#but they weren’t good so we went somewhere else and they said it was prob this all along

[wildmelon]

we have to put my kitty to sleep 💔 I haven’t stopped crying I literally don’t know how to deal with this. it’s scheduled for saturday morning wtf am I supposed to do until then…. I’m so heartbroken she’s only 6

[hansols-yoda-boxers]

CNS Spin Off - Old Flame

Choi Seungcheol x Kim Minji

Word Count: 625

“You know we shouldn’t do this,” Seungcheol chuckled against Minji’s lips.

“For someone who wants to appear serious you sure were eager to do this,” Minji murmured between kisses. His hand pulled on her hip under the sheets, pressing her body against his.

“Let me at least pretend I protested to having sex in the cabin,” he whined.

“I would,” She hummed, shifting to press kisses to his neck. “But you know you like the thrill of it.”

“You know I think it’s more stressful as I get into my old age.”

Minji snorted. “You’re not allowed to call yourself old.”

“Why?” He grinned. “Because it means you’re ancient?”

“Shut up!” She grabbed a pillow and hit him over the head while he laughed. Seungcheol grabbed onto her and hid his face in her chest in an attempt at shelter, both of them giggling madly.

Slowly, he started to leave kisses on her skin with a light touch. Minji wrapped her arms around his head, sighing at the feeling. He kissed higher and high, up her chest and neck, until finally he could kiss her lips again.

“I don’t want to get dressed,” he murmured.

Minji chuckled. “Yeah, we should before anyone finds us.”

“We’ve always been pretty good at not getting caught.” He grinned, sitting up and reaching for his boxers.

“An almost perfect track record,” she chuckled, climbing out of the bed to grab her underwear and shorts.

Seungcheol laughed, pulling on his clothes. He watched Minji getting dressed before she came close to him again. He reached out, grabbing her hips and drawing her in. He left a kiss on her chest before pulling her onto the bed.

“Seungcheol!”

“We don’t have anywhere to be for a little while,” he hummed. “We can cuddle.”

“Fine,” she giggled, snuggling against his chest and starting to draw shapes on his bicep as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Did you see anything good when you visited those apartments?” He asked. He knew finding good and affordable apartments in his city was not easy. His current apartment was nice but some of the others he had stayed in were decidedly less so.

“No,” she sighed. “I might as well have just gone on the camping trip instead of wasting my time heading back to town.”

“That bad?”

“Have you ever been catfished by an apartment?” She said.

Seungcheol snorted. “Yep. Like if the layout of the walls weren't the same I would have thought they literally just googled nice apartment photos.”

“It was like that,” she muttered, snuggling into him more. “One place was kind of okay but there were extra charges that made it too pricey. The others were trash.”

“There is a lot of trash to wade through to find a good place. Did you avoid the landlords I mentioned?”

“I did.” Minji sighed, hiding her face a little more. “Cheollie, what if I don’t find a place?”

Seungcheol rubbed her back soothingly. “You will, don’t worry about that.”

“What if I actually don’t though? I already accepted the job. But without a place to live…”

“Hey,” Seungcheol cupped her face in his hands. “Seriously, you will be okay. I can help you find somewhere, even if things aren’t ideal or some situations are temporary I’m not letting you throw this opportunity away. I’ll call my friends today and see if they have any leads as well.”

Minji’s lips tugged into a smile. “You really are the best friend in existence.”

“I’m just the friend you deserve,” he smiled.

Minji hugged him tightly. “Seriously, thank you. I’m stressing out over this so much.”

Seungcheol went back to rubbing her back as he held her. “You know I’d do anything for you.” He hummed.

Author’s note: what is this 2015? Does anyone do ending notes? But anyway just here to clarify (and i will probs write it into the story too) that cheol and minji are not dating. They decided years ago that they were better off friends. not one else totally gets why but basically they are friends, they both have feelings for each other, they are aware of the others and their own feelings, and they made a conscious choice not to date despite wanting to, at least up until this point

[gossipgirls]

I think I read somewhere that the reboot is going to humanize these characters and have them grapple with their privilege and.. I just really don’t want that. S1 Blair was awful and we just all learned to love her and her schemes. Same with Chuck and everyone else. I understand the show wanting to appear like they don’t condone the horrible behavior of its characters but at the same time, give me the depravity and mess. I really don’t wanna watch a show where rich kids are like “oh woe-is-me we can afford a $3,000 bag from Chanel when the homeless guy on the NYC street can’t afford a hotdog :(“ ya know? Gossip Girl the entity was exposing these rich kids and their delusions because they had no sense of reality and they were entitled and just downright nasty. That’s the core of the show lol I just don’t wanna see these ppl try to be sympathetic

i'm very much reserving any and all judgment on all of this until the show is actually out! it could go wrong or it could go right - something like that is all about execution and we don't know the execution as of right now. like could definitely be cringe if it’s not done well and, like you said, could def go so far in that direction that it becomes more ignorant, like “yeah it’s so crazy that i’m a billionaire when people are homeless... but let’s talk about my rich people probs now.” but i don’t think it will necessarily be that way. we just don’t know until we see it, y’know?

our sociopolitical climate has changed so much since 2007 and i DO want the show to represent that the way the original was such a product of 2007. i talked about this awhile ago in the context of the “the reboot won’t include slut shaming” bombshell lol. i understand that a lot of fans just want the guilty pleasure aspect and escapism of it all, but the slut shaming and classism was never the most interesting or entertaining part of the original anyway lmao. (like... if the absence of slut shaming is all it takes to make a show bad as so many twitter users suggest, i’m concerned for us all.) the trailer still looks PLENTY dramatic imo and i’d be shocked if there weren’t still a lot of backstabbing and fighting and mean girl activity (like weren’t luna and monet compared to georgina in that one article?)

imo––this is more of a response to the general tidal waves of twitter criticism than to your specific point––the way this could be really good is if the reboot hits on a lot of the same criticisms of wealth culture that the original did but does it better and stronger, a bit more evolved. i mean, look at serena's entire arc, or chuck’s even (or anybody’s?!)... despite its definite interest in luxury and conspicuous consumption, the show was imo not a straightforward celebration of wealth culture. it was at least very interested in showing the bad side. serena and chuck doing hard drugs and having sex with adults when they were in their early teens, all of njbc having absent and/or unloving parents, every single character devolving into a villain at one point or another... the show was often trying to critique the damaging environment in which those characters grew up, not even to mention the explicit class tensions between the humphreys and all their classmates. it’s why, despite all of the extreme material privileges, serena hated her world and wanted to escape so badly. it’s why nate grappled with his privilege for the entire show. maybe it wasn’t executed perfectly, which is why it clearly didn’t hit home for some of the audience. but the awareness of privilege and the criticism of such a culture is nothing new to gg, i’d say.

again, hbo is very different from the cw, and there’s an opportunity here to make that all way more explicit, especially in a post-euphoria tv landscape. maybe i went in expecting more from the reboot, since i’ve spent the past year reading heavily into the show on this blog lol, but i do think it’s likely that this is what safran meant by his statements. again, i get that some people just turn to gg for escapism and that’s i guess where a lot of the backlash is coming from, i get why some are so turned off, but i just think it’s too soon to write the show off. so far, nothing has made me feel like the show is inevitably going to be bad.

[elledritchorror]

I can have little a self-indulgence,,, as a treat

Some cute lil season 1 stuff ft. Jon and Georgie still being good buds, Martin getting to meet Georgie, and Jon being just a little chill (the influence of good company methinks)

Martin really was trying to be careful about moving the boxes. The problem was, he didn’t realise there was a whole other ceiling-high stack of them all set up haphazardly behind the first, so when the first came toppling down from the extra weight of a hidden box behind, he dove for the first clear space. Which was into the wall of boxes, not out of. The sound was cacophonous and Martin almost couldn’t believe it could be so loud, then one of the final boxes fell by his foot and spilled open, showing not just paper statements, but a heavy metal case that popped open to reveal about a dozen tapes. Great.

He tried to push some of the boxes aside but it became apparent very quickly that Martin’s little safe hole within the stacks of tumbled cardboard and steel was rickety, and could very well all come down on top of him. Which meant he needed help. Which meant he had to call someone with the key to the archives.

Which meant he had to call Jon.

Luckily enough his phone was still in his pocket and not left on the desk somewhere. Lucky again, Jon answered on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jon. It’s uhh, it’s Martin.”

“Yes I can see that, Martin. Why are you calling?”

“Well you see I uhh. Well. I need a bit of help?”

“Why? Are there worms? Martin are you safe?”

It was probably a deeply inappropriate time for Martin’s inside to melt into jelly but the clear concern in Jon’s voice - concern for Martin - well, it did things to him.

“I’m fine for the moment but I’ve made a mess of some of the boxes here.”

“And that requires my help because?”

“Because there are way more than I thought and they’ve all fallen around me and if I try to do anything then they might fall even more.”

“All around yo- how did you manag- Martin are you in the far back room in document storage?”

“Yep.”

“The one with the rows of boxes against the wall?”

“Didn’t realise it was more than one row until it all came down on me.”

“Christ, alright I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do not move, there are sealed cases in there and they’ll do some damage if they fall on you.”

“Yeah, I uhh, had a near miss. Trust me I am not going anywhere.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

“Thanks, Jon.”

The phone beeped but Martin didn’t worry too much about Jon’s ire. A few weeks ago he would have been in a panic but after the issue with Prentiss and Jon’s immediate belief - not to mention finding a way to keep him safe - well, he knew that any upset would be temporary. Still, that left him twiddling his thumbs in an enclosed space for a while.

It seemed to take both more and less time than he expected but eventually Martin heard the heavy doors to the Archives creak and then thud. He sagged in relief, then realised he almost moved too far and stayed very, very still.

“Martin?”

The voice that called was not Jon’s. It was higher pitched, and much more mellow.

“Uh, hello?”

“Hey! I’m Georgie. Jon went to get the dolly to help cart some of this out of your way. Don’t know if it’ll help but we’ll need it eventually. I came to let you know we’re here.”

Georgie had a nice voice, Martin decided. She was cheerful and comforting, and Martin still had no idea why she was here.

“Oh, uh, t-thank you!”

“No probs. I can hear Jon now, give us just a second and we’ll get you out of there.”

Jon did arrive then, the squeaking of the ancient dolly cart wheels more than made up for his naturally soft step.

“Martin, stay still. We’re going to try to shift some of this now,” Jon called and Martin gave him the affirmative and did as instructed.

It took a little bit of jiggling and shifting, but finally Jon and Georgie seemed to have a plan of attack. Martin could tell that they knew each other well, and were clearly very comfortable around each other. Was Georgie his girlfriend? Surely Jon would have mentioned her at some point if she was, but then, he was a very private person. Finally, Martin’s musings were interrupted by more instructions.

“Alright Martin, this part that’s sitting over you is in some kind of arc, we’re going to have to let it topple so when we pull, you come straight out, got it?”

“Got it!” Martin called and tensed, ready.

“Alrighty then Martin,” Georgie called. “On three. One, two-“

On the three, Martin dashed out of the crack that Jon created just in time to hear the crash of cardboard, paper, and multiple metal cases all falling into one another. It almost didn’t register compared to the sight he was greeted with.

There they were: Jon and Georgie. Georgie had a grin just as sweet and fun as she sounded, her dark skin and wild, curly hair seemed to fit her personality perfectly. She wore a band t-shirt and casual jeans and really, she just looked like the kind of person anyone would want to be friends with. Jon, on the other hand. Well, Martin was used to Jon appearing at work in collared shirts and neat jumpers, maybe a cardigan and a tie. He looked nothing like that today.

Jon wore tight jeans that Martin noted had a handful of strategically cut holes in them, the frayed edges flicked out softly in a way that looked artfully dishevelled. Over the ankles of the jeans were dark leather boots with silver-buckled straps. He also had a band t-shirt of some kind, but it was cropped just enough that Martin could see a tiny sliver of deep olive skin over the tied up sleeves of the flannel that he wore around his waist. He looked good. He didn’t look like the Jon that Martin had come to expect though.

“Are you alright, Martin? You look a bit flustered. mate.” Georgie laughed when he startled, but it wasn’t mean. She seemed like the living embodiment of good-natured and already Martin wanted to know everything about how she knew Jon and how they were so obviously very comfortable in each other’s space.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah I’m fine, thank you. I uh, I really appreciate it. Sorry I didn’t realise Jon was out with anyone when I called I hope I wasn’t uh… interrupting anything?” Martin trailed off in an awkward question at the end but damn it, he was really curious. Possibly also a little nervous about the answer. Possibly also a little jealous. Or a lot jealous.

Georgie laughed again, loud and bright. “Nah, mate, not for years now. Just going to lunch.”

Oh okay. They weren’t dating. That was… fine. There was no reason for Martin to have an opinion on it and he certainly wasn’t relieved. He also was not remotely interested in how Jonathan “wouldn’t know an overture of friendship if it slapped him in the face” Sims managed to stay close with his ex. Except all of that was a lie.

“Oh! Well, I’m sorry for interrupting lunch plans,” Martin said, but she waved him off.

“No problem, Martin, seriously. I’d much rather come down here now than find out later we left you at Tim’s mercy. Or worse, Elias.”

Martin shuddered at the thought of Elias finding him trapped under a pile of boxes. He always seemed perfectly pleasant when you spoke to him, but the moment he left it was like everything he’d said left an awful taste in the mouth despite being objectively kind. And that was the least of Martin’s worries if Elias found him, the most of them being discovered for an incompetent and fired.

“There’s no reason to bother anyone else with it, anyway. We were close by, it’s easy enough to come get you,” Jon said and that… was the opposite of Elias, actually. Seemingly brusque but with an underlying kindness.

“Speaking of coming to get you, do you want to come get lunch with us? I know there’s a whole situation on and I reckon you could do with an afternoon out of this place.” Georgie grinned at him and despite being invited explicitly because of the Prentiss thing, Martin didn’t feel like a burden or an unwanted tagalong. Not to Georgie at least.

“Oh, well, uh, I w-wouldn’t want to uh, to impose. I’m sure y-you and Jon uh-“ Martin cut off when Georgie stuck an elbow into Jon’s ribs. Jon, who pinched her quickly on return but still… smiled, just a little.

“You’re not imposing, Martin. She wouldn’t have invited you if it were a problem.”

Martin felt quite certain that he was going to melt into the floor at any second. Georgie came to his rescue.

“Come on, my treat! I got a new ad deal with my podcast so I’m swimming in it for the next… I don’t know, about four days,” she laughed.

