#also i normally go to a different coffee shop in town because i like their coffee better but i was like compelled to go to the one i went to

[clowngremlin]

Went for a walk to a coffee shop I go to near my grandma's house because they had iced tea lemonades and I was only going to get a small one because I didn't have too much money, and the lady at the counter said she had made a large peach one for someone by accident and they had wanted a raspberry one, and if I wanted it, she could give it to me for the price of the small, and I wanted a peach one anyways.....good things do happen sometimes <3

[rosenclaws]

Different Side of the Track || 50's Greaser!Logan smut

summary: All your life your parents had created the perfect image of their daughter that you were forced to fit into but when you went off to college and came back with a degree they were nothing but ashamed. Claimed that it wasn't a ladies place to be educated like that. So why not ruin their good family image even more and sleep with the older hot and mysterious man with a motorcycle.

warnings: MINORS DNI, SMUT, fem!reader, breast play, doggy style, rough sex, dirty talk, unprotected sex, borderline abusive family, sexism, harassment from a group of assholes, violent Logan.

wc: 4.6k

halloween masterlist || join my discord!

a/n: It's my birthday! So to celebrate I wrote this fic because I couldn't get the idea out of my head and god he's hot. Also I didn't really try to do proper 50's talk because I'm lazy and I cannot handle all the research jaldfk;s. This ended up a little angstier than normal, as my fics usually do lol. The ending isn't my favorite but I tried im sorry asdfjkl. Okay anyways I really hope you like it!

You truly hated this town. College was a breath of fresh air and while it wasn’t always easy, it was better than home. You got your degree, proudest day of your life. Even if your parents didn’t show up. Even if you had to smile in the picture by yourself, watching everyone else celebrate with their families. Your parents never understood your want to go to college.

You thought they’d be proud but if anything they were ashamed. They think that a woman pursuing higher education was unladylike. That a woman's place was to stay at home and take care of the kids. They were embarrassed of you, refused to acknowledge any of your achievements.

You wished you could have stayed in your college town but then you got the letter. Your grandmother had passed and you needed to come home. You were heartbroken. Your grandmother was the only one to support you, and helped you when you worked countless hours at the diner to pay for it. She celebrated when the acceptance letter came in and she gave you the biggest hug when you left.

Coming home was a no-brainer, needing to be here for her funeral but now you’re stuck at home with your parents and life is miserable. You were counting down the days until you could get out of here again. You spent as much time as you could out of the house.

Going to work, dreaming of another life. Doing literally anything you could to stay out and away from your parents. That’s how you found yourself here. Taking midnight shifts at the diner to stare at the man sitting at the counter.

Logan. It was sewed onto the patch on his jumpsuit. You don’t even know his last name but you do know that you want to know everything about him. He worked at the mechanic shop right across the street. He was dark, brooding, mysterious. He didn’t talk to anyone. Just ordered one black coffee and sat there with the paper. This was a small town and you had never seen or heard of him before.

“You’ll catch flies if you don’t shut your mouth there pumpkin.” You feel a hand on your jaw and you swat it away. Betty, your coworker was grinning like a madwoman. She was a sweet old lady who has worked at this diner for longer than you’ve been alive.

“Oh hush.” You look down at your order sheet. Sketches of your patrons fill the empty sheets. Mostly drawings of Logan.

“I don’t blame you sweetheart, he’s a dreamboat if I’ve ever seen one.” She sighs dreamily as she looks at him.

“Who is he?”

“Not sure, rolled into town one day. Plenty of rumors, though, say that he was an army guy. Some say that he’s running from the law.” You gasp at the idea.

He couldn’t be a convict could he? You’d never met anyone like that. Though, you feel yourself grow curious instead of fearful. Your whole life you lived in the perfect world. Perfect family with a lot of money and a perfect reputation to uphold. You got the perfect grades, had the perfect friends and still your life felt anything but perfect. You craved something more, needed it. You couldn’t live the rest of your life as someone's housewife. That wasn’t your dream.

“Looks like he needs a refill..” Betty nudges your arm and pushes you forward. You eye the apple pie sitting in the case and steal a slice. No better way to get a man to talk than give him pie right? Clearing your throat you head over and put on a smile.

“Hi Logan.” He looks up from the paper with his usual stony face. A beat passes and he doesn’t speak.

“This is for you, on the house.” You place the pie down in front of him. You shift nervously in your spot as you pour coffee into his cup. He’s never told you his name, does he think you’re a freak or something?

“It’s on your uniform, you know. Your name.” You wince at how horribly awkward this feels. He looks down.

“That supposed to be me?” He grunts out. You tilt your head in confusion before following his gaze. Your guest checks with drawings all over them. Drawings of Logan. You slam your hands down and stuff them in your pocket.

“No! I mean, yes but it’s nothing. Just drawings I. I’m sorry.” Logan just looks at you and you walk off in shame.

Mentally kicking yourself as you sulk back to the kitchen. Betty takes over serving him as you silently wait on the remaining people. By the time your shift is over your back aches and you’re still replaying that moment in your head.

“See you tomorrow Betty!” You say as you put on your coat.

“Hold on dear, this is for you.” She hands you a napkin and winks. Confused, you open it up to see messy handwriting. 

Thanks for the pie doll

-Logan

Logan has come by every night since then. Ordering one black coffee and you sneak him whatever pie is left. Sometimes it’s apple, other days it’s pecan. Today’s pie is pumpkin. Just in time for the fall season. He’s still a man of few words but he’s always polite. Pays and says thank you with that handsome voice of his. You’ve gathered some information on him. Mostly from the town gossip.

The group of boys, greasers who would often come by and cause a ruckus, idolized him. He drove a motorcycle, fixed cars, and smoked like there was no tomorrow. In some weird way he’s become their parental figure. Not that he really gave a shit but he worked with them at the shop and he took care of them when he needed to. He strolled in again today. This time he looks at you and throws you a wink. It’s a little routine the two of you have now. Not much talking but it’s nice. You think you’ll be able to get him to open up soon enough.

“Thanks doll.” Logan says as he sits on the worn stool. You hand him his coffee and pie, already prepared just the way he likes it.

“So, do I get to know your last name yet?” He smirks and takes a sip of his coffee.

“How about you fetch me a napkin first. Then I’ll think about it.” You roll your eyes playfully and he smiles. The door jingles and you hear the sound of obnoxious laughing. You look up to see the jerkiest looking boys you’ve ever seen. They wore letterman jackets that seemed too small and talked too loud.

One of the boys, a blonde guy who seemed vaguely familiar whistles at you. You hold back a scoff as you walk over to their table. They’re looking you up and down with a gaze that makes you shiver. Absolute jerks.

“Hey sweetheart, why don’t you be a good girl and get us some milkshakes.” You clench your jaw as you jot down their order.

It dawns on you that you know exactly who that guy is. David Scott. He was in your high school class. Quarterback, the popular guy every girl in school wanted, and the worst human being you’ve ever met. He was nothing but a no good bully. It seems fitting he’s never truly moved on from this town as he was dumber than a bag of rocks. Logan catches your eyes as you head back to the counter. Preparing their order and trying to tune out their annoyingly loud voices. Before you head back with their order you top off Logan’s coffee.

“You know drinking this much caffeine can’t be good for you.” You say.

“And yet you’re still serving me.” He shoots back. You shrug your shoulders and smile, he’s got you there.

“Hey! You done serving grandpa over there.” Logan growls and his grip tightens on his cup.

“Ignore them, they’re nothing but a bunch of idiots.” You say under your breath. You bring the tray of drink over and set them down.

“Anything else?” You ask through gritted teeth.

“Nope.” David whispers something to his friend before moving his hand and spilling his shake all over you and the floor. His friends burst out laughing and you bend down to clean up the mess. Counting down the seconds until they leave. You’re too focused on cleaning to hear David whisper to his friend.

“Watch this.” You hear the stool fall and suddenly you’re pushed to the ground.

“Get off me!” You turn around and see Logan holding David by the collar of his shirt. Teeth bared and a dangerous look in his eyes.

“Logan!” You scramble to your feet as he shoves David into the booth.

“Think you’re funny bub? You’re lucky she’s here or I’d beat you to a pulp.” He growls, eyeing his friends who are now cowering in fear. You stand stunned as Logan seems to command the room.

“I’ll give you ten seconds to scram or I’ll make good on my promise.” He rolls up the sleeves of his jumpsuit and grins. You’ve never seen a group of boys in so much panic.

“And don’t forget to pay.” Logan says with a smirk. They throw down more than enough money and bolt out the door.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.” You say softly as Logan seems to calm down.

“Fuckin’ idiots.” He shakes his head and gently pushes you away from the mess.

“Broken glass doll, gotta be careful.” Silently the two of you clean up the mess, him scooping up the glass and you cleaning the table.

You watch carefully as he handles the glass, watching to make sure he doesn’t cut himself. You see a piece of glass slice his hand and you hurry to the back to get a band aid. However when you come back the cut is gone, maybe it was just strawberry? The clock strikes 4am and the new waitress comes through the door, relieving you of your duties. He waits for you to clock out and walks you out the door.

“Thank you again Logan.” He just shrugs and lights a cigarette.

“Let me walk you home.” He offers and you accept. The walk is silent as you head to your home. You eye his cigarette and he notices. He holds it out to you and you take it. Taking a puff and immediately coughing it back up. Logan chuckles as he takes it back.

“Never smoked before?” You shake your head and he just smiles. Figures.

You’re much too sweet to have done anything bad. Just looking at the houses around him he knows that you’re as high society as they come. When you reach your house Logan stands on the sidewalk, watching as you walk up the driveway. You look at your door and then turn around to hurry back to Logan. Leaning in you kiss his cheek and he almost drops his cigarette.

“Bye Logan.” You bite your lip as you slowly walk back. As you walk through the door you hear him call to you.

“Howlett, my last name is Howlett.” 

Your sweet night with Logan turned sour the minute you woke up. Your parents were down at the breakfast table. Scowling with disappointed looks on their face. Oh great what else is new.

“You need to quit.” Your dad says and you laugh.

“What?”

“Do you know how embarrassing it is for us to tell people you’re working at a diner? You come home smelling like smoke? It’s insulting the family!” Your mother hisses and you feel tears well up in your eyes. You knew they were cruel but to hear those words from your own mother. It hurt.

“I am an adult, I don’t have to listen to you anymore.”

“As long as you’re living here you do. Now go down and tell them or I will.” Your father stands and stares you down. You feel so fucking helpless. It’s true. You’re stuck here and the money you’ve saved up isn’t enough to get out of here just yet.

You storm out of the house, letting the tears fall once you’re out of their view. The walk to the diner is miserable. You don’t want to quit, you like your job. Tears fall as you tell your manager, apologizing and leaving with your tail tucked between your legs. You hated this. You longed to be free and now you’re trapped at home.

Sitting on a bench outside of the diner you let yourself cry. Not wanting your parents to see any sign of weakness from you.

“Hey, everything okay doll?” You look up and see a blurry Logan from your watery eyes. He’s got grease and oil on his face and suit. Wiping his hands with a rag.  You shake your head and Logan sits next to you.

