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gelo-p · 4 years

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Blooming in ZERO: Memories

I’ve decided to T100 the Re:ZERO collaboration! Let’s review how it went. XD

WARNING! A rather image-heavy post

Step 1: Roll for Rinko! (She’ll make my team stronger) Strictly speaking, I didn’t need her (means more work though), but I thought maybe I’ll get lucky? ^o^

I only had enough stars for 3 10-pulls though, and I have to say, this paid gacha was really tempting... (my Twitter friends all got Rinko WTF)

I’m broke though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We would quickly learn that we were overloading the servers, LOL. The game was very unplayable during the first two hours. During my first roll, the connection actually timed out D:

When I logged back in, I saw my stars got deducted, but thankfully I had new members in the waiting room. ^^

I actually got the limited Ako during that very first roll!

And so I tried again.

Fuck my luck. I’ve done 3 10-pulls, and all of them sucked.

Time to start playing I guess...

Oh right. The connection was bad.

Really bad. >_<

It’s been a while since I met coldgaze (P3), a fellow T10 from the Cycling Seasons event! That guy rarely shows up in the public rooms, LOL.

Also, we got a login campaign for 2500 stars! Which means another 10-pull! ^o^

...Why did I even think my luck would improve. >_>

Know what?

I SUMMON THEE! BLACK FRIDAY SALES!!!

MWAHAHAHAHAHA RIP wallet-kun, RIP being an F2P player 2020-2020

I swear to Babanbo-sama, if I don’t get Rinko using the paid gacha-

OMG D:

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE-

YESSSSSSSSSS

I am now a believer in the Babanbo religion.

WHAT? Had I known I would be rolling both Rinko and Ako in this single paid gacha I would have started with this and avoided wasting 10k stars!!!

>_<

(Of course, I couldn’t have known. Although in hindsight, I definitely should have tried rolling the paid gacha first... but then we only got the Black Friday sale news after I already spent 10k free stars, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Fuck yes, Rinrin. Fuck yes.

I already had a good 4* Yukina, so I didn’t really need to roll for her anymore. Not to say I didn’t want her ^^

Anyway let the tiering continue!

First checkpoint: Almost at T100!

Let’s talk about Unite! A to Z for a bit.

I’ve been tiering since forever and one of the many gripes casual players like me (yes. I’m casual) is that a lot of the more serious players go into the public rooms and just spam the hell out of this song. I understand why they do it (tl;dr - short length, high score, aka “meta song”), and I can’t really stop them from doing it.

There are other meta songs, like Jumpin’, that give a little less score for a little longer duration, but players really, and I mean really, like to spam A to Z. I could argue that you can’t really get the full benefit of A to Z 100% of the time (players take time picking songs and difficulty anyway, and you’re not always going to be consistent with your score), so in the long run, there’s no significant harm in picking other meta songs (maybe I should do the math..?), but no.

For those players, 100% AtoZ.

And it’s gotten really annoying, to the point that players like the one in the screenshot just straight-up disconnects when AtoZ is picked.

Anyway, back to the story. ^o^

WTF? Why is Gigguk (the #77 guy) tiering? XD Is that really Gigguk?

Who knows? XD

99 ILLUSION IS MY LIFE

I feel bad for P4, LOL. Surrounded by Yukina cards. XD

WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE

Progress report: T35!

I took this screenshot just as I finished a game of AtoZ...

...and the game disconnects WTF GIVE ME MY FLAMES AND EFFORT BACK

(the score’s a bit higher since it wasn’t completely tallied yet when I took the 1st screenshot)

I’ve seen Bad Wifi Pam a couple of times during my entire Bandori career and when I saw this, all I could think was-

“Is it finally gonna happen?? IS IT!?”

“YESSSS!” XD

I’m sorry Bad Wifi Pam, but that moment really felt like I saw the DVD logo diving into the corner XD

I hope they didn’t lose too many flames though.

I told you, people just hate AtoZ XD

We didn’t sign up for a rhythm that only has one song, come on!

My connection got bad a couple of times and I was punished for it. >_<

There are 2 impostors among us.

P3, when has that ever stopped them LOL

UGH tell me about it, P4.

FINALLY A RANDOM ROO-

WHAT-

WHY, P1 WHY!?

I changed my name to encourage Random songs ^^

..not that it would work, but whatever.

We more than managed to...

Stay Alive. ;D

I’ll see myself out.

WTF is this, a Mexican Standoff???

More AtoZ haters (also known as Etuze, well, coz that’s how Aya pronounces it... We love you Aya! :”> )

Finally ran out of drinks.

It was time to burn stars for flames.

(That Orion guy ended up as T9, BTW. There’s more incentive to AtoZ spam when going for T10, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying for me.)

MY PC DIED WTF

It got fixed after a restart though, so thank fuck.

Now that I think about it, I need to really get down to the bottom of my GPU issues.

LOL, one time I picked Happy Synthesizer for the lulz, and one of the AtoZ spammers disconnected :)))

TBF, nobody likes to see Happy Synthesizer in Multi.

I’ve decided to be an asshole and just delay AtoZ. Oh? What’s that? AtoZ again? here, let me take 30 seconds to pick a difficulty.

Please note that this is an asshole move, since the other players are gonna get dragged into it. But I was really sick of it.

Hey! A friend that also hates AtoZ!

Anybody wants Miracle Crystals? -_-

Someone actually copied my name WTF XD

Woke up on the 2nd-to-the-last morning to see myself almost out of T100 contention.

Check out my challenge points tho. 8-)

It was time to burn them!

STOP THE COUNT! STOP THE COU-

Yeah nah fuck you. Count them all.

Aaaaaand we’re done! I parked at... this score, and I was fairly confident I’d still be in T100. ^^

...Unfortunately, I woke up the following morning to see that Bestdori projected the cutoff to be at 10.6M. That is waaay too close to 11M for comfort. So I panicked and played some more, even got to Level 230 in the process XD

Eventually the cutoff never really reached 11M, so I guess I didn’t have to? :3

I’d rather regret the extra effort though, than potentially lose T100 standing.

Now we’re done. 8-)

Just waiting for the event to end!

AAAND EVENT OVER! *victory fanfare*

LOL one of the T10′s got banned. Don’t cheat, kids.

IT’S HEEEEREEEEE

YukiRan SayoLisa YukiRan SayoLisa YukiRan SayoLisa YukiRan SayoLisa-

#bandori #bang dream #roselia x re:zero #blooming in ZERO #fuck i'm tired #i can't edit this for some reason WTF tumblr

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beelziebabie · 5 years

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The First (Human) Deviltuber - Obey Me Brothers x Reader

Interactive?: At some parts, yes (Later on)

Gender: Female MC

Edited?: nope

Notes: sorry for this being so late aaaa i got really sick yesterday and im still sick now. really sorry!! i made this one a bit longer than i normally would. i hope you enjoy <3💗💕💕

CHAPTER FOUR

“MC,” You heard a voice mumble, then a short but harsh shake to your shoulder. You grumbled and resisted the urge to flip them off, turning onto your side and bringing the blanket over your head. “Momo please. Go away. Let me sleep.”

“It’s 11 am.”

“Whatever. I wanna sleep.” He sighed.

“Cmon, I wanna do your makeup todayy,” Asmodeus pulled the covers off of your head and you sent a glare at him. He ignored it and patted your messy hair.

“Go take a shower and brush your teeth, then come back in here and sit at your dresser so I can do my work,” He beamed as you sat up, stretching your arms over your head.

“See, I even got dresser all ready!” He pointed to your dresser where everything needed to get your face totally ready was laid out. You blinked and ran your hand across your face.

“Where did you even find that?- Nevermind, where’s Mammon?” You asked, getting off the bed but tripping over something immediately after.

You heard a long groan right after your own. Asmodeus peeked over the side of the bed and held back a giggle, seeing you sprawled on top of Mammon and him struggling to process the situation.

“Theres your answer,” Asmodeus grinned and this time you flipped him off for real.

You got off of Mammon and apologized, leaving an innocent kiss on his cheek and pulling the blanket off your bed and draping it across Mammon. He was only in a tank top and sweatpants so he had to be pretty cold especially since your room had gotten chilly. He fell right back asleep after.

Asmodeus followed you out of your room and into the hallway to get to the bathroom. “Is everyone else up?”

“Nope, only Lucifer, Beel and Leviathan are awake. Including myself of course.” You hummed and turned on the bathroom lights.

You went to pull your shirt over your head when you realized Asmodeus was still in the bathroom with you, standing there with his hands behind his back and a closed eyes smile. You looked at him through the mirror.

“Uhh.. why are you still here? I need to shower.”

“Mhm!”

“That means I need to get naked.”

“I know.”

You sighed and pushed him out and he made no effort to stop you. “Asmo, I dont think you know what boundaries are.”

“Theres nothing on you I haven’t seen yet,” He shot you a wink and your cheeks flushed slightly as you suppressed a vein popping.

“What the hell does that mea- Nevermind. I’ll see you when I get out.”

. . .

After you got out the bathroom with a towel wrapped around your chest you felt much more awake than before. Just as Asmodeus said, he was waiting for you in your room near your dresser. He even went as far as picking out your outfit for you.

“Wow, I dont even remember buying these,” You picked up a light blue cropped hoodie and black, high waisted ripped jeans along with a bunch of jewelry. Normally you’d only wear an oversized hoodie and leggings.

“Your closet is completely untouched. How much stuff do you buy and never use?” He lightly forced you to sit down in your seat so he could start. You held your hair back in a low ponytail to make it easier for him.

“Uhh, a lot I think? Theres a lot of styles of Instagram and Pinterest that I like and want to try out on myself so I go on shopping sprees.. but I never actually wear the clothes out.” You paused. “Or ever, for that matter.”

He shook his head and laughed a bit. “I don’t even do that. What type of look do you want?”

“Really simple and natural, I’m planning on filming a video today so please make it quick Momo.”

He clicked his tongue and nodded. “You got it.”

. . .

He was quick. Extremely quick. It only took him, maybe, 45 minutes, which is less than half than what you thought it would take. You got dressed and headed downstairs where the other brothers were lounging, watching tv or cooking or eating.

You sat on the couch next to Beelzebub and sat indian style. “Goodmorning everyone.”

“It’s not even morning anymore,” Leviathan said, turning his head to look at you. “It’s almost noon.”

“It’s not my fault that you all are so tiring.”

You felt Lucifer’s eyes bore into the back of your head the moment you said that. “Okay..only five of you.”

“Welp, Levi, wanna go get started?” You tapped him on the shoulder and he nodded.

You stood up and waited for him to follow you to your gaming room. You pulled up another spinning chair for him to sit in and set everything up before looking to him again.

“You ready?” You smiled and he smiled weakly. “Yeah. As ready as I’ll ever be!”

“Aaand we’re live!” You said to the camera, waving with a giant smile as Levi sat timidly next to you. You elbowed him lightly in the arm and nodded to the camera. “Say hi Levi!”

The chat was swarmed with different usernames and messages. You did your best to read them all but the chat was going too fast. Moments like these you wished that you only had a couple thousand of followers, so that everyone could be noticed easier.

Levi put on a small smile and waved before looking down into his lap again. Out of your peripheral vision you could tell his face was on fire. You rubbed his back to spare him the embarrassment.

“Today’s live will be a Q&A while we play minecraft! How does that sound, Levi?” You glanced from the camera to Levi and watched him nod. You sighed. You could only hope that he would open up more as time went on.

You turned on slowmode for the chat so that the messages would go by slower. You handed a controller to Levi and turned on the TV that was just above your computer screen.

You looked back at the chat and smiled warmly at all the ��Welcome Back’ messages. “Hi everyone, how are you? I missed you all so much.”

Most of the stream went by smoothly. Only most of it.

The boys would constantly enter and leave your gaming room, even after you told them to stop. Except Lucifer, who only entered once and left you alone for the rest of the time. You thanked him immediately after the stream ended.

Mammon seemed especially clingy today. You couldn’t pin why, maybe its because he woke up without seeing you immediately? Whatever it was, he would continuously try to get your attention during the stream.

