#and customers are never always right but you can't say anything different because you have to have a positive front

[secret-rendezvous1d]

always enjoy having a monday and a tuesday off... but i hate going back to work on a wednesday knowing i'm working every day till sunday... and i'm gonna vent in the tags so... i'm sorry.

[yanderenightmare]

Modern day soft (well, as soft as he gets lol) bf sukuna hcs PLEASEEEEEE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Ryomen Sukuna

♡ TW: NSFW, underskirt peaking, ish innocent reader, not really hcs but anyway

♡ fem reader

He starts liking you by chance and entirely against his own will. Having a girlfriend is not something he had in mind.

He'd have girls then and there, don't get him wrong, easy one-night stands out on the town if and when he urged for it—even had a couple of sluts on demand he was familiar with—girls he knew would let him fuck them the way he wanted to, but they weren't any special.

And then there's you, who, by all means, shouldn't be any special either. But goddamn, you stick out like a sore thumb, how could he not notice you? The way you handle the back alley bar as if it's a cozy little day café with your fresh-out-of-college appeal, he can't help but think—what on earth is a sweet thing like you doing working here at the wrong side of town after hours?

Well, at least you can pour a drink. But still, what was the owner thinking hiring someone like you—a little lady in a skirt who can't even reach the top shelves without standing on a stool? It's almost to laugh at, and he would, but... sitting on his usual spot right at the counter, he's able to look straight up your skirt and see your pretty pink panties and that awfully teasing way it cups your cunt.

And it's absurd! Because he's seen and done so many depraved things in his life, seeing up a girl's skirt shouldn't be any different, but then that's exactly it—you were different. Not like any of the sluts he's had on his belt, you're... well... you're many things, but a slut isn't one of them. But he would love to make one out of you.

He gets a little drunker than usual nowadays—always requesting top-shelf stuff. You think he's a real big spender—completely unaware he's doing it all for a glimpse. Sitting there, twirling his bourbon, daydreaming what it would be like to have someone like you in his bed. He bet you would squeal a lot—you seem like the type who'd whimper his name and cling to him. You'd whine if he pulled your hair, cry if he slapped your ass, and be real shy if he made you cum on his tongue.

It's a nice thought. He might have jerked off to the image in favor of calling on one of his arrangements. But a thought was all it was. A girl like you would never do anything like that with a guy like him. After all, working at a shitty place doesn't warrant you need to stoop to the same standards. And you were still no closer to fitting in.

You'd been a little wary of him at first. Always by the counter right next to you—rough voice and a chronic harsh glare. His face tattoos didn't help either—looking like a seasoned gangster even though he couldn't have been all that much older than you.

No matter how much you pour him, he never seems to get very drunk. But it's not all the strange either, given the size of him—bulked and built like a bear. His muscles are so big you can see every cut of them through his tank—it's a surprise the fabric holds. He barely even fits through the door.

But he's a quiet guy. Studious. It seems he's always got something weighing down his mind, and given you're the bartender, and he's your best-paying and most regular customer, it might be high time you took it upon yourself to ask him about it.

"'Penny for your thoughts, big guy?" you ask, rubbing the residue from the bottom of a glass.

He doesn't seem like he's going to answer, and you feel regret for even having asked in the first place—like, geez, why would a rough and tough-looking guy like that share any of his thoughts with you? What were you thinking?

"Why do you work here?"

You stop to look at him, blinking. You didn't exactly expect a question in return. "Uhm," you hum in nonplus, unsure how to answer. But then again, the truth isn't so hard to relay. "I dropped out of college."

You have to giggle at the raised eyebrow he gives you.

"Don't look so shocked," you say, busying yourself with wiping down the dew rings left on the counter. "I just found out it wasn't for me. All those sheep walking the same path, eating the same grass, listening to the same boring shepherd... I thought I'd enjoy being a wolf more."

He scoffs softly, more so in acknowledgment than appraisal, you think, then looks down into his glass—his expression as dour as always, unreadable.

"You don't look like a wolf," he mutters at last, taking an indifferent swig.

Of course, you could have left at that. You knew most people would find your reasoning silly, but if you were to be a wolf, you'd have to flash your teeth, puff your chest, and prove it.

And so you do, "Well, that's 'cause I'm still in sheep's-clothing!" A smirk on your face as you fold your arms atop your chest with a raised chin. "But you better watch out! 'Cause one of these days, you'll walk in here, and I'll be even fiercer-lookin' than you."

That stunts him—even more so than your speech earlier. This time, he isn't even able to keep the surprise off his face. Who would have thought you'd be this brazen? Definitely not very sheep-like, even though you look it.

He scoffs again. Maybe he'll help you out...

"Oh yeah?" he grins—and it's the first time you've seen it. Almost a sneer, but way more charming than that—loud and unapologetic with a voice to match. "How 'bout you come to my parlor after your shift, and we get started on dirtying that pristine sheep fur of yours?"

And to his surprise, you don't even waver.

"It's a date."

That night, you get your first tattoo and your first time seeing stars, being folded flat like fresh laundry, and made to cum on a stranger's tongue piercing until screaming.

♡ RYOMEN SUKUNA masterlist ♡ JUJUTSU KAISEN masterlist

[dystopianam]

[DOWNLOAD] COLORED CEILING LIGHTS (16 COLORS - 5 DIFFERENT INTENSITIES + INVISIBLE RECOLORS) - UPDATED 07/02/2024

Finally here are the colored lights! I've always loved NL neons, but I've always hated that they were huge and impossible to put in residential lots unless you want to make your home look like a fantasy, alien or futuristic house.

I specify that those who use lighting mod see the intensities from 4 to 5 very bright (like me in the video), but those who do not use lighting mod see the intensities from 4 to 5 as in the video the intensities from 1 to 3 are shown! Intensities 4 to 5 are for those who don't have lighting mods!

EXPLANATIONS AND CREDITS

(Skip it if you want, but it's full of credit for other persons)

For years I looked for invisible recolors of NL neons, or someone who had changed the mesh of these, but I never found anything.

I remember that, perhaps, I had once found an invisible recolor of the round neon lights that you can place on the wall, but honestly that recolor never worked for me ;_:

So I gave up, I lost hope of having some comfortable neon lights that I could put in my house and I went on with my life, until...one day I don't remember what I was doing in game, I took a cc lamp I had and saw that it had a beautiful colored light. I told @jacky93sims "this light is beautiful, but the mesh is huge and impossible to use".

At first, since I just wanted to do something personal, I wanted to change the mesh of that cc, but I had difficulty because I didn't know how to do one thing yet (which I now know how to do). So Jacky said to me "but instead of changing the mesh why don't you take a lamp from the game you like and change the light using the light from this cc?" and she proceeds to send me a tutorial on how to do it. She then added "it's a Nightlife light, it's called [name of light]".

And that's where it all started.

I looked for that lamp in the game, I found it, and it was this one that I asked you about a few days ago.

However, there was a little mystery surrounding it: this neon does not emit light, but both Jacky and I saw blue light. Just me and her. Nobody else.

It was strange. Right now my suspicion is that we probably have a different light from everyone else because we use two lighting mods which, although different, use the same settings for that particular light.

But...Jacky doesn't have NL, yet she saw the RGB color of that NL light, how was that possible? Snooping around a bit in the file, we then discovered that the RGB value was set to emit that particular color. Jacky then understood how to make the RGB codes work on simPe, she explained it to me and out of curiosity I started trying other colors: BINGO! The light could become any color I wanted! And what's even more beautiful? Even Jacky, without having NL could do it! It therefore meant that we could create neons without needing NL and above all... without editing game files.

I was so happy. So to test that light would work for everyone, I sent the light to @simstraffikcone @ash1c , but... it was a fail. It didn't work for them. Right now I thought it was because Traffikcone not have a lighting mod, while Ash has the Maxis Match Lighting mod, which I remember not having that specific NL light with the blue light as Jacky and I see it.

I was confused. I could edit a lot of non-RGB lights and make the colors work on many of them, but no one but me saw those colors when I sent the files. Then Jacky suggested to try using the source of these RGB spotlights... and finally, with this the others were able to see all the colors too!

I hope that the creator of these spotlights doesn't mind that I used the same source, their post is from 18 years ago, the last time they was online was 2021 and they doesn't have a TOU. From the name of the light it seems like a custom light, but not having a custom installation I can't say. This creator is a pro when it comes to editing game lights, I saw them talk about it on some posts on MTS!

In the end, It doesn't matter what kind of light it was, I just needed the RGB values to work.

PROS AND CONS

But at this point you're thinking, looking at they profile on MTS "but sorry, this creator also made RGB ceiling lights, so what are yours for?" and here... comes the part where I explain why my lights exist (don't fall asleep, I'm almost done, I swear)

Its ceiling lights have two requirements that I tried to bypass: you need NL to make them work and to do extra steps, editing game files. Some people are uncomfortable doing these things, others don't have all the expansions!

My lights don't need NL to work and you don't have to do any extra steps, you don't have to edit any of the game files, you just put them in the download folder and play with them.

And why this? Because I don't use the source of their ceiling lights, but that of their spotlights!

But here too you may be wondering...why not use spotlights then? Well...it is a question that includes many factors:

- The spotlights are very nice to use in the garden, but what if you want to use those colored lights indoors? Wouldn't it be strange to have garden lights around the house INSIDE the rooms? I think sims can bypass them, but it's not very aesthetic! With my ceiling lamp not only you not take up space in the house and you can't see it, if you don't want to see it at all you also have the option of making it invisible!

- True, you can mess around with colors to get colors other than red, blue and green, but my lights come with 16 ready colors! So you don't have to bombard an area full of spotlights to form a color! (Mine can mix too btw)

- The spotlights can illuminate a maximum of one or two objects that they point to, this means that to illuminate multiple objects you should use lots of spotlights. My lights on the other hand illuminate practically every object in the room!

- The ONLY con my lights have is that following the light settings of the RGB spotlights, my lights illuminate all objects and sims, but not the walls and floors. This means that you won't always get nice effects, you have to experiment a little. Sometimes rooms that are too empty will have bad effects, it is better to use them on rooms full of objects that reflect light. I tried to solve this problem, but unfortunately I haven't succeeded yet. And this is the same reason why I'm only doing the ceiling version.

I want to point out, however, that I am not discrediting their lights. Indeed, without their work today I couldn't even create these lights! So BIG THANKS to their works! I invite you to also download their (absolutely compatible with mine) They are NOT necessary to make mine work, but if you want to use their too, you can!

Another of the advantages that these lights have is that they work both for those who do not have lighting mods and for those who have them. (Obviously those who have lighting mods have better light and shadow effects, but I can't do nothing about this).

The solution was to create different intensities. People who have lighting mods see lights that basically have low intensity with high intensities. People without a lighting mod see lights with low intensity...well, with very low intensity.

For this reason I made sure that each set of lights has unique guids and that they can all work together. You can put all 5 sets in your download folder, figure out which lights you see best, and delete the ones you don't see well.

I can already tell you that people who don't use lighting mods can use intensities 3 to 5, while those who use lighting mods can use intensities 1 to 3!

So to summarize, the pro of this light are:

Base Game compatible. (You don't need NL!)

Work with and without lighting mods.

5 different intensity which you can choose.

16 ready colors to use.

Invisible recolors for all the 5 sets of intensity.

Ready collection files for all the 5 sets (residential and community lots)

You don't need to edit game files. Installation is simple. Put everything in the download folder and it works. (Everything except the collections you have to put them in the collection(s) folder)

By enabling moveobjects you can put them ANYWHERE, they work both inside and outside the house, and you can use invisible recolors to hide them.

Because they use the light from the RGB spotlights, you can mix colors and sometimes you can create some really cool gradient effects!

They work better with the light off, but even with the light on it has a nice effect because the colors that reflect on the furniture can still be seen.

And the downside...precisely, is only that the walls and the floor don't light up, but I'll see if I can resolve this in the future.

