#and timid is an iffy word to use but I use it when he’s around strangers

[smilesrobotlover]

Ok so before I go to bed cuz I wanna distract myself from the pain heres a ramble

I like to consider that Hyrule is pretty timid and shy around people he doesn’t know in LU. He just prefers to keep to himself and to have things quiet and private. However when he gets to know people more and he’s more comfortable with them, that’s when his true personality comes out. He’s sassy and witty and teases a lot, he’s like a completely different person when he’s around people he’s comfortable with. The true introvert experience

[akemiozawa]

Big Sister pt. 2

And if anyone wants to see a general pic of what the twins look like, I used Picrew. Bree is the left, Brad on the right.

Saturday

After a morning of waking, brushing, grooming, dressing and feeding the twins, Trina though it best to walk them around the campus and show them what their “future school” could look like.

Trina was clad in her casual gear, yellow headphones hung from around her neck, satchel swaying from side to side. Bree skipped in her favorite pink and white gingham dress and sneakers, her hair tied in pigtails with small red ribbons while Brad ran behind her in khaki shorts and a dark blue shirt, his blue high tops thudded to keep up with his sister. His hair swayed wildly in the wind.

They had just stopped outside the courtyard where statues of the Great Seven stood proudly alongside one another.

“So! Where you guys wanna go?” She squatted to their height.

“Whatever you want, Sis!” They said simultaneously. Their eyes bright and shining in the sun, and smiles innocent, Trina’s heart melted at their adorableness.

“Incoming!!!”

At that, a brightly colored hedgehog came sailing through the treetops like a cannonball. With her sixth sense, Trina turned, shielding the kids, and in time to thrust out her hands and catch the animal between them, landing on her feet for balance.

“Whoa!” “Big Sis, are you okay?!” The twins ran to her as she kneeled.

“I’m fine, guys! But this little one...”

The three looked down at the red-colored creature, who was shaking before it stilled and unfurled from its balled form. It sniffed Trina’s hands, looking up at the group. Squeaking happily, it curled into her cupped hands.

“Aww!” Bree and Brad cooed. They gently pet the hedgehog, just as Ace Trappola burst from the foliage. The twins looked up and hid behind Trina, unsure of this new presence.

“Trina! Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know where he went for a second! You totally saved me!” He pushed his lips into a smile, cheeks obviously flushed from running.

“Ace! Where’d the hedgehog go? Did it get hurt?” Not soon after, Deuce Spade halted in the clearing. Before the redhead could answer, Trina snapped,

“What the hell, you two?!”

The first years were taken aback by her sudden retort. Homura’s lips were scrunched together, eyes narrowed, fists clenched. She lept to her feet with, “Nobody got hurt, for you answer, Deuce. But you could’ve put my cousins in danger!” The creature, now with the twins, wasn’t scared, neither were the latter. They could only stare at Trina with wide eyes. Even as she sped walked straight towards the two, eyes full of fire. Ace has his hands up in mock surrender, and Deuce looked ready to piss himself looking at her now glowing eyes.

“Hey! H-hold up, Trina! We didn’t know-OW!” “OW!!” The two rubbed the back of their heads from where they were slapped. But not before they were shoved to the concrete, catching themselves on their hands before they ate asphalt.

“You’re both lucky that I didn’t do worse.” She pointed out with a snark, anger dissipated. Jogging to the others, she scooped up the hedgehog carefully while introducing her cousins.

Ace smiles at the two. “Well then, BB, how’d you like to visit the Queen of Hearts herself? We’re having a small get together, and I think it’s a good opportunity for you to learn of Heartslabyul and it’s superior Queen!”

“Can we? Can we? Can we?!” The twins shouted with glee. Smirking, she looked up at Ace and Deuce.

“Why not?” A squeak of agreement from the hedgehog followed.

————————————————————

A couple minutes later, the main four were all seated in the Heartslabyul gardens, Trina and the twins included. Needless to say, the twins were enjoying their sweet tea and extravagant desserts.

Now, Cater, Ace and Deuce we’re running around the open grass, playing tag with the twins. Trina and Trey decided to stay to the sidelines, keeping an eye on them. As Cater fell to the ground, laughing as Brad pounced on him with a ‘you’re it!’, Trey turned to Trina.

“I have to say, Trina. I never knew you to be the sisterly type.” Trey commented, adjusting his glasses.

“Well, growing up with no older siblings was a bit difficult. How I managed is far beyond me.” Trina chuckled, entwining her ponytail between her fingers.

It wasn’t a lie. Trinity was the only child in her family. No other cousins or relatives around her age at the time. She had no figures to take after. The only figures she had to learn from were her mom, dad, and occasionally aunt Momo. It was a calamity. Her dad taught her one thing, but her mom and aunt taught her another. Often at times, conflicting with each other: Act a certain way, dress another way. It was very rarely for Trina, as a child, to have a say in doing what she wanted. But after the twins came into her life five years ago, that’s when things changed.....

Trina was too engrossed in her thoughts, she barely even noticed the twins screaming in terror.

“BIG SISTER!!!”

They hugged her legs, completely snapping her from her daze. When Trina saw them, she felt her heart crack: tears glazed their eyes, frowns present and they were shaking in fear.

“Oh no! What’s wrong?” Trina knelt to hug them both. They didn’t hesitate to embrace her. She wiped away their tears with her thumbs.

“There was this scary man in red who screamed ‘Off with your heads!’ out of nowhere.” Brad blubbered.

“We didn’t know if it was meant for us!” Bree sniffled. They bowed their heads in shame like they had committed a crime.

And thank god they did.

For after hearing what happened, Trina’s head lowered, bangs covered her eyes. But inside, she was hiding how she really felt.

“BB.” She spoke in an oddly calm voice. The two looked at her, but made no comment. “Both of you stay together. I just realized....I have something important to handle.”

————————————————————

Ten minutes later, Trina came back, with a smile on her face.

“Trina! Where’d you go?” Cater ran up to her.

“Oh, y’know, just had to deal with something. Where the twins?” She brushed off.

“Uh, they’re with Ace right now. Why? You need them?”

“As a matter of fact, I do! I’ll need them to help me with.... ‘important matters’ if you will.”

Cater was a bit iffy about the way that sentence was said, but before he could get a word out, Trina called for the two.

“Little Brother! Little Sister! We need to get going!”

As if they were soldiers, the two said their goodbyes to the Four Cards, and scurried to keep up with Trina’s strides.

Just as soon as they reached the front doors,

“TRINITY!”

The twins screamed and clutched each other in terror. Trina roller her eyes while turning to the person that barked her name.

“Hello, Riddle.” She spat his name like bile in her mouth. The Heartslabyul lead strode up to her, eyes stone cold, lips twisted into a scowl.

“What in Her Majesty’s name are you doing here?” He seethed.

“Aww, c’mon, Rose. Can’t a girl hang out with four of her amazingly loyal friends?” She pouted in mock sadness, hands held over her heart. She pouted, eyes glossy.

“Not with that attitude, you can’t.” He bit back. Trina let out a scoff of offense, but the former brushed it off, his steely grey eyes landing on the cowering children.

“And who are they?!” He swung his scepter down to point at the two.

“I-I’m Bree, and this is my brother, Brad, Your Majesty. We’re with Big Sister.” The little brunette managed to speak up, remembering what the Ace of Hearts taught her.

“ ‘Big Sister’?” Riddle repeated the word like it was completely foreign to him. He eyed Trina with suspicion while kneeling before the two, who were commanded to come forward.

“And why, pray tell, do you call...miss Homura your ‘big sister’?” He demanded in a soft tone.

“It’s because we love her with all our hearts!” Brad intercepted. “Big Sis is like one we never had! There’s nothing we wouldn’t do to protect her!” He shouted with glee. Then at the last minute, “Uh, Your Highness!’ with a small bow.

“Is that so?” They nodded at the question. Riddle, for a minute, didn’t seem to buy the twins’ answers. Knowing Trinity like he knew himself, there’s nothing the she-devil wouldn’t do to one-up him with all she’s got. He’d rather die than admit she was smarter, and probably scarier, than him.

But after hearing the rumors of her with two kids...maybe they have potential to help Riddle in the grand scheme in Her Majesty’s name! And possibly overthrow Trinity in the process.

“Well, then!” His voice took up a more happier approach. “Since you both have followed the proper rules towards speaking to a Royal, and with truthful answers, I can see that you both have potential! Joining Heartslabyul would be the benefit of your futures! Keep that in mind!” He instructed. With a snap of his fingers, two small badges with the Heartslabyul crest floated in midair before moving to each twin. They grabbed the pins, holding them close like they were new toy robots.

“Thank you!” They smiled. A small smile was on Riddle’s lips until-

“Uh, Your Majesty!” A timid first year ran just behind him but halted when he saw his commander busy.

“WHAT?!” Riddle snapped around to face the first year, his glare as sharp as a knife. The first looked close to pissing himself.

“N-not to make you mad or anything...b-but....we have an emergency! The roses are on fire!” He was gone as soon as the word ‘fire’ was uttered.

Riddle whipped around. If he was mad before, he was definitely seething now. His eyes were dead set on Trina, who just looked back at him with an innocent smile.

“This. Isn’t. Over. You She-Devil!” And with that, he hiked up his coat and raced towards the gardens at the sound of a fire bell.

Trina only watched him go with glee, while ushering the twins out, fingering the mini lighter in her pocket.

————————————————————

The three were out of breath as soon as they slipped out the Heartslabyul doors. Trina looked over her shoulder several times to make sure the monarch wasn’t hot on their heels, laughing maniacally as she did so running.

However, she wasn’t looking where she was going, and just as she turned her head back, she smacked into someone, sending her stumbling to the ground.

Just as she braced for impact, keeping her eyes open, she was surprised to find herself just three inches before face planting. She craned her head up to see herself inside a teal colored bubble. Her body floated in air. There was only one person who could manipulate gravity spheres like these.

“Breelyn!”

The little twin held her hand out in front of her, fingers glowing a bright green, her eyes doing the same action but were filled with fear. Her big sis nearly got hurt!

As well as the other student behind her.

Ruggie was trying to find where the hell Leona has snuck off to, only to crash into Trina (literally) sending them both in a stumble. He nearly landed on his back had it not been for the little squirt to save their asses. And was he ever relieved.

After Bree released the second years from her hold, Trina ran for Bree and scooped her into a tight hug.

“Bree! I can’t believe you did that!” Trina’s voice shook slightly. She felt so many things: anger, fear, shock, relief. But she still hugged her little cousin.

“Is Big Sis okay? I didn’t want you to get hurt!” Bree pulled away to stare at Trina with tears eyes. With one look at her, Trina felt herself tear up. She flicked her tears away before they could show.

“Yea, I’m okay.” She smiled. “But don’t do that again without me knowing! Lord knows what could happen to you if you over exerted yourself!” Bree nodded, giggling.

“Fluffyyyyyyy.” Brad cooed.

At the sound of his voice, Trina positioned her gaze to see the second twin scratching Ruggie’s ears, the latter obviously enjoying the young boy’s touch. Cheeks dusted a faint red, his tail waggling, and a stupid grin across his face was all it did to seal the deal.

Trina snickered as she held Bree closer. She silently whipped out her phone and hit the “record” button while watching the scene unfold.

“Big Sis, I’m hungry.” She heard Bree faintly whisper in her ear.

Trina silently looked at her watch. It was nearing dinner already! Luckily she knew a place that be admittable for the two.

“Don’t worry, Bree. Just a minute.” She answered, not taking her eyes off the smiling Brad.

————————————————————

After some time of prying away Brad from Ruggie, Trina carried the two with her to the Mostro Cafe for a quaint dinner.

Bree stayed in Trina’s arms, while Brad clung piggy-back style.

“Okay, you two.” Trina managed to slide Brad off her shoulders, and knelt to face them both. They were just outside the Cafe doors. “Now I want you both to be on your best behavior. Don’t act so rambunctiously. We’re in a public place, so be courteous. Okay?”

“Yes, Sis!” They grinned.

After lightly kicking the door open with her foot, Trina looked around the place.

Several students were dotted along the room as the sound of soft jazz played over the speakers. The windows displayed the calming waters of Octavinelle, the medium tone of blue set a serene-like tone to the place.

“Mmm. Pretty empty for a Saturday.” She mumbled, the twins stayed close.

