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wordsofelie · 9 months ago

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Chapter 1

Content Warnings: Manga Spoilers, Post-Time Skip, Friends to Lovers, Enemies? (Or maybe just dense people) to Lovers, Angst, Fluff

Summary: The best way to prevent a broken heart is to tame your feelings, keep them locked in a room. At least that is what Shiroyanagi Natsumi thought. Until, she sees him again, Kuroo Tetsurou, taller, older, prettier. And she realises a heart that longs, hurts more than a heart that breaks.

Words Count: 2.8k

Kuroo Tetsurou - 黒尾鉄朗

Shiroyagani Natsumi - 白柳夏美

黒 (black) 白 (white)

Scientists say black is the absence of all colours. Artists say it’s the only shade present in all colours. I say you are all of that –presence and absence, light and obscurity, shade and colour.

One of the most annoying tasks she has to do as the freshly-new athletic trainer of the Japan Women's Volleyball Team is to appear in a collaboration video with the coach and the team members. Shiroyanagi Natsumi has always been used to being the tallest girl in her class, which is why in first grade, her parents had made a bet on her career path — it would be whether volleyball player or modelling — but because she hated to be in the spotlight, she chose volleyball. But now, as she stands beside the athletes (and despite being 6’ tall), she feels extremely small. At least she managed to stay in shape thanks to her studies in sports science, I should have gone more to the gym, she thinks anyway.

When her coach broke the news that the sports promotion division of the Japan Volleyball Association wanted to include her in their campaign, she would have given anything to murder the obnoxious, stupid, sadist — and whatever adjective strong enough to express her hate — person in charge of that division.

According to the coach, it is important to bring to light their indispensable job. And what can she say about it, he is her boss after all and she dreamed of working with the Olympic team for years. So, she offered a tense smile and returned to her office.

“Did your dog die?”

Ito Izumi, the regular libero of the team, looks at her with big eyes.

“Of course not, I would be desperate if he did,” Natsumi mutters, a pout appearing on her lips at the mention of the loss of the love of her life, Saba, a cute and fluffy Cavalier King Charles spaniel that Natsumi adopted two-years ago. My child, as she likes to call him.

“Well you do look desperate, Nana.”

Liberos are said to be, well, straightforward. And they need to. At the end of the day, in a game they don’t have time to be precious or cautious, they just have to dive to the floor and end up with a few bruises. Natsumi never understood why one would want to do crazy things like liberos, that’s why she was fine with being a middle blocker in school. As the saying goes, clichés die hard, and Ito Izumi is no exception to the rule. She is in fact Straightforward, frank and a little bit crazy (she also happens to be the best libero of all Japan).

Natsumi only sighs, “I hate photoshoots. And why do I have to be here anyway? If I chose to be an athletic trainer and not a proper athlete it is because I don’t like getting the attention. Argh. ”

Only a few pictures have been taken, yet the athletic trainer already feels exhausted and blinded by the too-bright white lights of the flashes. The two girls are seated in a corner of the studio, taking a water break from all this agitation.

“Eww, I know you don’t like photoshoots.”

“Why are you laughing?” Natsumi asks, eyebrows raised.

“It’s just-” Izumi took a few seconds to wipe away the tears that started to form in her eyes “I just remembered the day of your graduation, when Yaku and I dragged you all the way from the toilets to take a picture.”

Her friend cringes at the mention of the memory, she softly pushes the libero. “Shut up!” Deep down Natsumi feels her heart lighten. Is that nostalgia from a time when one did not have to think about taxes and bosses and grocery shopping and whatever adult responsibility?

“I remember how Suzuki-sensei screamed at Yaku for entering the girls’ toilets.”

“He turned all red.”

They laugh so loud the make-up team turns and gives them suspicious looks.

“See, I know this would make you smile.”

Natsumi looks at Izumi, offering her a soft smile. “You always know how to make me smile.”

And this is as true as the law of gravity. Izumi never fails to make her friends smile. The girls met in high school. They both went to Nekoma, known to be a powerhouse for volleyball. Natsumi was one year above Izumi. When the latter became a first year, Natsumi was made vice-captain of the female team. She remembers when Izumi entered — or rather burst into the gymnasium. She’s so loud, everyone thought. She was grounded by the captain and had to take care of the cleaning for a whole month. One time, when Natsumi stayed a little longer to train her serves after a defeating match, Izumi told her how happy she was to be in this team. Natsumi found her naive at first, they had just lost, and terribly, how could she be happy? But as she looked at her, cleaning the polished wooden floor and acclaiming every action her teammates made, Natsumi smiled. That day, she discovered that Izumi wasn’t just loud and naive, she had a gift, one of putting the smile back on your face. Whether it was when Yaku hurt his ankle during his last high school tournament, when Kenma forgot to save his progress on dragon quests or when Kuroo turned silent for a whole month when Natsumi announced she was leaving for America. Her presence itself brings joy.

“Do you have news from Yaku by the way?” Natsumi asks.

“Of course I have. He came back from Russia last month. You know, It’s not because he broke my heart ten years ago that I resent him.” Izumi puffs out her chest, trying to express the little pride she has left through her posture.

“This sentence itself makes it obvious that you’re not over it.”

“I-well, you know how I am. I have a crush on a guy-”

“On a libero you mean.”

“Alright, alright, on a libero. I have a thing for liberos. Anyway. I confess to him. He says I’m a pain in the ass. I get over it and find a new gu-libero. That’s called the circle of life. That happened in high school with Yaku, with that Nishinoya guy, the list is long. My new target is the cutie cutie Komori from the boys’ team though.”

For anyone foreign from the situation, Izumi could be diagnosed with Emophilia. But Natsumi has known her friend for over a decade now, nothing could surprise her anymore when it comes to Izumi’s love life.

“Anyway. We’re having dinner with the boys tonight, wanna come with us? Just like the good old days.”

Natsumi knows what “good old days” mean, she knows who that includes, and as strong and independent and tough she may be, she doesn’t feel ready yet.

But maybe that’s the point of life, jumping off the cliff when one feels the least ready.

But she gets up. Somehow being in the spotlight of the cameras and getting yelled at by the photograph is less scary than where this conversation is leading to.

“I am deeply, deeply, sorry for being late.”

An infuriating, sarcastic voice resonates in the studio — or as it sounds like to the athletic trainer. That doesn’t stop her from turning around as fast as the light.

Taller. Older. Prettier. That is how Kuroo Tetsurou reflects in Natsumi’s eyes as he makes his entrance.

“Kuroo-san!” Coach Watanabe runs towards the man. “Kuroo-san, it’s good to see you.” He energetically shakes his hands.

“There was an accident on the road, I’m very sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Listen, girls.” The older man shouts to capture everyone’s attention. As if Natsumi’s eyes were not already glued on the tall silhouette of what appears to be a ghost. Am I time travelling? She asks herself. No way, no way, Kuro would never wear a suit.

She’s not dreaming. He is indeed wearing a suit. A black suit, making his thighs look as muscular as ever. A red tie, reminding her of his Nekoma’s jersey. A few buttons of his white shirt loose, probably in an attempt to get some fresh air — Tokyo summers are cruel — all of that means only one thing, Kuroo Tetsurou is no longer a teenager. No longer the captain of the volleyball team. No longer an awkward eighteen-year-old boy unable to confess his feelings for his best friend from the opposite gender.

When Kuroo catches sight of her, his whole world seems to be still. Did colours disappear?

“Shiro?” he whispers awkwardly, too low to make the coach stop his presentation.

“This is Kuroo Tetsurou, he is in charge of the sports promotion division of the Japan Volleyball Association. He was the one suggesting the brilliant idea of this campaign.”

So this is the obnoxious, stupid, sadist person Natsumi wanted to murder a couple of days ago. Of course, how could it be someone else? How naive of her.

If Kuroo is no longer a teenager, so is Natsumi. Her younger self would have walked past him, giving him a cold shoulder and screaming that he was the most stupid and selfish and stupid — teenagers do have a limited list of vocabulary — person she knows. How dare he reappear in her work territory now? But her twenty-six-old self clears her throat and manages to find better words than “stupid” and “selfish”.

“Hi, Kuro”.

“Hello there, are you real or is this a very good hologram of Shiro?”

“Even though your hair looks like you just woke up, you’re not dreaming. That is me.”

“Well- I guess you look smaller. And more tanned.”

“You can thank the Californian sun for that.”

Kuroo's heart skips a beat. How could he say thank you to the Californian sun when that same sun was the one who took her from him?

“Tetsuu!” Izumi sings. However, her joy is quickly stopped by the deadly glance Natsumi is giving her.

“Did you know he would come?” Izumi reads in her friend’s eyes.

But liberos are fearless, they like to jump and dive and sometimes, to drown.

So she ignores her and slams the man on the arm, “The captain is looking fine.”

“Izumi, it’s good to see you, it’s been a long time.” (A long, long time indeed.) “How are you? Are you enjoying your new life in Italy?” he asks.

“Ew, our coach is pretty intense. The Italian championship is coming next October, so we need to prepare but apart from that pastas are good, the sun shines, and the wine is fuck-”

“Izumi, we need to go back to the photoshoot.” Natsumi interrupts. “See you later Kuro.”

As she’s about to go to the other side of the studio, Kuroo adds with a smirk. “I did not know you were into modelling now.”

That’s your fault, she wants to say, you were the one proposing this fucking campaign. But instead, she goes for something more sarcastic, after all, she is talking to Kuroo, the king of sarcasm.

“There’s many things you don’t know about me, Kuroo Tetsurou.”

If Natsumi had got up and tried to run away from the “good old days” conversation is certainly not to end up in this precise situation. But here she is, stuck between Yamamoto and Kuroo in the most crowded Izakaya of Shibuya. Izumi is ordering her fourth beer, Asahi, her favourite. Yaku is trying to hide it from her. Lev is eating a cauliflower salad and explaining that he needs to keep his diet clean if he doesn’t want to lose his contract with whatever agency he is working with at that time. Yes, she is having dinner with Izumi and “the boys”.

“Shiroyanagi-san, do you want more fried chicken?” Shibayama asks with his usual polite tone (almost too pure for this world). But Natsumi says no, her hair already smells too much of greasy food, she might need to wash them with a super special shampoo tonight.

Don’t get her wrong, it’s not that she doesn’t want to be here. A reunion with her high school friends could be very enjoyable but the thing is, when she woke up that morning she did not expect to run into Kuroo Tetsurou and even less to eat next to him and feel his shoulder and hand and leg against hers in a small restaurant.

“Isn’t Kenma coming?” she finally asks Kuroo.

“He has this very important livestream tonight, but he might come later.”

“Nice.” She shyly mutters.

Kuroo looks at her sipping her glass of water.

“Is this how this conversation is going to be like?”

“What do you mean?”

If Natsumi did not know Kuroo well she might have thought that his attitude remained unchanged. But she does know him, even separated by years and continents, she knows when he was pissed. And right now, he looks pissed.

“Small talk.” he finally answers. “We haven’t seen each other in years and the only thing you’re asking me is when Kenma arrives.”

“I haven’t seen Kenma in quite some time too.”

That’s how you wanna play, Kuroo thinks.

“Says the girl who left for America.”

From across the table, Yaku overhears his former captain and decides to let Izumi drink her beer. That’s a lost case anyway, she’s already drunk. What matters now is how Natsumi’s eyebrows frown and how she starts scratching her nails, a bad habit she has since forever and that she usually goes back to when she feels uncomfortable.

“It was eight years ago, Kuro, eight years. Do I need to apologise, again?”

“I’m not looking for any apologies.”

“Then what do you want?”

Yaku wants to interfere, he’s good at it, that used to be his job in the team, but as his mouth opens to speak, Inuoka lets out a sound that only he — and probably Shoyo — could understand.