Stop! I'm done torturing you with my chatter! In the download you will find a .rar with all 5 sets + a folder with two collections for every set! (One for community lots and one for residential lots)

Thanks to jgwhiteus for the source of the light, Jacky for explaining how to use the RGB codes on simPE and Ash and Traffikcone for testing the lights for me!

DOWNLOAD (SFS)

(Recommended but not necessary, this rug fix. Game rugs are buggy and don't reflect well the light and the shadows.)

UPDATED (07/02/2024)

They were already clean, I just compressed everything (I had forgotten) and added some merged files (a merged file for each intensity + an all in one with all the intensities divided into 3 merged packages)

[pilferingapples]

this is an invitation to infodump. i would LOVE to hear the thoughts you have on beggars at the feast, should you want to talk about them

AUGH ok ok let's see how well I can articulate...anything

OK so first: In the Letters server lately we've been talking a bit about how , in the book, Thenardier is WAY more the Human Nemesis than Javert is. He shows up earlier than Javert does; he's able to be a threat in ways Javert can't be, and to people Javert can't and wouldn't even try to touch ; he shares a TON of paralleling symbolism and class-blurring roles with JVJ; he's the last Personal Threat remaining in the novel, and the last thing we hear about him is that he's not only thriving , he's committing worse atrocities on a grander scale than anything we saw in the book, and getting nothing but social approval for it.

Thenardier is a nightmare, and he's triumphant, and as such he's a condemnation of society in an equal and opposing way to Jean Valjean. Valjean's story (and Fantine's , and the Thenardier siblings' ,. and the Amis , etc) says "look what we're destroying, look at the actions we punish". Thenardier's ultimate triumph as a literal slave trader flips it around and says "look what we support, look at what we endorse, look at what we elevate and approve." (now within the book I could take this farther , I could point out that the only thing within the novel that breaks any of the miserables free of their oppression to any degree is crime of some kind, be it revolution or theft or Being an Accomplice or exploitation, and the only thing that costs the (relatively) privileged their security and power is to truly ally with the miserables, but !! I'm talking about the musical)

In the musical Thenardier is softened a lot. Like... a LOT. The Thenardiers' exploitation of Fantine is barely mentioned ; their violent abuse of Cosette is turned into a joke; their abuse of Eponine is minimized (and their other kids are either Not Appearing in this Play or not obviously connected to them) ; and that final doomstrike epilogue, Thenardier becoming a slave trader, is gone. He's no longer the primary and most dangerous human antagonist; as in many other adaptations, that's now Javert.

So there's a different arc but it's there : From Master of the House and the Robbery , when he largely comes across as a gross but funny Comic Villain ; to the Attack on the Rue Plumet, where we finally see a bit of danger to him; to Dog Eats Dog, where he is really just acting on the same philosophy we saw in MotH but now doing something most people have a more immediate revulsion to, and the mask is really off; to , finally, Beggars at the Feast. If Beggars at the Feast is done RIGHT, This is Where The Villains Win.

They've gotten knocked around, sure, but they've also just gotten a ton of money, and, if done right, they are either blending in with the society party or, in the best staging * , they end up leading the dance. It's Master of the House all over again, only this time we're not being invited to laugh along with Thenardier's "band of soaks" ; this isn't the dregs of society, an easily stigmatized lower-class punchline.

This is Society, capital S Society, and they're just as ready to go along with him-- MORE ready to go along with him, even, because at least some of his inn customers usually get to be affronted and argue a little, but arguing with him risks some Unpleasantness, and isn't everything in Society so pleasant? Isn't it nice here, at the party? Let's not argue with the openly hateful people singing about how they want to destroy us all; look, they're dancing and singing! Let's just follow their lead. Won't that be nice.

And without getting into modern politics just because it's ALWAYS so current and I could never update the references frantically enough, I'll say that this is where Stage!Thenardier most echoes those Book!Thenardier Napoleon III vibes. Hugo knew what this dance looked like. He fell for it at one point.

(and hey, maybe it even raises some unease in audience members who laughed at MoTH and the child abuse and the Robbery without thinking about it-- maybe some people realize Oh Shit, We Fell For It Too. Not necessarily, but maybe?? ) And so it's fitting that it's this scene that has IMO a very clear sense of the book's incredibly specific political message ("Parisians, France, Please Overthrow Napoleon III, Probably With Barricades" ) , albeit in reverse. The Thenardiers gloat "Clear away the barricades and we're still here!" -- to them, a brag on how they endure all the changes around them.

But also implying: don't clear away the damn barricades. If you don't want the Thenardiers to run the show , help shore up that furniture wall and fight (for a modern international audience, this is probably going to be Not AS Specifically Involving Barricades).

So yeah. I'm not gonna say it's the most important song in the whole show , but it's important in ways I rarely see critics or commenters notice.

...Or it's just a funny musical reprise and you can have the Thenardiers be immediately thrown out of the wedding as frauds bc hahaha the poors thought they could play with their betters, good thing we're all so much smarter and cooler than that in the upper crust. That's fine too.

yes I have opinions; also I'm Correct

[miss-hyoko]

Hello there! I'd like to order a "childhood arranged marriage" gado gado with Leona please! Thank you very much 💖

"This is your order, dear customer. A plate full of [The Lion's Fiancé(e)] gado-gado. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No? Then, I hope you have a pleasant meal."

The Lion's Fiancé(e)

Character: Leona

Summary: You were betrothed to Leona since childhood

Tag(s) and warning(s): GN!Reader, fluff, romantic, reader is NOT Yuu, arranged marriage, a bit spoiler about Leona's past, Leona being a little shit (affectionately)

Note: AAAH, MY FIRST REQUEST IS HERE! Thank you for requesting, anon. Your idea is so wonderful that it almost made me get a brainrot for this lion 😩✋

To establish a good relationship with the royal family of Sunset Savanna, your family then decided to make you the betrothed of Leona, the second prince of Sunset Savanna. Because of that, you often visit Leona at the palace to deepen your relationship.

The first time you met little Leona, he's kind of... a brat. He didn't hesitate to show his disdain towards you, his forced fiancé(e). Starting from the way his tail always twitching in displeasure at the mere sight of you, his ears that drop flat, and even the angry expression that adorns his face every time he senses your presence. Little Leona thought he must look very intimidating. But in your eyes, he's no different from a grumpy kitten, it makes you just want to stroke his fluffy-looking ears and tail. And how could Leona miss the way your eyes twinkle following every movement of his tail? The audacity you had!

The next meetings you spend trying to coax your grumpy kitten fiancé. Leona constantly tries to hide every time you come to visit, but somehow you always manage to find him, as if you put a tracking device on him. Over time, Leona himself felt tired from this silly mouse cat game, and he decided to give up on his fate, which was to be your fiancé. Now, every time you come to the palace, you just need to go straight to Leona's room without having to bother looking for him again around the palace.

Since getting engaged to you, Leona started to develop a new habit. And that habit is that he always deliberately sleeps on one side of the mattress, while the other side he leaves for you. He did that not because he's kind, alright? He deliberately left a place on the mattress so that you wouldn't crush him again while he was sleeping, using a stupid excuse like 'you also want to lie down, but you can't because he sleeps right in the middle of the bed'.

Leona knew he was disliked and feared by the palace attendants, all because of the frightening power he has. There were even times when Leona himself hated the power he possessed. For him, turning everything he touches into sand is a curse. But you, you say that his terrifying power is a blessing. When a disaster occurs and debris is scattered, his power can turn all the debris into sand, thus making it easier for the rescue process. And as if to prove the seriousness of your words, you held his hand, pressed it against your face, and looked into Leona's eyes with a small smile, in such a way that say 'look? I'm fine, aren't I?'. And really, that was the only moment where Leona tried his best to keep his tears in their place, hoping they won't stream down his cheeks (and he failed miserably).

Leona may never say this, but he actually enjoys –no, he loves– the time he spends together with you. All this time, he was used to growing up compared to his brother, insults and ridicules had become his daily consumption. But when you come into his life, seeing him for who he is without judging him, looking at him with eyes full of wonder instead of fear, how can Leona's heart not be open to you?

Almost all the beastmen in Sunset Savanna know that their second prince has a fiancé(e) and he's very a bit protective of them. Every time the two of you went out for an outing, Leona would put his hands around your waist or shoulders to let people know that you're with him. If someone dares to stare at you a little longer than necessary, Leona will immediately growl at that poor fellow until they take their eyes from you.

When you come to Savanaclaw to meet your fiancé, all the students there will surely greet you in a very friendly way. Gone is their usual brashness, replaced by a sickeningly polite smile. All because Leona has given them orders to treat you with an utmost respect, even they should be more respectful to you than to him. If someone's being disrespectful to you, then Leona himself will personally teach them a lesson or two about respecting one's fiancé(e).

You may not know, but Leona always tries very hard to control himself to not 'eat' you every time you do something he finds adorable, like holding his hands, sleeping on his chest, giving him a peck here and there, and other things that can make his heart beat faster than it normally does. It's not just once or twice that Leona has dirty thoughts about you, and every time those dirty thoughts start popping into his head, Leona will rush away from you to 'take care' of himself first. He may be a beastman, but he's still sane enough not to force himself on you before the marriage. Well, unless you don't mind?

All in all, Leona treats you pretty well as his fiancé(e). He may not be the nicest fiancé you can have, but he's not the worst either. He can respect your boundaries, listen to your opinions on some things, and take good care of you. The downside may be that he's not very responsive, sometimes ignores you, and also easily irritated by small things. But despite it all, you should know that Leona really cares about you. His high ego makes it a little hard for him to apologize and admit his mistakes, but if you talk to him first, he will definitely apologize in the end. Albeit, with a voice so small that you can barely even hear it.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the Asshole for reporting my coworker a second time? (TW// Sexual Harassment, Mentions of Suicide, Mentions of Self Harm)

(🍫💵 so I can find it later.)

I work a job where I (22 F/NB) am a cashier at a local supermarket. I have a few coworkers close to my age, but most are either in their late thirties/early fourties' or are kids who go to the local high schools in the area.

Around the beginning of this year, we'll call him Abe (17~ M) attempted to ask out my coworker who we'll call May (16~ F). They'd hang out semi-regularly along with the other kids still in high school, and while they never caused trouble, they did tend to goof off and joke around a lot.

May refused him, saying she wasn't interested. For WHATEVER reason, he did not accept this rejection and continued to ask. This was an issue, as not only is it sexual harassment, but Abe is a cart-pusher and May is a cashier. He was already a pretty lazy employee (management was always upset at him because he'd get caught playing on his phone instead of working), but now he'd purposefully go through her lane at the supermarket just to ask her out repeatedly and beg to be with her. Every time he found her alone, he'd go right up to her and keep pestering her about it. She felt so uncomfortable and unsafe about it that she told our team lead, who agreed to stay by her side. This was spread to our management, who make sure she isn't alone so that he can't corner her about going out with her.

I have witnessed him doing it many times, enough that I reported it to HR when May refused to do it herself. They told me to get her into contact with them and report it to them, and finally I convinced her to do it.

There was a sort of peace period after that, where they weren't scheduled at the same time. But recently he's taken it a step further and has decided to come in on ANY day she is scheduled (even if he isn't) to keep trying to ask her out. Most of the cashiers are aware of the situation and got upset with him. One of the few who is around my age (and recently pregnant) even cussed his ears off for harassing her so much because it didn't look like management was doing anything. Abe declared that the pregnant coworker broke his heart, and now his behavior had gotten WORSE.

Abe would look at those who he'd "hang out" with at work and either try to guilt them into helping him win over May's heart, complain about her not living him, and talk about how "white people suck"/"white people are so shitty" despite BEING white (to my knowledge, please don't go after me in the notes about this) himself. He'd also stalk her work bestie around and trash-talked the pregnant co-worker, all while NOT DOING HIS JOB, by the way.

