#but like...this weekend I'm gonna hafta be on

[sabraeal]

NaNoCryMo Day 1

Excerpt:

A laugh ambushed him, racing across the atrium’s tiles. The crowd behind him had made themselves so merry, so boisterous, that it took a moment for him to parse the words that preceded it. That’s how it is in godsforsaken north— he could not mistake that sonorous voice, those rolling vowels that marked his father as the Senate’s best orator— their cities have more cows than Kivans.

An offhand remark, one that he’d heard over other tables years after; yet another one of his father’s quips turned common wisdom. One lost among the memory of ice chiming in his goblet, of the way they all had cheered for him, chanting his name as if her were Valerian himself, victorious. The senator’s son, soon to be sent to Synoris. A hero among men. Boy he might have been that morning, but that night— that night was his first as a man.

He had been a child then. Caiyur took in a breath, watching it mist on the air before him. Oh, how he longed for those times.

[flyingwargle]

the aijinomoto national training center is curtained in darkness, with only neon green emergency lights illuminating the corridors. as midnight nears, the only audible sounds are shuffling blankets from the high school athletes participating in the weeklong training camp, the central heating system working to stave off the winter's chill, and a hushed voice in the corner of the sitting room, irritated face lit up by his phone.

"-seriously," atsumu grumbles, "ya'd think that there wouldn't be scrubs at this camp, but then there's someone like him here, an' that makes ya wonder how he was invited."

"mmhmm." osamu's noncommittal hum is soft on the other end.

"ya woulda beat his socks off, 'samu. he ain't got a candle ta ya."

"maybe he's just crazy, like ya. the way ya described the others, they all have their own brand of crazy."

atsumu snorts. "as if yer not crazy yerself."

"i am," osamu concedes. "just not 'bout volleyball."

"yeah, i know." his voice lowers to a whisper. "i know."

they're silent, listening to each other breathe. the seconds pass on the digital clock on the wall, scarlet red in the darkness. a minute passes, closer to midnight. "is everythin' okay at home?"

"it's only been a day, 'tsumu. stop makin' it sound like ya've been gone for a month."

"it feels like it," atsumu mumbles. "haven't been this far from home before." that's not true, and osamu knows it, but he doesn't call him out. "ya still have practice tomorrow, right?"

"obviously. we gotta prepare for the spring tournament." there's shuffling, and atsumu can envision his brother on his bunk, half-buried under his blankets, stomach on the mattress, elbows propped up, phone pressed to his ear. "what 'bout ya? don't ya hafta start early tomorrow?"

"eh, breakfast is at nine. lotsa time 'till then."

"not if ya stay up longer when yer 'sposed ta be asleep by now," osamu scoffs. "well, ya better have fun playin' volleyball fer a whole week. i'd die, if that were me."

"well, ya better have fun at school. glad i ain't there."

"guess i don't hafta get class notes fer ya."

"gin already said he'd grab 'em fer me."

the clock reads 12:01 am. the line falls silent. "i'm gonna go ta sleep," osamu says, "unless ya need me fer anythin' else?"

atsumu blinks. "did i ask?"

"well, ya called first, so i just assumed yer homesick."

"i ain't homesick! it's just a routine call. ya can expect one again tomorrow."

"ya won't die if ya don't call, 'tsumu. ya'll be fine on yer own."

"i know."

"okay, then i'm goin’ ta bed. g'night."

"g'night, scrub." the line goes quiet and atsumu lowers his phone. his picture for osamu changes regularly, thanks to suna. the newest one is his twin sleeping with his mouth open while on the bus back from last month’s training camp. before that, it was a selfie they’d taken after winning the top prize for a claw machine. and before that, it was a photo he snuck of osamu making onigiri, smile soft and eyes crinkled in concentration.

he peels himself off the armchair and wanders down the corridor, passing their designated shared rooms, finding the stairs that lead to the ground floor. he eventually finds his way to the gym, shoving the unlocked door open, sliding his slippered feet across the court.

atsumu sits cross-legged, neck craned to stare at the ceiling. he was able to quash the heavy feeling in his stomach earlier with volleyball, doing his best to adjust to the other players, observing their habits and styles. it was only after they were dismissed for the evening that the feeling settled in his bones and permeated his mind.

'samu isn't here with me.

it isn’t like they’d never been separated before. once, they continuously argued where to go for a family trip, so atsumu and their mom went to hiroshima, and osamu and their dad went to kamakura. they stayed over at different friends’ houses before throughout junior high, too. sure, none of those absences were longer than a weekend, and they always came back unscathed.

so what's different this time?

he thinks of osamu’s aloof expression when he learned only atsumu was picked for the camp. he thinks of his detached interest whenever they watched matches for leisure than research. he thinks of that night when he saw osamu engrossed in making onigiri, to the point he didn’t even notice atsumu.

this isn't homesickness. this is the start of an end.

his quiet sobs echo around him, endless stream of tears staining the floor. his shoulders shake, hiccupping breaths caught in his throat. he jolts when something drapes over him, a body pressing against his. it’s a blanket, soft and warm. he clutches it tighter around him. “leave me alone.”

“is sitting a crime?” the voice is muffled behind a mask but still sympathetic.

“go somewhere else.”

“i’m fine here.”

that only makes atsumu cry harder. of course, it’s sakusa who finds him like this, pathetic and vulnerable. although they bicker and glower at each other when there’s a net between them, outside of it, atsumu dares to call him a friend, having been acquainted with him since the first training camp they had together. he was glad to see him again, even if he stuck by his cousin most of the time. a familiar face is better than no one.

“are you homesick?”

“no.” atsumu’s sleeves are wet with tears.

there’s a pause. “you miss osamu.” the twins attended the camp together last year; if one half isn’t here, it’s easy to tell why.

“i don’t.” it isn’t a lie. he wants this camp as the first step to making his own identity as miya atsumu, setter, not miya atsumu, setter who can pull off combos with miya osamu. “it’s just…”

his voice catches in his throat. how can he explain the vague sensation in his mind, when he doesn’t know what it is, himself? how can he admit that he’s afraid that his brother might not play with him in the future, when he knows it might not be true?

but it is. you know it is. atsumu just shakes his head. “it’s complicated.”

he feels sakusa lean against him further, the weight on his back strangely comforting. “you aren’t alone. you have me, even motoya, if you want. if you ever���need someone to talk to, we’re here. the camp is only for a week, anyway. you’ll be back soon.”

you have me. it fills him with warmth, makes the tears slow. that doesn’t just apply to sakusa, but osamu, too. yes, it’ll hurt if what he suspects is true, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone. they’ll separate, they’ll go different ways, but they’ll come back, unscathed. because that’s what brothers do.

“thanks, omi.”

sakusa hums. “ready to go to sleep?”

“i think so.” together, they clamber to their feet, and sakusa leads him out. atsumu glances over his shoulder, where his tears remain on the court. they’ll dry, the evidence of the night erased, but he’ll hold it close to him, just like sakusa’s warmth on his back.

--

inspiration: this fanart of sakusa and atsumu sitting back to back while atsumu is crying <3 dialogue tweaked to match the drabble!

[cantstoplovingjude]

Underneath the Black Veil: Jude Jazza Ch.1

This is from Ikemen Villains EN, Cybird owns everything.