“Heyaaa! More meat is coming.”

Kuroo gets distracted for a second, drifting his attention away from Natsumi. The girl lets herself breathe again and grabs her bag. She has to get out of this place and escape from the noise and the heat of the food in front of her.

When Kuroo turns back, Natsumi is out of sight.

Once safely outside, she gets a cigarette and a lighter from her pocket.

How funny it is that people smoke when they feel stressed, strangled, muffled. Can this be called fighting fire with fire?

“I did not know you smoked.”

Long and blond-dyed hair, yellow eyes, awkward smile. Natsumi would recognize him in a crowd filled with thousands and thousands of people. Or cats.

“What a shame for an athletic trainer, I know the song.”

Kenma chuckled, “As if I would judge your lifestyle when I sleep maybe three hours every night.”

“That’s the prize to pay for being rich and famous.” She lights up her cigarette. “I only smoke when I’m tense or having a drink with my friends though.”

“Which one is it right now?”

“Both.”

Kenma doesn’t reply back so she decides to go a bit deeper and complains about the raven-hair boy.

“Your best friend is the worst. He says I’m only having small talks with him when we haven’t seen each other in years but he blames me for going to college in America. Argh. This was eight years ago, Kenma. Why is he still mad? I hate when he does this with his superior tone and tcht- never mind.”

Her voice has become more nasal and furious as she talks. Anger and cigarettes are not a good combination.

“Guess some things never change.”

Natsumi, back pressed against the wall, sighs, “for sure, he hasn’t changed. He’s still a jerk.”

The good thing about talking with Kenma is that she is free to say whatever she wants, she can even insult his best friend, and he wouldn’t argue.

“What I meant is that you guys have always been kinda awkward.”

“Awkward? What do you mean?”

The boy, already tired of the conversation, crouches down, “You can’t have a proper conversation without fighting. I’ve never seen anyone like you two, or, well, maybe Shoyo and Kageyama are like that. If you were a romantic book you would be, I don't know, what they call academic rivals or something like that.”

“A romantic book? Seriously Kenma, as if…”

The silence questions even more the boy, “as if what? As if you could ever have romantic feelings for him? I don’t really know this kind of stuff so I won’t give any advice but I’m not blind. And neither are you.”

It’s a good thing Kuroo is still inside, she would hate having to discuss that topic with him. “Romantic feelings for Shiro?” She remembers him saying to Kai one evening outside of the changing room, “She’s more like an annoying cousin to me.”

Kenma gets up and she stubs out her cigarette.

“Tell the boys and Izumi I went back home because-”

“You missed your dog.”

That is the easiest and probably most credible lie he can give, so she thanks him with a soft smile and leaves.

She hopes to find solace under her fleece blanket, drinking a hot chocolate buried in whipped cream and with her dog resting on her chest, but when she opens the door of her apartment — a door that needs to be oiled — and is welcomed by the darkness, the silence and the emptiness of the room, she sighs. Soon enough, Saba greets her by whining.

“Hi baby, I missed you.”

The only thing that eases her mind is that tomorrow will be Saturday, no need to go to work, no need to run into him.

She doesn’t have a lot of pictures on her white walls, only a few from high school with Izumi and some from college. As she looks at them she wonders if she should have been to America at all, if she shouldn’t have stayed in Japan instead. With him. But thank gods, she comes back to her senses quickly and regrets ever thinking that. America was great, it was the best decision of her life. She shall not let the guilt intrude upon her mind. Kuro must be getting under my skin. She concludes before going to bed.

Author notes: hey guys ! this is my first fanfic on this account, I hope you enjoyed it. feel free to tell me what you think <3

#kuroo tetsurou #kuroo fanfic #kuroo haikyuu #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu #fanfic #friends to lovers #enemies to lovers #kuroo tetsurō

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th3-0bjectivist · 6 months ago

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1500 FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION post w/ page mascot Springin' Chip!

Heya folks! Springin’ Chip here with a very special celebratory post! This last week, th3-0bjectivist hit 1500 followers! To be fair, about a quarter of his followers are more than likely AI pornbots, but let’s not get hung up on unnecessary details! Being a canine, there’s very little that I can personally offer our audience on Tumblr… save for some drool, dog snot, and poop. So, we’re going to celebrate the only way I know how!

Pictured with me in this photoset is my big sister, Ruby, and for this commemorative post you get to watch me beat her up! I assault my big sister all the time these days, sometimes for no reason, numerous times a day! I think she likes it! If weight class and overall size were a factor, Ruby could just brush my little Spaniel ass aside like a dust bunny. But she plays well with me, and just lets me kinda passively dominate her most days. Works for me! On with the festivities!!!

And now for some page lore! About a decade ago, th3-0bjectivist was comically barely known as v3ritasartiste on Tumblr. It was a page centered around conspiracy theories… and art, and music. And whooooooo boy, did it suck ass through a bamboo straw! The layout was atrocious, the conspiracy-addled dipshit in charge of the page had no idea what he was doing because he was high out of his mind on government-strength sativa and indica strains 24/7, and nothing he posted made a lick of sense! After gaining a whopping 78 followers over two years, butt-hurt and utterly disregarded, v3ritasartiste shut down his page out of pure frustration.

Yeah, take that Ruby! Years later, during the stay-at-home fallout from ***THE UNSPECIFIED VIRUS FROM UNKNOWN ORIGINS***, v3ritasartiste became th3-0bjectivist with three main goals in mind: 1. Jettison the conspiracy bullshit entirely 2. Create a page that actually makes contextual sense 3. Promote art, both own and others. And, by gum, it worked! Well… sorta. There was still a learning curve and he pissed off a few people to start things off (those blocks were well-earned in retrospect) because he was too brash and cocky, but some social refinement and further diversification of materials led us to where we are today. 1500 and counting!

Do ya see how Ruby just lets me rule her!? She could swallow me in a single gulp, damn I love her so much! Getting back to the point of this post, th3-0 wants you to know he greatly appreciates your follows, your likes, reposts, and most importantly your presence here on Tumblr! You may not realize it, but we’re all on a journey together while we’re on this platform. th3-0 has been able to share some of his joys, sorrows and art with you over the years… and those moments aren’t just precious, they are the universal moments that bring us all together as a species. Well… not me personally per se. Just to be clear, I’m a dog! Th3-0, who is a human, just wanted me to express those things to you… yeah, that’s the ticket.

Unlike last year, we’re at full mast with new art. We’ve got plenty of new paintings coming which just need to be more fully realized. We’ve practically cornered the market on original painting-animations on Tumblr, and musical entries and snarky commentary will continue to flow like wine until we’ve determined they are no longer working for us (which will be NEVER). Warts and all, th3-0bjectivist LOVES Tumblr. And just a reminder, if you’re ever interested in purchasing some canvas work, which would really help us, just head on over to our page on DeviantArt and browse the selections in the Featured section. Our wall decorations can make your home or business weirder and more wondrous at the same time! Tumblr restricts gifs to a pathetic 10MB download, which severely confines the visual quality of the gifs. But on DeviantArt, all our artistic gifs are available in high definition and they’re free to download!

Time for a nap with my big sis…. while th3-0bjectivist deletes 386,712,364,871,236,857,623,547,612,376,451,457,282,367,487,264 pornbot messages from his Tumblr inbox! Thanks Tumblr, we love you all!

Until next time fellow literate dogs, ¬ Springin’ Chip for th3-0bjectivist

The 0bjectivist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2sONH8IwzL_2sZie0ZNSnw/

I’m also on BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/uvKfJpNkzkIL/

FULL ART GALLERY on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/th3_0bjectivist_gallery/ <---- screw that garbage website, we deleted our profile this year!

FULL ART GALLERY on DeviantArt at: https://www.deviantart.com/th3-0bjectivist/gallery

#page update #Springin' Chip #thank you followers!#this page #celebratory post #Ruby #page mascot #dogs on tumblr #dogblr #springer spaniel #new painting next week #this blog will continue as is until there is a needed change #my dogs

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thisbuildinghasfeelings · 1 year ago

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15 questions, 15 mutuals

Thanks for the tags @lemonlyman-dotcom @redshirt2and @saraminia!

1. Are you named after anyone?

My maternal grandmother. It was my dad's idea to name me Anne after her. I think he was sucking up to his mother-in-law.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don't full out cry all that much. I'll tear up a little watching and reading stuff all the time. The last time I remember fully sobbing was in March 2022 when my 15 year old cocker spaniel, Jasmine, died. More recently, I probably cried a little out of frustration in an argument with my mom a few months ago.

3. Do you have kids?

4. What sports do you play/have played?

I'm not at all a sports person. The only official school sports team I was ever on was cross country for a single year in 7th grade. I hated it. I ended up with the worst record on the entire team. It was a middle school team, which was 7th and 8th grade only. One of the 8th graders was a slow runner and before one of our meets, a couple of the other 8th grade girls pulled me aside and told me it was my turn to run with her. If she had to stop running and walk, that meant that I had to stop running and walk with her. Looking back, this was complete bullshit and I should have just said no, but at the time I was afraid to not do what they said. We ended up walking a good portion of the run, and then right before the finish line, she put on a burst of speed and beat me. I was annoyed.

Also, I was on a tee-ball team as a little kid. I hated it, but my dad was the coach so I HAD to go. I have a vivid memory of running to first base, putting my foot on the base, then having the little boy playing first base put his foot ON TOP of my foot, and wrongfully getting called out. I was LIVID. I didn't even want to be there in the first place!

I also took tennis lessons for a few sessions as a younger kid because my best friend liked it. I did not like it.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

At times.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I'm kind of a terrible noticer in social situations. I think it's my social anxiety. Especially when I meet new people, I'm very much in my own head about the whole interaction. I really have no idea what I notice.

7. What’s your eye color?

Hazel

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I enjoy watching scary movies that are so stupid they're hilarious. It's something my mom and I love to do together: go see stupid scary movies. But if I had to choose just one, I'd say happy endings.

9. Any talents?

I think I'm good at cross stitching. I'm also a pretty good baker, particularly when it comes to cookies.

10. Where were you born?

In the same town I currently live.

11. What are your hobbies?

Cross stitch (obviously), reading, running, baking, does watching TV count as a hobby?

12. Do you have any pets?

Ruby!

13. How tall are you?

5'2''

14. Favorite subject in school?

English, particularly literature. In my final year of high school, I had space for several electives, and I filled the space by taking every single literature class the school offered. I think I took British Literature, World Literature, Contemporary Literature and African American Literature that year. It was amazing. I got to spend half the school day reading books.

15. Dream job?

I don't think I really have a dream job. Definitely not my current job. Maybe something low stress and high pay where I didn't have to interact with too many people? Or what about just not having a job? I think not having a job but still having money is my dream job.

Tagging @autistic-lesbian-story-lover @maxbegone @ladytessa74 @carlos-in-glasses @bubblesandroses8 @louis-ii-reyes-strand @reyestrandd @rachelsversion1 @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @strandnreyes @inkweedandlizards @alltheprettyplaces @firstprince-history-huh @birdclowns @bonheur-cafe

#tag game

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pawsitivevibe · 11 months ago

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I'm needing to do some troubleshooting on Arthur's recall because it's not as reliable as it should be. He's good indoors, he's good in class, he's good on a line ... It's mostly the members-only dog park we take him to where he has real issues. We've taken a little break from our membership until he improves. I think I'm just going to re-train from the ground up. I think it's probably best to use a new, more unique word for the recall. I've never had to be very strict on specific recall commands with Haley and Bree because they were reliable no matter what you said really ... But a spaniel definitely needs clarity. I'm considering "report" because that's not really a common use word for me and "Arthur, report for duty" is a cute concept lol. Though I do kind of wonder if the sort of military comparison is uhhh not something I want to taint my dog training with. Maybe I need to think of something else ... But maybe it's just literally Not That Serious and it's fine to use "report" ...

