#PEOPLE HAVE TO HAVE NAMES OK??? people and giraffes

[dreamofbecoming]

yeah alright this got away from me. posting in pieces, part one is just stobin, no shippy stuff. steddie and rockie to follow. i'll drop it on ao3 once all 3 parts are done

now on ao3!

platonic stobin

rating: t

wc: 3.5k

---

Robin stopped being surprised by Steve Harrington showing up at her bedroom window months ago. Jesus, there's a sentence her 16 year old self wouldn't fucking believe for a second. The Hair, climbing up the trellis her dad built for the roses her mom planted and then forgot about three months later? Yeah right, as if. But it turns out alternate dimensions and sci-fi movie monsters and Russian conspiracies in Bumfuck, Nowhere, USA are all real, so how surprising really is The King himself, collapsing through her window with all the grace of a baby giraffe, out of breath like he- holy shit, did he fucking run here?

"Dingus, did you run here? What the hell?"

"Had to- hang on, Jesus. Holy shit." He bends over, hands on his knees, panting like he just ran a marathon. Which, she guesses, he almost did.

"You have a car, you lunatic, what could possibly be so important?"

"Didn't think about it. Had to get here."

"Is someone dead?!" Oh fuck, Is the Upside Down back? Oh shit, oh no, it can't be back, right? Superhero girl closed the gates! Right?! Oh god, oh no, oh fuck, it's back, the Russians are back, they realized they couldn't let her live after what she's seen, her parents will never even know what happened to her, and they'll kill Dingus too, and dorky little Henderson, and that menace Erica, oh god, they're gonna die, and Hopper's gone and superhero girl is far away and she doesn't have superpowers anymore anyway, which is frankly bogus because what the hell, Robin never even got to hang out with a real live magic person before, which, ok, that's a selfish thought, but that's ok, we can think selfish thoughts and then set them aside and not act on them, thoughts are not actions, thoughts happen all the time without our consent, they don't determine our character-

"Bobs, you're spiraling. Nothing bad happened, I just realized something and I freaked out and I had to talk to you right away. Forgot to call. Sorry, I should have called. Ran straight out of the house. I don't even think my shoes match, what the fuck?"

She's gonna kill him, she really is.

She loves him so much.

"Jesus, you're insane. Sit, you absolute dweeb. I'm getting you some water, when I get back you can tell me what the hell is going on."

He's sitting on her bed when she gets back upstairs, staring at something in his hands. Christ, his hands are shaking. What the fuck, Dingus?

He takes the water and downs it in one go- ugh, sports guys- then flops onto his back and covers his eyes with a miserable groan.

"I know we've got the whole twin telepathy thing going on, bubba, but I'm gonna need at least a little bit to work with here. Give me something. Is it your parents? The kids? Uh, what was her name? From Thursday? Janice?"

"Janine, and no. Ugh. Here." The arm not covering his eyes flops out towards her, holding- ah. A zine. He had promised to drive up to Indy last weekend to the secret bookshop she told him about and get her some new ones, even though she couldn't go with him because her cousin Randy got caught cheating on his fiancée and her parents made her come with the rest of the family to help him move. Fucking Randy. Maybe he should make better choices, so the rest of them wouldn't have to clean up his messes. Jerk.

Anyway.

"Marked the page." Which, yep, there's a purple paper clip stuck to a page near the middle, because Steve knows how much she hates people who dogear books, even books that aren't really books at all, so he's been training himself out of it, because he's sort of the best. Again, 16 year old Robin would have her committed for thinking that, but here we are.

The pamphlet isn't one of the periodicals she sent him for, so he must have picked it up on his own. It looks handmade, just some folded sheets that look like they came out of a typewriter, bound with the kind of twine you can buy at the hardware store. It's called Awakenings. The page he's marked looks like a personal essay, no title, no real signature, just a pair of initials at the end of the page and a half of writing. She starts reading, trying to figure out what the hell spooked Steve so bad.

"I've always been normal. I've always had crushes on men, just like the other girls. There was never a feeling of "I'm different," or "Oh, this is wrong." There was never anything to think very hard about. I'd giggle and blush when the boys looked over at us on the playground, same as everyone else. Later on when I was older I looked at my poster of Harrison Ford, shirtless and hairy and sweating, and I touched myself, and it felt good, just like it was supposed to. I didn't mind thinking of my future husband, and our future kids, and the pretty house with the pretty garden we'd have, just like my parents have, just like they wanted for me. I was normal. Everything was fine.

I thought everything about me was normal. So I didn't understand why the other girls at sleepover parties would giggle and stop and say "Ew, gross!" when we practiced kissing. It felt nice! I wanted to keep going! But it seemed like no one else did. I didn't understand why none of them talked about getting butterflies in their stomach when Laura, who was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, transferred in our senior year, why they seemed so angry at her. Those butterflies were what jealousy felt like, right? So why did the other girls seem to feel so different?

I made my first lesbian friend in college, on the very first day, right across the hall in my dorm. We sat next to each other at Orientation and I thought I'd never have another best friend that wonderful in my whole life, so I'd hold on to her with everything I had. She came out to me the night before Christmas break, hiding under the blankets in my dorm room with the twinkling lights glowing. She was so scared. I held her and told her I loved her no matter what, and she seemed so glad, to have someone to talk to.

When she talked about falling in love with girls, I was so confused. The way she described it sounded like what it felt like to have girlfriends, I was sure. I felt that all the time. I asked her if she was sure she was gay, and she looked so shocked and angry and hurt, and I didn't know how to fix it, so I tried to explain. That what she felt couldn't be liking girls, because I felt that too, and I was normal. I liked boys, so I couldn't be gay. I couldn't be.

I'm glad it was her I said all that to. If someone else had told me about being bisexual, I think I would have hated them. I would have cried, and screamed, and said horrible things. Because I wasn't gay, I was normal, and it was so scary to think that might be a lie. Thank God it was her, my best friend in the world, who I never want to lose. Thank God I listened.

Because I'm not normal. I'm queer. I like men, and I like women. I can love them both the same, but it doesn't matter anymore, because I love her. I love her, and she loves me, and I don't need to be normal anymore."

Robin's face feels wet, which probably means she's crying. She cries a lot, reading these sorts of stories, in the zines she has to keep hidden under her bed, or, these days, at Steve's house. It's never going to be her, she knows. Not here in Hawkins, but it still makes something ache deep inside her, like pressing on a bruise, but in a good way, seeing love happen to other people. People like her. Seeing that it can.

"So?"

Oh shit. Right, Dingus. They're about him right now. Something about this essay in particular freaked him out.

"Uh. It's. A nice essay? I'm glad things worked out for them?"

Stevie lets out a pathetic whine, sort of like back at Scoops when he earned a particularly bad tally on the You Suck board. "Robbiiiiiiieeeee!"

"I'm sorry! I think I'm missing something, what's wrong with this essay? I don't get it, bubba, I'm sorry. I need some context." She does feel bad. Usually she can pluck whatever's bothering him right out of his brain and into the light, where it almost never looks as bad, but she's at a loss right now.

He's got both hands over his face again, and his response is so muffled she can't make out a word.

"Try again in human sounds, please."

"Ugh! I thought everyone felt like that!"

Huh? "Felt like...what, exactly?"

"Like that!" He flails wildly at the pamphlet in her hands. He's sitting up now, hair all askew from tugging at it, and there's a vaguely worrying crazed look in his eye, like right before he tackled that guard. "Like kissing boys and girls both feel nice, and like seeing a handsome guy and feeling jealous of him makes my stomach flutter, and like having friends feels the same as having crushes! I thought that was just how everyone felt all the time!"

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

Poor Dingus! No wonder he panicked and ran here like a crazy person!

"Stevie, can I hug you? Please?" She's not much for physical touch most of the time, but Steve is, and also she's found in the last few months that she doesn't mind so much when it's him. She sort of understands why other people like hugs so much, if they always feel like hugging Steve feels for her. And she really thinks he needs to be hugged, right now.

He nods miserably. She drapes her arms around his shoulders and holds on as tight as she can, hauling him sideways until he's practically laying down on her. He clutches her back and buries his face in her shoulder. She can feel her neck getting wet with tears, a sensation that would normally make her want to claw off her own skin, but this isn't about her. Dingus needs her.

"It's ok, bubba. I'm so sorry. I know how scary this is. When I first figured out I had a crush on Linda Sanderson I cried so hard I threw up, you know? I get it. It's gonna be ok, I promise. We'll make it ok. We faced down evil Russians and giant meat monsters, what's a little sexuality crisis, huh? We got this! We're the goddamn Wonder Twins!"

He snorts at that, which she's pretty sure leaves snot on her neck, which. Ew. Still. Problems for Later Robin.

"We are not, Will and El are the Wonder Twins."

"Uh, nope, no chance, I barely even met them so therefore I am vetoing their application. Sorry kiddos, better luck next time! Find your own nickname, losers!"

Steve sits back, laughing, and she preens a little at being able to bring him back from the brink so easily. She loves him so much she feels like she's glowing with it, sometimes. It almost makes her wish she was straight, because what girl is she ever going to find who loves her this much? But only almost, because. Well. Girls, amiright? Phew.

