#amy would be too hard to model for me yet

[identitycrisps]

i made all of these because i want them to take over Apple

happi late valentine's day

(original picture which inspired this i love it:)

[thatonesonicfanfictionwriter]

Omfg your writing is so cute !! I already requested a couple times before but I just can’t help it

Sonic x reader that admires Shadow, But Sonic misunderstands this as reader having a crush on Shadow when reader just sees Shadow as a mysterious, cool role model, so this causes Sonic to try and compete and up throw Shadow in order to gain readers affection. Only for reader to confess to Sonic and him being confused like “i thought you liked Shadow???” And reader explains that they just admire him and look up to Shadow, but Sonics the one they actually like!

Sorry if this is hard to understand but take your time!

🐛

“The Wrong Idea”

Pairing(s): Jealous Sonic the Hedgehog x Reader, background Knuxadow/Shadknux (Knuckles x Shadow)

Requested: Yes (by an anon).

Description: Sonic the Hedgehog never got jealous! At least…that’s what he tells everybody. So why was it always that faker that made him feel this way?

Notes: Wooooo, request number seven (eight?- technically the eighth one I’m posting-)! And don’t feel bad for requesting multiple! I’m having fun writing these!

(Reader will be gender neutral.)

(Not proof-read/beta-read.)

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Sonic the Hedgehog never got jealous.

At least…that’s what he told everyone.

But right now, it seems like he wasn’t telling the truth.

He has no clue why, but every time he sees you chumming up with that faker, he gets jealous.

He knows it’s selfish, but he wants your eyes on him, not Shadow of all mobians.

Right now, you and Shadow were outside of Rose’s Bakery, Amy’s bakery that she set up with the help of Vanilla and Cream, eating sweets and drinking bubble tea.

Shadow had some kind of coffee-flavored one with tapioca bubbles (because of course he did), while you had a simple fruit tea with your favorite fruit-flavored bubbles.

…Not that he remembered your exact order each time you go to Rose’s…

Oh, who was he kidding. He had a massive crush on you but he was 90% sure you had a crush on the faker.

So all he had to do was one-up him, right?

Sonic zoomed off, paying for a bouquet of your favorite flowers, before zooming back over to where you and Shadow were, only to find you both gone.

His ears droop in disappointment, the flowers drooping as well in a sad yet funny irony.

“(That’s okay, that’s okay. You’ve just gotta catch ‘em next time!)” Sonic thinks to himself. “(It won’t be that hard! You’re the fastest thing alive after all!)”

The next time he sees you both, you’re on your way over to a movie theater, chatting on the way there.

Bingo!

“Hey [Name]! Shads! Good to see you guys!” Sonic says, zooming over to you both.

“Oh! Hey Sonic!” You say, waving at him with a warm smile on your face, one he always cherished.

“Sonic,” Shadow acknowledges. “What are you doing here?”

“Well sheesh, can’t a guy say hi to his friends without the suspicion??” Sonic asks. “Anyway! What are you guys up to?”

“[Name] offered to take me to see a movie in theaters, to have the “full Mobius experience,”” Shadow states, doing air quotes with his hands.

“Oh, sweet! Mind if I tag along?” Sonic asks.

“You sitting still in a theater for hours? Doubtful,” Shadow states.

“I can too sit still in a theater,” Sonic grumbles.

“Sure thing! Though, we are going to see a horror movie, just warning you in advance,” you tell Sonic.

He makes a “Pshhh!” sound, waving you off.

“Puh-lease! Horror is my middle name!” Sonic states.

“I thought it was Maurice-” you start, only for Sonic to take your hand in his, gently pulling you along.

“C’mon! We wanna get the best seats!” Sonic states.

Boy, was Sonic not prepared for this movie. Luckily (or maybe not so luckily, he hated seeing you scared), you weren’t, either, with you and Sonic clinging onto each other every time there was a scary scene.

When you all exited the theater, you were still slightly shaking.

“R-Remind me not to trust movies with holiday names in them anymore…” you mutter.

“You did say it was gonna be scary, [Nickname].” Sonic tells you.

“Would you like me to take you home?” Shadow asks, holding out a hand for you to take.

“I’ll take ‘em home, Shads!” Sonic suddenly announces, putting an arm around your shoulder. “Besides! I can get them there lickity-split!”

“I appreciate that, Sonic,” you say with a small smile, and Sonic swears he sees a light blush on your cheeks, but he brushes it off.

“Sure thing!” he tells you, before scooping you into a bridal-style carry. “See ya later, Shads! Now hold on tight, [Name]!”

You wrap your arms around Sonic’s neck and he rushes off towards your home to get you back safely.

A few days later, when you texted him asking him to meet up, he was nervous.

What if you were mad at him? What if you told him you didn’t want to be friends?

What if you were dating Shadow?!

He took a deep breath, exhaling sharply.

“Calm down, Sonic. They just want to talk with you. It’s fine,” Sonic says to himself before rushing out of his and Tails’ shared home.

Getting there in the blink of an eye, Sonic immediately notices something.

You.

You’re dressed in a really nice outfit and you have a picnic set up, hiding something behind your back.

You look-

“You look gorgeous…” Sonic mutters aloud.

Your face turns pink, and you look to the side, a bit embarrassed, but you wave him towards you, which he does, sitting on the blanket next to you.

“So…” you start.

“So…” he continues.

You clear your throat with one hand before bringing out what was behind your back; a bouquet of blue orchid flowers, Sonic’s favorites. You hold it out to him and he takes it with a shocked expression, his face tinted pink, cradling the flowers carefully.

“I- But- We- I thought-” Sonic sputters. “I thought you had a crush on Shadow!”

You blink twice before bursting out laughing, hunching back before hunching forward, wiping a few tears from your eyes.

“No, silly! I’ve liked you this whole time!” you tell him. “Shadow felt like a mentor to me. And don’t tell him I told you, but he came to me for love advice.”

“Love advice??? Him???” Sonic questions. “Who could he possibly like??”

Looking around, you cup a hand around your mouth before whispering in Sonic’s ear, and Sonic’s face quickly morphs into one of genuine shock.

“HE HAS A CRUSH ON WHO?!” Sonic yells.

“Don’t say it so loud!” you tell him, letting out another laugh.

“I just- Knuckles???” he questions. “I would’ve never thought!”

You giggle before placing a kiss on Sonic’s cheek, a smile appearing on both of your faces.

Neither of you could be happier.

[tirorah]

HOLD ON. Now I'm imagining an AU where none of the Senshi were assigned to the muffler project.

Obviously they could just choose to make a muffler with their leftover yarn. But let's assume they don't, just for this exercise.

A one-piece dress is quite a traditionally feminine item. I don't think Usagi could make that for Mamoru or Tuxedo Kamen. (Is there a market for tuxedo-like one-piece dresses? And if those exist, do they have capes? These are important questions, universe, please provide.) I think Usagi's angsting over Mamoru and Hina would be there no matter what, but no muffler would be involved and that would change things a little bit.

Makoto's gift to Motoki, though! The muffler is crucial! Would he even fall for her if she didn't give that to him? Would it happen later? Or would she NEVER ping on his radar, at all?! I can't handle that thought; it's too sad. Although... Makoto might still see Motoki's injured arm and make him curry. And then that would still lead to their first date, right? So the day is saved? But he won't have the muffler, is all.

Ami's gift to her friends? ...Well she'd want to do it, but maybe it wouldn't physically be possible, I mean that's a big difference in time and material needed--

Actually, a muffler and a one-piece dress don't seem comparable in time, effort and cost at all. This assignment sucks!

...I'll improve it by headcanoning my old ship into the situation, ha!

Ami ends up making the one-piece dress for Makoto because...uh, I don't know, some bullshit reason I haven't concocted yet. Makoto is very much not at the point where she's revealing much of her femininity yet, so that's why I'm having a hard time justifying it.

Anyway, screw logic. Ami asks Makoto to model for her dress project. She wants to challenge herself and Makoto's unusual height for a girl would provide that. Makoto blushes and stammers over it, supremely uncomfortable, but a tiny part of her is jumping for joy.

Now, Ami wants a 100% on this project if she can manage it, so she and Makoto have to hang out more often for adjustments. At first it's just that, but then Ami runs out of fabric and they head out together to get more. This evolves into them just hanging out in town too.

Because they're spending more time together, they also start to learn more about each other's psychological baggage and this eventually gives them the understanding they need to help each other become the best versions of themselves. (Makoto's attentiveness--and the emotional validation it brings--makes Ami less insecure, Makoto feels so comfortable around Ami she starts to reveal just how feminine she truly is, etc.)

Something something, Ami gets over Usagi at some point, she and Makoto realise their feelings for one another and they have a lovely wedding in gorgeous dresses. ~FIN~

(Not to come off as self-important, but if anyone wants to take this really rough idea and go wild, go right ahead and write/draw/whatever it. Just link the final result to me so my eyeballs can feast.)

[that-disabled-radfem]

https://youtu.be/a6qInn2DOng

So I've left this anon for like a year because I'm always a little sketched out by links in anon asks. (Is it gonna be porn? Is it a virus? What fresh hell lurks behind the url)

But anyway, it wasn't a trick. It was this video:

Not entirely sure if anon just wanted me to share this vid or if they want my opinion...

So here are my not actually that brief but I tried thoughts:

The participants in this video seem to be the sort of people that are common nowadays that call themselves feminists but because feminist has become an identity that means 'person who believes in equal rights.'

Feminism is about action. Not identity. 'Do all feminists think the same?' isn't a helpful question. In fact, this video is interested in mostly asking unhelpful questions.

Also, the fact that the women in the video are very evidently wearing make-up and have manicured, fake nails (rejecting the makeup industry is a pretty minimal feminist action and one that can have its impact multiplied when you do so in a public context like a mainstream YouTube video) makes me a little skeptical that any of the participants are taking too many feminist actions.

"Can men be feminists?" doesn't do it for me. Can men work towards the liberation of the female sex? Yes. But its hard and 99% aren't interested in putting in that work. Do all men benefit from sex-based oppression? Yes. Are some men harmed by patriarchy? Sure. Do men have a stake in ensuring patriarchy remains in place? Yes.

(I don't think men can be feminists because I think the inherent privilege of being male under patriarchy makes it impossible for men to take enough feminists actions to be 'feminists.' But I also prefer to label actions rather than individuals feminist. Men can be allies to the cause. But that's as far as I'll go.)

The one participant kind of nails the problem when saying "I think most men that are feminists are like usually either lazy, virtue signaling, just want to see-- or have access to easy sex." (But yet she does somewhat agree that men can be feminists!)

It does a little bit piss me off that the participants of the video (so-called 'feminists') are 50% 'men'. One of the 'men' - Leon? - is a trans man, which brings the ratio up to 2/3, but still Why is this platform invested in making men (because I think Jubilee would say that their official stance is trans men are men) an equal authority on what feminists think?

For the next question, "White feminist voices are too loud," I think this has always been a problem and continues to be. The way it's phrased is kind of rough because I don't like calling any woman 'too loud.' That's kind of loaded. But white feminists haven't done enough work to make room for women of colour. 'Feminism' usually means 'white feminist' by default.

The sorting of public figures into 'feminist'/'not feminist' is annoying because, like I said earlier, I don't think describing an individual as feminist is meaningful or effective. An action can be feminist. An action can be neutral. An action can be anti-feminist. How many feminist actions vs anti-feminist actions does a person take to be a feminist?

That being said, it was appalling to see 4/6 of the people strongly agree or strongly that Amy Coney Barrett was a feminist. And the other two were neutral. Women can have power and not use it to feminist ends. The fact that she is a role model by being a woman on the supreme court doesn't outweigh her political decisions.

(But good for most of the women for saying JKR is a feminist. Because that's a woman who's consistently taken concrete action to improve the material conditions of women.)

The "Trans women are women" question was kind of funny and predictable. All the AFABs aside from the probably trans man disagree. All the AMABs and the trans men agree. It was a little frustrating to see their opinions being framed as related to general opinions about "the LGBTQ" given that SSA radical feminists are some of the strongest voices against the idea that trans women are women. But not surprised to see that

The telling moment for me was when Leon, the trans men, said, in response to whether feminism should be fighting for trans women, that feminism should be fighting for all genders. That's pretty standard for post-modern pop feminism. But also a useless stance. Feminism is about the liberation of the female sex!

"Every feminist should be pro-choice." OH NO. I mean who's surprised after the Amy Coney Barrett question, but only the trans man agreed. You CANNOT be a feminist without being actively pro-abortion.

(I'm gonna save my annoyance with pro-choice and pro-life as labels for another day. They're inherently obfuscating is all I'll say here.)

Grace "identifies as a pro-life feminist." And part of her problem is that she doesn't think it's right to tell people that they can or cannot identify as feminists based on their beliefs. This goes back to the issue of feminism as an identity but she's taking it to extremes here.

"Menstrual products should be free." Yes. They should. But this seems to be a US video and I don't think that we can expect a country that doesn't provide free healthcare to produce citizens that believe that menstrual care should be free.

(One of the women is concerned that free menstrual products will result in labourers not being paid. Which is kind of a funny pro-capitalist reactionary stance to anything that looks like socialism...)

"Every woman should be a feminist." Grace is once again the 'pro-choice' pro-lifer, believing that telling women they should be feminists is anti-feminist.

Every woman should be a feminist, but women can make individual and incremental gains (ahead of other women, generally not ahead of men) by aligning themselves with patriarchy so it's unlikely that every woman is going to be a feminist. This is why consciousness raising and being in community with other women and girls are so important.

So those are my half-baked thoughts for an anon that probably forgot they'd sent this. Hope this helps nonny

[peralta-guaranteed]

Jake and Amy single parents AU.

Pretty please! :))

oh! Oh, I strangely love this one!

- Amy is a police-widow with little Mac (no, Teddy was not the father, it was a non-canon detective), while Jake is at the better end of a really messy divorce from Sofia, who very quickly handed over all alimony of Maya to him to focus on her career.

-Amy tries her best to juggle the newly single parent life with her full-time position running a bookshop, while Jake is not too happy about having to bring Maya in to the precinct all the time, but it can’t be helped (and Scully makes a surprisingly good babysitter). The squad’s had his back through the entire break-up, and they all love his little girl to bits, so at least she won’t be missing the family aspect in her life - and will always have an amazing female role model in her Auntie Rosa, who’s already planning to teach her Spanish just so she can trashtalk her dad with her without Jake knowing

- Mac + Maya meet at daycare and absolutely hit it off, despite the age difference of two years. Mac has apparently seen another curly headed toddler and immediately decided to brother the sh*t out of her. He takes her along to all his games and helps her pick colours for her pictures and shares his apple slices with her in exchange for a bit of sandwich (which is much nicer anyway).

- the daycare workers absolutely adore the little duo, and can’t help remarking how much they look like siblings anyway. So of course Jake has to meet the mom of the adorable little boy who always bring his daughter over to him for pickup by holding her hand.

- he’s a bit afraid of having to deal with the usual “Aw they’re little boyfriend and girlfriend” comments he’s expecting, but obviously Amy is having none of that. Instead, she tells him how glad she is that Mac has found a little friend to protect. “He’s always trying to protect everyone so much, ever since his dad... well...”

- (Jake knew, distantly, that she was the widow of one of his colleagues from another precinct, but apart from the usual condolences they’d all sent it had never really registered in his mind that there was a wife and a child left behind.)

- “Oh well Maya is so happy too. She’s a bit shy and scared at the moment, so having a big friend help her get out of her shell is great. Your little boy is a sweetheart, too.”

- Amy smiles at him, and he’s pretty sure his heart should not be doing what it’s doing, so he beats it down and tries his best to ignore it. Which is hard, because she smiles at him a lot in the coming months when they meet up for playdates, Mac over excited to show Maya all his favourite spots at the park or the coolest fish at the aquarium.

- Jake moans during one of their meet-ups about a case that has been dragging on forever and is going to need an allnighter to finally be solved, and his partner Boyle is really trying his best alone, but he’s the primary on it and- it feels great to talk about it with someone who understands, outside of his squad, even if Amy sometimes nods with the saddest look on her face when he mentions parts of his job. But she offers him last minute babysitting if he ever needs it, considering her job finishes promptly at 5pm each day, and he can’t help but take her offer when another case hits that needs him on a stake out at 10pm.

- so Maya gets a lovely sleepover with Mac, and Amy gets the biggest box of her favourite pralines as a thank you, because Jake has never, not once, given Maya to a babysitter to go to his job without feeling remorse and guilt, not even his own mom, but he had to deal with none of that when Maya gladly ran up the stairs to Amy’s place where Mac was already shouting her name.

- needless to say that Amy and Jake become the great friends they always are over time. He brings coffee and muffins to their park playdates, and she brings over frozen meals from Mac’s abuela for kid movie marathons at Jake’s place. They know each other’s schedules to help out with the kids, Jake has convinced everyone in his friend group and workplace to only buy books at her store from now on, and Amy is already planning the christmas gift she needs to pack for Maya and her daddy.

- it would be a nice, supportive friendship of equals, and a good help in their single parent life, if it wasn’t for the fact that Jake realised about three playdates in that he was falling for Amy faster than a shooting star. It took her a little longer, but realisation hit when she was packing Mac’s lunchbox, her own lunchbox, and Maya’s lunchbox too after a sleepover, and subconsciously already wanted to bag up a fourth set of sandwiches with some gummy bears and a soda thrown in for good measure.

- Rosa tells him to ‘grow a pair and ask her out, she sounds perfect for both you and Maya’ when Jake confides in her. And that is rare praise coming from Diaz, because no one is good enough for Maya in her eyes, sometimes not even Jake himself. But he can’t take advantage of Amy’s friendship like that, not when it risks losing both her and Mac for Maya... and there is always the underlying fear that Maya will bond with a new woman in her life and be left behind yet again if they don’t work out, just like with her mom, whose biggest contribution to her life since the divorce has been the alimony payments each month.

- Kylie, meanwhile, warns Amy not to risk too much when she confides in her. She sadly remembers the many days she had to spend at her friend-coworker’s side after the funeral, cleaning out half of a closet and half of a shared home, basically. She’d been hoping that Amy would find love again, maybe in a few years time, but when she heard the news about her ‘great new friend’ being a detective himself, her heart dropped because she knew what that might be heading towards, and Amy very much shares her fears. She’d vowed to an absolute ‘no cops’ rule for her planned restart of dating in two years, perfectly scheduled with Mac’s start of school.

- as it is, both of them dance around their emotions in a perfectly synchronised waltz while still getting closer and closer as friends and parents, to the point that the daycare workers don’t even bat an eye anymore when Amy brings both Mac and Maya in, or when Jake picks both of them up into his arms with an excited ‘ready for ice cream and games?!’ before they meet up with Amy for a Coney Island afternoon.

- until one day, when the daycare offers a ‘star gazing sleep over’ event after the story of the stars and night sky was the theme of the week, and it falls right on the day Amy and Jake were planning to take the kids to a movie. “We could still go.” Jake mumbles while Maya runs into the daycare center, not shy at all anymore, and Mac follows her. “You want to go see Paddington’s Big Adventure... without the kids?” Amy jokes, but he looks so serious. “No, of course not, but I mean - we - uh - we both got the evening off now, don’t we? I told my captain I won’t be in no matter what. Seems like a waste of time just going home. We could see that period drama you talked about, that will definitely get an Oscar?”

- Amy hesitates only for a second, but they do go. They watch the drama that Jake has to admit is pretty damn good for a movie where nothing explodes or is set on fire, and that praise does not only come from the fact that Amy grabbed his hand with a gasp during a particularly emotional scene, and then kind of forgot to let go afterwards.

