#cause going to the beach alone sounds boring

[cloudshapedpatch]

i finally got tickets to see my all time fave music artist!!! im going to california!!!

[popironrye]

The Lost Boys

Leisure Headcanons

💋 David 💋

Is a skilled fire arm shooter. (Loves the cowboy aesthetic)

Has his own gun hidden in the cave.

Doesn't get the chance too often, but will ride a horse when the chance arises.

Likes wood carving. Mostly non specific whittling into basic shapes or animals. It helps him relax.

Movie nut! When the boys go the Max's store to fool around, David makes sure to tuck a movie or two that catches his eye in his coat. Tends to watch them alone, all the questions from Paul would just grate on his nerves too much.

I imagine David would be like REALLY good at origami for no particular reason. He doesn't even try, just once the boys do it just because and he's just the best at it.

I don't know if vampires can emerge in water in the lost boys lore, but if they can David loves to swim. Chilling in water clears his mind.

💀 Dwayne 💀

Skater boi! Does a lot of sick tricks, but when you can levitate it's less impressive. XD

Doesn't care for guns, but likes archery. Hammers his own arrow heads. Dwayne and David like to pick a spot in the woods to shoot make shift targets.

A real book worm. Will spend a lot of time just silently reading for hours.

Takes up knitting from time to time. He prefers hand knitted blankets and throws rather then the store ones.

Likes to make jewelry. Made his own necklace.

Enjoys all types of puzzles. Cross word, jigsaw, and brain teasers.

Can sew and offers to sew up holes made in all the clothes the boys decide not to get new ones.

🌿 Paul 🌿

Can play the guitar.

Also likes to sing, and is pretty good at it. Wanted to start a band, but the other boys weren't up for it.

Has the biggest music collection and is always hogging the tabletop/cassette/cd player.

Amateur photography. Just likes to take photos randomly. Some are really artsy.

Got really into tie dye for a while. Although he might have just been high.

When he wants to relax, Paul really likes to stargaze. Laying outside the cave looking at the sky and hearing the waves of the ocean just makes him feel at peace.

When David isn't using the tv monitor, Paul enjoys quite a few video games. He also likes to take on the arcade and carnival games at the boardwalk.

🪶 Marko 🪶

Aside from pigeons, Marko will try to domesticate a number of animals to the cave, including stray dogs, cats, deer, badgers, squirrel, foxes, bats, and even a black bear once.

He in fact did NOT domesticate a black bear, but he did wrestle one.

He does his own patchwork on his jacket.

Like David, he likes to sculpt into wood, but he usually carves patterns and landscapes into more grand pieces.

He's also a skilled painter. Mostly he'll paint murals on sections of the cave David says is ok for him to paint on.

He collects sea shells on the beach.

He'll style the others hair. Especially David who he'll cut and dye in the way he likes best.

🔥Pack Activities🔥

Dart throwing. The bigger the target the better. David and Dwyane are very competitive at this one specifically.

Rollerblading. Put wheels on shoes, what more can you want?

Listening to music. The boys have very wide music tastes and sometimes they cross over and they all like the same stuff. They take turns around the player of their choice to just smoke, drink, and listen to the sounds of the music plays.

Card games. Specifically poker when they're all together. They make things more interesting when they make bets.

And of course motocycle cruising and board walk loitering.

Something that always strikes me with vampires in fiction and indeed with any immortal creature with the high and emotional intelligence of humans. IMMORTALITY IS FUCKING BORING!

I mean, think about it. Imagine you're given all the free time in the world with very little responsibility with no fear of getting sick or tired allowed to do pretty much whatever you want. What would you do? Cause I would go stir crazy. So I came up with these dumb little head canons on how I image the boys specifically would pass the time in their little vampire lives that doesn't revolve around murdering and feeding off of people.

Of course cruising on their bikes come to mind. And there's a couple in the movie we get to see like Dwayne's skateboarding and Marko's fondness for pigeons but I wanted to throw more possibilities out there. :3

[pedrilcvr]

awkward!arda x awkward!reader and they’re just both so awkward that it makes them laugh and it’s just eeeeuuuuugggghhhhh TOOTH. ROT.

Heavy - Arda Güler.

Pairing: Arda Güler x Fem!Reader

Summary: After an awkward moment at the beach during a join family vacation with yours and Arda’s, you retreat back to your bedroom in embarrassment. But when someone knocks on your door, the last thing you expected to come out of it was a kiss.

Disclaimer/s: cursing, kissing, nothing but fluff!

A/N: Based on ‘Heavy’ By The Marías !

Face hot and breathing ragged, you slam the door behind you. Memories of the events that happened only ten minutes prior plaguing your mind.

“No, no, it’s okay! I’m fine!” You rambled out, body still limp in his arms. You’d stumbled over your own two feet and face planted right onto the ground.

Arda, with his quick reflexes, he was already by your side, helping you up. “Are you okay?” He’d already asked you nearly four times by now.

Your face burned red as you’d started up at him, forgetting how close you two were. Faces inches apart, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of him.

“Sweetie, are you alright?!” Your mother gasped from somewhere behind you, causing you both to scramble upwards and apart from each other.

Clicking the lock on your door, you rub a hand over your face. What the hell. Scrambling toward the bed, you face plant onto the pillow, screaming into it.

Why were you such a loser?

Three gentle knocks on the door snapped you from your self hatred. “Leave me alone!” You yell out.

The voice that calls out your name from the other side of the door, has you even further on edge. “Can you just open, uhm, open the door.. please?”

You slowly but surely tug yourself off the bed, inching your way toward the door. Biting down on your inner cheek, you let out of a huff of breath, opening the door just wide enough for your face to fit between.

Arda stands there, hands in his pockets with a tight lipped smile. He’s rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes. “The.. whole? Door?”

Oh. Right.

Opening it wider, you clear your throat. “Right, sorry.”

It’s quiet. Awkward. It’s tense..

“Uhm..” Arda starts slowly, “just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

You give him your most reassuring face, although you know very well it came off as a grimace. “I’m completely fine, don’t worry! Thank’s, though!”

Another uncomfortable pause.

Then another.

“Do you want to go get ice cream?” Arda blurts out, cringing at the way he spoke.

You feel your cheeks burn brighter, “yes!” Too quick. That was too fast.

The teenager smiles, “okay! Do you want to go now, or..”

You make sure to wait a little bit before nodding, “yeah, just let me put on some shoes, uh.. You can come in..” Stepping aside, you give him the space to walk into the room.

Arda accepts, taking hesitant steps inside. He stands by the door after it’s shut, shuffling on his feet like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Quickly slipping into your shoes, you grab your purse and make your way back over to him. “Ready.” He opens the door for you, letting you walk out first. Cute.

“I saw a cool parlor down the street, figured we could go there?” He was trying to make small talk, the slight waver in his voice showing just how nervous you made him.

You smile at the bricks on the ground, “sounds good to me.” You weren’t the only one nervous here, although neither of you could set your own awkwardness aside long enough to notice the others was just as prevalent.

The rest of the walk was quiet, but surprisingly sweet. Arda would point out a few cool shops, and you’d gasp at every stray animal you saw.

Finally arriving at the ice cream parlor, you ordered your flavors. You chose strawberry, he with vanilla. In a moment of amusement, you grin. “Wow, so you really are vanilla then?”

It was a dumb joke. A lame, boring, dad joke. But he laughs. His head tipping back and his eyes crinkling at the sides. Oh, you are so screwed.

“You know, i’m not as vanilla as you’d imagine.” He retorts as you two make your way back outside to the seating area.

Eyebrow quirked in curiosity, you hum. “Oh? Is that so? What, have you..” feigning a gasp, you clutch your hand over your heart, “drank? At your big age?”

Arda grins down at you, his eyes twinkling with humor. “A sip or two.”

The longer you spent with him, the more you both grew comfortable with each other. He got your humor, laughed at your stupid jokes, he was perfect.

“Oh you got a little..” Arda trails off, using his finger to wipe away a small smudge of pink on the side of your lips.

Breath hitched in your throat, you stare at him. He’s so close, his vanilla scented breath fanning your face. Arda swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.

He whispers your name, soft and sweet, just like him. “Can I—“ His eyes flicker to your lips, then back to you.

“Yes!” You squeak out, nodding your head.

Without needing to say another word, his lips are on yours. They are smooth, gentle against your own. You almost forget to breathe as your eyes flutter shut.

Only pulling away when you realize you needed air, you find that he’s smiling. You’d never seen that smile before. You know for certain then, you’ll never love someone the way you will love him.

DTS , @halfwayhearted & @zanxi

And remember, if you ever want tagged in specific or all things I publish, lmk! ^_^

[poetryandfluffycats]

Rosé, Please

A/N: saluting all bsd fans currently coping with chap 118 heres some kunikida for your troubles

Pairing: Kunikida Doppo x fem!reader, sight Dazai Osamu x fem! reader

Content: Its not that Kunikida is jealous of men like Dazai who often pick up girls at the bar, not at all! He's perfectly content with his singleness and his co-workers constant affairs, and he's well aware what to do when one of Dazais lovers shows up at the Agency's doorstep. But this time.. this woman, shes different somehow.

Warnings: suicide mention(dazai being dazai), alcohol mentions, reader is mentioned to have green eyes and short hair

Words: 2.1k

Oneshot under cut!

Kunikida Doppo was a man of ideals. His whole life was structured around these ideals to create the perfect life. Perfect life, perfect job, perfect wife and perfect family. Courting by age 25, a wedding on the beach at age 28, first child at age 30 and two children alongside a golden retriever and a white picket fence to match by the age of 35. In his mind, that was the ideal life for a man to have.

A life that didn't account for the dangers of being a member of the Armed Detective Agency.

The sun was settling along the Yokohama skyline, creating a ray of yellow that shone through the Agency's office. Kunikida sat perched in his chair notebook in hand as he jolted down the events of the day. Paperwork, check in with the president, one small case solved by himself Kenji and Dazai and there was the report regarding that. He glanced up at the date, Thursday. He could go grocery shopping after he left work and still have enough time to cook a hot dinner of chicken noodle soup and rice-he remembered having some left over from the previous night. 4:45pm. If he left now he could get a head start on the after-work traffic and make it home a bit earlier.

Kunikida sighed. The office was quiet. He liked the quiet, although it hardly ever was quiet enough for his liking. With the other members of the Agency constantly causing trouble for the man he barely got any time to himself anymore. Whenever he thought he was alone and free to relax, Dazai would pop up beside him bagging on about some new way to kill himself or a woman he kissed in a drunken state at the bar, or Atsushi would show up with a bruise the size of Japan after having a meltdown while on a mission or the Tanizaki siblings would appear out of no where and ruin his evening g with their constant touching and moaning. He felt that he could never catch a break in this place.

But today, all was at peace. Not even a spare peep from that bandage waster he called his partner. It was a change, a welcome one. Kunikida could feel his bones relaxing, his muscles softening and the joints of his knees popping under the table as he stretched out his long limbs. Polished dress shoes tapped gently against the tile of the floor. Kunikida thanked whatever force was out there that he was able to rest even if for a few mere moments. He didn't need much. 30 minutes would be nice, an hour would be amazing, even longer and he'd be on his knees praising the gods for blessing him with such leisure.

A knock.

Peace isn't everlasting, Kunikida often found. He closed his notebook and placed it down on the desk in front of him, moving a hand behind his head to release his hair from his ponytail, inhaling deeply but not allowing the scowl on his face to set in.

"Come in"

The door creaked open. Not Dazai, Dazai would have flung it open whilst shouting something about how bored he was or something, Dazai wouldn't have knocked at all. A small sigh of relief could have been heard from the blonde if anyone was listening carefully. Instead of the brunette, a pair of unfamiliar eyes and a mess of black hair peered around the door frame, accompanied by a voice that sounded almost too timid and unsure for a human to have.

"Hi... I'm sorry to disrupt you, Mr Kunikida. Is Dazai here?"

