#checkin' all the right boxes

[whatelsecanwedonow]

The suffering of generations must be endured to achieve our divine end.

INTERGALACTIC: THE HERETIC PROPHET Announcement Trailer | December 2024

[misguidedasgardian]

Blurred Lines (1)

1. One foot in

MASTERLIST

Summary: You try to adapt to your new life as a separate woman, with a bit of help of a surprising person

Warnings:  Cursing, cheating, adultery, talks about body shaming, therapy, Harwin is a c*nt, for reals, misogynistic beliefs, body shaming, again, Harwin is not a good person on this… and Jace isn’t either, tampering with birth control, spy cameras, panty stealing, a bit creepiness

Wordcount: 3.9 k

Notes: Alright let's get this party started. This won’t be long, I’m thinking of three big chapters. I’ve never written a kid before… hahaha or I have but not this much…

It had been two of the hardest weeks of your life

You felt so lonely, meaning, Harwin was barely there as it is, but he came home every night, and he was the kind of man that make himself present by making you need him, that being him to open the pickle jar, change light bulbs or even anything, he was there, his looming presence, and now, you were alone with your daughter, if something happened…

You were on your own

Despite him calling you every hour, even at lunch break at his company, maybe to prove to you he wasn’t screwing his secretary, was it true that he wasn’t speaking to her? did you care?

You juggled Aerea in one of your arms as she giggled, and with other you tried to grab your keys from your pockets as you had hanging from your limb all the bags from the grocery store

As you entered, all your instincts made you jump as you draw a shirtless man standing right there in the middle of the Kitchen

“Ah!”, you let out a shriek as Aerea giggled again, clearly amused, and the men soon turn to someone familiar, Jace turned to meet you, running to your aid

“Jace, you scare me!”, you accused, as he grabbed Aerea from your arms, and the bags from the other

“Sorry I…”, he chuckled, “I’m an idiot it was hot outside and you had said I could use the pool, you gave me a key, I called my father, he said he was going to give you a heads up

Oh so that is why he was calling so intensely 

You had decided today that you wouldn’t answer

“Sorry about that, I was at the store, hands full”, you finally looked at him and you found him staring, as he grabbed Aerea, the muscles of his arms flexed, they were thick, his torso… wel… he had clearly taken to the gym, you shook your head as you started to put the things you bought in their place in the fridge 

“Sorry to have barged in, I will call you next time”, he said with a shy smile, 

“No, no, this is your father’s house, you can come any time, really”, you said quickly 

“I might take you up on that”, he said with smirk, Aerea played with his dark curls as she giggled, happy in her big brother’s arms

“You are so good with her, she adores you”, you teased, now putting away things in the tallest cupboards

Jace went to the living room to place his sister on the ground next to her box of toys, and he came back quickly, he pressed himself to you as he placed a can of beans where you couldn’t reach, just as you were trying to do

He was so close you could feel his body heat

“Let me help you with that” he growled 

“It’s ok”, you said, trying to get in the tip of your toes

“I got it”, you lost balance, and you found no better sustenance than the half naked young man standing next to you.

He chuckled darkly, as he placed the can where it belonged, he placed one of his big hands on your lower back

“Thanks”, you smiled, “you are missing the best hours of sun Jace, you should go enjoy the pool”

“Very well”, he said with a smile, and walked away to the patio. You kept putting away groceries while you saw Aerea play with her big magnetic pieces 

And as you were watching your daughter, Jace appeared in your line of vision, he had stared cleaning the pool

You didn't use it much. you didn’t felt comfortable in a bikini any longer, so it was a bit dirty, with leaves and all

His toned body under the sun, his thick arms as he concentrated on taking all the filthy out of the water.

Were you really just checking him out?

No, you were just admiring him 

Whomever he was interested in, he or she was very lucky, he was a handsome man.

You grabbed Aerea, who was getting fuzzy, and put her down for a short nap, and when you returned to the living room, you could tell it was getting very hot outside, so you grabbed a beer, and went and offered to him who was now finishing up the pool 

“Oh you are too kind”, he said with a wide smile

“Thank you for cleaning the pool, you didn’t have to do that”, you said apologetically

“No it’s fine, I want to use it, I should be the one to clean it, I couldn’t help but notice the grass needs a little trim too..”, he said, taking a sip of the bottle

“You definitely don’t have to THAT”, you said

“I know, I want to”, he said

“Well, I just going to let myself get pampered, I’m not gonna’ pretend any longer”, you giggled 

“Well, It's the least I could do…”, he said, and you stopped giggling suddenly, looking at him wide-eyed, he saw he had committed a “mistake”, “oh…”