Victor: "Hey, Jude. What do you think about marriage?"

Jude: "Huh? Gettin' hitched?"

(Please, can't you discuss that topic without me?)

Some time had passed since I began working as Crown's Fairytale Keeper.

One day, I happened to run into Jude in the palace library.

He was clearly ignoring my presence, so I tried not to make eye contact with him while I chose a book.

But then Victor showed up and started asking Jude weird questions.

(I'll apologize to Victor later, but I'm going to make my exit now before I get into any trouble...)

I already knew well enough that Jude was a bit of a sadist.

I quietly began to sneak out of the library, hoping to escape before Victor brought me into it.

Victor: "That's right, marriage."

Jude: "Any lifetime contract that can't be canceled's foul."

Jude: "Ain't got a clue how anyone'd do somethin' like that willingly."

Victor: "Hm, I see!"

Victor: "Well, there's something I need to discuss with you, actually."

Victor: "I'm going to need you to marry Kate, Jude."

Jude: "Huh?!"

Kate: "M-me?!"

Victor: "Shh! This is a library, you two!"

According to Victor...

He and William had been investigating a religious cult called Amour, whose leader claimed he could bestow eternal love on his followers.

It was currently a hot topic here in London among couples.

However, according to rumors, around half of the followers never returned home.

Victor: "We suspect that someone in Amour is murdering the couples. William and I are 100% certain that this is an evil organization."

Victor: "However, the police are having a difficult time getting any evidence, as they're located on private property belonging to a noble."

Kate: "And that's where we come in."

Victor: "Precisely! So, I want you two to go there this weekend."

(I know I agreed to work with Crown, but isn't this asking a bit too much...?)

Victor: "Your mission is to capture the leader and take care of him so that no one else dies."

Victor: "Oh, and to avoid any suspicions, you'll have to act like you're an engaged couple that's madly in love."

Kate: "Engaged couple..."

The extra request he added on was so ridiculous I was left speechless.

Jude: "Yeah. I ain't doin' that. Gonna hafta get someone else to marry the bird."

Victor: "You know. I don't hate the fact that you always refuse the first time I ask you to do something. It's rather charming, actually."

Jude: "Ya wanna get buried?"

Victor: "I'd actually love to be the one who goes on the mission pretending to be Kate's beloved companion."

Victor: "But I'm asking you because Her Majesty nominated you for the job herself."

Victor: "She thought with your superior negotiation skills and various other talents, you can lure the leader out and dispose of him quickly."

Jude: "Sounds to me like Queenie's off her rocker."

Kate: "Wh-what an utterly disrespectful thing to say about the queen!"

Jude: "What, ya want in on this lunacy? Then quit your yappin'."

Victor: "I'll arrange everything. I'm counting on you!"

Victor gave me a cheerful wink and practically skipped out of the room, leaving me dumbfounded.

(Jude and I are going to have to go undercover together...)

It was an order from the queen herself, so there was no way I could say no.

But honestly, I was more frightened of the person standing next to me than of some murderous cult.

Jude: "Tch... Thought you'd cry or yell more. Disappointin'."

Kate: "What?"

Jude: "Maybe if ya put up more of a fuss, he woulda talked Queenie outta it."

Kate: "Hey, don't blame me for not saying no to an order!"

Jude: "Yappin' 'bout it now ain't gonna do nothin'. What a useless princess."

And so, a very difficult undercover investigation began.

==========

Follower: "Welcome to Amour!"

We stood in front of a church on the outskirts of London as one of the followers welcomed us in.

(I can't believe this is really happening...)

The whole way here, Jude just silently read through documents with a cigarette in his mouth.

We hadn't discussed how we would pretend to be an engaged couple at all...

(Seriously, what should we do?)

Follower: "First, we shall conduct a test to see if you two are truly in love."

Kate: "A test...?"

Follower: "Yes, it's quite simple. All you have to do is embrace and kiss."

Kate: "... What?"

(Embrace and... kiss? With JUDE?!)

I didn't even want to repeat that sentence in my mind, let alone actually do it.

Jude: "......"

Meanwhile, Jude didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Jude: "First off, lemme make somethin' real clear."

Jude: "I ain't gonna lay a finger on her till the ceremony."

(Huh?!)

Follower: "P-pardon me?"

Jude: "She likes bein' ignored. That's what gets her goin'. Real into it, this one."

(What?!)

Jude: "Ain't that right, princess?"

(I guess this is the story he's going with to avoid having to do anything physical?)

Jude: "Why're ya bein' so quiet for, huh? Oh, I get it. You're poutin' 'cause ya wanna get punished again."

Jude: "Sure love it when I'm mean to ya, huh."

Kate: "...Y-yes, I do."

(Wait, I didn't really mean to say yes to that.)

(But... if I don't go along with his story, the followers will get suspicious. I don't want to be the reason we fail the mission.)

When I nodded, Jude snorted with laughter.

Jude: "Nasty lil bird."

(You're the one who's nasty!!)

Jude: "Anyway, that's the story. Got it?"

Follower: "Um, well... I must say, this is the first time we've had a case like this..."

The followers were completely bewildered, but also intimidated by Jude's forceful attitude.

Jude: "Huh? Anyone can go 'round touchin' each other to try 'n prove their love."

Jude: "But this gal likes it when I bully her 'n I like exploitin' all that for her. So we're perfect for each other, yeah?"

Follower: "I-I see...?"

(He's actually convincing them...)

The followers looked confused, but quietly began consulting with each other.

They turned toward us, still looking mildly skeptical.

Follower: "We will allow you to enter, but will be keeping an eye on you for a while."

Follower: "While you're here, you must prove to us that you two are truly in love."

Follower: "And if you do so, our leader will grant you the honor of swearing eternal love to one another."

End Ch.1

[bjfinn]

CANDID CONFESSIONS

"Beetlejuice"/"School of Rock" crossover

TW: child sexual abuse

"When was your first time?" Beej asked. He was visiting Dewey for the weekend, and the two of them were spending the evening sitting on Dewey's couch, listening to Dewey's Led Zeppelin records and eating junk food.

"First time what?"

"Your first time having sex."

Dewey laughed. "That's really all you think about, isn't it?"

Beej grinned. "What else is there to think about?" he quipped. "Come on, I'm your brother -- you gotta tell me!"

"Okay, well, uh ... I was fifteen, and ... my buddy asked I'd done it. And I said 'Yeah, of course! Have you?' And he says 'Sure, lots of times.' You know, we were fifteen -- gotta make like you're cool, or everyone'll make fun of you just so they look cool, right? Anyway, he asks how often I, uh ..." He pumped his fist quickly up and down a few times. "So I say 'Six or seven times a day' -- which was probably pretty accurate, I was a horny teenager, you know? So I, uh ... I ask him how often he does it, and he says 'Six or seven times a day' too.

"Nice," Beej put in.

"Yeah, uh ... well, anyway, then he, uh ... he asks if I ever jacked off with anyone else. I tell him no, and then he asks if I want to. So we get naked, you know, and we, uh ... we start. And I'm ... I'm a bit nervous, you know -- 'cause I never jacked off with somebody before, but, uh ... well, it's rock-hard and it feels like it's about three feet long."

