#Will drop it back down a little after the new year because even at 50 posts

[disneydreamlights]

Anyways my queue output is now at 50 posts per day because I'd like to not be spitting out Halloween posts in February and eventually Christmas posts in March sorry not sorry for the extra spam for a while.

[nayaesworld]

11:11

Biker!Terry Richmond x Charlie

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—

Friday was usually an extremely busy day at the diner, but as the day dragged on Charlie had only served her regulars and a few families passing through the small town. She was scheduled to work 3pm-12am today and had only gotten through two hours so far. Her favorite coworker was off so it was just a new girl named Dawn and the two night cooks Dj and Trey. The diner was empty once again and she sat quietly behind the counter on a stool, eyes running left to right as she read the new fantasy book from the library. Illustrations of a black witch uncovering the history of her ancestors occupied her head as she flipped page after page hungry for more. The local news station on the small flatscreen sent out an advisory for a thunderstorm that would be rolling in later that evening. That explained the gloomy skies and empty diner at least. Charlie and Dawn filled salt shakers and sorted the silverware,mugs, and glasses. And when they finished chatting about pop news and hair care routines, Charlie was warming up to the girl slowly and when she clocked out at 10:30 she actually had started to get bored without conversation.

Charlie balanced two cups of coffee and a large platter of flapjacks in her hands. Her favorite regulars, an older black couple in their 50’s that treated her like family more than her own father sometimes. The Leflore’s had welcomed her with open arms her first year at the diner. She reminded them of their late daughter Kamryn and she remembered vividly Tammy Lefore bawling her eyes out to her one day in the plush booths of the diner. Tammy and Aubrey typically came in later because they loved to help her get to the end of her shift and look out for her. Silver Creek was a small town and everyone knew everyone for the most part but crime had picked up in the last year and it wasn’t always safe after dark. She sat with them and they told her about their upcoming trip to Cozumel Mexico. They would be gone a week and Charlie pouted at the news, she loved seeing and talking to them but a whole week would be gray without them. But promises of souvenirs and gifts kept her sadness at bay.

They bid their see you laters and she watched their sleek white Cadillac truck pull out of the parking lot. And like clockwork the rain began to come down hard. She bussed her tables and secured her tips into her apron, she loved the rain, it was peaceful and serene on some days but nights like this one it was thunderous and loud. But above the heavy tinkling of the rain was a sound she was becoming acquainted with…the sound of that Sapphire black Bonneville Bobber. He came into the diner every night at 11:11 on the dot, how strange that she even remembered the growl of his bike when she hadn’t seen the man in at least a month. How even stranger it was that she felt eager to see him…he barely talked when he had been there in the past, just grumbling here and there before he ate his fill and left. She fingered her passion twist out of habit as her eyes watched him park his bike and job into the diner,built muscles bunched beneath his wet leather jacket as a mug hung on his stoic chiseled face. He shrugged out of the jacket and hung it on the coat rack near the door. She opened her mouth to greet him but her words got caught in her throat as he pulled out a chair from the bar top and sat directly in front of her.

“Hell my little dove..long time no see.” He extended his arm out, a singular red rose in his hand gifted from him to her. She pricked her thumb on a thorn and shook her hand at the slight pain, a tiny bead of blood falling down onto the counter. She excused herself before rushing to the back of the diner for a bandaid.

His hands tapped anxiously against the bartop, his eyes trying their best to not drop down and lay upon the tiny droplet of blood…the smell was intoxicating, and before he could stop himself his index finger had swiped the blood from the counter and sucked it into his mouth. This was the very reason he had chosen to stay away from the small town, he was afraid of what he might do, afraid of how he would appear to the pretty little waitress. He blinked and shook his head trying to get the black irises to go away, how would he explain the quick change from hazel eyes to black ones…it looked unnatural, unsafe even. When he was sure they had gone back to normal he lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings. Three humans, two males in the kitchen…and her.

When Charlie returned, finger smugly secured by a bandaid she quickly apologized before formally greeting the intriguing stranger whose name she still didn’t know.

“Don’t apologize for bleeding, that’s normal. I should have checked the rose for thorns, that was my fault. I’m Terry by the way.. nice to meet you Charlie.”

Before she could question how he knew her name she looked down at her name tag and giggled softly.

“Well it’s nice to formally meet you Terry, what will you be having tonight.” His knuckles rapped against the counter and he held her gaze.

“A glass of water is fine, I’m on a pretty strict diet at the moment..just came inside to get out of the rain before passing on.” She nodded before grabbing a clean glass and filling it to the brim with chilled water.

“Where are you heading..if you don’t mind me asking.?” She slid the glass of water over to him and watched as he held it up to his nose before drinking it.

“No where specific..might even hang around here for a while, it’s pretty damn scenic up here.”

“Now that I can agree with , it’s a small town but it has its perks. There’s something for everyone here.”

“And what’s here for you…what keeps you here?” The question was one she couldn’t say she’d ever been asked before. People rarely considered her likes and dislikes. Rarely asked her if she was ok.

“Outside of my family and friends, it’s the culture for me. So much damn history embedded into such a little town, so many stories of our people…how they settled here and how hard they had to fight to stay here.” He hummed and seemed genuinely pleased with her answer, gleaming grey blue eyes combing over every part of her face.

“Well aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine…I’d love learn more about the history of this place. It’s so…mystic.” There was that damn grumbling again.

“There’s a library in town not far from here the-“ The loud thud of Terry placing the glass down made Charlie jump.

“I want you to tell me. You are a native after all..I want it straight from the horse's mouth. You seem extremely knowledgeable and I’m very ignorant of your town, I'm afraid.” His eyes drew her in, made her feel fearless.

But she was still apprehensive…and yet she longed to put herself out there to try new things and enjoy new people. Handsome strangers were still strangers and she owned a gun. She could handle her own.

“Ok but under one condition. We take your super cool bike and we go Tuesday..deal?” He shook her extended hand. His thumb rubbing over the back side of her hand softly before she pulled her hand back.

“A deal I can live with little dove.” His bright smile made his eyes crinkle and Charlie found herself hoping to see more of it.

“Why do you call me that..little dove?” Every word he uttered to her made it seem as though he was all too familiar with her, she was curious.

“There’s an air of gentle peace and innocence that surrounds you..perhaps you don’t see it as others do.” Charlie had a hard time listening to people tell her that she was a good person,a good girl. They always used her own kindness and generosity against her. She knew that she could live her whole life by the book only ever doing right by people, and yet still be fucked over…a learning curve indeed.

“I the dove and you the crow I assume…Why the crows?”She gestured to the bold black ink against his honeyed skin enamored her. A beautifully crafted portrait that depicted a murder of crows. Probably the most creative tattoo sleeve she had ever seen.

“We’re taught that crows are scavengers that represent death. That their very presence should place fear in your heart because you or a loved one may be next to die.. but I have come to know these birds as signs of rebirth and cleansing. That they carry the DNA of every dead creature with them wherever they fly, somewhat keeping them alive forever.”

Wow. There was true beauty in an intellectual man. You didn’t see that too often around these parts. Charlie wanted to pick his brain for hours, to learn what interested him, and why he felt so damn intoxicating. But her fear of being perceived held back the many questions she had for the man.

“I like that, it’s poetic. It Means something to you, what a beautiful piece of art to walk with daily.” He thanked her graciously for allowing him to blab on and on about the tattoo telling her that others rarely asked of its meaning.

He inquired about the portraits of people that lined the wall behind her. Pictures of people old and young, from so many backgrounds, some taken inside and outside the diner. It gave the place character and that good ole fashioned charm that you couldn’t get in many places anymore.

“These are our customers, some of these pictures were here before me but all the new ones I’ve taken myself. Just a little ode to the people that keep this place open…if you’d like I could take yours also before we close up.”

By 11:40 Dj and Trey had shut down the kitchen and bid their goodnights. Charlie maneuvered around the diner wiping down tables and sweeping the floor. Terry had slipped away into the restroom to relieve himself before he left and Charlie was heading to the back office to retrieve the camera they used for photos. The rain had since stopped falling and she felt the perfect picture would be best with Terry outside near his bike. The aesthetics of the starry night sky and the shiny black bike would mesh well with his large bulky stature.

“You can loosen up a bit..maybe a big bright smile.” He cocked a thick brow at her and his face stayed unmoved and his bulky arms stayed crossed as he…posed?

Giggling to herself she put the camera up to her eye and snapped the first picture. But when she pulled the camera back from her eye, the only thing in the photo was his bike. The air around her felt cold and constricting. How was that even possible when he was standing right in front of her? She cleared her throat before lifting the camera back to her face. She was sure there was a logical explanation for this.

“Uh the camera was on the wrong setting let’s go again.” She blew cold air out of her nose before placing the camera back up to her face, left eye closed and right eye focused on the smirking man in front of her. The flash went off and it lit up his face..he had to have been on camera this time.

Charlie checked the camera again. A loud gasp leaving her mouth for the second time…he was nowhere in the picture. This was a joke right? Someone had touched the camera and was playing a prank on her. Heavy boots crunched under the gravel coming closer and closer. The tiny hairs on her arm began to raise and her heart thudded loudly in her chest. When he finally stood inches away from her the camera slipped from her fingers and onto the moist ground. Her neck craned to stare into the face of the man. Green eyes seemingly glowing as they captured hers. Every instinct in her was calling for her to run, to save herself from a dark fate. But it was as if she was stuck in place.

“Calm your heart little dove. I promise to never pluck a hair from your pretty little head..we have too much work to do. So much to uncover.” He placed a large hand over her chest,careful to not touch her breast. And let his odd eyes close and feel the rushing of her heart under his hand. He put that fear there.

“Please..I don’t want to die. You can take anything from the diner but please..please. I won’t tell anyone else about this I swear.” Tears fell now. People always made it seem as if death wasn’t anything to fear, that it would come quick and swift without a sound. But Charlie feared it..wasn’t ready for it..so soo much work left to do, so many things in life she had yet to accomplish.

“Nothing in that diner is as valuable as you are..it’s fine time you learned that little dove. It’s fine time you’ve learned your place in this world, I will guide you as you will me.” The hand on her chest was now on her shoulder. And Charlie was never good at riddles, never really liked them. But what did he mean?

“Terry, you don't know me. What makes you think you know anything about my whereabouts in this world…this is crazy talk. I don’t believe you.”

“Do you believe what you saw on your camera then? Is that the only deciding factor between real and fake? You should look harder..I was always in the picture, just not something your fear would let you decipher.” He squatted down to retrieve the camera and dusted the small chunks of mud that stuck to its lenses before placing it back in her hands.

A deep breath. What if she was going crazy, what if Terry had been in the picture the whole time. She was scared to click through the camera and see, but she felt compelled to do so. Click. The first picture..she grappled with what she was looking at. In Terry's place against his bike was a…a creature. Something tall and sinister. It’s green eyes looking directly into the camera, long claws gripping the handles of the bike..just as Terry had. The camera dropped to the ground once more and she took off running towards the diner. She yanked and pulled on the door and yet it was sealed shut, she knew she didn’t lock it she would never be that forgetful. But he was walking closer now, closing the space between them.

“If you come any closer I’ll shoot you. Step any closer and I will blow your damn head off!” Charlie’s back was against the locked doors and she watched the man advance forward not caring for her threat.

“That may have been true if it wasn’t behind the counter in your bag. I said I wasn’t going to hurt you. I only wanted to reveal my true self to you..you’re the first human I’ve shown myself to in 200 hundred years. I trust you.”

It was clear now. He was on drugs, hard ones. No human would be alive for 200 hundred years and as for him knowing the location of your bag..he had to have been snooping around the bar one day while you were preoccupied. This was all a big fucking joke and a waste of Charlie’s time.

“Terry, stop it. You’re human just like me. You eat AND drink just like me..made from flesh and bone just like me. Are you on drugs..if so there’s a really nice rehab center the next city over. They helped a family member of mine once.” Charlie was hell bent on proving to Terry that his line was just heavily deluded, he would be fine once those drugs left his system.

“If you were over 200 years old your heart wouldn’t beat..you wouldn't be standing here right now. See my heart beats and yours will do the same.” Charlie placed her hand to his chest and felt..nothing. She assumed it was faint but when she loved her hand and tried placing it directly on his heart. Still nothing. No beating, just hot skin.

“Why me Terry..you could have done this to anyone else why me. I don’t want to know this..whatever you are. You can’t trust me with this information..I’ll tell everyone.” Charlie knew she was bluffing. She knew even more that someone would label her crazy if she repeated anything from this night.

“You don’t believe that. In your heart you’ll do what’s right every time. Just trust me and I promise I will tell you everything Tuesday. But if you find yourself needing me before then use this. Your father will be here shortly, be safe little dove.” He handed her a small metal oval shaped object, incantations that would summon him were engraved around the edges. His tall form retreated and he hopped on his bike. He shot her a toothy grin before his face disappeared behind his helmet and she watched him until he disappeared into the distance.

Exhaustion gripped Charlie on the road home with her father. Her body was heavy and she felt like she’d worked a 24 hour shift as her eyes drooped and her clammy hands shook in her lap. Rest was what she needed. A hot shower, some tea and her bed but outside of the weariness she felt, her mind drifted to Terry over and over. The fear that gripped her tonight felt foreign, like her body had never felt that afraid her whole life. Would curiosity kill her just as it had done the cat? Or would she be spared by a force she couldn’t see.