"So what now, Stevie? You wanna say it out loud? That helps, sometimes. You wanna not say it out loud? You wanna go to a gay bar and find you a boy? You wanna never think about it again? It's totally your call."

"Say it out loud, huh?"

"Hm. It took me like a month, and then the first time I could only say it sitting in the back of my closet with the bedroom door locked and the closet door closed, and I could only whisper it. Just "I'm a lesbian," to myself, like the world's most ironic little goblin. And I had to throw up again after. But it did feel good, once I rinsed my mouth out, anyway. Cleansing, you know? And it gets easier every time." Steve's eyebrows are raised and he's chuckling again, so that's a win. She's not lying, but it is sort of funny, she supposes. In hindsight, anyway.

"Ok. Ok, I can do that. I think. Yeah, I can do that."

She's so proud of him. He's the bravest person she's ever met, she thinks. "You wanna get in the closet?"

"Isn't the whole point to come out of the closet, Robs?" He's smirking at her. Bastard. She whacks him in the shoulder on principle. He may be having a crisis, but he's still a jackass. Her favorite jackass in the whole world, but still.

"Har har, you're a regular Bob Hope. Alright then, bigshot, let's hear it."

A little of that fear creeps back onto his face, and she wishes she could wipe it off, but that's not how this works. They can't make the scary things less scary. He couldn't make the Russians less terrifying, but he could hold her hand and make her laugh and carry some of that fear with her. She can do that for him now, too.

She grabs his hand, and he clutches back tightly. He takes a deep breath.

"I'm...fuck. Ok. Ok, I can do this. I'm...bisexual." The air leaves him in a big whoosh, and he laughs a little. "Yeah, ok, fuck. I'm bisexual. Holy shit, Robbie, I'm bisexual!"

"Hell yeah you are!" She's grinning so hard her cheeks hurt. She's so fucking proud of him.

He's laughing again, a little hysterically, and he hugs her tight again, and she holds him back just as close and thinks oh, he's like me. I'm not alone. I have Steve, and he's like me, and he's mine forever and ever.

When they separate, she looks at him seriously.

"So do you, like, want this to be a thing? Because we can totally make it a thing, and like, get me a fake ID and go to a gay bar and do all kinds of wild shit if you want, but we don't have to, you know? If you need to just, like. Digest this, for a while. It's totally up to you, I just know it took me a while to feel ok with it, and I have no idea if it's different for you but I just want to be what you need, you know? You've been so good with me, and I've never had a queer friend before, so I don't know how, but I want to be just as good to you. You're my Dingus and I love you and I don't know how much of a gay guru I can be on account of, you know, I've never met any gay people besides me and the pretty lady at the bookstore but I couldn't even get real human words to come out of my mouth when I tried to talk to her so I don't think that counts, you know? But I still wanna help! Let me help!"

"Bobbie! Bobbie breathe, you're gonna pass out. I don't think I need a gay guru, I just need a gay best friend, and I have that, so I promise I'm good, ok? Promise. Also I love you too.”

She takes a deep breath, following his lead the way they worked out in the horrible days after Starcourt, when she couldn't sleep without him next to her, warm and alive and breathing, and even then she would wake up in the night with her breath coming short and her vision tunneling and Steve would hold her hand against his chest and breathe slowly, in and out, until she could follow him, and the world wasn't so terrible and scary and loud anymore.

She still thinks about that awful hour underground, thinking she was strapped to the corpse of a boy she never let become her friend, but Steve is always there now when she needs him, and he never complains when she grabs his wrist or puts her head on his chest to make absolutely sure that big, stupid heart is still beating.

When she's breathing normally again, he drops their joined hands down between them, toying idly with the chain linking her ring to her bracelet. "I think...I think I'm glad I said it, and I'm glad we talked about it, but can we maybe just...put it away, for a while? Like it's not...ugh. I guess this is kind of shitty to say, so like, hit me if you want, I guess, but I kind of don't think it matters right now?"

"No no, that makes perfect sense! Like, you still like girls, right?" He nods. "And you don't like. Have a crush on any boys right now. Or do you? Oh man if you do you have to tell me though, it's platonic soulmate law. It's in the bylaws, Steve, don't make me soulmate fine you!"

He laughs and shoves her face away. "Jesus, Rob, no! I don't have a crush on any guys, who would I even crush on in this town? We're not exactly swimming in eligible bachelors. I don't have a crush on anybody at all, I'd tell you, I swear. I know the rules!"

"Oh phew, good. You have to tell me when you do, though, I'm way excited to get you back for making fun of Tammy."

"It was the God's honest truth, Bobbie! She sings like a muppet!"

"Oh my god, shut up, Dingus! Ugh! As I was saying, you super duper have to tell me when you do, but for now, I think maybe you don't have to think about it really at all if you don't want. I mean, practically speaking, it's not really relevant to your everyday life, so we can totally revisit when that changes, but you don't have to like. Join a pride parade tomorrow, you know? You are you who are no matter what. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, especially not to me, not ever."

He leans his head on her shoulder, and she scritches her nails through his hair. It really has no right being as soft as it is, with the amount of hairspray he uses. It's frankly rude, is what it is.

"Thanks, Bobs. I think I'm just gonna put it away for now. It just...another thing to know about me, you know? Like, I'm bad at fighting people but good at fighting monsters, all my best friends are kids except you, I'm bi but it doesn't matter because there aren't any boys to date in Hawkins anyway. Plus my dad would kill me if he found out. Like actually kill me, not "oh geez I missed curfew, my dad's gonna kill me" type kill me, like I think he'd actually try and beat me to death. So there's really no reason to talk about it right now, you know?"

There's a pit of ice in her stomach, and she tightens her arm around him like she can keep him safe just by holding on tight enough. She hates how casually he said that, just like she hates how casually he always talks about how his parents treat him, like he honestly believes it's normal. "Jesus, Dingus. You know you can come here if you need, right? My parents love you, they already think we're getting married. They'd make you sleep in the guest room, but I could sneak you in here easy."

He snorts again. "We're totally gonna end up married for tax reasons anyway, we're never beating the rumors." That makes her snort, too. He's not wrong, though. She isn't going to be allowed to have a wife anytime soon, and if she has to choose someone to be her next of kin, it's always gonna be him. They're planning to move in together when she goes to school next year anyway. No one is ever gonna believe them that they aren't dating, but that's...fine. Honestly, there are worse things. Better to have Steve by her side than not, and if no one else understands them, well, they understand each other, don't they? That's more than enough.

"Yeah, I know I can come here if I need, Robs. It's fine mostly, I swear. They're not home until Christmas anyway."

He takes another deep breath, like he's settling himself. "I'm just glad we talked about it. I feel better now."

She cards her fingers through his hair again, basking in the feeling of her favorite person so close, and so content. "I'm glad, Dingus."

They're alive, and they're together, and they're queer, and neither of them is ever going to have to be alone again.

"Hang on, did you say you've kissed girls and boys?!"

part 2 part 3

[just-an-emily-existing]

anything on Rebecca and Nia?

Oooo the new girls ok I gotcha!

Headcanons for Rebecca

Loves any kind of cake.

She’s from Turkey. Why? Idk lol

Loves swimming.

Loves to sing and dance.

Plays the Recorder.

Will make an occasional dress.

Is a gentle giant.

Her favorite season is Spring.

Can drive, cook and bake.

Is a sensitive soul but won’t be afraid to stick up for her self or others.

Loves to dance even though she isn’t good at it.

Is very clumsy.

Is always positive and never lets the others’ negativity get the better of them or her.

Acts like a big sister/ therapist for the other engines.

Loves those soft, icing cookies.

Loves the Descendants movies.

She loves watching MLP with Nia, her fave is Pinkie Pie.

She can make amazing baked sweets, mainly cupcakes.

She loves dad jokes and finds them genuinely hilarious.

Rebecca also has a pet frog named Sweetie-Pie.

Rebecca loves playing board games, but no one wants to play with her.

She also loves drawing anime comics.

Headcanons for Nia

She’s from Kenya and loved being a park ranger for a zoo she would go to all the time.

Has a love for animals, giraffe’s especially.

Loves Jambalaya and has a wonderful recipe for it.

She just loves to cook in general.

Is a very fast runner and loves having races with others, even if she wins all the time. She can even beat Spencer!

She can’t bake for shit, she always manages to burn it.

Is a tenor and loves to sing in her native language (Swahili).

Is a bit of a caffeine addict and loves drinking coffee.

Nia has an incredible long-term memory, but an awful short term memory.

She can never sit in a chair properly.

She can crack her knuckles very loudly and has startled people on multiple occasions.

Very a very high alcohol tolerance and can put drink almost everyone (second to D&D).

Nia knows how to make wonderful beaded bracelets, necklaces, ect. She’s very crafty.

Always has an emergency survival kit on her.

Nia is wonderful with kids, she’d love to be a mom someday.

Has multiple pets ranging from mice to bears.

Nia loves watching MLP with Rebecca, her fave is Applejack.

She has an incredibly high spice tolerance. She could drink sriracha hot sauce and still say it’s bland.

[crowcaws]

Inspired by a twitter thread i saw, I, Australian and certified dumb of ass, will now list every main American state and what I associate it with/what I think it's about/famous for WITHOUT GOOGLING. These thoughts will be stated as fact regardless of whether or not they are true.