Beej grinned lasciviously and licked his lips. Dewey gave him the side-eye and continued with his account.

"Then he, uh ... he reaches over and takes hold of my, uh .. you know. So I take hold of his. I mean, it's only fair, right? Yeah, so there we are, jackin' each other off, and it's pretty good, you know?"

"I bet," Beej said.

"So then he says 'How about we rub them together?' So I say 'Okay' and we put them together. And he, uh ... he holds both of them in one hand, you know? And he starts moving his hand up and down, jacking both of us off together, you know? And I put my hand over his ... you know, to help. And, uh ... well, you know."

"Did you cum?" Beej asked.

Dewey nodded. "Uh, yeah ... we both did. That was the only time I ever ... you know -- with another guy. And we only did it the one time.

"Okay," Dewey said, "your turn."

"What?"

"Now it's your turn," Dewey repeated.

Beej bit his lip self-consciously. "Do I hafta?"

"Hey, fair's fair," Dewey told him. "Come on, I told you about my first time -- now you tell me about yours. And you gotta tell me the truth -- no makin' something up just to look good!"

"I ... I don't like to think about it," Beej said. "It wasn't ... it wasn't good."

"Why?" Dewey asked. "What happened?" He saw tears in his friend's eyes, and Beej's lip was beginning to quiver. Dewey put an arm around the demon's shoulders. "Hey!" he said softly. "Hey, it's okay -- you don't have to tell me, okay? But, uh ... if it was a bad experience, it ... i-it might help to talk about it."

Beej sniffed, nodding. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, you're ... probably right -- I should tell somebody. I mean, I can't talk about it with Dee -- she's my mom, for crissakes! It'd kill her to find out about it."

"She won't hear it from me," Dewey promised. "Nobody will."

"O-okay," Beej said. He took a deep, ragged breath. "Okay, uh ... well, I was just a kid -- twelve or thirteen, I think. I don't know -- it was a long time ago. Anyway, I never had any friends."

Dewey nodded. "I remember you telling me that."

"Yeah. Well, there were these two demons -- Sturm and Drang. They were older than me -- maybe seventeen or eighteen, and they were always mean to me. They're the ones who killed Sandy."

"Your pet sandworm."

"Yeah. Anyway, one day they come over to me, and I think I'm gonna get another beating. But they say they're sorry for the way they been treating me, and do I wanna hang out with them. So I say 'Okay, that'll be fun!" So thay take me back to Sturm's place, I think, a-and then ... and then they ... they grabbed me and held me down and ... and ..." He squeezed his eyes shut, his face a mask of pain.

Dewey's eyes welled up, and he felt his heart breaking for his buddy, but he said nothing -- Beej needed to tell the story in his own time and in his own way.

"Those fuckin' bastards r- ... they raped me!" Beej was sobbing now. "They fucked me up the ass again and again and again for... I don't know how long, until I was bleeding down there. And when they were done, they kicked me and beat me and ... and I blacked out."

Dewey began to cry as well, imagining the pain and humiliation of going through that.

"What ... what happened to them?" he asked. "Sturm and Drang -- what happened to them?"

"I killed them," Beej replied, his voice low and dangerous now, his eyes glowing red. "When I blacked out, the monster inside me came out and killed them. That was the first time -- I didn't even know he was inside me. And over time I learned how to control him -- now he only comes out when I want him to."

"I ... I don't know what to say," Dewey told him. "I-I'm glad ... I'm glad you survived and they didn't, but you shouldn't've had to go through that, and I shouldn't've made you tell me -- I'm sorry, bro." He hugged Beej tightly. "I know," he said, "how about you tell me about your best time. That'll make us both feel better."

Beej shook his head. "I can't," he said.

"Why not? Can't pick just one?" He grinned and gave the demon a playful punch on the arm.

"No," Beej replied. "I can't tell you because ... because my first time was ... it ... it was my only time. I never had sex again -- I mean, I wanted to, I still want to, but ... nobody ever wanted to with me." He glared at Dewey. "Promise me you won't ever tell anyone."

Dewey smiled gently and hugged him again. "I promise, buddy." He took a deep breath. "Okay, well -- we gotta fix this!"

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean we gotta get you laid -- and soon, before you explode!"

[misc-obeyme]

I have today and tomorrow off and it's really so weird because I'm not used to them being in a row 😭 but then I'm scheduled six days straight after that soo

i keep getting tiktoks about Book of Life and I wanna rewatch that so bad because it's one of my favorite movies. I don't know if it'd fit but I love putting my favorite characters into other media i enjoy (crossovers technically?) so i keep imagining mc and Mammon as Manolo and Maria. And then probably Solomon as Joaquin, just because he's my other favorite.

but Manolo literally sings "heaven knows your name, I've been praying" while trying to serenade Maria and it gets me every time. I have the perfect mental image to redraw that scene with Mammon and Mc but I can't put it on paper so AAAA

anyway i wanted to ask if you had any movie recs or anything because I don't know what to do with myself other than read all day tomorrow. OH AND ALSO IF YOU WERE GONNA WATCH THE ECLIPSE, A COWORKER GAVE ME GLASSES WHICH I WAS HAPPY ABOUT

- ✨ anon

I hope you enjoy your days off! I think it's always nice to have multiple days in a row... due to be an office gremlin, I always get the two regular weekend days off. I kinda have to use Saturday as a reset day because I'm so exhausted from the week lol. So it's nice to have that extra day for other things! (Usually chores in my case.)

Anyway, I had to look up The Book of Life because I have never heard of it before now. It sounds good! I definitely think you should rewatch it. And yeah, I think that's kinda how it goes with art? You've got the vision in your mind but the hands cannot replicate it. It can be like that with writing, too. It's just trying to convey to someone else the picture you see in your mind and it never comes out the same.

But it's definitely fun to do crossover ideas, like putting characters in other stories. I had a feverish few days obsessing over which Obey Me characters would be who in a King Arthur AU. It's just really interesting to consider how their personalities would change the story, you know? (Not me also kinda thinking about a LOTR AU kadsfkl.)

I'm afraid I may not be the best person to ask for movie recs? I don't watch a lot of movies. Generally I have the attention span problem lol. I do watch them occasionally, like I finally watched Knives Out & Glass Onion which I totally loved. But I suppose it also depends on what sorta genre you're into... I suppose those are like murder mystery style but they're also just very funny. Dang I'm trying to think of other movies I've watched recently but yeah there's not a lot... the most recent thing I've watched is Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon on Netflix which is so so good. I know it's like the tumblr rage right now, but I'm really loving it.

Though due to my inability to watch current movies, I have a lot of older classics that I like. Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes to mind immediately. I also love the old school Clue movie it's so good. And I'm a huge fan of Studio Ghibli movies, so any of those, but I know a lot of peeps have already seen them. Other older animated movies from my childhood like The Road to El Dorado and The Emperor's New Groove and Anastasia. Oh and of course I'm a huge fan of all the Lord of the Rings movies but I know that can be kind of a commitment. I also liked Pan's Labyrinth, The Birdcage, Coco (if you wanna CRY), The Boondock Saints (uh very bloody this one though), and I always kinda had a thing for martial arts movies like I love Legend of the Drunken Master lol but also Hero and of course the classic Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (there's a sequel on Netflix that was also very good). Oh and I did see Everything Everywhere All At Once which I really enjoyed!