“My parents made me quit.” He scoffs in disbelief.

Oh Logan knows all about your father. He wasn’t sure until last night but once he saw your house he knew exactly who your family was. Flaunting their money and status to spit on those lower than them. He serviced your fathers car a few times. Adding pointless upgrades. On the bright side he charges him double and your father doesn’t even bat an eye.

“That’s bullshit.” Logan says angrily. You’ve told him about your life. How disrespectful your parents are. How stupid they can be, anyone should be proud of their daughter getting a degree but they think it’s shameful. You’re smart, pretty, a real perfect girl.

“I don’t know what to do.” You say in such a defeated tone.

“You can always spend time at my work, don’t know if it’s the kind of place you’re used to hanging around but-” He gets cut off as you lunge at him. Hugging him tightly as you seek comfort in his arms. He freezes but slowly places his arms around you. Your perfectly crisp and clean dress was now dirty by his hands but you don’t care.

“I owe you so much Logan, you’ve been a real life saver.” You don’t want to let go. He’s toned, even with the jumpsuit over him. He’s strong and his arms are so warm and welcoming.

“Don’t worry about it doll, can’t stand to see a pretty girl like you so upset.” You lean up and kiss his cheek again. He grins as you scoot closer to him. Suddenly he pushes you back. You’re confused until you see your father pulling up next to the diner. Oh god did he see anything?

“You quit?” He asks, glaring at the dirt on your dress.

“Yes. I quit.” You say unhappily but he doesn’t care. He shifts his eyes to Logan.

“What happened there?” He says accusingly, you know your father wouldn’t hesitate to threaten Logan despite Logan being much stronger. It’s the egotistical nature of him.

“She fell, I caught her.” Logan lies so easily. Your father hums and drops it to your relief.

“I need you to look at my car tomorrow, something’s wrong with the brakes.”

“Got it.” Logan says casually and you can see your father roll his eyes. He drives off leaving the two of you on the bench.

“Say, why don’t you come by with your father tomorrow. I’d be happy to show you a few things” Logan offers, a flirty tone to his voice.

He walks off before you can respond, needing to get back to work. You throw the idea around in your head as you head back home. There’s no denying that Logan is hot. Really hot. He’s everything your parents hate. Lower class, older, doesn’t care about their status. It would drive them insane if you started to hang around a guy like him.

Though you don’t want to just use him to get back at your parents. You really do like him. It’s a win win in your head. Smiling to yourself you already start to pick out your outfit for tomorrow.

Ready to cause a little chaos. 

Your father didn’t understand why you wanted to come with him but you gave him so stupid excuse and he bought it. Your father pulled the car in and threw the keys at Logan. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes but Logan does it for you. Despite Logan being much more knowledgeable about cars, your father still talks down to him. It’s rude and classist and you hate it.

“I’d like to stay, you know, make sure nothing goes wrong.” Your father scoffs but leaves you be.

“He’s real lucky I don’t punch his lights out.” Logan mutters as he pops the hood of his car.

“I’m really sorry, you don’t deserve that.” Logan shrugs. He’s used to it by this point.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about me.” He leans over and kisses your cheek.

He wipes off a seat for you to sit on and you watch him work. There’s something about the way he moves that’s just…attractive. His muscles strain in his jumpsuit, sweat drips down his face. And the noises, god the noises. The grunts when he moves something heavy. Then he does the unthinkable. He unzips his jumpsuit, taking off the top half and tying it around his waist. Leaving him in just a white tank top.

Now you really have a show. You don’t know how much time has passed and you don’t care. Slowly the garage empties as people head to lunch until it’s just you and Logan. Logan can feel your eyes on him. In fact he loves it. Your cute face is staring at him like a piece of meat. He can see you shift on the leather stool. He can smell how bad you want him. It’s desperate, almost pathetic how badly you want him. He stands up, making sure to flex his arms as he sets down the wrench. 

“You alright doll, you look a little hot?” Logan feigns concern as he steps closer to you. Placing his hands on the workshop table. Caging you in.

“I’m okay.” You eye his chest shamelessly, eyes traveling down to the bulge in his suit.

“Yeah? I don’t know…” He slowly takes your sweater off. Leaving your arms bare and your cleavage on show for him.

“I’m not sweet doll, not gonna treat you like a good girl.” He growls in your ear and you whimper. Oh you need him bad.

“I’ll break a sweet thing like you, but something tells me you want that.” You grab his face and smash your lips to his. It’s messy and dirty, teeth knocking against each other as you fight for dominance. Logan slips his hands under your dress, lifting you up to the workbench and stepping in between your legs. Your hands are locked in his hair. Tugging hard as he deepens the kiss. He groans into your mouth. His hands rip your dress at the top. You gasp as his lips trail down your neck leaving sloppy wet kisses until he reaches your boobs.

“Fuck.” He squeezes your chest roughly, purring at the feeling of them in his hands.

“So cute.” He says with a wink as he leans down and bites your nipples roughly. He promised he wouldn’t be nice and he meant it. He shamelessly grinds his bulge against your wet panties.

“Dirty girl, letting a no good mechanic touch you like this. What would your daddy say hm?” He taunts as his hands move to slip up your dress. Pulling your panties down and stuffing them in his pocket.

“Who fucking cares?” You spit out as you grind your hips. Soaking his suit with how wet he’s made you.

“Oh, pretty girls got a mouth on her.”

“Just hurry up!” You whine as you slip your hands under his tank top.

Lifting it over his head so you could get the view of his muscular body. He unties his jumpsuit and yanks it down, letting his hard cock free. To your surprise he picks you up and brings you to your dads car.

“Turn around.” He lifts your dress up and bends you over the hood of the car. His hands run across your ass, squeezing and admiring the view as he slowly grinds his cock along it. The tip of his dick slides in and you moan.

“Yeah, feels good doesn’t it doll.” He says cockily as he renders you utterly speechless.

The stretch is unbelievably amazing as he bottoms out. You whine as you feel every vein, every twitch of his cock inside of you. He’s so big. Everything about him is big. His presence, his arms, his cock. He was just big. He barely gives you anytime to adjust before fucking hard into you. Your hands claw for anything to hold onto. The hood of the car is too slippery so Logan just pins your arms behind your back instead.

“Naughty, naughty girl.” Logan huffs as he leans down to bite your ear. His pace is relentless. Pounding the words right out of you.

“Letting me fuck you on your daddies car.” He puff his chest out proudly. He’s tearing you apart on your asshole fathers car. Making you moan his name as he desecrates his car.

“Feels so good Logan. Oh god!” His cock hitting that perfect spot in you every time. Over and over. It’s unrelenting. You involuntarily shift your hips. The pleasure becomes overwhelming.

“Where are you going doll? I’m not done with you yet.” He lets go of your hands and grabs your hips, pulling you back on his cock with a bruising grip.

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” You beg wildly as you move your hips back to meet his thrusts.

“Not planning on it.” He tilts his head back in pleasure as he pounds into you. He feels you clenching tightly around him. Your legs are quivering under him. There’s grease smudged all over your body, your face.

You catch a glimpse of yourself in the reflection of the windshield. You’re completely disheveled, hair a mess. Makeup smeared and clothes torn. You look absolutely filthy and you love it. You can see Logan’s abs flexing as he thrusts his hips. His hands run up your sides. Taking you by the shoulders to slam you back on his cock. A weak cry leaves your throat with every thrust. Finally you break. A desperate, strangled moan as your body quakes. Shaking and rocking you right to your core.

“That’s it doll, I’ve got you.” He leans down and nudges his nose into your neck. Kissing softly as his thrusts slow just for a moment. Letting you breathe. You’ve never felt more happy in your life.

Logan kisses the side of your head as his hips grow sloppy. Chasing his release and savoring the feeling of your tight pussy squeezing him. With a loud groan he pulls out and finishes on your ass. Your eyes close as your body feels like it's melting. You can barely stand. Logan wipes you down with a clean rag, loving how fucked you appear to be. 

“I got you.” He gently picks you up and brings you to a bench. Laying his clean jacket over you as you will your legs to stop shaking.

“You alright?” He’s got a devilish grin on his face as he redresses himself. Somehow it’s like he’s back to normal while you’re wrecked.

“Perfect, oh my god you’re amazing.” You lean back into the bench and sigh happily.

“What the hell is going on here?!” You shoot up and see your father storming towards you angrily. You’re a mess and you don’t think Logan can lie his way out of this one. He’s angry. Really angry.

“You are nothing but a disappointment and you have been ever since you were born! A disgrace to the whole family! To the town! Doing such horrible things with the likes of him.” He snarls as he points at Logan. You’re stunned into silence.

“I have the right mind to never let you out of the house again you ungrateful little-”

Logan steps in front of him and he tries to hit Logan right in the face but fails miserably. You gasp as Logan pushes him against his car. You watch as boney claws shoot from his hands. Your father squirms in fear as the tips of his sharp claws grow closer to his neck.

“Shut the fuck up.” Logan growls.

“You’re a real fucking dick and a sorry excuse for a father. If I ever see you come near her again I’ll fucking kill you.” He lets go of your father and watches as he runs away. Yelling about mutant freaks. Logan turns back to you, a cold look settling on his face when he sees your face. Now you know his secret.

“You’re a mutant.” You say in awe. To his shock you reach out for him instead of running away.

“I am.” You admire the claws, how amazing.

“Beautiful.” His mouth gapes open as you pull him closer.

For once someone is looking at him like he’s normal, like he’s not a freak of nature. He longs for this but he knows your dad won’t go down quietly. He’ll tell the whole town.

“Look doll, you’re too good for this town. You’re too good for me.” He brushes your cheek softly.

“I can’t stay here anymore and you need to go home. Pretend you never met me. You’re a smart girl and you have a bright future ahead of you.” Logan takes his hand away and walks away.

“Logan!” You throw off his jacket, you're limping slightly but you refuse to let him go. He’s quick on his feet, already shedding his work clothes for his normal ones. A leather jacket thrown over his tank top. His motorcycle is out back. He’s got a backpack already packed and ready to go. Like he was waiting for this moment to happen.

“Take me with you!” You stand in front of his bike.

“What?” He asks in disbelief.

“Please, I hate this town. I have money saved. I can help but please don’t leave me.” You move closer to him, taking his hand in yours.

“I can’t live like this anymore, Logan. I’d give it all up to be with you”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“It’s not your choice. It’s mine so please, take me with you.” He wants to say no. To leave you here. It would break your heart and his but it’s what's best. But a part of him wants to be selfish. He could protect you, he could take care of you. But he fears you’d regret it eventually.

He’s overthinking and you can tell. You grab his jacket and kiss him gently. He groans as he slips his arms around you.

“Please.” You beg softly.

“I can’t promise you the life you’re used to.” He warns but his resolve is slipping.

“I don’t care.” He sighs and kisses you again. It’s becoming addicting. You’re completely addicting.

“Hop on doll,” He throws his leg over the bike and waits.