“Harwin spoke to you I gather” 

“He did, he told me you two were splitting up”, he whispered, looking at you with pity in his eyes, you took a step back from him and faked a smile, “I just wanted to check up on you”, he confessed

“Well, you don’t have to do that Jace”

“I know”, he said quickly, “you are a magnificent woman, Strong…”, and he chuckled at his own play of words, “but everybody needs help”, he said, “In fact, I need some”, he deviated the conversation, smart

“What kind of help Jace?”, you asked, deciding to focus on that part of the conversation

“Give me a safe haven from my home, and I’ll help you around the house”, he offered

“I don’t know if I should be shielding you from your mother”, you said with a shy smile

“She is freaking out because my friend Cregan and I invested in a new business which I’m working on remotely, she doesn’t believe it’s head start, but we have faith in it, i have to put on the hours so it does work, I need a good internet connection, and I’ll help you around the house, what do you say?”, he offered. You didn't quite know what to say

“I really don’t want issues with Rhaenyra, she is going to think I’m hiding you here or something”

“She won’t”, he said

“Promise me Jace”, you demanded

“I promise, my mother doesn’t even need to know”, he said

“That is not what I meant!”, you said with an amused smile

“I know I know”, he laughed, “Please, I know you studied this, you could help me”

“Alright”, you relented

“Now… where’s that weedwacker”, he asked raising his eyebrows

“On the garage”, you responded

“On it”

“Enjoy the sun Jacey, Aerea is sleeping”, you said softly

“Can you put sunblock on my back?”, he asked,  teasingly, “you wouldn’t want me to burn on your watch wouldn’t you?”

“Very funny”, you didn't think anything of it, you put the cream in your hands and then you did a quick work of his broad back 

Oh if you could only see how hard you got him, he covered his lap with a towel, he couldn’t show his cards, not right now

“Thanks”, he said as you finished his lower back

“Of course Jacey, I wouldn’t want you to burn up”, you said softly

“Why don’t you join me?”, he asked looking back at you, “when Aerea wakes, it’s going to be safe enough to bring her out here too”

“I don’t think is such a good idea”, you said lightly, “I have things to do inside, ta-taxes and some-”, you got up pretty quickly, not wanting to explain why you wouldn't want to put a bikini on

You started lunch, you guessed Jacey was staying, anyways, you were accustomed to make large portions.

You phone started ringing, it was Harwin, he had gotten himself an apartment downtown near his office, he has renting, it was very small which make you feel guilty when he had to have the kids, but right now, yesterday was the day the children went back to their mother’s, and he hadn't seen Aerea since he left

So you picked up the phone and started to talk

Jace watched you through the window, just by the look on your face, he knew it must be the lame excuse of a father

He blame it all on you when he spoke to him, Luke and little Joffrey

Of course he didn’t tell them that he was the one at fault when he cheated. No, he gave them some lame excuse that people grew apart and what not

He was making it almost too easy

You were so sweet, almost naive…

“Harwin…”, you fought over the phone, “I know Aerea is two, and she is not much fun, and yes, she won’t remember, but she needs to see her father… it’s important for her”, a tear fell from your eye has you heard Harwin’s lame excuses not to pick up his own daughter, “I know… she is a lot of work, she is too young, but she calls for you at night…”

“Well that this what you get for kicking me out of our house”, he managed to hear 

Jacerys looked severely at you, and you just found him there, listening

“Well, whatever Harwin, call me when you want to see your daughter”, and you hang up the phone, and wiped your tears and tried to smile

“Thank you Jacey”, you whispered, not very convincing, “I’m having lunch, would you like some? I made too much, you see… out of habit”, you said simply

“I would love to”, he said, “I always loved your cooking” 

“Great”, you smiled softly, you were longing for company, so you rushed to set the table and serve lunch, Jacaerys sat on the table, and you put a plate filled with food to the brim.

When you married Harwin, you were young, you didn't really know how to make much, you didn’t know how to cook, and you barely knew how to clean a stove 

You learned, because Harwin passive aggressively told you he wanted to eat… better, so you bought books and forced yourself to improve your technique

For you, it was work

Harwin seemed pleased, but never had said a word to you.

Jace’s moan of delight made you snap out of your thoughts and smiled as you saw him golfing down the entire plate of food

“This is magnificent”, he moaned, “fuck”

“Hey, don’t curse” , you giggled

“Is just so good”, he said, “best I’ve ever tried”

“Now, I don’t believe that”

“The best pasta with Volantisi sauce I’ve ever had!”, he said, “Cross my heart and hope to die!”