Er so I guess that's more than I thought lol. But there are a lot of times when people will be like you haven't seen X movie!?! And I just hafta be like... I don't watch movies a lot, sorry??

As for the eclipse, I am not going to be watching it because I don't have protective eye wear and my eyesight is already terrible. I didn't realize it was happening until like today oops. I did see part of the last one... I think that happened a handful of years ago? I can't quite remember when it was, but I did experience it!

Anyway, I don't know how helpful any of this was, but I hope you enjoy your time off either way!

[the-woild-is-y-erster]

vent sorry guys youse dont hafta read this its just my feewings<3

hey can someone convince me i'm not a failure and that i'm gonna make it through this year? because its not lookin too good rn boys

i have so much freaking homework and extracurriculars and i start sewing lessons again tomorrow and my ma's being really mean abt it and my brother is leaving for college this year or next and i'm really gonna miss him even though we haven't been really close in years and

the race i worked at this weekend? the company is owned by my best friends parents. yeah. the best friend ive been in love with for years. that best friend. and so i had to spend three days in close proximity with her trying not to cry because she has a new boyfriend every week so i know itll never happen. and then i finally learn shes single, but guess what!!!! she has a crush on like three different guys!!!!!! and she also doesn't know im ftm so being around her makes me feel bad because she only uses my deadname and pronouns so its so so much fun!!!! and we made this pact.

we promised eachother that we wouldnt kill ourselves if the other was still alive, and got eachother like promise rings and stuff and i 'proposed' with hers to her and shes just like 'omg thanks girlie!!!!🫶🫶' and i know im being super dramatic about this and that itll never happen so i should just let it go but it hurts!!!! it hurts so bad when she talks about her newest guy and i know that it shouldnt because there no reason she would ever love me back but it feels like im getting torn apart from the inside.

and im taking so so so many classes this year that any free time i have and some that i dont have is spent doing homework and its all so hard which is stupid because i should be able to do all this but i have so many freaking responsibilities this year, not including theater which is so much more stressful this year because our director is leaning heavily on me because im her only competent person and ive been with her for the past five years but the people in the class are friggin. INSANE and i dont know how to handle them

but i havent had a hug in over two months!!! i havent had friendly contact in so so long and im going insane because im a really tactile person but i never initiate because every time i do people think its weird and stop being friends with me

and im so

so lonely which is stupid but i feel like a can being squished in a trash compactor

anyway. i really appreciate you guys, and i think you folk and honestly newsies are the only thing really keepin me goin. so. like. thanks for that/gen.

[crones-trash]

PROGRESS!

It feels like I've been waiting forever then suddenly everything started coming together. The plumbers finished today & since they were already here I got them to install a water filter & dispenser at the kitchen sink. Goodbye bottled water!

Heard from The Boss at the Restoration company this morning who said they decided to file the reconstruction work under their open insurance claim. They all feel really sorry for me. Okay. I'll be a pathetic sickly old widow in their eyes if it gets me what I want. Frankly, anyone looking at me can see that IS what I am. I see it myself! And I'm edging ever closer to being a doddering old fool.

The Boss gave me a list of subcontractors to call. My job was too small for the 1st one; hung up on the 2nd one's voicemail; then got a guy in the neighborhood who came over in 15 minutes w/ his partner to judge the extent of the damage in the master bathroom. If The Boss approves their estimate, they'll be back tomorrow to lay the subfloor AND my flooring on top of it then re-install the toilet. The next day, they'll install the missing insulation under the floors.

The Super Walmart, which is only a mile away, also carries my favorite brand of paint--Kiltz All-in-One Paint & Primer. They only had 3 gallons in stock & I bought 'em all for pickup tomorrow. First thing Imma gonna do is get rid of that ghastly neon blue on the kitchen walls!

Also today I finally found the Rubbermaid tub w/ all of my computer cords, keyboard AND the brand new (still sealed in plastic) Motorola modem/router! Ya'know, it's been over 22 years since I've assembled my PC gear all by myself. As soon as I met my Late Great Husband--the computer wizard--he took over that job. I'm gonna hafta summon some confidence that like riding a bicycle it will all come back to me. How hard can it be? I don't remember. I might want my son to get on Facetime this weekend to guide me thru it.

<heavy sigh>

<cue the Rolling Stones> What a drag it is getting old...

[say-it-with-sizzle]

I hate to say it (and this WON'T be the last time we talk about this), but I think we hafta table the concert talk for now.

I know what you mean about the concerts, too... I missed a Splatfest this weekend! Friday vs. Saturday vs. Sunday! We'd been planning for weeks! I'm sure Shiver and Big Man could've done it on their own - they were always better at the concert stuff - but how are they gonna bandit without me? Splatcasting does not pay as much as you'd think in our city!

I figured out a map app on my phone! (It's a little tricky understanding this dialect, but for some reason I can speak the language here? Can you?) It, uh... it says we're pretty far apart. I think I'd hit a plane or something if I Super Jumped from here. (It wouldn't be the first time, but there's no Respawn Pads here, y'know?)

Wait, there are MORE POKEMON GAMES? That explains why I'm so behind on all these new guys! I like your little circle fruit guy. Reminds me of a baby Inkling! Or one of those fossilized "fruits" from human times.

WAIT, you can't use your main, either? I thought it was just stress - that happens to me sometimes.

Wow! LOT of bombshells dropped via this weird website. I'm, uh... I'm gonna go try n' steal a wallet or something. Catch ya later!

Wait...

PEARL!? You're stuck here, too? Cod, I haven't seen you since that concert! (I've still got a MASSIVE bone to pick with you on that, by the way! You can't just WALK ONTO a concert without TELLING anyone! Big Man almost died!) What's going on? How'd we get here? Where are you? (Where am I, actually?) Have you seen Shiver or Big Man? Did they fall down the hole with you?

Oh, uhh... This is Frye, by the way.

-@say-it-with-sizzle

FRYE?! Oh, shell, you're here too???? Psh, well, at least you're not half-bad. Big Man woulda been nicer, though... (Also, weren't you the reason he almost died? And he invited us!!)

I dunno how the heck we got here, or what you're saying about holes, but I haven't seen either of 'em. You haven't seen 'Rina, have you? I'm out in Hau'oli City in Alola, apparently...

[chiwoopsie]

🍸🍸

[datleggy]

Re the coda: eddie having feelings over buck living in his house?

Eddie leans against the doorframe and waves goodbye with his good arm as Ana departs. She's one of the last to leave the small gathering and though Eddie is grateful for the welcome home party, he's also exhausted and ready to simply relax.

He meanders into the kitchen and finds Buck and Christopher cleaning up after everyone. "It's late," he yawns, "Leave it."

But Buck shakes his head, already replacing the bin with another trash bag. "It's Friday," he says, "Gotta take out the trash or you'll be stuck with it till Monday."

Buck slides past him with the full trash bag in tow, making sure not to bump Eddie's arm on his way out. As soon as the door's closed behind Buck Christopher sighs and pouts.

"You ok, bud? Why the sour face?" Eddie sits down next to him at the table, concern rearing its head to the forefront.