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biceps--to-spare · 2 years ago

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Gaston D’Avenant -- Character Sheet

oh no what have I begun? / called my mother said I love her / had another and another one / questions, questions, suddenly suggestions / where was anyone at the start of this thing? / hold that gold up over your shoulder / all I need's a place to grieve

Archetype — The Hero Birthday — October 13, 1988 Zodiac Sign — Rising Sagittarius, Sun in Libra, Moon in Scorpio MBTI — ENFP Enneagram — Type 2: the Helper Temperament — Choleric Hogwarts House — Hufflepuff Moral Alignment — Neutral Evil Primary Vice — Lust Primary Virtue — Diligence Element — Fire

Overview

Mother — Sabine D’Avenant Father — Jerome D’Avenant (FC: Hugh Jackman) Mother’s Occupation — Homemaker Father’s Occupation — Owner of the Hunted Deer Family Finances — Middle class, but comfortable Birth Order — Only child Brothers — N/A Sisters — N/A Other Close Family — None, really Best Friend — TBD??? Hopefully another Swynlaker :) Other Friends — TBD?? Hopefully some Swynlakers :) Enemies — No one :) (facetious) Pets — Scout, his Brittney Spaniel and Buck, his German Short-Haired Pointer Home Life During Childhood — Idyllic. Gaston got everything he wanted. Had both of his parents wrapped around his finger. Always popular. Always handsome. Town or City Name(s) — Swynlake, born and raised. What Did His or Her Bedroom Look Like — Classic boys room. Red plaid bedsheets, cars and dinosaurs, etc. When he got older pictures of hot women posted around and a sign that said keep out. He actually moved his mom into his childhood bedroom and took the master when his dad died, lol. Any Sports or Clubs — All of the sports! Rugby captain, football captain, etc. etc. Favorite Toy or Game — Any sports, ofc. Schooling — Graduated PrideU with a business degree in 2009 Favorite Subject — Girls ;) Popular or Loner — Popularrrrr Important Experiences or Events — When his dad died, that’s about it bc Gaston had a really easy life until then Nationality — English-French (his mother is French) Culture — British Religion and beliefs — Catholic

Physical Appearance

Face Claim — Zac Efron Complexion — Tan Hair Colour — Dark brown Eye Colour — Blue Height — 5’8 Build — Extremely muscular Tattoos — None Piercings — None Common Hairstyle — Normal…men’s…hair idk Clothing Style — Casual, lots of flannels, t-shirts, jeans… Mannerisms — Talks extremely loud. Usual Expression —

Health

Overall (do they get sick easily)? — He is the pinnacle of health and fitness Physical Ailments — None Neurological Conditions — probably some PTSD lol; narcissism Allergies — None Grooming Habits — Pretty good, he prides himself on his appearance but he also isn’t doing a 10 step skin routine. What I’m saying is he showers regularly. Sleeping Habits — Gets his full 8 hours, but sleeps late into the morning because he’s usually closing up the bar at night. Eating Habits — Lots of food. Lots of protein. Does those weird all-meat diets sometimes. Exercise Habits — Gym at least once a day, runs around the lake at least once a day…etc. Emotional Stability — Uh not great; he’s paranoid and quick to anger Body Temperature �� Runs warm. Sociability — Very social, very charming Addictions — …alcohol probably; looking at his reflection Drug Use — None. Alcohol Use — Too much.

Your Character’s Character

Bad Habits — Thinking everything is about him; being overbearing and overprotective Good Habits — Loyal and fearless Best Characteristic — His face Worst Characteristic — His misogyny lol Worst Memory — His dad getting ripped apart by demons :) Best Memory — For a person who brags about all the great things he’s done, nothing is really coming to mind Proud of — Himself, the Deer Embarrassed by — The fact he can’t get Belle to marry him and that she married Hades instead lmao Driving Style — Parks in two parking spaces. Strong Points — His loyalty, his strategy, his courage Temperament — Short. Attitude — Pretty positive? Idk. Weakness — Beautiful women. Fears — That people don’t like him or people he cares about will be hurt. Phobias — None. Secrets — That he’s actually deeply insecure lol Regrets — Not saving his father. :( Feels Vulnerable When — Talking about his father, his family’s legacy -- also NEVER. Pet Peeves — People challenging his authority or disliking him. Conflicts — Wanting to be liked vs wanting to kill Magicks lmao Motivation — To keep Swynlake safe. Short Term Goals and Hopes — Get Hades kicked out of office Long Term Goals and Hopes — Marry Belle :) Sexuality — Straight Day or Night Person — Night, for sure. Introvert or Extrovert — Extrovert af Optimist or Pessimist — Optimist actually, like aggressively so Greatest Want — To provide for his family <3 Greatest Need — To not think he’s the center of the universe

#character sheet #about #inspiration

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na-ta-sh-aa · 2 months ago

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Aww the beauty of this chapter is immense. Bradley, Gorgeous and the children (and Vanessa the Cocker Spaniel) have already conquered my heart and I'm sure that as I continue reading the series they will go deeper and deeper and I couldn't be happier about this🥹💗💗💗

“When he logged into his email account, his heart skipped around a bit when he saw that he had something new from you. Then he opened it up and read it, and his lips parted softly in surprise at what you'd sent.”

I love the anticipation, the wait and Bradley's reaction when he saw that she had sent him something. Even though he tries to deny it and wants to keep the relationship professional, you can see how much he wants to know her better and how interested he is in her and I love all of that!🥹

“He logged out again and headed to the mess hall for dinner, because there was no point in responding until he had the photo you just asked him for. One where you'd be able to see exactly what every inch of him looked like. As he ate his meatloaf, his thoughts all settled on that one pertinent question: were your students really the ones who were curious about how he looked, or were you? Because it sounded like it could be the latter. He fucking hoped it was. And he fucking hoped you wouldn't be disappointed after tomorrow when he sent you exactly what was asked of him.”

Who could possibly be disappointed by Bradley's looks? I mean, we're talking about Bradley Bradshaw🫠

“To say he was attractive looking standing there in his flight suit next to the jet with his name on the side of it would have been the understatement of the century. He was hot. Unbelievably hot. Top tier. You shamelessly zoomed in to get an even better look at his face which was complete with a crooked little smile and a fucking mustache.”

Bradley's beauty always has this effect🫠

“Even his messy, wavy hair looked soft enough for you to want to rub your face and lips against it. Where did that idea come from? You uncrossed and recrossed your legs as the most delightful thoughts filled your mind. You already knew he was sweet, kind, attentive and humble, but now you knew he was easy on the eyes, too. If only you could hear his voice.”

His voice is the icing on the cake!

“For reference, I'm 6'1" and 205 pounds. That should give you and your kiddos a good size comparison, yeah? Also, just a little curious myself here.... are you sure they were the only ones who wanted to know what I look like? Or did you want to know, too?”

AHH!! you literally lost me at “I'm 6'1" and 205 pounds”🫠 I loved how Bradley was so direct with her, he made me blush I can't imagine what he did to her!

“Then it hit you like a bolt of lightning. No way was this man single. He was handsome. That would have been enough on its own. But he also had an impressive career, all of his hair, and he was tall. And that didn't even scrape the surface of his sweet personality! You couldn't embarrass yourself further. You just couldn't. You wanted him to keep writing to your class, because they were already so attached to him. You couldn't ruin this for them.”

Nooo no bad interpretations please, he couldn't be more into her!

P.s. The line where she says he has all his hair was brilliant😂

“When your students came flooding into the room, they led off with the same question they had every morning now. "Did we get anything in the mail from Lieutenant Bradshaw?"

Aww they are sweethearts🥹, I love their excitement and anticipation for Bradley's response, they are already all in love with him!

“My kids also wanted me to ask you if your spouse or significant other is in the Navy. And they'd like to know how old your kids are if you have any. Once again, just to be clear, I'm only asking these things on their behalf...”

AHH!! she is sooo smart!

“But it did. Days passed. You normally tried not to think about your work email account during the weekends, let alone check it. Saturday was miserable as you logged in almost hourly to check and double check if you had something new from Lieutenant Bradshaw. It was so bad, you ended up initiating a movie night with some of your friends, opting to lock your phone in the center console of your car rather than take it into the theater.”

Ooh they are already completely desperate and into each other just after a few pictures and emails they exchanged I LITERALLY LOVE THEM!! I can't imagine how they will be if and when they meet🫠

“Sunday was no better. You took yourself to the beach for the afternoon to try to read and sunbathe. But there was a group of guys in US NAVY TOP GUN shirts playing football, and you wondered if Bradley ever did this kind of thing with his friends. Or his family. Jesus Christ, why couldn't he just write back and tell you if he had a pretty wife and six adorable kids who loved to play football on the beach with him?”

Even though I know Bradley is not married and has no children, this wait for his email is wearing me down too!

“Since your students seem to be showing quite an interest in my personal life, please let them know I actually don't have a spouse or significant other at all. Nor do I have any kids. Their letters (and your emails, too) are the only ones I'm getting this deployment. No one else has been writing to me. Nobody stateside is waiting for me. I hope that answers their questions to your liking.”

“And now it's your turn to answer a question for me. Is there a guy in your life who is going to try to beat the crap out of me if I tell you that I think you're gorgeous?”

AHHHH!! He told her he was single, asked her if there was a man in her life and told her she was gorgeous🫠 the wait was worth it, there couldn't have been a better answer!

“He didn't mind one bit. In all actuality, he was living for this shit, already thinking about how he could maybe visit your classroom someday soon. Several of the kids asked him if he could. They all asked him to take more pictures of life on the aircraft carrier. Then he laughed for a solid minute over the photo that Jayden sent of his Cocker Spaniel named Vanessa.”

Aww I'm sure I'll melt if Bradley goes to visit the class🫠 I love that Jayden sent Bradley a picture of his Cocker Spaniel, sooo cute!!🥹

“But Bradley had purposely been neglecting his email inbox for the last few days. He was too afraid to read your words telling him that you were in fact taken, and that he was stupid for thinking you'd been the one who wanted to know what he looked like. He was rather enjoying the delusion that you might let him tell you how pretty he thought you were over email and maybe someday in person. He decided to respond to the rest of the notes in the box before getting rejected, otherwise it would be too hard to do this.”

Ooh they are made for each other🥹

“My last boyfriend didn't like it when I talked about my fourth graders. He didn't really see any value in what I do for a living. He would have never taken the time to read something they wrote let alone answer their questions individually. So no, there's nobody who would be upset with you for making me feel like there are butterflies permanently living in my belly now. If you want to tell me you think I'm gorgeous, I'm certainly not going to stop you.”

I have butterflies in my stomach, now they both know that there is no love interest in their lives!

“Hey, Gorgeous,

I'd like to take it further.

Yours Truly,

Bradley Bradshaw”

Okay I am literally jumping for joy. Bradley writing her in her private email calling her Gorgeous telling her he wants to take it further and sign Bradley Bradshaw? Can anything be more perfect than this? Ooh I love them, love them, love them so much!!

Wooow what a wonderful chapter! I loved how they are both already so taken with each other that they can't stop thinking about each other. Just as I found it so sweet and realistic how they were both curious and eager to know more about each other's private lives but at the same time they were afraid that reality could break the spell they had created in such a short time. Gorgeous's reaction to Bradley's photo couldn't have been better, it was so true and I loved how you captured her excitement, wonder and happiness. It was pretty much my same reaction the first time I saw Bradley😅. Not to mention how much I continue to adore the sweet, kind and funny way Bradley responds to the kids in Gorgeous' class and how they so eagerly await Bradley's letters. If the time ever comes for the class to meet Bradley I don't think my heart will be able to handle all the joy and sweetness of the moment🥹To say that I'm loving reading this series would be the understatement of the century🥹I loved every word!!✨💗💗💗

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 3 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You rendered Bradley speechless and left him wondering if your students were the ones who wanted to know what he looked like or if it was really you who was curious. He wanted to know everything about you, but the urge to ask for more was mingling with his duty to keep things professional. You and he teetered on the edge... until you didn't.