You waste no time jumping on behind him. Wrapping your arms around his waist as he revs his motorcycle. You lean into him and smile. He stops so you could say goodbye to Betty and grab a bag of clothes. He waited at the door, a grin on his face as his claws were proudly shown off to your parents.

Then he drives. Away from your horrible family and the horrible town. Your future is uncertain but with Logan, you’re confident things will work out.

He’s all you need. 

[sofiareidings]

Coffee Runs

Summary: The guy who's been coming to the cafe you work at finally asked why you've never called him by his name.

A/N: I'm sorry this story is so late, especially since I missed Monday's post. School has been so busy this week and I've also had a bunch if extracurricular lately. I'll try and be more on time from now on (Don't hold me to that) Also! I got the idea for this one shot from @hanllo-kitty

Word Count: 0.8k

Song Suggestions: Invisible String - Taylor Swift

It was a good job, a great job really. The cafe was in a nicer part of town and people would subconsciously give nice tips so your pay was good. Rarely were customers terrible. Most people that came in were students or really busy people rushing in and going.

There were a few regulars. Like Joe, Joe was an eighty year old man who came in everyday for a coffee and a sandwich. While he waited he would talk about the lotto numbers and how his kids were doing. There was also Lola, she was a journalist who spent most of her day sitting in the corner of the cafe while refilling the same cup until closing.

But there was only one regular you would think about while getting ready for work.

Come on, I don't know his name. Don't shoot the messenger.

He'd been coming in for the past three months almost everyday, right after the cafe opened for a coffee. He always looked a little tired and acted like it too. He barely made conversation and normally shuffled out of the store in the same fashion as the other overworked people; quickly.

You hadn't learned his name yet. He always seemed to forget to say it when you asked, which resulted in you making up something.

"Guy with the sweater vest!"

"Guy in the purple!"

"Guy with the scarf!"

You get the point.

He was your favourite regular because of his looks. God, even when he was incredibly sleep deprived he looked beautiful. He had brown hair that fell just below his sharp jaw. Brown eyes that always happened to be in the light from the cafe window, making the small gold flakes in his eyes shine. He was normally dressed in a sweater vest and neutral pants, he probably worked at some type of office. The one part of him that stood out in his outfits were his converse, odd for the rest of his outfit. You could've sworn a few times you saw brightly coloured mismatched socks.

***

The sound of the cafe bell echoed through the nearly empty shop, having only opened half an hour ago. Smiling in the direction of the person walking in you quickly noticed it was 'Guy with *whatever he had on*" who came in. Something was different, he had thick glasses on. That was new.

"Hey, just the regular coffee and donut?" You put the order into the computer, looking back up at him. Taking in the new look.

"Yeah, thanks." His lips creased into a line, you called it a tired smile, the same one he made everyday. He handed over his money and poured the change into the tip jar then stepped back to wait for his order.

A couple minutes later you came back to the counter with his order. "Guy with the glasses!"

He did his usual, smiled and grabbed his order saying bye. But just when he reached the threshold of the door he paused and turned. "Why do you do that?"

Having already turned around you paused, this was the first time he'd talked to you in a clear voice. You weren't really sure what he meant. "Do what? Did I get your order wrong?"

He cleared his throat and seemed a little frustrated. "You never say my name, you just call me guy with something. Is it just to annoy me?"

"What? No, you've just never told me your name." Laughing a little, realising the misunderstanding.

"I didn't?" His face changed to confusion, "Oh my gosh, I didn't." He realised his mistake then his face flushed a shade of red.

"Don't worry, it's okay. Guy with the glasses." You laughed, looking around the cafe for a minute, strange it was still pretty empty.

"I am so sorry, I thought I told you and you just wanted to annoy me. I feel like a jerk, you seem so nice." Genuinely sorry he apologised profusely. "Can I make it up to you?"

Deciding to take the chance, you'd been daydreaming about this guy for months. "Well, maybe you could take me on a date." A little shocked by your own boldness, your face went up like twelve degrees.

"Uh, yeah…" He trailed off, clearly flustered. "Yeah, I would really like that."

"Well then, it's a date." You beamed, internally jumping up and down out of excitement. Since when were you so forward? He made that smile he made everyday before turning towards the door again.

That's when you realised.

"Wait!" You shouted, louder than you expected. Causing your coworker to drop a cup. "You still haven't told me your name."

"It's Spencer. I'll make sure to be back tomorrow." He nodded again and chuckled lightly before finally walking through the door.

God could tomorrow morning come any quicker.

[worldofkuro]

I'm curious..sometimes I just crave platonic so...

What if reader was his little sibling? What would their childhood and teenagehood look like?

I’m sorry, I’ve been working a lot and I didn’t have time for myself. Next chapter should be uploaded this weekend.  Now, a Platonic question, I’m delighted ! I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Alastor would act differently depending on how you were.

If you were emotional, he would use you as his experiment. Why were you crying now? Why were you smiling? You were his little experiment and sibling, how lucky he was!

If you were a normal person, he wouldn’t show interest in you and just let you live your life.

During his childhood, if he created a bond with you, he would try to make you immune to others feelings, just like he was. If you were sad because an animal died, or because you fought with some “friends” of yours, he would try to understand why you were upset, or tried to understand your feelings.

For you security, and yours, he would try to explain to you how to perceive the world, never showing weakness. 

“ Dear sister/brother, you must have walls inside your head, no one can hurt you, no one, not even father.”

If you began to be like him, he would be delighted as a child, finally he wasn’t completely alone. You both would torture some animals in the forest, thinking it was your dad.

When you grew up and met Alice, Alyzée and John at school, depending if Alastor had succeeded at cutting your feelings for others, you both would see them as useful tools for your future plans.

But if you created a true and deep friendship with them, Alastor would just smile at you, with a hint of mischief. 

“ What ? You like them ?... That’s why you are the little one, so weak to others. Go mingle, it will be useful either way.”

If you were to fall in love with John, Alastor would be so disappointed. Raise your standard won’t you?

But if you fell in love with Alice and managed to have a relationship with her, Alastor would pinch your cheek with a big smile.

“ Well done, brat! A big fish you caught !”

If you ever were insecure about your relationship with Alice, Alastor would try to cheer you up but… In a weird way?

“ Why do you feel bad ? She is rich.” " You think you don't deserve her? .... You are my sibling, she doesn't deserve you." “ Yes, you both are girls… And?” “ You think you are disgusting for liking a girl ? Let me show you how disgusting men are, you’ll feel like you are the cleanest thing in town.”

He would want you to continue this relationship because it was useful for him.

Voodoo would be fun for both of you, and you would compete against one another. 

“ You can see people’s souls? Pfff, I can trap them.”

He would let you live your beautiful, loving life while he would go deeper into darkness.

Don’t trust him, he would betray you if he had something to win.

Now, now, if you were just like him, not feeling emotion for others, being selfish and wishing for power, then you were his best accomplice.

You both would be an unstoppable duo. Alastor would say that you both were twins, you were just a little late.

Killing your father would be a bonding experience for the both of you as you stayed awake at night for years, picturing how his death would feel like.

You would go sit into a coffee shop, talking about your last murder in a way nobody would understand.

You would want to have a job where you would be in the spotlight, just like your older brother.

But Alastor would never trust you fully, you were just like him, which meant you were dangerous, clever, ambitious. You were a danger to him, and even if he adored you because of how similar you were to him. He would try to kill you first.

And you would think just like him.

In the end, unless one of you moves to another country, you would be an amazing duo but also swore enemies.

“ Dear little one, it wasn’t nice to try to frame me for the neighbor’s death, but it was very clever. I can’t wait to see what you have in store! But now… This is my turn to play.”

When you both meet in Hell, you would smile widely at each other. Another game was on.

Fighting like siblings, even in Hell.

[azsazz]

Hiii 👋 just wanted to say I adore your writing ☺️ I always get so happy when I see you’ve written something new 😁

I was curious to ask, what are some of your favourite modern AU jobs/roles for the bat boys (whether you’ve written about them or not)? Or just any ACOTAR characters?

CEO Rhys has been done a lot, but for good reason, it’s so perfect. He almost has to be effortlessly rich and/or in some position of power, like a prince, or a mafia boss.💰 I also kinda like to imagine him as a nepo baby set to take over his father’s company, but he breaks away or gets cut off, so with his very little actual job experience (as he was all set to inherit), he gets a barista job at a lil coffee shop. ☕️

Cass would definitely suit something physical, like an ice hockey player, or a firefighter, or a personal trainer. I could so see him being a gym teacher as well, imagine him coaching a kids ice hockey team. 💪🏽 He would SO volunteer to be a nude model in life drawing classes in his free time 😆 Though I hadn’t considered it before I read your stuff, I think he really fits a small town rancher too. I can so picture him in jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt, driving around in an old rusty faded red truck 👨‍🌾

Az could easily be in the FBI or something, but choosing something further away from his canon role, I seriously think he’d be an awkward computer programmer / software engineer nerd, or a twitch gamer, 👨🏻‍💻 with a secret anonymous OnlyFans or erotic audio patreon on the side. 😏 And I reckon he’d ride a motorcycle and tinker with it in his spare time, so might also enjoy working at a garage. 🏍️ I really love him in Midnight Muse, and think he suits a shy amateur artist / tattoo artist as well.

I also love the bat boy band idea I’ve seen a lot recently, where Rhys is the charismatic lead singer and guitarist, Az is the quiet songwriting bassist, and Cass is the energetic drummer. 🎶

Sorry it’s so long, I just love thinking about this stuff 😄

Hiiii!! Thank you so so much! I saw this message this morning but wanted to wait until I could give it my full attention and have my computer around, so thank you for your patience! 💙

Okay, some of my favorite AUs for the batboys? This is a wonderful question!

Rhys: Normally, I just think of Rhys as always having some sort of money/job inherited. So CEO, mafia, anything that puts him in a position of power, really, but i think it's mostly because those just reflect the books.

I do, however, love love love art school rhys. painter rhys. working at the local art supply degenerate rhys who still has wealthy parents but is trying to stick it to the man rhys. steals erasers and petty things from the art supply rhys. love him so much.

There's also something to be said about young adult rhys who's messing around with his little sister's best friend rhys. he gets me going too.

also captain of the hockey team rhys is a solid choice for him as well.

Cass: LOVE ME SOME RANCHER/COWBOY/SMALL TOWN CASSIAN. but, these are all very different. small town cass doesn't trust women, heart broken at a young age with the girl he thought was his forever. doesn't want to leave town, likes the ranch because its safe and its what he knows. cowboy cass or bull rider cassian, famous for breaking horses and backs. grumpy, gruff rancher cassian always gets me going tbh he's fucking hot as shit

i also always see him in a blue collar role like a mechanic or welder are the two i mostly attribute to him.

def something physical as well, we love hockey cass, rugby cass, wrestler (wwe lol) cass, dang i had another on my mind for sports cass but i forgot. sad. OH surfer cassian. jock type tho i can see him as. love the firefighter vibe for him too, he'd fill out the tight fire department t-shirt WELL LADIES and also volunteers for wet t-shirt contests. omg gym teach cass would be adorable as hell! oof another thought, contractor cassian ffs that would be so yummy

Az: Az i agree fits the FBI (stalker) vibes. i also like to think of him in finance or computer science too. omfg the erotic audio that's iconic and i'd def subscribe to that. hmmm what else could i see azzy doing...maybe something with music or writing...i could see him being a ghost writer of some sort and then one day his song plays on the radio and he's like hey i wrote that and literally no one believes him. something behind the scenes or where he can go unnoticed is mostly where i place him, tbh. honestly maybe even something military because he takes comfort in having a set schedule and people telling him what to do at every minute of the day. he'd fare well i think. perfect. operative because if the mission goes south and he gets captured he's not telling a soul anything.