“Well, I'll believe you”

You needed that, every little compliment, it was food for your soul, because if it wasn’t for Aerea, you would have believed you were doing everything terribly wrong

Aerea’s call for you was her signal to letting you know she was awake

“Just in time”, you muttered, and went to grab her

Jace certainly enjoyed watching your delicious ass walking away from him to go and pick up your child. 

Suddenly he was hungry for something else

He imagined what it would feel like, with his big hands grab the globes of your ass, spread them apart and…

But he needed to bid his time

He was already in, he needed to go slow, so it was permanent

You came back with a giggly Aerea, she was so sweet

“Would you like some lunch my beautiful girl?”, you asked sweetly, with a hand serving spaghetti while she walked towards Jace and reached for him with her arms. Jace picked her up

“You already walk little one, why do you always want to be carried uh?”

“Yes she is a little spoiled isn’t she?”, you asked sitting back at his side

“Just the right amount, and understand like, how could you refuse her? she is so beautiful and sweet”

Gods, he could already feel it, him with the baby you were going to give him in his arms, while you prepare a delicious lunch for all the family…

You tried to feed Aerea as she was being hold by Jace, and sneaked bites in the middle, Jace moved his chair, you were impossibly close, he was still half naked, he leaned in

 “You make beautiful babies”, he whispered so close to your ear your little hairs in the back of your head bristled, you jumped when your phone rang

You grabbed it quickly

“Darling I did it!”, sang song Sara’s voice, loud enough that Jace was right there, “I got you the interview, but you have to be here in twenty minutes, I caught him on a good mood”

“I can’t do that, I have Aerea here…”

“Go”, Jace said, “I’ll take care of her”

“Really? It could take a couple of hours…”, you said apologetically

“Of course”, he said with a shy smile, “she adores me and I her”

“Thank you so much”, you whispered, “Sara I can make it”, you said excitedly onto the phone

“Great, get in here!”, you jumped front he table, kissing your daughter on the cheek, and Jace’s cheek without thinking

“Thank you, you can call me if anything happens. for real”

“Nothing will”, he assured you

“Bye mama!”, Aerea was barely talking, but everyday she said new words 

“Bye my love, be good to your big brother alright?”, you teased, you grabbed your things and went out the door

It was a job opportunity, a very special one since you haven't worked in four years 

And it was also a great opportunity for Jace, being alone in your house is something he needed

“Jace-ey”, she giggled as she grabbed a handful of spaghetti with her chubby hand and took it to her mouth

“No darling, da-da”, he teached her, making her jump on his knee, making her giggle

“Nooooo! Jacey!”, she babbled playfully

He make her have more plentiful spoonfuls of pasta, and then he grabbed her in his arms

He searched for the cupboards until he found them, healthy snacks for his baby sister, he grabbed a cookie made of puffed rice and honey

“Who I am?”

“Jacey”, she giggled

“No… da-da”, he thought her

“Dada”, she said complicitly, and he gave her the treat happily 

“You are such a good little girl”, he praised, making her jump in his arms, “wanna play?”

She was a sweet kid, and Jace adored her, and he was going to love her more once he could call her his. He placed her in her playing zone in the corner of the living room

There is a couple of things he needed to do

He put on his gray sweatshirt on, as he was going to stay inside, and then he grabbed his backpack and extracted a small spy camera, 

He was a dedicated young man, so he placed one in the living room, in the bookshelf amongst the books, pointing at the couch and you could also see the open space towards the kitchen… especially the kitchen counter, where he planned to ram you against 

He looked at Aerea to check on her and she giggled 

“Da-da”, he reminded her

“Da-da”, she called back

“Good girl, come”, he called, reaching for her, she stood up, grabbed a stuffed animal and ran away from him giggling, he chased after her, until she reached your room, the space he wanted to see

He playfully grabbed her and let himself fall to the bed with her on top of him, he hugged and kissed her face, and then he started tickling her until she laughed hard

“It’s the tickle monster”, he growled playfully 

“Noooo dada!”, she laughed, she looked so sweet with her small teeth.