To avoid making him upset or sad you would always give him at least a little bit of attention then go back to the stream. But he would come back minutes later with something else to show to you or say to you. You were very tempted to just throw him your debit card and leave it at that.

At some point you completely gave up. It was an endless cycle. Sometimes you cursed your motherly demeanor.

The door creaked open right when you placed down the last block of the mansion you and Levi built. He got the hand of the game pretty quickly, he even said that there was a game similar to Minecraft in the Devildom (not audibly, of course. You’re still being recorded.)

You turned your head towards the door and saw that it was Mammon again, but this time with Beelzebub as well.

“We came with snacks,” Bub said simply, pulling up a stool and sitting in it behind you and Leviathan. You thanked him and took a couple cookies from the pile in his arms.

Mammon stood next to you, idly. You looked up at him with a confused expression. “What’s wrong Mammon?”

He said nothing, and instead walked around the other side of the chair and situated himself in your lap.

“Mammon what are you doin- no- stop-“

His legs hung off the arm of the chair and his head rested on your shoulder. You did your best not to push him off your lap and start scolding him. You understood that he didn’t see you for most of the day (except tiny interactions) and he was so used to being around you 24/7 in the Devildom.

“You’re so heavy,” You sighed and went back to gaming.

“Shut up. You should be happy that I’m even speaking to someone as lowly as you.”

“I have more money than you even if its translated to Grimm.” You heard Beelzebub chuckle and Levi hold back a snicker.

“She probably isn’t wrong,” Bub said, opening another pack of chips to scarf down. Mammon clicked his tongue and shut his eyes, embarrassed that this all happened on camera.

You directed your attention back to the chat. You forgot to check it for a while. “Oops, sorry chat. ‘ricegoat’ says.. ‘you werent kidding when you said you have anime boys in your house’.” You laughed at the camera and smiled. “I thought you guys would believe me when I said that.”

The rest of the chat said some rather..peculiar things that aren’t entirely SFW. You had to stop those comments from coming since they were getting quite excessive and uncomfortable for you to read.

7 hours passed since you started the stream and you were starting to feel tired. Levi yawned as well, and Mammon was fast asleep in your lap.

You saved your minecraft world with Leviathan. “Thats all for today guys,” You stretched your arms over your head. “I think this is the end of the stream. I’ll be posting a video today and the highlights tomorrow. Say bye Levi!”

Leviathan smiled and waved at the camera. “Bye, chat. I’ll see you next time.”

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall we date obey me #tfdt #the first deviltuber #obey me mc #this is so late omg #mammon is my clingy boy🥺#i love him so much #i might have made him too clingy.. oh well its cute so im sure no one will complain

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toopliss-chewtoy · 6 years

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HiJack Week Sum. 2018 Day 4: Past Accomplishments

A never before published but old as hell fic counts as Past Accomplishments, right? This has been sitting in my ‘to edit’ pile for way longer than I’d care to admit... So enjoy! Lots of super sweet fluff!

Summary: Two huge-ass grocery bags filled with sugar, butter, chocolate and other ingredients was not how Hiccup had envisioned this Friday night to go. Warnings: n/a Size: 2299 words Also on AO3

Cupcakes

At long last, he was home. If he walked through that door, he could forget all about work. Once he put his key in the lock and twisted, it would be just him and Jack and maybe a cocktail or two with mandatory chill-time on the couch. Just a few more steps and it would be weekend.

He dropped his bag in the hallway and kicked off his shoes. “I'm home!”

No response.

“Honeypot, my sweetest dear?” Hiccup called out in a high little pitch. He walked into the living room. No Jack. Kitchen? Ditto. He wasn't taking a nap on the bed either. All there was to greet him was their cat and a note on the kitchen table: 'doing groceries – Jack'.

Hiccup shrugged and made himself a screwdriver with a liberal amount of vodka. He had no plans for tomorrow, after all.

Right when he was done, he heard the front door. He turned and was about to take a sip... but the glass froze mid-way to his mouth. Jack came into the kitchen with a big, fully loaded shopping bags in each hand and his little sister in tow.

“Hey, Hic!” Jack gave wide smile with a hint of apologetic worry in it. Before Hiccup could press him on that, Emma flung herself around his waist, almost making him spill his precious cocktail.

“Umf! Hey Emma, long time no see.” He gave her a little hug. “That's a surprise!”

“Good thing you like surprises!” Jack said. “Cause I have another one!”

Hiccup squinted at his boyfriend. “Jaaack, what's in the bags?” This guy was up to no good, he knew it.

“Have I mentioned how much I love you?”

“Is it that bad?”

“Cause I love you a lot!” Jack came over and took the cocktail, taking a little sip. He scrunched up his nose – too strong, probably.

“Out with it.”

“You see, Emma has a baking-sale tomorrow at school.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I kinda said I'd help her out.”

“Jack promised to bake tons of cookies and cupcakes with 100 flavours!” Emma happily chipped in. She beamed at Hiccup and Jack in turn, obviously very excited about it all. “We just did the groceries, we can make TONS of stuff!”

Hiccup forced a smile. “That's sweet. Why don't you go give Toothless a treat, we'll get started here.”

Emma didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed the pack of treats from the cupboard and ran off to find Toothless. The moment she was out of the kitchen, Hiccup fixed Jack with a deadly look.

“You promised what.”

“Well we don't actually need 100 flavours...”

“Why do I only find out now, huh?” Baking a shit-ton of cupcakes and cookies was not the Friday night Hiccup had in mind. “You need these tomorrow! Why just now?!” Hiccup hissed. Jack shrunk away more and more, holding up his hand apologetically.

“She asked me a month ago and-”

“A MONTH?!”

“-and and I forgot! Come on buttercup, please don't kill me!”

Hiccup took a big gulp of his cocktail and squeezed his brow. “Damnit, Jack.”

“I can't say no to Emma... I’m really sorry, cupcake.”

Hiccup sighed. “Fine. I’ll help. Also, poor choice of petname.”

“I owe you one.” Jack promised. He gave his disgruntled boyfriend a hug, but Hiccup’s scowl only partially dissolved.

“Oh no. You owe me a lot more than just one.”

Emma came back into the kitchen, followed by a black, meowing beast. Somehow she always managed to twist Toothless around her finger; a feat not many were able to pull off. “What can I do?” She beamed at Hiccup.

“Let’s heat up the oven then…”

Dinner consisted of take-out pizza while the first batch of cupcakes was in the oven. They settled into a cycle of alternating cupcakes and cookies, with Hiccup making all the batters and Jack and Emma taking care of putting it in/out of the oven and bagging things once they had cooled down. Cookies were iced, the more wildly flavoured cupcakes were decorated, and everything got a nice foil, bow, and tag thanks to Emma. All the while, Hiccup himself was receiving an inexplicable amount of love too.

“You feeling bad for making me bake?” He asked when Jack was hugging him from behind once more.

“A bit…” He kissed Hiccup’s shoulder. “But I have to say I also quite enjoy it.” Jack slapped Hiccup’s ass. Hiccup frowned, mouthing ‘behave’ at his SO.

Immediately Emma dissolved into giggles. “There is a hand on your butt!”

Then Jack had to leave the kitchen for a bit, or he would find out exactly how sharp their kitchen knives were first hand. Later, when his back was turned, Hiccup took revenge by dropping ice down his shirt.

“I’ll geeeheeet you for that!” Jack promised as he performed the icecube dance. Emma and Hiccup just laughed… until a sheet of rolled fondant landed square in Hiccup’s face. And then there may or may not have been some flower and chocolate chips flying around. A full-on food-fight was only narrowly avoided, but Emma still needed to take a thorough shower before she could go to bed. Turns out blobs of unbaked cookie are very tasty, but also very annoying to wash out of your hair.

While Jack tucked Emma in, Hiccup crashed on the couch for a bit. He was deathly tired, and they weren’t even half-way yet.

He felt Jack sit down next to him. He kept his eyes closed.

“Thanks. You saved my ass.”

“You make it sound like we’re already done. We’re only just half-way.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too. I think.”

“You think?” Jack softly punched his shoulder and Hiccup creaked an eye open.

“You’re the one making me bake so much.”

“You’re going to use that against me for a long time, aren’t you?”

“Yup.” He closed his eye again. He felt Jack’s lips against his cheek and smiled a little.

“How many kisses would it take?”

“A gazillion.”

“That’s not even a number.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it isn’t!”

“It is.”

“Is not.”

“No no, I know how much it is. I’ll tell you when you’ve reached it.”

Jack kissed him again. “Now?”

“No. That was two.”

“Now?”

“Nu-uh.”

“Now?”

“Keep trying. Maybe-” beep beep beep beep.

Hiccup sighed and got up, dragging Jack back to his feet as well. “Aaand back to work. Only about half a gazillion cupcakes left.”

As time progressed, more and more cupcakes and cookies of various flavours started to fill up the inlayed boxes Jack had bought. At the same time, more and more hugs were exchanged, as Hiccup was drained of his last bits of energy. He shoved a new batch into the oven and threw his arms around Jack, who was wrapping cookies. He buried his face in Jack’s shoulder.

“You smell of sugar.”

“How sweet of you.”

Hiccup giggled, mumbling “Sugar daddy”.

“What?!” Jack tried to turn around, laughing. “Did you just call me daddy? You never call me daddy when we-”

Hiccup put a finger on his lips. “Pumbaa! Not in front of the kid.”

“Oh. Sorry. Ahem. WHEN I WAS A YOUNG WARTHOOOOOG!”

“Very nice.”

��Thanks!”

Hiccup stared into the bright blue eyes of the love of his life, and he realized two things: 1) Jack was just as tired as he was, which reduced the kisses required to just a mere billion, and 2) he too was trying really hard not to dissolve into a fit of giggles. His eyes twinkled and his lips were pressed tightly together to keep from bursting into laughter in a most unflattering manner. Hiccup chuckled… and that was the beginning of the end. He could feel Jack’s chest start to shake. Teeth broke through that smile and giggles poured forth.

“You’re saying I smell too, pegleg?” He managed between fits of laughter.

“I never -- hahaha -- never stand down- hihi -- downwind from you for a reason!”

It probably wasn’t all that hilarious. But then again it was late and he had had a few cocktails already, so anything could be funny at this point. Hiccup clutched at his sides as they roared with laughter. They held on to each other to stay upright. It really didn’t help when Hiccup fashioned a hula-skirt from a tea towel and started to do the hula-dance like Timon. Jack fell over, nearly taking a tray of cookies with him. They were wheezing when the oven bleeped the next batch was done.

“You dork.”

“Hakuna Matata.”

And there they went again. It was nothing short of a miracle they didn’t let those cookies burn.

Their temporary burst of energy didn’t last forever though. Another batch was in the oven, and wrapping was all ‘wrapped up’. Hahaha. Ha.

They were dead. They crashed on the couch together. As soon as they were comfortable, Hiccup put his head on Jack’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

“I love you.”

“I’m glad you still do.”

Hiccup wanted to reply again, but talking was just… so much effort. While simply thinking a reply and keeping your mouth closed was so much easier. Just like keeping your eyes shut was so much nicer than forcing them open again. Maybe just a little nap. The oven would wake them up again.

The oven did not wake them up again.

The fire alarm did.

WHIIIOOOOO WHIIIIOOOOO

“Holy shit!” Hiccup shot upright, instantly wide awake. He ran to the kitchen with a slightly groggy Jack on his heels. There was smoke coming from the oven. Hiccup opened it and was forced to step back, coughing. Black smoke filled the kitchen and he rushed to open a window. Meanwhile, Jack shut up the fire alarm.

“What’s going on?” A sleepy voice said from the doorway. Emma was standing there with her cuddle-bunny.

“We had an accident,” Jack explained, picking her up.

“Are the cookies all right?”

Hiccup retrieved a black baking tray from the oven.

“It’s all right. Lets go back to bed.”

When Emma was asleep again, they decided to take turns on the couch if they wanted a break. That way one of them would always be awake, and prevent this from happening again. Hiccup got the first nap.