Alabama - Banjos. Reese Witherspoon lives here. Shares a border with Florida for some reason. Fifteen people live here. I'm glad i'm not allowed to google because i feel like i'd find things i don't want to know.

Alaska - Mountains. Balto. State flower is a tree of some kind. The roads are just the tyre tracks in the snow of the vehicles that came before whispering "trust me". Kodiak is here, where Pitbull famously said 'keep fucking around, we'll be on the moon next.' I think this is where Mulder and Scully got fucked up by a brain worm.

Arizona - Desert but not the Las Vegas kind. The granyon canyon. State flower is a cactus. State bird also a cactus. Bella Swan got fucked up in a dance studio here. It seems very scenic.

Arkansas - The name of this state makes me think of rusty old utes and that's it, that's all I've got. "Pickup trucks" or whatever. Grow up.

California - The great Lucille Bluth once said, "I'd rather be dead in California than alive in Arizona" but personally I think i'm with Michael on this one. California has Hollywood and an ok tourist beach. Green Day are from here. San Francisco seems cool though, I like how it looks like a city designed specifically to kill skateboarders and cyclists. State flower is a grand theft auto PS2 disc. Population: more than Australia.

Colorado - Mountains. Elks and Deer and Eagles and Giraffes on ski slopes. Much domestic tourism, have never once heard of anyone from outside the US specifically visiting Colorado though idk. Verdict: America's New Zealand.

Connecticut - The dry weetbix of states. I think of monopoly but I can't remember why. State flower is a dandelion that has been stepped on. Biggest export is men's office attire, specifically brown two piece suits and those short sleeve button ups. I only found out today that there's a C in the middle of Connecticut I always thought it was 'Conneticut'.

Delaware - Delawhere the fuck is this state I have no idea. Probably still cooler than Connecticut. Famous for combination fast food chains and buildings that clearly used to be a pizza hut (you can tell by the roof). Idrk what Cracker Barrel is but I can tell you the employees spawn here.

Florida - Biscayne bay. Manatees. Shaped like a sock, or something else. Famous for hotels, motels, and holiday inns. Would be a fun state if not for the fact that every politician in charge of it is fucking it up so so bad. One of the few places in the USA where you can see the Southern Cross constellation. Miami Dale forever RIP Logan Horseman.

Georgia - peaches. atlantis. brisket. no other thoughts detected, moving on

Hawaii - Famous for killing James cunt Cook which is honestly a deserved and certified W for Hawaiians. Plagued (and I do mean plagued) by tourists, including Australian Prime Ministers ignoring national emergencies.

Idaho - Sleepy. Things don't happen here but when they do they happen so much because nothing happens here. National flower is probably like a daisy or something so so normal.

Illinois - Chicago bean. It's dark and we're wearing sunglasses. WatchDogs the game. Famous for girlbosses who kill their husbands. Population 11 millions.

Indiana - Rainy probably. Honestly I only remember this state exists because of Stranger Things, which I understand this is like someone saying they only remember Australia exists because of Crocodile Dundee but look. Population: At least 10.

Iowa - This is such a place to be from if you're moving to the big city because all the other waitresses at the diner back home said you got a voice worth payin for and you finally stopped letting your papa tell you what to do. Famous for crop duster planes. State flower is long grass.

Kansas - Famous for scarecrows, wheat and the like. Probably fun at Halloween actually. Great place to fake an alien sighting. I just remembered Dorothy is from here. Population: Yes.

Kentucky - Fried chicken. NASCAR. Speedway. Derby. State flower is a blown out tyre on the side of the road.

Louisiana - Very wet but in a pretty way. Birthplace of the Saxophone. New Orleans is officially the strongest reason I would ever be tempted to set foot in this country. New York wishes she was this beautiful. Famous for the Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals.

Maine - Next to Kentucky. Lobsters are from here which means there's water, but don't ask me where. Famous for The Vampire Diaries. State flower is a rose, beautiful but generic, like a YA protagonist.

Maryland - Rural but in a manageable way. I think of letterboxes with the family last name on it. Grandmas love it here. Hairspray the musical.

Massachusetts - Ohhhh Legally Blonde. Boston. Harvarb Law. The colour brown. When pronounced it's a very nice name for a state actually.

Michigan - I reference 'can't have shit in Detroit' almost daily but I know almost nothing else about Michigan.

Minnesota - Mini Soda. Also a good state name. No idea what's here, deer or elk or beavers. There's no way to know for sure.

Mississippi - I like this state name less but only because it's hell on the lisp i battle to mask. It's named after a river. It's on the coast. Next to Pennsylvania.

Missouri - A lot of M states happening here. This place is famous for nothing. I don't know what the capital city is but it's definitely a place you move to for your job instead of like. On purpose. Population: 3 million. It's in the middle somewhere.

Montana - This state's main export is horse girls, very Saddle Club coded. It's on the Canadian border, but it shouldn't be like that. It should be in the middle. Hannah Montana's dad was all Nashville but he's basically from Toronto. Fucked up if you ask me.

Nebraska - When I think of Nebraska I think of those depressing Walmart carparks where there's nothing for miles except for the Walmart and one lady pushing a flatscreen in a trolley to the dodge ram she parked 600m away from the entrance so it won't get dinged by other car doors, because god forbid her utility vehicle show signs of wear.

Nevada - viva rock vegas (the flintstones). There's a salt lake here but NOT a salt lake city. That's somewhere else. I think there's motorsport here. NO WAIT THERE IS because i saw charles leclerc on the sphere on tv and he was so wide and i laughed so hard i choked on my own spit.

New Hampshire - What the fuck is New Hampshire that's not real. I thought it was like some beach suburb in New York state. What the fuck. Regardless. I bet you could pull up to the side of the road in New Hapshite and buy an avocado no questions asked. Probably like the USA's Byron Bay.

New Jersey - Everyone from here says it's bad. It makes me think of t shirts with a longer sleeve t shirt underneath and 2000s pop punk music. Gerard Way.

New Mexico - High School Musical is set in Albuquerque. High School Musical is also the only reason I can pronounce Albuquerque. This state is famous for High School Musical.

New York - She's talking over the rest of you and for what? Wall Street? Ugh. Kinda like the Melbourne of the USA.

North Carolina - I feel like cowbutch lesbians do numbers here for some reason. You could disappear into the hills with a woman in a tank top and assless chaps here if you were brave enough. Men do live here but they're treated like a new cast member on the fifth season of a sitcom, this one's for the girls.

North Dakota - Dakota is Carolina's femme girlfriend and they're in love.

Ohio - This is like that town in Cars that lightning mcqueen gets stuck in and the tourist cars are like oh we're only here because of a wrong turn. Yeah. You might find fireflies here though. Also Ohio is for Lovers or something.

Oklahoma - Swear word for Christians. Absolutely nothing happens here and if it does i feel like it involves chasing livestock.

Oregon - Prairies. This is where the Prairies are. Famous for the people who died while trying to be Not In Oregon.

Pennsylvania - Famous for The Office. And Dracula jokes. That's all i've got.

Rhode Island - Famous for winning Miss United States with the flaming batons routine in Miss Congeniality starring Sandra Bullock. Very small state. Possibly the smallest one but who's to say.

South Carolina - If north is for the lesbians, south is for the gays.

South Dakota - As above.

Tennessee - Country music and whiskey and line dancing, which is actually kinda hot when goth girls do it. Overall, Tennessee is the USA's answer to Gympie, which is a question that nobody asked. Overall i just think of the colour brown. Famous for Hayden Penterre. Penetentiary. Pendulum.

Texas - A South Australian would say Texas is famous for it's adorably small cattle farms. Lucky for me, i am not South Australian. This is the state that other states call redneck and racist to hide the fact that they are also redneck and racist, perhaps more so. Contains two of the main cities to name boys after. Dave Strider lives here. (Sorry for the Homestuck jump scare so late in the game.)

Utah - Salt Lake City. That bass pro shop monolith was here. In general i think of the colour orange. Home of the Hellmouth Sunbeams.

Vermont - Vermont is a state in the same way the spleen is an organ. Population: Zero.

Virginia - Is this not the same thing as Vermont?

Washington - Famous for Bella where the hell you been loca. Twin Peaks is probably set here idk i forgot all parts of the show that were not log lady. White House. Effervescent.

West Virginia - From the lyrics "Mountain mama. Take me home. Country road" we can determine that West Virginia has Mountains, Milfs, Homes, and Roads. I know nothing else about West Virginia.

Wisconsin - Wiscaaaansin. Whis-cahn-sin. There are definitely elks here. That 70's Show is set somewhere beneath the surface of this place. Population: grandparents and elk. I feel like you could get fucked up by a creature here if you're not careful. It's got trees and lakes and shit creatures love those. I think Yellowstone is somewhere around here.

Wyoming - Great lakes? Great lakes. This state is actually all lake. Idk. I like the name though, the verbiage of it all. Wyoming my way downtown. State flower is an empty wrapper blowing by down the street. Population: 800,000. Definitely a place you could go missing and never be seen again.