“Then again, hasn’t it always?” A voice sung out. Trina smiles lazily. She looked over to see a postured figure stalk up to her, cane tapping the floorboards.

“Greetings, Azul.” She nodded in the second year’s direction.

“Ah, Trinity. Such a surprise to see you! You’re normally cooped up in your lair at this time, aren’t you.” Azul chuckled slightly. “Ain’t that right, boys?”

Slinking from the shadows, the Leech twins took their places beside their boss.

Breelyn whimpered as she hid behind her sis. She didn’t like the two new figures, as one smiled normally and the other grinned like a shark.

Trina pushed back her bangs in a subtle gesture, shrugging. “While that is true, I won’t deny. I’ve actually two reasons for being here.” Her eyes remained fixated on the trio, not a hint of anxiety in her stance or her eyes. “I’ve something that I’ve managed to find on the cameras. And I believe it could be of use...?” She raised one eye brow slightly.

“Is that so?” Jade walked closer to Trina.

“You’re not just saying this to throw us off, are ya?” Floyd echoed, following at the same pace.

“Because you know what’ll happen-”

“If you try to cross us!”

“Please, as if I’d try and think about crossing Azul Ashengrotto. He’s just as invested in the blackmail as yours truly.” Trina said nonchalantly. The twins were close to her, their eyes gleaming in dark mirth. Trina looked at them both, her eyes as stoic as ice. Just one movement could break the tension and-

The patter of little feet sounded. Then, the twins faces turned to pained ones. Jade let out a sound of pain as he fell while Floyd, well, did the direct opposite. “Ow!! Fffffffflounderfuck!” He grabbed his shin and hopped up and down, teeth clenched in pain.

Trina, eyes widened in confusion, looked down to see Brad fuming, a cute pout of anger etched on his lips. Apparently, the braver of the younger ones decided to take one for the team and kick both older twins in the shins. More like the crotch area, but who’s watching anyways?

“Stay away from Big Sis, you creeps!” He spat, hugging Trina’s leg as a form of protection, cheeks puffed out. Breelyn stuck her head out more, amazed at her brother’s actions.

Trina was amazed. Normally, any of the first years would practically shit themselves if the Leech Twins were near. But Brad, being a five year old, he’s not one for fear. Hell, one time, he stood up to one of his sister’s bullies with nothing a squirt gun full of deer urine.

He did get sent to the principal’s, but it was worth it seeing his sister smile.

“What the-? Who are these children?” Azul sputtered in surprise, looking at the twins.

Trina sighed and shook her head. This was gonna be a while.

————————————————————

A few minutes later, with proper introductions, apologies and grilled cheeses later, everything went back to normal.

The younger twins, having satisfied their hunger, slowly but surely warmed up to the older twins. Breelyn stayed with Jade. She was looking at the tri-stone earring he and his twin wore often. She stared in awe and the beautiful stones while he kept a hand on her shoulder. Brad and Floyd, however....

"Oooh! You're so high up in the air little flounder!" Floyd laughed as he held Brad above his head. "Oh no, you're gonna fall!" He said as he brought him down to his chest and hugging the boy tightly. 

“Again! Again!” Brad laughed, enjoying himself.

Trina smiles at the scene with affection, while swirling her cappuccino around in her mug. The two Octavinelle pins, with the Savanaclaw (courtesy of Ruggie) clinked together on the small dish in front of her.

“My, those two are a handful. How you put up with them is far beyond me.” Azul complimented, setting his tea mug beside hers.

“They’re my family.” She responded. “They mean a lot to me. If anything happened to them I’d never forgive myself.”

The other second year simply nodded. A small pause of silence was held between them.

“So what was it you said you found on the cameras again?” He requested, leaning forward slightly.

“One of the new Diasomnia students thought it’d be suitable to get revenge on Sebek. Called her something that didn’t stick well; she ended up cursing him. His hair changed color and his room became the next Atlantic Ocean. Wasn’t himself for a while.” She explained briefly. Azul snickered slightly, letting the conversation carry on past closing time.

————————————————————

One last part still in progress!

[justkpopjokes]

Nice to Meet You, Angel. || Demon!Joshua

Ft. Joshua/Jisoo(s Chri—actually no, the complete opposite)

Anon: Demon Joshua😏

A/N: This AU has gone through 4 whole plot rewrites rip. kinda inspired by Good Omens!! (also 2 aus in a week?? whaaaaaat)

!! This is a gender neutral!reader fluff with 1945 words~ !!

Before we begin the plot, lemme quickly go through the basics of the universe

yayy lin’s doing world building again

there are angels and demons in the universe, simply just the optional jobs of people’s souls once they die

if they choose this job, they don't remember much of their life on Earth, but they do remember events they associate w/strong emotions bc it helps them

for ex. an angel could remember how sad a death made them feel so they know to prevent it

and a demon can remember how angry a bully made them felt so they can make people that level angry

both angels & demons take the form of their bodies when they were alive and roam on Earth

they can also return to Heaven/Hell and observe Earth from their respective realms

also yes demons can be summoned, but lmao you can also just give em a phone call via incantation

the angel equivalent to this phone call is praying

demons can pretty much do anything as long as it relates somehow to the Seven Deadly Sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth)

angel powers are more holy/good, and they can grant things in prayers if they choose, etc

Anyway, YOU KNOW THIS BOI??

THiS bOi sHUa

he's chill af for a demon ok

one of the first demons so like no one really knows how he’s a demon bc he’s so polite

there’s some speculation that he was one of the first to fall but like

what the hell did he do???

But also some say he became a demon out of spite bc he saw a demon commit a “sin” that actually helped someone

so he became a demon just to help people in a more… unholy way

and then he was upset angels hated him just because he was a demon

like wow spirit discrimination

NOW YOU—

you are an angel (literally)

you’re the angel that protects like. atheists/"non-believers" bc c'mon just because they don’t believe in God/gods doesn’t mean they shouldn't have access to that protection service

(yes hello you’re calling APS, the Angel Protection Service sponsored by God, how may I help you?)

so yeah you’re pretty chill yourself since you have to constantly deal with people who don't believe in you lol

One fine day, you were listening to a prayer from a sick college student

ok it wasn't really a prayer but they were like "oh please, my god, let me get some sleep tonight"

you gladly put them to sleep and they slept soundly at night

when you checked on them the next morning, you noticed—

A dEmON?!?

…lying right next to the student (but above the covers, he has boundaries), who isn't stirring at all

if the leather jacket and ripped jeans didn't tip you off, he had some horns on his head to confirm ur suspicions

You: "Hey what in the world are you doing here?!"

???: "What? If they get up rn they won't be able to pay attention in class. I'm letting them rest first"

You: "Wha—who—okay, okay okay… who are you?"

"I’m Joshua, nice to meet you, angel"

Shua knows he has the name of an angel so afterwards he's like. Don't get it confused bish.

you ask him what he's doing, and basically, he's using the sin sloth on this sicko student so they stay in bed and recover instead of going to class

Even tho you feel iffy abt letting a demon affect a human right in front of you, an angel, you are a bit intrigued

you haven't seen a demon use their powers for good before…

who is this guy??

anyway he disappears, presumably to Hell, once the student needs to wake up

which is when u miracle them some bread to get

But don't worry, you're destined to meet again~

which you did, on several occasions

and ok maybe you were glad to talk to someone who was actually interesting

so, yknow,,, if another angel was like "hey y/n uhh there's a demon… bothering? someone? idk but it's a non-believer, that's ur jurisdiction right"

you had a guess on who this demon was…

…and you were right

Joshua: "Oh hey angel"

You: "Ew, you make it sound like a pet name"

JS: "Well I don't know your name, do I?"

You: "Oh. Right. It's Y/N."

he still calls you angel tho, smh that flirt

y'all just bicker and/or chat for a bit whenever u go help the same person

Like one time when he insisted that you let him use gluttony on a teen so they'd eat a lot of ice cream that day

they had just been through a bad break up so u let it slide

Or another time he used wrath on a timid kid so they could stand up to a bully

all of these ended w/you two bickering while walking away

There was this little girl you were watching from heaven who was writing a letter to "Whoever Can Do This"

little girl started listing a bunch of things, which you assumed were toys

but then you realized it was actually stuff like food, friends, a puppy, a loving dad who will go out to the park with her—

so u go down there to check on this lil child

…and that's when you see a familiar leather jacket watching over her and suggesting other things to write

you can’t see him from heaven so ur like gosh darn it I should’ve known

"Joshua?? I should've known it was—"

*cue both shua and the child turning around*

JS: "Oh hey, nice to see you, angel"

Lil' Nugget: *GASP* "Mr. Josh is this ur s/o???"

JS: "Hm? Oh, I mean, no, but um…"

You: "Josh what have u been putting into this one's head…"

Shua's all like "greed! Her dad's been ignoring her since her mom died so we're writing a list of things she wants"

then the smol girl smiles so wide and is like "Mr. Josh is helping me! He's my new friend!!"

ur like awww dangit ok I'll let it slide if u let me help

Once she finishes it, Josh hands the girl's list over to you

he explains quietly he wants you to miracle her dad to pay attention+love his daughter again so they can have/do all the other things on the list

you read it over again and do just that

The little girl gives the list to her father, your miracle allowing them to have a fun afternoon eating ice cream and playing with her toys

And you and Josh have a nice time too~

once y'all left that girl's room, he invited you for some soda

"Coke? I hope you mean Coca Cola"

"Yeah, uh, there's a place with a vending machine not too far from here. We can walk"

You don't spend time on Earth often, but you learn as you walk w/Josh that he "prefers the air up here"

mainly bc he doesn't fit in with the other demons, but he also just likes spending time with humans

(obviously tho he needs to go down to hell occasionally for like conferences and such)

you don't remember if you've ever been on a date before lol

Josh doesn't either, but he does remember how jumbled up ur emotions get, which he is not ready for

then again of course he has, I mean look at that charm

however, you can't remember if the feeling you get when going on ur little date with Shua is love :/

it isn’t really, but just bc this is ur first “date,” so it makes sense

But Josh makes sure to take you out again… for dinner!!!

you were investigating the use of lust and pride at the same time

of course, it was just Josh helping a guy find someone to hook up with

you were kinda disgusted and wanted to leave, so shua gladly took your arm and pulled you away to a restaurant!

y’all had a nice dinner, paying with some money Josh had collected

and then you went to walk together and chat some more

he’s breathtaking, and he actually wants to spend time with you despite y’all being on opposite sides of an inevitable war

You don’t care, going on more dates just to talk and not have to care about ur jobs and other stuff

Shua hears you yell “what the hell” at some point and he’s like woAH you can say that???

“Yeah. I mean, it’s not really polite, but I can. Can you say ‘Thank God?’”

“‘Thank God?’ Well look at that, I can. Good point”

you love him because he’s so chill and doesn’t give a f*** abt anything

except you and humans, apparently

like he could’ve burned or smth by saying “Thank God” or be confined to the basement of Hell for helping people/talking with you, but he doesn’t care lmao

However, no one really knows you’ve been talking with a demon tho so uhhh

when they do you get in a little bit of trouble w/the archangels

ur boss was essentially like “y/n what the HECK are you doing?!? you’re on thin ice rn”

you get mad at him, trying to defend Joshua

and you’re right in doing so, since he just wants to help people with a different set of powers

ur archangel boss sends you back down to Earth, saying you can’t return to Heaven until they work smth out

(they probably want to burn you with Hell fire)

You warn Josh, knowing they might burn you

he’s adamant on keeping you with him, so y’all try to hide or smth

which won’t work of course, but you can try, right?

right?

Shua and you sit together on a bench, with you leaning on his shoulder

“Joshua… I’m scared, I don’t want to be burned!”

“Don’t worry y/n, it’ll be okay. I love you, angel, nothing bad will happen”

and just like that, you remember what it feels like to love

“You’re right. I love you too. Help the non-believers for me if I go, alright?”

“I’ll help them just for you.”

Your archangel boss is smart, knowing the worst punishment for you is to be reincarnated without memories

you wouldn’t remember Joshua at all

and when he drags u back up to Heaven, you want to cry

do angels cry holy water? anyway

you’re sent back to Earth as a baby that can’t fend for itself

You remember nothing.