Before Martin could even try to stammer out a response she took him by the arm and pulled him in step with her. Jon fell in on Martin’s other side and they made their way out of the archives to the tune of Georgie’s gentle teasing. He looked thoroughly out of place between these two in his pastel blue cardigan and worn slacks, but he didn’t feel like he didn’t belong. So rather than dwell on his nerves, or the worms, or Jon’s arm so close it could brush against his own on every other step, Martin let Georgie lead him and Jon through easy conversation all the way to the car.

[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 22

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: Leo Valdez can be sweet when he wants to.

A/N:  Sorry for the long break! The holidays were a rather busy time for me so it did good to take some time off from writing. But now I'm back for my weekly updates (at least I hope I am)! And not just with any chapter but a long-ish chapter full of Caleo fluff :) I really hope you guys enjoy! Please let me know what you think because I 100% mean it when I say I love reading your comments!!

Words: 3200+ 

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / AO3

…

Once Calypso had made up with Leo and Annabeth, she had new issues to deal with. When she paid her rent for the month, she noticed that she only had enough money for one more month’s rent, not even including the other living costs such as food, other daily necessities and school supplies. She had pushed back the job hunting earlier partially because the friendship issues had made her feel too low to care about that kind of thing, partially because she had no idea what she could do, only having a high school level education and no special skills. She had only ever worked at her father’s company and that was not something she wanted to advertise in her applications. But now she was in a situation that unless she wanted to return to the very place she wanted to stay away from, she had to come up with something.

Annabeth and Piper had seen some of the clothes and other items she had sewed and made with her own hands and encouraged her to sell them but Calypso herself wasn’t entirely convinced they were good enough to be sold. She was also a decent enough artist but with a class full of artists just as good (some even better) than her, what would make her stand out in the public? Her people skills weren’t amazing either so she doubted that she would make a good retail worker. But she knew she would probably have to come out of her comfort zone in this case, so if anyone was willing to hire her, she’d accept it.

She was startled when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from the other room: “Sunshine, I’mma head out to buy some groceries and stuff for a new project. You need anything?”

In some other situation, Calypso would have been thankful for the offer, but she was still feeling like a nervous wreck because of her earlier discovery. That’s why the words escaped her before she could stop herself: “Huh? No, I don’t think so? And I can still buy my own groceries, thank you very much.”

“Sorry, I just thought I’d ask… I didn’t mean to…” Leo seemed a bit baffled by her outburst. He was already about to head out when Calypso came out of her room and stopped him.

“No, I’m sorry.” She sighed, looking regretful. “I was just on the edge because I just noticed my financial situation isn’t exactly the best… But that is something I need to figure out on my own, I don’t want charity.”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna buy you a car or anything,” Leo tried to crack a joke. “Just thought that if you’re running out of milk or something, I could have saved you the trouble… Since I’m going there anyway…”

“Oh… no, I don’t think I need anything,” she said, this time a lot softer. “But thank you for asking.”

“No prob, Sunshine,” Leo replied, looking relieved now that he knew she wasn’t actually angry at him. “But hey, if you do need help with, like, searching for a job, or something, I’m your man.”

Calypso tried to keep her face neutral even though she had a feeling her cheeks were probably red. “I’ll… keep that in my mind.”

“Well, see you soon,” Leo said after the two just kept staring at each other for a while. He seemed to be sizing her, possibly still a bit thrown off by her weird reaction before he put his coat on (Calypso noticed it was the same shade of red as a lot of his shirts seemed to be. And it was also rather snugly fit, definitely not a bad sight, she thought before she had time to stop herself) and took his bags, leaving her alone.

“See you,” she said quietly when the door was already closed.

Once sure that Leo was far enough and not coming back, Calypso leaned her back against the wall of her room, sliding down into a sitting position on the floor. Throwing her head back, she groaned at herself. She had thought that the small falling out they had had because of the Percy incident might have affected her feelings towards Leo, but it seemed to become clearer and clearer every day that wasn’t the case. Even if she had admitted to Hazel and Annabeth that those feelings were not quite flatmate like, it was a whole different thing to really come to terms with that fact. She was falling quite hard.

The more she thought about it, the more she freaked out. Her relationships before one faithful day during her teenage years had failed badly (and that was over 5 years ago anyway) and the online dating she had done afterwards… Well, now that Calypso thought about it, only the conversation with Percy had seemed to be going somewhere. All the people she had cared about had left her and never come back. That, along with the fact that she had spent a lot of time alone in the past, had left her scared of relationships and ruined her self esteem, making her think that she simply wasn’t good enough. If Leo left too… she wasn’t sure how she’d handle that. Not to even mention, her dad was still probably looking for her and getting Leo mixed into that would be very dangerous for him. No matter what Annabeth said about wanting to help.

Biting her lip, she decided there was only one option. No matter what she felt, she should try to treat Leo just like any of her friends and conceal her true feelings. Having Leo in her life just as a flatmate was way better than not having him in it at all. When she remembered her friends’ hints that perhaps Leo himself wasn’t as indifferent to her as he probably should be, she suddenly felt like crying. In different circumstances… maybe they could be happy together, go on dates, hold hands… Now she would inevitably have to let him go when someone else would realize that Leo was a great person worth dating.

Calypso didn’t know how long she had been sitting there, and she also hadn’t noticed that there were tears running down her cheeks. She didn’t snap out of her daze until she heard the front door clunking again, this time indicating that Leo had already returned.

“Please just ignore me…” Calypso ranted in her head, but no luck. She heard steps from outside her room, stopping right in front of it. Swiping her wet cheeks quickly into her hands, she stood up from the floor just in time for Leo to knock on her door. Calypso didn’t really want to open it when she was in that emotional state but she knew that not answering would raise even more questions. Her messy looks she could always try to shrug off as a ‘bad day’, she decided.

“Yeah?” she asked weakly, opening the door to reveal her flatmate with that stupid trademark grin of his on his face. He seemed pretty happy about something he had or was about to do. The late autumn wind had made his curly hair even messier than usual and his cheeks were red from the cold weather and the exercise but his eyes were sparkling excitedly, like he couldn’t wait to show her something. He started: “I went to the hardware store and…” He quickly stopped when he noticed Calypso’s expression and puffy eyes. His happiness immediately melted away. “Hey, what’s wrong? Have you been crying?”

“It’s been a rough day,” Calypso sighed, looking down. “Don’t worry, I was just being overwhelmed by the loads of uni work before the exam season. And like I told you before, I need a job… But… it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Alright, if you’re sure…” Leo narrowed his eyes slightly, probably sensing that she wasn’t telling him the entire truth. “But yeah, I was gonna give you something. Hope it cheers you up a bit. He handed her a tiny packet of what seemed like flower seeds but before Calypso had time to read the text on it, he started explaining.

“So, I was gonna tell you that I went to the hardware store to buy me some supplies, and you know how they sell all kinds of seeds there as well? Well, I just happened to notice these while waiting for my turn to pay for my stuff and I just randomly decided to buy them.”

“But… why?” Calypso asked, finally looking at Leo directly.

“Um…” He started rubbing the back of his neck. “Remember when Festus jumped on your desk and broke it? There was a plant on it too… and I never replaced it. When I saw those,” he nodded towards the packet Calypso was holding, “I remembered that the plant looked like that… At least I think it did… I’m no good with that kind of stuff… But I know you care about your plants… so I thought it’d be only fair if I got you those. I know it’s not gonna be the exact same one you had, but…”

Leo didn’t manage to finish his sentence because Calypso couldn’t contain her feelings anymore. She closed the space between them and hugged him even tighter than the time they had had a game night with Jason and Piper. No one had gotten anything for her in years, and even if the seed bags didn’t cost much, it was the thought that mattered way more to her. She had never expected him to remember such a detail from several months ago when they hadn’t even been friends, but apparently he did.

“Uh, Cal, some air would be nice,” Leo said jokingly when it started seeming she didn’t even want to let him go. He didn’t attempt to break the hug, though, instead gently stroking her back. “Wow, Sunshine,” he said in an attempt to lighten the mood, “You’d think I bought you a house based on your reaction.”

Calypso raised her head from his shoulder, giving him a half hearted glare as she broke the hug.

“I’m not allowed to be thankful for a gift? You don’t know… You don’t understand…”

“Understand what?” Leo raised his eyebrows.

Calypso took a deep breath before answering. “I haven’t gotten gifts from anyone since I turned 16. And even then it was just… uh, never mind. The point is that I’m not used to such nice gestures… And I didn’t think you’d remember… It was my favorite plant. So excuse me if I’m feeling a bit emotional because your gift was more thoughtful than you probably realized.”

“OK, sorry,” Leo apologized quickly. “If you’re not used to nice gestures, I’m not used to displays of affection so I got a bit surprised, that’s all… Well, either way, I’m glad I got you something you care about.”

Calypso’s expression softened again. “Yeah. Thank you. I’m sure they will look pretty.”

Suddenly Calypso realized she was feeling a little dizzy, not sure if from the crying or from the smell of the mechanic oil she had just smelled on Leo’s shirt as she had hugged him. Sitting down on her bed, she leaned her face into her hands.

“Um, are you really OK?” Leo asked. “I know it’s not any of my business, but… if I can help you somehow, let me know.”

After a while, Calypso looked up from her hands, having half expected Leo to leave already. “If you happen to know anyone who’d be willing to hire an inexperienced, uneducated young woman, sure, be my guest,” she muttered.

“Hey.” Leo sat down next to Calypso on her bed, nudging her arm slightly. “Where’s the Calypso who has told me to fight my fear? I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who’d be willing to hire you if they knew how talented you are.”

“Wait… what?” Calypso wasn’t sure if she had heard right. Even if they had been friendly towards each other for a while now, she didn’t remember Leo complimenting her like that before. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true!” Leo exclaimed, his eyes gleaming fiercely the same way Calypso had seen a couple of times earlier. “You are a talented person and even I can see that. You can draw and paint – I bet you’d do way better blueprints for machines than I do. To be honest, I’d probably hire you to do that if I could. You create a lot of things with your own hands – like that one dress you wore the other day, right? Like, OK, I wear overalls all the time so you can take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I thought it looked neat.”

“But…”

“But there are other things as well,” Leo continued persistently. “You know a lot and you’re always working on something – if not something university related, you take care of your plants or bake or something like that – and I think under that hard cover of yours you’re actually a super caring person. I dunno, those are things that at least I value. But maybe I’m the weird one here.” He rolled his eyes as if everything he had just said had been very obvious.

“Leo…” Calypso just stared at him with wide eyes, not finding the right words. She hadn’t been emotionally prepared for Leo showering her with compliments. If her cheeks had felt warm earlier, they were definitely burning now, and her eyes felt weird too… like she was going to cry again. “I…”

“Shhh. Crying doesn’t suit you, Sunshine. Luckily Uncle Leo is good at bad jokes that make the ladies laugh. How about this: What do you give to a sick lemon? Or… why didn't the astronaut come home to his wife?”

“Leonidas,” Calypso repeated but this time she did it with an annoyed groan. That was apparently what Leo had wished, though, because he grinned at her in return.

“Alright, I won’t finish that one!” he raised his hands up. “But it did work because there’s still some spice left in you. That’s what I wanted to see.”

“You’re the only person I know who can literally go from 100 to 0 when trying to cheer someone up,” Calypso said, but her mouth twitched. “But thanks. As much as I hate to admit it, I think it might have worked. For your information,” she added unexpectedly, “you give lemon aid to a sick lemon and the astronaut needed his space.”

“I think my job here is done,” Leo said approvingly, taking one step closer to her. Calypso had seen his brown eyes sparkling when he was happy and burning when he was mad but now she thought they seemed soft and warm, unlike she had seen before. And her heart skipped a beat when she registered that the reason for the warmth might have been… she herself. He looked at her right in the eyes and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before his fingers moved to her face. He brushed some of the wetness off with his thumb and for one, short second Calypso thought that he also wanted to do something else… touch her jaw, her lips… But that moment ended fast when he cleared his throat and pulled his hand away. One, tiny part of Calypso’s brain yelled: “no!” while the rational part tried to be relieved.

“Um… You had something there…” Leo tried to brush his previous actions off. “Anyway. Like I said I have no doubt someone wouldn’t hire you. But now that I think of it, I remember hearing from my moms that one of their friends is looking for a holiday helper at her flower shop that is quite near Waystation. The holidays are always a busy time there and the owner’s daughter, who has usually been the one helping, has moved away, so they could really use an extra hand.”

“A flower shop?” Calypso asked, hope starting to flicker in her eyes. “Do you think they may have a lot of applicants?”

“Who knows.” Leo shrugged. “I think it might be a pretty popular place… but you can’t win if you don’t try, huh?”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Calypso agreed. “Do you know how I can contact the place?”

“Hold on for a moment. I can call Emmie and ask,” Leo said and left Calypso alone in her room, baffled by what had just happened but also a bit hopeful. Maybe at least something would turn out right even if her social life would probably continue to be a mess.

A few minutes later Leo returned with a piece of paper in his hands and a satisfied expression on his face. It told Calypso that he had managed to get the number.

“Here you go, Sunshine! Hope you’ll still remember me and how I helped you when you become rich and famous.” He winked.

“I know I’ve told you this before but you really are a weirdo,” Calypso shot back but took the piece of paper gratefully. She excused herself to make a phone call and managed to get a hold of the owner of the flower shop who suggested a meeting for the next day. After finishing the phone call, Calypso searched for Leo who had withdrawn into the living room to watch a movie.

“So… I’m going to have an interview with the owner tomorrow,” she told him. “Keep your thumbs up that it will go fine. I’m kind of nervous, to be honest.”

“I’d keep even my big toes up if needed but I think you’re gonna do great,” Leo noted. “For reals. Have some faith.”

“Easier said than done,” Calypso sighed. “You probably understand.”

“I… yeah,” Leo admitted, thinking about one moment only about a week earlier when he had felt like nothing would work out. “But for what it’s worth, there are people who do support you.”

“You too?” Calypso asked carefully even though she was a bit scared of his answer.

“Yeah, me included.” Leo nodded.

“Listen, Leo… Thanks… for everything you’ve done for me today. Not just the seeds and the phone number, the emotional support too. It really helped.”

She surprised even herself by leaning closer to Leo and giving him a quick peck on his cheek. He went completely speechless and just rubbed the spot on his cheek Calypso had kissed absentmindedly as Calypso waited for him to say something.

“Uhh… you… you’re welcome?” he finally stuttered when Calypso had already started thinking she had crossed some line with the cheek kiss and they were back on square one.