Ah, Kunikida remembered those eyes now. Dazais latest lady friend, the woman with bight green eyes, the softest tuft of hair and a voice as sweet and sugary as cold vanilla ice cream on a hot summers day. She looked too naive for Dazai. A bunny rabbit being lured into a trap by the big bad wolf, her sweetness would most definitely get her heart broken by the man. Kunikida couldn't quite remember her name, although it wasn't as if he expected her to stay around long enough for it to matter.

In his ideals, Kunikida wished for his partner to find someone to live out his future with. The ideal woman for Dazai would be one that could hold out on her own, someone strong with an even stronger backbone who could settle Dazai down and get him to sit down for a change. Someone to ground him. Aside from that, long hair, a small and slim frame, and a good fashion sense were all things Kunikida believed his so called friend would be interested in. Staring at the girl in front of him, he realized that she checked none of those box's.

"He's gone home. Was there something I could help you with?" Kunikida pushed his glasses up his nose with a singular finger, straightening in his posture in the process to appear more professional. To think, this woman had almost caught him slouching! What a tragedy that would be. He made a mental note to add 'check building is clear' to his list of evening tasks before he made the mistake again.

The woman's face dropped immediately, her gaze falling to her heels. She was dressed up, Kunikida noticed, a pair of sparkly stilettos on her feet and her body wrapped in a black dress that stopped a few inches too high for his eyes not to wander. He prided himself on being a man of pure modesty, however, it was hard not to notice when a young ladies legs were exposed in such a way. A white coat hung over her shoulders to complete the look, short hair clipped back with a silver star hair pin.

She shook her head, fiddling with a loose thread on her coat. Perhaps it was old and that's why it was fraying on the edges. "No...no, its fine. We were supposed to meet for drinks tonight but I guess he forgot... again"

"I see. Do you want me to pass on a message?"

Kunikida could almost see the metaphorical dog ears on her head droop downwards. Being a man of his certain ideals, it was harder for him to pick up girls than it was for the others in the agency. His standards were high, although he hated to admit it. Unlike Dazais woman, Kunikida wanted his soulmate to have a good head on her shoulders, but not be so smart that she would outshine his duty as a man to protect. A stable job, forgone of the Port Mafia and agency alike, perhaps a lady who worked at a cafe and always smelt of freshly baked sweets would do. Someone he could sit at the dinner table with him late a night, a whiskey glass in his hand and a glass of Rosé in hers, her voice smooth as silk as she told him stories of he day.

Yes. That was the kind of woman he wanted. That was the ideal woman. Not the woman who stood in front of him, staring at him with teary doe eyes and a heart of glass because she fell for the tricks of a man akin to a demon. It wasn't her fault Dazai was a womaniser, he supposed.

"Could you tell him to call me? And that, when he has time, I have a bottle of his favourite whiskey waiting for him... if he still wants to meet"

Kunikida nodded, picking up his notebook off his desk and jolting down a few words to remind himself of the request later on. "Consider it done, Miss..?"

"(name)"

"(name)" He repeated. Pretty, like poetry. "I'll have him ring you tomorrow when he comes in"

The smile he got in return could have melted the ice cold hearts of even the evilest men, Kunikida noted that down in small handwriting as well. A pretty smile went a long way in the world. She bowed her head and turned on her heel, leaving the room just as sliently and as timidly as she entered.

For some unknown reason, Kunikida couldn't stop himself from doing the next thing he did. Maybe he was compelled by his morals, or maybe God was playing a cruel prank on him, but whatever the case his feet were moving on their own and the words were spilling from his lips.

"Miss (name), wait!"

She stopped in her tracks, turning her head to gaze at the man. Kunikida cursed himself for not sounding more confident in his words. them coming out a lot shakier than he had expected. Why was this woman making him so nervous now? She wasn't anything near what he liked, surely his brain had been tricked into going after her because he would have never had otherwise.

"Hm? Was there something else you needed Mr Kunikida?" Her eyes were filled to the brim with disappointment of Dazais forgetfulness and downright disrespectful nature towards woman. Poor thing looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.

He cleared his throat and straightened his back, pushing his glasses up his nose once more and adjusting his blazer vest. He could feel his armpits sweating underneath the suit he wore and he prayed it wasn't obvious to (name). "You say you have a spare bottle of whiskey, yes? I happen to like whiskey myself, so I was wondering if you would grant me the pleasure of sharing it with you instead of Dazai?"

Oh heavens, what was he even doing? This wasn't a part of his plan or his schedule for the night. Here he was throwing away a perfectly fine evening to spend time with a woman that he wouldn't have given a second look otherwise. Who did he think he was? Trying to take home his partners lover? Had the lack of attention from woman made him sink so low?

A soft giggle came from plump lips. Angelic. A choir of angels calling him into temptation. He could see the devil now and he was berating him for not following his ideals to a T. It was hard to care when you saw someone looking so defenceless but so beautiful.

"I won't sleep with you in exchange for company, if that's what you're thinking"

"What! No, I'm sorry, that wasn't what I meant!-"

"I'm messing with you" Another giggle followed by her turning around to fully face him. Kunikida could smell her perfume now, cinnamon and nutmeg. Like the taste of a warm hot-crossed bun on Easter morning. "I'd love to share a drink with you. Theres just a little problem, I don't drink whiskey, I brought it specially for Dazai..."

The blond thought back to his earlier plans for the evening before (name) had appeared and set it upside down. Paperwork, grocery shopping, dinner. He knew what to do. "What's your drink of choice? I was planning on going to pick up some food on the way home, I can pick you up a bottle and bring it round, if you'd like"

"Are you sure? I can pay you back"

"Nonsense, its my duty as a man to provide for the woman I spend time with, you can pay me back with your happiness" He cringed as the line left his lips. He could have willed himself to die in that moment if he had the power to. The redness and sweat of his pits had reached his face now, his cheeks matching the colour of the now setting son.

But her smile never faltered, in fact, it grew. "Rosé, please. Just whatever you can find. I live on the east side of town, apartment 37 in the complex beside the bakery. Come at 6?"

"I'll see you then"

And then, (name) left with a spring in her step, the aura around her looking much brighter than it had been when she walked in. His eyes lingered on her figure until she was out of sight, only the sound of her heels click-clacking against the floor evidence as to her being there. Kunikida glanced at the clock. 5pm. In an hour, he'd be at a woman he just mets apartment sipping alcohol and talking about who knows what. In 2 hours he could be tangled in the bed sheets with her, her soft hands roaming all over his body, his lips pressed against hers and the smell of perfume sticking to his clothes for days after.

Everything was wrong. This date went against every single one of his ideals. Yet, the adrenaline was addicting, just like the smell of (names) perfume. Maybe, just maybe, one day off wouldn't hurt.

"Damn you Dazai, take the woman on a date yourself next time"

[anneboleyns-wife]

Guys, I feel the need to say these because there are some ppl who sympathetize a certain antagonist so much that they put the blame on other characters.

1. Lucifer destroyed humanity for "shits and giggles".

First of all, this statement is so fucking stupid. Did we watch the same show? Lucifer gave the apple to Eve to share the gift of free-will to her. Even if let's say the book at the start is completely wrong, the way Lucifer behaves shows that he does regret what he did. If he truly wanted to destroy humanity because he was "jealous" or fuck it, even "bored" why would he regret it?

He destroyed God's plans and if he truly wanted to do that, why would he say "These sinners are using the gift I gave them wrong." ? This alone shows that what Lucifer did was a mistake on his part. A big mistake, but you can't look me in the eye and tell me that it was okay to send him down to Hell for an whole eternity?

Trust me when I say this, if Lucifer knew that the apple contained Roo he wouldn't even give the apple. His thought process was "If I give this apple to Eve, she will be free and choose for herself." I am stand by this fact, Lucifer did not have ulterior motives with the whole apple incident.

Now, some might say "He is putting on an act in front Charlie!". And you abse this on what? He genuinely sounded sorry, and during the More than Anything song, he said "I don't want you to be crushed by them like I was.". If this isn't enough proof that he isn't in fact putting on an act, I don't know what to tell you. He is scared of Heaven, he is fucking traumatized and it surprises me to see so many people putting all the blame on him.

2. Adam is Innocent and Got Wronged by Women

This is just victim blaming. Again there is no proof that Adam wasn't abusive, the way he acts in the series just shows us that he is misogynistic and a jerk. He was a victim of the system too I'll admit. And I personally believe that only Eve ate the apple because why wouldn't the book at the start of ep 1 mention it?

He was spoiled by Heaven and he was never held accountable for his actions. Heaven never tried to fix his behavior, they just changed things up to appease him, which caused him to become a narcissist. We have no proof that Adam wasn't a toxic husband towards Lilith and by saying that it's Lilith's fault that Adam ended up like this is a wrong statement. It's just pure victim blaming.

You may think that Lilith won't be a good person, but again we don't have a proof of that! We aren't even sure that the woman on the beach is Lilith (there is like a lot of appearance differences between the Lilith we saw on the beach and the Lilith we saw on the family pictures).

. Conclusion

Hazbin is loosely based off of the bible. You can go ahead and create AUs where Lucifer is the bad guy, but I personally think that Lucifer has better morals than Adam. (Plus, Lucifer is Viv's favorite if you need a reminder) So I don't think there is gonna be a wild plot twist about the book at the start (at least for Lucifer's part.) Thank you all for reading this.

[theboywithburninghands]

Greetings. I got Funnybunny and Buttonblossom. So this is a direct sequel to my last story. If you know anything about shipping, you can probably see the direction these tidbits are taking. But hopefully it’s a welcome direction! Anyway, enjoy, it was a while in the works I know… sorry!

Friends Who Kiss: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Doll

Pomni never thought she’d get stir-crazy in her bedroom. Her one safe haven in this rainbow-colored madness was starting to bore her. She supposed it was inevitable, people tended to get bored of doing nothing, even if doing nothing was what they wanted with all their heart. Jax, Kinger and Zooble got carted off to enjoy their “reward” of a day at the amusement park after that day’s adventure, so she couldn’t go talk to her boyf-

…

Her friend that she kissed. So, instead of letting time slow to a crawl as she laid in bed, probably getting her depressed in the process, she decided to get up and go for a walk.

The circus grounds were pretty, but in the same way that N64 or PS1 games were pretty. Vibrant, phony green grass, hills that were smooth enough up close but jagged and blurred at a distance, a lake of royal blue water that flickered on the surface if you stood too far away. It at least felt real enough, the sunlight was warm and she could hear birds… although she didn’t see any birds. Probably just a looping .wav file.

Sun: HIYA POMNI!

Pomni: GH- Oh. Uh. Hey… *waves awkwardly at the Sun*

Sun: Don’t look at me too long! I cause irreparable solar retinopathy!

Pomni: …Uh huh. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.

Sun: Okaaay~!

Pomni went down to the Digital Lake. Caine had dunked her in the water on her first day here, and her sensory overload from that experience basically blocked out what the water felt like. She sat at the edge of the deep blue simulated water, listening to the sound (or was it sound file?) of the waves lapping against the shore. Pomni stopped to remove her shoes, found that she couldn’t, and simply waded into the water. The water felt… nice. Cool, a little too chilly to jump right into. She would have cringed at the thought of her socks getting wet, but she couldn’t tell if the yellow things on the ankles of her shoes were socks or not. So whatever.

She thought about going out into the water. Her outfit was anything but swimwear, but it didn’t stop her from sleeping in it, so what did she care if it got wet? This world was like a cartoon, she’d probably dry off in like five seconds… still, it would have been nicer to go swimming with a friend. She sat on the beach.

Pomni: Hm… I wonder if he likes swimming?

Pomni heard footfalls behind her and flicked her head around. Ragatha was making her way towards the beach, but she paused mid-step upon seeing Pomni turn to look at her.

Ragatha: Sorry, can I join you? Or did you want to be alone?

Pomni: Uh… n-no, I don’t mind. I- just… I’ve never seen this part of the circus up close.

Ragatha smiled and moved to sit down beside Pomni, smoothing out her dress as she sat cross-legged on the sand beside her.