Jace stood up, taking another camera off his pocket

“This, is for dada to take care of mommy”, he said, showing it to Aerea

“Mama! dada!”, she said, she tossed and turned on the bed, playing, as Jace placed the camera hidden in the furniture in front of the bed, where he could see you clearly when you slept… or rather, when you invited him in

“The tickle monster is back!”, he growled, once he was done

Aerea shrieked and laughed trying to squirm away from him, but Jace grabbed her in his arms 

“Dada! more cookies!”, she begged, Jace took one from the small package he had placed in his pocket and gave one to her

She munched on it while he took her to his next point

They were right there, he didn't even had to look too hard

A brand knew package of your contraceptive pills, only two of them missing, sitting gingerly on top of the sink, inside your cosmetic bag

“Yes” he said with satisfaction, to see that they were those white ones, the easiest ones change, and you used one of those cool plastic gadgets to dispense them 

“Do you want a baby brother or sister, Aerea?”, he asked with a silly voice

“Yes!”, she said simply

“Then mommy is not going to need these anymore”, he said, slowly replacing each one by placebo’s his friend Cregan helped him get

Then he threw them in the sink, running water to eliminate the evidence

“Do you think nineteen days are enough to make a baby little one?”, he asked again, to keep her entertained, while she played with the rubber duckies that were in the edge of the bathtub for her bath time

He looked at the hamper filled halfway with your clothes in it, he leaned in, and grabbed a pair of panties... and he put him inside his pocket, for later... he thought...

When he was done, he felt proud of himself, he grabbed his baby sister and walked to the living room

“Baby dragons”, she demanded when they went back to the open space of the kitchen, dining room and living room, and she saw the big TV

“Ah, do you want to watch some cartoons, little one?”, he sat on the sofa with Aerea, turning on the TV and putting on the streaming service

You were such a good mother

He put on his little brother’s and now Aerea’s favorite show

“Baby dragons!”, she cheered as cartoon dragons appeared on screen, a green and blue one, a red and black one, a cream colored one with golden, a dark blue one, a golden one, and others”

“What is your favorite one?”, he asked

Aerea cuddled on his chest as she was quickly hypnotized by the show

“Dimfire”, she said simply, wanting to say Dreamfyre

“That is also Aegon’s favorite”, he laughed 

He wondered how your interview went

He found it amusing

When you are his, you were not going to need to work, but by now, he found it endearing, you wanted to be independent, wanted to split from Harwin completely

That worked in his favor 

You came back some hours later, finding the most endearing scene in the living room, Jace hugging his baby sister, cuddling together on the couch 

“Hellooo”, you sand sing, “I brought us a treat”, you said, two boxes of pizza in your hands

“You treat me so well”, Jace said with a smile, and you were just happy he was comfortable here, you has tried so hard when you first started receiving them in your house, to make it a home for them as well, and you believed you had succeeded

Was there a way for you to only diverse Harwin but keep his family? you were going to miss having them around, it was already a week, and you felt so lonely

You were happy and relieved Jace was staying

“Is the least I could do”, you said with a smile, “How was the little one?”, 

“An Angel, but that is no surprise”, he said

“You are so good with her, she loves her big brother”, you smiled at him. 

“Well, I have experience with my younger brothers, I have taken care of them since they were born”, he said with a proud smile

If he only knew he was trying to prove how good of a father material he was.

As you munched on the pizza, Aerea in her chair, you started chatting up cheerfully

“How did the interview go?”, he asked

“Great”, you said with a wide smile, “I don’t want to jinx it, Aerea is started daycare so it would be great”, you said, “I don’t want to get my hopes up”

“I bet it went great and you are being modest”, you smiled back at him, “you are a great mother, I’m sure you are a great professional as well”, he said simply

You suddenly felt nervous for some reason

“I’m sorry Jace, I knew we had something good here”, you said quietly, wanted to get it out of your chest

“You don’t have to apologize”, he said simply, “it is not your fault”, he said

“Well, depends in who you ask I guess”, you said without even thinking, “I miss having you all around, the house got so quiet all of a sudden”

“Well, that could be easily fixed, I’m here”, he said, and you smiled, “thank you for letting me come here as an escape, do you mind if I crash here?

How could you ever think there was something sort of sinister behind that “boy next door” attitude and smile?

“Like I said, is your house”, you whispered

You finished your dinner and as you took all the leftovers and the plates back to the kitchen, Jace released Aeres from her chair, taking her in his arms 

“Dada!”, giggled Aerea and then she leaned in and cuddle in Jace’s neck

“No sweety”, you giggled, over the bar that separated the kitchen from the table you had your meals in, “that’s your big brother Jace”, he was looking back at you, amused

“Well I could be her dad”, he teased

“No…”, you chuckled, “you just look so much like Harwin” 

“If I was Aerea’s father we would had have her when I was nineteen, the same age my father was when he had me”, he pointed out, and you found it strange that he would go out of his way to do explain it. You also found it strange he said we 

“Well he was young”, you said, “but you are right, you could have made her”, you teased tickling Aerea making her giggle 

You took her in your arms as she started cuddling, a clear sign that she was getting sleepy as the night had fallen over the city

“I’ll take her to bed, you of course can do whatever, perhaps watch a movie that isn’t animated”, you teased

“Nighty night Aerea”, he said goodbye, and you went to tuck your toddler in her bed

And as you want to make your daughter sleep, Jace put away everything else, cleaning the kitchen as well, he had to put everything out there, prove to you that he was worth it

He catches a bottle of wine hidden there, of course you were saving it for a special occasion, and he smiled thinking soon there might be, but not tonight

He already had a foot in, and now he was going to jump all in.  