- but then the movie ends and Jake still doesn’t want to go home. Neither does Amy, apparently, because she offers up an ‘amazing 24h diner’ around the corner for some late night snacks, during which they laugh and flick chocolate chips at each other and end up blushing like mad when the waitress comments on what a ‘cute couple’ they are.

- he walks her to her front door, and they both kinda don’t know what to do as they say goodbye, because this kind of date night should usually end on a kiss, but it wasn’t really a date, was it, they would’ve taken the kids along if it hadn’t been for the day care event, and-

- “Ames, I’m - this is terrifying, but I think I’ll hate myself even more for not ever saying anything - and, and, I kind of, maybe, I think you might also-” She takes his hand again, a lot softer than she did in the cinema. “I think this is the kind of talk that needs a coffee and a good couch.”

- That’s how they end up at her place that Jake already knows so well from bringing Maya over, from the perfectly styled bookcases down to the absolute mess of a playroom that is Mac’s kingdom. They both grip their coffee cups tightly as they talk it all out, about what they’re afraid of, what they would risk if they gave ‘them’ a try.

- “I wouldn’t ever want to put Mac through losing another cop-dad even if it wasn’t from work, and I won’t let Maya lose another mom.” “Me neither. And I promised Mac I’d never forget his papa, but... I can clearly see him love his new daddy, too. He already looks up to you so much. He wants a flannel shirt for christmas.” “Maya introduced you as Mama Amy to one of my aunties. Which was quite a thing to explain.” Amy laughs, and then smiles at him, and his heart does that thing again, like it has been doing for months now, but this time he doesn’t beat it down. This time he lets it lead him to lean in for the most careful kiss, a kiss that Amy gladly returns, just as carefully.

- they agree to take things slow, be mindful, not drop it on the kids immediately or rush into things from the pressure of friends or family.

- and then three months later Amy finds the perfect apartment for the four of them, and Jake aks Gina and Rosa for ring preferences and proposal tips, and ‘slow and mindful’ has flown out the window the second Maya brought home a picture she did with Mac at daycare showing their little ‘family’ before Amy or Jake had even talked to them about their possible dating.

- Maya grows up with her Mama teaching her Spanish along with Auntie Rosa, and an abuela and abuelo who love to spoil her with Cuban sweets just as much as her big brother. Mac gets to ride along in his Daddy’s police car sometimes, and hears stories about his brave Papa from his colleagues. His auntie Gina is so proud of him for taking care of his little sister the way she took care of her little brother too. And Jake gets to see Amy smile all the time now, and knows it’s him and their kids that is making her smile so much.

[unbloomingmoonflower]

So I did this on Twitter, but Imma copy and paste the answers I did with more depth b/c Twitter has shitty character limits. 

Under the cut, because this is a lot of Shuri lore.

1.  Shuri’s birth name is actually Saran Orl. She doesn’t know this to this day since her birth parents were killed when she was born. A midwife managed to save the infant Saran/Shuri by taking her to the Angura, where she was given the name Shuri Angura when she was adopted by Agathe and Declan Angura. She took the title name "Fontaye" after a year or so in Eorzea (an idea to have Fontaye be a title for Shuri thrown at me from @earthlystar).

2. Shuri is an Auri Xaela. Her main class/job is Dancer, as she was trained by Nashmeira in her late teens to not only dance, but to wield the weapons a dancer does. 

3. The most striking features is Shuri’s scales. As they are not the usual scales one would find on a Xaela, the superstitious few would consider her cursed. She grew to be proud of her scales, finding beauty in them even she herself hated how different she looked.

4. She has been alive for 28 winters. Her birthday is January 7th. 

5. Shuri is a gentle and docile woman, a far different temperament that one would normally not expect out of a Xaela. However, don’t think her gentle-hearted nature is her only side. If she is crossed the wrong way or if anyone she loves is harmed or insulted, Shuri will display the bloodthirsty side of her. When she is crossed, she is merciless.

6. The Xaela tends to wear comfortable clothing when she isn’t busy working or saving the realm for the 100th time. You’ll find her in either comfy dresses or the Ala Mhigan gown since she finds armors quite suffocating. She’d don her more seductive clothing when she works at the clubs.

7. Tragic. Shuri’s birth parents were killed when she was born and as such, she has no memory of them. Her foster parents were also killed by Garleans in her early teens, with the young Shuri barely escaping with her life. In her traumatic state, she managed to go as far as Kugane to take stow away on a ship bound for Eorzea. 

8. Her goal is a simple one, yet sometimes it seems unattainable: a peaceful life. Enduring the traumas she has, the turmoil she’s felt, Shuri longs for a quiet, peaceful life. She doesn’t like to fight so needlessly. 

9. In her non-WoL verse, Shuri works as a dancer at a club called Sirensong. She makes quite a sum of gil that she is putting into savings to get a home with her fiancee. In both WoL and non-WoL verses, Shuri also does commissions for the weaver’s guild anonymously. She gets a fair amount of gil in that respect too and she enjoys doing it. 

10. Anything sweet. Shuri’s developed a sweet tooth outside of favoring her traditional dishes. 

11. Ending up alone again. Shuri’s already lost her family once. She is deathly terrified to lose more people she’d grown to care about. To her, losing them is equivalent to losing a piece of herself and she doesn’t ever want her found family to be harmed or lost. 

12. See number 9. 

13. DPS, as a Dancer. Shuri does not like to tank head-on and she feels her healing skills are inadequate as a White Mage. As a Dancer, she feels free to move as she sees fit and striking with precision and grace. 

14. Shuri believes she doesn’t have any talents. 

15. Shuri is not an Eorzean native. She fled there after Garleans massacred her tribe. She was born and raised into her early teens in the Azim Steppe and she will always say as such even while living in Eorzea. She does visit her homeland often with the eventual intent to settle there. 

16. Both sets of parents are deceased. Shuri has a memorial altar both in her home and one she built herself in the glacial mountains where the Angura thrived. 

17. Via the headcanon with @peachteaoni, Shuri has a twin sister that still resides in the Steppe named Ami. She found out about Ami when she went to the Steppe to take part in the nadaam and encountered a Xaela who is identical to her. Ami was raised by another tribe, as she and Shuri were separated at birth. 

18. Her only other known, living relative is Sidurgu, her cousin on her father’s side. 

19. Shuri is a hopeless romantic, but tends to shy away from love when it is professed to her (unless she’s the one who made the confession out of brief instances of boldness). To her, love is the most beautiful, frightening thing that someone could ever experience in their life and she also believes that love is not the same with each person she encounters.

20. Sex can be a beautiful thing to unite two souls made for each other; but it can also be used as a weapon. Shuri is aware of this and prefers sex being an instance where she and her partner’s souls connect in the most intimate ways through the act. 

21. It’s a necessary evil. Shuri knows this well. Compared to trades in the Steppe, Eorzea runs on gil and Shuri knows the struggle of not having any. 

22. Shuri is a devout, firm believer of Azim and Nhaama, with Nhaama being her patron deity. She does not believe in the Twelve, though she respects that her partners (in both verses) do. 

23. Her enemies are Garleans. That is something that is hard to sway for Shuri and if she encounters someone she’s grown friendly or fond of, only to find that they are of Garlean descent (defectors or otherwise), it confuses her feelings. She still has unbridled hate for those still aligned with Garlemald, however. 

24. Aside from her friends, Nashmeira is a role model for Shuri. The woman taught Shuri everything she needed to know to be a dancer, taking on an almost mother-figure role for the young Xaela. Shuri reveres Nashmeira and often speaks highly of her. 

25. Shuri has many fond memories with those she’s met in her life. She can never choose one over the other. 

26. Shuri is extremely insecure and very easily discouraged. It is a flaw she is trying to overcome, though sometimes she falters and it takes some time to help her regain her confidence. 

27. See 22. 

28. Having been called a savage by Garleans and even some Ishgardians, Shuri understands the plight of the Beast Tribes being painted with the broad brush when some fringes sought the power of the Primals, or succumbed to the Primals for other, heartbreaking reasons. She sympathizes with the Beast Tribes and assists them whenever she can. She also tends to question any ally who sees all members of the Beast Tribes as savage monsters without truly understanding their plight and only what things are said. 

29. Her greatest regret is misplaced. She feels that if she had been stronger, she’d have been able to save her foster family and other members of her tribe instead of fleeing. She carries the weight of that regret in her heart that not even those closest to her are aware of it. 

30. She’s terrified of Diremites.

[the-army-brat-and-the-nerd]

Erica Durance or Amy Adams?

Is that a trick question?

Categorization in order, please forgive me.

Erica Durance: as an actress. I fell head over heels for her role as Lois Lane in Smallville. And then I started watching Saving hope, and Alex Reid happens to be one of my top inspirational characters of all time. (I mean, honestly- I would wanna recommend all Smallville Lois Lane fans to watch that show, just for Erica's performance- she's absolutely gorgeous!) I consider her to be extremely committed to her job. She perfectly nails whatever role is given to her, she's totally flexible, she's amazingly talented, she's fun and she would always remain to be my top favorite actor.

Amy Adams: as a person- she's kinda like my role model. She's too fantastic for words- and I'm not gonna start coz, there definitely won't be an end to my rant. I haven't seen much of her work, actually(yeah-shame on me!). I have just seen the DCEU (and I don't give a damn about what critics say about her being the worst version of Lois Lane-for me, it was incredible!), and her short role in Smallville. I've watched her interviews a lot. She's literally stunning- from stepping up from selling licorice to the Golden Globes. She's a hard worker, she's genuine, she's simple, down-to-earth and a LEGEND (Go watch one of her interviews, if you haven't yet- or even DCEU ones. You'll fall very, very hard. She has this extremely bright personality, it draws nearly everyone to her). I love her accent, her sense of humor- anything and everything about her. So there's that!

BONUS:

Alright....And dear anon, this is a gentle diversion technique I use to actually avoid answering the real question- I love both lol. Please don't take it personally! Thankyou so much for the question.

[phoenix-manga]

The Real Idols at VDC

Everyone was excited for the VDC, people who work in the media gathered at the purple stage venue to get a shot of two of the most popular models in Twisted Wonderland. The blonde -haired young man known for his beautiful yet professional attitude, Vil Schoenheit, and the black-haired boy with an adorable face that was rising in the ranks, Neige Leblanche.

The VDC was a one in a million for fans of both males, they were waiting to see what they will bring to the stage. The media only focused on those two, leaving the other participants in the shadows.

But maybe that’s a good thing, this way NRC and RSA will get the shock of their lives when certain students from an academy far off in the mountains would come and steal the spotlight from both of them.

A young lady with dark blue hair, tied in side ponytail with a feathered-crown, wearing a red, blue and yellow uniform was walking to the venue for rehearsals alongside another girl with short pinkish hair, she wore a ribbon with a crown on her head and wore a teal and dark green uniform. From around them, she kept hearing people gushing about who was going to win between Neige and Vil. With a frustrated sigh she looks at the colosseum with a look of mild annoyance.

Evonie: NRC and RSA really sure do love hogging the spotlight… I can barely remember the names of the other schools competing!

But I guess that’s just the reality of media… even though our school is a pro at these contests, people didn’t even mention DCA at all…

Allison: You sure are getting pumped up for the championship, aren’t yah Ev? Chill out, it’s not like it’s any different from our usual idol concerts at campus

It was an attempt at cooling down her dark-haired companion but it just made her more determined. As a student who was known for singing and dancing, it was expected for them to be kind of miffed if the people forget their school. But in Evonie’s case, being someone who held a seat as a top idol in DCA might have been a good reason.

The two reach the venue and shows a staff their stage pass, Allison can faintly hear the music from the person currently rehearsing. Everyone backstage was busy hyping themselves up for the competition, the sight alone sparks the Evonie’s competitive spirit.

She’ll make sure that the audience will know who the stage truly belongs to. When the person’s performance ended, a staff called their school, signaling that it was their turn to go on stage. Allison follows Evonie as they go towards the open stage onto an eager crowd.

Announcer: Next performer from Diamond Crown Academy, please enter the stage

Student A: Diamond Crown Academy?... That’s the all-girls school, right?

Student B: I know that school! That school is famous for the idol competitions on and off campus!

Student C: My sister was obsessed with one of the students of that school!

Student D: How could you not know DCA? They had a joint school festival for RSA and NRC! I was there!

The crowd was filled with murmurs and eventually they reached the ears of the NRC team. The first years held confused looks while their seniors were used to the murmuring around them, as if it was normal. From the looks of it, they seem to recognize one of the girls, Vil and Rook that is. Epel piped up and asked Rook what was the fuss all about.

Rook: DCA is an all-girls academy, although not as famous as RSA and NRC, they have an excellent reputation. The one thing that they’re famous for is their idol competitions… and it looks like we will be able to witness a spectacular show

I especially can’t wait to see how princess de pommes and lapin fougueux perform~ Her gaze carries an eternal fire, beaute!

Deuce: I haven’t heard of DCA… this is my first time hearing about them

Jamil: You freshmen only know about NRC and RSA… of course you wouldn’t know about that school…

Kalim: We know someone from that school! She’s a prin-

Jamil: You’re gonna start babbling, so shut it…

Ace: Are they really that good? Seems too good to be true, no one has said anything about DCA until now

Vil: Such uncultured potatoes, you don’t understand the standards of that academy… A variety of educational fields as well as the idol training is the hot topic amongst the girls back in Pyroxene. Although we are focused on taking down RSA’s representative, don’t underestimate them either

And the reason why we haven’t heard anything is because the audience was too busy talking about the battle between NRC and RSA, but there have been mentions of DCA in magicam.

Ace: I-Is that so?...

Rook: You’ll understand once you find out for yourself!

Vil isn’t one to give empty praises, they now know that DCA is something to consider. The first years decided to look to the stage, they will see what Vil meant when the students of DCA don’t joke around when it comes to contests like the VDC.

Announcer: Representative of Diamond Crown Academy will be performing an original song… Eternally Flickering Flame, please begin rehearsal!

The music started off with a loud blast of rock followed by a gothic symphony that captured everyone’s attention, Evonie sings the first lyrics with a loud yet harmonic tune, her movements are graceful with a hint of aggression.

When it was Allison’s turn to sing, she sang with so much energy and her dance, although not as graceful, was very cheerful and all over the place that made some of the people watching tap to the rhythm.

At the two of them were synchronized in their dance and their voices, although were a contrast, created a pleasing harmony. The first years were watching with wide-eyes, no wonder Vil said that they were not to be underestimated. They thought back to their strict training during the past weeks and they wondered how hard these girls trained to be able to give this performance.

It was already hard to sing and dance, but putting magic into the mix? That’s a new level of intensity.

Epel: I… can’t look away!

Deuce: They’re casting magic?! Usually, its at the end of the performance, but here they’re using it throughout the song!

Rook: You are yet to see the main event, mon ami~

At the climax of the song, Evonie and Allison’s rings glowed red and light blue as an orb of light went up the sky and a burst of magic created an illusion of a gloomy forest with black rabbits and flying bats around a silhouette of a crescent moon.

When a chime of a clock was heard, the illusion shatters the moon and it dissolves into the scenery to turn the dark colors of the forest into a red background of crystals and gemstones with black thorns growing from the ground.

They finish the song with a pose with the illusion around them creating an outstanding finish.

The crowd didn’t expect the use of magic to create effects, but it was mesmerizing to look at, all eyes were on them, faces in awe and mouths agape. When their performance ended and the illusion faded, a loud applause fills the venue as students cheered.

TV Staff: That performance gave me goosebumps!

Audience: Seems like DCA is going all out today, huh?

I thought the other performances were good but damn, DCA goes all out!

They’d win for sure!

Neige and Vil will be performing too, but I can’t help but admire DCA’s performance!

Evonie felt proud for some of the comments she hears as her and Allison exit the stage. As soon as every participant was done with rehearsals, the two decided to head to the food booth for a light snack before the performance. Evonie was quietly assessing the choices and thinking deeply on which would be better to eat and won’t make her feel like throwing up when she performs, while Allison was chewing on a chocolate bar.

Evonie was unaware of a small presence behind her until something grabbed her hand, she was startled by the sudden touch and looked to her side only to see one of the dwarves from the rehearsals. “Toby” was what his name was, looking at her with his goofy grin and asymmetric, purple hair.

Toby: Miss Evonie! Timmy is a huge fan of yours, and so am I! The flashy magic you put on stage was super cool!”

Timmy: T-Toby! Don’t rush at her like th-that! And why’d you have to tell her that I’m a fan?! So, embarrassing!!!!

Evonie was frozen, not in fear but in restraint. The dwarves were so cute and she was tempted to pick them up and hold them close to her like a plush. But that would be rude because they’re college students and they are NOT children even if they look like one. Allison was snickering and greeted the dwarves too.

Allison: Aww, Ev, you got a fan!

Evonie: I-I… uhh!

Toby still held her hand and was looking up at her with his doe eyes, it took almost all of her self-restraint to act professional with the dwarf.

Evonie: I-it’s an honor that you like my performances, I am thankful!

Toby: I’ve seen you in that one play about the six queens too! You looked so pretty! Do you wanna come with us to see our other friends? Dominic and the others saw your work too, oh but Gran is not into idols that much…

Timmy: T-Toby! We shouldn’t impose on her and besides, w-we need to stick together! M-Miss Evonie, it was nice meeting you but we need to leave!

Timmy grabs ahold of Toby who was pouting along the way as the two scampered off into the crowd, leaving Evonie behind. Evonie takes a deep breath while Allison looks at the crowd before facing her.

Allison: I don’t see any of my fans… boohoo, quit stealing all my potential fan members!

Evonie: If you had been taking the time to actually participate in SOME venues then you might have had one…

Allison: It isn’t my fault most of the performances they want is girly!

While they were bickering, they don’t notice a grim fight against an overblotted dorm leader was taking place in the colosseum.

[END]

[the-other-art-blog]

My thoughts on Jo’s Boys: Chapter 4: Dan (DanxBess)

After my first reading of Jo’s Boys, I wasn’t a fan of the DanxBess ship. They come from radically different places and have radically different interests and ideas for the future. IMO, there was no way they could have make it work.

Bess, obviously comes from high society. Amy and Laurie raised her to be a proper lady. She is an artist, especially a sculptor and plans to go study to Rome for years. Moreover, she prefers to stay at home working on her art, rather than spending time outdoors. The only reason why she goes out is because Laurie asks her to do it. And she expects a gentleman to be her husband, as her parents.

Meanwhile, Dan is all about adventure. He has traveled the world and lived in the wilderness. He made friends with an Indian community. He is a good, hard-working, kind man, for sure. But it’s not enough to fit in Bess’ world.

One of them would have to follow the other, and sacrifice too much in the process. Basically, they would have to become someone else to fit into the other’s world, which reminds me of JoxLaurie.

And yet, looking at some of the lines I highlighted in the book I noticed this:

In chapter 4 Dan, there’s this exchange between them.

'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of the world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,' answered Bess.

'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the "Garden of the gods" and my magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is as much as I can stand, and I guess I could show you things that would knock your old masters higher than kites. Better come, and while Josie rides the horses you can model 'em. If a drove of a hundred or so of wild ones can't show you beauty, I'll give up,' cried Dan, waxing enthusiastic over the wild grace and vigour which he could enjoy but had no power to describe.

'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the horses of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my gods, and I will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think the West might be worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet appeared there.