Warnings: Fluff, language, Bradley looking hot

Length: 3100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

Bradley found himself homesick in a way he never did before. He still had weeks and weeks of this deployment to go, stuck on the aircraft carrier, endlessly curious about someone he barely knew anything about and a classroom full of kids he'd never met. But he felt like he wanted to know more about you and them.

At least he was too busy now to dwell on the fact that it had been days since the last mail call. He was never one who was lined up, eager to collect something from a loved one. Vanessa and all of his other ex girlfriends never sent him handwritten notes or snacks. He'd gotten sporadic emails in the past, but nothing that made him smile and laugh out loud. Never anything that made him sad when he realized he had reached the end of the note, hoping for more.

He wanted to go back to the lounge and check his email, but he was afraid he'd have nothing new to read. There was really nobody else other than you who would send him anything right now, and he was sure you had something better to do with your time than comment on the photos he'd send of his jet and the engine parts. And even if you had written back, how long could he really keep this conversation with you going? How soon would you run out of interest in his deployment?

Bradley knew he'd be much better at talking to you in person, but how the hell was he supposed to get there? Jesus Christ, you were probably married. You probably already had someone back home wrapped around your fingers, and here he was, still thinking about you.

"Pitiful," he muttered, making his way to the lounge anyway. He would keep it professional with you. One hundred percent. But he still wanted to know if your students got to see the photos and if they had any questions about them.

When he logged into his email account, his heart skipped around a bit when he saw that he had something new from you. Then he opened it up and read it, and his lips parted softly in surprise at what you'd sent.

Thank you for the photos. They were very enlightening. We especially liked the ones where you were showing off your cockpit. Or I did, anyway. The kids liked all of them and started on another list of questions for you. Good luck getting rid of us now.

We were wondering if you could have someone take a picture of you standing in front of your jet. For size comparison purposes. And also because my students would like to know what you look like. Hearing from you makes our day even better.

Bradley read it again. Still surprised, he read it a third time. Were you the one asking for the photo? It seemed like you might be. Or was he just projecting here? Shit. Maybe. He'd been thinking about how he'd respond if you asked him something personal, and this felt like you and he were teetering right on the edge.

You even echoed his own thoughts, but it still made him warm all over to know that you looked forward to hearing from him. That it made your day better when he sent an email. He decided he was going to keep this going as long as he could.

He logged out again and headed to the mess hall for dinner, because there was no point in responding until he had the photo you just asked him for. One where you'd be able to see exactly what every inch of him looked like. As he ate his meatloaf, his thoughts all settled on that one pertinent question: were your students really the ones who were curious about how he looked, or were you? Because it sounded like it could be the latter. He fucking hoped it was. And he fucking hoped you wouldn't be disappointed after tomorrow when he sent you exactly what was asked of him.

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

You thought you were ready, but you weren't. Not for this. Not for him. Not even close. Thankfully it was still early enough that none of your students were in the classroom with you, because Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw had responded to your slightly tipsy email from a few nights ago. He sent exactly one photo, and your only response was to softly moan, "Holy hell."

To say he was attractive looking standing there in his flight suit next to the jet with his name on the side of it would have been the understatement of the century. He was hot. Unbelievably hot. Top tier. You shamelessly zoomed in to get an even better look at his face which was complete with a crooked little smile and a fucking mustache.

"Who does he think he is?" you asked the empty room, voice filled with need. "The audacity."

Even his messy, wavy hair looked soft enough for you to want to rub your face and lips against it. Where did that idea come from? You uncrossed and recrossed your legs as the most delightful thoughts filled your mind. You already knew he was sweet, kind, attentive and humble, but now you knew he was easy on the eyes, too. If only you could hear his voice.

After several minutes of uninterrupted gawking, you realized he'd written a few sentences to you as well, addressing you just as he always had. But this felt more personal. Maybe a little intimate.

For reference, I'm 6'1" and 205 pounds. That should give you and your kiddos a good size comparison, yeah? Also, just a little curious myself here.... are you sure they were the only ones who wanted to know what I look like? Or did you want to know, too?

So he called you out. Your whole body felt too hot and too light. You were floating off of your chair even as your heart pounded. You must be two feet in the air by now. He already knew what you looked like, but now you cared more than ever what he thought about you. Because you had a massive crush on your classroom pen pal.

"How embarrassing. You drunk emailed him! How are you supposed to respond to this?" you whispered as you closed your laptop and pressed your fingers to your lips. It was hard to tell if his tone was playful or not. He was smiling in the photo, which made you think that he was. But perhaps he was trying to put a stop to any topic of conversation that could be considered personal.

Then it hit you like a bolt of lightning. No way was this man single. He was handsome. That would have been enough on its own. But he also had an impressive career, all of his hair, and he was tall. And that didn't even scrape the surface of his sweet personality! You couldn't embarrass yourself further. You just couldn't. You wanted him to keep writing to your class, because they were already so attached to him. You couldn't ruin this for them.

When your students came flooding into the room, they led off with the same question they had every morning now. "Did we get anything in the mail from Lieutenant Bradshaw?"

"Not yet," you replied, still trying to decide how to respond to his photo. "But hopefully soon. He did email another picture though."

All of them were immediately headed for your desk, wanting to see what their pen pal looked like. You pressed your lips together, bracing yourself as you opened up that photo again, and then the kids all interjected into your thoughts.

"His jet is so cool!"

"It's huge!"

"He looks exactly how I thought he would!"

"Can he send us more stuff?"

It took you a good, long while to get them all into their seats. Clearly you weren't the only one who was entranced by him. Their questions overflowed, most of which still had to do with the aviation topics you'd been teaching them. Bradley Bradshaw had turned your classroom upside down, in a good way. And the more you thought about it, the more you just wanted to make sure you weren't missing out on something here. This man was better looking than the last three guys you went out with all combined, and he already made you feel tingly inside before you knew that for a fact.

You went home after work and did it again. You drank some wine and logged into your work email account and wrote back to him less than a day after he wrote to you. Part of you recognized that you'd look desperate, but you simply had to know so you could stop thinking about him if necessary. You started typing.

It was definitely, absolutely my students who wanted to know what you look like. It had nothing to do with me. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. That being said...nice photo. Very nice.

My kids also wanted me to ask you if your spouse or significant other is in the Navy. And they'd like to know how old your kids are if you have any. Once again, just to be clear, I'm only asking these things on their behalf...

"Send," you whispered, doing it before you could stop yourself. Then you were left with your intrusive thoughts and the rest of the wine, ultimately deciding to just go to bed. He wasn't going to respond right away. He was busy working. You just hoped it didn't take too long.

But it did. Days passed. You normally tried not to think about your work email account during the weekends, let alone check it. Saturday was miserable as you logged in almost hourly to check and double check if you had something new from Lieutenant Bradshaw. It was so bad, you ended up initiating a movie night with some of your friends, opting to lock your phone in the center console of your car rather than take it into the theater.

Sunday was no better. You took yourself to the beach for the afternoon to try to read and sunbathe. But there was a group of guys in US NAVY TOP GUN shirts playing football, and you wondered if Bradley ever did this kind of thing with his friends. Or his family. Jesus Christ, why couldn't he just write back and tell you if he had a pretty wife and six adorable kids who loved to play football on the beach with him?

When two of the guys in the TOP GUN shirts purposely threw the football toward your towel and tried to play it off as an accident, you didn't even feel like returning their flirtatious banter. Neither of them had a mustache or soft looking brown hair. Neither of them left you wanting to know more.

You went home and tried so hard not to check your work email, but you failed miserably. But then you were happy you caved, because he wrote back. Bradley Bradshaw actually responded again. And a few seconds later, you were giggling and trying to control the squeal that escaped your lips.

When the mail arrived on the aircraft carrier yesterday, I was one of the first officers in line, and I wasn't disappointed. I got the second box from your class, and I can't wait to start reading and responding to everyone's notes this week. I'll let you know when you've got more mail coming your way.

Since your students seem to be showing quite an interest in my personal life, please let them know I actually don't have a spouse or significant other at all. Nor do I have any kids. Their letters (and your emails, too) are the only ones I'm getting this deployment. No one else has been writing to me. Nobody stateside is waiting for me. I hope that answers their questions to your liking.

And now it's your turn to answer a question for me. Is there a guy in your life who is going to try to beat the crap out of me if I tell you that I think you're gorgeous?

I'll just be waiting impatiently for your response.

Yours Truly,

Lt Bradley Bradshaw

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

Bradley was so tired. The kind of bone deep exhaustion that only comes after the completion of a dangerous mission when your adrenaline finally wears off. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to be back at home in his bed in San Diego with a soft, warm body next to his and a sweet voice in his ear. But he was picturing your face and your body, already convinced you'd have the sweetest voice he'd ever heard.

Shit. He needed to focus on what the admirals had to say instead of drift into daydreams.

"No need to report to the strategy room in the morning, Lieutenant," his commanding officer said as Bradley unzipped the top of his flight suit. "Take some time to rest."

He saluted the admiral and walked off toward his bunk and a hot shower. But even as the steamy water eased the ache in his muscles, he thought about how he already knew he wouldn't be able to sleep right now. Not when he still had a few messages from your students to respond to. Not when those notes always made him smile.

This time you'd only included a very short note in the box, but it wasn't typed up and printed out. It was written in your pretty penmanship on a sheet of lined paper.

Lt Bradshaw,

I hope this package finds you well. Please prepare yourself for approximately seven hundred more questions. Thanks again for sharing your time with us.

He didn't mind one bit. In all actuality, he was living for this shit, already thinking about how he could maybe visit your classroom someday soon. Several of the kids asked him if he could. They all asked him to take more pictures of life on the aircraft carrier. Then he laughed for a solid minute over the photo that Jayden sent of his Cocker Spaniel named Vanessa.

But Bradley had purposely been neglecting his email inbox for the last few days. He was too afraid to read your words telling him that you were in fact taken, and that he was stupid for thinking you'd been the one who wanted to know what he looked like. He was rather enjoying the delusion that you might let him tell you how pretty he thought you were over email and maybe someday in person. He decided to respond to the rest of the notes in the box before getting rejected, otherwise it would be too hard to do this.

He finished writing back to Oliver and Cooper and then tucked the box away under his bed before drifting off to sleep while dreaming of his own bed. But the next day, he had literally no work to do. He's been given the entire day off. He hit the gym and avoided the married woman like the plague. Then he ate lunch and contemplated going back to the gym again, but his feet carried him to the lounge instead. At the very least, he promised you that he'd let you know when you had mail on the way so the kids could get excited. He should take the time to tell you he'd be sending more responses to your class by air mail.

Somehow Bradley had convinced himself so thoroughly that you were in a relationship, he almost couldn't fathom anything else. But there was a new message from you in his inbox, and it felt like a gift when he opened and read it.

Lt Bradshaw,

I must say, I was surprised to find out that my emails and the letters from my class are the only ones making their way to you. Not that I'm complaining. Not one bit. I just find it hard to believe that you don't have a lot of interested parties hoping for a chance to be the one you think about when you're deployed and all alone.

My last boyfriend didn't like it when I talked about my fourth graders. He didn't really see any value in what I do for a living. He would have never taken the time to read something they wrote let alone answer their questions individually. So no, there's nobody who would be upset with you for making me feel like there are butterflies permanently living in my belly now. If you want to tell me you think I'm gorgeous, I'm certainly not going to stop you.

