#also wow posting twice the same month its a miracle

[sch4r4]

Highliters are spooky right

[daveeddiggsit]

No Return

Note: so this is not a new fic. i actually posted it back in 2017 (but deleted all my smut from this blog about a year afterwards haha we love being impulsive). but i’m over myself now, so i’m reposting! a lot of you have been asking about it, so... here you go. posted for all of y’all to enjoy again.

Word Count: 4.7k

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x Reader

Warnings: smut. cursing.

Summary: Diggs loses a bet which results in him owing you a lap dance.

Parties at Rafa’s place were always the best; the drinks were great, the music was amazing, the atmosphere was never dull, but the best part about them were the incredible people that made up each one; you were never bored. There was always something to do whether you were talking to people, dancing, playing drinking games, or just drinking in general. And that’s why whenever you were told that there was going to be a party at Rafael Casal’s apartment, you never turned it down...even if you ended up showing up late.

“Well, look at who finally decided to show up.” You heard a familiar voice say as you walked through the door to Rafa’s place. Daveed grinned widely at you before he slid an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him as you walked deeper into the apartment. “My favorite!”

Daveed was one of your closest friends and if you were being honest, it would have been a lie if you said you didn’t want him to become something more than that. The two of you often flirted and were constantly together (these occurrences happened so often that there were many times people believed you were dating), but neither of you had made a real move. You knew how you felt toward him, and he was giving you signs that he felt the same way, but no true actions were made by either party. So that’s why it stayed the way it was between you two: just close friends who often flirted with each other.

“Aw, I’m your favorite?” You asked, raising your voice so he could hear you over the loud music that was pumping through Rafa’s speakers.

“Uh, yeah,” he stated as if it was obvious, “but don’t tell anyone else. It’s a secret between you and me.” He whispered in your ear as you entered the kitchen.

Yeah, he had definitely downed a few drinks before you got here.

“Diggs, I’m pretty sure everyone heard you when you shouted it.” You laughed as you plucked the cup half-full of alcohol from his grasp, draining it of its contents. He pouted at you once you handed him back an empty cup.

“Y/N, hey! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” Adrienne said from beside Rafa who was pouring out a few drinks.

“Hey!” You pulled away from Daveed’s grasp to give her a hug. She’d been away in Canada for the last few weeks shooting for a new project she was working on. “I’ve missed you! Why’d you have to leave me alone to deal with these boys for so long?”

Adrienne laughed while Rafael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Oh, so you didn’t miss me? I see how it is, Y/N, I see how it is.” He feigned hurt, before pushing a couple of newly filled cups towards you and Daveed.

You rolled your eyes at him. “We had lunch a few days ago, Cash, it hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you.”

“But so much has changed since then.”

You chuckled before taking a sip. “Like what? Did you finally finish that song you’ve been working on?”

“No.” Rafael replied before he smiled at Adrienne beside him. “Unlike Diggs, I am no longer a single and lonely Bay Boy.”

Daveed’s eyebrows furrowed as he cocked his head. “Yo, who said I was lone—?”

“You guys are finally together? Oh my god, congrats!” You cut in with widened eyes.

They both grinned at each other before Rafa leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“Aww,” you gushed, “you two are couple goals already.”

A few seconds passed before you felt Daveed’s arm drape around your shoulders again.

“You know, we could be couple goals too.” He said, looking down at you with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes, pushing him away. “Ha, you wish, Diggs.”

You laughed it off because you knew he was too tipsy to be serious. He always flirted with you like this, but why did this time feel so different?

A few drinks later, you were beginning to feel the familiar light-hearted, buzzing feeling course throughout your body, giving you a boost of energy. You had drifted away from Daveed and Rafa to roam through the house and catch up with people you hadn’t seen since your Hamilton days. You were talking with Adrienne and Ari when you heard your name being called from behind you.

“Aye, Y/L/N!”

You turned your head to see Daveed standing next to a table a few feet away. 

“Diggs!” You responded in the same playful tone.

He grinned at you before waving you over. “Come play Flip Cup with me.”

“Really?” You quirked an eyebrow. “You lose every time you play against me, D.”

“I’m feeling confident today. I’ve been practicing.”

You tried not to laugh as you rose from your seat and approached him. “Practicing?”

“Bruh,” Rafa snickered at his friend from the other end of the table. “You played a few games before this and won two in a row. That ain’t practicing.”

You let a smug grin show up on your face as you glanced back up at your best friend. “Daveed, I am the queen of Flip Cup, okay? You can’t beat me. Nobody ever has, and nobody ever will. That’s a fact.”

“I’m pretty sure I can beat you today, Y/N.” He said bluntly. Wow, he was forward when he was drunk. “I have a good feeling about this.”

“Ha,” you huffed out a laugh, “wanna bet?"

“What do you propose, oh mighty Queen of Flip Cup?”

You thought for a second. What was something you knew would make him think twice about challenging you? Something that would make him step down from this newfound cockiness he embodied.

When the idea formed in your head, you sent him a sly grin. “Winner gets a lap dance from the loser.”

You distinctly remembered an earlier conversation with him where he stated that he couldn’t dance. You knew it was untrue due to the times you’d seen him dance at the club or during some of the numbers in Hamilton, but you also knew that the wager wasn’t something he’d necessarily jump on (despite the confidence boost the alcohol had supplied him).

Rafa led the mini crowd that had formed around you in a chorus of “ooo”s.

“Deal.”

You looked up at Daveed in surprise. You hadn’t expected him to agree to the terms so easily.

“Diggs, that means if you lose— sorry, when you lose, you have to give me a lap dance.”

“I know.” He said seriously.

“And you’re good with that?”

“If it happens, which it won’t because I’m gonna win, then yes.” He stated, his mouth forming into a confident smile. “I’m good with that.”

Fine, he wanted a challenge? You were going to give him one.

“Alright, then.” You said, narrowing your eyes at him. “Game on."

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Daveed lost. Badly.

So badly, in fact, that you actually felt bad for him. So you tweaked it so it was the best out of five games...and even then, he still lost.

Oh well, it’s not like you didn’t warn him.

When the third game ended and Daveed realized his defeat, he threw his head back and groaned.

“Aww, don’t be such a sore loser. You lost fair and square, Diggs. ” You teased with a smile, wrapping your arms around his torso to hug him from behind. “I warned you. I told you I was the queen of Flip Cup, but you didn’t listen.”

“Those cups were rigged, Y/N.” He stated, turning around in your grasp so he could hug you back.

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Say whatever you want to make yourself feel better. Nothing’s gonna change the fact that you owe me a lap dance.”

He was quiet for a moment before he murmured something. “You know I can’t dance, right?”

“First of all, yes you can. And secondly, lap dances are different, Diggs.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Yes they are. And if you don’t think they’re different, you dance at parties all the fucking time. You should be able to handle an easy lap dance.”

He lifted his head back up from your shoulder to look down at you. “But Y/N...”

You let out a laugh before you patted his cheek lightly. “You dug yourself into this hole, loser. Guess you’re just gonna have to figure it out because you’re not getting out of this one.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

The next day you woke up to someone knocking on your door. In sweats and an old t-shirt, you made your way over to unlock it, squinting your eyes to adjust to the bright light. The slight hangover you had wasn’t really helping you get out of your groggy state.

“Daveed?” You asked, realizing who your visitor was once your vision adjusted. “What are you doing here so early?”

He was dressed in a yellow Oaklandish tank top that showed off his toned arms/shoulders and dark blue jeans with a brown belt buckled just enough to let them sit loosely on his hips. You also noticed that he decided to rock his glasses today.

You snapped your eyes up to his and away from his figure that left you breathless. You totally had not just checked him out.

“If your definition of early is 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I think you may need to reevaluate some things and consider fixing that sleep schedule of yours.” He replied with his lips turning up into an amused grin.

“Shut up, I had a late night last night.” You mumbled, turning around to walk away, leaving the door open so he could let himself into your apartment. “And you did too. I’m surprised you’re not asleep right now.” You glanced back at him to see him shrug.

“I had to meet Bill and Jon at the studio at 10. I’ve been up since, like, 9:30.”

“Damn, Diggs, you’re gonna have to teach me your ways.”

“Caffeine.” He chuckled, putting on his signature grin. “It works miracles.”

You returned the smile, before sending him a curious look. “So, why are you here? Not that I mind or anything, it’s good to see you, but you haven’t been over in like a month and a half.”