One of the habits he has picked up however is miming actions to his fellow minors. The one I heard him use mostly was of him pretending to shoot himself in the head.

But one day I was working as the customer service rep for the night (no one else could do it), and I gave him a polite nod when he walked past. He smiled at me and then mimed cutting himself.

This was not something I had heard of him doing before, but when I talked to my coworkers they said "yeah he was doing this too".

In the moment I had given him a very firm No, because it was not work appropriate. Abe insisted, and pretended to cut his wrists again.

I'm on anon so none of you know me, but I used to severely struggle with suicide and self harm from a young age. However I have gotten better since becoming an adult and have made MASSIVELY impressive strides to a happier life. From this, I understand joking about suicide, because if you joke about it with someone you are not only in a safe place to bring it up BUT are coming around to the idea of telling people that you need help.

Joking about self harm, however? I've never heard of it. It's an entirely different ball park. You don't joke about those things.

In the moment, I was in disbelief, and I felt sick. I even started mentally shutting down, to the point where I couldn't even do my usual tasks properly without being specifically told to start them. Everyone noticed. I even cried once I was in my car while my sister was picking me up and safe, because I was trying so fucking hard not to think about that time in my life when I had moved myself so far past it.

Right at the beginning of shutting down, I did tell a manager. I told the manager who worked the next day as well, just so that I'd be SURE something happened about it. Abe visited that day on his day off because May was working again, and I panicked so much at seeing him that I hid behind customer service until one of my work friends told me he had left- instead of staying at May's side like I usually would. (I put my mental health first- it was a tough lesson that I managed to learn last year to the point that I do it in my day-to-day. She wasn't left alone with him though, don't worry.)

It genuinely sickened me that he has been miming cutting himself to other minors, when I know that if I had been May's age and had seen that amidst recovery, I would have spiraled and started all over again. Abe's lucky none of them are like that (at least openly) and that I was uniquely affected whereas the others were just "creeped out".

I ended up reporting his actions towards me about a week after I convinced May to personally report his harassment, and then I found out that the first manager I talked to (who has a soft spot for him, he does use this to his advantage to get out of trouble at work) asked him what was wrong and his response was "I'm having a bad day".

Considering that he does this every day he comes into work, whether he's actually working or not, on top of everything else (and how it effected me)- I am very hurt and genuinely hate him after all of this when I hadn't hated him before (despite the fact that I have only hated 2 people in my life before that point). However, I don't know if he was joking about how bad he feels about the fact that she does not want him at all or if he's genuinely hurting himself, and I feel sick at the thought of my actions if it's the second scenario.

Even if he's sexually harassing my coworker, no one should ever feel like they deserve to be hurt or that they don't deserve life. That's what I believe. And I'm worried that, should Abe find out I reported him twice over this, that he'll yell at me and say that I'm an asshole for doing that (and I know it would happen, because that was his response with my pregnant coworker). I know I'm doing the right thing by reporting the continuous harassment, but my heart is genuinely conflicted now. He needs to stop, but what if my actions are causing this response? I could never live with myself knowing that I was the reason someone hurt themselves. My anxiety won't let it rest.

And so, Tumblr, I must know...

Am I the Asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[thisapplepielife]

Written for a @astrangersummer.

What You Need For Today

Week #3 Prompt: Flowers | Word Count: 1400 | Rating: T | POV: Lucas | Pairings: Lucas/Max | Characters: Lucas, Dustin, Steve, Erica, Max | CW: Language | Tags: Post S4, Recovering, Buying Flowers, Dustin Has Opinions (Doesn't He Always), Hospital Visits, Always the Goddamn Babysitter Steve (But He Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way)

Looking through the glass door of the cooler, Dustin at his side, Lucas checks out all his options. They all kind of look the same to him, to be honest. Different colors aside, they are just flowers wrapped in paper or arranged in vases. 

He can't stand here forever, so he opens the door and reaches for the nearest bouquet, one wrapped in a pale blue.

"That looks like it's for a new baby! She didn't have a baby!" Dustin snaps, shoving him out of the way. Lucas moves away from the door, willingly. He isn't sure what he should pick, doesn't have the brain power left to decide, so any help, even if it's just Dustin steamrolling him, will be better than nothing.

Dustin is rifling through the options, touching them all far too rough, and Lucas doesn't want to be associated with this at all. The florist isn't looking, isn't paying any attention to either of them, but Lucas is not in the mood to be yelled at. Not today.

The place has had a steady stream of customers, in and out, and he assumes that's because so many people are still hurt, still grieving, after the town was ripped to shreds. And those who stayed need to do something, anything, to feel like they're helping. And buying flowers, that's normal, a relic remaining from before.

He understands that, deeply.

Dustin is still making a spectacle of choosing, so Lucas looks over his shoulder, and sees Erica sitting on the bench by the door of the shop, feet scuffing against the tile of the floor, ever so slightly. Uncharacteristically quiet. The way she's been since, well, since. He wishes she'd get up and come over and have an opinion just as strong as Dustin's.

Embarrass him, shame him, anything.

But she doesn't.

"You need to get these," Dustin finally declares, picking up a huge bundle of red roses.

"I can't afford those," Lucas hisses, because while he doesn't know the price, he knows they are damn well out of his price range. His allowance is good, but it's not that good.

"Can you put a price on love?" Dustin asks, like it's that simple.

Lucas takes the flowers from him, and puts them back, "Not those. Someday. But not today."

Dustin rolls his eyes, "Fine. Be a dumbass. See if I care."

And Lucas just stares through the glass, again. Still unsure. 

He isn't sure how long he's stood there, mulling, unable to choose, when he hears from behind them, "What are you little dickheads doing here?" 

Oh, thank god. Steve. 

Maybe he can rein in Dustin, or at the very least, distract him.

"What are you doing here?" Dustin crows, like he's caught Steve doing something he shouldn't be. 

"None of your business, you little twerp. And I asked you first," Steve says, and Dustin is getting wound up, Lucas can see it.

"Help me pick flowers for Max," Lucas says in a rush, cutting Dustin off before he has the chance to derail this opportunity.

"Well, you can't go wrong with red roses," Steve says, and Dustin throws his hands up in an 'I told you so' motion. 

That's not enough for Dustin, it never is, he has to rub salt in the wound, given an opportunity, so Dustin adds, "I told you so."

"I know, I know," Lucas says, conceding, "but I don't think that's, uh, exactly, right," Lucas says, "for the…occasion."

And Steve nods, like he's understanding what Lucas is laying down.

"Of course, you're totally right," Steve agrees, arm draped over his shoulders as he's standing next to him, also looking, while Dustin prances around impatiently. 

Lucas is leaning towards the yellow bouquet. It's pretty, and bright, and would really liven up Max's hospital room. Even if she can't see it. Even if she'll never know it's there.

When he brings her red roses, he wants her to know it.

"How about the yellow?" Steve asks, finger pushed against the glass, pointing at the arrangement that Lucas was contemplating.

"That's what I was thinking," Lucas admits, happy to have confirmation that it's a good pick.

"Max will love them," Steve says, and reaches in and plucks them out of the cooler, handing them to Lucas, then demands, "Henderson, go get him a blank get well soon card from the counter."

Dustin grumbles about it, but blunders away.

Once he's gone, Steve's voice is low, "You got enough, Sinclair? If not, I can loan you some cash."

It's nice. Steve is really Dustin's friend. Or even Erica's, in a weird way. But he still shows up when he's needed, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. 

"Thanks, Steve. But I think I do."

And Steve just nods, turning back towards the cooler, reaching in and grabbing a big bundle of the red roses.

Dustin reappears, and they both stare at Steve.

Steve looks back at them, "What are you little shitheads looking at? It's a classic, and I like what I like. You don't mess with what works."

"And red roses? They work?" Lucas asks.

"I told you that, asshole," Dustin says, adding his two cents, yet again. 

"For some occasions they definitely do, but these yellow ones? That's what you need for today," Steve reassures, and Lucas puffs out his chest, feeling happier, more confident about his decision. 

They both pay, and on the way out, Steve stops in front of Erica and pulls one of the roses out of the bouquet in his hand, holding it out for her to take. She rolls her eyes, but gives him a smile, and it's one of the few Lucas has seen her offer up in days, weeks.

Erica takes the rose, and Steve lowers his hand over her head, like he's going to touch her hair. Lucas wouldn't recommend it, but she takes care of herself, like always.

"Watch it, nerd," she says, batting his hand away, and Steve stops short of touching her, but he's made her happy. Lucas can tell, and he wishes he'd have thought of it first. Maybe it wouldn't have been the same, coming from him, her brother. Maybe it had to come from Steve Harrington, the ringleader of her beloved Scoops Troop.

"Good thing you showed up, we need a ride home," Dustin demands, not asking, never asking. 

"Maybe I have other places to be, Henderson. You ever think of that?" Steve snarks at him, holding up the roses, but he still unlocks his car, letting them all inside. Erica puts on her seatbelt beside him in the backseat, clutching the stem of the rose in her hands, looking out the window.

Lucas wonders when, if, things will ever go back to normal.

Dustin and Steve banter in the front seat, lobbing barbs back and forth that are familiar and normal, so Lucas supposes that's a start, at least.

Later that afternoon, Erica standing at his back, Lucas pauses in the doorway of the hospital room, listening to the steady beeps of all the machines keeping Max alive. The vase of yellow flowers in one hand, a new Stephen King book in the other. This time, he checked out Skeleton Crew from the library. It's a short story collection, and he likes the idea of having something new, something fresh, to read to her everyday during visiting hours. 

A new story for a new day.

She's still asleep, body still broken and trying to mend, and it squeezes at his heart. He doesn't know when they'll let her try to wake up. How long it might be, even if it has already felt like forever. Her hair is braided to the side, bold red against the white pillow, and that means El must have been here earlier. 

The vinyl creaks as Erica sits down on the couch behind him. She's been a near constant presence at his side since the Creel house. She goes where he goes, and he honestly has no complaints.

He places the flowers on Max's end table, and scoots the chair up as close to her bed as he can get it. Once he's situated, he cracks open the book, smoothing his hands over the borrowed pages, holding it in his lap, as he begins to read.

"This is what happened. On the night that the worst heat wave in northern New England history finally broke..."

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @astrangersummer and follow along with the fun! 🌞

Notes: The end book snippet is from The Mist, the first entry in Skeleton Crew.

[leighlew3]

Want to know how it feels to be a writer in Hollywood?

Picture yourself working at an ice cream shop.

Customer: “Ohhh all of these look amazing, but that one in particular -- that looks so good, I'd love to try this 'rocky road' flavor.”

Worker: “Fantastic! Coming right up! Oh, you’re aware there’s nuts in it, correct? Just making sure, in case of allergies.”

“Yeah. I know what I want. Please give me rocky road.”

“Sure, no problem. :) Here ya go! Even gave ya a little extra, on the house!”

“Ew why is there nuts in this? It’s too crunchy for my mouth and I shouldn't be eating nuts anyway. I don’t want this.”

“Oh, I’m- I'm sorry… that’s… um, okay, well is there something else you’d like to try?”

“What do you suggest?”

“The mint chocolate chip is really popular.”

“Seen it too many times.”

"But have you tried it?"

"No, but I've seen it enough to know that's not what I want."

“Okie dokie. Though I will say we do something different with ours, we also add in-”

“Wait, hold on -- *lowers phone* -- I was just talking to a friend of mine, he's never even had ice cream, but he had this brilliant idea: what if we take the rocky road ice cream and mix the mint chocolate chip INTO it?”

“Oh, I— I'm sorry, just to understand, you just said you didn’t like nuts from rocky road and had no interest in the mint chocolate chip, but now you'd like both -- just, combined?"

"Yes, and I'm very excited about it!"

"K, I'll get to work on that for ya. Just a note, I'm not sure these two flavor profiles will work super great together, but hey -- it can't hurt to try."

“Exactly. It’s called development of flavors. Sometimes you have to figure out what you don’t like, duh.”