Here's my personal, non school affiliated email address. Just in case you feel like using it. If not, you can keep responding here, and I can take the hint that we went far enough.

I hope you're doing well and staying safe.

Frantically, Bradley checked the date and time stamp. "Fuck," he growled, his fingers not quite able to keep up with his brain when he realized you'd sent this to him days ago. More than five days ago! "Shit. Fuck!" He had been keeping you waiting! As soon as he got his hands working at the same speed as his thoughts, he copied and pasted your personal email address and started a new thread like his life depended on it.

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

You were just curling up with a cup of sleepy time tea after a long day at work, wishing someone would put you out of your misery, when your phone vibrated on the couch cushion next to your leg. You were half tempted to ignore it, reasoning that it was probably time to accept the fact that Bradley Bradshaw already lost interest in you and delete his photos from your downloads folder. You should learn how to stop embarrassing yourself.

Then you glanced down and saw that you had a new email. It was from a now familiar sender. It had been sent to your personal account. You immediately scrambled to unlock your phone and read it.

Hey, Gorgeous,

I'd like to take it further.

Yours Truly,

Bradley Bradshaw

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

What the fuck, Bradley, you smooth man! Take it further, take it further, take it further! I love how impatient they get when they want to hear from each other. Now go ahead and get a little more personal. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls and everyone who sent me messages and asks about this fic.

PART 4

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purplekiwis · 3 years ago

Note

OMG YES! Damaged goods blurb! Can you do a fluff one where one of them is sick with seasonal flu and the other has to take care of them, but they're being stubborn about it because that's just what they do and how they are 🤧

Okay, okay... here she is! It's a bit meh I think, but I hope you like it! 🥰

Harry is sick and grumpy, and Y/N takes care of him (from the Damaged Goods AU)

Harry feels miserable.

He’s worse than miserable, really,

because he has a cold… or is it the flu?! He has never known to spot the differences between the two, but he recognized all of the early signs, of course...

As per usual, it started with nothing but a sore throat one morning when he woke up, that ended up lingering throughout the whole day, then came a headache, and the tiredness, and the chills…

It wasn’t so unbearable at first… but the symptoms only kept getting worse and worse as the hours went by, to the point of leaving him with no choice but to skip his classes in favor of staying in bed… suffering.

The worst part about it? He wasn’t even suffering at home – where his mom could be taking her lips to his forehead every so often to see if he had a fever, and bringing him bowls of soup and fruit cubes on that same familiar bedtray that had accompanied him throughout all his periods of sickness.

Mom would also be making sure he stayed hydrated and took his medicine in time... which by the way, he wasn’t taking any. Logically speaking, Harry knew he should have gone to a pharmacy by now, to get something to make him feel better, but how? When he couldn't even muster the will to get up and go downstairs to fill the empty water bottle perched on his nightstand.

He couldn’t move.

Every single inch of his body hurt.

And now he was starting to get shivery under his bedclothes... for fucks sake.

If only he had Pepper, his spaniel mutt puppy, around to snuggle and keep his body cozy and warm like a hot water bag... then perhaps Harry would've been in a better mood. Yeah, definitely. Pepper would've let him bury his snotty face into its soft fur, and not even think to complain if its owner left a puddle of guck all over said fur.

But well, Pepper isn't there.

And being sick sucks.

Especially because Harry really wants some cuddles... and it hasn't been helping his case whatsoever that in this trying day of illness, his mind has done nothing but think of Y/N.

Pondering over what outfit she must have worn that day and what she might be up to while he’s laying there on his deathbed. He also wonders if she has noticed his absence, and if so… if she’s worried about him.

He huffs once he checks his phone again and realizes there are still no messages from her. She doesn’t have to check on him. He knows that, but he can't help that he likes to be cared for sometimes… and as it turns out illness has a tendency to turn him into a big, needy baby... who really wants to have Y/N taking care of him. It would be so good. She could play with his hair the way he likes, give him forehead kisses, hold his hand…

Harry sighs out loud. Her company would be even better than Pepper's, he believes... although Harry isn't so sure Y/N would enjoy having his snot on her as much as his trusty pup would, but that’s beside the point.

It’s even more beside the point because he knows she's not coming to see him.

She’s mad at him, he recalls now. Stupidly so, if he's allowed to think that - he did nothing wrong, after all. She asked him for a “brutally honest opinion” on a design work she was doing for one of her classes, and he simply gave her what she asked for, plain as that. But of course, then she didn’t like what he had to say and got sulky. Just girls being girls, he guesses…

Harry should've known better than to think that would stop her from coming to see him, though. His girl was a little box of surprises, after all... a true master in the art of keeping him on his toes.

She showed up only half an hour after she was done with her classes... softly knocking on his door before poking her head inside with a smile, only for her jaw to drop in shock at the absolute misery that oozed from his pores.

“Y/N…” His voice cracked sickly, almost comically. Harry could have laughed at it if he wasn't so utterly lethargic. “What- what are you doing here?”

“Well, what do you think?” The girl huffed, shutting the bedroom door behind her and heading towards the end of the bed to get a good look at him, hands on her hips. “Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Here I was, going about my day thinking you had slept in for being a bum, only to find out through your friends that you were unwell.”

Harry bit the inside of his cheek, trying to hide his downright amusement at her worried state. Y/N was worried about him? Well then, perhaps her irritation had passed and she had forgiven him… which meant maybe he’d get to have those cuddles he wanted so bad. “I thought you were mad at me?” He poked, eyebrows arching teasingly the best they could with the little energy the muscles on his face could muster.

“Well, I was and am now even more.” She punctuated. “But I still care, obviously. How am I supposed to leave you by yourself when you look like that?” She put down the bag she was holding at the edge of the bed and kneeled next to it on the floor.

“Look like what?” He frowned again. “All snotty and gross?”

“Precisely… and an awful lot like Rudolph the reindeer as well.” Y/N added, with a soft pat to the tip of his swollen, red nose.

Harry smiled at that, right before his eyes fell on the bag over his bed. “Did you go to the store to get those creepy sheet masks you wanted?”

“Huh?” She muttured confused, before noticing where he was looking at. “Oh no, um… these are just some things I got for you. Just vitamins and those gummies for when you have a sore throat, and also uh…” Y/N's cheeks went a little hot. “I got some chicken soup from the buffet restaurant as well, you know… the one next to the drug store. I thought it might do you good…”

“You went to get all that stuff for me?” Harry asked, Y/N hummed happily in confirmation, her eyes gleaming with tenderness. “Y/N... you shouldn't have. That shit is so expensive, and I'm fine, really. It's just a cold. You dont have to worry, let alone take care of me.”

“No offence, but I think I do.” The girl challenged his statement, picking up the halfway used toilet paper roll placed on his nightstand. “For a start, you shouldn’t even be using this to blow your nose. It’ll only irritate your skin and make it more sore.”

Harry rolled his eyes playfully. “That’s such a mum thing to say…” He grumbled in attempt to mask the fact that the secret big, needy baby in him was loving every single bit of the mom talk, and the same applies to when Y/N clicked her tongue chastisingly once he stubbornly snatched the roll off her hand and pulled out some more paper.

She took the chance that he had moved his arm to move a bit closer, sitting on the edge of the bed next to his pillow. “Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?” She asked, lovingly running her digits through his unwashed curls. They felt a little waxy and knotty in her hands, but she didn’t mind it in the slightest. She just wanted to make him feel better in any way she could. So she kept playing with his hair, scratching at the roots and combing her fingers through his strands just the way she knew he reveled in - only breaking contact once she was almost certain that he had fallen asleep on her... However, as soon as Y/N began to pull her hand away to check her phone, Harry let out a whine and bumped his forehead against her wrist, in a silent request for her to keep going. “You're such a baby sometimes…” Y/N whispered, proceeding to fulfill his wish.

“Mhm... your baby.” He sighed happily.

Y/N smiled to herself at the state of pure bliss Harry was in. So utterly distracted by the slow puffy nature of his breaths, that she almost didnt notice that his droopy eyes had opened and were now fixed on her. He cleared his throat painfully. “Y/N... can I have one of those gummies you got? My throat hurts and I really want to try one.”

Y/N let out a tiny chuckle at the pleading tone he'd used, nodding as she got up to grab the bottle from the bag. She threw it at him playfully to catch midair, knowing that his reflexes were outstanding. “Ohh these seem nice. I love lemon and honey flavored shit.” He told her whilst inspecting the label.

“Yeah?” Y/N couldn’t help but to grin, feeling quite proud of herself for picking the right flavor. But her smile quickly melted into an expression of concern once she watched Harry crack open the bottle and carelessly throw a bunch of gummies into his mouth. “Harry! What are you- that’s not candy! You can’t eat them by the handful!”

“Oi, chill out… it’s just gummies. What wrong could it do?” He asked as he blithely chewed them. Words coming out garbled since he was speaking in between a mouthful.

“Oh, I don't know, perhaps there could be anesthetics in them... but who knows? It was just a thought.” Y/N ironized.

“Really?” He made a wry face similar to hers, inspecting the label closer. “Do you think we can get high on this shit?” He smirked, still chewing as he rolled the container around to check the ingredients in the back. “Cause I'm not gonna lie, that sounds like a pretty good afternoon plan to me...” He half joked, cracking the bottle open again and dropping a couple more gummies in his palm.

Y/N heaved at the suggestion. “I think it’s more likely that you get a terrible bellyache, and we end up in the ER...”

“You really think so?” Harry asked teasingly, taking another gummy to his mouth.

“Okay, that's enough. Give me that.” Y/N demanded, pushing for him to pass the container, but all he did was shake his head with a mischievous, defiant smirk. The girl rolled her eyes at him. “You know what? Fine.” She shrugged. “Eat as many as you want. Can't wait to watch you shit the bed once those anesthetics give you a loose bottom.”

He chuckled at the warning, amused. “If you’re so bothered, why don’t you come get them from me?” He questioned, but before he could prepare himself Y/N jumped on the bed to try and take the bottle away from his hands, what forced him to abruptly sit up and hold it over his head just so she couldn’t reach it from where she sat. “That was... real cute. Is that all you got, hm?”

Y/N huffed and crawled over his legs until she was practically on his lap. Seeing right through his facade once he happily handed off the gummies without putting up a fight and wrapped his arms around her middle to pull her in for a hug instead. “You must think you're so sly, don't you?” She mumbled in question, going back to petting his hair. “If you wanted a cuddle, you could’ve just said so… I don't mind your germs.”

“I was trying to behave to avoid getting you sick, actually…”

“Yeah right...” Y/N grumbled, dropping her head on his shoulder for a moment. “But I guess, since you've already passed me the germs and all... might as well just give me a kiss, no?” She proposed shyly, waiting for Harry to make the move. He did, pulling away slightly and placing his lips in hers softly. “Mm, more.” She pouted.

“Greedy.” He joshed, pecking the girl's lips again, and again... and once more for good measure. The damage was already done, after all... they might as well just keep doing it. “I feel disgusting, though. If I knew you were coming, I would’ve at least taken a shower and brushed my teeth. Can’t believe you still want to kiss me when I am like this.”

Y/N scratched at the frizzy hairs of his nape. “I promise you don't smell or look nearly as bad as you think you do… and you taste like lemon and honey so, that’s nice.” Harry distrustfully scrunched up his nose at her allegation, sniffing up some in the process before his digits rushed to grab some more toilet paper. He took it to his nose, blowing noisily. “Alright, snotty boy…” Y/N laughed, swiftly crawling off his lap. “How about I go downstairs to plate up our soup while you pick a movie for us to watch as we eat? It can be one of those “guy movies” and all, I promise I won't complain... today only, cause I'm giving you privilege for being sick.”

