#Yanno. The usual. It's cool I just need to eat something probably

[dartlekey]

Life update: if things do not go as planned but it's technically still fine, I just have to do a bunch of rescheduling, am I allowed to be grumpy about it? (I know the answer is yes, as long as I don't make it someone else's problem; I'm just being dramatic. Nevertheless - )

[bubbleecloud]

Hey!! I saw that requests were open and I was wondering if I could make one!! I saw that you like Scott Pilgrim, and I would love a fic with lee Scott and ler Wallace! Maybe Wallace comes home drunk and is all touchy and playful. Take all the time you need or feel free to deny this request if you’d like. 💖

Yes yes yessssss I love this request sm! I was waiting for an excuse to write Scott Pilgrim ajsudydysi I hope you enjoy!

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Scott Pilgrim vs. Extreme ticklishness or something I was never good at naming these

Basically that scene in the movie but with a tickly spin! Aka Wallace is tired of Scott whining all the time and (literally) takes matters into his own hands

Lee!Scott, Ler! Wallace. Stollace if ya squint lmao.

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"Guess who's drunk!"

"I guess Wallace..."

Scott felt the weight of his very drunk roommate plop onto the bed next to him.

"You guessed right!", he slurred into his pillow, sinking deep into the sheets with the intent of going to sleep. Scott, on any normal occasion, would have turned over and let the room fall into peaceful silence.

But he couldn't stop thinking about that girl. The one in, or from, his dreams. And it was very rare that he ever focused on anything so intently, or for so long. So, naturally, he had to tell someone about it.

Even if that someone had to be his hammered roommate.

" So- that girl from my dream-?" "Girl.. Can I pretend we're talking about a guy?"

Scott chose to ignore that little quip. Wallace, always the funny guy with the jokes...

"I saw her at the library... And then I'm at this party..."

He rambled on, staring up at the ceiling. She was so cool, and mysterious, and her hair was all... Pink. She had to be the one, right?

"- right Wallace? I mean, if she's showing up in my dreams she has to be-"

He was cut off by a finger being roughly pushed to his lips. He looked over at Wallace, who had his eyes closed and was definitely, totally not listening to him. He whined, shoving Wallace's hand away and kicking his feet, much like a child would.

"Your not even listening to me, you suuuuuuck! Just because your all gay and drunk you think your so cool..."

He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Wallace sighed, opening his eyes to glare at the man next to him. "I'm sorry I don't care about your wet dreams, guy."

"They aren't wet dreams! In fact, they're very dry. They're in a desert, usually.. Deserts are dry, and sandy."

He retorted, quite lamely, and Wallace snorted through his nose, his lips quirking up into something that resembled a smile. It was probably due to the alcohol. He sat up in bed, wiping his eyes. He looked down at Scott, who was now moping, much like a child would. Wallace rolled his eyes. And maybe it was the booze, or the annoying amount of affection he had for his man-loser roommate, but he found he didn't feel like dealing with mopey Scott. He was drunk and in a weirdly giggly mood, and he wanted happy Scott. Soooo....

"Yanno, guy, iiiiii don't like how you've been glooming up my house-"

"Our house!"

"-with your sad guy attitude. So, as your best friend I have to fix that!" He said, shuffling around so he could face Scott who, in turn, raised and eye brow. "What are talking about? I don't need any fixiNG-" He cut himself off with a squeak as Wallace reached out a hand and prodded a finger into his side. He threw his hands out, feeling his cheeks heat at the shit eating grin on Wallace's face.

"Wallace, noooo! Don't- hey!"

He jolted away as Wallace delivered some poorly executed scribbles to his side. He wasn't as coordinated as he usually was, but it was still affective enough to get Scott squirming.

"Aww, cmon Scotty~ lighten up a little"

He teased, managing to land a better aimed attack, scribbling and squeezing the middle of Scotts stomach. He flailed his arms with a squeal, grabbing at Wallace's wrists. He was properly giggling now, squirming around and upsetting the bed sheets.

"You dihihihick! S- heheheh- stop! Wallace!!"

These reactions only fueled the tickly fire that was raging through Wallace's brain. He poked up and down the younger boys sides, wanting more out of him.

"What wrong, guy? It tickles? Awww, I could cry a river" he coo'd down at the mess of giggles in his hands, curling his fingers around his lower ribs. This combined with the teasing made Scott lose his head, just a bit. He threw his head back, consumed in bright, boyish laughter.

"No! Nohohohoho! You know it dohohohoes! Ahehehehehhe! "

He struggled between hiding his now rosy red cheeks and pushing Wallace's hands away. This left him in this odd back and forth movement that Wallace was finding difficult not to laugh at. In his alcohol soaked mindset, he couldn't help but chuckle along with him. He pinched and prodded at his upper ribs, delighting in the squeals it pulled from his roommate.

"Hmm, I guess your right. I do know everything, don't I?"

Scott groaned through his giggles, absolutely hating how totally stupid and mean Wallace was being right now! Wallace, meanwhile, hummed in thought, trying to think of a good way to wrap this up with a bang. Scott threw his head back against the pillows again, and ding! Lightbulb moment! Suddenly he pulled his hands away, crossing them over his chest. Scott wrapped his hands around his midriff almost instantly, panting and giggling still. Wallace allowed him to sit there for a moment, watching his chest rise and fall, heavily. Scott was mumbling random extremities under his breath, but Wallace didn't pay any mind to that.

He focused, instead, on the way the tilt of Scotts head exposed a good majority of his neck and collar bones.

"Scott?" He spoke up after he was sure the other had fallen into some sort of false security. Scott grumbled and opened his mouth to answer, but what came out instead was a shriek and Wallace suddenly leaned down and blew a raspberry right in between his neck and shoulder. It was like he was being electrocuted.

"AAAAahahahaheheh! StopstopWallacePLEHEHEHEASE!"

Another inhale. Another raspberry.

"NohoHOHOH! WALLACE! Your killing mehehehehe!"

Wallace leaned up and inhaled again, acting like he was gonna go three for three just to fuck with him and make him squeal, but he just ended up blowing the air in his face playfully instead, and Scott wrinkled his nose in protest.

"Hey! You are- you are such a- mean.. person!"

He stuttered out, his voice still breathy and weak from laughing so much. He reached up to rub the tingles from his shoulder, trying to force his mouth into a frown.

Irritatingly enough, he couldn't.

Wallace laughed and flipped down on Scotts chest, spreading his arms out starfish style. "Real smooth, guy" he chuckled. Scott whined. "Whatever! What was all that for, anyway." He asked, looking down at the head of black curls on his chest. Wallace shrugged.

"We're friends, guy. I care."

He said, simply, and it was so off par for a Wallace response that Scott didn't say anything for a bit. That was probably just the wine talking.. Yeah. It made him smile a little wider, though.

"Hey, so, are you gonna turn the light off, or-?"

The only response he got was a snore. Seriously, how did he do that? He was just up and energetic like, 2 while seconds ago!

"Ok- I'll just close my eyes then. It'll be.. Dark"

And he did, but not before he rested his arm on the small of Wallace's back. Just to get comfortable, of course. Duh. Obviously. Just two guys, chilling together.

Oddly enough, he didn't dream of pink hair and deserts that night.

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This was actually so fun to write! Sorry if it's a little sucky, I haven't written in a while! Enjoy lovelies! 💗✨

[harley-style]

DREAM SMP Swap AU

Dream = Wilbur : Dream comes into the server to help these two kids who are trying to stir shit up -- why not, right? He's got a fondness for chaos but also very protective and caring over his friends. VERY FOND OF TUBBO. To the point of.. well, brotherhood. Wilbur = Dream : He had a vision, to create a place where people could emancipate -- he's not above being the bad guy to keep that ideal in place. He's charming and self-confident and isn't afraid to use blackmail or get all up in your business. Has dirt on everyone but Dream. Constantly threatens secrets but subtle, yanno? Again, very charming, very persuasive.

Tubbo = Tommy : Still very sweet, but Big Crime often comes out to play more often than not. Also a huge trouble magnet, tried to start a...Honey smuggling empire? For some fucking reason, despite its innocent sounding plan, is a threat to Wilbur's land but no one has any idea why. Tommy = Tubbo : Tommy has an innate fucking fixation on music discs. He's got Cat and Mellohi personally. He dreams of starting up a music cafe/music area...? He and Dream get along swimmingly, Dream actually gifts Tommy a few music discs too, but also pins Tommy with the name discount Dave Strider.

Fundy = Eret : Was convinced earlier on by Wilbur to continue his 'legacy' and ideals. Fundy further grows into a neutral party, doing things only when it benefits him. Is the traitor from the first war. Eret = Fundy : Gets far too involved with stuff and the only way out is if he wiggles through the restraints on him. Yes that's metaphorical.

JSchlatt = Technoblade : Assists through uses of contracts and business deals. Like, hello, Tubbo's Honey smuggling business? He and Dream make an agreement, he supplies Dream and Tubbo with shit, and Dream does favors for Schlatt. Technoblade = Jschlatt : Anarchy lmfao. Was actually brought on by Wilbur in secret. Acted as a benefactor for Dream before turning around and causing chaos in the land Dream Tubbo and Tommy built. Blood for the blood god, only the strongest gets to the top kind of government. There's always fucking pitfights. Oops.

Philza = Callahan : Largely uninvolved in the events, mostly just there to supervise Wilbur, Tommy and Techno. Duh. Callahan = Philza : Has personal history with Dream, tries to convince him not to do the thing that could hurt everyone else. Minimally succeeds.

Alyssa = Niki : Ready to defend her home and her family. Niki = Alyssa : Neutral, but ready to back Wilbur up if need be.

Sapnap = Bad : Arsonist, goes around and burns shit whenever he wants to. His base is a Nether inspired fortress. Also, he has to deal with a Nether problem in reference to the Red Vine problem from the original SMP. Hotlands? LMFAO Bad = Sapnap : Helps when asked. Started out on Wilbur's side, as a favor, but slowly shifts neutral due to the conflict between factions.

Karl = Skeppy : Gets held hostage? That's what preoccupies Sapnap's time. He suddenly disappeears or gets trapped in a cell. Skeppy = Karl : Runs around doing supply runs. Gets his friends into various stints to try and settle the conflict through friendly rivalry and competition. It doesn't always work.

George = Ranboo : Unlike original Ranboo, George is highly unsympathetic and needs concrete fucking facts before he acts, and that kind of backfires on him in the end. As a favor to Dream (how many favors is Dream involved in honestly) he runs messages back and forth from Tubbo to Tommy. Ranboo = George : Largely uninvolved in the conflict, like Niki, but unlike OG George, is not absent. He's just there to assist. One of the most innocent and purest people on the SMP, knows when to keep his head down. When his house burns down, he doesn't really believe its Tubbo who did it -- he knows the kid has been framed because he'd been WITH him at the time, but Wilbur pressures him to admit it.

Quackity = Punz : Wilbur's loyal paid henchman. Quackity will cause shit for the appropriate price, he's not exceptionally picky. That stunt he did as Mexican Dream was great and everyone in L'Manberg loved it. Punz = Quackity : One of the best fighters under Techno. Has more morals, but keeps them secretly. Very good at hiding his true intentions/feelings.

(sorry about the other characters not being on here, i dont know them enough to make swaps, or dont know who they'd make a good swap with. Swap who you wanna swap though! i'd like to hear your take on this matter! HEADCANONS ACCEPTED TOO AT THIS POINT EVERYTHING HERE IS FROM WHAT I REMEMBER AND MY HEADCANONS)

PLOT

-Wilbur starts the SMP with Niki, slowly invites others like Ranboo, Tommy, and Tubbo.

-Tubbo expresses a desire to Fuck Shit Up and Tommy says they can get Dream, he's an expert at getting away.

-Dream is extremely protective of them both. Tubbo more than Tommy but that's fine because Tommy is largely independent.

-Tubbo gets in the weirdest shit but Tommy can roll with the punches really quickly.

-Wilbur gets tired of their crap and burns down Tubbo's establishment. It's like the Disc Wars except it's the Great Honey War. Bee War? Basically he's tired of Tubbo hogging all the Honey related expenditures.

-Dream gets the idea to make a honey smuggling empire, as a joke, but Tubbo is Big Crime and he's going with it. Tommy just wants chaos, and he was getting bored tbh.

-Eventually the Honey thing turns into Resource management, so Tubbo Dream and Tommy have a hold on all major supplies

-Shit happens and Dream, Tubbo, Tommy, Eret, Sam, Fundy and Alyssa establish an independent nation. Dunno what to call it bc the server is called the L'manberg SMP so....

-The fight for indepencence still happens. Instead of 'Green boy' Wilbur is named 'E-boy'. Dream still says "WE HAVE NO MERCY FOR YOU" when Wil calls for a ceasefire negotiation, but Wilbur does threaten the nation saying  "If there is no white flag by tomorrow, then you can kiss your sorry little arses good bye. That's my final warning."

-Turns out Fundy's been secretly funneling information to Wilbur in exchange for the safety of his friends, and also because Wilbur's his dad....uhm. Also! He and Dream are circling each other and others are like "OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ARE DEAD RINGERS FOR QUEERPLATONIC MATES JUST MARRY ALREADY" bc I like FundyWasTaken but others might not and its okay, we'll label it as platonic, but can be read otherwise depending on your tastes. But for this, it's very close platonic.

-Wilbur goads Tommy into a fight, as brothers do, but Tubbo steps in and Wilbur fucking jumps at the chance.

-This is the start of Dream's descent into madness. No one fucking threatens or pulls one of his friends like that. Denied. It's still subtle though, so he's okay for now.

-Tubbo and Wilbur face off. When Tubbo pulls back bc he genuinely doesn't want to hurt anyone, Wilbur takes the chance and beats him.

-Tubbo, however, makes a deal. Let their nation stand on its own, and he'll give up the Resource Empire he started. Wilbur accepts, with the condition that they unify their alliance with a...marriage? So basically, political marriage between Wilbur's heir, Fundy, and Dream, the leader of the revolution.

-YEAH I WENT THERE THIS IS VALID

-They're strained at first, but Dream and Fundy slowly mend their relationship post-betrayal.

-Fast forward a few months later. The Nation doesn't really have a leader, as per the agreement, but it does have a representative. All decisions are made via majority votes, and that decision is voiced by the rep and sub-rep, Dream and Tubbo respectively. Tommy's just there to have a good time and causes chaos as per usual.

-Enter Technoblade. He's been called in by Wilbur to...ah. Dismantle a little...nation. Sounds right up his alley. But he asks Wilbur to wait and see what happens.

-Tommy and Dream get the idea to hold a tournament to celebrate their independence, an all out brawl for everyone to kick back and relieve stress. There. That's where Techno comes in.

-He gets Punz to join him after like, being paid (ofc) and they fucking dominate the tournament. Dream's about to congratulate them but Techno turns the fuck around and declares his right to rule the nation. If anyone wants to fight him for the title, they're welcome to try.

-Dream loses another life to Techno trying and failing to fight it. He and a few others lost their first life sometime elsewhere? I guess? Probably by being blown up by Wilbur, idk.

-Tubbo and Dream are chased out by people who reluctantly follow Techno's orders, and Tommy, torn between his friends and his brothers, stays behind. Oh jeezus.

-Since Techno is a fighting GOD, no one's able to usurp him to make things turn back to normal. But Dream is smart, and knows Wilbur's 100% behind this. Fundy kind of knew but didn't do shit about it, which is why Dream rejects Fundy's offer of sanctuary. He can't be sure his husband will stay on his side, after all. It's nothing personal.

-Dream and Tubbo hide away somewhere, probably not a ravine but?? A mountain or something? They manage to get Sam away enough to ask him to build a super cool Redstone contraption thing that opens for them. ooooo.

-I'm not good at names but for the sake of jokes I'm gonna call their land the 'Bee's Knees' bc at some point Tubbo finds a fuckton of Hives hanging from Trees. Bee Mountain if Dream's feeling especially salty.

-SPEAKING OF DREAM. his insanity is on course now, it's slowly eating away at him and in fear of hurting Tubbo he's slowly distancing himself away. Tubbo's like what's wrong but Dream can't answer -- he doesn't know what's wrong with himself either.

-Tubbo and Dream need to go back and confront Techno, but they can't wait for long else Techno's going to obliterate everyone and their extra lives. They call Schlatt in.

-Schlatt's a pure business man and draws up a contract. He'll aid them in terms of supplies, but most of the revolution is on them. They agree.

-Tommy is actually really fucking good at lying and skirting around what he reveals to Dream and tubbo as a spy that Techno would have believed him if he didnt' know his brother. and Wilbur's warnings, of course. That results in Techno just being fucking done with Tommy's bullshit and plans his execution in another tournament? I guess?

-It doesn't go like the festival. First of all, Schlatt can't fight for shit, so why would Techno call him up the stage? No, Schlatt fights dirty. techno doesn't set much rules so theres no rule against poisoning Tommy quick and easy before the fight. Tommy loses another life and is on his last. Tubbo is spitting mad, but Schlatt points out that nothing in the contract covered this, so he's free to do as necessary. Tubbo is stopped by Dream who, at this point, is just overtaken by the need to one-up Techno.

-Also, Wilbur's been slowly persuading Dream to just. Let go. Let the monster inside of him free, he 'deserves it'. By the end of it all, Dream does. He snaps and lets loose the monster crying for blood inside him.

-Callahan is left to convince his old friend not to do it. In a moment of clarity, Dream stares on in horror of what he'd done. In his rage he managed to deplete ALL of Techno's lives (not really but shhhh), cause massive bloodshed, and terrified everyone in the process. He asks Callahan to kill him. Callahan does.

-Yes we'll get to Ghost Dream eventually.

-Anyway, Schlatt still does the Wither plan, because, uh, Drunken Rage. He was so stressed out from the ensuing conflict that he's like "LETS JUST FINISH THE REST OF YOU. THERE WILL BE NO CONFLICT IF YOU ARENT THERE TO FIGHT."

-and then he uses the line from the Lego movie on Tubbo like "Oh, Tubbster. It's nothing personal. It's just Business(tm)".