“I should probably go back to do some research…” she said. “I’ve had a hard time focusing on anything lately but I’m feeling better now so hopefully I will manage to make some progress with some assignments. Have fun with your movie!” She attempted to sound cheerful even though the two sides of her brain were having an intense battle in that moment. One said: ‘why don’t you just stay with him? The assignment can wait!” while the other side wanted to run from that situation before Calypso did something she would regret.

“Alright… Thanks. And good luck with that!” Leo said. Calypso was convinced that she just imagined it but to her he had seemed just a bit disappointed that she hadn’t joined him. When she was back in her room, she exhaled sharply. So much for that ‘being just friends’. She would really have to start working harder on that before someone got hurt.

[sloppy-butcher]

Ok,new follower here. So this blog is amazing,you writings are just beautiful. I hope I can become as good as you, beause I would like to open my own blog, but I always think my works are too bad. Anyways, I don't know if you write soulmates stuff, like your partner name is written on your body or thigs like that. If so, could you write something related with Joey and Frank sharing the same male sm reader? If you don't feel comfortable writing for three characters or for a male reader it's fine!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support T_T I love you so much! I encourage you to start that blog because the only way to get better is to try. and if you do start a blog, drop me that link babey

So i spent a hot minute finding which soulmate alternative universe would best fit your request since you didn’t specifically state which au you wanted. Well, i found a reaaallly interesting one. hope it’s okay

This AU states that soulmates share pain. If one is hurt the other shows their wounds or bruises. I think this will work well with Frank and Joey and a survivor!S/O. I have no problem writing for a male S/O (although i will probs just make this gender nuetral as i dont see gender really playing an important role in this (and i prefer gender nuetral tings)) or for three characters. i will have to write this in HeadCanon form as i am very lazy and i dont want to write like a full fic T_T cause you know.... i have toomuch to say

hope these are okay? ily

Soulmate Au HeadCanons: Poly!The Legion (Frank and Joey) with a Survivor S/O

They realized their connection long before they even knew you existed. The theory was that soulmates shared pain and it was obvious to them that they were meant to be together. Joey would share in Franks pain, he could feel the scar that tore across his face and Frank could feel when Joey had worked himself far past his breaking point. They thought they were the only ones connected in this psychic-link, bound by a force too grand and cosmic to be comprehended by simple-minded mortals. But like the universe, fate works in mysterious ways and everything changed when you joined the Fog.

Joey first noticed it when he went to sit down at the end of a particularly gruelling workday. He felt his left shoulder explode into a burning hot pain and his body seized with the sudden shock. He barely held back his cries of a surprise but Frank wasn��t so well-restrained. Joey heard him from across the Lodge and fearing for his friend, ran off in the direction of his call ignoring his own body screaming for him to stop. He found Frank surrounded by a worried Julie and Susie. They looked between him and Joey, expressions from behind their masks piercing through to Joey's soul. They were worried for their friends, Frank’s scream and Joey’s sluggish and limp stature was enough to tell the girls that the pain the two were experiencing was, no doubt, incredibly excruciating. No one knew what had just happened, neither of them had been hurt or injured, and they feared that maybe the two were being punished by the Entity for a lacklustre performance. But both boys assured they did well enough to keep the thing satisfied and when the pain spontaneously faded, the whole incident was pushed out of their minds and momentarily forgotten.

But the pain never stopped completely. It was sporadic, turning on randomly like a lightswitch bursting with newfound anger and agony that would contort their limbs and burn their muscles. And there was nothing they could do to alleviate the pain, no amount of massaging or rubbing could take away the sharp edge of the hurt; there weren’t even enough painkillers in the realm to quell the agony. The only thing the boys could do was just sit there and wait for the pain to decide to go away. It was torture, sometimes the simple act of sitting alone was pure unadulterated suffering. But still, the boys had no idea where this pain was coming from.

It was only after Joey returned from a trial in which he had mori’d a rather annoying and pesky survivor that something started to click. Joey walked into the main lounge of the Resort and found his friends standing around the fire pit waiting for him. Frank had his shirt off and the pants of his left leg rolled up. Ordinarily the sight of Frank without his shirt on would excite Joey but something made him hesitate. A harsh red scar ripped down Frank’s chest and when Frank noticed Joey's reaction he held out his left arm for the other to inspect. Another red wound ran across the forearm. There was no mistaking it now. It was their trademark kill, a stab at the left arm followed by the grabbing of the left ankle then finished with the brutal gutting from the collar bone all the way down to the hip. “We watched it appear.” Julie’s voice wavered with concern. “We watched it appear on him as if...” She broke off ‘as if Joey himself did it to him.’. Joey approached Frank. Through the pinpricks of his mask, Joey could see Frank's eyes and he could feel his pain. Without saying much the girls made Joey take off his own shirt and directed him to stand next to Frank. When Julie stepped back to inspect both boys she raised a hand to cover the mouth of her mask and Susie audibly gasped. They were identical, both bore the exact same scars of the exact same knife.

To be honest, the boys would never have figured out the source of their shared pain. Combined the two barely make up a single brain cell so it was by the grace of God or something else that allowed the truth to finally be exposed. It was in a trial between you and Frank. The killer had been run around for the past ten minutes and with no sign of catching his elusive prey. You were impressed by your capable teammate and when they went down just outside the opened exit gate you leapt into action to save the wounded hero. You ended up sacrificing yourself for them, a worthy trade, everyone else got out except you. And, to you, that was okay. You were okay with this. Frank, however, was not. He was beyond furious at being denied his prey and when he trudged back to your collapsed form he felt his rage overflow him. He stood over you and you smugly returned his glare. That was it. In a swift motion, he punched you in the face. Your nose broke and blood gushed out and into your mouth. You screamed out but your cries, however, were mixed in with the killers. Frank recoiled, clutching at his mask where his nose would be. You watched in shock as he spilt swear words and stomped around you.

Curiously you reached up for your busted face and using your thumb and forefinger you squeezed the throbbing nose. Frank’s cries intensified and he clawed desperately at his mask. Through the haze he caught you staring at him in shocked amusement, which he mistook for condescending judgment. He growled and stormed over to you determined to make you regret everything. Panicking you grabbed your nose again and Frank jumped back. And then all the pieces fell into place. Frank could feel your pain. His eyes widened on your collapsed body and it felt as if his world was imploding. Oh shit.

It took some convincing but eventually, you agreed to meet Frank back at the Resort. He told you there was someone else, another ‘soulmate’ in this trifecta of fucked-up bullshit. You used the term ‘soulmate’ loosely. You had heard the stories about soulmates, people destined to be together would share such a special bond that they would even share pain. But never in a million years would you have guessed that your soulmate (or soulmateS) was, a serial killer. You really wanted it to not be real, you wanted this to be some kind of dream, a sick nightmare you were experiencing while laying on your deathbed somewhere far away. But there Frank was before you at the boundary between snow and forest,  like he promised you, with his partner Joey. You walked up to them and stopped at a safe distance away. Joey seemed to bloat his chest as if to say not to try anything. Frank looked at you and you knew you had to show him. Reaching up you grabbed at your nose which was starting to feel better but was still puffy and red. You put pressure on it and Frank began to shake with the pain. Frank moaned and clenched his fists in an effort to ride out the pain like Joey was but after a moment he relented and shouted at you to stop. Frank turned and muttered something to Joey who never took his gaze off you. You could have sworn that he was a stone-statue because he never moved and showed no sign that what you did had affected him in any way. But then you noticed his slight leg twitch and the irregular heaving of his chest. He did feel it. Frank returned his attention back to you and in the cold silence of realization, you said, “Well? What do we do now?”

You could have forgotten everything, walked away from the nonsensical situation that had been presented before you and continued on living a simple life devoid of drama and tension. But that life would also lack depth, something to make it special and worthwhile. You were presented with your soulmates, a rarity in this hellhole and something about the wonder of what made the universe decide to bring you all together surpassed your urge to stay away. Slowly but surely you introduced yourself into their lives. Your interactions at first were stiff and hollow, fear and uncertainty making you doubt if the boys would respect the bound of soulmates enough to not kill you or at least hurt you.

But time wore on and you became braver. They were gentle, well... they tried to be. And when you spoke with them as people do you realized that you had a lot in common with them both. And eventually, you were confident enough to laugh and joke with them.

Joey was the one who needed the most time to accept that you and he were soulmates. He eyed you suspiciously as you would talk with Frank, feeling some kind of jealousy build up in his chest. He hated how you could get Frank to react in ways he had never seen before. He hated how easy it was for you. One day when he had you alone to himself, he finally broke that long silence between you two. But where he expected a change in personality, a two-face switch, Joey only found genuineness. You were as kind and playful with him as you were with Frank, unfazed by your burden of the circumstance and not worried by his own mistakes and misfortunes. You were strong and he admired you for that. “How do you do it?” Joey softly asked clutching his hand which now held a new red welt. The mood quietened down and you turned to look at him. “How do you handle all this pain each and every day?” You reached out and gently took his hand in yours. Suddenly all his pain vanished at the contact and he slightly gasped at the shock. You were warm and comforting, like the wind of a summer’s afternoon, constant and welcoming. He raised his eyes to yours and you gave him your best smile. He melted. “One day at a time.” You replied squeezing his hand for emphasis. You relaxed and began to pull away only to stop as he held you firm, determined to not let your warmth go.

Frank always had a problem when it came to hurting you in trials. While Joey could suck it up and deal with the pain, Frank could not bear the thought of having a hook run through your shoulder and subsequently his. It was you who finally convinced him that his job was more important than your fleeting health.  You took Frank's hand in yours, engulfing him in your comfort and reassurance. “We can get through this. I will get better.” He breathed out and admitted, albeit to himself, that you were right. This was a momentary instance, a speck of nothing when compared to the kind of torture the Entity would inflict on him. And it wasn’t just himself he had to look out for, it was everyone. He had you and Joey he had to look out for. With a look apologetic regret Frank would mercilessly hunt you down and when he would lift you up and onto the meat hook he could hear you at the back of his mind saying, “Suck it up, Princess.”

They would always feel awful if you had a particularly bad day. You would trudge back to the Resort trying your best to hide from their concerned eyes your bruised limb or uneven walk but of course, they already knew what had happened. Joey would sweep you effortlessly off your feet and he would not let you walk around without his assistance. Frank, although less forward than the other, would follow behind and would pester you with questions, ‘Are you okay now?’ ‘Are you comfortable?’ ‘Anyway that he could help ease the hurt?’ They both were like oversized puppies yapping at your ankles because they heard you make a noise. You’d reassure them that you were fine and after exchanging doubtful looks between each other they would give in and give you some air.

They would listen to your stories. It's one thing to experience the pain and another thing to watch it happen. You’d tell them about how you got your injuries and more often than not you would end up a broken-down and crying mess. The image of looming figures silhouetted against an endless black sky haunts your mind. Although you all share the physical scars, the mental ones stay trapped inside you. When you would become an inconsolable disaster the boys would be by your side in an instant. By the time you regained control over your anxiety, you would find yourself buried in the arms of either Joey or Frank. You face pushed deep into their bodies as if they were trying to shield you from the monster that was yourself. It was scary, they could tell. But you weren’t alone. Not anymore. 

After a long day's work of causing and enduring pain, when your bodies would ache with collective suffering the 3 of you would find a quiet cove to all lie it. The boys would sleep on either side of you, draping their limps over you and almost drowning you in their weight. It felt good to be lost at sea with them, so far away from the pain of the day and from the pain tomorrow will bring. If for a moment, you all were at peace, happy and content in the embrace of your soulmates. 

[expresstheobsession]

Hi. Can I request Kirishima x Asexual reader where the reader is scare that if she dosnt sleep with kiri he will break up with her so she trys to say yes but it ends up with a pannick attack/safeword used/ stopping before it goes to far. And Kiri is just really sweet about it?

Hello! I really loved writing this sweet boy. I really hope that you enjoy it. 

ps thanks for requesting ☺

Word Count: 1205 | Warnings: slight cussing, some angst. 

You sat quietly at the table as your friends chatted away. You weren’t too interested in the current topic as it was mostly about sex. It somehow always got around to talking about sex. 

“A guy won’t stay in a relationship if he’s not getting any. It’s impossible for a man to live without it.” Mineta argued, leaning over the table toward a glaring Mina. 

“Not all guys are like you Mineta. You’re just a pervert! You can have a deep relationship without having to have sex.” She countered. 

“Okay, take Bakugou for example. He’s got women all over him! That’s why he doesn’t have a girlfriend, he simply doesn’t need one. He gets pussy any time he wants.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Bakugou spat, picking up his water and taking a big gulp. 

You quietly watched the dispute, waiting impatiently for your boyfriend to arrive. He was supposed to be here over an hour ago. “Mina, do you think Kirishima is alright? He isn’t responding to any of my calls or texts.” 

Mina glanced over your shoulder at the multiple different messages you had sent Kiri throughout the day. Some were sweet, but the most recent were full of worry. He never ignored your texts, especially when you knew he was working the field today. 

What if a big crisis happened and Kirishima was hurt? Dying even?! Would someone even know to tell you? 

“He’s probably getting laid.” Mineta snarked, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin. 

You hated the little shit for putting such thoughts in your head. Kiri wasn’t like that, not your Eijirou. He was sweet and gentle. He never once pushed you, never once made you feel any less for not feeling the sexual pull. 

But what if? 

Kiri was a Pro Hero now. You knew he had fans that would do anything to jump into bed, even if it’s only one night. Was he having a quicky? A one night stand with some superfan? You had noticed Kiri being slightly aloof recently, but could this be why? 

Did you have to sleep with Kirishima for him to stay with you? 

You didn’t want to think of him that way, but Mineta was right about Bakugou. Bakugou slept with a lot of women due to his fame being a Pro Hero. What if the reason Kiri never asked was because he was getting it somewhere else? 

With that thought in mind you dashed out of the restaurant. Mina called out to you, but you didn’t have time to explain. If this is what Kirishima wanted then you would give it to him. 

“Stop, Y/N! Don’t listen to small fry. Kirishima’s not like that.” Mina grabbed your arm, pulling you to a stop. “He would never do something like that.”

“Maybe, but I can’t help thinking about the what if! I have to fix this.” You stated. Your voice was getting louder, your breathing erratic. You shook your head, refusing to give in to the panic rising up inside you. You didn’t know how you would make it through actually having sex, but you had to try. There wasn’t another choice if you wanted to keep Kirishima. 

--

You googled romantic first times, big mistake, but it helped you at least set the mood. Candles were lit all throughout your shared apartment, rose petals made a clear path to the bedroom where you laid tangled in the covers in nothing but a Red Riot t-shirt. Your hair was styled in a perfect mess, which apparently was sexier than actually making it look good. 