“Exactly! It’s been awhile since we’ve hung out alone, so I thought it’d be dope if we chilled and watched movies or something.” He replied before he went to ramble on. “I mean— only if you want to. If you’re really tired, I can leave so you can get some more sl—”

“No, no, it’s fine! That sounds great.” You cut him off and placed a hand on one of his toned arms to reassure him. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah!” You responded. “Just let me take a quick shower and we can start in like 20ish minutes.”

“A 20 minute shower counts as a quick shower?” He questioned with a teasing look.

“Yes,” you said, “or would you rather it be 45ish minutes?”

“20ish minutes is good. Have fun with your quick shower. Though, I think it would be more fun if I joined.” A tiny but noticeable smirk made its way onto Daveed’s face.

You laughed when he sent you a playful wink, dropping your hand from his arm to walk towards your room. “You wish, Daveed Diggs.”

“You have no idea.” He mumbled under his breath (inaudible to your ears) before he let his eyes follow your retreating figure.

“Maybe you could set up the movie in the meantime? It’s your turn to choose. The remote’s on the coffee table and you know where the popcorn and shit is in the kitchen. I’ll be out soon. If you need anything, yell.” You said before closing the door to your room.

Daveed sent a thumbs up in your direction even though he knew you couldn’t see it before he made his way to your living room.

Little did you know, Daveed had something else planned.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

When you emerged from your shower, you quickly dried yourself and combed through your now damp hair. After that, you exited your room and entered your living room to see that it was completely dark. Confused, you surveyed the room to look for your best friend, but there was no sign of him at all.

Did he leave? If he did, he didn’t text you or anything to let you know.

“D?” You called out, walking further into the room.

With each step you took, the more you realized how this seemed like a scene from a horror film. You weren’t a fan of them, but a few months back Daveed and Rafael had pretty much forced you to have a scary movie marathon with them.

“Daveed Diggs, I swear to God. If you’re trying to scare me right now, I will—”

You squeaked when a pair of arms snaked their way around your waist from behind. Daveed’s voice had come seemingly from out of nowhere. “You’ll what?”

“Kick your ass.” You glared at him, quickly turning around to push him away. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

He laughed, smiling brightly. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“No, you’re not.” You grumbled, moving to sit on your couch. Daveed followed you.

“You right. It was so worth it.” He grinned at you, causing you to roll your eyes at him. You tried to stay mad at him, but it was damn near impossible when he was looking at you like that.

“We’re not friends anymore.” You stated, crossing your arms.

“What, why?” He asked, his grin dropping into a pout.

“You were mean to me, Diggs! How dare you scare me in my own home!” You were laughing internally.

“Okay, fine. I’m sorry for real this time. What can I do to make it up to you?”

When he asked, you contemplated it for a few moments before you looked up at him with a smirk.

“What?” He asked.

“Well, you still owe me that lap dance…”

He groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back on the couch. “I thought you forgot about that.”

“Nope.” You said, your smirk forming into a smug grin. You had the upper hand now. “How could I forget you losing a bet against me, resulting in a lap dance from the great Daveed Diggs himself?”

After a couple of seconds, he sighed, opening his eyes and tilting his face towards you. “If I do this now, will I win back your friendship?”

“I’ll think about it.” You said, causing him to give you a deadpanned look. You laughed before you spoke again. “Yeah, I guess we could be friends again. But it has to be good.”

Daveed sighed again before he straightened himself up. “I don’t even know how to give a good lap dance, Y/N.”

“Improvise. C’mon, D, you’re great at improv. Treat it like you treat a freestyle. Just go with the flow.” You smiled widely at him.

“Fine.” He said, getting up from his spot next to you. “But I’m only pulling through with this because I like you.”

“Aww, you like me?” You asked teasingly to mask the actual feeling that was coursing through you. You continued to grin at him as he pulled out his phone to scroll through his music library. When he finally settled on a song by The Weeknd, he turned to you once he pressed play.

“Do I start now?”

“Yes,” you laughed. “C’mon, you know how a lap dance works. You’re not a novice when it comes to these things, stop fucking around.”

You could see him smile and rub his arm before he looked away for a second. When he started to slowly sway to the beat of the song, it was extremely hard for you to stifle your laugh. Your best friend was about to give you a lap dance and you could not take him seriously.

He continued to dance to the beat for a bit as he stared you down with a smirk. He was doing this shit on purpose. He was joking around until you couldn’t contain your laughter any longer.

“Diggs, I can’t take you seriously like this. I can—” You wheezed. “I just can’t.”

Your laughter and the slow, sexy beats of the music were the only audible things in your apartment until Daveed spoke again. 

“Are you ready for me, Y/N?” His smooth, low voice washed over you.

You let out yet another giggle. “Don’t make it sound so sexual.”

“It's supposed to sound sexual, Y/N, it’s a fucking lap dance.” He chuckled, now standing directly in front of you.

“Alright, show me what you got, Bay Boy.”

You continued to laugh at him as you watched him, but the moment he straddled your lap, you stopped. His arms were on each side of your head, using the couch to steady himself over you as his hips began to slowly grind against you. That’s when the atmosphere in the room completely changed.

Your eyes widened slightly when you saw him bite his bottom lip in concentration. When you envisioned Daveed giving you a lap dance the night prior, you didn’t think it would be like this...it was flustering you more than you thought it would. Before you knew it, you were struggling to control your movements. Your fists were clenching and unclenching as you so desperately tried to keep them anchored to your sides.

As if he had read your mind, Daveed murmured, “You can touch me, Y/N. Don’t be afraid.”

If you weren’t turned on before, you definitely were now. His gravelly voice paired with his hot breath right next to your ear caused you to shiver, making goosebumps appear across your entire body.

Then, you finally let your hands wander. They traveled up his chest to rest on his shoulders, then back down again to move under the hem of his tank top so you could feel his bare and strong torso. Sure it was a bold move, but the more and more Daveed grinded on you, the less and less you cared. When his tank top rode up to the point where you could see all of his abs, he paused to stand up and quickly get rid of the article of clothing before he came back to straddle you again. 

Your heart was beating wildly in your chest as you looked up at your best friend. He looked undeniably attractive when he was on top of you shirtless and with his glasses on. Every feeling you had ever felt for him came crashing down on you at that moment and that’s when you just about lost your self-control. Part of your brain was screaming at you, saying that you were about to cross a line that you could never cross again...but at the same time, all of your cares had disappeared.

You used your newfound courage to cup Daveed’s face in both of your hands and pull him into a deep kiss. He gasped softly, surprised at the sudden contact, but quickly eased into it. 

You had just passed the point of no return.

You didn’t know what to expect when you decided to kiss him, but it was better than you could have imagined. When you pulled back, his mouth was slightly dropped in awe and one of the sides slowly twitched up into a soft smile. (It was kind of adorable.)

“Daveed, I like you.” You blurted, short of breath.

His face broke out into a full grin. “I like you too, Y/N.” 

“No,” you shook your head, moving your hands from his cheeks down to his shoulders. “I mean like— like like you.”

“I know,” he chuckled. “I mean, I figured given what just happened a few seconds ago. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

You shrugged, breaking eye contact with him. You subconsciously traced one of your thumbs across his collarbone. “I was afraid of rejection, I guess.”

“Are you serious?”

“What?” You asked, sounding offended.

Daveed caught your gaze again, pushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Y/N, I’ve had like the biggest fuckin’ crush on you since Ari introduced us.”

“Wait, really?”

“Mhm,” he hummed. “I’m actually really surprised you didn’t notice.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your crush earlier, Diggs?” You voiced, giving him a pointed look.

He gave you a shy smile when he moved off of you to sit beside you, still facing you. “Same reason as you.”

“You know what? I’m not even mad about not knowing sooner.” You said. “I’m glad we found out like this.”

“You’re just happy I gave you a lap dance with my amazing skills.” He teased with a laugh of his own.

You laughed again, and pushed at his chest so he could lay on his back and let you crawl on top of him to straddle his waist. “Not gonna lie, I didn’t think you had it in you, Diggs.”

His jaw dropped completely as he looked up at you. “But you said that I could do a lap dance when even I said I couldn’t!”

“That’s true, but to be fair, I never said you couldn’t do a lap dance. I just didn’t think you’d do as well as you did.”

Your response brought yet another smile to his face as you leaned closer to him. “I’mma take that as a compliment.” He said softly.

At this point, the song Daveed had chosen had ended a while ago and the lap dance was long over.

“Good.” You responded before you kissed him again.