-Schlatt still dies of stroke. He does come back as a ghost though, that's one main difference.

-After everything's said and done, and the dust has settled, everyone decides to disband the nation, and just live their lives. like, they're done, wilbur, they get your point, jfc, let them rest.

-but uhhhh someone frames tubbo for setting fire to ranboo's (the server sweetheart) house. wilbur immediately decides to exile tubbo in 'anger'. acutally, he wants tommy and tubbo separated.

-tommy's not standing for it though, he fucking fights his way until wilbur threatens him and tubbo's like YES FINE OKAY I'LL AGREE TO BEING EXILED STOP THREATENING YOUR BROTHER

-tubbo's exile arc is not as sad as tommy's, but rather very tense because wilbur keeps riling tubbo up and taunting him. he still keeps contact with tommy though because they arent going to be separated just like that. no way. tubbo just gets a little more mad and gets short tempered like a lot.

-ranboo's not even that mad about it, he knows tubbo would never burn his house, there was a conspiracy on board and even if there wasn't he's like "arent yall overreacting its just a house, didnt you all do this like before the first war even began, what even (also, ranboo was WITH tubbo at the time of his house allegedly being set on fire. Not that he'll admit to it, because he and tubbo made that agreement long before)

-eventually he finds out that wilbur just wanted to pin the blame on tubbo to make him leave, and ranboo's like "IM DONE WITH YOUR CRAP WILLBUR STOP HURTING THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT" and leaves

-with the nation gone, people started to solidify their groups. sapnap and karl deal with their own thing, quackity still runs errands for wilbur, george is the main person ferrying messages from tubbo to tommy back and forth, etc.

-there's a funeral for dream, ofc, fundy arranged it. all of dream's shit was hidden because fundy doesnt want wilbur to get it.

-niki's still there managing her bakeshop but doubles as an informant for wilbur because she's well liked within the server

-ghost dream is present and he's a chaotic troll who mostly hangs around tommy. he's really hyper active and is always on the move, you can never catch him sitting still for like, 5 minutes

THAT"S ALL I HAVE FOR MY SMP SWAP AU PLEASE BE GENTLE I DONT HAVE TIME TO GET ALL THE FACTS STRAIGHT FROM THE OG SMP qwq

[chancelloramidala]

Staring at the Sun ➤ Evan Buckley

Chapter Three: Why Heart? Why?

Masterlist

Karen was in the kitchen doing the dishes when Hen came in grabbing a bottle of wine from the case and two glasses. “Hey, baby, who’s here?”

Hen shot her wife an exasperated look. “My co-worker, Marceline.” then she eyed the case of alcohol they had and debated if they would need something stronger.

“Oh, the brooder?” Karen raised a brow as she finally turned the water off after cleaning to soap suds off of the plates, recalling how her wife had gone on long tangents multiple times about the mysterious Marceline Pierce who held everyone at arm’s length.

“Yeah,” Hen chuckled before picking up a bottle of whiskey. Might as well go all in. “She ran here, I didn���t even know she knew where we lived.”

Karen shrugged with a small amused smile on her lips. “Maybe she just needs a friend right now. You go on now, I’ll put Denny to bed.” 

Hen smiled at Karen’s generosity. “Thanks, babe,” she walked over and gave her wife a quick peck on the lips before heading off towards the living room.

Marceline sat in one of the comfy chairs and hugged one of the throw pillows to her chest. She took in the living room she was in, focusing mainly on the pictures that littering the walls of Hen and her wife, Karen, and their son Denny. They looked like a happy family in her own opinion as a thought popped into her head, You’re disturbing their family time together, Marceline. Her head shot up when she heard Hen come in, carrying two bottles of alcohol and some glasses.

“Hey, um, sorry for intruding on you like this… I know you’re probably busy and shit,” Marceline fiddled with the frills on one side of the pillow she was hugging, feeling selfish for coming here in the first place.

“Pfft,” Hen shook her head as she walked over, laying the bottle of red wine and whiskey onto the coffee table before finally taking a seat across from her on the couch. “It’s fine, we already finished dinner and just cleaning up. It was just a little surprising but, I don’t mind, Marceline, really.” she gave the other woman a small smile that softened into a grin. “Plus, I didn’t really know what to expect so I brought both red and whiskey, take your pick.”

Marceline eyed Hen for a moment before slowly reaching for the whiskey and pouring herself a nice, long glass of amber liquid. Hen’s eyes widened at that, knowing very well that whiskey was strong as hell, and once she took a long sip, deciding that Marceline was spending the night here.

“Okay, so,” Marceline made a face after downing a whole glass of whiskey, the liquid burning her throat before staring at Hen. “I’m just going to put it all out there, um,” her eyes darted away from Hen’s nervously as she picked at her nails. “You were right earlier… about how I had an opinion on Buck and Abby… ‘cos like… I have a lot of opinions about them. Not necessarily… good ones… and um, the reason for my negative opinions is because, um,” she took in a deep breath before pressing her eyes shut. “I’m kind of... in love with Buck.”

So… that was not at all what Hen was expecting Marceline to tell her. Honestly, she was expecting some dark and mysterious from the other woman’s past that would explain her closed-off nature but… this was more than enough to suffice. 

But another unexpected thing just happened before Hen’s eyes: Marceline silently crying into a pillow she was hugging.

“Oh, honey,” Hen said softly and reached for a box of tissues nearby. “It’s okay, I’m glad you told me. Thank you for trusting me with that, I’m… honored.”

Marceline took a few tissues from the box Hen inched towards her and blew her nose. “I just,” she hiccuped for a moment and swallowed more of her pride. “I’m angry with myself for loving him because he’s taken now and I waited too long to tell him and it took me getting shot to realize that.” she huffed out as she let go of the pillow and started to dig her fingernails into her palm to prevent her from lashing out. “And I’m angry that he’s happy with Abby because I’m so fucking jealous of her.

“I want to be the one with Buck but I’m not. I’m just his emotionally distant co-worker who took two bullets for him. And I already told Nic this, all of it. She’s heard it from the start and I feel like I’m annoying her with my shit, especially my shit about Buck because she has her own shit to deal with and Gemma who is an absolute angel and now I’m probably annoying you with my shit because you have a wife and a kid and--”

“Alright, I’m going to have to stop you there, Marceline,” Hen put her hands up to try and stop her from rambling as she got up from her spot on the couch to sit on the chair next to her. But upon doing so, she saw Marceline wince back and held her hands up to cover to face… oh dear. She quickly lowered her hands onto her lap. “You’re not annoying me with your shit. I’m glad you want to talk to me about your shit, I really am. And I highly doubt Nic is annoyed about hearing you talk too. You just want to be heard, and I’m willing to listen to you.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered out like a child who was being scolded.

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for,” the older woman gently admonished before slowly reaching forward to put her hand over Marceline’s. 

She gave Hen a tiny smile as she squeezed her hand. “Thanks,”

Hen smiled softly. “Of course, but let’s start opening this wine, hm? Then we can talk about our boy Buck and how stupid he is. How about that?”

Marceline let a small laugh escape her lips. “Sure, that sounds fun. It’s better than moping alone. And hey, Karen can join us if she’d want and we can just shit on men because Buck lumps into the men category.”

Hen’s smile only grew at this and clapped her hands together. “Yes, this what we need. Okay, I’ll go get Karen who’s probably listening in from the kitchen if I’m going, to be honest, I’m sorry, she’s a little noisy,”

“I am not!” a voice indigently yelled from the kitchen.

“I rest my case.” Hen gestured to the kitchen doors before laughing softly. “Baby, come out here. Oh- wait! Bring some ice cream. We’re going full-on girl’s night right now.”

Karen then appeared with a few pints of ice cream and yet another bottle of wine and a big smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Karen, Hen’s wife. Sorry for eavesdropping earlier, but nothing ever interesting happens at our house at this time.”

Marceline grinned and waved a hand at Karen. “It’s okay, my emotional turmoil can be very entertaining. Nic would agree with you. And hello Karen, I’m Marceline, a co-worker of Hen’s, very nice to meet you.”

“Alright, enough with formalities.” Hen waved her hands around as she took a pint of rocky road ice cream and a spoon. “Let’s start shitting on men,”

“Okay, bet,” Marceline grinned as she got her own spoon and leaned forward to get a scoop of the rocky road ice cream from Hen’s pint. “Doesn’t it bother you when men…”

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In comparison to how Marceline has been feeling for the last couple of weeks, her mood has been significantly lighter for the past couple of days. Finally telling someone other than Nic about her feelings was good, and Hen was a great listener and advice giver. Plus, Karen seemed to take a quick liking to her and invited her over to dinner on Friday so that was great.

And today? Well, it’s going well so far. Marceline ran around the block early in the morning before taking Nic and Gemma to work and school. But no, not on her motorcycle as she’d prefer, but in Nic’s car since she had the day off. Before she had to pick up Gemma from school, she cleaned up around the apartment because yikes, it was a bit of a mess. Mostly due to Marceline, she’s a slob, which annoys the hell out of Nicolette, but yanno, doesn’t former girlfriend’s turned roommates and kind of co-parents have some things they don’t like about the other person?

So Marceline did the laundry, which included actually folding it, took the garbage out, and cleaned the bathroom just in time to pick up Gemma from school. Sadly, Nic had a late shift that would run till one a.m. and she said she would just take an Uber home.

And that meant that it was going to be a Marceline and Gemma day, which, in the six-year-old words were one of the best days ever. This was probably because Marceline was a bit more relaxed when it came to doing homework once they got home, but made sure to get it done before six, and allowed the young girl to eat ice cream as a snack.

She parked the car in one of the parking spots, before getting out and shutting the door. Marceline wore her red bomber jacket and blue-washed jeans, along with some black converses. She walked towards the back of the school, recalling how the pick-up was usually near the playground, and carefully weaved past other parents and children walking by.

“Auntie Marcel!” a high-pitched voice squeaked from the swings as Marceline walked closer to the playground.

The first responder grinned widely and jogged towards the swings. “There’s my little Gem!”

Gemma gave Marceline a big, toothy smile before jumping off the swings and running towards her. “Today was so cool, Marcel, I’m telling you. Science class was awesome, we made elephant toothpaste and I made mine purple!” she spat out facts about her day with so much enthusiasm that it was contagious.

“Whoa, really? That sounds pretty cool, Gem.” Marceline swiftly took the little girl’s sparkly pink backpack and put it over her shoulder as they walked towards Nic’s car. “Y’know, all I did was clean the apartment, nothing nearly as interesting as that.” she opened the backdoor for the six-year-old to get into and then placed her backpack on the floor.

Gemma giggled as she shook her head, getting into her booster seat and putting her seatbelt on all by herself. “That’s okay Auntie, we can have fun together. Maybe with… some ice cream?” she asked in her overtly sweet voice.

Marceline sighed and playfully rolled her two different colored eyes as she shut the backdoor and then sliding into her own seat. “I don’t know kiddo… your mom is kind of worried about your sugar intake lately.” she turned the key into the ignition as the car turned on and rumbled.

Gemma pouted, aghast at her Aunt’s reasoning. “But Mars! It’s our special ice cream trip, you always let me get ice cream right after school when you pick me up. It’s like-- tradition! Like how at Christmas we get a tree and put the decorations up together. You wouldn’t want Christmas without a tree, would you, Mars?”

She turned around in her seat and squinted at the six-year-old sitting behind her. “I feel like I’m being tricked. Did your mom put you up to this? Is she testing my boundaries as a guardian?”

“No! I just want my strawberry cheesecake ice cream with rainbow sprinkles and for us to sit under the tree while you drink your cookies and cream milkshake.” Gemma said in her matter-of-fact adult voice before continuing, “And then you help me climb the tree, sometimes you climb it with me, or wait at the bottom.”

Marceline was touched by how Gemma seemed to enjoy her time with Marceline, even if the time they spent together was limited at best. Not that she didn’t want to spend time with the little pipsqueak, but she tended to keep herself busy when she had days off. She’d leave the apartment, go to the bar, make out with someone at the bar and maybe go home with them. She’s already spent so much time bothering the Bishop girls for the past seven years with her existence and didn’t want to keep doing it on her days off.

“Fine, we’ll go, but--!”

“--Ha, butt,”

“We will go get ice cream, but you gotta super duper pinky promise me that you won’t tell your mom about it.” Marceline wagged her finger at the young girl before putting out her pinky finger. “We got a deal, munchkin?”

Gemma quickly nodded as she giggled softly. “Okay, Mars. We got a deal.” then she raised her little pinky finger and leaned forward in her seat before wrapping it around Marceline’s finger.

And then they were off to the ice cream shop jamming out to One Direction (along with some of the bandmate’s separate singles), a current favorite of the six-year-olds. After belting to Kiwi, they finally arrived at their destination. Gemma was so excited that she practically jumped out of the car before Marceline could even park.

When they walked up to the counter, Marceline sent the familiar teenage boy at the cash register a small smile. “Hey, Jerome,”

Jerome smiled back at her and leaned over the counter, displaying his freshly painted manicure that contrasted against his dark complexion. “Marcel! It’s so good to see you and this little gremlin,” he shot Gemma a playful grin as she stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed at the kid and started typing into the register, “You’re getting your usual, right? A medium strawberry shortcake in a dish with a cone on the side and rainbow sprinkles on top, and cookies and cream milkshake with whipped cream?” he shot off in his usual cheery voice.

“You know us too well, Jer,” Marceline grinned and nodded as she took out her wallet and handing him her card. After he took her card and swiped it, she took a good look at the teen in front of her while Gemma went off towards their usual picnic table under the big orange tree with Marceline’s phone to play some games while the adults talked, “So, how’s school going? Still thinking about going to NYU?”

He let out a loud groan and rolled his eyes dramatically, “Girl, I don’t know what I want to do with my life anymore, let me tell you.” But before he could continue, he shot of the order to his co-worker, Samantha who got to work on them and turned back around. “School is a pain in my behind as of late. I’m stressed out over this huge math test because I’m actually shit at math... and I still have to bust my ass at this job to save up for a place because I can’t keep staying at Alex’s house even though her parents say it’s fine.”

Marceline nodded carefully, hearing the clear annoyance and stress coming off of the eighteen-year-old. He had recently come out as transgender to his family, which immediately got him kicked out with nothing but the clothes on his back. Marceline had known Jerome before he came out through working at the ice cream shop throughout his high school years and became fast friends to the point where Marceline had gifted Jerome his first proper binder.

“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that, Jer.”

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

“I know, but are you sure I can’t do anything to help? You know Nic is more than willing to let you stay on our couch for a bit. She loves you too.”

All Marceline wanted to do was wrap Jerome in bubble wrap and keep him safe from the world, but knew that realistically, she can’t.

Jerome shrugged his shoulders before handing their order to them. “It’s alright, I’ll figure something out.” 

She raised a skeptical brow at him. “Okay, but you have my number. Call me if you need anything, seriously.” She slowly took the tray from him.

“Will do, Marcel,” Jerome smiled lightly before blowing a kiss to her.

Marceline pretended to catch the kiss and chuckled softly as she turned around to walk over to Gemma. The six-year-old instantly put her phone down when Marceline slid next to her and gave her a big toothy smile. “Yay, ice cream time!” 

Gemma proceeded to inhale her entire ice cream while Marceline sat close by, idly sipping her milkshake and scrolling mindlessly on her phone. Gemma then launched into a long story about how her adventures at recess and how Lucas Mullens got gum stuck in his hair. Marceline, ever-so enthralled by an enchanting tale told by a child, nodded carefully as she diligently listened along and saved her questions till the end (by Gemma’s request of course).

Then it was Marceline’s turn to share a story, but this time from work. She decided on a lighter tale to tell the six-year-old when her team was on a call about a lady who had a snake wrapped around her throat. Gemma was instantly hooked, staring at her co-parent with big brown eyes filled with wonder. But she was saddened when she was told that the snake died by decapitation due to an impulsive Buck, deeming her co-worker “a menace” to all snakes.

Marceline tried to keep a straight face.

“What do you mean Buck cut the snake’s head off? It’s still a living thing, it didn’t need to die,” Gemma pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m telling you, Auntie Mars, he’s a menace. I learned that in school today.”

“Oh you did, did you?” she grinned and nudged the little girl with her elbow.

“Mars?” an all-too-familiar voice said behind her.

Marceline whipped her head around for the source of the voice, praying that her ears had betrayed her. But when her brown and green eyes landed on him, she wanted to turn to dust on the spot. “Buck, hey,” she plastered a fake smile, raising her hand to wave at him as her eyes also caught the redhead standing beside him. 

Buck walked towards them, causing Marceline to stand up and quickly run a hand through her hair because there was no way in hell she was prepared for this. 

“Didn’t expect to see you guys here,” she said, nodding her head amicably in Abby’s direction.

“Ah, well, I’m taking Buck out for the afternoon,” Abby said with a soft smile as she looked at the man beside her.

“And I was craving ice cream,” Buck added as he looped an arm around his girlfriend’s waist.

Marceline did her very best to make sure her eyes wouldn’t twitch. “That’s great, I’d recommend the milkshakes,”

Then there was a tug on her elbow, causing Marceline to look away from the lovesick couple before her and the little girl next to her. “Who are they?” Gemma whispered a little too loud, causing both Buck and Abby to grin. But before Marceline could properly respond, Gemma gasped and pointed at Buck, “Mars, he’s like a giraffe!”

If she was looking at a mirror, Marceline knew that her face would be bright red with utter embarrassment. “Gemma- oh my god,” she facepalmed and sighed, not even daring to look in their direction because what the fuck. “This is my co-worker Buck, the giraffe, and Abby, the giraffe’s girlfriend. Buck, Abby, this is Gemma, Nic’s daughter, and a public menace.”

“Hi,” Buck and Abby waved at Gemma with gleaming smiles.

Gemma gave Marceline an odd look. “What? Buck’s tall, like a giraffe. That’s why I called him a giraffe- wait,” the six-year-old halted before turning to look directly at Buck with her eyes turning to slits. “You’re the one who cut that snake’s head off in the story my Auntie was telling me!”

Abby stifled her laughter as Marceline wished that the ground beneath her would swallow her whole.