Eris: idk why this thought came to my head but i was thinking about architecture but i think eris would be a fantastic interior designer lol. like i could see it. maybe i was just thinking about him furnishing az's new place and having a lil sparky. i could also see him as a lawyer too or something like that, something where he can be the know-it-all, smirking at them and looking down his nose at them...

Lucien: Architecture for sure. or professor. I could see him doing either of these. maybe even lawyer tbh, he would be good at that too, though i know he's immaculate at twisting stories and words so you gotta be careful of that.

Tamlin: poet? lol. professional gaslighter? jk i love tammy. maybe he installs security systems? haha just kidding just kidding. he's a tough one tho. idk why i added him but i guess also a musician but low-key soothing music, instrumental for sure...prob has a podcast where he just bullshits all day

hopefully i didn't rant for too long about this 🤭💙 this was so much fun though thank you for asking!

[cherrysurf]

merry christmas from the cherry blossom boutique! we hope your holidays go amazing. normal pinned here

as a thank you please come join our month long celebration! now closed

Welcome to make your own Christmas boyfriend

here’s how it works!

send an ask! after that pls be specific when writing requesting.

also! if you really want a specific activity, au or genre that isn’t on the list i can try my best to make it happen but don’t hold me accountable to that

pick your favorite haikyu boy;

(you can also do random js lmk!)

-hinata, osamu, kita, ushijima, dachi, suna, atsumu, iwaizumi, oikawa, kuroo, kenma, bokuto, semi, sakusa, tsukishima, kageyama, akaashi, yamaguchi, konoha, aran, suga, noya, yaku

(pls pick from this list just because i’m mostly good at writing for these characters) reminder i only write in timeskip unless asked differently

pick an activity;

if you want ice skating ask for ginger bread cookies!

if you want secret santa ask for snowman cake pops!

if you want carriage ride around town ask for santa cupcakes!

if you want christmas lights ask for cut-out sugar cookies!

if you want christmas shopping ask for warm baked apple pie!

if you want the famous mistletoe kiss ask for gingerbread truffles!

if you want late night hot coco ask for hot chocolate!

if you want christmas mornings ask for peppermint bark!

if you want christmas nights ask for chocolate chip reindeer cookies! 

pick an au;

Coffee shop; bring a holiday movie

Secret admirer; bring a gingerbread house to decorate

Christmas party; bring christmas cards

friends to lovers; bring small ornaments

brother best friends troupe; bring a secret santa gift

parents; bring christmas cookies

pick a genre;

fluff; lets go visit santa at the mall!

angst to fluff; let’s go christmas shopping!

comfort: let’s set up the christmas tree

note: i’m not the super best at angst(and if i do write it it last like 2.5 seconds lol) but i have been trying, these will probably be super cheesy but that’s just apart of the christmas spirit.

[kabillieu]

My baby gave me a cold, which feels like insult upon injury because I'm still experiencing some lingering covid symptoms (GI stuff that's not awful but also not completely normal).

Yesterday was exhausting. Up and down.

We have a local coffee and ice cream shop within walking distance from our house that is completely wild. I'm fascinated by it. It is the exact opposite of trendy, minimalist, Swedish furniture, light-filled coffee shops and, in fact, reminds me of coffee shops from the 90s but on steroids. It has lots of soft, comfortable mismatched furniture arranged in nooks and crannies. It's dark and filled with weird decor--a very maximalist aesthetic. It's perfect for having a conversation and seems good for working too. We live in a small town full of chain restaurants and businesses, so it's nice to have access to a weird and quirky coffee shop.

I am supposed to be driving down to our bay house tomorrow to spend the weekend powering through some Comps work. I grumble about my family constantly, and have definitely spent too much time in my caregiving role this summer, but going to that house by myself seems lonely and sad. But, also, I need time to focus and to not be interrupted constantly by children.

I'm feeling so melancholy and tired. There's just been a lot of sickness and a lot of change in the past two and a half weeks. We got some big news that affects how the next few years go for our family. Not bad news, necessarily, just different news from what we were expecting, and then we immediately got hit with Covid, big kid started school (and that's been rocky obviously), and now we all have colds. No one's sleeping well and we're all just worn out. I feel fragile and sad.

If I go away for the weekend and come back with a rough draft of one of my essays before the semester starts on the 26th, that will be helpful, though. It will feel hard initially but be easier on me in the long run. So I guess that's what I'm going to do.

[circusgoth-dotcom]

Wash, Cut, & Dry

Ship: Gabriel Morgrave x Phil Allen

Word Count: 951

Summary: The first time Gabriel and Phil meet, takes place a year after the events of the film. Gabriel is a model and backup dancer for a minor celebrity; while filming a music video, a storm blows in and filming is paused for the time being. Gabriel's boss sends him to the on-set stylist because he wants something different done with his hair, but the stylist quits halfway through and abandons the project. Another person on set instructs Gabriel to go into the nearby town and find Phil Allen's barbershop to get himself fixed up. Wanted to leave the ending kind of ambiguous and also hey he said the thing he said the title of the movie zhzhzh

Tag List: @canongf @futurewife @rexscanonwife

It was a terribly windy and dark day in Keighley, the kind of storm that drove customers away from the streets and kept them cooped up in their homes. Still, several businesses remained open in the pouring rain up and down main street, including Phil Allen’s barbershop. He sighed as he sat beside the front window, a mug of steaming coffee in hand and contemplating if he should close up shop and spend the rest of the afternoon reading in his apartment. He took a sip as a flash of lightning lit up the street. He whistled lowly, half-impressed by the sight, then startled to his feet as the door opened.

The air filled with the combined sounds of rolling thunder, rushing wind, and the tingling of the greeting bell, followed by the wet and disgruntled sounds of the entering customer.

"Good lord…" Phil exclaimed absently as he set aside his coffee and the customer yanked the door shut behind them. They wore a dark brown frock with only two buttons buttoned and generally looked a mess, with their choppy black hair plastered to their face.

Spitting and pulling strands away from their mouth, they spoke. "Are you Phil Allen?"

“Aye, I am. How can I help you?”

Relief seemed to emanate from the customer as Phil took their soaked coat, revealing a form-fitting leather coarser top and ripped skinny jeans. They offered a hand.

"Gabriel Morgrave, I'm a model and backup dancer for Clancy Westermann… we were shooting a music video when the storm blew in and Clancy wanted something different done with my hair, but the hairdresser totally freaked mid-cut and ditched us. One of the higher-ups told me to find you…" Gabriel peered through his dripping hair at the award plaques above the salon mirrors.

"Well, whoever this higher-up is, they've sent you to the right place. Please, take a seat. I'm going to grab some towels and I'll have my son put your coat through the dryer."

"Oh, you don’t have to…" Gabriel held out his hand for his coat, but Phil kept it out of reach.

"I insist. I don't want this Clancy fellow, whoever he is, getting in a kerfuffle because you caught a cold. I'm doing you a favour, now sit."

“Yes, sir.” Gabriel shrugged to himself and sat in one of the styling chairs. Meanwhile, Phil walked to the back of the shop and made his way half-way up the stairs to his apartment.

“Brian!”

There was a long enough pause that Phil continued, thinking to himself, don’t make me call for you again, until he heard the door open.

“Yeah, da?” Brian appeared at the top of the stairs. Phil handed him the frock.

“Run this through the dryer, won’t you? We have a customer, he’s just come in from the storm.”

Brian took the coat, though a confused expression formed on his face. “You wouldn’t normally do this for any other customer…?”

“Well, it sounds like he might work for a minor celebrity, so I want to stay on his good side, right? Hop to it.”

Brian nodded and disappeared back into their apartment as Phil returned to the shop, picking up fluffy, fresh towels on his way. “I apologize for their lack of warmth, but they should do the trick for drying you off.”

He handed one to Gabriel to dry off anything that wasn’t covered by the coat, then set to tousling his hair with the other. “My word, you weren’t kidding when you said the stylist marooned you mid-cut, this is ghastly… who would do such a thing?” It almost physically pained him to look at the rough cut and split ends as he worked.

“I think he felt overworked. Clancy is a very particular man, but his mind can change on a whim. Not everybody can keep up.” Gabriel cleared his throat as he dried his face. “I suppose I’m lucky.”

“So, what kind of cut was he looking for, anyway?”

A tired, bored look came over Gabriel’s features as he set aside the towel. “Oh, I don’t know,” he ho-hummed. “Would it frustrate you if I asked you to surprise me? Clancy won’t be mad, so long as you fix the disaster the last guy left behind.”

Phil peered at their reflections in the mirror, his brow furrowing slightly as he barred a sigh. He didn’t much like when clients told him to surprise them, as it was their own fault if they didn’t end up liking what he did. Before he could answer, Gabriel spoke again.

“Think of me like one of your models. You’ve won quite a few championships, I see.”

“I’ve only ever worked with one model…” He absently examined Gabriel’s hair, running his fingers through it and cringing at the uneven lengths. “She retired last year and I don’t know if I’ll ever enter another tournament without her.”

Gabriel’s eyebrows raised, intrigued. “We’ll see about that. Just try fixing me up, alright?”

“What…? Oh…” Phil waved his hand dismissively and went to open his drawer of tools. “Fine! But don’t come crying to me if Clancy fires you because I bunked up.”

By the time the words fell from his mouth and an embarrassed rose captured Gabriel’s cheeks, Phil knew he had gone too far. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, luv. Let’s get this over with, shall we? Deep breath… trust me, you’re in good hands.”

Gabriel inhaled through his nose, speaking a little stiffly. “Just prove it to me, alright?”

Determined to do right by this stranger, Phil plunged on, taking out several sizes of scissors and two electric razors, setting them on the counter. “Let’s start with a blow dry.”

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Can you ramble about gochi usa for a few paragraphs?

I think Gochiusa exists in kind of an interesting place within the meta of cute girls doing cute things anime, right. Cause a lot of cute girl anime have some sort of gimmick apparent within the very premise in order to stand out from the crowd, which can feel like a necessity given just how many cute girl anime there are. Sometimes it's a band, sometimes it's a sport, sometimes it's a hobby of some sort, hell sometimes it's that they're an isekai. You don't really get cute girl anime that just are cute girls doing cute things these days quite as often, it's always fairly specialised.