You’ve recently graduated from college and are out looking for a job

you’ve gotten rejected and fired so many times

for ex. just now, after you were arguing with someone who spoke another language that you didn’t know and there was no translator available

the customer wasn’t willing to cooperate either, ignoring your attempts to use an online translator smh

it’s late and you’re tired, so you leave, angry, and start coughing frantically when you inhale too much smoke coming from the alley next to you

naturally, you’re like “What the hell?! Dude, you’re not supposed to be smoking this close to an entrance!”

“Why do you care? You don’t work here anymore”

you take a better look at the stranger once he steps into the light of a nearby lamppost

it’s a dude in a leather jacket and ripped jeans who drops his cigarette

“Need help getting a job, y/n?”

“how do you—what—who are you?”

he extends a hand out to you, which you shake reluctantly

“I’m Joshua. Nice to meet you, angel.”

[of-the-starlit-night]

Here’s my MC for the fantastic WIP @3150dahliast which you should totally check out if you haven’t already.

Vera Warren

Age: 28 Height: 5′10″ Father: Arthur Warren Piercings: seven in right ear, industrial and four other in left ear, and navel Tattoos: three small vertical dots on sternum; a row of books on inner right forearm near elbow; dragonfly across upper spine/shoulders; Dante Alighieri quote “Segui il tuo corso et lascia dir les genti” (Follow your own road and let the people talk) vertically on the back of left ankle; a tiny sun behind right ear and tiny crescent moon behind the left

++++

Trusting // Suspicious Approachable // Intimidating Cautious // Impulsive Optimistic // Pessimistic Inquisitive // Inattentive Helpful // Mischievous Easygoing // Hardheaded Considerate // Indifferent Friendly // Distant Timid // Brazen Sarcastic // Sincere Skeptical // Convinced

++++

Facts:

- worked as a manager at an independent bookstore for many years before the store closed down resulting in Vera’s current unemployment. She actually misses the job quite a bit and in an ideal world where she had the kind of money to randomly purchase entire businesses, she would have bought it from the couple who owned it in a heartbeat. - while pretty much everyone on Dahlia St. looks like an ethereal being, Vera decidedly does not. She’s convinced that she could find at least five other people dressed like her just by walking down any street. The in-game quote “Why is it everyone here seems so otherworldly? It’s a little unfair, really.” sums up her feelings quite nicely. - she’ll never breathe a word of it to anyone at the house, but she only knows how to read tea leaves because she was obsessed with Harry Potter books when she was younger and it was one of the only easily accessible things available to learn. - wears perfume that smells like vanilla, grapefruit, jasmine, and sandalwood - for someone who is pretty curious in general, Vera never once asked why she and her father moved around between hotels so much when she was younger, what his job is/was, or what happened with her mother. She just rolled with it. - on that same note, Vera will fight anyone who tries to imply her dad was a bad parent due to their unusual lifestyle when she was growing up, including her own father. She wouldn’t trade her childhood for anything. - completed two years of college, but quit going because she had no clue what she wanted to do with her life and never had the opportunity to return. She’d like to be independently wealthy and not worry about working, but that’s unlikely to happen. Something involving books would be nice though. - very much a people person and she genuinely likes all of her new housemates/neighbors, even Freddie despite his special cocktail of generally vexing behaviors. Calder is kinda iffy though, poor dude, he’s just not making it easy.

++++

In-Game Tidbits:

- she has two “worldstates”: one with Esen as the helper and Allora as the RO and the other with Gili as the helper and Reuel as the RO - chose the cute fem style in jewel tones (bright compared to Florence’s darker ones) - the household is the default version even though she’s straight because I like it better - follows her head the most so far - between her two saves, she swaps between helpful and mischievous equally, hence both of them being bolded above

++++

Pinterest Board

(Since I can’t draw, the images were made with the Rinmaru Mega Fantasy Avatar Creator, which I can safely say I use way too much.)

[readerwinterbarnes]

Tarantism

Dancer!Bucky x Reader, Avengers, Steve x Tony, Nat x Clint

College!AU

Summary: After the accident, Bucky’s never been the same. The others wonder if he’ll ever take it up again.

Word Count: 2,581

Warnings: Character injury, past abuse, hurt Bucky, supportive friends, feels, time skips

Notes: I’M BACK!!!!! School took over my life, so I had no downtime to do any writing, but now that it’s Christmas break I have tons of time to get more stuff done! Including writing!! So sorry if I fell off the face of the planet there for a bit, but I do have some stuff that I’ll be posting and others I cannot wait to write for you guys!!! 

A friend of mine really likes the Stony pairing, so I’m spreading my wings with different pairings and put them in this one as well. So it’s my first M/M pairing so please be gentle for I don’t want it to be bad. :( But I’ll try to write some more of that as well :). Anywho, I hope you guys like this one!!!

Tarantism: the uncontrollable urge to dance.

The wind began to pick up slightly as Steve left the coffee shop with Natasha from picking up their orders. They were on their way to meet up with Y/N, Tony, Clint, and Bruce from the library. It was Friday, which usually meant that Clint and Bruce would do yoga, Steve worked with his boyfriend Tony on his boxing methods whenever he had some downtime from his inventions. Which left Y/N and Nat to work on their dancing routine for class.

Usually, Bucky would join them, but he’s been absent from basically every aspect of life for the past two years. Only making himself known when absolutely necessary. The only one who really had any contact with him was his girlfriend Y/N, but even that was iffy. Bucky wasn’t the same after the accident two years ago.

Bucky’s mother Winifred called Steve to tell him that Bucky was rushed to the hospital and when he was told the reason behind it, he was fuming. Steve never liked Bucky’s dad, he often asked him if he was going to hard on himself with his dance routines since he was covered in bruises, twisted ankles, and broken wrists. He learned very quickly to just shut up about it and leave it alone until it ended up badly.

Bucky’s father always believed that dancing in any shape or form was for pussies and wasn’t manly enough for his son. He wanted him to go into Law, but Bucky voiced his own opinion...again, and again the argument turned physical, but this time? This time it was going to make it the last time. When Steve arrived at the hospital, he was met with a distraught Winifred and a sickly pale Y/N. The group sat down with him and summarized his injuries. From what he could understand, a shotgun, beer bottle, table leg, hot coffee, and fists were included. When the ambulance arrived and his father handcuffed in the back of the patrol car, Bucky was barely hanging onto a thread. Despite the dislocated knee, multiple bone fractures, a few broken fingers, cracked ribs, several cuts and bruises, Bucky’s left arm had the most damage. The nerves were a mess, the muscles torn everywhere, overall it was a huge mess.

It wasn’t a hard decision for his mother to make, it was between life and death. So to save her son’s life, she signed and approved the procedure for the doctors to amputate her son’s arm and do whatever they could to save him from the blood loss. When Bucky walked out of those hospital doors five months later, the group feared they had lost their friend forever. Bucky never entered a dance studio again and he didn’t talk about what happened. He practically cut it out of his life completely. Y/N continued to dance, but stepped down and only did what was needed, not wanting to be too busy if Bucky ever needed help.

The next year was rough for everyone and almost tore the group apart.

A year later, the group was now finished off their final year as Juniors before they all moved up to Senior status. Something Tony and Clint were most excited for. Something about having, even more, freedom and time for their personal life, in other words, Tony’s hint towards Steve about them spending more time in bed rather than in the library. Steve smiled at the memory of Tony beaming with glee of having three hours of S. B. S. (Steamy Bedroom Steve)... every day.

“What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” Nat asked Steve as she sipped on her green tea.

“Oh nothin’ important, just...stuff.” He hoped that Nat wouldn’t notice how his resolve was beginning to break as his thoughts were filled with images of Tony spread out on his bed, begging for him wantingly.

“Uh huh, so the red ears, flushed complexion, and your dilated bedroom eyes have nothing to do with us meeting everyone at the library? Do college books turn you on Stevie or just a certain brunet genius?” Steve choked on his drink at her open honest reply, clearly not expecting that.

“Shut up and no, it has nothing to do with Tony. Just...let’s,” Nat smiled at him as the blush darkened causing him to stumble over his words, “let’s just meet them please.” Nat continued to tease him all the way over to the library, excited to have a chat with Tony.

When the pair entered the library, Clint, Bruce, and Tony were already headed towards the entrance full of smiles and laughing glancing at Tony’s phone.

“Hey, guys.” Steve greeted the group, smiling at Tony, who in turn ran to him.

“Steve!” He had just enough time to ground himself as the brunet launched himself into his arms showering his face with kisses, “Missed you today.” Brown eyes looked into blue ones, strong arms holding the genius up.

“Missed you too, baby,” Steve replied as he took advantage of their position to capture Tony’s lips to shut him up for a few seconds.

“Cut it out you two, this is a library, save it for the bedroom.” Clint cleared his throat, interrupting the couple from almost scaring everyone from a heated makeout session. Steve reluctantly released Tony who was still dazed over the kiss.

“Sorry, we’ll try to limit it to just the bedroom,” Steve told Clint, wrapping an arm around Tony.

“You better,” Clint mumbled under his breath but accepted the kiss from Nat along with his own coffee.

“Where’s Y/N? I thought she was hanging out with you guys.” Steve asked as he looked around, stopping when he noticed the group going quite. Tony was the first to answer, cautiously looking up at his boyfriend.

“She’s with Bucky,” Steve tensed, mind going to every situation, sensing this, Tony moved to stand in front of Steve, “she’s with him...in the dancing studio.” Both Steve and Nat quickly looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

For the past two years, Bucky has been working with both his therapist, physical therapist specialized in dance therapy, and a few doctors. He honestly thought that working with them was a complete waste of time, dance therapy was just...an area he avoided heavily. It’s not like he could do much, his right leg left a limp in his step, his whole left side was a mess. Scars littered across his toned skin, leaving white lines from his shoulder to all over his side and back. His girlfriend would often scold him when he made jokes about how you could play connect the dots with them.

It was a lot of work just for him to be able to rotate his left shoulder around, to even to be able to do a few simple dance moves. He would’ve quit a long time ago if it wasn’t for Y/N. Someone that held him throughout the night when the only thing he saw was his dad aimed the shotgun at him and pulled the trigger. Thankful for his quick reflexes, his arm took the majority of it. Though some still managed to hit him elsewhere, he could live with those. Besides his injuries, the thing that hurt him the most was the fact that he might not even have the heart to take up dancing again. Sure, his therapists said that with work put in, he’d be able to dance again, but he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to.

But the more and more he saw Y/N practice her routines for him, dancing in the kitchen while making breakfast or even when he worked with his physical therapists. The more he wanted to dance again, the fear always covered up that uncontrollable urge to dance. Eventually, Bucky summoned enough courage to bring up the topic of dancing to Y/N. Thus the reason why he was currently standing in the dance studio with Y/N shaking like a leaf.

Bucky stared at his reflection in the wall mirror, taking in his appearance. The bags under his eyes, the slight pale tint on his skin, the way his body favored his right side. How his left sleeve was tucked into his shirt, leaving only a subtle stump of an arm behind. Not like there was much left anyway, he wasn’t even sure if one could call it a stump.

Y/N was standing off to the side watching her boyfriend take everything in. When Bucky brought up the suggestion of going back to their dance studio, she was ecstatic but anxious as to how it would all play out. She tried not to bring up the topic of dancing whenever he was around, but she could tell he still longed for it. Whenever she showed him a video or told him how she finally nailed a dance move, his eyes would light up. However, that light quickly died, fear and doubt replacing it.

But he was here, here in their favorite dancing studio looking at his reflection cautiously, as if this was a dream and it was going to shatter around him. It was a start, a very important start for him. One that he’s worked so hard for, fought for, faced his fear for. Dance would always be a part of him, without it his life would seem pointless and empty. Sure, she didn’t need to physically hear those words from Bucky, but it clearly showed in everything else.

“Y/N….?” A quiet, timid voice filled the room. She made her way towards him, standing in front of him so he could see her rather than her reflection.

“Yes, Bucky?”

“Could...could you, could we,” Bucky looked away in agitation, frustrated that he still couldn’t get the words out. After hundreds of hours worth of therapy, he still couldn’t say it. It made him feel weak, small, just another piece of him that is slowly being taken away from him. He took a shaky breath, looking back at Y/N who was patiently waiting for him, not pressuring him to even continue talking. Hesitant eyes peered through his chestnut locks at her, Y/N ignored the hint of fear in them, but she did notice a tiny flicker of hope and that was all she needed.