“Right. And we did. But now you want two things you didn’t want? I'm just trying to understand-”

“Yes, obviously, because together, it’s never been done.”

“Okie dokie. Not a problem!"

“And, can you do this fast? We need to leave soon.”

“Gotcha. Here you go!”

“Oh, this is gross. This doesn't work well together. Why the heck would you combine this? The flavors don't work well together.”

“Oh, I — I'm so sorry, but you wanted them combined."

"I mean it was a collaborative effort."

"Um, not really, you didn't even listen when I- you know what? It's all good. We're adaptable here and always happy to serve! Can I offer you something else! Sherbet, perhaps?"

“Is that like, fruity?"

"Yeah, we have orange or mango, I love the mango personally."

"Hmm. Maybe I'll try the orange. Actually, you know what? I don't know anymore, I don't know. I think I’ll come back in six months and tell you want I want.”

“Wait, s- sorry- six months?”

“I’m very busy. I have to go to four other ice cream shops just this week.”

“Oh... ok...”

“In the meantime can I get a free sample of the mango sherbet?”

“Oh, so you do you want sherbet! Sure, be happy to get that for ya!”

"Please put it in the large ice cream cone and with double scoops."

"Oh... that's... sorry that's no longer a sample. You'd have to pay for that much..."

"Haha. Sure. I mean, you're lucky I'm even standing here. Most people would kill for my presence in their shop."

"...you know what? That's fine. Here you go, have a good day, and I hope you leave us a positive review!"

“I don't do reviews. And oh, this tastes weird... this is way different from ice cream. It's very fruit forward.”

“Yes, because it’s sherbet.”

"Yeah, I know the difference."

"But you just said... nevermind. Can I help you with anything else?"

“No. And, thanks, I guess. Really would have preferred ice cream. Maybe something chocolate like rocky road or mint chocolate chip, you know?”

"?!?!!?"

End scene.

[allfortzu]

the first draft of can we get closer (let's get closer) -- i couldn't bear not posting it, since it is completed :)

(expect similarities, though it's quite different!)

jihyo / tzuyu, 2k. suggestive (basically smut) // MEN DNI

tzuyu has never liked tattoos. 

she's never liked the idea of pain leaving a permanent mark, created by someone else, no less. 

perhaps if she were a little more artistic, had a little more in way of creative self-expression. perhaps then she would learn to fully appreciate them, like how chaeyoung did. 

she liked them on other people, though, enjoyed looking at all of chaeyoung's little works. 

but for now, tzuyu is content without any of her own. 

confidently so, she's always thought. 

yet here she is, eyes fixated on one park jihyo, suddenly intrigued.

jihyo was, by no means, a close friend. a mutual contact at best and one tzuyu has never really thought much past her profession.

but it's this exact thought that has tzuyu hooked, curiosity piqued. what does park jihyo's tattoos look like?

chaeyoung has fallen asleep on the couch by now, their planning session definitely lasting longer than expected, but jihyo hasn't left, and tzuyu is too distracted to want to leave. 

she's too distracted by jihyo. 

she can't stop looking at the edges of faded black beneath the sleeves of jihyo's tee, can’t stop catching glimpses of carefully lined maroon when jihyo's lifts her arms just so, stretching languidly from sketching too long. the hem of her crop rises slightly to reveal more ink, right around her ribcage. 

tzuyu tilts her head subconsciously, entranced. 

unfortunately for her, jihyo is perceptive – and bold. 

"checking me out?" she chuckles, throwing tzuyu a playful wink. sets her pen down, happy for an excuse to talk to this friend of chaeyoung she's always seen around, but never got the chance to know. it's casual, flirty. 

but tzuyu isn't so easily shaken. "yeah, just… curious." they've interacted enough for her to be honest, she thinks.

jihyo smiles, slightly amused, how tzuyu cuts to the chase so quickly. "see anything you like?" 

"okay, i'm not checking you out, just curious." 

"sorry, sorry," jihyo laughs, somehow enjoying tzuyu's deadpan way of banter. "pretty girls make me say stupid things."

she pushes herself off the ground and joins tzuyu, the leather couch sinking gently under her. "curious about what?" 

it's the most they've talked ever; the most she's heard tzuyu talk, so jihyo naturally wants to keep the conversation going, if only to hear tzuyu's voice more. 

"your…," tzuyu says, unexpectedly sheepish at the suddenly very real prospect of jihyo flirting. 

"um… your tattoos?" she words it as a question, just so it doesn't come off too imposing – also because she'd been snapped out of her thoughts and in that moment, wasn't thinking of anything but is she flirting?

jihyo doesn't seem to mind her uncertainty at all.

"oh, you saw?" she looks down at her exposed abdomen, before lifting her cropped tee just a little more, and tzuyu gets her first taste of what exactly she hasn't seen. 

"they're a bit hidden, but i promise i'm not a tattoo artist who hasn't experienced a tattoo before," jihyo says, like tzuyu was a potential customer expressing her worries. "don't worry." 

except that wasn't really what tzuyu was asking for, so she bites her tongue. 

but it's like jihyo reads her mind, or maybe tzuyu isn't very good at hiding her emotions, because she asks, "wanna see more?" 

"really?" tzuyu perks up, brows raising in anticipation. "do you have pictures?" 

"no, but i can show you now," jihyo offers, and tzuyu practically beams. 

if tzuyu had a tail, jihyo thinks it would definitely be wagging right now, because she nods so quickly that jihyo can't help but let the excitement rub off her. 

she thought tzuyu was shy at first, because they'd never talked much; then, a little stoic in the way she spoke – 

but now, tzuyu's just cute. 

jihyo lifts the hem of her tee, wisps of red and black revealed. tzuyu leans in, and she makes out a fragment of a flame, curving right below the underside of jihyo's chest. it's elegant in its form, less patchwork like chaeyoung’s and more cohesive. 

"i have these, another just halfway down my shoulder, and one more on my back," jihyo explains, eager to share. "it's a big one, but not too big." 

she takes off her shirt, and tzuyu jolts back in surprise, heart in her throat. 

"oh, you– " you don't have to, is what she means to say, but the moment she sees the tattoo on jihyo's back, she forgets.

it's a breathtaking tattoo, brushstroke-like details, similar to the ones on her ribcage. the red and blacks are a constant theme, and they flow down the dip of her spine, spreading over her shoulder blades and fading off in the edges. 

"did it hurt?" tzuyu asks, voice softer, like jihyo's delicately drawn tattoos simply warranted something more gentle. she reaches out to touch, a curious moth to a flame; traces her fingers over the lines. "it's beautiful." 

jihyo feels goosebumps rise in the wake of tzuyu's touch, but her chest swells with pride at tzuyu's comment. "it hurt, but it was worth it, so they cancel out, yeah?” she reasons. ��are you thinking of getting one?" 

"definitely worth it," tzuyu agrees. she didn't know she had a preference for tattoos, but she thinks she might have one now. they looked incredibly good on others, namely jihyo. "but no, i don't like pain." 

"didn't think you were a scaredy cat," jihyo teases, grin sly. 

the jibe is enough to snap tzuyu out of her trance, and she folds her arms back into her chest with a huff. "not liking pain doesn't mean i'm scared of it," she scoffs. "i would just rather not experience it." 

jihyo laughs at tzuyu's silly workaround, a light chuckle leaving her lips that, if not for the fact they were the only ones talking, tzuyu would not have heard. 

"who says pain has to be bad?" jihyo muses, leaning into where tzuyu had leaned back. "won't know until you try, right?"

at this point, tzuyu isn't sure if jihyo's still joking or not. it's the same laid back expression, the one she had when she'd called tzuyu pretty, but the words here don't feel quite the same. 

"what do you mean?" tzuyu asks.

"you know, like how people talk about mixing pain with pleasure," jihyo says, taking tzuyu's hand in hers. 

"like how… if i do this – " she tugs hard, and tzuyu falls forward with a yelp. " –the suspense hurts," jihyo giggles. "but then there're also these butterflies in your tummy."

yeah, there're butterflies in her tummy, but she can't say they're from the pain of her hitched breaths – can't say they're not from jihyo's proximity. 

tzuyu is suddenly acutely aware that jihyo is topless, and the only reason she isn't all over jihyo is because she's holding herself up. 

"this is– this is different," tzuyu denies resolutely, but she sounds a little out of breath. "not the same as… a tattoo." 

"it's about the feeling, tzuyu," jihyo says, eyes fleeting down to tzuyu's lips, then back up. 

tzuyu's chest tightens, and she doesn't know if it's the butterflies, or whatever it is jihyo is making her feel. 

but isn't that how it always goes – flame burning moth the moment they touch. 

there's a beat. 

a short one, but a thousand thoughts run through tzuyu's mind in that fraction of a second. 

jihyo's eyes bore into hers, and all of tzuyu's thoughts condense into a single sentence –

she’s so pretty. 

tzuyu stops breathing.  

"can i kiss you?" 

it's jihyo who asks. 

she's quiet. 

can i kiss you?

there's the soft exhale of their breaths, anticipation palpable. a tiny spark. 

"you’re really pretty," tzuyu whispers. 

all the butterflies come back. 

the spark bursts like wildfire, the moment jihyo leans in to press her lips into hers. 

jihyo tastes warm, so warm it spreads down tzuyu's neck, into her chest, and she hates that they're in this position now, because she wants her hands on jihyo; wants to feel all that warmth in its entirety.

she doesn’t really know how they’ve gotten here, how they’ve moved so quickly, but doesn’t really care. 

the only place tzuyu can reach is jihyo's ribcage, so she does just that, thumbs pressing into ink, fingers curving into her sides. "i really like your tattoos," she murmurs in between kisses. 

"mhm," jihyo hums, searching for tzuyu's lips again. "i like you.”

she gives tzuyu another peck, and tzuyu can’t really reply, especially not with jihyo nipping. her teeth close gently with tzuyu’s lips in between, tugging until it hurts ever so slightly, enough to make tzuyu suck in a breath. 

“unnie– “ tzuyu mewls, tasting copper on her tongue and digging her fingers into jihyo’s sides. the sensation is odd, but jihyo kisses the pain away.

“that hurt,” tzuyu murmurs.

“that was the goal,” jihyo says, nosing the underside of tzuyu’s jaw before placing another kiss there. 

she sucks lightly, and tzuyu feels teeth again, probing. she notes jihyo’s penchant for biting, and is about to reprimand her again for the pain, but then jihyo sucks where she’s bitten, and all tzuyu can do is squirm and instinctively cant her head upward, the buzz that crawls down her neck suddenly addicting. 

jihyo pulls back then, licking her lips at the sight of the reddening mark under tzuyu’s jaw. “you look so pretty, all marked up.” 

tzuyu barely has a second to respond before jihyo dives in again, this time to the base of her neck, right at the edge of her collarbone. she does the same thing over – sucking, biting, licking – painful, but less so now that tzuyu has experienced it, and there’s such a pleasant hum that follows, making her stomach curl deliciously, choking back her whimpers. 

“unnie,” tzuyu breathes out, a silent request she can’t find the words for in her current state of mind. 

she wants jihyo to touch her properly, to sate that heat in her tummy, maybe mark her up there, and jihyo can see it in the way tzuyu has unconsciously started moving her hips against her thighs too, grinding with evident desperation. 

but she can also hear chaeyoung shuffling, the telltale shifting of someone on the verge of waking up, so jihyo licks at tzuyu’s collarbone a final time, and pulls back. 

“not now,” jihyo whispers, hands finding purchase on tzuyu’s waist to stop her from getting off completely on jihyo’s thigh. “chaeyoung."  

a short, high pitched sound escapes tzuyu’s throat, a meek whine that encapsulates all her frustration perfectly. it's like her entire vocabulary has dwindled down to nothing, and it's embarrassing the way she even thinks of begging. "unnie…" 

"you're so cute, tzuyu," jihyo muses. she bites at tzuyu's neck again, and the sting is warm and insistent. 

but tzuyu's also uncomfortably wet now, soaked through with nothing to satiate her. "i still… don't like pain," she huffs, just to annoy jihyo. 

