#animations are offered but please give me leniency
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commissions are open! you can find more info here.
#commissions open#uhhh i don't get a lot of traction in general but i do want to limit to 5 comms#i am in college and i have assignments to finish and those take priority#animations are offered but please give me leniency
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A Mother's Struggle
The first fic I published on AO3! Re-sharing in honor of Mother's Day đ This started as a headcanon of mine (i.e. Jason only turned to thievery after his mom got into trouble with loan sharks) then evolved into a short story exploring my beloved Catherine's relationship with young Jason and her struggle with addiction.
Read on AO3 (please comment & kudos if you enjoy!)
Catherine held the burning cigarette between two trembling fingers, shaking free bits of ash onto the table below. The word was out: Willis was dead. The bastard left her with nothing but his gambling debts, and now the sharks were circling. Two of her late husbandâs associates were standing in her kitchen, their appetites whetted for either cash or blood.
She looked up at the men, trying her best to hold back both tears and vomit. âIâll get your money, I swear. I just need more time. Please.â
Vinny, the elder of the pairâa short man with a greasy black ponytail and a leathery face made for scowlsâlunged forward and gripped the table with both hands, causing Catherine to jump back with a gasp and nearly spill from her chair.
âDo we look like we represent a charitable organization, lady?â he snarled, his upper lip curling to reveal crooked, nicotine-stained teeth. âWe ainât in the habit of offering leniency to junkies and degenerates.â
âLook around,â Catherine said, waving her hand at the dilapidated apartment. âIâve got nothing to give you.â
She and Willis were never well-off but there was a time when this little apartment of theirs had a touch of class. She decorated it herself, kept it spotlessâshe desperately wanted her Willis to be happy and proud. She was a naive child back then, still wrapped up in a schoolgirlâs fantasy of having a âgangsterâ as a husband. But over the years their apartmentâs upscale facade chipped away, much like that of their marriage. Now the home they had once shared was run-down and filthy. The plaster walls were full of cracks and yellowing from the years of cigarette smoke. The hardwood floors were covered in scuffs, scratches, and layers of grime. Rats and roaches brazenly scurried about from their holes in the woodwork. Most of the furniture and decor had been sold off to pay bills⊠or to feed her addictions.
âPlease, you have to understand,â Catherine pleaded, her voice faltering now. âWillis left me with nothing. Not a dime. I'm a single mom with a kid to feed. Please give me a break.â
Vinny suddenly lunged at her again, grabbing her by the wrist. Catherine yelped as he yanked up her arm and ripped back her sleeve. The inside of her elbow was dotted with needle holes, marking her attempts to escape the pain of the present and return to those happier days when a well-kept apartment was her only concern.
âA kid to feed, huh?â Vinny scoffed. âLooks to me like youâre shooting most of his meals into your arm.â
Vinnyâs partner laughed, and Catherineâs eyes darted toward the second man who hung back behind Vinny with his arms crossed against his chest. She didnât recognize the tall, 30-something man, but those hawk-like features and twinkling, dark eyes of his sent a chill racing down her spine. Vinny had a reputation for his hot temper, but this other man with his calm demeanor and evident amusement for her situation seemed far more dangerous.
Catherine swallowed hard, hoping to hide some of her fear from these animals, but when she spoke her voice was a frightened squeak. âIâm gonna stay clean from now on, I swear. Iâll⊠Iâll go back to work. Whatever it takes. Iâll have your money soon, just please donât hurt me.â
âMom?â a small voice asked warily.
Catherine's heart leapt into her throat and she let out a strangled cry. Vinny dropped her arm, and both men spun around to face the interruption. Behind them stood a 10-year-old boy, hands stuffed into the pockets of worn, school-issued khakis, suspiciously eying the strangers. There was no hope in holding back her tears now, which trickled down her cheeks at the sight of her son. Why? Why did he have to come home now of all times? She slid out of her seat at the table and pushed past Vinny, hurrying toward her son. The scrawny boy, with his mop of black hair and icy blue eyes, was a shadow of his late father. Even his casual stance and mistrustful frown reminded her of the man she once loved. Catherine kneeled in front of the boy. She pushed a curl behind his ear and forced herself to smile at him, but the boy glared through her, his eyes still fixed on the two men.
âJason, sweetheart,â Catherine spoke tenderly. She took her son's face in her handsâhow drawn it had become over the past year, how little of his darling âbaby fatâ now remainedâand gently turned it toward her own. When his eyes finally met hers and she saw the anger burning behind them, a shiver went through her. She tried to keep her voice steady, despite the fear and nausea and guilt and wistfulness all weighing down on her at once. âWhy donât you go outside and play until your fatherâs friends leave, okay?â
âYeah kid. Listen to your mom and beat it,â the tall man seconded in a sinister tone as dark and cold as his eyes.
But Catherine knew that Jason wouldnât listen. He never listened, at least not when it came to protecting her. Her son knew exactly who these men were, why they were there, and what they were after. Jason was a smart kidâhe had to be. You grew up fast when you were thrust into this pitiful life of his. With a two-bit criminal father who preferred the company of his âwhoresâ to his family, and a drug-addicted mother who was too weak to cope with losing the affections of her first love, Jason was forced to step up and take over the responsibility of providing for his family. A child, who should be spending his summers playing baseball or video games, was instead out on the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City begging for food and money so that he and his pathetic excuse for a mother wouldnât starve to death. Catherine had to straighten up for Jasonâs sake. Willis was gone for good this time, and her sweet son needed a mother more than ever now.
Jason glanced from Catherine to the tall man and back. Catherine stroked her sonâs hair once more and tried to hold onto his gaze with a reassuring smile but she felt her lips start to quiver. Please Jason, just this once, she begged him silently. Let me take care of myself. But her fearlessly stubborn son would never turn his back on her, even in the face of dangerâespecially in the face of danger. Jasonâs face darkened as he narrowed his eyes at the tall man and said: âGet out of my apartment.â
Catherine shrunk away helplessly, sitting back onto her calves, her shoulders slumped. Her worst fear was realized; they would hurt him for this. She squeezed her eyes shut but the tears still leaked out. âJasonâŠâ she whimpered under her breath.
Read the rest on AO3â
#jason todd#catherine todd#kid jason#crime alley#relationships#fanfic#bubs writes fic about jpt#mine
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Ripley shrugged, peering up at him with wide, nauseatingly forlorn eyes. "Sir, what else was I supposed to do? If I'd made myself known, I was likely to be mistaken for King's Army and shot from the guard towers."
"We are not animals," Benjamin coolly replied. "If a defector appears seeking sanctuary, or offering a flag of truce, then we do not fire -- we let them in for discussion." His smile grew threadbare. "You could've been afforded the same courtesy, had you been truthful. Alas, now we have to do the extra go-around."
Ripley curled inward, bowing his head akin to one of Benjamin's chastened students. "This is what I get for trying to help..."
Benjamin barely suppressed a snort. "If you're claiming aid, you've certainly taken your sweet old time in alerting me to such a fact. If help or information was truly your intention, why didn't you lead in with this offer?"
Ripley seemed about ready to grovel. "Be reasonable, sir. Please," he begged. There was a slight quiver in his voice. "It's not what you think."
This time, Benjamin did scoff. "'Be reasonable?'" he echoed, outraged. "I think I've been damnably reasonable, all things considered! I could've had you shot upon sight -- I could've had you tortured or maimed, but instead, I've been giving you far more patience and lenience than you deserve! Defectors are cowards." Curling his upper lip, Benjamin continued, "Opportunists grow fat upon the fruits of the victorious. And if that's your intention here, then I regret to inform you that here in this army, we expect cooperation and results -- neither of which you have given me."
The whimpering whelp barely seemed to hear him. Appearing more hangdog than ever, Ripley sniveled, "May I have my spectacles back, sir? Please, I can't see."
Jaw tight, Benjamin moved toward the adjacent wall and snatched up a small satchel. Digging around inside, he retrieved the spectacles, safe and intact, before placing them upon Ripley's face with gruff impatience.
"There," Benjamin tightly replied. "Now that you can see, perhaps you can finally visualize the danger you're in. Here in this army, we don't take kindly to liars -- we hang them, in fact, so I'd suggest you finally become forthright with your intentions."
Blackwood was right about the man's temperament.
Eyes flickering briefly to the figure positioned at one corner of the room, Tom wondered if this display of bravado was for the other man's sake more than his own. It'd make more sense if that was true; it'd make more sense for this man, this Major Tallmadge, to exert his title and what little power he held in this camp through intimidating speeches.
Still, that didn't make it any less difficult for Tom to quell his urge to laugh; it was funny, all of this; his being ushered into camp and now Tallmadge acting predictably. While he was no fanatic of Major Blackwood's, Tom respected the man's observations; if anything, at least he'd been sent across enemy lines with correct information; he could work with that.