Brushing back his hair to gain full access to his eyes, she smiled up at him encouragingly. That seemed to be enough for him, nuzzling into the soft skin of her palm. With slow confident moves, he wrapped his free arm around Y/N’s waist. “Can...can we practice some steps?”

Smiling widely, Y/N pulled her boyfriend into a kiss, laughing against his lips. “Of course Bucky, let’s start slow though, okay? Then we’ll work our way back up. We’ll go at your own pace.” He shook his head with glee, pushing back the fear that began to creep back in, resisting the urge to run away. So instead, he chose a slow song one where he could easily do the steps and for the first time in two years, he felt alive. Y/N pressed up against him, head resting on his chest, hands holding him, them dancing together again. He felt like he could do this, that he could actually overcome his injury, the past, the fear and get back to what he really wanted to do.

Dance.

Steve and the others made their way into the building and towards the studio, but stopped in their tracks at the site before them. They couldn’t believe it, Bucky was moving….not just moving, but dancing. Slow dancing with steps that came naturally to him. Not only that, but he wasn’t flinching when Y/N ran her hand over his left side up to rest on his left shoulder where the mass of the damage was located. His focus was entirely on the gal in his arms, content on where they were. Not wanting to disturb them, Nat took a few pictures and ushered the group back towards the lounge where they’d just wait until the couple finished.

That didn’t stop them from exploding with excitement at the improvement their friend was making. Knowing very well that dancing was such a huge step for him. One they couldn’t wait to see more often.

2 years later

“Babe we’re gonna be late!” Steve yelled from the hallway, grabbing his keys and wallet, waiting for Tony. They were going to meet the others at the auditorium, that is if his boyfriend would pick up the pace.

“Sorry,” Tony rushed from their bedroom, hair still damp from his shower, dark denim jeans hugging his thighs, “sorry, couldn’t find my phone.” Steve breathed in the citrus aroma from Tony’s shampoo and imagined rubbing the scent into the olive skin. Steve stopped and mentally slapped himself in the face, this wasn’t about them, they were doing this for Bucky and Y/N.

“Huh, guess Y/N was right then.” He looked over at Tony who was smiling smugly up at him, hands shoved into his back pockets.

“Right about what?” Steve said forcefully, not wanting his voice to break.

“Eh, just that I need to go shopping with her more often.” With that, Tony kissed Steve’s lips, linked their hands together and led them out to the car. With a sigh, Steve followed, knowing that this was going to be a long night.

Soon enough, the group was sitting in the seats facing the huge dance floor, people filing in the rest of the seats. Tonight was a big deal, not just for Y/N because she helped plan it, but for Bucky as well. For this was going to be his first performance since the accident, so worry wasn’t on his side, more like absolute fear. But they reassured him that this was going to be great and he was going to knock everyone else on their feet with his performance. Y/N talked with him quite a lot, along with his therapists, that he was more than ready to do this. Which was true, he was more than ready for this, because he had his friends and his mother to support him.

The crowd went silent as the lights dimmed around them and spotlight lite up the dance floor. Nat gave Steve an assuring smile, hardly able to contain her own excitement for her friends. Since she was one of the main people who helped them through their routine. A man wearing a tailored suit walked to the center of the floor to give his ‘Thank You’ speech and announced the first performance of the evening; Bucky and Y/N.

The group watched as Bucky and Y/N walked out, gracefully taking their positions and waiting for their music cue. Not a single word was spoken as the pair began to dance. They moved so gracefully, that the crowd could no longer see where each one started and ended, for the couple were moving as one so perfectly. Bucky never took his eyes off her, every so often he’d lean in to kiss her softly, but the whole time he had a huge smile on his face. One filled with so much joy, the others were convinced he was going to pull something.

In the end, they celebrated in the huge achievement and success Bucky did in order to overcome his fear and strengthen his love for dancing.

Motionless Tag List: Bolded ones won’t tag :(

@marvel-fics  @green-spotlight  @sebs-sugar-cookies  @akm0o  @extraterrestrialsky  @allyp1023  @skeletoresinthebasement @chipilerendi @terminatedimpala

Help Me Tag list:

@believeitseeitdoit  @ellen-reincarnated1967  @suchwildloveisthis  @skeletoresinthebasement  @9erfect-9osts  @loverofthosebands  @xoxoaudreymarie  @dead-silence  @winter-in-wakanda  @azaleawardrobeo  @isaxhorror  @lostinspace33  @musichowler  @callie-swagg1 @capandbuck @sorryidontspeakgrounder-world @everythingintensifies @melconnor2007 @screechinginternetcoffee @hellstempermentalangel @emily-ily2

Everything Tag list:

@sebseyesandbuckysthighs @marvelatmytrash @oh-goodness-loki  @jotink78   @foreverlovecaptainswan  @pickylittlebitch  @just-call-me-mrs-captain @buckyismyaesthetic   @debbielovesbucky  @shes-a-little-weird-but-perfect  @anxuanpham  @saladalpaca  @specs15  @morganosborn101  @earinafae  @frolicsomefawkes @chameerah  @sorryidontspeakgrounder-world  @the-witching-hours12-3  @unevenpages  @midzilla9957 @feelmyroarrrr  @auskitty

[sanguinesprout]

Therapy/Counselling Diary #11 Final (Plus some tiddly bits of trying oh yeahhh!! ^^)

My hands are so frozen ahhhh it’s so cold uuugh @A@ *sits on hands for 5 hours and loses all feeling in them* wow so heartless my hands are oof-

Hmm... alrighty, this week’s appointment was my laaaast. Feels... idk man. On one hand I feel like some pressure has been lifted but I actually was kinda getting used to going, was getting a little comfy even lol and on the other hand I feel like some more pressure just came and took its place. It feels weird, like everything just shifted into how it was before I went, except now I have the power of... knowledge..?! And a smidgen more bravery I guess... I hope... don’t wimp out already! O^O It’s all on me now!! I have to take the wheel and steer it to victory! *crashes straight into ditch* 

Welp on the day I actually ended up going 1 hour early by accident because I assumed it’d be the same time as the other days but it was 1 hour later than those lolol, it was no big deal, just shopped around a lil with my sis and mum and then went back, aaand on time (unlike what it would’ve been if my app really was 1 hour earlier lol what a relief) hoh!

She came and got me, greeted me and we went up to the room talking about the weather or something small as usual. I didn’t pull out those sheets from last week yet, I was a lil hesitant since I think she was going through some of the other stuff on her desk and I kinda thought maybe I’d filled in some of it wrong or badly, but there’s no such thing..! I actually did all those sheets the same day I wrote the previous post hehe, or well, at least 80% of them and then finished em off the day before the app, yay! No leaving till the very last-ish! :D

She told me similar stuff to last time about how far I’d come since she first met me, she told me I was like a deer in headlights or something along those lines, timid and unsure and so on, but now was able to express myself better and even got better at stuff like making eye contact more. It was nice to receive the praise she gave and to be assured that I had actually improved some ^^ I know my family has been noticing my efforts and the general mood at home has been a little more chipper, it’s feels so much nicer and motivating c:

We went and looked at this goal sheet she filled in for me near the beginning where my goals were things like ‘to be myself around others’ and I rescored them all lower than they were originally, I didn’t lie and make out like I magically improved, I just went with what I felt and it was right and anyways it was definitely better than previous. This sheet is probably just for her record but showed me I had gotten much closer to my goals and could probably reach them so long as I continue trying.

She asked me again what I am planning to do once I am left to my own devices and we discussed the volunteering/getting work experience stuff again and she tried recommending me this site which could possibly be helpful but tbh it really didn’t seem that great and even she kind struggled to navigate to relevant stuff on it. Her field is not in employment and volunteering and stuff though so although the resource wasn’t the best, it was nice to know a little more at least. I was kinda dying a little inside and this took up a big chunk of the session, she advised me to contact this volunteer organisation and set up an appointment, I feel kinda idk iffy about it, I don’t want to avoid but I feel like maybe I’ll check around for other stuff first. I mean she can’t check on me no mores, but I shouldn’t chicken out or forget this advice because it is important.

I uh, I plucked up the courage and whipped out those sheets I did from last week and I read over them to her and she agreed on a lot of the stuff I wrote (things like how am I different, how did I achieve this behaviour/feeling etc.) and I accidentally left one of the things blank but she helped me fill it in and add to a few that I got a lil confused on lol. I was told to keep these sheets for my own reference. There was a sheet on relapse and relapse prevention I filled in also, reading this in future can probably help me clear my head and get back on track along with the other stuff I guess, though I hope I won’t veer off track in the first place you know ^^”

There was this bit where she thanked me, i can’t remember the exact reason or wording but it was probably for attending and for trying and for opening up to her and I also thanked her back and I kept wondering should I offer her a hug or something but I didn’t wanna be awks or overstep any boundaries. She offered me a handshake with both her hands around mine and said something like ‘this is how we do it here’ or something to do with being professional and then I super felt like I shouldn’t bring up the hug thing cause it’ll be too much lol .__. but who knows... Idk I wimped out on it, but it was something silly I guess, though because I didn’t try, I won’t know how it would’ve gone and it’s too late now, oh welp. Anyways she sees and helps so many people, the time period with each person is short, it’s no biggie, no need to get overly personal and attached I guess. I’m just glad that I got across that I was thankful and super appreciative of her help and that’s enough.

Instead in my efforts to sort of redeem my courage, I thought I’d ask her why she became a mental health nurse even though I was afraid that I might sound nosey, but I was genuinely curious and was assuming it would be something nice and motivational and so I went ahead and asked. She explained her mother was also one and she was always around and felt she wanted to help people too and so she did or something along those lines. I kind of knew it would be something like this, but it is nice to hear and heartwarming all the same. Conversation goes two ways of course too, it was good practice to try and ask things about others. 

There was a time in the past where I wanted to be a counsellor (or special learning tutor), my motivation was to help people like myself, so they wouldn’t have to struggle or feel the way I do. As you can tell, I didn’t get there, but it’s okay, because goals change and motivations change, there still some time to go and aim for new and maybe some other past goals too!

I met back up with my sis and mum and I was a lil sulky cause I didn’t get to go to this shop I was planning to go to lol but I was dying of hunger so going home and eating before I passed out was the ideal option anyways. I actually went back out again with my sister some time later that day and went to the shop I wanted to go and some others and went to the supermarket too ^^ 

Oh, this was after I went to my regular docs app where the doc was super super nice as always and he prescribed a super low low dosage of an anti-depressant as advised by the neurology specialist I saw last time. I’ve only taken it a few days so I am unsure about it’s effect or well, it’s probably too early to say much about it, but I think it does help somewhat? I feel less pained in my head when I wake up, though this could also be because I’ve been drinking water when I awaken too, you know, dehydration causes headaches. I feel pretty foggy rn though @^@ Probably just my oversleeping though. I’m glad I take it at night so even if it does make me feel sleepy, it doesn’t matter lol. Haha oh yeah, that new habit app I have been kinda using, I keep forgetting to check it and tick off the things I’ve done lol >_<”

Whoa my memory is so bad, idk if I should write some more of this week’s stuff of to leave it to next week, or will I have forgotten it then hmm... I’ll just write it briefly I guess. There were lots of times where I had things I needed to sort out but kinda just delayed them but the past few days I just went ahead and emailed and phoned and live chatted and got them almost all sorted out. I got a lil confused at times, but just tried my best with writing and asking things and it went fine. If you don’t try you don’t know, nothing ventured nothing gained! Oh and I baked a bit more stuff too! Omnomnom! :3

There’s still a lot of things I have to sort out and I’m feeling all sorts of stressed and frustrated about it, but I’ll get there, I can do it! Calmly collect your thoughts but don’t overthink, just go go go! No matter what the outcome is, you tried and you learned something new! Okay, Imma go do the stuff!

Have a great evening! Try your best! Oh, and awkward hugs for everybody haha! C:

[jacnaylor]

Holby city and casualty & biphobia

Holby city and casualty have recently been trying to step up when it comes to diversity, especially when it comes to sexuality, and in most cases this has been done well. The Dom and Isaac storyline in particular was written well. They have a history of trying to tackle sensitive topics with a lot of grace, and are well above average on the diversity scale compared to similar shows.

But, there is a clear pattern of biphobia across both sister shows that I want to draw attention to. Not because I don’t appreciate the efforts from the shows, but because I have a feeling the writers and some audience members might not even understand how harmful some of the biphobia on the show could be. So this is just to show you where some areas can be improved.