This one was different from the first. It started off soft, but quickly turned passionate and heated. As your mouths moved against each other, Daveed’s hands moved from your hips up to the hem of your shirt, his fingertips grazing your bare sides, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The only word you could use to describe this feeling was just complete bliss.

When you reached down to Daveed’s belt buckle, he shivered, causing you to smile against his lips.

Then he pulled away, panting. “Y/N…” he breathed. “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to— fuck.” He cursed as you pulled back completely to unbuckle his pants. “I don’t wanna push y—” 

“Daveed,” You said, before pausing quickly to put a hand on his scruff, tenderly moving your thumb to caress his cheek. “I’m absolutely sure about this. Now please, shut the hell up so I can blow you.”

You smirked when you saw his eyes widen and when you crawled off of him to go in between his legs, you heard a quiet, “Okay.”

Wasting no more time, you removed his jeans and boxers to free his erection. You could see Daveed’s chest begin to rise and fall quicker when you took his length into your hand and pressed a kiss to the tip of it.

“Oh, shiiit.” He drawled softly when your mouth wrapped around him, slowly sucking your way down as far as you could. As you began to bob your head up and down, Daveed’s breathing increased with each suck and occasional flick of your tongue.

Now, he was fully panting. He lifted his head up to look down at you, causing him to groan. After a minute or two, he brought a hand down to move some strands of hair out of your face.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he babbled, “I...I shouldn’t...oh God, I shouldn’t be this fucking close.”

You slowly pulled off of him and he brought you back up to kiss him again.

“You,” Daveed breathed against your lips, “are way too fucking good at that.”

You grinned.

“And,” he continued, “this clothing situation is a bit unbalanced, don’t you think?” 

His thumbs grazed the waistband of your sweatpants. When you nodded, you pulled them down along with your underwear. You moved off of him to take them off completely and remove your shirt and bra, leaving you just as bare as he was.

You climbed back on top of him, straddling his washboard abs, when he ushered you to move up. You obeyed, moving forward an inch or two, but Daveed shook his head and grabbed your thighs, moving you himself.

“Daveed, what are you doing?”

“Returning the favor.” He said simply, bringing you over to his face.

“Oh,” you breathed when you felt his tongue lightly touch your clit.

The man’s mouth worked miracles from between your thighs. Daveed kept you still above his skilled tongue, occasionally giving your ass a squeeze.

“D-Daveed,” you gasped, your mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ as his tongue lightly circled your clit before he brought fully into his mouth to suck gently.

This was the best head you’d gotten...well ever, actually. He wanted you to feel the best you’d ever felt and he definitely achieved that.

Before you knew it, you were reaching your high, climaxing as you shouted Daveed’s name, not caring how loud it echoed throughout your apartment. When you crawled back down Daveed’s body, the two of you shared a sloppy kiss as you both breathed heavily.

Although you just came, you weren’t completely satisfied. You still wanted him... needed to feel him inside you.

You moved to position yourself above his cock, but he made you pause before you could do so.

“Y/N, stop,” Daveed panted. “Condom.”

“Don’t need it.” You replied quickly. “I’m on the pill.”

“Oh, fuck yes.” He replied, releasing you so you could resume what you were about to do.

You breathed out a laugh before you slowly sank down onto his length, making both you and him release a groan. 

“You are so fucking gorgeous,” he gasped. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this.”

Your fingers ghosted along his stubble-ridden jaw. “I think I have an idea.”

When you adjusted to his size, you began to bounce and he helped you, meeting each of your thrusts as he guided your hips onto him.

Your lips met Daveed’s yet again and you captured every moan that fell from his mouth, he did the same for you. As your pace quickened, so did each grunt, pant, and moan. You felt your pussy begin to clench again like it had when you came before.

“I’m gonna come,” Daveed said quickly against your mouth.

“Fuck.” You groaned. “Me too, D.”

“Come for me, sweetheart.” He breathed, bringing a hand up from your hip to cup your cheek. “You can do it.”

And you did.

Your walls clenched around him and you gasped, letting your orgasm wash over you in waves. Daveed came shortly after you, and continued to thrust, riding the both of you through your highs.

As you came down and pulled yourself off him, you collapsed, exhausted, halfway leaning on him and halfway laying on your couch. You moved a hand up to rest on his chest again, closing your eyes in bliss as you relaxed against him.

After a minute or two of silence, Daveed broke it.

“Wait, so...does this mean we’re friends again?” 

You looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He was still on that? Wow, what a dork. “After this? Everything that just happened?” You asked bewildered. “God, I hope not.”

“Fine,” he said letting his signature bright smile show up on his face, still breathing heavily. “More than friends?”

Your heart fluttered in your chest and you grinned widely back at him. You leaned up to softly kiss his jaw before you gave him your answer.

“Way more than just friends, D.”

[tastyie]

Firefly

@chestnutisland

(A/N): I always wondered why Krillin calls Marron firefly, it seems kind of a random nickname for a kid. So here is my take on it. K18 one-shot, post cell pre buu

Our Firefly

“Alright 18, we have to do it today.” Krillin said waking up and rubbing the crust from his eyes. He was ready to get up and start the day off.

“We’ve already rescheduled with Bulma twice and we are lucky she is even doing it in the first place.”

18 had just opened her eyes.

“Lucky? Isn’t she one of your best friends, she isn’t doing it to help us out?” She said half awake.

“True, but there is no need to reschedule again. We have to go hun’.” He said, shortly after he ripped the blankets off of 18. Trying to wake her up while also exposing what they were going to see Bulma for.

“Don’t you want to know if our baby is healthy?”

“Yeah, I do. You’re right we should go.” She said

18 was 4 months pregnant and her belly is becoming bigger and more defined every day.

They were surprised to say the least when the couple found out 18 had a life growing inside of her. Once the cybernetic woman starting having repeating cases of morning sickness they were curious. Many calls to Bulma and Chichi and a home pregnancy test, eventually led them to founding out the news. 18 was shocked. She had no idea she could bare a child and she was really nervous about it. Although she had no one to blame but herself. Krillin kept on saying how protection during sex  was important so they didn’t have an unplanned child like this. 18 never understood his worrying when it came to that topic, she wasn’t fully human she can’t get pregnant anyways so why go through the trouble of buying pills or condoms. Well after a hand full of their unprotected adult endeavors Krillin’s warnings finally caught up to them.

18 went from shocked to being scared out of her mind, but like he always does Krillin was there to guide her through her inner turmoil and helped her realize how this was a blessing and it would only make them closer. She, or Krillin for that matter, didn’t know how to be parents but they damn well were going to try their hardest.

“Can you make us some Breakfast first dear?” The woman asked.

“Mmm I don’t know I’m still full from that huge dinner from last night.”

“Well sorry, You know I’m eating for two.”

“Ok I’ll cook you something to eat then I’ll call Bulma and see what time she wants us over.”

“All right you get started on that, I want oatmeal, toast and eggs. I’m gonna get some more sleep in the meantime.”

“Now wait a sec-”

“Thanks Krillin, love you.”

Before Krillin had the chance to rebuttal again she took back the blankets and covered her entire body with the thick cloth.

“Bu--- Okay fine be that way. But now I won’t make the eggs how you like them!”

He said opening the door about to walk out of it.

“Yes you will.”

“Yea...I know.”

And with that he closed their bedroom door and headed downstairs.

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

Breakfast was okay, 18 ate it in silence because Krillin went to go take a shower. Roshi was also out there but as soon as he saw 18 was going to be in there for more than 5 minutes he left. She had been at the island for 4 years now but they still weren’t on the best of terms Only talking when Krillin was still in the same room. Probably because Roshi kept on being his usual self around her. It was safe to say she didn’t care for that.

“Ok 18 are you ready.”

Krillin came down stairs and saw that 18 was in deep thought, she didn’t even notice him at first.

“Is something wrong 18?”

“Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about this leech inside me.”

“Hey don’t call it that! It's not a leech it's a miracle.”

“Yea, yea I know. But I was just wondering about it. Is it developing well enough, what gender is it, how being a mother will be. Stuff like that.”

“I do too honey, 24/7. Just talk to me whenever about it when you want. We are in this together.”

“I know Krillin. Thank you.”

“Good we can talk about anything you want while we are in the jet car. Speaking of which Bulma wants us there at 10:30 so let’s get going.”

“The jet car is too slow can’t we just fly?”

“No no no! I can’t let you fly when you’re 4 months pregnant!”

“Fine, you can just carry me then.”