They arrived home rather quickly. Her father Hank walked over to open her door and carry in her bags. She took her time stepping out of the car, limbs aching to be stretched and soothed by hot water. She sighed deeply and began walking up the steps of their home. But a loud caw stopped her in her tracks. A lone crow sat in the magnolia tree in her front yard. The shiny onyx feathers dancing with the moonlight and giving the bird a striking appearance. But this crow was no ordinary crow and as she stepped closer she realized its black beady eyes had been traded for green ones..familiar green eyes. It cawed once more at her before it bowed, extended a wing, and flew away. Leaving in its wake a dark feather that she took inside with her.

__

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[nishnormp]

conagher brainrot

Sometimes I think about the fact that in Loose Cannon, dell's father never gets alluded to . like at all . Fred as the shabby little bridge between radigan and dell makes me a little sad though, so I'll just be looking at weird implications and make a poorly organized set of points

With how confidently Dell talks about his grandfather's personality and the state of his blueprints, I can only assume that a)he was practically raised by him or, b)his dad talked a lot about him (and by extension fred and radigan were close) while radigan was off doing...whatever

Dell is a genius, but a lot of his gear (most, actually) comes from his grandfather's blueprints (gunslinger over there was radigan's original design). Hell, even dell's iconic sentry gun was radigan's blueprint.

If you look at the first panel I showed, dell is immediately hesitant of his ability to fix it, but switches up just as fast when blutarch mentioned radigan's blueprints, blutarch even mentions that they've plagued him for 60ish years bc they were written in complete gibberish. HOWEVER, bluetarch has also been shown to be a complete idiot, so its possible that the blueprints were in english, but just completely incomprehensible to him.

Now, lets go back to the A and B scenarios earlier. The reason I mentioned some estrangement between family members is because things start to...not make sense. Let's say that all three conaghers were quite close (with fred somehow not having any time conflicts with his job and all), how come dell never alludes to him at all when referring to a 'mr conagher' in the field? How come fred never told him that radigan's blueprints were exhumed after his death? Dell's spy domination voicelines drops the lore that it was his dad that taught him how to deal with backstabbers, so if they were open about the nature of their work how come that one important tidbit was never told to him? There could maybe be some physical distance due to work and whatnot, but I cant imagine fred not revealing that about his father to his own son.

There's also...whatever this picture is. This is a photo of radigan in the years proceeding his influence under australium, which conflicts with the comics' and dell's portrayal of him. Its possible that this is merely him a few more years down the road, when both fred and dell are fully grown and out by themselves- but in that case that would be a TIGHT window for his death, blutarch's 60-year stressing over deciphering his notes WHILE fred's still in BLU, and the news to reach dell by the time HE'S the new engie.

The fact that fred is still up and kicking in the current day (hes pushing in the 70 at the VERY LEAST) also makes the timeline stricter, since theres no way he was born during radigan's youth (makes the estrangement thing more likely too cuz are you telling me that fred never corrected dell at all/dell dgaf that radigan was more like a jolly aussie than anything, or that they BOTH didn't know too much about him)

The hundred years thing is maaybe an exaggeration, I did the math and there's no way a literal hundred years had passed between the creation of the first LEM and dell's employment (this is with the consideration of 1890 being the absolute earliest time, and even then it reached 1990). HOWEVER the half a century (or 50 years) thing is probably, as it lands square into the 1940s-- a decade into fred's employment in BLU.

The 1890s was when Radigan was called to create the machine, and its also the time that is referred to right after the 60 years thing. So if the machine was built 60 years ago, but only started to malfunction around the 50 year mark; then there would be one entire decade of the thing just breaking down with no one to fix it.

Did fred get access to the notes? I'm not actually sure. There's this moment in the comics where he flubbs with the immortality machines, but I think there's more to it

"more biology than engineering" my brother in christ you have fully functional prosthetic LEGS and your guy best friend (who btw is a sniper aka guy whose profession relies on eyesight the most) let you pluck out his eyes and replace them with better ones. There's also the offhand mention of "lookin' at the old man's robots" aka probably referring to radigan's creations, but if we go by the thinking that radigan's notes were never shown to him-- that would mean he was reverse engineering them.

And honestly? It makes sense, esp if you consider tfc engie's gear in his own game.

TFC was created waaay before tf2 so the lore implications were most likely not intended at all, but just. Compare fred's sentry guns to the blueprints that radigan has on the walls of his workshop. The dispenser and the teleporter? Way different, and the dispenser even functions differently (it has to be restocked, but it can also damage people when it is destroyed by tfc engie). Fred had big shoes to fill, but he managed to live up to them anyways; I think cheavy would have kicked him out otherwise. The TFC gen is more militant than tf2's, and with how tightly cheavy runs his crew + is concerned about formal standards (like him not wanting to hire tf2 medic due to a history of medical misdemeanors), fred would have been long gone if his creations weren't up to par.

Keep in mind that most of the world is still kinda bummy while australia (and ig new zealand) have all the super fancy stuff to themselves (with the way aussies act with other non-aussies I highly doubt that they would just hand over their own formulas for Teleportation Tech) (these war-loving guys even canonically hid up the existence of australium too, and there's a newspaper clip showing a headline of the aussies calling the discovery of magic gold a false alarm) so fred figuring out all that shit on his own is kinda impressive.

But lets say that he DID have access to the blueprints. Did he deviate from them out of stubbornness? The want to be his own man? Was he smart enough to figure out the fundamentals, but eventually failed to understand the sheer complexity of the LEM? Or did he actually do work on it, but ended up not being significant enough? If the LEM started breaking down by the 1940s, is it really possible for it to STILL keep chugging for an entire decade without human intervention? Did he knowingly lie about the immortality machines cuz he didn't want a deranged cheavy to live forever, or was he actually thinking ahead and taking the potential australium shortage into account (esp since the thing cheavy was holding was a more greedy, simpler model)?

Still, whether or not he had access to the blueprints doesn't change the bits about virgil's eyes or his prosthetic legs. I know they knew each other before the war (gravel war, world war, idk) but it would still be a huge risk for a sniper to just let someone pluck his eyes out; that sort of trust takes a looot of time and experiences.

Tldr; fred is a smart little cookie and I think he gets underestimated too much : ( . also my math isn't the best so if I get anything wrong pls pls pls correct me

[dadvans]

chick flick moments (bucktommy)

[i can’t stop thinking about tommy’s favorite movie being Love, Actually.]

Tommy hasn’t really talked or seen his family in roughly twenty years. His firefighting career has never been enough, if they were ever keeping tabs, to make up for his dishonorable discharge. And honestly, it’s been fine with him. His family has always been the suffocating kind of conservative and earning their love stopped being a hill he would choose to die on for longer than they’ve been radio silent.

Someone is keeping tabs though, or maybe the news of his recent heroics have a broader reach than he thought, because a few months after getting a medal for the cruise liner disaster response, someone reaches out. Tommy is hesitant to engage because he’s pretty happy without them in his life, but maybe at first it was a cousin or uncle, but that’s followed by one of his sisters trying to get into contact, followed by his mom, followed by his dad. And they’re persistent. Maybe they do want to make amends. And maybe he doesn’t need his blood family but there’s that tiniest part of him left that still wants that connection.

This is how he gets suckered into the most miserable Christmas dinner of his life. It’s not actually Christmas, it’s a few days before when the whole clan can get together, and it’s just as claustrophobic and awful as ever, every word spoken saturated in judgment and triple meanings that Tommy long since has lost the muscle to withstand.

Evan had wanted to come with him, said a whole bunch of shit about how they were PARTNERS, and how it could not be nearly as bad as his own parents were, but Tommy’s extended family holiday dinners are like a Los Angeles Miserable People convention crowded between the dining room and kitchen tables, and Evan’s still licking some wounds after surviving Gerrard’s brief yet nightmarish tenure back at the 118, maybe next time. This first round Tommy needs to do solo. So, Evan drops him off around the corner in the afternoon with a promise to come pick him up later that night.

Evan checks in with him pretty frequently, sending him stupid videos and things he finds on the internet, but Tommy gets hit immediately by some pretty barbed comments about being a grown man on his phone who doesn’t give a shit about the olive branch he’s being offered, so he stops checking so much.

Finally, halfway through too many glasses of wine and an early evening roast that make his memories of MREs seem like a pleasant dream, his phone starts going off pretty insistently. It’s Evan.

The doorbell is about to ring and i need you to be the one to answer it.

Well, that’s worrisome. He’s pretty close to the hallway though, so he types back: ok.

The doorbell rings. He shoves away from the table, waving everyone else back down. “I’ll get it.”

Evan is at the door. He has his phone out with a little plug-in speaker, and oh God, a stack of cue cards—

Unbelievable. “What are you doing.”

Evan enthusiastically hits play on his phone and as tinny Christmas music starts to play, holds up the first card: TELL THEM IT’S CAROLERS

He shakes his head. “Evan, even if they believed me, they would probably love that and would come check it out.”

“Tommy, who’s at the door?” His uncle calls from the dining room.

Tommy rolls his eyes and shouts back, “Planned Parenthood asking for donations!”

“Tell ‘em were eating dinner and to get the fuck out of here!”

Tommy looks at Evan pointedly, eyebrows raised, hands in pockets as if to say: well?

Evan flips to the next few cue cards:

I NEVER SAW THIS MOVIE BEFORE YOU MADE ME WATCH IT flip AND HONESTLY IT WASNT THAT GOOD flip BUT TO ME YOU ARE WORTH IT

“Evan,” Tommy says, softening.

AND I KNOW YOU THINK YOU ARE PROTECTING ME BY TELLING ME TO STAY HOME flip AND THOUGH WHATEVER IS GOING ON CAN’T BE AS BAD AS WATCHING LOVE, ACTUALLY flip OR HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS flip OR THE WEDDING PLANNER flip OR 50 FIRST DATES flip (I ACTUALLY LIKED FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) flip I WANTED TO CHECK IN

Evan fumbles the cards to the hand holding his phone to pull something out of his back pocket, a piece of paper he gives Tommy, before flipping to the next card: I MADE THIS RANSOM NOTE IF YOU NEED TO BE KIDNAPPED flip AND WE CAN GET OUT OF HERE

It’s easily the stupidest grand gesture anyone’s ever directed at Tommy. He looks over the piece of paper, words threateningly put together cut out from Evan’s copies of Food & Wine and Men’s Health. He nods to himself, smiling, then looks up at Evan who is cheesing back.

“Yeah,” he says, feels for his phone and wallet in his pocket, before dropping the paper to the welcome mat and stepping outside, ready to escape back home to the only family he needs.

[mikeyhyy]

After 30 years... (Ford × Male reader)part 1

This is Ford × Male Reader, this story takes place in the year the series takes place. The reader and Ford had a relationship, but it ended because of Bill (I can write a story explaining this part if you want). The reader is 50 years old, he was 20 when he met Ford.

I don't write for female readers so don't even try to ask if it's for a female reader.

ATTENTION: Chapter not revised

______________________________________________

How long has it been since you last seen Ford? 30 years? He just disappeared after the breakup and you don't know where he was, when you broke up it was a very strange breakup because Ford had a different voice and different colored eyes when he simply said he wanted to break up with you, but then they called you a few days ago and who had a female voice that sounded extremely excited and she said that Ford wanted to see you, but it sounded like a voice that was too young to be his wife or something. Now you are in front of the door of the 'Mystery Shack' is that the new name they gave it? Do you remember that Ford never commercialized his discoveries because that was not what he wanted.

You are currently in your fifties and you really are in the best state because you were only twenty when you dated Ford, you were young and naive and he scientist who lived in the isolated cabin in the forest. You actually found the whole mystery very attractive and he found you very attractive too so it came to that.

You only heard from Ford after the break up when you saw a newspaper headline showing him practically drunk in a bar, you realized he was with those same different eyes and decided to stop caring. But that didn't happen and you've been trying to hear from him for the last 30 years.

You squeeze the fabric of his jeans tightly and it feels like a lump has formed in your throat until you wait for a moment until you get the courage, you take a deep breath before finally opening the front door of the store and you enter the store.

Your eyes analyze the store for a moment, you see the absurd prices of strange things that if you have at least two neurons you realize are fake and it doesn't take long so that you heard an excited voice. "Are you the (name)?!" The girl with long brown hair halfway down her back, dressed in a skirt that was a little long to her knees and a very striking sweater, she had a smile on her face which showed her appearance. "Wow, Great uncle Ford was right when he said you're very handsome." The girl speaks again looking very excited, but the boy next to her stares at you even more curiously and he looked like a male version of her, but quieter and he had shorter hair, wore an orange t-shirt, dark blue vest, shorts up to the knee and a cap with a blue brim and blue sides with a blue pine tree.

"Yes, I'm (name)…" You say and put your hands in your pants pockets so as not to show that you're a little nervous, the girl asks you a billion questions and then you see the snack machine moving out of place and being pushed as if it were a door. The one who leaves there is the man who, even though he broke up with you years ago, never left your heart because he was your first love and you were the first love of his life and this is obvious because he drops whatever was in his heart. his hand the moment he sees you.

He looks at you from top to bottom, you've aged very well from his perspective, in fact from a general perspective, you still have a well-built body and your skin hasn't lost much collagen as it is normal for your age and you look so good.

But you can't help but look passionately at Ford, he doesn't look bad either and the gray hair makes him even more attractive in your opinion and he seemed to be in great condition physical. He has become even more handsome, it seems that time has only been good for him.