You were lost with what to actually do when he got home. Did you crawl across the bed like the girl in the video you attempted to educate yourself with? You shivered at the thought of that wretched video. You knew this isn’t what you wanted. You had no desire to be intimate with anyone, not even Kiri. 

As the door to your apartment creaked open, you knew it was too late to back out now. 

“Sweetheart? What’s with all the candles?” He called out to you. 

You couldn’t answer him. You held your breath. You attempted to tug the covers up around you, hiding yourself from the sound of Kirishima’s footsteps. He followed the rose petals to the bedroom door. You were too late, he saw you. 

“Y/N, what are you doing? Why do you look terrified?” Kirishima dropped his backpack by the door, walking over to sit beside you on the bed. 

Without thinking you grabbed his hand and placed it on your chest. “I did this for you. I’m ready now.” 

You couldn’t breathe. The air refused to circulate through your lungs. What would he say? A part of you wished he would pull away, leave you alone and hopefully never bring it back up again. You weren’t that lucky. 

But he did at least pull his hand away from you. 

“Why are you doing this?” His voice was sad, broken. He knew you didn’t want this. You were asexual and Kirishima never wanted to change you. 

“You didn’t respond to any of my messages.. a-a-and Mineta said that you were prob-probably getting laid.. I don’t want to lose you Eijirou. So, just do it. Have me.” You mumbled, lowering your head in shame. You should have been stronger, hold up your chin up high and seduce your boyfriend, but you didn’t want to. 

Kirishima sighed, gently lifting your chin up with two of his fingers. “I’m going to tell you something and any time you feel like this, I’ll tell you again. I love you. I’m not with you for your body or what you can do for me. I’m with you because you make me laugh. I’m with you because your smile brightens up my day. I’m with you because no matter what I’m going through, you are always there for me. I want to be that for you. I want to be there for your good days and your bad. I want you to know that when something bothers you, I’m always going to be there to clear your mind. I want to speak to you on a level that nobody around us can. The connection we have goes deeper than sex ever could. I’m sure that sex is probably great, but baby I don’t want sex if it means I’m losing the best thing that has ever happened to me. I would never even think about being with anyone else. You are the only thing I will ever need.” 

Tears streamed down your face as Kirishima moved from the bed to the floor. He reached over to his bag, pulling out a small velvet box. 

“I lost my phone at the 1st jewelry store I went to. I didn’t realize it until I left the 10th one.” He glanced up at you, tears brimming his crimson eyes. “I was planning something big, but I need you to know now that I’m serious about us. I don’t care what others think or what people will say. You make me the best kind of hero. I’m hoping that one day you will make me the best kind of husband, too.”

[kthomaslumen]

The battle of winter fell flat

Setting aside several good points made last night, and without diving into the implications for the remainder of the season, the actual Battle of Winterfell was DEEPLY unsatisfying.

I kept turning to the friend I was watching with and asking “WHAT is this battle plan?!” because it just made no sense. You dug an entire trench around Winterfell but only made it six feet wide? And only far enough from the castle to protect NOBODY within its boundaries?

You sent the Dothraki off alone to die for... what reason? To “draw them out” and force the Army of the Dead to march on the castle? We just spent seven seasons figuring out how to get the Dothraki and their horses across the Narrow Sea and they’re wiped out in a visually interesting if oddly distant massacre. Fine, the world is terrible and sometimes bad things happen to the good guys (they were misogynistic assholes who probs didn’t have a place in Westeros long-term, but STILL).

Only, once you’d handed over 20,000 new recruits for the dead and they’d charged all the way back to the Unsullied, NOW you decide to bring out the dragons and fricassee some zombies? But not in any kind of coordinated strafing runs, and not along the front lines where they’re attacking your men. Dany and Jon just randomly sweep the back nine for a bit. Cool.

The Night King’s Snowpocalypse was a good counter-tactic and rightfully knocked Dany and Jon out of being helpful, except, no, wait, Jon lands back on the wall of the Godswood, and just... hangs out? For a bit? While Davos frantically signals for Dany to light the trench (which, as I’ve said, we light too late and at a distance that is unable to save anyone, really. WHY WASN’T EVERYONE BEHIND THE TRENCH okay anywho). Turn around, Davos. Jon is just sitting there atop his own ignitor doing fuck all.

Once the dead reach the walls, it disintegrates into truly understandable chaos. There wasn’t much they were going to be able to do once there are zombies in the yard. Though I’m not sure where all of the North went, exactly? Once they retreated into the castle? Since Arya went running through a dozen empty halls. Is Winterfell bigger on the inside?

And what the holy hell, Bran. Why warg at all? Chekov’s gun is screaming at me right now (don’t get me started on Tyrion lamenting that he’d be helpful up top and then... they just don’t do anything with that (I’m glad to see Glen Weldon at NPR also thought we were going to get a murder-suicide pact from Tyrion and Sansa (I yelled at the TV “Don’t go out too early! Learn from the ending of The Mist!”))). I kept thinking Bran was going to have some secret trick, that he had flitted off somewhere to learn or do something and he’d have the deus ex machina to resolve it.

Not that I’m complaining about the Arya of it all, that was PRETTY GREAT (and the symmetry of the Blade that started the War of the Five Kings coming full circle to end the Night King is perfect).

But this leads me to the actual problem at the root of all of this complaining: 

There was nothing narratively satisfying about this episode. We didn’t have any sense for what the strategy was, and so there weren’t feints and attacks that succeeded or failed that we were invested in.

When you watch a Heist movie, the joy is in learning about Plan A, watching Plan A fall apart, and being surprised and impressed that there were actually Plans B-D each of which succeed or fail. But ultimately the stakes and tension come from your understanding of what is and isn’t working.

This wasn’t a well-executed battle plan from the Living. This wasn’t a case of experienced commanders setting up a plan that fails to account for the tactics or overwhelming numbers of the Dead. There were no moments of “OH they knew this wouldn’t work, that was a feint, now they’re doing something else and OH MAN that’s failing too because they’ve never faced an enemy like this.”

And even if the intention of the writers was “look how entirely hopeless this is for the Living, they are well and truly fucked no matter what,” there are ways to do it that don’t make the Living look like total knobs. If I’m on my couch formulating better battle strategies on the fly and yelling them at the TV, Jamie and Brienne and Davos should be planning better.

Why send out the Dothraki alone? Why not goad them into action with the Trebuchets? Why didn’t you have entire flanks of soldiers hidden in the woods to the east and west to attack the flanks of the dead? Why weren’t you strafing the dead with dragons once the trench was lit? Why weren’t you strafing the dead with dragons as they marched toward your front line? Why weren’t archers on the wall igniting the stationary dead post-trench? Why wasn’t there burning oil to be poured on the climbing dead from the walls?

What was your plan for Bran in the Godswood? Why didn’t Theon have dragonglass-tipped arrows? And a dozen concealed dragonglass knives on him?

There simply wasn’t enough, narratively, to hang on to. At the end of this, no one in charge deserves the Iron Throne. That was a terrible plan to defend Winterfell (I’m not sure it deserves the word “plan” tbh) and all of you should be ashamed.

Except Arya. Girl gets shit done.

[shinee-freefalling]

BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - fan account

I saw BTS perform at the O2 arena in London on Tuesday 9th October 2018, and it was simply amazing. I’ll do my best to tell you all about it.

Before the show (the boring bit in which I try not to misrepresent the realities of the standing experience - potentially useful if you’ll be attending a show with standing tickets)

The truth is that the day of the show… had its challenges. My group of friends and I had standing tickets and we chose to commit ourselves to getting to the O2 by 5 am (which involved waking up at 2.30 am lol - it was like getting up to go to the airport) to be in with a chance of being somewhere near the front of the pit. Queuing had its ups and downs (trying to avoid giving too much detail on this as I don’t want to give room for negativity), but ultimately, for me, a lot of excitement built up and it was an opportunity to practise our fan chants, even if it was a pretty tiring experience.

Once the doors opened at 5 pm and we were admitted into the arena, we were over the moon at managing to get a spot in the fourth row from the front, right near the middle stage (diamond-shaped), which is pretty much exactly where we’d hoped to end up. Unfortunately, although perhaps inevitably, it did later become clear that there was going to be a lot of pushing from the back of the pit. One of my friends sadly got completely separated from the rest of us for the duration of the concert, ending up in about the tenth row back. The rest of us got separated from one another too, though we were lucky enough to be able to somewhat maintain our position nearer the front.

I’ve got to admit that in spite of the level of pushing (and, at times, elbowing) that occurred, there maybe actually was something to be gained from the intensity and vigour of the crowd. It was at least made clear that Bangtan are incredibly loved, that all of UK ARMY want to be close with them, and there was something unifying in that.

Showtime

I’ve wasted time making excuses when all I really want to say is that I had the best time of my life and loved every second of the concert from the moment it started to the moment BTS left the stage.

I’d seen Bangtan before (at KCON Paris in 2016), but had kinda forgotten what it’s like to be there in the same room with them, to look at them and see them with your own two eyes, no cameras or computer screens intervening. As one of my friends said to me on the tube home, they look exactly as they do in their pictures and videos, completely beautiful, but the difference is that they became real. All of that masculinity, attitude and (forgive me) sex appeal that gets dampened by the process of recording and broadcasting became tangible, and it was kinda electrifying.

Songs (with commentary)

The setlist for the night was setlist B, so the songs were:

Idol (The first song!!!! They launched straight into it and did their introductions afterwards.)

Save Me (It became apparent that people really know the words of their songs, and there was even fan chanting going on, not even just singing along. It was so fun to be part of the ARMY ocean with everybody. Namjoon’s part was super popular.)

I’m Fine (I was NOT fine.)

Magic Shop (JK introduced his song for ARMY, giving me the chance to tell BTS that I promise to give me the best of me. Thank you BTS. Such a beautiful moment of my life.)

Trivia: Just Dance (Solo stages!!!! And Hobi, you sexy. How can you go from ‘I’m your hope, you’re my hope’ to this??? That elevated stage dance though - you must’ve been scared… and you didn’t lose your footing or get out of breathe? Wizard)

Euphoria (JK sang from his chair, which probably killed him inside but it was just very moving and somehow didn’t detract from the performance at all, such is the level of his vocals. Being with JK together in that song, well, for me, it was utopia.)

I Need U (I think this is when I almost fainted lol)

Run (Yeah still fainting - oh dear)

Serendipity (‘GEUNYANG GEUNYANG!!!!!’ HOLY SHIT JIMINNNNNNNNN. He freakin played us ALL. Like I was never a fan of excessive floor humping dance moves until this day. Now I am, like 3000% a fan.)

Trivia: Love (So this is one of my favourite of their new songs and I’d heard it wasn’t that popular in concert but our crowd went wild for it. We were all right there with the PQRST, it was mad. I hope Namjoon felt our love.)

DNA (Yoongi’s part and then V’s made us lose our shit.)

Boyz with Fun (Medley time! And I mean, who can resist a bit of ‘heungtan sonyeondan’? Such a lovely throwback to Paris, I was filled with memories of me and my bestie. Love this song so much because of that.)

Attack on Bangtan (A lot of water was being handed out at this point to keep us hydrated. My memories are blurry.)

Fire (They didn’t do the choreo until 3.33, then they hella did the choreo.)

Silver Spoon (THEY DID BAEPSAE!!! Weren’t we lucky?! Namjoon came right up to the edge of the stage and attacked with some… select parts of the choreo 😂 - I was LIVING.)

Dope (This was so clearly an audience favourite. I think maybe because a lot of people got into Bangtan for the first time because of this song? At least that was the case for me. ‘Eoseo wa bangtaneun cheoeumiji?’ NEEEEEEE)

Airplane Pt. 2 (Finally, BTS can say ‘London to Paris’ and really mean it. JK sitting in his chair actually worked well for this one, he did a lot of upper body wiggling and it was great.)

Singularity (V was a solo artist with this - unreal levels of artistry, individuality and professionalism.)

Fake Love (I had the realisation that this is like my favourite BTS stage ever. The choreo in real life was just mind-blowing, the movements were so unbelievable and fluid. It was only just really sad that Jungkookie couldn’t be a part of it, I’m sure he wanted to. The fan chants were mad with this one btw - I think there are ‘FAKE LOVE’-shaped holes in my eardrums.)

Trivia: Seesaw (Aren’t we all Yoongi stans when this song plays? That voice was pure velvet. Yoongi, we all know it now - you can really sing.)

Epiphany (Okay, I’ll admit something I’m slightly ashamed of, which is that i didn’t known Jin could be this good. And I feel bad for not expecting it to the extent I did, but he ruled the stage so hard, it was beyond expectation, definitely one of the best stages of the night. Madhyung’s voice was so strong and beautiful. What a singer.)

The Truth Untold (There was a moment of such utterly perfect harmony between JiKook, the crowd loved it.)

Outro: Tear (Yoongi loves his job, he was just so very clearly so happy to be there and was loving every second of it. The amount of stage presence and… sheer happiness that radiated rom him, it was so so lovely to see.)

Mic Drop (This was mad, we were singing along like it was the last thing we’d do, even the raps, even though it was the Korean version. And freakin ‘mic mic bungee’ was everything.)

Part of me had hoped for setlist C as Boy in Luv is one of my favourites, and there was a moment when Jimin (or was it V?) said ‘make some noise’ in the exact same way that I’ve seen them sometimes doing right before launching into ‘doegopa / neoui oppa,’ and so my heart completely leapt out of my chest. But honestly, no regrets. All the setlists are amazing and I feel SO lucky to have seen Baepsae!!

For the encore, we had the standard:

So What (‘I don’t wanna die right now, I don’t wanna fight right now, I don’t like worries, Life is long… I wanna live right now’ - thank you Namjoon 💖.)

Anpanman (Of course the crowd loved it, though I found out after the show that Jungkook apparently broke down in tears at this point. He must have been so frustrated not to be able to give it his all. ☹️)

Answer: Love Myself (‘You’ve shown me, I have reasons, I should love myself’ - the perfect ending, resolution.)

Jimin

Jimin, my bias. Thank you, Jimin. He spent so much time on our part of the stage, I was immensely grateful, especially as I’d been sad that he hadn’t seemed to come over to our part of the stage so much in Paris. Beautiful, blonde, with a such a pretty tummy (we saw flashes during Baepsae). Charismatic but rude, he was giving all kinds of eye contact to the crowd, so much fan service, in fact they all made a point of doing this and it was so kind, the way they made sure to make us feel seen and heard. Though their gazes (mostly) weren’t soft at all, so hard and piercing. I feel blessed but also somehow humiliated by having been present in their line of sight.