His eyes strayed towards you with interest, the lower half of his face still covered behind the poorly ripped toilet paper sheets. “I was actually thinking more like a musical or a pixar movie, maybe?”

“God, Harry.” Y/N gasped in awe. “I swear I've never felt more attracted to you in my life. Snot and everything.”

#I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT #IDK HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT HONESTLY #harry styles blurb #harry styles writing #harry styles imagine #damaged goods #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x yn #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fic #harry styles fan fiction

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wingardiumiku · 2 years ago

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name : Sabrina Inez Garcia

meaning : 'from the River Severn' 'holy' 'brave in battle'

hometown : Scarsdale, NY

family : Miguel Garcia (father), Hecate (divine mother) Katherine Garcia (stepmother), Archie Garcia (half-brother)

origin : Sabrina was born to the goddess Hecate and Miguel Garcia on 25th December. A Christmas miracle was what his family called her but it wasn't long before the pressure of raising a child alone got to him. Often Sabrina would see him come home from work completely wasted and it caused an uproar when her aunts and uncles found out she was being starved four out of seven days a week.

Sabrina encountered her first monster while returning home from elementary school, a full-grown manticore. Intrigued by the strange hybrid creature, the six-year-old stepped closer to touch it and it attacked. She was saved by her satyr protector and brought to camp half blood.

The camp was a foreign place and all she wanted was to go back home. But when Chiron successfully contacted him, Miguel was more than willing to let her stay there. Her aunt Sophia, a clearsighted mortal, insisted on Sabrina receiving a proper education and got custody of her instead.

From then on, it was back and forth between Long Island and Scarsdale every year. Despite her initial doubts about the camp, she came to love it and accepted it as her second home.

Sabrina rarely meets her dad anymore and even when she received an invitation for his wedding, she didn't care enough to show up. She heard he got rid of his addiction and turned his life around. The only time she saw him in over ten years was the day Archie was born.

Sabrina has nothing against him nor Katherine and keeps in touch with them. But her relationship with Miguel, that's one thing she's fine with leaving in the dust.

position : Vice Counselor of Heacte Cabin, Head Alchemist

weapon of choice : Metavlitôs {a bracelet enchanted to transform into whatever gun she desires by rubbing the serpent engraved on the charm}

trivia :

Sabrina is one hell of a troublemaker and gets along quite well with the Hermes Cabin. Chiron had to ban her from teaming up with the Stolls during camp activities lest they unleashed mayhem again. They swore they had nothing to do with the pest infestation in the strawberry fields!

Sabrina often helps out in the infirmary and supplies them with healing potions and whatever medicinal substance she can concoct.

Despite her petite figure (bless her, she is barely 5'5), she's known around camp for having a no-nonsense attitude when she's focused. Legend has it that she managed to scare a few Ares kids to the verge of crying when they kept interrupting her shooting class.

Sabrina can't, for the life of her, fight. Well, she can, but not hand-to-hand combat. This is one of the reasons why she chose a gun to be her primary weapon. When Hecate saw this, she gifted Sabrina the Metavlitôs.

Sabrina has a talent for painting and her dream is to have her own art gallery one day.

She adores shiny things and aesthetic knickknacks and has a hoard of them in her little storage trunk in her Cabin (a Harry Potter flair added for the sake of representation and all that shazam)

Nobody knows where she runs off to during Capture the Flag, she's just never seen. Don't tell them but she just curls up comfortably on the branches of a massive tree until the conch horn wakes her.

Sabrina's arms and legs are often convered in ancient runes because she's afraid they might fall off from the amount of running she does—both around camp and on quests. They are products of dry-erase markers.

She has two familiars—a blue and yellow Macaw named Pablo and an American Cocker Spaniel called Aspen.

Every camper adores them and Sabrina spoils them rotten with the finest toys, food and even jewelry for fun. And yeah, they can talk.

Sabrina has access to a joint bank account through which her father sends money every month. She spends almost all of it on clothes and on gifts for her friends.

Sabrina is an avid fantasy and sci-fi novel reader. She is a vernian.

She is not a morning person. Though, it's her own fault that her sleep schedule is so wacky, she stays up reading, building puzzles or trying (and miserably failing) to solve a Rubik's cube.

Sabrina's magic overflows more often than she would prefer. It's mostly when she loses her cool after a long day of touring new campers, spending hours on end overlooking sizzling cauldrons and supervising three activity divisions.

Thankfully, her siblings are there to help, as their magic resonates with each other's and they can absorb her outburst to minimize the damage.

(1) art by me

(2) picrew

#sabrina garcia x percy jackson #percy jackson x oc #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson x y/n #percy jackson #percy jackson oc #pjo oc #pjo original character #riordanverse #annabeth chase #pjo fanart #camp half blood #child of hecate #oc #abracadabra series #character design

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therealvinelle · 3 years ago

Note

so, i know the cullens feed on animals but - what kind of pets do you think they would have if they didn't/were human?

Relevant post, covering the cats vs. dogs issue.

Also, I think I'll interpret this ask as "what pet might they have had in life", because if I try to envision the Cullens as humans in the 21st century I'll overthink it and you'll get insanity as your answer.

Alright, so with that in mind...

Alice, gosh, I'm thinking something completely anachronistic, like an exotic bird that Mary Alice kept in a cage, a bird that didn't thrive and eventually died. When she later wound up in the asylum, she wondered if that bird hadn't been a physical manifestation of her gift, warning her of what was to come.

Bella didn't have a pet, but I suppose Charlie might've ended up with one in an AU. Maybe if someone in the neighborhood had a litter of puppies and kittens, and Charlie, lonely as he was before Bella moved to Forks, accepted one in a moment of weakness.

Not much changes, apart from the cat or dog being severely distressed each night soon after Bella moves back home, losing weight and stressing like nobody's business. Charlie has no idea what's causing it. When Edward leaves in New Moon the pet is magically fine again, and Charlie wouldn't have made the connection, too distracted by his daughter's depression, if the pet hadn't returned to its panicked state the moment Edward returns. It becomes another one of Charlie's many reasons for hating Edward, because Charlie has seen enough domestic violence cases to recognize this particular pattern. It is a proof that something bad happens when he's not around.

But, Bella refuses to change her mind about Edward, and he can only stand to the side as she marries him.

Then, after Bella has transformed, the pet is now terrified of her as well.

In the end, Charlie gifts the pet to Billy.

Carlisle, I'm thinking cat. Horses require too much maintenance, and when there was only him and his father there wouldn't be much point in putting in the work and resources for a horse. Yes, horses are nice, but as they lived in the city, in the parish at that, they wouldn't have had much need for a horse. Of course, they might have had one, I confess I don't know much about horse ownership in the 17th century nor about the purchasing power of the 17th century middle class, but I do know horses and they are a lot of work. The Cullens would have needed to rent a box stall, where it would have been an expenditure.

Cats, on the other hand, free to acquire, get rid of the mice and the rats (very necessary in a city like London), and great company. If the Cullens didn't have a cat (or cats plural) of their own then they would have still had neighborhood cats.

Edward I can see as having a dog, that is, Elizabeth Masen might have had a dog. A well trained, purebred dog that she proudly proclaimed to be "so patient with Edward!" when Edward was a dog-ear-pulling-toddler.

Emmett was a huntsman, and so might have had a tracking dog of some kind, or a friend had one that he borrowed - it's very common among hunters that if you don't have a dog of your own, you have a friend who lets you borrow his.

Esme I hope didn't have a pet when she was married to Charles, as it's very common for domestic abusers to threaten to hurt the animal to control their victim. Hopefully she had a wonderful dog when she was a child, though.

Jasper was a high-ranking military man, was probably issued a horse.

Rosalie's parents were social climbers. If they had a pet, it would have been a dog of a breed that said "Hi, we're classy". Alas, I know which breed that would be in contemporary Norway (English. Setter.) but I'm less sure about a 1930's American couple. Americans, I've found, are doing their own thing altogether.

I'd say a Cocker Spaniel, those are old English hunting dogs but also adorable.

#cullens #twilight #twilight meta #twilight renaissance #bella swan #alice cullen #carlisle cullen #esme cullen #edward cullen #emmett cullen #jasper hale #rosalie hale #domestic abuse mention cw #tw domestic abuse mention

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cal-gabes · 2 months ago

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CONTINUATION!

[ RACHEL . ]

— She smelled like vanilla and lavender 24/7. like genuinely 24/7, even after gym???

— She adored my little sister and she adored her ; I was convinced that added to Andre’s disliking of her but my brother was just as attached to Andre as me tbh-

— Her favorite color was royal purple!!! she had a sweater in royal purple and she wore her hair up when she wore it

(I SWEAR. I WAS NOT IN LOVE WITH HER ITS JUST THAT SHE WAS MY DRAWING REFERENCE FOR A VERY LONG TIME 😭)

— She liked playing chess! She was also really good at it…

[ RANDOM . ]

— I stayed up in the hospital one time playing uno with josh. I have no clue why, that night was a complete blur but josh was the only person that stayed up there with me… playing fucking uno.😭

— My mom’s name was Lauren!!! Just a really random fun think to know; I was going to be named Clara Lauren Gabriel!

— I got good at bandaging fists because Andre was a dumbass and liked punching glass.

— I was allergic to a kind of laundry detergent that the Kriegman’s use and they got a different kind to use only for the sheets and blankets I would borrow when I’d stay over <3

[ JOSH . ]

— THIS FUCKER HAD TO HAVE BEEN GAY IM BEING SO SERIOUS HE WAS CALLED GAY FOR A REASON!!!

— Walked in on me getting punched; took me to the nurse after and scolded me on not punching back. Proceeded to teach me how to punch.

— He hated me yet still tried being friendly?? It was so fucking weird but he was honestly pretty chill. Only person that never truly went too far.

— He actually went to the same elementary school as me??? like there was a picture of my 3rd grade class and he stood next to me with a lizard in his hands during it??????

[ ANDRE . ] (the long awaited <3)

— He smelled like pizza sauce pretty often. Results: drowned himself in deodorant for 2 entire minutes before leaving the house. Was convinced he caused my asthma for the longest time.

— This mother fucker was scared of tiny dogs. “They have the devils eyes, Cal. I am not petting Minnie.” (My 10 1/2 year old cocker spaniel who was an attention loving little angel.)

— I came out to him by saying I felt we fit Deadpool and Spiderman perfectly for how he just scoffs at my flirting; He didn’t register what i said until a week later when I said some dude in a movie had a great ass. Thanks, Andre.

— He slow blinked at me like a cat to say he loved me, especially in front of people rather than signing it to me or squeezing my hand like a normal person.

RUNNING HERE BC I SAW A POST AND JUST. Y’ALL ARE BEINF SUBJECTED TO MY SOURCE MEMORIES AND IDGAF WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT. THESE ARE SILLY 2 ME!!! 😾 (using cat emojis is so fun)

POST UNDER THE CUT SO YOU DONT SUFFER

( Hi! I feel the need to say; I’m aware i’m not my source. I just heavily lean towards it due to the comfort it brings! secondly, if you think i’m weird just don’t interact and move on? you have to SEARCH to find my blog. I don’t tag anything relating 2 my source so it’s kinda ur own fault really. Thx! )

— Ukrainian + Polish!!!!! Born and raised in america BUT YEAH

— I genuinely love sharks and trains; I use to ramble about my favorite shark, the lemon shark, all the time and yes I was punched bc of it (he cared about me I promise/silly)

— Snake bites + center tongue piercing were my dream ngl. still is but you get my point

— I had 1 tattoo and it was a stick n poke I did while high… it was a smiley on my inner thigh

— There was not a day at the kriegman’s that I did not actively try to cuddle with mel. whoever started the allegations that me and her didn’t get along are wrong; i babied her just as much as andre tyvm.