Christopher nods. "I'm ok." he assures his dad, "It's just, I wish Buck didn't hafta go so soon. I like him sleeping over--even if he does snore."

Eddie blinks. "Oh."

He knew that Buck had been staying over to take care of Christopher since he'd been admitted to the hospital, of course, but he hadn't really given much consideration to how his kid would feel now that that would be all over after today.

Before he can think of something else to say Buck reappears from taking out the garbage. "Your Tia made enough food to get you two through to next year." he jokes as he steps into the kitchen to organize all the prepared meals she brought over. He puts the ones he knows for sure Eddie and Christopher are going to be eating this upcoming weekend into the fridge and the rest he stores in the freezer for safe keeping.

Eddie watches Buck arrange the contents of his fridge, watches him move about his kitchen with more ease than he's ever had before, and it makes him smile fondly at the man. 

Really, they haven't been "guests" in each others homes for quite some time now. But there's just something now in the way of Bucks movements around the Diaz home that make that more obvious than ever.

"Ok," Buck starts, setting down the pill bottles on the counter, "This little guy here is the antibiotic, you need to take ‘em twice a day until they're finished and these," he points to the white tablets next to the capsules. "Are for pain--the doctor said you can take two to start tonight so you can get a full nights sleep and one in the morning, so--"

"Do you really need to leave tonight?" Eddie interrupts cautiously. He knows it's not fair to ask him to stay another night, but... "I was thinking you could stay one more day, just until I'm settled in.” he clears his throat, “But I get it if you have stuff to do--I know it's been a minute since you've probably even stepped foot into the loft."

Buck shrugs. “Albert’s back, so he can take charge of watering all my fake houseplants.” he smirks. “Doubt he’ll mind me staying a little longer.” 

Christopher cheers, throwing himself at Buck’s legs. “Does that mean we can play videogames till bedtime again?” 

Eddie arches a brow at Buck and mouths the word ‘again’ questioningly, trying to hide his own half smirk. 

Buck chuckles nervously, already ushering Christopher into the living room. “Hope you’re ready to lose.” 

Eddie rolls his eyes and follows them, shaking his head at their playful back and forth as they set up the gaming console. 

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

Christopher ends up falling asleep, curled up against Eddie’s good side towards the end of a movie they’ve all seen a handful of times already, a small smile tugging at his lips, completely relaxed. 

Buck scoops him up into his arms easily, “I’m gonna put him to bed, you should take the painkillers and get ready for bed, too, it’s been a long day, and don’t even start with the whole ‘I’m not tired’ schtick ‘cause superman over here has perfected that argument and I still won every night this week.” 

Eddie huffs out a laugh, “Alright alright, I’m going.” 

.

By the time Buck is done tucking Christopher into bed and gets a blanket and his pillow out of the linen closet Eddie’s no longer in the living room. 

As he sets about making up the couch to go to sleep himself, he hears a faint thump and then cursing from down the hall. Buck is stumbling into Eddies room within seconds, heart beating a mile a minute. “Eddie?!” He rushes to his side, where Eddie’s sitting on the bed holding his arm close to him, face scrunched up in pain. 

“I’m good.” He insists through gritted teeth. “Bumped my shoulder by accident.” 

Buck sighs in relief, though there’s still a tension there, in the frown his mouth is forming. “Did you take the painkillers yet?” he asks. 

Eddie nods. “Should be kicking in soon.” 

Buck looks down and sees that Eddie’s pants are only half undone at the zipper and both his shoes are still on, though it does look as though there was some effort to get them off. Probably how Eddie hurt himself in the first place, Buck’s mind supplies “Here, let me help you get changed--” 

“It’s ok, I can do it. Just gonna take me a little longer with only one functioning arm.” 

“You’re so stubborn. Let me help.” Buck crouches down in front of him and starts untying his shoes without another word, taking off his shoes, one at a time.

Eddie wiggles his toes in his socks when both his feet are free, thanks to Buck, and then, because he can, he casually places one foot against Bucks shoulder and pushes lightly, throwing him off balance until he’s on his ass on the floor. 

“Dude!” Buck stares at him incredulously. 

Eddie shrugs with his good shoulder. “What? It’s payback for all those times you wouldn’t let me help you out after your damn leg was busted in like twelve different places. And you wanna go and call me stubborn.” 

Buck wants to be annoyed but the truth is Eddie’s right, Buck had been very adamant about doing everything himself during that time--that and the shit eating grin on Eddies face right now is stupidly endearing, especially when not too long ago Buck wasn’t sure he’d ever get to see it again. 

“Rude but fair.” Buck sits up and pulls Eddies pants all the way down in one go, scoffing at Eddie’s indignant little ‘hey!’, “You can’t tell me you haven’t been trying to get these off since before I walked in here.” he says, deadpan. 

Eddie sighs, “Maybe.” He kicks out his legs, still tangled up in his pants. “Finish the job Nanny McPhee.” he whines, the painkillers starting to make him a little groggy. 

Buck tugs the pants past his feet and gets up, folding them before setting them down. “Alright, c’mon you big baby.” he helps Eddie readjust on the bed, fluffing up a pillow to put behind his shoulder before letting Eddie lay down, almost in a sitting up position to keep his arm stable while he sleeps. 

Eddie complains about the sling being uncomfortable but Buck shakes his head. “You heard what the doctor said, it’s important to keep it on while at night, just for a short period of time. You don’t wanna pull the stitches in your sleep.” 

Eddie yawns, his head lolling on the pillow under him, blinking drowsily up at Buck. “Thanks Buck.” he mutters. 

“G’night Eds.” 

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

Eddie finds Buck in the living room a few hours later and frowns. “Hey,” He pokes his cheek, resorting to pinching when Buck still doesn’t wake up. 

Buck blinks up at his best friend, yawning loudly and sitting up. “Time’s it?” he mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

“I don’t know.” Eddie half shrugs. “Early.” 

Buck looks at the clock on the wall and gapes. It’s barely four in the morning. “You ok?” he sits up fully now and lets Eddie sit down next to him on the couch. 

“How come you’re sleeping on the couch?” Eddie asks, instead of answering the question.

“Where else would I--” 

“I mean, my bed’s pretty big.” Eddie looks the other way, purposely avoiding his gaze.

Buck notices the trembling, faint as it may be, and he places a hand on Eddie’s knee, squeezing comfortingly. “Ok.” 

Eddie turns to Buck, surprised. “You--really?” 

“C’mon, let’s go to bed. I need my beauty sleep, y’know.” He helps Eddie up off the couch and leads them both to the master bedroom. 

“You don’t have to.” Eddie tells him, once they’re in bed, embarrassed suddenly by how silly he must seem right now. One little nightmare and he’s begging Buck to come to bed with him and chase away the monsters. 

Buck reaches out across the bed and locks their hands together under the covers, sleepily murmuring. “Shh, bedtime,” he tightens his grip on Eddies hand momentarily. “M’glad you’re home.” 

Eddie smiles in the dark. “Me too.” 

Home is Christopher. 

And home is Buck, a part of Eddie realizes. 

It’s good to be home. 