"(Name)…" Ford's voice sounds almost inaudible, he is so surprised, he runs his hand through his own gray hair with a slightly trembling hand and he can’t seem to believe you’re standing right in front of him after so many years. You look great, his heart beats fast when he looks at you and he can see in your eyes the man he has loved for years even if he has tried his best to forget you in the last few years in which he has passed through different dimensions.

Silence goes on for a few minutes before finally being cut off by the girl in the sweater. "So, it looks like you guys have a lot to talk about and the best way to talk alone is maybe to go out there or whatever older people do when they want a moment alone." She says and looks more thoughtful at the end as she scratches her own chin with a thoughtful expression.

Ford's cheeks get a little red and he motions for you to follow him to the basement because it's no secret to you what's there Inside, you follow him and when you enter he closes the 'door' and you go down the stairs to the bottom. As you go down you see those same screens, buttons and machines so you know that Ford is still the same Ford that you met years ago and won your heart.

(Continues in part 2…)

______________________________________________

I hope you liked it, my creativity ran out at the end and I decided to post a part two for their conversation.

[aethelwyneleigh27]

Ghostface! Ellie Williams and Ghostface! Abby Anderson with a chubby fem s/o

+ featuring some slight yandere and explicit themes (these are dating headcanons to specify)

A/n: Hi again lovelies! I didn't expect the last one to blow up so quickly so I'm back to writing, honestly every note, like and reblog encourages me to do more and do better so thank you for that. I honestly didn't expect to write something a bit gory after writing mostly fluff so this'll be interesting. Reminder English is not my first language and I'm trying my best, I hope you enjoy:)

I'll possibly add more in the future if I have ideas :3

Meet my cousin y'all: @rabblebite

Disclaimers/Warnings: Slight yandere like behavior???, violence, gore, knife kink, gun kink, stalking, suggestive themes and language. Characters may be a bit OOC (but you already know this, it's ghostface)(the chubby part is just a little add on so there's actually not that many headcanons regarding that)

If you wish to be tagged, please comment that you want to be or follow so that you'll be updated also: Rules for requests

Ellie Williams dating inspired playlist made by me

Ellie Williams

The first time you met Ellie was a bit of a blur. Let me elaborate...

You were new at the school, first day and all that cliche shit. Bell rings, you run to class. You found yourself in a seat next to a girl, auburn hair and freckles. A few times throughout the class you made eye contact and smiled a few times.

What you didn't know was that Ellie was already freaking out, can you really blame her? A pretty girl sits next to her and smiles at her, not only that but you even offered her a mechanical pencil because hers was flimsy and the led kept breaking on her. She thought you completely forgot about the pencil but did you really?

This was the start of her obsession over you.

After that day she stalked you non-stop, she knew everything. She even kept a small journal, writing down what you did and how she felt about it after.

Her sketchbooks were filled with you, aside from a few other things it was mostly you. There's at least 2-3 doodles on each page of either you or your name on her sketchbook.

May or may not have carved your initials on her guitar before you even started dating.

That mechanical pencil you gave her, she kept it, barely even used it after that so she can keep something of yours.

When she managed to get enough courage to talk to you again, she tried giving you the pencil back in guilt but you refused. You told her to keep it and did that woman worship that pencil.

You got invited to her friend group, which are Dina and Jesse and out of all of them, she hang out with you the most.

After a while, Ellie felt confident enough to ask you out and a sigh of relief for her when you said yes.

She has polaroid of you lying around everywhere in her room, you even stuck some on the edge of your mirror and locker so she'd see it.

Your pet names including: princess, bunny, sweet thing and pretty girl.

The night you found out Ellie was Ghostface was the time you were walking at the street just minding your business when you were pulled in an alleyway but some creepy 50 something year old hobo.

You kicked him off of you and tried to run and the man tried to chase after you. Only to have his mouth covered by a white cloth and stabbed in the back. Hastily running, you got pulled back by the black cloaked stranger and before you could scream, she took off her mask.

"Ellie?" You whisper in fear, you saw her drop her knife and hug you.

You were still in shock, after all you just found out your girlfriend killed someone, rather a lot of people.

"[Name]? Are you alright? He didn't touch you anywhere did he?" She asked, seemingly forgetting she was still wearing her ghostface get up. Lucky for you that you kicked him off before anything else happened.

You two talked it out and you understand her motive behind all of the killings however that doesn't take away from the fact that you're terrified of what consequences await her if she was ever to get caught.

Ellie is aware of what might happen when she gets caught so she does everything she can to make sure you are not in any way, shape or form involved if she was caught.

Even if it means for her to forever rot in prison, she'd rather keep you away than endanger you for being a witness or even a suspect.

She heard about you being flirted with and inappropriately touched by some Chad. After a few days he was spotted, gutted open at the school tree hanging by his clothes.

She'd definitely think it's adorable to see you with the ghostface get up, it's specifically tailored to her size so seeing it on you with the trim dragging on the ground makes her thing of like the ghost costumes with just a white blanket and she just thinks you're such an angel, too pure even.

I just can't stop imagining her with a knife kink, though she doesn't actually cut you with it. She loves the way you whimper and squirm when she presses the cold blade on your plush skin.

She gets off on blood, that being said once she's with you and you already know about the killings, she can't just let it slide.

Someone else's blood on your skin makes her feel all sorts of things. (You may or may have engaged in sexual things after her gutting people up)

Clean up after that is a bit of work so there's that.

Seeing you in lingerie and blood would make her lose all self control.

If you were to accidentally kill someone, she would not only help you clean up but she'll also take responsibility for the kill. She made it look like ghostface did it.

If you were to decide to join in the killings, she'd let you but with moderation.

For example she'll let you make the decision on who to kill or strategize the killings. Before you could even suggest someone who wronged you, they're already 6ft under believe me. Ellie easily picks up on how you feel about someone and it's not like you don't tell her.

She'd also let you watch the killings, either hidden or disguised but that's just how far she'll go. She doesn't want you to actually be the one to do the killing cause she's too paranoid you'll do something that'll cause you to get caught.

Abby Anderson

You met at the basketball court while you were sitting at the bleachers because let's be real here, Abby is a total jock and athlete, she seems like she'd be a gym rat too. (Without the red flags of one though)

You were sitting with your friends Dina and Jesse while you guys just catched up since the past week has been hectic, you even went so far as to gossip and think of conspiracies on who has been responsible for the reported killings by the killer they named ghostface. You looked at your phone, looking at the messages when you flinched, almost getting hit by a ball.

You open your eyes shortly to see Abby Anderson, the school's lesbian jock, who by the way is holding the ball that almost hit you. Anderson muttered an apology on behalf of her teammate who mistakenly threw the ball at your direction.

You told her it was fine and that it was and honest mistake when you know damn well you would've been far more upset if that ball actually hit you.

Abby just couldn't stop staring at you, I mean could you blame her? She felt like a knight and shinning armour when she just saved a pretty girl from a potential head injury.

She snapped back to reality when she heard her teammate say "Hey Anderson! Stop flirting with pretty girls and pass that ball back will you" Abby was a bit flustered by that comment because all and all she agreed to it.

On Abby's desk is carved your name and initials, she has gotten detention over it though I don't think the school is aware of how many desks have your name carved on them.

It took a while but Abby finally did ask you out, she approached you while you were taking a few things out of your locker. "So uhh, do you want to go out with me? On a date I mean..." She asked with her hand rubbing her neck, Abby was bracing herself for rejection.

You had to do a bit of a double take because the Abby Anderson is asking you out? You said yes obviously.

May or may not have stalked you before asking you out to find out everything you like to set up the perfect date.

Abby definitely has a polaroid of you both is her locker and gym locker. (There's one in her wallet too 🥺)

Your nicknames are: my cheerleader (because she knows damn well you've been to all her games and was there to cheer her on), baby, babe and pretty girl

You only found out that she's ghostface because she couldn't take it anymore and told you after seeing that you're scared of ghostface potentially threatening your life.

Poor baby was so worried you'd think insane if her after, let's just say she ended up loving you more for accepting the fact and understanding the reason behind the killings. (let's be real here any normal person would but not you)

When you first asked to play a part in the killings, Abby disagreed, no way in hell was she letting her girl be in danger both of the police and whatever else is out there.

She hates the idea of you going to jail more than she hates the idea of getting caught and facing the consequences.

But if you really want to then like Ellie she'd let you but with limitations. You're only ever allowed to watch when you are disguised and she'll let you stab a few every now and then.

Abby with a gun kink, Abby with a gun kink, Abby with a gun kink. Watch her get turn on when you flinch from the clicks whenever she pulls the trigger.

Despite Abby hating horror movies, she sure made a hell of a good killer.

[idiswhadidis]

math camp

pairing: jungwon x fem!reader

sypnosis: Jungwon's mom forces him to go to a math camp but what happens when his best friend since kindergarden which he got feelings for tags along?

genre: best friends to lovers, fluff

featuring: Eunchae from LE SSERAFIM

warnings: math (lol), cursing, some jealousy

wc: 3,4k

hi everyone, enhypen finally dropped their new album so I have to celebrate it by posting this wohoo. I hope you enjoy.:)

To be Jungwon's best friend could be called as a bless or curse. Most likely a bless cause he’s a polite, distinguished gentleman but even more a pain in your ass.

You know each other since kindergarden you both became friends pretty quick after you saved him from a spider crawling up his leg, you actually freaked out when you touched the spider but little you wanted to be a hero and it worked. Little Jungwon looked at you with big eyes and mouth wide open, mesmerized by your proud big smile.

Then you both went to middle school, hanging out with each other most likely everday, your mother and his mother became also good friends, your familys even went on vacations and trips together.

And now you were in high school sitting in math class, next to Jungwon.

„Boy, if you don’t stop Imma kick you where the sun doesn’t shine“ you glare at him he’s been testing your nerves for 10 minutes. His mom wants him to go to this stupid math camp in the holidays cause his grades let’s just say are not the best but yours are (slay).

„Please Y/n, you can’t let me alone I don’t wanna suffer alone I thought we‘re „the“ dream team“ he's looking at you with desperation,

„We are but I don’t want to sacrafice my holidays for a fucking math camp“,

„and you think I do? My mom is forcing me and I know it’s gonna be more baerable when you come along“, „flattering but no, I have good grades and I want to enjoy my holidays“ a pen in your hand ready to write down what the teachers trying to teach,

„I will pay your food for six months“, well now he’s getting frustrated not hearing a response from you he continues „for 1 year?“ still no response.

He leans back, hand on his chin thinking about how to persude you, when he suddenly quitely slams his hands on the table startling you, looking at him seeing him with a smirk knowing you’re doomed.

-1 Month later-

Sunglasses on your nose a suitcase on your left, a Jungwon on your right and your mood on the ground. Staring at the „Welcome at the math camp!“ sign with this stupid mascot of an owl with glasses waving at everyone. How fantastic.

 „You better keep your promise or Imma dunk you into the lake“ death staring him, he smiles at you as if he’s an angel (devil) „Of course“,

„Hello everyone! I’m Bethany and I’m the host of this camp, it’s nice to meet you! I know you might think this are going to be the worst holidays ever but no, I promise you all, even though it’s a math camp it will be so much fun! Our team prepared a lot and I hope you will enjoy it.“

You groan quietly „as if“ you whisper that only Jungwon could hear nudging you in the rips with his elbow.

„Now, when you look to my right you can see there are some pin boards about your camp houses, look for your name and make yourself comfortable we are not going to do much today because it’s already 6 pm so we’re are going to have dinner and a campfire to get to know each other. So we will meet here again at 7 pm. Have fun!“ Bethany stops her ranting and Jungwon takes your hand dragging you to the pin boards.

„camp hause number 4 and 2 let’s go“ and again he drags you along with him „so we’re not together in a house?“, „was to be expected, let’s go to your house first.“

Standing infront of the door turning to Jungwon with a frown „I’m too socialy awkward for this“, „I know but that’s okay give it a chance maybe you will find some new friends“ you look at him with a dissapproving face, him turning you around and pushing you to the door „I will be here at 6:50 so be ready“ you nod and open the door with hesistation walking into the house seeing 4 beds in each corner and one girl arranging some stuff.

The girls head pops up „Omg Hi! I’m Miya nice to meet you!“ she smiles at you and to not be awkward you smile back „Hey, my name is Y/n“ and now you both stand there smiling... yep awkward,

„so.. bad at math I guess?“ she asks „actually no, my best friend forced me to go with him“, she gasps „what a great best friend“, „right? But if it’s with him it’s okay“, „oh?“ she side-eyes you with a little smirk, „no not like that“ you narrow your eyes at her sarcastically laughing together „I think we’re going to have a great time“ she beams and turns back around to arrange her stuff and so you choose one of the beds getting yourself ready to live here for beautiful (not) 2 weeks.

Opening the door from your camp house seeing Jungwon already standing there waiting for you

„I hope there will be some good food I’m starving“ you say, him turning around „I saw some pizza boxes on the table were we’re going to eat“ he answers seeing your moody face turning into a ball of happiness making his heart burst, „ohhhh yes!“ putting your fist up in the air like you just won in the lottery, „let’s go, let’s go“ taking his hand into yours dragging him to the meeting point.

„38, 39 and 40.. Great! Everyone arrived, so as you can see tonight is going to be pizza night we have enough pizza for everyone so take as many pieces you want and let’s meet at the camp fire and get to know each other!“ Bethany stops talking and you’re the first to speed walk to the buffet making everyone snicker feeling a bit embarassed, Jungwon being your number one suporter having him right beside you his hand resting on your back making you gulp.