"hey, i haven’t shown you what that really is yet,” jihyo teases. “give me an answer the next time i come over.”

the promise of next time makes tzuyu’s tummy flutter; those stupid butterflies jihyo keeps giving her.

she doesn’t entertain jihyo with a response, sitting up and untangling their legs. jihyo laughs, tzuyu’s tantrum terribly endearing, and she’s about to tease a little more before chaeyoung lets out an audible groan. 

tzuyu’s eyes widen, and jihyo quickly slips on her shirt. they hold their breath when chaeyoung starts rubbing the sleep out her eyes, groaning again. “this fucking couch… i’m moving to my bed.” 

she doesn’t even spare them a glance, trudging to her bedroom in muted thuds. 

tzuyu and jihyo exchange looks, before they start giggling uncontrollably.

“i think that’s my cue to leave,” jihyo laughs, trying to regain her composure. 

she leans in, puckering her lips, as if asking for a goodbye kiss. 

tzuyu taps her cheeks lightly. “next time.”

jihyo narrows her eyes. tzuyu smiles slyly. 

“fine,” jihyo pouts. “try not to dream about me.” 

with a flirtatious wink, she’s out the door. 

tzuyu lets it simmer for a bit, burning the memory of jihyo’s tattoos into her mind. red, black, and flowy. the ones on her ribs curve into her sides, another on her shoulders inching down to her collarbones. and then her back, following the dip of her spine, over her shoulder blades. 

a trail of red is scattered down tzuyu’s neck, jihyo’s marks etched into her skin. 

[neonscandal]

What are your bakudeku fav moments? And what are your fav personal headcanons about them?

Okie, so I may have done a few head canons like this (and forgot to link the last five in the SatoSugu ask just like this... also the alternating colors was admittedly gratuitous but I'm not changing it now. Just know that I have regrets.). Maybe even drafted some moments like this but let's light this BBQ anyway. 💥

Horikoshi truly doesn't get enough credit for how perfect this panel and subsequent animation was. It's actually hysterical? Earnest Deku and Little Shit Kacchan. It's so them, I can't even.

HEAD CANONS

The Bakugo's are the Have's and the Midoriya's are the Have Not's but Mitsuki and Inko are so close that the boys never really knew the difference. Mitsuki helps Inko out where she can which is why Deku is a staple in their house growing up (free childcare for Inko and necessary socialization for her brat, Katsuki). You should see their childhood photo albums, they are both equally as embedded in one anothers' family histories.

When the boys first came to understand their economic differences, it was because of the disparity between their All Might merch collections and Bakugo realized it long before Midoriya. Subsequently, he staved off this epiphany by making it a point to always ask for "one for Izuku" until they fell out which Mitsuki obliged generously and proudly, knowing their relationship was precious but also a good influence on her gremlin.

I say they fell out but.. they didn't. Not in the ways that mattered. Bakugo is as big a nerd as Midoriya, he just has the sense to be more lowkey about it. Even when Bakugo was being a bully, he'd begrudgingly ask Midoriya (if Midoriya didn't ask first) to any midnight releases of All Might/hero movies and merch drops. They absolutely are the kind of dorks to camp out for limited release stuff. It's a lifelong tradition. Even if things went back to normal at school the next day, they still had that in common and both knew not to bring it up otherwise to maintain the balance of their twisted relationship otherwise. It's why, even after all this time, they're still so in sync. Also, by that point, the "one for Izuku" custom is so deeply ingrained that Mitsuki does it anyway. The turnover between Bakugo to Midoriya is so begrudging and awkward. All unspoken but a deeply rooted fact of their relationship.

Bakugo absolutely got them lost in the forest once. I think he took that fear and pivoted it into a refusal to ever be scared in nature again which is why he persistently enjoys the outdoors so much. It feels like revenge every time he comes back from a hike.

They made a blood oath to never tell anyone about how Mitsuki used them as drop in models for the Bakugo child clothing line because there was at least one season where they both modeled girls' clothes (Midoriya doesn't really care but Bakugo does). It's not that Bakugo cares or takes issue with a persons' gender, orientation or expression. He knows clothes don't define a person, he's confident and masculine either way and he knows he'd be the best looking person in a dress. He does, however, take issue with the fact that the hag likes to coo and lord the pictures over him because he was incredibly and disarmingly cute (which he acknowledges as "damn right" but despises the principle of the matter wherein his mom has anything over him).

Class 1A all notice the weird tension between the fire kid and the brittle boned dude who looks like he's never slept but just... awkwardly avoid it because they're just as emotionally underdeveloped as these two idiots. I also kinda think the confrontation between the two isn't always as bad as Midoriya's narration suggests because, I would hope in a class of hero students, someone would have intervened? But everyone picked up, day one, that they're just little weirdos and let them do their own thing.

In fact, no one finds Bakugo as intimidating as Midoriya does. Literally, no one. He's loud but compliant with a self-imposed bed time. His words are violent but his hands are skilled and intentional, never reflecting the carnage he threatens. Plus, he's a big ole dork! They know he's all bark and that's why people don't react to his rampaging (based in canon if you look at the provisional license exam, culture festival, Christmas, and Deku's secret training with Tsu, Ochaco and Sero). He used to be really bothered by Class 1A's lack of reaction to his yelling. They just kinda manhandle him to put him in his place and keep it pushing (again, see also Christmas episode and culture festival arcs). But now he accepts it as they accept him and he doesn't feel the need to be so abrasive and put up as many walls.

Midoriya, of course, notices this transition. Hyper fixated on it in fact. While he's super happy that Kacchan is settling in and finding his peace, he resents (but only a teeeeny tiny little bit) Kirishima in particular thinking this change is because of their friendship which he covets. He doesn't comprehend his own impact on or inspiration for this change, however. He never gives himself enough credit.

When Midoriya went all Dark Deku, Bakugo spent exactly one day a la Bella in Twilight sitting forlorn and waiting in the dark for the idiot to return. After the first 24, he pulled his Hermione pants on and got to work on the plan of recapturing the nerd by any means necessary.

Without spoilers, Bakugo's prized possession is the All Might card they both have because AM remains to be the pinnacle for everything Bakugo hopes to accomplish. But Midoriya's prized possession and the thing he hid before everyone did room tours at Heights Alliance is a picture of him and Bakugo. No fanfare, no merch, just a picture of the two of them with a smile that goes cheek to cheek. It's what gives him strength and resolve to keep moving forward. Aoyama's totally seen it.

Midoriya knows why Bakugo goes to bed at 8:30PM. Yes, he's a sleepy little guy. But also yes, this is his private time to read his shojo romance mangas in peace. ✨ Midoriya stays abreast of his favorite stories waiting for an inevitable "!!!" text when something big happens because Bakugo can't download his... excitement? confusion? joy? with anyone else. (Technically, Kirishima is also aware of this habit, quite by accident, but Bakugo would never tell Midoriya that).

Doesn't seem like it but Bakugo totally spoils Midoriya. It's masked in the harsh way he tends to package everything but he makes it a point to always cook for him, he's really weirdly thoughtful about gifts (no special occasion required but he'll shove it in the nerd's chest), he nags to make sure Midoriya is taking care of himself, etc. When Midoriya falls asleep in random places, Bakugo is the one who covers him with a blanket, quiets the surrounding extras down and leaves him with an excruciatingly gentle thumb across his freckles.

Bakugo pays rapt attention to Midoriya's muttering. Generally, he's interested in the subject matter because he's also an overly analytical fanboy. But also, his attention will sometimes drift from appreciating Midoriya's face and fall to his lips. This is when he gets flustered and "loses his temper". Really, he's worried he got caught lacking and is pissed at himself. It'll happen again and again.

MOMENTS

Much longer series thats focused basically on their relationship so these aren't really moment moments but rather... pieces of the story.

Better in the manga, but Midoriya running into the slime villain fray was just... so momentous. Even before knowing it's impact, it was it was just so chest fluttering. Through and through, that kid has always been a hero. Quirk or not.

In retrospect, everything about the sports festival makes me want to swallow a throw pillow. From Bakugo starting to warm up to people, Bakugo being an eavesdropping little shit, Midoriya (and Aizawa) explaining Kacchan to onlookers, Bakugo unwilling to accept victory. So much of their individual personalities are laid bare but still, that unavoidable link to one another.

I hated the exam against All Might, too much tension/confrontation. But I loved when Bakugo took a hit meant for Midoriya and Midoriya subsequently powered up to sideline All Might AND recapture Bakugo's unconscious body. So on brand for them.

Midoriya still having a psychic connection with Bakugo's enigmatic ass in Kamino by sending Kirishima in for the rescue. I know that burned him up but he's so used to sacrifice.

Generally, every time Kacchan inspired the unlock of another OFA quirk because let's be so for real. Midoriya is Captain Save a Hoe when it comes to Bakugo and even simply Bakugo's honor. Like Bakugo can't defend himself.

Super Secret All Might Meeting in the gif above. It's just so comical, how different they are, but deep down they're so similar.

Dinner at the Todoroki's because that, too, was just so comical. You mean to tell me Bakugo can be considerate? He has manners? He's not always feral!?

First Shiggy Showdown, Bakugo's hero origin story revolving around his body moving to defend Midoriya just like Midoriya's revolved around him.

Bakugo risking further injury and limb to see Midoriya because that's the first thing on his mind as soon as he opened his eyes.

Super Secret All Might Training (with Tsu, Ochaco and Sero). The fact that Bakugo comes to terms with how shitty he's been but also that he cares so much about Midoriya that he can come to terms with the fact that his idol may be withholding stuff that could negatively impact his childhood friend. That reckoning when Midoriya still struggles to not put All Might on a pedestal is peak overprotective Bakugo.

Bakugo putting on his tie properly to appeal to Nezu and Endeavor about bringing Deku back in and how, just as Midoriya can speak to Bakugo's inner workings, Bakugo can speak to Midoriya's. Which is hilarious considering how they're both still pretty dense.

THE APOLOGY. No notes. Just kidding, one amendment. The apology followed by the forced bath of city rat smelling Deku, group project edition.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning through MHA Chapter 411.

The moment Bakugo takes the field against Shigaraki. He tells Best Jeanist to watch over everyone, as he knows he'll be abdicating that role, and he thinks about Midoriya. Which we now know he's been doing this whole time!?

Volume 29 manga cover.

Just as Midoriya has been a driving force for Bakugo, we see once again that Bakugo was a driving force for Midoriya with the way he absolutely loses his shit when he sees Bakugo's discarded body.

Volume 37 manga cover!

THE TELEPATHIC WAY THEY LAUNCHED BAKUGO TO ALL MIGHT'S AID. Featuring heavily: Bakugo and his Midoriya pickled mind. That success was so cathartic. But also Bakugo verbalizing what he felt he's always been hell bent on doing, looking out for Midoriya. Which again, kinda twisted but I'm interested to see how their story ends because I think we'll get some exposure to more of their background lore.

[thegoober010]

HELLO! PAW PRINT ANON IS BACK!

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THE ONESHOT!!! IM GOING INSANE ITS SO GOOD!!!

I have a bit of a different request this time! (It’s not Mettaton, I know, shocking.)

Could you do some Sans x reader headcanons? Preferably hurt/comfort if thats alright :33

IF IM SENDING TOO MANY REQUESTS PLEASEEE DO SAY SO!! I DONT WANNA OVERWORK YOU!!!

-🐾

AAAAAA IM SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT <333!!!

AND ITS TOTALLY FINE PAW PRINT ANON MWEHEHHE DW I LOVE DOING REQUESTS <333!!! AND OMG ITS NOTR METTATON RELATED!!!?!??!? shocking!!! absolutely BAFFLING!!