Jimin maintained a cool facade for much of the concert (I mean, he is the coolest after all), but occasionally that true, sweet smile would break through (like at the end of Serendipity, probs cause he knew we needed something to recover) or when speaking to the members (playing with / comforting Jungkook, bothering Namjoon).

Not meaning to be rude or anything, because it’s something I totally love about him, but Jimin is massively attention hogging on stage and you can totally see why the other members like to (semi-pretend) complain about him, yet admire him so much for his stage presence and performance ability. He was always present just seemingly everywhere on stage, and so commanding. Born to perform, I swear. And stealing everyone else’s moments too, especially Namjoon, whose choreographed high kicks he matched at one point, before adding one extra (extra high) kick of his own, then going on to pinch Namjoon’s cheeks and poke his dimples during Namjoon’s ment. At one point, he came up behind Namjoon so suddenly that Namjoon didn’t know he was there and accidentally hit him in the face. Jimin pretended to be stunned and touched his face as if to confirm it had happened before moving on - it was just so cuteee. 

Ending ments

BTS closed the show with their ending ments. The members taking the time to speak to us as individuals and at length was so special, it was maybe even my favourite part of the whole entire thing. To be able to experience Bangtan live, member by member, just as we know them to be, just as they are… it was just so special.

Something I haven’t mentioned yet (although I’m sure anybody reading this who cares to know will already know) is that Jungkook was injured. We got an announcement at about ten minutes before the concert was due to start explaining that Jungkook had collided with furniture while doing some light stretches not two hours before the show started, and so although it wasn’t a serious injury, he had been told that it would be against medical advice to perform choreography that night. Throughout the concert, he was therefore sat in a chair and not able to participate in the dances or come to the front of the stage. During his ending ment, Jungkookie explained (through the translator) that he had originally prepared something to say in English but chose to speak in Korean so that he could speak to us sincerely from his heart. He apologised for not being able to perform and promised that now he had experienced it, being here with us, he would make sure that it never happened again. Of course, we shouted that it wasn’t his fault, which Namjoon also told him (‘Jungkook, it’s not your fault,’ clear and simple), and we shouted that we loved him. A chant of Jeon Jungkook broke out and Jungkook just bent over with head down so that all we could see was the back of his neck growing red as he cried. Jimin in his ment teased that Jungkook would go back and cry all night after this, and counted us in to ‘tell Jungkook you love him.’ I’m sad he cried but I’m glad we managed to show him how much we love him, that our words reached him. In spite of being injured, Jungkookie was clearly just so done with sitting by the end and did get up and walk around a bit at the front of the stage to try and properly say goodbye (this was during Answer: Love Myself, I think). Jungkookie, I hope you won’t be hurt for long and that you will be back to doing what you love in no time. Get better soon and thank you for everything.

Jungkookie wasn’t the only member to cry. I’m pretty sure Jin and V also teared up at the end. So you know, they were feeling it too. And Jimin’s ment had me crying also, I literally took one look at him as his turn came to speak and started bawling. It was quite embarrassing having to shout ‘we love you’ and ‘you’re my hero’ with a voice full of tears but I did it anyway and I hope he realised how much we love him.

BTS in London

I never expected that they’d come here until they did. I didn’t think we’d be able to get tickets until we did. Namjoon said that London is a place they’ve always wanted to come to. Jimin said that it was his first time in London. Namjoon promised that they will come back next year, which was just the most wonderful thing to hear. Jimin said they were supposed to come last year but couldn’t. Someone, maybe Yoongi or maybe V, said that London was a beautiful place, but we (ARMY) were the most beautiful thing about it. It was definitely Yoongi who said, in classic Yoongi style, that they would need a bigger stadium next time. What a total burn to the O2 arena, clearly not big enough to accommodate the size of Yoongi’s ambition. 😂

Overall

Bangtan’s is a position of immense privilege, but they hold it with such grace. They demonstrate such professionalism and kindness, yet at the same time are goddam sexy and frankly brutal in their stage personas. I am so grateful to know them and to be their fan. We were so lucky to get tickets to see their show, to get the chance to say thank you and show them our love. Bangtan, you’re my inspiration; Jimin, you’re my hero. When I need to love myself, you take me there and show me how. When I need to work on myself, you show me how to do that too. Thank you for being together with me always in your music, and making an ‘us’ together with ARMY: ‘Thank you, uri ga dwae jwoseo.’

Moments

Yoongi sprayed water on us first, and rather aggressively too. Then J-Hope did it too. Thank you for showering me (with your love). 😂

Jimin pushed back V’s hair back when he was wearing his bandana during the encore. So cuteee

Jimin took out Jungkook’s earpiece and whispered into his ear, saying something that caused him to smile.

Taehyung did finger guns with that classic boxy smile face right near us - it’s seared into my memory.

[literaphobe]

i was tagged by @romanticcstylez !! (legend) 

rulez: list 10 songs you’re currently obsessed with and then tag 10 people

Rough - GFRIEND (i was really into this song like a year or two ago?? but then i randomly thought hey,, i haven’t heard this song in a while so i put it back in my playlist and the rest was history im obsessed again this song makes me feel like im in a field of dandelions and its kinda snowing a lil and i should be dancing and also clocks are ticking THAT BEING SAID the actual meaning of this song title in korean is ‘running through time’ how do u get ‘rough’ from running through time?? wtf man who translated this shit but yeah rough is the official english title and did i mention that this song is about a bunch of girls yearning to tell their crush that they like them but they either keep missing their chance or get too scared BUT in the music video there are no men around?? and at the end all the girls get real happy to see one another and they’re riding bikes and shit anyway i assume its a song about a bunch of girls who are in love with girls but are too afraid to tell them bc wlw cowardice and it makes sense bc the song makes the world out to be a lot tougher and scarier than it would be for a straight couple IN CONCLUSION i like this song and therefore its gay)

Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea - Fall Out Boy (FUCK ANYONE WHO DOESN’T THINK THIS IS THE BEST SONG IN MANIA- im just kidding, i mean, it’s the best, but that’s a personal preference for me?? i love this song so much i want it playing always i could listen to only this song forever and i’d probably be okay with that?? like this song is a drum storm and it’s yelling at me and i LOVE it love the yelling v v good there’s also some french?? wordplay shit idk so that automatically makes it sexy it makes no sense yet is also v deep?? is it deep?? who knows. in writing this very pointless explanation as to why i like this song THE ONLY THING THAT’S EVER STOPPING ME IS ME HEY sorry i’ve listened to this song like 3 times already while slowly typing all this out and oh my god it goes so hard!!!!! it goes so fucking hard i love it i love this nice thick and hard song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it deserves a music video im so mad like its so fucking good when mania dropped FOB didn’t give me no warning they didn’t prepare me with a random mv that made no sense and gdi STAY FROSTY ROYAL MILK TEA DESERVES AN MV also im naming a fic after this song word for word hgdfjghadjf i should stop tldr this song makes me feel like i can take on the world i feel so powerful when i listen to it also i listened to it like a fourth or fifth time i think hoo boi) 

The Ballad Of Mona Lisa - Panic! At The Disco (SAY WHAT YOU MEEEAN TELL ME IM RIIIIGHT AND LET THE SUN RAIN DOWN ON ME come ON this song is so fucking good!!!!!! its creepy how good it is it makes no sense in a way but it speaks to me so hard!!!!!! it’s like good!!!!!!!!!! like the bells?? esp in the beginning and throughout the whole song tbh also the drums and like the drum buildup to the chorus was SICK and so was brendon urie yelling in song at the top of his voice that i enjoy recreating i’ll stop here bc i can’t keep fucking making these so long)

Emperor’s New Clothes - Panic! At The Disco (if it weren’t for this song i would have said that the ballad of mona lisa is my fave p!atd song but alas here lies a sick banger!!!!!! got sick lyrics that i haven’t analyzed but it got sick beats!! okay given the way i explain why i like this song it seems like i don’t even like it but i do okay!!)

All Falls Down - Alan Walker, Noah Cyrus, Digital Farm Animals (god i got some weird nostalgia shit attached to this song?? my sister first got me into it when we were on vacation in Finland and the thing is i usually don’t care too much for being abroad like places are just places and no matter how dope or wild a place is i put it into a ‘cool concept’ box and i tuck it somewhere in my mind and at the end of the day i’m glad i had some experiences but i like being at home-- BUT whenever i listen to this song i think about being in the bus in finland and it’s a long ride so it’s quiet but i’m listening to this song as i stare out the window and look at the snow dusted trees that pass me by each of them unique and beautiful and something i can’t help but anticipate;; i think about that time we were in this supermarket and i bought a ton of candy and the song came on over the speakers and me and my sister got so excited i think about how the sun set at 2 in the afternoon because we were deep into winter and i remember holding onto my dad as we drove through a crazy snow that was kinda stormy on this KTV like thing and it felt like there was no one around for miles and we went really fast,,,,, and a part of me feels like i’m there again, i’m still there, yet i’m here and i want to go back?? cold as shit but yeah i always feel Finland™ when i listen to this song so i can’t bring myself to skip it!! also its like a heck of a bop)

Earth - Sleeping At Last (what i love so much about this song is that i discovered it on accident?? i was listening to venus by the same artist at first and then earth came on and when it ended i was blown away. venus is also a good song that has a very sweet beginning but it doesn’t speak to me like this song does which i’ve heard someone say is about global warming?? which is hilarious anyway FAULT LINES TREMBLE UNDERNEATH MY GLASSHOUSE BUT I PUT IT OUT OF MY MIND LONG ENOUGH TO CALL IT COURAGE TO LIVE WITHOUT A LIFELINE I BEND THE DEFINITION OF FAITH TO EXONERATE MY BLIND EYE TILL THE SIRENS SOUND IM SAFE sorry god thats so good i love this song i was playing it one day while we were playing mahjong and the rule is if u win a round u get to play ur music on the speakers until someone else wins and my sister told me ‘do u have to play this song it sounds so depressing’ and god that just made me love this song more bc she’s right it has this Sad vibe but in a way it also goes hard?????)

The Last Of The Real Ones - Fall Out Boy (this song is sadly lower on the list than it deserves to be but thats prob bc i am not as into this song as i used to be STILL it is a VERY good song with a wicked piano beat in the beginning and before frosty dropped this was my favorite song in mania and honestly i’d easily still consider last of the real ones the second best song in mania?? song is very good and i like to think that it’s objectively very good so i don’t think it’s just me who likes it!!) 

Death Of A Bachelor - Panic! At The Disco (THERES A REASON URIE NAMED THE ALBUM AFTER THIS SONG!! its bc it a good song and its just so?? raw?? just pure brandon doin his dope job, pulling those wack vocals and making me go wowza!!)

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics (i wouldn’t say i’m obsESSED with this song its just i put it on my playlist and i can’t remember why but i like?? can’t skip this song it’s just good and like wow its good) 

Dragostea Din Tei - O-Zone (SHUT UP DON’T JUDGE ME)

anyway i’m so sorry for bein so extra i didnt need to be yet here i am doin a tag game after 28594940 years so here are the people who im forcing to at the very least glance at my bullshit: @chelseperetti @fourdrinkamy @linettithelezbian @distractingchildishmarriage @juliadorable @bisexualinetti @jakeperalta @beatcopjake @startofamoment @proofthatihaveaheart

[incessantwritersblock]

Brothers (Part 2)

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader, Unrequited!Regulus Black x Reader

Warnings: swearing probs, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Word Count: 1,159

Summary: Sirius may be an idiot, but he’s got enough brains to know who his real friends are. 

A/N: Idk, man. I just love Sirius & Regulus & I just want to give both of them all the hugs. Can I just sit at home & analyze their entire relationship instead of going to work???

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Sirius had always captured girls’ attention, yet the idiot never appeared to notice. You did, though, and it wasn’t always fun, like when fifth year began. The two of you were best friends, so it was easy to brush off a few dirty looks or nasty comments. However, A ball was announced at the beginning of the year, and the whole school would celebrate some important facet of Hogwarts’ history in January. You were excited at first, but as the first two months of school progressed, you found many of Sirius’ less subtle admirers accidentally tripping you, starting ridiculous rumors about you, or anything they could think of.

Somehow, you still found yourself by his side at Hogsmead every weekend. One December day, the two of you were relaxing across from each other in a small booth at the Three Broomsticks. You were discussing the latest prank Sirius was planning when some girl a year ahead of you appeared with a butterbeer in hand. “Hey, guys! Mind if I sit?” Neither one of you had the opportunity to get a word in because she plopped down next to me, sloshing just enough of her butterbeer onto my comfy sweater.

I cursed under my breath before politely excusing myself to clean up in the restroom. I heard her tell Sirius she’d go help me quickly before the girl followed me to the back. I was already spot cleaning my sweater when the girl insincerely apologized before suggesting, “You know, you should probably head back to the castle to clean that up. I’ll tell Sirius where you went.”

Once again, you couldn’t get a word in before she retreated to the booth where your friend sat. A sad sigh fled your nostrils while you continued to work on your dampened sweater. The butterbeer wasn’t coming out easy, so you peeled the layer off you to reveal an AC/DC t-shirt underneath that you’d stolen from Sirius. Thankfully, the liquid hadn’t bled through onto the shirt, so you simply cast a quick cleaning spell on your sweater before you studied your reflection in the mirror. Why were these girls jealous of you? It’s not like they were jealous of James or Remus. Sirius was just your friend, as much as you wished he was more. Nothing was going on, so why were they so mean? You quickly brushed off your thoughts when you realized how stupid you sounded before you strode back to the table.

Sirius was leaning back in his spot and zoning out the same way he did in class. The girl, however, was leaning as close to him as she could get while she rambled on and giggled about something that happened to her friends. When your best friend caught sight of you, he immediately perked up, and stood to meet you at the edge of the table.

“Hey, you good?” he asked me politely while he surveyed my appearance, “Wait, that’s where that shirt went? I’ve been looking for that!”

“I thought you told me you were going back to the castle,” the girl interrupted in a hiss. She obviously wasn’t happy that you were wearing a t-shirt that actually belonged to Sirius.

“Well, um,” you quietly mumbled, “you were kind of the one who said I was going back to the castle. I was planning on going a few more places before heading back.”

Sirius added up the equation fast, and he immediately grabbed our coats, adding, “Well, I’m glad you told me. Let’s go together. I’d rather spend time with a dear friend of mine than someone who is willing to be mean to get what they selfishly want.”

I stammered, “Sirius, it’s not like that, it–”

“Come on, Y/N.” Sirius slung his free arm over my shoulder and began to walk me outside. “I already covered the butterbeer. Where do you want to go first?”