Taking a plate and taking some pieces completely drooling over it, grinning at Jungwon „let’s go“.

Walking to the camp fire seeing Miya waving at you making the gesture to sit beside her „Oh, that’s Miya from my camp house“ you tell Jungwon, walking straight up to her and sitting down, finally taking a bite of your pizza groaning quietly „so good?“ Jungwon asks, nodding at him cheeks stuffed with pizza.

„So, I see everyone gathered here so let’s get started. I think this will be more fun when we all know each other so let’s indroduce ourselfes-“ your shoulders dropping whispering in  Jungwon's direction „that’s gonna be so awkward“ him squeezing your leg for support „-I will start so my name is Bethany I’m 31 years old and I love to bake nice to meet you all“ she turns her head to the one beside her letting them continue.

And now it’s Jungwon's turn „Hey my name is Jungwon I’m 19 years old and uhm I love to dance“ your time to shine, you gulp intruducing yourself is nerve wrecking „uhm Hi my name is Y/n I’m 19 years old and I love to water my plants?“ making Jungwon laugh, smacking his arm making everyone laugh, amazing you’re going to be the clown of this camp. „I didn’t know you like to water your plants?“ Jungwon whispers „I don’t“ making him shake his head with a smile.

After painfully playing around for 3 hours Bethany finally said her good night.

„That was… exhausting“ Jungwon speaks up tiredly as he walks you to your camp house, „my soical battery is complety drained“, stopping infront of your door he hugs you and quietly says „well my lady, I hope you will have a good sleep and don’t let the bugs bug you“, looking at him in horror „don’t jinx it dumbass“ grinning at you „good night prince charming“.

-

You are never going to be a morning person, waking up at 8 in the morning during holildays should be illegal.

Sitting around the table resting your face in your hand still sleepy you suddenly feel a hand on your shoulder.

„morning sleepyhead“ turning around seeing the boy of your dreams, „morning“ you mumble him sitting next to you „slept good?“, shaking your head „nah I can’t sleep properly when I’m not in my own bed“, „if there wouldn’t be others in the camp house I would be by your side“ that wouldn’t be the first time but it still makes you blush „I’d actually love that“ him smirking „I know“, …excuse you?

„Good Morning everyone I hope you slept good, today is the very first day of this progamm so we’re of course starting to do math today so eat something and get the day started.“

-

Walking into the classroom in groups of 10 people so there are 4 classroom and thank the lord you were with Jungwon in the same group.

You actually hoped that a math camp would be something like swimming in the water while answering some math questions yeah.. that was so dumb.

You saw your name tag on the table in the corner of the last row sitting down looking at Jungwon who poorly sits in the first row trying not to laugh as he mouths „help me“, a man walks into the room standing infront of us.

„Hello there, I’m Zach and I will be your math teachter for the next 2 weeks nice to meet you all. Now before we start I will explain how this progamm actually works, so everday besides Saturdays and Sundays we’re going to start at 10 am in this classroom with math till 4 pm with an one hour break, so 5 hours of math a day is not that bad right-?"

Not bad? If you would be at home you could lay around in the swimming pool for 5 hours but thanks to your best friend you’re going to suffer to death. Rubbing your eyes and cursing Jungwon in your head.

„- and after 4 pm is Bethanys fun progamm. So because you’re here willngly or because your parents sent you here I want you to do your best so you can see math isn‘t that hard and you will for sure get better grades once you return to school. And now for the typical rules we’re going to respect each other and if someone says something incorrect we’re not going to make fun of them. So let’s get started open your books at page 1.“

Not even 1 hour in it, you’re ready to shoot yourself call it dramatic but you would rather sit in a room full of tigers, and to top it you’re getting irritated by a girl who’s constantly staring at Jungwon.

You wouldn’t call yourself a jealous type of person but when it comes to Jungwon something switches inside you.

-

Update it’s been 3 hours and girly girl with the name Lissy has been trying too much. You don’t know if Jungwon is dumb or dumb af, cause that girl is pushing it asking Jungwon math questions over and over again batting her fake lashes and pouting when she doesn’t understand a single thing. Rolling your eyes when Jungwons cluelessly helps her.

„Alright guys you all did amazing it’s been 3 hours, time for the one hour break.“ Zach announces everyone standing up ready to leave this hell off a classroom, passing by Jungwon not sparing him a glance.

Opening the door form the bathroom getting frightened when Jungwon suddenly stands there,

„Why didn’t you wait for me?“ walking pass him washing your hands „You were too bussy with that girl and I had to pee“ drying your hand on the towel not noticing Jungwons little smile „There’s no other reason right?“ he asks tilting his head challenging, little shit knows you too well,

„No, why would there be?“ slightly narrowing your eyes „hm sure.. then let’s go, the girl wants to introduce her friends to me and I’m taking you with me“ before you could say no Jungwon helds your hand tightly in his, trying to wiggle out of it but to no use.

Seeing miss Lissy from afar gives you the ick seeing her excited waving at Jungwon „Won you came“ you swear your eye just twitched,

She walks up to you both literally grabbing him away from you letting you stand there alone

„so this are my two friends Jason and Mike, Jason Mike this is Jungwon my new friend“ you couldn’t take it anymore turning around ready to run away-

„And who’s that girl?“ god damn it, „That’s Y/n my best friend“ sighing turning around „Hey“ making eye contact with the two boys refusing to look at Lissy.

„Oh weren’t you the girl who loves to water her plants?“ blinking at him „apperently yes“, „girl come here I’m a plant lover let’s talk“, univerese sure has a thing against you, you neither love to water your plants neither have you any knowledge about plants.

-

You don’t know how you got here but you were actually enjoyning the conversation with Mike, you talked in the beginning about plants but you quickly found out that Mike is a fast topic switcher (thank god) now you were talking about his dog?

„And he really took a shit on your bed after you scolded him?“ you asked „Yes, you should have seen his face it was like „yes I just did that“ that little shit.. he even ran away with still shit on his ass I had to chase him around the house“ having to laugh outloud making Jungwon turn his head around making him currious what you find so funny,

„God I would have loved to see that“, „I mean if you want we could meet up someday after this math camp and we could take a walk with him“ looking at him surprised „uh yeah sure?“ the both of you continued your conversation but what you didn’t catch was Jungwon's intense stare.

Sadly the one hour break came to an end and you were back in hell, it felt a bit weird walking with Mike and not Jungwon „So I hope I will see you later“ Mike says when you seperated into your classroom „for sure“ you smile at him noticing Jungwons glare.

Sitting down in your seat ready to grieve for your bed once again.

-

You thank god for letting the 2 hours of math went by fast, now you were all at the meet up point wearing your bikinis, swimmsuits etc. ready to have fun in the water.

„Now after 5 hours of math you all deserve to relax, have fun and if somehthings happens the life guards to my left will be right by your sides“ Bethany announces.

„Wanna go for a swim?“ Mike asks you „Nah, Imma sun bath I’m not really a water person“, he nods at you and leaves.

Laying down on the grass with your towel ready to get the sleep you didn’t get in the night.

Not long after you feel something touching your foot thinking it’s a bee you pretend to be dead not wanting to making it aggressive and sting you, when something touches your foot once again you slightly open your eyes and see a Jungwon staring at you and poking your foot with his toe? closing your eyes again,

„I’m trying to sleep what you want?“ „let’s swim“,

„no“

„yes“

„no“

„yes“

Before you could say no again Jungwon picks you up bridal style making you shriek „NO, Jungwon I don’t want to“

„Don’t care we’re going for a swim“ he says as he already walks into the water „Lemme at least take of my shirt I don‘t have something to change into when it’s drenched“, he looks at you „I know you’re lying you would just run away and don’t worry I have spare clothes“, groaning he knows you like an open book, asshole..

Still being carried he walks further into the water letting you slowly down your shirt totally drenched, sticking umcomfortable on your body.

„Wohoo so much fun“ you say full of sarcasm, him poking your stomach.

„So Mike?“ he asks literally out of nowhere blinking at him „Don’t tell me you brough me into the water to talk about him?“ „And what if I did?“ oh we’re getting bold now?

„Well what about Lissy?“, „I asked first“, „I’m a lady so ladys first, now spill“ you raise an eyebrow at him.

„well there’s not much about Lizzy she’s nice and funny“ looking at him irritated „She’s annyoing as fuck dude“, „and so is Mike“, „you didn’t even talk to him you can’t judge a book by it’s cover“, „well did you talk to Lissy before you judged her?“ he serious? „You little-“

before you could end your sentence you jumped onto him like a monkey, arms around his neck and legs around his torso startling him but still catching you wrapping his arms around your body protectively.

„something just tangled around my leg“ you look scared at the water, Jungwon's trying to see something and spots- „Y/n, it was just seaweed“ him grabbing into the water having seeweed around his fingers turning his face to yours which is really close to his leaning slightly back,

„well that was emberassing, we’re never going to talk about this again“ ready to untangle from Jungwon but him tightening his hold not letting you go, making you confused looking at him seeing his serious expression „wanna let go or?“

„How long will this continue?“ he asks, staring at him cluelessly „Huh?“

„Us lying to each other“, you have a guess about what he means but you try to dodge it „I still have no clue-“, him squeezing your waist making you nervous,

„Stop lying, I’m sorry to expose you now but when you once talked to Eunchae I accidently eavesdropped and heard you say things about me“ making your eyes bulge out turning your head to the left actually wishing to dissapear.

so that asshole knows that you’re in love with him..

„I’m actually really glad that I eavesdropped cause I always thought this was one-sided“ turning your head around looking at him shooked,

„Since when do you..?“

„First day of kindergarden..“ him grinning at you making your heart melt „..how could someone not fall in love when they get saved by their hero?“ making you laugh „you were really scared of that spider“,

him death staring you „you just were scared of sea-“ kissing him before he could talk further him melting into the kiss that was way overdue, hands on your waist pressing you onto him chest to chest, deepening the kiss slipping his tongue into your mouth, gripping his hair making him groan.

Once breaking the kiss you rest your head onto his shoulder „I’m so in love with you“ whispering against his neck giving him goosebumps kissing your cheek „god i’ve been waiting to hear that.“

-2 weeks later-

Math camp was finally over which means you could finally enjoy the rest of your holidays, you were glad that Jungwon forced you to go with him I mean who would have thought you would become a couple at the second day of this camp? well you didn’t.

„So you’re gonna pay for every milk shake I will ever have in my entire life?“ looking at him with happiness, you have an unhealthy obsession with milk shakes and the deal was Jungwon would pay for every milk shake you will have until you die „Of course a promise is a promise“ he answers-

„Oh look there they are“ Jungwon says seeing yours and his mother, picking you both up,

„And how was it?“ your mom asks while she hugs you „It was good“ you answer „You feel smarter?“ Jungwons mom asks Jungwon making you laugh „good joke“ Jungwon glares at you sticking up his middle finger at you.

Sitting in the car feeling tired you rest your head on Jungwon's shoulder saying hello to the dream land.

Jungwon's mom looks in the back mirror of the car glancing at Jungwon whispering „Are you finally..?“, Jungwon nodds and smiles at your sleeping state.

„You owe me 100 bucks“ Jungwon's mom states to your mom.

-

© idiswhadidis on tumblr. all right reserved. do not repost, translate etc.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #5

They're so cute...

OH, she set them up!! Here we go!

Wanda making squeaky toy noises when Cosmo hugs her is all I've ever wanted.

"We're real, all right! ... Real fairies. Not real humans."

BUDAWHAAAAAAAA-? Thank you Cosmo for just confirming elastic skin, which has been one of the most important headcanons in my worldbuilding. I did not expect you to do that for me, but... thanks?

Pfft, Wanda changing her legs.

ERG??? Is that you?

Okay, there's that "We've been retired for 10k years" implied time travel bit; I think I remember that from the story bible + early convos with my friends, so at least I came prepared to expect that.

This is either time travel - which plays perfectly into my established "Cosmo ate a time key during dinosaur times and has been running around through time unsupervised for ages" headcanon anyway, LOL - or they're flat-out lying to Hazel, seeing as the audience already knows Timmy is confirmed as a recent godkid, so... Hm.

SLDKFJSD I love how the guy who accidentally sent his baby stroller down a steep hill is wearing a #1 Dad hat. "My expensive stroller! ... I mean, my baby!" - Yeah, we're still in FOP. All the parents are terrible here.

Setting her up as loving french fries and then turning her into a fly who found french fries was clever.

Cosmo once again being so close and yet so far to his mark. Good to see him back!

Me when I return my would-be murderer's daughter, who is a bug.

I AM SO GLAD that even in 10,000 years, Wanda's small talk skills have not improved far beyond "I'm Human McRealPerson" and "My husband is a grilled cheese sandwich" from back in the day, sdlkfj. That's my girl!

oh no, the Venus flytrap gift they brought over is about to go so wrong.

Yep, she's still goin'. Talking about the carwash.

GIRL check your fingers.

OH MY GOSSSSSSH, he's dressed for a classy party in Fairy culture. Cosmorella? We thought you were dead!!

... That's an ant? I would've guessed tick.

It's a guy ant? Buddy, are you sure you're supposed to be foraging?

Let's go!!

SDLKFJSDKLFJSLKJF noooo... No, no, no, no, no... Not the thing I use to symbolize memorials for the dead, c'mon!