His eyes remained fixed on the blurred form of the Major, though he wasn't listening much to the drivel spat at him; no, he was contemplating what the camp might present him for dinner; he'd heard the rebels fed their prisoners better.
Tom almost liked not wearing his glasses now; it made the Major's display that much more ridiculous; prancing around in blue, acting as if he was about to run a prisoner through with his saber, there was comedy in the act; it reminded him of one of those performances he'd snuck into back in the city, watching as a faux stagehand; the ones where the officers took on the roles, even the feminine ones. For never meeting the man, Tom wondered if Tallmadge might be the same as his parallel, Major Andre; the King's own head of intelligence seemed just as keen when it came to performances.Â
âYou were caught skulking through our grounds without any recognizable means of identification,â
"Sir, what else was I supposed to do? If I'd made myself known, I was likely to be mistaken for King's Army and shot from the guard towers."
Tom's palms were sweating and the perspiration on his back caused his shirt to stick to his skin. It was uncomfortably warm in the room, wherever this was in camp; it was indoors, somewhere substantial enough for there to be a hearth; why the hearth was blazing in the middle of the afternoon, he didn't know, but the heat of the sun beating down on the covered windows certainly wasn't helping. How could the man stand it? He was in full uniform.
âOf course you would claim youâre taking a risk, because you bloody well are. I donât know, you, sir â no one here knows you â so the likelihood of this being a redcoat defection or, worse yet, an infiltration is likely.â
Sinking back into his chair, Tom mimicked a flower wilting, his brow furrowed, disappointment etched along his features. Muttering under his breath, he cast his gaze away, looking down at his stockinged feed - they'd taken his boots too; it was too bad; he liked those shoes, he hoped he'd get them back - "This is what I get for trying to help..."
His head still turned from the Major, he glanced toward the curtained window, the sun lightening the colored fabric; it was patterned, but he couldn't tell if it was a floral pattern or something entirely else; stolen curtains, most likely; commandeered. As for how tiresome this war was, that was the part that amused him the most.
"Be reasonable, sir. Please." His voice wavered. "It's not what you think."
Could he manage at tears? No, he supposed not; besides, tears weren't always needed to display frustration.
Looking back at the man, "I⊠I'm sorry. This was a bad idea and I never should've come."
Shifting his eyes from side to side, he added as an afterthought, his voice sounding smaller than before, "May I have my spectacles back, sir? Please, I can't see."
#retrograderesemblance#a tapestry of lies#//I FINALLY READ YOUR TAGS asoidjoisad icb#good krill hunting is what you can call all tom love scenes#*bekah snaccs on dat krill*#YOU KEEP YOUR FLEXING KRILL AWAY FROM MY SON osdjsiada#i like how you're manipulating me with tom's ;^; P-P-P-PLZ SIR#while meanwhile ben's like LOL BINCH PLZ
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Total Misunderstanding Part #3
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Disclaimer: Elena of Avalor and all its characters belong to Disney.
Note: Llorona belongs to me. If you use her in fanart or fanfiction, please remember to give me proper credit as her creator. Thank you.
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"Chief Zephyr might let you stay on Mooncliff Mountain with us until you figure out where you want to go," Cruz suggested as they ate lunch and discussed what Llorona could do and also where she might go now that she'd run away from the palace.
Llorona finished her food and crumpled up the plate before tossing it in a nearby trash bin. She'd considered going to Hortensia Paloma. The magister of the trading guild had always been nice to the princess even on the days she hadn't purchased anything at her emporium.
Doña Paloma didn't like her parents either so she likely wouldn't tell them Llorona was there. However, if her mother or father happened to show up and find out she was hiding at the emporium, they'd probably punish her for being outside the palace, and she didn't want Paloma to get in trouble for helping her.
Llorona didn't know what the penalty was for aiding runaway royals, but given how strict her mother was, she figured the reprimand would probably be a harsh one. Neither of her parents were known to show much leniency whenever it came to upholding Avaloran law.
She didn't want to risk the jaquins getting hurt either though. Her mother hated animals, but she especially despised the flying jaguars who liked to sing and cause mischief which didn't bode well with her mother who preferred everything to be tidy and quiet. Her mother would incinerate them all with her Vadisima spell if she caught Llorona going anywhere near them. Just being around Cruz put the jaquin cub's life in danger. Llorona had told him that, but he refused to leave her side until she found a safe place to stay.
"What are you going to do?" Cruz asked once she'd said no to his offer to live at the cliffs with him and the rest of the jaquin clan.
"I'll figure out something," she told him. "I just...need time to think. Let's go look around some more."
Cruz nodded. "Okay!"
Llorona stood and dusted herself off before turning towards the vendor stalls only to bump into a man's leg. She tried to apologize, but the man grabbed onto her arm and attempted to drag her out of the market. Llorona started struggling, kicking and crying out for help, but the people in the market probably assumed the man was her father or some relative and she was throwing a tantrum. Cruz knew better, however, and leapt forward sinking both his teeth and claws into the man's lower arm.
The man cried out and let go of Llorona's arm. The jaquin cub and the princess tried to run away while the man was busy clutching at his injured arm and spewing profanities, but another even larger man got in their way as they were trying to leave.
"Get the niña," the first man ordered. "I don't give a damn what happens to the jaquin!"
"I've got her," the second replied reaching towards Llorona.
"Contali!"
All at once both men were thrown backward into the nearest wall. Llorona stood wide eyed as a man in dark blue robes appeared beside her pointing a tamborita at the two men.
"I've always detested adults who bully children," he said pausing to adjust the double headed serpent clasp on his cloak.
The man was so tall Llorona had to crain her neck just to see his face which was long with rather large green eyes and an extended goatee that matched his salt and pepper hair. He aimed his tamborita at the two men as they began pushing themselve up off the ground.
"Ecatuul!"
Llorona watched as the two men were swept up into the tornado the strange wizard conjured. She heard the two shouting and saw their arms and legs flailing as it carried them off to Maru only knew where.
The princess and the jaquin cub uttered a simultaneous "Wow..."
The wizard was putting his tamborita away when they approached him.
"That was amazing," Cruz exclaimed.
The wizard ignored Cruz and focused on Llorona. "A young child such as yourself should not be traipsing around here unattended. Where are your parents, girl, and why aren't they with you?"
His stern tone had Llorona taking a apprehensive step back. "MamĂĄ and PapĂĄ don't want me. I was an accident. That's why I'm here. To find somewhere else to live."
The wizard frowned. "I see. What's your name, girl?"
Llorona eyed him warily. "Who wants to know?"
He seemed surprised by her question, or perhaps he was amused. Either way he gave a dramatic gesture and said, "I am, Fiero, the most feared and powerful malvago in all of Avalor. And you are?"
Llorona motioned to Cruz then to herself. "He's Cruz and I'm Ro."
Fiero quirked an eyebrow. "Ro? Am I to assume that's short for something else?"
"No. It's just Ro."
"Well, 'Just Ro', you and your furry friend need to be more careful. Even a nice kingdom like Avalor has its dangers-as you just learned. Keep to the main streets if you're looking for food or work and stay out of trouble, elsewise you'll fall in with the wrong crowd and end up stuck somewhere you don't want to be doing things you won't like. Understand?"
Llorona nodded. "Si, señor."
Fiero gave a stiff nod. "Good. Now if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."
The malvago wasn't a fool. He knew who the girl was. Only one woman in Avalor had eyes such a dark, vivid shade of emerald green.
It seemed Shuriki had found a man insane enough to sire her child. Fiero couldn't help wondering who she'd chosen and whether or not the poor, unfortunate lunatic had even survived the conception. The sorceress didn't seem all that affectionate or merciful, so it wasn't surprising in the least that she hadn't turned out to be an attentive mother.
Fiero pretended not to notice that the child and jaquin cub were following him while he took a long stroll through the market. A malvago's life was rather lonely-albeit fulfilling, so a bit of company now and then was appreciated even if that company was a little girl and her pet trailing after him at what they perceived to be a safe distance.
Fiero didn't mind keeping an eye on the two youngsters if only to make certain nobody else tried to bother them. He wasn't usually one to involve himself in the affairs of other people, but when it came to a child's well-being, well...even a malvago could have a heart from time to time.
#eoa#disney#elenaofavalor#shuriki#elena of avalor#chancellor esteban#esteban flores#fanfiction#EoA#original character#fiero#cruz
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the gentler gamester is the soonest winner (3/4)
âAnd that reminds me,â Poe says. âI got you a present.â
Now this piques Reyâs interest.
âIs it the cupcake I saw at the supermarket last Wednesday? Iâve never seen so much icing on one piece of cake; it was truly a remarkable confection.â
âUm, not exactly.â Rey tries not to let her face fall too much; she was still getting a gift, after all. âI invited Ben.â
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Poe throws a party and is decidedly not trying to get Ben and Rey together.