The oven time did wake him up. He went to the kitchen, to find Jack taking care of things. Finally, the last batch was done. All the butter and sugar and flour had been converted into sugary goodness. There was only some stuff left to package, but it wasn’t much. Hiccup squinted. Wasn’t there supposed to be one more cupcake on that cooling rack over there? There were only 11, but a tray held 12. Maybe Jack ate one?

Jack took a break while Hiccup finished up in the kitchen, covering everything so cakes and cookies wouldn’t dry out or become soggy respectively. Then he called it a night. They’d package the rest tomorrow. It was already - he looked at the clock - HOLY SHIT! It was 4am! He groaned and trudged to the couch. Jack was sort of half sitting half lying on it. His mouth hung open and he was snoring quietly. Hiccup smiled. Very charming.

He sat down with Jack and snuggled up against him.

“Jaaaack. Beeeeed.”

No response. He shook his arm, being more insistent about going to a surface intended for actual sleeping instead of their couch. But Jack groaned and mumbled ‘no’, and went right back to sleep.

Too tired to argue, Hiccup gave in. Jack’s arm was an excellent pillow too. His hoodie was nice and soft, and even though eh smelled a lot more sugary and flowery than his usual self, it was still nice. Jack was safety and comfort. The white-haired man was usually more vocal about it, but Hiccup really loved him just as much. Pressed close against his boyfriend, he quickly dozed off.

“You guys should marry.”

Hiccup moaned and opened his eyes. His neck and back were about as flexible as two slabs of concrete, and felt just as heavy. Sleeping on the couch in that position? Not his best idea ever.

“Emma? What?”

“Cause you are cute together!”

“She’s right. We are adorable,” Jack mumbled.

“Oh shut up. We need to finish wrapping.” With a groan that would put any eighty-year-old to shame, Hiccup sat upright.

“You got some chocolate on your cheek.” Emma pointed out.

“Oh. Thanks Em.” Hiccup wanted to wipe it off, but Jack beat him to it by licking his face.

“Jack!” The brunet protested.

Emma ran off to the kitchen making ‘ewww’ sounds and both men laughed. “Well. You make breakfast, I’ll finish with the wrappings.”

By the time Emma was ready to be driven to school, all sweet delights were nicely packed up for the drive. Emma was already at the door, bouncing happily, but Jack needed to say goodbye first.

“I’ll come back quickly, I won’t stay the whole time. Mom will be there too.”

“It’s okay. I’m probably gonna nap in bed.”

“First I want to give you this.” Jack went to the fridge and rummaged around in it. Then, he produced a cupcake with a huge, gorgeous rose of icing on it. Resting in the middle of it was a chocolate heart. “Made this for you. While you were asleep.”

“Awww. That’s so sweet! I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Youtube. Took a few tries but hey. Nothing less for my darling dear.”

“Oh please, you’re so sweet it’s making me sick.”

“Also you might want to shower before you go to bed, you’re a mess.”

“Ah that’s more like it.”

“Jaaahaaaack! Come on!” Emma called from the hallway.

“You better go before she sets the cat on you.” Hiccup warned.

The white haired man laughed and kissed him. “K thanks bye.”

#hijack #frostcup #hijack week #hijack week summer 2018 #httyd #rotg #fic #j writes

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italicwatches · 6 years

Text

GAMERS! Episode 09

Good god that was a lot of recycling I had to take in. But now, we can work. It’s GAMERS!, episode 09! Here we GO!

-We begin in the stark light of day, at a certain apartment. In the Past. Chiaki is narrating. The first time she ever made a game, she was in the fourth grade. Some slapdash little RPGMaker thing, by the looks of it. It was there she learned the cycle; the creator creates something out of love and passion, and the player takes that passion and rides it out. When it all works, it’s…amazing.

-Almost before she knew it, it was her main hobby, almost on top of even playing games. But even then, she would admit, it wasn’t always fun. Creation takes a piece out of you and puts it out for the world to see, and if the world rejects it…It hurts more than anything you could possibly imagine.

-And yet…She couldn’t stop. Because there was one person, one fan, who was always there. One soul who she knew she’d be letting down if she turned away. That, that dear and precious Yama-san, made it all worthwhile…

-Cut to the Now, as Chiaki knows everything and is just groaning on her floor. And Konoha calls her out on looking like some kind of weird slug.

-When Chiaki realizes she’s on the floor, and she can’t, quite, remember what was happening…Wasn’t she just playing board games with everyone? Then it all went, hazy…The last thing she remembered was…

-Was…

-Oh dear.

-Konoha. You know how in shoujo manga, the heroine sees the delinquent saving a dog out of the rain or something, realizes he’s a good guy, and falls in love with him? And how dumb that is? …Yes, where is this coming from…?

-Isn’t that a cheap storytelling trick? A cheat built up through shock value even though it’s a huge cliche? And definitely, absolutely, positively couldn’t happen to a real person SO WHY IS IT HAPPENING TO HER RIGHT NOW KONOHA TELL HER SHE’S NOT WRONG TO KEEP HATING HIM! TELL HER SHE CAN KEEP HATING KEITA! Um, er, you’re…A…A little scary…Who’s this about?

-Yama-san. Well Yama-san is just messing with y—

-WHAM

-SMACK TO THE FACE

-NOBODY TALKS BAD ABOUT HER YAMA-SAN. Wait. Shit. Konoha quietly realizes her sister is not just tsundere, but also yandere. And Chiaki realizes what she just did and puts it back together to her image of Keita and FUCK. She just kinda collapses into the fetal position, making angry grunting sounds. Guys I think we broke Chiaki.

-Opening! Oooh, I’ve been waiting for this one. It’s the rhythm genre, with Japan’s favorite game that never quite made it out to the West, Pop’n Music! One of Konami’s classic franchises, Pop’n Music is a rhythm action game where you’re trying to hit the notes in time with the beat…But unlike most rhythm games, the big schtick about Pop’n is it’s not built on an instrument, a dance platform, or any sort of imitation of musical action at all. Instead, it’s this abstract interwoven pattern of huge smackable buttons, and you smack these bright colorful buttons in time with the beat. You might recall that in Watamote, Tomoko is really fucking good at it. It’s a much beloved franchise…That, hasn’t had a home release since 2011 on the PSP. Where you can’t even use the controller and have to play with buttons unless you emulate it. As they say all around the world, FucKonami.

-DAY 09: Hoshinomori Chiaki and Account Hack

-Cut to Chiaki hiding in her room, trying to figure out what to say to Yama-san. Who, she now knows is Keita. Does she keep up the illusion? Does she speak as Nobe-san? He, he doesn’t know what she knows. Does she confront him about it? Does she, just, hide and not do anything? Ugh, she doesn…doesooH GOD CHAIR

-Aaand Chiaki is on the ground. DAMMIT! This SUCKS! Okay, deep breath. She goes to talk to her sister…Who has a panic of her own, frantically making noise in her room, and…

-So, uh…

-How do I put this gently…

-Konoha came to answer her door sweaty, panting, and having shoved on a hoodie with no sign of anything underneath that hoodie. Draw your own conclusions, as even Chiaki realizes her sister must have been doing something and Konoha insists she was just doing some light exercise. Oh, is that what the kids call it now. Yeah, light exercise. Nothing suspicious! Just some wholesome, innocent exercise, complete with innocent whistling and innocent cries of “Oh god”! So what did you need?

-Chiaki is going down to the store, do you need any—

-You’re going to go buy the latest Famitsu, aren’t you.

-…Okay yes. And she goes to head out, when Konoha stops to ask if she can borrow Chiaki’s PC! Um, okay, but why…? Well, you see, that is to say, er…This video isn’t working right on her computer! Oh, sure thing. Whatcha watching?

-DEFINITELY NOT PORN

-NOW GO HAVE FUN AT THE STORE

-SAFE TRAVELS

-It is a burning grim heat outside, as Chiaki makes her way through the furious summer heat down to the convenience store…And there it is! The latest Famitsu! Perfect, now she can just get—

-Knock knock.

-Knock knock? She’s in a convenience store, who the hell knocks on…

-…Keita is on the other side of the window. Looking at her.

-PANIC

-They end up out around the corner in the shade, as she keeps trying to be all tsuntsun, but it’s not fucking working because she knows his other sides now. Which is how he ends up with a cold treat, and insists he ran into her on his way to get his transit pass which he left at her place. Not stalking. Not being weird. Just, needs, his pass so he can get on a damn train again. Hell, he even tried to text and call! You what?

-…Oh god her phone’s dead why is her phone dead? Don’t you remember to charge it? Hell, don’t you play mobile games or something? Um, er, well, you see…! S-S-S-She just gets asked out by so many boys that she forgot to charge it!

-…Don’t be ridiculous, Chiaki. FUCK YOU WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER?

-He knows your body.

-And Chiaki just drops her freezy treat, as her brain locks up. Wh-Wh-What wa—

-You’re as pale as he is. You’re not out doing stuff and getting asked out by boys over the summer, you’re hiding indoors and playing games, same as him.

-And thus begins the awkward walk back to her place, as she says she did find a wallet…But what’s he even need it for if he’s at home playing games all day? Well…Things might be different this summer. And she flashes back to him, with Karen, and oh, right, she had her chance and she fuckin’ lost it. She tries to get tsuntsun again, acting like he’s so self-conscious it makes him come off as creepy…

-Well, he admits he’s not the most cool or stylish guy. But he wants to push himself out of his comfort zone, and be a little braver…A little more worthy of standing next to Karen. Hell, trying to be more than he was, was how he ended up talking to Chiaki in the first place! And seeing how much of a gamer she was back on that first day, that really took out all of his nervousness…It just got easy to talk to her after all that…Oh, oh poor Chiaki. She locks right up, as Keita says how they’re just too different in the end to truly be friends…

-And she tries to act like he was an annoyance from the start, only useful for how it got her to meet Tasuku…But it’s not really working at this point, especially not for her.

-And then it’s back to her place where she says he should at least stay and have some tea, since she still has to find the fuck it’s right there HIDE IT um as she was saying, she should at least put some tea on to be polite, while she tries to find where your wallet went, it’s definitely not behind her back, just have a seat and she’ll get to looking…

-Oh god he’s seeing her undergarments hanging out to dry on the balcony QUIT LOOKING. H-He’ll just go, you can text him when you find the wallet—NO STAY! LOOK IF YOU MUST! That doesn’t even make sense! So Chiaki’s broken inside.

-Um, er, she’s gonna go charge her phone! Be right back! But he should really YOU STAY ON THAT FUCKING COUCH RIGHT NOW MOTHERFUCKER. And then she sprints into her room, finally getting her phone plugged in…And looks through all of the messages from Tsucchie on her phone…And can’t help but smile. Dammit, what is she feeling for this jackass who was so important to her life without her even knowing…

-Which is when he comes and knocks on her door?! Hey it’s starting to look like rain out there you should get your laundry in. Right, right, she’ll be right…

-And her phone bumps her computer. Where her Nobe-san game site is up. OH GOD DON’T LOOK and her phone flies out of her hands. Landing at his feet. With her MMO account up DON’T LOOK AT THAT EITHER she tries to stop him, but hits her foot on a copy of Famitsu and that goes flying and she hits the ground HARD.

-And in the chaos, Keita ends up with her phone in his hands, and OH GOD DON’T LOOK AT EITHER OF THEM QUIT LOOKING AT HER THINGS! She grabs his foot, trying to drag him down with her, as Keita spots Nobe-san’s site…Oh, you’re a fan of hi—

-Wait, you said phone. Wait that account says Mono-san. What is…

-Oh god, she’s screwed. Okay. Deep breath. To her feet. Keita! …Yes…? She never intended to tell you this, but…But…It’s exactly what it looks like!

-Nobe-san the freeware developer…And Mono-san your guild-bro…They’re both…

-Konoha awakens, having done something so enjoyable that she dozed right off on Chiaki’s bed after she finished. What a wonderful nap! What happened? …Why is this guy here?!