It IS an accurate item for a Fairy house- these were all over the place in Fairy World during the old show, AND in that color, though you usually see more than one "wand" per pot.

I'm super impressed the artists studied the old interior design customs. Huh.

Cosmo lives here. Also, BABY!!

OOH, I'm excited that Cosmo and Wanda's window overlooks Fairy World because it's kind of a portal. I did something super similar with a rat cage in an upcoming Frayed Knots scene, where Anti-Cosmo and Wanda are godparenting together during school. Nifty!

He even confirmed it's a spell on the front door! Wow. Somehow, Past Me nailed that.

"We can choose which world we go out into!" -> /Me with my 'fic where Kevin Crocker is confused that Shirley's Pizza Parlor has an exit on the other side that goes to Retroville.

Cosmo: We lived in Timmy's fishbowl for 20 years. Wanda: It was 7.

You are both wrong- it was like 68 <3 But honestly, I forgive you for not wanting to tell Hazel time was frozen for 50 years. I don't think she'd like that. Actually, I don't think she was born yet, because my vision is time freezing at the end of Season 4, and Dale was rescued in Season 2, so... Yeah, she wasn't born. Still, you don't wanna just drop that on someone.

That's actually very funny that Cosmo and Wanda are struggling because they're out of practice during their retirement.

THERE'S THE SIGN!! Way to go.

Oh, and the credits are done in a similar style to the old ones? Even the colors? That's so cute! That's also nice that Hazel's VA was a story editor too- That probably helps with the passion and vision.

That was cute. I liked it. Huge relief to see something well-researched and made with love after "Fairly Odder" was a struggle for me.

I've got a little more time tonight, I might be able to get one more episode done before bedtime.

[soft-bellied-tannies]

Thrill of the Gain

Read here or on AO3!

Currently working on requests so I will try to get more posted soon!

—-

It really did start as an accident. The discovery for them comes the year after graduating college and moving in together. Jimin had established a small online jewelry business in college that had only gotten more successful, allowing him to work from home on his own schedule.

With the mix of making his own schedule but also the occasional stress of running a small business plus two doting partners, Jimin shouldn't have been surprised that he gained 20 pounds. Jimin was aware of the weight from the start and he was fairly certain Yoongi and Jungkook were as well.

Truthfully, Jimin thought it made him look better than ever. He was curvier, filling out his hips and ass in a way that made him feel great. However, he also watched and felt the hesitation in both his partners. Yoongi would watch him closely as he got dressed and Jungkook would intentionally avoid putting his hands on Jimin's lower half.

Jimin knew their relationship could withstand a confrontation so he did just that, asking them if they were judging him or uncomfortable with his recent weight gain. Yoongi's regret was immediately evident on his face and Jungkook looked ready to cry.

They came clean, admitted to Jimin that they'd been discussing a recent discovery and were, honestly, obsessed with Jimin's body even more now. It was only getting awkward now because they were attempting to figure out how to bring it up without being assholes pointing out Jimin's weight.

With it out in the open, they all felt this new wave of excitement. Yoongi and Jungkook encouraged him to eat more and were much more appreciative with their words and touch. Jimin let them feed him sometimes and found himself pushing the limit of his stomach if either of them were convincing enough.

Less than six months later, Jimin had gone from accidentally gaining 20 pounds to intentionally gaining enough that the scale now showed him 50 pounds more than his starting weight. As sad as it was to admit, the excitement was going down as the number was going up.

Jimin admittedly wasn't feeling great. His back was hurting quite a bit lately especially when he sat over his desk making orders. He was doing a lot of the eating on his own at home, mostly snacks that weren't actually filling him with energy the way a meal would.

While not wanting to throw in the towel on their gaining interests, Jimin decided to ask his partners for help. Neither Yoongi nor Jungkook ever wanted him to feel uncomfortable physically or mentally so they helped him lose the weight.

Over the next year, Jimin dropped enough that he was even smaller now than he was when it all started. Yoongi and Jungkook were nothing but supportive and loving, but Jimin could see the shift in all of them. Something was missing.

Jimin missed his little belly that hung over his waistband and how much he used to fill out his pants. He missed how Yoongi and Jungkook looked at him and touched him. More than anything, Jimin realized he missed the build-up.

That recognition of his own accidental gain last time was surprisingly easy and enticing for him. The way all three were aware of Jimin's changing weight without talking about it created an energy in the apartment that felt thrilling. He wanted it back.

Part of him knew he should have talked to them about it, but Jimin decided to test the waters yet again. Thinking back to what led to that initial gain before, he reset his habits.

Jimin allowed himself to snack intuitively while working and prioritized taking breaks for his meals. He ordered delivery to the house for lunch when he craved something and started drinking soda again. Going for runs and taking Pilates returned to his old routine of a morning walk and simple sunrise yoga.

The change this time around was Yoongi and Jungkook stepping in as soon as they noticed changes. Jimin could tell he was getting a little soft again, but he didn't even make it to 10 pounds before they confronted him. They didn't want him to feel pressured or hit a breaking point as he did last time.

Jimin promised it was his own choice, one made out of longing. He missed the changes to his body and the looks they used to give him. He craved both the dynamic and food he enjoyed instead of clean eating.

His only ask was for them to go slower this time around, maybe a gradual change would let his body adjust as he gained. Maybe he could grow into his little belly comfortably this time so the desire to stop and restart would come so quickly.

As they are always on the same page, Jimin shouldn’t have been surprised when Yoongi and Jungkook felt the same.

That was when Jimin realized that all three may have more specific interests than they originally thought. Doing some research on his own led Jimin to the answers he wanted. Jungkook and Yoongi were clearly into the build-up and realization of his gain, loving the discovery as much as the gain.

Jimin found that he really loved the obliviousness, as uncomfortable as it started. He liked the element of ignorance his partners believed he held, catching them looking a little too long as if they thought he was unaware of his gain.

They clearly love the discovery and development even if it is different ways. That first 20 pounds or so going unspoken yet definitely recognized and observed did so much for them. Jimin would also admit that the shift from unintentional and unknown to realization but ignored to confronted and excited was amazing.

Suddenly having his partners all over him and feeding, putting on weight for a period of time but not as fast, was another level of satisfaction for Jimin. He knew they would respect him reaching a certain point where that uncomfortable shift may begin to set in.

Maybe they would start over again, maybe Jimin would drop a little weight before starting again, maybe he would eventually stop the losing part altogether.

Jimin craved his partners’ teasing during that time and how easily they could influence him. The way Yoongi could talk him through a massive meal while Jungkook gave the best belly rubs. How much they loved knowing Jimin’s weight and rewarded his gain.

The pattern of gaining made it easy to put that initial gain back on. Jimin felt like his body was made for it. He loved the soft skin of his belly whether he dropped weight or his stomach was filled to capacity. Feeling certain clothing get tighter made him aware of his body changes in the best way.

However, Jimin could see how Yoongi and Jungkook got their satisfaction in other ways. They enjoyed the shy glances shared with each other or the silent conversations they could convey when Jimin’s gain was noticeable. They could see the shirts getting clingier and the waistbands growing tighter. They watched him start reaching for a second serving of dinner then eventually three servings and a dessert becoming his normal fill.

After the second round of this happening, Jimin realized they had created a long-term roleplay. That discovery phase did so much for all three of them that acting and planning became a normal part of it to recreate that initial feeling. Those moments of awkward touches and avoidant looks, the shy and hesitant answers that once created anxiety for Jimin now brought him a rush of satisfaction.

They pushed Jimin to gain more before they had the ‘conversation’ and established a ‘new’ dynamic, but the benefit this time around was the experience from before. Yoongi knew the best ways to feed Jimin and encourage him, Jungkook knew all the right spots to provide Jimin relief and pleasure, and Jimin’s body was more adjusted for the gain.

It was only natural that the gain was higher with more experience. Jimin hadn’t even realized he had gained farther than his intended goal when he finally weighed himself. He didn’t track or obsess over the numbers during his gaining phases, purely letting the gain take its course until he reached the feeling of his limit rather than a number. Jimin admitted to Yoongi and Jungkook that although he was surprised that the number was higher this time around, he also loved seeing it.

Jimin followed the same course as last time, losing weight with his partners’ support in a healthy way. Although, it was not nearly as much as last time.

He found in some ways it was easier but also harder. Now that the agreement was in the open, he often thought about getting to the restarting point quicker, but Jimin also wanted to ensure that he did the right thing for his body and mind.

He had placed gaining limits on each phase, communicating throughout their periods of long-term roleplay and everyone upheld those limits. However, those limits slowly began to increase while Jimin’s starting weight went up in tandem. He was actually gaining slowly but surely overall even if he didn’t see it right away.

When Jimin gained 65 pounds during the first attempt at their roleplay, he only lost 45 pounds before starting again after assuring Yoongi and Jungkook that he was perfectly happy “keeping” those twenty pounds. That he felt right with his wider, curvy hips now.

Over the next five years of them wholeheartedly enjoying this back-and-forth, even if Jimin wasn’t doing as much of the back part as often as he did in the beginning. They learned new interests along the way, tried out various tips and tricks, and overall, strengthened their relationship.

To the surprise of no one, the limit crept up and up each time. While it seemed as if he were truly gaining and losing over time rather than gaining weight permanently, Jimin certainly had developed a considerably softer and curvier “baseline” body.

Jimin’s first starting weight was a low and toned 140 that used to be his normal, but it had probably been more than a year since Jimin saw below 200 even after a “losing weight” phase.

Yoongi and Jungkook encouraged bigger goals every time, especially after seeing how incredible Jimin looked and felt when he gained at his desired pace. When they first talked about limits, Jimin had felt fairly confident that 200 was going to be a consistent limit for him, yet here he was with 200 being his new low.

They were shocked to hear Jimin up the number every time, loving the way his confidence and excitement in the gain increased as well. As they approached this next “active gaining” phase as Yoongi had started calling it, Jimin let them know he was making a big decision.

No more phases. No more limits. Jimin was just going to let things happen as they happened and if gaining more weight was a part of that, so be it.

Jimin felt like they had truly fulfilled every part of the role playing dynamic over these past few years. He was ready to stop the back and forth, to let them just love his body as it was and likely the bigger body it would become going forward.

Yoongi and Jungkook could not contain how proud they were. It was a shift in their relationship and dynamic that they were ready to make. The long lasting role play of the past five years had been amazing, but seeing Jimin grow into himself and accepting his body was even better.

And they both knew Jimin better than anyone. He kept referring to future gaining as if it were uncertain, but five years worth of habits don’t go away over night.

200 may had become Jimin’s new normal with all his gaining and losing. However, it was a normal that had drastically changed from his once toned 140. Given the fact that Jimin was now tipping the scale around 270 just one year later and Yoongi and Jungkook were watching him work on dessert number two after dinner, that normal would certainly change again.

[fandom-shitposter]

Why do we have to slog through 50 layers of heavily applied references in every current Star Wars show?

Because it's a smokescreen trying to make us dismiss the ones which point out the actual underlying story. Which is the exact same story we already know only from a slightly different angle and using clones and technology instead of Jedi since, you know, that's not really an option anymore

The story of a child living on a backwater planet who lives solely with their mother, a child who has an amazing talent for machinery and builds their own droid(s), who gets to run off with a bunch of men (their new 'family') for a far more exciting life which ultimately leads to devastation after they made some really bad life choices because they don't want to accept death as a factor of life

And yeah, I do realise how basically stripped down that description is

First we meet the small child, then we meet them again when they're older and getting all trained up (even if it is done as more of a Dooku/Ventress thing second time around)

And then they hit their final stage where they never ever take their helmet off until the very end of things, and neither of them are using their own speaking voice

Cue the supposed 'shock' ending and a bunch of Disney execs patting themselves on the back for no one seeing it coming

-

Each OG role has been divided up between 2-3 current characters so Omega can help Mommy out by building a cyborg to mimic Anakin building C3PO but she hasn't had the opportunity or ability to do the equivalent of killing the Jedi in the temple, that part was farmed out to someone else regardless of whether they stated it on that specific show yet. It already happened and we saw it previously

Tech can stand in for Obi-Wan disliking her flying style, teaching her the skills she'll need to survive and dealing with her on an emotional level (with the assistance of the rest of the 'family' like the Jedi would have supported Anakin), but the big Anakin vs Obi-Wan fight at the end of season 1 was acted out by Hunter and Crosshair instead and since Echo already lost the appropriate number of limbs which that fight claimed before becoming a cyborg there was no need to repeat it

-

Unfortunately they've spent so much time on cramming in the surface level references into all of these shows, bending existing characters into shapes that don't fit them (*cough* Ahsoka show *cough*), obscuring the details and dropping any inconvenient parts of former canon they don't like that it's all become a little bit overblown and boring.

The makers of Star Wars just can't get past the Anakin Skywalker story no matter how big the SWU is or how many far more interesting tales there are to tell in it. How many promising looking shows have been cancelled or lost to development hell to focus on this instead?

Just last year Dave Filoni claimed that Anakin was the best Jedi ever (or something like that) and we all laughed at him for it. So why did he claim it in the first place? Who was he trying to convince? Are we just supposed to watch these shows and decide that Disney are doing it better than Lucas ever could? Just what is the point here?

Apart from money, obviously

[shadowqueenjude]

Jassa wedding!

This takes place AFTER my story where Lucien loses his shit and does something crazy!

Epilogue --> 2 years later Lucien imagined this would be the first time in history Prythian ever hosted a wedding between two humans.