And this:

Bess was mourning about it [the boys leaving] today, though as a general thing she doesn't like boys unless they are models of elegance. She has been doing Dan's head, and it is not quite finished. I never saw her so interested in any work, and it's very well done. He is so striking and big he always makes me think of the Dying Gladiator or some of those antique creatures.

So, maybe Bess did have a crush on Dan? Amy and Laurie show their affection through their art. So it’s only natural that their child would do the same. 

Now I’m thinking of an AU where Bess went to Rome, came back and became part of an American movement such as the Hudson River School. Her art would focus on the incredible American landscapes.

Of course, Dan would have to see the real Bess, cause he always idolized her, more than anyone else. He had her on a pedestal. And that’s also one of the biggest problems between them. Also, this doesn’t take into account what happens later in the novel.

It’s a long shot, but it could be a nice fic!

[your-daily-biaswrecking]

Serva me, Servabo te

save me and I will save you

pairing: photographer!Taehyung x f.reader

genre: angst, smut, slight enemies to lovers

word count: 7.3k  |  reading time: 40 min

chapter summary: flash backs clear the mystery of their first encounter, they fight over it, and then things get a bit heavier

warnings: there’s finally some sexy stuff going on yall, alcohol usage, metions of cheating, some dirty talk ig, some not very fluffy smut, almost angry fucking, dubious I’d say, fingering f.receiving, oral f.receiving, kinda dom!Tae, name calling kink? idk

All chapters  |  Masterlist  |  Read on AO3

Chapter 5: Irresistible urges of the past

3 years, 2 months, and 14 days ago at 7:35 pm

The party was Yoonji's idea but you never complained. Well, okay, you complained a little bit. But that was only when you heard the approximate number of guests that had been invited so far and argued your small, shared apartment would probably collapse from the total weight in it. You offered to move the function over to the bar down the street, but apparently, that's not a house-warming party.

"How on earth are so many people coming, anyway? We have, like, five friends at most. And that is including the lunch lady."

Yoonji gave you those puppy eyes. "Well, actually, Jimin just made an Instagram story to get the word out, not thinking many would wanna come," she mumbled under her breath, almost like she was trying to avoid giving you the explanation. "But it turns out ever since that video he did, lots and lots of people wanna be his friend now."

You exhaled hard, making a pathetic sound. "You gave the guy you've only been seeing for a couple of weeks permission to invite people to our party?"

She pouted at you. "I thought you liked him. Plus, he offered to do this for us. We barely know people here, Amy, this party is going to be the best to see new faces."

You chewed your lip as you were setting the drinks on the table in a nice order and contemplated your roommate's words. "What do you need new people for?" you whined. "You already have a best friend and a hot boyfriend."

Yoonji bumped her shoulder on your arm playfully. "But you don't. Who knows, maybe you'll like one of Jimin's friends."

You rolled your eyes at her, but that didn't cover up the smile that had started to form. "Doubt it," you objected. "Models are not exactly my type."

You heard Yoonji laugh from the kitchen. "Jimin's not a model!" she shouted back. Then peeked her head around the doorway to raise an eyebrow at you. "I mean, you're not entirely wrong."

People that you had never even seen before started showing up at your place, and without fail, they all asked where Jimin and Taehyung were. Rude, you thought. That was not their party; something that could easily be deduced by how they weren't even there yet. Also, when had Jimin become so popular all of a sudden? And who the fuck was Taehyung?

At about an hour after the place was already packed and your roommate's boyfriend had finally made an appearance, Yoonji just so happened that she was constantly MIA, and the task of welcoming the people that kept and kept on coming, fell entirely on your shoulders. A task that briefly seemed not so bad when you opened the door and a brown-haired, pretty boy stood in front of you. You guessed models were indeed invited to that party, the only explanation you could come up with for why the most handsome man you had ever led your eyes upon was looking at you and smiling.

"Is this Yoonji's and... Amy's party?" he asked and you were taken aback by his deep, raspy voice that countered his charming face.

"Yes," you said, letting him in. "And are you on the bride's or the groom's side?" You hated the joke the moment it left your lips, a moment too late to take it back. Five full seconds spent with a cute boy and you were already acting weird.

But the boy laughed, and the sound quite literally lifted your spirits. "I am with Jimin if that's what you're asking."

"Of course you are. Jacket?" You offered your hands up for him.

"Oh, right, where can I leave this?" he asked as he slid the piece of garment off his shoulders. You opened the door right behind you, a door that normally led to a small storage space, but you had turned into a temporary closet with all the jackets and purses you had shoved in there. The boy leaned next to you as he tried to find somewhere to leave his outerwear without just dropping it on the pile on the floor.

"Let me," you offered, taking a random jacket that hung from the ironing board, abandoning it on the ground, and replacing it with the pretty boy's one. That's pretty privilege for you.

He chuckled. "Whose was that? Is that okay?"

"Who cares, it's my house."

"Oh," he exclaimed, watching you more closely as you closed the door again and turned to him with your lips awkwardly pressed into a thin line. You pinned your body on the wall, waiting for him to move or say something. "You're Amy?" You nodded, and the boy burst out a big smirk. "Well, well, well..." he rasped. "I'm gonna kick Jimin's ass so hard. He didn't tell me Yoonji had such a cute roommate."

The way your entire face felt like it had caught on fire in a split second almost scared you. It definitely made your eyes widen and your head go into a defense mode; you had never flustered before, of course your brain would think it was under attack. And of course you would reply with something stupid again, like snorting and saying: "Right. And you are?"

"Kim Taehyung, freshly graduated and aspiring big photographer," he proudly introduced himself. It all suddenly seemed to click and you barely held yourself from gasping right in his face. He extended a hand to you, and you took it, ready to shake it. Instead, he surprised you by bringing it to his lips and planting a soft kiss right between your knuckles. "Enchanté," he whispered with his dark eyes piercing yours.

The stupid fire all over your face got worse. So worse all you could do was quickly pull away and scoff at him, but also laugh. "That was too much!"

"Sorry," he chuckled and gave you a big, boxy grin. "I was trying to make you swoon."

You couldn't help but mimic his energy. "Does that ever work on anyone?" Well, what a liar you are. It had literally turned your stomach into a knot.

And Taehyung, almost as if he knew that, smirked at you. "You'd be surprised."

Okay, so you may have overreacted a tiny bit when you took off running away from Taehyung. There could possibly have been other ways to go about it, like gently pushing him off and telling him this was a mistake, trying to talk, or even staying silent. Your head was spinning so hard as you stumbled down that path wishing you don't get lost in the foggy state your mind had dipped in due to the haste. And it had almost cleared, you had almost stopped to think about this rationally and wait for the photographer so that you could walk home together, but the longer you thought about it more clearly, the faster you ran. You didn't even know if it was fear or shame that was powering your flight, but it had to be one of those.

The further you stayed locked in your room, the later emotion became more and more prominent. You saw Taehyung emerge from the trees sometime later and get in the house, you heard him on the downstairs floor, you saw the lights turn on and off... He was everywhere, and you were hiding away, terrified and ashamed. How could you ever meet his eyes again? But most importantly, how would you face yourself in the mirror? You knew that was the worst part of the whole situation; you let your own self down.

3 years, 2 months, and 14 days ago at 1:23 am

You returned on the corner that Taehyung and you had been occupying all night long with a drink in your hands, swaying around and trying to survive the mob of drunk college students that were doing what you were sure they thought was dancing in the middle of the living room. Some of the drink spilled on the way and you're not sure if it was because of all the bumping on people or the way you had started seeing everything double and losing your balance pretty easily.

"What the hell happened to my chair?" you whined as you found the photographer sitting there alone when you had specifically asked him to save you the seat.

He shrugged. "I couldn't defend it, sorry." Then he spread his legs wide and pat his thigh, looking up at you with a smirk. "Just sit here."

You didn't think twice; sat down on his offered position, swinging your legs to the side to completely lie on his lap and an arm around his neck for balance. Your face was inches away from his, so much so you could smell the alcohol in his breath, his hands instantly on your waist and hips to pull you close. But it felt so comfortable. Since the moment you met, you hadn't left each other's side, and you hadn't stopped touching. Touching as in holding hands while talking or pushing him while laughing, playing with your clothes or stroking each other's hair. It seemed like there was always an excuse, or, better yet, constantly a need to touch.

"Ugh!" he gagged when he took one sip of the drink you had brought right to his lips. "What is this shit?"

You giggled. "Tequila."

"Is it just tequila?"

You kept giggling. "Actually, we ran out of soft drinks so I mixed it with water."

His mouth dropped open and he started laughing, too. "Of course! Why wouldn't you!" His hands around your body squeezed you tighter and you had to squirm around, still a need to get even closer.

"It's not that bad," you proclaimed, then took a sip from the same straw and had your entire face scrunch up. "See?"

Taehyung had gotten serious, staring at you intensely, as he slowly brought the straw right on his tongue yet again. He took a generous gulp, then offered the drink to you, his eyes fixed on your lips and the way they wrapped around right where his had just been. His stare gave you goosebumps, and you pressed yourself even closer, your hip flushed right against his lower abdomen.

"You know I don't drink," he said in a whisper. He didn't need to speak louder, you were right there. "I'm only doing this for you."

"Well," you mumbled as your fingers ran through the back of his hair. "That makes two of us doing something we don't usually do tonight." And you meant it. You never did this; whatever this was. Sitting on a cute boy's lap that you had only met a couple of hours ago, ready to devour him with the first chance you got. And boy, would you devour him.

"We haven't done anything yet," Taehyung noted, his hand dipping between your legs to pinch your thing.

"Yet," you murmured, pressing even closer to him, feeling his erection grow against your hip.

Your eyes alone could communicate. And all they conveyed was the urgency to get out of there. The need to be alone. Your entire body burned with that need, or maybe it was the alcohol. With no words spoken, you both got up, holding hands not to get lost in the crowd, and searched in the apartment for an empty room. The bathroom was locked, the kitchen busy, one bedroom filled with boys playing video games and the other with smokers. Taehyung pulled you towards the exit; he wasn't about to let the moment escape him. He would get you in his car or even back to his place if he had to, just to get his hands properly on you.

But you didn't have time for that. You needed him right away. So you opened up that makeshift closet and shoved him inside. Space was limited and your bodies were naturally pressed together. The moment the door closed behind you, you realized how dark it was; the light switch being outside, forgotten. You felt his hands ran up your body, trying to blindly find your face with haste like he was being chased.

His lips found yours. And you indeed devoured each other. He had you pinned against the door and his fingers through your hair as he kissed you like a starved man. You know how first kisses almost always suck? How it takes a while to find the right rhythm, to lean into it just enough to match the other's technic? That was nothing like that. It was the best kiss you had ever had, it was so perfect and so right. The way his lips moved over your own and his tongue stroked you, it was like you had done this a million times already, or simply like you were made for each other.

Nothing could stop you now. Not even your common sense that would advise you against fucking just anyone in that tiny space, when everyone was still outside. But common sense had left you long ago. Your body was being controlled by an innate, animalistic hunger. And you moaned his name as you straddled his waist and let him suck hickeys into your neck. And you thought about how this is the best thing that had happened to you as you started taking off his belt.

You heard it again; a thump in the room. This time it was certainly not just in your head. You looked around -let's be honest- scared out of your mind because the last thing you needed right now was for something to be hidden in there with you.

"Tae?" you asked in a low voice, just in case he was playing a stupid prank on you. But you were met with silence.

Until it happened again, a louder tap, and this time you determined it was coming from the window. Slowly, while keeping your body as far away as you could, you got closer. You stared at the glass, trying to figure out why it was making that sound. Then you saw it; a small pebble clashing on the pane and disappearing just as fast. You opened it immediately and leaned outside.

"What the hell?" you shouted when you noticed the shadow-covered man standing in the garden under your room. "What are you doing down there?"

Taehyung tossed away the stones he had in his palms, straining his neck to look up at you. "I wanted to talk to you."

"And you thought -instead of just coming to my room- it'd be easier to walk downstairs, get outside and throw rocks at my window?"

"I thought you wouldn't let me in if I just knocked on your door," he explained.

You groaned. He wasn't wrong; you would have probably continued to hide away and avoid him. But he didn't have to be so dramatic about it. Well, not that you are one to talk. "Ugh, just- get your ass in here," you shouted back.

"You're gonna talk to me?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

You groaned again. "Yes!"

You saw Taehyung run inside as if he was afraid you would change your mind in the meantime. Perhaps you would. You really didn't want to talk to him. What would you even say? You had no excuse to give him, or no excuse you wanted him to know, anyway. All you wanted was to pretend he wasn't even there until morning came; then you could drive back home and go back to pretending you didn't even know each other.

"He is crazy," you mumbled to yourself as you decided you couldn't evade this anymore. "No, that man is certified insane!" you kept on complaining to no one as you opened your door and dashed away.

You ran into him in the middle of the staircase. Stood there, just a step away from him, with your arms folded over your chest, keeping your eyes anywhere but on him.

"So?" you spat.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said in a whisper, a tone that sounded like he was guilty of something.

"Yes, I got that. You can talk now."

He looked down at your feet. "Here?"

You scoffed and moved past him, jogging down the stairs and taking a turn towards the kitchen. The boy followed you diligently. When you reached the room, you immediately grabbed a glass and filled it with water, chugging it down in one go and going for a second turn. You really wished this was something stronger, looking around to see if you could spot a bottle of some kind of liquor. You would need it if you were to have the conversation you thought you would.

"I have a confession to make," Taehyung announced after he decided the silence was enough.

You froze, the glass of water still against your lips, and you looked at him from the corner of your eyes. "Oh, please," you groaned but still couldn't move. "No more confessions from you."

He sighed, walking until he got right in front of you so that he could look you in the eyes for this. "I remember your party."

See, this is exactly what you feared the most. This...This conversation was what was making this place truly haunted for you.

"What?" you weakly breathed.

"Your... welcoming party? With Yoonji?" he continued. As if you didn't know what party he was talking about. "I remember everything about it."

"But-"

"I wasn't that drunk."

The glass hit the counter with such force, for a second you thought you had broken it in your grip. But it had just provided a loud noise as you gaped at the boy in front of you. What were you supposed to say, now? Where to start?

"You didn't even remember meeting me!" you called out.

"Yeah I- I lied."

The worst part wasn't that he was pretending he didn't know who you were. No, that was low-key genius and you would have done the exact same thing if you were quick enough to think of it when you found yourself in that sitting room, across the person you least wanted to see. The worst part was that you had believed it. You felt like such an idiot. You had believed it and thought it meant you could have a clean start.

3 years, 2 months, and 14 days ago at 1:44 am

You didn't want to stop, but you still did, when Taehyung's phone went off. When he pulled away, gasping for air and apologizing. You thought you were having a moment there, you know, a moment where no matter who was calling, it wasn't important enough to pick up. But he apparently didn't see it that way. He took one look at his screen and asked you to be quiet.

Maybe your eyes accidentally caught the pet name on his contact for a split second, or maybe it was the girly voice that came muffled from the speaker, but your head started spinning without warning. And the space was suddenly too small, and it was choking you. You found the knob before he realized what you were doing, and with your body weight on the door, you were launched outside; into the light that burned your eyes. A girl was standing on the other side of the hallway, looking at you with judgement in her eyes and her phone in her hands, then immediately averting her pretentious gaze. A hand tried to hold onto your shirt to keep you back, but you escaped.

You stumbled through the place, not sure where you were trying to go or who you were trying to find, solely trying to keep yourself up and not barf on the new carpet. You wanted to get away, but where could you go? You lived there. You heard Yoonji's laugh before you even saw her, sighing in relief when you spotted her in the kitchen and letting your body fall on hers.

"Baby, baby, everything alright?" your roommate called for you, but you just held onto her without a word. She tried to bear your weight as best as she could, holding onto the counter so that you wouldn't both plummet onto the floor.

Another hand rubbed your back. "Did you drink a little too much, Ames?" It was Jimin's sweet voice. You whined into your friend's neck before you pulled back to look at her boyfriend.

"Jimin, is Kim Taehyung your friend?" you asked him.

He frowned, a little confused as to how the conversation got there. "Ye- yeah. He's my best friend. You met him, right?"

"Yeah," Yoonji responded for you. "I saw them talking earlier."

You took a deep breath; everything seemed to be against you at that moment, even the air itself, and you were trying so hard to not crumble. "Does he have a girlfriend?" you dared ask, even though you thought you might vomit if you heard the answer.

"Who? Tae?" Yoonji mumbled. You nodded, and she gave you a smirk right away. "Ohh... Why do you ask, baby? You interested?"

You rolled your eyes as both of them started teasing you. "No," you tried to tell them.

"Why, was he flirting with you?"

"How does he get every girl like that?"

"No, guys-"

"I don't blame her. He's so hot."

"Hey! I'm right here!"

"Just answer the damn question!" you yelled at them, and they finally stopped. Jimin looked at you with the same frown again.

"He does," he said and everything that was spinning in the room stopped abruptly. "Sorry, love. I promise you'll be the first to know when they break up."

Everything was foggy, and you felt numb. So numb, there was absolutely no thought in your head. You barely noticed the couple turn their heads to the door, barely realized who it was they were looking at.

"No, thanks," you whispered to Jimin then and pulled Yoonji away. "Bathroom," you simply stated and she carefully took you there, avoiding successfully the boy that was the topic of your conversation. For the first time of the many, many more that followed. All those times you stayed clear of gatherings you knew he would be at. All those times you changed your way, left a coffee shop, stayed silently in a corner in places there was nowhere else to go. You never told Yoonji exactly why you didn't want to be in the same room with him again, but she was very supportive no matter what.

You weren't sure why, either. Whether it was your hurt ego, your high standards for the people surrounding you, or the shame you felt every time you met his eyes, you couldn't tell. One thing you knew for sure was how you vowed to never fall for that again. Not from Taehyung, and not from anyone else. No more hooking up with random fuck boys at parties. No more associating yourself with people you don't even value enough. Kim Taehyung was an asshole, and you didn't care what he did or who he did it with, but you would rather be caught dead than be caught with him ever again.

Yet there you were. With him.

You cleared your throat. "And you're telling me this now because...?"

The photographer frowned, mostly at himself, clenching his jaw and looking at the ground. "Well, because you kissed me and ran away as if your life depended on it. Thought it might have something to do with that."

"Right." You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding slightly as you tried to think of what to say. Truly, what could you say? There have been so many things torturing your mind, but you didn't know which of those would be worth saying aloud. "Okay," you simply mumbled. "Are we done then?"

You tried walking past him but he held you back. "Wait, wait, hold on. You promised we would talk."

You just looked at him with your eyes wide. "You said you had a confession to make. You made it. There’s nothing more to say about that."

"Yes, there is."

"Like what?"

Taehyung snorted, finally letting you go. "Like what your problem with me is!"

You released a bitter laugh. "I thought you said you remember everything about that night."

He licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair. "It's been three years-"

"And you stay lying to me." He looked at you intensely but you didn't back down. You might not have wanted to have this conversation, but now that it was happening, you wouldn't cower one bit.

"Look," he started, taking a step closer. "What I did was wrong. Both to you and to my girlfriend. I understand, it was very shitty and I don't have any excuses. I'm not here to give you any excuses."

"Yeah, 'cause there is no excuse for such a thing," you bit back.

Taehyung sighed at your attitude, somewhat losing his patience, but continued. "Right," he mumbled through his teeth. "I told her what I did and we broke up. Actually, she forgave me and wanted to stay with me but I insisted on breaking up because I didn't want her to be in a relationship where I made such a mistake, I wanted her to find someone better."