[ahkaahshi]

Dear Fran, I have come with my option a request. I hope you will accept with an open heart 😃 hear me out ok #4 ♥️ scenario with Atsumu + Osamu, I'm their lil sister rooming with them (IS THIS ALLOWED, IF NOT IT'S OK, I just want to be called Wan-chan and call them Tsumu and Samu nii-chan 🥺) anyway it's a weekend night so,, COCKTAIL PARTY IN THE LIVING ROOM!! So as we're chilling and getting drunker by the minute on drinks mixed by ourselves for each other, I started rambling about [1/2]

prompt: ♥︎ #4 -> make your own fluffy friendship scenario

roomies: the miya twins + ushijima wakatoshi as the non-roomie love interest

genre: fluff, specific reader insert

warning(s): swearing, alcohol usage

my note to you: dear wan, of course I will hear you out forever and always 😂 a cocktail party with the siblings sounds so fun lol I'm over here an only child 😭 this whole thing sounds so funny to me 😂 y-you think I have a big brain?? ty bb but it’s only bc u lend me your big brain energy ❤️

getting drunk with the miya twins and venting about your bf ushijima [scenario]

y’all do these roomie/sibling cocktail parties at least once a week just to let off some steam. you n samu have learned thru experience not to let tsumu play bartender tho bc the man’s tolerance is thru the roof and his drinks are STRONG

like he’s got that heavy “two shots of vodka” *cookie monster falling in the background* pour

anyway, this evening ends up taking a more serious turn bc you start crying to them about how your relationship with ushijima has been a lil rocky lately

your big bros are your ride or dies and of course they wanna comfort you, but in their drunken state, their problem solving skills are a bit... less reasonable than usual (and that’s scary bc when are they're already shaky to begin with???)

seeing you cry over ushijima is making them kinda heated low key so next thing you know, they’re calling an uber and grabbing silly string that you didn’t even know you owned

“Can ya take us here?” Atsumu asks as he slides into the passenger seat of your chariot for the night in the form of a blue sedan and holds your phone towards the driver. The man nods and puts the address into his own phone before pulling away from the curb.

In the backseat, you let your head flop against the headrest while Osamu holds the cans of silly string securely. “’Tsumu nii-chan...” you groan with indignation when he plops your phone back into your palm, “This is such a stupid--” you interrupt yourself with a hiccup--“idea.”

“Ah, chill out, Wan-chan!” Atsumu complains, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “Quit bein’ such a party pooper.”

“’Sides,” Osamu pipes up from where he’s sitting beside you, “ya don’t even hafta do shit. Jus’ sit tight ‘nd let yer better thirds take care of it.”

You reach for his arm in the back of the dark car so you can smack him before doing the same to the back of Atsumu’s head when he laughs at his brother’s smart comment. “’Samu nii-chan! Usually you’re the voice of reason.”

With a small chuckle, he reaches into the pocket of his sweater and retrieves a small flask that you don’t even remember seeing him fill up. “Nah, that responsibility’s all yours, right now, Wan-chan.” You grumble with defeat as he takes a long swig of its contents before handing it over to you. In spite of being less than enthusiastic about the whole situation, you take a long drink and pass the container back, intentionally skipping over Atsumu’s outstretched hand since you both know he’ll finish it in one go.

When the apartment complex where your boyfriend resides appears in your view, you bargain, “At least lemme talk to ‘im first.”

“If you must,” Atsumu sighs.

Osamu requests that the driver waits for you all to return--which he agrees to after he shows him Atsumu’s card and offers double the fare for his troubles--before the three of you pile out of the car. Your brothers follow you as you take the familiar path to Ushijima’s front door, but hide behind a bush when you shoo them away and give it a knock.

The door slowly opening a few moments later brings you face to face with your boyfriend and makes your head spin from more than just the alcohol. “Wakatoshi...” you utter softly, (e/c) eyes finding his slightly shocked, olive gaze.

“Wan?” he murmurs, “What are you doing here?” His nose twitches at the smell of alcohol lingering on you from the drink Atsumu spilled on the sleeve of your sweater earlier. “Are you drunk?”

You wave away all of his questions and respond with an increasingly noticeable slur, “I’m here to stop my brothers from covering... yer apartment in shilly shtring.”

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, but his face quickly drains of all emotion when you see his eyes shift to something behind you. Sure enough, your troublesome siblings have emerged from their hiding place and are now standing a few feet away, silly string cans raised in a way that you can only assume is meant to be threatening.

“Wan-chan’s real broken up over these arguments ya’ve been havin’,” Atsumu pipes up. You heave a long sigh and put your hand over your face out of the embarrassment you feel towards the whole situation. As if just showing up unaccounted for hadn’t been bad enough, you were drunk, and so were your two older brothers about to turn vandals that had accompanied you.

Ushijima clicks his tongue before speaking again in that usual, authoritative tone of his. “I understand. You can go. I’ll take care of Wan and make sure they get back home safely tomorrow.” With that said, he wraps an arm around your shoulders, bringing you close to him as he allows you inside his apartment so you can sober up and talk. He sends a nod in Atsumu and Osamu’s direction before closing the door.

There’s a long moment of silence as your siblings come to terms with what’s just happened. In an instant, Atsumu lunges towards the door, finger pressed against the nozzle of the silly string can, and Osamu wraps his arms around his torso to restrain him. “Fuckin’ quit!” he grunts, trying to reach for the can, “’S gonna be fine!”

“Jus’ lemme tag the motherfucker so he knows not to mess with us.” Osamu grumbles but relinquishes his grip around Atsumu so he can go to the doorstep and paint what he knows is meant to resemble a dick on the wall in silly string. Once he’s satisfied with his work, he says, “Aight, let’s dip.”

[jake-marshall]

hello again (i'm the anon from before!). i understand ofc re: that other fic and i immediately went to your ao3 and read the one you have there even before you had answered my ask hehe and I LOVED IT SO MUCH TOO 🥺 You write them so well and you're right there is not enough fic about them out there. I really hope you write more of them because *chef's kiss" you have them to a tee and write so beautifully!

Thank you so so much <3!!   I really do hope to keep writing more ResDogs fic in the new year - i had a ton of fun doing it this year for the first time, so i don’t see why I won’t, other than my Rune Factory + Inglourious Basterds projects being top priority at the momo (through January at least!). 

I appreciate so much that you want to keep reading what I have to offer, us ResDogs fans have to stay strong and keep the fandom alive. For you, anon, here’s more of that WIP you liked so much earlier.  It’s not exactly Vic/Eddie, more of Vic and Joe, but there’s def mention of Vic/Eddie’s relationship.

“Ah, there you go, Vic, learnin' already.   That's right; I never said I was, but you damn well are.   Startin' next weekend you start hunting for a summer job.  And every penny you make there goes back to me.  I said I'd take you in, and that's exactly what I plan to do; your whole goddamn summer is gonna be spent under my roof, unless you're at work.  No visits to the pool or the roller rink or any of those other places you two screw around at.  You'll eat what we have at home, none of these midnight trips out here to Big Kahuna – I don't see what's so great about 'em anyway.  These fries got more grease in 'em than your hair.” Vic tries to smile at what he knows is Joe attempting to lighten to mood, but all he can do is blink at his burger. So it's kind of a last meal after all. “And lights out at 10:30 every night, none of this stayin' up all hours watching TV in Eddie's room, like you have been.  I've been lettin' it slide 'cause neither of you were suffering any at school.  But no more.” Now's probably not a good time to tell Joe that maybe the TV was on, but they weren't up watching it, that's for fucking sure.  So Vic just nods. “You quit your job or get fired, you're out.  You break my rules, you're out.  And you don't wanna be out, Vic.  Because there's no comin' back in.  Understand?” “Yeah,” Vic says.  “Yes.” “Eddie's always had trouble makin' friends – guess I don't hafta tell you that, you seem to, too.  No wonder you get along so goddamn well.  But he's been better for havin' you as his friend, I see that.  More motivated, more assertive.  You mean a lot to him, and that means a lot to me.” Vic wonders if Joe would be saying this if he knew how Eddie showed his appreciation.  