-…An out. She has an out! Nobe-san and Mono-san are BOTH HER SISTER! Wait what. Chiaki, no. Chiaki you’re just making this worse! Are you even listening to me?! (She’s not, she’s a fictional character)

-So this is the first Konoha is hearing about this.

-Commercial break!

-And we’re back! Keita got out of there and is now with Tasuku having lunch and telling him everything…And this, makes, no, sense! Because he knows the actual truth and now KEITA BELIEVED HER?! Lord, what happened to Tasuku’s normal life? So…what happened after that? Well, Chiaki locked him down in the living room and refused to let him leave its confines until she was done dealing with the laundry and handling everything…And it took a good ten minutes before Chiaki brought Konoha back out to properly ‘introduce’ her as Nobe-san and Mono-san…

-Explaining how, having recently learned of their connection, she wanted to find a way to tell Keita and thus came off as weird. Uh huh. Sure. That’s what happened. Even in the moment, Keita was left feeling like she was talking to one of those chatbots that aaaaalmost manages a perfect imitation of a Cute Girl, but is just a little ‘off’…And He definitely saw both Nobe-san’s page and Mono-san’s account…But he can’t quite connect them to Konoha, from what he’s seen to her.

-Of course you can’t. Tasuku knows that that’s because Keita’s sense of a person is actually working. But he can’t rip the wool off those eyes now that Chiaki put it there…This is the path she chose to try and get herself out of her situation, and every other time he’s interfered it’s just fucked his life even worse…

-But now, now he can’t even be happy for Keita and Karen…Wait, what was that? Oh god he said the quiet part loud and the loud part quiet he’s, uh, gotta get to work, yeah! Here have the rest of his fries GOTTA GO

-And cut to Tasuku on his delivery scooter, trying to just pull himself as far away as possible from the situation, as he tries to figure out what the hell to do…

-And Keita, Keita is left assuming that Tasuku must really like Karen. Which means he’s left in a moral quandary. What to do. This girl who’s a thousand miles above him but somehow smiles when she looks at him, and the only friend he has…Is he going to lose one of them no matter what he does?

-Or…Could there be some other girl in his life, someone who Tasuku was trying to back?

-Don’t be absurd, that’s ridiculous! That would never happen! No, he’s just got to work with the actual truth as he knows it! (Oh my god you fucking aaaaaargh)

-Hard cut to Keita at the game shop, grabbing a copy of MOON STORY from the dating sim section. Don’t think him disloyal, Karen…! Oh hey, we get to see the real name of the PZ Vivio. It’s the PZ Tiva. …Mine’s better. I’m gonna keep calling it the Vivio. And then it’s up to the counter, to buy his copy of the Vivio version of MOON STORY—

-And an 18+ PC version slams down on the counter next to him. Held by Konoha.

-The ONE day she didn’t disguise herself! THE ONE FUCKING DAY! As they end up around the corner and WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING WHY DO YOU KEEP BEING IN HER LIFE?! And Keita tries to parse this, with his understanding of Nobe-san and Mono-san…And this is just not the same girl as them.

-And she tries to catch herself and don’t pay attention! S-She’ll be fine later when you talk to Nobe-san and Mono-san! So, yeah! That makes sense quit questioning iT SHUT UP YOU STUPID HALF-ASSED DATING SIM FAN WHO WON’T EVEN BUY THE NAUGHTY BITS VERSION!

-…So…This is multiple personality disorder, then?

-…SURE! Yes, sure that is what is going on! Makes total sense, they’ll use that! Just think of them as two different people! Yes, she can use that! …Uh…Huh.

-Anyways that’s how they end up both walking together, and finally getting to interact, as she realizes he’s got a year on her, so she should probably respect her as a senpai…But even Keita admits, that ship fucking sailed. It’d just be weird at this point. Even better! She can just keep being like this! Now, keep the adult games a secret. From everyone. Or you die. …Yes ma’am.

-So what do you think of her sister? Huh, Chiaki? Well…He…Doesn’t really. OH MY FUCKING GOD WHY DID SHE HAVE TO BE ROPED INTO THEIR STUPID DRAMA. Ahem. That is to say…What do you think of Mono-san and Nobe-san, then? …You mean you. Just answer the question! He’s really happy…He loves her work as Nobe-san, and as Mono-san she helped him through some really hard times!

-…Fuck fuck FUCK. She’s not sure whether to be happy at the praise, jealous of Chiaki, guilty with the lie, or frustrated with being stuck into this because of her fucking idiot sister! This SUCKS! Let her hit you! Right now! That doesn’t eve—

-KONOHA PUUUUNCH

-And Keita goes flying.

-Cut to Chiaki. Who is goofing off on her phone when OH GOD A KEITA. Why are you here?! How does he even answer that.

-So Konoha explains she was already planning to meet up with her sister her. Oh, that explains why you were at that shop buying an erotic game so close to you—

-SPEAK NOTHING OF IT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE. Yes ma’am why you…ran into him…While he was at that shop! Alone! Buying an erotic game!

-Chiaki is disgusted by it, and also since when are you two that close? …W-Well, since Konoha’s revealed now, lots of times! They’ve talked about her work, and been guild partners for so long, you know, of course you know…And Konoha tries to figure out how to get out of this. Whyyyyy don’t you tell Chiaki all about your admiration for her work as Nobe-san!

-And now Chiaki is deeply judgmental of this porn-buying freak(Hey, HEY. We all buy porn except those of us who have free sources, back off) palling around with her innocent, naive, gentle little imouto. I’m not entirely sure it’s physically possible for a younger sister to not be a secret pervert in anime at this point. And that’s when Chiaki gets a phonecall, which pulls her away, and Keita sees his chance to leave…And now Konoha feels some complicated emotions for Keita who did indeed cover for her like that, and isn’t what SHE thought he was either…

-When Chiaki gets a little panicky, and mentions Tasuku’s name, and suddenly her line goes dead. Tasuku just, just blurted something out super serious and hung up…He said…”I’ve decided I’m choosing you”! Wait…Is…Did he just…Did he just confess to you?!

-And miles away, Tasuku sneezes.

-Credits! New credits, with new scenery of the whole gang.

TASUKU YOU FUCKING STUPID oh my GOD what have you done?! What, have, you, done?! This was almost working! It was almost stable! AAAARGH

#where I watch #recap #gamers!#anime

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starlit-scifi · 4 years

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Chapter 12

First • Previous • Next

Life goes on.

Crawling, flying, swimming, or moving around in a microscopic pulsating spinning way, life keeps performing its everyday functions, just one piece of the unfathomably complicated puzzle that is a living, breathing planet. You're just there to observe, measure, and catalog it.

Life goes on.

Walking, talking, working, or sitting in the comfortable silence you've come to enjoy, life keeps pulling you closer, a deep bond growing where you're not sure you should want one, and maybe not even sure you do want one— so, you decide, you're just going to observe, measure, and catalog it.

One of the things people say about space travel that you didn't really believe until you’d experienced it yourself was just how much the subtle differences in atmosphere, gravity, and ambient light affect the way your body functions. As comfortable as Unity's artificial environment is, being on this planet— a paradise planet, they call it, one of a handful of truly Earth-like worlds— makes you feel happier and healthier than anywhere else. The air isn't sterile and recycled, the gravity is constant, and the feeling of real, gloriously warm sunlight on your skin never gets old.

Your home planet, Irthtu, is close to Earth-like, though its temperatures are at the cold end of the habitable range. The icy, densely forested planet seemed like paradise to colonists who remembered their great-grandparents' tales of a dying planet that had lost its ice caps and rainforests, becoming half firestorm-plagued desert and half brackish wetland. To a young girl with an allergy to lab-grown wool and an aversion to the cold and wet, Irthtu was anything but paradise This part of Bernubos-3, wet as it is, is much more comfortable in terms of temperature.

Lori hasn't had many complaints about the heat either, which you assume is partly because the habitable regions of Lotanak are similar in temperature, though far drier since there's only so much water that can be generated or captured from comets. Unlike this planet, however, Lotanak's ecosystem isn't very exciting to study since it's just a meticulously designed piece of biological clockwork. The terraforming of Lotanak is a work of art, a monumental achievement of science and engineering, but the ecosystem is evolutionarily fixed by design and, in essence, just as sterile as the environment aboard any Alliance starship. But this planet, the way that everything happened to fall into place in a pattern suitable for human life at this moment in geological time, is quite literally one in a million, at least.

And the way this has all fallen into place, you and her and this grand adventure you're taking together…

It's really nothing special, you remind yourself. You're partners, just like all the students before you and those that will come after. You're here for the project, and when it's done and you graduate you'll go your separate ways, and go back to your separate lives.

You sigh.

"What's up?" Lori looks up from the satellite receiver setup she's been fiddling with while you count your soil microbes.

You turn away from the microscope and let your eyes rest for a minute.

"Life."

---

There's a large underground lake you've been working your way towards this entire time, and two and a half weeks in, you finally reach it.

“Okay, this is going to be cool. And I don't just mean because it'll be about ten degrees cooler than the surface temperature.”

Lori snorts. “Thank the stars.”

“Yeah. But there's this species of bioluminescent aquatic fungus that’s found in this cave, and there's bound to be more really unique stuff down there. We just have to take samples and find out.”

“And that's what we've been lugging these around for?” She asks, pulling a pair of wading pants from her pack and handing them to you.

“We've made use of them! —but this was sort of the main reason, yeah.” You pull your boots off and tug the waders on, securing the waistband the best you can. “We go as deep as we can walk, which is decently far since the lake is pretty shallow. It'll be worth it, trust me.”

You leave everything behind but your headlamps and the equipment you've brought, and descend into the cave. Nearly instantaneously, it's blissfully cool. You walk onward for a few minutes, pausing when your feet hit water.

She looks back at you. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Water sloshes around your feet, your calves, your thighs as you wade into the lake.

“Okay,” you say, when you think you've gone deep enough, reaching up to your headlamp. “Lights out.”

Lori nods and flicks the switch on her own lamp, and you both wait in silence as your eyes adjust.

The fungi are everywhere, floating on the water, sticking to the walls. You trail your gloved hand in the water, and they flicker and swirl like the arms of a spiral galaxy. Lori stands still, her lips parted slightly and eyes wide in wonder. In the soft light, she almost seems to glow too, and for a moment you're mesmerized by the beauty of it all.

“I've never, ever seen anything like this,” she says softly, turning slowly in the water. “Thanks for putting this in the plan,” she adds. “Wow, it's just… wow.”

A fizzy warmth blooms in your chest, and you can't make it stop. You don't want it to stop. You know you need to tell the truth to her, somehow…

“I wanted to do something special, to make you happy. I… I like…” You feel numb and electric all at the same time. “That you're a good partner,” you ramble on. “You're nice.” Aaand I'm an idiot, you think to yourself. She can't see you blushing. There is no way she can see you blushing.

“Thank you,” she replies with a smile, but she definitely sounds confused.

Probably because you've got everything confused! There's no way there's actually anything there.

“Well, we should get to taking samples,” you say, and click the lamp back on. She blinks for a moment, and the magic moment is truly gone.

"Right. Okay. Just talk me through it again, please." There's a sort of stiff formality to her tone that you hadn't heard from her in weeks.

She feels awkward, you realize. I've made things awkward and I don't know if I can fix it again…

You stumble through the procedure once more, looking down at the water-collecting device in your hands rather than daring to look at her face. You're afraid of what you'll see there, that this sort of nice companionship you've had might be gone for good.

You work in silence. The only sounds are the soft distant dripping of water and an occasional quiet curse from Lori when the valve on the water collector gets stuck again. You glance over at her every once in a while, until you happen to catch her looking up at you.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," you say quickly. "It… just looks like I'm about done here."

"Okay. Cool." She counts the vials in their case. "I've got everything too."

"Great. Thanks."

"Mm-hm."

You return to the surface in that same strange uneasy silence. There's not much to say, after all. The cacophony of insect and reptile life is almost soothing, compared to the total mess your feelings are right now. She doesn't seem to want to make much conversation either, so you walk behind her in silence.