You shrugged, folding your arms over your chest yet again and tapping your foot on the floor. "Alright. Good for her. What do you want, a cookie?"

"No-"

"You really did less than the minimum, there, buddy. I don't know what you want from me right now."

"I- nothing!"

"Then why are you telling me this?"

He paused, opening and closing his mouth again, clearly not knowing how to reply. Maybe he expected a different reaction, or maybe he was nervous and it all translated into a type of irritation, but he was starting to look angry. "Because!" he said in a louder tone. "Because you keep treating me like that, you're acting like I'm this huge asshole, and I get it- first impressions are hard to change, but I'm not! I'm not that asshole you've made me out to be and quite frankly it's starting to get pretty annoying."

You chuckled. What else were you supposed to do? You couldn't believe what you were hearing. "Excuse me, but I have the right to believe anything I want about you. If I have a certain idea of who you are and it's not affecting you in any way, then what's the problem?" You saw Taehyung roll his eyes and turn away, his hands on his hips as he shook his head and sighed. "If I think what you did is bad enough for me to never change my mind about you, then that's my opinion."

He was mumbling his words out, not being able to form a sentence long enough for it to make sense. "But that's- you-" He kept grunting and shaking his head at you until he finally spoke up. "Three years!" he announced. "It's been three years, Amy, and you're still punishing me for this. Alright, it's your opinion to determine the gravity of it, but don't tell me it doesn't affect me. Not when you've been avoiding me for three years."

"I haven't-" you tried to lie.

But he knew better than that. "Yes, you have. Every time I wanted to come along with my friends, something always came up and you'd bail. You didn't even show up at Jimin's birthday for crying aloud! Because you knew I'd be there. And I wanted to talk to you, apologize to you. I liked you and wanted to make this right and you never gave me the chance." He took a deep breath after having given his monologue in a haste, almost like he was scared his words would bail, too, if he wasn't quick enough. "And then you're wondering why I pretended I didn't remember you?" You blinked at him when you realized he was waiting for an answer. You had none to give him. "What was I supposed to do, huh? What could I have done that wouldn't have resulted in you getting back in that car and driving away?"

You stayed silent, looking at him through your lashes, then averting your gaze again. You sniffed your nose a couple of times as you were trying to get your thoughts straight. Kicked the floor once or twice as you felt your body squirm under his stare; he wouldn't relieve you from the scrutiny. "I..." you finally mumbled. "I'm not interested in reconciling with you." You gulped but noticed his stance and expression didn't change at all. Like he expected those words. "I'm sorry if that's what you wanted to do, and that I prevented you from even trying. But I won't change my mind about this."

He licked his lips, looking at you with a serious frown, then simply said: "Why?"

Why was he even asking? Was it not obvious? "Look, I simply don't like people who do things like these. I don't want them as boyfriends, or friends, or anything. Nothing personal."

"But that's what I'm trying to say!" he insisted. "I'm not like that." He came close, so close his face was hovering above yours merely inches away, staring into your eyes with a sort of urgency. An urgency for you to understand him. "I'm not normally like that. That night... I don't know. That night was an exception. I really don't want to give you cliché excuses, but I thought you knew. I thought you felt it, too. I'm not crazy, right? There was something there that you felt, too?"

You gulped again, looking him up and down with fire all over your face. Because you knew instantly what he meant. But it had to take a few moments for it to actually sink in. That it wasn't just you. And that he, too, was unable to keep his hands from you that night. It certainly didn't justify his actions or lessen your disdain for him. But at least it felt a tiny bit good to know that you weren't just a naive little girl who had fallen for the pretty boy's trick, just like dozens of others.

"That still doesn't explain..." you started saying, keeping your opinion openly still the same, yet not denying his words.

"I know it doesn't!" he was quick to say. His eyes traveled all over your face, the tone of his voice having calmed a bit. "It was very douchy of me and I don't expect to be forgiven for it. Which is why I didn't stay with that girl." You jumped slightly when you felt his hands land on your arms. But you didn't pull away. "But I don't understand why you have to be so harsh on me. It's been three years, and this is still obviously bothering you. You haven't let it go even a little bit."

You looked away, taking a step back, but he quickly made up for it. "It doesn't bother me," you said, tongue in cheek.

"Well, it clearly does," he insisted. "When you are cold to me one moment, kissing me the next, and then running away like I hurt you."

"You did hurt me."

The words left your mouth before you could stop them. Before you even knew what you were saying yourself. He hurt you. You had never admitted that before. Always blaming your anger and aversion to him on your morals or whatever. Yet that was the true reason you didn’t want to see him, and you didn’t want to talk to him, and definitely not kiss him again.

Taehyung paused, taking a deep breath. He leaned nearer as he looked down at your lips as whispered. “I know,” he said in a sweet voice as if to reassure you. “I know.” That meant you weren’t crazy. “But why is it still hurting you now?” You tensed up at his question. “Why do you care -about me- so much that this is, to this day, an open wound?”

You scoffed. But you couldn't say anything. You tried pushing him away, and for a moment he let you, but then he was right in front of you again. Even closer, perhaps. “What are you…?” you murmured, looking quite lost. Especially with the close proximity that was driving your mind into a frenzy.

“Do you still like me?” he asked, straightforward.

“No!” you called immediately. But he didn’t seem convinced, raising an eyebrow at you. "I’m not still hurt. I just… I told you. I simply don't want anything to do with someone like you. So it's fine when you keep your distance, but it's not fine when you kiss me. I said I don't want- ."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't want a boyfriend nor a friend like me," he interrupted you to finish your sentence. "Not that I ever offered to be either of those."

Your cheeks flushed and you looked away immediately so as not to get caught. "I- I didn't say I wanted you to."

Taehyung chuckled. The sound almost scared you more than when he was shouting earlier. Because you knew a casual, flirty Taehyung was always more dangerous. "You know, you kissed me!" he reminded you.

Your mouth dropped in a dramatic way. "You seduced me into kissing you!" you complained.

And the boy laughed even harder. "Seduced? Is that your way of saying you couldn't resist me?"

You tried to fight back at his remarks that clearly only served the role of firing you up -whether that was with anger or something else, you weren't sure. And then he had the audacity to wonder why you still didn't like him? But your voice cracked, as you backed until your body hit the kitchen counter and your hands held the edge tight. "Is not!" you managed to get out.

Taehyung’s arms trapped you in that counter, his hands holding onto it on either side of your body until you were caged between them, as he leaned even closer, standing one breath away and staring at you with a smirk on his lips. It was clear then, he wasn’t trying to talk anymore.

“C’mon,” he rasped, a voice so low that it vibrated in frequencies hard to hear. “I know you can’t resist me. You couldn’t do it three years ago and you can’t do it now.”

Your palms hit his chest, trying to push him away from you as you breathed heavily, hearing your own heartbeat in your head and feeling your control slipping through your fingers. But you still couldn’t form any words. Your brain had shut down when it came to that. Just spinning around as Taehyung kept getting closer. What the hell was he trying to do?

"I'm just saying… There is no one here to judge you for it. No one will know you went against your morals," he purred, a hand leaving your side briefly to swipe your hair off your shoulder and caress your neck in the process. The contact made your palms clench into fists, his shirt pooling under your grip. And there were two ways you could go about this; either push or pull him.

“Tae…”

“Go on then,” he said in a teasing tone. “Show me how much you hate me, princess. How you despise me and everything I stand for. Resist me.”

You did hate him. And you hated being proven wrong. So, those two together should result in you pushing him away and going to your room. Right? You should resist that man, it couldn’t be so hard, anyway. So tell me why the way he was looking at you made your knees buck? Why his words filled your stomach with butterflies, his scent numbed your brain like a hallucinogen? Why you couldn’t resist him.

Tell me why you pulled him in by the shirt.

He didn’t hesitate to wrap his lips around yours. Didn’t waste any time to hold you by the waist and press his body on yours. This was the third chance he was given for this and he was about to make it work. And he seemed to have been waiting for it. He already knew what to do, how to hold you, how to kiss you in order to make you moan in his mouth. It was the party scene all over again; as in, you were devouring each other in a sort of urgency, bumping your lips together like you were drunk and had just found the person you were feeling the craziest chemistry with, grinding on each other as if you were trying to merge together.

And maybe he was right; you could never resist him.

Your fingers dipped into his soft locks and he moaned your name. He snaked his arms under your thighs to push you up, letting you sit at the edge of the counter. He immediately filled in the gap between your legs, hands rubbing up and down your back, while you started kissing down his neck, making sure to mark him as if he was yours. He hissed and growled every time you bit him, riding your shirt up to get a feel of your skin underneath. Then finding your hands, intertwining your fingers together, and pushing them past your body, almost like he was trying to confine them away from him. And you hated not being able to touch him, hated how he pushed your body back to have you almost lay on the counter completely, and you couldn’t move. Because you wanted more.

And maybe he was right; no one would ever know about this. So perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to do this. This mistake. Taehyung.

“Princess, if you plan on regretting this and running away again, you better tell me now,” he rasped while kissing your collarbone. “I might not stop later.”

He was giving you an out. And normally you would have taken it. But at that moment the only thing busying your mind was that implied promise of what was to come.

“You better not,” you mumbled, more to yourself, but heard him chuckle when he heard it, too.

His hands clenched harder around yours before he released you in favor of grabbing your ass and your thighs. He squeezed you close, pulling you until your crotch was rubbing against his clear erection under his pants, and all you could do was whimper. Still kissing his neck, that sweet spot under his ear, biting his lob, and hearing him grunt at the way you were making him feel. Your hands, free now, could run up his toned arms and enjoy his body like you wanted to for a while.

He pulled his head slightly back to look into your eyes. His seemed so unfocused, so dark, like he had gotten high from you. “You want me to make you feel good?” he asked with a smirk. You weren’t sure if he was asking for permission or just building the anticipation.

“Can you?” No, you weren’t making a plea. You were questioning his skills. And he picked it up from your tone immediately.

“Can I?” he snorted, his eyes turning to the ceiling before he let his fingers slowly and very slightly brush your naked belly, moving further down. Your entire body squirmed with the rhythm of his fingertips. “You shiver every time I touch you. So, yeah, I think I can do anything I want to you.”

You immediately punched his chest, pushing him away. “God, I hate you.”

But his smug smirk wouldn’t back down. And he wouldn’t let go of you. “We have already established that,” he murmured, as he lowered his head down- and farther down- until it was right in front of the fly of your pants. And your stomach was sucked in the entire time, your whole body, actually, as if you were trying to take up less space. As if you were trying to pull away from him, even though at the same time you could feel your lower half burning from want, and your lips were already missing his.

But then he looked up at you too, as he was bent down there in front of your crotch, to stare into your eyes through his lashes with a hotshot grin and his tongue between his teeth; and you forgot how to breathe. And then he unbuttoned you with his mouth, biting the zipper and pulling it down slow enough for you to feel every vibration on your body, without ever breaking eye contact; and you thought your soul left your body.

He was back at his normal height, pushing your pants down while licking his lips and examining your face. “Alright, princess,” he spoke in a low tone. “I will give you my best, on one condition.” The pants were completely off and he was working on your unimpressive underwear next. “Every time I do make you feel good, you have to say my name.”

He had gotten you all naked from your waist down, yet he still hadn’t even glanced there; kept his eyes stubbornly on yours. But when you tried to press your legs together, feeling shy and exposed, he was holding them tight. “That’s your condition?” you wondered, not seeming too hard to do. You were probably going to do it anyway.

He leaned down, keeping his lips close enough to rub on yours when he spoke. “Yes. Every time. I want you to keep reminding yourself who it is that is making you feel this way.” When he kissed you, it worked almost as a distraction to how one hand crept in between your thighs and pressed around your folds, yet avoiding the place you needed him to touch.

His lips moved at the same rhythm as his fingers, his tongue slipping in your mouth right as he finally moved them closer, getting them all dirty with your wetness. Index and middle finger rubbing up and down, brushing against your clit and over your opening but never giving into either. You hummed in frustration as you bit down on his bottom lip, your hips trying to move forward, trying to get more.

“What did I tell you?” he whispered, increasing his pressure on your clit just for a moment, a moment long enough to make you gasp with your mouth open over his.

“Tae…” you breathed.

“Say it,” he insisted.

“Taehyung,” you moaned, closing your eyes as he started moving his fingers in circles over the sensitive bud like a reward.

“You’re so wet, already,” he observed, something quite obvious from the sounds the simple movement was creating. “Is that all for me?” He pulled his head back to watch your reaction better, smiling when he saw you nodding. “Good girl,” he purred, rewarding you yet again with sliding one finger easily inside.

"Oh,” you moaned, your body immediately arching towards his. You still needed more. The better it all felt, the more you wanted from him.

The photographer inhaled sharply through his teeth, stilling his actions. “Amy, what did we say?”

“Taehyung,” you immediately obeyed. And you didn’t need to be told twice. “Taehyung,” you moaned, again and again, as he worked his magic into you. As he kissed you in that way no one had ever been able to replicate. “Taehyung,” as he pushed a second finger in to stretch you out. “Taehyung,” as he found your g-spot and massaged it softly as if he was working with something fragile. “Taehyung, Taehyung,” as he made you come, once, twice, thrice. With his fingers inside you, on your clit, his mouth french-kissing your pussy, his tongue dipping in and out as he lapped at your juices.

All while you had to make yourself think of who exactly was fucking you like that. Who was making your legs shake, your head spin, your sight and hearing unclear. Whose hair you were pulling, whose teeth you had marks of on your thighs, whose name you were screaming.

Kim Taehyung.

Next Chapter

[riversofmars]

That last one-shot prompt made me realize I really love the interaction of outsiders to River and the Doctor's relationship. I'd really love more of that type of thing. I've no idea if this even counts as a prompt or not but just saying.

Hi! I promise, I've not forgotten about the prompts i have yet to do, though I might be getting a bit distracted with World Enough, And Time :D Yeah I guess this wasn’t exactly a prompt but here are more reactions to their relationship as Yaz learns more about River in the next instalment of Big, Vast, Complicated and Ridiculous! :D

Chapter 7: Lake Silencio

“Blimey, you do have a mind of your own today, haven’t you.“ The Doctor huffed as the TARDIS came to a halt.

“Where are we?“ Yaz asked sounding a little worried.

“Could be anywhere.“ The Doctor sighed. “She’s been all over the place. Surprised she managed to take me to you on time when you texted…“ She skipped to the door and Yaz followed, curious to see where they had ended up. The Doctor stuck her head out the door, then pulled back and glared at the console. “Oh you silly machine, you could break time…“

“That’s your TARDIS over there?“ Yaz asked taking a step outside the door while her friend hung back. She found they had landed on a cliff face in the middle of the dessert. The sun was blazing down on them, reflecting off the azure blue lake that stretched below. The could overlook the entire valley from their vantage point and Yaz had immediately spotted the other blue box.

“Earlier model, this was some time ago.“ The Doctor answered slowly, eying the younger version of her TARDS across the ridge. There was probably a reason for why the TARDIS had taken them here.

“Well, this is nice.“ Yaz put her hands on her hips enjoying the sunshine on her face. It made a change from dreary Britain.

“Great time for a picnic…“ The Doctor mused as she looked down into the valley, to the beach by the side of the lake. There she was, so much younger, drinking wine with Amy, Rory and River. The Doctor smile a little to herself, she missed her family so much.

“Are you down there?“ Yaz asked curiously, following her gaze.

“Yeah…“ The Doctor nodded with a melancholy expression.

“And River?“ Yaz recognised her head of hair, even from a distance. It was distinctive to say the least.

“And her parents, Amy and Rory.“ The Doctor smiled wistfully pointing them out to her. She hadn’t seen them in such a long time. She missed them dearly.

“But they’re… younger than her?“ Yaz stated, bewildered. They were relatively far away but she could make out enough to pose the question.

“First thing you should know about River, I guess… she’s a time traveller.“ The Doctor chuckled. The TARDIS seemed to want her to fill Yaz in so she obliged.

“Right, that makes sense.“ Yaz sighed, shaking her head bemused. This was just like the Doctor. Of course her wife was no ordinary woman. She was intrigued to find out more.

“This was the day…“ The Doctor hummed with a bittersweet smile.

“What day?“ Yaz prompted and the Doctor chuckled:

“My wedding day.“

“Really?“ Yaz’s eyes widened in shock. She looked back down to the Doctor’s younger self.

“You did ask, didn’t you, about my history with River? Think the TARDIS is trying to fill you in.“ The Doctor smiled. She shrugged off her coat and put it down on the ground before sitting down. She always kept her cards so close to her chest, not allowing anyone, not even her friends, to really get to know or understand her. Maybe she was going about it the wrong way. Perhaps it was time to let people in again. She didn’t need to carry all these burdens by herself. And maybe, just maybe, if she let other people see, shared her past with them, maybe she would feel a little closer to being the Doctor again.

“So that’s you?“ Yaz pointed at the young Doctor again as she sat down, surprised at the inviting gesture.

“Look at how thin I was, ugh. How did River fancy me so much back then?“ The Doctor mused, looking her old self up and down.

“Look at the lake.“ Something in the distance caught Yaz’s attention and she pointed towards the shore line.

“I know, I was there, remember?“ The Doctor chuckled, amused.

“What’s happening?“ Yaz asked. It looked as thought something was emerging from the water, a figure. The others had noticed it too. The young Doctor on the picnic blanket got to his feet, as did his friends.

“Well, it’s not just the day we got married, it’s also the day she killed me.“ The Doctor answered matter-of-factly.

“What?“ Yaz’s head flung around as she looked back to her friend and the Doctor laughed a little.

“It’s complicated.“ She admitted and pointed to the figure that was walking out of the lake. It appeared to be wearing an astronaut suit. “That’s also River, in the suit, a younger version of her. The Silence, an order that was trying to kill me, are controlling her. I knew that already at the time, that’s why I asked her older self here. All of them actually, Amy and Rory too.“ She explained as they watched the Doctor below make his way towards the astronaut. “I knew I had to die - or so I thought at the time - and I didn’t want to do it by myself. And I wanted River to know that she would always be forgiven.“

“That’s so sad.“ Yaz took in her words, mulling them over.

“You wondered why she’s a wanted criminal? This is why. She got sentenced for my murder.“ The Doctor tried to create context for her.

“So she’s innocent?“ Yaz confirmed, feeling a little bad for her previous snap judgement of the Doctor’s wife.

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. She did try to kill me, several times. And she’s knows her way around a weapon, I’ll tell you… and she’s not afraid to use them. So innocent? Of this particular crime, but in general?“ The Doctor shrugged, amused. She couldn’t deny, she liked a bad girl.

Far below, the astronaut shot the Doctor. The Pond family rushed towards him. River shot and missed the astronaut as it walked back into the lake…

“So how did you escape?“ Despite knowing that she would survive, Yaz felt her chest tighten as they watched.

“I was wearing a suit that saved me.“ The Doctor answered.

“Soooo…. when did the marriage happen? Did I miss it?“ Yaz asked after they sat and watched in silence for a while.

“Oh you won’t see it.“ The Doctor laughed, realising only then that she was waiting for it. “It happened in an aborted timeline. The first time around, River couldn’t bring herself to kill me and therefore create a paradox. This is a fixed point in time.“

“So you’re not actually married? If it happened in another timeline?“ Yaz exclaimed. This was getting more complicated at every turn.

“All of time was happening at once for all eternity. Every moment that ever was or ever would be. That’s how I see it, from the beginning to the end of the universe. That means we’re always married, wherever and whenever we are.“ The Doctor gave a soft smile.