It shouldn't be said that Gochiusa doesn't have anything like this - your main hook in the synopsis is that it's primarily set within a coffee shop, and the two main characters' names are puns on hot drinks to lean into that. But that's kinda nothing, right? They're not fishing, they're not rifle shooting, they're not writing manga, they're not dedicated to one particularly complicated board game, they just kinda have part-time jobs. And the show is very much aware of that. So despite the coffee shop being part of the premise, the series as a whole rarely leans into it. It's mostly just cute girls doing whatever. Part of this is cause of its age - the manga started in 2011, even that long ago there was less competition and less need to set yourself apart from the premise alone. But it's still kinda noteworthy that it's a relatively modern cute girl anime without a core thing to set itself apart.

And that's where we get to the fun part. Without needing to be dedicated to one specific thing, Gochiusa kinda gets to do anything it wants without any real disconnect. They'll go to the pool, to the festival, to the halloween party, to the christmas party, to work, to just regular old school. There's no strings attached. It's just kind of normal. And since it doesn't need to justify anything it does, it can focus on just being really entertaining the entire time. The characters are adorable, the jokes are consistently funny, the slice of life is ultra-relaxing, the fuckin town it's set in looks like this

(stole these screenshots from here)

And while Gochiusa does all these normal things as pleasantly as other cute girl anime could only dream of, there's still a little bit of magic in the setting, of all things. Main character Chino's grandfather is currently in the body of a small fluffy rabbit. It's implied that other main character Cocoa accidentally did this when she was joking about casting spells as a child. It's not assumed that this is normal or anything, but for how supernatural that actually is it feels fairly incidental when you're watching the show because hey, who cares about the mechanics of this background magic when Cocoa and Chiya have got English homework to do?

It also needs to be said that a particular area Gochiusa excels in is that really every core character has a well defined relationship with one another, or in other words, there's no dynamic that goes unexplored. This is something that more cute girl shows struggle with than you'd think, but it goes a long way to sell you on group friendships and making the characters believable and shit. How differently does Syaro interact with childhood friend Chiya than she does with her crush Rize, or newly met friends Cocoa and Chino, you know? This even holds true for a good amount of the supporting cast too, whom happen to also be fun enough to carry scenes on their own without making me miss the main characters at all.

I'll say very briefly that the show does have a particularly rough aspect to it early on by way of some rather tasteless fanservice. It is thankfully only of the oldest character, but it's still far from necessary and pretty early on the series realises it doesn't need to operate like that in order to be enjoyable for the audience. So that gets phased out quick.

Past this point I start running into the issue of struggling to convey why I think something is especially good, because fuck me is it easier to talk about obviously bad stuff than obviously good stuff. And that's even harder with Gochiusa because nothing about it screams "yeah no I'm obviously good in an easy-to-describe way". It's a cute girls doing cute things anime without much of a gimmick, in written text format there are few ways I can come up with to actually sell that. And yet, the show's just really really good lol. On my most recent rewatch which was followed by season 3's airing, my face muscles started to get tired from smiling ear-to-ear every episode. Saying that out loud by the way makes me realise season 3 was almost 4 years ago - maybe I'm due for a rewatch lol.

Also as one last brief thing, Chino is just one of my favourite characters in any anime I've seen. Cute as hell design and I especially love her hair, that helps, but she also just has a nice simple character arc that happens across the series, without ever being overstated or anything since hey, Gochiusa is chill like that. Said arc is mainly one of a quiet introvert girl opening up and becoming more confident. She still enjoys her alone time and has solo hobbies the series respects, but she's also capable of taking initiative and making more of her own friends and such. It's nice. Also Gochiusa isn't immune to the passage of time so a lot of this stuff takes place over the course of Chino graduating from middle school and going into high school, which is something the anime hasn't fully gotten into yet but which a season 4 would cover, I imagine. Hopefully that can come soon - the series always does well enough to where I assume it'll happen one day.

Actual last thing just for fun

The dads look like this lol

[the1975attheirverybest]

Imagine you and Matty have been friends for a long time and you have had feelings for him forever. He secretly has felt the same for you but you’ve never admitted it. One afternoon he and the boys come to town to visit and you have just heard rumors of him with these hot model type girls and also seen him kissing fans all winter. You are acting a bit off and moodier than normal. He confronts you in your room with both of your hearts racing. He begs and pleads with you to tell him what’s wrong. Deep down he knows what it is but he just wants to hear you say it. You completely fall apart and confess it all and he rushes to comfort you and hold you.

Pleaseeee this is so sweeeettt 🥹🥹 like, he’s been rumored to be hooking up with much younger models whose job it is to look tall and perfect and desirable and it stirs something in you, and you can no longer keep these feelings buried.

You can’t even help it around him. It’s not like you’re purposefully being mean or distant. It’s it’s that, every time you look at him, all you see is the people who get to have him, and you don’t. And it breaks your heart but you feel absolutely terrible about it because, it’s not like he’s yours, it’s not like you have any right to feel possessive or jealous or territorial. You and Marty have always been you and Matty. You’ve watched each other get in and out of relationships and never wanted to cross that line and risk the friendship. So, you’re both confused by the sudden shift in dynamic her.

You wish you could just shove your feelings wayyyy down into the hole they came out of, and never feel them again. But, everything’s festered to the surface now. It’s too late. And, Matty isn’t helping. He keeps insisting that you tell him what’s going on, and you’re running out of excuses or ways to deflect and dodge the question. So, finally, you just snap and tell him everything.

“You think I LIKE seeing pictures of you at comedy clubs and coffee shops, a different model on your arm every week? You think it’s easy for me to watch you give yourself to all these guys people? See your lips touching those that aren’t my own while I lie awake, burning and aching for you like a pathetic, kicked puppy? Frankly, the question isn’t what’s wrong with me, it’s what’s wrong with YOU?”

And he is flooredddd. Because, for all his brilliance and quick wit, he’s still clueless sometimes and he didn’t want to convince himself he knew why you were upset, get his hopes up, only to be crushed and find out it was something else. So he just jumps across the room, pulling you by the waist and giving you all the kisses to make up for ever kiss he’s given that wasn’t to you lately.

[randadrives]

Salem - Witch City

"Still making history"

If you’re anything like me, a millennial spooky kid obsessed with Halloween, you probably also grew up watching the standard movies annually in October: Scream, Halloween, Beetlejuice, every zombie and Halloween (the franchise) movie possible, and the reigning classic, Hocus Pocus. If you’re one of those weirdos who hasn’t watched it, the family-friendly feature is set in Salem, MA – home of the famous witch trials of 1692. Thanks to the dense history, the town being a Maritime National Historic Site, as well as pop culture such as Bewitched, Hocus Pocus, and later the terrible Hubie Halloween (2020), the New England town of Salem has boasted an increase in tourism, causing an extra MILLION visitors just last October. Now I’m going to take you through my firsthand visit to this beautiful city I adored visiting.

 An old friend of mine and I decided we wanted to take a long weekend trip somewhere we could drive in the spring of 2023. Several people who had already been to Salem suggested going at a different time of year than the normal September/October time to avoid the crowds of tourists, as it can be quite congested and the prices of everything goes up as well. Early May sounded perfect for decent weather to experience all the city had to offer, and yes – Ten hours (Pittsburgh to Salem) is a perfectly acceptable distance to drive for a 4 day trip, in my opinion. We found an Airbnb (which may or may not have been haunted) in Marblehead, which was a 15-minute drive from downtown Salem. Marblehead is where most of Hubie Halloween was filmed, which may be a severely poorly rated Adam Sandler movie, but I still watched it 5 times. This aesthetic coastal town is rich in history. It’s arguably the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, and a great deal of the original architecture is still present today. We had a great time walking the streets and seeing normal businesses, such as dentists and law firms, in buildings marked with their original purpose and the year they were built, the oldest being 1663! Our first stop on the evening we arrived was the restaurant Sea Salt, because you know we were looking for seafood. If I had not taken photos, I honestly might not remember our experience here. The service was great, and the atmosphere was very nice. The food was a little pricey, but that was expected. I remember having fantastic Brussel sprouts as an appetizer, and tasty cocktails, but can’t tell you that much more about it. My favorite places to look for when I’m traveling are locally owned coffee shops and bakeries/donut shops, so in the morning I pulled up Google and found a café called Maria’s Java Sun that was just a 5 minute walk down the street. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that we ended up walking down there 3 mornings in a row for coffee and a breakfast sandwich or pastry! They were delightful. We had opted for an Airbnb because of course my two adventure dogs were making the trip with us, and I had to be sure they would be comfortable while we were away for a few hours at a time. It was a goal of mine for them to experience the ocean, so I looked up a dog-friendly beach nearby. The second morning we were there we took them to Devereux Beach just a short drive away. It was a Saturday, so the beach was full of families with A LOT of dogs. Mine are dog reactive, but we were able to get to a more secluded portion for some waves and sea salt to ourselves. Another staple of Marblehead that sticks out in my memory is our trip to the liquor store. I have never before this seen a liquor store of this massive proportion. By the end of our stay, my friend and I agreed we would visit the Marblehead area again in the future. In May, it was serene, the landscape was gorgeous, and there appeared to be a plethora of things to do there, many related to boating and fishing.

 Now the main, wicked event! On our first day driving into Salem, we had two main items on the schedule: the Satanic Temple headquarters, and a walking tour of the city. Other than that, we knew we would meander and do some exploring, as well as chow down on some seafood again. We drove to the Satanic Temple first because it was not in walking distance of other attractions. I take full responsibility for this idea, forcing my friend to play along with me, and I do not regret it. The towering, charcoal colored Victorian building was a funeral home before purchased by the organization. It was $13 each to enter as a non-member of the church, and we were not too sure what to expect. If you’re interested in who and what the organization is, I’ll let you do your own research as that could be a lengthy essay itself, but I’m a big fan. In short, the headquarters building is essentially an art gallery with some rotating and permanent exhibitions. I was enchanted by the art on display, captured many photos, and left with a few trinkets from the gift shop. I sat on the statue of Baphomet, I’m not sure what else could have made my visit any better! My friend was also pleasantly surprised by the experience, agreeing it was enjoyable and worth the stop.

Next was our walking tour, but first we had to tackle the issue of parking. The infrastructure of Salem is not necessarily built for the influx of tourists. We ended up parking in a parking garage near the Peabody Essex museum and decided that was it, we would be walking anywhere we needed to go from here, no matter how far. There was a visitor center across the street where I learned Salem is a Maritime National Historic Site. Pro tip: if you have the National Park Passport, you can get a stamp here! I didn’t bring mine, so I bought one of the .99 cent sticker sheets to take a stamp with me.  

As much as I would have loved to do an after-dark, ghostly tour, we both knew at our big age we would be back at the Airbnb watching documentaries at that point in the night. I let my friend do the online research and choose the walking tour, so I can’t remember which it was, but there are so many that you probably can’t go wrong with choosing. We met our group at the Town Hall. It was a small group led by a Salem native who was knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the city. From here we saw key spots such as the Bewitched sculpture, the Witch House, several churches, buildings that had been used by affluent figures of society, where they would hold parties and meetings, the Ropes Mansion, ending at the old cemetery and monument dedicated to those that were killed for allegations of witchcraft. It was interesting to have someone who grew up here share the information, and she had so much to add we probably could not have learned from Google. And she shared with us all the ghost stories! As we walked the city, we also couldn’t help but gush over all the residents, not just the businesses, who seemed to embrace the culture and had witchy decorations up that time of year. At the end of the tour, we insisted she tell us the best spot to go for a lobster roll and she was happy to oblige.