Once you've made it back to the campsite and she's gone out to forage, you have just enough time alone to cry it all out.

I've messed everything up!

I should be completely focused on the project and nothing else!

I shouldn't have let my feelings take control of me!

I shouldn't have let myself feel anything at all...

---

At this point in the solar cycle, dusk falls just after dinnertime—not the prelude to true nightfall quite yet, but a long twilight where the animal life of the forest becomes highly active. After being dive-bombed by one too many moths as well as the flying reptiles that appear to be their main predators, the two of you decide it's better to bring your work and those insect-luring lamps into the tent, cramped and stuffy as it might be. Though you've slept in this tent for weeks now and done homework together for months before that, working at the same time in these close quarters now feels different enough to put you strangely on edge. Maybe it's just the change of scenery, maybe it's your worrying about what happened in the cave earlier—or maybe it's that you've talked so much for so long that you seem to have run out of small talk.

"What's it like, having that arranged marriage?" Lori asks out of the blue as you're entering the day's data. You look over at her, a little startled, but she doesn't look up—she’s focused on fixing her radio antenna that got knocked over by, presumably, a flying lizard. "I mean, clearly you don't care much for the guy. And most Tusies I know disregard the whole thing during their time at Unity, so…"

You bite your lip, unsure what she wants to know, or really why this is coming up all of a sudden. You decide you may as well start from the beginning. "It was set up when I turned thirteen… everyone else I knew was getting theirs done too. The blood tests, the physical, all of that. The genetic screening part of it is a planet-wide program that creates a huge database of compatible partners —didn't you have to do the same when you reached puberty?"

She shakes her head. "I don't have to until I choose someone I'd want to procreate with. I had my genome done for Unity, but that's different."

"Right. Well… after that, it was just a matter of waiting for the results to come back—and there's hundreds of candidates, usually. Then your parents help you narrow it down to people with similar interests and goals, people closer to your age who live nearby…"

"And people whose parents have something your parents want."

"Sort of, yeah." You shrug awkwardly. “In the end, it is your choice —I was nearly eighteen when I'd finally decided on mine. Most girls usually figure it out by fifteen. It was—" You laugh, feeling your cheeks go hot, "Really awkward, dragging my dates along to all these gatherings with much younger people. But I ended up with a decent one, I think."

"You said he's so boring your parents will probably break it off for you, though."

"I… I don't know. I feel like I'm always going back and forth on it." You sigh, staring at the data table floating in front of you. "All I have to do is produce a kid. Even artificially fertilized embryos will do. Artificial gestation is expensive, but if I'm the one who's going to have a real career —especially one involving frequent space travel— carrying a fetus is really out of the question anyway. My mom had to put her whole career on hold when she got pregnant, but thankfully I don't have to do the same if I don't want to."

As you've babbled on awkwardly, her expression has gone blank. Finally, she says. "You have it all thought out, don't you?"

"I don't," you say, laughing awkwardly in an effort to dispel the tightness in your stomach. "It's all thought out for me, really."

"Hm." She's silent for a moment, and you sneak a glance at her. She's frowning as she tries to pry a panel off the side of the receiver box. You return to your work. "But…" she asks suddenly, "besides all those… gatherings, with your marriage candidates, have you ever actually dated anyone?"

"No…" You fidget with your fingers until you realize you're toggling back and forth between spreadsheet tabs. "I had a few little… flings, I guess, in secondary," you say, silently praying your face isn't as red as you think it is, "but nothing serious, especially once I'd picked my match."

She turns to face you fully now, the antenna forgotten. "How do you know what you want, then?"

"What do you mean?"

She shrugs. "It sounds like your parents just picked a bunch of really similar guys, and then you dragged your feet until you had to pick someone you didn't really like and still haven't connected with." Her sharp gaze cuts through your every pretense. "It sounds like you've never really experienced what's out there."

"When you put it that way…" you murmur.

She raises an eyebrow. "It sounds really fucking miserable?"

You shrug awkwardly. "Yeah, but… it's just how things are. I can't change that."

"But… What happens if you're not attracted to guys?"

You roll your eyes. "Oh, it's not like I have to actually sleep with him, thank the stars. It can all be done in a lab, from fertilization to the first breath. He doesn't even have to be on the same continent, really. His material can be mailed."

She snorts. "Who needs to make love when you've got science?"

"It's a matter of convenience, that's all," you mutter, your face hot.

"Convenience," she says dryly. "Must be nice."

"Yeah, well… I don't know. It's complicated. I don't really want to worry about it right now." She shrugs and turns back to her work; you enter in your last few data points and start to save and close out of everything. As you take off your control bracelets, you ask hesitantly, "On… on your planet, is it usually inconvenient?"

"What?"

"Starting a family."

"No… I mean, it's easy enough to produce a child the normal way, and most people are good about planning for it. Accidents happen, but usually families are strong enough that if you end up pregnant, you have support." She frowns as she wiggles a connector into place. "It's not easy, having to suddenly provide for one more, but… people find a way." She connects the battery pack, and nods in satisfaction when the indicator lights on the antenna come on. "The thing is, I'm not from a big family. I'm an only child. All three of my parents have lots of siblings and niblings, but I know they'd like grandbabies too. Which sucks, because besides the obvious risks of my future career, I'm also not attracted to men at all."

"Ah." So that bit of gossip was right, you think. "But what about IVG?" She raises an eyebrow. "The… the thing with two egg cells that—"

She shakes her head. "Can't afford it. Won't be able to afford it, probably. A donor would work, but it's still a hassle, and still expensive. It's hardly ever a covered procedure and pretty much all of the Alliance's allowance goes to just surviving." She starts to screw the panel back on.

"I'm sorry," you murmur.

"Why?" She asks over the soft buzz of the electric screwdriver.

"Here I am talking about having the kind of money to grow a fetus in a tank, and you're worrying about your entire family having enough to live."

"You can't change the way things are," she says quietly. There's no kindness in her voice—but no blame, either.

"I can't." You think about the man you're supposed to marry for a moment, the dullness in his eyes and his habit of scratching at his pimples. "It's… inconvenient."

She shrugs and starts to put away her tools, and you get up to put the airscreen computer to charge and pull down the blinds for the night. You both work in silence, your mind lost in thoughts of home, and you wonder where her thoughts are. By the time you've both laid down, you're dying to know but terrified to ask, but as your head sinks into your pillow you find that you're honestly too exhausted to think much more on the matter. You feel yourself drifting off, until her voice snatches you back.

"Muhh?"

"You should really tell your parents, you know."

For some reason nervousness twists in your belly. "About what?"

"That you're not into any of the men they picked. That you probably won't ever be." There's a gentleness in her voice, but all it makes you feel is a weird electric tension.

"Things would get messy," you whisper.

"Messy is better than miserable."

"Do you really think so?"

There's a brief silence, then she sighs. "Honestly, I don't know," she says wearily. "But I've never gotten anywhere good by lying to myself or anyone."

"Hmm."

"Either way, you don't have to worry about any of it for about three weeks, right? You have time to—" she yawns. "—figure things out. Stars, I'm so tired."

"We don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, so you can sleep in. I can take your measurements and stuff, it's no big deal."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," she says, snuggling up against her pillow. You get comfortable in your own sleeping bag.

"Aurie?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for today. The cave, everything." Her voice is low and warm when she adds, "I really liked it."

"You're welcome," you murmur, and your heart is suddenly beating way, way too fast.

Keep it together, you tell yourself. Just… keep it together.

First • Previous • Next

#update #original writing #original sci fi #wlw sci fi #space lesbians #starlitscifi #i hope yall are doing well #and i hope my work can bring a little joy to these dark times

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boffinness · 7 years

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Seven Birds

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ottercopter · 8 years

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Zelda OoT Day 2

If I play an hour a day, I should finish it... sometime in the next three years.

Ocarina get! This girl’s being kinda cryptic. Maybe the village DOES burn to the ground.

Friend brought up the obvious fact that I’m going on a fearsome quest and she probably thinks I might be dying, whichm yeah.

The Ocarina’s not blue either.

Boid

Aaand now there’s a spinny death monster and I’m pretty close to dying.

Quit following me, fucknugget.

Now it’s dark and I’m being atttacked by skeletons.

Now it’s daylight again. Is the night cycle really short, or is Link just that slow? “Dear diary, I walked two hundred feet today. What a workout!”

Nah, but I do wonder how much of the path is monster-laden if you did translate that into real time. Especially at night when all the zombies come out.

I like that the crowds at the market have a few different lines of dialogue.

Shop! “I heard that there’s a monster who eats Hylian shields!” What kind of weirdly specific rumor is that? I mean, I guess that in a land where random zombies spring up every night, it’s not too farfetched to think that ordinary people would carry around shields just in case, but that’s so specific.

Lon Lon Ranch

If you’re reading this, hi, Bergs. I finally know what Lon Lon milk is.

Heehee. There’s a spirit in a bottle and the caption is that you should “sell it to someone who is crazy about weird things like this.”

Link, how would you know that there’re people who’d pay a lot for this? You’ve lived in your little elf village your whole life.

Bottled fish. With all your sword swinging and running, that doesn’t seem very... practical.

All this stuff about needing containers... Screw the lot of you, I’m gonna carry all this stuff in my mouth.

Mask shop sounds interesting.

OH SHIT WHY DIDN’T MY SAVE WORK? I FAILED AT THE SHOOTING GALLERY, SO I FIGURED I’D JUST TRY AGAIN AND NOW I’M BACK AT MY TREE HOUSE. WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK? WHAT DID I DO?

I WAS SO SURE I SAVED BEFORE THIS.

No Ocarina dialogue, which would imply that this IS a newer save file than what I started with. Are there specific reload sites and I just haven’t found the one at the market, then...?

Well... as long as I have to go through the field again, why don’t we check out the Lon Lon ranch?

Can I keep this chicken?

AAAAAA! It’s Waluigi!

I’m the destined hero of Hyrule and I can’t even ride a random horse. Why does nobody appreciate me?

Sooo there’s horses and chickens. Is Lon Lon milk horse milk?

Never mind, I found two lon lons. But that doesn’t seem like a lot of milk...

I can’t actually draw my sword here. I guess Link’s not in the mood for lon lon steak.

Really, though, I can (uselessly) attack chickens and horses, why’s here different?

Oh, also. This place doesn’t have any gates to get to the main entrance. The only doors are for the two cows and the chicken house. Why don’t they have a zombie problem like on the outside?

Back at the market and... there’s a bowling alley with neon lights. That’s a tad surreal.

Owl is telling me that the Lon Lon ranch and random towns are magical and time passes differently there. That’s... interesting?

Suspicious rock with a sign saying dead end. I’m guessing the sneaking hole is here, but I dunno what to do about the rock. Maybe there was an item in town. Like the bomb.

Navi telling me to go to the castle. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?

There’s a little door at the side of the castle that I can’t open. ??????

Welll... There’s Lon Lon Dad.

And a watering hole that I can’t jump to no matter the angle, but it IS the only hole I see. That and the suspicious boulder way near the beginning.

Thrown out again.

Lon Lon child gave me an egg. Aaaand that’s an hour, so I’m done for the day (Unless work closes at a reasonable time today so I can play at night?) Except I don’t know where I can save that won’t make me have to start at the damn treehouse again. ‘4′

#otter's liveblog tag

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commanderlurker · 8 years

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Tuesday

Monday

Cullen’s wearing his blue shirt. Must be Tuesday. Fuck, how can it only be Tuesday? Jesus Christ. At least I brought lunch today. Sure it’s left over pizza, but still, making an effort, right? I’ll get that loaf of bread on my way home tonight. Definitely.

Urg. Whose salad is that in the fridge? Right. Dorian. Who else could’ve made it. Wonder what else’s in here. Let’s see… yoghurt, more yoghurt, some kind of soup. Not sure if it started life as soup but it’s soup now. Ew. Gross. That one’s a biohazard. I’ll just… yeah. Close the fridge.

Coffee? Anyone want coffee? Just me? Well, I am the only one here.