He chuckled at the thought, knowing Tamlin would be proud. He had always been a radical; hosting an all-human wedding seemed like the kind of thing he would do.

He wondered what his people would think of it. That their new High Lord of Spring had two humans for best friends, and that he was going to be the best man at their wedding.

He imagined many people wouldn’t be happy about it. Well, they were just going to have to deal with it.

They weren’t any ordinary humans, anyway. They were now the Queen and Prince-consort of the human lands. Once Vassa obtained her freedom, it didn’t take long for her to kick her fellow queens to the curb. She was a badass like that.

And finally, after two years of Lucien telling the two idiots to just get married already, they’d finally agreed on one condition: Lucien had to host their wedding.

Lucien had planned on doing it anyway, but he pretended to be all hung up over it for a little while.

And now he stood beside his best friend, Jurian, who was waiting for Vassa to come down the aisle. His silver wedding outfit would’ve been very grand if it weren’t for the gigantic eye woven into the middle of the dress robes. Jurian had insisted on it, saying it was destiny that he get married with a gigantic eye on his clothes since he was an eye for 500 years and his best man had lost an eye 50 years ago, both to the same woman. Lucien had shaken his head, but he couldn’t deny it was absolutely hilarious. Lucien had added a little magic to the eye, so all the wedding guests were extremely uncomfortable because the eye moved every once in a while. Lucien had to resist the urge to laugh every time he looked at the eye.

Marigolds and dahlias lined the aisle. Lucien had insisted on no roses, considering how the last wedding went; they were cursed to him now.

“What do you imagine her dress looks like?” Jurian muttered to Lucien from the corner of his eye.

Lucien snorted. “You say that like I don’t already know what it looks like.”

“What? She showed you?”

“No. But I’m not so easily foiled.” Lucien said, winking at Jurian, who scowled. “Fuck off.”

“Who’ll be your best man, then?”

Jurian opened his mouth to reply, then his jaw dropped as he stared at Vassa.

Her off-the-shoulder dress was exquisite; Lucien had made sure of that. Layers upon layer of orange tulle flowed around her, and wings sprouted from the back of the dress. A costume for a firebird. Lucien had made sure to put a tiara in her hair as well so that no one forgot her queen status.

Jurian’s eyes just about popped out of his skull. The scent of his arousal clogged Lucien’s nose. “Dude, calm down. Think of something nasty. Like being an eye for 500 years.”

The arousal instantly dispersed. “Thanks, bro,” he muttered. “Don’t mention it,” Lucien said.

Vassa reached the end of the aisle and took Jurian’s hand. The priestesses began their prayers, and Lucien’s eyes drifted to his mate and wife. Elain beamed at him from the front row. She looked lovely in a simple floral lavender dress. To her right sat Nesta and Eris in matching green robes. To her left sat Feyre and Azriel in Night Court black.

“You look handsome,” Elain mouthed at him. Lucien blushed.

Soon the prayers ended and Jurian and Vassa began their vows.

“Jurian, I knew you were an idiot from the start,” Vassa said. “But your idiocy grew on me. I find it amazing that you were imprisoned by Amarantha for 500 years and you never broke. You’re so strong, and even though you suck at most things, you’re an incredible general and king. Most importantly, in my toughest moments, when I was imprisoned by Koschei, you stuck with me through it all. So, you fucking idiot, I love you.”

Lucien resisted the urge to snort, but Jurian actually had tears in his eyes. To each their own.

“My beautiful Vassa, you flounced into my life after my 500 year imprisonment and absolutely turned my life upside down. I don’t know where I would be without you to humble me at every turn. Even though you were imprisoned by a death god, you never broke, and the moment you got free you kicked your fellow queens to the curb, and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. So, my firebird, I love you too.”

Lucien looked away as they kissed, focusing on Elain instead.

Elain blew him a kiss. Lucien grinned like an idiot, but he didn’t care. He never thought he could be this happy. He only wished Tamlin was still here to see it.

Lucien waited for his cue. Vassa tugged on her ear, and Lucien set the edges of her dress on fire. A true firebird. Vassa grinned as the fire set off her fiery hair, tied back in an elegant ponytail. Jurian’s eyes were starstruck as he gazed at her. Lucien smiled.

Soon, it was time for the best man’s speech. Lucien cleared his throat. “When I first met Jurian, it took all of my self-control to not rip out his throat.” Jurian grinned. “I never would’ve expected that soon after that we’d be best friends. It was the worst time of my life. I’d been kicked out of two courts, and I would always be an outsider in the other. I fell in with Jurian and Vassa, who also had no family of their own. And we made our own family. The sexual tension between these two fools was crazy, but they were so stubborn they wouldn’t get married until I agreed to host their wedding. So, here we are. All hail Queen Vassa, and her prince-consort, Jurian!”

The crowd cheered. Lucien’s heart soared.

Everything was starting to settle down now. Prythian was becoming the place it always should’ve been.

Tamlin’s dream would live on.

[theshippirate22]

so apparently all my brain is lately is steddie headcanons and aus but you know what here we are

so. new take.

steve LOVES food network.

when he was a teenager, he would turn it on when he was home alone to break up the silence a little bit and yeah, maybe kinda used Martha Stewart and Ina Garten as maternal figures to make up for the lack of his own (he laughed out loud when Martha Stewart went to prison; she was still a better role model than his real mother)

and then he grew up and suddenly shit was real and he was (unofficially) (illegally) married to a man who thought the height of food luxury was saltines in Kraft cheese sauce (Steve’s 98% sure Eddie lived selectively off Mac and Cheese before they were together) and suddenly Food Network is a need. He’s got to cook or he’s going to lose his goddamn mind if Eddie suggests Froot Loops for dinner for the fourth night in a row (it was fine the first three nights; at this point Steve thinks there’s Froot Loop literally in his brain), so Steve watches to learn. To find recipes. To help get acquainted with ingredients and techniques that his Taste of Home magazines aren’t giving any help with.

and then he grows up again and now he’s certainly much closer to 50 than to 30 (Eddie found one (1) singular silver hair in his beard two years ago and has been calling him “old man” since, even though Steve found the black hair dye in the bathroom cabinet at least a year and a half before that) and now Max and Lucas have three kids and Robin and her (unofficial) (illegal) wife, Christina are remodeling a house, and Dustin and Lucy are doing something that requires a patent and Erica is still sending them post cards from wherever the hell she is now (the most recent was from the Swiss alps and it’s on the fridge, wedged under both a magnet repping the bar in Detroit where Eddie and Steve got engaged and a magnet Joyce and Hoppet brought back from Hawaii from Hop’s retirement trip.) And Food Network is still there, almost always on some place in the house, but it’s not so necessary anymore because Steve is good now. Jeff and Gareth still drop in every now and then when the band’s in town just to get a taste of what Steve’s working on (Eddie gave up the rockstar dream years ago; after the Upside Down, he couldn’t bring himself to touch his guitar, let alone play, for a long long time, so Corroded Coffin became Coffin Cult and they still give Eddie credit for all the hit songs that are really his and they’re doing really well, if the charts have anything to say about it.) Besides, there’s new shows and he can watch things on-demand and there’s a whole new slew of personalities that he’s got to give a try.

So Food Network stays.

And Eddie can’t help the affectionate grin that takes over his face when he gets home and Steve’s made a batch of cookies just so he can eat the entire thing by himself while binge-watching Pioneer Woman, and he climbs in bed next to him, under his arm, on his chest and you know what? Eddie loves Food Network too.

[btwxsixesandsevens]

I have a theory that the reason Bucky was just lukewarm to Marvin Gaye's music is that he first listened to it while checking off items from Steve's notebook of things to learn about in the 21st century, almost like a homework assignment. It wasn't until he heard Sarah humming along with background music while she worked on the boat and in the house that he truly thought of modern music as something to be enjoyed for its own sake. Now he loves gospel, and adores Tina Turner along with the Queen of Soul. He remains unimpressed by Marvin Gaye, much to Sam's annoyance and Sarah's amusement.

Thank you, Nonny, for this comment. You sparked something undeniable. I agree with your theory, 100%.

***

Bucky tried, really tried. Following directions was a habit he couldn’t shake. So when Sam told him to listen to Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” album, he’d done so with all the diligence of a straight-A student. He didn’t get it. He even tried to watch the movie it was a soundtrack for — he just had Vision pull it up, or down load it, or whatever…Good lord, he could watch a 50-year-old movie on demand! — but it didn’t help. That took him down an Internet rabbit hole (another modern miracle slash nuisance) of watching Blaxploitation flicks while he sat around Avengers Tower. He came back to Louisiana feeling absolutely enlightened. One day Sarah, in the course of conversation, said: “Shut your mouth!” he automatically responded, “I’m just talkin’ bout Shaft.” There had been a lot of explaining to do after that. But still, didn’t get it.

Saturdays were for cleaning around the Wilson house. And it came with music. Bucky knew what he was in for when Sarah tied her hair up high and turned the radio up loud. It was usually songs from the 70s and 80s, lots of “funk” with a sprinkling of R&B and Gospel. To keep him on his toes, he figured. It made the housekeeping fun, reminded him of being in the service, when the band on base would play over the loudspeaker. He’d once been caught dancing with a mop handle while scrubbing the mess hall. That was a long time ago. This was now though. He was out back dumping out the trash, when he heard Sarah say: “Oh, that’s my JAM!” Then her fumbling to get to the speaker to start the song over and turn it up. He didn’t think much of it. It started out reasonable enough: “Now we’re gonna take the beginning of this song, and do it easy. But then we’re gonna do the finish, rough. That’s the way we do, Proud Mary.” It had a nice, almost sweet, beat to it. A little groove. They were on a river, the Mississippi he presumed, and singing and happy, and yeah, fine. He came in the door to see her slowly mopping the floor with broad sweeps: “Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, popped a lot of tang down in New Orleans.” “Popped a lot of tang?” he’d have to look that one up. Seventies slang was really hard to track. He kept working, straightening up the mudroom. Then, as the kids say, the beat dropped. The horns came in. Sarah started singing. “Big wheel keep on turnin’, Proud Mary keep on burnin’!” The background singers stepped in and it felt like an actual presence in the room, like a whole damn band had shown up. Sarah didn’t see him. Or didn’t care. Because she was dancing, eyes closed, feet moving frantically, singing into the end of the mop handle as she dragged in across the floor: “Rolling on the river! Doot doot doot doot! Da doot doot doot doot!” The mop was both dance partner and microphone stand. The table was the audience. The kitchen counter, the band. She commanded it all, her feet double pumping as she danced, her arms spread wide. It was joyous and loud and silly and perfect. Then she came to the end, one hand over head, with the other she dropped the mop with a clatter and said, proudly to no one: “Mike drop!” Then she bowed. So Bucky clapped. Of course he did. Sarah startled back to the present and saw him standing in the door way, grin wide. “Bucky B Barnes if you don’t get back to work!” she snapped, embarrassed and entertained simultaneously, snatching the mop back up into her hands. “Sorry Kitten, had to…quite the performance.” “If you tell anyone…” “Don’t have to. Everyone in town heard you.” That’s how Bucky met Tina Turner. The second love of his life.

***

Just in time for the end of SarahBucky month.

[modmamono]

Give it 2 more years and more Puyo PuyoTubers will show up.

Specifically, ones that don't focus on gameplay.

I'm not expecting like 50, 40, 30 or even 10 PuyoTubers to pop-up in 2 years. But kids who had PPT1 in 2017 are growing up. Merely two new Puyo PuyoTubers (or Tubers that name Puyo Puyo drop it a lot) you can name popping up already is a significant increase.

I am a significant increase to Puyo Puyo Content in a little over a year on YouTube myself and I'm just one guy. (Though please don't overdo it like me. That's not healthy.)

Just waiting on even more people to fill the niche I fill or completely different niches. It'll happen. Even if it's not exactly the 2 years I said.

This is not me being optimistic, nor am I being pessimistic. I'm just being matter-of-fact from my POV.

Part of my motivation why I still make Puyo Puyo content is to set a good example for those that will come after me.

Any idea how much a YouTuber's opinions and style kids absorb? A lot. It's why the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase is partially as volatile as it is. You can't like anything without someone being at your throat because it's cool to hate the Sonic game/thing you like now.

Sonic discourse in the "Meta-era" and "Dark age" was horrible. Just like what you like!

And Puyo Puyo's western fanbase is still in its relative infancy. So even if I'm wrongly assuming, it's best to not imprint any bias I have onto others so it can mutate into something hidious via telephone game anyways.

It's why I don't really state my opinions on characters that much, why I treat every game very egalitarian. Because I feel like I'm stuck with the duty to set a good example. Whenever I can I try to promote a healthier way of thinking, even if I'd rather you form your own opinions. Just don't shove them down my throat and I won't in yours'.

Granted if I was more opinionated my content wouldn't be that much different. I'm just that kinda guy.

But there's a reason my Puyo Nutshell videos don't really show my opinions at all (though not flawlessly). That was a very conscious choice. Having a good laugh is more important to me than talking something down.

My suspicions about why I'm still being a self-appointed role model have proven true over and over anecdotally. I see a lot of aggression, defensiveness, and/or infighting regarding Puyo Puyo.