“That’s very sweet.“ Yaz smiled, realising it was all a matter of perspective.

“And incredibly stupid.“ The Doctor sighed. “It hurts, Yaz…“ Yaz looked at her surprised at the uncharacteristic confession. It didn’t seem like the Doctor at all to speak so openly about her feelings so she remained quiet, allowed her time to phrase her thoughts. “It hurts when… no matter how much you love each other, no matter how much you’ve done and overcome together, you still can’t be together.“ She got to her feet. She had seen enough. She didn’t want to be a witness to the Pond family’s grief any longer. Even though she knew it would all come right in the end, it didn’t change the fact that they truly believed her former self to be dead. Their pain was real, as was her own.

“Where is she now? I mean, I get that we can travel and see her wherever but where is she really? At the end of her timeline?“ Yaz asked, getting up as well so the Doctor could shake out her coat and put it back on.

“She died…“ The Doctor answered quietly. “The first day I met her…“ She turned back towards the TARDIS.

“Doctor I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…“ Yaz felt like she’d been punched in the gut. That was not the answer she had expected and she regretted the question. She hurried after her back to the TARDIS.

“It’s fine.“ The Doctor managed a thin smile as they stepped back inside the blue box. “I always knew it would happen, that was the deal…“ Slowly she made her way to the console while Yaz closed the door.

“If you always knew it would happened… couldn’t you do something to change it?“ Yaz asked, feeling terrible for her friend. There had to be something they could do.

“I already did everything I could, spent lifetimes thinking about it…“ The Doctor answered. “She’s not completely gone… I managed to save her mind, her consciousness to a super computer.“ She explained. “Best I could do.“

“I guess that’s something.“ Yaz felt a little better and the Doctor managed a smile:

“Better than the alternative.“

“So does that mean I could meet her?“ Yaz asked after brief consideration. “The version of her that had had all her adventures with you? I bet she knows you like no-one in this universe.“

“I guess that’s true…“ The Doctor hummed, thinking back to her visit at the Library. “Maybe some day.“

“Do you not go and see her?“ Yaz frowned, surprised by her reluctance.

“I did when I needed that bit of space to think… like you said, she knows me like no-one else.“ The Doctor revealed.

“And not before then?“ Yaz asked and the Doctor shook her head.

“It’s hard when there is so much… guilt and regret. And when you’re so close and you still can’t touch them… sometimes it’s better to just keep yourself busy and try not to think about it.“ She admitted and Yaz understood.

[collecting-stories]

The Truck - ep. 08 - Georgia

Summary: You stop by on break to visit Daryl at the auto shop. The Jeep is almost done being repaired.

A/N: I think basically I’m writing an even slower burn than last time.

Georgia Masterlist | The Walking Dead Masterlist

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

“I think ya ain’t as smart as ya tell me ya are,” Daryl joked as he caught sight of you walking into Dale’s Autobody shop, still in your uniform from the diner. Three days after Christmas and you’d been working as many hours as Patricia would give you. Both you and your mom trying to stay away from the house and each other  as much as possible.  

“I most definitely am. Why?” You asked, ducking your head down into the car he was working on when he sat down in the front seat. A newer model Nissan he’d been cursing since the owner brought it in.  

“Cause I tell ya all the time not ta come in here and where are ya?” He asked, looking over at you.  

“It’s not my fault, Axel said you said you’re almost done my baby.” You teased. Axel had told you over ordering his lunch that Daryl had mentioned to T-Dog that he was nearly done the work on the Jeep. Took a while, he had lamented, but he was finally, almost done. “Heard you’re glad to be rid of me.”

“Ain’t what I said,” he replied, “said I was glad ta be rid a that fucking jeep. Pain in my ass.”  

“Now I know you’re talking about me.”  

Daryl’s expression changed for a brief second, eyes fixing on the faint pink lines on your cheek. Barely noticeable but they hadn’t been there before Christmas. “What happened?” He tapped his finger against the same spot on his face to indicate what he was asking about.  

“Just a cat scratch. Hershel’s got a couple to keep the mice away and I couldn’t resist trying to pet one.”  

“They’re nasty creatures…yer lucky he didn’t take yer whole face off.” He replied, climbing back out of the car again. “Ya on break?”

You shook your head, “I picked up a shift from Amy, I got an hour to kill before I start for her.”  

“Ain’t I lucky.”  

“So, is my car really almost fixed?” You asked. You pulled the rolling stool over from the work bench and sat down, spinning once.  

“Just about.” He replied.  

Daryl hated to admit it but he’d been dragging his feet on the project and when he realized that he was nearing completion and your car would be fixed he was half tempted to break it all over again. Sure, you liked stopping in now, chatting him up before or after a shift, bumming rides, showing up at his house to spend your afternoons sitting under the car park. But once the car was fixed you wouldn’t need him to entertain you anymore. You could go to your friends houses or anywhere really, but you didn’t have to hang out with him. He wasn’t going to tell you yet but he’d let it slip to T-Dog and once one of them knew they practically broadcast it.  

“You working late?” You asked, wheeling yourself over next to him.  

“Why, ya don’t know anyone else with a car?”

“Why bother them when I have you?” You tilted your head back to look up at him and smile. You looked like a little kid with your eyes closed and a smile wide enough that he could see all your teeth.  

He rolled his eyes at you and reached over, swiping his greasy finger down your nose and making you jump suddenly at the contact. Your eyes opened and you slid back against the car. “Careful ya don’t scratch her.”

“Did you rub grease on my nose!” You whined, trying to rub it off with the back of your hand but only making more of a mess.  

Daryl shrugged, “ain’t nice ta tease.”  

“Do you have a bathroom here?”  

He pointed toward the back of the shop and you got up, headed for the bathroom to wipe the grease off your face.  

In truth Daryl wasn’t the only one who wasn’t looking forward to the car being fixed. Your throat felt like it dropped into your stomach when Axel told you that Daryl was almost finished the car. It sent you thinking...if Daryl told Axel did that mean he was glad it was almost finished? Was he looking forward to having you out of his hair finally? You scrubbed the grease off your face and frowned at your reflection. You didn’t want this to end.  

“So, ya need a ride later?” Daryl asked once you came out of the bathroom.  

“Yeah if you don’t mind.” You replied.

“Nah,” he shrugged as if he was indifferent toward driving you home, “ain’t got nothing better ta do.”  

-

You hung around a little while longer before you headed back to the diner for work. The whole night you felt distracted by Axel’s news from earlier. You were desperate to get some advice from Maggie but there wasn’t much she could offer, Glenn didn’t need any persuading to be madly in love with her. They’d been together since the 6th grade winter dance and there was no doubt in your mind that nothing, not even Hershel’s stupid rules, could keep them apart.  

Glenn and Maggie were the exception to the rule. Daryl wasn’t tripping over himself to profess his love for you. Half the time you weren’t even totally sure that he liked you. There were glimpses of something that might’ve been something but trust you to choose someone so hard to read. You spent the whole dinner rush trying to think up less costly ways to spend time with him that wouldn’t annoy him or make him feel like you were some stupid kid. The word kid alone was not necessarily something you wanted him to associate with you.  

The idea sparked when he pulled up outside at the end of your shift, parking his truck by the door. You ignored Lori’s comment about Dixon’s being bad news. She ‘went to school with him’ and somehow that had made her the only reputable source on him, at least in her mind. Coupled with the fact that it was Daryl driving you home you were just happy to be done work.  

“I hate the dinner rush,” you complained as you pulled the door shut and leaned against the seat. “This lady bitched me out over the table having a mark in it, meanwhile her kids were dunking every fucking sugar packet, jam packet, and salt packet into their cups of water and then splashing them all over the table!”  

“Musta really boiled yet blood if it’s got ya cursing.”  

“I can curse.”

“I’m sure ya can.” He teased.  

You pouted, arms crossed over your chest as you slumped in the seat and Daryl reached over, jabbing you gently with his fingers against your side when he stopped at a streetlight. You laughed from the sudden sensation and pushed his hand away.  

“I’m not allowed to curse at home but I can curse.” You insisted and he only shook his head, smiling.  

“Think yer a little too sweet ta be hanging around me.”  

“Nonsense. I like hanging out with you.” You replied, “which reminds me-“

“Yeah, what now?”

“How would you feel about teaching me some basic car stuff? I don’t know anything about cars and I’d really like to learn.”  

It was the plan that had finally occurred to you halfway through your shift. You didn’t know the first thing about changing oil or fixing a tire. Hell, you couldn’t even fill it with air if you wanted to.  

“Yer dad never teach ya how ta handle a car?”

“No, I don’t even know how to put windshield washer in it.”  

“A’right, I’ll teach ya. After I finish working on yer car.” He replied. You had only been considering yourself when you formulated your master plan but Daryl couldn’t help the brief flutter of excitement that he felt thinking you’d decided to ask him to help. Even if it was just so you could navigate the basics it still meant that you would willingly be spending more time with him.  

“Seriously?” You asked, smiling over at him.  

“Yeah, why not? Ya should know how ta fix yer car.” He replied, “simple stuff…still gotta make money.”

“I might get so good I’ll steal your business.” You replied.  

“Sure ya could.” He pulled up where he always did, your house visible from his spot parking along the sidewalk. It was dark, just the post lantern by the front of the driveway on. “Yer parents ain’t home?” No cars were in the driveway.  

“My mom’s already left for work.” You shrugged, opening the door to the truck.  

“She be gone all night?”

“I can stay by myself, promise.” You laughed to make a joke of it but you usually spent the night in the living room, talking to Tara or Maggie until they eventually went to sleep. You hated being home alone.  

“I ain’t got anywhere ta be.” Daryl shrugged, offering some company.  

“You don’t mind staying?”  

The inside of your house was exactly what Daryl had expected. A far cry from the worn down, dirty home that he lived in with his father, this was pristine. As if no one had ever sat on the furniture or lived in the house. There weren’t any family pictures but there was Christian art in its place. Tasteful, Martha Stewart-esque Christmas decorations were highlighted through out the living room and kitchen, both spotless.  

Daryl pulled a face at the décor at you laughed, “my mom went on a pier one kick a few years ago trying to outdo the Walshs.”  

“Can’t complain, it’s nicer than mine ever was.” He replied, looking over the table top tree, “yer dad at work too?”

“No. I mean, he’s away. Visiting family.” You said, heading into the kitchen, “my mom works overnight at the hospital, she’s been doing a lot doubles lately though. I’ll be right out, I’m gonna change!”  

Daryl nodded but didn’t say anything, flicking on the rest of the living room lights to get a better look at the room. The only pictures that weren’t nature landscapes or birds were on the mantle. A church directory photo of you and your parents from this year and your senior portrait, the traditional black off the shoulder look with a rose in your hand.  

“I hate that picture,” you complained as you came back into the room. “I look hideous.”  

“Don’t think that’s possible but I ain’t gonna argue.” Daryl replied. “Least I ain’t the only one who don’t have family pictures up.”

“My mom hates candid pictures. She’d never hang them up.” You settled on the couch and watched as Daryl walked back to the door to kick his shoes off. “I don’t have beer but there’s soda in the fridge.”

“I ain’t ever drinking beer ‘round you again. Yer a terrible influence. Ain’t Glenn Hershel should be worried ‘bout.” Daryl teased, coming over to sit beside you.  

“What? No! I am not a bad influence!” You laughed, “I’ve never done anything wrong in my whole life.”  

“I been witness to a few things.”

“No one will believe you.”  

“Ain’t that the truth.” He said, thinking briefly that no one would even believe he was here right now, sitting your house with you while you clicked through channels. He’d be hard pressed to convince them that you had even bummed a cigarette off him, especially if they saw the sweet looking church photo of you with your parents.  

“So what kind of car things will you teach?” You asked, ignoring the channel you’d chosen and turning more toward Daryl.  

“What kinda car things ya need ta learn?”

“Everything but how to drive?” You replied, biting your lip.  

“Well I ain’t seen ya drive so I can’t cross it off the list just yet.”

“I’m a good driver.”  

“Yeah? You working tomorrow morning?” He asked, looking back toward the TV.  

“No, I’ve got off.”  

“Alright, I gotta pick up my check in Woodbury, I’ll let you drive me for once.”  

“In my Jeep?”

“Hell no, ya ain’t getting in that thing ‘fore it’s fixed. You can drive the truck.” He replied. The truck was his brother Merle’s originally but Merle was in jail and he hadn’t spent the last three years fixing every inch of it to have it running like new. It might’ve been Merle’s to begin with but that old Chevy was Daryl’s pride and joy. He didn’t let anyone get behind the wheel, not even Rick or T-Dog, but he was offering it up to you.  

“I’ll be the best driver you’ve ever seen.”  

-

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[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #625: Surprise Present (Sonic)

9:56 a.m. Outside of the Rabbits' Household.......

Espio: You mind telling us why you bring us outside now, Vector?

Charmy: (Rapidly Rubbing Both of his Arms Up and Down for More Warmth) Yeah, man! It's freezing out here!

Vector: (Already Smiling Proudly Towards Himself) The answer's simple, boys. I wanna show you guys the present I got this year for a certain lovely lady towards my sight~ (Winks at Vanilla)

Vanilla: (Gasps While Blushing) For me?~

Vanilla: Yep! (Starts Rubbing the Back of His Head Back and Forth While Blushing in Shyness) B-B-But in all seriousness though, I.... really do you hope you like it and all.....

Charmy: (Crosses his Arms and Start Thinking) I wonder what the present is.....Ooh! Is it a singing snowman with a top hat!?....What was his name again?

Cream: (Suddenly Begins to Smile Brightly) Is it Frosty the Snowman!?

Vector: (Gives Both of the Kids a Straight Face) It's not a snowman name Frosty. (Smiles Again) It's something even better! (Pulls the Cover off of Vanilla's Christmas Present)

Vanilla: (Genuinely Surprised at The Present in Front of Her) Vector.....is this really....

Vector: That is it! A fully modeled and advance motorcycle! I call it the Hard-Boiled.

Charmy: (Struck in Awe at the Motorcycle in Front of Him) Wooooooah........

Espio: (Turns to Vector) Since when did you got yourself a motorcycle?

Vector: Remember that whole World Grand Prix I participated a while back with Amy and Cream?

Cream: (Smiles Softly) I remembered. It was such a wonderful time. I can't thank you enough for joining us, Mr. Vector.

Charmy: (Eyes Widened in Shock) Hold the phone! (Glares at Vector) You're telling me you guys entered some kind of contest without us!?

Cream: (Turns to Charmy) I'm sorry we didn't invite you and Espio, Charmy. But it was a three-team competition and Amy and I only ask Vector to fill in as our last teammate.

Charmy: Ohhhh I get it now......(Starts Pouting a Little) Still wish I could've join in on the fun though....

Vector: (Rolled his Eyes) Ehhhhh. I'm pretty sure the contest wasn't that big of deal in the first place. It was just one of Eggman's plain attempts on taking over the world or whatever.....

Cream: (Frowns in a Bit of Concern) Mr. Vector, are you still upset that we didn't win the prize that you want?

Vector: (Smiles a Little While Holding up his Hand a Little) Nah. I'm good, kiddo. I was only spouting out words like I always do. Nothing to it.

Cream: Well.....If you say so.

Vector: (Turns to Vanilla) S-So uhh anyways, Vanilly... W-What do you think of your gift?

Vanilla: (Turns Back to Vector with a Soft Smile on her Face) This is very lovely and thoughtful of you, Vector-kins. Thank you~ But you really didn't have to go out of your way to get this for me. I've already gotten myself of my own years ago.

Vector: (Eyes Widened in a Bit of Disbelief) You do?

Espio: (Raised an Eyebrow in Confusion and a bit of Surprised) You do?

Charmy: (Struck in Awe Again) No way.......

Cream: ('Gasps') Mommy, is that true?

Vanilla: (Giggles Softly) Oho my. It seems like I haven't told you children about my college years of being a biker yet, haven't I?

Cream: (Eyes Widened in Surprised) A biker!?

Vanilla: (Smiles Sheepishly) I'll tell you all about once we get to the garage, okay?

Few Minutes into the Garage Later......

Cream/Charmy: (Amazed at the Sight of Vanilla's Red Motorcycle) Woooooooah......

Espio: (Genuinely Surprised) Well....This is something.....

Vector: (Eyes Widened in Complete Awe) This has to be most beautiful motorcycle I have ever lay my eyes upon.....

Vanilla: (Giggles Softly) I'm so glad all of you like it. (Pats on one of the Motorcycle's Handle Bars) I had Bianca-

Vector: YOU NAMED HER BIANCA!!?

Vanilla: Yes, my dear crocodile~ That's her name. I had her ever since I was in college.... When I first became a biker during that time.

Cream: (Turns to her Vanilla) Why haven't you told me about this before?

Vanilla: I haven't had the chance to do so. Plus.....(Frowns a Little While Looking Away) I was kind of afraid what you would think of me if I told you.

Cream: (Happily Hugs her Mother) Oh mommy....You don't need to be afraid to tell me these kind of things. I'll always love you no matter what. And I think it's amazing that you were a biker.

Charmy: (Smiles Brightly While Joining in on the Hug As Well) Yeah, Mrs. V. I think you're even more cool than I thought you would!

Vanilla: (Heart Begins to Melt as She Picks up Two of her Children and Hugs Them Back) Oh sweethearts.....Thank you. I'm so happy you two look up to me.

Vector: (Starts Blushing Towards Vanilla from a Bit of a Distance) Oh great....The adrenaline came back....

Espio: What adrenaline?

Vector: The adrenaline of my love and admiration for that woman.....And seeing her smile.....

Espio: I see.....(Smirks a Little) Though, I really shouldn't be surprised. You've been trying do everything for her the moment you confessed your feelings to one another and that motorcycle you given her was an example of that. You really have turned into a love-struck fool.

Vector: (Rolled his Eyes) You'll understand the same feeling when you're in love.....

Espio: (Gives Vector a Straight Face) I already have a girlfriend and a boyfriend, Vector.

Vector: See? (Starts Walking Away) Keep loving them like you always do you'll be a love-struck dork yourself.

Espio: ('Hmph') (Rolled his Eyes) Like that will ever happen........(Suddenly Starts Looking Away from the Gang, Pulls out his Phone, and Starts Texting Blaze and Silver While Blushing Himself)

Vector: (Make his Way to Vanilla in a Bit of Shy Like Manner) So I uhh....(Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) Guessing you don't really care for my gift after all, huh?

Vanilla: (Hugs Vector Lovingly) Vector, don't say that. I love your gift very much. Just as much as I love you~ (Gives Vector a Kiss on the Cheek)

Vector: (Starts Blushing Yet Again While Hugging Vanilla Back) Same~ Y-You know, if you want, I can drive you anywhere with it sometimes.

Vanilla: (Smiles Softly) Only if you still let me drive you anywhere with Bianca~

Vector: (Smiles Brightly) It's a date. Merry Christmas, Vanilla.

Vanilla: Merry Christmas to you too, Vector-kins.

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@26shann

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@anxiousmuffinstuff

@lovekittynoir

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@rechicken-and-waffles

[princesssarisa]

Assorted thoughts on “Little Women”

 In no particular order.

*I’m glad I waited this long to read the original, unabridged novel. If I had read it as a teen or a preteen, I just might have followed countless girl readers’ example of having a crush on Laurie and being angry that Jo doesn’t marry him. Reading it now, I’m able to see him as the well-rounded, likable yet flawed character he is, not just as a girl’s prize, and realize that while he and Jo have a beautiful friendship, they wouldn’t have worked as a couple. The canon pairings of Jo/Friedrich and Amy/Laurie are the right ones.