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Rating: Teen and Up
Word Count: 2K
Read on AO3
Notes:Â you know that saying, 'you're going to hurt but it's gonna be worth it'? y'all know that one? tis a good mantra to have for this chapter, i think
Chapter 3:Â when I waked, I cried to dream again
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âIâm not sure this is a good idea,â Rey tells Poe for the 100th time that day.
âUgh, Rey. It is past midterms. Everyone needs to blow off a little steam. Including you. Especially you, as a matter of fact.â Rey tried not to frown too hard and look like the petulant child she felt she was at the moment.
âI donât need to blow off steam. I need to figure out a sufficient way to write about it for my physics class.â
Poe sighs and spins the office chair that was acting as a salon chair around to face him.Â
âIt is thursday. Thirsty Thursday. The day universally decided by college students as the day to get fucked up. I have ben very gracious about my leniency with you missing Thirsty Thursdays this semester because I know you have a large course load and have to study more often than not.â Rey was ready to accept his apology and move on and have a grand night; if Poe stopped at that, which, of course, he couldnât.
âBUT,â he begins again, and Rey does not repress the eye roll,âthis is probably the last week youâre going to accept my offer to come to Thirsty Thursday for the rest of the semester. And I, for one, want to hang out with one of my best friends before she throws herself into a self-induced solitary state for finals. So please, try and enjoy the fun events your peers and I put on for you. Please.â
Rey huffs. âYouâre not even a college student,â She grumbles. Poe grins triumphantly, clearly the winner of this argument. âHow would your boss, President Organa, feel about you corrupting students with wild parties?â
âYour argument is invalid because one: Leia Organa is the President of the University and Amilyn Holdo is the Director of Admission, and therefore, my boss. And two, if anyone knows the benefits of a good gathering, itâs Leia! She was quite the wild child in her day,â Poe says, expressing great admiration for President Organa. She felt it too, albeit, for different reasons.
âAnd that reminds me,â Poe suddenly swung the chair back around and Rey was forced to grip the handles to steady herself. âI got you a present.â
Now this piques Reyâs interest.Â
âIs it the cupcake I saw at the supermarket last Wednesday? Iâve never seen so much icing on one piece of cake; it was truly a remarkable confection.â
âUm, not exactly.â Rey tries not to let her face fall too much; she was still getting a gift, after all. âI invited Ben.â
Reg grips the handles so hard sheâs surprised it maintains it molecular structure of plastic.Â
âWhy?â
âYou guys were a little weird with each other the other day, but like in a sexy way; like you guys are definitely gonna fuck at some point but neither of you know how to speak to each other. So I figured Iâd help things along and invite him.â
Reyâs jaw clenches. She tries to keep her face as passive as possible, which is proving to be⊠challenging.
âBen is essentially a superior. We canât fuck. And we donât want to. Itâs not going to happen.â
âSure, Jan.â
âPoe! Iâm serious. Itâs⊠not like that.â If it werenât for the curling wand wrapped in her hair and being utilized by Poe, Rey wouldâve stormed out of there and right to the supermarket for her mountain-of-icing cupcake. Sheâs sure of it.
âWell, whatever itâs like or not like, heâs coming.â
âHow do you know? You said he never comes to things like this.â
âBen actually responded to me. He said: âIâll think about itâ, which is Solo-speak for âyeah, Iâm comingâ.â
Rey grumbles to herself for a few moments, trying not to bite her nails. A nervous habit sheâs been trying to break since before her parents left her. She wonders about Benâs parents for a moment before stomping that thought down.
âI will agree to stay for the majority of the party tonight as long as you promise to never mess with my love-life again, got it?â She points at Poe through the mirror, trying to be as intimidating as possible for someone with butterfly clips holding parts of their hair back, can.
âSo you admit, Ben is apart of your love life?â The trademark Dameron smirk flashed across Poeâs face.
Rey just frowned and tried to take a power nap while he worked. She wouldnât give Poe the satisfaction of being right.Â
Even if he was.
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The thing about Poe is, he donât just throw a party; he throws The Party. He has the miraculous ability to turn any setting into an Animal House level of chaos, while perfectly predicting the amount of alcohol needed to sustain such an enviroment. He plays the perfect music at the perfect volume, invites the perfect amount of people, and has the prefect response to any problems that could arise.Â
Except, of course, the problem of what Rey should say to her teachers assistant who she may have a crush on but shouldnât have a crush on. Well, Poe would probably have a solution for that too, but not one sheâs willing to entertain.
Rey has stationed herself between the kitchen and the living room of Poeâs townhouse, the only place where there wasnât a ping pong table in her way or sweaty frat dudes grinding on girls with too little clothing. Sheâs nursing the vodka soda thatâs gone flat about twenty minutes ago, but venturing into the kitchen is too much of a risk.
She smiles at people walking by, makes small talk with Kaydel and asks about her all black ensemble (âItâs a full moon, Reyâ she says, like itâs the most obvious thing), and tries to bide her time until Poe is sufficiently drunk and she can sneak out.
This is also where Ben finds her, when Poe is roughly two shots of Jagermister away from not noticing Reyâs existence.Â
âHi,â He says over the music.
âHey,â She shouts back. They say nothing for a few awkward moments and Rey has time to look Ben over.Â
The black henley is probably more expensive than her entire wardrobe and his dark wash jeans seem to be his signature. But it is a beautiful signature. One people remark on. One she wants to rip off him. One she wants to walk over in the morning while he cooks her pancakes and bacon.
âYou look nice,â Ben says, and Rey realizes sheâs staring.Â
âYou too.â
âThis is a nice house.â
âYeah.â
Rey is admittedly not the best conversationalist but this is bad, even for her. Fuck it, she thinks.
âDo you want to get a drink?â She asks. Ben nods, so she grabs his hand and leads him up the stairs. Poe has a hidden mini fridge in his closet, which he uses for facial products, the Really Good Liqour, and emergencies.Â
This particular moment constitutes and emergency, Rey thinks. One of the social variety.
Benâs hand is warm and large and she really canât help it if his fingers lace through hers on their way up the stairs. She also canât help it if her hips swish a little more than necessary, too.
Rey quickly pulls him into Poeâs room, and heads to the mini fridge.Â
âPoe has good liquor in here, I think,â She says, pushing his clothes to the side to get to it. When she opens it use, she finds two empty mini-bottles of grey goose, two white claws, and a bottle of water. Thanks for nothing, Dameron. âWell, he always told me he has good liquor in here. White claw?â She holds one out to Ben.Â
âUm⊠water will be fine. Thanks,â She passes him the bottle, noticing how his right hand dwarfs it and how his left hand is still intertwined with hers. She makes no move to let him go and neither does he.Â
They sip their drinks, feeling the bass of whatever EDM hit shake the walls around them. She was waiting for him to make a move. Sheâd done her part, gotten them here, gotten them alone; it was only fair that Ben give an indication this this isnât one-sided.Â
âDo you⊠like parties?â He asks. His thumb was rubbing distracting circles on the back of her hand.Â
âNot at allâ Not unless youâre here. âPoe had to bribe me.â
âWith what?â
Your presence. âA cupcake.â
A slow soft smile spreads across Benâs lips and Rey accidentally squeezes his hand too hard to be polite.Â
âPoe told us you never come to parties.â She breaks the silence. The weight of his smile and stare feeling like a warm blanket around her.Â
âI usually donât?â
âDid he bribe yo to come, too?â
âYeah.â
âWith a cupcake?â
âNo.â He pauses and Rey realizes that theyâve drifted closer together. She can see the outline of his chest through the tight fabric. She can smell the expensive after-shave on his jaw. She can feel the warmth radiating off him, beckoning her closer. âWith you.â
Rey doesnât know who moves first, all she knows that however soft she imagined his lips to be, theyâre even softer. His mouth moves against hers, hungry and desperate. She slides her tongue into his mouth, tangling with his. His hands go to cup her head, holding her against him, and hers go to feel him through his shirt.Â
He pushes her up against the wall, gently probing his leg between hers, keeping her pinned. His mouth moves to pepper kisses across her jaw and she canât help but cry out. Ben works down her throat, having to lean down to reach it. She feels him; solid and warm and everything sheâs ever wanted in a partner.Â
Rey pulls his face back up to hers, willingly slotting their mouths together again. She gives an experimental rock of her hips against his thigh, causing him to rumble her name. Rey feels the vibrations more than hears his voice and it is by far her favorite way anyones ever said her name.Â
Suddenly, she feels his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back against the wall and any from him. Benâs head hangs between them and she hears him muttering creative curse words.
âWhatâs wrong?â She asks desperately, willing her hands to stop instinctively reaching out towards. him.
âI canât.â
The words hit her like ice water.
âWhat?â
âI canât do this, Rey.â His voice is deeper than sheâs heard before and pained.
âWhy?â The desperation in her voice is unattractive, sheâs sure, but she canât be bothered with that.