Oh thank the Lord, the coffee machine is fixed. And I’ve got my special cup. Yes. Today is going to be a good day. I can feel it in my loins.

“Morning, Lou.” Speaking of loins...

“Hey, Bull. How’s it?” Yes, today is going to be a very good day. God. Look at him. Like, really look at him with his top buttons undone showing a scandalous amount of chest. “I like your shirt.” Yes. Good. Nice excuse to be staring at his chest.

“Thanks. Had it a while. You’re looking happy today.”

Oh my God. Don’t blush. Just smile. Yeah, that’s a good one. “Well, I got coffee. What more could I want?” You to lay your hands all over me. Just once. Or twice.

“Heh. I know, right? See you round.”

Okay. Got my coffee fix. Got my Bull fix. No mail duty for me. Straight into work. Clear out those emails. Ha! Cassandra’s done the reply all to the Friday night drinks email. Classic. And Blackwall’s gotten in on it too. These guys. Ah, shit. What’s this? System upgrade… Change to payment cut off… Fuck. Fuck and shit why did this have to happen. Now I have to have all my invoices processed by lunchtime! This is bull shit. I’m calling my union rep. Except I’m not in the union, am I? What one would I be in? Is there a union for generic office drones?

Just hunker down and do your work, Lou. It’s only one day. Got that raid to look forward to tonight, remember? The whole guild’s gonna be there. Aww yeah. Get in.

Work work work work work. Something something work work work. I don’t think she was singing about this kind of work…

Oh, and there’s Solas. Late as usual. With an even bigger cup of coffee this time. Maybe he keeps his ego in there.

Urg. This provider hasn’t totaled the hours. God. Do I have to do everything for them? Where’s my calculator? No, come on Lou, use your head. Give that brain a workout. Right. Three and a quarter, plus four and a half, plus three and three quarters… I don’t have any quarter length fingers… watch. I’ll draw a watch face… and… okay. Does that look right? That doesn’t look right. Gonna add it up again. Same answer. Still doesn’t look right. Fuck it. Gonna check with the calculator. Doop doop doop. And I was right! Would you look at that! Genius. I knew that arts degree would come in handy.

Woah, hey! Where did these forms come from? They just appeared! Out of nowhere! Where’s Leliana? She must have dropped them off without saying anything. Or maybe I was so engrossed with my work that I didn’t notice her. I should thank her next time I see her.

Right. God. Look at them all. What’s the time? Morning tea time yet? Please let it be ten--

Nine fifteen.

Why God! Whhhhy? How can this be?

“Are you okay there?”

Shit. Caught having an existential breakdown. Say something, Lou. Cullen’s staring at you like you’re having a stroke. Am I having a stroke? No. You’re being a fucking idiot. “Yeah, I’m good. No worries. Thanks.”

“Okay then. I was wondering about this invoice…” What’s this? Cullen asking for my advice? My opinion? Like I know what I’m talking about. Jesus. He’s kinda leaning into me. He smells pretty good. Freshly showered and with some musky masculine deodorant. My god. I’m not attracted to him, am I? He is kinda hot. God, don’t go there Lou. One office crush is enough. You don’t need two.

“Yeah, so I think that one is the client number, and that one is the customer number. I think they just got them around the wrong way. No need to send it back though.” That sounded helpful. And I think I even managed to say the right thing.

“You don’t think?”

“About sending it back? No. I mean, that client is only in the system as a client, so they’re clearly not a customer as well. There’s no confusion. Other than that they’ve put the numbers in around the wrong way.”

He’s tapping his chin and frowning. Why is he making such a big deal about this? Just use your initiative, Cullen! I know you’ve got it! That’s why you wear the same shirts on the same days every fucking week! You’re an individual!

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I think I’ll check with Vivienne.”

“But--”

“Thanks, Lou.”

What the fuck, Cullen? You come all the way over here to ask for my advice and you’re just going to ignore it anyway? Jesus Christ. What’s the point of me even being here. Fine.

God, I’m thirsty. Tea. I’ll go make a tea. But morning tea is soon. I can last.

No. No I can’t. Gonna make tea.

No one in the break room. Good. I can scratch my arse. And look out the window. Look at all that sunshine. Look at it all. And look where I am. Breathe, Lou. Give it another year and you’ll have enough saved up to leave and see all the sunshine you want.

Blerg. This milk smells off. Ew, it tastes off too. Gross. I’ll just put it back… No! Don’t do it! Break the cycle! Chuck it out!

Down the sink you go, glug glug glug.

“What are you doing? Stop!” What? Leliana? “I was keeping that.”

For what? Don’t ask. Just apologise. “Sorry. I didn’t know.” Easy does it. Put the lid back on. Put the rancid milk away because Leliana is keeping it. Christ on a cracker. Okay. Lesson learned. Do not use initiative.

I’m just gonna be nice and quiet and no one will bother me. Shit this tea is awful. Should’ve stuck with coffee.

Work work work work work.

Email. Ignore. No, better read it. Hmm. Nope, ignore.

Work work work--god damn that fucking song.

Aaand, it’s time for morning tea. Better not fuck about. Got to get this pay run done by lunchtime because someone is doing a system upgrade. Probably Dorian. Why can’t he do it after hours like a normal person. He probably has a social life. Definitely has a social life. Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, Lou. You got friends! They just all live in other parts of the country. Or overseas. And you’ve never met them. Or know what they look like. No, I know what Alistair looks like. We’re Instagram friends! And he has a cute doggie. Bet the dog would be better at tanking than him. Anyway. Morning tea.

Got my boiled egg. Got my kiwifruit. One cancels out the effects of the other. Second coffee of the day. And would you look at that? Bull’s waving me over. Only Dorian is making a beeline too. Shit. We’re on a collision course. Outta my way Dorian, that man is mine. Take no prisoners, Lou. Trip the bastard if you have to.

Yes, he’s backed off. That empty spot is all mine. And what a graceful flop onto the couch. Managed a shoulder brush, too. Oh he smiled at me. Best. Day. Ever.

“What’s with the eggs?”

“Huh?” Way to go, Lou.

“The eggs. You have one every day.” Look at him, engaging with you in conversation. You could be the only two people in existence right now.

“They’re healthy, you know? Protein, so I can build my guns. Ha! Not guns like yours though. Yours are something else! Ha ha!” God, I cannot take myself anywhere. “And I just really like peeling boiled eggs.” Why did you say that? What the fuck compelled you to say that? Now he’s going to think you have an egg fetish!

“You ever try duck eggs? They’re pretty good, too.”

“Fuck, yeah! I love them! Hadn’t had them for a while thought. Haven’t seen them in the supermarket.” I’ve never had duck eggs in my life.

“Have you tried that boutique place in the mall? I’ve seen them there before. Quail eggs too. They’re tiny though. Now, ostrich eggs, those are real eggs!” God I love his laugh. He’s amazing. Look at us, talking about eggs. Hey, Bull, I got some eggs you can get your hands on if you know what I mean.

God I hate myself. “The mall you reckon? I’ll hit it up at at lunch time. Cheers.” Ask if he wants to come with you.

“Well, I got to get back to work.”

Damn. Now he’s leaving. Don’t leave. Holy shit this couch is like a waterbed. Don’t think about rolling around on a waterbed with him. And don’t fall into his gravity well.

And he’s gone. Reality flows back in. Right. Everyone else. What are they talking about. Blackwall and his fucking chainsaw. Sera’s staring at Cass like she’s the sun. Or the moon. Something. I don’t know. Dorian. Dorian’s good for a chat. Ask him about that system upgrade. That’ll make it look like you’re engaging with the company and that you care.

Oh, Jesus Mary and Joseph, I didn’t expect to get an entire history lesson on computers. Am I nodding in the right place? What the fuck is an API? Do I have one? How would I know?

Right. All that makes perfect sense. “So…”

“So just make sure your Tuesday payment run is done by one p.m. or your schedule is likely to end up looking like a hoard of buffalo have rampaged through it.”

“Right. Yeah. I better get to it then!” Mutter, mutter, why do I bother.

Payment run. Here we come.

Work work work work--God dammit with that song.

Loading these invoices is going well though. Tuesday’s so much better than Mondays. No shit smeared forms to deal with. Just have to wrangle this spreadsheet so the data imports properly… and something’s out. By ten grand. Fuck. Okay. Don’t panic. You’ve done this before. Bigger numbers are easier to fix than smaller numbers. Ah, here you go. You put an extra zero on this line. Recalculate and… Still out. Fucking shit balls God damn.

Breathe, Lou. Don’t be like Cassandra. Keep those windows closed and that computer inside the building. I need a tea. And a pee. Not in that order. Can’t take my cup to the toilet though. That’s just weird. Fine. Tea room first. Go the long way round so I can spot Bull. Damn. Not there. Okay. Cup dropped off, tea bag in so it doesn’t look like I’m one of those so-called filthy bastards who just dumps their dirty dishes everywhere. And… toilet time. Ooh, could play some Angry Birds. No! No time! Just clearing the head so I can tackle this reconciliation. Round the corner to the loos and… Bull! Leaving the gents. What a pleasant surprise! I wonder if he washes his hands. Kinda don’t care if he doesn’t. Is that gross? It’s gr--

Dorian leaving the gents. And Bull giving his ass what looks to be a friendly and very familiar slap. Quick, hide! Back around the corner.

I knew it. I fucking knew it. That fucking little--wait. Were they leaving the toilets together? Did they… in a bathroom stall? Well fuck me. Except not. Yeah, I really hope he washed his hands. Okay, really need to pee now. Shake those shoulders out, go round the corner and--

Slam face first into Bull’s ample, and may I say, pillowy, chest. Jesus.

“Oh my god, Bull. I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you--”

“Hey, no damage done Lou. Your face okay though?”

“Mmm hmm.” I think my nose is broken. And I really need to pee. “Sorry. Would love to stay and chat but I really need to pee! Bye!”

God fucking dammit. Jesus Christ. Get in there. Sit down. Think about your life. No. Don’t do that. You’ll cry. Don’t cry at work, Lou, please. Just pee, for fuck’s sake. There, ah, yeah, that’s better.

Bull and Dorian. Is it serious? Are they together? Like, boyfriends… or friends with benefits? I hate them both. This shouldn’t surprise me though. Rumor mill says Bull’s had half the office. Not Sera though. Definitely not Sera. Probably not Cassandra either. And not me. Ha! Not me! No, not happy-go-lucky-completely-up-for-it-has-fantasies-involving-photocopiers Lou!

Urg. Just get that payment run done. Got pizza for lunch, remember? And a mission for duck eggs! Don’t forget that! But I’m supposed to be saving my money… But duck eggs. Recommended by Bull. He’s fucking Dorian. What do I care. My life is over.

And I forgot to make the tea. Fuck it. I’m at my desk now.

Email from Leliana. A long and terse email about keeping the kitchen tidy. Ha. And there’s an attachment. Shitting Jesus fuck balls. A photo. Of my cup. Sitting there. On the bench. With a big red arrow that looks like it was added in Paint pointing to the dishwasher. Oh my God. Everyone knows it’s mine because it has my fucking name on it. Oh my God I’m really going to cry now. I have never been more humiliated. I didn’t leave it there negligently! You must understand! I had to go to the toilet and didn’t want to take the cup so I stopped at the tea room first but then I walked in on a private moment between two employees and I was so shaken and upset that I just forgot! Please, don’t make an example of me!

Fuck and here come the reply-alls. Yeah yeah, Blackwall. Laugh it up. Not like you don’t have a whole compost heap of tea bags hidden in your beard.. Ah Jesus, even Cullen is getting in on it. Fuckity fuck trumpets. All of you. I hate you all. I’m going to hand in my resignation. Fuck the pay run. I’ll type it up right now.

Email from Bill. Bull. Is he going to make fun of me, too?

From: Bill Q To: Louise Trevelyan Subject: RE: Re: Re: Please Treat The Kitchen With Respect.

Hey Lou,

D*ck move by Leliana, right? She’s really got it in for you. Don’t know why. You sh*t in her cat milk or something? Don’t let her get to you. Chin up. I got your back.