This leads me to my favorite stop for food, The Lobster Shanty. Looking online, I believe there are two different restaurants called the same name, but this one appeared to be a dive bar, full of locals, cheesy coastal décor, and a boisterous bartender who seemed more than happy to have us there. The lobster rolls were amazing, as were the cocktails we ordered, and I’m grateful our guide suggested this little place over the best rated online, which was a fancy (and extremely expensive looking) restaurant we would not have been as comfortable in. Several other places we stopped for drinks while exploring that weekend were The Derby, a horse racing themed bar that we had just missed a drag show in, and Rockafella’s, a casual restaurant that claims many hauntings from local spirits, and not just the liquor type. My friend’s favorite restaurant we went to was the Howling Taqueria, where we enjoyed steak quesadillas and blood orange palomas at the suggestion of our waiter. We ended that evening with a couple episodes of “I Survived” and wine on the couch with the dogs, naturally.

The next day, after our Maria’s and beach stop, I had to be the nerd I am and go to the Salem Police Department to trade patches. So far, I believe they do have the most badass patch with a witch on it. Then we took in some of the Salem Witch Village shops. There were metaphysical stores, tourist traps of souvenirs, antiques shops, gift/specialty stores, art galleries, and very niche horror themed stores. One store I was upset with myself for passing on was Black Craft, as I didn’t realize the largest witch statue is actually within the building. I was afraid of spending too much money unnecessarily on clothing!

We cut off our browsing for a scheduled appointment time we had with the Salem Witch Museum. The museum seemed to be busy at every time of day, so if you make this part of your sightseeing, be prepared for large crowds. Tickets were $17.50 each for adults and nonrefundable. It’s a massive, visually appealing building, and not actually a museum but more of a theatrical production and history lesson. To be completely transparent, I didn’t learn anything new that I hadn’t already learned from our walking tour or just reading information around the city. Also, it was a rushed, guided tour. We were disappointed we did not get to take our time in the portion where there were artifacts to look at. The entire thing just seemed like they wanted to herd us in and out as fast as possible, and the only portion we weren’t pushed through was the gift shop at the end. I would not suggest this one for small children, as there are some graphic depictions of the hangings (and rock smashings) of the victims of the trials. I personally would not say this stop is worth the price and time.

We had seen most of what we set out to at this point, so we decided fuck it – we are in Salem, let’s go do something witchy. We chose a random metaphysical shop to go have our tarot cards read, and lucked out because the two mediums were available at the same time. It was roughly $40 each, which seemed to be the standard when I was comparing shops. I had a really fun reading with a young woman who was empathetic, bright, and obviously had a great time interacting with the people who came to her. She told me I could record my reading if I wished, and I regret not doing so! I encourage embracing being a tourist once in a while and support the local economy.

We went to Salem Common to take a walk and some photos, and then found an arcade/bar to have a drink and round off the night. It felt appropriate to shoot some zombies while in Salem, even if guns were not quite Winifred Sanderson’s style. Alas, we were physically exhausted and probably slightly overstimulated from being in public so much, so left right before another drag show started. I was pretty torn on staying for it, but wine and a movie, along with sweatpants, were just too inviting. It was a successful second and last full day in Salem. Due to the recent increase in tourism, the city is strongly urging visitors in September and October to NOT drive into Salem. Commuter rail services have been expanded upon, and there is also the Salem Ferry to utilize. If I were you, I would choose a different time of year. There is still just as much Halloween magic to experience in the area when it isn’t the spooky season, less lines, and lower prices for lodging. If you are going to drive or fly in, there are many Airbnb’s, hotels, and even an RV park to stay in. As always, I emphasize being kind to the locals. This is their home, even if it is a bucket list item or a novelty to you. It especially hit hard when we were at crosswalks and school buses full of children were passing by. I’m sure it can be frustrating, or even annoying, to always have so many people on the streets gawking and taking photos. Be kind, use your manners, and tip your servers! Travel can be a welcoming experience for all involved when every party puts the effort in, and maybe form a calming circle if you need to.

[jheqiawrites]

A bit of Christmas Fun

As some of you know, I have a Patreon account and I have a few stalwart fans who support my writing. I have asked them to pick from a list of Christmas writing prompts so I can create "The Twelve One-shots of Christmas". However, Only one person responded, so I am opening it up to my tumblr fans as well. I will post the (epic) prompt list below and you guys can pick some. The first ten commenters with the numbers they want to see will be will have their choices written as part of this series. (Any others that tickle my muse might also be turned into one-shots, but not in time for my deadline of Jan. 6th.)

Normally, I would post a poll for which writing prompt you guys would like me to tackle this month, but you guys have been such a big part of 2023 for me that I wanted to give each of you a little something. So, instead of a poll, I am going to post a list I have compiled of holiday writing prompts that I think would be fun to write.

Please pick a prompt or two that catch your eye and mention the number or prompt in the comments below. I will work on getting these done by January 5th - the twelfth day of Christmas!  This is open to all my members - paying or otherwise - and I reserve the right to tweak things as needed (and there are some of these that already have Felinette stamped on them in my head, so a change of ship might also be involved.) 😜  If you would prefer artwork, please let me know.

Jheqia's Holiday prompts list:

1 Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party.

Character A’s best friend rigs the Secret Santa, because they know Character A has a crush on Character B.

Character A works as a Santa’s helper. Character B has a small sibling/child.

Character A is desperate to find a particular item (book/toy/etc.) as a present for someone, but it’s been sold out everywhere. Character B helps.

Character A and Character B are co-workers, but they barely know each other. But they both have to work through the holidays.

Character A and Character B meet in the ER on Christmas Eve.

Character A can’t wrap gifts to save their life. Character B is thir neighbor and can help.

Character A’s ex will be at the Christmas Party A is attending. Character B poses as A’s fiance.

Character A vows to do something nice for a stranger during the Christmas time. Character B is that stranger.

Character A and Character B both sign up for a Christmas Pen Pal project to exchange postcards.

Character A and Character B broke up, but now they meet at a Christmas party.

Character A is stuck working in coffee shop on Christmas Day and Character B is the lonely soul spending their whole day there.

Character A’s little sibling/child wants to meet their favorite celebrity/writer/person for Christmas. Character B is said “Christmas present”.

Character A can’t travel to see their family on Christmas, so they invite their grumpy loner neighbor Character B.

Character A and Character B compete in Christmas house decoration.

Character A bakes too many Christmas cookies so they share it with Character B.

Character A has to dress up as Santa for Christmas.

Character A and Character B have to save Christmas.

It’s Character A’s first Christmas since a tragedy.

Character A returns to their birth-town for the holidays. Character B is their estranged childhood best friend.

Character A is pretending to be their friend’s lover for the sake of the friend’s family. Character B is said friend’s sibling.

Character A loses a bet and has to wear a different ugly Christmas sweater every day till Christmas. Character B works at a clothes store.

Character owns a struggling toy store. Character B is looking for a Christmas present.

Character A doesn’t feel the Christmas spirit but Character B, who lives above them, keeps playing Christmas carols really loud.

Character A overhears Character B’s Christmas wish and decides to fulfill it,

26 Are you pulling down mistletoe?

27 If I hear one more Mariah Carey song I will riot!

28 Remind me why I can’t kill the carolers?

29 My house, my rules. The Christmas Music stays on!

30 You do know that throwing that snowball is declaring war, right?

31 You;re kidding! I;m not going out in that snow storm!

32 I can’t believe you did all of this for me!

33 You don’t have to go through all this trouble, you know.

34 You didn’t really think I would let you spend Christmas alone, did you?

35 I hate to tell you this, but you make a really terrible Santa/Santa’s helper.

36 It’s a time of peace and goodwill, not… whatever that is you’re doing!

37 How on earth did you even get tinsel up there?!

38 It looks like Santa threw up in here!

39 What are you doing to that poor wrapping paper?

40 What did the wrapping paper ever do to you?

41 Exactly hpw much more hinting do I have to do?

42 Have I told you how much I hate Christmas shopping?

43 Secret Santa is a bad idea!

44 Why are you impossible to shop for?!

45 Please tell me you weren’t searching my room for where I’e hidden the presents.

46 How many Christmas sweaters do you own?

47 Girl/Bro, do we need to hold a candy cane intervention?

48 But why do the sweaters have to be ugly???

49 One normal Christmas! That’s all I ask!

50 I;m sure whatever threat is out there can wait until after Christmas dinner.

51 You are wearing a santa hat whether you like it or not

52 Who turned off the oven?!?!

53 This calls for eggnog!

54 I’m surprised the eggnog hasn’t been spiked by now.

55 Just how much eggnog have you had?

57 No offense meant, but I don’t trust you to carve the turkey.

58 Oi! THat’s my hot chocolate!

59 I don’t care about anything else. The pudding is all that matters!

60 You made gingerbread zombies?!?!

61 Step away from the cookies and no one gets hurt!

62 Normally, I;d say no, but I’m on like my 14th candy cane so sure. why not.

63 Person A and B's heater go out so they have to cuddle together by a fire to try and stay warm.

64 Person A has never seen snow before so Person B gets to watch Person A see it for the first time and look utterly amazed.

65 Person A waking up to see that Person B has decorated their entire house for the holidays overnight by themselves.

66 Person A having to wear multiple jackets, scarves, and hats to stay warm outside while Person B is still in a t-shirt and shorts.

67 Person A trying to decorate for the holidays while Person B teases them about how it's still months until then.

68 Person A trying to set up the tree for Christmas but Person B has to pick Person A up for them to put ornaments on the tree because they're so short.

69 Person A getting frustrated when wrapping presents while Person B being able to quickly wrap beautiful presents and A being absolutely amazed and jealous.

70 Person A being sad when they weren't able to buy a real tree to decorate for Christmas so Person B buys a little bonsai tree for them to decorate, even though it's only a foot tall.

71 Person A and B decorating their house/apartment together and when Person A goes to another room to grab some more ornaments they hear Person B yell. When they rush back into the room they see Person B has somehow tangled themself into the Christmas lights and fell over.

72 Person A waking up on Christmas morning and being confused to find only one small box under the tree. Person B acts like everything is normal and convinces Person A to open it and when they open it they just see a note and an engagement ring.

73 Person A has a fairly large following on [insert social media] where they post their art. They post a lot of drawings of person they have a crush on. Little do they know that their crush (Person B) follows their account and recognizes themself in the drawings

74 Person A's computer is dead and they don't have any reference but they need to draw anatomy for their art class. They end up asking Person B to model for them and shennagians occur

It was midnight and I couldn’t get what she said off of my mind.