Ragatha: It’s kinda peaceful when things aren’t insane, right? I like coming down here too. It’s like a safe area in a video game… Did you ever play Legend of Zelda?

Pomni: Uh… I might’ve. It’s hard to remember a lot about the outside.

Ragatha: Yeah. Some things I forget, but there are some memories I can’t even if I tried. I remember when I was a little girl and I saw Ocarina of Time for the first time… it was like magic. The lake here reminds me of Lake Hylia.

Pomni: Uh huh… I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for saving me from that snake.

Ragatha: Oh, Pomni, I was just looking out for you! No worries!

Pomni: N-No. I abandoned you when you needed help on my first day here. I can’t believe I was so selfish…

Ragatha: Pomni. It was your first day. I know you were desperate and scared, because all of us were on our first days. I forgive you. *smiles warmly*

Pomni: …..Okay. *her cheeks redden* I uh… had another question. And it’s a little more, uh… personal?

Ragatha: Alright?

Pomni: …Do you… Do you like girls?

Ragatha: …Romantically?

Pomni: Uh… yes?

Ragatha: Honestly? I’m not sure. It’s been forever since I’ve thought about stuff like that. Why, do you?

Pomni: *blushes again* I like… both. Men and women.

Ragatha: I’m glad you have so many options! Well I guess… had so many options. Again though, why? *gives a curious smile*

Pomni: Uh nothing… I mean, no reason. Just curiosity I guess.

Ragatha: Can I ask you a personal question?

Pomni: *gulp* Sure?

Ragatha: What’s going on with you and Jax?

Pomni: What? Nothing! Uh… n-nothing? Nothing.

Ragatha: *Ragatha rests her chin on her closed fist, smiling* Jax never apologized for anything before you came along. I won’t tell anybody if you guys are fooling around, I promise.

Pomni: We’re not in a relationship or anything…

Ragatha: So a situationship?

Pomni: No-? What- What is that?

Ragatha: I dunno. I heard Zooble say it once and I thought it sounded neat. Plus it seems like the only thing Jax would get into…

Pomni: Well we’re not…

Ragatha: Alright. …So, maybe sometime, you want to go to the amusement park together?

Pomni: WHAT-

Ragatha giggled with a hand over her mouth, then gently shushed Pomni.

Ragatha: Hey, hey, no need to shout! Just a question.

Pomni: Wh-Wh- uh… why…?

Ragatha: Because you’re my friend and I like you?

Pomni: I mean… I-You… I-We-The…

Ragatha: Heyyy, easy, New Stuff. You need to breathe with me again?

Pomni: N-No-I just… I really wasn’t expecting that… I mean… *sighs* Yeah, I’d like to, but Jax would ge-

Pomni gasped sharply and clapped her hands over her mouth. Ragatha raised her eyebrows a bit before her usual pleasant smile turned into a smirk.

Ragatha: I thought sooo.~ You really shouldn’t lie, Pomni. I know you’re shy about things like that, but I mean it when I say I’ll keep your secrets. We have to trust each other.

Pomni: WE’RE- IT’S- NO, You-You-You- got it all wrong! We’re not in a relationship, honest! We’re just friends that kiss sometimes..? *she palms herself in the face for admitting too much yet again*

Ragatha: Ooo la la! You guys have kissed, huh?

Pomni: S#!%!

Ragatha: It’s ok-ay Pomni, I promise I won’t tell. I’m happy for you, really.

Pomni: Y-You’re… happy?

Ragatha: Yeah! I’m always worried when someone new shows up. What if they… you know, abstract? Especially if I really like them. But you’ve got a reason to keep on going now, you know? And oh my god, it must be amazing for Jax. I know he’s unhappy like the rest of us, it’s why he pulls all those… “jokes.” At least I imagine that’s why he does. Having a little joy in his life must be so rejuvenating. It’s hard to come by these days… Joy. You know?

Pomni: …You promise you won’t tell anyone..?

Ragatha: Needle in my eye. *she taps her button and smiles*

Pomni: Okay. …Well. Thanks. Uh, wait… were you serious about the whole going to the amusement park thing?

Ragatha: If you want to, sure! I’ve been on all the rides like a dozen times.

Pomni: Wait, as… friends? Right?

Ragatha: As friends. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of what you and Jax have.

Pomni: We’re just friends! That kiss!

Ragatha: Right, well, I don’t want to get in the way of your “friends-that-kiss-ship.” But I hope you’ll be my friend. That doesn’t kiss.

Pomni: It’s not like I would mind kissing you, but-

Ragatha: What?

The silence that followed dropped like a lead weight. Pomni felt her core freeze solid from adrenaline. She got to her feet robotically and turned back to the tent.

Pomni: Gottagosorry.

Pomni dashed across the field to the tent and ducked into the tent, panting with her hands on her knees.

Pomni: “I wouldn’t mind kissing you-“ UGH I’m such a dum@$$! Stupid, stupid, stupid! *she thumps her fist on her forehead*

The jester sat down on one of the many oversized cubes scattered around the tent and groaned. What was she thinking? Why couldn’t she just be attracted to one person?! It wasn’t that hard! Anyone that showed her a little bit of kindness earned her affection now? Well… no. Jax had been nothing but a troll to her, and she still ended up finding him attractive… Despite his irritating tendencies, the rabbit was one of her only sources of real joy in this place, she couldn’t mess things up with him… That was selfish. Jax’s feelings mattered just as much as hers. It would be beyond selfish to leave him because someone else caught her eye. Selfish and dangerous. What if he was heartbroken, and that heartbreak led to hopelessness, and the hopelessness inevitably led to…

Pomni: F#$%... F#$%!

Pomni covered her mouth with both hands and screamed as loud as she could. She had no fingernails to bite or loose hairs to pick out, so she had to relieve her anxiety somehow. She panted, covered up and screamed again. It wasn’t enough, not even close, but it was something. Like scratching a bug bite, it felt good in the moment but it would only itch again. She knew there was only one real way to cool down the white hot ball of anxiety in her belly, and it was going to suck. She wanted to projectile vomit.

The only real thing to do was rehearse. She got up and began to pace around the tent. Pacing helped her think. Helped with a lot of things, really… It didn’t cure anxiety but it helped temper it somewhat. What was she going to say..?

—-----

Jax, Zooble and Kinger arrived back at the tent around the late afternoon.

Jax: Well that was a waste of time.

Zooble: No s#!%. I think I rode the ferris wheel seven times in a row. ‘Least that way I won’t be nauseous for dinner.

Jax: Time flies when you’re having fun. *gives a huge, fake smile before immediately scowling again*

Zooble: Ugh. Whatever.

Kinger: Hey! W-Who’s that?!

Kinger pointed into the tent. Pomni was in the main room, pacing in a tight square.

Zooble: Oh for… That’s Pomni, Kinger. Are you gonna forget every time she leaves your line of sight like a toddler? Seriously-

Kinger: She’s coming right for us!

Zooble: What?

Pomni was indeed making a mad dash for them. Kinger braced for impact and Zooble took a few steps backwards before Pomni collided with Jax, throwing her arms around him in a hug.

Jax: OOF! Hey what-?!

Pomni only squeezed him tighter, burying her face in his overalls. Jax felt his cheeks warm up despite himself.

Zooble: …Ew.

Jax: Uh… *in a nervous, sing-song whisper* What are you doiiing~...?

Pomni didn’t reply with words, instead grabbing Jax by the wrist and tugging him off to their bedrooms. Zooble and Kinger watched the two of them leave, then swapped confused looks.

Zooble: That was… interesting.

Kinger: Something is amiss. No one has ever hugged Jax before.

Zooble: I’m amazed you remember that and not who Pomni is…

—---

Pomni dragged Jax into her room before slamming the door shut hard enough to rattle a few smaller toys scattered about.

Jax: …Oh, hi Pomni. Yeah, I’m really tired and hungry, thank you for asking. Why, that’s right, I do have a few questions-

Pomni: I can’t calm down. I need to get this all out. Listen for a second…

Jax: …Okay.

Pomni: I don’t want to lose you. I know you said we’re just friends that kiss but you’re really f@#$ing important to me. So just know that you didn’t do anything wrong. But- I have a crush on Ragatha. We didn’t do anything together, but I can’t stop thinking about her and I don’t know why! You-You-You make me really happy and you make me feel like I can survive here and that hasn’t changed but I just feel the… the same thing when I look at her the same way I do when I look at you, and… and… I just feel horrible! I don’t want to replace you because you… you… I… Without you I would have gone crazy by now, and you’re an insufferable clod but you’re so charming and funny and-and-and handsome even if you’re just a cartoon like me, and… oh God I wish I knew how to stop what I’m feeling but I can’t, and I felt like exploding all afternoon because I thought of you hearing all this and then abstracting, and it would have been my fault because I just couldn’t keep my stupid hormones in check and then I wouldn’t have you anymore and I would basically be a murderer and I’d cry myself to sleep every night and-and it… and… and-and-and-and…

Pomni stammered for a while longer before panting heavily, staring down at the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Jax.

Pomni: I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I-I-I-I… I’m sorry…

Jax: …You think I’m handsome, huh?

Pomni: WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! *claps her hands to the sides of her head and falls to her knees*

Jax: Jeez, okay! Not the answer you were looking for, got it! Just trying to lighten the mood..!

Pomni: And I so appreciate it! I mean that! But I feel like the world’s gonna end right now! And I’d appreciate a real reaction pleeeease! *yanks on the bells of her coxcomb hat*

Jax: If this is about yesterday, I told you I forgive you. I thought you were cheating, but you weren’t.

Pomni: B-But isn’t this cheating? Liking someone else?

Jax: No? I told you, you can be “friends that kiss” with Ragatha too, if you tell me first. If that’s what you want, go ahead and go. Honestly, I’m not surprised. You said she was pretty.

Pomni: She is pretty.

Jax: If you like kissing Raggedy Ann. *short chuckle* Look, Pompom. We’re already in technohell. Whatever keeps you from abstracting is okay with me. As long as I get my time with you.

Pomni: Don’t call me Pompom. But… of course… I’m not replacing you. I just… I like Ragatha too.

Jax: Gay.

Pomni: Shut up. I… I guess I was worried you’d be really upset.

Jax: Nah. I think you were more upset than me, honestly. I get it, it’s kinda weird to just have a bunch of people you kiss. But honestly? Who cares? …I gotta wonder though, what made you want to ask? Was it the snake?

Pomni: Sort of the snake. But… she asked me to go to the amusement park with her today.

Jax: And you said you would? Spoilers, it sucks.

Pomni: *small laugh* It’s not like we have other options.

Jax: There’s the lake.

Pomni: …I think I want to take you to the lake.

Jax: You- Oh. ….Eheh. *he blushes* Yeah. I think that’d be fun.

Pomni: Fun? In this place? That’ll be the day!

The two of them laughed together, before Pomni gave him a hug. He hugged her back.

Pomni: …We’re just going to the amusement park. It’s not like we’re going to make out or anything yet.

Jax: Pompom. I’m not jealous.

Pomni: I know, but you said this was your first relationship, and… and I didn’t want to ruin it. And I don’t want you to abstract…

Jax: I’m not gonna. I’ve got you.

Pomni: Yeah. You do have me… until this whole place comes crashing down. I lov-

Jax’s ears shot up, and Pomni froze, looking up at him with wide, roulette eyes.

Jax: …Yeah. Same. *he winks* But we both know that already, so don’t say it, okay?

Pomni: Okay… do… you want to stay here tonight?

Jax: I’d really like that, yeah.

The two “friends that kissed” hugged each other for a long while longer, until Jax broke the silence.

Jax: Uh… why are your shoes so wet..?

[staycalmandhugaclone]

Unhinged ask:

Vacationer types - which are TBB boys?

and/or

TBB with an SO that is inquisitive, always asking or wanting to learn.

ty 🌑

I’ll be honestly: I wasn’t entirely sure what you meant by “vacationer types.” I shall shamelessly admit to googling it, which, in fact, did not help, so we’re going based on the first link I read: the planner, the relaxer, the adventurer, the budgeter, and the documentor.