Let’s start with casualty, as there’s less to talk about in that show compared to holby city.

1. Jez

I really like Jez as a character, but right from the get go he has been the stereotypical oversexualized bisexual. Yes, people can enjoy having a lot of sex, but when it’s done in reference to a bisexual character it just seems iffy to me. It’s like he’s having more sex because he’s with both men and women on different days of the week. Then, when we finally see him starting a relationship with Louise (we’ll get to her in a minute, wow) he breaks it off - for reasons other than his sexuality, admittedly - and is very soon in a relationship with his current boyfriend. To me this seems like he’s being pushed around partners quicker than any other character because there’s “more choice”. You don’t really see this with anyone else. Casualty love pairing people up but they usually drag out one couple and one love interest for months, but bisexual characters move from partner to partner. Sidenote: as a bisexual person, the more choice thing is a myth. You might be in a club with 200 people and not fancy any of them, no matter their gender.

And, of course he’s attracted to multiple genders and can end up with anyone. But the fact they pair him with men more frequently seems slightly dismissive to me. The writers have not stated a preference, and there may well be a preference, but they are not using the opportunity to address biphobia toward bisexual people who end up with someone of another gender to their own. Obviously let’s add yes give me all those same sex couples, i love it, but they aren’t exploring this enough at all. I want more same sex couples on mainstream tv but I just wish they would take the chance to explore different aspects of the bisexual dating experience.

I’ve been thinking about this post for months and before that they had never referenced Jez as bi. Now in the last week they have, and that’s amazing and I’m really happy about it. But it took the writers A YEAR. I KNOW THIS, BECAUSE I WAS WAITING. When Jez first talked about his sexuality it was ‘fluid’ or ‘unlabeled’ or some other such nonsense that basically meant they didn’t have to say the b word. They have since rectified this as stated, but when even contemplating writing a bi character, do some fucking research beforehand guys, it isn’t hard. And yes I know some people don’t like labels, but when it’s done in tv it seems like a lazy excuse and we all know it.

2. Louise

When Louise started her brief romance with Jez she was hesitant because of his sexuality. Jez said that it's ok and that it doesn’t affect their relationship, but no one really said that her opinion was uninformed, let alone wrong. It was basically something she wasn’t comfortable with and no one called her out on it and it’s never been mentioned again.

This scene was sort of infamous for me because this is the scene where Louise said “It’s your choice.”

Choice? Choice? C H O I C E???/

And the worst thing is Jez didn’t even call her out on it. He just let her call his sexuality a life choice and then got into a relationship with this woman who didn’t respect this part of him. Are you kidding me? I might be forgiving of ignorance when we learn from it, but mate. No way would this happen. And, not to mention that Louise is a trained health professional and should know about different sexualities by now.

3. Toby

For those who are slightly newer to casualty, Toby was a very sweet natured f1 a couple of years ago. Very timid for a long time.

So, after a traumatic experience, he had an ill advised relationship with the pregnant daughter of a senior staff member (all above board, it just probably wasn’t the best idea given their issues at the time). After some mistakes, he sought out the help of a counsellor, Ben, who he ended up dating. So, we have a canon bisexual character.

Then, when the affair was exposed - It shouldn’t have been happening anyway because I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t date your therapist, so that seems predatory in itself - Toby was ashamed of his sexuality and accused Ben of taking advantage of him. Ok, so they end up together when Toby decided to leave the hospital but….man.

The whole ‘ashamed of his sexuality, accuses colleague of taking advantage’ was something the show did again with gay character Seb in recent months. This isn’t solely biphobia in that sense, but general shitty writing for lgbtq characters. It’s a storyline that paints them as malicious, ashamed, sneaky. This happened in Holby with Dom and Malik as well, and it’s just a horrible storyline that seems to only happen with lgbtq characters and I do not know why at all.

4. Alicia

In recent times Alicia found out her father was cheating on her mother with another man. She had a massive problem with this, mostly because of the cheating, but she couldn’t seem to accept her dad’s sexuality. Yes, cheating is always wrong. I can’t remember exactly how her father identifies but if he is bisexual then....well, he didn’t just marry her mum out of convinience, he loved her. And he could have cheated on her with anyone. And to me it seemed Alicia was more angry that it was a man than anything else (please correct me if her father does identify as gay, though the point still stands about Alicia’s reluctance)

It just seemed like it was thrown in there to make it “worse” or something and Alicia was sort of awful about it all really and used it as an excuse to ruin her own life (though my issues with that character are for another time)

So now, the holby city section

1. Serena (/Bernie)

Ok, so. Before the avid fanbase for this ship, like, comes at me, let me just disclaim: yes, anyone can identify however they want! But! When it speaks to a pattern of biphobia! I have an issue with it!

So, we had the really wonderfully acted love story between two older women on Holby, Bernie and Serena. Bernie has had a relationship with a woman after the breakdown of her marriage but Serena never has. They had a really lovely story that I enjoyed.

But the word bisexual was rarely, if ever, used. When Serena was first coming to terms with her kiss with Bernie, she tried out calling herself a lesbian. Even though she had many relationships with men and one even after she first kissed Bernie. So, because she did have a romantic connection with Robbie after Bernie, I think it’s pretty clear she’s bisexual, and this would have been a lovely discussion if they didn’t just start calling her a lesbian straight away (same with Bernie, even though she was also married to a man. I’m more familiar with Serena’s story so it might well be that Bernie was always a lesbian but I’m pretty sure she reads as bi too but maybe that’s my opinion.)

There’s also that fucking awful scene in which her and Raf test out whether they want to kiss each other. She does not want to kiss Raf, and so they declare she must be a lesbian.

WHAT?

I’m sorry, I didn’t realize not wanting to kiss your mate, a skinny scottish man who cries too much, was how we measure our sexualties now. Just because I don’t want to kiss every man I know doesn’t make me a lesbian. You can be a bisexual woman and not want to kiss some guy you know at work, guys. In case you didn’t know.

I’m just like...just say bisexual. It isn’t hard.

2. Lee

Ok, so, Dom, whom I love dearly, started a relationship with a man named Lee. Lee stole all of his stuff. Lee was not a nice man. Lee also had a pregnant girlfriend. Lee is bisexual.

Lee comes back after having been in prison and proceeds to physically attack people on the ward.

It’s like they equated the lies and the cheating with his sexuality. Instead of showing us a positive relationship between a gay person and a bisexual person (which is another issue within the community itself that they could have done something positive with but nope) they showed us a gay man being lied to, cheated on and attacked by a bisexual man who seemed to have mental health issues. Also his sexuality seemed to be directly related to his mental health issues, like he was being self destructive and cheating because of his repressed sexuality. Then he attacks Dom’s new partner and says Dom still loves him and all of that, so his mental health is always tied up with his feelings for Dom which I don’t this is helpful in anyway. 

Like, do I even need to explain how harmful that is? I don’t think so.

3. Fleur Fanshawe

Biphobia from gay characters on holby is not something new. Instead of being progressive in their writing, the holby writers just choose to give into stereotypes again and again. Fleur Fanshawe was an older gay woman = great. What wasn’t great was how she treated her ex girlfriend, Sophia.

So my memory isn’t a plus because I hated the storyline but what I remember is that, after they broke up, Sophia went back to her boyfriend. Fleur was very angry about this, about her “going back to men”. It was all just written very weirdly and just wasn’t good representation for bi/gay relationships. The behaviour, again, was never called out, and because their exit dates are the same I assume they got together again, even though Fleur always seemed to look down on Sophia’s bisexuality.

This is just another example of bisexual characters experiencing shame reinforced by their partners and others around them. It’s just tiring to me. It’s exhausting that the bi characters are always having to explain themselves or feel guilty.

4. Try be bi

That’s what I’m calling this section. This is the section where we talk about the odd, random, bisexual kisses that don’t seem to have a bearing on the plot.

Zosia, who is bipolar, is usually a character written very sensitively. She kissed Sophia whilst experiencing a bad mental health episode. I cannot speak to whether this behaviour is accurate and I won’t pretend to be an expert on bipolar disorder. However I think this kiss was thrown in there just to be shocking and to be a symptom of mental illness. Zosia is never confirmed bisexual and has never done anything like that afterwards, so I think it was a cheap shock ploy and it did a disservice not just to bisexuality but to mental illness as well. This was represented as a symptom of her mania but I think there were probably better ways of doing that.

Then quite a few years ago we have Donna, a nurse, having a one night stand with lesbian friend Micki. She was drunk at the time I think, and she never had any other relationships with women. Again, cheap shocks. Bisexuality is not something you just try out for the night. This is like those girls who kiss each other at parties without understanding that it’s for someone else's benefit and that they, as heterosexuals, are privileged above lgbtq people doing the same thing. Just a weird, unnecessary interlude in general.

5. Lofty

Now last night nurse Lofty was confirmed as having feelings for a man and a woman. He said “He loved them both.” Not in a poly way, since he left the woman because of his feelings for her brother. Now I along with many others welcomed this development! I want more lgbtq rep!

What I didn’t like is everyone suddenly calling him gay because he kissed a man, when he literally said in the same episode that he did love the woman he was with at the time. The media was also to blame since they basically described it as a gay bombshell. It was, in my opinion, a bisexual bombshell.

And, ok again this is my view this isn’t fact or how you have to see it, but for me this came out of nowhere, since his sexuality wasn’t ever brought up before. It almost seems as if, possibly, they are introducing it as a way to let Dom be with someone? And ok this is not confirmed but the two lgbtq characters on the same ward usually get together.

Look I like Lofty and this could be great. However, it might have been nice to introduce a new bisexual character without shoving it onto a preexisting character for the sake of convenience.

6. Jas and Morven

Now, given what I just said about Lofty and the writers randomly pushing bisexuality onto existing characters just because, you might think - Hold on a sec...but hear me out.

I love these two, my beautiful daughters. I adore them and their friendship.

But the friendship took a turn when, after weeks of Morven connecting online with a man called Nathan, she found out Nathan was actually her best friend Jasmine, cat fishing her because of her own loneliness.

Before this, Morven had said she’d really connected to “Nathan” and that she had very strong romantic feelings for him.

But they disappear as soon as she finds out it was Jasmine. It’s like, the words, the talking, the feelings were all genuine. And yes, Nathan was a fiction, but I think they could have Roxanne’d this and had her realise her feelings for this person were real, and that in actual fact that person was Jasmine. But no. They just had them fall out instead of falling in love. No bisexual roommates for me.

Oh and whilst we’re here, let’s talk about how apparently you can only have one lgbtq couple a ward (Berena as opposed to both Berena and Jasmine/Morven) Raf and Fletch, also best friends who lived together and helped raise Fletch’s children together. Jokingly described their relationship as a ‘sexless platonic marriage’. Couldn’t make it a relationship? For whatever reason. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the writers consistently deny friends to lovers relationships that have basis and positivity in favour of dramatic coming out stories, shock kisses and various other biphobic shitty things.

7. Dan Hamilton

In the words of my good friend, this was a real shit show.

Briefly romantically involved with the likes of Chrissie, Dan was originally portrayed back in 2011 as a ladies man. He shared a kiss with canon gay character Malik. This attracted criticism because apparently this was a ‘repetition of gay storylines seen on other dramas’. And ok this was a few years ago but...really

The storyline starts with him having tension with Malik - especially after he finds out Malik is gay. When Malik threatens to report Dan for something he did on the ward, they fight and then share a kiss. After this Dan rushes to his then girlfriend Chrissie and confesses his love for her. He proceeds to just try and avoid Malik and forget about the kiss. This is what they said about the storyline at the time (they being producers)

"It really isn't a 'coming out' storyline. The focus really is on Dan's character. Dan is Mr Conventional – he wants Chrissie, he wants the wife, the house, the career and 2.4 children. It won't be about him coming out and coming to terms with his sexuality. If anything, the kiss with Malick has made him even more determined to try to have a conventional life – because that's what he wants the most."