Buck, to his credit, laughed and nodded his head, “Yeah, uh, that wasn’t my finest moment at the LAFD, but I do regret that.”

Clearly, he was alluding to what happened right after that call and how he slept with the caller and got caught by Bobby. That was a mess.

Gemma eyed Buck. “You’re lucky you’re a giraffe,” and sad that in the most serious tone Marceline has ever heard a six-year-old use.

Again, laughter erupted. And, again, Marceline wanted to disappear at the sight of Buck and Abby being so happy together.

God, feelings fucking suck.

@skyslowalking​ & @beelarson​ once again, this is for you

[saltedpeppermintmocha]

into the night (bakugou x reader) - Chapter 3/?

Summary:

You were born to die.

It is a fact you’ve known since your quirk first manifested, and one you have been denying for just as long. You refuse your supposed fate and try to live the best life you can while remaining undetected.

But maybe fate has another plan. A chance encounter on a mountainside changes your life forever.

Chapter One

MATURE : MINORS DO NOT INTERACT // 18+

“-such an asshole though!” You groan into your hands, hiccuping lightly.  

“I couldn’t hear that, but I can kinda guess what you said.”  A tinny voice responded.

“Sorry.” You mumble, bringing the phone up to your ear. “I’m jus’ angry.”

She laughs. “And drunk."

“Mmmaybe.” You attempt.

“Honey, I know when you’re drunk.” She laughs. “I met drunk you first.”

“HAH! Yeah, that was great.” You smile at the ceiling.

“I don’t know about that.” Her voice is light and airy. “Having some random girl come into the bar at like midnight screaming that I stole her desserts wasn’t exactly how I planned my first day open to go.”

“But, you met me!”

“Ah, and my life hasn’t been boring since.” Another light laugh. You hear a different voice in the background. “Okay hun, I have to get back to work now. Take care of yourself okay? Drink water, eat some bread.”

“Imma go for a walk.” You decide, sitting up. The room spins a little, so you close your eyes.  

“Uh, that’s probably a bad idea hun.” The voice on the phone continues. “Just stay home.”

“No no no nonononononono.” You say. “ s’Makkari, s’fine.”

“I just don’t want you to run into any shady characters out there.”

“Pshhh, shade-shady characters should be scared of ME!”

The voice in the background gets a bit louder. She puts a hand over the phone and responds to them. “Ah, shit okay. One sec.” The muffled sound stops as she takes it off. “Hun I gotta go, but please be safe okay? Text me in the morning.”

“Will do captain.” You salute lazily, then hang up the phone. Ah, shit. You forgot to say goodbye. Bringing the phone into your eyesight, you sigh sadly. You miss her. Naoko had been too busy with an event at the bar a week before you left, so you haven’t seen her in almost two weeks now. It’s longer than you’ve gone without seeing your friend since her bar first appeared in your neighborhood.

Putting your phone down on the bed, you stretch a little before reaching towards your nightstand. Past-you had been smart enough to grab some water on your way upstairs, so you chug it. It doesn’t make you feel any less woozy, but you hope you’ll be happier in the morning because of it. Once gone, you return the glass to the nightstand and stand up, making your way shakily downstairs. The stairs are no challenge for you, so you make your way towards the front door, pausing only to peek into the living room. Dad is still passed out on the couch, the blanket you laid over him earlier somehow still holding on. The room itself is a bit of a mess with beer cans littered throughout, but that is a problem for tomorrow.

You give a quick nod, grab your jacket, and head on out into the cold. It should be cold, as evidenced by your breath becoming visible, but your alcohol-ridden body stays warm as you walk. It’s only after you’ve gone quite a distance that your body starts to register the change in temperature. You don’t mind much, the cold serves as the shock your system needs to gain more awareness. While you are walking a bit more clunky than normal, you are no longer stumbling or swaying. You feel lucky that nobody is outside to witness you.

Nostalgia hits you in full force as you pass your old elementary school. Memories flash behind your eyes of running around the field, digging in the dirt, and playing make-believe. You were lucky to go to school here. Nobody gave too much thought into quirks beyond the initial ‘cool’ factor. Kids from Makkari didn’t have particularly strong quirks, and you can only think of one classmate that even dreamed of becoming a hero. Maybe that's why Dad decided to come here after all.

You pass the school and continue down the road, drawing a smiley face of condensation on the window of Tanaka’s store as you pass. Task completed, you continue on your aimless walk. You should probably start heading back soon, your fingers and toes are getting a bit cold. You look up as you walk, marveling at the star-lit sky. The sky in Sapporo is never this pretty.

“Watch it, idiot.”

Your head snaps forward at the unexpected voice, vision swimming slightly.  There is a person directly in front of you. A few blinks later, your eyesight clears enough to recognize him. The asshole on the mountain. The blond is dressed in all black, breath coming out in quick wisps of mist in front of him. You can hear a dull beat of music from his headphones.

“It’s a shady character!” You raise your hand to your mouth, covering a gasp.

A scowl forms on his face. “The fuck did you call me?!”

You giggle, hand leaving your mouth to return to your side. You want to say something, really, but nothing is coming to mind. In the end, you just stare at him. To be fair, he also takes a minute to consider you. Those red eyes flicker up and down your body, brows furrowing.

“You’re drunk.” That scowl fades a bit into an unimpressed look.

“Whaat?” You deny, looking away. “Nooo.”

“So you’re usually fucking dumb enough to walk around in slippers?”

Huh?  You look down at your feet. “Oh.” Wiggling your toes a bit, you giggle. “Cold.”

“Tch. Dumbass.” A moment of silence. You are still looking down at your feet when you hear the shuffling of clothes. Looking up, you realize he has begun to leave. Something in you wants to stop him. Probably the alcohol. Wait, what is he even doing here? Shouldn't he be up on the mountain? Is he actually here?

“Are you a ha-hallucination?” You ask, taking a step forward. You bring your hand up towards him, not entirely sure what you intend to do. It stops inches from his shoulder. Huh? A warm hand is wrapped around your wrist, preventing you from making contact. “You feel real.” Your hand opens and closes in his grasp.

“Go home, extra.” He scowls. Wow, his eyes look more intense up close.

“Yanno,” You say. “I think - I think you’d be pretty if you smiled.”

“Hah?!” Red eyes widen a small bit.

You smile at him, big and bright. “Like ‘dis.” It’s a bit muffled through your smile. There is a moment of silence, both frozen in place before he scoffs. Your hand drops heavily to your side as he lets go. The hand that was holding your wrist moves to your shoulder, a sudden pressure forcing you to completely turn around to face the village.

You stumble as he lightly pushes you forward. “Go home.” Looking over your shoulder, your eyes lock with narrowed red ones. Ugh.

“Fine.” You mumble, turning back to walk. “Byebye shady character.”  You can almost feel that intense gaze on your back as you walk away, only breaking when you turn a corner. It’s a bit weird, but despite his sudden appearance, you don’t feel unsafe around the mysterious blond. That intense gaze was more...intriguing than scary. Maybe it’s because he saved your life. Hm.

It takes you much longer to get home than you thought. You had been too distracted to realize that you made it all the way through the village and onto the surrounding side roads. Extremely unsafe, in hindsight, and something you would never do in Sapporo. Still, the walk back was quiet and easy.

Dad is still passed out when you re-enter the house. You adjust the now fallen blanket to once again cover him and head upstairs. Now that you are a bit soberer and inside, your feet feel frozen. You grimace and change into pajamas and your thickest socks. You contemplate having another layer of socks, but decide to just head to bed instead.

You don’t exactly fall asleep, but pass out when you hit the bed.

The headache creeps up on you in the morning. At first, you think you’ve gotten away without any consequences of trying to keep up with your Dad in drinking, but by the time you are dressed and heading downstairs, your head feels like a jackhammer has hit it.

The main floor is clean of any remnants of last night. Dad is fully dressed and humming while making breakfast. You frown, jealous at his cheerful demeanor.

“Morning.” Dad sings, placing food down on the table. It is a simple breakfast today, definitely something your body should be able to take. You grunt in response and grab a piece of toast, nibbling lightly on the edge. Breakfast is a quiet affair today, with Dad slipping you some headache pills in the middle of it. Ah, how you love him.

“Your phone is buzzing.”

Glancing down at your phone, you see it light up briefly. Huh. While you had grabbed it on your way downstairs, the headache had made you concerned about checking it.

[ 7 New Messages ]

[ 6 Missed Calls ]

You blink at your phone, confused. Checking the missed calls first, you see they are all from Naoko: four from last night, two from this morning.

22:08

Naoko: Hey hun plz remember to text me when ur home.

23:34

Naoko: Are you still on ur walk?

23:55

Naoko: Plz let me know you got home ok.

01:24

Naoko: I hope you’re just passed out at home. PLZ CALL ME IN THE MORNING

Naoko: I am not above calling Makkari police on ur ass.

08:33

Naoko: Okay I’m getting really worried now.

09:10

Naoko: Please be alright.

“Oh shit.” You sit up straight, thumbs hitting the buttons to call Naoko back instantly.

“Not at the table,” Dad grumbles.

“But-” The phone connects.

“I’m going to kill you.” Aaand she's pissed. You grimace at the sound of her voice, a bubble of guilt growing in your stomach.

‘Out.’ Dad mouths, pointing towards the living room. You roll your eyes but get up, passing the living room to make your way up the stairs.

“I’m so sorry!” You say. “I honestly got home and passed out. I just woke up!”

There’s a long silence on the other end as you enter your bedroom, sitting down at your desk. Then, a sigh. “It’s alright.” She replies, and you can practically hear the anger drain from her voice. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I was just worried, you know? The last I hear, you are absolutely drunk and wandering the streets. It’s not safe.”  That bubble of guilt grows a bit more in your stomach. As the owner of a bar in the busy downtown core of Sapporo, Naoko has witnessed a fair share of horrible things happen to drunk people. You stay quiet as she seems to calm herself, then “I never got it out of you last night, why were you even that drunk?”

“I tried to outdrink my dad.” You mumble.

“...Really?” She sounds surprised. “Your dad? All of this wasn’t at least for some guy or something? A rebound?”

“As if!” You let out a sharp laugh. “There’s no cute guys in Makkari.” An exaggeration, sure, but the cute ones are either taken or not in your age range. In fact, now that you’re thinking about it, you might be one of the only single people around your age in the village. Oof, that's a bit of a punch to the gut.

“What about your mountain boy?” Naoko asks. “I thought you said he was attractive.”

“He is  but he’s a complete…jerk…” Your words fade off a bit as a memory floods your mind. The night sky, dark and beautiful. Drawing a smiley face in the window. Blond hair and a heavy base echoing from headphones. Red eyes and a scowl. A hand on your wrist, on your shoulder.

“Ahhh…” You raise your free hand to your cheek, feeling it heat up. “Oh no."

“What?”

“I think...I think I saw him last night.”  

“Wait, while drunk?”

“I don't remember all of it!” You insist. You remember reaching for him, smiling big in his face. “It’s all a bit blurry, but I think we talked for a minute.” Oh shit, what did you do? What did you say??

A laugh echoes through the phone, juxtaposition from the dread that creeps up your spine. When you reached out, what exactly were you doing? “Well, did he walk you home?”

“No." You hope you would remember that. "I don’t think so…”  There's a disapproving sound from Naoko on the other end, then a thoughtful silence. “Can we talk about something else? Anything else?”

“Alright, I’ll let it go. For now. ” She responds. “Hm, let's see, I can tell you about this girl that came into the bar last night…”

The call didn’t last much longer after that. Your heart wasn’t really in it, and Naoko always has a bunch of errands to run on her days off. You hang up the phone and place it on your desk, walking over to plop down face-first on your bed. You groan as more blurry half-memories from last night flood your brain. Did you make even more of a fool of yourself in front of that jerk? Ugh.

Eventually, Dad calls you to help with clean-up downstairs, so you begrudgingly pull yourself up and go help. You shoo him away from the sink, manners telling you that if he made the food you should be the one to clean up. Instead of leaving, however, he sits back down at the table and talks. It warms your heart, really, how much you can tell that he’s missed you.

You agree to go with him today to run errands. Originally you had planned to climb the mountain today, but after everything that happened yesterday you are not too sure if you can face the blond again. It’s a nice day, walking through the village and spending more time chatting to folk. You both pop into Tanaka’s store and chat for a bit with him. It feels like you are a teenager again, almost like you’ve gone back in time, but Dad has gone more grey since you’ve last seen him, and Tanaka struggles to move around the store like he used to.

Dad stays to chat with Tanaka a bit longer as you pop into the nearby cafe. You are next in line when familiar voices make you turn around. Saneka and Nakamura wave from the door, walking up to talk. It’s mostly mindless small-talk until Nakamura brings up the noises on the mountain again. He mentions hearing them again last night, definitely more interested in them than the other day. You think about the blond, his scowl, and intense gaze, and honestly consider mentioning something. But what would be the consequences of that? If a hero had to come to Makkari to take care of an unlicensed quirk, that would only spell more trouble. And, well, you sort of owe him. You deny hearing anything.

Luckily, you are next to order. You order a latte from someone you don’t recognize. It’s made quickly, and you wave at Saneka and Nakamura as you leave, headed back towards Tanaka's store. You are about to go in when your pocket buzzes. Letting go of the handle, you check your phone.

[ 1 New Message ]

Naoko: What did you say the mountain guy’s quirk was?

You are confused at the sudden question. Sure, you were drunk when you explained it, but you don’t suddenly have more information now. Why did she even care? With one hand occupied with the coffee, you slowly answer. Thank god for autocorrect.

You: I’m not really sure. Didn’t see it.

You: It was loud tho, and strong. The trees were completely shattered. Some I think were on fire?

[ Incoming call: Naoko ]

The hell? You pick up the phone. “Uh, hello?”

“Was it like an explosion?!”

“Hm, yea. I guess so.”

“Shit.” She mumbles to herself, voice shaking slightly. “I think that might be him...”

“Who?” You take a sip of coffee.

“A pro hero.” You startle at her answer, coffee definitely going down the right pipe. Coughing harshly, you hit your chest with the hand holding the phone and try to breathe. It takes a minute before you calm down.

“A-what?” You finally make out. “That’s not possible.”

“I don’t know hun.” She replies. “Just, the description you gave of him and the attitude and now the quirk….” She fades off for a moment. “Google him. Ground Zero.” You place your coffee on the sidewalk, careful to not knock it over. You put her on speaker and open up your internet app, typing in ‘Ground Zero hero’.

You pause, hand over the ‘search’ button. There is no way. Naoko must be wrong. But Naoko has always been obsessed with heros and hero culture. Still, she could be wrong about this, right? Your heart pounds a bit harder. Heroes don’t come to Makkari. Nothing happens here. Why would he be here? It makes no sense. Taking a shaky breath, you hit the button. It takes a minute, as your data has always been a bit spotty out here, but soon the page loads.

RED RIOT TAKES DOWN VILLAIN WITH GROUND ZERO

IS GROUND ZERO DATING FELLOW HERO URAVITY?

GROUND ZERO: SETTING A HORRIBLE EXAMPLE FOR CHILDREN

TOP 10 EXPLOSIVE GROUND ZERO INTERVIEWS

You stare at the articles as they come up, dread crawling up your spine. There are no pictures, but something in you fears the worst. You click on the images tab. It loads slowly, but the first image that appears makes your stomach plummet.

Blond hair. A red, intense gaze. A seemingly permanent scowl. Your wide eyes take in more photos as they load. Some of them are professional, magazine shoots or runway press. Some of them are shakier, taken of him the heat of battle with a terrifying look on his face.

“Well?” Naoko's loud voice shocks you from your staring.

You take a deep breath. “It’s him.”

In a village like this, if a hero showed up it would be the only thing people talked about for years. So, why haven’t you heard of it? You frown in thought. If people don’t know, did he come here in secret? It's extremely suspicious, but if it was something bad, why would he risk his cover to save you?

“Let’s talk about this later.” You take it off speakerphone and press it to your ear. “How does five sound?”

“Sure.” She replies steadily. This discovery seemingly has less of an effect on her. “I have some other stuff I have to do anyway. If you run into him again, think you can get an autograph for me?”

You respond unsure and hang up after a quick goodbye. Reaching down, you grab at your latte and take a large sip, not really tasting it as it goes down.

The door to the store opens and your dad pops his head out. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” You give him a -hopefully confident- smile. He still looks concerned, so you take the opportunity to hide from his gaze by walking into the store. Tanaka waves at you from the counter.

“What was that about?” Dad asks from behind.

“Just...work.”

“Does your team really need to call you on vacation? What is so urgent about accounting?” The two of you reach the counter. You determinedly look at Tanaka, avoiding Dad's gaze.

“Uh, yea.” You mumble, before realizing you probably need more to dissuade him. “One of my juniors made a mistake, so she called me to figure out how to fix it.”  It concerns you how easy it has become to lie to him. Dad makes a sound that you can't understand without looking at him, but you can feel another question coming, one you probably can’t answer. You decide to change the topic.

“Hey, Tanaka.” You lean against the counter, feigning causality. “That guy that is staying in Fuccanchi, what do you know about him?"

“Oh, him again!” Tanaka smiles. “Not much, I’m afraid. I’m afraid you lost your chance dear, he left this morning.”

...

Oh.

[keichan]

Running Through the Night  Tsukishima x fem!reader Part 5: After

You and Tsukishima have been friends for as long as you two could remember. With a very unexpected confession, how will this affect you two?

Authors note: So I’ve decided that this series will end at either between parts 8-10 but I’m not completely sure. I’m glad that you guys are enjoying my first series! I plan on writing a Tanaka SMAU in the near future with @pipsqweaks​ so follow us (:

Word count: 1737

Genre: college au, unrequited love, angst, best friends to lovers, fluff somewhere in there, mutual pining

Warnings: manga time skip!!! mentions of vomiting 

Send me a message or ask to be added to the taglist !

masterlist・previous・next

“So what’s got you like this Y/N?” Sugawara sat across from you in a ramen shop not too far away from Tsukishima’s apartment. You prodded the noodles with your chopsticks before you let out a short sigh. 