*About the controversial issue of the characters’ ambitions... None of the young leads achieve their childhood dreams in the end; Alcott’s intended message was clearly  “We don’t always achieve our dreams, but life can still be happy in ways we never expected.” That’s all well and good. But apart from Meg’s gender-neutral dream of being rich, the characters’ “castles in the air” are all in defiance of their expected gender roles: Jo wants to be a famous author and Amy a famous artist, two fields normally reserved for men, while Laurie wants to be a composer instead of going into his grandfather’s business. And all three of their endings are distinctly more gender-conforming: Jo becomes a schoolmistress, Amy becomes a society lady, both become wives and mothers, and Laurie goes into business “like a man.” I think it’s fair for modern readers to be disappointed by that conformity, even while appreciating the realistic message about childhood dreams. Those feelings aren’t mutually exclusive. For modern audiences, I think the standard adaptational change of Jo publishing her own version of Little Women at the end (instead of 20 years later in the last sequel) is a good change.

*About Jo needing to control her temper... I understand why this annoys some feminists. So often women are expected to suppress all anger and never stand up for themselves. Maybe it is problematic that role model Marmee explicitly never shows her anger, but only purses her lips and leaves the room. But personally, I think it’s presented in a healthy, gender-neutral way. Jo’s anger isn’t a problem because it’s “unseemly” or “unfeminine,” but because it can lead her to do cruel things to others. The mistake that teaches her the lesson in “Jo Meets Appolyon,” letting Amy skate on the thin ice, isn’t a loud, aggressive act of rage, but a cold, silent act (or rather inaction) of spite. Besides “control your temper” doesn’t mean “never stand up for yourself.” The book has several examples of women calmly yet firmly calling out other people’s bad behavior (most often Laurie’s ^–^) and it’s portrayed as entirely right. And though it’s tempting to be annoyed by Mr. March putting his finger to his lips when he sees his wife starting to get angry, it’s also a nice subversion of gender stereotypes to see a marriage where the husband is gentler by nature than his wife and is a calming influence on her. Stereotypical couples are the other way around.

*As a person on the autism spectrum, I relate strongly to Beth. I fully embrace the headcanon that Beth herself is autistic and that Lizzie Alcott might have been diagnosed as such if she had lived today. So it hurts a little to see other readers call Beth “boring,” “annoying,” a “doormat” and “the worst of the sisters.” Although she is idealized because she was Alcott’s tribute to her dead little sister, she’s not the cardboard cutout of bland feminine virtue she’s so often been stereotyped as being. It’s clear from the start that Beth isn’t “normal,” either by our standards or by past ones. Her crippling shyness isn’t just “sweet Victorian modesty,” but portrayed as a real flaw that she struggles to overcome. She’s been homeschooled because as a child her social anxiety made regular school unbearable for her. She still plays with dolls, believes in Santa Claus and has imaginary friends at age 13. She has no desire to get married, or to have any kind of career, or ever to leave her parents’ house. And because of all this, she clearly has a low opinion of herself: hence she tells Jo that she was never meant to live long, because she would never have been anything but “stupid little Beth, trotting about at home.” But the narrative belies her words. In both of her illnesses, so many people rally around her and reveal how much they love her and how valuable her quiet kindness has been in their lives. Ultimately she dies in peace because she realizes her life hasn’t been worthless after all. With my own social struggles, my tendency to be “younger than my years,” and my own desire to have a quiet life close to my family instead of going out into the big, overwhelming world and doing big, overwhelming things, I find her storyline beautiful, because it gives me hope that my life is just as valuable as anyone else’s.

*I also relate to Jo, as so many readers do. The result is that I’m of two minds of the chapters “Calls” and “Consequences.” On the one hand, there’s no doubt that Jo is at fault in those chapters and does more-or-less deserves to lose the trip to Europe. She’s genuinely, purposefully rude to her aunts and to the other people they visit and she humiliates Amy and harms her social life – at the subsequent fair, the Chesters ban Amy from the art table because Jo insulted them. Plus the only reason why she has to join Amy in the calls in the first place is because she promised she would, so it’s hypocritical of her to whine about it. But on the other hand, I do empathize with Jo. With my own my social difficulties, I relate to her hating formal occasions where she has to dress up, mind her manners, make small talk about topics that don’t interest her with people she dislikes, and always be “agreeable” and “docile.” For Jo and for so many of us, it’s so hard to be that way, yet it’s the mold that all women were expected to stuff themselves into in the 19th century and to an extent still are today. Amy is lucky that she enjoys playing that social game and that it comes naturally to her. So it’s easy to sympathize with Jo’s envy when Amy is chosen to go to Europe, to feel as if Amy is rewarded for her social conformity while Jo is punished for failing to conform, and to feel as if the message is that all girls should conform like Amy. Fortunately, the book as a whole doesn’t send that message: even Amy achieves her ultimate happiness by letting herself be a bit more like Jo and call Laurie out on his laziness and apathy, when back in “Calls” she had argued that a lady should never show disapproval to a man.

*I don’t understand why some commentators think the chapter “On the Shelf” is so horribly sexist. Well, actually, I do. It’s tempting to find fault with John for being “jealous” that Meg is focusing more on their babies than on him and for “neglecting” Meg and spending carefree evenings out while she slaves away with the twins. And for Meg to be told by her mother that this is her own fault for “neglecting her duty to her husband” understandably rankles some feminists. But I honestly don’t think there’s any real problem. Meg genuinely neglects John and overtaxes herself by devoting every waking minute to the twins and letting neither John nor anyone else help her, because she’s afraid that otherwise she’ll be a bad mother. John isn’t jealous of the babies, he understandably feels ignored and useless. Nor (despite what some critics think) does he cheat on Meg, or want to. He just goes to a friend’s house rather than sit alone at home; Meg’s fear that his eye is roving to Mrs. Scott is just a product of her own stress. The resolution is arguably just the opposite of sexist: Meg finally lets John take an equal share of child-rearing duties, lets Hannah babysit often so they can both have time for themselves too, and steps out of her domestic sphere to share talks with John about politics, literature, etc. By the end of the chapter, their marriage is more egalitarian than ever.

*I’d like to read a fanfic where Jo meets Rodolfo from La Bohéme. I wouldn’t ship them, since they’re even more “too much alike” than Jo and Laurie are, but I’d like to see them meet. They’re both lively, passionate, temperamental ENFP writers, whose minds are full of “castles in the air” (they both use that exact phrase), yet whose lives both turn out differently than they had hoped, although Jo’s outcome is much happier. Both also adore a sweet, gentle, sickly young girl (Jo’s sister Beth/Rodolfo’s love interest Mimí) whose death they both regard as the end of their own youth. Furthermore, both of their authors modeled them after themselves. Jo is more down-to-earth than Rodolfo, though, and I’m not sure if they’d be friends or hate each other – Jo would definitely be indignant to learn how Rodolfo emotionally abused and broke up with Mimí because he couldn’t bear to watch her die, when she herself nursed Beth day and night through both of her illnesses and never left her side. But it would be an interesting meeting.

@fairychamber, @thatvermilionflycatcher

[oneweekoneband]

I’m slightly nauseous already with knowing I’m going to say this, but what does “self-awareness”  even mean? In modern parlance, as a descriptive phrase, as a comment on art? I’m asking in earnest, like, I’ve been Googling lately, which for me is basically on par with doctoral study in terms of academic rigor. The self is king, anyway, tyrant, so where is the line of distinction between material that intentionally is nodding at some truth about the artist’s life and what’s just, like, all the rest of the regular navel-gazing bullshit. I mean, I’m all self, I am guilty here. I can’t get it out of my poems or even make it more quiet. This is the tenth time I’ve invoked “I” in the space of six sentences. Processing art has always necessitated a certain amount of grappling with the creator, but the busywork of it lately grows more and more tedious. Joy drains out of my body parsing marks left behind not just in stylistic tendencies and themes, but in literal, intentional tags like graffiti on a water tower. This feels an age old and moth-holed complaint, dull, and I am no historian, or really a serious thinker of any kind. I’ve now complained at some length about self-referential art, but didn’t I love how Martin Scorsese nodded to the famous Goodfellas Copacabana tracking shot with the opening frames of last year’s The Irishman? Didn’t I find that terribly fun and sort of sweet? So there’s distinctions. I’m only saying I don’t know with certainty what they even are. I’m unreliable, and someone smarter than me has likely already solved my quandary about why self-knowledge often transforms into overly precious self-reflexivity in such a way that the knowledge is diminished and obscured, leaving only cutesy Easter eggs behind. Postmodernism has birthed a moralizing culture where art exists to be termed either “self-aware Good” or “self-aware Bad”.  Self-referentiality in media is so commonplace, so much the standard, that what was once credited as metatextual inventiveness often feels lazy now. In 1996, Scream was revitalizing a genre. Today, two thirds of all horror movies spend half their running time making sure that you know that they know they’re a horror movie, which is fine, I guess, except sometimes you just wanna watch someone get butchered with an axe in peace. 

This is all to say that in 2020 Taylor Swift looked long and hard upon her image in the reflecting pool of her heart and has written yet another song about Gone Girl.

“mirrorball” is a very good piece of Gone Girl —feels insane to tell anyone reading a post on a blog what Gone Girl is but, you know, the extremely popular 2012 novel about a woman who pretends to have been murdered and frames her husband for it, and subsequently the 2014 film adaption where you kinda see Ben Affleck’s dick for a second—fanfiction. It would be a fine song, a good song, really, even if it weren’t that, if it were just something normal and not unhinged written by a chill person who behaves in a regular way, but we need to acknowledge the facts for what they are. When Taylor Swift watched Rosamund Pike toss her freshly self-bobbed hair out of her face and hiss, “You think you’d be happy with some nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby. I’m it!” her brain lit up like a Christmas tree, and she’s never been the same. If you Google “taylor swift gone girl” there waiting for you will be a medium sized lake’s worth of articles speculating about how Gone Girl influenced and is referenced in past Swift singles “Blank Space” and “Look What You Made Me Do”. This is not new behavior, and if anything it’s getting a bit troubling to think that it’s been this long since Taylor’s read another book. Still, while the prior offerings were a fair attempt at this particular feat of depravity, “mirrorball” has brought Taylor’s Amy Elliott Dunne deification to stunning new heights. And most importantly, Taylor has done a service to every person alive with more than six brain cells and a Internet connection by putting an end to the “Cool Girl” discourse once and for all. By the power invested in “mirrorball”, it is hereby decreed that the Cool Girl speech from Gone Girl is neither feminist or antifeminist, not ironic nor aspirational. No. It’s something much better than all that. It’s a threat. I ! Can ! Change ! Everything ! About ! Me ! To ! Fit ! In !

Gone Girl (2012) by Gillian Flynn

“mirrorball” (2020) by Taylor Swift

When the twinkly musical stylings of Jack Antonoff, a man I distinctly distrust, but for no one specific reason, whirl to life at the beginning of this song I feel instantly entranced, blurry-brained and pleasure-pickled like an infant beneath a light-up crib mobile or, I guess, myself in the old times, the outside times, three tequila sodas deep under the disco lights at The Short Stop. Under a mirrorball in my head. I know very little about music, as a craft, and I really don’t care to know more. I’m happy in a world of pure, dumb sensation. I’m not even sure what kind of instruments are making these jangly little sounds. I just like it. I am vibing. We may not ever be able to behave badly in a club again, but I can sway to my stupid Taylor Swift-and-the-brother-of-the-lady-who-makes-like-those-sweatshirts-with-little-sayings-or-like-vulvas-which-famous-white-women-wear-on-instagram-you-know-what-I-mean song, pressing up onto my tiptoes on the linoleum tile of our kitchen floor and can feel for a second or two something approaching bliss. “mirrorball” is a lush sound bath that I like a lot and then also it’s about being all things to all people, chameleoning at a second’s notice, doing Oscar worthy work on every Zoom call, performing the you who is good, performing the you who is funny, performing the you who draws a liter of your own blood and throws it around the kitchen then cleans it up badly all to get your husband sent to jail for sleeping with a college student... Too much talk about making and unmaking of the self is way too, like, 2012 Tumblr for me now, and I start hearing the word “praxis” ring threateningly in my head, but I’m not yet so evolved that I don’t feel a pull. Musings on the disorganized self—on how we are new all the time, and not just because of all the fresh skin coming up under the dead, personhood in the end so frighteningly flexible—are always going to compel me, I’m afraid, but that goes double for musings on the disorganized self which posit that Taylor Swift still thinks Amy Dunne made some points.

Because on “mirrorball” Taylor is for once not hamfistedly addressing some “hater”, in the quiet and the lack of embarrassing martyrdom it actually offers an interesting answer to the complaint that Taylor is insufficiently self-aware. This criticism emerges often in tandem with claiming to have discovered some crack in the chassis of Swift’s public self, revealing the sweetness to be insincere. My instinct is to dismiss this more or less out of hand as just a mutation of the school of thought that presumes all work by women must be autobiography. And, regardless, it is made altogether laughable by the fact that anyone actually paying attention has known since at least Speak Now, a delightful record populated by the most appalling, horrible characters imaginable, and all of them written by a twenty year old Taylor Swift, that this woman is a pure weirdo. To accuse Taylor Swift of lacking in self-awareness is a reductive misunderstanding, I think, of artifice. Being a fake bitch takes work. Which is to say, if we agree that her public self is a calculated performance—eliding the fact that all public selves are a performance to avoid getting too in the weeds yadda yadda— why, then, should it be presumed that performance is rooted in ignorance? Would it not make more sense that, in fact, someone able to contort themselves so ably into various shapes for public consumption would have a certain understanding of the basic materials they’re working with and concealing? Taylor Swift, in a decade and a half of fame, has presented herself from inside a number of distinct packages. The gangly teenager draped in long curls like climbing wisteria who wrote lyrics down her arms in glitter paint gave way to red lipstick, a Diet Coke campaign, and bad dancing at awards shows. There was the period where she was surrounded constantly by a gaggle of models, then suddenly wasn’t anymore, and that rough interlude with the bleached hair. The whole Polaroid thing. Last year she boldly revealed she’s a democrat. Now it’s the end of the world and she’s got frizzy bangs and flannels and muted little piano songs. Perhaps this endless shape-shifting contradicts or undermines, for some, the pose of tender authenticity which has remained static through each phase, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been doing it all on purpose the entire time. I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try...

In the Disney+ documentary—which, in order to watch, I had to grudgingly give the vile mouse seven dollars, because the login information that I’d begged off of my little sister didn’t work and I was too embarrassed to bring it up a second time—Taylor referred to “mirrorball” as the first time on the album where she explicitly addressed the pandemic, referring to the lyrics that start, “And they called off the circus, Burned the disco down,” and end with “I’m still on that tightrope, I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me,” which actually did made me laugh, feeling sort of warmly foolish and a little fond, because it never would have occurred to me that she was trying to be literal there. I suppose we really do all contain multitudes. Hate that.

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Why So Jaded? Chapter 9

FFN, AO3, Enjoy. 

Why So Jaded

Chapter 9

Saturday morning Violet happily got dressed in a gorgeous floral dress that was tea length with a cardigan and beautiful comfortable sandals and did her hair and makeup to reflect a more- sweet, non threatening and likable look as she could, before she went to the florist to pick up the flower arrangements she had ordered for Beth, Tammy and Lisa and had ordered them to look like centerpieces because surely every woman enjoyed getting flowers and was happy when they came out looking and more importantly smelling- divine.

Then she went to the bakery, The Merry Cherry, to pick up the cake and the cupcakes, because Buddy and her had decided, especially since everyone was bringing their kids that they should make the cake tempting enough to encourage the kids to eat all of their dinner, so they got a galaxy cake and galaxy cupcakes which did look really awesome. Then she went to Chocolacier- a boutique chocolatier that was right around the corner from the Merry Cherry, to pick up her huge case of chocolate covered strawberries and four big cases of chocolates, one for each family to take home with them and the last one for Buddy and his guests to enjoy after dinner.

She had spent the night before with Jack who helped her get little gift bags together for all the kids at Party City, a party supply place which went with the galaxy theme because it was gender neutral and age appropriate for all the kids involved and Jack had been invaluable in making sure each child would receive something special, yet age appropriate and more importantly - super cool, before she made another stop across the street from Chocolacier, to Linster Rivera which was a very high end delicatessen and charcuterie bodega to get all the charcuterie elements because she was bound and determined to have a proper cheese and charcuterie board and even bought a huge authentic charcuterie board and a set of cheese knives because she had already gotten some cheeses and crackers at the liquor store’s market but she needed more to round everything out along with some last minute items before she drove into SEB to deliver everything.

Buddy frowned when he heard a thudding at his apartment door before he came and opened the door to see a pile of things so tall, he couldn’t see Violet’s head and knew she must have been “knocking” with the toe of her sandal but the flowers covering her head were breathtaking.

“Hi,” came Violet’s muffled greeting from behind the pile of things as her head had been nestled in the bouquet itself as everything else was precariously stacked within her arms, threatening to overflow them.

“Oh my goodness, here, let me help with that.” Buddy laughed as he took as much from her as he could manage but nearly dropped what he was carrying when he saw her. She was so beautiful. She was always beautiful but today, she was extra gorgeous and disarmingly bewitching that had him swooning, it was like seeing her for the first time all over again as the butterflies once again fluttered almost thunderously within his belly and his heart skipped a beat or two.

“Have you ever heard of taking two trips?” Buddy teased with a chuckle as he did his best to be as unaffected by her as he could and felt he was failing miserably.

“Well that’s the thing, I have another load down there, probably two or three.” Violet answered honestly as she organized what was left and avoided his gaze as she did her best to stamp down her own bashfulness as her cheeks flushed rose.

“Load of what?” Buddy asked as he tried to think of what else she could have possibly brought that he hadn’t prepared for.  

“Well, I got Jack off the bus yesterday and he asked about today and I told him about it and he suggested that we make gift bags for the kids and since we got a galaxy cake, we got galaxy themed gift bags and stuff because they’re age neutral and gender neutral and would be inclusive for everyone. And so we went to Party City and we kind of went a little nuts and then it snowballed from there. So I have gift bags for all the kids, and the baby.” Violet confessed because she had also drug Jack to Target to get together some things for Beth's baby- Roman, and Buddy’s heart melted that she was being so thoughtful and doubted Jack would really do such a thing and figured she was using her little brother as an excuse to do something nice and inclusive for the kids. Which was incredibly sweet.

“Aww, you didn’t have to, it’s just a dinner, not really a party. Very sweet of you to think of them though.” Buddy noted as he put his own stack on his kitchen island and started to unpack what she had gotten, impressed when he saw all the deli stuff as his stomach reminded him it was going to be lunch time soon.

“Yeah Jack, with his silver tongue, justified it as a mini SEB public relations stunt and I have extras just in case any of the kids end up bringing a friend or two.” Violet explained with a chuckle which got Buddy to grin, as he reconsidered his previous thought about Jack but also knew that Violet wasn’t one to be talked into something she didn’t want to do.

“So yeah, I have a big tub with gift bags in the back of my SUV.” Violet informed him bashfully and Buddy could tell she was nervous and anxious and obviously trying so hard to gain approval.

“Well let me help you unload the rest of it.” Buddy insisted as he slipped his own shoes on real quick as Buddy went with her to her SUV in the parking garage.

“How are the spider’s in here?” Buddy asked in a whisper as they walked side by side in tandem.

“Not nearly as bad, just watching, not listening.” Violet answered.