I mean, yes I like the fact not every story is a coming out story but...it seems weird for them to put it that way, especially since it was a coming out storyline if we’re being honest. Because they never discuss the bisexuality in the same way they discuss being gay on the show. Seems suspicious that they try not to delve into bisexuality. Instead of really showing how he felt for Chrissie and Malik the story was more about him being ashamed. Because that’s all the writers seem to know how to write. And I understand that it’s important to show these kind of struggles but...we never see Dom or Fleur or Malik being ‘ashamed’, only ever the men and women discovering their bisexuality. Malik tries to blackmail Dan, saying he would reveal their kiss to Chrissie. It’s almost implied - intentionally or not - that the sexuality is the issue above the cheating.

Astill also said he hoped Dan would “transform into a bisexual predator - no man or woman is safe from him.” I think the actor means he wanted Dan to be openly bisexual and as we know he’s a player, that that would still remain a part of his character. But the phrase bisexual predator is just fucking awful and harmful. When he left the show he did praise the fact Dan was the happiest we’d seen him after coming to terms with his sexuality (and I think leaving with another man?) and like, yes that’s good, but it was such an overdone story and it had its flaws for definite, not the least of which was once again painting bisexuals as confused, repressed or sexual predators or cheaters. And it seems again, a cliche, to make one of the most sexual characters bisexual, because it seems to go hand in hand on this show.

Very quick end point to explain something I said earlier: I want more same sex couples on my screen, but by showing a bisexual person in a relationship with someone of the same gender you could: explain some of the problems within the community as regards to biphobia - but that isn’t happening. By showing a bisexual person with someone of another gender you could delve into the myth of bisexual privelage - but that isn’t happening either. Instead what we have is bisexual characters very often only dating the opposite gender after their bisexuality is revealed. We see this with Dan, with Jez to an extent (he seems to have more positive relationships with men) Toby and most likely with Lofty. Again, not saying this is wrong or that these characters can’t have a preference. But the preference is never stated, it’s just implied. What this suggests to me is that the writers are having these characters ‘choose’. Which is another myth that needs to be dismantled. Bisexual people do not stop being bisexual because they are with someone of a certain gender, but for the purposes of writing these shows that’s what it feels like. Bisexuality is revealed as a shock, through a bombshell featuring a same sex relationship, and then forgotten. It feels as if these writers are using bisexuality as a stepping stone for the characters actually being gay. Now people might not agree with this and everyone’s experiences are different, but to me as a bisexual viewer that is how it feels.

I guess what I’m saying is they’ve had enough bisexual characters by now that they should be writing them as well as they do other lgbtq characters. For shows that usually handle things very well and sensitively they are still failing in this department. I love these shows but it’s 2017 guys it isn’t hard to talk to bisexual people, or you're bisexual viewers, fix your mistakes, talk to your target audience and the audience you’re trying to represent and see where you can do better. Why the fuck are we still having this conversation.

[busan97fics]

Deadly: Part 02.

By: busans97 (busan97fics)

Pairing: OC x Jungkook

Word Count: 2,046

Warnings: mentions of cheating, violence, and sexual activities

Summary: Being a “hitman” (or woman, in this case) figure at eighteen is bizarre, but falling in love with a boy you’re supposed to kill in a matter of seven days is even more bizarre.

[check out the other parts of this story!]

(not my gif, creds to the owner)

I could hear a faint laugh over the phone. “Um…uh, I don’t know how else to put this. I…I think I have a job for you. I need you to….kill someone.”  

There was an brief uncomfortable silence before someone decided to talk.

"Jisu, are you sure about that?" I asked. "You sound...unsure."

Like I've said before, I hate finding out that I've killed an innocent person after a job. And Jisu doesn't sound too sure of herself: she's shaky, and can't even say the word kill without me feeling her wince over the phone.

"No, I'm positive," Jisu replied, sounding more confident than before, but a shakiness still lingered in her voice. "It's about my boyfriend. Well, my ex now."

My eyes widened. "Jungkook?"

"Yep. Him. He was just horrible in our relationship, you guys didn't see the half of it."

Jisu asking me to kill her (I guess now ex) boyfriend Jungkook really came as a shock to me. I've met Jungkook once or twice and from what I remember he was super sweet. He was a timid guy, and somewhat awkward, so I couldn't imagine what he could do wrong.

"Are we talking about the same Jungkook, Jisu? Because I am so confused on why you want me to kill him." I said. "I kill vicious rapists and abusers. Not teeny shy boys like Jungkook."

"That's what I mean!" Jisu answered, obviously frustrated. "He wasn't what everyone else saw him like. He was emotionally and mentally exhausting, and he's a cheater!"

I hesitated before saying something else. "Alright. 1) I can't kill someone just because they're 'emotionally exhausting' to you. That's not how it works. You can't just use me to kill someone you don't like for your dumb reasons. And 2) Cheating's more in my field. Explain to me how he's a cheater."

"Well, he'd get oddly distant from me suddenly and he was always on his phone. I suspected he was cheating because whenever I asked if he was okay, he'd avoid eye contact and get all nervous. And whenever I'd wanna...you know....fuck him, he'd never be in the mood. Never. A nineteen year old boy not in the mood for sex? Now that's strange."

"Alright, you got some fair points," I replied. "I'm still kind of iffy about this though. I've met him, plus he's such a ni–"

"20,000 dollars."

I paused. "What?"

"I'll pay you 20,000 dollars if you kill this boy. Deal?"

Jesus Christ. Although this money would help me immensely, I was still thinking about this job. I've never killed anyone I've met before, and I don't know how comfortable I'd be doing it. I've only killed complete strangers, so it's never phased me. But killing someone I've had multiple conversations with? It's just...bizarre to me. I decided to just answer truthfully.

"I...I'll think about it." I hung up before Jisu could say another word, and let out a deep sigh.

I walked back out to Yoongi's den and tried to look as calm and casual as possible, but it was too late.

"Who did she want you to kill?" Yoongi asked, clearly hinting that he heard my conversation.

"Jungkook," I said meekly. I quickly and awkwardly scratched the back of my head, hoping Yoongi and Hoseok heard me so I didn't have to repeat myself.

The two boys immediately turned around and a silence quickly occupied the apartment. Their eyes stared at me in disbelief.

"Wh...who did you say?" Hoseok asked, almost inaudibly.

"Jungkook," I repeated myself, speaking a tiny bit louder than last time.

"Jeon Jungkook? As in her ex boyfriend?" Yoongi asked dumbfounded.

"Yep, that's the one," I laughed nervously, regretting my decision to tell the boys about the job Jisu gave me.

"What the hell did you say?" Hoseok exclaimed. "You said no, right?"

I hesitated to answer the question. I was internally conflicted: I didn't say no, but I didn't agree upon it. I just needed the money. But this is one of their friends I was hired to kill, not some total stranger, like I said before. If I kill him everyone except for Jisu is gonna hate me for sure. But if I don't-

Hoseok fished me out of the deep thought I was in. "Right, Eunju?"

"Um, uh...I didn't say yes." I confessed. "I wasn't sure. I told her I'd think about it. She offered me $20,000! I couldn't turn that down."

"Jesus Christ, Eunju. He's just a kid," Yoongi said in disbelief, trailing off and repeating "He's just a kid".

"I know that, I really do," I replied. "She...she just told me that he's 'not what everyone thinks' of him. She says he's...or was different...when they we're alone."

Yoongi got up from the couch and paced before doing anything else. He sat down at the table in the kitchen, and motioned for me to sit down next to him.

"Eunju. Did Jisu tell you why her and Jungkook broke up?"

I shook my head. "Now that it occurs to me, no."

Yoongi shut his eyes let out a deep sigh before speaking again. "The night they broke up Jungkook came over here. He was banging on the door; he looked scared as hell. I asked him what happened, and he told me Jisu had threatened to kill herself if he left her. She was so afraid of losing him, but he was the one that wanted to break it off because their relationship wasn't going well. She never wanted to talk to him and if she did talk to him, she'd ask him to fuck. He didn't want a relationship solely based off sex, he's not that kind of guy. And when he explained that to her, she flipped her shit. That's when she threatened to kill herself, and when Jungkook finally got her to stop saying that, she changed sides and threatened to kill him. He ran 9 blocks to get away from the lunatic. She wants you to do what she couldn't finish, Eunju. You always rant about the assholes who ask you to do a job for revenge, right? She's one of them. She's a psycho bitch."

I knew Yoongi was probably right deep down inside, but there was just something that set me off after he called Jisu a "psycho bitch".

"First of all, let's not blame the victim here," I stated, clearly showing annoyance in Yoongi's remark. "Second of all, he could just be saying this shit. We can't just assume that he's right and Jisu's wrong. Think about it: Jisu threatening to kill someone? I honestly doubt that happened, no offense to Jungkook."

Yoongi gave me a bewildered look. "Eunju. He came here after running 9 blocks. Panting. Looking scared. As. Hell. He isn't lying."

I shot back a look of doubt. "You hardly talk to Jungkook. How would you know he's not lying?"

"You know I've known Jungkook longer than I've known Jisu, right?" Yoongi scoffed. "I was the one who set them up as a couple. Obviously it didn't work out."

"Since you've known Jisu for a shorter time than you've known Jungkook, how do you know that Jisu is the one lying here? I mean you basically said it yourself, you don't know Jisu as well as Jungkook." I raised my eyebrows, eager to hear a reply.

Yoongi looked conflicted. "No, I didn't mean that, all I meant was that I don't think–"

He shifted his eyes from his hands, which he was fidgeting with, to my face as if he was looking at me for approval. Noticing my unconvinced face, Yoongi rolled his eyes and laughed coldly.

"You know what, forget it. If you want to get yourself involved with this bullshit, go ahead. Just don't come crawling to me complaining to me when something goes wrong like you always do."

I felt my face gradually beginning to burn up. "When the fuck do I ever ask you for help? I guess you were the one who helped me move in to my own apartment, get my life somewhat together and helped me earn 10k a week, right?"

Yoongi sent me a blank look and just laughed. "Eunju, if I didn't find you you know you'd probably be dead at this point, right?"

I narrowed my eyes and gave Yoongi a cold look. "Don't even fucking joke about that."

I abruptly got up from the kitchen table and left Yoongi's apartment, slamming the front door shut on the way out.

The thing with Yoongi is that sometimes he acts like my big brother, and other times he acts like my big brother. It has its pros, and it has it's cons, and this shit was definitely a con. He likes to tell me what's good for me without actually thinking about me; there's absolutely no logic in it. According to him sometimes, he knows everything there is to know about anything, including my fucking life choices. And I'm the bad guy for wanting to help a desperate, scared woman.

I angrily marched down the mostly pitch black street, the only light being from people's apartments above. I took out my phone and called Jisu.

"Jisu? It's Eunju again. I've thought about it, and I'm up for the job. Call me back once you get this so we can meet somewhere."

I swirled my milkshake with my straw as I listened to Jisu ramble on about her relationship with Jungkook. I know she's the victim (according to me and only me, at least) but it seems like this meeting was her way of getting to explain her sob story to someone. I frankly could give less of a shit of how bad the sex was and how he could rarely find your clit. I'm not fucking here for this crap. I took the weight of my face off of the palm of my hand and gave a hopefully convincing smile to Jisu.

"Jisu, sweetie? I really am sorry that your relationship was horrible and that he...didn't buy you enough clothes...but when I said to tell me a little more about  relationship I meant tell me more of what you...emotionally struggled with."

Jisu laughed and softly slammed her hand on the table. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! Of course, I'm so dumb. Okay, let me get to that now then."

Took her long enough.

"For the ten months we dated, the majority of those months were great. He was probably one of the best boyfriends I had. Modest, kind, gentle, caring. But it was the last month or two of our relationship where things began to go downhill. Like I told you before, he was very distant and never wanted to do anything with me, and he seemed to be embarrassed whenever we were out together. He used to love PDA, but all of the sudden it stopped. He was just...impossible to have a relationship with."

I nodded sympathetically. "Did you ever confront him and ask him if he was cheating?"

"I did. Once." Jisu slightly titled her head down towards the diner table and was visibly beginning to shake. "Never again after that."

I furrowed my brows. "Why, what happened?"

Jisu let out a sigh. "He got angry. Real angry. He didn't hurt me or anything, but he did punch my wall and made a pre-tty big hole in it."

I've determined I heard enough and that it was time to take the job. I was still iffy about it, and partly doing it to prove a point to Yoongi which isn't a good idea, but I decided I'd just negotiate a deadline. It doesn't seem like it will be too hard with her.

"Alright, I'll do it. Give me 2 weeks and he'll be gone."