âIâm essentially you teacher. This is⊠not okay.â
Ben finally looks back up at Rey, still keeping her shoulders firmly back to the wall. She can practically see the emotion swirling in his deep brown eyes, but is to keyed up to make sense of it. After a moment, he lets her go, removing himself and putting a good six feet between them.Â
âYouâre leaving.â Itâs a statement sheâs said one too many times, but this one stings the most.Â
âIâm sorry. Pleas just⊠Iâm sorry.â
Ben is out the door before Rey can stop him.Â
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She makes it to her front door before the tears come.
#reylo#ben solo#kylo ren#rey#ben solo x rey#kylo ren x rey#star wars#sw#fan fiction#my work#adam driver#daisy ridley
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Quarantmeme
Thank you @theo-decker âș
ARE YOU STAYING HOME FROM WORK OR SCHOOL?
Mostly. Iâm having to go into work at random to print out and bind construction drawings (construction blueprints) whenever they get requested, but thereâs a lot of leniency around when it gets done. My coworkers suck at social distancing so Iâm mostly going in at like....midnight lmao.
IF YOUâRE STAYING HOME, WHO IS THERE WITH YOU?
My cat. Our bond is getting kind of absurd.
ARE YOU A HOMEBODY?
Oh definitely. Except mAN i wish my body was able to take better care of my home :/
AN EVENT THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT GOT CANCELLED?
Easter on Parade is this fun local thing where everyone dresses up audaciously and also dresses up their dogs audaciously and thereâs live music and stuff :/ also not being able to have Easter dinner at my momâs hit me way harder than I thought it was but I think thatâs just because I miss having like, food I donât know how to cook myself. Also like, I only started dating someone in February and sheâs local, so itâs just kind of like, âoh, of course this is happening now.âÂ
WHAT MOVIES HAVE YOU WATCHED RECENTLY?
EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH TRAIN TO BUSAN RN IT IS SO GOOD. I got a good chunk of the way into Seoul Station but I really wasnât feeling it as much. Rewatched Little Women & Birds of Prey. Coworker Steve, a real one, loaned me his HBO Now login, so far Iâve watched Boy Erased off of that (the fact that Timothee is the Lady Bird boy getting the most props is a CRIME!!!!!!!!) Also a crime: me not having watched Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm St yet.Â
WHAT SHOWS ARE YOU WATCHING?
I did watch the tiger show and then the tiger podcast and a bunch of mindless youtube shit; if you want a show thatâs very animal crossing in feeling i would recommend Hyori and Sangsoonâs Bed and Breakfast on Netflix. Thereâs also a bunch a shit Iâm supposed to get caught up on finally but I donât feel like it. That said, dOES ANYONE KNOW IF DICKENSON IS BEING OFFERED FOR FREE ON APPLEÂ TV? BECAUSE I NEED THAT SHIT IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE.Â
WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Tbh I mostly only listen to music when Iâm In The Zone with busywork so iâm not really playing a lot of music rn. Technically the same 10 songs on tiktok over and over and over again (dumbledisco if you want my tiktok) (donât judge)
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
I bought the memoir of Boy Erased after I watched the movie and read a bunch of it at like 3am because iâVE LOST CONTROL OF MY LIFEÂ
WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR SELF CARE?
-- giving myself permission to not worry about/give a shit about what my coworkers are thinking because my supervisor has given me no feedback about changing things --taking supplies from work & donating it to community aid like a badass Robin Hood bitch --still taking adderall even though my sleep schedule is fucked because just because iâm âsupposed toâ sleep during certain times doesnât mean i should have to sacrifice my mood --sloooooooooooooooooowly working through my giant pile of unwashed laundry left over from over a year ago (my kitten peed on a LOT of my wardrobe before she died) by washing it in the tub --petting my cat a lot --getting dressed fairly often but letting myself not when I genuinely donât feel like it --vidcalling my friends --trying to cook things I havenât tried to cook before (I MADE BACON BY MYSELF AND DIDNâT DIE, YAâLL!!!!) --taking walks --wearing Easter bunny ears out of the house in a fly Easter outfit because fuck the virus tagging everyone who sees this and wants to do it!Â
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More Things Than You Ever Cared To Know About My Writing
This was originally posted by âvorchagirlâ, reblogged by someone I follow. And I thought it would be fun to just outright answer these in a questionnaire type way, rather than as asks. So here we go =)
Feel free to do this yourselves if you like it. Just please remember to add the original poster.
Fanfiction Questions
Fandom Questions
1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?
Properly? Probably Pokemon. Iâve been writing fanfiction for it for years.
2. What is your latest fandom?
Funnily enough, Sonic, despite being a fan since I was like seven years old. Iâve just never seriously got into it since then until now.
3. What is the best fandom youâve ever been involved in?
The Pokemon fandom. Iâve made some awesome friends in it.
4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?
You hear things, but Iâve not really come across any toxicity besides the reaction to the Sonic Movie.
5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?
A good few, but the only ones youâll find are Pokemon, Sonic and Zootopia.
6. List your OTP from each fandom youâve been involved in.
Zootopia - Judy/Nick
Sonic - Shadow/Rouge, Silver/Blaze
Pokemon - I donât usually ship in Pokemon, but Jessie/James because reasons
7. List your NoTPs from each fandom youâve been in.
Sonic/Amy. Sorry. Some art is cute, but itâs not my jam.
Shadow/Maria. I donât ship animals with humans.
I also donât ship yaoi/yuri pairings.
I do not poop on any ship. If itâs one Iâm not fond of, I just scroll on and leave it be. Shipping can be pretty toxic sometimes, and I just donât get it at all.
8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?
I was writing Mask Behind the Monster and my husbandâs aunt suggested I join a specific Sonic forum to post it in. So I joined the Amino and posted it, all nervous. The reception blew me away, and I met some awesome people, so I stuck around.
9. What are the best things about your current fandom?
The friends Iâve made.
10. Â Is there a fandom you read fic from but donât write in?
Probably. Canât think of any off the top of my head.
Ship Questions for your Current Fandom
11. Who is your current OTP?
Shadow/Rouge. Also Infinite/Amy. This is because of my current writing projects.
12. Who is your current OT3?
None.
13. Any NoTPs?
Weâve been over this *looks up*
14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?
Sonic/Tails =3
15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?
Infinite/Amy. I didnât initially. But if itâs done right, and there are reasons for them to be together in that setting, then it works.Â
16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?
Sonic/Shadow, Infinite/Gadget
Iâm also not a fan of most Pokemon anime ships.
17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?
Knuckles/Amy. I still have a soft spot for it.
18. What ship have you written the most about?
Amy/Espio. I went through a phase... Read a couple of âfics and thought âWhy not? Sounds like fun.â XD
19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just donât feel them?
Not really. As much as I like shipping, because Iâm a fluff-junkie, I have to just like it.
20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?
Again. Inf/Amy. This one took me by surprise.
Author Questions
21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?
Erm... if I remember right, Some cringy self-insert Pokemon âfic when I was like 14/15.
22. Is there anything you regret writing?
Everything I regret writing has been deleted.
23. Name a fic youâve written that youâre especially fond of & explain why you like it.
The End and Mask Behind the Monster. I canât choose one over the other. They were both written with a lot of meaning and emotion behind them, and I have a soft spot for both.
24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?
I keep thinking about re-writing The End, but I worry it will lose its fire if I do...
25. Whatâs your most popular fanfic?
I think... THINK... itâs Mask Behind the Monster.
26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?
To Title is hard. System:Reboot was a suggestion off a friend who I have lost touch with. Its working title is âHackedâ. A lot of my stories have preliminary working titles until I come up with something. The End was named after a song. Confectionary Conundrum was originally called âSugar Snowâ which is the name of the sweet shop in that story. The Mainframe Sagaâs Scrivener file is still called âDatastreamâ. Its separate books have been renamed as Iâve been âplanningâ them out (as much as I plan).
27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?
Probably summaries, because FFNet leaves very little space to do so.
28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?
I have actually had fanart, so this is hard to say. A lot of people like drawing my cyberpunk Infinite redesign which has surprised me.
29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?
My husband proof-reads my stuff, and then I question him on it. I donât have a beta. Iâve thought about it, but I stick to a strict time-frame when it comes to uploads where I strictly give myself very little leniency. So if it wasnât betaâd in time, Iâd get a little frustrated and I do not like to pester people. I also worry Iâll be told to edit and cut a LOT, and I donât like to butcher my âfics. I do that enough while Iâm writing 8D
30. What inspires you to write?
My faith. That is a BIG one. You will find references and metaphors to my faith throughout my stories. Particularly in The End and The Mask Behind the Monster. Music is another huge inspiration drive. Iâve come up with entire scenes and even plots or sub-plots listening to music. I was just on a walk listening to some cyberpunk tracks when I got the spark for The Mainframe Saga.
31. Whatâs the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?
Oh boy. Where do I start? I think I was especially moved when someone told me they read The Mask Behind the Monster to their sisters.
32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?