Bull

Well. That’s nice. No, really. Nice of Bull to send that. Better reply.

From: Louise Trevelyan To: Bill Q Subject: RE: Re: Re: Re: Please Treat The Kitchen With Respect.

Thanks. Yeah. I might’ve poured her rancid milk down the sink this morning. But I didn’t know! The bottle just looked like the regular milk we have and it was off, so I thought I’d use my initiative so we wouldn’t get some bullsh*t email about the fridge being gross. Go me. Won’t bother doing that again.

That’ll do. Hit send. I’m still angry at you though, Bull. Jealous. Envious. Whatever the difference is.

Where was I? Right. Reconciling this fucking pay run. And--

What the shit.

Are you shitting me.

No. Can’t be that simple. Shit. Fucking shit balls! It is that simple! How did I not notice that I was working in the wrong. Fucking. Spreadsheet. Oh my God. Lou. I am going to throttle you.

Get the right spreadsheet up. There. Look. Reconciled first time. Submit. Payment run done.

I can’t fucking believe it. I’m too fucking angry to be relieved. If I’d just paid attention instead of groaning forever then I would have noticed. And I wouldn’t’ve gone to make that cup of tea. And I wouldn’t have seen Bull and Dorian. And I wouldn’t’ve forgotten my tea. And Leliana wouldn’t’ve sent that email. And my life would be fantastic. But instead! You went and did this! To yourself!

Fuck it. I don’t care what time it is. Pay run is done. I’m getting lunch. Have to go into the tea room. The scene of the crime. Hold your head high, Lou. Own it. Wear it. Get your pizza then get the fuck out. Don’t look at that milk.

Right. Got it. Out of here.

And it’s raining. What happened to the sun. Fucking shit balls. Gonna make a dash for my car. Here we go. Keys, keys, gotta get my keys. Don’t drop--

Nice save.

And in. Ah. Good.

Eating pizza in the car at lunch time. Classic Lou. Gonna read. Let my kindle around here somewhere… there. Oh, sauce on the seat. Wipe that off. Cool. Gonna settle down.

Good. book. Good pizza. Makes up for all that shi--who the fuck is that?! Get away! Dorian? It’s just Dorian. Fuck’s sake. Why’s he bothering me and not fucking his boyfriend.

Should wind down the window I suppose. “Yeah?”

“Lou. Have you locked the doors? Let me in. It’s pissing down out here.”

Fine. How does he not look like a drowned rat?

Great. He’s giving me the judgemental-yet-concerned look. “I know Leliana’s email was a bit rude but there’s no need to eat your… that… in the car by yourself.”

“You’re here now.”

“Yes. Quite. Lou,” Oh great. He’s turned to face me. Is this going to be a serious conversation? Is he staging at intervention? “You know I care about you as a sister--”

“What kind of siblings do you have? We’ve never spent more than five minutes outside of work together.”

“I’m an only child.” Huh. Explains a lot.

“Me too.” Explains a lot.

Look at him grinning. Such a charmer. No. I’m angry with him. Remember that.

“Two peas in a pod, you and me.” Dorian. Yeah. A real charmer. “I feel I owe you an apology.”

What? “What for?”

Great. Now he looks rueful. “I feel partly responsible for that email. If you hadn’t seen Bull’s little indiscretion then you woudn’t’ve run off with your tail between your legs and forgotten your tea cup. I know how it is. Can’t take your cup into the toilets and all that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That was not convincing, Lou. He knows it, too.

“I know that you know that you saw us. Don’t pretend.”

“Are you two serious? Do you love each other?” Jesus, Lou. Please say yes. Rip the bandage off. It’ll hurt now but your heart will heal quicker.

“Christ, no.” Damn. But that means there’s still hope. “He just drags me off for a quickie every now and then to help keep the stress levels down. Lord knows I need it working there.”

What. “Are you for real?”

“Yes?”

“I hear he’s done half the office.” Yes, Lou, get the gossip out. But sit back. Don’t look so eager. And why’s your fucking seat belt on?

“Ha! I suppose he has. But wait... Oh. Oh I see how it is. Hmm. Yes.” Why’s he patting my leg in a pitiful way? “He hasn’t approached you, has he. No. How odd.”

“What do you mean?”

Dorian, there’s no need to look around to see if anyone’s eavesdropping. We’re in a car. Does add a frisson of mystery to the conversation though. “Bull’s… how do I put this. A giver. A problem solver. A… sexual therapist, in a way. He doesn’t respond to people asking him out, but when he sees someone in need and if he thinks he can help, then he’ll approach that person and…” And what? And what, Dorian? Don’t you dare leave me hanging. “He’s a kinky fucker, let me tell you. But I’ve told you too much already. I must be going.”

“Dorian!” He’s opened the door! “Dorian, get back in the car.” Shit, he’s closed the door. Wind down the window. “Dorian! This isn’t Fight Club! This is my vagina we’re talking about!” Shit. I did not just yell that into the street.

“See you back at the office, Lou!”

Fucking--

And I never went and got those fucking duck eggs. Too late. May as well just head back and… work work work--No. Stop. I am declaring this day officially over. No more thinking.

I quit.

#Actual DA fic #with some adoribull #do I smell a hint of plot?#shit

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itdisneymatter · 7 years

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Day 01 - Magic Kingdom

Instead of a summary this time around, I'll try to sum up the day in a few words and sentences with a TLDR (too long; didnt read). Mostly to save me from repeating myself too much but also means you can skip on me droming on about nothing.

So the TLDR for today: Magic Kingdom. Custom t-shirts. Magic Bands. Really worth it. Got a good few rides in and hit 2 out of 3 of the mountains. Went for lunch at Belle's castle. Hot, hot, hot. Seen the 3pm parade. Missed out on a few rides but we'll get them in on a return. Everyone really enjoyed it and kicked the holiday off really well. Didnt hit dinner till late. Caught in a thunderstorm on the way home. Soaked.

And now...

First things first, or is that now second. Anyway, I may have missed one or two details in my less than awake state which had an impact on todays events. We had planned, all going well, that we would head to Disney Springs (previously Downtown Disney) to get some Magic Bands - a watch-y thing that replaces your park ticket making it easier for Fast Passes and the like. With all the delays and the tiredness of yesterday it just wasnt a thing we were able to do. Ah well, best laid plans and all that. It meant however that we now had to try and pick them up when we hit the park today, pushing out our plans slightly.

Some of us got personalised t-shirts made up (with our name and a specially selected Disney character), so today was a perfect opportunity to wear them. We skipped on breakfast, and didnt have any bottled water to make a coffee (normally eek but ok for this morning, strangely). Not too hungry anyway so headed to my mum and dad's hotel to pick them up. They are in the same hotel as my sister, so its really convenient as a meet up point as my brother was picking them up in his car and its between both of our hotels. We were pretty spot on time for it being the first day so off we set for Magic Kingdom.

Parked up and within five minutes we stumbled upon a wee gift shop that sold Magic Bands - woohoo! They have different colours and design so Ann picked up a nice wee 45th Anniversary Limited edition number. Patrick went for Sorcerers Apprentice (to match his tshirt.) Robert went for Up (to match his tshirt AAAND favourite Disney movie). Grace went for Orange Bird, who is a wee orange bird (funnily enough) who used to appear is old, Disney animations. We picked up a cup one time on the first visit to Disney (in 2013) and that cup had Orange Bird on it, and Grace has had an affinity with the character ever since. I went for Aladdin. Mum and Dad picked some funky coloured bands and we headed off to the park entrance. Spotted some of the other party (the ones in the second car) in their custom t-shirts so sped up to meet them just in time to board the ferry to the Magic Kingdom entrance. Tshirts already coming in handy with finding peeps, so colour matching tees in the way to go for future outings I think! Ferry was lovely and all of the kids were getting really excited.

So me trying to Facebook Live the Magic Kingdom entry was a complete and utter failure. I didnt even know how to start the thing - I should be as ashamed, calling myself a techie. Though I did get slightly reprimanded taking my phone out as they had a no selfie policy at security, prior to going in. He had a gun, so I pretty much did what he said and put my phone away. I fell back on my trusty Go-Pro (that I havent used since last time, but how hard can it be, right?). Video to follow as my laptop is ancient and I can barely run wordpad nevermind a full 1080p video clip.

Full of smiles we headed in and once we stocked up on some water, a first visit badge for Emily and the others picked up their magic bands, we had 20 minutes to get to to our first fast pass - Splash Mountain in Frontier Land (good job I knew the way :P). Bypassed some rides as well as an opportunity to get Dole Whip (marked down on our initial plans), but we made the ride with 5 minutes to spare - phew!

Magic Kingdom Mountains 1 & 2... check!

Splash mountain. All of the family (save for my Mum, Alessio and Isabella) hit up the ride and it was AWESOME! Grace was quite panicky so was a little clingy (even though she'd been on it before) but Emily and Corrie both first timers absolutely loved it. And for our efforts, our first family ride photo! :D

Then we headed to Big Thunder straight after - ended up riding on my jack jones which was arite though as I go pro-ed the whole thing (our party's reactions, not the ride itself). We did also get a video for our memory maker which we have never had before but its a really fantasticly amazing this to have (even if the photographers does make you hold invisible fairies and set you up in a variety of cheesy poses).

On a role, we then hit Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World (GG's personal fave), Mickey's Philharmagic AND Peter Pan all before lunch. Not bad, for running an hour or so later off plan.

Be. Our. Guest!

Due to availability and a LOT of pre-planning, our wee family were the only ones booked in to Be Our Guest today. We said our goodbyes to the rest of the party and after arranging a meet up point and time we set off for a now, very much needed, lunch. We decided on some really nice menu choices, including a monster Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Barbequed Pulled Pork. The guys also got the infamous "Grey Stuff" for dessert, which seemed to be the kids favourite course of the day. However the star of the show for me was the French Onion Soup which was sublimely awesome (I'd eat this every day and I'm really really not a soup guy!).

We caught back up with the rest of the party after lunch just in time for the 3pm parade, which was only listed as a might-do due to time so really impressed we managed it. Time to get the zoom lens out! :D A side note on cameras - last time we were here I opted to take a reasonably good performing compact camera instead of my main SLR, for accessiblity purposes. While it was good, I always missed the feel and added control of my main camera, so this year its the exact opposite - Im gonna be a packhorse. Quality over comfort! The parade was really colourful and with the smaller kiddos were put up on shoulders so they had a perfect view (however I must add, its quite difficult to take quality photos through a 70-200mm lens mounted on a 5D with a flashgun, I'll have you know).

After cycling through most of the main Disney Princess movies in the Parade (except Frozen, which was kinda dissapointing, mainly as *I* wanted to see Elsa), Mickey and Mickey signed off the show to resounding cheers and waves and applause.

ROARRRRRRR!!!

A little time to go before our last listed Fast Pass of the Day - Seven Dwarves Mine Train, so we queued up for Enchanted Tales With Belle beforehand. The main premise is that kids (and some adults), volunteer to get chosen to reeact a little scene with Belle. For one of the main roles, The Beast, kids must roar their loudest and Grace got chosen! (though I shouldnt really be surposed by that). She was all chuffed and kept saying her and Robert had switched roles from last time with Robert now playing the part of the mighty steed Snaggleforp, or whatever the horses name is (its late and and I'm not going to google Belle's hor..., right fine... its Phillipe). Patrick, Robert, Corrie and Emily were also picked to be part of the show. Even Kevin was picked as a Knight in shining armor - which he played brilliantly (mostly it was about standing still, but still, brilliantly). They all got presented with a little bookmark as a small token, at the end for taking part.