Let’s go in a less common order! (Also, this is post TBB series + a happy ending. I feel like things would be quite a bit different before and during the show)

Wrecker - The Adventurer! (Is anyone surprised?) It’s a vacation, not a mission! If he wants to go explore that shop or this dark and dubious tunnel, all planning goes out the window!

Having an inquisitive SO only spurs this impulse, much to Hunter’s chagrin. If they point out something that catches their eye, Wrecker’s the first to check it out. He may not innately have answers to their questions, but he’s more than willing to make an effort to enable them to try to figure it out themselves – to a point. He may get bored and start wandering if the subject in question isn’t particularly interactive.

Crosshair – The Relaxer – His favorite part of beach trips is plopping into a hammock and listening to the ruckus his brothers cause nearby. It’s rare for him to have that kind of peace. Alone, things would be too quiet; he’d be too exposed, but with the sounds of splashing waves and feigned rage, he’s able to truly relax in a way that’s been robbed from him for years.

He’ll entertain an inquisitive partner for a time, but eventually, he’ll grab them and haul them onto the hammock with him with a barely audible “shh,” eager to share that rare, treasured stillness with them.

Hunter – The Planner – He’s spent his entire life working toward perfecting strategies that literally meant the difference between life and death for his brothers. Those habits aren’t quick to fade and resurface a bit too intensely during vacations. It didn’t take long for his brothers to break him of meticulous itineraries, but he still has Tech research possible dangers and goes through excessive planning to account for each one.

An SO that’s prone to asking numerous questions was initially overwhelming as he strove to maintain some degree of control over his uncooperative family, but, as he slowly comes to accept that things aren’t going to go terribly wrong if he isn’t there to supervise, those endless questions become a welcome distraction even if he often times has no answer to offer.

Tech – The Documentor – …is… is anyone surprised by this? Anyone? He’s literally been documenting everything already, and the chance to visit a new planet without some lingering responsibility dominating their actions? That’s a dream come true! He spends the entire time studying everything from unique cultures to foreign flora and fauna, and happily recants his newly acquired knowledge with anyone near enough to listen.

The more questions his SO asks, the happier he gets! The man will talk himself hoarse. It’s a problem, but he’s so damn cute and passionate – it’s one of the easiest ways to get him to smile.

Echo – The Budgeter – After the first few trips, he started planning two budgets: the one he shared with the others and the one he’d actually prepared. It was the only way to keep from spending every credit they had as expenses inevitably exceeded what should have been enough. Now, he merely sighs dramatically when someone splurges on an impulse buy, but the chance for everyone to truly unwind and enjoy themselves is well worth it.

Like Hunter, he was initially too focused on trying to keep the others reined in, so answering numerous questions was met with distracted replies followed by heart-felt apologies. As things calmed down, however, he was all-too happy to fall into an endless conversation, discussing whatever curiosity their SO was taken with rather than trying to merely offer a direct answer. It becomes a gentle, calming routine and a lovely excuse to pull them just a bit closer so neither have to talk loudly to be heard over the others.

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[crustose]

The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, reordered to fit Steddyhands timeline

Pet Sounds is about Stede, Ed, and Izzy. and here's the proof. Listen on Spotify

Wouldn't It Be Nice

Ed/Izzy, Hornigold era. Encapsulates the joy of finding each other, while yearning for better times. Hoping that one day they’ll have it, if they just hold on for a little while longer.  

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up In the morning when the day is new? After having spent the day together Hold each other close the whole night through But happy times together we've been spending I wish that every kiss was never-ending Oh, wouldn't it be nice?

You know it seems the more we talk about it It only makes it worse to live without it

Discussing mutiny, building Blackbeard, together. Longing for the kind of life that isn’t ruled by Hornigold any longer.

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

Ed “It’s all so fuckin’ boring’ Teach

Every time I get the inspiration To go change things around No one wants to help me look for places Where new things might be found Where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out? What's it all about?

I Know There's an Answer

Co-Captains? Co-Captains. 

I know so many people who think they can do it alone They isolate their heads and stay in their safety zones

Now how can I come on And tell them the way that they live could be better? [Traditionally, piracy is a culture of abuse, floggings, keelhaulings. And my thought is, "Why?” And also, what if it wasn't like that?]

Here Today 

Izzy, warning Ed against Stede. 

It starts with just a little glance now Right away you're thinkin' 'bout romance now You know you ought to take it slower But you just can't wait to get to know her A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing But if you're not careful think about the pain it can bring

It makes you feel so bad It makes your heart feel sad It makes your days go wrong It makes your nights so long

Izzy, warning Stede against Ed

Right now you think that she's perfection This time is really an exception Well, you know I hate to be a downer But I'm the guy she left before you found her Well, I'm not saying you won't have a good love with her But I keep on remembering things like they were

That's Not Me

Stede leaves, thinking he’s doing the right thing for everyone. Once he reckons with that, he can return with the confidence that he loves Ed, and that the Revenge is home. 

I had to prove that I could make it alone now But that's not me I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now But that's not me I could try to be big in the eyes of the world What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl [Ed Teach btw]

I'm a little bit scared 'cause I haven't been home in a long time [Stede talking to Ed’s wanted poster] You needed my love and I know that I left at the wrong time

I'm Waiting for the Day 

Stede/Ed/Izzy, at various points. They were there for each other, bridging those times when various iterations of the three of them were broken up. 

I kissed your lips and when your face looked sad It made me think about him and that you still loved him so [S2 Stede to Ed and Izzy, separately] You didn't think, no, that I could sit around and watch him take yo You didn't think that I could sit back and let you go

Izzy, S1, hoping that the duel would get Ed back.

Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) 

Ed/Izzy. Those first moments of reconciliation, when it’s just the two of them. They can’t really talk about it, not yet, but they can sit together, shoulder to shoulder [well, shoulder to upper arm more like], hands gently clasped, and just be. 

I can hear so much in your sighs And I can see so much in your eyes There are words we both could say Come close, close your eyes and be still Don't talk, take my hand and let me hear your heart beat

Sloop John B

Stede/Izzy, that night that Ed left. Stede’s excitement at being respected as a real pirate, giving way to his anxiety over Ed. Izzy helps him through it. 

Around Nassau town we did roam Drinkin' all night Got into a fight Well, I feel so broke up I wanna go home Call for the captain ashore, let me go home

You Still Believe in Me 

Ed/Izzy. Ed’s wonder and gratitude that Izzy, against all odds, stays. 

Every time we break up, you bring back your love to me And after all I've done to you, how can it be You still believe in me

God Only Knows 

Steddyhands. No explanation needed. 

If you should ever leave me Well, life would still go on, believe me The world could show nothing to me So what good would living do me?

[wanderella-w]

Farms and free fruit (Day 44-45)

On day 44 I hiked from Babbacombe to Dawlish with a light backpack. The day was not so special as it was grey and the path went through small, busy towns, a construction site, and partly along railways and roads. But there were also some meadows and woods. I still had to get used to walking alone a little bit even though I had done it before. At the end of the day I took the bus back to my campsite in Sheldon.

Day 45 looked more promising as it already started out with sunshine. Then it got even better when just after I left Longmeadow Farm, a man sitting in his campervan gave me an apple and two mandarins mumbling something like "you look like you might need it"! I didn't 100% understand what he said but I was very grateful!

Behind Dawlish, where I arrived by bus, there was a long concrete footpath between the railway and the sea. It may sound a bit boring, and towards the end it was, but in the beginning there were high waves causing a lot of spray so you had to sometimes run from them which was kind of funny.

I came 10 minutes late to catch the ferry at 10:10 from Starcross to Exmouth, so I had to wait 50 minutes for the next one during which time I made coffee and ate biscuits. Here's my view sitting on some stairs:

In Exmouth I had to walk along a big and busy beach with lots of cars parked next to it. I was eager to leave it behind me, because, whereas on the map in the guide booklet the past few days have looked like just one big city, it seemed like after Exmouth this would change and it would be all nature again (or mostly). Just behind Exmouth I had lunch next to the Geoneedle, which marks the start of the Jurassic Coast, while I was looking forward to a nice afternoon of hiking.

I had to have some patience with the going-back-into-nature thing though. First I had to pass the biggest holiday park I have ever seen, with what I guess were more than 200 bungalows in total and another shooting range of the military, only that this time it was actually in use. Very relaxing to walk to the sound of gunfire :D.

But then, finally, I walked through the gate below and could enjoy the view of the Jurassic Coast, which looks quite different than what we've seen before, in the beautiful afternoon light.

Just before taking those pictures I met another coast path hiker, doing the whole path and also camping! He was going it the other direction than me. For me it quite cool to meet him but he didn't seem too impressed. He asked if I was called Laura, so apparently there is someone called Laura on the path with us.

Behind Ladram Bay it was time to look for a camping spot. I had already tried around 4pm at a farm, just a little extra walk from the path, but it was no success as the farmer wasn't home. When I now saw a perfect grass patch on a meadow next to the path, I thought I'd give it another try and I went the farm to which the meadow seemed to belong. Some dogs were baking at me and I didn't see a main entrance to the building that looked like the farm house, only something like a terrace door. I walked further and rang at a random house where a lady told me that the farmer did indeed live on the farm. So I gathered all my courage and went back and knocked on the terrace door. A lady opened and she said it was fine if I camped on the spot that I had seen! Okayy great!

I also came through Burleigh Salterton today which is a cute little town and I went to the church, initially to look for a phone number to call in case I wanted to sleep there. Emilja from the hostel told us that you can sleep in churches and that she had done it before. It was actually on Rosas and my bucket list to do it some day. At the church I didn't find the telephone number but it turned out they had the cutest little community café there so I ordered a cappuccino, took it outside to drink, and afterwards got a free banana from the free food corner (it was big pile of bananas so really enough for everyone).

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

going to the beach at night- julie

Thanks for the prompt, anon! I hope you enjoy! This is part of my and @joyandthephantoms's soft verse-- Julie/Luke qpps, trans Luke, Alex is Julie's adopted brother, Alex/Bobby at this point in the timeline.

Send me prompts!

The fact that she makes it all the way to the beach without her phone blowing up with frantic “Where are you?!” texts tells Julie that her sneaking out was a resounding success.

It’s just after 2am, and the shore is dark and chilly, the cold sand illuminated only by stars and the lights of the city behind it. Julie kicks her sandals off and sits by the edge of the water, letting the evening tide lap over her bare toes.

There’s nowhere better to be alone with her thoughts than the beach at night. Julie closes her eyes, breathes in the salty sea air, and thinks to herself, Time to figure this out.

And then a voice behind her says< “Oh, you’re gonna be in so much trouble if Mom and Dad find you here.”

Julie scrambles to her feet, biting back a scream. When she registers her older brother standing barefoot in the sand, smirking at her, she whacks him with the back of her hand. “Alex! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Well?” He laughs and settles down into the sand next to her. “What are you doing here, kid? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Yeah, look who’s talking,” Julie grumbles, but she sits down again, scooting closer so she can nudge her shoulder against Alex’s. “I just needed to get out. Clear my head.”

“Yeah, I’ve been there.”

They sit in silence together for a while, listening to the waves crash along the beach, and then Julie says, “Are you in love with Bobby?”

Alex blows out a long breath. “Shit, Jules, coming in with the hard-hitting questions now, are we?”

Julie hugs her knees. “Well, come on, are you? You’ve been dating him for, like ever. Mom thinks you’re gonna marry him.”

Even in the dark, she can see Alex’s blush. “I am not gonna—” he starts, then presses his mouth closed and takes a deep breath through his nose. “Ask your real question. Is this about Luke?”

Julie hums, resting her chin on her knees. In the distance, some kind of fish leaps out of the water, like it’s waving at them. “I guess. Yeah.”

“You don’t think you’re in love with him?”