Judging from the look on her face, two weeks didn't seem to satisfy Jisu. "Two weeks?!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Christ Eunju, how long does it take to point a gun at some dude's head and shoot him?"

She'd be surprised. "Uh...not too long I guess."

"Seven days. Take it or leave it."

"I'll...take it."

"Yay!" Jisu squealed. "Thanks so much! His friend Taehyung is throwing a party tomorrow night and Jungkook will more than likely be there. He's not much of a party guy, so he'll for sure be alone. You should go there first."

I gave a crooked smile and nodded. "I'll for sure be there."

And it begins.

[pt. 3]

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Dr. Crane

HAHAHAHAHA I don’t think this is good but @the-mighty-sorceress inspired me.

Ellie realized this was a bad night to bring Glimmer when she saw the sleek black motorcycle outside the house.  She knew the driver, and had a feeling she knew how Glimmer felt about him, but they were there, and there was no turning back now.

“Well,” she forced a smile and gestured to the neon green Fusion parked in front of it, “my dad’s home.”

“Is your mom?” Glimmer asked, focusing on the bike.  Ellie decided not to reply to that and opened the door.

“I’m home!” she announced loudly, “I brought a friend!”

“Please don’t say it’s Barbara,” Edward Nygma groaned from the kitchen, “or Clover, I hate Clover.”

“Harsh,” came a second voice from the same room, one Ellie had grown familiar with, “hi Ellie, how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been well,” Ellie stepped aside so Glimmer could walk, “impromptu visit?”

“Uh, a bit more personal,” the voice replied, “but Eddie and I can continue it later.  We’re in the kitchen, if this friend is one we don’t know.”

“Who’s that?” Glimmer looked mildly confused.

“Family friend,” Ellie sighed, “I was kind of hoping he wasn’t going to show up today, but with the stunt Hatter pulled on Monday, he was going to show anytime this week.”

Ellie shut the door and walked into the kitchen.  She could hear Glimmer’s quick inhale as the spindly giant that was Jonathan Crane came into view.

Jonathan raised his eyebrows at the sight of Glimmer and straightened up, but didn’t say anything.

“Dad, Dr. Crane,” Ellie gestured to Glimmer, “this is Glimmer, Glimmer Pye.  She’s in Lizzie’s class.”

Jonathan gave a curt nod and a quick glance at Edward.

“I’ll go,” he said quickly.

“You said this was important,” Edward argued.

“Eddie, darlin, not as important as this young girl’s comfort,” Jonathan reasoned, turning to leave, “I’ve got errands to run anyway.”

“Jon.”

Jonathan turned back to Edward and gave him an irritated glare.

“Ellie, could you take your friend into the basement?” Edward asked, “Liz is down there with Dorothy and Gwen.”

Ellie nodded and gestured for Glimmer to follow her down to the basement.

“Are you okay?” Ellie asked, opening the basement staircase, “You went stiff as a board when you saw Dorothy’s dad.”

Glimmer shrugged and didn’t say anything.

“I mean he is intimidating,” Ellie granted, “but he’s really nice.”

“He keeps birds,” Glimmer said quickly, Ellie nearly missed it.

“You mean Craw and Nightmare?  Yeah, but he’s also got cats.  Do you like cats?”

“I guess,” Glimmer shrugged.

“Great, come get Obama,” Gwen grumbled loudly from the basement, “he’s stretching in front of the TV.”

“Obama is a girl,” Dorothy corrected Gwen quickly, “that’s also Catherine, not Obama.  Obama’s the calico.”

“That’s not a calico?”

“No!  That’s a tortoiseshell.”

“Why the fuck is it called a tortoiseshell?  It’s not a turtle!”

“Tortoises aren’t turtles!”

“Ellie can you please move Cathering before Gwen and Dorothy maul each other?” Lizzie piped up.

“Yeah, coming,” Ellie skipped down the steps and lifted the small tortoiseshell kitten off the TV stand. She turned as Glimmer descended the stairs and looked around at the neat, clean basement that doubled as Ellie’s sewing room and Lizzie’s gaming room.

“Welcome to where the real magic happens,” Dorothy joked from the couch, “stop cheating Gwen.”

“Bite me,” Gwen replied.

“I think you’ve met Lizzie and Dorothy,” Ellie gestured to the two girls, “this is Gwendolyn Tetch, but we all just call her Gwen.”

“Yo,” Gwen nodded. Glimmer stared at Gwen for a few minutes before mumbling a quiet greeting.  Ellie gestured with her head for Glimmer to follow her to the other side of the basement, where Ellie’s sewing room was.

“This is what Dorothy meant by the real magic,” Ellie admitted, “Like Dorothy appreciates Lizzie’s games and all, but she likes what I do here more.”  Ellie turned to Glimmer, “I design, sew, repair.”

“All on your own?” Glimmer frowned.

“Eh, dad helps, Crane does too, believe it or not.  He taught me how to sew.  He used to fix clothes for himself and his great grandmother when he was a kid.”

“It’s impressive,” Glimmer ran her fingers along the chiffon draping of an orange gown on a dress rack, “this one’s beautiful.”

“That’s mine,” Dorothy poked her head in, “sorry El, I’m gonna kill Gwen if I keep playing with her. Hi Glimmer.”

Glimmer gave a timid wave and Dorothy looked a little hurt.

“Do you not like me?” she asked.  Ellie’s heart skipped a beat.

“No,” Glimmer began, but hesitated to add anything else.

“Hey Dorothy,” Ellie leaned in quickly, “Glim’s kinda scared of your dad so I’m not sure she’s too comfortable around you whether she likes you or not.”

Dorothy made a face that told Ellie that she was about to do something very...Crane.  She walked away and after a few minuted came back, dragging her father.

“Dorothy, no,” Jonathan started to leave but Dorothy blocked the exit.

“You’re not scary,” she said firmly, “show her.  You’re not scary.”

“Dorothy, hun, can we not do this.”

Dorothy pouted, unwilling to let up even slightly.  Ellie boosted herself onto her sewing table and gestured for Glimmer to come stay near her.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “I tried to explain to Dorothy that you’re not too comfortable around her and Dorothy got it in her head that you needed to actually meet her dad.”

Glimmer looked a little insulted, but looked back and Jonathan and Dorothy bickering.  She’d never really seen someone stand up to a parent so completely, much less be treated with enough respect that their points were being paid even the slightest mind.  In the end, Dorothy won the argument, and Jonathan turned to Glimmer.  He took a deep breath, trying to find words.

“Your mom fucking sucks,” he managed to say.

“I’m very aware of that,” Glimmer nodded, “Pleased to meet you, Dr. Crane.”

“Pleasure to meet you too,” Jonathan smiled, then shrugged and looked at his feet, “so um, I’ve been told you’re scared of bird, which I’m guessing is why you’re iffy on me.”

“Who told you?” Glimmer furrowed her brow.

“Oh, a certain blue boyscout might be a friend of mine,” Jonathan shrugged, “I have a lot of weird friends.  Just wanted to clarify, I’ve been in your shoes, used to be utterly terrified of birds. Trust me, I get the association, and possibly trust me when I say it’ll get better, one day.”

Glimmer nodded, but frowned, “You were afraid of birds?”

“Yeah, got attacked by crows when I was a kid,” Jonathan shrugged, “several times.  Not really a family-friendly story to tell but let’s just say I had a paralyzing fear of birds when I was your age.  If you ever want help with it, I have some experience. Also, if you ever need to get away from your fucking awful mom, you have options.  The Clinic’s open to Rogue Kids and there’s a no violence policy on the whole block.  We’ve kept Zeke and Max there sometimes, Leo too.  Hell, Dorothy and Rebecca hang out there a lot.  It’s safe, if you ever need it.”

Jonathan seemed to be referring to Glimmer’s black eye, and Glimmer nodded.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” she agreed.  Jonathan smiled and walked out, Dorothy in tow.

“He’s,” Glimmer searched for the right words.

“Utterly nothing like you’d expect from a guy obsessed with fear?” Ellie guessed, “He’s pretty cool, isn’t he?”

Glimmer nodded, and Ellie smiled.

This went a lot better than she’d expected.

[dingoes8myrp]

A Word on Buffyverse Ships

I've been thinking a lot about the romantic relationships of Buffy, the canon ones and the fandom ones. I've never really committed fully to one ship or another, nor have I condemned one or another. I've watched them, I've analyzed them, sure. But I've never picked one or voted one off the island. I suppose it wasn't the reason I watched the show, so I never saw the point.

Recently, I rewatched both shows as an adult (rather than a teen/collegiate). It's amazing how a few years can bring new perspective to things. Writing my own fanfiction and reading that of others as well as engaging in many wonderful discussions here with other fans has really made me think about which ships I'm really ride or die for, and which I could do without. So, here's my take for those interested (since I've given my two cents here and there in many of your discussions, I'm sure). Please feel free to reply, discuss, or what have you.

I'm going to talk about these basically chronologically (to the best of my memory). I haven't scoured the Internet for every single ship, so these are just the ones I've thought extensively about recently. If there's one I don't mention and you're curious about my thoughts, drop me a line.

Xander/Buffy – A Nice Thought I enjoy the idea of this one in a post-show timeline. As a teenager I think Xander is way too immature and judgmental to be a good fit for Buffy. During the rest of the show's run they're on different pages romantically and don't seem to want the same things, so I don't think there was ever really a right time for them to be a couple during the show storyline. Although when I read the rumor that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendan pitched the pairing for season six I gushed a little. I do think by the end of the series Xander has displayed a remarkable amount of growth to become a humble, supportive man. He's loyal to Buffy in the way that he's by her side no matter what. Even if he disagrees with her or if he's angry at her, when push comes to shove he's in the fray right with her. However, he's not a yes man. He's not so enamored with Buffy that he doesn't see her flaws, and he's not afraid to call her out (albeit a bit brutally) when he thinks she's making a mistake. He also accepts her for who she is, even the parts he doesn't understand. I don't think these two would work as a lifelong pair, but they'd be an interesting match if the timing was right for them. Ultimately, I think it was a good move that this one remained unrequited.

Buffy/Angel – Meant to Be I have conflicted feelings about this one. I do not think it was a healthy example of a relationship, nor do I think it was intended to be a romanticized thing for people to aspire to. To me, the Buffy/Angel relationship always came off as a cautionary tale. Buffy was young and naïve at the start of their courtship, and the guy had a checkered past. "Oh, but he's different. He's changed." Her mother didn't approve, stating Angel was too old for Buffy (rightfully so). All the iffy red flags were there. I think Buffy was good for Angel, motivating him and helping him grow. But, I think he might have been a hindrance to her, as he always became priority over anything else (like oh, say, an apocalypse). One of my favorite Buffy moments is when she sacrifices Angel to prevent the Acathla apocalypse at the end of season two because she overcame that very issue. As an aside, I think Angel was a bit shady in his relationship with Buffy, knowing it wasn't the best thing for her, that realistically a life with him would mean a lot of sacrifice on Buffy's end. But, he pursued it anyway. The part where he had sex with Buffy and lost his soul is a bit suspect for me. The show seemed to steer us toward the direction that he didn't know exactly what "a moment of true happiness" meant, so that he couldn't really know sex with Buffy would make him lose his soul. But I have to think he knew it was at least a risk or a possibility. In my opinion, he was a bit reckless with that relationship, always going against his better judgment. So, I have my beef with this relationship for sure, and it's not my personal favorite. However, I think Angel is the person Buffy always measures everyone else she dates up to. He's the one for her, and I think Buffy is the same for Angel. Therefore, these two are my OTP, much to my chagrin.

Giles/Jenny – We Hardly Knew Ye This is a tough one. I wish we'd gotten a bit more time with Giles and Jenny because they barely got to be a relationship. Because of that, it's hard for me to land on it. They have kind of a nice bickering Pride and Prejudice thing happening, which is amusing. And it was nice to see Giles have his own life outside of being a watcher and a librarian. I also love Jenny as a character. She was portrayed in a way that I could imagine running into her teaching at my high school. She was a character I could see actually existing as a part of my world. Sadly, I don't see this as a long-lasting relationship. Mostly because they didn't know each other very well and never struck me as madly in love. Had they gotten the chance, I'm not sure it would have worked out, particularly with that slight deception on Jenny's end that put her at odds with Buffy.