By now, everyone was feeling a little drained so decided after Seven Dwarves that we would head for home and grab a bite to eat. We are going to be back at Magic Kingdom at least one other time when we can prioritize Tomorrowland, so everyone was on board. Seven Dwarves, I ended up on my own again after having lost my little sidekick Gracie (who opted out of the ride). I didn't mind though as I had my Gopro already to go again. I was slotted in on the first seat with a lady, who immediately asked my name and introduced herself (as Martha?... maybe, it was loud and after two attempts of saying 'what' you just need to go along with it). She just started chatting away all through the ride. In fact, just today loads of people just started up full blown convo's with me out of the blue - I mustve been rocking a approachable/chatterbox vibe in my backward facing hat and camera loadout. Those of you who know me, know me as anything but (listen I try, but I'm the first to admit I'm pretty terrible with words and interesting conversation at times). That being said, it was great to chat with so many different people around the world and just goes to show how friendly and amazing this place really is.

A wee cheeky ride on the Speedway for a few folk, a quick tee shirt pic in front of the castle and we headed home.

An absolutely amazing day with Splash mountain being the clear favourite for most of the kids. And although we missed out on a section or two, we still got loads of rides in and everyone was content with general flow how the day. With everyone on the same wavelength I think its gonna make this holiday a really magical one (sorry for the being soppy, Im getting tired, but we're nearly there).

Thunder and Lightning, very very frightening.

Michael & Sarah-Jane decided to grab some dinner and get an early night so we said our goodbyes for the day. We headed out to the shop after getting back to the hotel to grab so Beers and water (in order of priority obvs), as well as a few other bits and pieces. We then met up with my Mum, Dad, Kev, Pauline and Emily to go for a bite to eat (I just realised I havent formall introduced everyone in the party, Ill get around to that tomorrow, promise). With it being a Saturday most places were pretty packed and after checking out a few places (unsuccessfully), we ended up in Johnny Rockets (which Robert pointed out was where we went the second night the last time after failing to find a place - kids memorys are scary at times). We got seated but the service was SLOOOOOW! I can fault our waitress too much though, she brought me over a freee refill pretty much as soon as I finished my first drink. It instantly reminded me of Steve Buchemi's in that infamous Diner scene at the beginning of Reservoir Dogs...

Mr. Pink: Look, I ordered coffee, alright? And we been here a long *bleeping* time and she's only filled my cup three times. When I order coffee I want it filled six times.

Ok, so it wasnt six times, it was one time, and it wasnt coffee (mmm coffee, I really shoulda went with coffee now that I think about it), but it was the single good thing about the service and one that warranted the tip even if it didnt meet Mr. Pink's stringent tipping criteria.

I actually haven't had an appetite since those prissy little sammiches on the plane. Even at Belle's castle and I wasnt particulary hungry even when we sat down at Johnny Rockets. But hey, do they mak a mean burger! Opted for a Smokehouse, which included some Bacon-y goodness and crispy onion rings - good stuff and nearly worth the wait, nearly... but then again it was a long wait. So the whole experience was fairly ok but then it took a big huge nose dive to round off the night...

When we left the restaurant, its was bucketing it down. I know coming from Scotland we should be used to a little rain, but this was torrential, and we got huge flashes & bangs of thunder and lightening thrown in, in good measure. Big Rain as Grace so eloquently put it (shes just brilliant with words). Our hotel was right across the road, which was handy, but we had to leave the other guys to struggle to their hotel which was pretty much a mile away :(

Ok, I'm delivering this really late and have no time to edit so apologies, I must try harder during the day in future. The images are also taking an age to download, so might not have all the ones I want in by the time this goes up, though Ill try to add more later in maybe a weekly slideshow or something. See you tomorrow for Day 02 - Epcot which will which will likely being unofficially subtitled - Battling The Storm!

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loveyou-maybe-blog · 8 years

Text

Lessons Learned

I LOVE…love.

It’s a four letter word that holds so much meaning. It’s a small and simple enough word that can be used in so many different formats. Love has a universal meaning, yet it means many different things for many different people. Love isn’t simple…not always, at least. Love is complicated…and messy…aaand confusing. Which makes it so darn aggravating. But no matter how difficult it is, no matter how many times it ends and leaves us broken…we always go back for more.

Why is love SO easy in the beginning? It’s almost effortless. It flows fluidly. But with the more time that passes, why does love fade? Why does it take work or more effort after so long? Why do some of us give up and check out at the point where it becomes ‘work’? Why do some of us stay and persevere, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse? It’s interesting, right?

But, when love is good?? Damn, it. is. GOOD. The sun shines brighter. The sky is bluer. The trees and grass are greener. Flowers are more vibrant in color. Life is good. Your man (or woman) can do no wrong. And even when they do, you tell yourself that you love them and that it’s not a big deal. So you “don’t sweat the small stuff”. And over time you continue to sweep that small stuff under the rug. But you’ve swept it under so many times that now it’s a nice little pile that’s built up and created a heap that you can see and feel when you walk over it. And then you snap and unload on your significant other and sweep it all up and throw it away and move on. And then, before long the cycle repeats itself. At what point do we cut ourselves off? How many of us cut ourselves off or are cut off by our boyfriend/girlfriend? When is enough, ENOUGH?

Growing up, my siblings and I spent some time in a foster home. When I was 5, we were adopted. Things were good for a while. My parents ended up getting divorced when I was in middle school. My mother was a stay at home mom and my dad traveled for a living so he was gone frequently. I can’t say that I remember my parents being very affectionate. My dad would kiss my mom as he headed out the door for work, but outside of that I don’t remember them hugging or kissing each other just because. Whenever one was leaving was the only time I recall either of them saying, I love you…at least in front of us kids. I can only remember one instance when they held hands with each other one year at the state fair and it seemed a bit odd then. They sat next to each other at church on Sunday mornings but never sat next to each other on the couch. In general, we weren’t a very affectionate family. Even less so after their divorce. So in high school, during my sophomore year, when I had my first serious long term boyfriend (who happened to attend a different school than I did) would hold hands with me or put his arm around me I always felt awkward. Senior year I still wasn’t used to it.

I never told him I loved him. He told me he loved me for the first time about 3 months after we had started dating but it was at a party and he had been drinking so I told myself he didn’t really mean it and it was just the liquor talking. He professed his love for me several times after that, but it always happened to be when he’d been drinking. So I told my sister and she’d said if he really did love me then he would tell me when he was sober. I thought and felt it, plenty of times. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him. Senior year during spring break we went to a party together and once again, he told me he loved me. So I confronted him and asked why he’d never tell me when he was sober. And he’d said that’s when he felt most comfortable to do it and if I didn’t feel the same way his feelings were less likely to be hurt because he was already drunk. I left the party that night and he broke up with me via text a few days later. It broke me to my core. I cried and cried and cried and swore my life was over and that the world was ending. It was too late to tell him that I did, in fact, love him. He would think I was only telling him to get back together. At least that’s the excuse I gave myself as to why not to pursue him or our relationship any more. High school ended and I moved forward with my life and went on to college. I dated here and there in college but whenever the going got tough I ditched so as not to be hurt again. Consequently, none of my college relationships lasted longer than two-three months.

When I was 21 I met a 25 year old and he was so mesmerizing to me. He seemed to have it all figured out. And he was GOR-GEOUS. But he had been engaged and had two kids at this point and let me know from the beginning that we could be casual but he wasn’t looking for a relationship. So three months in, when he’d introduce me to his friends and family regularly as his girl, I assumed he had changed his mind and that made us official. After 6 months he told me he loved me first, and learning my lesson from high school I was happy to reciprocate my feelings toward him. I was ecstatic so I dropped all my guy friends (who I’d friend-zoned). Like just stopped texting and hanging out with them cold turkey. I wasn’t casual with any of them so to me it was an easy decision. He was definitely more affectionate, and while I wasn’t totally comfortable with it all the time, I had gotten somewhat used to and accepting of it. But after a year, after we’d practically been living at each others apartments, he tells me he’s reconnected with someone and is moving back home to be with her. Utterly speechless and dumbfounded I wanted closure so I asked what went wrong. He told me I didn’t do anything wrong but that he had told me in the beginning that he wasn’t ready for a relationship. This one broke me even more because I had actually told him I loved him. I had allowed myself to feel those feelings and it still didn’t work out. I swore I was done with relationships and that I would just be single and focus on myself for a while.

A year after that I had been working with a company for about 6 months when a coworker who I was partnered with for projects broke up with his girlfriend. We had hung out a few times with other coworkers so we already had each other’s numbers. He would text/call me often to talk about her and get a girl’s perspective of their situation and I didn’t mind being a listening ear. By then, my “ex” had moved back home and wanted to rekindle things so I had my own drama to focus on. So after 5 years, my coworker decided things were really over for him and his ex. He was going through a very rough time. After all, he thought this is the woman he would marry. So we would hang out, and drink, and swap stories. After a while we became intimate. After about three months of the shift in our friendship I started developing feelings. And he called me out on it one day. He wanted to know how I felt about him. So I was honest and told him that I liked him and that my feelings were growing for him. He told me he liked me too, but that we should probably stop because things would get complicated and someone would get hurt. Well, he did say ‘probably’ so I wasn’t about to initiate the break. I was determined to make him do it. Three months after that…the only thing that had changed was that we were hanging out almost every day and I was getting to see how amazing of a person he was. There was no way I was stopping anything at that point. All my apples were in one basket. So I wrote this long heartfelt note that I planned to give him at New Year’s. I took the leap and sent it. His response was basically a drawn out “thanks” but nowhere near the response I was looking for. So I took another leap and asked how he felt about me. He told me he had love for me but wasn’t in love with me. My feelings were hurt of course because, well, nowhere in my note did I say that I was in love, or even falling in love with him so I let him know exactly that. All the same, it was all I needed to hear so I withdrew myself. I started telling him I wasn’t available to hang out as often anymore. I started going on dates to distract myself. And then he pulled me back in within a month by saying that he wasn’t in love with me but that it could get there. All it took was that little sliver of hope. Before long things were back to normal, maybe even better than they were before. At Thanksgiving he invited me to come to his family’s dinner so I gladly went but he introduced me as his friend so it kept me in my place. It’s coming up on the end of year two and it’s starting to really really bug me that I don’t have that title but I’m assuming all girlfriend duties. So I took off. I distanced myself again but not as far as I should have. He managed to pull me back in. As the months went on we continued to get closer and closer and when he asked me if I loved him, I told him yes. I should I high tailed it out of there then because he kissed me but didn’t say it back. A few months after that he did tell me he loved me and I could have burst with happiness. The next couple months went by without a hitch. He had only said he loved me one more time after that but I didn’t want to push it so I left it alone. A few more months go by and while I wasn’t entertaining anyone else I found out that he was. I confronted him about it and swore up and down that I was done this time around. We sat down and had a heart to heart and he said he was unsure of his feelings. That he cared about me deeply. That he saw potential in ‘us’, but wasn’t sure who he was without me. He said he had been in that 5 year relationship and hadn’t spent much time being single and didn’t know who he was without a girlfriend. All I heard was he wanted to have a “hoe year”. I wasn’t about to wait around for it to happen. I didn’t force an ultimatum on him as much as I would have liked but we did both agree that when/if we wanted to see other people that we would let each other know.

This last year, however, has been the most testing. He has started to introduce me as his girlfriend and I’ve graduated from girlfriend to wife duties. But still, he has not said I love you. When I’ve asked if he loves me the answer is always yes. But, he is not IN love with me. Which breaks my heart a little whenever I think of it. And because of that added strain, the little things that were so minute in the beginning aren’t quite so little anymore. Those pebbles have become boulders. And while I love him dearly….I’ve come to learn that no matter how much I love him, my love does not and CANNOT brush away the things that he does that make me feel minute and unimportant. The fact that it’s been 4 years and I’ve so patiently and STUPIDLY given my love so freely to him. How I’ve devoted and committed these last 4 years of my life to someone who didn’t deserve it. When I could have been with someone who is willing to take that RISK of being hurt again. Sometimes it doesn’t work out….and sometimes it does. But when it does…? You’re thankful that you gave it another shot.

There’s a saying that women will love time and time and time and time again no matter how many times her heart is broken, but a man’s heart will get broken once and he will vow ‘never again’. That’s where he’s at. But this woman? This woman has realized her value. She’s realized how rare she is. And while this one didn’t work out for her, she’s remained open to the next possibility.

#love

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