Sometimes I make a funny video and people take it as criticism when it wasn't. Even when I made this video Puyo Puyo!! Quest hasn't been that lazy in many, many years, I cherry-picked those:

Sometimes I make I make a benign comment on how the Mario RPG remake's cover art is a nice call-back to the Japanese Original cover art and Square RPGs of the 90s. Que a few discord pings adamant letting me know how much better and impressive the American cover art is when it wasn't a Versus video all nor did I insinuate it was better. It was about the remake's box's own merits (you're not getting my opinion on which is now which I like more):

And things unrelated to me, there's just fighting which Puyo Puyo game's the best. As if that's something worth fighting over.

All of this and more is just not something I want in the PuyoTubers' and the wider fanbases' future.

Have different opinions just be civil about it.

So regardless of how accurate I am with my two-year or how many PuyoTubers pop-up assessments, it will happen. And I'd like to it be decently influenced. Don't be immediately at people's throats, try to see their side of the argument. Things like that.

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 28

word count - 2.4k warnings - cursing, slight angst Summary: Lina's plans for Valentine's Day this year are completely changed…

Shopping for clothes with Val is both parts thrilling and terrifying. Thrilling, because she has a far better eye for finding things I'd wear. Terrifying, because her eye is also good at finding things so far out of my comfort zone that I'd never have thought to wear them in a million years.

"What do you think of this one, Lina?" she asks, holding up a white, sweater, and cap-sleeved crop top.

I raise my eyebrows and ask, "Should I get some cargo pants and butterfly clips for my hair, too? Val, we're not teens anymore..."

Pouting a little, she puts it back and says, "Yeah, well, you don't have the proper belly ring and chunky heels to complete the look, so..."

I snort and say, "C'mon Val, I gotta find more work clothes. I'm gonna be in an office, maybe even out in the field, running after bad guys. A crop top ain't gonna cut it."

She sighs and sorts through a display rack of shirt-filled hangers, then says, "Yeah, yeah...so, how've things been going, now that you know you'll have a more permanent position there?"

I hum and sift through the pants laid out on a table, trying to find my size and say, "Oh, it's been going pretty well. I have my morning routine down pat. Though I may have to change how I do my hair in the morning once it starts getting warmer..."

"Yeah? You've made friends, right? Been able to hang out with some of your co-workers?" she asks vaguely, abandoning the rack she's been scouring and attacking a new one nearby.

"I...yeah, I suppose. Haven't had much of a chance these past couple of weeks, what with the last case we did. But we did go out to dinner and then a bar for a little bit after, I told you that." I say, grabbing a pair of slacks and holding them up to inspect them.

"No, you told me about the dinner, you didn't say anything about a bar! Alright, gimme the deets." Val says, eyes wide and a big grin on her face as she waits for me to talk.

I give a short laugh and say, "I...there's not much to say! After dinner, we all went to that bar we went to before, O'Keefe's, and I had a Shirley Temple, and we talked a bit, then I left to come home."

She hums and says, "Uh-huh, how'd you get home last night? The Metro?"

I shake my head and hang the pair of pants I want to try on onto my arm and say, "Nope, actually, my boss and his wife dropped me off, then they were going to take Spencer home..." I look up to see a very amused look on Val's face, and ask, "What?"

"Oh, so Spencer was with you, too? How'd you manage to get a ride with your boss, anyway?" she asks, her hand hovering over a dress rack.

"Oh, hell no, no dresses for me," I say quickly, causing her to pout again and divert her attention to a display of skirts and other types of bottoms. "Well, Spencer and I were gonna share a cab," I start, seeing her eyebrows shoot up, I quickly continue. "But when our boss and his wife came out to leave, we were still there waiting, so they offered us rides home."

"You two were gonna share a cab? Just you two?" Val says, grinning gleefully as she explores the various clothing hanging on the table in front of her.

"I-yeah? Spencer suggested it since I said I wanted to head home a little early 'cause we were gonna be doing this today..." I explain, grabbing another pair of pants.

I'm met by a minute of silence, which is about 50 seconds too long for Val, and look up to see a pleased expression on her face, her eyebrows bouncing up and down when I catch her eye. I snort and say, "I know what you're thinking, but Spencer isn't really one for the bar scene, so it makes sense he'd want to head home early, too."

She gives an exasperated sigh and says, "Oh my God, when are you gonna ask him out already?!"

"Val, I-I can't..." I start.

"Bullshit. It's 2006, you can absolutely ask a guy out, there are no laws against it," she says smugly, picking up a few skirts from the display for me to try on.

I roll my eyes and say, "I know that, I mean I personally can't. I don't know for sure if he likes me! As far as I know, he's just glad to have someone to talk to about books and things..."

She shakes her head and says, "Whatever. But it's almost Valentine's Day, and like clockwork, you're gonna be mopey as hell. I'm getting you a date this year. It's about time you had one."

I look at her dumbfounded, saying, "Wha-what?! No, I won't, I won't get mopey, I promise. I'll probably just stay in and watch something..."

She shakes her head and says, "Nope, not this year. I have a guy in mind, he's nice, and his name's Brad. I think you'll like him."

I groan and say, "No, no...I-I can't, Valentine's Day is on a Wednesday this year! I have work!"

Val snorts and says, "Nice try. You guys can go out on Saturday instead. You'll be off on Saturday, right?"

I chew my lip a little, saying, "I mean, yeah, unless we get a case..."

"And if that happens, we can go from there, but this year, my dear, you're gonna go on a date!" she says, dumping the clothes she chose for me into my arms and leading me to the dressing room.

I must have had a very reluctant look on my face, because Val then said, "Oh, come on, it's one blind date, Lina. You gotta live a little. Look, I'll give you more details during the week just...give it a shot, ok? Please?"

I sigh as I start to try the clothes on and say, "I...I guess, ok. Fine. Set me up, Vallie."

She squeals a bit and jumps up and down slightly, then calms down and says, "Oh, it'll be a great Saturday for you, I just know it!"

*************

After successfully finding some new items for my wardrobe, I begin the week a bit apprehensively. I do my best to put it out of my mind at work, but on a break for coffee, Elle looks over at me and says, "Lina, what's wrong? It looks like you've been ordered to swallow fire or something,"

"Yeah," JJ pipes up, turning around to look at me after getting a cup of coffee. "What's got you so worried?"

I look up from the table I'm sitting at, having been steadily shredding the empty sugar packets in front of me into smaller and smaller pieces, and say, "Oh, uh, my-my roommate is setting me up on a blind date on Saturday."

Penny pokes her head into the room and says, "I heard the word 'date' and got here as soon as I could. What's the deal, honey?"

I stop for a moment, then explain, "Well, I've...never really gone on a date, let alone with someone I've never met, so I'm...kinda worried about h-how to, well, proceed and w-what to do..."

Elle, JJ, and Penny all exchange sympathetic looks, and then JJ says, "It's ok, it's nothing to be worried about. It's basically just...hanging out and getting to know someone. Do you know anything about the date yet, where it is, the name of the guy?"

I started scrolling through my phone, going over the texts Val started sending me when she had a minute or two to spare. "Um, we-well, it's on Saturday, but you know that...it-it's at 3 pm at the Starbucks near my apartment building."

Elle nods and says, "OK, great, so it's casual. You can wear something comfortable, but nice, kinda like what you'd wear to the club." I must have had a blank look on my face, because then she said, "Um, like something you wore when we first went to O'Keefe's?"

JJ cuts in with, "You know, like...jeans and a nice top. Something casual, but a little dressy." I nod, understanding and beginning to feel a little better.

"But what do I say? 'Hi, random stranger, what kind of stuff do you like?'" I say, still nervous.

The three of them stare at me for a moment before Penny says, "Yeah, that's pretty much it. You seriously mean to say you've never been on a date before?" I nod, and Penny sighs, then asks, "OK, what else do we know?"

I scroll to the last text I got from Val that had two pictures attached, one a full-body picture of the guy, and one of his face. "Um, this is what he looks like..." I say, showing the three of them my phone.

"Whoa..." JJ says, followed by a wolf whistle from Elle, and a dropped jaw from Penelope.

"What, you guys find him that good-looking?" I ask, turning it back to me and looking over the pictures again.

"You don't?!" Penny asks incredulously.

I shrug and say, "I mean, I guess, but I'm not really one for the super muscular guys..."

"Songbird, you wound me..." I hear Derek say jokingly behind me. I spin around and he nods his head toward my phone and asks, "Who's he?"

I say, "Oh, uh, he-he's the guy my roommate set me up on a date with..." Derek nods and hums.

Penny asks me again, "You seriously aren't attracted to him? Really?!"

I grimace and shrug while setting my phone on the table, and Derek teasingly says, "Aw, c'mon Baby Girl, you know Songbird's more into the string bean type..."

I blush furiously and shush Derek, who laughs and says, "Oh, relax, he's not even in here..."

Almost as if on cue, Spencer walks in and pours himself a cup of coffee. As he stirs in his customary copious amounts of sugar, he sees everyone situated around my phone on the table and asks, "So, what are we looking at?"

Elle smiles and says, "Lina's date for Saturday,"

He stops stirring his coffee for a moment or two, then resumes and says, albeit in an octave or two higher than usual, "Oh, really?"

I turn and look at him almost apologetically, saying, "Yeah, uh, m-my roommate set me up on a blind date this Saturday. I've never been on one before, so the other ladies here have been giving me pointers,"

Spencer slowly starts nodding and says in his normal voice, "Ah, ok," and starts drinking his coffee as the girls give me more tips.

After a while, everyone filters out, and Penny and I head back to our cave to transcribe more files. After an hour or so, there's a knock at the door, and Hotch comes in.

"Sir?" Penny says, sitting up straight.

"You're fine, Garcia. Aschebrooke, I was thinking that you could start your field training after your internship ends if you were still interested in becoming an agent." Hotch says, turning to me.

Struck speechless momentarily, I blink and quickly say, "Yeah, yes, sir! That sounds good. Where will I need to go, is it far?"

Hotch shakes his head and says, "It's in the basement of this building, and the shooting range is in the sub-basement. Your internship ends March 3rd, correct?"

I nod and say, "Y-yes, sir. Is there anything I need to do to prepare before then?"

Hotch says, "We will be testing physical fitness and teaching you how to handle a firearm, so unless there's something that seriously hinders your ability in either aspect, you shouldn't need to prepare for anything."

I nod in understanding, then say, "Thank you, sir. I'll do my best, hopefully it's enough."

He gives me an expression that normally wouldn't be considered a smile if it was on anyone other than Hotch, and says, "I have every confidence in you, Aschebrooke. I'll let you both get back to work."

*************

The rest of the week flies by, and by the end of Friday, I'm so wound up that as Spencer and I walk to catch a ride home, he asks me, "Hey, are you ok? You haven't been giving anything other than one-word answers."

I look at him and say, "I'm sorry, I'm just...kind of dreading this blind date. What if we don't have anything in common? What if I say something stupid? What if he turns out to be an unsub?!"

Spencer tries to reign in a laugh and says, "Lina, you should be fine. Is it in a public place?"

I nod and say, "Yeah, it's at the Starbucks near me, at..." I check my phone again. "3 pm."

Spencer fiddles with the strap of his satchel and says, "OK, so it's in a public space, in the afternoon, so the chances of him being an unsub should be dramatically slashed. As for the other two things, do you know anything about him?"

I shake my head and say, "No, I know his name, what he looks like, and that he works with Val. That's it."

"Well, you've been friends with Val for a while, haven't you? Would you say she knows you well enough to know the kind of person you'd get along with?" he says

I chew on my lip and nod, saying, "I mean, she knows the kind of guys I get crushes on. While this guy isn't my usual type, maybe his personality matches. Val's usually pretty spot on with figuring out who's a decent person and who isn't..."

Spencer shrugs and gives me a tight smile, then says, "Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just...have fun, Lina."

Slightly shocked, I slowly nod and try to smile while joking, "And if all else fails, I'm sure I can always make up an excuse and say something came up, then run the hell away. That should help prep me for training, too!"

Spencer laughs and says, "I don't think it'll come to that, but it's good you have a backup plan."

As we ride the Metro home, I feel a little better, but mostly I feel wistful, wishing I had had the guts to tell Spencer how I felt about him. After bidding him goodbye, I walk home, trying to be hopeful and look forward to the looming date ahead.

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Story masterlist

[3terna15unshin3]

Then Because She Goes

Cry, I will love you, love you, love you

★ Chapter 13 of 15, 3498 words

★ Matty Healy x Original Female Character

★ warnings: angst, descriptions of grief and depression

<< 12

18 September, 2019

Matty was right. Everything was okay. Until it wasn’t, and Este got the call.

She dropped everything to catch a plane to London. A train would be too slow. She had to be with her family. The two weeks she spent there felt like some of the longest weeks of her life.

There wasn’t a moment that the universe let her mind rest—it was a constant buzz of anger, sadness, release. She was mad that bad things happened to good people. Sad that there was so little time left. And eventually, two Mondays later, it happened. Este thought that when it did, her emotions would peak and then she’d be on the comedown—slowly, she guessed. But it wasn’t. Every day felt like the worst of what was to come. And the worst kept coming.

The clothes draped on her body remained the same for too long. Even their musty stench that grew as time passed couldn’t inspire her to change, so Cate had to force her out of them. She’d been helpful through those horrid weeks, constantly checking up on her best friend, even coming down to London a couple of times to take Este’s mind off of things and attempt to bring her back down to earth.

Two days after the dreaded Monday, they came back home to Manchester to grab some more of their things. Enough to last them through the weekend and however long Este felt she would need to stay. Work was a worry, but it didn’t matter to her as much as it probably should have.