Yes. A lot. I listen to a variety of stuff from Christian rock and EDM to cyberpunk instrumental tracks. Main bands are Thousand Foot Krutch, Family Force Five, Cruxshadows, Holon, Misanthropix, Scandroid and Celldweller.
33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?
It really varies. I lean towards epics. Even Glitched ended up being longer than planned, if memory serves, although itâs not epic length. The Mainframe Saga is made up of chaptered âfics, ficlets and one-shots.
34. Whatâs the word count on your longest fic?
I couldnât tell you, because Scrivener crashes when I try to get the word count for System:Reboot XD
35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?
I donât, but I have thought about it.
36. Whatâs your favourite genre to write?
Sci-Fi. Hands down.
37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?
I prefer third person, particularly restricted third person, because it is easier to write about different characters. That way the reader knows whatâs going on when the main cast do not. I was very surprised I enjoyed writing first person so much in Mask Behind the Monster, though. But I did leap into third person a couple of times to give a wider perspective.
38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?
I love creating OCs. But I will use canon characters in the Sonic fandom.
39. What is you greatest strength as a writer?
From what Iâve been told, character development.
40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?
Violence. And tragic back stories. I have legit questioned my sanity when coming up with scenes that include this.
Also... when I write fluff... I kind of grind to a halt and struggle through it. Often interspersed with gazing from the window and thinking well further ahead than where Iâm currently at. This often results in forgetting dialogue I think up during my garden gazing.
Fanfiction Questions
41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:
I wonât post links because it is much too fiddly. But Guiding Light by Ambyssin, Heart Song by Suetonicsonic, Fall From Power by Lordius Dannius.
Hands of Creation by Namohysip, and The Curious and the Shiny by Nebula Dreams. Both of which I seriously need to pick up again.
I believe you can find all of them on FFNet.
42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:
Same applies as above. Ambyssin, Suetonicsonic, Namohysip, Chibi Pika and Nebula Dreams.
43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?
Ambyssin has provided some amazing constructive criticism on System:Reboot which has resulted in me making a terrifying antagonist out of Gadget the Wolf. I strongly hope no other antagonists will develop what I have nicknamed âSocket Syndromeâ. His drive and commitment to his writing has been pretty inspirational, too.
But in all fairness, I think most, if not all, of my writing friends have been inspirational and very supportive. I offer digital high-fives to each and every one of you.
44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?
I canât think of any. People should write what they like. And I believe if you want to read it, and it doesnât exist, then you should write it yourself if you can.
45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?
Guiding Light by Ambyssin. Itâs not often I fall in love with a fanfic.
Fall From Power by Lordius Dannius is another.
46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?
The End or The Mask Behind the Monster, because theyâre pretty special to me.
47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?
FFNet. Iâve been posting there for years. Iâm iffy on AO3. Iâve considered posting to Tumblr, but my solution to that is to post links and artwork instead.
48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?
If I feel I have something to say, Iâll post a review. I like to make sure I do so, though, and I have been known to make notes on my computer and post reviews in bulk to works posted on Serebii.
49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?
I love comments, and I will try to respond to each one. Reblogs are totally welcome!
50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?
Iâve been writing for many, many years. Since before I was ten years old. Pokemon likely got me into fanfiction. I canât remember writing it for anything else prior to that cringy âfic I mentioned earlier (which we will never, ever talk about. Ever.)
51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!
I love the creativity behind it, especially OCs. Pokemon OCs are my favourites, particularly in PMD or Pokecentric settings. Both Sonic and Pokemon offer a lot of inspiration to create OCs as the worlds are both pretty vast. AUs and canon settings both offer massive scope for creativity. Itâs seeing peoplesâ headcanons and takes on the franchises that I really enjoy. Yes, I do like shipping, but a story does NOT need it to be a good story. Itâs the way people tell it that matters more to me.
I know this says âone thingâ. But I just want to make it clear, the one part of fanfiction I donât like, is M-rated stuff. And I will not read it. It... bugs me when a âfic Iâve been enjoying suddenly changes its rating XD
(I do not own any of the fandoms or characters mentioned in this post) <- Nervous Nelly moment?
#fanfiction#sonic the hedgehog#pokemon#zootopia#writing#this took me a while but it was fun#I hope you enjoy#everyone should do this#we do not ever talk about the cringy pokemon 'fic
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Fur a Good Time, Call... 2/15
Series: Undertale, Horrortale Relationship(s): HT!Sans/Reader Chapter Warnings: noneÂ
You work at an animal shelter. You love all your fuzzy buddies and canât imagine a better job for yourself than looking after cats and dogs all day, even when the work is hard and often gross. What can you say? Youâve got a lot of love to give!
Youâre just not quite sure yet how you feel about the new monster whoâs been helping out these days, and this riddle wrapped up in an enigma is something you just canât resist investigatingâŠ
AO3 Link
Humerus
You didnât actually see much of Sans in the days that followed.
His schedule was really more of a non-schedule, something so freeform and seemingly random that if there was a system in place, you certainly couldnât figure it out.
He did good work whenever he showed up, though, which was a lot more than could be said for some of the other well-meaning volunteers who ended up being more hindrance than help. You figured that whatever leniency your manager gave that let him just sort of come in whenever was probably deserved.
Of course, it was entirely possible that he was around and you were just missing him. Youâd been more or less absorbed with your latest pet-project and noticing much of anything around here, even a giant skeleton in slippers, was probably asking too much of your attention span.
On the bright side, you were delighted to say that Buddy was doing great!
A quick buzz and a bath to the new stray had revealed a merle coat and stunning ice-blue eyes that the whole shelter fell in love with almost immediately. With even just a few days of regular meals his scrawny body was starting to fill out, and when his tail got to wagging and he relaxed enough to show off a winning doggy smile it was obvious to everyone that you had a handsome little man on your hands.
So far, though, it seemed that Buddy only had eyes for you.
He was okay around most people; a little shy and nervous, maybe, but he certainly hadnât bitten or lashed out at anyone. He was just a noticeably more relaxed dog when you were somewhere he could see you.
It wasnât much of a surprise since you had been there to calm him down that first dayâyou had a feeling Buddy might show a similar response to Sansâbut it was clear that youâd become a safe person to him.
For that reason, it was decided that it was probably in everyoneâs best interests if you were the one to handle most of his training and socialization. The bulk of your day-to-day duties was shifted around to other people for the time being and that was that: youâve been Buddyâs best buddy ever since.
He was currently panting hard beside you, glancing up at you every few steps as if to say, âI did good, right?â
âYes, Buddy, youâre a very good boy.â You gave him a quick scritch along the scruff of his neckâhis favorite spotâand opened the door to let him back into the shelter. âGood first walk.â
Youâd taken him around the neighborhood the long way, partly exercise and partly a test. Walks were a great way to suss out little things about a dog that were impossible to notice interacting with it just in a kennel, and you found that those details helped you write up the best adoption descriptions possible.
Buddy, for example, loved to sniff everything and had even tracked down a scent all the way to a squirrel dray up a small tree. The one floppy ear of his could be a sign he had some hound-blood in him, which was always better to write than just âmuttâ or â???â
Youâd guess that he also had some feline ancestry of the scaredy-cat variety because as soon as an actual squirrel had popped out and squawked at him, Buddy had hurried away quite suddenly, pulling you along with him. Probably better for a household without other pets so the poor little wuss didnât get harassed all day long.
âYou made it, see?â you cooed, leading him back inside and tweaking his pointed ear. âGonna get you some water and then you can lay down and catch your breath. Good boy.â
ExceptâŠmaybe not?
Buddy didnât seem to want to go back to the dog room and his kennel just yet. Even tired as he seemed to be, he was dragging you down the other hallway and sniffing along the tiled floor with focus.
âWhat, Buddy? You find a really good smell?â He mustâve because even a gentle tug to his leash didnât seem to sway him from this new path, just like with the squirrel from earlier. âOkay, guess youâll show me.â
You could probably spare a couple minutes on a detour and you were more than a bit curious to see where Buddy wanted to go.
Ending up in the laundry room shouldnât have been much of a surprise. Especially not with a pile of unwashed bedding sitting out right there on the floor.
âOh, no wonder, thatâs a great smell.â A little grin split across your face at your own sarcasm. âWell, it is for you, I guess.â
Buddy did seem pleased by his discovery. His tail was wagging as he enthusiastically nosed through the folds of a tawny brown blanket, nudging it this way and that, and you couldnât help but smile.
Getting to see a dog that was so scared and hurt barely more than a week ago start to get better; a sweet, silly boy like this having some fun snuffling around in a dirty quiltâŠ.
This was why you loved your job.
When Buddyâs tail went still, though, you paused. âWhat? What is it?â
Obviously, he didnât answer you so you moved a little closer to the laundry pile, trying to see for yourself. Hiding there in the earth-toned pile, beneath Buddyâs pointing muzzle was a surprising splash of color.
You reached for it and picked it up. Even as Buddyâs tail started to wag againââSee? Look what I found!ââyou tilted your head in confusion.