[ask-a-bot]

”White Mud” is such a fun name for snow, Hot Rod! 😂🤣 Love it! But yea, you can create snowmen, make snow angels, and have epic snow ball fights with your friends! It’s a lot of fun. Some people who live in very, very cold, snowy areas will actually create living areas, called igloos, out of snow blocks! From what I’ve heard, igloos do an excellent job of trapping the heat inside the igloo, keeping the person warm and comfortable.

You have flowers now, Megs? Nice! Did wildflowers pop up or did you manage to plant some for your garden. I bet it feels soooo refreshing to be outside in the fresh air after being inside for a while. I know I get “cabin fever” if I’m cooped up inside for too long.

Hey Starscream! First, am I allowed to call you Star? And second, have you and Bee tried the game “Among Us”? Do you like it or is it not your favorite?

Haha! I might keep on calling it white mud. Brrr... it's cold outside! Megatron says it's usually cold by water.

Yeah, open water acts as a natural coolant. The air sweeps over it and that cools the area around it.

Cool!

Ohhh... like sire, like offspring. I swear, he's inherited Prime's awful jokes.

No harm done. Snf.

You try being confined to a ship with him, all alone.

I... see what you mean.

Hey! I'm right here.

So I see. Haha. My apologies.

Can we go back now? Your giraffe won't come out to see us and I... uh... I'm getting really cold.

You OK?

You're not getting sick, are you?

No, it's just... I just want to go warm up.

Come on then, young'un. Sorry, Megatron. Young people just aren't as tough as we were at their age. We'll go on ahead so you can chat to Lunar.

Thank you.

The flowers are wild at the moment. We have had some trees delivered, but Optimus wants to go and visit a garden centre. Personally, I would sooner have everything delivered and get on with it!

Brrrrr! Hot Rod is right – it is chilly out here. Snf. Kshoosch! Ksch-kssch-ksssschoooooosch! Snf. My apologies. Excuse me. Snf.

Are you OK? I decided to come check on you when Kup and Roddy came back without you.

Is Hot Rod well?

Yeah. Think he just needed to pee.

Bumblebee, you do not have to disclose information such as that on someone's behalf. He seemed... uncomfortable... and I was concerned because he complained about the chill in the air, but if he had wanted me to know-

OK, OK! I'm sorry. Gee...! I was just trying to put your processor at rest.

No, you simply decided-

Hello! I decided to join you too. Rod's taking a hot shower to warm up. He said it was really cold out and I... I got worried.

Bumblebee... I think I should probably have words with Optimus.

Uh-oh.

Hi, Lunar. You may call me Star. I've heard of Among Us but I haven't played it yet. Is it good?

[extravagantturtles]

About Me 👁️👁️

“🎶I am not a person, I’m three possums in a coat. 🎶And we like to claim it’s Gucci, But we got it from a goat, 🎶Say it’s vintage or it’s avant-garde,🎶Whatever boats your float. 🎶I don’t care, I’m not a person, I’m three possums in a coat🎶” -/ref

Uhhhh so I’m not gonna say my name on here, but my first initial is L and that has worked for several conversations so far if u want to use that.

Sorry if any of this gets repetitive or redundant…

I’ll be using my favorite songs as dividers from here on out:

To the best of my knowledge, only one of my irl friends (commonly known as E or DangerVA) is on tumblr and friendly arguments with them make up most of my blog.

You have been warned.

DNI:

The usual. If you’re an asshole and on most people’s DNI list, I probably don’t want u here either.

More may be added if necessary

Boundaries:

I’m ok with flirting, but I am a minor so don’t be overly graphic. Please properly tag NSFW content

Also I’m aroace so you do you, but don’t do me.

I’m spiritually ambiguous and not looking to convert.

That being said, I can and will participate in or start *RESPECTFUL* discussions of religion, usually for curiosity’s sake.

Tone indicators are encouraged, but not necessary

Please take a moment to think about your words before anonymous anything. Once again, I am a minor, but I am not above making a grown-adult cry.

Also, if anything on my blog doesn’t seem morally correct or you’re wondering about my wording or anything like that, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m always happy to reconsider a topic, unless I say otherwise. You can message me and we can discuss/clarify.

More will probably be added.

Now for the Fun Stuff: (There may be some overlap)

Interests:

Space/Astronomy, psychology, sociology, language/communication, art, religion

🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌

Hobbies:

Fiber arts (knitting, crochet, embroidery, macrame, bracelets, etc.) Most forms of crafts (clay, origami, sculpture, anything that comes to mind with crafts) singing to myself, writing sometimes, Drawing (traditional style), reading (more may be added)

🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌

Fandoms/Favorites:

The Magnus Archives, The Mechanisms, Epic: The Musical, Percy Jackson, Camp Here and There, Six of Crows, Good Omens, MCU, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, Murder Drones (by association)

🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌

Music:

Epic: The Musical, Hozier, Chappell Roan, The Mechanisms, Steam Powered Giraffe (kinda) Fish in a Birdcage (kinda), Will Wood and the Tapeworms, CALYPSO, Arctic Monkeys, Rabbitology, The Oh Hellos, The Crane Wives, Ghost BC, The Amazing Devil

🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌

Fun facts:

I’m probably autistic but not diagnosed lol. I’m from that one country that doesn’t shut up. Feel free to recommend shows, books, music, etc. No guarantees on anything tho. Uhhh I feel like I need more stuff here but I’ve covered most of it so have a turtle: 🐢

🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌

I’ve said this several times already but this post will almost certainly update/change over time.

[starrynightarchive]

19, 6, 42, 22, 38, 33, 47, 50, 92, 90, 72, 75, 70

answer them all

demanding. hello to you too anon

19. what's been keeping you up at night lately?

your mom.

ok just kidding. uhhh not much. maybe the mistakes I need to fix and this distinct feeling of wrongness that lingers.

6. what role do you play in your group of friends?

let's ask them shall we

42. how did you meet your best friend(s)?

aha i actually wanted someone to ask this one! I'll give you three stories

sri: when i was in kindergarten i remember very clearly seeing this fucker in the restroom. she pulled out her handkerchief and made a banana out of it? i was not impressed. but she then proceeded to eat it/put it in her mouth. which I was impressed with. and then she saw me when I got stuck on the very top of this giraffe thing which you can climb. a teacher had to come up and get me down. bitch was just staring at me the whole time. didn't move a muscle. i love her so very much.

vhas: ok so. i had (have. love her very very much she's a menace and we met in a whole other way) a best friend and I got them into wattpad when I was 13. or 12. idk. then that friend in turn went to a classmate and made them join wattpad. so now all three of us started writing very bad very cringe stories. i was writing a straight romance paranormal story and vhas was writing some tragic yaoi godbles. i read it and fell in love with his writing. so one day, without warning, I just went up to him and said "hey! i love your writing!" and fucked right off. no intro no how are you no nothing. we ended up talking in hangouts (rip) and I made covers for his stories and shit. and then the rest is history.

sree: this is the menace friend. she lives really close to my house. first way we met was through our school bus (we took the same one and I sat next to her one day). she was reading harry potter and we figured that we both loved books. i introduced her to a few. and the very same week I went to my classical music class and they were there. i was like ??? but we became quick friends. proximity, similar interests, orange slices and stupidity. yeah. they're pretty neat.

22. how old were you when you joined the internet?

around 12, i think

38. what is your love language? i'm very expressive about my love for people, but the main ones are: physical touch, words of affirmation and gift giving.

33. have you ever thought about changing your name?

nope! i love my name very very much :D

47. how well-decorated is your bedroom?

not much. at first i had a sticky notes wall filled with quotes poetry etc etc but then had to take it down because it was getting dusty. then there's this huge ass micky mouse sticker stuck on my wardrobe (my dad bought it when I was a kid). skk chibi figurines and iwaoi standee both from my lovely friend vhas. then books. a few magnets stuck to my wardrobe. that's all

50. what do you consider most important in a romantic/platonic partner? being ready to put in work in the relationship. must be an open communicator/must be willing to try. oh, and a good sense of humour (this is very specific btw. i have a type. i will not elaborate).

92. who's in your dream blunt rotation? great question. idk if I'll ever smoke weed but. if I do tay will be my go-to person (@spiderbends)

90. weirdest habit?

i bite people. is that weird? idk

72. which is more important when it comes to clothing, comfort or style?

comfort all the wayyyy

75. how would you describe your favorite person?

icarus. burning wings. the kindest smile. the bravest man. lover, healer, believer. object of all my sweet dreams and sweetest nightmares.

70. when it comes to affection/intimacy, do you prefer to stick to one person or are you more open about it?

intimacy/affection to me isn't strictly connected to romance. and I'm a very affectionate person by nature. i love fiercely. all my loved ones will be bombarded with my love. get loved, loser.

[libraryledge]

A Part of My Story (A Reimagined Tale Set in the World of Wonka) Part 7

Author's Note: Thank you to everybody who has shown love to my writing. So far, this story has been told from the perspective of the girl and her encounters with Wonka, but what if we explore how Wonka feels about her? Enjoy his side of the story.

“It’s official! You finally learned the alphabet.” a voice rang melodically in my ears. The voice belonged to a girl about my age with wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She smiled at me as she waved her arms in the air, in a celebratory manner.

I couldn’t help but grin at her display of excitement.”Yes! I did. Didn't I?” I responded, matching her enthusiasm. The girl clapped her hands.