JKJK LMAO OFC I CAN DO THIS :)!! IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR NESXT TIME BTW LIKE WHAT TYPE OF HURT LIKE IF THE READER GOT INTO A FIGHT WITH THEM OR MAYBE THEY NEED COMFORT AFTER A BREAKUP OR IF THEY NEED COMFORT AFTER RELAPSING, AN ED, OR SUM THATD BE HELPFUL FOR NEXT TIME BTW <33!! IMA JUST DO IT THAT THEY HAD A BAD DAY AT WORK TODAY THE READER WORKS AT LIKE GRILBYS OR SUM TEEHEE

SANS X READER HERE WE GOOO 🗣🗣🗣

TW/CW -> None really- Just a depressed reader!

word count -> 1k/1164! I didnt write as much on this post sorry!! im pretty tired rn its 1:15 am where im at rn LMAOOO

"Are you alright?"

Fuck your life, you just came back to the house after a long, grueling, shitty shift. You were so tired you almost collapsed onto the snow before you even made it home. You just wished it was peaceful for once, that you didn't feel burnt out, overwhelmed all the time, you just wanted to sleep and never wake up, maybe then you wouldn't feel so tired. As you opened the door you placed your bag on the couch and made your way to San's room, who was not only your best friend but your boyfriend as well. He always helped you, even though you didn't particularly enjoy talking about your feelings to him especially on nights like this he was always there for you, always making sure you were okay and took care of yourself and had a good rest after these long days. You mumbled to yourself as you opened the door to his room until you realized. "Fuck he's not here." You grumbled. You rubbed your temple as you sat on his bed, you were stressed and you needed him. Why can't he just be there for you? Why does he always have to be off somewhere else and then appear late whenever you need him. It pissed you off even more, you knew you were thinking irrationally, he was always there for you it's only a few times where he can't be and is busy, you were just too stressed to think properly though, too stressed to even think about anything else besides how badly you just need someone to help you out right now. You crawled on top of his bed, covering yourself with the blanket. The shift was honestly terrible, many customers were overly rude at Grilby's today, mostly newcomers, and it was so damn busy you couldn't really do much about those people/monsters, you were so frustrated by all the orders and all the insults thrown your way, in fact you got way less tips than usual which caused you to be even more upset, money wasn't much of a problem but come on! Tears swelled up in your eyes from all the built up frustration from not just this shift, but all the past shifts that were almost the exact same situation, you hated working on those days and how underemployed that place was because you had to work twice as hard due to that as well.

After a good 10 minutes of you laying on the bed, muttering to yourself about all the stuff that happened and about how much you just needed someone for once and crying silently, you heard the door creak open. You wiped away your tears quickly with the blanket, shifting slightly and pretending to fall asleep. You knew it was sans and if he sees you like this he'd ask, and you don't want to bother him with any of your problems. "I know you're not asleep." Sans said walking up to you, he sat on the bed near you. "What happened?" he asked. You let out a sigh as you hugged the blanket tighter. "I don't want to talk about it." You grumbled, your tone annoyed with a hint of sadness. Sans stared at you for a bit before fixing your hair. "Are you sure? I mean you've been coming home more upset than usual, is work alright? Anything happening?" Sans questioned, his tone of voice growing more concerned. You furrowed your brows as you could feel the corners of your eyes sweet up with tears once more. You covered yourself with the blanket, not even daring to look at Sans. "Stop it, just STOP. I told you I'm fine! You don't have to pry into every little detail of my life I just want you here with me I don't want you digging into this I told you I'm fine, I just wanted you here with me, fuck." you yelled at first, calming your voice down as to not wake up Papyrus and to try to calm yourself down. Your voice cracks, you didn't really mean to come off as rude, you're just tired, you don't want him to get worried or to try and fix your problems, you just want him there with you, to give you a hug or just give you comforting words, you don't want him prying too much into this, you don't want him getting worried.

Sans seemed taken aback by your remark. He stayed quiet for a bit before nodding, he understood how you felt. Everyone has different ways they deal with this situation and how they want others to react, some want others to pry into their life and try to help solve their problems, others just want them to be there with them during this but not get too involved in the situation and many other things, everyone reacts differently to this much stress. Of course he was a bit shocked and to be honest a little hurt by your words but he knows you're just stressed and don't mean to be rude. He truly does understand, he knows how you feel, so he will be there for you. "You're obviously not fine, but I understand you don't want me to be involved in the situation, you just want me to be there for you, I understand." Sans replied, he gave you a comforting pat on the shoulder before laying with you on the bed. He let out a long sigh as he crossed his arms behind his head. "Take some deep breathes, that usually helps with stress, and make sure to sleep well." Sans said, you nodded. "Come on, let's take a few deep breathes." Sans said, you rolled your eyes but it does usually help. You did as he said and took a few small and quick deep breathes, trying to make the tension in your body disappear and just try to relax. "Feeling any better?" Sans asked, you shook your head no which caused him to chuckle a bit. "Yeah I kinda thought so. Deep breathes won't immediately make you feel bette but it helps with tension, for now just rest, cry if you want, I'm here for you alright... I won't judge you for being emotional okay. I love you too much for that." Sans said giving a reassuring hand on your shoulder. You nodded, you turned your head to face him and give him a small smile. "I appreciate that.." you muttered, he gives you a quick nod. "No need to do that, just rest, I'm here for you. No matter what happens remember that okay, I'll always be here for you." Sans replied, he wrapped an arms around you, pulling you closer. You let out a soft sigh as you moved closer to him, you closed your tired eyes and felt yourself slowly start to fall asleep in his arms. He kept his arm wrapped around you and watched you slowly fall asleep.

"Sleep well, I'm here, okay."

[eliasiis]

break

pairing: platonic aether n scara

word count: 1.3k

so what am i supposed to call scara if i write about him?? i kept scara as his name because what else am i sposed to do. anyway i haven't done the archon quest yet forgive my transgressions and anything i mightve messed up about him

"Traveler! Traveler, wake up!"

Ugh.

Aether rubs his eyes with one hand, waving his other hand around in hopes of gently batting Paimon away. In his drowsiness, he completely misses.

"Hey, watch where you wave those! And wake up, we have a guest!" His companion says, opting to just shake him rather than uselessly yelling.

With a sour expression, the traveler sits up. "What guest? Who... Is it Hu Tao again? Tell her I can't find customers right now..." He's about to go back to sleep, but a swift kick to his side has him reeling instead. It didn't even hurt that much, not really, but it was unexpected. Paimon isn't big enough to kick him like that, so...

"Wake up. It's not a request."

Blearily blinking up at him, Aether stares up at the familiar blue-clad wanderer.

He can't even begin to imagine how Scara had gotten to Liyue, much less how he'd found out where they'd been sleeping. Hesitantly, he stands up and shakes the sleep off. "Alright, sure. I won't ask how you got here. What's up?"

"So you finally know what's good for you, huh?" That mischievous smirk always seems to find it's way to Scara's face. Before, it would make Aether's skin crawl. Now, he regards it with a fond exasperation. "You're coming with me."

Aether isn't a stranger to being dragged along with whoever decides they want his company, but hearing it from Scara almost gives him whiplash. He dramatically sighs, but he doesn't plan to decline. "Sure, but..." He looks back at the tent, and his many, many irreplaceable things (his bag, a bit of food he'd bought from the markets in Liyue- All that's really irreplaceable there is Paimon.) "It'll take a while for me to pack all of this up."

Paimon pipes in, helpful for once. "Paimon will watch the tent!" She pushes Aether further from the tent, giggling. "Go! Don't leave me for too long, okay?"

Ruffling her hair, Aether grins at her. She bats at his hands, but smiles anyway. "Thanks, Paimon. Where to?"

... ◇ 》

They've been wandering forever. Sure, Aether is a traveler, but he and Paimon take their time. They like to take breaks, despite the fact that he's never even seen paimon use her legs to tire them out.

But apparently, Scara can speedwalk as he sees fit and just doesn't stop.

"Speed it up, slowpoke. I don't have time for you to take forever." Scara turns around, finally stopping in his tracks.

"Scara, hold on!" Aether pants, running his hands through his hair. "Why don't we... Take a break for a minute?"

Scara glares.

Aether puts up his best puppy eyes.

Nobody can resist, not even Scara. He scoffs, but doesn't disagree.

"Fine. Come on."

Scara leads Aether to a lake just a few feet away from them. He sits on the grass, but Aether takes a different approach. He undoes his braid and runs his fingers through long, blonde strands before lowering himself into the water.

It's cold, but he's used to it. Dragonspine had prepared him for any and all cold temperatures long ago.

"What are you doing? I hope you know that you'll have to walk around like a wet dog after this." Scara sneers, but Aether just grins.

"Fine with me!" He knows he might get a cold, but Tighnari is always available for things like that. Baizhu or Qiqi at Bubu Pharmacy as well. He's always well taken care of. "Why don't you come in as well?"

"Eugh, no way. I don't want to get wet, much less sit in that lake with you of all people." He says, turning his nose up.

"Alright. You've offended me for the last time. You're getting in." He climbs out of the water and grabs Scara's arm. Scara tries to shake him off, but it's known well that Aether is a whole lot physically stronger than he looks.

"Get your filthy hands off of me!"

"No way! You hurt my feelings, Scara, you have to make up for it."

"I don't have to make up for anything, you're vile scum! Get off, you'll get me wet!"

Trying to drag Scara in with him, Aether grabs at his sleeves but misses and grabs his side instead. The shriek that comes after has both of them silent and unmoving.

Aether grins evilly.

"Hey, Scara..."

"No!" Scara smacks Aether's hand away from him and scrambles to move away, but Aether's already grabbed his leg and pulled him back before he can stand.

"Scara..~" He says in a teasing, sing-song like voice and Scara pushes his face away with one hand and tries desperately to shove him with the other. "I know what that was, Scara. You can't hide from me..."

"No! Get away from me!" Scara kicks his legs as violently as possible, but Aether is strong and fast and has straddled him before he can even process what happened.

And then Aether shoves his hands underneath the layers of his clothes and they did nothing to protect him in the first place.

"Any last words?"

"I'll kill you!"

Aether rolls his eyes at the empty threat. "I'm sure you will." He squeezes at Scara's sides, and the reaction is immediate.

"NO! I'll seriously kill you- AAGH, STOP!" Scara slams his arms down to his sides, but that does nothing except make the unbearably ticklish feeling worse. He's already cackling, and in an attempt to save his little remaining dignity he tries to shove Aether away. "S-Stohop! Trahaveler- You ahahare soho dead!"

"Ehehe. Look how cute you look! Aww, are you blushing?" Aether completely ignores those threats in favor of saying things he knows will provoke Scara further. He pushes up Scara's shirt and uses all ten fingers to scratch at his lower stomach, cooing at him the whole time. "Awh, aren't you just the cutest lil thing?"

Scara grabs at Aether's wrist and uses all of his strength to push him off, but his effort is wasted. It seems Aether is so determined to tickle him to death that nothing could deter him and Scara hates him for it.

"Stop teheheasing mee!" It sounds like more of a whine than the demand he meant it to be, and combined with the giddy, ticklish feeling he's being forced to endure it makes him flush. He's so embarrassed, he wants the ground to swallow him up. He arches his back and fails as much as possible, but nothing he does lessens that feeling at all and he's going to kill that idiot traveler, he swears he will.

"How can I? Your laugh is just the cutest thing I've ever heard, I can't even," Aether laughs a bit too, hearing Scara laugh for any reason other than someone else's expense just makes him want to stay like this forever. He sounds so... Happy. His laugh is so bright and bouncy and at this point, Aether really can't help it. He lowers his hands to Scara's hips and starts squeezing.

Scara fully squeals and his squirming increases tenfold. "Nononono! Stop, stohohop! N-not there- Nnnhahahh-" He pushes at the ground and he almost squirms a little further away, but again Aether just pulls him back and keeps going. If this keeps up, he's going to actually drop dead before he can kill Aether for daring to do this to him. He just starts smacking where ever he can reach- Aether's arm, or his face, but he's already so weak that it has no effect. "MERCY!! Mercy!!"