“Uh, I guess that will work. Shouldn’t be any strain on you or the-”

“Can you go get my shoes from upstairs Krillin I’m ready to go.” She cut him off.

She found it best to just interrupt him when he was babbling on about stuff, she liked to cut straight to the point anyways.

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

They didn’t really conversate on the flight over to Bulma’s, due to the high wind messing with their ability to hear. At least they were close and could just feel each others embrace.

They landed safely and walked into the main lobby of capsule corp building. They saw the receptionist.

“Ahh hello!” She greeted them. “Mr. Krillin and Mrs. Eighteen, Bulma is waiting for you in the…”

She seized talking because 18 just straight up walked past the desk without even pretending to notice the woman talking. She just didn’t really like talking to new people, it was just best to ignore them when she could.

Krillin knew this and usually had to cover up for her.

“Sorry ma’am, she’s just nervous about the ultrasound.” Krillin defended.

“Oh I see, I can imagine then.” She said with a smile, she didn’t blame 18 for her actions.

“Well Mrs. Briefs is in the medical building in Wing E.”

“Thanks, sorry again. Have a good day!”

“No problem, you too!”

He had to do a light jog to catch up with his wife. For a pregnant woman she sure did walk fast.

“Do you know where you’re even going?” He blurted while catching up.

“Med building Wing E, I heard her.” She said matter a factly.

“You forgot to say something to her 18, you have to at least say hello.”

“Sorry, I’m working on it. You know I’m not a people person.”

“It’s ok. Let’s just focus on what’s about to happen.”

The still newlyweds made their way down a series of hallways and walkways until finally they made it to the destination.

“Why does she even have a hospital?” 18 asked.

“I don’t think its a hospital, they just invent test medical equipment. Like the ultrasound she is gonna use on you today.”

“Wow i feel so honored.” She uttered with the utmost of sarcasm.

After they asked one of the many people in scrubs walking around where Bulma was the duo finally found her. Sitting in a room looking at a monitor.

“I see you guys finally made it.” The blue haired woman greeted them while still focusing on her monitor.

“Bulma are you even trained to do this?” 18 asked, the thought never crossed her mind.

“I’m the smartest woman on the planet, and I’ve been prepping for the last two weeks. I’m confident this will go without a hitch!” She said proudly.

“Ok.”

Bulma first weighed Krillin’s wife then started asking her a handful of questions before she got to the main attraction. Some of them professional, like how is she eating, are her feet swelling, is she putting any strain on her body, but most of them personal.

“No I do not have any maternity clothes!” The cyborg said kind of getting annoyed.

“Well after we check on your baby we HAVE to get you some. You’ll thank me later.” She responded.

18 thought about and maybe it would be good to listen to what Bulma was saying and it would be beneficial to get to spend more time with her. After all Bulma was just trying to help and she was friendly and she has been pregnant before. She also will probably pay of all of these clothes she was talking about it.

“Ok, I would like that.”

She actually said yes? Krillin thought to himself.

Wow she actually said yes, I was just fishing there. Bulma wondering the same thought as Krillin.

“Uhh, yea. She didn’t want to waste money on clothes she wouldn’t wear anymore after a year. She’s just been wearing my clothes mostly.” The short man said picking the conversation back up.

“No worries. I’ll pay, my treat.”

“Thank you!” They both said.

“Ok one last question.” The interviewer spoke up.

“Is this one relevant to the situation at hand unlike the last 5 you asked?” The interviewee asked.

“Yes, I swear. I just need to know if you guys are still having sex while this baby is inside of you.”

Krillin’s face heated up so bad it looked like he had a fever and 18 just looked straight pissed.

Bulma continued to speak.

“I’m serious guys, just tell me.”

Krillin decided to speak up about it.

“Uh, we stopped when she found out about the baby, we didn’t want to hurt it in anyway. So that was two months ago probably?”

18 nodded confirming that was the correct answer.

“Alright, well good. See for most people it’s perfectly fine to have intercourse while pregnant. But in your guys’ case I can’t recommend it. Since you guys don’t have normal strength it might injure the baby. But don’t worry. I can speak from personal experience after all the waiting the feeling is amazing. Vegeta and I---”

18 cut her off.

“Ok we get it. I really don’t wanna hear about you and Vegeta’s sex life.”

“All right then. Just lie down and lift up your shirt.”

She took Bulma’s orders.

“Alright this will be a little cold, but nothing you can’t handle. Let me just run one last test to make sure everything will run smoothly.”

It was cold, but in the grand scheme of things it didn’t really matter. She was here realising what was about to happen. She was going to get to see the first glimpse of the life she was raising inside of her.

Krillin could tell she was thinking negative thoughts so he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“It’s gonna be ok.” He whispered. “You’re strong, you can do this.”

She smiled at him, he always knew just want to say.

Bulma grabbed the transducer probe and placed it where the gel was.

“Just so you guys know for context, the only difference between this machine and one used for regular ultrasounds is that this one detects your android parts and ignores them. This way they won’t interfere with the anything….Speaking of which, here is your baby!”  

It was kind of surreal to the two of them. It was just a blue blob with a black background, but it was filling them with so much emotion. How could they love something they just saw for the first time.  They wanted to protect it, hold it, spoil it, they couldn’t wait for it to be truly alive.

18 had to blink away the tears.

Heh. 18 tried to distract herself so the water didn’t fall from the eyes. If 17 was here he would tell me my human was showing. I would tell him we are more human than machine anyways, might as well embrace it.

“It’s ok to cry hun’” Her husband interrupted her inner thoughts. He could tell she was on the verge.

Bulma did notice what was going on, but she chose to let them have their moment without interfering. It was between them.

“I’m ok now, Bulma tell us we are looking at.” 18 said regaining her composure.

“Well here is the head, the arms, legs, and I’m pretty sure I can make you able to hear its heartbeat. But first want me to tell you want gender it is?”

“Yea that would be great, right babe?” Krillin got excited but then remembered it should be up to his wife.

“Of course.” She said.

“Alright let's see here, it looks like its….a...girl!”

The married couple started to rejoice. To be honest they didn’t care what gender it was, they were just happy to finally know what they were expecting. However their joy subsided once the machine started to make a noise.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

“Uhh…” Bulma stuttered. She didn’t think that would happen.

“Bulma, what is that.” The ex-monk asked.

Before Bulma could explain what was happening the monitor started flashing warning signs.

Then the craziest thing possible happened. 18’s bloated stomach began to emit light, it started to glow from the inside.

“That doesn’t look right.” The blue haired woman said.

“BULMA WHAT THE FUCK!!!” 18 screamed, fearing for her and her baby’s life.

“BULMA DO SOMETHING!!!” Krillin also screamed, fearing for the same as 18.

“Ok ok, remain calm so I can think.”

Bulma was ineed frazzled and was turned and started to press many buttons on the ultrasound machine. She uninstanctfully dropped the probe on accident. It fell to the floor. Luckily this caused the glowing to stop.

All three of them sighed in almost unicent.

“Bulma what the hell just happened?!?” 18 snapped again.

“Well remember when I said this machine was designed to not detect your inner android parts? It did and when the sound censor in the probe detected it the part started to light up. That is the jist of what happened guys. I can ensure that everything is ok with the baby and with you 18, all the mechanism inside of you did was light up a warning because a sound wave hit it. Some sort of defense protocol, and the only reason it glowed at all is because of your bigger stomach area.”

“Ok, thank Kami.” Said Krillin.

“Sorry guys…” Bulma sounded defeated.

“If we are both fine then don’t sweat about it. It was just a scary experience that’s all. It’s kind of fitting though, sometimes, now that Krillin is with me i forgot I’m part machine. But I won’t forget it anytime soon.” 18 spoke up.

Krillin leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Bulma that was very sweet but still felt incredibly embarrassed.

“I’m gonna fix this now and get it over with for next time, how about you guys go get some lunch from my mom in the meantime. Then after I’ll take you to go get some maternity clothes.” The bluenette pleaded sounding very guilty.

“Alright, let’s go Krillin. Thanks Bulma.” 18 said

“I swear it’s nothing to worry about, and congrats again guys.” She said. “I’ll come find you two in an hour.”

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

Krillin went to go get some sandwiches that Panchi made and met his wife outside.

“Man that was crazy.” Krillin said sitting down next to the love of his life.

“I’m just happy everything is ok. I can’t blame her though, she couldn’t of known.” 18 said.

“Hopefully the next visit will go smoother. How scared were you?”