“I’m really proud of you, Willy. You’re a fast learner!” she said.

“Well you are a good teacher. I’m glad you were patient enough to help me out.” I responded sincerely.

This girl came into my life on a snowy winter night. Despite only knowing her for a few months, I now considered her one of my closest friends. She was wickedly smart and imaginative. I prided myself for my creativity when it came to making chocolate, but she was on another level. Her talent for storytelling was unmatched. Each night before bed she’d sit by the window adding onto her story about a young boy named Charlie and the quirky characters he’d meet on his journey.

“We should celebrate!” she said, her smile growing even wider. “How’s your schedule looking for tonight at about 7:35pm?” she asked, rocking on the balls of her feet, a habit that I exhibited myself when I was nervous. In her case, I doubted her movement was stemming from nerves because she was usually quite confident and outgoing. 

“That’s a very specific time, but I don’t have any plans,” I replied, curious to see what she was cooking up.

“Perfect! Then I am inviting you to the movies,” she responded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “There’s a new Fred Astaire movie, and I’m dying to see it.” 

I’d never been to the movies, and I had no idea who Fred Astaire was, but I wasn’t going to give up a chance to spend a fun night out with a dear friend. 

“Ok. It’s a date,” I said. Then my eyes widened, as I realized that may have sounded too forward.

“It’s a date,” she repeated, oblivious to my blunder. She walked out of the room, on her way to complete an errand in town, leaving me behind with flustered cheeks.

I was really looking forward to tonight. It was a much needed time off after an eventful couple of months. I’d made tremendous sales from my chocolate. Word got around after our success with Colin and Barbara at Brandino’s restaurant. The couple quickly tied the knot after Colin got his confidence back, and they were currently on a honeymoon adventure in America. People here in London were eager to try my latest delicacies, and I had to rush to meet their demand, all while avoiding the vigilance of the chief of police. 

Luckily this lovely girl aided me with the process. She was great with helping me gather the ingredients, no matter how random the procedure was. I didn’t know many people that would milk a giraffe to help a fellow out. She took part in the taste testing, and even though she wouldn't admit it, I knew it was her favorite part. Her eyes would light up each time she took a bite out of my latest inventions. 

Amidst it all, she made time every night to read to me and help me memorize the alphabet. Reading was something I never had the opportunity to learn because unlike most people my age, I grew up on a boat, and when my mother passed away, I relied on the kindness of strangers to help me get by. Until I arrived at the wash house I’d never stayed at a place long enough to make friends. Now, I considered Noodle to be like a younger sister and this girl, whom I shared a room with was the best companion I could have asked for.

Later that night, I put on my favorite plum colored coat over my usual waistcoat and scarf. I brushed my hair, which was usually curly, but tonight it was extra frizzy since I’d spent the afternoon hunched over the heat of a small pot, working on a batch of one of my most popular treats: Sweet Romance Truffles. The idea for this treat came from my adventures in Paris, where love flowed from every street corner. I enjoyed watching the tenderness that couples exhibited towards one another, and I wanted to bottle up the sensation for everyone to enjoy. 

I, myself, had never experienced romance, but was truly captivated by the idea of love. In Paris, I watched couples sneak kisses under street lamps and hold hands as they took a stroll, but I’d also witnessed arguments and frustration when things went south. However, I admired how love always drove them to learn from their mistakes and grow as people.  When I let the girl I’d met here in London try one of the treats, she asked me if they could make two people fall in love. I told her that a candy alone couldn’t do that, but rather my treat intensified the romantic feelings someone already had. She’d grown quiet and nodded, as she enjoyed the treat. I wondered if she had someone back home that she had feelings for. She never talked about things like that, and even though it was none of my business, I couldn’t help wondering.

I was lost in thought, when I heard a knock at the door. 

“Willy, are you ready?”came a voice from behind me. 

I turned and saw the girl standing there. She was wearing brown pants and a matching brown cardigan with a patterned scarf around her neck. I loved the way that she dressed because even though we didn’t have a lot of money, she always found a way to avoid conformity and express her unique style.

“Ready Freddy!” I joked as I placed my top hat on my head and held out my arm for her in a playful act of chivalry. I was surprised when she smiled and looped her arm through mine. 

“Someone’s excited to go watch Fred Astaire,” she joked and I smiled back at her.

“Actually, I don't know much about Fred Astaire. You’re going to have to enlighten me,” I replied as we snuck out of the wash house and walked towards the local theater.”

I didn’t think her smile could get any larger, but it did. “Oh! He’s incredible. He’s a dancer and an actor and there’s almost no one who can put on a show like he can,” she replied.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on him,” I teased and watched as her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. She bumped me with her side, in jest.

“Back home there was only one theater near me, and even though my family didn’t have a lot of money, I’d save up what little we had to watch a film there once in a while. Fred Astaire’s dance movies were always my favorite. The way he charmed an audience always excited me,” she stopped and looked at me for a brief second before inspecting her shoes. “He kind of reminds me of you,”

“Me?” I asked in surprise. “I’m definitely not a dancer. Aspiring world-renowned chocolate maker perhaps.”

She chuckled. “I don’t mean in the dancing aspects, You possess a certain charm. I see the way you talk to Noodle, the townspeople, and even complete strangers. Even the way you deal with Scrubbit and Bleacher or the chief of police is admirable.”

I felt my own cheeks grow warm and I adjusted my top hat in an attempt to cast a shadow over my flushed face. Was she implying that I was charming? Somehow the thought of that filled my chest with a sudden warmth.

If she noticed my flustered reaction, she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she tugged lightly on my arm and said, “Come on! Let’s go! We don’t want to be late.”

The rest of the way to the theater, my heart was pounding with excitement. When we arrived at the ticket window, I offered to pay for the tickets, but she refused.

“I’ll pay. I invited you to celebrate. Remember?” she said as she whisked us into the theater.

The inside was unlike any place that I’d ever been to. There were rows and rows of seats, and I watched as people chattered quietly with one another before they sat down. My companion decided to pick a pair of seats in the middle of the theater. We had barely settled into our seats when the lights dimmed and a large screen in front of us lit up to display a man in a top hat, much like my own. She nudged me and gestured towards the screen as if to say “See I told you!”

I smiled and shifted my attention back to the screen.

The film was named, Never Were You Lovelier, and it was about a dancer played by Fred Astaire who traveled to Argentina in order to escape his vices. Along the way he falls in love with a woman, who is hesitant to accept his advances. The man goes through so many absurd situations in order to get her attention, but she is not ready to commit. However, they eventually patch things up, realize they’re meant to be, and get married. The entire plot reminded me of the situation with Colin and Barbara. I wondered if whoever wrote this film had witnessed a similar occurrence. I always thought that the best stories came when authors pulled from their personal experiences and created an entirely new world from it. 

After the film, the girl next to me was grinning from ear to ear. I loved seeing her smile. It was so much better than seeing her face crumpled in tears, like the day that Mr. Doux-Amer rejected her story. It broke my heart to see her believe that her dream had fallen to pieces, but I was so happy to see her pick her pen back up and keep writing. In fact she’d been working nonstop for the past few weeks.

“So what did you think of your first movie?” she asked me as we walked out of the theater into the cool night air.

“I loved it! I can understand why you’re in love with Fred Astaire.” I said coyly, watching as she rolled her eyes at me. 

“I’m not in love with Fred Astaire! How can I have an emotional attachment to someone I don’t know in real life?” she said, trying to hide a smile.

I shrugged playfully “It’s not unheard of. I have an emotional attachment to the characters that you write.”

She couldn’t keep her smile back any longer. “It’s funny you say that because there may be more coming soon.”

“Oh?” I responded, curious to learn more.

“Yesterday, when you were out in town, selling chocolate, I plucked up the courage to go back to Mr. Doux-Amer’s publishing office.” she said.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and replied, “Really?”

She nodded. “I brought him a rough draft of what I have written so far and what I plan to add to it. I think he really liked it. He told me that if I can get him a full draft by the beginning of next month, there’s a good chance that he can publish it!” She beamed from ear to ear as she broke the news to me.

“That’s incredible! I’m so proud of you!” I replied, overcome with a wave of emotions. I threw my arms around her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. At first she was surprised by my sudden gesture, but she returned my embrace with a tight squeeze. She smelled sweet, and none of the candy in my travel case could compare.

As we pulled apart, she gave me a serious look “You want to know what the best part was? I wasn’t scared. In the back of my mind, I knew that another rejection was possible, but I was more focused on making him understand why my story should be published.”

“What did you tell him?” I asked.

“I told him that I’ve been working on this story for a long time, but until recently I didn’t know what its purpose was. Obviously, I want to get my work out there, but I was writing without a reason as to why. I realized that writing is my way of putting hope back into an often dreary world. I write when I feel alone, when I miss my family, or experience uncertainty. I write about what I want to see in the world. Compassion. Patience. Love.” she said and smiled at me before continuing.

“I want kids like Noodle and my sister, who have a tough life, to read my stories and realize that even if thunderclouds bring a hard rain, each one has a silver lining.” she continued.

I felt my heart skip a beat. Was she alluding to my chocolates?

‘I told him that a very wise person taught me that.” she said, as she looked into my eyes

“Me?” I asked, almost in a whisper. 