“Well let me know when their webs aren’t in the way.” Buddy said before Violet suddenly pulled them to be between huge SUV’s and Buddy didn’t even ask, he just pulled her into a tight hug and smiled sadly when she hugged him back just as tightly.

“Are you nervous?” Buddy murmured.

“I know I have no reason to be.” Violet answered with a defeated sigh.

“Do you by any chance feel the need to overcompensate?” Buddy guessed gently.

“I still feel like I’m intruding and I gotta make up for that.” Violet confessed.

“You’re not intruding. You’re just as invited as everyone else. They’re all cool with you coming. They were excited about it actually. Keith most of all, which is kinda creepy with how enthusiastic he was.” Buddy teased and smiled when he felt her smile into his chest.

“And even if they don’t like you, I can always get new friends.” Buddy offered which got Violet to snort a laugh.

“That’s ridiculous.” Violet murmured as she finally seemed to relax in his arms though as Buddy smiled happily when she finally did.

“Yeah but I like you better than I do them.” Buddy reassured her.

“You shouldn’t though.” Violet argued softly as Buddy felt her shoulder’s sag which got him to frown.

“Yeah, but I do, it’s too late to go back now, besides it’s going to be ok. It’s just a group of friends hanging out. That’s all it is and the moment they come into my place, you won’t have to be Ms. Parr for the rest of the day, all you need to be and should be is Violet. And that’s more than enough.” Buddy reassured her.

“Ok.” Violet finally caved as she nuzzled her face into the crux of his neck and shoulder before she got a call which caused them to part reluctantly.  

“Hey,” Violet answered when she saw the caller ID.

“Hey, what time is your thing today?” Violet’s mom Helen called.

“Uh, kind of an all day thing, but it technically starts at five, why? What do you need?” Violet asked.

“Could you get Jack, he spent the night at his friend Jaxon’s house and he was supposed to be spending the weekend with them and your Dad and I are already out of town on business and Dash is at Ashley's or Amy’s or I forget which girl he’s going out with now,  but Jaxon’s parents have plans tonight at someone else’s house and they don’t want to be rude to that host by having Jack tag along, so could you pick him up?” Helen asked hopefully as Violet scrunched up her face which Buddy thought was beyond adorable.

“Yup, I got him, I’ll give him a call.” Violet agreed.

“Thanks Honey, Jack will give you the address.” Helen answered.

“You’re welcome, have fun and be safe, bye Mom.” Violet bit her mom.

“You too Sweetie bye.” Helen thanked her.  

“Well, it seems Jack needs me to go get him. I’m sorry, I really wanted to stay and help out more.” Violet began to apologize.

“Well if it’s not too weird, Jack could just hang out with us, he’s more than welcome to and he can stay the rest of the day if he wanted to too, it’s not like he’s going to be the only kid around here.” Buddy generously offered.

“Really? You don’t mind?” Violet asked.

“Not one bit, as long as he’s ok with it.” Buddy answered before Violet reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek sweetly.

“Thank you.” Violet thanked him before she got back on her phone and called her brother.

“Hey Vi,” Jack greeted.

“Hey, so here’s the deal, Mom and Dad are already out of town, and Dash is still screwing his way through a model catalog…” Violet began before Buddy snorted a laugh before he quickly covered his mouth with his hand so he wouldn’t make any more noise as he and Violet shared a meaningful look.

“And I’m still here at work but I’m helping set up for the thing tonight, now my host has offered for you to just hang out with us…” Violet began.

“Yes! I’m ready now, you can pick me up now.” Jack eagerly insisted.

“Oh, ok then, text me the address. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Violet replied before she hung up.

“Hey, by any chance, did you ever have any other nicknames besides Buddy or Bud, because Bartholomew is a mouthful?” Violet asked Buddy thoughtfully.

“Yeah, why? Were you looking for one?” Buddy asked curiously.

“Yeah, because you have the distinction between Violet and Ms. Par and Invisigirl, I was hoping you had another distinction between Mr. Pine.” Violet explained as she self consciously put her hair behind her ears.

“Uh, well, Tali called me Tully, so that’s out.”  Buddy realized as his brain was spinning into a tizzy at the possible implications of what this could mean for them.

“Uh, otherwise, I’ve been called any number of things…” Buddy tried to think of something to give her but was coming up with a blank.  

“What about Barret?” Violet suggested hopefully and Buddy was ready to go down to the courthouse to change his legal name to that because the way she said it was making the butterflies flutter again, like they usually did whenever she was around but now they were about to become a hurricane in his stomach.  

“Barret totally works, honestly I could just answer to ‘hey you’ if you wanted.” Buddy answered as he tried not to giggle. Because Violet having her very own private nickname just for him? Sign him up.

“Well, cause I’ve been thinking about this since Wednesday, and it would be a nice way to cut through all the Ms. Parr, Mr. Pine stuff with, but wouldn’t set Phillip off, like a pet name but I guess, not a pet name?” Violet carefully worded as her cheeks flushed cherry and Buddy was about to squeal in delight. She wanted an intimate pet name for him without tipping off the sensors or anyone else. So she did feel the same way! Oh how sweet the vindication and validation.

“Yeah, Barret totally works, Barret and Violet, Violet and Barret. Winning combination.” Buddy blathered off, trying to keep his excitement to a reasonable level.

“Thank you. Will your friends look at me crazy if I call you that in front of them though?” Violet posed.  

“They shouldn’t care honestly.” Buddy shook his head no with a shrug.

“Ok, well help me with the tub and then I’ll go get Jack before he tries to portal here.” Violet urged before she turned and nearly ran into the SUV on the side of her which made them both erupt into laughter.

“Wow, so smooth.” Violet chided herself as she led the way to her SUV and popped the back hatch to reveal a big clear plastic tub full of gift bags, with all the kid’s names on the tags and yet even more things as she grabbed the big case of chocolate covered strawberries and put all she could on top of the tub's lid in Buddy's hands before she got the remaining flower arrangements before they walked back into the building as Violet made sure he was squared away in his ‘gilded cage’ before she left to go pick up Jack.

Violet was barely parked in front of the house before Jack came running out of the house and practically leapt into her SUV with his backpack.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Jack insisted.

“What is going on?” Violet asked as she waived to Jaxon’s mother before she pulled out of the driveway.

“We don’t have much time. Step on it.” Jack insisted.

“Much time for what?” Violet asked as she got back on the road.

“Are the spiders awake?” Jack asked.

“No, they’re sleeping.” Violet answered.

“Ok, so I was up really late last night and I think I have a breakthrough on Phillip. But I need a lab and hopefully Mr. Pine’s genius will do the rest.” Jack explained.

“You...Do you mean to tell me- that Jaxon’s parent’s really don’t have other plans that they couldn’t drag you along with? And that you literally called Mom and Dad to pick you up, knowing they were out of town and Dash is busy so that left me to get you so that I could watch you myself because you wanted to get one on one time with my asset?!” Violet demanded angrily.

“Yeah, look, you told me that you told him about Phillip’s powers and the fact that he picked up on the fact that Phillip has them, and he was cool about it and he’s been really awesome about everything. If he likes you as much as you make him sound like he does, that gives him- opportunity, motive and availability, the magic trio to work miracles. Because I have a really bad feeling we are running out of time. Like I want this done before you leave for Hong Kong, Tokyo at the latest.” Jack insisted.

“You...manipulator!” Violet growled as she threw her phone at him before he let it phase through him and her phone hit the passenger door.

“You said that he said that he’d do anything for you right? Let him prove it.” Jack pleaded as he got her phone and handed it back to her.

“God damn it Jack, I also told you I could be reading in between the lines and going out on a limb there.” Violet groaned.

“Yeah, I doubt it, come on, plus you know Phillip agreed that the moment anyone from your family is on SEB property that he’d promise to turn off all the cameras and listening devices. This way we get most of the day without Big Brother watching us and listening to us the whole time. Look Edna and I have been hitting our heads against a brick wall here and we’re out of ideas. And with the pictures that came up when you went to Vegas, Phillip isn’t making it hard for anyone to guess what his intentions with you are. And if we can’t find a way to stop him- you’ll be trapped as Mrs. Sebastian for life, however long or short that would be. You’re already miserable being his handler. I can’t imagine how awful you would feel being his wife.” Jack appealed.

“Jack this isn’t your problem to solve.” Violet answered.

“Well your way of handling it isn’t working, it’s just making it worse. If you told Mom and Dad half of what you’ve told me, then you know Dad would beat Phillip into a pulp but we both know Phillip would plant a suicide seed in his head before the first punch could be thrown. Same thing with Mom, that’s why you haven’t told anyone but me.” Jack explained and Violet couldn’t argue with that.

“But you said it yourself that whatever Buddy puts his hands on- he improves. Let him put his hands and his brain on this and the worst that can happen is he can’t come up with something. The best that can happen is he solves this. We just need to give him a starting point. Give him what we’ve come up with so far and have him do his genius thing. He's already been solving your medical stuff and you said you trusted him. So trust him, take the leap of faith Vi.” Jack pleaded.

“How am I going to explain to Phillip that you and Barret are working on a way to expose the very powers that he has killed -who knows how many- for even talking about?” Violet asked.

“Ooh, Barret, so he did go for the pet name that is so not a pet name .” Jack grinned cheekily.

“He did,” Violet confided.

“Well that and Barret is a good way to talk about him to Mom and Dad and get them to like him before they meet him face to face and freak out that you’re hot for the guy who tried to kill the family a decade ago.” Jack said with a shrug.

“Who said I’m ever going to let them meet?” Violet asked.

“As soon as you’re free from Phillip and you can hook up with him and go steady for a while.” Jack answered like it was the most obvious answer.

“Yeah, every day I’m little less and less certain that’s ever going to be a possibility and you’re almost making me regret ever telling you about any of this.” Violet confessed.

“You’ll be thanking me once this works, now call Phillip so he can turn off the cameras.” Jack prodded.

Violet begrudgingly called Phillip and told him that she needed to watch Jack and take him back to Mr. Pine’s floor because she was assisting Mr. Pine with the party which he agreed that the moment that Jack showed up on the cameras, they would all be shut off to protect Jack’s secrecy and privacy and they would remain that way until Jack went home. Even to the lab because he knew how Jack had a fondness for science equipment and Jack practically yelled into the phone that he had a science project that he wanted Mr. Pine’s assistance with which Phillip agreed to as well.  

“Perfect.” Jack beamed when Violet got off the phone.

“You’re lucky he still thinks he has to charm you.”

“And you’re lucky I’m immune so far.” Jack responded.

“It just sucks that Dash isn’t.” Violet grumbled.

“You really think he has a suicide seed planted in his head?” Jack asked worriedly.

“At this point, I assume everyone within a 500 foot radius has it, hell make it a thousand feet including and especially me, and especially Barret.” Violet confessed before Jack reached over and held her hand.

“Well then we have to find a way to find it.” Jack comforted her as she squeezed his hand back.

True to Phillip’s word, Violet could feel all the camera’s shut off and the listening devices get disabled as soon as Jack was seen by the cameras.

Meanwhile Buddy anxiously tried to get lunch prepared, he had to charm Jack. It was clear that Violet favored Jack and was especially close to him, more than anyone so if by a longshot, he could make a good impression with Jack, despite the history, maybe he stood a chance and just as he was getting things together, Jack burst into his apartment with a very irritated looking Violet behind him.

“Hey, Violet said I could call you Barret, you know I’m Jack, we got Phillip to put the spiders to sleep while I’m here, we need to get in the lab, we only got about six hours before your other company comes and we need your help.” Jack said quickly as he practically bounded up to Buddy eagerly.

“Help with what?” Buddy asked as he was completely but pleasantly surprised by this development.

“Help to expose Phillip as a Super, and save everyone who has to be around him, especially Violet.” Jack said as Buddy looked from Jack to Violet who seemed defeated and resigned as she leaned against the counter in the kitchen and looked apologetically from Jack to Buddy.

“Who else have you talked to about this?” Buddy asked them.

“Everyone else we can trust. Violet told me she trusts you. At least look at it.” Jack pleaded as he held up a case that had all the flashdrives of data in it.

“Please? Because I’m out of ideas and options and so is he and everyone else.” Violet finally spoke and the heartbreak in her voice was heart rendering.

“Violet? I really hate to do this to you, but, if you’ll finish cooking lunch, and follow this recipe, that’ll give me a head start on..” Buddy immediately decided.

“Let me clear your lab first.” Violet smiled in relief before the three of them went into Buddy’s lab and Violet pulled up the two computers side by side and started to put in two separate codes with each hand on two separate keyboards as she closed her eyes and focused on her finger movements, coordinating both hands to do separate things before she got two spare key cards and put them into the programmer and then went into The Agency’s database and brought up all the research she had been able to do in the last year and brought up everything every other agent had discovered in their post before the keycards finished programing before she handed one to Buddy and one to Jack.

“Ok, so the key cards are a shortcut to this project and they should disable all other eyes and ears when working on them and this way all three of us can work on this together and Jack I trust you’ll let Edna use yours when you’re not using it, all of this is encrypted, and if Phillip ever gets to see any of this, he’ll assume I’m working on someone named Dragon Eye who is actually a real guy in China who does have similar powers but he’s not nearly as dangerous as all this makes him to be, all the intel is on Phillip, but Phillip has clearance at The Agency and we had to make something he wouldn’t notice or suspect. Here’s how far I’ve gotten, Jack, your turn.” Violet offered before she left the lab and Jack immediately plugged in all the flash drives he kept for this into the computer as Buddy focused on reading all the could as quickly as he could.

“My sister really likes you.” Jack murmured to Buddy as he keyed in his own passwords to get to the contents of the drives.

“She shouldn’t.” Buddy blurted before he fully let what Jack said sunk into his consciousness. Holy shit, Violet really liked him?! Yes!

“But she does. Violet doesn’t trust people as far as she can kick them. She’s been doing the wrong kind of Super work for way too long and it’s changed her, but not for the better. She has no faith in people, much less humanity. She’s incredibly jaded and guarded. So for you to get through all that- says a lot about you.” Jack noted as he pulled up everything for Buddy to see.

“All I’ve been doing is just being myself.” Buddy muttered.

“And that’s all you needed to do. Violet has every reason to believe everyone she knows is in danger and can be used as leverage against her and despite everything that’s happened to her and everything else she’s done- she’s still a good person. And she will sacrifice herself to save others.”

“Even when those others aren’t worth saving.” Buddy finished as he carefully looked at everything.  

“If she deems someone worthy of being saved, then they’re lucky to have her view them as such. And it means that they should respond in kind.” Jack insisted.

“This is true.” Buddy had to admit.

“I like you.” Jack grinned at Buddy as he watched Buddy get to work.  

“Why? You don’t even know me.” Buddy frowned.

“Violet does, and that’s more than enough for anyone, even me. And don’t worry about everyone else, they’ll come around. Just keep having her back and do everything you can with helping us with this. It’ll work out, I got a good feeling about it.” Jack advised.

“There, now that’s everything.” Jack said once he was finished and once Buddy read over everything, his spark lit up like lightning again before he started to link things together, like taking two halves of a sweater and finally threading and knitting them together on both ends to make a whole and complete work as Jack simply sat back and watched on with proud excitement just as Violet came in several minutes later with two big bowls of chicken carbonara Buddy had started as she handed the first to Jack and then simply placed the second one into Buddy’s hands since he was preoccupied and already jumping down the rabbit hole.

“Thanks Vi.” Buddy answered a little bit distractedly as he blindly reached for the fork before he started to feed himself before Violet leaned over and kissed his cheek sweetly which did give him pause as his head skipped a beat or two.

“Thanks Barret.” Violet couldn’t help but coo before she left as Jack did his best to pretend he didn’t see it.

“You-you’re welcome.” Buddy replied before Violet retreated as she left and got her own lunch and before Buddy knew it he had already dived right in again with renewed vigor and enthusiasm and Violet was grateful Buddy had written down a ‘to do’ list on when to start what and already had all his recipes pulled up and Violet happily picked up where he left off while she happily danced away in the kitchen once she synced up her phone with the kitchen sound system so Buddy could focus on her own problem as Jack seemed to float back and forth between the two all afternoon.

“How’s he doing?” Violet asked Jack as she put two of the dishes into one of the ovens while the main course braised in the other.

“Oh he hasn’t barely come up for air, I’ve had to hand him- like two water bottles and a brain superfood bar so far. He’s dove in head first and he’s threading everything all together and making a proper spider web. It’s awesome. He’s even redesigning your suit. Because we’ve narrowed it down on which particular bandwidths that Phillip is “broadcasting” off. Like a radio tower. So the suit, as long as it can cover your head, can, in theory- protect you and he has already designed like a dozen more features that Edna would be drooling if she saw them and every other Super is going to want their own set of them. It’s working perfectly.” Jack informed her proudly as he got into the fridge to see what Buddy had in the way of afternoon snacks.  

“I can see what you see in him. For once you have really good taste in men.” Jack teased before Violet mused his hair.

“You keep that quiet.” Violet urged.

“He’s actually a really good guy though. And he clearly cares about you enough to take all this on with just a single ‘please’ from you and if I had to bet, he’s clearly way beyond head over heels for you. And I think you’re in just as much danger of being the future Mrs. Pine that you are being Mrs. Sebastian.” Jack hinted with a scheming grin.

“My love life is also not a problem to be solved, much less by you.” Violet tried to argue but the little excited grin that she immediately tried to swipe off her face was pretty telling to Jack especially.

“I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing. You’d two be a cute couple. Whereas in the other one you’d be a hostage.” Jack shrugged as he found a string cheese and started to eat that for a snack before dinner which Violet had been doing so well at following the directions Buddy had left for himself.

“That’s true.” Violet admitted- as she got a blackberry yogurt from Buddy’s fridge and ate that as a snack herself.

“And the moment you pop out a kid, and give Mom and Dad a legitimate grandbaby they will be all on board.” Jack reminded her.

“What about the two they already have?” Violet argued, referring to Dash’s kids.

“They’re from two different baby mama’s and he’s not even with either one of them right now and he’s probably on his way to making a third as we speak.” Jack retorted as Violet did nod in agreement to that as she did her best to hide her own guilty expression.

“Maybe after Barret solves this, he can tackle a way to put a permanent condom on Dash.” Violet muttered sarcastically.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Jack offered.

“No it wouldn’t be.” Violet agreed as she wrapped her arm around Jack and gave him a side hug.

“Do you really think Barret can do it?” Violet asked softly.  

“I do. He’s working like over a dozen angles simultaneously and is using his entire lab to work on all of it. He really is a genius. Like a savant level of genius. Almost makes me wonder if he’s actually a Super himself.” Jack answered.

“He probably is a low grade one, but one that there isn’t a test for yet.” Violet mused. “Either that or one hell of a gifted normal.” Violet shrugged.

“Either way, good brother in law material.” Jack muttered.

“That’s if we can survive Phillip’s best efforts.” Violet murmured with a grimace before she could stop herself.  

“Well Barret gave Phillip the blueprint about how to come clean with you and how to move his relationship with you from asset and handler to genuine and legitimate and Phillip has yet to take him up on it or follow any of it. All Buddy is doing is following his own blueprint and it’s working out for him. That and your chemistry is pretty good if one kiss on the cheek from you sent him into a mini tizzy, I can’t imagine what he’d do if you actually kissed him- kissed him.” Jack teased and cackled when Violet smacked him upside the head.

“Get back in that lab before I hurt you.” Violet ordered.