After helping her flatmate pack another bag and essentially petting her head to sleep, Cate considered how intensely Este’s life had been put on hold to make room for her grief. There was no time to make new memories when she was all consumed with trying to cling to the ones with Florencia. Este was terrified of the reality that one day she’d struggle to remember them as brightly as they once were.

Cate thought about the increasing number displayed in the red notification bubble at the corner of her Messages app, and the people waiting to hear from her. The plans Este must have had, and their inevitable rain-checks. That’s when Matty came to mind. She decided that sending him a text would aid in planning their accommodations back in London, in case of some small chance that he’d have time to be there for the rites.

Matty Healy (famous)

Yesterday at 20:50 PM

hey. i thought i’d let you know that the funeral is on saturday morning. wasn’t sure if este invited you out but i know she’d want you there

i also have no idea where in the world you even are rn

so if you can’t make it then don’t worry

Today at 06:04 AM

Funeral????

I haven’t heard from her since this past Saturday

What’s going on

oh my god. she didn’t tell you

i’m so sorry you had to find out this way and that it isn’t coming from este but her nan passed away on monday.

Shit

I don’t know what to say, I’m so sorry

Can I ask what happened?

she’s been in remission for a couple of years, but in mid august ish she got super sick again. everything happened really fast and there weren’t any treatment options.

so at the beginning of september este went down to stay with josé in the house. the whole family went. they at least got to be with each other for her last couple of weeks

Is she still there in London or are u guys in Manchester

she just arrived back to the flat to pick up more of her stuff and figure out her leave from work and stuff with sam

we’re staying the night but heading back tomorrow. wake is on friday morning and the funeral the next day

Was just trying to figure out if somehow I could make it but I’m in Auckland

Would take days on a plane and we have a bunch of Australian shows coming up

I don’t think theres a way

it’s ok matty. she’ll understand

sorry for loading this all on you out of nowhere

No, thank you for telling me

Please let me know if there’s something I can do. Even from all the way out here

Anything

Today at 11:29 AM

i will

but also, just as a heads up, este really is not in a good place. she’s in good hands, so you dont have to worry or anything, but maybe just wait for her to reach out first before saying anything. hopefully you can understand why i ask that of you

hope your shows in australia go well x

Of course I understand x

Thank you Cate

Matty’s heart broke for Este and her family when he read the texts sitting in his notifications after his long plane journey out to New Zealand. In the car ride over to the hotel, Hann took note of how unusually his mouth was pressed into a flat line as he furiously typed away on his phone, eventually asking him what was up.

“Cate’s just told me that Este’s nan just passed.” he explained, “She was just super vague at the start about a funeral and I haven’t heard from Este at all, so I panicked,”

“Did you think she was inviting you to Este’s funeral?”

“Dunno, really. ‘Funeral’ is just a scary word.” Matty continued typing as Cate’s responses came through.

“Shit. Sorry, mate.” said George, giving his condolences. “How old was she?”

“75. Cate’s saying it was cancer.” As he read more texts, the further it was explained.

“The nan with the gallbladder?” Ross asked, a contained amusement sitting on his face as he brought up the story he shared when the guys had first met Este and Cate.

Matty threw him a grimace. “Yes, Ross. I’m sure she had a gallbladder. But if you mean the one who was my nurse after I got mine removed, then also yes.” Despite how inappropriate his joke seemed, Matty was glad the mood lifted when it gained a couple bittersweet chuckles from the rest of the guys. “Este never told me about any of it, so I’m just a bit shocked,”

He’d been frozen with grief before, so he didn’t blame her for not saying anything. Letting her heal was necessary—and his feelings couldn’t matter less in this situation. Plus, the idea of sending a message was too scary. He didn’t know what to say, or how to say it, or want to overstep. So Cate suggesting he let Este come to him first helped him with the internal dilemma.

She almost regretted reaching out to Matty after discovering that Este hadn’t told him about Florencia. It felt like crossing a boundary; like something that should have been shared on her accord instead of by her best friend over text. To clear her conscience, Cate confessed what she had done as they sat on the train back to London the next day.

“Hey,” she started, to break the silence and grab Este’s attention. Her sad eyes looked up to acknowledge the conversation and her curious eyebrows raised.

“Yesterday I was thinking about where I’d be staying this weekend and if there would be enough room at your grandparents’ house. Which I know you said there would be—but it just had me thinking about everyone who may need accommodations for coming in from out of town—and I thought of Matty. Which in retrospect, was stupid in the first place, since his literal house is in London. Impulsively I just sent him a text without even asking you first, and I feel really guilty for intruding, especially since he let me know that you hadn’t told him or anything. So I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking in the moment, I just—“

A reassuring and gentle hand was felt on Cate’s forearm. It was Este’s, as if to say, ‘It’s okay’. She gave a soft smile and Cate showed one similarly, still holding her breath from the anticipation of what reaction the fact she revealed may conjure.

All she did was swipe away Cate’s auburn hair before leaning her head on her shoulder—where the hair once sat—so that the weight wouldn’t pull on it, sighing quietly. Este didn’t feel strongly about anything at that moment, letting the clunky sounds of the train and the presence of her best friend envelop her numbness.

It wasn’t an active decision to keep Matty uninformed. It was probably due to her refusing to believe it would ever come to the point of relevance. That if she didn’t admit that Florencia was sick again, then the gut-wrenching inevitability couldn’t be real life. And once it was—as much as Este craved the comfort she knew he’d provide her—she couldn’t be rational. It was an all-consuming paralysis.

The air in the house was heavy. Endless paperwork screamed for attention from the dining room table, so her parents and granddad were busy dealing with that; not saying much to the two girls as they entered. A touch on the small of Este’s back was given by José, who didn’t usually use his words to show his love for her anyway. The warmth from where his hand brushed against her lingered for a couple of long seconds.

Before Cate and Este reached the spare room they’d be sharing for the weekend, her mother stopped them.

“You should look at the flowers on the counter, E. They’re beautiful.” said Percy.

Setting her bags down, Este agreed and stepped back out to the kitchen. The bouquet that came into her view was huge. They had received flowers from a couple of people since Monday, mostly dainty and affordable and easy to look at. But this one took her by surprise; its full shape made up of the most colourful foliage she could imagine. Her Lola would have loved it.

You could sense Florencia’s kookiness from the loud and maximalist decor throughout her house. Este acquired the hoarding habits from her. She could recall a couple of times her nan commented on how boring she found pre-made bunches from the supermarket, and how she wished she could combine every different type of bouquet to have one that actually interested her. If someone told Este that her grandmother picked the flowers sitting on the counter in front of her, she’d believe them.

“Wow, they are beautiful.” She mumbled, about to ask her family if they knew who had sent them.

But, a note card stuck out of the top. Este flipped it open.

‘For Este-

Life is just as precious and beautiful as it is unfair. I am so sorry it has been unfair to you. I feel both lucky to have even briefly known Florencia, and also terrible that I can’t be there to support you. Thinking of your family always.

All my love

Matty x’

Her shaky hand grabbed the card and slipped it into the pocket of her sweats for safekeeping—her question now answered. One day she would be able to accept how thoughtful his words were, and even send him a message to say thank you. But that day wasn’t today.

-

23 September, 2019

Sam knew he had to hire another employee at Greenhouse to make up for Este’s absences.

Over the years, there had been many occasions where time off was needed by either her or Oliver or even the owner himself; so there were a few solutions they’d usually jump to. A couple of close friends of the store had been kept on the store’s payroll to jump in when needed. But, Sam had a feeling that he’d be in need of something more. Meeting Este when she was a mere nineteen years old, he was aware of the tightly knit family she possessed—and he had never seen her in the state she was in now. This was clearly world-shifting for her.

She tried to insist on coming back to work that Monday morning, only a week to the day of her grandmother’s passing. Sam could hear the quiet quiver in her voice when they spoke on the phone, already in the process of sorting through CVs and inviting potential hires for interviews. Not with the intent to replace Este, but to ensure she could take the full time she needed off without the pressure of letting the business down. Of course, he refused to make her travel all the way back to Manchester and firmly encouraged her to stay with her family for as long as she wished to.

So, Este stayed in London—for much longer than she expected to. Weeks went by and she was still there. Her mum and dad were forced to leave not long after the weekend of the funeral; on account of some dodgy conversation with their bosses about time off. It didn’t feel right to leave José alone in the house. Este felt his sorrow through their silence. They slept under the same roof every night, both shutting their eyes to be able to see the sparkling memories of Florencia that were painted on the inside of their eyelids.

She did a lot of sleeping, for that very reason. And randomly got really good at Scrabble. Her and her granddad had played a couple of times which sparked her interest, but it soon spiralled into Este playing against computers through an app on her phone for most hours of the day. She thought to herself, After this game I’ll get up and do something else. But she never got up and she never did anything else.

Her vocabulary expanded. Este even considered ordering a Scrabble dictionary off of Amazon. She paid for Prime, so it could even come tomorrow. It’s okay, she reassured, It’ll wear off. I won’t sit here and play Scrabble until the end of time.

But what if I do? she feared.

-

Percy came to visit quite frequently. To both make sure her father and daughter were holding up, all alone in London, and to feel closer to Florencia. The house still smelled like her. Sometimes, she’d have to remind Este to go out and buy groceries after seeing that they were running low; or convince José to pay his bills on time. He had a hard time remembering what day it was.

She brought Dano with her whenever she was over. It helped spike Este’s mood, though temporarily. Her voice would reach its excited high pitch when she heard his paws tap on the hardwood floor and shower him in the only love she had left in her.

Este liked letting her family’s golden retriever up onto her bed, even though the fur that he left behind sometimes made her sneeze in the middle of the night. She liked how warm he was and that the in-and-out of his breathing helped punctuate her thoughts.

One night, she took a break from resting her face against him and gave Cate a call. She was nice enough to come back from Manchester a couple of times to bring more of Este’s belongings from their flat, helping to make the spare room feel more like her own. Cate saw her grief for what it was and gave Este the rigidity that others were scared to. The words she had trouble saying to herself felt easier to believe when her best friend was on the receiving line. Gently petting Dano’s coat, her voice escaped with a tremble.

She talked about how after seeing a trailer for a film called The Farewell (that was coincidentally about a sick grandmother) on the telly a couple of days ago, she hadn’t turned it on since. How she thought rereading Little Women might comfort her, but then she reached the part where Beth dies and couldn’t finish it. How she dreamt of her Lola every night.

But alas, the ponderous energy of the air around her lifted slightly. And when Cate hung up, after both girls lost track of time and realised the late hour, Este leaned back down onto Dano like he was her pillow, surprised to find his fur all wet with her tears.

-

29 October, 2019

Following the release of the third single for Notes On A Conditional Form, Frail State of Mind, Matty and the rest of the band had a couple of weeks off before playing Pitchfork Music Festival in Paris. Though they were still busy writing, the time away from performing left Matty thinking about Este more often. Sure, he was sort of always thinking of her; but it felt elevated during their first long break since he’d last heard from her.

He had sent a couple of texts to Cate to make sure she was alright, but never felt entitled to know more than just that. So, he was shocked to see messages waiting for him, from Este. The sheer anticipation made his thumb shake as it clicked to open it.

E ★

Today at 18:11 PM

I know this is more than a month overdue, but thank you for the flowers and sweet message. They were the most beautiful we’d received. The whole family loved them, and I’m sure my nan would have too

Pls don’t feel bad about not coming in for the funeral. I remembered that you’d be too far and that’s ok. It’s me that should be sorry for not letting u know what was going on. You deserved to know. But I’d be lying if I said i was doing better. Things are still really hard

I hope u can believe me when i say that I really do appreciate you Matty. I know you would be there for me if I let you in. But im sort of struggling to let anyone in rn.

Sorry for spamming you, I will text soon x

Este theres nothing you should be apologising for

Losing my nan was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through

I’m never more than a text away, just remember that xx

Congrats on the new song too, you can imagine I relate to it a bit. Lol

After those few messages, Matty stopped hearing from her. They gave him a bit of hope, so Este’s radio silence hurt him a little bit more the second time around. He gave up reaching out after just over a month of no responses. Once in a while he would send a text to Cate, just to snuff his fear of something worse going on, and she assured him that she was alive. Not necessarily ‘good’, but alive. Matty guessed that it was a sufficient response and eventually stopped pestering.

It felt odd to mix the song he wrote about her in the studio while they weren’t even in contact. With it only running for a couple of seconds more than two minutes, they didn’t spend an overwhelming amount of time on it. But, as Matty listened back to his buried vocals that sang the lyrics he wrote about Este and their short bursts of memories between dragging months apart, he couldn’t help but yearn for her.

He liked that the song was so short, and that the lyrics were hard to pick apart. It felt like a little moment. The final line, ‘Will you stay or wait?’ repeated through Matty’s head as they perfected the song’s shoe-gazey production, booming in his chest through its painful relevance.

When they reached America for their final leg of tour that year, her name was sketched into Matty’s ear whenever they performed I Couldn’t Be More In Love. But what about these feelings I’ve got, he thought—too literally.

He would meet a fan that had a dimple and would think of her. Or one that had a septum piercing. And think of her if he ever drove past a small book shop.

Then, inevitably, Matty could feel the brightest element of his life slowly dim to darkness—fading into a fleeting moment of his past. But the memory stayed, along with a small glimmer of hope. And he knew he’d be at her feet the minute Este wanted him there again.

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