds and we're supposed to be able to handle anything, but forget that we're not perfect... and perfection doesn't exist... you can always be better but you can't be the best..." He replied, looking up at her. "You know there's still a little bite of the night left you wanna spend a little more time outdoors and really have a fun time at camping... I always have smore ingredients on hand, and my own sleeping bag, and plenty of peppermint spray to keep the mosquitos away."

Continued | @erisdiamas

Gem Steven continued walking away before seeing the severed limbs flying at him and then he was physically grabbed, ok, this wasn't good, hallucinations usually don't usually pin him down and if he was getting choked it's usually his own hands. "Yo. Did I fucken tell you that you could touch me with your nasty ass disembodied slimy hands?!! God when was the last time you washed up?? Eris! I'm pretty sure I'm going through it again but ummm usually I don't get touched so unless I'm shapeshifting a big ol pair of nasty hands to grab me, I might need some help!!"

Gem Steven blinked a bit before he realized he was no longer being held in those gross moldy grabby hands and relaxed into Eris' arms. "Hey I'm not some random boy... you've been in my memories how could you not recognize this adorable face?" He replied squishing his own cheeks to be silly during this serious situation.

"Hey Eris... not an hallucination... and if you see that thing too than I'm not hallucinating either." Gem Steven replied, and yelped as he was tossed and he rolled before he regained his footing. "So care you introduce me to whatever abomination this is or is this an after you take care of the trash situation where we both open up about what's been bother us because again I am really sorry about yelling earlier I really didn't want you to think I was upset with you. I'm sorry again."

Gem Steven added, "Kick their ass, you got this, Sweetpea!" with a small cheer.

[atalana]

i don't think the uk has key lime either, whatever that is (is there a type of fruit that is specifically a key lime, like a blood orange? or is it some kind of flavour profile?)

i've never had a key lime pie in my life, or ever seen one

but we do have similar biscuits to graham crackers that work perfectly fine for a cheesecake base, and crumble we make from scratch

from what i've seen of the smores fiasco though (i don't watch gbbo it's just been everywhere), that was 100% rich people being weird

we know that smores involve marshmallow, and while we don't use graham crackers, the most common kind of biscuit in the uk is a relatively sweet one that's chocolate covered on one side, so those work perfectly fine

(i think this is what they were trying to recreate? but they decided to make it weirdly fancy instead of just getting a pack of biscuits from your local anywhere)

Honestly, the worst part of the whole GBBO American episode experience is learning the British don’t have graham crackers

How do y’all make key lime pies?? Lemon pies?? Crumble tarts?? CHEESECAKES??????

The mind reels.

[doedipus]

Pumpkin or Apple?

gotta go apple

Cocoa or Cider?

predictably I have a real cat's tongue and don't like hot beverages much. gonna go with cider though

Halloween or Thanksgiving?

thanksgiving. I like the food and I have the enormous privilege of having all my awful conservative relatives on the other side of the country

Leaf piles or Apple picking?

apple picking but I've only really gone once when we were in the area after a cross country race

Hay ride or Corn maze?

corn maze sounds more interesting

Wooly sweaters or Furry slippers?

sweaters 4 sure

Pumpkin carving or Knitting?

never done either. knitting sounds fun though

Squash or Sweet potato?

both are good but also come on it's sweet potato

Black cat or Bat?

kitty >:3

Skeletons or Witches?

ahaha.wav

Fake blood or Fake spiders?

spiders are cute

Mash potatoes or Stuffing?

you can't make me choose like that, they're both so good

Orange or Black?

Black, but also they're a good combo and I have a lot of orange/black clothes

Apple pie or Maple donuts?

definitely apple pie. maple stuff is too sweet for me usually

Marshmallows or Candy corn?

I don't really like either, but I guess marhmallows

Vampire or Werewolf?

vampers 🧛‍♀️

Fireplace or Cozy nook?

cozy nook absolutely hands down no question

Spiced wine or Craft beer?

I've never actually had spiced wine but craft beer is a broad enough category that it's always safe

Candied apples Or S’mores?

candied apples. smores are okay I guess but it's wayy too sweet for me

Big scarf or Oversized hoodie?

scarves are way more fashionable but honestly I use hoodies more.

tagging anyone who's interested

Tagged by this witchy witch 👀 @is-she-you-know-tips-witch-hat 👍🍫💚

I pumpkin or apple-pumpkin. But not in pie.

I cocoa or cider-uhhh they’re both good. Maybe cocoa. Maaaybee.

I Halloween or thanksgiving-halloween. I like food but thanksgiving is boring aaand has a fucked up origin story.

I leaf piles or apple picking-hehe I’ve never done either oops

I Hay ride or corn maze-hayride I guess cause I’ve never done one

I wooly sweater of furry slippers-sweater I guess

I pumpkin carving or knitting-I’ve always sucked at pumpkin carving but I haven’t tried knitting o3o

I squash or sweet potato-squash. Potatoes aren’t meant to be sweet.

I black cat or bat-I like kiiitties

I skeletons or witches-skeletons. With wedding rings.

I fake blood or fake spiders-Blood. I don’t like spiders

I mashed potatoes or stuffing-stuffing bois

I Orange or black-boootthhh 🥳

I apple pie or maple donuts-doooonuuuttss 🤤

I marshmallows or candy corn-marshmallows

I vampire or werewolf-vampire

I fireplace or cosy nook-what’s the difference o3o;;;

I spiced wine or craft beer-I don’t drink ouo

I candied apples or s’mores-s’mores

I big scarf or oversized hoodie-big floofy scarf

Tags some cute mutual bbys @roseofcards90 @usagi-dreams @satorikas @mel-tokio