“Ok, ok, I’m gone, one more string cheese and a Coke.” Jack said before he grabbed the can and another snack before he retreated into the lab again as Violet set everything up for the company and artfully arranged all the snacks on trays. Making not just a cheese and charcuterie board but also a tray for the remaining cheeses and fruits and nuts and of course the chocolate covered strawberries and even wrapped the cases of chocolates and made sure to fill the cards out for each of the families before putting the snack trays back into the fridge and even made an extra dish for the dinner because Buddy had the ingredients and did her best to keep her dress clean with the help of the apron but was all too happy and comfortable to be barefoot in the kitchen and out of her heeled sandals as she continued to dance around the kitchen, listening to her music and feeling right at home for some reason. Violet even had time to take a leisurely break and watch some TV as she waited for everything to finish cooking in the ovens before she set the ovens to be warm for most of the food so it wouldn’t overcook while the main course finished braising and arranged all the bottles of wine and beers before it was time for her to go greet her guests if they decided they would be coming early.

“Hey guys, we got about 25 minutes before our company should be coming. So try to wrap up what you can and just set things to process for a while.” Violet reminded them.

“Ok.” Jack agreed from his spot at one of the pieces of equipment from the other side of the lab.

“Yeah.” Buddy answered but Violet could tell by that tone that he was still super distracted with what he was working on before she simply shook her head and walked across the lab and purposefully sat in Buddy’s lap and placed her arm around his shoulders as the touch completely yanked him out of his hyper-focus.

“Wha- huh?” Buddy asked as he suddenly realized she was not only next to him but obviously in his lap and the serene but expectant look she gave him as she simply reached up and gently threaded her fingers through his hair and grinned when he seemed to melt at her touch.

“Did you hear what I just told you?” Violet asked sweetly but thoughtfully.

“Uh...something about the time?” Buddy asked before he noticed what time it was.

“Oh shit, the dinner…” Buddy realized.

“Nope, I took care of it. I just followed the to do list you left yourself and followed the recipes you had pulled up on the tablet in your kitchen. It’s all done, it’s all ready to go. The main course still has about thirty minutes left, but everything else is done. All the snacks and cold appetizers are in the fridge, already on the trays, all you have to do is pull them out of the fridge and set them on the breakfast bar. I’m just letting you know, you now have about 23 minutes before your guests arrive. So that gives you 15 minutes to wrap things up and set things to continue processing while we socialize. Can you handle that?” Violet reassured him in one of her more calming, soothing tones and Buddy was ready to propose to her in that instant as he readily held her steadily in his lap and was ready to break at least one chair if it meant she’d have nowhere to sit but his lap for the evening.  

“Yep, I can do that.”

“Good, give me your phone so I can set an alarm, just in case and then I’ll go down and see if anyone ends up being early. Ok?” Violet posed before Buddy freely handed her his phone as she put an alarm that would sound in 15 minutes.

“Thank you Barret, see you in a bit.” Violet thanked him and gave his temple a quick kiss she offered before she got up and sauntered away and left as Buddy was hopeless but to watch her leave. God was he falling hard and fast for her.

“Someone’s gonna be Mrs. Pine.” Jack teased in a sing-song tone from across the lab once the door was closed behind Violet.

“Shh! Don’t jinx it Man.” Buddy shushed him.

“Violet didn’t have any aversions to it when I said something about it to her earlier.” Jack added temptingly and nearly fell out of his chair laughing when Buddy reacted to that revelation.

“Wait what?” Buddy pressed as he nearly fell out of his chair as he leaned as far back as he could so he could see Jack clearly from across the lab.

“Look, with Phillip, she’s a hostage, with you she’s happy and more like her old self before she did so many missions as a spy. It’s just an observation.” Jack answered as he put his hands up in defeat.  

“Really? She’s happy with me?” Buddy pressed.

“You really need to ask that? I thought you were a genius?” Jack teased with a shit eating grin.

“Yeah with computers I am, to women and most social situations, not really no.” Buddy confessed.

“None of us can have it all Man.” Jack shrugged. “Come on, we only have like 12 minutes left.” Jack reminded him before they went back to work trying to get as many processes starting as they could before they ran out of time.

Meanwhile Violet waited anxiously at SEB’s entrance, having brought the tub of gifts down and set them up on a table on the other side of security so she could hand them to the kids once they came through the metal detectors before Greg and Tammy and their kids came in and Violet put on a bright, welcoming smile.

“Well hello guys! Welcome to SEB Industries. I’m Miss Violet Parr, acting head of security. And I’ll need all of you to come through the metal detector and then I just have some really quick paperwork for you.” Violet said sweetly as Greg’s little boy Alex, who was 4 smiled brightly at her.

“Hi!” He greeted.

“Hello, what’s your name Handsome?” Violet cooed as she turned to him from the other side of security.

“Alex!” He greeted.,

“Well come on through Alex,” Violet invited as she waived him through before his parents followed him through security as Violet got their paperwork in order.

“Ok, so in exchange for the cameras to be turned off so we’re not in a complete fish bowl, I need both of you to sign these. And while you’re reading these over and signing them. I have these for Evan, Alex and even Kaely, I didn’t know if they would be jealous that you guys got to sign paperwork and they didn’t. So I wrote up something they could “sign” too.” Violet informed them as she showed Greg and Tammy the “contracts” she had written that basically had big check marks next to the things she thought would be appropriate for each kid. Kaely’s paper just had pictures with check marks on. Which Tammy and Greg thought was super cute and agreed to let her show their kids as Evan took his “contract” and snorted a laugh but agreed and signed it while Kaely happily sat on the floor and did the same with hers, choosing to scribble on the pictures while Violet helped Alex with his.

“Ok Alex, while your mommy and daddy are signing their paperwork, you have the most important paperwork. Let me read it to you. Objective number 1, so think of this like your mission, should you choose to accept it- is you will have fun while you’re here. Do you agree?” She posed.

“Yes.” Alex eagerly answered.

“Awesome, so put a check mark right here.” Violet directed as she handed him a pen which he happily did.

“Ok, now, objective number two, you will eat all your dinner so that you can have dessert? Which there is an awesome cake up there, it’s super yummy. Do you agree?” Violet posed.

“Yes.” Alex giggled as he checked that off.

“Number three, most important, there are other kids coming tonight and a limited number of toys, so that means that you have to share what’s up there and do your best to get along, do you agree?” Violet posed.

“Yes.” Alex answered as he checked that.

“Ok, now all you gotta do is sign your name, which if you don’t know how to write your name, you can totally just scribble it in.” Violet reassured him before Alex scribbled excitedly.

“Now we gotta stamp this, can you stamp it for me?” Violet asked as she handed him the “Approved” stamp and had him stamp it which he did, like five times, all over the paper before Violet could get the stamp back with a laugh.

“Super duper approved! Awesome. Ok, so now we put the stamp back and we give this to your parents so they can keep it.” Violet urged as Alex took the paper and eagerly showed his parents who had just gotten done with their own paperwork as Violet traded and made sure that they had initialed, signed and dated it before she did the same and stamped the paperwork herself quickly before she directed them to the gift table to pick up the kids’ gift bags along with the family’s gift case of chocolates to take home which the wives all eagerly took and held onto as the others came and she repeated the process, all the parents thinking it was super adorable that Violet would include the kids and be as awesome with them as she was and Greg, Keith and Scott along with their wives were happy to see this soft side of Violet and the kids were super happy about the gift bags and had already looked through them a little and had found all kinds of goodies and even the "older" kids thought it was awesome that she made theirs different than the little kids.  

“Ok, is everyone here and accounted for?” Violet asked as she did a head count and double checked her paperwork to make sure she had everyone.

“Awesome, well follow me guys,” Violet said as she led the way to the freight elevator that would be big enough for all of them before they all squeezed in and Violet hit the floors with her passkey that she had on a lanyard on her neck.

“So how come he doesn’t have an actual floor on the elevator?” Evan asked.

“Oh it’s a safety precaution. SEB is not immune to corporate espionage and the last thing we need is for Mr. Pine to be subjected to any while he’s here with us since all the projects he works on are all the intellectually property of SEB.” Violet answered politely.

“But I thought that’s what you were here for as head of security?” Scott posed.

“I’m only one person. I can’t fight off everything and everyone.” Violet shrugged before they came to the floor and Violet led the way to Buddy’s apartment and walked in to see Buddy thankfully in the kitchen, putting out the trays of appetizers on the breakfast bar like Violet had suggested.

“Hey guys! Thanks for coming, take your shoes off, stay a while.” Buddy warmly invited as he came over and did the handshake hug thing with everyone as the kids eagerly went over to where the cake was set up to look at it in awe as they realized it was a galaxy cake as Violet simply slipped away to change out of her dress and into more casual attire before she seemed to reappear just as the adults were gathering around the breakfast bar to dig into the snacks provided before Jack came out of Buddy’s lab and into the apartment.

“Well hi.” Greg greeted Jack as he looked from Jack to Buddy curiously.

“Hi,” Jack replied before he soon took refuge next to his sister.

“Is this your son?” Greg asked Violet but he was struck by how ginger Jack was, almost like he could be Violet and Buddy's son if they ever got to have kids.

“No, I’m her little brother, Jack, nice to meet you.” Jack immediately countered.

“My parents are out of town for the weekend so I’m staying with Violet and Barret agreed to help me with a school project.” Jack informed them casually as all the adults blinked in surprise as they looked from Jack to Buddy excitedly.

“What’s the school project about?” Tammy, Greg’s wife asked.

“Radio waves.” Jack answered.

“Oh, cool, well if there was anyone to help you with that, it would be Bud, or uh, Barret, rather.” Tammy nodded as she looked at him and tried to think of where she had seen him before Tammy’s son Evan came around his mom to grab another handful of snacks himself, mostly a handful of blueberries and another chocolate covered strawberry.

“Hey! I know you! You play at Millwood Park a lot.” Evan noted to Jack.  

“Yeah!” Jack beamed in excitement because low and behold, he had a friend at this shindig after all before he happily left Violet’s side to go over to Evan before the two went back with the rest of the kids to play among themselves in Buddy’s living room while Jack happily got to have his own gift bag from among the extras.

“Wow Bud you really went all out.” Beth, Keith’s wife noted as she appreciated the spread.

“Actually, this is all Violet’s doing. Jack and I went down a rabbit hole for his school project so Violet is the one that put this all together. Didn't she do a great job?” Buddy proudly answered as he marveled at these snack trays and happily started putting a little bit of everything together and marveling at the amazing quality of it all, being immensely proud of Violet for putting all this together and saving his bacon to speak.

Almost like a real couple should.

“Well I wouldn’t have done half as good if you hadn’t left a pretty good plan to follow, I just followed your ‘to-do’ list that had all the instructions on what and when to start all the elements. It was a piece of cake because of that.” Violet returned with a little shrug but her pleased grin shamed the sun at the praise, being ever so happy he pleased with it.

“Well now that you mention it, yes it’s obvious you did it because there’s no way he would have thought to include flower arrangements or half of these snack trays and look at that cake and those cupcakes, and this wine selection is flawless, I mean come on, all this does scream feminine touch.” Lisa praised as she gestured to everything as she even noticed Buddy’s table was set up beautifully too before they dissolved into idle chit chat before the oven beeped which signaled that dinner was ready before all the adults got a place around the table and all the kids got to sit around a second table that Violet had set up for them, complete with galaxy paper plates and napkins and cups as all the adults seemed to grab a dish and put it on the table before Buddy said grace and all the mothers got their kid’s plates ready and squared away before all the adults dug into what was left and even Buddy was pleasantly surprised to see Violet’s added dish and thought it complemented the meal perfectly and he was ever so grateful that Violet had just picked up where he left off so he could do the same for her and they had done it flawlessly together and with him sitting at the head of the table and her sitting to his immediate right, he was all too pleased about this and thought she fit in flawlessly, if anything she was the integral part to all of this and with the way they were kind of smooshed around the table, his knee was happy to rest against hers.

“So, where are you from Violet?” Beth asked.

“Uh, well my parents are originally from here but then they moved around a lot when I was little but when I was 14 we settled here back here in Metroville and my family has been here ever since.” Violet answered.

“Oh, so you’re just a hometown girl who’s made it big then?” Beth surmised.

“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that.” Violet mused.

“Where did you go to college at? I mean I assume you’ve been to collage if you’re head of security.” Beth furthered.

“Actually I didn’t go to collage, although I did have internships.” Violet said simply.

“Oh that’s nice, how did you manage that was the application process hard?” Beth guessed as all the guys looked a little worriedly from Violet to Buddy who looked tense who kept looking from them to Violet to gauge her reactions at being poked and prodded.  

“It was really a case of who I knew and developing the right skill set.” Violet tried to explain delicately.

“But what about you guys, since you brought up college, where did you go?” Violet returned, trying to keep the focus off of herself which Buddy and Violet were grateful for which worked for a little while before the conversation came right back around to her.

And then when they learned that Violet was "single" then all the girls seemed to try to make Buddy out to be this amazing catch of a guy. Which Violet thought was adorable because Buddy was getting a little flustered by it but when her hand went under the table to gently squeeze his knee, that had him relax a little and then to hold his hand under the table had him relaxing even more and taking it all in stride.

Then once dinner was eaten and the cake was cut and all the kids eagerly taking a cupcake before Violet put on a movie for them, the adults happily cleared the table and moved the snack trays to the table so they could sit and continue to snack as Violet opened Buddy’s case of chocolates to enjoy with them as Buddy eagerly and happily went through the case of chocolates to find his favorites as his friends gently poked and prodded Violet some more to try to get to know her better which was an easier feat with Violet happily drinking her favorite wine and with Buddy’s hand and hers both seemed to be drawn together under the table and before Violet knew it she was happily holding his hand under the table since they were still kitty corner to each other as they ate and drank happily with their free hand and Buddy was so unbelievably proud of Violet for staying Violet and it really was- for a few blissful hours- just a group of adults hanging out for a dinner.

It wasn’t until after the second movie that Violet put on for the kids, that the group heard the tell tail signs of little ones snoring as they had all snuggled up together on the couch with a couch throw over them and had fallen asleep since it was now almost midnight. But the adults had had too much fun just talking and catching up and getting to know each other better and Violet was very happy when all the women invited her and Jack to their kid's birthday parties and slumber parties and even to out to brunch and stuff which Violet was thrilled to have because she didn't really have any close friends besides other Supers and Tammy, Lisa and Beth were really fun actually as Buddy was grateful that they had eagerly accepted her into the fold.

“I think it’s time we better go.” Beth encouraged them before they all murmured their agreement and Violet happily, yet sleepily let them out.

“Please be gentle with him. Tali did a number on him when she left him, granted he’s changed quite a bit since then, but still. To see how you are with Phillip in the tabloids, I’m worried about how messy that could get.” Beth murmured to Violet as Violet carried Beth’s daughter Riley out to their van while Beth carried her newborn, Roman on her chest, covered in a thick baby blanket.

“I’m aware,” Violet nodded in understanding. “And I’ll do my best to do what I can.” Violet reassured her.

“Thank you Vi.” Beth thanked her.

By the time Violet got back into Buddy’s apartment and to see Jack still zonked out on the couch, she wanted nothing more than to just crash as Buddy was loading up the dishwasher and setting the pots and pans to soak in the sink overnight and noticed Violet was beyond tired herself.

“Why don’t you stay?” Buddy finally spoke up which caused Violet to turn her head to consider him.

“Oh, no uh, I really should get home.” Violet tried to refuse even though the thought of just crashing in Buddy’s bed sounded particularly fantastic.

“Vi, it’s late and you’ve been drinking, please, I’ll move Jack to my bed and you can sleep in it with him and I’ll take the couch. I don’t want you to chance you driving like this.” Buddy gently argued, even though Violet was far from drunk or even tipsy. He was more worried about her driving exhausted more than sober.

“Ok fine.” Violet easily caved before Buddy washed his hands from handling the dirty dishes and then happily came over and picked Jack up and carried him to his own room as Violet happily got her own bag and realized she had actually packed it for staying over which she thought was interesting that she had either consciously or subconsciously done that before she went into Buddy’s bathroom to wash the makeup off her face and brush out her hair and braid it so it wouldn’t tangle before Buddy simply knocked on the bathroom door and when Violet had opened it, he was holding an old tshirt and held it out to her so she had something to sleep in which Violet happily took, even though she technically brought pajamas, she readily accepted his offering, preferring his super soft, oversized shirt.

“Thank you Barret.” Violet cooed tiredly as she took and when she emerged, she noticed that Jack had already been tucked into the bed and a set of Buddy’s spare set of bedding had been taken out of his closet and when she had peaked into the living room Buddy was taking the pull out bed from his couch and setting up the bed and she was able to walk up behind him and hug him from behind and nuzzled his back with her face, letting his scent settle deep into her lungs and happily welcomed the comfort it brought which gave Buddy pause as he simply hugged her arms in turn.

“You’re welcome.” Buddy returned.

“Goodnight Barret.” Violet murmured.

“Good night Vi.” Buddy replied before he felt her pull away and retreat as he looked over his shoulder to see her go and blushed when he noticed she wasn’t wearing pajama pants or shorts or anything and took a moment to appreciate her amazing legs even though she was drowning in his shirt- just enough to be super adorable before she disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom before he finished making the bed and just as he was about to get into it , he heard a beeping sound in his lab which woke him up fully and got him to go into the lab to see what processes had finished before he once again happily plunged himself down the rabbit hole.

An hour and a half later, Violet woke up, having to go to the bathroom and decided to check up on Buddy before she noticed that the lights were still on and his bed was untouched which made her frown before she went around the apartment and turned the lights off before she opened the door to the lab to see Buddy still working on stuff.

“Barret?” Violet called out sleepily which got him to jump before he turned to her and was relieved it was only her.

“Hey, you should be in bed.” Buddy softly encouraged her.

“So should you,” Violet returned as she walked up to him.

“Sorry, I got caught up in…” Buddy gestured to what was in front of him which got Violet to hum and nod sleepily before she straddled his lap in his chair before she laid down on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.

“You got two minutes to set things to process overnight, then you’re getting in bed.” Violet warned.

“But…” Buddy tried to argue but once Violet lifted her head and fixed him with a look, that even though she was beyond tired, still conveyed the seriousness of her request.

“Do it or I will use my secret weapon on you.” Violet threatened and Buddy was both scared yet intrigued to see what exactly she would do before he simply reached around her and did as she asked before she let her head rest on his shoulder once again and for the last fourth minute it took him to get everything squared away, his heart was hammering, wondering if she was noticing it was taking longer than she told him to take and once he was done, he blew out a breath of relief.

“Ok, I’m done.” Buddy informed her.

“Good, come on, bed.” Violet insisted and got up but pulled him after her and got the lights to the lab on her way out before she led him to the pull out bed and practically pushed him into the bed before she got into the bed with him and pulled his head to rest in her chest as he readily gathered her into his arms and when she started petting his head , her fingertips lazily scratching his scalp as her other hand softly and comfortingly smoothed over his back.

“Is this your secret weapon?” Buddy asked, his words muffled by his own t-shirt she was wearing.

“Yup, works on babies and grown men alike.” Violet answered, refusing to open her eyes and smiled softly in the darkness when he felt her relax and in 5 minutes flat, he was out like a light as she stopped her motions and simply wriggled down so she could cuddle with his chest and go to sleep herself.

But that wasn’t until Violet heard Buddy murmur something in his sleep.

“Hmm?” Violet hummed in question.

“I love you Violet.” Buddy answered, even though he was completely asleep.

“I love you too Barret.” Violet murmured back, a pleased, but happy smile on her face as she fell asleep in his arms.