75 Listen, I’m not very lucky so you better have a good plan or some magic to help out.

76 I am an adult and you do not have to keep telling me that... although I do appreciate it.

77 It wasn’t until he showed up that I viewed the color blue like that.

78 If she didn’t love me then I’ll make sure no one in the world loves me.

79 It was only a stuffed animal but I couldn’t help but feel like it was something much more than just a toy.

80 I still got butterflies when I saw her, but they were much different than before.

81 It would be nice to get some sleep tonight but since that isn’t gonna happen I guess I can talk.

82 Person A always gives Person B little sweet or encouraging notes throughout the day. One time while helping B clean they find a stash of every single note A ever gave them (possibly from before they even started dating)

83 “Please stop calling me at 3 am for advice on this video game.” “Okay... but you still didn’t answer my question.”

84“Avoiding me isn’t going to solve this.” “I’m not avoiding you, I just can’t talk to someone who eats oreos like that.”

85 Person A is a lounge singer and Person B is the silently pining member of the waitstaff who's been leaving roses for Person A after all of their performances.

86 Person A being super tired and as Person B is helping them to bed Person A says "You know I have a crush on you, right?"

87 Person A and B are having a sleepover and as Person A is falling asleep they suddenly pull B in close and hold them for the night

88 Person A asks Person B why they're acting so weird and B replies with "I'm sleep deprived and I have a crush on you and so I don't know how to act normal right now."

89 Person A having to stay up late to finish something and having Person B on the phone sleepily cheering them on

90 Person A trying to set up the tree for Christmas but Person B has to pick Person A up for them to put ornaments on the tree because they're so short.

91 Person A getting frustrated when wrapping presents while Person B being able to quickly wrap beautiful presents and A being absolutely amazed and jealous.

92 Person A being sad when they weren't able to buy a real tree to decorate for Christmas so Person B buys a little bonsai tree for them to decorate, even though it's only a foot tall.

93 Person A and B decorating their house/apartment together and when Person A goes to another room to grab some more ornaments they hear Person B yell. When they rush back into the room they see Person B has somehow tangled themself into the Christmas lights and fell over.

94 Person A waking up on Christmas morning and being confused to find only one small box under the tree. Person B acts like everything is normal and convinces Person A to open it and when they open it they just see a note and an engagement ring.

95 PersoN A complaining about how they've never had a New Year's kiss before so Person B surprises them with a kiss when the clock strikes midnight.

96 Person A being super sleepy and falling asleep way before midnight so Person B waked them up at 11:59 so they can kiss at midnight before tucking them back in bed.

[ghost-wolf34]

Peter Hale finds a mate

I'm sorry if I keep using the name Shauna or Shadow for my ocs, I just really like both names and want to keep using them. I know though that you readers are probably tired of me using the names, but I really like this names and want to continue using them. If you guys have had enough of those names or want to see me use a different character with a different name that isn't a werewolf also please let me know... 

P.s I also like werewolf stories a lot. Lol 😂 and if you guys would like me to use more gifs on this story let me know,plus I feel like people don’t add gifs enough to stories on here at least more then one. And because I feel like gifs add more depth and detail to the story.

Chapter one. The scent.

Peter was out getting some coffee at the coffee shop like normal, when he had gotten a whiff of a very strong yet addicting scent. He tried not to sniff the air to much, but he couldn't get enough of the scent that he was smelling. "Where is that smell coming from?" He thought as he looked around, not knowing that he had just over looked where the scent was coming from. Which was from a young woman who had a hood up and was sitting at the back of the coffee shop at a table by herself, looking all down and lonely. 

Peter got a look of frustration and annoyance, when he couldn't find who/ where the scent was coming from. He grabbed his coffee and bagel, before heading over to a table that was open which was a few feet away from the one at the back. He sat down to eat his bagel and smelled the scent again, he sniffled the air without drawing attention to himself as he sat there eating his food. 

His eyes however trained onto the woman who was sitting at a back table by herself, he wondered why she sat there with her hood up looking all lonely. He continued to watch her as he ate his bagel and drank his coffee, he watched as she eventually got up looking around slightly before keeping her head down as she headed towards the front doors. 

He watched her, before noticing that the scent now had disappeared. He started to wonder if that scent was coming from the young woman who had just up and left. In order to find out, Peter finished his bagel and got up quickly trying to find the woman before she got to far out of his sight. He groaned in annoyance when the scent fully disappeared, he threw his wrapper away and walked out into the street with his coffee in hand. 

Peter looked around as he drank his coffee, before heading towards his car to drive to his nephews place to talk to him. He pulled out his keys and started his car, he opened the driver door and hopped in. He sat down his coffee cup and got buckled up, before driving off to see Derek and his pack. 

.........................,........,,.,,

Peter stood there listening to Derek as he spoke to the pack. "Alright, I know we've had a lost going on for the past couple of weeks. But thanks to Jordan for coming into town, things have changed and gotten rather crazy. With finding out he's a hound and that his sisters a werewolf like us, he's letting her join the pack. One for her safety, two her abilities and three help to control her wolf side. 

She's still new to her abilities and still has a lot to learn, we were all there once and with you being a alpha now Scott...I thought that maybe it would be a good time for you to learn how to help someone that's struggling like Liam but a bit differently." Derek said. 

"How is she different from other werewolves, if your all the same?" Kira asked Derek, as she sat next to Scott. "Kira take it easy. She might be like us, but she could also be more like Derek and Peter." Scott told her, before looking at Derek. "That's actually why I brought him here. She suffers from mood swings and anger like he does,  but she can show you what she can do." Derek spoke. 

"Great someone like my father." Malia mumbled as stiles sat next to her. "I'm sure that she's not completely like your father, but if you can shift into a wolf like them that's actually pretty cool." Stiles said. "Not really helpful stiles." She told him, before rolling her eyes. 

Derek looked over at his uncle then behind him at the darkness behind them both. "It's okay, you can show them". Derek said. 

Peter looked at his nephew, before catching a whiff of the scent that he smelt earlier as he turned around and saw glowing purple eyes through the darkness. He then watched as the blackest yet biggest wolf he had ever seen,

jumped out of the darkness and right at him knocking him to the ground. Which caused him to narrow his eyes and show his wolf fangs/teeth along with his eyes.

He looked dead square at the wolf, before watching as they got off him after growling/snarling in his face. 

Derek stood there smirking amused, as he watched Peter with the newest member of their team.

"Peter meet Shadow. Shadow meet Peter my annoying yet irritating uncle that nobody likes, who will be helping train you along with Scott." He watched as Shadow and Peter glared at each other, as Peter stood up.

"Oh no, I'm not helping train them." Peter told his nephew. 

"First off it's a she and second off, both of you are going to have to get along and work together okay? I can't train her and I'm not letting Scott work with her when she's in wolf form. You know better then anyone what it's like to be full or rage and anger all the time. Your the only one here strong enough to handle her." 

Peter rolled his eyes at his nephew, as he crossed his arms kept staring at the wolf. "Fine..I'll train her, but I'm not going to go easy on her especially with the training. With a attitude like this someone will get hurt." Peter said,

before growling lowly at the wolf as she growled back.

"Okay you two enough!” Derek roared as his teeth and fangs came out as his eyes went blue. “Both of you need to either take the this out to the woods, or you both can grow up and get along.”

You have to work with each other. Especially since we have bigger problems to deal with, like I don't know maybe the Japanese people that are hunting people including us. So both of you two need to get along, before we have to face them alright?" 

"Fine." Peter said, before walking away and going to cool off he was definitely more moodier then normal and it's been ever since he smelled that scent today.

[brasideios]

Get to Know a Blogger

I was tagged by @aeide @mini-uzzy and @ainulindaelynn. Thank you my friends! 🤍

Share your wallpaper:

Last song you listened to: Maybe Tomorrow by the Stereophonics. I recently rediscovered this song after probably ten years of forgetting. Filled with pathos.

Currently reading: I just finished First Love by Ivan Turgenev. I think I’ll read Crime and Punishment next (Dostoyevsky) or War and Peace (Tolstoy). They’re both sitting by the bed, demanding my attention in equal measure.

Last movie: 200 Cigarettes! I recently dug out a story I wrote back in ‘99, and vaguely recalled I was trying to emulate this film. So I wanted to watch it to see how I did, but it wasn’t on any of the five streaming services I have access to (password sharing ftw) so I’d given up on finding it only to discover yesterday that the whole movie is up on Youtube. Happiest moment of my life! (I did badly, btw, with the emulation. In my defence, I’d just left high school 😆).

Last show: Umm... Band of Brothers a couple weeks back, I guess. Rewatching for the tenth time.

Craving: Coffee, as always :)

What are wearing right now: Pyjamas and a dressing gown because *finally* it’s cold in the mornings. Love autumn.

How tall are you: Just shy of six foot. 

Piercings: Just my ears. 

Tattoos: I have four. A made-up symbol on my ankle I got when I was 18 - literally the day I was legally allowed to get it 😊 I’d planned it for a year beforehand. The word Bittersweet on my back (’all in life is bitterwseet’ as I wrote in a poem at the time) when I was 23; A series of astrological symbols on my left inner forearm which represent me, my fam, and the people who were closest to me at the time. Got that on my 30th birthday in London. And most recently, at 33, a lucky year for me when a lot of things ended and I took back my power (a long, long journey) I marked it with a tattoo - it’s on the inside of my right arm, a feather quill, and the words, ‘... I meant what I said.’ Love tattoos! Would have so many more if I was rich.

Glasses? Contacts? Glasses. My vision isn’t too bad, just need them for reading. Lil long sighted.

Last thing you ate: I haven’t yet today, it’s still too early. Last night’s dinner was pasta bake with chorizo.

Favourite colour: Green, though I really love any colour that’s bright and clear - I am currently going through a phase of bright purples and pinks.

Current obsession: Two of my OC’s and their relationship development (Arity and Jimmy). Maybe also the temple complex I’m building in Minecraft 😅 I spent all day yesterday working on it and I am thinking I might do the same today.

Any pets: Otto Von Krum the schnauzer (my baby boy); Tiki Taco the chihuahua (Daddy’s girl); and Lady Pablo, aka Tiny Bun, my rescued house rabbit.

Favourite fictional character: Favourite? Like, out of all of them?? I couldn’t possibly choose. 

The last place you travelled: Along the south coast of Western Australia, as far as Esperance. My favourite place we stopped, my favourite place in the world I think, is Denmark. It’s a beautiful town in amongst hills, with a wide green river flowing through it, surrounded by forests. It’s a different world. Oh, and it has the best pie-shop in the world too, which doesn’t hurt. [Meat pies, that is. Very Australian 😊]

I think everyone I would normally tag has been tagged! But just in case... @auroralykos @el-zorrito​ @cataliinaa​ and @theinkandthesea​ @dbraures​ @liminalspacecowboah​ @woodsman2b​

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch S2 Ep4: Keep Greenville Weird

The month-long hiatus is finally over! So much happens to everyone except John, who has a nice day at work.