The girl sat in the booth in the Three Broomsticks while she watched us walk away. When Sirius held the door open for me, she let out a huff just before we were out of sight. In the cold winter air, I slipped on my coat Sirius helped me into. “Sirius why’d you do that? It’s really not a big deal,” you quietly wondered.

“Because,” he shrugged his leather jacket onto his shoulders while explaining, “it is a big deal. It bugs me when people are mean to you because they’re jealous. I don’t even like any of them. I’d rather go to the ball with you than anyone else. You’re one of my best friends… so where do you want to go next?”

“How about Zonko’s?”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

“Wait, but you weren’t serious about the ball, right?”

“Are you kidding. I’m so serious it’s my fucking name. Well, unless you don’t want to. I don’t mind if you wanna go with someone else.”

“Nah, I’d rather go with you than another guy too.”

“Oh, you’re too kind,” Sirius joked while you strolled towards Zonko’s.

The two of you spent some time in the joke shop before returning to the castle and retiring for the night. While Sirius was sitting on his bed, his thoughts wondered to why he was so upset earlier. He wasn’t even paying attention to what James was talking about for the past ten minutes.

All he could think about was you.

Remus brought him out of his daze when he asked if he was okay, and Sirius realized that James had stopped talking.

“I, uh…” Sirius barely muttered, “yeah. I’m fine.”

“You thinkin’ ‘bout someone?” questioned James, smirk threatening to break his resolve.

“Kind of,” Sirius confessed with a crease in his brow, “I just... earlier… there was this girl who was just horrible to Y/N… it made me so angry, but I just keep thinking…”

Remus chimed in, “Oh, so you finally figured it out then?”

“What?” Sirius flickered his gaze between his friends with curiosity. He was utterly clueless.

“That you’re kind of mad about her?” drawled James, speaking as though it were perfectly apparent.

“How’d you– I just barely– What?”

“Sirius,” Remus explained, “It’s obvious.”

“Well,” countered James, “to everyone but her.”

They were right, and it now hit Sirius. The reality weighed heavy on him, but it simultaneously lifted a massive weight from his shoulders. He had fallen for you somewhere along the way. Well, more of a little bit every day all up until now.

“Whatever,” James shrugged, “let’s get some sleep.”

While his friends all agreed and shut off the lights, Sirius couldn’t stop his train of thought, barreling down the tracks at record speeds, analyzing every moment you’d shared since you’d met. He was head over heels, but you were his best friend. You meant the world to him, he’d even said so earlier. If he told you, he’d risk losing one of the most precious things he’d ever had in his short, miserable life.

Tagging:

@lucifersnipnips @brooklynnewsie1899 @i-want-to-fuck-that-dorito-man @thatawesomeweirdo00 @spillinginkrunningtears @itsthequeenofdisaster

[nednapah]

Fan account of Sons of an Illustrious Father at Obaren (Stockholm, Sweden)

Soooo me and one of my closest friends, @imbossthatswhy​, went to go see the Sons of an Illustrious father show on the 13th of September in Stockholm, Sweden. I’m a bit late in writing this as I have been super busy working.

That show was so awesome. The vibe, the love, the overall good feels everywhere was so entoxicating. 

Just gonna recap this adventure so I can remember it in the future cause I have a shit memory.

We live in Denmark so first of all we had to get to Sweden. Day of our trip, I find out that I forgot my passport so I had like severe anxiety the whole journey to Stockholm and tried to get my friends to take a picture of my passport for me, just in case you know. Luckily, we weren’t checked so we made it safely to Stockholm and checked into our hostel. So, we wander around a bit, grab a coffee and try to get a grip of our nervousness. A lot of cigarettes were smoked on this 1-day trip.

We walk around a bit trying to locate Obaren but we’re hella confused ‘cause we see a seemingly swanky restaurant where the place should be at. We’re confused but determined to find the place. We end up going inside and my girl asks one of the workers where the bar is. She leads us into the swanky restaurant and towards some hidden stairs. We’re both like...what? How were we supposed to be able to find this place? Anywaaaays...We get there and we both don’t know what to do with ourselves. The door was closed and the facebook event said that the doors first opened at 8 pm but I checked the door just to be sure. It wasn’t locked or anything but all I could see was the stairs and some lights. No music, just silence so I went out again. 

We went outside to smoke a bit more and kill some time because we were there about 2 hours before opening because we were expecting there to be a queue. There wasn’t but we did run into a few people that came early like us. We met this one guy, who is now our friend, who was carrying a DC tote bag around along with wearing a Batman shirt, so we knew he must’ve been there to see Ezra. Luckily my friend is like super extroverted so she started all the conversations. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without her because I am extremely introverted and I don’t know how to strike up a conversation.

We end up going inside to wait in front of the Obaren door again. We wait some more and then suddenly the band comes downstairs and I was just gob smacked cause there he was. Ezra fucking Miller. I usually don’t get star struck because I work with actors and musicians as well but I could just feel my knees get weak when I saw him. First word that struck me about him was aloof because of the way that he walked around. Josh Aubin close behind and then Lilah Larson at the back. They went around a corner and then I didn’t see them again. At this point me and my friends were low key freaking out at the close proximity of the band.

We wait some more and people started eventually going into the bar. On my way up, I see the band and Ezra’s bodyguard sitting at a table waiting to get served. Struck again by awe by the casualness of it all.

So we get in and find some really good seats right by the edge of the scene at the bottom of the stairs that were there. We order beers and just start chatting again about how excited we all are.

I decide to go out to smoke to try and take my edge off and pass by the band’s table where they are all engaged in conversation. I hurry on out cause I really needed that smoke now. Finish smoking, pass the table again and rejoin my friends.

Time passes and eventually Ezra’s bodyguard comes to take a look at the accessibility point for the band to get up on stage. Some people were moved out of the way because they were sitting on the stairs. Me and my friends look at each other and concluded that the band was going to pass right by us when they were gonna go up on stage. We get even more excited.

The time finally comes. I see Ezra’s bodyguard closely tailed by Liliah, Josh & Ezra. They walk right past us and get up on stage. Ezra’s bodyguard stays down by the end of the stairs right next to me.

Lilah, Josh and Ezra then proceed to hug each other in one big group hug before settling at their instruments and starting the show. They started off with my favorite song, U.S. Gay. Lilah managed to break the A-string on the guitar early in the show. She was rocking out too hard I guess. The band proceeds to play songs (even with guitar) and change between singing and playing different instruments.

All in all, the performance was amazing! They all really did great. The energy shared between them was just awesome and ugh…I just can’t put into words how happy I am to have experienced them.

After they finished the show, we just sort of bask in the glory that was SOAIF.

Afterwards we see Lilah standing by the merch table so we walk over and wait in line to say hi to her. There was a lot of movement all of the sudden and I just remember being hella confused as to what was happening. My friend then proceeded to tell me that Ezra was out and that our new friend had made a beeline towards him. We had promised each other to take pictures of us interacting with him earlier in the evening so I just tried to keep up with them with my phone ready. So I’m there taking pictures of our new friend while he is talking and taking pictures with Ezra. After he was done with his interaction, people started moving again. My friend asks out loud what we’re all asking “Wait, what’s going on?”

Ezra heard her and replied back with “Oh, I’m a fire hazard so we’re just moving over here.” All smiles and everything. We just laugh at each other and then wait in line in front of Ezra. My friend starts talking to Ezra and I’m just behind her playing paparazzi cause we’re probably not gonna have an opportunity like this again. Everything must be documented! After a few hundred pictures (gonna be honest, my finger barely left that camera function) and some more waiting it was my turn. My friend managed to tell me that Ezra had stolen her pen and that I needed to get it back. No probs! Now it was my turn.

Eek. My mind turned to mush as I stepped in front of Ezra. This was a whole new thing compared to watching him perform. I lean in to talk to him because the venue had now turned into a club and loud music was blaring out of the speakers and some partygoers had arrived. I was super clumsy with my words cause, hahahahaha, introvert here! I am verbally incapable of making a good first impression. Didn’t tell him anything remarkably memorable because brain was mush. All I could manage to say to him was that I’ve been a fan since I saw him in “We Need To Talk About Kevin”. He replied with “Oh, that’s a long time!” I forget to tell him that I actually only saw that movie last year and just start giggling nervously. The one thing that I did notice throughout our interaction was how intense his eye contact is. He kept eye contact the whole time I was fumbling with my words and I swear he has the most kind eyes ever. I proceed to ask for an autograph and he just looks after a pen. “Oh, yeah you kinda stole my friends pen” I tell him as I find it on the table next to him. “Ah, yeah I have a habit of stealing things” he jokes to me whereas I reply with “Don’t we all though sometimes?” I then ask to take some pictures with him. He just goes “Alriiiight” and smiles at me. I tell him that I’m gonna take a few hundred pictures and he says something that I can’t remember and starts to laugh a little.

After the photos, I just thank him for coming somewhere remotely close to where I’m from (Denmark), give him a big hug and then I went on my way cause I wanted everyone that came to have a chance to talk and take pictures with him. I really didn’t want to take up more time than was necessary even though I could have stayed in front of him babbling like in idiot for hours. Also if you get a chance to get hugged by Ezra, GRAB HIM AND HOLD HIM CAUSE HIS HUGS ARE SO WARM AND LOVING. I could’ve died a happy woman on the spot.

I then turn to Ezra’s bodyguard who was standing right behind him and I just had to pay him a compliment. I told him that I had always seen him in pictures and thought that he had the most awesome style. He thanks me and pulls me in for a hug and gives me a kiss on my forehead. I then ask him how long they’ve been in Sweden for and if he has enjoyed himself. They were here for 2 days and yes they had been enjoying themselves. 

I regroup with my friends and we’re just so fucking excited cause we just met friggen’ Ezra Miller. Our new friend had to leave so we said goodbye to him.

Me and my girl then scan the room and see that Josh is now by the merch table so we finally go there to take a look at the merch as well. I found the pin that I had previously seen on their website but was sold out. So I ask for one of them and ask how much it costs and how to pay for it. We were told that we could download an app to pay for it or pay in Swedish kroners. New dilemma. I thought that they would have had a terminal to buy merch with so I’m slightly distressed by the thought that I wouldn’t be going home with that little pin as something else to remember the night by. So I ask the lady that I thought was in charge of the merch of what we could do so I could pay for it. She said that I had to ask Josh about it cause it was after all the bands’ merch. My friend jumps in and starts asking Josh if there was any other way that we could pay for the pins for (cause she wanted one as well). We tell him that we came from Denmark to see them and that we didn’t have any Swedish kroners or card to pay with. Josh just looks at the pin and then at her and me and quietly just tells us to take it. 

MY heart! My itty bitty heart couldn’t handle him being adorable. We thank him profusely and I gush about how I loved the gig that night. The whole vibe and them were just absolute love. Then I ask him if I could take some pictures with him. He gladly obliges and I take a few photos with him as well and invite him and the band to Denmark. I also got his autograph.

I had a much easier time talking with Josh cause he felt somewhat as awkward as I normally am. I then tell him that if they ever need a tour guide or a friend in Denmark then they can just go ahead and contact me as I dig out one of my business cards and give it to him. I then tried to look around after Lilah but I didn’t see her anywhere. I then ask out loud where she is and Josh starts looking around for her as well. “Hmm, I don’t know actually.” I thank him a lot again and then try and move out of the way cause I noticed that a lot of people had started queueing up for the merch.

I get out in the middle of some open area and reestablish some composure again. My friend and I have literally turned into teenagers again and are just so completely stoked by the whole concert and meeting the band. We compare autographs and I honestly felt a little let down because Ezra had written “Get it” along with his autograph on hers while he only wrote his name on mine. She said that she was gonna go back to him and get some new pictures cause hers didn’t turn out that well. I asked her if she could get him to write something a little more personal for me as well and then she was off. There were still a few folks in line waiting to meet Ezra and honestly....The face he makes when he’s hugging is just ugh...So serene, so peaceful. I couldn’t help but take a series of photos as well when he was hugging another fan.He hugged her for the longest time also and I was just thinking...”Yes, girl...I understand. You hug the hell out of him!”

I got some more photos of her with him and could see that she got some more photos in as well. She then takes out her little booklet with our autographs in it and I can see that she’s explaining what I asked to him. He took the longest time to write out the note and I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw what took such a long time.

What an adorable bean!

Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t just ask him myself. Now looking back at it, I could’ve gone back for more hugs and a more personal note. I’m an utter idiot. 

But yeah, she got new photo’s and I got myself a more personal note. All in all a happy camper! 

Still think that I’m an idiot though for not going back for seconds.

But yeah, that was our night. Totally worth all the anxiety.

We never saw Lilah but if I get another chance to see the band again, then she is the first person I’m going to after the show!

[clandestine-rabbit]

since you're 19 you lived through when homestuck was freshish right? what were cons like, I've heard a lot of crazy stories. assuming you've been to cons, sorry for asking if you haven't

I have only once been to a con but it wasn’t for the con actually, it was just to go help a friend with a photo-shoot and it turned out there was a con nearby

I’ll be honest, I have more bad stories than good stories regarding the fandom. A lot of people I met didn’t know about the game money being stolen or even about the game so they had no problem ripping Andrew apart and a lot of people took the comics so seriously I remember a fist fight breaking out in my middle school. The girl actually went to the hospital 

It’s not a good con story (like I said, we were just there for a photoshoot at a cool garden) but I can give you a happy story after this. 

so what happened was a Sollux cosplayer wasn’t getting her way and she tried to punch my friend in the face for saying no to a shippy photo

this isn’t bullshit btw; so there was this cool garden nearby and a friend group I was part of were cosplaying from you guessed it Homestuck. So there was an Aradia, Nepeta, Jade and a Travros and me the photographer; we were messing around being goofs when these other cosplayers noticed us and came over to ask if we were part of the con. We didn’t know a con was over there so we thought “yooo that’s cool” and the cosplayers invited us to go with them (I don’t remember what they were cosplaying, it was a beat’em up game)

So it was pretty cool actually, there was a lot of people of course and i got anxiety but we ended up finding a table we were allowed to chill at and the cosplayers we met actually got us some food. SO HERE’S THE SHITSHOW I noticed some Homestuck cosplayers pointing over at us and I was kinda wary of it because I’d heard my fair share of stories about cosplayers (or fans in general) being pretty feral or violent. It was the kids and 3 trolls (Karkat, Terezi, and Sollux). 