“I don’t think he’s in love with me…”

With each calming breath, Julie filters through another memory— Luke on their anniversary, asking why they had to go on some special date just because it had been a year since he first asked her out; Luke at the homecoming dance, spinning Julie around and complaining about the DJ’s music taste in the same breath; Luke in her bedroom window last night, crying that he must be broken, that he’s not good enough for her, that she should just break up with him and find someone who’ll treat her the way she deserves.

“I don’t want to break up with him,” she whispers, letting the breeze carry her voice away.

Alex makes a thoughtful sound. “Would anything really change if you did? You guys were creepy-close long before you put a label on it. Just go back to that and also see other people if you want.”

Julie doesn’t think she wants to see other people, but she gets Alex’s point. She and Luke wouldn’t have to spend any less time together than they do now. They already don’t do more than kiss, and Luke seems to find even that somewhere between boring and disgusting. Would anything really have to change if she just… stopped calling him her boyfriend?

“Look,” Alex says, pushing himself to his feet. “I won’t pretend I’m any kind of expert on this stuff. Bobby and I… Sometimes, I feel like he’s only dating me cause no one else will.”

“What? He wouldn’t—” Julie starts to protest, but Alex holds a hand up, cutting her off.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m only dating him cause no one else will, too. It’s whatever, it’s high school. My point is…” He brushes the sand off his legs and holds a hand out to help Julie up. “Do whatever’s gonna make you both happy. And whatever’s gonna make sure that kid sticks around, cause he’s good for you. But don’t date him just cause you think you’re supposed to. That’s not fair to either one of you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Julie hugs him tightly around the waist; her head only barely comes up to Alex’s chest. “Thank you.” “Hey, what are big brothers for?” He ruffles her hair. “Now, come on. Let’s get home before someone wakes up and realizes we’re gone— I do not need Ray’s ‘mad at the GPS’ face trained on me tonight.”

--

Taglist: @whenweremarried @sunsethimb0s @pink-flame @penguin0613 @fighttoshine @sunsetcurvecuddles @teenagedirtbag-dot-jpeg @brightattheorpheum @queenmolina @jandthephantoms @lexilucacia @sapphossidechick @acnhaddict @shrimp-colours @sunset-bobby @lenacarstairspotterstewart @conversationaltreestump @burntchromas @julieandthequeers @joyandthephantoms @it-tastes-like-lizard @jatpfs 

[captainknell]

*random story that does not relate to Napoleon other than a resemblance to this particular depiction of him*

So idk if that's a weird little mustache or just supposed to be shadows on his upper lip, but my husband was teasing me that the real reason I like Napoleon is that he looks like a guy who had a crush on me who happened to have a weird little mustache. If you're bored, feel free to read my silly story. I should be sleeping or doing something useful I suppose but here we are...

Way back in the year 2012, I was 18, about to turn 19 👵 (I feel old now). My mom and I were in Florida for a concert and had met up with some of her internet friends. We went out for dinner at a restaurant on the beach. One friend of hers had a son, about my age. We had met them one other time and I was friends on FB with them so we weren't total strangers or anything. Anyways, the adults were talking after dinner and the boy asked if I would like to go for a walk along the beach. Sure, why not. I thought I was grown now and it sounded exciting to go somewhere without a parent! So we walked quite a ways and sat down to rest. He was getting increasingly weird and I was texting another guy that I was talking to at the time and saying how weird he was being. The boy started teasing me, asking if that was my boyfriend. It was not but I think I told him it was in hopes that he would leave me alone. He sat behind me and wrapped his arms around me and asked if he could kiss me on the cheek. I said no and stood up. I was not worried at all, as he was scrawny and I used to work out back then and I knew he was no match for me, if it came to it. I decided it was time to get back to the restaurant and find our mom's. I started walking back and he came running after me. It was now getting dark and I realized how far away we were. There had been a volleyball court with black lights near where we had started and I could not see it at all. It ends up that we had actually walked several miles! Eventually he tried again, by grabbing onto my hand. So we're walking along, awkwardly holding hands. I break into a run (former track runner) and he can barely keep up. I think he said something that annoyed me, but up ahead I saw some big sand dunes and pits that we had passed earlier. I'm not a beach geologist or anything so idk if they were man made or caused naturally by the waves or whatever but I saw the deepest one and ran for it. At the last minute I flung this poor boy into the hole and kept running. Finally I saw the black lights right as they were turned off for the night! It was almost pitch black at this point but I managed to find the restaurant and our angry mom's waiting in the parking lot. Apparently they had been calling us but we hadn't heard or felt our phones while we were running. We still had to spend the rest of the weekend awkwardly in each other's company. And then the next month, I was randomly in Chicago with my dad and they happened to be there too. It was a hot summer day but it got cold at night and we were riding the El and he offered to "be my blanket" and laid on my legs to keep me warm. My dad and I made it back to my Aunt and Uncle's and that's when I met my future husband lmao. He still teases me about it.

[hours2hours]

THE HAWKINS PARADOX: CHAPTER FOUR

Miles

Half-laying on the empty table, I continue scribbling aimlessly until my pencil pierces the paper. Drawing is one of the few things that can distract me, but not today. My thoughts downpour as strongly as the rain outside, too much to focus. The library at Matlock Collegiate is tiny compared to the city school I used to go to, meaning it’s usually filled to the brim with students studying. But this window and table are tucked behind a corner in the back. Usually the isolation helps calm me down, but the murmurs of students tell me I’d be alone regardless. 

A bolt of lightning strikes, and thoughts flash to Mateo, what his body might look like, disfigured and cold. How different would today be if I had stayed with him that night? He might be sitting here with me, working on our comic book or talking about new video game releases.

“How is that guy not in jail yet?” 

“Beats me. Just keep your distance.”

The whispers have been driving me insane. If this is what I hear when people think I’m not listening, how much has really been said?

“Can I sit here? Or are ‘ya busy sharing an intimate moment with the window?”

I drop my pencil and slide off my headphones when Joel’s hand smooths over the back of my chair. I wipe the moisture from my eyes and ask, “How’d you know I was here?”

Joel takes a seat. “‘Ya know Miles, you’re one of the most secretive people I’ve met. To know much a anythin’ about you I’ve had to observe. You always come to the library when you’re messed up, this is the most isolated spot in the building with a close window, and I know you like watching the rain.” He finishes wearing a smug grin.

“Not bad detective,” I joke. 

A flash of light, and I’m pulled back to a time when Mateo and I were kids camping with our grandparents. They were fast asleep during the storm and I was so scared, so he came into my bed and we watched for a while. When I was scared of the storm coming close, he taught me how lighting works, how to tell how far away it is. He assured me the danger was far away, and made me feel safe enough to sleep.

“Uh oh, the murderer’s planning something. Look who he’s sitting with!”

“Do people in this town gossip this fucking much? Or is it just for me?” I snap.

Joel leans in close as if to reveal a secret. “In Matlock beach, I like to look at other examples of isolation turning people into animals. Ya’know, lord of the flies and shit. In this case, people have gotten so bored they actually make up any shit they want to keep entertained.”

Chuckling slightly, I resume staring out the window. 

Joel slides his chair closer and stares into my sketchbook, head resting in his arms. “What’re you drawing?”

“Just scribbles,” I say without looking. Joel slides the book close and raises an eyebrow. He picks up the book and stares at it, a confused expression overtaking his face. “Why'd you write this?” he asks.

“Write what?” I reply, reclaiming my sketchbook. The page is still just a bunch of random scribblings. But then Joel takes s pen from the desk and begins drawing on the page, tracing over what he sees. In a way I hadn’t even noticed, the strips of pencil lead have spelled out three words, “HOURSTOHOURS”.

“The hell?” Joel remarks.

“Those words sound familiar.”

“They marked the place where the money was ‘sposed to be.”

“Guess it’s been in the back of my mind.”

“Must be,” Joel appears awestruck. He hesitantly places the book down as if wanting to question further, but doesn’t.

After a long pause Joel says, “... anyway, I came here ‘cause I wanted to tell ya that there’s search parties lookin’ for Mateo. Don’t think they’ve found anythin’ yet though.”

“Figured.”

“Point is they’re looking, an’ they’re gonna find ‘em.”

I don’t answer. It doesn’t make me feel much better, because I know what they’re going to find.

“This place sucks, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess,” I reply.

“We should get outta here,” Joel says with a mischievous smile.

I glance back at the page I continue to scribble, “Lunch period is over in ten minutes, we have to get to class.”

Joel scoffs, “You know that neither of us are gonna do shit today right? How can they expect you to? Let’s go,” he taps the table twice hard with an open hand before standing with his bag over his shoulder. He’s right. If I can’t draw I doubt I’ll be very productive in the classroom. I’m not exactly an advocate for skipping class, but they have to make an exception if my brother’s probably dead, right?

Joel guides me to the side exit of the school, only known by students as the smoker’s door. No one’s out in the pouring rain though, maybe the cold will act as a distraction at least.

Joel pulls out his keys and unlocks his car door in advance. “Ready to book it?”

I hold my backpack over my head and nod. Joel opens the door and we sprint through the rain. Truck in sight, Joel reaches for the handle only to step into a deep pothole, tripping on his face. I manage to tug at his hand to bring him to his feet. But he still keeps a smile while he jumps in. “Are you okay?” I say exasperated and giggling, while Joel is totally soaked and covered in mud.

“Yeah,” He heaves. “Thanks for the help.” He starts the engine. 

“Sorry for getting your car all wet,” I say.

“Oh c’mon, if I didn’t want it dirty I sure as hell wouldn’t’ve come in. This thing is a dumpster anyway.” He doesn’t buckle his seatbelt before driving off  toward the beach. His car is a bit of a wreck with green specks littering the floor and cup holders, the smell of weed still easily distinguishable.

Downtown Matlock Beach is a rectangle of run-down buildings roughly the size of two or three city blocks. There’s the arcade, an old building with outdated games and prizes, the recently renovated cafe where I work, the bank, an antique store, some restaurants, and various self-owned shops. Of them all, the only one which interests me is the comic book store. I wonder if I’ll still be able to go to that alone with how anxious these places make me. Before, Mateo would take me.

East to all the stores is a grassy area with tables and trees. There’s a stage in the middle where a lot of c-tier bands come to play in the summer for tourists.

Today, the water is a jagged sea of white-peaked waves. Normally there are fishermen on the water, some speedboats and a kiteboarder or two, but it’s barren, and not just because of the weather. No one’s really been boating or fishing at all in the past few weeks. In fact, I can recall some warnings not to go in the water at all. Other than being a tourist spot or summer home, this town relies on the lake for fish and summer activities, but those haven’t been possible with the current state of the lake. Parasites making the fish unhealthy, turning their tongues black. Crazy the mundane things you care about when you desperately need to distract yourself.

Joel drives us to a diner I’ve never even noticed before, squished between the arcade and a tackle shop. He parks out front and we run inside.

It’s old as expected. The furniture and interior design all outdated, but not in a nostalgic way. We sit down at a booth with seats made of wood that are faded and chipped all over, right next to a huge dingy window. A waitress comes by and takes our orders, but after that we’re sitting in silence while I spin the salt shaker in circles.

Joel sighs, “I get you’re worried, but they’re going to find him. I promise you.”

I sit with my fist squishing my cheek up, “That’s what I’m worried about. I'm not ready to see what they’re gonna find.” Joel touches the back of his head. “Well, what were you guys up to that night?”

“Why does it matter?”

“‘Cause I get what it’s like for someone to fuck with you, and not just ‘cause of the Toby incident. I’ve dealt with shitty circumstances before, and unlike the cops dealin’ with your case, I give a shit. Maybe I can help.”

“How do you know they dont?”

“I heard the way they talked to you. They think your pain is just another problem in their day, another case they need to solve for a paycheck.”

The waitress drops off some waters, which I swish around endlessly. “If you want to help then I don’t see the harm. We were just filming this stupid video for art class in our backyard. I didn’t see or hear anything weird, he wasn’t acting much weirder than usual that day. Although in the weeks before he had been leaving the house more often than normal. He helped out on my assignment for an hour, until Annie messaged me. I left… and then he was gone.”

Joel barely grazes his finger against mine on the table, he’s leaning forward and speaks softly. “It isn’t your fault.”