Oz/Willow – The One I Want to Want This ship is particularly close to my heart for many reasons. Willow is probably the character high school me could relate most to, and Oz is my all-time favorite Buffyverse character. I can't explain why. He just is. I think for much the same reason I like Jenny. Because he's someone I could have gone to high school with (you know, aside from the werewolf part). This was the relationship I lived vicariously through when I was single or feeling bummed about a break-up. Oz was kind, considerate, quietly charismatic, drily witty, intelligent, and endlessly patient. He wasn't some knight in shining armor, or a smoldering heartthrob. He was just a guy, like any other guy I could have known. The fact that Willow caught the eye of a nice guy gave me personal hope for my own situation. Some days it still does. Oz is the dude I would date, marry, and have little werewolf babies with. Willow is my spirit animal. So, even though these two aren't an OTP for me as a fic writer/reader or a fan, they are my favorite ship. I could go on and on about them, so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

Spike/Drusilla – Eyeballs to Entrails These two are one of my favorite ships on the show. They're dark and twisted and they're both formidable villains when they want to be. But Spike, despite his undeniable edge, is so gentle with Drusilla and so devoted to her, it was one of the first hints of depth we saw in a vampire other than Angel. And Drusilla, despite her timid personality, had so much power in that dynamic. She was a strong woman, a force all on her own. These two are an OTP for me. I think if Drusilla had never left Spike he would have stayed with her forever. If Drusilla managed to get a soul she and soul-having Spike would probably reconnect with interesting results.

Spike/Angel – I'm Sure That's a Thing I don't really see a window for this in the run of the shows, but I totally believed these two were a Louis/Lestat type of thing back in the days of the Whirlwind. I definitely see a lot of subtext there, intended or not.

Cordelia/Xander – Well, There's Something You Don't See Every Day I… don't know where this one came from. When Cordelia and Xander shared their first dramatic kiss I think I laughed. "Oh, what a funny reaction for these two to have in that moment." And then that moment continued into a pretty substantial relationship. I never quite understood why these two were ever a thing. Realistically, yes. I get it. We've all watched two people get together and started taking bets on the date of their inevitable break-up. And on some levels I get the appeal. It's The Shop Around the Corner effect: these two can't stand each other, so naturally they need to be together. I did like the depth this relationship uncovered in Cordelia, but it's not one of my favorites.

Willow/Xander – Ugh. Really? Okay, I'm admittedly biased on this one because I've told you how I feel about Willow/Oz. I also have a general pet peeve when it comes to stories taking two characters who are good friends and deciding they have to pair them. It bugs the crap out of me that a man and a woman aren't allowed to just be friends in anything ever (except for Lucas and Haley in One Tree Hill and I love that about that show). I also can't stand love triangles. In conclusion, I hated this. Blasphemy. Never should have happened. Oz is a saint for forgiving Willow. Cordelia has every right to be pissed off about it. Xander's a dick for having the nerve to pull that Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered crap.

Buffy/Faith – Now That You Mention It… A relationship between Buffy and Faith never occurred to me when I watched the show. Then I read some fanfiction and some discussions about some subtext between these two. So, when I rewatched the show recently it was like "Wow, how did I never see that before?" One of my favorite moments in the show is the shared dream between Buffy and Faith at the end of season three. There is so much going on between these two women. I'm not sure the timing for a pairing was ever right for them in the show. Buffy was kind of closed off to Faith in the beginning, threatened by her and distant. Then once Faith went rogue I think she did some pretty unforgivable stuff as far as Buffy's concerned. Faith could say the same. Buffy did try to kill her. I don't think Buffy would ever forgive Faith for poisoning Angel, or for the body swap, but I don't think Faith would fault her for that. And I think Faith could forgive Buffy for stabbing her. I wish there was a window somewhere in the story where I could see this ship happening. Maybe post season seven. I'd have to think on it. However, I think these two women have a unique bond and, under the right circumstances and in the right plot, I could see this happening.

Giles/Joyce – Awkward I'm glad this was just kind of a fun one-time thing because how awkward would that have been? I feel like Joyce is always a bit competitive with Giles when it comes to Buffy. On the one hand, she respects Giles and appreciates how much he cares for Buffy. On the other hand, she resents him at times for endangering Buffy or for taking her away on some level. I think these two would always have a difference in opinion on what's best for Buffy, and that would kill any chance at a relationship they might have. How funny was that Band Candy episode, though?

Xander/Faith – Wait, What Just Happened? Again, I'm glad this was a one-time thing because – wait, what? This struck me as a plot device, a way to show us Faith was more dangerous than we thought. Tough break for Xander.

Xander/Anya – Haha! Oh, Wait… You're Serious? The issue I have with this ship is that it became a running gag on the show that Xander always fell for the monsters or the weirdos. Even when their relationship started, Anya was so awkward and out of place it was comedic. So when they made Xander and Anya a long-term couple I could never really take it seriously. I was always waiting for the punchline. It didn't help that as the show progressed they sort of gave Anya the Eric Matthews treatment and she went from trying to get used to being a mortal to "Who dropped her on her head?" Although they kind of grew on me, I never really considered this a realistic or long-lasting pairing. I did like Anya's arc after Xander bailed on their wedding. We got to see her trying to return to her demon ways and feeling conflicted. We got to see Xander struggle with the idea of a healthy marriage. That was all well and good. I just don't see this as an OTP kind of thing.

Riley/Buffy – A Breath of Fresh Air This is another ship that I personally really enjoy. Riley is a good, solid guy who's a badass in his own right and doesn't mind dating a woman who's independent and badass. I think Riley and Buffy had a healthy relationship, for the most part, until that clunkily executed break-up at the end (I think the show could have written that better). This wasn't quite a relationship I related to or lived vicariously through because Riley's not really my type and I couldn't really relate to Buffy much during this point in her arc. But, I enjoyed watching this ship and I really wanted it to work. It was healthy and safe, and Buffy never has enough of that in her life. However, I think the issues in the relationship were realistic. Buffy got kind of closed off and neglectful, and Riley got insecure and needy. Had that fortuitous and conveniently timed job offer not come along, I think these two could have eventually worked through those issues with some effort and commitment. But, I don't think Riley could ever hold a candle to Angel, so as long as Angel was in the picture I think he was always SOL.

Tara/Willow – You Make Me Complete This ship took me some time to warm up to, mainly because I felt like they wrote Oz out a bit unceremoniously so I didn't quite buy the quick progression to Tillow. However, I think these two had one of the most functional, realistic relationships in either of the shows. I would consider it THE most functional relationship if the whole addiction to magic arc with Willow hadn't happened (but that was a bit manipulative and unhealthy). I think Willow truly became whole as she grew over the course of her relationship with Tara, and I think Tara could breathe with Willow and feel comfortable with herself. I can't picture these two ever being as fulfilled with other people as they are with each other. I would have liked to see more of Willow coming to terms with her sexuality and dealing with that, and I would have liked to see a bit more development with the relationship. But these two are an OTP for me.

Spike/Anya – I Almost Forgot About That I didn't like this either. They just shoved these two together, got them drunk, and had them sleep together. It felt very contrived to me and I wasn't a fan.

Angel/Cordelia – I Guess You'll Do I never quite bought into this. It's very similar to Jenny and Giles for me in the way that it was hinted at that these two might have warm fuzzies for each other, but nothing was ever significantly done with it. For me, I don't know if I see this as a viable relationship. A lot of that is due to Angel being hung up on Buffy.

Cordelia/Doyle – A Face You Could Learn to Love These two had so much potential and I wanted so badly for them to be a couple. Another Jenny Calendar effect here where there was barely anything to suggest a possible relationship. But I think the chemistry between the two characters was spot on from the start. From the second he sees her Doyle's head over heels with the idea of her and she's rolling her eyes all "as if." But then they get to know each other and he genuinely appreciates the person she is. Unfortunately she never really gets to know him at all, so I don't really know how that relationship would have panned out. But I would have loved to see what would have happened.

Fred/Angel – Handsome Man Saved Me from the Monsters I'm glad this never became a full relationship in the show. I like the fact that these two were genuine friends and there weren't any romantic strings attached. Fred had a bit of a crush in the beginning, but I think that was a confusing mix-up on her part more than actual feelings. He saved her, so she automatically developed an appreciation for him. Overall these two had a sweet friendship and, while I think it could have developed into something under the right circumstances, I'm really glad it didn't.

Fred/Gunn – What Could They Possibly Have in Common? I'm not sure how these two ended up together. Opposites attract, I suppose. It just didn't feel like a real relationship to me. I tried to picture these two sitting around bored and talking and I had no idea what they'd possibly talk about. I feel like they'd be having a strike out conversation. "Do you like movies?" "Oh, I haven't really seen too many. I do like some of those old black-and-white romantic movies." "Oh. I'm not much for romance. More of an action kind of guy." "Oh… Have you read any good books lately?" "Uh… Not really. Been a little busy sharpening my knives and stakes." "Oh, right…" *cricket, cricket* It's not quite that I don't like this ship. It's more that I would have liked to have seen more of it, how it developed and how they worked. I didn't really have enough evidence to buy into it.

Fred/Wesley – Too Much Alike I understand the appeal of this ship, but in my opinion these two are too similar for a relationship to work well. I think they're much better as friends.

Buffy/Spike – Love Me, Hate Me I have a lot of personal bias with this one and it brings up some unpleasant feelings for me, so I don't think I could ever fully get on board with it even if I tried. That being said, I could see why this made sense at the time. This was always a relationship I could see happening under the right circumstances. Well, the stars aligned in season six and there you have it. The thing I don't like about this ship is how very unhealthy it is on both sides. It's very manipulative and abusive, and while that would be just fine if the two of them were soulless villains, it felt pretty out of character some of the time, particularly for Buffy. There was always a forced nature to it for me, which maybe was the point. Anyway, overall while I can see how it makes sense and I get the appeal, this isn't one I can rally behind because it makes me feel too icky.

Angel/Faith – Huh. Well, That's Interesting There's a lot of potential here. I think Faith and Angel understand things about one another no one else really could. They've both done terrible things (and enjoyed it), and they're both on sort of an impossible road to redemption. After a certain point, these two quietly became pretty ride or die for one another. And believably so. I didn't really see a place in the show's storyline where their pairing could have realistically fit, but I could see these two being a pair under the right circumstances. I think problems would arise because Angel's OTP is Buffy, and I think Faith would be very troubled by the idea of being compared to Buffy. But, it would be an interesting run while it lasted.

Wesley/Lilah – A Sharp Turn This was unexpected, but very cool. I liked that we saw a darker edge to Wesley and a softer side of Lilah. I also believed this relationship from the start. It made total sense to me at the time even though I didn't see it coming. These two had a mutual respect for each other, and they challenged each other. I also think they were very much in love, but neither of them really wanted to voice it (and I think they understood that about each other). While this relationship wasn't good for the rest of the characters involved because it sort of took Wesley away from the group, I like this ship a lot and it has the potential to be an OTP in my book. I would have needed to see a bit more of it.

Angel/Darla – It's Complicated I have mixed feelings about this one. While I think Darla and Angel totally miss the mark, Darla and Angelus are a perfect match, much like Spike and Drusilla. I think Angelus and Darla have a mutual appreciation for torturing and ruining others, and I think Darla understands exactly who Angelus is and is content to let him be that. He may not be devoted to her or even in love with her, but she's okay with that. As long as she's a part of the fun and she's in on the plans. It's not like she's entirely loyal to him either. She has her own agenda and likes her independence. However even human Darla and soul-toting Angel didn't really click for me. I think these two only work when they're both soulless monsters.

Connor/Cordelia – Eww, Why is This Happening? This was just gross. Wrong on so many levels. Cordelia was a mother figure to Connor, so her having a romantic thing with him was just icky, amnesia or no. Don't even get me started on the "It wasn't really Cordelia" thing. However, on Connor's end I totally understood it. He never knew Cordelia as a mother figure. She was someone who was in a similar position he was in. They were both sort of lost and out of place, and neither of them trusted the group of people claiming to be their allies. I also think Connor sort of needs something to do or he goes a little sideways. He needs a thing to kill, a task to complete, or someone to protect. Cordelia was a purpose he could cling to, and cling he sure as shit did. However, this is another one I think was blasphemy and never should have happened. It was outright character assassination for both of them.

That's about all the steam I have. If I think of anymore ships I'll do another entry. In the meantime, please comment, discuss, or message if you feel the need.