They seemed kinda nice, were super excited to see other cosplayers and we all kinda got along until my friend cosplaying Jade mentioned that no we weren’t at the con we actually were taking photos somewhere else and were just visiting. #2 Homestuck group kinda seemed to get pissed at us all, idk I was in middle school and had anxiety a lot but they gave that vibe off. We all got uncomfortable and the cosplayers that invited us to come with them were going to leave and offered us all a ride back to the gardens (it was a long walk). 

Well #2 Homestuck group asked if we could all get pictures, the camera I had belonged to my Tavros friend and they said they didn’t want to use the camera (#2 group had wanted to use it for “fancy photos”). No prob though, they said they understood and offered to use their phones. I got a really bad vibe though because the Dave cosplayer immediately asked my Jade friend if he could kiss her, not bad vibe from them necessarily she was kind and understood that my Jade friend didn’t want to. 

The Sollux though got annoyed and demanded my Jade friend do that, the Dave cosplayer tried telling him to knock it off because now it was pretty obvious we all wanted to just peace out and she did but she was still grumbling as they all got different photos. My Aradia friend didn’t want to take photos at all, she was telling us how she really wanted to get out of cosplay becuase it was hot (kudos to anyone wearing long wigs ever) and everything seemed fine but the Sollux was getting disturbingly violent and pissed about the fact we all just wanted to leave. We got the whole lecture on not being true fans or true to the cause of cosplaying and the cosplayers that invited us were starting to tell the #2 group they needed to leave already or leave us alone. 

Eventually my Aradia friend just gave up and said sure whatever but only a friendly kind of photo, the Sollux cosplayer was mad about that and saying that because canonically they were together once they had to do a shippy photo. My friend said fuck no and as she tried to leave the Sollux literally tried to punch her in the face but she ended up just hitting the side of my friend’s face, shit broke loose and security actually showed up. Turns out that group had been causing people trouble all day and had several times been warned they would be kicked out. 

So for the happy story

There was this event nearby my house for free and I went to chill out there, I had a heart player hoodie and I kept seeing this girl stare at me and I wasn’t sure why then I noticed she had these really cool homestuck socks so she was appraently trying to figure out how to come over and say hi to me. Her sister caught me by this little figures table and asked if I would come over and say hi, I did, we talked a little about our favorite trolls and she asked me about Calliope and Caliborn and it was a neat day. 

I got a lot of chocolate too so that was cool. 

[90simaginesandfanfics]

Ok first of all: thank you for doing this here

You looked in the mirror as you left your apartment, trying to ignore what stared back. You were supposed to meet up with your friend Lacey at a club tonight for a Soundgarden concert, but you really weren't in the mood. It wasn't that you didn't want to see the show, as you had been listening to the Louder Than Love album for months, and were ecstatic to get tickets. It was just that you felt like everyone would stare at you as soon as you would walk in. You were 5"11, and everyone else in the whole of Seattle seemed to be a foot shorter than you. Everyone would always make a comment like, "how's the weather up there," and "Don't you play basketball". In fact, during high school, you had been given the nickname giraffe by some of the girls in your grade. The name had stuck and you had never been able to get rid of it. Even when you bumped into someone you used to go to high school with, they would refer to you as giraffe, not even knowing your real name. All of your friends were short and petite, which is what every guy in the country seemed to want. Whenever they would go anywhere, you would be shunned while your friends got hit on. You knew you weren't unattractive, and were a genuine human, who people seemed to like, but any time you started talking to a guy they would just get intimidated. You felt like Bambi, whereas all your friends were comfortable being sexy, cause they didn't have the extra limb length to worry about. Regardless of how you felt, you made your way to the club anyway, hoping to see your favourite band for the first time.When you arrived, Lacey was waiting out front in a tight black dress. You leaned down to hug her and you both made your way inside. As soon as you walked in, guys turned there heads towards Lacey and looked her up and down hungrily, some even wolf whistling. It was clear that they didn't pay any attention to you, which made you feel worse.You had been at the bar for 20 minutes when the lights went down and someone introduced Soundgarden, with people screaming like crazy to see the band."Let's go to the front." Lacey screamed at you, dragging you towards the stage. You felt uncomfortable being so crammed together with people, and didn't feel like you belonged with everyone who was having a good time and moving about. The sound of drums and a shrill guitar made you pay attention to who was on stage."YEAH, I KNOW WHAT TO DO.." Came the high pitched scream from the stage. You looked up and saw Chris Cornell standing near the front of the stage, in long black shorts and Doc Martens, without a shirt (which was very distracting) and swinging his long hair about while headbanging. You recognised the song as Big Dumb Sex, making you blush knowing that such a hot guy was the voice behind it."DON'T YOU, DON'T YOU WANT TO THRILL ME?" you looked up from his abs, which you had been staring at way too long, and looked towards his perfect face, carved by the Gods. It wasn't until you made your way up to his crystal blue eyes, however, did you realise that he was looking directly at you. Your mouth opened a little in shock, wondering if you were dreaming it and he was actually looking at Lacey. A confused expression came across your face and in reponse, between a line of the song, he smiled and winked at you. You nearly fainted. "YEAH, I,I,I, KNOW WHAT TO DO," he looks directly into your eyes again, "I'M GONNA FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU."Soon the concert finished, with the guys giving an amazing performance of Loud Love, in which Chris made eye contact with you again. Even though you thought it was too good to be true, you jokingly told yourself that he must have been looking at you, as none of the other girls were you're height, so he couldn't have made eye contact with anyone else.You and Lacey made your way to the bar after it finished, and you sat there, watching every guy in the room try to hit on your friend. Until a guy came over to you both."Hey girls, you wanna come backstage?" You looked at him completely confused. Why would someone randomly offer to take you backstage without passes, especially when there are tonnes of other people in the club. He could be a murderer who's going to lead you to your death. You were just about to say no when Lacey turned to the man."Hell fucking yes!" She jumped off her stool and started following the man. You didn't want her to go with him alone in case he did hurt her, so you silently followed. Luckily, he actually did take you both backstage. You stood in a corner of the room, still feeling uncomfortable even though you were standing in a room full of well-known musicians. You think you even briefly saw Stone Gossard of Mother Love Bone before the room got really crowded, blocking any view you may have had. After another thirty minutes, you made your way to the mini bar in the room, pouring yourself a coke with rum. You just about put the rum bottle down when you felt someone poke your back. You turned around quickly, ready to throw your drink at whoever had violated your personal space, when you were met head on with a mass of darks curls and a white toothy smile."Hey." It took you a few seconds to process that Chris Cornell from Soundgarden was standing in front of you, and had just poked you in the back. You felt guilty for even thinking of throwing your drink at him."How are you doing on this fine evening m'lady." He said after you didn't respond straight away, in what she assumed to be an English accent . You nodded your head and smiled at him, trying to gain the courage to say something that wasn't completely idiotic."Very good, my kind sir." Immediately after the words had left your mouth, you regretted them. You sounded like a complete weirdo. But what surprised you was when his face lite up with an even bigger smile than he already had on. He laughed gently."You have a better British accent than me. God, now I feel inferior." He crossed his arms, pretending to sulk over what had just happened, and all she could do in response was let out a loud laugh. He laughed in return."I would offer to get you a drink, but you've already done that yourself, so how about we go and sit down cause I've been stomping around all night and my feet are tired." You accepted his offer with a nod, and you made your way over to a sofa pushed against the back wall of the room, which was away from the rest of the party. As you made your way over, you noticed Lacey looking at you both in shock, and a glare passed her face as she looked at you. Whatever the reason for that, most likely jealousy, you were determined to ignore it, and have a good time with Chris. You both sat down on the sofa and started talking about yourselves and your interests, talking about anything and everything in between. You were having such a good time, you didn't even notice that the room wasn't as busy as it was before, and that Lacey had left without you. You were currently talking about how big a fan you were of his music."Trust me, Hands All Over was perfect, there was nothing you could have added at all." You reassured him after he said he thought the song was a bit unpolished."Really?""Yeah, I wouldn't lie to you about it at all since I'm a major Soundgarden fan.""Well I'm a major fan of you." You looked into his eyes as he said this and blushed in embarrassment."I'd like to see you again, if you don't mind?" He asked suddenly, making your heart flutter. You nodded laughing a little, and wrote your number on a small piece of paper. You handed it to him."I better be going now anyway.""I'll give you a call, maybe we could go for dinner somewhere tomorrow?" He asked you, making butterflies appear in your stomach."Definitely." You went to get up off of the couch, but decided to be bold for once, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. You then got off the sofa and made your way to the door, turning back to see Chris with a dazed grin on his face. You closed the door and left the club, knowing that you'd finally met someone who could be a giraffe with you.*****Hope you like it. I really loved writing this. Send me some more requests as I enjoy these oneshots.

[sassycassie-s-writing]

Same Story, Different Versions (Version 1)

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): Avengers - Peter Parker/Spider-Man, @moonlight-lyrics/Wonder-Pool, & @saviorsong/Nightsong

Rating: PG

Original Idea: I just like to write my Tumblr friends into stories.

Notes: (Masterlist)(About Me) “Same story, different versions, and all are true!” -Tia Dalma, Pirates of the Caribbean. Just Peter Parker asking Mattie out with her friends’ help a couple different ways.

^^^^^

Peter slid into Lyric’s room at the Avengers compound. “Lyric! I need your help!” he exclaimed, barely remaining upright as his velocity kept carrying him forward after his shoes stopped. Lyric looked up from her painting curiously, turning to see him.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“What kind of flowers does Mattie like?”

“Pardon?”

“Mattie. What kind of flowers does she like?”

“Uh… how would I know?”

“Because you’re her best friend here!” Peter cried.

“Hey Wonder-Pool!” the other girl in question called, swinging around the doorframe with one hand, hanging off of it. “I’m heading to the store. Want me to pick you up anything?” She caught sight of Peter. “Oh hey Pete.”

Peter squeaked out something that could have counted as a high-pitched, “Hi,” but Mattie didn’t notice; she was too busy looking at Lyric.

“Uh… nope. I think I’m good. Unless you run across something really weird for like, a dollar,” Lyric replied.

Mattie chuckled. “Okay. What about you, Pete? Want me to grab anything?”

He shook his head silently.

“Your guys’ loss. ‘Kay—I’ll be back soon.”

“Bye Matt!” Lyric called after Mattie’s retreating form as Peter kind of yelped, “Bye!”

Once Mattie was completely gone, Lyric snagged the Wonder-Pool plushie of herself that Tony had given her for her birthday and threw it at Peter. His incredible reflexes were apparently taking the day off because it nailed him in the back of the head. “Yowch! What was that for?” he demanded, rubbing the back of his head.

Lyric scoffed. “Oh don’t be such a baby. That didn’t hurt. You once took a hit directly to the face from Cap’s shield.” She threw something else at him—a hairbrush, the first thing her hand grabbed that didn’t involve her paint supplies—but this time he caught it. “What is with you Peter?”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, I will admit your social skills are questionable, but you seem like you’re suddenly terrified of Mattie. And while I will also admit she could beat us both up at the same time—probably, if she was angry enough—she’s really nothing to be scared of.” As she spoke, Peter gently set the hairbrush back down on the desk where Lyric had thrown it from. “You’ve certainly never been the smoothest when talking to other people, but usually you hold a better conversation than just scared little squeaks.”

“I’m not scared of Mattie,” Peter retorted. “I’m just… really nervous.”

“What for?” Lyric asked.

“I’m planning on asking her out! What do you think for?!”

“So that’s what the flowers are for?”

“Yes!”

“Maybe you should have led with the explanation,” Lyric pointed out sarcastically. “Would have cut down the confusion.” She snickered and spun around on her swivel chair so she wasn’t twisting around to look at Peter. “Mattie likes roses. Any color but usually red. She’s a bit old-fashioned. She also likes lilies and snapdragons. But be careful. She has a weirdly extensive knowledge of flower language for a girl who spends most of her days training or fighting crime.”

Peter was still so nervous he couldn’t find it in him to laugh at Lyric’s humor. She was funny but he was distracted. He nodded vaguely at Lyric. “Okay. Thanks Lyric,” he said distractedly, mind racing and feet trying to remember how to walk.

She snorted. “Welcome Peter. Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Slowly, he drifted out of her room like a ghost. Rolling her eyes and chuckling in amusement, Lyric went back to her painting.

Peter sat down on the bed in his room, staring blankly at the wall for a couple moments. At least he had an answer. But he hadn’t even remembered that flower language was a thing. Great. Add another layer of effort looking up what flowers were supposed to mean on top of actually asking her out!

Finally he got his head on straight and went over to the computer on his desk—the much higher-tech one than the one he had at home—to start Googling flower language. He didn’t want to offend her.

A really loud motorcycle pulled into the compound. Curious—Cap wasn’t supposed to be back for another three days at least—Peter peered out his window.

The figure on the bike was distinctly feminine. Small but athletic. The newcomer swung her leg off her motorbike and pulled the helmet off, releasing tumultuous green curls around her shoulders. Peter couldn’t help but smile as he turned back to his computer screen. Mattie and Lyric would be pleased that their other sister was back.

Mattie, Mel, and Lyric weren’t really sisters. None of them looked anything alike anyway and their powers weren’t in any way similar. But they treated each other like sisters and loved each other like sisters.

The door to the living area of the Avengers compound downstairs burst open and shut loudly. “Matilda! Lyric!” the familiar voice shouted.

In the room down the hall from Peter’s, Lyric leapt to her feet and bolted for downstairs. “Melody!” she cried excitedly.

“Hey!” Melody called back.

Peter chuckled as he read his flower-language search result page, tuning out the conversation of the girls downstairs who were exchanging happy pleasantries. He liked having his bedroom be right next to the staircase for access purposes, but sometimes all the noise that came through was really distracting. He shoved his earbuds in his ears and more seriously considered the screen in front of him. Melody and Lyric could catch up as loud as they wanted—maybe the older woman would even help him ask Mattie out if he asked nicely.

^^^^^

“So where’s Matt?” Mel asked Lyric as they collapsed onto the big king-size bed in Mel’s room.

“She went to the store to grab some unspecified stuff,” Lyric replied. “She left right before you came. Hopefully she’ll be back soon.”

“Hopefully! Gotta get the sisters back together!”

They both laughed.

“Hey guess what, speaking of Mattie, Peter’s gonna ask her out. It’s gonna be a surprise.”

“WHAT?!” Melody exclaimed. “Finally!”

“What do you mean, finally?” Lyric asked.

“That kid has been crushing on Mattie since they met each other. It’s about time that he did something about it! That idiot is brave enough to take on the Winter Soldier, Falcon, and Captain America at the same time and yet wouldn’t ask out the girl he likes for months.”

“How can you tell Peter likes Mattie? I’ve been here just as long as they have and wouldn’t have noticed.”