“I thought someone had wished the bomb back in me and...I don’t want to even think about it.”

“Oh 18 that is awful.”

“Yeah I know. What was going through your mind?”

“At first it was about losing the baby. But now all I can think about is how your stomach looked like it had a really big firefly in it.” Krillin chuckled scratching the back of his head.

She smacked his forehead.

“OWW, guess I deserved that.”

“You did.”

“I kind of like that as a nickname for the baby. Firefly!”

“Hmm, yea It’s kinda cute.”

That’s it

Thanks for reading, k18 for life. Thanks to @chestnutisland for running chestnutfest. Was writing this in advance but saw you had a free day planned so i decided to submit it for that.

[starwarsnonsense]

Top 10 Best Films of 2017 - End of Year List

I did a mid-year ‘best of’ list, so it was only fitting that I returned to the format at the end of the year to run down my top 10 favourite films of the year. Only three films from my mid-year list remain here, which is a testament to what an incredible year it has been for film. As far as I’m concerned, 2017 has been a real banner year for cinema and it has seen the release of several all-time greats that I look forward to enjoying for many years to come. 

Since I’m based in the UK there will be several notable omissions here (I still eagerly await films like Phantom Thread, I, Tonya and The Post), purely by dint of the fact that they have yet to be released in this country. Do look out for them in my forthcoming most-anticipated of 2018 list!

Honourable mentions: Custody, Brimstone, The Disaster Artist, Professor Marston & the Wonder Women, Call Me By Your Name

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, dir. Rian Johnson

While the placement of this film on my list may be resoundingly predictable (check out the total lack of bias signalled by my username!), the thrilling thing is that the film itself is anything but. The Last Jedi shatters the Star Wars mould to entertain new forms of storytelling and question long-held assumptions. It’s a shockingly meta story in how it questions the conventions of Star Wars - particularly those concerning lineage and its implications - but it is never meta in an ironic sense. There are no wink, wink moments, and while the past is investigated and questioned it is never mocked. Instead of descending into irreverence, The Last Jedi is meta in a way that feels absolutely necessary and justified if Star Wars is to remain fresh and vital as it moves forward. Bloodline and history do not have to dictate destiny in this new version of Star Wars - the heroes are those who understand this, and the villains are the ones who fail to grasp the same lesson. It’s a beautiful and intellectually rigorous movie, and I’m thrilled by how it elevates and re-contextualises the stories that came before it while pushing the characters and their relationships forward. I have no idea of where Episode IX will take this story, and that is incredibly exciting to me. Bring it on.

2. Blade Runner 2049, dir. Denis Villeneuve

There are a million and one reasons why this movie shouldn’t have worked, but Villeneueve proved his genius by making a sublime sci-fi picture that actually surpasses its predecessor. I have always admired the original Blade Runner more than I’ve enjoyed it, and that’s because I have always found it emotionally distant. Deckard struck me as a mumbling arse and his romance with Rachael always felt obligatory, not organic. The genius of Blade Runner 2049 lies in how it made me care - it made me care about the love between Deckard and Rachael (which was something of a miracle in itself), and it made me care about the love between K and his holographic girlfriend Joi. With these emotional hooks in place, everything worked as a thrilling symphony. The cinematography is easily the best of any film in 2017 (sorry, Dunkirk - I still love you) and this film has an astonishing number of scenes that still linger in my mind after many months - the very modern threesome, the shootout in the gaudy pleasure palace, the fight in the rain, the father seeing his child for the first time. It’s a breathtaking film and I couldn’t be more excited to see what Villeneuve does next.

3. Dunkirk, dir. Christopher Nolan

Dunkirk is such a striking and effective piece of cinema that it actually made me overcome my innate bias against war movies (I blame too many tedious Sunday afternoons wasted on mandatory viewings of The Great Escape at my grandparents’ house). With Dunkirk, Nolan has probably made his most accomplished and sophisticated movie - it starts off unbearably tense and doesn’t release its grip on your pulse until the final scene, when its hero finally drops off to the blessed peace of sleep. Nolan employs a tricksy converging structure with multiple plot strands to ramp up the tension and provide different perspectives on the evacuation, masterfully playing them off each other to assemble the big picture. While criticised by some for its apparent lack of character, I can’t really agree with that assessment - Dunkirk is probably the most powerfully humanistic war film I’ve ever seen, and by stripping its characters down to their rawest selves it reveals some uncomfortable yet powerful truths about all of us. The characters are somewhat distant from us - we never hear them pine for lovers or miss their mothers - but the removal of these storytelling shorthands leaves us with soldiers who behave exactly as you would expect frightened, stranded children to. And there’s something terrifyingly poignant about that.

4. mother!, dir. Darren Aronofsky

mother! is the work of a madman with no fucks to give, and it is what I choose to refer to as ‘peak Aronofsky’. He made what is clearly an allegory, and while he had his own intentions with said allegory (which he has been very loud about declaring) the film is so cleverly constructed that it can simultaneously be about the entire history of the world and the plight of the tortured artist’s muse - either reading is perfectly correct and supported by the text. mother! is a piece of art that has provoked a lively and frequently heated debate, and while it needs to be read as an allegory to make any kind of sense as a narrative I also don’t want to undersell this movie as an emotional experience. If you go into mother! willing to be challenged and content to be swept up in a bold artistic vision, it has the potential to be a really absorbing and engrossing film - it is anchored by Jennifer Lawrence’s remarkably brave and unrestrained performance. She is not playing a grounded character, but her performance is palpably real and frequently painful to witness - she portrays the whole spectrum of emotions, from mild bemusement to shrieking horror, and the whole film soars on the strength of her efforts. This is a uniquely strength and esoteric film, and I am incredibly happy that it exists.

5. Get Out, dir. Jordan Peele

This film really knocked me for six, to such an extent that I simply had to see it twice in the cinema. It got even better upon a re-watch, when I was able to watch it with full knowledge of the characters’ underlying motives and the things to come. It’s a terrifying concept (the racism of an all-white suburb is taken to a horrifying extreme) executed with incredible panache, and you feel every emotion that Chris goes through thanks to Daniel Kaluuya’s excellent performance. Get Out also represents one of the most brilliantly communal experiences I’ve ever had at the cinema - I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say that the audience erupted into spontaneous applause at a key moment in the climax. Simply fantastic. 

6. The Handmaiden, dir. Park Chan-wook

This film is exquisite - it’s first and foremost a beautiful boundary-smashing love story, and an absolutely marvellous tale of female defiance. It transplants Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith to 1930s Korea, and the story is effortlessly adapted to become intrinsically interwoven with its new setting. Sookee is a talented pickpocket plucked from a thieves den and sent as a handmaiden to trick a rich heiress into falling for a conman. To say any more would spoil the twists, but this film is just a masterwork of suspense, keeping you guessing throughout a series of interlocking pieces that take their time to reveal their secrets. I’ve seen the theatrical cut and the extended version, and they’re both great - you’re in for a treat with either.

7. The Florida Project, dir. Sean Baker

This is one of the best screen depictions of childhood I’ve ever seen. Our hero here is Moonee, a smart-tongued and cheeky six-year-old. Moonee lives in a motel room with her abrasive but loving mother, but since she’s a child she doesn’t mope or lament her poverty - she takes her surroundings for granted and makes the tacky shops and hotels that form her world her very own theme park. The Florida Project is firmly committed to adopting a child’s eye perspective, and while it can feel a bit meandering to begin with it gradually accumulates pace and purpose, building to an utterly heartbreaking and unforgettable climax. The performances here are extraordinary, and Brooklynn Prince is so palpably real as Moonee that she’ll own your heart by the end of the movie (having squeezed it to bursting point on several occasions).

8. The Shape of Water, dir. Guillermo del Toro

I’ve long been a huge del Toro cheerleader, and this movie is perhaps best described as ‘peak del Toro’ - it has the mannered, detail-oriented set design, the charming quirkiness, the subverted horror, and the woozily strange romance that he has employed again and again in his films. This story, however, is unusual for del Toro in that it is ultimately optimistic and hopeful - it’s the daddy of all supernatural romances in that it is a full-blown love story between a mute human woman and a fishman, and it is characterised by total commitment and self-belief. Think Creature from the Black Lagoon done with the creature as the romantic hero. The Shape of Water has a certain playfulness that means it never feels ponderous or silly, but it affords its characters real respect and dignity and makes you care for them deeply. This movie makes me excited to see where genre filmmaking can go next (hint: I hope it only gets weirder).