The thing wasâŠa rock.
Blue-green in color and very rough to the touch, it glinted a little in the light when you turned it in your hand but otherwise seemed to just be a big hunk of stone. Sitting in the dog blankets. Where rocksâŠusually werenât?
âWhat the hell.â
âoh, thatâs mine.â
You whirled around and who should be standing there but Sans, huge and looming and having made absolutely no sound with his arrival, like always. You blamed the sudden adrenaline spike for what you blurted out next.
âShit, youâre quiet, has anyone ever told you that you should wear a bell?â
It seemed like youâd surprised him with that. The upper ridges of his oddly malleable eye-sockets raised up and his red pupil shrunk from its normal size. He stared at you long enough for you to realize what youâd just said and stars above, was ârudeâ your default setting?!
âGod, Iâm sorry, that wasââ
A snort cut you off, followed by a full-on chuckle.
âa bell?â Sans echoed, his grin seeming to stretch wider across his skull. âheheheheh⊠no, thatâs a new one. not sure i get the appeal.â
You almost started to apologize again before you caught the emphasis. That was a joke! He must not be too offended by your lack of manners if he was joking with you.
You laughed a little instead and watched Sans perk up, his eye-light dilating back to normal.
âmaybe it does, uhâŠÂ ring a little true,â he admitted. âdid i scare yaâ?â
âOhâŠheh, maybe a littleâŠ.â You looked down to see that Buddy had fully abandoned the blanket and was now vigorously sniffing at Sansâ feet and legs and everything clicked. âOh! He smelled you! Thatâs why he dragged me in here.â
âhm?â Sans looked down too and recognition flashed across his face. âoh, hey, pal,â he greeted, bending to scratch at Buddyâs ears. âya look good.â
So far, Buddy hadnât really liked it when hands got near his face. Heâd let you do it, thoughâyou and apparently Sans, who Buddy was totally fine with while he sniffed the ever-living hell out of Sansâ sleeve.
âyou found my rock, huh? good job, i been lookinâ for that.â
Right! You held out the chunk of stone in offering. âHere,â you said. âIt was under that blanket, I guess you mustâve dropped it.â
Sans straightened and took the rock back from you. What completely filled your hand settled neatly in his palm and his smile turned a little sheepish. ânah, it was in my pocket. but, uhâŠâ He pinched the bottom of his hoodie, highlighting the pocket that the very dog who now came up to smell it had bitten through on his first day here. âi tried to stitch it and called it good, but i guess not so much.â
The rock had some serious heft to it when you held it. You didnât doubt that it would test a rushed repair-stitch to the breaking point, but⊠âWhy didnât you just put it in your other pocket?â
âand squish my ketchup?â
ââŠâŠwhat?â
Sans seemed happy to show you. He swapped his rock to the other hand and scooped outâŠgod, what had to be at least two dozen little ketchup packets from his pocket.
âdonât always have a rock,â he told you, as if he were actually explaining something, âbut i always got these. they were here first.â
The absurdity of the situation hit you all at once. You were standing in a laundry room, holding a dog who was still smelling everything while a skeleton two heads taller than you was very soberly justifying why a condiment collection had seniority over a rock in regards to pocket-storage.
You thought bursting out laughing was completely appropriate.
âPfft, what the fuck,â you said through helpless giggles. âWhy do you have those? Why do you have either of those things? Oh my godâŠâ
Far from offended, Sans looked delighted by your laughter. âi like ketchup,â he said with an easy shrug, putting the packets away. âas for thisâŠâ Sans paused a moment to look at the stone in his hand. He almost seemed to be debating something with himself. âwell, i, uh⊠iâm actuallyâŠa little bit of a geologist? so i like rocks.â
Your eyebrows shot up. âWhat, seriously?â
âyeah. helped out with the CORE a little, back⊠back Underground.â
The COREâa technical marvel of geothermal energy production and totally unrivaled by anything manmade so far. According to the news, it had provided heat and light to the trapped monsters even when they had literally nothing else, and top scientists were still studying it trying to replicate its function. It was slow-going research because according to the former monster Queen, everyone whoâd built it was dust and gone.
Obviously not entirely true.
âYouâre kidding,â you breathed. âThatâs amazing.â
Sans just rubbed the back of his neck. âmmm⊠wore a lotta hats back then. âjack of all trades,â yâknow? not into the other technical bits so much anymore, but i still like the geology stuff.â He cracked an awkward smile at you as he added, âit rocks.â
You laughed and watched the tension leave his shoulders. You realize pretty quickly that you may have found the key to befriending Sans thatâs been eluding you all this time: heâs volunteered more (completely fascinating) information about himself in the past few minutes than anyone else had learned in weeks, and it all started when you laughed at his jokes.
That certainly wasnât hard to do. Sans was a funny guy when you actually got him talking and you found yourself really not wanting it to stop.
A glance at Buddy down by your feet and then the clock up on the wallâearly afternoonâand you had your idea.
Impulsively and before you could lose the confidence, you say, âHey, so⊠I was gonna go get Buddy settled and then head out for lunch. Would youâŠwant to come? The place I usually go to is close by and Iâd be happy to treat.â
Youâd clearly caught Sans by surprise again. ââŠâŠreally? why?â
You didnât quite get his confusion but, âWell⊠I kinda feel like I should get to know you.â You fussed a little with the leash in your hands, trying to spend your nervous energy. âI mean, youâve been here for how long and Iâm only now finding out youâre funny? Thatâs crazy. Plus Iâm going anyway, you donât have to come if you donât want to, thatâs totally fine, I just thoughtâŠ.â You didnât know what you thought and you realized you were on the verge of rambling so you let the sentence trail off.
The offer was out there, youâd made the attempt. That was something to be proud of, even if he said no!
ââŠi dunno,â Sans said eventually and you bit back a sigh of disappointment. âsee, i did just lose my apatite.â
âThatâs okay, IââŠâ
The emphasis. You stared at the rock in Sansâ hand, which he helpfully waggled when he caught you looking.
ââŠâŠis that. Is that actually apatite?â
Sans looked like he was bursting to tell you, grinning with eager anticipation. âyeah.â
ââŠâŠâ
This time when you completely lost it laughing, Sans joined you with a quiet chuckle that had you covering your face and shaking your head.
âOh my god, did you plan this? Did you set this up somehow, just for that joke?â you demanded.
Sans snorted but shook his head, ânah, happy accident, i swear. probably the happiest accident of my life, though, that was perfect.â
Still smiling, you looked up at him. âSo, lunch, then? Yea or nay?â
âhell, i donât turn down free food. sure. just gotta put this in,â he nudged the laundry pile with his slipper, âand drop my rock off at home where itâs less funny. lobby in fifteen?â
You blinked in surprise. âYou live that close?â
Sans made a face and gave you a so-so motion with his hand. âbut,â he winked, âi do know a shortcut.â
And then he was gone again, just like before.
Buddy visibly startled, jumping back up from where heâd been sitting (like a good boy!) and whipping his head around to you, like you could somehow explain to this animal that didnât speak your language all the nuances of an apparently teleport-capable skeleton.
âI donât know, man,â you told the poor dog, âIâm in the same boat as you. Letâs just get you that water, okay?â
Buddy actually let you lead him all the way to his kennel this time. He lapped up half of the water you put in his bowl and then padded straight over to his cot where he plopped down with a big, dramatic sigh.
âYeah, yeah, your life is so hard,â you teased, which Buddy seemed utterly indifferent to so you left him where he was and went to go clock out for lunch.
-
True to his word, Sans was waiting for you when you got to the lobby, greeting you with a crooked grin and an awkward wave.
You mentally laughed at yourself for ever having thought this guy was scary when it seemed like everything he did just proved what a total goober he was.
âYou ready to go?â you asked him. âAny last minute jokes you want to get out before we leave? Sight-gags? Puns?â
âheheheheheh⊠jeez, we havenât even hung out yet and ya already got me pegged.â
âAm I wrong?â
ânope,â he freely told you. âi was tryinâ to think of somethinâ but ya showed up too early. iâll let ya know if i come up with anything on the way over.â
And with that, the two of you headed out the door into the lovely, sunshiny day.
The weather was great and you made some small talk about that before telling Sans a bit about the place you were goingâa little cheap and a little dive-y, but it was close to work and the food was good so you went there pretty much all the time.
Sans nodded and âhmmâed in all the right spots but you got the slight sense that he wasnât fully paying attention to you. His eye-light kept casting up to the sky; the endless expanse of azure blotted with fluffy white clouds floating past on the breeze.
You couldnât bring yourself to be offended by Sansâ distraction. Stars only knew how long heâd spent thinking heâd never get to see a sight like that.