— Low iron would’ve been the death of me if it weren’t for ZD tbh. I forgot my meds so damn often and no, reminders did NOT help.

— Let rachel and my sister do my makeup one time; got deemed “Princess Caralyne” and have not let go of that sense even if i’m FtM. Forever princess caralyne. idc man. 🫶

— I did steal shit from andre a lot tbh. mainly random trinkets I found in his room and he never noticed???? he might’ve but honestly he never got onto me about it so 💀

— Mindlessly pressing my tongue to my cheek. Got yelled at often bc I’d zone out looking at the dumbass while doing it. Yeah…

— OKAY ENOUGH RELATING 2 ANDRE. My favorite thing to eat was pizza even tho i despised and continue to despise cheese. idk it tastes funny 2 me.

— I was forced to play uno with my siblings so many times and lost too many times for my ego to be intact but it still is bc I beat them in everything else.

— Broke my leg once and had to use crutches and threatened to wack someone in the head with them when I’d get fed up…

— DPD, ASD and ADD haunted me like the plague and still do. I can’t escape my suffering man.

— Being deadass, I bit everything I could any chance i got.

OKAY SHIT ABOUT ANDRE NOW + my weird ass relationship w/ him… HI BABE WHEN U SEE THIS ENJOY MY WEIRD MEMORIES OF U REGARDING SOURCE :3

— He had a freckle on the back of his neck that looked like a heart and I 100% kissed it whenever I could. got hit each time and nearly broke my nose too many times… but worth it nonetheless!!!

— Not much of a hugger, but did hold my hand if he thought I needed some form of affection which was nice!

— No, he really did lose it every time I said lieutenant. not just bc he was mad prior. he hated it and I loved to piss him off w/ it.

— THAT MAN NEEDED GLASSES ISTG. HE COULDNT SEE FOR SHIT HALF THE TIME.

— He would stare at people with murderous intent the second they mention any accent from him and it was honestly terrifying???

— Frog blinks. he frog blinked without meaning to and it was adorable. called him froggy for a very long while.

— He bailed me. he bailed me out of jail 3 times and we aren’t getting into that.

— Proper communication? nahhh. avoiding you for weeks then showing back up as if he wasn’t gone at all? mm. that’s it, that hits the spot./silly

I will probably post more shit like this about other stuff too because just wehlehfkdhdkfb happy

#🎒 : (s)he said “dim the lights if you want some action.”

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staysaneathome · 3 years ago

Text

The Lonely Boy

(A second part to the Entity-swap WIP, where the swap is the places the Entities hold in the world rather than the people who serve them) Jon is cold, and tired, and hungry.

But he’d rather be all of those things than back in The Collection.

He stays away from libraries, from universities and schools, from police stations and research institutes, from everywhere that has learning and investigating and knowing. They call to him, sing to his mind with the promise of knowledge and answers, and that’s how he knows they’ll betray him.

That’s where the man found him the first time, after all.

He compromises with large bookstores and cafes, places of learning that have become diluted over the years with the need to turn a profit, making them safer for him while still making the pouding, watching thing in his head go quieter. Plus the staff usually derive more satisfaction from letting him sleep outside of their places of work and sneaking him food and water on the sly than in turning him over to the management that treats them so poorly.

He learns quickly that he’s in London, capital city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It’s something of a blessing to be left in a city this size.

That when he gives in and guiltily Asks someone the Right Question to satisfy his cravings for stories, he can disappear back into the crowd much more easily than he could back in Bournemouth, or in some of the tiny villages down south or up north The Collection passed through.

Nobody really looks twice at another kid left alone and homeless in this place.

He learns quickly that he’s not alone here.

He goes into the house because it’s pouring and he’s soaked to the skin. It takes him far longer than it should to realize that the wet schlurp schlurp schlurp noise is coming from the inside rather than outside.

The Hive wears a red dress and smiles at him when he screams at the sight of her. But she stops smiling very quickly once he Asks, “Where did you first hear the Song?”

She tells him, each word torn from her lips, exposing her essence to him, filling in a way none of his other meals have been before. He’s so transfixed, he doesn’t notice her attempt to bring him down with her. He’s lucky, really, that the silver worms could only get to his leg before she collapsed, unmoving and pale, and that there were so many sharp things left around the discarded house.

He’s more careful after that, limping on the leg that the Watcher told him how to bandage properly.

Not long after his first ill-fated encounter with servants of other fears, he finds another one.

Jon’s looking for a place to spend the day so nosy people like irritable old people and police officers won’t ask him why he’s not in school. It’s most difficult to do now it’s late autumn, when most other children are safely sequestered away in various schools. Luckily London has a tendency to attract school field trips, so if Jon just hovers around the edges, most people assume he’s part of that other, larger group of screaming children even if he isn’t in uniform and are more likely to overlook him that way. He’s just found one such group in a large park that he can use as protective coloration, content to much on the contents of an unopened packet of prawn cocktail crisps someone threw away as the kids on this school trip gorge themselves from colorful lunchboxes and chase each other around the playground they’re too old for.

It’s then that he spots him.

There’s a boy in the playground. He’s round and soft-looking and see-through, wearing the same uniform as the others. He’s picking at the splinters on the balance beams he’s sitting on. Thin fog wisps around his ankles.

His eyes are very large and liquid as his head suddenly whips around and he stares up at Jon, blink-blink-blinking like he’s gazing at the sun.

He’s obviously a servant of the Forsaken, but unlike the Hive he doesn’t seem like he’s about to hurt Jon for seeing him. He’s still feeling full from the stories he pulled from a man who stank of alcohol last night, so he’ll hold off on Asking anything for now. He tentatively nods his head to the soft-looking boy. “Hello,” He mutters through a mouthful of crisps.

“You’re very pretty.” The boy tells Jon, almost absent-mindedly. Then his mouth snaps shut and he goes ridged like he’s stuck his finger in a power socket. He’s got a bit more color to him now, like he’s been brought into focus.

Jon stares at him. Stares down at his mismash of clothing pulled from bins. Then back at the boy. “No I’m not. Are your eyes working?”

The boy sputters, high-pitched. “Wh-I-um, um? I-I, I think so?”

Jon shoves another handful of crisps into his mouth. “What’s the best animal?”

”U-uh,” The boy stutters, twisting his fingers together. “I-I don’t know? I, I like fluffy ones, like there was a nice spaniel I met earlier that made friends with me, and, and some kinds of spiders can be very cute and fluffy, did you know, like tarantulas?”

Jon doesn’t disguise his shudder. Obviously this boy has something wrong with his tastes if he thinks things like spiderscan be cute and things like Jon can be pretty. “Cats are the best animal, obviously.”

”O-oh.” The boy says timidly. “W-well, I like cats. Too. Um. Sorry. Who are you? Are you here with your parents?”

He curls in around his crisps, feeling uncomfortably small. “No. They died when I was small. I’m on my own now.”

“I-I’m sorry.” The boy gets up from the balance beam and drifts closer, fog faintly eddying around his heels. “My dad left, a while ago now. So it’s just me and my mum. But she’s not well, and I dunno what I’d do if she—if she—” He takes in a deep breath, shakes his head like a dog shaking off water, and sticks a hand out. “A-anyway. My name’s Martin. Martin Blackwood. Nice to meet you.”

Jon eyes the hand, then wipes off one of his own on his too-big, stained trousers. Martin Blackwood is warmer than he expected, but cooler than a normal human should be. Maybe the Forsaken doesn’t have as tight a grip on him yet?

”Jonathan Sims.” He recites mechanically, a little rusty with introductions. Then, desperate to break the awkward silence and cover up his discomfort, Jon does the worst possible thing he could do. He Asks a Question.

“Why is the Forsaken attached to you?”

And he stares in horror as Martin’s large, liquid eyes go soft and unfocused. “There were all these adults in for this careers day thing, at my school, like firemen and lawyers and things. And one of them was this tall ship captain, like out of a storybook. And he kept talking about his ship and how even if his crew had nobody on land, they could enjoy hard work alone out on the waves, and it felt like he kept looking at me while he said it, and—”

”Stop.” Jon clamps his hands over Martin’s mouth, pretending he doesn’t feel the Watcher’s flare of anger as Martin’s eyes come back into focus and he tenses up. “I-I’m sorry, I, I didn’t mean to, I—”

”Di-did you do that?” Martin breathes. “H-How did you do that? That was amazing, it, it was like I was right there…” He’s fully solid now, like someone has turned the colors on him all the way up. He has very nice colors.

“It’s not.” Jon mutters, sourly. “The Watcher lets me pull stories out of people, to, to feed it. Like how the Forsaken makes you go invisible—“

”I can go invisible?!” Martin all but yells, covering his mouth when several other kids look over and snicker.

”Yeah?” Jon raises an eyebrow. “It’s the entity of the fear of being alone. Didn’t you notice the fog and people ignoring you?” ”Lots of people ignore me anyway.” Martin says, far too matter-of-fact for comfort, and gaze fixated on the fog around his feet. He leans down and drags his hands through it, giggling as it swirls away from him. “It’s kinda tickly?”

Jon opens his mouth to say something, but he’s interrupted as his stomach growls loudly.

Jon looks down at where his prawn crisps fell in his rush to stop Martin and mourns. He’d been looking forward to finishing those… ”U-um. You can have half of my sandwich, if, if you want it.” Martin says, pulling a squashed, cling-wrapped object that the Watcher tells him contains cheese and bread within. “And you can tell me more about these fear things?”

They end up talking so long, Martin’s teacher has to come over to shout at him that it’s time for the school trip to leave. She looks suspiciously at Jon, so he quickly makes himself scarce as Martin scrambles over to where all of his classmates are lines up in disorderly rows.

Jon hides behind a tree and watches Martin’s school trip leave the park.

Martin Blackwood sticks near the back of the class, even as some other kids keep pushing him every time he slows. When he spots Jon, he smiles widely, and waves his hand. Like Jon’s a friend of his, or something.

Against all logic, Jon tentatively waves back.

Martin can’t come into London often, of course. He lives too far away, up north, and he and his mum aren’t the richest people in the world, from what Jon will later gather. Train rides are a luxury that it’s pushing it to afford, and he’s got to take care of his mum into the bargain. And it’s not like he can send Jon emails or text messages or letters, given that Jon has very limited access to electronics and no address to send post to.

But somehow, against all odds (and likely using the Forsaken more than is probably healthy), Martin does make the trip down to see Jon, always waiting for him in that playground where they first met.

And Jon gets used to dropping by the park several times a week, just in case Martin’s there.

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apirateslifefor--smee · 2 years ago

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Smee didn't, generally, get angry. Hook was the one who did that. Smee stepped in to smooth things over, to make nice with whomever Hook had blown up at, whether it was a HOA busybody or a member of the Black Spider Cartel. He had his own ways of dealing with anger and frustration. There was no use in exploding on people— that would, inevitably, only make things worse. Smee had very carefully constructed his image as a mild-mannered gentleman. Losing his temper would shatter that illusion.

But he wasn't thinking about that right now. He was only thinking of the sight of the PA roughly sweeping Squeaky off the ground, the fear in his dog's eyes. They had an agreement, Smee and Squeaky. She did her job and he did his. Smee's job was to protect her. He had lost enough in life, and he couldn't bear the thought... the thought...

"Of course we're not bloody okay!" Smee exclaimed, his perfectly upper-class accent slipping slightly and the rare expletive creeping into his vocabulary. "I only agreed to this because I believed Squeaky would be treated with the respect she deserves. She is a purebred English Cocker Spaniel, descended from a fine line of sporters, do you understand? She isn't some common mongrel! She is a highly-trained, highly specialized animal and she will not be handled that way! She deserves an apology."

Behind Smee's legs, Squeaky gave a shaky bark.