It stops.

Aether, still grinning, moves off and sits next to Scara's panting form. "You okay?"

"I will kill you. I will make you wish you'd never been born. Do you understand what I'm saying to you, Traveler? I will end you." He's really just trying to compensate for the embarrassing pleading he'd just done, but if he died, how was he supposed to murder Aether as revenge?

"Right, right. Do you wanna get moving now?"

"No. Let me rest."

Aether smiles at Scara. His eyes are closed, and he looks incredibly pissed off. Aether will accept any form of revenge, because that was so worth it.

He'll make good use of that.

[definegodliness]

Swinging

Short story (1282 words).

I was having breakfast at Bob's Intercontinental Swinging Club, as I tend to do, each Saturday morning. They've got great home-made sandwiches. Horrendous coffee, though.

I suspect Donna, Bob's wife, reheats the leftover coffee from the day before, to then add some fresh brew, that is so criminally strong it'll have a spoon standing upright in your mug, to mask the taste. Any taste.

Still, Bob's is the only place I know where you can still smoke indoors, so what do I care. I was just about to start my second sandwich, when I saw Bob waft through the streaks and plumes of nicotine blue, approaching my window side table.

"Hey, Bob."

He sat down at my table. Bob never has to ask. I offered him a cigarette, which he denied. And from his front-side pocket he fetched a small box of cigarellos. He lit one with a match, inhaled deeply, and, then, let out a big, tear-inducing column of a sigh. He was evidently feeling heavy, so I tried to lighten the mood:

"Damn, Biff — I call him Biff because Bob looks like Old Man Biff from the Back to the Future movies — what do they put in those; asphalt and conifer?"

This caused a faint smile, before he took another pensive draw.

"So, eh, how's business?", I leaned forward over the table, interested, and immediately drew back due to my elbows sticking to yesterday's beer.

"Not great, McFly, not great."

"Yeah, I noticed customer amounts dwindling. What is up with that?", I lifted my sandwich off the plate, "Can't be these, Donna still aces them."

"No, no. People still love those. And you can smoke indoors. The cafeteria's fine, but I just can't seem to get people excited for swinging anymore."

"Ludicrous. I can't think of anything more exciting."

I closed my eyes and thought of yesterday's Friday Swinging Night, letting a grin curl my mouth. I don't know if I spoke or whispered.

"It's just so… satisfying."

For sure, though, I then once more leaned forward over the table, overcoming its stickiness for the sake of importance. And, solemnly, I added:

"Come on, Biff, I'm sure it's just a temporary slump. I've been coming here for years and years. Swinging is timeless. I know it's different, now, then when Pops started in the 60's, but when you took over, the club went intercontinental. That's a great feat. Besides, I mean, I'm half this club's age, but you and Donna picked me up, and pulled me into swinging. I'm sure we can do this for the next generation."

"Frankly, Mark — wait, no McFly? — I think that's the problem."

"¿Que?"

"Guys, like you… you are the problem."

I spat out my coffee.

"Awful, isn't it?

"Yes", I muttered, wiping my mouth with my palm, to then swiftly and frantically brush the coffee grounds from my teeth with my index finger.

"But I am also shocked! How can you say such a thing? I'm your most loyal customer. AND your friend."

"You're also very conservative."

"That's not true. I was the first to laud you for omitting Family Swings. I am definitely not for everything staying the same."

"Yeah, but that's just because they made you queasy…"

I pulled an ugly face, thinking of Family Swings. Horrible occasions. I didn't need to say a thing. Bob was right.

And so he continued:

"… So don't act like you're all progressive. You always go for the same. Hey, the older they get, the more you love 'em."

"What can I say? I like mine vintage. They feel better. Move better."

I leaned backwards and crossed my arms.

"They make better noises, too. Heck, they make sound, Bob! Do you know how unsatisfying silence is?"

Bob frowned, and shook his head. Clearly unimpressed by my arguments. So I continued my passionate plea:

"I mean, come on, you know I'm loud. Don't you know how awkward I feels when I'm alone at that? I need them to be louder than me!"

Bob just took another draw of his cigarello and blew out a deep sigh of disappointment.

"They don't make noise, because you never play with them."

He put out his cigarello as a statement.

"Don't you remember how you were when you first came here? Like a kid in a candy store. You tried them all. Loved them all. Here you can't even remember how silent Jessica was, until you were all over her. Now, she's the loudest of them all."

"Yeah, that's why she feels mine. That's why I keep returning", I weaselled, unwisely.

"That is so against swinging culture."

"All right, all right. I take that back. I just like my 90's baby a lot. But you know I also love my 80's baby Stella, and Tiffany…

Bob interrupted me.

"That's exactly my point! You only go for the older ones. The one's that've been here for years!"

I, however, was already too far gone. Lost in recalling Fridays. Thinking about my favourites: 60's baby's, 50's, 40's, 30's… 20's! Listing all their names. Until I, in my excitement, named that one name who should not be named.

By me, that is.

"Huberta! Oh, Huberta. Sure, she's wobbly and creaks a little, but…"

Bob slammed the table.

"You know you're no longer allowed near Huberta!"

"Ah, come on. Why not? Still not?"

"You broke her."

"Nothing a little titanium couldn't fix..."

He threw his hands in the air, anguished at this statement.

"I'm not having this." Then, louder, and to the kitchen: "Donna! I'm not having this! Can't talk to the kid."

"Just tryyy it."

He grunted.

"All right, listen. I see you sneaking around Huberta while you know she's off limits. Off. Limits. And you know what? All those names you just listed. Off limits. All. Off. Limits."

Bob waved his finger at me, the jolly fellow had never scolded anyone like this. Let alone myself. It was only now I understood he was really, really pissed. So, I did the only thing I could do. I apologized. Shut my mouth. And listened.

And, luckily, after I said sorry, Bob calmed a bit.

"Look, it's always the same with you. I appreciate your patronage and dedication to the club, but you use those poor things up. You have at them, and at them, and at them, until you break them. I know it's all out of your limitless swinging enthusiasm, but you are giving the club a bad name. Really, you are, Mark. In fact, we've come known as: not safe."

I sat silently, guiltily, trying to stir the spoon in my coffee.

"Am I banned now?"

"Nah, McFly, I wouldn't ban you. But I'm begging ya, just try the new ones. Play with them. See, Hailey for instance, she's our newest addition; been here for over a week, and I've never seen you even look at her."

Bob stood up and patted my shoulder.

"Do me a favour, will ya? Just try her. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun. You'll be coming back for more just like you did with Jessica."

"Hailey, eh?" I nodded.

And, so, I slumped to Bob's Intercontinental Swing Club's latest model, Hailey 2023. Silently muttering to myself. She was perfect. Far too perfect for me. But I hopped onto her, strapped myself to her — what a bullshit safety feature — and took a couple of steps backward. Shoes tipping over soft rubber tiles, another safety precaution. I rolled my eyes, thinking:

'It's a goddamn swing.'

I craved the element of danger the older models give me, and as I let Hailey 2023 launch me, steadily, and silently; back, and forth, smoothly, I uttered a reluctant:

"Whee."

---

30-8-2023, M.A. Tempels ©

[myriadof-fandoms]

harringrove week - day 5 - one look at you and i can't disguise

prompt: outsider pov

"wait, talk me through it again?" chrissy is really trying to keep up but occasionally her best friend has a habit of talking in riddles.

billy sighs, lighting another cigarette but holding it away from her so the smoke doesn't hit her, "harrington's making fun of me."

"right, because-"

"because he smiles at me!" billy is only mumbling now, looking away from her.

they're parked on a dirt road with a view of one of the countless fields surrounding hawkins. it's become a habit of sorts, when basketball and cheer practice end at the same time they say they have to study for their spanish class together. instead of doing any such thing they drive past the town sign, park somewhere quiet to sit on the hood of billy's car and talk.

"billy, i promise i'm trying to understand but how does that mean he's making fun of you?"

he huffs and repeats himself, "because he fucking hates me. i beat him up, i was generally not the nicest person around him and then he ignored me for a year. now everytime i have to drive max to that stupid video store he smiles at me like- like that's normal."

"it kinda is what people in service jobs have to do?" chrissy throws in while picking at her nail beds.

"chris, i've seen him with other customers though. the other week max dragged me there to get breakfast club again and tina and her new boyfriend were at the counter when we came in. harrington did not smile once."

"so do you watch him the entire time you're there?"

the thing is that billy's told her he likes boys. only once and very quietly and with bated breath like he expected the worst from her. she just hugged him instead.

"of course not."

chrissy wonders if he knows that he's blushing.

their friendship had developed over shared classes and projects and her being around the basketball team due to jason. though what really made her and billy talk was jason himself - specifically his inability to leave her alone when she told him to. billy only had to witness her having to tell jason no more than once before he even considered listening to her one time before he stepped between them.

billy stuck around her whenever they were in the vicinity of jason and so they talked. a shitty home life, albeit differently so, brought them closer and billy's trust sealed it all.

that was the last time jason ever tried to convince her to do anything and when she ended their relationship, with billy only some feet away, he went away without much arguing. how he called her a bitch and only left because he was scared of billy not because he respected chrissy herself still tastes bitter in her mouth but having gained a best friend out of the whole mess makes that easier to bear.

and though he never said it explicitly again, he's mentioned a few guys from california. he trusts her enough to do that.

and he mentions steve harrington. in fact billy talks about almost nothing but steve harrington without ever realising that himself.

"i ran into harrington."

"harrington wore different jeans to work."

"steve helped me find a movie."

"max says the rumours aren't true. harrington and wheeler are not back together.

and as of recently "harrington hates me because he smiles at me."

"king steve has a new haircut."

"maybe steve wants to be friends? maybe he's ready to move on from what happened," chrissy says hesitantly though she can guess how billy's reaction will look. not once has any hint to steve wanting to be nice actually helped.

so just like chrissy knows that it's not his sister max who likes watching breakfast club, she has come to realise that max's not the one who wants to go to family video at least twice a week. chrissy doesn't quite know how to get billy out of his denial though.

"yeah, right." he scoffs at her and smokes the last of his cigarette before flicking it on the gravel.

it's always the same, sheer and immediate denial of the chance that steve might like billy. if chrissy has to hear another story that involves steve staring at billy with "weird bambi eyes" while he's trying to act nonchalant she might simply have to tell billy that he's being idiotic though. she's reaching her limit.

for the time being she lets billy believe what he wants since her curfew is coming around quicker than she wants.

billy seems to notice their time running thin just like she did, "c'mon, we should head back."

while they drive the rest of the way billy teaches her one spanish curse word as usual, a little loophole that makes their afternoons less of a lie.

billy helps her off the hood and then turns on her favourite tape of his in the car. they both sing along with stevie nicks until they enter hawkins again.

the familiar anxiety starts to grow in her stomach when he parks in front of her house. so as usual she stalls at least for another moment.

"oh, i picked up your weed from eddie." chrissy leans down and picks through her backpack for the small bag she collected for billy during break.

when she hands it over billy is grinning at her and chrissy knows what to expect.

"you know if you just ask munson out on a date you don't have to to pick up my drugs as an excuse to see him anymore, right?"

now it's chrissy's turn to blush while she gets out of the passenger seat. billy's cackling lightly behind her, sounding way too self-satisfied and so before she closes the door chrissy leans back inside to look at him.

"maybe if you get your head out of your ass and ask out steve i'll ask out eddie."

billy's flushed, shocked face makes her giggle all the way to the door.

perhaps they're both useless when it comes to boys but at least they're hopeless together.