“I know, everyone tells me that. But I just can’t shake the feeling that if I were there, it might not have happened.”

“But he was acting unusual you said?”

I look away back at the pouring rain. “He was never really a normal guy, but he’s been leaving for days in the last few weeks. It wouldn’t be odd for someone his age, but Mateo usually kept to himself. When I asked him where he was going he lied to me. But he’s done stuff like that before, I dunno.”

Joel is quiet while he thinks things over. “An’ the cops checked his phone?”

“I don’t know, Dad hasn’t mentioned anything, why?”

“You said he was gonna finish the project after you left, do ya think he might’ve still been filming?”

My stomach drops like a falling elevator. “How did I not think of that? I’m such an idiot!” A fisherman eyes me when I yell, but somehow I don’t even care.

“He left the thing behind?”

“My Dad found it when he went looking for Mateo, but I seriously doubt he knew the password.” Feeling guilty, I leave a small tip on the counter before rushing out the door.

“You mean you actually know it?” Joel shouts over the rain.

“He was my brother,” I reply. “I knew everything.”

***

Joel pulls up to my home, the downpour growing denser until a soft haze covers the ground. As the car slows to a reasonable pace I hop out, and I don’t hesitate to bang my fists on the door when the handle doesn’t budge. “Dad it’s me, open up!” I call.

“He isn’t here,” Joel says.

“Dad open the door!” I cry out, slamming my fists harder. Mateo’s life could depend on that video if he really did record what caught him. There’s no guarantee that it’ll be anything but I have to try. Every second wasted is another where he’s tortured, or sold to human traffickers, or sliced open to be sold for parts. Joel turns me around when I find that the rain isn’t alone in streaking down my face. “This door is too strong to bust down. Let’s find another way in.”

But despite his calm demeanor, I still can’t seem to catch my breath. My breathing steadily grows faster just as my heartbeat. but Joel is eyeing the house up and down. “C’mon.” He gently guides me around the house, while raising his sweater above our heads as shelter. The house is so tiny, practically a trailer home, so there isn’t a lot in terms windows. On the back of the house though, there’s one right next to the back door. I slice open the tips of my fingers trying to pull the thing open, but it barely gives. Joel quickly joins in on heaving the thing, placing a foot on the house to pry it open.

Despite my objections Joel is fine with staying out in the rain while I make a mess of the floor. It doesn’t feel right entering Mateo’s room. People’s rooms are their private places, it’s not something I ever want to intrude on. But I can manage to forgive myself this one time. The phone sitting on his bed is hard to miss and has some battery power left. Just to make sure it wasn’t changed, I type into the password screen, H2H2 and it unlocks. As badly as I’d like to lock myself away in my room, I don’t need to do that this time. Just before leaving I catch sight of something on his desk: Mateo’s sketchbook. I carefully tuck it underneath my hoodie and head back outside where Joel waits.

The trip out from the house, through the rain and to the front porch is only a soaking wet blur, Joel’s voice almost surprises me. “You’re shaking,” Joel notes. I didn’t even notice how violently my hands were vibrating. The fear I haven’t felt in years shows itself with impulses I thought I’d grown past. I open the video and skim past all the school stuff to the part where I left him alone.

The camera recorded the top of our heads as we sat on the grass in our backyard. The sun was just setting while we were talking about how to finish our project, then I received a text. “Oh god, I’m sorry man. I have to go.”

Mateo just laughed softly and said, “No worries homie, we’re basically done anyway. I’ll finish it up.”

“I totally owe you. By the way, is your part of the comic almost done?”

“Five more panels to ink and it’s all yours. But if you really wanna repay me, I wouldn’t mind some help with the last few. I’d value your artistic insight.”

At this point the footage clearly shows me picking my backpack off the ground and heading out. “Awesome, I’ll probably be out late, tell dad not to freak out. See you tomorrow!”

Mateo watches me leave and when I’m out of sight, he simply sits and watches the sun setting. After five minutes or so, he stands and turns the camera to the forest.

“Hmm, sun’s going down. I think I’ll just try to get some b-roll for now. Hey uh, Miles, if you’re watching this I’m sorry but I’m totally not getting this done tonight.”

I laugh as a tear streams down my face. Then the moment it catches my eye I pause it.

“What’s wrong?” Joel asks.

“Do you see that?” I point into the dark of the forest, at the faintly visible glow peeking out of a bush, two pinholes of white light. Joel takes the phone from my hands and examines it closer. “I dunno what I’m looking at here.”

“Nevermind,” I hit play again, and the lights disappear. The only sounds are the creaking trees and Mateo’s breathing. He slowly pans the camera across the trees, and tests various angles and lighting conditions.

Then someone speaks.

It’s difficult to even notice at first, so I crank the volume and both of us inch closer to the speaker. 

“Help… please,” the voice calls. It’s voice chokes over each word as if speaking with a mouth full of water. Unmistakably masculine, but other than that it’s unrecognizable, barely audible. Mateo is on the edge of the frame now looking into the forest with his mouth agape.

“A-are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Please....”

“Hold on, I’m going to get help.” Mateo turns to run for the house, but he’s stopped in place. I gasp when two arms spring out from the dark and clasp tightly over his mouth. They aren’t visible somehow, the odd lighting of the shot makes it so the arms appear as silhouettes against his skin. Mateo stops wide-eyed before fighting against his attacker. He fumbles over their arms trying to pry them off his face, he tries to yell, but in a moment he’s dragged into the woods all while the person mutters something under their breath. It’s only a few words, but the attacker repeats them over and over while he and Mateo’s muffled screams grow fainter.

The footage is silent for a moment, until louder screams fill the air. Horrifying, pained screams. I turn the phone off, sobbing, unable to breathe. Joel only holds me tight, knowing well that no words could make this okay.

“What was the point?” I ask.

“I dunno, Miles. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was a good idea.” But all this video confirmed was my suspicions of Mateo’s violent end. 

“Maybe we’ll still find something of use on it. If not to save him, to bring you some closure. Can I see that?”

I plop the phone into Joel’s hand, he taps a few buttons and hands it back to me. He guides me back towards his car while I cling tightly to the book in my lap. The last piece of him I still have.

“What’s that?” Joel starts the engine.

“Something of his that I need to finish.”

“One day I’ll get some straight answers outta you.” He wipes the wet hair out of my face. “Now c’mon, let’s get you somewhere dry.”

[blue-eyed-bloodstains]

When was the last time you swam in a pool? 🏊‍♀️ a few years ago (pre COVID) at Hershey Park Water Park with my fiance. wayyy overdue to go swimming this summer

Would you rather have an indoor pool or outdoor pool? doesn’t really matter to me

What was the last thing you said out loud? “oh my gooooodddddddd” bitching at my computer trying to get music playing to start this lmao 

Do you think you could ever be an opera singer? hell no!

How often do you eat bread? 🥖 I’m Italian/Irish mostly so it’s most of my diet lol I’d say maybe 3-4 times a week given we get subs and burgers a lot

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and thought you looked pale? I’m ALWAYS pale, not just the Irish in me but  I’m barely ever outside due mostly to debilitating illnesses making it hard to physically function for long on my feet for years now so...yeah

Have you ever wanted to be a nurse? 👩‍⚕️ not a nurse no but I did wanna be a vet for a long time as a kid so basically yeah just for animals instead

Would you ever want to be a nurse? Why or why not? no, I live in and out of hospitals I always have and I’d never be able to handle the trauma and mental/emotional hell...

Who or what do you worship? I don’t worship anything, I have my beliefs but I’m not religious

What was the last thing someone made fun of you for? ha seriously? what DON’T they? umm but for a lighter note of being made fun of, messing with one another between a friend and I on FB vid last week

Do you own a mini sewing kit that you use for altering clothing? 🧵 no my fiance’s parents are the sewers lol 

Do you know a Ted? I have in the past but not currently no

Do you own a beret? 👩‍🎨 no

When was the last time you wore a beret? when I was real young in gymnastics for a performance

What is one thing you have found to be a bore? my every day which is stuck home couch ridden alone stuck to my own devices, especially with my fiance being gone for work all the time

Where do you keep your out-of-season clothes? I don’t own many clothes, so I don’t have “seasons” 

If you had to pick your top three favorite colors, what would they be? black, blue, beige/tan

How many inches do you normally have to hem up your pants? 👖 please I’ve never needed to, pants have always been mostly “floods” on me cause of my height and long legs lmao

What are three things you would buy if you were rich? 🤑 our own house, my own car (nothing flashy), lots of pets

How many times in your life have you been stung by a bee or a wasp? 🐝 never thank god and I don’t plan on it! knowing my luck that’ll be the only thing I’m actually allergic to on top of it hurting like all hell

Have you ever swam in one of the Great Lakes? nope would love to though

….and if so, how many of the Great Lakes have you swam in? –

Do you believe in the devil? 👹 yeah? look around, how could you not??

What is one thing you wish were more easily accessible? mental health care/treatment

Do you enjoy playing icebreaker games when you’re in a group of people you just met? ummm not sure I’ve ever really played any, but I’d like to since I’m very socially anxious so it’d help me relax a bit

What is your favorite icebreaker game? –

What is one thing you find serene? standing on the beach at the Highlands in NJ where we spread Mimi’s ashes...I try to go every anniversary of her death and I always feel her there so strong and I can actually just breathe and relax...

Have you ever chopped something with an axe? 🪓 no and I’d probably fail miserably lol

What is your favorite genre of music? I love most anything

What is one thing you like that tastes sour? I mean I can suck on a lemon or lime no problem without cringing? then again I’m an alcoholic so that’s probably why I got used to it from garnishes lol

Do you think “Sour Patch Kids” sounds too much like “Cabbage Patch Kids”? I guess lol never really thought about it 

Did you ever own a Cabbage Patch doll when you were a kid? umm I could swear Mimi got me one when I was a baby from what I was told but I don’t remember it

Do you like the candy Sour Patch Kids? yeah they’re delicious and now I want some dammit! 

What was the last song you listened to on repeat? Nutshell by Alice In Chains....

What is one mistake you’ve made that you hope to never repeat? pretty much my entire life, swear to god...

What was the last thing you baked in the oven? pssh me bake? XD

Have you ever been to a track meet? 🏃‍♀️ no

What do you call the bathroom? Do you say bathroom, restroom, washroom, lavatory, loo, toilet, latrine, or….? bathroom, occasionally restroom if I need a public one and I’m asking an employee at whatever store

When was the last time you made guacamole? 🥑 I never have

Do you know of any schools that have the beaver for a mascot? not that I know of

Have you ever stayed in a suite? no, just an occasional real nice hotel room

[imdoingwhateverisnext]

I Still Need a Title

It was nearly 20 years ago. I arrived on the first night of my job. It was dark and I used my electronic key card to get through the gate of the parking area. Finding a spot was easy, as the lot was large and mostly empty. I opened my car door and grabbed my bag, badge, and stethoscope, and suddenly my door slammed shut, as if someone from outside shoved it. It was loud and rattled me a little bit. I was parked on a flat paved surface, and there wasn't even a hint of a breeze blowing.

This place was darker than any other hospital parking lot I had ever been in before. The car door slamming startled me so much that I looked around to see if there was anyone near my car. I saw no one. I opened the car door again, this time with intention. I looked around and said out loud, "Look, I am only here to help, I promise". I paused, listened to the silence, and gathered my things. I exited my car and walked toward the hospital in silence. The only noise on this night was the sound of my footsteps and my own breathing as I walked up the sidewalk into the back door entrance.

I looked around and counted the cars in the parking lot. Mine was one of six in the parking area. I wasn't sure if this was reassuring, but I was getting paid good money through a contract to be there for 10-12 hours, so I was going to endure whatever I had to for the next several hours, regardless. The hospital was an old building on a Native American Indian reservation. I did consider this when my car door slammed shut. I didn't want to feed any growing curiosity in my mind regarding the physics of the slamming door, but I had a long walk to get to the hospital. I tend to let my thoughts wander when I get bored. What did cause my door to slam? If It hadn't been the first day of this contract, I would have spent more time thinking about that; because it was bizarre. I swiped my badge and hurried in, following the signs to the nurses station.