[Summary: Song takes Amira to be fixed and discovers the consequences, while Markus makes bad decisions. John tries his best at his new job, and Louis sparks up conversation with a conspiracy theorist.]

We pick up where we left off: in the charred wreckage of Song's house. Song and Fatima assure Amira she's fine as they wrap a scarf around the injured part of her face, while Amira insists she's fine and is very confused; she doesn't seem to realize she's a robot.

Louis and Markus show up and immediately begin to help putting out the fires as the trio above head to the Sumpath house; they're going to Arjun, Amira's father, so she can be fixed.

Some of the neighbors have started to come over to see what's happening; Shelby is one of them, still in her pajamas and looking like she didnt get much sleep. Bob Patterson, number one asshole neighbor, tries to come over to help- but with their current mental state, Markus is somehow convinced he's behind the explosion of Song's garage and threatens him. Bob puts his hand on the handle of his gun as a warning, and immediately Markus pulls out their knife and stabs him straight through the palm. Louis wanted to try and interfere, but upon seeing this, is all "oh nevermind, yikes"

Meanwhile, Song and Fatima take Amira over to Arjun, who takes them down to the high-tech basement of their house. He takes out a duffel bag full of gadgets, all with a logo- Song recognizes it as the logo of a company that exclusively works with her father. Arjun says a code to shut Amira down as he goes to fix her, and he's like "Song you can't tell anyone about this," and Song goes "alright let me cast a geas on myself so if i ever Do tell someone i'll die" Song and Fatima go upstairs, and right before the basement door closes behind them, they hear Arjun break down and cry.

With the fires almost out, Markus notices there's some weird melted plastic in the grass, so they scoop it up and leave. Louis finds the source of the explosion, the propane tank, and also a bunch of shattered gnomes. At this point he just goes "man, nothing is normal in this fucking town, jesus christ," and starts muttering to himself about it before deciding fuck it, he's going home- but then he sees that Ken, our resident conspiracy theorist npc, has been watching him. Ken tries to act all natural like he wasn't obviously spying, and asks what happened ["Was this a meteor, or an underground volcano..?"]. Louis has an idea, and invites Ken to chat with him, because perhaps this man has info that can help us. Kenneth is so so hyped about this offer to chat, because no one's been interested in his theories before! They head to the coffee shop.

John didn't notice the explosion as he's driven to work; I rolled too high. When he gets dropped off at the city hall, he meets up with Clara, his coworker. They're assigned to be at the corner of Main and Sapphire Street; they chat as the walk there, and John learns about her favorite places to hang out- turns out the reason they haven't met despite her being here her whole life was because they hung out at different spots, besides the coffee shop. He mentions it's been hard for him to get a job since he doesn't have a government ID, and Clara asks if he's an illegal immigrant- she then apologizes for asking that, and John says it's okay, since humans are curious by nature. He says he'll go with the immigrant explanation for now, and the two of them reach the street corner.

They speak to passerby; John learns from Joseph Miller, the park ranger, that the weird plant seeds grow very quickly, and Jebediah Ford, the Minister of the church, wished all of the other employees to get better. John asks Clara about this, and it turns out that some of the people at this job have been getting strangely ill; Not even Dr. Sutherland, the town's miracle doctor, can figure out what's going on- in fact, one of his patients has been moved to one of the city hospitals. John then spots Jack attempting to empty the garbage cans around town; the man seems sick, and he's wearing sunglasses. John realizes his symptoms are awfully similar to what he saw when Karen Patterson was sick in Season One... He's connecting the dots.

Speaking of the strange plants, Markus notices that one's been growing in their house- the seed they grabbed in s1 has been growing, and is overtaking one of their bug terrariums. When they try to get near it with their knife, the plant shoots them with thorns. The roots tear easily as Markus rips the plant off the terrarium, and they put it down the garbage disposal. Deciding not to stay in their house for a bit, they grab the melted plastic from earlier and heads over to Emmett's house- the AI analyzes the stuff, saying it appears to be fake skin. Markus suggests maybe Emmett should talk to Arjun about it- they guy worked for the government, after all, unbeknownst to Emmett. Markus leaves, and heads over to the Patterson's.

Over at the Sumpaths, Fatima is telling Song that she Arjun have always wanted a kid but it just wouldn't work out, so Arjun, being an engineer, built one. She says there was a lot of trial and error to get things right and that she still has nightmares about it sometimes, but they care about Amira very much. She starts to mention something about how it's a bit hard regarding something- but then Arjun and Amira walk out of the basement; she's on her phone like nothing had happened. And Arjun introduces her ["Amira, this is Ms O'Sullivan, she just moved in to the neighborhood."], and Song's player pieces together that Amira has completely forgotten the entire events of them game. Song and Amira practically re-enact how they met for the first time, before the witch excuses herself and begins to head out; but not before inviting Fatima over for coffee later.

At the Patterson's, Markus is snooping around the perimeter of their house. The lights are on in the basement, so Markus heads over to the side to look in through one of the basement windows. Inside, they see Bob with a medkit, fixing up the hand that Markus had stabbed earlier. Observing through the window, Markus sees there's something mounted on the wall much like a hunting trophy: It's the skull of a giant feline with antlers, and next to his is an entire wall full of weapons- this man is a monster hunter. Markus decides to walk around and knock on his door.

Song sees a moving truck outside of Lucretius (aka Lestat)'s home; he greets her, expressing sympathies about the explosion and how he would offer her a place to stay, but he's moving to another house on the block since his current one is too infested with bugs. He says that if her house is still in repair by the time he's finished moving in, he can let her stay for a bit- In the meantime, though, he asks if she'd like to head downtown with him and grab a bite to eat?

But Song looks over and sees two cars: a sleek black car, like the kind her father's employee's drive, and a police car. She declines Lestat's offer and excuses herself, and heading over to the cars to see what's up. One of the cops, Jason Chen, is putting up police/caution tape around the debris of her garage; he's not doing a good job but he's trying. The other cop is approaching the Patterson's house, and is revealed to be Bob's son.

Louis and Ken arrive at the coffee shop and are greeted by Jewel, the teen at the counter. They order coffee- Ken's order is very pretentious, while Louis gets an americano. Jewel spells his name wrong, and when he mentions this a voice from one of the booths- Tawny Evergreen, her boss- says that she's not allowed to spell the customer's names correctly. Louis gives Jewel a 50 dollar tip.

The two of them go to sit down. Ken is super enthusiastic about this, bringing out folders and everything, and Louis, who had already been regretting this, finally declares that this was a mistake and starts to leave. He tells Kenneth that his level of enthusiasm is too much, he's too into this, and that deters people away.

Ken gets upset and pleads with Louis to stay, saying that no one ever wants to listen to what he has to say, and how there's so much happening in town but he's the only one who can see it- and as Louis tries to walk away Ken grabs his arm; his eyes go white and his grip tightens, before he blinks and stumbles back. "[Our new neighbor's name] is LESTAT?"

Notes and Thoughts:

Shelby Nicole Waters my beloved, why are you tired? Im suspicious and reading too much into this

Once again, Louis continues to be the funniest PC in the entire game, it's so entertaining when he talks to himself.

HOORAY JOHN LAUGHED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN S2 <3<3

The title is taken from a patch on Ken's jacket!

We all started yelling at Markus's player for the garbage disposal decision, but really that's Such a good storytelling thing to do. Let's go bestie let's make it worse /lh

I'm very happy Emmett made an appearance again! I was worried he would only be a s1 character, so it's neat he's back! I also have a more concrete design in my head for him, so hopefully I can sketch him out soon

FATIMA. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE NIGHTMARES, HELLO???

God the favor Bob owes Markus means so much more if you consider he was probably worried he'd have to kill his wife in s1

LESTAT STAY AWAY FROM SON. BITE MAIM KILL

Markus is SO getting arrested oh my god

If I had a nickel for every time there was a blond prophetic conspiracy theorist in my ttrpg games, I'd have two nickels!

I don't think Ken is able to control his ability/what he sees! It seems to be activated by physical touch- good thing he didn't come into contact with any of the other Main Cast, yeah?

I am very very happy this game is back! We'll find out what happens next in two weeks! <3

[spunkzero-letterstoyou]

Okay. I just didn’t want to bombard your folks like I’m selling myself.

Yes, I had the chance to live a different world of a life, as well; although not quite the same of what I see you have given Ami. My family used to work in music/arts production before they retired amongst other fields. They published a song they asked their friend and I to write, and helped open doors for me in the media field when I was a teenager.

I refused any semblance of the life they wanted to offer me, and chose to jump from prep schools to public school in my last year of high school. Wrote off the royalties and credits for the song. Threw away my chance to go to UCLA to jump headfirst into a life in film on the streets if I couldn’t go to Bard College or SVA in NYC, only to study a brief one year stint at the Beijing Film Academy.

Ami wanted me to expound on this because she sees the beauty of the life I chose to live with the decisions I made in my younger years. I had bitter fights with my family about all of this when I was younger, and she didn’t want conflict with you, nor risk the door closing if she decided to step over to the other side.

It is a different way of life, beautiful, and I’m sure experienced in your lifetime. Who hasn’t sat around at a park bench that became “theirs” as we used to hang out on the sidewalks? A $1 cup of coffee is often worth going clear across town to buy, and doing nothing but walking/wandering around the city streets with no awareness of time with your best friends and loved one a great luxury and soulful experience to cherish?

In any case, Ami has been alluding to the fact that we have a financial class rift between us that she is worried you won’t approve of. She wants to join me at this side of the coffee shops and delis, and wanted me to reinforce the fact that while I could’ve lived a different lifestyle, I fought for my right to live in the world I chose to live in. And now she wants to do the same - hoping for your blessings.

Ami, I gotta tell you though; I am seriously starting from square zero again. If we were to get married in this upcoming year, I’d have nobody come and attend. Not even my family because they’ve retired and volunteer now for a place to live and grow vegetables in the mountains. All my friends are just living their lives and the world goes on. I don’t know what’s up with all these messageboard feeds because it certainly hits close to home, but I’ve yet to hear back from my buddies on the Friend Request re-adds after I deleted and re-added all my friends then deleted and re-added them all again in a span of two or three days. Maybe they’re just giving me space to get better first or they’re just busy.

Also, I’m starting over in every facet of my life, rebuilding everything from ground up. That means that I was sitting at coffee shop level to the streets before, but now looking up from just-out-of-homelessness eye-level. Things aren’t the same, but believe me, it’s all part of the beauty.

Everything will return to normal soon, I promise. But this I know for certain: it will never be the same again.

Back to your father: Ami wants to drive Uber with me and live in the culture of life as an independent street artist. I am mostly saying that my life has been wiped out, but I’m happy to rebuild with her, while keeping open to the arrival of birds I used to have in my life, as well as birds I’ve been wanting through the door of my life that have been saying they are on their way.

Dilapidated converted warehouses are now mostly in the domain of millionaires, but that is the dream, if you know what I mean.

Ami has been dancing around this subject, and wishes for your well wishes and blessings. I’m certain it will be a huge weight lifted off of her chest when she’s finally given the green light if you approve.