“Kei confessed to me last night,” You held your breath and set your utensils down before looking at Sugawara for his response. 

He grinned, “Really? That’s great! It’s about time that he finally confessed!” He clapped his hands together giddily. Your jaw dropped open. If it was humanly possible, you’re sure it would’ve touched the ground. He slowed down at your reaction, “Are you not happy about it?”

“Wait. You’re saying that you knew about it? What do you mean about time?” You placed both of your hands on the table and leaned forward. Sugawara’s expression slowly switched from joy to confusion.

“Yeah?...” he began slowly. “It wasn’t just me... Literally everyone knew.... Are you telling me that you didn’t?” He let out a nervous laugh. 

You leaned back dumbfounded in your chair and began to tap your leg rapidly. You shook your head at the table. “I literally had no idea, I was caught off guard about it.”

“Really? The whole team thought that you two had a thing for each other and was kind of just waiting for some kind of catalyst to finally throw you two together.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Yes. You two were inseparable. It was almost unnatural to not see the both of you in the same room. Y/N, even in your first year over high school, he was already head over heels for you. The times that you weren’t there, he’s... I’m not sure if it’s the right word for it, but tense. The high strung, cocky bastard that we all know. If he sees anything that displeases him, he has to make a comment. But whenever you’re there he isn’t like that he-“

“What are you talking about? He always has to make a comeback regardless. It’s not like he avoids it when I’m there,” you insist. 

Sugawara waves his hands, “No, no, it’s not like that. His insults are barely kinder, but he says it because he likes it when you tell him to lay off. Even though he might tell you to shut up or call you an idiot as a reply. Every time you would turn away, he always had this stupid smile on his face.” 

You buried your face in your hands mumbling, “I feel so stupid that I didn’t know.”

“So.. Are you telling me that you don’t like him?”

“It’s not that.. It’s just that when I think of everything that happened last night, it just is all starting to make sense. How could I be so blind.”

“Yanno, what’s kinda funny is every time a guy would confess to you in high school, Tsukishima would go out of his way to subtly bully them after you rejected them. He’d either bump into them ‘accidentally’ or flat out insult them with a ’So I heard Y/N-san rejected you. Hate to say it makes sense’ with his signature smirk.” He let out a light laugh. 

You followed with a dry laugh. “Yeah, that’s Kei for ya.”

“Speaking of, why did you always reject everyone who confessed to you? Some of the guys were pretty attractive.” Sugawara pondered out loud. 

You took a second to think about it. There was never really a reason for you to reject all of those boys your first year. You didn’t need a boyfriend since you had Kei. Wait.

“I just had the realization that the reason why I never said yes was kind of the situation of ‘well I already have Kei, why would I need someone else.” You laughed nervously before continuing. “Everything with Kei is so easy and so natural. Being around him is like breathing. I’m always at ease around him, I just never have had to worry. I mean yeah we bicker, but we’ve never fought. I guess I just never had a reason to see him in that light because everything from our childhood to now has been consistent. I don’t really know the point I’m trying to get at, but I do love him. Maybe I’ve subconsciously blocked all of these other people off because I knew it deep down. I just have never had a reason to acknowledge it.”

After you finished the sound of the other patrons moving around the shop enveloped the atmosphere again, setting you back into reality. Sugawara offered you a warm smile. “Do you think he’s taking it hard right now? What exactly did he say last night?” 

You slowly began to retell the events of last night. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw you glow brightly every time you said Tsukishima’s name. Sugawara and many other alumni knew that this was a long time coming. It’s just nice to see it all play out.

“But there is one thing he said last night that doesn’t really make sense. He said something like ��I can make you happier than him’ or something like that. I have no idea who ‘him’ is supposed to be.” Now in a better mood, leaving room for Sugawara to speak, you began to start eating again.

“Well is there anyone you hang out with that happens to be a guy? From college or from high school” 

You shook your head. “I’ve been so busy. Earlier this month we had midterms, so I had to balance that and my part-time job at the market. I usually spend the time I do have with Kei and Yamaguchi or some of my other friends, but only once or twice. Since Yamaguchi and I have been planning Kei’s birthday party since it’s coming up in two weeks, I guess you could say that I’ve been spending more time with him since we’re trying to get everyone from high school to come. But I don’t think that Kei would be jealous of Yamaguchi. The three of us have been so close since middle school. It doesn’t make sense, right?”

“Actually, Y/N, it kind of does. It might be what pushed him over. Especially if you’re spending more time with Yamaguchi out of nowhere over Kei, it probably is coming off like you have a thing with him and you’re just not saying anything on the matter.”

You pointed your chopsticks at him, “I’m just going to assume you’re wrong until Italk to him. Is it cool if you take me back to his place? I just hope he’s home.” 

Sugawara nodded standing up, “Yeah of course! And don’t worry about the meal, it’s my treat.”

Tsukishima knew from the moment he woke up that your friendship wasn’t going to be there anymore. If it was it would be awkward and uncomfortable. You would avoid him like you avoided all of the other boys that confessed to you in high school. 

He got dressed and began to walk out of the front door. He saw you sleeping peacefully on the couch, beautiful as ever. He scrunched his eyes closed quickly. Dumbass, she rejected you, you can’t think like that. The thoughts overwhelmed him. The realization made him feel numb. He quietly exited the apartment and began driving to his captains house. He couldn’t confide in Yamaguchi, that was clear to him. Nakamura was the next best option. Tsukishima knocked on the door and was let in immediately.

“Are you okay, Tsukishima?” The captain grabbed the tall middle blocker’s shoulder, eyes laced with concern. Tears quickly slipped from the edges of his eyes before he wiped them with his sleeve. 

He tried to make his voice as steady as possible by slowing his breathing, but he was already choking back a sob. “I confessed to Y/N last night and she rejected me. She didn’t kiss me back, she didn’t say anything, she just left the room.”  Tsukishima sank against the wall. “I really lost her…”

Nakamura crouched down and rubbed his shoulder, “Tsukishima, it’s going to be alright. This is going to pass.” 

Tsukishima shook his head in a daze. 

“I’ve loved her all of my life. It’s not that simple and it will never be.” 

Nakamura stood up and walked to his kitchen. “I’m gonna make you some tea so hopefully you can get to feeling better. Y/N has never left your side and I don’t think she ever would.”

Tsukishima felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He fished it out to see you calling. Your profile picture was from Christmas a few years ago. You stand behind his sitting figure with your arms hanging around his neck. Both of you are smiling so big. His thumb hovered over the answer button but he didn’t click it. He couldn’t talk to you right now. His heart couldn’t handle what you were going to tell him.

He set it on the ground and took his glasses off in an attempt to wipe away his tears, but your phone call opened the floodgates. He pulled his knees to his chest and began to sob. His body wouldn’t stop shaking. Nakamura walked up to him with a mug of tea just to set it down next to Tsukishima’s cell phone. He wasn’t sure what to do besides say everything will be fine and rub his back. He didn’t know Tsukishima could emote like that. 

It wasn’t before long that Tsukishima got short of breath and began to choke on his sobs. “Nakamura, I feel like I’m going to be sick. I can’t breathe” Nakamura quickly nodded and led Tsukishima to his bathroom before Tsukishima threw himself over the toilet and began to dry heave, but nothing came up. It pained his captain to see him like this.

After a while once the tears slowed, Nakamura offered him a spare room to stay for as long as he needed. By that point he was so exhausted, he passed out immediately.

Upon waking up he had 27 missed calls and 51 text messages.

The most recent ones saying:

Y/N: Kei, I’m at your at your apartment right now

Y/N: Kei I really want to talk to you about everything, please come home.

Y/N: I’m so worried about you, please answer me

Sent at 10:17pm

Tsukishima didn’t go home that night

((a/n I’m not sure if everyone will agree on how I chose to write Tsukishima at this chapter, but I feel like if he truly thought he lost the opportunity with the love of his life, I’d think that it would push him over.))

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[seungmiproductionz]

Day 2 of College

Okay so here I am with day 2 of college. it was pretty cool tbh. I finally got to sleep in which was a vibe. i woke up at around 9 something almost 10 my time. (8 almost 9 c-view time). and i was chatting with my roomie for the most part. i also had a few things fixed here and there cuz i'm slowly putting my dorm stuff away.

roomies mom, aunt, and sister came by cuz my roomie finally turns 18 tomorrow hehe. so they came in with some more of her stuff and i was helping her get it all set up. so we went on a target run to get some last minute things, they bought us some food essentials (sugar and spices tbh) along with some lights for my room. other things that were bought, erin and i can/are going to share (her words, not mine lol).

we also grabbed lunch at zoe's kitchen. it was my first time there. i got the turkey avocado sammich with a pasta salad. that pasta salad was the best shit i have had in my mf life bruh. the sammich was really good too ngl but that pasta was next level. they also had this hibiscus tea that was super good too.

so we headed back to the dorm, set up the last of erin's things. aunt and mother left to rest at their hotel. erin's sister stayed with us cuz she's spending the night here with erin. I was trying to set up erin's tv to the wifi but it's not working so we're gonna need to connect her tv to the ethernet but we need an adapter for it.

anywho, we walked the campus a but to find where my classes are supposed to be because those start on monday. we made it back fairly quickly so I was big chillin after. we went back to the dorm and got ready for dinner.

watched like half of the second Kong Fu Panda movie while we waited for erin's family to come back and pick us up for dinner. when they got here, we went down to the restaurant, III Forks. it was so fucking fancy and the whole fucking menu was expensive as shit. I was so glad to know that erin's family has like, money money, so it wasnt a big deal but i lowkey felt bad that they paid for me cuz i usually just eat out with my family.

but dinner was great. I had a boujee ass paddy melt with mf gouda cheese and bacon. we got spinach dip and this cool butter with bread thing. erin got some b-day cheesecake, her sister got this bread pudding, and their adults got a creme brulee. it was literally so fucking good, so was the bread pudding (they offered to let me try some).

we left dinner and sped to target again because we needed to grab some more last minute things. i got some more lights cuz the lights i had gotten originally was not long enough. it was great. so i bought the second set which is now perfect length.

leave target and head back to the dorms for some fun times. jk lol. we set all out leftovers away, set up my lights so my side of the room doesnt look so sad, and got changed to get ready for the night. the gorls have brunch and I'm gonna say bye to my parents tomorrow. I'm kinda nervous to be officially on my own but im sure i'm gonna be fine. i wanna make more friend on campus especially cuz once classes start, im not gonna have erin around all the time to keep me company, plus she has other friends as well yanno?

but yeah, second day is really nice and i hope i can say the same abt tomorrow. i probably will end up crying when my parents leave but it's all good. I just hope that everything is gonna turn out fine for me. i dont doubt that it will but yanno. things ig.

welp, goodnight lovelies!

see ya tomorrow <3

[briellelevi]

『 maude apatow. twenty-one. cis woman. she/her. 』 oh heavens, is that GABRIELLE LEVI from CHESTNUT DRIVE i see roaming around mapleview? minnie may’s always calling them -INVASIVE & -IMPULSIVE. i happen to think they’re not that bad! they’re a pretty cool FLORIST and every time i’ve seen them, they’ve always been +AFFECTIONATE & +IDEALISTIC. i hope i see them around again! 『 kenna. twenty. cst. she/her. 』

basics

full name: gabrielle luisa levi.

nicknames: gabby, gabs (family only), brielle, bri, elle, etc

age: twenty-one.

birthday: january 23rd, 1999 (capricorn)

gender / pronouns: cis woman, she/her

sexuality: bisexual.

family: david levi (father), katherine carmichael (mother), older brother, aurora levi (older sister)

hometown: mapleview.

background

meet the youngest levi child: gabrielle. most know her as brielle, the nickname she started going by when she was thirteen. no one rlly calls her gabrielle except for her family & super close family friends.

she was always super close to her dad growing up. like.... total daddy’s girl. it probably had a lot to do with her dad being the ‘fun parent’ tbh 

looves her siblings! always. was v much the annoying nosy little sister growing up. meddled quite a bit in their personal affairs. did the same to her friends too tbh. but in a well meaning way! she just wants her friends and family to be happy and thinks that sometimes they just need a push, yanno??

juggled a million different activities throughout school. she was always picking up new hobbies and was just... trying new things constantly.  embroidery. sewing. drawing. she got rlly into writing one summer and even wrote a book! it uh... wasn’t very good. she was like twelve, ok?

she played quite a few sports in middle & high school. her personal favorite and the one she consistently came back to every year was tennis. oh, she loved everything about it! she did really contemplate maybe becoming a professional tennis player but... she wasn’t that good and she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle that much pressure. 

and even with her million hobbies, she still found time to act out a bit. she was constantly sneaking out of the house. to go to parties, to hang out with her on again/off again boyfriend, to sneak into abandoned buildings after dark. why? she couldn’t really tell you. maybe it was just her boyfriend’s influence or it was her acting out due to her parents fighting OR acting out because her dad was the mayor and it always seemed like everyone’s eyes were on her anyways. who knows! she doesn’t. it was fun though. she does look back on those times fondly.

she has always been very impulsive and not rlly the best at making decisions. she went and got a tattoo of her boyfriend’s initials when she was eighteen. like... right on her eighteenth birthday. she was young, in love, and wanted to prove it. he did the same.

two more impulsive tattoos followed that one. one of a bee on a flower & one that says “remember who you are”. she still has yet to regret the last two. she thinks they’re nice. 

and probably the biggest impulsive decision she’s ever made - she moved to new york city with her boyfriend when she was nineteen. it was while her parents were divorcing and she kinda just wanted to get away. from her mom more than her anyone, she was just like... really upset and angry with her. even though rationally she knew that her parents were probably better off apart. at first, she just wanted to take a trip but her boyfriend was wanting to move so she thought... hey! why not? and off she went. 

she got a job at a little flower shop in new york that really opened her eyes to just how much she loved flowers. she had always been the type of kid to just pluck flowers out of the ground (sometimes out of her neighbor’s garden) and give them to her friends and family. she just never really thought that she could do something with flowers as a job.

a year after the move though, she learned that her boyfriend had been cheating on her. almost for like... the whole time they had been living there??? a mutual friend told her and she was honestly just heartbroken. 

and to like.... everyone’s surprise, her mom was the one she called in tears that night. she’ll say that she just called her mom because she knew her dad was busy as mayor but really... she just wanted her mom. her mom picked her up as soon as she could and brielle ended up staying with her for a few months. it was a nice time for the two of them and they repaired their relationship a bit. it was good for them 

she ended up moving into an apartment with some old friends from high school and has been ever since she moved back (which... if my math is correct was about a year ago?? give or take). she likes having roommates. 

lil fun facts

rides a bike basically everywhere she goes. she knows how to drive, she just prefers not to. the whole thing just makes her really nervous.

loves to cook!!! is always cooking different meals for her roommates. has been known to cook breakfast for any one nightstands/fwbs/significant others her roommates have had over. 

likes insects. she just thinks they’re Neat. has seriously considered starting up beekeeping as a hobby. she’s done a lot of research into it but she doesn’t think her current residence is the best place for it. 

went vegan for like a month back in high school. still enjoys a lot of vegan dishes though! she tries to eat vegan at least once a week. 

likes flavored lemonades. strawberry is her favorite and is the usually what she has in the house. whether she made it herself or just bought a jug from the store. depends on how she’s feeling that week. 

has a lil kitty cat named pepper! she technically adopted pepper with her ex-boyfriend but he just let her take her :) 

really likes pressing flowers. she likes to make art out of them and has considered starting an etsy shop. not just for the pressed flower art but for some of her embroidery and sewing projects.

is looking to cover her tattoo of her ex’s initials.... if anyone has any ideas pls hit her up she’s so tired of looking at it its so cringe-y

wanted connections

her roommates!! she probably has like... 2 or 3 of them? they should be around the same age as her considering most of them are her friends from high school. 

best friend since childhood! they kept in touch when brielle moved away but it just wasn’t the same. was probably overjoyed when she moved back!!! could be her roommate too? maybe? idk. up 2 you!

high school exes - people she dated before her ex. or even during one of the times they had broken up. they were always off & on in high school.

her ex she moved to new york with? could be fun.... why did he move back? who knows!

almost lover/one that got away - this is gonna be the most specific one but like... they were always super close friends. they had feelings for brielle. had this dramatic “Hey, I Love You” confession right before she moved away in a hope that maybe she’d choose to stay. rlly confused her tbh. she left anyway. now she’s back! they could decide to just be friends. maybe they’re over her but brielle has feelings for them. maybe they BOTH like each other but think the other one doesn’t. we could do anything! i just like... angst.

family friends - yanno... friends of the family. could be friends with her dad or her mom. or was a mutual friend idk.

hmmm... this is all i can think of atm... i’m rlly up for anything! i’m gonna try to make like an actual in-depth wanted connections page but no promises bc i can be lazy :// 

[bondsmagii]

2, 8, 26, 37, 38, 57, 72, 91, 94, 100

> questions to ask at 4:02am meme 🌕🌃

thank you! 

2: Do you mourn for a place or person you’ve never known?

yes 😩 I can’t even adequately describe what’s going on here, but there’s a lot of people and a lot of places that feel familiar even if I don’t know them, if that makes sense? and there’s also a lot of people I could have become, and a lot of places I could have been, and I do have moments where I kind of mourn them even though I have no proof that they would have even existed in that specific way. I do think this is normal to an extent, but also I do this a lot, lol.

on a slightly less philosophical level, I of course mourn my older brother, who’s quite literally a person I never got the chance to know.

8: Do you think you can put love into categories (family, platonic, romantic, etc.) or is it just one general sensation?

oh man definitely. the love you feel for your friends isn’t the same love you feel for your spouse or your parents, and so on and so forth. there’s lots of different kinds of love, and lots of different levels within those types, and you’re also more than capable of feeling several different types and levels towards the same person, in my opinion. I don’t know if I would try and categorise everything, because something like love doesn’t really suit being shoved into boxes, but there are different types of love and I find it’s constantly shifting and changing along with you and the object of your love, which is cool.