His focus immediately switched back to you again once there was a roof over your heads and he watched you peruse the short menu on the wall. âknow what youâre getting?â
âYep. Iâve got a usual,â you told him, âI think Iâll stick with that. You?â
He looked at the menu himself, processing it for a minute before shrugging. âeh. iâm not picky. anything youâd recommend?â
You turned to face him fully, looking him up and down. Feeling unaccountably playful, you asked, âTrust me to order for you?â
He just eyed you, half-puzzled and half-amused. âsure? knock yourself out, i guess.â
Decision made, you went up to the counter and ordered your usual, âAnd a triple bacon cheeseburger with everything on it, fries for the side.â
You paid and got your order ticket and went back off to the side to waitâŠwhere Sans was unabashedly staring at you in awe.
âhow did you know?â he asked. âtriple isnât even up there.â
You were probably radiating the smuggest aura right now, but you couldnât help it. âI told you I come here a lot. The chef is cool, he doesnât mind throwing an extra patty on there if you ask for it. Youâre a pretty big guy, I figured a double might not cut it.â
âand the rest of it?â
âAnybody who carries around as much ketchup as you do is basically guaranteed to be a garbage disposal when it comes to food. No offense,â you added quickly, though you didnât entirely think Sans would take offense to that. âThat, plus youâve got a pretty big grease stain on your shirt, soâŠ.â
Sans looked at the stain and then at you before starting to snicker at himself. âoh my god, you really do got me pegged. youâre not gonna sherlock me the whole time, are ya?â
âIâll try to refrain,â you offered magnanimously and then sent him off to fill up your drink cups at the machine over on the wall while you stayed to wait for the food.
It didnât take long for your number to be called and you settled your tray down at a booth Sans had scoped out for you. You found that it was only a little surreal for you to be at your favorite eatery, sitting across from a skeleton that you happened to work with.
After a few more words of small talk about the foodâso good, probably in the Top Five of all the burgs heâs ever had, great pickâ you find youâve gathered enough courage to start the social part of the outing.
âSo,â you say lightly, picking at your meal, âthe CORE. Thatâs some pretty groundbreaking stuff.â Sans huffs a tiny laugh at the pun. âI kinda gotta ask why a guy like you is at an animal shelter, of all places.â
âmostly this,â he says, reaching up to knock his knuckles against his skull, right next to the broken part of it. âsee, i guess when half your head caves in, that makes it start workinâ different than it used to.â
The candid answer sobers you quickly. âOh.â
âyeah. takes me a little longer to work stuff out than it used to. i forget things easier. got a fun little issue where i just sorta fall asleep sometimes. i got some human medication for it that helps, but it still happens. iâm sure youâve noticed it.â
YouâŠhave.
In the time Sans has been at the shelter, heâs almost always had a follow-up question on a task heâd been given, or needed another run-through on a procedure heâd already been shown.
You hadnât seen it yourself, but youâd once heard a couple volunteers chuckling good-naturedly near the coffee pot in the break area and saying they should bring a mug to the stock room for Sans; the poor guy mustâve had a late night if heâd passed out halfway through doing inventory.
âYeah,â you admit, feelingâŠvery guilty all of a sudden. âIâm sorry, I shouldnât have asked. ThatâsâŠpretty personalâŠâ
But Sans shakes his head. ânah, donât be sorry,â he says. âi just like havinâ my cards on the table. iâd be a liability workinâ in some lab with my head the way it is, for sure, but i was outta the science game long before it even happened. it ainât as tragic as all that.â
âNo?â
ânah. iâve done a bunch of different stuff since then and none of it had anything to do with my degrees.â
You almost asked about thatâdegrees, pluralâbut you find yourself more curious about the other jobs heâs tried. Heâd called himself a jack of all trades earlier and you wonder just how much that covered.
As it turns out, it covered quite a lot. In between bites of his burger, you get Sans to tell you all about the times he sold concert tickets, rented out a telescope, and ran an illegitimate (?!) hot dog stand.
(You donât ask what he did during the famine. Even you know itâs a faux pas of the highest order to ask a monster about the famine.)
âi think my favorite was the comedy routine,â Sans says eventually. âhad a little time-slot at a fancy resort every other week. that was a lotta fun.â
âI am not even a little surprised you were a comedian,â you say flatly, but with enough of a teasing note in your voice that you see him smile. âIs that something you wanted to get back into?â
âmmmâŠprobably not?â He picks at his ketchup-drenched fries a little. âitâd be nice, maybe, but i dunno if i trust myself to be up on stage for a whole set, these days. nothinâ sadder than live reruns.â
You blurt it without thinking. âThe things you take for granite, I guess.â
Heâs quiet for just a bit and you worry you may have overstepped thereâŠbut a second later he bursts out laughing. The sound is deep and genuine, so much more than his understated little chuckle and you couldnât have been prouder to be the cause of it.
When he finally looks at you, you swear that the red light of his eye is sparkling. âoh man, good one. hope I remember that, Papâll hate it.â
âPap?â
And you thought youâd found Sansâ conversation button before.
It turned out that jokes were only the second best way to get Sans talking; the best was his brother, Papyrus.
Youâd had no idea a skeleton could look so animated until you had Sans smiling, gesturing, practically vibrating with pride across from you as he told you all about his sibling.
Papyrus is the coolest guy ever, athletic and smart and so organized Sans can hardly believe it. He used to be a bit of a chef, but lately heâs had more of a budding (heheh) interest in gardening and their yard looks so colorful now, itâs crazy. Heâs also studying to be a nurse and working part-time at one of those big home improvement stores until then.
âwe get that money from the human government, yâknow,â Sans points out. âwe both do, so itâs not like he even has to work? we could coast awhile on what we got and be fine, but Papyrus goes out first thing and picks up a job âcause he likes to be productive, and then he starts going to school for an even harder job just âcause he wants to help people.â Sans is positively beaming at you. âisnât my brother cool?â
Well, of course. That should go without saying, but you canât help but think of Sans, too; how he volunteers at the shelter, spending his unpaid time doing hard, dirty work to help fuzzy people that canât even thank him.
âIt seems like it runs in the family,â you say sincerely.
Like most of the times so far youâve said something he didnât expect, Sans needs a couple extra seconds to process it. When he realizes what you said, though, the most curious thing happens.
The light of his eye is a vibrant cherry-red⊠but the color that spreads impossibly across his cheekbones is a soft gray-blue, like slate or steel.
You canât help but find it⊠bizarrely pretty.
âehehehehehâŠâ His nervous laugh is almost as nice as his normal one, though it does make you want to pat his hand a little and tell him itâs okay. When he immediately changes the subject in the least subtle way possible, you have enough mercy to let him. âso, uh. what about you? whatâs your story? why the shelter?â
âSorry to say I donât have much of a story. Well,â you amend, ânot an interesting one, anyway. I, uh, Iâve always liked animals and I kinda knew from the start that I wanted to work with them, so⊠itâs pretty much just always been this, for me.â You look down and fiddle with the straw of your empty drink, and laugh, âIâm nothing special, really.â
You immediately wonder if maybe that was a little too self-deprecating. You can feel Sans looking at you and try to decide if you should go for an unsubtle subject change yourself or just wait to see what he says.
You're more than a little relieved when Sans makes the decision for you.
âwellâŠâŠi wouldnât terrierself up about it. you seem like somebody with a lot of petential.â
Your laugh that time is totally genuine, surprised out of you. You look back up, grinning, and canât quite resist a pun of your own. âAre you fur real, right now?â
But of course, thereâs no out-punning the master. âiâm pawsitive.â
You both dissolved into giggles like you were two middle-school girls instead of the grown (maybe not so) mature adults you were.
-
Eventually you both finished your food and it was time to go. Sans had that load of laundry to finish and you wanted to do some more clicker-training with Buddyâyou were sure you could teach him to shake and you werenât giving that up without a fight!âso you headed out for the short walk back to work.
The trip over is quiet, but companionable and it isn't long into it before you find yourself chasing another crazy impulse.
âSo⊠do you want to exchange numbers?â You feel awkward even asking. Itâs maybe only the third or fourth time in your entire life that youâve been the one to ask for a personâs number, but, âThis was fun and I donât really have anybody at work to go to lunch with. Itâd be cool toâŠkeep in touch?â
Sans scratched at his cheek. âguess youâd want me to pay for my own food next time, huh?â He made a show of considering this, which made you snicker. âdonât suppose youâd consider lettinâ me open a tab? iâm good for it, i swear.â
âWhy do I doubt that so much?â
âcareful, now, these completely accurate judgments of my character are gonna start hurtinâ my feelings.â
You rolled your eyes with obvious amusement, much to Sansâ apparent pleasure.
âiâm kiddinâ, iâm kiddinâ, that sounds great. i donât have a lunch-pal, either.â
You go to get out your phone for him to put his number in, but heâs fasterâpossibly because it looks like he had his in his ketchup-pocket. He hands it to you unlocked, with the messages screen pulled up.
âjust text yourself, itâs easier.â
You do, keying in your number and sending a skull emoji to yourself. You felt the answering buzz of your own phone a moment later but paid it no mind, trying to think of a good name to put yourself under in his contacts.