She nodded. “I wouldn’t have had the motivation to keep writing my book if you hadn’t encouraged me. It baffles me how easily you bring joy to every place that you visit. We’re staying in a rundown laundry house and from the moment I got there, you made me feel at ease.” 

I felt myself blush, and this time there was no way to hide it. She definitely noticed because she gave me a sweet smile in return.

It didn’t happen often, but I was speechless. Here she was telling me how much of a difference I’d made in her life, and she had no idea how much of an impact she’d made on mind. Before meeting her, I’d spent countless hours traveling alone to collect ingredients for my next creation. While I absolutely loved it, there was a newfound joy that came with going on that journey with someone else.

“I’ve never had a friend my age, much less one who is willing to put herself through the wildest predicaments to support my dreams. The last person that I ever felt this type of connection with was Mama.” I said, and I felt the tears prickling in my eyes.

“Aww Willy! Don’t cry!” she exclaimed as she took her scarf off and patted my cheek dry of the tears that began to flow. At that moment, I felt overcome with emotion. Her gesture was intimate yet innocently tender. All I wanted to do in that moment was-

She placed a kiss on my cheek, taking me by surprise. Her lips felt warm against my skin, and her sweet smell filled my lungs once more. 

“Your Mama would be so proud of you.” she whispered.

I sniffed and gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you. Actually, there’s something of hers that I wanted to show with you.” I said as I pulled out a small chocolate bar from my coat pocket. 

“This is the last gift that I got from her before she passed. She’d spend the entire year collecting cocoa beans, until she had enough to make a treat for my birthday. I was never ready to eat it, until now. I think she’d want us to enjoy it together.” I said and my voice wavered a bit.

She gave me a heartfelt look as tears welled in her own eyes. “Darn it Willy. Now you’re going to make me cry.” she said with a chuckle.

I slowly unwrapped the chocolate bar, and was surprised when a small piece of gold paper was situated between the wrapper and the candy. I inspected it and saw a message scrawled upon it in Mama’s handwriting. I showed the paper to my companion.

"Can you read it to me please?" I asked her.

"Of course. I'd be happy to," she said, with a nod as she read:

The secret is it’s not the chocolate that matters

I flipped over the paper to reveal another message 

It’s the people you share it with.

At that point, I was in tears once more. I always wanted to know what Mama’s secret to creating such wonderful chocolate was. It turned out that it wasn’t about getting some wacky ingredients or making treats that could make a person levitate or grow in confidence. Instead, it was about the people that the treats were shared with. I knew that I wouldn’t be unable to get a coherent sentence out without bawling, so I handed the gold paper to the girl next to me. She looked over it once more, with a heartfelt look across her face.

“Oh! Willy, this is beautiful.” she said, her eyes glistening.

I took the chocolate bar out of the wrapper and admired a gold letter “W” written in Mama’s signature style upon the top of the treat. I broke a piece off of the candy, took the girl’s hand, and placed the sweet on it. 

“There’s no one I’d rather share this with.” I told her, and I watched as her cheeks flushed, an endearing shade of pink. I held up my piece of chocolate to her in a toast and she returned the gesture. 

I placed the treat in my mouth and felt it melt upon my tongue. The chocolate was rich and sweet, just like this moment. I wanted them both to last forever. 

As if she read my mind, she said, “This is incredible.”, her eyes sparkling. 

Maybe it was the serotonin from the chocolate or the emotion of finally discovering Mama’s secret, but something drove me to take a step closer to her. I placed my hand on her cheek. We were both about the same height, so our eyes lines aligned. As we locked eyes, I raised an eyebrow to wordlessly question, “May I?” She nodded, and I felt my heart pounding as I leaned in closer. 

I tilted my head and leaned in. I could feel her chocolate scented breath upon my own. I inched in closer and closer until-

“WONKA!”

Scared out of my wits, I jumped back in surprise. I turned around, only to see the chief of police staring down at me intensely. My face was blazing hot.

“No public displays of affection! Don’t forget you still owe me from disturbing the peace yesterday by selling chocolate in town.” said the chef with a look of immense annoyance. I watched as creases formed on his forehead while he frowned at me. Normally, I’d have a snazzy comeback prepared for situations like this, but I was still reeling from the fact that I’d almost had my first kiss to respond to him.

“But sir!” said the girl next to me, her own face still rosy. “Have you ever tried one of his chocolates?”

The chief of police rolled his eyes. “Like Wonka would ever share his creations with me.” 

His words took me aback. I’d never thought of sharing my treats with the chief. I was usually too busy running from him to avoid another citation. I reached into my pocket for Mama’s candy bar. 

“Well Mama, let’s put your secret to the test,” I thought to myself as I cut a small piece off of the treat and handed it to the chief.

“Here. Try it. You’ll love it.” I said, crossing my fingers behind my bag in anticipation. I watched as the chief’s face morphed from a contorted look of disgust to one of pleasure.

“You made this?” the chief of police said in disbelief.

“Actually, my mother made this one, but now, I follow her example and create my own sweets,” I said sincerely. I took off my top hat and pulled out a small jar of pink and brown treats. I always carried around chocolate with me, specifically for moments like this.

“Here you can try these. It’s a new recipe I’m working on. It’s called a Broadway Chocolate, and it’s meant to add a bit of music to a person’s day. You can let me know what you think about it next time you see me disturbing the peace in town.” I said with a shrug.

The chief of police stared at me intensely, and much to my surprise he began to chuckle. 

“Wonka, you really are something.” he said, turning to look at the girl next to me. “Keep an eye on this one.” 

She began to laugh as well. “I’ll do my best.” she said, winking at me.

At that moment, I knew she meant it. She brought me more joy than any sweet treat ever could. That was saying something as my aspirations lay in the creation of candy. Watching as she exchanged comedic remarks with the chief, my heart swelled. Maybe it was too early to determine, but something inside of me knew that I never wanted her to leave my side. Mama was right. Chocolate is better when it is shared, and there was no one, but this wonderful girl that I wanted to share it with.

[fanaticsnail]

If you ever need visuals/inspiration for the dancing prompts I am HERE.

Mihawk (tango):

You obviously are familiar with Mr & Mrs Smith and the ICONIC Morticia and Gomez dances. However, may I suggest;

"Cell Block Tango" - you know I had to include it.

"Shall we dance?" (2004) - so sensual and intimate. Poetry in motionm

"Take the Lead" - there's a tango in a detention centre with two people (which is what I was thinking of), but there's also a lovely sandwich tango (iykwim)

And my personal fave: the introducing the tango scene from the story of Vernon and Irene castle - and old movie, black and white, but my GOD the CHEMISTRY. The CUNT. The FLUIDITY. The subtle but adoring smiles and glances.

Luffy:

Ok the Bachata for Luffy is perfect and I don't want to change it but I would like to offer up for your viewing/imagining pleasure: La Cucaracha. Simple, sweet. Folk dance. Gives young love. Lots of Luffy vibes. Just imagining them dancing in a town square.

Otherwise, no notes. The song is amazing I can't wait.

Buggy (swing):

Songs wise:

Tangled up - Caro Emerald (specifically the Lokee remix)

Dancing with the devil - Elle & the pocket Belle's

And idk how swing they are necessarily but; I don't have a name for it by Steam Powered Giraffes, Gentlemen by OR3O (or even All eyes on me by OR3O, but that's less of a love song and more angsty), vending machine of love by the stupendium

Zoro (Capoeira):

I love this. When I heard(read) "dance series" I immediately knew a dance fight style would KILL. I never knew Capoeira before this so I have to thank you for introducing me because *chefs kiss* muah.

I couldn't find many Capoeira scenes in movies or shows, but from what I did see there's a lot of break-dance-esque leg action. So I gotta suggest the Eggsy vs Gazelle fight from Kingsmen. (Side note: the kingsmen movies are actually so camp).

If you don't know, Gazelle is an antagonist with prosthetic legs that are basically spears and she fights with a lot of slashes. The scene is beautiful. Lots of legs swinging, lots of fists flying, very lethal. Lots of physics defying and frankly reality bending moments that fit into the drama of anime fighting, specifically one piece.

Now idk where it would fit but I would kill myself if I didn't mention the Naacho Naacho dance scene (essentially a dance battle) in the movie RRR (seriously good movie, it is v long tho). It's an Indian movie set during the war of the English colonisation. One of the main characters has a crush on a white girl who invites him to a party, and his friend tags along for moral support. They use the power of friendship and dance to defeat a racist white guy who thinks that they're not sophisticated bc they don't even know how to dance any of his fancy dances (which aren't even english dances, by the way) by dancing a dance that gets everyone to join bc it's so fun, and they manage to continue dancing as everyone falls around them bc of the pace and stamina needed. If you watch none of the scenes I've suggested, please watch this one.

Honourable mentions;

Zendayas dance off in dancing with the stars (https://youtu.be/2Iw951fviP4?si=_Bj4Wav5pcpYyLIZ)

And it's not necessarily a romance song and the context is icky but the tempo and the cunt in 'Papi' by Todrick Hall and Nicole Scherzinger from 'Straight Outta Oz' (musical) is unmatched, and there's a music video with some dancing.

Oh my gosh, yes 😫. I love all of these things.