I should add that I don’t find any one type of love more or less important than the others. seriously, destroy the idea that romantic love is the One True Love, and all other forms are somehow lesser. that’s just garbage.

26: What’s the most life-changing choice you’ve made so far?

this is kind of embarrassing but the truth often is: almost eight years ago I decided to make a sideblog on here that has... something to do with writing, let’s say, and something to do with... a certain character... and anyway that decision led to me meeting a certain person and going from awkward messages on Tumblr to awkward messages on Skype, to eighteen hour conversations and constant texting, to living in a car together for three months on a roadtrip and then living in a car together for many more months while homeless (and a million other places in between), to moving in together and then holy shit we got married.

so I guess that one impulsive decision to make a shitpost sideblog at stupid o’clock in the morning when I was bored one summer has been the single most life-changing choice I’ve ever made.

37: Do opposites attract?

eh. I mean, yeah, sometimes? but similarities attract, too. I think for any kind of relationship to be successful you’ve kind of got to have an element of both, and I think that “opposites” usually refers to something very specific. for example, I don’t mind cleaning the bathroom and you hate it. that’s a useful kind of opposite, because it means a compromise neither of us feel cheated by. you’re unshakable when it comes to slogging through bureaucratic minutiae, and I’m a beast in high-stress quick-thinking scenarios. together we make a pretty unstoppable team, for being opposites in that regard. I think that’s kind of what’s meant by this saying, but unfortunately it seems to have been appropriated to mean “yes honey, I know you work 10 hour shifts and come home to find your partner hasn’t cleaned the house or done anything to help, but opposites attract!” or “my partner supports Trump and genuinely believes that vaccines and masks are a government conspiracy to control us all, and I am a normal human being, but opposites attract so I guess I’ll have to put up with it”. like no, kings and queens. that isn’t what it means. dump them.

38: Is your life what you expected it would be five years ago?

lmao no. not in the slightest. five years ago it would have been... just into 2016, and yeah, no. there is not a single thing about me right now that I would have predicted, aside from the general stuff that’s never changed about me. I had different ideas about what I would be doing for work, about what I’d be working towards; I had completely different levels of commitment and discipline to various tasks, and I certainly wasn’t planning an international move. I can at least say that I’m happier with my current plan than the one I used to have (it wasn’t a bad plan, it just no longer suits me) but there’s no way I would have expected this.

and of course, there’s the whole issue with the pandemic. five years ago I had no idea I would be living through a global natural disaster, and if you’d told me, I would have thought it would be something like a supervolcano eruption or a nuclear winter. like, I’m glad it’s not, but also “you have to stay in your house for over a year” still kind of sucks.

57: Do you thinks humans are obsessed with escapism (books, video games, movies, etc.)? Are you looking for an escape? Do you think that’s a bad thing?

I think we are sometimes, when things are tough and there’s a need to wish to escape (see how many books I read over quarantine in March, for example). most of the time, however, I think humans just like stories. I don’t think it’s any deeper than the fact that humans love stories, we’ve always loved stories, we’ve always loved telling and hearing stories, before we had books and archives we passed our stories down orally and we drew them on cave walls with our own fingers, and this love for the story has never changed or altered in the hundreds of thousands of years since. I think that’s the major driving force here.

right now I’m looking for an escape 24/7, because I’m sick to death of the real world. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. without books, without the fictional things I love, without reading and writing and music, I would have gone absolutely bonkers in 2020. being able to fall into a book or play around in the worlds I’ve created, both my own and things I’ve co-written with you, has literally saved my ass over the past eight months. escapism is never a bad thing. like anything, it only becomes troubling when it starts creating problems. but I do not think there’s any shame in occasionally saying “fuck it” and going to worry about someone else’s fictional problems for a while. 

72: Should people be prosecuted for crimes that weren’t considered crimes at the time?

this is a tough one. on the one hand I want to say no, because it could easily be abused. some asshole could get into power and make something illegal, and then round up all the people who have committed that now-crime and lock them up, and oh, would you look at that! all the people who have committed the now-crime just so happen to be the dictator’s biggest critics and threats, how convenient. 

at the same time, dictators are going to wipe out their enemies no matter how legal it is, and I also have to consider the fact that before WWII, for example, words like “genocide” and “crimes against humanity” didn’t exist. how could we decide that these things are crimes, but then not try those who literally gave cause for the crime to be acknowledged? we can hardly say “alright, genocide is now a crime against humanity, but because these guys did it before this was law they can’t be tried”. that’s just... not really a great precedent to set, you know?

so I suppose a tentative yes? I think it would probably depend entirely on the severity of the crime. for example, if they found out that... I don’t know, some normal everyday substance was something that people could suddenly get high off, and they declared it a drug, I don’t think everyone who’s ever sold it or used it should be rounded up and jailed. but like, if the act of cannibalism itself became a crime (and not just murder or desecration of a corpse, which is what “cannibalism” usually falls under in terms of legality) we should probably go round up all the people who are stealing human legs to eat, yanno?

91: Is hate as strong as love? Who do you hate?

sick totheark reference bro. anyway yeah, hate is as strong as love, though it appears and reacts in different ways. hate and love are two sides of the same coin, if you ask me. the deeper you love somebody, the harder you hate them if things go wrong. hate is betrayed love. something something, a tree’s branches cannot reach to heaven unless its roots reach to hell, and all that. something so powerful is going to leave a lot of damage if it goes wrong.

I hate a few people. I don’t want to go into detail as to their specific identities, because I’m sure that if you know me well, you’ll know who they are. both of them were people whom I loved very deeply, and who betrayed that love in ferociously cruel ways. both people taught me very difficult lessons about the nature of love, and how sometimes it really cannot conquer everything, but while this would be a nasty lesson to learn it’s compounded by the fact that I learned this not out of any kind of extraneous circumstance, but rather through their cruelty and their refusal to work with me, listen to me, or love me in the way I deserved to be loved. my hatred for these people will never go away, even though it certainly doesn’t dominate my life. it is there, though, and I can easily draw on it whenever I need it. should I get the opportunity, I have no doubt in my mind that I have the capacity to be very cruel to these people in my own right, and I won’t feel bad about it.

94: How would you describe yourself when you love? Do you love forcefully, unconditionally, gently, quietly, desperately?

oh damn. forcefully, conditionally, stubbornly, and probably slightly possessively.

I don’t show love in conventional means. I’m one of those stereotypes, I guess. I don’t like declarations of love, I don’t really go in for physical affection, and I’m not sappy at all. my love language is more subtle, but it’s there. I like to do things for people, I like to create things for/with people, I like to have adventures with people. that’s how I love, and I can be pretty forceful about it. I also want people to improve themselves as much as possible -- I think the greatest thing I can witness someone I love doing is becoming the best version of themselves, and I will support them 100% in this effort -- also very forcefully. I don’t think there are many people who could put up with that level of intensity for so long, if I’m honest. I demand a lot of the ones I love, but I also like to think I give a lot, too.

my love is never unconditional. while I believe unconditional love exists, I have never seen it. my love always comes with conditions -- conditions about how I expect to be treated, about ideology, about worldview. these are all huge deal breakers, of course -- my conditions aren’t vague, or petty, or small in any way. but there is nobody on earth, nor will there ever be, who I will not walk away from if I feel the relationship is harmful in any way. I might not stop loving them, but I sure as hell will not assume that my love for them will protect me from them.

at the same time I’m a very stubborn person when it comes to love. people will do things they think must break one of my conditions, but I’ll see something else in it and I’ll stick around even if we both think it’s useless. I’m never wrong, so I suppose I have that going for me. but I am very, very stubborn when it comes to love. I have a high level of endurance and I know how to nurture love; how to stop pessimism from setting in. I’m also slightly possessive, so I don’t let go of anything easily -- and this includes the people I love. I’ll never stifle a person, but I’ll definitely fight for them, and something something everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.

100: What belief do you have that isn’t logically grounded, but you still firmly believe in?

I suppose something like this could never be logically grounded because there’s no logical proof at all, and “I Just Know” is apparently not a scientific argument (it should be), but I know I’ve had past lives. I just do. I have no solid proof for this, only gut feelings and Just Knowing and weird memories and some crazy shit that I can’t explain -- like being able to find my way around a strange city because I remembered it from a past life, for example -- but I just know I’ve had many different lives before and I will have many more to come. this is just an unshakable belief and it always has been.

[ghostlywriterneon]

KuraNeon Week. Day Two - Disguise/Ocean

Title: Water Friends

Rating: General Audience

Theme: Siren AU

Description: At the age of 8, Kurapika had stumbled across a beautiful cove far away from home. It was the perfect hiding spot to read his books or collect shells along the shore line. Unfortunately, someone had beat him to this perfect spot. Though, she wasn’t quite human. Sirens are normally seen as dangerous and sly creatures, but she didn’t seem so horrible? Honestly, there wasn’t much of a difference between the two of them. She had friends, she had cried at the loss of her mother, and she enjoyed everyday. If it weren’t for the gills and tail, she wouldn’t be different from any other human. They had become fast friends after their wariness from the grown-ups stories. And for the next 3 years, they would meet up every Saturday at 9pm. 

Stay away from humans, he said. They’re dangerous, he said. Pssh! They’re really not that bad. Sure some of them are people they have to watch out for, but it’s really not all of them. There are some humans that are curious to learn more about sirens or understand that they’re intelligent creatures too. That they are also creatures that are capable of making friends, feeling sympathy, and you know, enjoying life. Really, humans and sirens aren’t that different. Sure sometimes they snack a bit on humans and they can lure them to their deaths, but humans can do that too! She’s sure that there have been instances where humans have lured sirens in and then cut them up and made sushi out of them!

… Oh that was a disturbing thought. Alright, yanno, we’re going to pretend like that isn’t a thing. We’ll just ignore all thoughts of eating each other. Oh that sent chills down her spine. Yup, we’re done there.

She flicked her tail against the sand and water. Ugh, what’s taking him so long? Currently she was resting in her favorite cove. It was the one that always had the best looking shells long its coast. This one also happened to be one where humans rarely travel too. It was pretty far from their civilization from what her friend has told her. He travels here for the same reason as she does. The shells here are always in perfect condition and make really good gifts for others. He’s told her that his mother loves the shells he brings her, so he always eager to come here and gather more for her.

‘Hehe, what a cutie!’

Neon does this more for herself, but maybe she should start giving some away? Hm. Maybe she could fine a really pretty one for Kurapika! With that thought in mind, she slid herself back into the water and began her search for the prettiest shell here.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been searching, when she heard the call of her name. Immediately her head shot out of the water and she started to wave at the boy with a big smile on her face.

“Kurapika!! What took you so long?”

Ah darn, she hadn’t found the prettiest shell yet. Oh well, she was sure the conch shell will do.

“Sorry! My mom told me I had to study for an extra hour today. She caught me sneaking out last night.”

Is studying really a punishment for him? She can see that satchel. She knows that it’s filled with books. It’s probably even heavier than he is! She pulled herself back onto the shore. She wasn’t too far out of the water, after all she needed to keep her gills on her hips submerged, but most of her upper body was up and out of the water. She kept the shell to her side for now. She’ll give it to him when they go to leave.

“Sneaking out? Kura I never thought you had it in you! What were you doing? Tell me! You hafta tell me!”

He was kicking off his shoes and rolling up his pant legs as she was speaking to him. Even with his face turned away, she could see him blushing.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Oh how cute, he was mumbling!

“I was only hanging out with Pairo. We like to explore the woods at night. I usually don’t get caught, but dad was up a lot later than he normally is.”

He came to sit down near her, resting the exposed parts of his legs in the water. He was smiling at her, a bit nervously too. She couldn’t help but to tilt her head. ‘What’s that look for?’ She poked and pulled on his cheek earning herself a squeak from her friend.

“What are you smiling like that for, Kura? You’re gonna make me nervous if you keep that up!”

Another round of blush grew on his as he fumbled over his response to her.

“E-Eh? S-Smiling like what? I’m not smiling weird.”

Well, he didn’t slap her hand away or move away from her, so she’ll take that as permission to continuing to pull and pinch at his cheeks.

“Yes you are, dummy! You’re still smiling like you’re nervous about something! Come on, you can tell your super amazing, awesome best friend anything!”

She squished his cheeks together at the last part and that was enough to make him pull her hands away. Darn, she was really having fun too. Though, now he looks even redder than before. He refused to look at her too. Huh, is he embarrassed?

“I’m not nervous! It’s just… I have a gift for you.”

Oh! A gift?? What kind of gift? She pulled herself further out of the water and closer to her friend. Really only her tail was left in water, but she couldn’t help it. Receiving gifts was one of her favorite activities! She was hovering over his legs, her hands braced against the sand on either side of his body.

“Show me, show me, show me!”

Her eyes were practically shimmering with joy. Kurapika always had the best gifts. Every single thing he gave her became one of her most prized possessions. They were small things like wooden statues he bought or made, cute clips or hair ties, he even gave her a pretty bracelet once! Nothing big, but always really thoughtful. They were they best types of gifts for sure!

Neon watched every movement he made as he leant over to his bag and pulled out… flowers? She tilted her head to the side and took them when he offered them to her. She hasn’t seen any flowers like these before. The only ones she’s seen were the ones that grew close to the coast. These ones were really pretty too. It was purple and looked so delicate. She felt like if she touched its petals, she would ruin it.

“I figured since I can’t take you into the forest, I could at least bring some of it to you.”

A big smile came across her face. The only thing keeping her from tackling Kurapika to the ground were the flowers in her hands. That, however, didn’t stop her from bouncing in place.

“Kura! They’re so pretty! Uwah!!! What are they called?? Are there more pretty flowers out there too?”

“Mmhm, this one is called a fairy slipper. It’s really hard to find. But I could bring you mountain bells and starflowers too.”

He smiled back at her, obviously happy that she liked the gift.

“Although… they won’t last long underwater. Maybe next time I could bring you something a bit hardier? Mushrooms might better than flowers.”

Ah, she would be happy with any of those! This was so cool! She doubted anyone else she knew had something like this!

“Hehe! You could always bring me more when the wilt!”

She couldn’t stop smiling. She was looking over the flowers, thinking of the best way to get them home without damaging them. She’ll just have to swim real slowly and avoid any currents.

“I have a gift for you too, but it’s nowhere near as cool as this!”

She grabbed the conch that was sitting to the side and handed it to him. He looked like he likes it so that was good enough for now.

“Next time we see each I’ll bring you something really, really cool, okay?”

He smiled and nodded at her words.

“I do really like this, but okay. I can’t wait to see what you bring me.”

Yes! Excellent! AH now she was super excited for their next meet up! For the past three years, they were meeting every Saturday at 9pm. Their meetings would last about an hour or so before they both have to go home.

This week will be the longest week she will ever have to wait. Oh she better start planning what she should bring now! Ah! She could pull things out of that shipwreck near her home! Or maybe he would want something natural? Oh there are too many choices with that one though!

Eventually, the two had to go their separate ways. They had grabbed a bunch of shells before they waved each other goodbye, swearing to meet the next week. Neon was practically vibrating the entire wait. The next day she had immediately gone out to find the perfect gift for Kurapika. She settled on the items within the wreckage. However, she couldn’t decide on just a singular item so she chose to bring multiple in a pretty bag she found in there too.

When Saturday arrived, she had shown up much earlier than normal. She was too excited to wait at home and just had to come here as soon as possible. She spent her time looking over her items and squealing softly to herself. When 9 o’clock came, she couldn’t sit still. She was bouncing and attentively watching the path that Kurapika came down on. But soon, it became 9:30. Perhaps he got in trouble again? Then it became 10:00. It couldn’t hurt to wait longer, right? Eventually it became 12. She was tired and really needed to go home and sleep. He must have been busy today. She’ll come back next week and yell at him.

But then next week arrived and he still hadn’t shown up. Again she waited up 12 before taking her leave. She was worried now. Had something happened? Was he okay? Or did he get into trouble with his parents again? She went home with a heavy heart and waited another week. Once again, nothing. Something had to have happen.

She started appearing every day at random times of the day, hoping to at least see him or his friend Pairo. At this point any human would do. She could hid in the water and ask if they’ve seen him. But unfortunately, she received nothing.

Her flower had long since wilted by the time she gave up. Kurapika wasn’t returning and what happen will remain a mystery to her.

[austerlitzborodinoleipzig]

Seventh Doctor era

Mind you, I have not watched Survival yet. Like with all good food, I’m saving some of it for later. But I’ve seen the rest.

First thought : holy shit that’s good. Perhaps the strongest era of Doctor Who. At least it’s up there with the Capaldi era. But really this is some ridiculously strong stuff, that churns masterpieces after masterpieces. 

Second thought : Yes, Season 24 is the weakest of the bunch, but in no way the disaster fans usually describe. Yes it has two episodes below average. But the other ones are good.

Third thought : In theory Seven’s character should not appeal to me that much. I am extremely fond of morally ambiguous chessmasters, end-justify-means grey eminences, but I don’t think that characterization suits the Doctor. I do like my idiot in a box that relies on improvisation and bullshitting to save his life. I still like Seven a lot. Probably because McCoy does a great job at cutting down the badassery and turning on the charm. Also that’s a bit of variety so that’s nice. 

Fourth thought : Ace was wonderful, as expected. But the biggest surprise was Mel, who I never expected to like as much as I ended up doing. 

Someone please tell me, is there any Big Finish stuff that picks up from when she travels with Glitz?

So here are the McCoys stories, ranked from worst to best 

Time and the Rani : yes that story is rubbish. But not the worst of Doctor Who by a long shot. There are still some good moments to be found. And none of the offensive stuff of, say Tomb of Cybermen or The Celestial Toymaker, so that’s a plus. The Rani pretenting to be Mel for a third of the story is hilarious and Kate O’Mara is delightfully camp. It’s so nice to see Seven at his very beginning, suffering from amnesia, and totally out of his depth. And the Leonians are ridiculous, but provide perhaps the most striking moment of the story : that Leonian skeleton. 

So let me explain. Leonian explodes, and we see his skeleton imprinted in the rocks. The skeleton is at first hilariously bad. And then the Doctor, still being manipulated by the Rani, says “that sad skeleton”. And that just punches me. It’s just a weird and sad, and mournful moment. And after watching Six casually murdering people left and right, that’s a welcome moment. 