Your actual name would be boring, but you didnât want to pick something too out there just in case Sans would look at it later and have no idea who you were supposed to be.
It wasnât long before you got it. You happily typed, âGood@Dogsâ next to your number and saved the contact. Youâd have to think of something fun to put Sans as later.
This would be good! It had been a long time since you had a work-friendâŠor really any kind of friendâŠand it would be nice to have somebody to go to lunch with sometimes, and to send funny memes to. You had a feeling Sans would appreciate memes.
Plus, maybe you could meet up for other stuff outside of work, like if a cool movie came out or something. You might even get to meet the infamous Papyrus at some point!
There were so many good reasons to have Sansâ number and absolutely none of them were that he was a total sweetheart of a skeleton that seemed to get cuter every time you spoke.
You ignore that thought and go to hand Sansâ phone back, only to pause.
In the minute or so since youâd stopped talking, Sans had gotten distracted by the sky again. He was just standing there on the sidewalk, watching the clouds and soaking up a sunbeam with the corners of his eye-sockets crinkled just so.
Sans suddenly looked like the biggest, boniest cat youâd ever seen, lazing in the sunlight on the verge of a nap. It wouldnât have surprised you one bit if he started purring and it made you feelâŠ.
You cleared your throat. âSans? Your phone.â
âhuh?â His focus turned back to you and the phone you held out to him and the moment was gone. âoh yeah, thanks.â
He took his phone back and you were on your way again.
Oh, no. Sans wasnât cute at all.
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Studyblr Tag!
GENERAL
What country are you studying in now? Eau Claire, America
Whatâs your major or specialization? Paralegal (Criminal Law)
What year are you in? First year of Paralegal, sixth year of college
What courses are you taking (/will be taking if on break)? Paralegal & Law Ethics, Civil Litigation, Legal Research, Economics, American Government
Favorite course? I loved my Web Design course and Cultures in Conflict courses at University
What languages do you know? Want to learn? English, Sarcasm, HTML/CSS
What language do you study in? Do you think in a different language? English, and nope!
Career aspiration? Paralegal for the District Attorneyâs Office, and legal advocate for victims of stalking, especially in states whose laws offer perpetrators too many advantages via grey area and loopholes.
If you couldnât be #8, what would you be? A web designer and developer
Moment you knew what you wanted to do? After I was stalked by a police officer who used work equipment, resources, databases and coworkers to stalk me. It is not legally considered stalking in Oregon (where it happened), but it is in my current state of Wisconsin.
STUDY ENVIRONMENT
Where is your favorite place to study? My computer, which has three 43âł monitors on top of an actual conference table. Itâs nice for spreading out on.
When is your favorite time to study? My favorite is late night studying, between the hours of 10pm to 7 or 8am.
Clean desk or organized mess? Clean desk!!
Music or no music? What type? If I listen to music, it has to be lyric-less music because I get too distracted by the words.Â
Name top 3 worst distractions. Twitter, my boyfriend (who I live with), and YouTubeÂ
Exam time, dress up or dress down? Dress down, because I like to be super comfortable in otherwise stressful exams.Â
Exam time, hair up or hair down? Hair up and out of my face. When Iâm hyper-focused, the tickle of my hair gets extra annoying.Â
Favorite outfit for studying? Honestly, just undies and a tee-shirt
Favourite study scent? Always flowers, specifically jasmine, gardenia, or honeysuckle.
STUDY TOOLS
Name 5 things you would consider your âstudy essentialsâ. I would say my Pentel side-click pencil, my color-designated Staedtler pens, my midliners, and notecards.Â
Hardcopy books or pdf online? HARDCOVER - I donât know what it is but I cannot stand e-textbooks or typing up my notes (despite the fact that I was a computer science major. Thereâs something special about highlighting an actual book and writing notes down. I feel like you get to spend more time with the material.Â
Favorite study snack? drink? White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cliff Bar and coffee.
Favorite pen (or pencil)? Pentel Side-click mechanical pencil - I cant stand back-clicks because it makes me change my grip on the pencil every time.
Favorite notebook/paper? Iâd like to explore more notebooks, like the leuchtturm1917 but Iâve been a Five Star notebook buyer since grade school. Maybe next semester.Â
Name 5 apps/tools that help you be productive. GoogleDrive, FamCal (my boyfriend and Iâs synced calendar), the recorder app on my phone so I can listen back to lectures... I donât know, I use paper more than apps.Â
How many pens/pencils/markers are in your pencil case? 2 pencils, 1 pen, 8 Staedtler pens, 8 midliner highlighters.
Backpack or purse? Backpack, but a messenger bag.
How many notebooks do you have? Five notebooks (one for each class), and one leather portfolio with a legal pad for my volunteer position with the DAâs office.Â
STUDY HABITS
How do you motivate yourself when youâre not motivated? When Iâm not motivated, itâs typically because Iâm too anxious. So Iâll take a break, take a bath, have a snack, declutter my desk, and that typically does the trick.
Pump up routine before writing an exam? run through notecards, listen to metal music tbh (I know itâs an unpopular genre but it gets your blood going).
Crammer or pacer? For assignments and general studying, Iâm a pacer, and for papers I am a crammer ~ but not a day-before crammer kind of way, just in a Iâm-on-a-roll kind of way.
Type of learner (kinesthetic, auditory, visual)? Kinesthetic in the sense that if I donât physically write it out, I am less likely to remember it. It forces me to take my time with each definition/equation/theory. Then visual in the sense that, when Iâm taking a test, I visualize exactly where on what page that information is written on.
How do you plan? (digital, planner, lists, no plan, etc.) Depends. Generally speaking, for my day, I use FamCal which syncs my boyfriend and Iâs calendars together. For studying, like which order Iâm going to read chapters/start essays/etc, I use notcard to-do lists.Â
Preferred note-taking method? The outline method, although I am going to attempt the Cornell method this semester.
Do you make to-do lists? How? Yes, religiously. I go class by class, starting with the lightest homework first. For example Iâll start with readings for class A, followed by the online quiz for class B, then begin the rough draft for my paper in class C.
Do you stick to your to-do lists? Yes, about 90% of the time. If I donât then itâs because itâs for the heavier homework like a rough draft paper in class C, in which case itâs me not following my to-do list because Iâm taking a break and finishing later.
Group study or independent study? Independent is good for when Iâm in a hyper-focused study session, but groups are really good at motivating me because Iâm competitive I want to be the most productive one there.Â
Average number of hours of sleep during exam time? Probably 8? I have to sleep more than the average person - Iâve been that way my whole life (itâs not a laziness thing). I typically sleep 10 hours or so, and have difficultly sleeping from the anxiousness of the upcoming test.
Ever pulled an all-nighter? Back when my PTSD was really bad I could never sleep at night, so Iâd begin studying at 10pm and go to bed at 7 or 8 when dawn starts peeking through my blinds. So I used to be an exclusive âall-nighterâ
STUDY MENTALITY
What do you do to recover from getting a grade lower than expected? I figure out where the hell I went wrong. Did the test come from the textbook instead of class notes? Did I focus more on general theories or ideas instead of the specifics like when and where or vice-versa?
One advice youâd give others? There is more than one way to get to where you want to go. I did a lot more writing of papers than weekly assignments in university. For papers, my best advice is to tailor the paper to what the teacher would like for optimal grading leniency. For example, in my Anthropology 380 course âCultures in Conflict,â I had to write about two cultures that struggled when they met. I may have enjoyed writing about a culture clash such as native amazonian tribes who are expected to stay âprimitiveâ to satisfy the curiosities of american tourism, but I knew my teacher was into anime. So, I wrote my 20 page paper on âThe Proliferation of Japanese Anime in American Pop Culture.â I got 110% on that paper (there were XC opportunities for that paper which I took, but I ALSO wasnât graded down for ANYTHING because she loved the topic so much), and because it counted for so much of my grade, I ended that semester with 104% overall in that class.Â
What are you most proud of right now? Honestly, my desk. I took so much time on setting it up exactly the way I like it, and itâs so big and aesthetically pleasing that itâs EASY to WANT to study.Â
Favorite quote to keep you going? Someone somewhere is having a worse day than you. (So even if I donât want to get up at 7:00am, I should appreciate that itâs my biggest struggle today)
Favorite way to destress? A BATH WITH A LUSH BATH BOMB
OTHER
Favorite 5 studyblrs? I canât think of them all now, but I will make another post of people that pump out the type of content that made me love Studyblrs in the first place soon.
How often do you check Tumblr? 2x-3x a day?
Hobbies when youâre not studying? Playing video games (overwatch), taking care of my succulent garden (I easily have over 100), and watching political/social commentary on YouTube.
Favorite compulsory-reading book? Suspense/Crime books. I just Finished âWomen in the Windowâ which I read all in one day.
First nerdy joke that pops into your head. There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who donât.
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