Most contract jobs are days, weeks, months at best. The hospital kept renewing my contract for several months. Then they offered to buy my contract from my employer and give me a full time job. I enjoyed working there, so I accepted the offer.

During breaks in the evening I would walk down the long dark hallway to the parking lot. I loved to watch the bats as they would swoop past each other and myself. I had never seen so many before. There had to be more than 50 per night fluttering around the light posts. A few nurses refused to go out during the dark for this reason alone. The bats would fly near my head, so close I could feel the air movement from their wings. The echolocation they used must have been extremely accurate. Many nights I would have 3 to 5 bats chaotically circling my head and body but I never even was grazed by a wing. That is pretty impressive.

Bats have always been fascinating to me. I read once that each bat eats it's own weight in bugs every night. This made my interest turn into pure love. I am not a fan of insects in general, but mosquitoes are one of my least favorites. They would swarm the lamp posts at night along with moths and gnats. Imagine how many flying insects one might have to dodge on the way to their car if it weren't for these beautiful winged mammals.

--------------

I had never experienced anything paranormal at work before. A hospital should be a haven for the supernatural, considering all of the death and suffering that can happen within it's confines. In this place, there were 4 rooms that had been rumored to have had weird goings on.

There had been a rumor of a nurse who haunted the halls dressed in all white. She had been seen by a few of the staff on night shift. When I heard this, my first thought immediately was, 'if I die, the last place I want to return to haunt is WORK". Okay a cemetery would be the last place I would go. I have obviously put some thought into this. I would definitely haunt a ski resort or a beach house somewhere. Maybe a theme park to ride the roller coasters if that were an option. However, I didn't actually believe any of that haunting stuff, but what a poor soul that nurse was, if it were true.

One evening I did the, knock-knock-open the door move that nurses tend to do. We are technically supposed to wait for someone to tell us it is okay to come in, but I was busy and that is the only excuse I have.

"Knock-Knock", I pushed the door inward and it bounced back towards me and closed. It sounded as if it had bounced off of someones shoe. I grabbed the door and held it as I pushed it in slowly. I wanted to make sure I hadn't hurt someone standing near it. I said, "Oh my gosh I am so sorry did I hit you with the door?"

As the door swung open completely, I saw the patient in bed on the far side of the room, and a visitor on the opposite side of the bed. Both were in no way fast enough to have had the door bounce off them and end up in the positions on the other side of the room. Neither looked disheveled as if they had just leaped across the room (which they would have had to do to have been next to the door and a moment later in bed or on the other side of the bed. I looked behind the door and I probably had a confused look on my face. The patient and visitor looked wide-eyed and disturbed. The looks on their faces told me something had startled them, to say the least. I did not want to stir up anything weird, and I had more patients to see. "So, I didn't hit anyone?" I asked to clarify.

They shook their heads. "Oh wow, I wonder what that was," I joked and quickly changed the subject. This was significant enough for me to remember it nearly 20 years later.

-----------

[jimblejamblewritings]

the imprint of the blood singer | part 3.

Summary: Y/N Black. All about La Push. Shy girl unless you get to know her. Not one to make friends easily despite the fact that she very well could. Friends with her brother’s friends until one Bella Swan comes back to town.

Warnings for the Series: light violence, light smut

Pairing: Edward Cullen x reader, Embry Call x reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

Quil passed the soccer ball to Embry. You and the guys were kicking a ball down the beach. Jacob kicked the ball a little too far for anyone to reach so you all chased after it. The ball stopped at the edge where the parking lot met the beach. A small van was there and you were pretty sure you recognized it as Tyler’s.

You made your way to where the van was and saw your lunch buddies. You smiled a little as they all waved. The boys were happy to see you opening up to someone other than them.

“Hi, (Y/N),” they all greeted.

“Hi, guys. Um, this is my brother Jacob and our friends. Embry, Quil, and Seth.”

“What are you stalking me now?” Bella joked with Jacob.

Your brother smiled, remembering running into her on accident a few days ago. “You’re on our turf now baby. La Push is Quileute land.”

“You guys should stay and keep Bella company,” Jess said, zipping up her wetsuit. “Her date bailed.”

“It wasn’t a date. I was just trying to be nice.”

“Date?” you asked intrigued. Bella hadn’t mentioned any boys.

“She invited Edward Cullen. He seems to love talking to her,” Jess filled you in.

“I think it’s nice she invited him. No one ever does,” Angela spoke up.

“Yeah, it’s cause the Cullens are freaks,” Mike said.

“You got that right,” Quil chimed in.

Everyone laughed and maybe a few weeks ago you would’ve too. But something made you feel bad at Mike’s words.

“I was just trying to be nice.”

“I’m sure you were, Bells.” You gave your friend a reassuring smile.

“Wouldn’t have made a difference,” Embry said, you knew he was about to say the famous saying.

“The Cullens don’t come here.”

~~

You were walking with Jacob and Bella on the beach. She had gotten bored of the van but didn’t want to surf either so you offered to walk with her. Seth, Embry, and Quil had headed back home. Bella was sandwiched in between the two of you.

“What did your friend mean about the Cullens don’t come here?” Bella asked.

“It’s nothing. Just an old superstition,” Jacob started.

Jacob didn’t really listen to the older legends. He always brushed over them anytime your dad told you guys anything. Bella seemed to hang onto his every word like she was searching for truth in them.

While you loved the tribe legends, you heard them so many times that Jacob’s retelling wasn’t very interesting. You only rejoined the conversation when Bella asked if you would go prom dress shopping with her. She didn’t want to suffer at the hands of Jessica and Angela on a shopping craze alone.

~~

You sat on the bench in the window with Bella. She was holding onto Jessica’s pile of potential dresses while you were holding onto Angela’s. You were about to hand Jessica and Angela a new set of dresses when a bunch of older boys knocked on the window. They catcalled and made rude gestures at you all. You recoiled as they laughed.

“Boys are actually the worst,” Jessica said annoyed. “I’m not sold on this yet. I’m gonna keep looking.”

“Hey, do you guys mind if I catch you at the restaurant? There’s a bookstore I wanted to check out while we were here and it’s gonna close soon.” Bella picked awkwardly at her shirt sleeve.

“Yeah, Bella. We’ll catch you at dinner.”

You stood up. “I’m gonna go with her to make sure everyone has someone.”

“Sounds good,” Angela said. “See you guys in a bit!”

You left Jessica and Angela in the dress shop and followed Bella towards the bookstore. You ditched your friend for a little bit, looking through some of the art supplies and picking up a new set of Copic markers you had been eyeing before finding Bella in the mythology aisle. You peeked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at: Quileute Legends.

“You know if you were interested in hearing more stories you could’ve just asked. I’m sure our dad has that exact same book at home.”

“I guess I didn’t think about that,” Bella admitted. “Well, it’ll be nice to have a copy.”

You both made your way to checkout and purchased your goods. It was dark outside the bookstore when you stepped out of it. You and Bella continued to walk towards the restaurant you agreed to meet the others at, passing an alleyway.

“Well, look what we got here boys.”

The drunk men from earlier stepped out from the alleyway. Your breathing quickened as the boys grabbed you and Bella. You weren’t strong enough to push the man off of you as you felt his hot breath on your neck and he had you pinned against the back wall.

“Didn’t we see you two pretty girlies at the dress shop?”

You couldn’t get out a proper scream as the man’s hand covered your mouth. A car whipped into the alleyway. You thought you recognized the silver Volvo and your thought was confirmed when Edward stepped out.

“Get in the car,” he said lowly but you could hear the traces of anger behind his voice.

Bella quickly got in the backseat. Most of the men stood back, not wanting to bother with the trouble. But the man who held onto you refused to move. Edward pulled the man away. He gripped his shoulder tightly causing the man to slowly sink to the ground.

“I suggest you follow your friends before we have a problem.”

The man looked between you and Edward before letting you go. Edward removed his gray peacoat and wrapped it around you. He picked up the small bag of your art supplies and escorted you to the car, keeping his eyes on the men. Once he shut the door, Edward sped off.

“I should go back and rip those guys heads off!” All the anger Edward was holding in came out.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Bella said very calmly from the back seat.

“You don’t know the foul things they were thinking. The foul, repulsive—” Edward cut himself off.

“And you do?”

“It’s not hard to guess.” Edward looked over at you. “Talk to me, distract me so I don’t go back and kill them.”

Edward’s grip on the steering wheel loosened as he stopped applying so much pressure on the gas. Your thoughts were sweet. More concerned about him and Bella than about yourself. He could also hear the smallest thought, you were already trying to push away the traumatic event. It took everything he had to control himself as you recalled the man’s breath and hands.

“We were supposed to meet Angela and Jessica for dinner,” you said softly.

“La Locanda.”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.” Edward smiled. “Best restaurant in Washington.”

“I’m more of a Grandma’s fan, myself.”

“Grandma’s?”

You paused before continuing. “It’s on La Push. It’s really good.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

You were quiet until Edward pulled up in front of the restaurant. You felt bad for mentioning the diner on the res. It completely slipped your mind that they weren’t allowed and wouldn’t have known.

Jessica and Angela were pacing frantically outside the restaurant. They pulled you and Bella into death grips when you stepped out of the car.

“Where were you two? We called a thousand times!”

“We’re okay, Angela,” Bella reassured.

Jessica scratched the back of her head. “Um, I’ve got to confess. We tried waiting for you two but got hungry and well, we went ahead and ate without—”

Jessica trailed off as Edward finally exited the car.

“I’m afraid that’s my fault the two of them are late.”

“Oh, no. Yeah, we totally get it. That’s cool,” Jessica rambled on. “Well we were just leaving.”

“Yeah, we should probably get going. Charlie’s gonna want me home before he leaves for the night shift,” Bella said. She didn’t want to leave but knew for Charlie’s sake she should.  

“Actually, I think I better make sure that (Y/N) gets something to eat since I interrupted your dinner plans. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

Before you could respond, Jessica answered for you. She and Angela excitedly walked away, whispering amongst themselves. Bella looked at Edward and then at the book in her hand before walking away with the other two girls. As you followed Edward inside you thought maybe you should pretend to be sick and avoid going to Forks on Monday for lunch. The girls were definitely going to question you.

You and Edward sat down at a booth near the back of the restaurant. The waitress brought you two waters and left you to ponder over the menu.

“Are you not going to eat?” you asked Edward as you dug into your meal.

Edward shook his head. “I had already eaten before meeting you and Bella.”

“How did you know where to find us?”

“I didn’t.” Edward paused when you looked at him with doubt. “I heard a small scream around the bar.”

“I didn’t think anyone would actually come… or that it was loud enough.”

“It wasn’t but I had a feeling.”

“A feeling? So you were following us?”

Edward was caught off guard and from what it seemed like in your head he could tell you were too. It wasn’t like you to be so confrontational. He settled on telling you the truth, a part truth.

“I wasn’t following you. I was in Port Angeles getting something for my sisters. You scream very loudly in your head.”

“In my head?” you dropped your fork onto the plate.

“I have the ability to read everyone’s mind in this room… you don’t believe me.”

“You have to admit it’s a bit far-fetched.”

“I’ll prove it.”

Edward told you what everyone in the room was thinking and then turned to you. “You peed yourself when you were younger at the petting zoo when one of the goats tried to eat your pants.”

Edward chuckled as you looked down at your food.

“If I knew you were telling the truth I would’ve thought of something less embarrassing. How’d you know the scream was mine though?”

“People sound the same in their minds as they do out loud. I’ve heard you enough times at lunch.”

“You can hear all our thoughts?”

“Everyone but Bella’s.”

“Is that why you stare so hard?”

“With everyone else, your thoughts are clear. With her… static. If I’m being honest, it’s hard sometimes to read yours. It’s a little fuzzy, like I’m looking at all your thoughts under water.”

“So something’s wrong with the two of us?”