Silver Nemesis : the bad apple of the Season 25. Because yes, the Cybermen are boring generic evil robots. And there’s nothing remotely new or interesting in the plot. But Lady Peinforte is great fun, and there are still some awesome moments. Also Ace gets to kill a bunch of Cybermen. 

Dragonfire : yep. I don’t like this one that much. Actually this is a bit of a noble failure, because the story really tries. There’s some cool aesthetics, that iconic cliffhanger, lots of philosophical jokes, and perhaps the most gruesome villain’s death in the show’s history... But to me, it doesn’t quite work. I just found it boring. The plot was boring, and the resolution a bit of a rushed job. But still, yanno, they tried.

And that’s it. That’s the three below-average stories of Seven’s era. 

Delta and the Bannermen : this is a solid one. It’s a lot of fun, mixed with some horrible stuff. People will say the tone is all over the place, but that’s what Doctor Who is about. That’s one of the rare shows where you can get away with that, so enjoy and revel in it. Also it’s so weird? Delta’s baby. Guy eats jelly to turn into basically a space bee.  There’s a mysterious bee-keeper who is also a Doctory-like figure. Also some American spies, for reasons. All this versus space tourists that get disintegrated, while Kurosawa-like alien samuraïs try to genocide another alien race. It’s mad. It’s fun. It’s shocking. And best of all it doesn’t take itself seriously at all. 

Remembrance of the Daleks : I understand the love because it’s well done. The Daleks are scary. And there’s Dark!Seven in it. So it’s objectively good. I just don’t love it. I think I like Daleks stories best when there’s a moral dilemma behind, or at least some questioning behind the plot. Here it’s a bit straightforward : two Dalek factions are fighting, and Earth is in the crossfire, and the Doctor manages to find a way to destroy them all (and what a way). There’s some commentary about fascism in 1960′s Britain. And that discussion about ripples in time. It’s great! I’m just not that interested in what it has to say. 

Paradise Towers : Oh, this is a great one. I love nearly everything about it. It’s a good social satire episode, and a brilliant commentary about housing projects, brutalist architecture and its connection to fascism. Also brutalism is something that fascinates me, mainly because of its endless dystopian possibilities, so that’s right up my alley. The world-building is fascinating. You have that bleak post-apocalyptic society, where abandonned children have formed gangs and have ungoing territorial fights, cannibalistic old women, Nazi caretakers and janitors. There’s some genius decisions, like having all the Kangs have names like Fire-Escape, or Garbage-Bin, because the tower is all they’ve ever known. Sure the main villain’s acting is over the top. But everything else is great. Including Mel and Pex. 

The Happiness Patrol : I love me a good political satire. And I love everything about the aesthetics. The Tardis painted pink. The blues versus the camp. And yes the Kandyman is scary, and a great villain, because he’s a petulant child. The plot is a bit meandering at times, which is why I don’t find it as successfull as the Sun Makers, or Vengeance on Varos. But it’s still damn good. 

And now the remaining episodes are all 10/10 in my book

The Curse of Fenric : I have two minor problems with that story. The first one is the excruciatingly bad accents of the suposed-to-be Soviet soldiers. That just breaks the story whenever they speak. And the big scene between Fenric, Ace and the Doctor, when the Doctor betrays Ace doesn’t quite land for me.

Battlefield : I have raved on and on about how great Battlefield was. I should do a separate post about it. But really it’s so much more than nostalgia UNIT tour and Brigadier hommage, because there’s a whole lot of commentary and criticism aimed at UNIT and the Brig. Mainly it’s a story about how the past had its highs and lows. Like the Brig has its failures, but we love him anyway, and now it’s time to move on. And nostalgia of the past never did any good. Also Brigadier Bamberra. Enough said. 

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy : that episode scared the hell out of me. Also damn great, and so much meta. And anything involving McCoy performing magic tricks is gold. 

Ghost Light : At first the biggest WTF?? But also a story where you need to stop thinking too closely about the plot and just go with the flow, because this is a story that is held together by the images it creates. It’s not so much plot driven, as association driven. And its layers on top of layers on top of layers of metaphors, Victorian Gothic, and ferocious criticism of Victorian society and th British Empire. And to me, the best story of Classic Who. 

[saccharineomens]

I want to know all the answers from your 100 question meme

Something you find romantic? Answer whichever #'s you feel comfortable answering; I want to know all your inner musings 😝

cat why do you do this to me

i’ll be sticking them below a readmore, then!

1.  Is a kiss considered cheating? Yes! Unless you’ve communicated with your partner that it’s okay.

2. Have you ever faked an orgasm? Nope

3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Hmmm this is a really hard decision. I usually say telepathy, but I like shapeshifting, too. I loved the Animorphs books as a kid, even though I didn’t read them all.

4. Do you think you are going to be rich in 7-8-9 years? Monetarily? Nah. But I like to think I’ll still have strong, rich friendships and I think I’ll have enough money to live comfortably alone. 

5.  Tell us some funny drunk story. I just don’t really have one rip. Drunk people are hilarious but normally I’m the DD. I’ve got several pleasant stories, though! There was a time me and my best friend went to a pub and drank cider and played board games and video games until closing time. Afterwards we stopped at an Insomnia cookies, a storm caused the electricity to go out, and we got a half dozen cookies for free. (well, I felt guilty, so I left them a very large tip.)

6.  Why are you no longer together with your ex? I was going through college, it was long distance, and I felt he deserved better. We keep in touch, though.

7.  If you had to choose one way to die, what would it be? Well, painlessly, of old age, in my sleep, of course. But if that’s not an option, out of all the ways of dying, freezing to death seems the most humane. You just get tired, cold, and sleepy, and then you just...don’t wake up.

8.  What are your current goals? Graduate, mostly. Long-term I’d like to live with friends in a big house and my cat, and have enough free time to garden and craft at my leisure, and have the ability to travel wherever I’d like. I’d like to work on a game or movie I’m really passionate about, and I’d love to become a director someday.

9.  Do you like someone? I mean, I like a lot of people, but I assume this means romantically. So, kind of? I find a lot of people attractive and have a ‘if they wanted to date I’d be down’ feeling, but I don’t have serious feelings for anybody specific.

10. Who was the last person to disappoint you? Hmmm I have a terrible memory. Myself, perhaps? I have a really hard time with getting up when my alarms go off. Sleep inertia’s a big problem for me. This has led to me being late to classes and rushing to get ready, which is stressful.

11. Do you like your body? Ehhhh. I guess. It could be improved, like by not having health issues. 

12.  Can you keep a diet? Ha! No.

13. If the whole world listened to you right now, what would you say? I hope you have a wonderful day. The universe doesn’t care about us so be excellent to each other!

14.  Do you work? Constantly, every day. I work to learn new things, accomplish school assignments, make money, feed myself...All my life is is working, right now.

15.  If you could choose only one food to eat to the rest of your life, what would it be? Salad! Because anything can be a salad. Tuna salad, fruit salad, salad with salmon...

16. Would you get a tattoo? Oh, absolutely. The only reason I don’t have any is because of money. I have like five small ideas and one very large one that i’d like across my back. 

17. Something you don’t mind spending all your money on? Food, my family, and my friends.

18. Can you drive? Yes. Do I have a license? No.

19. When was the last time someone told you you were beautiful? Probably sometime in the past month by my mother, but she’s just about the only person who does.

20. What was the last thing you cried for? asdfjal;ksdjfs it was Treasure Planet. Jim and Silver’s relationship is just [clutches chest] so beautiful.

21. Do you keep a journal? Sort of, sporadically. 

22.  Is life fun? Yes!

23.  Is farting in front of people irrelevant? I mean, I prefer you excuse yourself, but more or less yeah.

24.  What’s your dream car? My sib got this really nice Prius used at a good price, and it has a lot of room and it’s a hybrid, so Nice. I don’t tend to pay much attention to cars, as long as they’re comfortable and low-waste.

25. Are grades in school important? I admit that they’re important to me, but that’s something I have to unlearn. My worth isn’t determined by other people.

26. Describe your crush. Ugh. I’m bi, guys. I get crushes on people all the time, every day. Saw this really pretty redhead in the cafeteria over a month ago, and I saw her again yesterday. She’s a couple inches taller than me and has really pretty curly hair, but I didn’t really, like, stare, so I couldn’t describe her face well past ‘cute nose’.

27. What was the last book/movie that really impressed you? Nothing jumps to mind. I guess I’m still falling over myself after seeing Mad Max back in like 2015, that was just the coolest experience ever. I find delight in just about every movie I watch, though. The second Jumanji-sequels movie was just as fun and amazing as the first. Klaus was just incredible in so many ways. 

28.  What was your last lie? I...really just do not remember. Probably telling myself “I’m gonna do my laundry today” a few days ago? Whereas I DID do my laundry today so HA

29. Dumbest lie you ever told? I saved this question for last and it’s late and I honestly can’t remember anything, asdjls sorry. My memory’s awful y’all. 

30. Is crying in front of people embarrassing? Oh absolutely. I mean it wouldn’t be if they weren’t uncomfortable with it, but they always are.

31.  Something you did and you are proud of? I did my laundry today? washed dried folded and everything. I also braved the nighttime neighborhood around my school to solo a Pokemon raid, which was cool. I’m proud of my animation done at the end of the last semester, and of how my teddy bear modelling is doing this week.

32. What’s your favourite cocktail? How am I supposed to choose this? How can you ask me to choose this? I’d have to line them all up and try one by one, honestly, before I could tell you. 

33.  Something you are good at? I’m pretty good at drawing anatomy and expressions, I think. I’m good at baking/cooking, although I lack creativity in the kitchen. I also think I’m a pretty good listener, and a good friend? 

34.  Do you like small kids? Most of the time!

35.  How are you feeling right now? Frankly, a little drained with all these questions, but determined to finish them. I’m a little hungry. I’ve got a lot on my mind, and wish I was doing homework, but I also can’t get myself to do it right now. 

36.  What would you name your daughter/son? Not sure! Every once in a while I’ll be like “ooh, that’d be a great name” and then don’t remember to write it down. Besides, I plan on adopting, and most kiddos already have names.

37.  What do you need to be happy? Money, friends, family, good food, and a place to explore. 

38.  Is there some you want to punch in the face right now? Not particularly. No one other than, well. The rich people I’m pretty sure everyone knows I dislike.

39.  What was the last gift you received? Well, anything my mom cooks for me is a gift, but the last Proper gift was from my friend @ wefflebugs , who got me a blu-ray copy of Into the Spiderverse and some coffee for Christmas  c:

40.  What was the last gift you gave? I gave my sibling @ aconfusedbird a keychain of one of the two Bubble Bobble dragons and kept the other for myself, for their birthday. Handmade from Perler beads. We’d play that game for ages as kids, and we always fought over who’d be the blue one.

41.  What was the last concert you went to? I think it was The Shins? They were so awesome!

42.  Favourite place to shop at? Well, I quite like Target. But I also adore small resale shops. They always have some really awesome things hiding there.

43. Who inspires you? Oogh, a lot of people. Like a million and a half artists I’ve met online, ones I only know their screenname for, inspire me to get better at art. James Baxter and Sergio Pablos inspire me to get better at animation. Wefflebugs’ art always has such lovely colors, which I adore. featherdragon15′s art has gotten a lot better lately, and that inspires me to keep working hard too! Not to mention they’re working for nasa which is rad af, and also inspires me to keep working toward my dreams. My sibling aconfusedbird inspires me a Lot in a lot of personal ways, like to be more kind to myself and to keep moving forward. My mom inspires me to keep gardening. roachpatrol/roach-works inspired me to get into welding, lizardlicks inspired me into wanting chickens and a small homestead. My teachers inspire me to keep working hard in school. 

44. How old were you when you first got drunk? 19, I think? I’ve only gotten properly drunk once. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat another boiled peanut, but other than that it wasn’t a problem lol.

45. How old were you when you first got high? I haven’t, actually. I don’t have a reason not to or anything, but it’s just never felt like the right vibe yanno?

46.  How old were you when you first had sex? I guess it really depends on your definition. Personally, I’d say I haven’t yet.

47. When was your first kiss? Well, I played spin the bottle when I was seventeen, which was technically my first kiss, but if that doesn’t count then it was about a week before I turned eighteen, and I kissed the guy who’d become my first boyfriend.

48.  Something you want to do until the end of this year? Play video games....I wish I had infinite time to play video games and watch movies and draw and just...enjoy my time on earth, you know? Without feeling like it had a deadline.

49. Is there something in the past you wish you hadn’t done? I try not to live with regrets. 

(50 is ‘post a selfie’ but im on a computer)

51. Who are you most comfortable around? Either aconfusedbird or featherdragon15, i think. 

52.  Name one thing that terrifies you. asdkfjal;sdf i’ve been listening to too much magnus archives and got recommended to ‘not be too scared of one thing’ if i want to avoid the creatures, so uh. hard to decide. I guess I’m scared of...hm. people who just lack the ability to create bonds with people? people who don’t care about other living things. humans can be fucking terrifying. 

53. What kind of books do you read? Oh, just about anything. Fantasy, realistic fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers, scifi...all are great. I didn’t used to enjoy nonfiction but it really depends on the nonfiction.

54. What would you tell your 12 year old self? You’re going to have a best friend someday, and it will be everything you wanted. Things with your mother will improve when you’re in your last few years of high school. You’re going to become a great artist.

55.  What is your favourite flower? Not sure! I like many. There was this one flower i found in high school that smelled incredible, but I’ve no idea what it was. I should find it again.

56. Any bad habits you have? ...Well. Not waking up when my alarm goes off is pretty annoying. My procrastination in general’s frustrating. And, well, just between you, me, and the rest of the internet, (tw: self harm) my trichotillomania causes me constant distress and anxiety.

57. What kind of people are you attracted to? People who want to learn new things, are kind and compassionate, respect me, and have a good sense of humor. Someone I can be adventurous with.

58. What was the last thing you cried for? Well, i answered a similar question earlier, so I’ll answer for the second most recent time I cried. I was in Pennsylvania, the day I had to fly home, and when I went to check in for my flight, all the seats were taken, and I needed to pay for an upgrade if I wanted to guarantee a spot on the flight. This wouldn’t be a huge problem, except that for both of my flights to get home, an upgrade cost $70. And seventy dollars was a big chunk out of my budget for, you know, food. So I cried out of stress and frustration with the airport companies for charging me seventy bucks for ten more inches of legroom that I didn’t want nor need.

59. Is there something you don’t eat? Some food that truly disgust you? Not really! In terms of what’s normally accepted as “food” in American society, that is. I don’t care much for worms or insects. Other than that, I’m interested enough to try almost anything once.

60. Are you in love? In love? No. Am I full of love? Yes, for many, many, many things. 

61.  Something you find romantic? Oh man, anything could be romantic if done by someone I care for. I think gentleness is romantic. Quality time is my love language, so if my partner cancelled plans to spend time with me, that’d be romantic. I find romance in trying new things and going to new places.

62. How long was your longest relationship? Four months or so. It’s the only relationship I’ve been in, though, and I hadn’t intended for it to go past summer, so that was longer than I’d even planned on haha.

63, 64. What are 3 things that irritate you about the same sex? Opposite sex? Uhhh kind of hard to answer this one. I mean, i hate the culture in which men are raised to be, but I’ve heard that ‘male’ and ‘female’ brains aren’t particularly predisposed to anything in particular? Like, both men and women are capable of emotional intelligence and compassion, it’s just that our culture doesn’t encourage it in men. 

65. What are you saving money for? Food, college. I might treat myself to a school trip to Disney, but I don’t think I have the budget rn. As a student I’m kind of coasting by on the bare minimum rn, I don’t have anything i CAN save up for.

66. How would you describe your bad side? I mostly just avoid you or try to not spend time with you. 

67. Are you actually a good person? Why? I think I am. I care about other people and try to make other people’s lives easier and happier. I try every day to become more sensitive to other perspectives. I do what I can to benefit the earth for those who will come after me.

68. What are you living for? Ooh, deep stuff. I’m living for helping other people. I’m living for my friends and family. 

69 (nice).  Have you ever done anything illegal? Pfft, guys, jaywalking is illegal. So yes. I’ve also drank while underage before. But nothing really big, no.

70.  Do you like your body? Wait a second. This was number 11, too. Well, I guess I’ll change it to What don’t you like about your body? Which is my under-chin. It’s kind of a double chin, kind of not. But while most things I could change about my body, I don’t think I could change that without surgery. And yeah, I’ve thought about it. Not that I have any of the cash for it. I also wish I didn’t have (tw: self-harm) trichotillomania, so I’d have more eyelashes and eyebrows.

71. Have you ever made someone feel bad about themselves intentionally? I think I probably have, to douchebags. Like “hey, that’s inappropriate”.  

72.  Ever sent nudes? Nope!

73. Have you ever cheated on someone? God, no. Big #1 no no for me.

74. Favourite candy? I RECENTLY DISCOVERED TAKE 5′S AND REESES HAVE COMBINED INTO ONE GLORIOUS CANDY BAR, SO, THAT.

75. Is there a blog you visit every day, or almost every day? Tag it! Agh, okay. @ aconfusedbird, @ busket, @ loreweaver-universe, @ orange-plum. The four blogs I don’t actually follow, but whose blogs I visit every day. It changes around every few years. It used to be a different bunch back when I first got on tumblr. I really have no idea why I haven’t followed them. Habit, I suppose? Also, it still won’t let me tag my sib for some reason. (nvm I removed the tags, i don’t want to bother them)

76. Do you play any computer games? What is your favourite game? lmao uh, that’s kind of an understatement. I can’t list all my favorite games, but I’m very fond of The Last of Us. I have played. So many video games. I’ll chat about them anytime!

77. Favourite TV series? Avatar: The Last Airbender, I think. It’s really hard to top that.

78. Are you religious? Does God exist? Not really religious, no. I do think that there’s probably a god out there that sparked the Big Bang. I don’t really follow the Christian God because despite what every church service said, I never felt like He loved me. Jesus was a super cool guy, though. If there’s a god out there, I think they pretty much keep to themselves. Maybe have some fun watching creation, but don’t really interact with it at all.