9. Thelma, dir. Joachim Trier

Who knew something like this could come out of Norway? This was probably my biggest pleasant surprise of 2017 in terms of film - I went in with no expectations at all, and came out wowed. This is an intensely strange and effective supernatural horror that follows a girl with strange repressed powers that manifest whenever she experiences desire. It could be a hackneyed or exploitative premise in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, but Trier shows a deft hand and a remarkable talent for building tension and creating a sense of heightened reality. There is one scene set to ‘Mountaineers’ by Susanne Sundfor that is one of the most transporting experiences I have ever had in the cinema - the combination of the ethereal music and the mounting suspense makes for real film magic. This was a great reminder of how important it is to take chances and try out films outside your comfort zone.

10. Jackie, dir. Pablo Larrain

This is a film that soars on the strength of Natalie Portman’s incredible performance, which is complemented by Mica Levi’s haunting score. Portman’s performance is painfully vivid, with her agony and wretchedness coming through so intensely that it’s often uncomfortable to watch. Jackie is probably the best portrait of grief I’ve ever seen, and it sucks you into a famous historic event by providing an incredibly intimate perspective on it. This is great cinema, but be prepared for suffering.

[spacegaysinc-blog]

Space Christmas™

look we know its july we just have a lot of feelings ok

ok so everyone’s always talking about how much Lance misses his big family and whatnot, but how would that carry across to a holiday like Christmas?

like, forget about missing just his siblings and parents what about the massive extended family? also (we’re not trying to shove beliefs onto a character or upset anyone in general please don’t yell at me) A LOT of people are religious and quite a few more practice exclusively on holidays like Christmas or Easter.

plus, even if Lance wasn’t strictly religious there’s something about being raised in a family that is that ingrains bits and pieces of those things into you just as a byproduct of being raised that way.

either way you can’t tell me that Lance’s family didn’t celebrate Christmas and since he has younger siblings it would still be a big deal since they would still believe in Santa.

so it gets to the point that Lance is spending the nighttimes heartbroken thinking about the presents he had planned for his little siblings that he won’t be able to give them this year because he’s an amazing sibling like that, or wishing for just one day, THIS day, that he could be back with his family, because anyone who has gone from spending Christmas with a big family to spending it almost alone know that it’s one of the loneliest feelings on the world.

Pidge’s family is kind of a mixed situation

like her dad’s jewish so they just decided as a family to celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah

the holidays weren’t really at the front of Pidge’s mind when the ‘winter months’ rolled around

because FIRST OF ALL it looked NOTHING like winter normally did (bc space), 

and anyway for the past couple years she and her mother had grown apart and holidays were hardly the first thing anyone would think of when a family falls apart like that,

but she’s the one that notices Lance disappearing more and stumbles upon him crying twice as many times as she normally would, so she figures something’s up.

it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they have reached what would be on Earth the month of December and to link that a little further to Christmas.

now Pidge understands a lot, but humans have never been her strongest suit so she does what any reasonable person would do and goes to Hunk and lets him take the wheel on what to do. Pidge does what she can to help (she’s probs the one that makes the cool decorations) 

she misses her small, intimate family Christmases and it was trying to get that family back that brought her here in the first place, but along the way the team has kinda become her family too so why not embrace that for a little while?

Pidge makes a metal tree and everyone helps to decorate it

Lance goes nuts

people’s thing’s just start going missing and they end up on the tree

everyone knows it's Lance and it’s mildly inconvenient but they can’t bring themselves to say anything bc he just looks so happy

they start voluntarily putting their things on the tree

Keith puts fingerless gloves on it. Lance almost cries laughing

Shiro puts his fucking arm at the top of the tree bc he thinks he’s funny

“Shiro, no you need that what the hell”

“I just wanted to lend a hand, Keith”

Pidge teaches them all about Hanukkah too, and the Alteans love the dreidel

Coran is really hung up on the menorah thing

“But if there was only enough for 1 day, how did it last 8?”

“I don’t know, that’s why they call it a miracle”

“Fascinating”

Keith doesn’t really get this Christmas thing.

like obviously he knows what Christmas is, he’s from Texas of course he does, but he’s not quite sure how to celebrate this.

after Pidge tells Hunk about Lance’s odd behavior Hunk arranges a paladin (and confused Altean) meeting where everyone decides to try this “Christmas in Space” thing out, but Keith is kinda left stranded on what to do.

he wants to help, in the way that you can’t help when you’re maybe, hopelessly in love with someone and would do anything to make them happier, it’s just, holidays were never a part of his childhood and what if he does it wrong?

one thing Keith’s sure is part of this is gift-giving so one day during a battle he picks up a Galra shooter and tosses it to an unarmed Lance with an offhanded “Merry Christmas.”

AND LANCE JUST LIKE FREEZES FOR A SECOND AND THEN JUST GIVES KEITH THE BIGGEST SMILE AND KEITH IS LIKE BLINDED

so he just keeps giving Lance things?

like he sees a cool rock while on a mission and just puts it in his pocket

a couple of days later he stumbles upon a gorgeous blue gem-type thing on some planet and does the same thing bc it reminds him of Lance’s eyes.

and he’ll just like slide the gift over to Lance in the middle of meals or just leave it in front of his door

and Lance always just grins like an idiot bc Keith is being nice to him and he just feels lighter

soon all of the paladins start incorporating casual Christmas gift-giving into their daily lives and as Lance’s mood starts to brighten more day by day Keith can’t help but be a lil proud that he could be the start of someone’s happiness

and everyone starts giving each other gifts and Keith is just really proud bc he started this and he just loves these guys so much and is this what a family is like bc he gets it now

one day Keith’s in Lance’s room (who knows why lmao) and he just sees all of the stuff he’s given Lance placed a little bit away from the other’s gifts and he just smiles a lil to himself

(sorry we’re klance trash)

Hunk’s a good best friend.

he’s also a bit of a people-watcher so when Pidge comes to him with her research* (*stalking) on Lance and the current month on Earth his own thoughts on the matter are confirmed and he jumps straight to planning Space Christmas™.

a secret meeting is arranged promptly to inform the other paladins/alteans of what’s going on (a long explanation of earth customs is required) 

then he and coran get ingredients for the Altean equivalent of cookies and just go to work

Pidge and Lance bend cookie cutters out of scrap metal and use those and Keith just cuts out shapes with his knife bc of course he would

cuz if they’re doing Christmas, then they’re doing it right. Hunk’s typical holidays involve so much food, especially as gifts 

large family dinners become a mandatory thing, every time getting more elaborate and delicious.

Hunk always makes people share about their day because it’s what his family always did

“So Pidge, how was your day?”

“Hunk, I was with you all day, we had the same day.”

“But how was it?”

when Christmas would roll around Hunk’s younger siblings presented him with small and, to the outsider's eye, meaningless gifts so when he starts getting handed shiny rocks, or little people made of twigs, or one time a small robot that did nothing but blast screamo he can’t help but be reminded of his family too

Shiro had quite honestly forgotten that holidays were such a big deal.

in his defense a lot had happened and they just had slipped his mind.

he’s not opposed to the idea when Hunk brings it up, but a week later he’s fully invested in the holidays and has crocheted several sweaters, because he looks fantastic in red, ok.

growing up with a single parent and a much younger sibling has hardwired into his brain the need to make every holiday as big of a deal as possible and he starts spending late nights decorating various parts of the castle to make this the most magical experience possible because now he had 4 little sibling to share this with and also he needs to and it gives him peace of mind when his nightmares are too intense to sleep through.

every opportunity he gets he spends squirrelling away presents for the 25th or furiously crocheting sweaters for everyone else because what’s Christmas without the ugliest sweaters you’ve ever seen?

ok quick side note but we promise this is relevant: so we all know about the headcanon that Lance knits but consider this: Shiro crochets

and Lance like will not stop giving him shit about ‘wow only one needle? I have two so…’

and Shiro’s a good sport so he just kind of plays along bc wow Lance has started another dumb rivalry who would have guessed

but then Shiro crochets him this blue hat with lion ears on it and Lance can’t really bring himself to keep the the ‘rivalry’ going

(he wears the hat everywhere)

Shiro and Lance team up to make the team stockings and Shiro even makes tiny ones for the mice

the Alteans don’t know what’s going on

like obviously they notice that there’s something off about the paladins, so when Hunk calls his meeting about Lance, they’re kind of like ???? bc they noticed these things with everyone but if they want to pretend that it’s just about Lance then okay

learning about Christmas is….. interesting to say the least

“So you’re telling me that the people of earth tell their children about a reverse thief dressed in red that breaks into everyone’s home?”