“I tell you I read minds and you think you’re the problem?”

Edward smiled widely, genuinely. Pretty quickly his face went back to the stoic Edward you had seen in the cafeteria. You finished eating and got back in the car. The drive back towards Forks was rather silent.

“Do you mind if I turn on the radio?”

Both you and Edward reach for it. You pulled away quickly after his freezing cold hand touched yours. Was he always this cold? Without much thought you reached for the heating and turned it on. If he had a heartbeat it would’ve jumped at the sweet gesture. You looked out the window to see a commotion of cars near the police station, including Charlie’s cruiser.

“Uncle Charlie?”

Edward pulled over knowing you’d want to see what was happening.

“Uncle Charlie!” you called out. “What happened here?”

“Carlisle, what’s going on?” Edward came up behind you when he saw his father coming out of the station behind Chief Swan.

“Waylon Forge was found dead in a boat near his house. Dr. Cullen just came from examining the body.”

“What was it?”

“Animal attack,” Carlisle said. He and Edward exchanged looks that you couldn’t quite make out.

“The same one that attacked the guard on the news?”

“Most likely. It’s very late, you should probably get home to your family (Y/N). Especially with another attack.”

“Yes, Dr. Cullen. Oh, Uncle Charlie, did you see Bella get back before you left.”

“Yep, kiddo, right as I was leaving the house. Thanks for making sure. Carlisle’s right, I’d feel safer if you were inside.”

“I’ll take her.”

“Edward are you sure?” Carlisle asked pointedly.

“I’ll take her.”

Edward drove up to the very edge of the La Push reservation. He desperately wanted to take you all the way home, make sure you were safe in your room. But he also knew that in terms of the entire state of Washington, La Push posed no threat to you at all. It was the safest place you could be at the moment. He knew he should find someone else, you couldn’t ever truly be his. Edward watched you as you gathered your little bag of art supplies. You turned to look at him.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I feel very… protective of you,” Edward sighed. “I can’t take you any further.”

“I’ll be safe. I’m headed to my friend’s house anyway, he lives on the edge. It’s UFC Night.”

“Sounds fun?”

“Tons… you know, if you want to know what Bella’s thinking just talk to her. I think you two would get along, you kind of are alike.”

“And about us? Do you think we’d get along?”

“You already know what I think don’t you.”

“I try not to pry when it comes to you.”

You smiled. It was nice to know Edward tried not to invade your mind. You didn’t say anything to him, just waved and walked away. You weren’t sure how you felt about Edward but you knew deep down it was more than on a friendly level, even if you pushed him towards Bella for both your sakes. Even though he wasn’t allowed on La Push and you knew that just being his friend was hard, you weren’t sure you wanted to stay away.

“I don’t think I have the strength to stay away from you anymore,” Edward whispered to himself as he watched you walk off towards Embry’s house.

~~

“Quil, you actually made it!” you squealed happily as you saw your friends on the couch.

“Yeah. Gramps told mom to lay off a bit. You just come from a date?”

The other boys took their eyes from the television at Quil’s words.

“What? What would make you say that?”

“You’re wearing a coat three sizes too big and way too stylish for you,” Jacob answered.

You looked at your sleeve. Edward’s gray peacoat was still on you. You shrugged it off and hung it on the back of a chair, setting down your shopping bag as well.

“It wasn’t a date, more of a surprise? I was actually out with Bella, Jess, and Ang before.”

“Who’s the guy?”

“Unimportant.”

“You won’t tell your twin?”

“We share the same birthday, not the same womb. You don’t have to know everything Jake. Besides, it wasn’t a date.”

You sat in between Jacob and Embry, grabbing the chip bowl off of Embry’s lap so you could rest your head. Jacob stopped pushing you and grabbed some chips. He didn’t sweat it much, you always ended up sharing everything with him. You were two peas in a pod. Once you guys left Embry’s house he figured maybe you’d say. Sometimes it took you longer to open up.

“So it wasn’t a date?” Embry pushed.

“Why do you guys care so much? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you like me.”

You eyed Embry who had gotten quiet. This was a new side to him. You couldn’t lie, at one point when you were younger you did have a crush on Embry. You reached up and suddenly kissed his cheek making the other boys gag.

“It wasn’t a date. Just one of the people I know at Bella’s school.”

(Part 4)...

[babyboibucky]

Charm

Pairing: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky checks whether he still has his 1940′s charm.

Word Count: 1,613

Warnings: TFATWS spoilers! No warning, just a bit of fluff I guess???

A/N: Nothing really, just that Bucky deserves all the love in the world :’)

Charming (Part 2) || MAIN MASTERLIST

“You should date someone.”

Bucky groans at Yori’s suggestion. Again. The old guy had been pestering him about it ever since they started their little friendship. Introduced girls and forced him to take them out to dinner or bingo. He did try of course, but it always seemed too fast for him.

“I already did, haven’t I? You sort of forced me to go on one, remember?” Bucky asked before downing a glass of sake in one go.

Thank god they went to a different Japanese restaurant this time. His date with the girl at the other restaurant went pretty badly, with him walking out after a particularly sensitive topic and never returning. Bucky felt bad and as much as he wanted to go back there and apologize, he just doesn’t have the courage to show his face again.

“Yeah, well you messed up.” Yori said pointedly.

Bucky chortled, “Or maybe you messed up by forcing me. I told you, you gotta take it slow like a dance. I mean, you don’t just ask anyone to dance with you. You ask someone you’d like to dance with.”

Yori’s shoulders trembled as he tried to bite back his laughter. Bucky made a face when he realized he’d been talking a lot.

“Then go find someone you want to date. Or maybe you just don’t have it in you.” The older man teased.

Bucky couldn’t help but grin, “Sounds like a challenge.”

As Bucky poured himself another glass of sake, he began to wonder whether Yori was right. Maybe he really didn’t have it anymore, the confidence and charm he used to have back in his time.

Only one way to find out.

-

The club was a bad idea. A really bad idea.

Initially, Bucky thought that it would be the perfect place to find someone to date. Apparently not, because despite the presence of beautiful girls, they were pretty much throwing themselves at him. As much as Bucky was curious about the so called “hook-up” culture in the modern times, it just wasn’t for him.

And good god, the dancing? It’s not what it used to be; Bucky wasn’t even sure if he could call those movements “dance”.

Bucky called it a night and quickly headed to the exit. And that’s where he noticed you, fumbling with your phone and clicking your tongue from what seemed to be frustration. He slowed down in his steps, not wanting to interrupt your little moment as you mumbled a string of curses to yourself.

He eyed you from head to toe, noticing that you were wearing something too simple for a club: just a white shirt, some jeans and a pair of sneakers. With Bucky’s experience, he learned to be observant enough to read someone’s personality.

You were definitely not a frequent visitor to these clubs. And he was right about that because you were just forced to tag along to your officemates to celebrate a promotion.

“Ugh, fuck. Come on!” You unintentionally exclaimed out loud, stomping on the ground causing for Bucky to let out a chuckle.

Bucky’s eyes widened when you abruptly turned around, “Oh sorry. I didn’t meant to uhh...are you okay?” He asked timidly, slowly walking over to where you stood.

You huffed out, “I’m trying to book a ride, but the signal here sucks.” You explained. “And I’m not really comfortable to walk home at this hour.” You quickly added.

It was close to ten in the evening, it wasn’t that late yet but given the location and downsides of being a woman, you really didn’t want to risk your safety.

“Won’t your friends give you a ride home?” He asked.

You groaned, “They aren’t really my friends...I just work with them. They’re all shit-faced drunk and I didn’t even plan on coming here. Not a fan of clubs.” You admitted.

Bucky chuckled as he kicked the ground, “Guess that makes two of us.”

Your hum caught Bucky’s attention and when he looked up, you were looking at him suspiciously. For a moment he thought that you might have recognized him but you merely laughed and shook your head.

“You don’t seem like the type to hate clubs. Why are you here then?” You asked curiously.

Bucky shrugged, “Thought I’d find someone here that I can you know...take out on a date.”

You cackled out loud, it was the kind of laughter that made Bucky join in. You probably thought it was stupid for him to come looking for love at a club. And well, given his experience inside, you were correct.

“I know. It’s stupid. I haven’t been to clubs really, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect.” He admitted, rubbing the back of neck sheepishly.

You nodded, “How was your experience inside then?”

“You could say I was pretty shocked. And disoriented. The lights made me dizzy.” Bucky said, widening his eyes in emphasis.

Laughing, you nodded and agreed before introducing yourself so casually. Bucky repeated your name, he liked the way it sounded.

“I’m James.”

Bucky found himself easily opening up to you. The conversations flowed naturally, from something as basic as favorite food down to your mutual hatred for crowded places and everything in between. Bucky learned that you often volunteer at an orphanage and that you hate plums which happens to be his favorite. It resulted to a harmless debate that lasted ten minutes.

You asked him about his work, something that he had to lie his way around. As much as he wanted to be honest with you, he was afraid that revealing the truth might scare you off. You seemed to be really interested in him whenever he talked about his boring daily routine.

“Do you...do you like to talk somewhere else?” Bucky blurted out.

You offered a sad smile, one that broke Bucky’s heart because you were probably going to reject him. Understandable though, he was a stranger and it was late at night. It was hard to trust people nowadays.

“I have work tomorrow morning.” You apologetically said.

“But you can walk me home...if you’d like?” You asked. “I probably sound demanding but uhh, I don’t think I can really book a ride and I don’t want to walk home alone at this hour.”

Bucky heaved out a deep sigh of relief and laughed, “I thought you didn’t like talking to me.” He sheepishly admitted.

“No, I actually like talking to you. You’re fun. And interesting.” You smiled.

Bucky beamed and extended a hand, letting you lead the way before matching your pace. The more he talked to you, the more he realized that maybe, just maybe, you’d be the first person he’d willingly ask out on a date.

The walk lasted half an hour but to Bucky, it only felt like minutes. It was definitely not enough for him to get to know you more.

“Well, this is me.” You announced when you reached your apartment building.

“Thanks for walking me home, I really appreciate it.” You said.

Bucky placed his hands inside his pockets and nodded, “Call me old-fashioned, but I felt like any gentleman should do so.”

Bucky held your gaze and debated how he should ask you out. Should he just blurt out the question? Would that be too soon? Your number! Maybe he should ask for your number first, show his therapist that finally, there was a new number registered in his contacts.

“Well, I should head inside.” You said when Bucky remained silent and although Bucky didn’t want to assume, he thought he saw a look if disappointed in your eyes.

Yori is going to regret saying that he doesn’t have game.

“Wait,” Bucky called out before you could turn around. “Being old-fashioned and all, I know this might be too forward. Or too fast, even.” he trailed and cleared his throat.

“Would you like to go out on a date with me? This Saturday. We can go to the beach, get ice cream...” he suggested.

Wrong move! Out of all the places he could suggest, it just had to be the beach! It’s not like he could wear a long-sleeved top and his gloves without getting dirty looks from people. You were going to find out the truth about him, his arm, his past. And then you’d regret letting him walk you home because who knew what the Winter Soldier was capable of?

“I’d love to.” You replied with a grin but before Bucky could suggest another place, you had already walked up to the front door of your apartment building, pulling it open before suddenly stopping.

“Or we can just take a walk at the park if you want, if that’s more comfortable for you.” You suggested turning your head to look back at Bucky.

He furrowed his brows in confusion. Again, he was unable to say something because you beat him to it with a surprising revelation.

“I’ll wait for you to come pick me up on Saturday. And don’t worry about your arm, I don’t mind. Good night, Bucky.”

And with one final beautiful smile, you headed inside the building leaving Bucky with a confused look. You knew him all along but didn’t say anything. You opened up to him, held his arm when you laughed and still, it didn’t bother you. You didn’t call him out when he lied about working for a mechanic shop, didn’t get scared when he offered to walk you home.

It took a few seconds for Bucky’s brain to process everything. And then he found himself grinning like a fool when he proved something to himself. And well, Yori too.

“Guess I still got it.”

-

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