79. What was the last book you read? Did it impress you and why? asdkfj;as i don’t remember. probably my textbook Directing the Story by Francis Glebas? It was a pretty cool book about moviemaking.

80. What do you think about vegetarianism/veganism? I’ve reblogged a lot on the subject. I respect those who practice it, but it can cause a lot of environmental harm. In theory, it’s not bad! 

81. How long have you been on Tumblr? Like eight years or so? Maybe nine? wild. I visited blogs daily before the number got high enough i was like ‘okay i’ll just make an account’.

82. Do you like Chinese food? Oh, yes!

83-85. McDonalds or Subway?   Vodka or whiskey? Alcohol or drugs? Subway, whiskey and alcohol.

86.  Ever been out of your province/state/country? Yes, yes, and no!

87. Meaning behind your blog name? I’ve had this one for many years now. I really like the word ‘saccharine’ -- inspired by @ saccharinesylph back in the old days -- and i couldn’t just name myself ‘saccharine’, so i needed something else. and I was pretty big into Good Omens at that time, and I was like ‘haha! saccharine, good, omens. saccharine omens!’ Plus, it feels like a very positive and comforting name, and I strive to be a comforting person. 

88. What are you scared of? ok i def answered this moving on

89. Last time you were insulted? uhhhhhhhhh no idea. oh, wait! i know. i was getting graded on my performance at my job late last year and i disagreed with the grade my boss gave me. It was like ‘person shows considerable care of their community and goes above and beyond to educate others’ and i was like ‘oh yeah that’s, like, my whole Thing, my whole Goals and Personality and Ideals’ and then my boss came in and was like ‘2/4′ and i was like ‘wtf??’ Apparently she felt that i just wasn’t really applying that part of myself to my job, and i was like ‘you serious? i’m doing a lot!’ but also she’s my boss.

90. Most traumatic experience? A series of emotionally/mentally abusive things my mom did during my childhood. It’s definitely had the longest lasting effects of any trauma. Permanent anxiety problems, ptsd, my self harm, the whole shebang. Don’t worry, though, like. Things are way better between us, and she’s apologized many times.

91. Perfect date idea? Going on a hike! Maybe walking on a beach. Just spending time together and talking. Eating some delicious food. Spending the entire day with each other, then curling up and cuddling at home and watching a movie. then talking some more. lots of handholding and kisses. im a super hopeless romantic.

92. Favourite app on your phone? the internet, ofc lmao. But other than that I use Animal Crossing Pocket Camp and Pokemon Go an awful lot. 

93. What colour are the walls in your room? At school a boring white, although I’ve taped some art up. At home a really pretty light blue color that I did all myself.

94. Do you watch Youtube? Who is your favourite youtuber? I do! And I like so many channels, honestly. I really like Rachel and Jun, and I really like Pop Culture Detective. I’ve seen a lot of jackscepticeye’s stuff, too. Proko, Vox, and Sinix Design are all good too.

95. Share your favourite quote. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.” -Dr Seuss

96.  What is the meaning of life? To be happy, enjoy yourself, and love others!

97. Do you like horror movies? Ha ha ha, not really. I liked A Quiet Place though. 

98. Have you ever made your mum cry? What happened? She’s cried sometimes over how she treated us in the past. Sometimes it happens because I talk about how she’s hurt me. She always expresses regret and apologizes again. 

99. Do you feel lucky or special in a way? I feel lucky with how I met my best friend. We’d had band together and kind of both thought each other as a cool person, but we didn’t really hit it off until a couple years later and she saw me drawing Homestuck fanart in Psychology lmao. The rest is history. Love you so much, Haley. I feel lucky my mom realized she was being abusive and stopped, too. Not everyone gets that. 

100. Can you keep a secret? Oh, definitely. But do tell me what needs to be secret, otherwise I won’t know. For example, my sib asked me to keep their gf busy while they bought her a present, so I tried, but then she was like ‘oh, where’s your sibling? we should find them’ i was like ‘oh no, i think they’re just buying something, it’s fine’ but she was stubbornly moving toward the checkout and i was like ‘stop, i think they’re buying something for you’ so i. kinda told a secret? i didn’t tell her what the present was though.

JESUS THAT WAS A LOT OF TYPING, LMAO. IT’S THREE AM. GOODNIGHT

[tsegss]

Chapter 12

masterlist

word count: 1,246

Sadly, my praying didn’t work, because the rangers lost there first three games. But, Jimmy was playing great, and that made me happy. Even though they had lost both of the games I had been to, and one on the road, I still wore my blue jersey and cheered as loud as I possibly could for my boys.  He was confident, and fuck was it sexy.

Which made my situation worse, especially because we had been spending more time together than usual. Whether it was bringing me coffee at work or FaceTiming while he was on the road, we spoke constantly. And, even though I had said no when Jimmy originally asked fi I wanted to stay with him, I was pretty much doing that. Not on purpose. I just spent so much time over at his place, with him and Kevin and Brady.

It had gotten to the point that Kevin suggested Jimmy give me a key.

“Hey Kevin, is Jimmy here?” I asked, standing at the door.

He didn’t even respond. He turned around, yelling “Jimmy, your girlfriend is here!” I rolled my eyes at him, which of course made him laugh before walking back to Jimmy’s room.

“Why did he just call me your girlfriend?” I asked, walking into the room.

“I don’t know, he’s been doing that ever since the season started.” He shrugged. Ever since the season started, more like ever since we started we started spending every waking moment together.

Slowly we faded into our same old routine, watching some TV show that Jimmy was too embarrassed to admit to any of his teammates or friends that he watched, and ordering take-out. Sometimes, when he came to my apartment I cooked, but that was a rarity.

“You know what I miss?” I said. Jimmy turned his head, looking at me, waiting for my answer.

“Sex.” I sighed.

“Me too.” He agreed. I thought it would catch him off guard, like every other time we had ever talked about sex.

“Why do you miss sex?” I asked, a little shocked. “You’re a professional athlete, you can get laid whenever.” He just shrugged.

“Seriously, Jimmy.” I said. “You could totally take advantage of this.”

“I don’t want to sleep with those kinds of girls though.”

“Fair enough.” I nodded.

It made sense, not wanting to have sex with someone who just wanted you for what your name was or what you did, especially with Jimmy. He was more reserved, hesitant, not in a bad way. It was just the way he was. He balanced out my loud, outgoing, sometimes overbearing self.

“You don’t think that would be weird?”

“Maybe?” He said. “I don’t know.”

“Jimmy, we do everything together, you really want to start having sex on top of that?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Jimmy.” I just looked at him, dumbstruck. What was he thinking? This was a very, very bad idea. There was no possible way that this could end well.

“What?” His arms flailed. “We’re both single, and I mean I think you’re cool, and you just got done complaining to me about how you miss having sex. So, let’s do it.”

I thought for a minute. Everything he had just said was true. But, I still had hesitations. “What if this changes everything about us?’ I asked, emphasizing “us.”

“We won’t let it.”

“You cannot promise that.”

“Sure I can.” Jimmy said. “If it gets to that point than we’ll stop.”

I nodded. “And, obviously, this goes without saying, but nobody knows about this.” I told him, and he nodded, but I needed to be even more clear. “Seriously Jimmy, not even your teammates. Not Kevin. Not Brady. Nobody.”

“Do you want to pinky promise or something?” He laughed.

“Yes, actually I do.” He looked at me for a second like I was ridiculous but then finally stuck out his finger.

We went on, continuing to watch whatever was not he screen, I didn’t know, nor did I care. My mind was racing thinking about what I had just agreed to.

Tonight was the night. Jimmy was going to come over to my apartment, mostly for privacy reasons, but also because it made me feel more comfortable. I couldn’t tell why but I was very nervous, like throw up nervous.

I put on cute underwear. Not super cute, just matching black bra and underwear, because I didn’t know if this was a dress-cute type of thing. 

I felt more relieved when he came over, wearing what he always did. But he smelt different, like he was wearing cologne. It was cute, and it made me feel better, as clearly I wasn't the only one that was anxious. 

And, it only grew the longer I looked at him, sitting on the couch in my apartment, eating pasta out of a container. 

“This is awkward right?” My voice shook. I was so nervous. What if this was a bad idea? What if this ruined our relationship? What if this was like a romantic comedy with two people having casual sex and one watched feelings and they have a big fight, except then we never recover, and just hate each other forever. Okay, now I was panicking., but why was I panicking? “Should we drink?” I asked.

“Maybe?” Jimmy said, hesitantly. But with one look at my face he changed his mind. “No, yeah, let’s drink.”

“Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Yeah, sure, not Harry Potter though, sorry Daniel Radcliffe just doesn’t do it for me.”

He spun around and looked at me, his eyes wide, in disbelief that I had disrespected a movie that he loved so much. “Sorry.” I tried, laughing.

“Have you ever?” I asked.

“Have I ever what?”

“Yanno…” I motioned, my body shimmying a little bit. He still looked at me.

“Have you ever had sex to Harry Potter?” I clarified completely.

“Once.” He said before running into the kitchen, to the cabinet where I kept the wine. “Do you want rose or white?” He asked, trying, unsuccessfully, to change the subject.

“What, when!” I practically screamed as I ran into the kitchen behind him. “And, white.”

“High school.” He said, as he poured. “Can we please not talk about it.”

“Why?” I teased. “Was it your first time?”

“Yes.” He whispered, not making eye contact with me.

“Oh my god.” My mouth dropped open, like a child who had just been told that they were going to Disney World, eyes completely lit up.

“Please can we not talk about it?” He asked sheepishly at the sound of my excitement. I didn’t know why he wouldn’t tell me. He knew all of my stories, which in hindsight now, probably wasn’t great.

“Fine.” I exhaled, taking the glass from his hand. From there, we sat down on the couch, choosing what, ultimately, we knew was a bad movie. But that was fine. We didn’t need an Academy Award winning movie to have sex to.

It was organic, like we had been doing this forever.

His fingers brushing my cheek. My legs swung over his. His lips pressed to mine. And, in the second his lips touched mine I realized that I had never kissed him before. How had I never kissed him before, ever, not even when we were drunk in college.

Because now, I realized that kissing him was all I ever wanted to do.

Ever.

And, now I knew I was in far, far too deep.

[angclicals-blog]

⟨  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  / /    MARINO, LEONARDO.   ⟩

hello, friends ! admin fox here with her third trash boy, leonardo. he’s been in torn forever and he is .... how do you say ... way too fucking old for this bullshit. all of his info is under the cut and if you’d like to plot pretty please like this post or message me !

⋆ ◦ ° ☾ jeffrey dean morgan + cis male + he/him — have you seen leonardo ‘leo’ marino around? this fifty-one year old known as the connard has been hanging out at prophecy ink tattoo & piercing a lot recently. they are a civilian that works as a restaurateur, and they feel worn out about the gangs. a bisexual leo, they are charming + adaptable, as well as unforgiving + domineering. knuckle tattoos. salt & pepper beard. an old bottle of red wine.

⟨  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  / /    early life.   ⟩

leo was born in valdez, to a military father and a housewife mother; his father was at the base away from valdez most of the time, so leo spent his days with his mother & his brother, gio. when his father was in town, however, it was the worst time of his life; his dad was very strict, wanting things done in his way and he wasn’t afraid to get physical if things went wrong. 

ever since a child, leo had a problem with authority; he’d clash with his father, his teachers, the local police. his family couldn’t even bring a nanny into the house without leonardo running her off at some point; he’s a very opinionated man, and he isn’t afraid to say exactly what’s on his mind--- he’s very similar to his father in that way, though leo would die before he admits to being anything alike the man. 

leo has always had a big interest in politics; it’ the kind of power and decision making that really gets his motor running, so he went to law school at eighteen, and worked hard to make the right connections, working as a lawyer and then as a congressman. 

by the age of forty-five, leonardo was elected mayor of valdez, a job he did for the past five years. it seemed like a dream job, but it turned out to be a nightmare--- with so many politicians in the pocket of the cobras, leo was nothing but a pawn in the hands of the gang he swore to himself he’d never join. so, after years of fighting to make valdez a gang-free city, leonardo finally gave up, resigning himself from the position about a year ago. 

ever since he retired from politics, leo decided to pursue another passion of his--- cooking. it is a skill he learned from his mother as a young boy, and something he’s been working on getting better and better at every chance he gets; about nine months ago leo opened a small bistro downtown, and although now that he doesn’t receive the bribing from the cobras his bank account is considerably smaller, leo has never been happier with his choices. 

despite not staying married for long, leonardo had two children, a boy and a girl that have since grown into fully fledged adult--- his youngest, isabella, still lives in valdez. his oldest kid from a previous relationship, salvatore, died two years ago on a car crash and left behind a son, now three year old blaise, that is currently being cared for by leo. 

⟨  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  / /    personality.   ⟩

he’s ... a though dude. leo is very domineering and needs everything done his way--- he doesn’t get physically violent like his father did, but you might hear some screaming in the kitchen of his restaurant if you walk in on a bad day. 

leo’s a tired old man, but at the same time he has never felt more alive. politics were a big passion of his, but it wasn’t a great lifestyle. nowadays, with his little restaurant and not a single responsibility in the world, leonardo is free to do whatever the fuck he wants. which can make him quite irresponsible at times. nothing too crazy, though; he drinks heavily, and he fucks around, but he finds himself way too old to pull any of the crazy stunts most people in town do. 

he feels like he isn’t prepared to raise a child ( he never did, both of his children lived with their mothers ), but little blaise has made him a lot softer than he once was, to the point where some people can’t even believe it.

leo was a politician for a good part of his life, so he’s pretty damn good at lying, and can use his silver-tongue to charm people into doing anything he wants--- a skill he hardly ever uses anymore, being a blunt and sometimes harsh man instead. 

⟨  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  / /    appearances.   ⟩

leonardo is 6′2, with deep black hair ( which he usually wears slicked back ) and a thick salt n’ pepper beard that he hardly ever shaves off. 

he had several tattoos across his arms and chest, though the most visible ones are the ones covering his knuckles & back of his hands; a lot of those are recent, but him being a hip politician with tattoos and a “cool style” was a big selling point during his campaign. 

leo dresses with pretty simple clothing, usually sticking to dark jeans and cotton shirts, the occasional leather jacket or hoodie depending on how cold the weather is. he spent most of his youth inside suits, so nowadays he refuses to wear them even on formal settings. 

⟨  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  / /    plots.   ⟩

a best friend --- yanno.... the one person that has been around him for years, probably was the one that gave him the push to finally switch careers. 

the childhood best friend --- maybe they didn’t meet necessarily as kids, but they grew up together. their families were neighbors back in the day, and this person was one of the few people that leo kept around him back then. they could’ve drifted apart, or maybe they have one of those friendships that has sustained the test of time.

friends of all kinds --- leo can come off as seriously intimidating, but as it turns out he can be quite friendly, so he probably gets along with this person pretty well.

the bad influence --- i’m picturing this as someone at least 10 to 20 years younger than him, and preferably a gang member. it’s someone with whom leo’s first instinct is to be “well, what the hell” and he’ll do things he normally wouldn’t, be that go to a rave late at night, smoke some weed or just eat that greasy bacon cheeseburger that might give him a heart attack. 

the high school sweetheart — they were each other’s first real relationship, and although it’s been years since then, they still have a special place on each other’s heart. 

the ex wife --- they were married briefly about twenty-something years ago, and such marriage gave them isabella. the two weren’t together for more than a year, and although they don’t hold much resentment against each other anymore, it ended pretty badly for the both of them. 

the crush --- this character has a thing for leo. i think it would be fun if they were considerably younger than him, and he’s completely oblivious to how they feel; in fact, he sees them as his own kid, and is probably very affectionate, which in turn only makes the feelings that much harder to get over.

the enemy --- this character has to be a gang member; leonardo has made many enemies over the years, and this person is one of them. either it be because of him cracking down on the gangs back when he was mayor or something else, they make it very clear his presence is never welcome.

the friend with benefits --- leo hasn’t done exclusive relationships in years, but he’s great in the sex department; this character would know that well, since he is constantly hitting them up for some fun with no strings attached.

a hate-sex type of fling — they hate each other for some reason, can never be in the same room without screaming at each other. that is, until they’ve had a couple of drinks and end up sleeping together as often as they fight.

the protegé --- leonardo doesn’t have a lot of parental instincts, but when he takes someone under his wing, he’ll go to hell and back for them; this person reminds him of sal, his dead son, and he would literally take a bullet to keep them safe.

[luriashrine]

Part 1

I come from nothing.

It would make sense if my death meant nothing. However, my slow descent to death was done out of my own obligation for I must atone. Seeds of sins had finally rooted and bloom as guilt, weighing down so heavily upon me. That's what the priest had told me. I was too young to understand what he had meant, the true weight had eluded me at that age right up until now that is…

Forgive me… but aside from my time spent in the shrine I do not have any memories of my early days, no it's more like I don't have the luxury to have fond memories. It's out of my own accord, besides they're fickle and memories often elude me(so the priest said with a smile). I had nothing. I don't have a name, I no longer have a family or a place to call home…I am nothing, I'm just another empty existence. "I have no name," I'd often say each and every time a traveler would cross paths with me. Maybe out of pity or convenience the travelers would try to give me a name. All of them would be either different variations of the color purple or foreign language from whatever country they came from. I could vaguely remember someone naming me Vi at one point. "It's very fitting for someone with such pretty eyes," they had told me upon giving me that name. I decided I liked that name very much but sadly, I couldn't keep it. I had no right to keep that name. So I go on, nameless, walking. Marching on in hopes that I could finally reach my atonement. Travelers were rather good folks although there had been some who would take advantage of me… I am often called an "ignoramus" by many of the more unkindly travelers. I cannot read but I knew some words, at least enough to be able to speak properly yet that was a word I did not know. I've been called a "purple witch" or "blasphemous" by the more religious travelers, I could understand those two words much better and I couldn't help but agree with them. The symbol seared proudly behind my shoulder was proof of my sins. I could cover it up, it's pretty easy to do so actually. But I refuse to do such a thing. I needed to show the world one thing: that it would be best to stay away from someone like me. The mark somewhat has done its job. Some would avoid me others and others would speak out to me, blissfully unaware of the mark and its meaning. There were some who would try to kidnap and sell me off due to the once clean silk clothes I wore yet they would instantly give up once they take a glance at my marking and my wet-sounding cough. More often then not though, many would stay away from me. But it's fine, after years of my walk I am used to being alone.