[bjfinn]

CANDID CONFESSIONS (Version 2.0)

"Beetlejuice"/"School of Rock" crossover

TW: child sexual abuse

"When was your first time?" Beej asked. He was visiting Dewey for the weekend, and the two of them were spending the evening sitting on Dewey's couch, listening to Dewey's Led Zeppelin records and eating junk food.

"First time what?"

"Your first time having sex."

Dewey laughed. "That's really all you think about, isn't it?"

Beej grinned. "What else is there to think about?" he quipped. "Come on, I'm your brother -- you gotta tell me!"

"Okay, well, uh ... I was fifteen, and ... my buddy asked if I'd done it. And I said 'Yeah, of course! Have you?' And he says 'Sure, lots of times.' I mean, we were fifteen, you know? -- gotta make like you're cool, or everyone'll make fun of you just so they look cool, right? Anyway, he asks how often I, uh ..." He pumped his fist quickly up and down a few times. "So I say 'Six or seven times a day' -- which was probably pretty accurate, I was a horny teenager, you know? So I, uh ... I ask him how often he does it, and he says 'Six or seven times a day' too.

"Nice," Beej put in.

"Yeah, uh ... well, anyway, then he, uh ... he asks if I ever jacked off with anyone else. I tell him no, and then he asks if I want to. So we get naked, you know, and we, uh ... we start. And I'm ... I'm a bit nervous, you know -- 'cause I never jacked off with somebody before, but, uh ... well, it's rock-hard and it feels like it's about three feet long."

Beej grinned lasciviously and licked his lips. Dewey gave him the side-eye and continued with his account.

"Then he, uh ... he reaches over and takes hold of my, uh .. you know. So I take hold of his. I mean, it's only fair, right? Yeah, so there we are, jackin' each other off, and it's pretty good, you know?"

"I bet," Beej said.

"So then he says 'How about we rub them together?' So I say 'Okay' and we put them together. And he, uh ... he holds both of them in one hand, you know? And he starts moving his hand up and down, jacking both of us off together, you know? And I put my hand over his ... you know, to help. And, uh ... well, you know."

"Did you cum?" Beej asked.

Dewey nodded. "Uh, yeah ... we both did. That was the only time I ever ... you know -- with another guy. And we only did it the one time.

"Okay," Dewey said, "your turn."

"What?"

"Now it's your turn," Dewey repeated.

Beej bit his lip self-consciously. "Do I hafta?"

"Hey, fair's fair," Dewey told him. "Come on, I told you about my first time -- now you tell me about yours. And you gotta tell me the truth -- no makin' something up just to look good!"

"I ... I don't like to think about it," Beej said. "It wasn't ... it wasn't good."

"Why?" Dewey asked. "What happened?" He saw tears in his friend's eyes, and Beej's lip was beginning to quiver. Dewey put an arm around the demon's shoulders. "Hey!" he said softly. "Hey, it's okay -- you don't have to tell me, okay? But, uh ... if it was a bad experience, it ... i-it might help to talk about it."

Beej sniffed, nodding. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, you're ... probably right -- I should tell somebody. I mean, I can't talk about it with Dee -- she's my mom, for crissakes! It'd kill her to find out about it, you know?"

"She won't hear it from me," Dewey promised. "Nobody will."

"O-okay," Beej said. He took a deep, ragged breath. "Okay, uh ... well, I was just a kid -- twelve or thirteen, I think. I don't know -- it was a long time ago. Anyway, I never had any friends."

Dewey nodded. "I remember you telling me that."

"Yeah. Well, there were these two demons -- Sturm and Drang. They were older than me -- maybe seventeen or eighteen, and they were always mean to me. They're the ones who killed Sandy."

"Your pet sandworm."

"Yeah. Anyway, one day they come over to me, and I think I'm gonna get another beating. But they say they're sorry for the way they been treating me, and do I wanna hang out with them. So I say 'Okay, that'll be fun!" So they take me back to Sturm's place, I think, a-and then ... and then they ... they grabbed me and held me down and ... and ..." He squeezed his eyes shut, his face a mask of pain.

Dewey's eyes welled up, and he felt his heart breaking for his buddy, but he said nothing -- Beej needed to tell the story in his own time and in his own way.

"Those fuckin' bastards r- they raped me!" Beej was sobbing now. "They fucked me up the ass again and again and again for... I don't know how long, until I was bleeding down there. And when they were done, they kicked me and beat me and ... and I blacked out."

Dewey began to cry as well, imagining the pain and humiliation of going through that.

"What ... what happened to them?" he asked. "Sturm and Drang -- what happened to them?"

"I killed them," Beej replied, his voice low and dangerous now, his eyes glowing red. "When I blacked out, the monster inside me came out and killed them. That was the first time -- I didn't even know he was inside me. And over time I learned how to control him -- now he only comes out when I want him to."

"I ... I don't know what to say," Dewey told him. "I-I'm glad ... I'm glad you survived and they didn't, but you shouldn't've had to go through that, and I shouldn't've made you tell me -- I'm sorry, bro." He hugged Beej tightly. "I know," he said, "how about you tell me about your best time. That'll make us both feel better."

Beej shook his head. "I can't," he said.

"Why not? Can't pick just one?" He grinned and gave the demon a playful punch on the arm.

"No," Beej replied. "I can't tell you because ... because my first time was ... it ... it was my only time. I never had sex again -- I mean, I wanted to, I still really really want to, but ... nobody ever wanted to with me. And ... and I don't wanna force somebody -- that's what demons do, but ... I can't. Not after what happened to me."

"Wait, what? So all those stories about, like you and Katherine Hepburn --"

"I made 'em up," Beej confessed. "It's like you said -- I didn't want anybody to think I was a ... a loser. So I make like ... like ..." He stopped, his eyes welling up. "You hate me now, don't you?"

Dewey put his arms around the demon. "No," he said. "I don't hate you, buddy -- it's okay! Everybody fibs about that kind of stuff -- I did. Hell, I still do, sometimes.

"Look at me." He put a finger under Beej's chin and raised the demon's head so they were eye to eye. "You're not a loser," he told him.

"Yes, I am," Beej sniffed. "I'm a big, fat failure."

"No, you're not," Dewey insisted. "So what if you haven't had sex? You were raped, for crissakes! You were traumatised! But you never ... you never turned around and did the same thing to somebody else??? And ... and that proves that you're a good guy.

"And if nobody ever wanted to fuck you, well then ... that's their loss. They're the losers, not you! Right?"

Beej nodded forlornly.

"Hey! I mean it!" Dewey said. "I'm not just sayin' this to make you feel better. Now, come on -- I wanna hear you say that you're not a loser."