Quiet On Set | Gold Doubloons

#quiet on set #penny

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jq37 · 4 years ago

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The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 1

The Case of the The Pernicious Party

Hello, hello, hello! It’s been a hot second but your resident D20 recapper is back to tackle the newest season: Mice and Murder! Y’all had to know I wasn’t gonna sit out the murder mystery, are you kidding me???

I might be playing around with the format a bit in the coming weeks to make sure I have the best possible system for keeping track of possible clues, suspects, and theories as we untangle whatever web Brennan weaves for us this season so don’t be surprised if things change a little.

Anyway, without further ado, onto our mystery!

Summary

In case you missed it, this season takes place in an alternate, Zootopia/Wind in the Willows-esque universe where all the characters are animals but history seems to have happened in more or less the same way--for example there was still a King Charles but he was a King Charles Spaniel (cute Brennan). Our story specifically takes place in the English village of Tufting Meadows.

We start with Katie’s character--Gangie Green (Weasel/Thief Rogue) in the graveyard of the Anglican Chapel (Our Lady of Prayerful Paws). Gangie, we learn, is an orphan who was kicked out of the orphanage at some point for thievery. Obviously, he’s not reformed of the habit because he is here to do some graverobbing. On a nat 20 (that Katie hilariously doesn’t notice even though her total is like a 29) Gangie can see through the window of the rectory that there is a weeping window inside--Catherine McCabbage who is being (dubiously) tended to by Raph’s character, Vicar Ian Prescott (Owl/Bard, College of Eloquence).

Ian comes from a line of men of the cloth but he’s not exactly the best speaker despite his subclass. He’s doing his best though! The widow’s husband (Conor McCabbage) died at the local mill in what has been declared an accident but she suspects foul play. She’s been hearing his voice on the wind and wants Ian’s professional opinion on whether this could be a sign from God or if her husband might be speaking to her from beyond the grave or something like that. Ian gives a very muddled and not very comforting answer but seems pretty sure that something sketchy did in fact happen. Then, he sees a crack of lightning outside which illuminates the graveyard where he gets a glimpse of Gangie.

He goes to check it out (and Gangie fully has an elderly goat he’s dug up slung over his shoulder) but “gravedigger” is his legit job so Ian decides to assume whatever’s going on is legit and not ask too many questions. He goes back to the widow (who, before she leaves, says that maybe sometimes people need to work on God’s behalf) while Gangie takes the body Loam Hall (a massive manor, built into a hill).

We cut to the next day and our next two characters!

At 22B Hamsted Street in a pretty well appointed home are Ally and Grant’s characters. First up, we have Lars Vandenchomp (Huge ass Doberman/Battlemaster Fighter) who is so tough looking but also so Swedish sounding--it’s A Lot (so, incredibly on brand for Ally). Lars is security for Grant’s character Sylvester Cross (Fox/Inquisitive Rogue) who is a kinda (to use Grant’s word) “foppish” Sherlock Holmes type. He was hired by Squire William Thornwall Brockhollow to figure out what happened with Conor McCabbage (and clear him of negligence in running the mill) but he couldn’t find any evidence of any funny business, making this the only case he’s never cracked. He’s not as young or popular as he once was so this is, understandably, bumming him out. He’s even more bummed out when he realizes that William has invited him to his 60th birthday party that’s happening that night (as kind of a prop to show that he did his part in trying to solve the mystery) and Lars has already RSVP’d yes. He grudgingly agrees to go as it’s one of those asks that’s really more of a veiled demand but decides to pull the money he was paid from the bank first so he can return it and really stick it to the guy.

Finally, we cut to our last set of PCs who are on their way to Tufting Meadows via a very luxurious train. Inside are Sam and Rekha’s characters! Sam is Buckster $ Boyd (Peccary which is like a small boar/Mastermind Rouge) a Texan Oil Tycoon who acts exactly how you’d expect a Texan Oil Pig to act. Yes, you pronounce the dollar sign as “dollar sign” (even though as we find out later his middle name is Cassius so it’s like Cash which I think is super cool). With him is Rekha’s character, Daisy D'umpstaire (Raccoon/Assassin (???) Rogue another American (from South Carolina) though it seems she’s My Fair Lady’d herself into an upper class socialite (her last name was previously Dumpster). They’re traveling with their accountant, an Armadillo named Armond who seems kinda skittish and concerned about their travel expenses but Buck tells him that to make money you gotta spend money and they’re gonna make a *ton* of money on this trip. They’re also so so mean to him for absolutely no reason.

When the train stops, they’re greeted by Templeton Padhop (a frog, natch) who is the chauffeur of Loan Hall, sent to fetch them. A wheel on his car is broken so he joins in on the Armond abuse immediately and has Armond roll into an Armadillo ball and replace it. Poor guy. When they show up they're greeted by a footman--a pug in a bowler hat named Milo Snout.

Meanwhile, Lars and Sly (Oh, Sly fox, I see what you did there Grant) are similarly greeted by another footman--a lizard named Basil Baskins. On a 23 perception check, Lars sees that Jeremy “Jez” Brockhollow is inside (the son of William who is a badger btw) and also clocks Gangie (who they know as a career criminal who disappeared like a year ago). Gangie doesn’t notice Lars though.

Ian, who is also invited, shows up at about the same time as Sly but very quickly, the conversation is taken over by Lucretia “Lucy” Brockhollow, William’s older, eccentric sister who immediately gets into it with Lars about astrology and the occult (she thinks bad stuff is happening because of a curse let loose when Sly’s old rival--a rabbit named Fletcher Cottonbottom who is the son of his former employer--opened an Egyptian tomb). They’re thick as thieves right away because Ally is a nonsense magnet. And not like a regular magnet, one of those big electromagnets.

Daisy and Buck spot William’s kids--the aforementioned Jez and his older sister Constance--along with their husbands Dr. Corbin Magpie (Constance’s and obv a magpie and a doctor) and Osmond Sheffield (Jez’s who is a Ram and a lawyer). Daisy is too stuck in her conversation with a truly unhinged squirrel (Lady Eugenia Bristlebrush who clearly does not know she’s in a murder mystery because she just keeps talking about how much she hates and wants to kill everyone) to hear what’s going on but she indicates the conversation to Buck who is able to eavesdrop and hear that they’re lamenting that Catherine--the widow--RSVP’d no which is gonna look really bad, like they didn’t invite her (bad PR).

Buck, introducing himself as a business partner of William, eases into a conversation with the husbands which their respective spouses also join into and we learn that Buck's dad was British and a friend of Willian’s. Buck bonds with Jez (who is a bit of a dilettante) really quickly since Buck is ready to go drinks-wise immediately (and there’s a stellar pun about the “American [Drinking] Constitution''). Through the window, Buck notices Gangie outside getting his attention.

At the same time, Ian is going from party guest to party guest, giving out the penances he forgot to earlier at church (as one does). We see him talking to the Lord and Lady Bramble (a cow and hedgehog, respectively) and while she wants to pray her way out of situations without doing any legwork, he wants to buy his way out and gives Ian 250 pounds. A frustrating but financially lucrative conversation.

Buck goes outside to talk to Gangie who has a list of names of the bodies he’s been collecting. We’re not told what Buck is doing but it seems that this list is extremely valuable to him in some way. Gangie (who Buck keeps calling Gangly, to his annoyance) pays him handsomely (like, with a 50% tip) for the list (and Gangie gives him the real list, despite Brennan saying he didn’t have to). We also learn that Gangie has allegedly been getting the orders from someone in Loa Hall and they flow from William himself.

Matilda Molesly (a mole and the head maid) invites Gangie to come in from the rain--she’s the only person who’s been consistently nice to him and he agrees to come in for tea and scones.

Everyone is ushered together by the butler (because of course there’s a butler--he’s quite literally a fancy rat named Thomas Gilfoyle) and William gives a speech where he wishes Conor well and kinda highlights that he did hire Sly to solve the case in a “Hey, I did my bit don’t blame me” kind of way. He also makes a 150k pound donation to the church (and Ian thought 250 was good) and tells his daughter not to read the praise he got for it from the cardinal when she mentions it (I wonder if that was choreographed). Sly interrupts the speech to “magnanimously” give his money back, to William’s annoyance. Buck notices that Lawrence Longfoot (a nouveau rich, rabbit photographer) takes a pic of the scene but with Sly in the foreground and William in the background.

Then, a few things happen at once (in a very cinematic way):

As the camera flashes, Mrs. Molesly drops her tray, eyes hurt by the light. Lady Calliope Fawnbrooke (Deer, Matron of the Arts) helps her up.

In the moment of dark, after the flash goes away, the butler disappears.

Buck thinks he sees a shape through the window, out in the rain.

A cheer goes up for Sly for returning the money but all Sly can focus on is one figure he recognizes in the back of the room. Daisy, who is downing her drink and not cheering for him. He downs his as well, and looks at her until she breaks the stare and leaves the room.

And this episode doesn’t end with a dead body like I thought, but with a flashback to a younger Sylvester, 12 years ago when he first met Daisy.

PC INTERPERSONAL DRAMA Y’ALL!!! Get HYPED!

Case Notes

Here is a compilation of all the characters (PCs and NPCs introduced in this episode).

Sly mentions that Ignatius Cottonbottom faked his own death as a part of some scheme which seems like a backstory point that might come back later--we now know that there exists a way to convincingly fake your own death in this world.

Sly walks with a walking stick because of some “mysterious accident” but we’re jumping into a flashback next week so it looks like we might find out about it pretty soon.

Sly also mentions he used to be the personal physician to the elder Cottonbottom so those are skills he has. I wonder if that’ll be useful to this healer-less party. I wonder if cleric was even an option in this world which seems to be low to no magic. It would explain by Ian is a bad and not a cleric.

Lars has a military background which I wanted to mention in case it becomes relevant later.

And Dr. Magpie grew up poor and still acts it a bit even though he married a very rich woman. Brennan uses the very good line, “He forces his body into the shape of an apology”

This might be a really deep cut reference but did anyone else here was the old Britcom “Keeping Up Appearances”? Cause I was getting serious Bouquet/Bucket energy from Daisy.

This is an all College Humor season and it shows. The energy of 6 (7 if you count Brennan) top notch comedians sparking off of each other, trying to one up each other is off the charts. Some of the best bits this episode:

“When God closes every door but one, you go through the door that is open.” followed by “I’m an owl by the way.”

“Time is money, here’s both” from Buck re his inscribed gold pocket watch--everyone at the table loved that so much and they’re right.

Armond going from being a third to a fourth wheel.

And the names--I already shouted out a ton on the main recap but also a rat butler (like Rhett Butler) and naming the mouse Cat(therine). Can’t forget Gangie Green/gangrene from Katie. Also points to Ally for the data stealing Eel Musk which broke Brennan a little.

I know we just went through this with Crown of Candy but what are these animals eating? Like, in Zootopia there were only mammals so we can assume the carnivores are eating like birds and fish but there are sentient birds here. I know this isn’t important. I’m not trying to do a CinemaSins gotcha. I just wonder, you know?

Y’all were waiting for all the lights to go out during that speech and then come back on and there’d be a body too, right?

If Brennan makes the bad guy a chicken or a duck or something so he can make a “fowl play” joke, he is cordially invited to catch these hands.

I have been waiting for Raph and Katie to do D20 forever. Their specific brand of nonsense on Rank Room was always amazing.

I love love love that Grant and Rekha are the PCs that have ~a past~ because they are so funny together. If you haven’t seen their episode of Game Changers, you absolutely must (it’s also a murder mystery actually!).

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #mice and murder #mice and murder spoilers #the case file #points and also glares to camwritery for pointing out that grant also went for the silver fox pun #i will be fighting both of you at my earliest convenience

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