"Just keep walking… you're doing great just keep going." I say with a forced smile on my face.

So I march on. The sun blares down on me, surely burning my skin in a slow and agonizing process as my feet begged for rest elsewhere than the cracks of the city's street. Yes… The City of The Wise Ones a place that once boasted of its prosperity was nothing more than a decayed shell from what it had used to be, stone, glass, and metal crumbles away as the earth rightfully takes back the city. Overgrowth was everywhere, from the cracks in the streets to the tallest building in the city. The breeze kisses my cheeks as it carries pink flower petal, the birds sing their cheerful melody as they fluttered around the city. This was the only place that was left untouched by The Tribulation. Therefore, it was one of the more beautiful place to be in, the city was silent yet there was no morbidity ( is this how you use that word?) to be found here, this silence was more soothing in other words. If not for my walk I would've settled here, live in solitude for the rest of my short life. But I must keep going. I had no right to stay in a place like this. I try to tell myself this. I try to will my legs to pass on through the ruins and onto another terrain. My legs refused to move, or rather they can no longer move. They wobbled and then collapsed beneath me. I came crumbling down to the cool grass peeking out from cracks in the streets. Once I have fallen, I felt something emerge from within me, something that I've been pressing and pressing down on for years during my walk. Regardless, that something made it's appearance as bursts of lights. The light surrounds my body with a smokey string of lovely and holy golden light follows suit.

Ah. I see. So, this is my limit then. I got as far as I could.

But I'm not done yet. There is still so, so, so much that I needed to do! Please, I need to finish this and see it to the end. Please, grant me the strength to at least finish what I have been rightfully burdened with. I don't deserve God's loving arms, not yet. Not ever. I could feel wetness gathering up near the corners of my eyes, it fell down my cheeks and a series of nasty coughs would cover my chocked sobbing. This wasn't enough. Where I am, it's not enough!  I tried to get back to my march, barely crawling pitifully to the hot streets. I could feel my long nails crack and something wet flowing from the tips.I need to go on. I need to go on. I need to go on.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop! You've done enough."

… No. I haven't. I still need to walk on, to march towards the sacred lands. Ask for the forgiveness of our merciful God. God only grants those into paradise should they follow her rules. All one thousand and one of them to be exact. Just breaking one of her rules leads to punishment. I had broken one. Exhausted, I fall to the ground with a pain gruff with my bloody hands and feet outstretched, I lay on my back to create some form of comfort. The white light leaking out of me was gradually easing away. I heard a sigh of relief from above me and I looked up. My vision was blurred. I can't see anything except for a haze tall figure. That figure knelt down to my level all while searching for… something I suppose.  

"Oh boy… you look like shit. Here, drink some water. You're gonna need it."

I need it but I don't deserve it. So I pushed the offered canteen away. However, the owner of the canteen seemed persistent, they shoved it in my face until I finally gave in and take a swig of water. I… won't lie. It was pretty nice to feel liquid ruin down my parched throat. I was greedily taking large gulps of water, the thought of conversing with the owner never crossed my mind.

"Woah, Woah! Slow down or you'll–––"

They warned me too late, unfortunately. Drinking all at once in a fast manner, it was only natural that I would chock on some of the water.

"Yeah… ’figured this would happen. Sheesh, this always happens actually…"

Bit by bit my vision was beginning to return back. I finally looked up to see who my savior was only to find that it was tough to tell. They wore a brown cloak, nearly covering their body from head to toe. Yet the strangest thing about them was the white porcelain cat mask they wore, it had funny liking painted designs on the cheeks of it. I wish I could describe more of their funny dress, it was quite a spectacle, I just... I lack the proper vocabulary to do so. Perhaps once I complete my walk and survive, maybe just maybe I'll be able to read. A past time I always wanted to try but it was too hard for me to understand.

"Yo! You're looking a little better now," they said as they took back the now empty canteen I handed to them. "So… another person who's on the walk, huh… you look too damn young to be taking this walk. God, this is the fifth time I've seen this happen for months! What the hell is going on over there to cause so many on their walk anyway? This is some bad PR for your religion yanno, so many people would rather stay away from your cult. I don't blame 'em either, hell I want nothing to do with half of you so-called Redeemers. But here I am, helping another one out. What a joke!"

They seemed like the chatty sort. How annoying, I couldn't help but think. However, I  felt a great swell of gratitude towards this stranger. The times were I am lucky enough to come across them would make this walk a bit more bearable for me. It's not supposed to be like that, however, I cannot control my selfishness. If the priest were here… I wonder how he would react to this?

"So," they said, prolonging the word as though they were expecting something. I raised a brow at that, naturally.

"So?"

"Aren't you going to tell me your name? Or damn, even say thank you at least."

"… thank you," I said in a low mumble. I tried to get up, hoping that the water would provide enough energy to go on. Much to my distress, I couldn't move my legs. The strange masked person immediately scolded me, with some colorful choice words. A sigh and then they went back to their questioning.

"And your name?"

"Don't have one."

As per usual, this answer surely would stump them. After all, who can go around all their life without a name? I managed just fine under the watchful yet warm Priest. Why would it be so strange to not a have a name?

I'm sure they'll take pity on me and give me a new name. Yet much to my surprise, this masked person instead throw their arms behind their neck and stretched out their limbs.

"Well… that sucks," they said in a neutral tone.

How strange. But it was refreshing to not hear the pity in their voice.

"In any case, if you want to finish your walk of doom then you need to eat some food first."

"What? That’s an awful thing to say!  I'll have you know that this should not be looked down as doom rather as–––"

They waved their hand in a back and forth manner. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard the same shit over and over again. 'It's blissful, through the blessing of god, we should be grateful that god would do this for use,' blah blah blah. You Redeemers are a strange bunch yanno. If I were you, I would've taken this as a chance to run away. Screw your god, it probably doesn't even exist! And if it did… well, I'd probably go up there and punch ’em in the face asking them what the hell sorta cult it made with you poor people."

I couldn't believe what they were saying. I felt my temper rise and rise with each garbage word that would come spewing out their mouth (I hope I used that word right, I would often hear the priest say this against nonbelievers). It was then that I realized, I no longer liked this once helpful stranger. If I were to stay with them any longer I'm sure I would do something rash. So I turned away from them and struggled to stand up. They stopped their rant and quickly went over to support me.

"Yo! What did I just finishing telling you? Baby steps, baby steps! Here lemme help you."

If not for their rant I would've been grateful. But I allowed them to help me back on my legs. I stumbled for a bit, the ache in my legs were still there but with time it'll go away if I were to rest. "Thanks," I mumbled. In response, they nodded their head.

I wasn't sure where I should go from here.

[artikgato]

Souyowrimo Day 14

Prompt list here!

I’m trying to catch up!! 

Day 14 - A Date

Yosuke Hanamura liked to think that he wasn’t a lightweight when it came to alcohol. Compared to some he certainly was -- Rise and Yukiko were just as lightweight as they had pretended to be when they’d gone to Tatsumi Port Island for their school trip. But comparing himself to others made him not-so-sure. Specifically Souji. Either Souji had a crazy high tolerance for alcohol or he was good at faking it, and the fact that Yosuke wasn’t sure really pissed him off. So he often found himself challenging Souji to drinking contests, and Souji always won. At first it had just been to see who got tipsy first, but the more they drank together, the further they pushed it.

Tonight was no exception.

Yosuke had matched Souji, shot-for-shot, through an entire bottle of sake and half a bottle of plum wine, and though Souji was making them stop periodically to drink water and eat snacks, Yosuke was still feeling the effects. He was well beyond tipsy, laying back on the floor and giggling. Souji, on the other hand, only had a blush and some hiccups to show for it - he was still calmly pouring shots with steady hands. Yosuke wanted to call it quits, but his pride was at stake, here.

He took another shot.

Damn, this plum wine was good though. He just hoped he didn’t regret this in the morning. Speaking of regret, he had a hard time keeping himself from babbling about stupid things when he was drunk, and again tonight was no exception.

“I jus’ don’t get why they keep turnin’ me down, man,” he was complaining, after he put down the empty sake cup, flopping back onto his back with a sigh. “It’s not like I’m some kinda horrible gross troll to look at, and I think I’m pretty nice about it even when I get turned down?”

“What happened with that American exchange student...Maria, was her name?” Souji asked. He started to pour another shot, but put the bottle down and reached for a bottle of water instead, handing it over to Yosuke and grabbing another for himself. Yosuke briefly considered trying to drink it while laying down, but in the end he sat up and took a swig of it.

“Went on a few dates. She’s nice and all, and really cute, but like, there was something missing, I guess? We both decided to call it off,” he sighed.

“What was missing?” Souji asked, and Yosuke frowned.

“Gimme another shot before I answer,” he requested, and Souji shrugged, pouring another shot of plum wine for both of them. They clinked their sake cups together and downed the wine. After a moment of trying talk himself out of it, Yosuke’s mouth apparently decided to open without his permission, because he said, “I dunno man. S’ like...we’ve got a connection, you and me, right? And I wasn’t feeling anything like that with Maria.”

“Oh?” Souji asked. “Is that what you’re looking for in a date?” Yosuke frowned in response.

“Gonna need more wine to answer that,” he slurred. Souji sighed, but poured more shots.

“We’re almost done with the bottle...are you going to be okay?” Souji asked, and Yosuke flopped onto his back in response.

“S’ really stupid,” Yosuke slurred, totally avoiding Souji’s question. “I thought I just wanted someone hot to go out with, yanno? But eventually I figured out that I just want what I have with you but, like, with a girl.” Souji laughed in response, and Yosuke frowned. “Toldya it was stupid.” “It’s not stupid,” Souji assured him. “Just...hm. You already have a bond like that with me, so why look for a girl to replace me?”

“Huh?” Yosuke asked, staring up at Souji like he’d grown a second head. “Cuz I can’t, like, make out with you and stuff, geez Souji.”

“Why not?” Souji asked. Yosuke sat up, frowning.

“You’re a guy,” he pointed out, and Souji shrugged.

“And?” Souji challenged. Yosuke blushed, averting his eyes. He huffed out a sigh.

“I’m a guy,” he replied. Souji grinned.

“Yosuke, you know I’m bi. I don’t care that you’re a guy, but...well, if you care that I’m a guy and that’s a deal-breaker, there’s nothing we can do about that, right?” Souji answered. Yosuke bit his lip. He was definitely not sober enough to be having this conversation but, then again, he probably would have never let this conversation get to this point if he was sober. Ugh.

“I guess...I dunno. I could - we could try it, but I’m pretty sure I’ll hate it, and then you’ll be disappointed in me,” Yosuke stuttered out. Souji’s eyes lit up in response.

“One date,” he replied. When Yosuke gave him a confused look, he elaborated. “Let’s go out on one date. A movie, dinner, dessert, a goodnight kiss, the works - and if you hate it after that, you’ll have your answer. How about it, Partner?”

“Gonna need more alcohol to answer that,” Yosuke said, despite knowing it was a bad idea. Souji held up the bottle - there was a little over a fourth of it left. He smirked at Yosuke, then took a long drink straight from the bottle, draining half of the wine, and handed it over to Yosuke. Yosuke reached out and took the bottle, hesitantly. He could just pour the wine into a cup and drink it that way, and he damn well knew he could, and Souji damn well knew he could, too. That wasn’t what this was about. If he drank straight from the bottle, it would be an indirect kiss.

He kind of wanted that. He kind of wanted a more direct kiss with Souji, too. The usual part of his brain that panicked about having thoughts like this was oddly quiet - probably the alcohol.

He took the drink, straight from the bottle, draining the rest of the wine. He could feel that he was going to regret that in the morning, but for now he just shoved away that unpleasant thought, and the other related unpleasant thoughts about how he was probably definitely making a mistake. He put the bottle down between them and leveled a heated stare at Souji.

“One date,” he slurred. “And by the way, we totally tied. I drank as much alcohol as you did.”

“Ah, but can you even walk to your bed like that?” Souji challenged. Yosuke looked over toward the door of his room, sitting slightly ajar. It wasn’t like it was very far, but there was furniture in the way.

“If I can, will you admit that I won?” he asked, slowly making to stand up. Souji chuckled.

“Just accept that I’m better at holding my alcohol,” he said. Yosuke managed to get to his feet, but immediately swayed and had to grab onto the nearby sofa. Souji gave a dramatic sigh and got to his feet, grabbing onto Yosuke’s upper arm to stabilize him. Yosuke begrudgingly accepted the help, leaning on Souji to make it the few feet over to his room. He flopped onto his bed with a groan, and Souji chuckled at him.

“Don’t forget about our date,” he said, patting him on the head. Yosuke sighed.

He woke up the next morning to a glass of water and a bottle of medicine on his bedside table. He groaned in appreciation and lifted the bottle, only to find a note tucked underneath it:

‘Meet me at the mall today after your class for our date! Don’t worry, I’m paying. xoxoxo, Souji’

“What the fuck,” Yosuke whispered, putting a hand over his face in response as he turned bright red. He’d really been hoping that their conversation had just been a weird dream or a hallucination or something.

He was nursing his hangover through his morning class, the only class of the day, thankfully. It was still hell. He wanted to think that he’d never let himself get that drunk again...but he knew he would. By the time class let out and he headed over to the mall he’d managed to shake the hangover, and the headache was clearing up. Souji looked fine - probably didn’t even have a hangover, the bastard. In fact, as he got closer to Souji he realized that he didn’t just look fine, he looked downright chipper. Excited, even. Yosuke glowered at him as he approached.

“I thought you might still have a headache,” Souji teased. “Want to call off the movie? The last thing you need is bright lights and loud noises.”

“What will we do instead?” Yosuke asked.

“Well,” Souji answered, “There’s the Planetarium. It’s nice and quiet, and dark.”

“Sure,” Yosuke replied, because he couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. The trip there wasn’t too bad, and true to Souji’s words it was nice and quiet and dark, and the show was pretty cool. By the time they left, Yosuke felt much better and his stomach was rumbling. They went to a nearby ramen shop for dinner, not the most romantic dinner ever, but the ramen was good. They got ice cream cones as they made their way back to their dorm, chatting about mundane things like their classes and what groceries they needed to get. It wasn’t until they got to the door of their little apartment that Yosuke even remembered that they were supposed to be on a date...because Souji put his hand over Yosuke’s to stop him from unlocking the door.

“Hm?” he asked, blinking up at Souji.

“It’s not a date without a goodnight kiss,” he insisted, and Yosuke turned red.

“I-I-I thought you were kidding about that!” he sputtered. “And anyway, today barely counts as a date! We didn’t do anything differently from how we normally hang out!” Souji smiled.

“Yes, exactly,” he replied. “That’s why we need to have a goodnight kiss, otherwise how are you supposed to decide if you want to date me or not?”

He made a good point, Yosuke begrudgingly conceded. There was also something to the fact that they really hadn’t done much differently from a normal night out on the town between friends. He’d kind of refused to examine that too closely before, but what felt like just ‘normal’ hangouts between them could very well look like dates to an outside party.

“Okay,” Yosuke finally said, through a dry throat. “But you gotta close your eyes, okay?” Souji closed his eyes immediately, without question, standing still and unassuming, hands at his sides and waiting. Yosuke took a deep breath to psyche himself up. He put a hand on one of Souji’s shoulders and leaned up, getting perilously close to Souji’s lips and...he couldn’t do it. It was Souji. They’d been best friends since high school. They were roommates. He couldn’t just...just kiss Souji, could he?

But Souji was still standing there, eyes closed, looking cool as a cucumber. Or maybe not, because he kept darting his tongue out to wet his lips, and one of his hands was rolling the hem of his shirt between two fingers. He was nervous too, and for some reason noticing that was what gave Yosuke the confidence. He leaned up again and pressed their lips together.

Yosuke had never believed in that pervasive notion in pop culture that there’d be a ‘spark’ that you could feel when you kissed ‘the one’. Every kiss he’d ever had was just two people pressing their lips together, nothing special. Every...other kiss, anyway. He was almost mad. Souji had been right there beside him for years, and if he’d known it would be like this to kiss him he would have done it way sooner, homophobia be damned.

They were both blushing when Yosuke pulled away, and Souji looked positively thrilled, opening his eyes and grinning down at him.

“Did...did you feel that?” Yosuke asked, stupidly, and he could have punched himself for it. Souji nodded, his grin getting wider.

“In movies they always say that kissing a special person would feel like fireworks, but I never thought that could actually be true,” Souji commented. Yosuke went completely red, and just turned to unlock the door instead of answering. They stepped inside, turning on the lights and shutting the door behind them, and when Yosuke turned back to Souji he was sure he had a pathetic, vulnerable look on his face.

“I…” Yosuke started, but quickly realized he had no idea what to say. So he just pushed Souji back against the door and kissed him again, a much shorter kiss than the last one. When he pulled back and caught Souji’s questioning look, he blushed again. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a fluke the first time.”

“And…?” Souji questioned.

“It wasn’t,” Yosuke answered, leaning in for another kiss. When he didn’t pull away immediately, Souji reached up and pushed his hand into Yosuke’s hair, cradling the back of his head and kissing him harder. He made a sound into the kiss that he would swear up and down was not a whimper, and Souji apparently took that as a good sign, his other arm wrapping around Yosuke’s waist and pulling them closer together. When Yosuke finally pulled back, it was out of necessity to breathe and not because he wanted to stop kissing Souji. Now that he knew that he could, he never wanted to stop kissing Souji.

“So, are we dating now?” Souji asked, once he’d caught his breath. “Are we both useless bisexuals?”

“I guess,” Yosuke huffed, but he couldn’t help smiling despite his harsh tone.