“I mean I wouldn’t say it like that”

“Well then how WOULD you say it”

“He just visits everyone to give them gifts-”

“I’ll prepare the castle’s defenses for an intruder immediately!”

“No that’s really not necessary”

They get it eventually.

Allura’s really into the ‘Santa’s reindeer’ thing (something about them reminding her of an altean animal) so she works with pidge to make little reindeer antlers for the mice and also ENORMOUS ONES for the lions

((Keith is FURIOUS (and a little confused) when he sees the large red ball attached to red’s nose but Lance is just laughing and smiling so he guesses it's okay))

@ dreamworks just give us the space fam doing space things for the holidays. just a christmas episode that’s all we’re asking for

Also we hope y’all love long posts cuz this bitch took forever and we’re very proud and feel free to add your own and make it EVEN LONGER

[rohan81191-blog]

For this week’s post, I’ve decided to take a break from my usual football & cartoon posts. This is a Birthday Special !! When I first started this blog three years back, I wasn’t too sure how things would pan out. I remember that somewhere around the time of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, I had just contributed a series of articles to my brother’s blog about all things Japanese. These series of articles were about the history and rise of Japanese football. You can check them out in the link below.

https://armchairjapanophile.wordpress.com/category/sports/

It was quite a fun experience and I was feeling very inspired. It wasn’t until a few months later though, that I decided to start my own blog.

Oh wow !! I just realized that my first blog post was right after my birthday too !! Fascinating Co-incidence…. which brings me to an interesting point.

As you have observed, my posts tend to be about football & cartoons. This was exactly what I wanted my blog to be about. Strangely back then, I had a brain flash and decided to write about how I had spent my birthday in NYC.

  New York Festival of Lights (NYFOL)

Of course, I had to add an additional category to my blog called ‘Random Musings’ or else none of this would make any sense. I remember writing that post with quite a bit of feeling and I had been scarcely associated with NYC at that point. Interestingly enough, the next my next one and a half years of my life would become intertwined with the city.

Now, NYC was not the reason I decided to start this blog. Yet the special place the city holds in my heart and the timing of certain events (more on this later) … I can’t escape the feeling that this post carries more significance than I may realize at this moment. It’s almost as if I was meant to write this post.

So here’s to Nueva York…

My Tryst with Destiny

Destiny Huh ?

Four years ago during my masters’ program in Pennsylvania, a friend of mine who was holidaying in New York invited me to the city. He had been persuading me for a few weeks until I finally gave in and I’m glad I did. That weekend was something else !! I remember the first time the bus came out of the Lincoln Tunnel and into the city. It was night time and seeing all these huge buildings with bright lights staring at me… Woah ! I was in some other world.

  Finding my friend that night in a new country, new city… in Port Authority was truly a miracle. We spent the whole of the next day taking in the sights and sounds of mostly Manhattan. From the Empire State Building to Staten Island to Central Park to Times Square (Heck, there’s just way too many to name); it was a roller coaster ride. When I finally returned to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania I felt like I had come crashing down to earth. I made it a point to return and live in this city. There was just so much to experience and I had barely scratched the surface !!

Return I would…

Later Trips

  Midtown Comic Madness !!

A year later after the completion of my masters’ program, I started making trips to the city for job interviews. These trips were almost always for job interviews and usually happened roughly once every 2 months. Though I rarely had a chance to do much other than meet a friend, that feeling whenever I entered the city was so fresh.

Empire State Building From Somewhere in Chelsea

Empire State Building on August 15th

Oh ! I almost forgot to mention the fact that right after I had finished my studies, I once again stayed with another friend in the city; not once but twice. My friend was working in Chelsea at the time and staying in his studio apartment was an absolute blast. During the day I would visit lots of different places in the city (Anything that was free or cheap !!) and at night, my friend and I would usually watch some TV show (Friends and Suits come to mind. Both NYC Themed !). We did quite a bit of sight-seeing together as well.

Street Graffiti viewed from the High Line

More Street Graffiti

In any case, it would take nearly a year until I really had something to do with the city. My job search hadn’t proved particularly fruitful in any part of the country. So, a friend of mine told me about this training centre in Harlem in my chosen field (Energy Efficiency). I was initially reluctant to leave Pennsylvania but then took a chance anyway.

The City at Last

As things transpired, it turned out to be the right move. I moved to New Jersey and commuted to the city whenever I had to. Not long after finishing my training course, I finally did get an internship and then finally a full-time job.

A Fabulous View of the Empire State Building From My Then-Office

The good times had arrived and I could finally live the life of a New Yorker. It must be said here that my job situation at the time eventually never worked out in the way I had hoped. However, that said, I had a chance to explore a lot more of the city.

The Best of NYC

No, no… I didn’t see David Letterman !!

To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to describing my favourite places, activities or memories of the city. The real truth is that despite exploring a lot more of the city, I still feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface.

      Bryant Park in Autumn.. I think

Nothing like summer in Bryant Park

A beautiful night view of the Bank of America Tower

When I used to commute to Harlem for my training course, I often visited Bryant Park. Hands down one of my favourite spots in the city, especially when I didn’t have too much cash to spend. I also spent a lot of time in the NYPL (New York Public Library). Later on when I did have a job, I remember spending a quite a lot on food. I’m a huge fan of the city’s ‘world culture’ and enjoyed trying so many different kinds of cuisines. A personal favourite of mine is Meson Sevilla on 46th street. I particularly loved the place because of its warm atmosphere and shared love for football. I spent many an evening there talking to the general manager about football, Real Madrid and pop-culture.

  When Pena Madridista NYC was at Quinn’s !!

Pena Madridista NYC !!

Watching Raul & Marcos Senna’s last game with the Cosmos at Coney Island

Another of my favourite memories was watching Real Madrid games with the Pena Madridista NYC club. Making a noise with fellow Madridistas while drinking beer can be a blast but I also really loved meeting people from new cultures at these events. Football and Real Madrid apart, there was also the fair share of partying. Roof-top parties in Brooklyn, spending time at bars such as the Playwright’s Irish Pub, McGettigans etc. was also great.

What have I missed out ? Hmm.. Probably a lot.

Attending a Sustainability Conference at the UN General Assembly Hall was a surreal experience

Grand Central in all its glory !!

Of course !! How can I forget watching a game with my tennis-buff friend in Flushing Meadows at the U.S. Open ?

Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza at the U.S. Open !!

There were the plays and concerts too.

    The Legendary Minskoff Theatre !!

Nederlander Theatre

The Timeless Radio City Music Hall

Carnegie Hall (Thank you Club Free-Time !!), Radio City Music Hall (What a beautiful place !!), BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Dumbo, Williamsburg etc.

The Future

Although I never did get a chance to live in the city, I still feel lucky and grateful to have experienced as much as I did. There is a lot that I have not touched upon in this post because there is just too much to talk about. Often times, I still do think of my good experiences with this place and I always get this feeling that I will return sometime.

Coming back to the timing of certain events that I had mentioned at the beginning of this post; it is very interesting indeed. I had already mentioned that my first post 3 years ago was around my birthday and it is interesting that I suddenly feel like writing a tribute to NYC at the same time. Three years ago, my brother was also heavily into his Japan blog at around this time of the year. So, the fact that he is visiting Japan right now and just earlier in the day went and got me Japanese football memorabilia (Think the blog article series connect) makes this even more curious. Also, I had mentioned something about Cardcaptor Sakura in my very first blog post. It’s been 2 decades since anything Cardcaptor came out and a series revival is just 2 months away. It is just a series of synchronicities.

It would be fantastic to return to NYC. I still haven’t seen a Broadway play (Especially in the Minskoff Theatre) and haven’t experienced the charm of the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts. Just before I left the city, I remarked to a friend (Yep, the same guy who was holidaying there 4 years ago) that someday I would own a property in the Upper East Side overlooking Central Park. We were walking along that exact same stretch on our way to Grand Central (God, that night was gorgeous).

It’s a dream of mine to return to the city for a few years and share that experience with my family and close friends. No one knows what the future holds but I’ve always been a dreamer and believe in them.

To the Future and to New York !!

Hello Rockefeller !!

Trip Down Nostalgia Road: A Love Letter to New York City (NYC) For this week’s post, I’ve decided to take a break from my usual football & cartoon posts.