For the Mihawk Tango/Pasadoble; immediately my mind went:

-Zorro & Elena from The Mask of Zorro: Soooo enemies to lovers

-Mr & Mrs Smith, the drama and disaster: I love it

-AND!!!!! El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rogue: Need I say more? The DRAMA, The EMOTION, AHH.

-TAKE THE LEAD is where my brain went YES!!!!!! The dominant gentleman lead, the DRAMA I LOVE.

For the Luffy Bachata its a bit more tricky for me to find an appropriate reference for it because he's so PLAYFUL and less sensual than the way it.

-Mr & Mrs Smith has the Mondo Bongo scene that I think about quite regularly for references.

-I also am on the dance side of TikTok currently, these vids keep popping up and I adore them.

Now, for the Buggy Solo I'm having some conflicting thoughts. He deserves a soft little dancey dance, but I could also see it getting VERY ANGSTY very quickly.

My song choices are as follows:

-Sway by Mr Bubes himself.

-Express Burlesque by Christina Aguilera just screams Buggy to me.

-The improv style that Emeline brings to this dance off is just MENTAL, I love it. Like, soooo playful my brain can't process it.

ZORO is REALLY TRICKY.

However, my inner teenager went immediately here, to Aang and Katara's dance in the caves.

I will need to check out RRR again, it has been a hot minute.

Shanks as a Jig is superb: @sordidmusings has me in a chokehold with this suggestion and as a former Irish Dancer myself, I simply can't imagine anything more FUN than THIS. Like, as a violinist, this is going to be so much fun to write.

Hobbits dancing on a table, The Jolly Roving Tar is just immediately speaking to me. I could also see the circular jig from Disney's Tangled being incorporated with the entire crew.

The Buggy x Mihawk Sandwich is just writing itself at this stage, my brain rot is simply drawn to the dynamic and I can't even process it.

Masterlist Link for when they drop!

[catbuspass]

Can you talk more about ur job. What are some of your fave animals to take care of. Laying on my stomach with my feet in the air

Ya! So rn i work in the food part of the zoo making coffee and stuff. And our peacocks are free walk they dont have an exhibit and they hang out in front of my cafe named after them. I work full time there all week so im around them the most and the zookeepers have given me explicit permission to make sure guests dont hurt them / hurt them less. Becuz surprise rich white people paying 50$ for ice cream dont care if their kids bother the animals. So i scream at and corral ppl away from them and weve only had one injury to them so far (which is way better than before i started) and hes ok now. I also have to put our bags of popcorn on the top shelf becuz the peacocks and geese will 100% steal and eat them. My cafe is also right by the monkeys and they just had a new group socialized in so theyre really insane and playful. And of course my actual fav of them all is the giraffes who have gotten out TWICE this month and i had to radio their keepers to come lead them back lollll. Im working in food there until i start my animal biology degree and then ill switch to zookeeping there! That will obvs take a few yrs but im looking forward to it so much. I love working there and everyone i work with and the animals there.

[thesconesyard]

Ask game:

Something you wish you were better at?

Best memory you could think of?

Who was your favourite childhood crush?

Oh dang! I meant to answer this last night! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤣

Ok, something I wish I was better at: My first gut response was drawing, but I know some people will argue that I draw just fine. But I do wish I was better at it. I don’t do enough to get better and get frustrated when I do that it isn’t better and it’s just a cycle.

Best memory? Hmm… that’s hard. Ok, I’ve been sitting here staring blankly for five minutes trying to think or something lol. My mind went blank being on the spot. Sheesh.

Ok, it’s only taken forever to think of something, and I don’t know if it’s my best memory, but it’s a very happy one that came to mind, which was getting to feed a giraffe this past summer at Woodland Park with the fam. I had been looking forward to doing it for nearly ten years after I heard a coworker talk about having done it. It was amazing and so fun to be so close and to get to do it with little was extra fun.

Fave childhood crush huh? I only had one as a child. (Once we hit middle school there were others.) His name is Corey. That was like second through sixth grade. He was so smart. He went once a week to a different school because he was in the gifted program. He friended me on facebook years ago once we were adults and it made me giggle so much. He still lives around here with his family and at our class reunion a couple years ago he came up to talk with me and hubs, which was a huge surprise, but quite welcome. He’s still a very nice person and has done well for himself. His wife was lovely too and it was a nice talk.

[designidraws]

Sam and Max characters’ hygiene ranked from best to worst:

Sybil Pandemik: She is a career-woman and knows what she is doing. Sybil cares about her appearance and how she is perceived, she is the most likely to give a shit about her hygiene.

Myra Stump: She is a talk-show host on TV and has a large audience. She definitely cares a lot about her hygiene since she acts like a bossy mom.

Santa Claus or the elves: Smells like holiday cheer, one of the best scents.

Momma Bosco: Self-explanatory, she probably smells of 60’s perfume and definitely takes good care of her hygiene.

Agent Superball: He probably smells like a really good cologne and he takes himself extremely seriously.

Grandma Ruth: Ruth probably has that grandma perfume smell that is just extremely nostalgic. She definitely cares about her BO.

The Narrator: He is British and very sophisticated, he takes good care of “himself”.

Jurgen: He is very attention-seeking and cares how other people perceive him. He definitely collects the latest and most popular perfume.

Conroy Bumpus: Sure, he may be involved in animal cruelty, but he seems to care a lot about his appearance. He has a toupee on display with high-security soooooo…. he cares a lot.

The Director: She is a director known for being prestigious about acting and probably takes good care of her hygiene.

Darla "The Geek" Gugenheek: She definitely showers regularly.

Sam/Sameth: Sam definitely cares about his hygiene for the most part. He acts like a dad and probably smells like one and cares about how he is perceived.

Lee-Harvey: He is a henchman for Conroy Bumpus and looks well-kept.

Anyone in the toy mafia: These guys probably smell ok.

Satan: Weirdly I think Satan in this series probably smells alright. He always cares about whether his bald-spot is showing on camera during the interview in *The City That Dares Not Sleep*.

T.H.E.M.: They smell average.

Abraham Lincoln: Smells like stone? (Whatever that means)

The C.O.P.S.: The smell of machinery.

Roscoe Bosco: He probably smells average, maybe a little sweaty some days.

Sal: He is a cockroach but seems relatively well-kept.

Flint Paper: He probably showers, but cares more about cases rather than personal hygiene.

Lorne (the friend for life): He doesn’t shower as much as he should.

Mr. Featherly: He is a chicken, but he does seem to care about how he is seen and is very much an attention-seeker.

Sammun-Mak: He smells like dirt but like in a good way, like the nostalgic kind of way.

Trixie: Ehhh she smells well… like a giraffe with a layer of perfume overtop

Max/Maximus: We all know he is covered in so many germs, but Sam definitely tries to get him showered every once in a while.

Hubert Q. Tourist: He is a strange, strange fellow. I don’t know what it is about him, but he makes me uncomfortable and he probably doesn’t smell all that well.

Hugh Bliss: Bacteria

Bessie: She’s a cow…

General Skun-ka’pe or his minions: All I need to say is gorilla.

Bruno: He is a bigfoot, need anymore explaining?

Brady Culture: I don’t think I can explain why, but I think he just doesn’t smell good at all.

Anton Papierwaite: HE IS FRENCH! (Also his *secret* makes him smell worse probably)

Girl Stinky: She smells like really bad, but tries to haphazardly spray perfume to cover it up.

Charlie Ho-Tep: People don’t have the decency to wash their hands before playing with him.

Any sea creatures: I absolutely despise the smell of fish…

Any of the baby characters: Babies can smell really bad…

Jurgen’s Monster: He is basically Frankenstein’s Monster, so he probably doesn’t smell good.

The zombies: They are undead and *god* do the dead smell gross.

Eldritch horrors of any kind: They don’t smell very good.

Molemen or the Rats: These guys smell like shit and probably don’t care about showering. They live in the sewers.

Grandpa Stinky: It’s in the name, he smells absolutely rancid. He probably hasn’t showered in decades.

The Soda Poppers: THEY SMELL REALLY FUCKING BAD

[mybrainismelted]

ok, tag game tuesday on a friday... why not, right? thanks @jademickian for the tag

name: Kat

age: yikes... over 40 and under 50

how many hours of sleep did you get last night? 8 hours and 8 minutes, apparently

which do you use more: tumblr mobile or desktop? desktop, but I'll scroll mobile when I'm bored at work

a hobby you'd like to pick up: exercising

if you were a crayon, what color would you be? ok, so it's like that really really deep shade of purple that looks black until you tilt it the right way, and then the hints of colour show through

what was your average screen time last week? too much math

a song you put on every playlist: Stay with Me - Sam Smith

favorite holiday: the day after easter and the day after halloween. AKA half-priced chocolate day

something on your bucket list: the giraffe hotel 

you’re invited to a costume party, what are you dressing up as? me in pajamas

what show takes up the most space in your brain? 100% Shameless.

and finally, share something you’re looking forward to: summer vacation and cottage time tagging some people that I don't think have done this one yet! @krystallouhoo, @catluvver118, @meagaboooo, @gallavich1234

[strangebiology]

Genuinely no hate to anyone who didn't know, we have all experienced some shortcomings in our educations. (And we all make mistakes online, but it's ok to giggle a little at these easily-googlable mistakes as well.)