Melody snorted. “Oh please. You know what he’s like. His social skills may be super awkward, but he positively flounders whenever she enters the room. But enough about them. We can talk about that when Mattie gets back—or not, since you said it’ll be a surprise. Tell me about your training. How are you getting on?”

Lyric made a face. “I’m doing better. A lot better than I was at the start of the summer. I just feel like… no matter how hard I train, there’s no way I’m going to be as physically strong as everyone else here.”

“Well, honestly, probably not. But physical strength is where a lot of their powers lie. Yours are somewhere entirely different. And that doesn’t make you any less valuable. In fact, I think it makes you more valuable. We’ll always have someone else to punch the bad guys around if we can’t, but there’s no way we could replace what you do, got it?”

Lyric smiled. “Got it.”

“Good. Now tell me, Cap and Sam aren’t working you too hard are they?”

^^^^^

I tilted up onto my tiptoes, trying to reach the chocolate chip cookie dough Pop-Tarts. I hated being short when things were on the top shelves.

When I couldn’t reach it, I hissed in frustration and fell back flat onto my feet. Glancing around, I made sure no one was watching. I did a power-induced jump, snagged the box, and landed on the ground as if nothing happened. I set the box in my basket gently next to my one-dollar present for Lyric—a strange magnet with a cartoon of a penguin-dog—and carried on through the aisles.

Vzzt! Vzzt! My phone buzzed in my pocket.

A text from Peter.

Spider-Nerd: I changed my mind. Can you grab me a soda? Any kind. I’m kind of having a crash right now and Mr. Stark won’t let me have any coffee because he thinks it’ll make me bounce off the walls.

Me: XD Yeah it LITERALLY would so I don’t blame him. Sure I’ll grab you something. You REALLY don’t care what kind?

Spider-Nerd: Not at all. I’m not picky. As long as it’s not sugar-free or diet I’ll probably like it.

Me: :-) Okay!

Spider-Nerd: Thanks Mattie.

Me: No prob Pete.

I trotted nonchalantly back to the aisle where the soda was and peered at the colorful labels. Part of me wanted to prank him and get the weirdest-looking, worst-tasting thing I could, but I liked Peter. He was my friend and a good kid, so I grabbed something normal and added it to my basket. I’d get an opportunity for a better prank later anyway. There were always opportunities. Plus, with Lyric in the room next door to mine, the two of us were unstoppable.

Once I was done with Peter’s soda, I grabbed a quart carton of ice cream and went to check out.

The drive back to the compound was peaceful, the silence of middle-of-nowhere, Upstate New York broken only by my radio and semi-decent singing. Though, the farther I got from the town, the worse the radio got.

I unloaded my shopping bags into my room—hiding the ice cream in my mini-fridge since it just had to be kept cold for a little bit before Lyric and I devoured it—and glanced out the window.

A familiar motorcycle was parked on the gravel, a helmet balanced carefully on the seat.

My jaw dropped.

“Mel?!” I called.

“Hey! There she is!” my “older sister’s” voice exclaimed from downstairs.

I ran down the hallway, stopping only for a moment at Peter’s room to distractedly place his soda on his desk—“Thanks Mattie!”—before thundering down the stairs.

I did a flip on the last couple steps to land lightly on the ground floor.

At the end of the corridor, Mel and Lyric were emerging from the kitchen.

“Mel!” I squealed, bolting forward at full-tilt. She laughed as I barreled into her so hard we almost fell over and hugged her. She squeezed me back, my face buried in her green hair. “When we didn’t hear from you—I thought, I mean, I feared the worst—”

“Good to see you too, worry-wart,” Melody teased. “And c’mon, you can’t get rid of me that easy. Just lost my comm unit. Fell out of my ear during a fight. Nothing to worry about.” As she spoke, Lyric wrapped her arms around the both of us and we shared a group hug—that quickly also included a sarcastic Tony who appeared from nowhere and an embarrassed, unwilling Peter. Peter had come down to see what the ruckus was about and promptly got dragged into our squishy embrace by Lyric’s free hand. We all laughed for a moment and then released. Mel and I gasped. Being in the middle we were kind of getting squashed and the air had been successfully forced out of us.

“Alright kids, have fun,” Tony remarked before strolling off. “FRIDAY, we’re going to need to…”

“So! Tell us about your trip!” I said to Mel.

“You mean mission?” Lyric corrected.

“Yeah. You know what I mean.”

“I know. But we don’t have to talk like civilians out here.”

Before we could get anything more, the Wall intercom rang.

The Wall was the ten-foot slabs of concrete keeping the compound safe from ground attacks and unwanted entries.

“I’ll get it,” Peter commented, looking relieved to flee. We waved him off. Lyric and Mel shared a knowing smirk that I didn’t understand but didn’t think much of as we went upstairs to one of the big open areas full of sofas. We each took a separate spot—Lyric the armchair, Mel the big sofa, and me the loveseat—and put our feet up on the coffee table.

“So, I get to Kiev, and—” Mel launched into her story.

She only got a couple minutes in before we were interrupted.

Peter cleared his throat. “Uh… can I… can I borrow Mattie for a second?”

The three of us smiled. “Sure!” we all replied at the same time. I stood, flipped over the back of the loveseat, and followed him out of the room. We stopped outside his bedroom door.

“What’s up?” I inquired casually.

Peter seemed nervous. Then again, he usually seemed a bit nervous.

“I, uh… I was just… I was wondering…” He sighed and put his head in his hand, leaning against the doorframe. “This is going great…” he muttered.

“You okay? Is something wrong?”

“No. Just my social skills apparently.” He shook his head. “Sorry. Let me try again.”

“Okay…?”

He straightened up and looked me in the face, his hand reaching back into his room. A web shot from the device on his wrist. “Mattie, would you like to go—out—with me on Friday?” he asked. The web retracted back into his shooter, bringing with it a blur of color.

He offered me a bouquet of red roses with baby’s breath flowers interspersed between them.

I turned bright red, taking the flowers. “I would love to!” I replied excitedly.

Peter smiled. “Great! It’s a date!”

From down the hall, I heard Mel and Lyric cheering. “Let me guess, they knew?” I asked. Peter nodded. I chuckled and gave him a hug.

[breakfastisntincluded]

€37

Welp! Now that we've seen all there is to see in Pisa it's time to go to Florence, and y'all, y'all y'all y'all, I was SOOOOO FECKIN PUMPED for Florence and it did not disappoint. Oh no. It did not. You see folx, in searching the web to find out which churches were used for some scenes in the third season of hit NBC sitcom "Hannibal And His Friends", we stumbled upon the website "fangirlquest" and specifically an article detailing exactly where all of these different scenes in the show take place along with delightful delightful, masterful shots of their excellent screen framing and ah 🙏🏽 My peeps 🙏🏽 This humble website was our guide to Florence 🙏🏽 So we got ready in the morning, had a cheeky breakfast in the hostel cafe again, and went on down to the train station which is just five minutes down the road from it (I'm tellin y'all, I picked a goooooood hostel 👌🏾👌🏾) and we went on over to the platform and in the vending machine on the platform they had a lil snack stick of parmeggiano reggiano??? And you know we already stocked up on snacks yesterday.... But life is for the living and it was €1 so you know I bought it! And they had some salty cheese snack fried pieces of cheese 100% cheese snack too??? So you know I bought it! And for Kate we got a chocolate I think? And dangit that was good as well! Kewl! One of the stops on our list was platform 3 at the stazione di santa maria novella which just so happens to be the main train station in Florence, and we pulled in at platform three, so straight away we went around there and ticked that one off 👌🏾 Now kids, I had once again booked us a sweet pad in Florence: nice looking, friendly air b n b lady, convenient to the city, convenient to public transport. And the friendly air b n b lady had given us helpful instructions for getting to the house via bus. Unfortunately, I knew the bus went from the train station but I could not figure out where at the train station the stop was. So it ended up taking us over two hours to get to the house which was only 25 minutes from the station if you walked because we couldn't figure it out 😜 We were waiting at the wrong stop and we couldn't find the right stop and the ticket machine took my money and gave me no tickets so I had to go to the ticket man and then we finally found and got on the bus and we missed the stop so we had to walk back and it was a whooooole palava but actually it wasn't too bad because Florence is just dang nice and dangit we were at a train station some of our fave television stars have visited and ain't nothin gonna put a damper on that high! 😧 😬🙅🏻😎 Hek! So we fiiiiinally made it in and the lady was like still relatively friendly but like obviously annoyed which in a way I understand because yeah we were much later than we were supposed to arrive and for a silly reason but we had also been communicating with her the whole time so I did feel bad for taking up her afternoon and stuff but I dunno she seemed less annoyed that we had wasted her time or something and more just like annoyed because we were stupid for not figuring out the bus or something, which is not something I would ever judge someone or punish for and not something I expect other people I consider nice to do either. So yeah. It was fine it was just a little awkward 😬 But at any rate, we got in, and we got to work with our map she had given us and our websites and we made plans of when to go see which things. I was thinking there was no way we would be able to fit everything in because there was so much to do and we only had one full day and two half days (-3 hours faffing too by this point), but boy was I wrong! :) We set out from the house walking towards the Ponte Vecchio and the Ponte Santa Trinita and we visited those goddamn bridges and I fecking died because kids, mads mother decking mikkelsen walked all over that bridge and holy shit now we have too 🙏🏽 But we left that zone after not too long because damn if there was gonna be a zone for someone to target for something in Florence it's probs that ol bridge 😬😥 We walked from the Ponte Santa Trinita through a square where a really good string + accordion group was playing outside a church and for some reason a couple in their wedding gad were dancing and a whole crowd of people were either watching them or the band or both?? Weird! But cool! We watched to! Nice! We walked down the street past all these fancy ass shops with terrifying security people in the doorways who didn't move and we thought they were mannequins but they weren't and it was terrifying 👌🏾, until we got to the Piazza della Republica which is sooooooo pretty there's a square and a big gate thingy and the merry go round that Gillian Anderson 🙏🏽 walks past and dang 🙏🏽 so good 🙏🏽 We walked around the corner and there was the Catedrale di santa maria novella that Gillian Anderson 🙏🏽 also walks past 🙏🏽 which is ENORMOUS and amazing because it's green and white and pink and stripey which is just not a colour scheme I would have ever expected for a cathedral?? We tried to go in but it was closed for the day inside so we did not. We walked all around and there were lots of artist people doing art but around the back there was one art boy all by himself with these bright orange and purple colours and he was of course my favourite and I wanted to buy a picture from him but I thought maybe it was silly and Kato knew I just wanted to buy things from him because I felt bad for him all alone there and that was a fairly accurate assessment and so I didn't buy anything and we kept on our way. This had all been incredibly fun and extraordinarily pleasant and chill and that was in no small way due to the fact that Kate was navigating and found a very good seamless job of it and I wasn't worried about or concerned with where we were going in the slightest, which was a nice feeling :) We walked along and ended up where the Palazzo Medici Ricardi should have been and had the exact same problem as the people who wrote the guide to "Hannibal's Florence" in that Google maps took us to the wrong side of it so we wandered up and down the street for some time and even went into some shops seeing if they led into it and couldn't figure it out before we walked around the other side of it and eventually found the entrance :P It was. Amazing. Holy shit. We went in there and just it's places from the show and it's places my boy 🙏🏽🙌🏾 has been and it's just holy shit dog they went there and then we went there too. Holy shit. *dies* Also the building and the gardens were amazing and there was a really cool art instillation in the middle of the courtyard and a cool art exhibition on loan from Hong Kong there and it was awesome in the house because there was just like no one else there??? We just basically walked around and had a chill ass time and no one else got in our way or bothered us?! Sick 👌🏾 We had walked past an Asian fusion restaurant on the way to the palazzo so we walked up the road a bit more and looked at a square that was up there and checked out a few of the Italian food restaurants that were there but none of them were calling out to us and we were feeling p sick of pizza and pasta by that point so we went back to the Asian fusion restaurant and it was INSAAAAANNNEEEE we had 'to stay' bubble tea that was just in mason jars and not sealed on top and we had amaaaazing fried rice and fried cauliflower with egg and dumplings and some other shit I dunno but it was all baller and hell yeah Kate chose so well and and it was excellent 🙏🏽 So we started walking back and we went via the piazza della Republica because we hadn't gone on the merry go round in the day because Kate said it would be prettier at night and I agreed so then I made her go on it with me and in protest she sat on a silly carriage one right on the ground that didn't even move 😛 It was weird though it just sort of started and then stopped and some more people got on but there was no announcement to get off so we just... Stayed on for a second turn!!!! Shhhhhhhhhhhh 😉🙃😘😏 And then it was even weirder because the marriage people from earlier in the square were there by the merry go round posing for more photos with their photographer? Surely those clothes stink by now?! Go back home to rest you busy bees!!!!!!! And we did that and then we kept walking and it was sort of drizzling and starting to rain and Kate started to see these flashes in the distance which she was getting increasingly excited about and I couldn't see them but then I did and then we were walking over the Ponte Vecchio and it was properly raining and we had absolutely no jackets or coats or umbrellas of any kind despite the fact that I had two yellow rain coats and a yellow umbrella in my suitcase at the house and in fact the air b n b lady had told us when we arrived that they were having a drought and hadn't had rain in months, so just overall we were underprepared mentally and physically but it was very cool and it was Italy and Kate loves storms so Kate wanted to go to the Piazalle Michaelangelo which is up the top of a hill in a park and somewhere Jack goes on the show, so we set off in the rain and the Lightning to go there and watch the storm. It was quite a way and it was pouring with rain and we had to go up a hill and then we got to the park and had to go up allllll these stone stairs in the rain and there were like a few people coming down the stairs but hardly any people and then we finally made it to the top and it was incredible. There was no one else there, there were two people left in the cafe and the waiters were bringing the outdoor tables back inside, and the man at the drink cart was still there but there was absolutely no one else in the plaza and you could see the whole city spread out in the rain and it was just the most excellent thing and yeah 🙏🏽 Feck it was glorious 🙏🏽 And it was absolutely freezing so we left pretty promptly and started the long walk back to the house 😱 People kept looking at us from food establishment doorsteps like 'don't you wanna come inside' and we were like nope and a few street-selling-stuff dudes tried to sell us umbrellas but our skin was already soaked through to the skin so we were like nope we're being dramatic and we finally finally made it there and walked up the big steep hill to the house and it was so exhausting that walk back and so so cold but hey neither of us got sick and it was a hella rad and dramatic time and I think it was well worth it and once again Kate's determination to enjoy storms paid off prayhands prayhands 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