[thebiggestashole]

welp,, i have been tagged by @impossiblerebelblaze​ to answer questions so uh here i go i guess

Also i tried to not put in a giant paragraph but now the post is really long so uh

LAST:


[1] drink: A bottle of water


[2] phone call: Uh... It's been a long time since i called someone, but i accidentally pressed the "call" button and called my friend Kémy. Does that count?


[3] text message: My friend Kémy. (I accidentally called her when i just wanted to text her btw)


[4] song you listened to: Reol - Gokusaishiki cos i'm a weeeeeb


[5] time you cried: A few hours ago as I was playing Zelda : Breath of the wild. NOW, before you judge me, this game is very pretty. And i ju st-lOOK AT T HA T S K Y D DU DE AGH

[6] dated someone twice: I never dated anyone so eh

[7] been cheated on: again, never dated so this never happened


[8] kissed someone and regretted it: I never kissed anyone either,, ha

[9] lost someone special: Not really, no. 


[10] been depressed: No, no Professional ever told me i have depression so i'd rather not say i've been depressed. The past few days have been sad and stressful tho.


[11] gotten drunk and thrown up: I never got drunk, i'm not even old enough

 LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS:


[12] Dark blue


[13] Red


[14] Pastel pink

 IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU…


[15] made new friends: Yup! *blows kisses at discord servers* 


[16] fallen out of love: my french ass doesnt understand this one,, ah... I
assume it means to stop loving someone? If then... Well... It's complicated, even i don't really know.

[17] laughed until you cried: Yes, so many times,, *again, smooches discord servers* i think i CANT not cry when i laugh heh


[18] found out someone was talking about you: There was this one girl who was saying mean things, but we're starting to be friends.


[19] met someone who changed you: Well... Maybe not changed me, but definitely the way i see the world, i'm thinking about most people i met on tumblr for example. 


[20] found out who your true friends are: "true friends"? What? All friends are true friends...? I mean,i love all of my friends equally.


[21] kissed someone on your facebook list: Again, I never kissed anyone.

 [22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: Well, all my Facebook friends are people i met irl. I think there's only two i never met IRL. 


[23] how many pets do you have: 3 : A cat (Haribo) and two axolots (Trico and Till) My rabbit died at the end of last year... I'm still kinda sad about it, but also happy in a way cos he lived for a long time and i know he was happy. 


[24] do you want to change your name: Nah. I mean it's not the best but i dont want to change it. 


[25] what did you do for your last birthday: Nothing special. My bros just came over and we ate a cake together.


[26] what time did you wake up: 8AM, by English teacher wasnt here so school started late! I got to sleep!! 


[27] what were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping, for once. 


[28] name something you cannot wait for: Anti's comeback!! 


[29] when was the last time you saw your mother: About 30 seconds ago, she just came in my room to take some candies. 


[30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: I want to do something big... Wow i sound so modest... No but, I'd love to write a book that becomes famous! Or i'd love to go to space!! YES!! SPACE!!!!!!


[31] what are you listening to right now: Some japanese song id never be able to read the name heh. All I know is that its by MASA and its awesome.


[32] have you ever talked to a person named Tom: There are two Toms in my school actually, i've talked to both of em. One of em is in my class. Both are nice dudes but not really friends. Just like... Dudes from my school, we talk to eachother if we HAVE to.


[33] something that is getting on your nerves: My fucking fringe thats blocking my eye im too lazy to cut it buT I CANT FUC KING SEE ANYTHING

 YOUR…


[34] most visited website: Tumblr. Who is surprised tbh?


[35] elementary: Assholes teachers but i met some friends i still have today so thats nice?


[36] high school: Still not there, but I'm going the same place as my other friends.


[37] college: i have no idea my dude bro pal


[38] hair color: Naturally light Brown but i recently dyed it blue. funny thing : since i dyed it its been raining NONSTOP where i live. I think dying my hair gave me water rain hair power heh


[39] long or short hair: VERY long. I never ever cut my hair, my friends tell me i have rapunzel hair.


[40] do you have a crush on someone: I... May or may not have a crush on my best friend and i hate it cos she already has a boyfriend ha


[41] what do you like about yourself?: I think i look cute.


[42] nickname: The one people use the most (and its my name on every website) : Ninis. But Ive been called Ananas (yes this means pineapple) and on discord I am Gerald cos i'm the roundest and the cutest (and the saltiest)


[43] blood type: O-


[44] piercings: I dont have any and not planning on getting any tbh. I think they are very pretty, but thinking about a hole in my flesh just makes me feel weird, heh


[45] relationship status: Single. *lays on table* Ladies~...!! *tabLE BEAKS*


[46] zodiac sign: Sagittarius


[47] pronouns: She/her


[48] fav tv show: I wouldnt be a cringy tumblr kid if i wasnt obsessed with Doctor Who (I mean, now i Watch it casually but if you ever saw me in my dw phase last year... I'm sorry holy shit) 


[49] tattoos: Dont have any and not planning on getting any.


[50] left or right handed: right handed. I only use my left hand to eat sdjhdghs

 FIRST…


[51] piercing: Dont have any


[52] surgery: never had one


[53] best friend: a girl from school called Ludivine, we met when i was 3 i think. Now she's a bitch heh


[54] sport: Dance, i started when i was 5 and stopped 2 years after i think. I was really flexible. I still am a bit, but i need to stop being lazy and start doing some activities again.


[55] vacation: I think i went to spain with my parents and my brother.


[56] pair of trainers: i am a very confused french rn

 RIGHT NOW:


[57] eating: nuggets


[58] drinking: soda (dont mind the me from 3 month ago who said "IM FINALLY STOPPING DRINKING GARBAGE")


[59] I’m about to: take a shower, i'm a smelly boi


[60] listening to: Doomsday's theme and i'm totally not crying


[61] waiting for: Nothing.


[62] want: to sleep instead of going to school tomorrow 


[63] get married: eeeeh no thanks


[64] career: salty bitch 24/7™

 WHICH IS BETTER…


[65] hugs or kisses: again, i never kissed anyone, so hugs.

[66] lips or eyes: I'm gonna go with eyes, but i admit i often stare at my crush's lips, heh... 


[67] shorter or taller: I've always been used to be the younger cos i spend a lot of my times with adults or just older people and most of em are tall so... Sorry short friendz you're cool too


[68] older or younger: For some reason, i'm uncomfortable around people who are younger than me? So ill go with older. 


[69] spontaneous or romantic: Ive never been in couple, but i think i would like a romantic gal 


[70] nice arms or nice stomach: strong arms to punch me in the fucking face, yess

[71] sensitive or loud: I think I'm sensitive but,, my friends say i'm very loud?? *waves at discord servers*


[72] hook up or relationship: relationship


[73] troublemaker or hesitant: well, both have their good and bad sides but... Because I'm hesitant I like to be friends with troublemakers so we can balance things out. And so we can live things like a bad cliché movie.

 HAVE YOU EVER…


[74] kissed a stranger? I never kissed anyone.


[75] drank hard liquor? Nope, never.


[76] lost glasses/contact lenses? I
lost my glasses only ONCE and never lost them EVER again.

[77] turned someone down: You know when dudes will come to you saying "hey do you want to go out with x?" like its a shame to go out with you? Well thats the only time i turned down people. Never rudely tho. Exept last time it happened, cos i was mad so i went "No, he's as ugly as an ass"


[78] sex on first date? Never had sex, never had a date. 


[79] broken someone’s heart? I don't think so... I dont see why i wouldve.


[80] had your own heart broken? The day I realised i had NO chance to get my crush to love me, but i got over it quickly.

[81] been arrested? Nah, i'm too much of a sensitive boi to do anything illegal sjkhskjh


[82] cried when someone died? Only when it was someone from my family. Or my rabbit. 


[83] fallen for a friend: Eyyyyyyup

 DO YOU BELIEVE IN…


[84] yourself? Yeah


[85] miracles? I don't really know? I think everything happens for a reason and every action has a consequence but who knows.


[86] love at first sight? Never happened to me, but i think it can happen.


[87] santa claus? well duh


[88] kiss on the first date? eeeeh i think first date is a bit early


[89] angels? yes

 OTHER…


[90] current best friend’s name: Elisa!


[91] eye color: Blue


[92] favourite movie: aaa tough choice... I really like Nightmare on Elm street...?

WELL that was very long. Why did you read all of this? Why would you loose so much time? Well y'know what? If you read all of this, i tag YOU.