And I do think it's a bit sad that so much of the world is genuinely unaware of the existence of real reindeer when they are such important animals to many people in the Arctic Circle, and for some in Mongolia and China. In fact, reindeer herding is considered one of the primary industries for indigenous Sami people.

Sometimes I wonder about teaching kids about animals. As someone who grew up in (and has never lived outside of) North America, I learned about African fauna from an early age: we all know about giraffes, hippos, zebras etc, but it wasn't until much later that I, as an animal nerd, learned about many of the animals actually local to me, like kangaroo rats and pine martens, voles, and even many of the animals I do see (namely, birds.)

Not sure what to do about that, though.

Anyway, enjoy some photos of the magical flying reindeer I met in Norway.

reindeer herder. Reindeer herder. Newsflash: reindeer are a tale of fiction invented for children who believe in santa claus. Are you maybe talking about deer?

oh my god

[55-degrees-fahrenheit]

based on this post

karate joe: i lobe joe❤️ hi kasper again //flashback to karate kurt hair vegetables: honestly the music goes so hard but THEY STARE AT YOU sarge: wait isn't he a furry- squadmates: petar!!! air batter: air batter my beloved. why does his rabbit costume look like that. space umpire: he's so happy!!! the clappy trio: FUCK YOU /their prequel reminds me of disco. hi jimmy t why are you there-

sneaky spirits: mischievous spirits… up to no good… the wandering samurai: really funny that this guy didn't have an actual name until fever (samurai steve) yokai: also up to no good rats: wait since when did the rat and rat wife have kids. ms. whiskers: silly cat :) sick beats doctor/dr. cutlery: i like his endless game. some real sick beats viruses: are they the monsters from mahou tsukai or is this just a dream yellow organism: little guy <- well its an organism //silly the donpans: poly- yagura-chan: so apparently her name can translate to watchtower. and she's on a tower. laugh now

mahou tsukai: yippee! yay! yahoo! ojou-chan: flower <3 monster (wizards waltz): what's the deal dude. stop eating the plants and magically disappearing. penguins (showtime): speedy gonzales (tengoku fan translation) monkey (showtime): the first monkey……… rabbit: must have springs in its feet. how else can you just hop that far off of the moon. tram and poline/pauline: furries (you will see this again) space gramps: he seems kinda chill as a grandpa space dancers: their game seems so positive… too bad in the try again screen they get sucked into a black hole💔

q maou: since when was he a demon……. contestant: contestant my beloved….. i headcanon he has performance anxiety play-yan: bro why do all of the space-related games feel so relaxing. i hate his game mini chounin: i'm kind of curious. how many of them are there akai mono (red things): why do people want these things. fuck your sequel </3 RAPMEN: gay gay homosexual gay

urakata aki to ki: idk why but i feel bad for them. did you know hopping road has a sequel slightly better than polyrhythm 2 spheroids (bouncy road): the what ninja and the lord: why do they have so much lore…… toss boys: the tossers ever <3 yuka (tap trial girl): YUKA!!!!! i love both of her games tap trial my beloved giraffe: scary! tanaka: i am normal i am normal i am normal- kanojo: beloved…….. waru mono: no mercy. (can get some fast parts of ninja reincarnate) soshi: he's so cool……

cosmic girl: idk. i like the hat cosmic dancers: i like to imagine that they have SO MUCH beef with the space dancers for absolutely no reason. rap women: gay gay homosexual gay Part 2 man-k: hey do you get the joke. man-k = monkey booing sfx biribiriuo (night walk 2): hey maybe STOP PRESUMABLY KILLING PLAY-YAN usamimi maki sensei: yeah she's definitely cosmic girl. space rabbits: when i saw these guys in tengoku i screamed "HOLY SHIT WARIOWARE"

buta-san: silly pigs :) barista: i like how until like ds/fever it's revealed that he's a dog. i mean you don't see him in the cafe (tengoku) but in live result screens he's like. there people at the café: yippee!!! yay!!! yahoo neko machine: when i was like really young i really liked cats. so to see neko machine was a pleasant surprise! horse machine: idk. honse. i like the rhythm toy love-san: "aand LOVE WINS!!!" people cheering sfx mr. upbeat: why is he forced to step over a metronome. what did he do mannequin: i'm ok with his minigame. can get boring a little quickly anata: "go girl give us everything" SO TRUE❤️ remember when i said i was normal. i am not normal about her. anata my beloved……. drum girls: i like the bg. also hi yagura-chan samurai drummer/drum samurai: why do your drum lessons have to be so hard (context: i never finished them) also hi tsunku drum samurai's band: no way!! tsunku has a band <- doesn't know that tsunku was in a band oba-chan: i imagine her to be like one of those really sweet old ladies owner: owner my behated </3 producer: uhh. i like his design (flashback to twink pride flag)

alright that's all of them. i'm surprised you had the time to read this.

[dontsh0vethesun]

shipping you and giraffe anon aggresively >:) can't stop won't stop

hope your day was ok <3 thank you for being my valentine author (we need to collectively come up with another name i feel ridiculous saying author every time i refer to you i'm sorry)

another thing for giraffe anon that i just remembered

one of my pet peeves is when someone uses the wrong 'your/you're', 'where/were/we're' or 'there/their/they're' and it always rips a part of my soul to shreds when someone does it, even if they're my closest friend who just NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO SPELL GODDAMN IT

like yes of course i'm prone to the occassional uncapitalized 'im' but apart from that any typos i make are because i'm typing too fast, not because i don't know how to spell or use grammar properly

(can you tell i was a former gifted kid?)

this pet peeve is especially prevelant when i'm reding fics. of course i appreciate the time and effort put into the fic, fic writers have dedication i will never be able to match lmfao. just people misspelling stuff rips me apart from the inside, even if i know they can't help it or just don't know how to do it properly

sorry, i ramble alot haha

-handsome bestie <3

(ps you better read those books you just bought instead of letting them sit there on your shelf for you to "read later" or i will come to your house and beat you around the head with them. not saying you'd do that, just know many, many, many people who do)

i am also beginning to aggressively ship us ngl

LMAO 😭😭 i don't have a suggestion atm but you're all free to come up with something 💀💀

i agree but feeling called out because i accidentally used the wrong there yesterday :((

OMG I WAS ALSO A GIFTED KID WE'RE TWINZ

i 100000% do that actually </3 but i'm determined to actually read these ones before getting more i PROMISE

[mnoonthego]

Day 20 Last Driving Safari and Travel Day

As we were on the other side of the park from where we needed to be, we asked for a transit pass to cross the park. The park fees for non-residents are quite expensive (hundreds of dollars a day) so we were glad to be able to transit for free. We had a fixed time to get through the park but it allowed for a good amount of time so we felt like we had another safari day!

Our destination today was Elsamere Lodge at Lake Naivasha. It meant backtracking a bit down the highway and then into new territory. The driving truly is crazy due to the road conditions, the goats and cows and the other drivers and then you go through a town, and you are on full overload with all that is going on. Canadian driving is going to seem so simple.

We pulled over to have lunch on the side of the road which happened to be under a train track, I heard voices from somewhere saying hello and was surprised to look up and see 5 or so teenage Maasi in their traditional dress staring down at us and waving. They had lots of questions about what we were eating, peanut butter sandwiches and cucumber and why we were there. Then a motorcycle and two young men (early 20s??) came over to see if we are ok. Although I am not proud of this, when we are approached by strangers I am often on edge. We have had so many experiences that it feels like we are having a ‘get to know you” chat with someone we meet and then suddenly they want something from you and things become somewhat aggressive. Our interactions have been harmless but I am still uncomfortable with it.

As we drove into the area surrounding Lake Naivasha it is this a mix of so many things. What looks like high end gated resorts, streets that are hardly driveable, a giraffe, motorcycles with 4-6 people on them and more!? We choose Elsamere Lodge, on the shores of the lake, due to their conservation focus and of course we were familiar with the name from the story of “Born Free” (Joy Adamson). They mostly hold conferences but as it was the holidays, they had a little cabin for us. The grounds are gorgeous and one of our first interactions was with a Colobus Monkey which looks like it has an Elvis hairdo and a showy black and white coat so I was in heaven! The bird song was impressive and it seemed every tree had a Fish Eagle and there were tons of spectacular starlings. We were also asked to walk around the hippo poop as we went to check out our room. We had missed lunch so the cook was kind enough to make us up a snack before dinner. Once settled in our room and after a few rounds of Uno we decided this was the perfect bocci lawn and so had a pre-dusk game. Once it is dark, you aren’t able to leave your room without an escort due to the various animals in the area. We didn’t end up seeing any to be concerned about but the monkeys (another type but I can’t recall their name) seemed a little interested in playing bocci.

The lodge was the home of the Adamson’s and represents their legacy with pictures of the various animals that they raised and released into the wild, her (amazing) watercolours, and many of their household items so it is a bit like dining in someone’s home. We didn’t expect to be the only guests for the included dinner, but it seemed we were. We had a ton of people supporting us through our three-course meal. Again, the food was great and plentiful! We got our escort back after dinner and had a nice chat with the security person about how well his family was doing.