[donnerpartyofone]

A really basic and obvious problem with the algorithmic targeting of "your interests" is the idea that everything you click on is actually relevant to your interests. The assumption that everything I do online is something I meant to do with full information, and that I am always satisfied by, is completely absurd. The internet is a place that is full of misinformation and misdirection and ambiguity and it is also a place that constantly inflames morbid curiosity--which is not always a driver of consumer activity. This is like assuming that if I unwitting click on something that links to Lemon Party, it must be because I have a vested interest in gay gerontophilic pornography, and it will be financially productive for companies to serve me erotic content featuring elderly men for the rest of my life.

My immediate reason for thinking about this is a lot more boring, but still: When I'm looking for jobs on Indeed, I start with a simple set of delimiters--let's say the job description should include "writer" and the location should be <25 miles of me and it should be [anything but an internship]--but as I go along, Indeed seems to be actively thinking about what I'm clicking on and adjusting its behavior accordingly. I see a listing for a "commerce writer" at The Spruce and I think "I'm not interested in anything to do with commerce, but I like The Spruce, maybe I can click through to other jobs they have?" It turns out I can't because the job is listed through some generic agency, so that was a bust...but now Indeed is serving me as many jobs as it can find with the word "commerce" in them. Luckily I seem to be able to game this a little bit by clicking on things with more obviously relevant key words to get my search back on track.

I might also click on a job listing just because I can't tell what it is from the preview text, or because something about it sounds hilarious to me. Or I might click on something because the preview text sounds right, but then the actual job is exactly wrong. This last problem is strongly compounded by employers dicking around with job titles which I think sometimes happens to follow some new trend, sometimes to make the responsibilities ambiguous so they can exploit people, sometimes because of industry-specific terms that are not cross-compatible, and sometimes out of genuine idiocy (so it seems to me). Like, in my limited experience "associate" is an entry level office thingy I might qualify for, but an associate is something very different in a big time law firm--or an employer might use that title so they can pay on an associate level for a disproportionate amount of labor and responsibility. Years ago when I was actively searching for jobs on LinkedIn there was some weird mistake--I don't know anymore if it was a problem with my site activity, or if LinkedIn misinterpreted my resume and profile, or both/neither--but something made it so that LinkedIn would only serve me vice president jobs no matter what. It was all C-suite stuff I would never qualify for and that I probably wouldn't even want. There was nothing I could do to fix this, and eventually I reached out to Support to try to get someone to help on the backend. They never responded to me in any way and I totally forgot about LinkedIn for many years afterward.

Spoiler alert for 976-EVIL I guess but there's a part of that movie where the heroes try to find out who is in charge of the evil prophetic phone horoscopes, so they go to the office building that hosts all these hotline businesses and it turns out that 976-EVIL is basically just coming out of a box in a closet. That's how I feel about a lot of internet businesses, and I know this is by design to avoid paying for customer service, but still. Years ago I was stalked by a guy who left 600+ comments on a YouTube video related to my place of work. We couldn't reach the original uploader and we tried and tried to get someone's attention at YouTube, but we never got back so much as an automated email with a FAQ link. I'm still convinced that nobody works at YouTube, it just comes out of a box in a closet somewhere.

Anyway. I remain amused and annoyed that The Algorithm thinks that everything I do online is both on purpose and has desirable outcomes. Sometimes I have this paranoid fantasy about what if my phone is monitoring all the subtleties of my exact behavior on Tumblr, because I follow a few people who post porn *just once in a great while*, which means sometimes I'm innocently scrolling along when some porn appears and I do a double-take thinking "Who do I follow who is posting that?", and I scroll back to figure it out--in which case my phone would think that I'm lingering over the porn because I want it, not because I'm surprised and confused. I hate that I even think about stuff like this, but it's a fact of modern life.

PS Because of this train of thought I now know that the Lemon Party once existed in Canada. Check it out if you want, it's not porn. No for real though.

[novelistash]

Rosette embodies the cordial smile of customer service. Her smile and stance is polished. Her attire, professional but colorful in the way a watercolor for children helps to soothe the senses. Behind her soft eyewear is the look of a fighter. Rosette may have retired from battling, but she's kept that edge.

She greets me with a firm handshake, no doubt anticipating a show of machismo that I never deliver. We're not alone at the outside diner, but Spiral isn't here. Standing at Rosette's side is a woman with noticeably tan makeup contrasting her graying blue hair. The woman is putting on a little weight, especially around the hips, but she has the same height as every Officer Jenny I've ever encountered. Rosette introduces her as, "Kicho. She helps me organize a lot of coordinator events here in Slateport.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I didn't expect you to come so prepared.”

Rosette shakes her head. “We're going to a meeting right after this so it's really more of a coincidence rather than something we planned. Feel free to order anything. You're not working, right?”

Blushing, I tell her, “I have a nest egg.”

Rosette ignores me, putting her attention into food selections from her Roto-phone.

“Do I have to order from that?” I ask. “I only carry around a Poketech X.”

“You should switch over,” says Kicho. Her voice is a smoker's variation on the familiar whistle sounding voice of the Officer Jennys. “The League has already announced that they're going to phase out Poketech support with the launch of Paldea.”

“He likes to try to do things differently. ASH was a Normal trainer back in the Indigo League, and originated the Slaking-Shuckle combo in doubles,” Rosette explains with a veneer of praise.

The detail unsettles me. She knows a lot more about me then I know about her.

My scowling only makes her smile transition into worried sympathy. “Isn't that right?” She offers her Roto-phone so I can order.

Nodding, I order a hamburger steak with gravy.

“So.” Rosette folds her hands on the table. “Who is this coordinator you're looking for?”

“Esther Flowne. She used to use a Beldum, but I don't know what her specialty was.”

Kicho knows who I'm talking about right away. “Esther Flowne, she was a tough coordinator who fell into it because of her latent psychic powers. It came as a big surprise. She was training to be a triathlete like her mother until some tragedy happened. I can't remember the details, but she would always compete with this boy. I think they're married now.”

“Do you know where I can find her?”

“Lemme check our records,” Kicho says. She pulls out a Roto-phone with the back dressed to look like an Arcanine's face.

“Spiral says that you ran into her at Mauville,” says Rosette.

I nod. “She must've told you about how I forced an apology on her. You don't need to chide me for overstepping my bounds, alright? I didn't plan on making her cry. I am genuinely sorry. If you have any advice on how I should apologize, I'm open to it.”

There's this strange look on her face. I glance over at Kicho, sure that I've committed another mistake. “Sorry, I guess I shouldn't be talking about this.”

“No, maybe not,” Rosette mutters, her hand going up to adjust her glasses.

“So, um, what is it that you do, now that you've retired from battling?”

“I do battle from time to time. It's good exercise for my Pokémon.” She continues while I bite my tongue. “I work for the League to assist in civil planning.”

“Sorry. I'm sure working for the League isn't great.”

“It's actually a fulfilling job. I get to see communities at their best and bring Pokemon and people together. Most of my job is a lot of hard work, but it really is worth it when all that planning comes to fruition. A lot of people are being critical of all the big changes going on, but the League is doing things that no other organization has done before. We're bringing the world together.”

I bite back my comments about how the goals of the League mirror the ambitions of Team Plasma. “Well, it isn't easy having to rework strategies with every acquisition. I spent close to half a million pen on items that cause mega-evolutions and now I'd be lucky to get a tenth of that back on the open market. It's even worse with Z-moves. You tell me this, are they going to allow Dynamaxing once Paldea is added to the League?”

Rosette stays composed. “I can't talk about changes before the announcement.”

“Figures.”

“You know, the League actually does a lot of good for the regions they adopt. Hoenn was something of a warzone before they showed up. Team Aqua and Team Magma rose up from corrupt criminal institutions that were completely uncontested before the League's involvement. Critics accuse the League of taking from the culture and discarding what doesn't sell, but we've been keeping coordinator events going even though it's costing the League money.”

“Yeah, and they were thrilled to have that activity relegated to Lilycove in one building.”

“That was an attempt to revitalize interest by keeping everything centralized. The League actually does care about the longevity of the places they occupy. This is more than gym battles and badges.”

I sit up straight and let out a calming sigh. There's no point in taking out my frustration with the League on Rosette. She's doing her best with the job she has, it's not her fault that the League is expanding like an empire of old. “No, you're right. Hoenn is a lot safer now than it used to be. I'm sure you're doing good work. I'm sorry if I came off as ultra critical. The League wasn't supportive when I lost my main fighting team and maybe I've never forgiven them for that.”

“I've sent Esther a message and she got back to me,” says Kicho.

“What, now?!”

“We've been here for a few minutes,” Rosette says with perfect composure. She's acting like I never wronged her.

Kicho continues, “Esther says she doesn't know you.”

“Of course she doesn't know me.” With an exaggerated wave of my hands, I express my annoyance. “I'm getting in touch with her because I want to talk to her.”

“Well you haven't told us what this is about.” Rosette's tone is clear, or at least I think it is. She wants me to stop attacking the League and her friend and get to my goal.

“I'm helping Fenominal Labs research the growth rate of a Beldum. She was involved in the same study years earlier and I'd like to ask her questions about her training methods.”

“Did you get that?” asks Kicho into her phone.

Esther from the other line speaks up, “Yeah, loud and clear. Tell him that I can meet him at the museum.”

I glare at Kicho, but instead of being paralyzed she lifts her self assured chin. “Thanks, Esther. I look forward to meeting you.”

“You too,” she says before ending the call.

“What was that?” I ask Kicho. “You can't wait for me to explain things and then relay it?”

“Life is too short to waste time running back and forth. Honestly!” Kicho stands up and excuses herself.

I'm starring daggers at her until I pick up on Rosette watching me. “What?”

“She's a clone. She doesn't have as much time as we do.”

“Okay, but that shouldn't mean that she ignores social protocol.” I pause to take in the lack of a smirk on her face. “What did I say this time?”

“You know, people have to change their behavior a lot to deal with you. I would've thought that you'd be more patient about accommodating the needs of others.”

“Well, unlike you, I'm not perfect.”

“I'm not,” she snaps and it is a stoned edge comeback. “I have to work hard to be presentable too. This doesn't come easy to anyone. It's another skill, just like everything else.”

For some reason her hard composure and talk of social training reminds me of the first video I'd ever seen of her. Rosette and Spiral were fighting while they were making their rounds through the Hoenn League. Spiral humiliated her with using a Shedinja's Wonderguard. Everyone was talking about it. That was how I'd come to learn about Spiral. It was why I was prepared for my first major fight against her.

“You know, you were a good trainer back in the day,” I say. “If you'd kept with it you probably could've been a Gym Leader or better.”

“I know,” she says without shame or pride. “But I enjoy doing this more. Life isn't always about doing the big things and winning fame. There's a lot you can do when you let go of pride and enjoy life for what it is.”

I poke the bottom of my cup with a straw. “I've been trying to do that, but it never seems to fit me.”

“Maybe that's because you think you have to fit in right away. Pokemon taught me how to evolve, what have they taught you?”

Looking down at the bare plate, I see the stylistic design of Kyogre along the edge. I've never seen a Legendary and I don't know anyone who has, but we have pictures of them all over the world. Maybe being a Champion is kind of like that. Maybe I'm missing the point entirely. “Pokemon taught me to fight for what I want, but the problem is I don't know what I want anymore.”

“You do,” she says with confidence, but annoyingly she doesn't elaborate.

The server comes back with our meals and by the time Kicho and Rosette are finished eating, they get up to leave.

I shake their hands. “Thanks again for setting up the meeting.”

Kicho shrugs. “It was pretty easy. You can find people's numbers if you had a Roto-phone.”

Rosette smiles at her comment, like she's trying to give me a secret message or something and I don't get the joke. “Take care of that Beldum you're studying and be nice to Esther Flowne. I won't be around to smooth things over.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, thanks. Oh, and tell Spiral thanks for arranging this meeting. You were a big help.”

Rosette smiles, but doesn't respond. It creates a lingering effect, some rippling tension that tickles at my undeveloped foresight. I'm experiencing some kind of omen but I don't know why. Rosette and Kicho leave and I wait around for the server. It takes him ten minutes to come over and explain that Rosette already paid for everything.