"I'm not a loser," Beej said, in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Louder."

"I'm not a loser."

"Come on!'' Dewey urged. "Get mad about it!"

"I'm not a loser!"

"What's that?"

"I'M NOT A LOSER!"

Dewey got to his feet and stood over Beej. "Say it like you mean it! "

At that, Beej stood up. "I'm not a loser!" he shouted.

"AGAIN!"

"I'M NOT A LOSER! "

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT??? "

"I'M NOT A LOSER!!! "

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!! "

"I'M NOT A LOSER!!! "

They were standing chest-to-chest, hands balled into fists, glaring at one another and breathing like enraged bulls -- if anyone else had been there, they would've thought that a knock-down drag-out brawl was imminent.

"IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO??? " Dewey bellowed.

"I'M NOT A LOSER!!! " Beej roared, and began laughing through his tears. "I'M NOT A LOSER!!! I'M NOT!!! I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT!!! "

"YEAH!!! THAT'S WHAT I WANNA HEAR!!! " Dewey grabbed Beej in a bearhug then, holding him tightly. "That's what I wanna hear," he said, quietly this time.

Dewey held him like that until their breathing quieted. He released Beej then, and put his hands on the demon's shoulders. "And if anybody else calls you a loser, they'll have to answer to me." He grinned at the demon. "And that includes you, pal! You're my buddy -- my brother. Don't ever call yourself a loser again, or I'll kick your ass!"

Beej glared comically at his friend. "Oh, yeah?" he said. "You wanna go?"

"I ain't afraid to take you on!" Dewey told him with a humorous scowl. They grappled for a moment and then fell back on the bed, laughing.

"Feel better?" Dewey asked.

"Yeah," Beej replied. "Thanks -- you're a ... a good friend. A good brother." Then he looked at Dewey, his expression serious. "Promise me you won't ever tell anyone that I'm a ... that I never ..."

Dewey smiled gently and hugged him again. "I promise, buddy -- nobody'll ever hear it from me." He took a deep breath. "Okay, well -- we gotta fix this!"

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean we gotta get you laid -- and soon, before you explode!"

[babypeanu-t]

//um wrote this long ass note earlier today and idk if tumblr posted this alreads but i cant see it on my app so im reposting. also although this ones all over the place and not proofread (!!) i hafta have this record up too hehe//

Putting off writing down a few notes on astrology (my natal wheel and readings, in particular) to write about the last weekend.

(Side note, writing this using a wireless keyboard connected to my phone. I'm psyched!)

Anyway, the long weekend felt insanely looong for me. I currently spend my days at home only, so I have to do quite a lot to stay active (and mainly, to keep myself from being bored lmao). The last four days seemed wild af for the homebody in me; my social battery was drained as hell that I spent most of yesterday sleeping in just to compensate for everything I did.

Ayt, so Friday was supposedly chill. Only I kept thinking about what I could have done earlier in the day. I was up really early as I had a supposed appointment - na hindi naman natuloy cos ~reasons. I had so much time to kill before heading off to my original destination, Batangas. I hate being late to stuff, so I was kinda pissed when I didn't get to the city around 7 pm, as I originally estimated. Hirap 'pag traffic sa lahat ng lugar that I have to consider leaving really earlieeer from now on. Ugh, Pilipinas. Anyway, real adventure began the next day. We went to Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa. Now, that travel was insanely sakit sa pwet + init but really fun because of the people I was with. It's hard to keep fitting in, you know, but this chameleon is thankful that the people around me make it easier. I was actually really nervous to go to the amusement park as it has been yeeears since I last went to one (if I remember correctly, I'd only been to two amusement parks in the country since I flew back here six years ago. Went to EK - for the first time - in 2013 and to Star City in 2014; just a good six months apart, so that's just it for that kind of adventure. Had to get used to park rides when we had some in a mall in Saudi, but since I resided here, there's really nothing close to visit), so basically, I felt like I'd have a headache (what with the heat and I'm sure almost all rides were gonna make me dizzy af) and puke whatever I ate (resulting to eating so so little that day ugh I'm still sad).

Anyway, I still had so much fun with all the rides! The kid in me was excited for Anchors Away, Jungle Log Jam, EKstreme, Wheel of Fate, and Rio Grande. We went on almost every ride and by the time we went to Disco Magic (sp?), I was insanely dizzy I felt like I had to get off the ride halfway through - it was enjoyable, yes, but I wasn't really prepared for all the spinning, hayop 'yun. Luckily, they decided to chill, going to the new Agila theater - now, that was amazing. The clips shown in the theater could be used for greater opportunities for the country, really (lol sa'n na ba cred ng government sectors kakahiya mas matino pa marketing/pr sa iba sayang pondo hay). After that, we stayed at the food court - kamahal ng food mamami! Sinong kuripot lmao but anyway, that experience was another good thing for me again. Huy, sobrang kilig watching Kingsmen and Victoria's Way, pwede ba. Okay, sobrang kinilig talaga 'ko du'n legit HUHU I proved that my go-to kilig song still is This I Promise You and that I can get over songs I attached to certain people in the last few years lmaooo. Those performers should have more exposure, really. Daya ng mundo. Anywaaay, after which, we went to ride on AirRace, Space Shuttle, and EKstreme where I got another massive blast of headache good god I cried, but luckily, they decided Wheel of Fate would be our last ride. All in all, the experience is really fun, even when it was a health hazard at some points lol. It was insanely tiring plakda pag-uwi, but that level of tired felt really worth it after all the laughs and smiles the whole day.

((Side note, nakakatamad na mag-English. I'm too rusty huhu))

The next day, there were unexpected guests. I conditioned myself before I slept that I had to go home already, but I really felt like sleeping in, so I was down til around 9? I had to wake up because some of our friends were heading to Lipa in around an hour and I could actually hitch a ride back to civilization (who was I to say no, really lol). I haven't seen these girls in more than a month, so it was a pleasant surprise that we were all there that day. We went to Nuvali after a quick lunch in Bojoks (good food!) where we went "biking" for the most part (biking in quotes as I didn't know how to bike they all had to teach and support me lmaooo I still didn't learn what a fail). Was a truly fun time with all of them. Minsan na lang talaga and feels so good to have done all that. Ride back home seemed so fast, but it was around 6pm when I got to SM too. Was just lucky that travel was insanely fast - thank you, long weekend.

When I got home though, there was a celebration for my sister so there were quite a lot of people at home. Soliiid ng pa-chicken and pa-pizza tyl pero more solid inom that I got hammered I was hungover til the next day and we had to still meet some people AT 11 IN THE MORNING IN QC. I'm hammered please don't talk to me ganon but nah can't escape them so. But all in all, craaaazy long weekend, but more more fun really! (I know I didn't really tell the story all well cos I don't have a lot of energy to write a better piece and proofread I'm so so sorry if you had to endure reading this lmao) I've had a few good days in the last year and this weekend is up there as well. I'm taking time again to recharge my physical and social battery as I deem they're both dead by now, but I'm taking all the good in the last few days with me to get me through too. I hope y'all had a great weekend as well and don't forget to take breaks as taking care of yourself is as insanely important as making time for the people in your life. :)

[noxanlux]

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