But for now he grabbed a couple of beers, and he looked for the movie that had more sex scenes in it, and waited for you to join him.

taglist! @champomiel

[ohdorothea]

This tournament is being run by and for queer fans so please keep that in mind! Homophobes will be blocked on sight <3 More polls here and more info here! Lyrics for the songs and FAQ under the cut!

Timeless lyrics

Down the block, there's an antique shop

And something in my head said, "Stop," so I walked in

On the counter was a cardboard box

And the sign said, "Photos: twenty-five cents each"

Black and white, saw a '30s bride

And school lovers laughin' on the porch of their first house

The kinda love that you only find once in a lifetime

The kind you don't put down

And that's when I called you and it's so hard to explain

But in those photos, I saw us instead

And, somehow, I know that you and I would've found each other

In another life, you still would've turned my head even if we'd met

On a crowded street in 1944

And you were headed off to fight in the war

You still would've been mine

We would have been timeless

I would've read your love letters every single night

And prayed to God you'd be comin' home all right

And you would've been fine

We would have been timeless

'Cause I believe that we were supposed to find this

So, even in a different life, you still would've been mine

We would've been timeless

I had to smile when it caught my eye

There was one of a teenage couple in the driveway

Holdin' hands on the way to a dance

And the date on the back said 1958

Which brought me back to the first time I saw you

Time stood still like somethin' in this old shop

I thought about it as I started lookin' 'round

At these precious things that time forgot

That's when I came upon a book covered in cobwebs

Story of a romance torn apart by fate

Hundreds of years ago, they fell in love, like we did

And I'd die for you in the same way if I first saw your face

In the fifteen hundreds off in a foreign land

And I was forced to marry another man

You still would've been mine

We would have been timeless

I would've read your love letters every single night

And run away and left it all behind

You still would've been mine

We would've been timeless

'Cause I believe that we were supposed to find this

So, even in a different life, you still would've been mine

We would've been timeless

Time breaks down your mind and body

Don't you let it touch your soul

It was like an age-old classic

The first time that you saw me

The story started when you said, "Hello"

In a crowded room a few short years ago

And sometimes there's no proof, you just know

You're always gonna be mine

We're gonna be

I'm gonna love you when our hair is turnin' gray

We'll have a cardboard box of photos of the life we've made

And you'll say, "Oh my, we really were timeless"

We're gonna be timeless, timeless

You still would've been mine

We would've been

Even if we'd met on a crowded street in 1944

You still would've been mine

We would've been

Down the block, there's an antique shop

And somethin' in my head said, "Stop," so I walked in

🫶🫶🫶

Foolish One lyrics

My cards are on the table, yours are in your hand

Chances are, tonight, you've already got plans

And chances are I will talk myself to sleep again

You give me just enough attention to keep my hopes too high

Wishful thoughts forget to mention when something's really not right

And I will block out these voices of reason in my head

And the voices say, "You are not the exception

You will never learn your lesson"

Foolish one

Stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love

That ain't never gonna come

You will take the long way, you will take the long way down

You know how to keep me waitin'

I know how to act like I'm fine

Don't know what to call this situation

But I know I can't call you mine

And it's delicate, but I will do my best to seem bulletproof

'Cause when my head is on your shoulder

It starts thinkin' you'll come around

And maybe, someday, when we're older

This is something we'll laugh about

Over coffee every mornin' while you're watching the news

But then the voices say, "You are not the exception

You will never learn your lesson"

Foolish one

Stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love

That ain't never gonna come

You will take the long way, you will take the long way down

Foolish one

Stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love

That ain't never gonna come

You will learn the hard way instead of just walkin' out

Now I'm slidin' down the wall with my head in my hands

Sayin', "How could I not see the signs?"

Oh, you haven't written me or called

But goodbye screamin' in the silence

And the voices in my head are tellin' me why

'Cause you got her on your arm and me in the wings

I'll get your longing glances, but she'll get your ring

And you will say you had the best of intentions

And maybe I will finally learn my lesson

Foolish one

Stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love

That ain't never gonna come

You will take the long way, you will take the long way down

Foolish one

Stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love

That ain't never gonna come

You will learn the hard way instead of just walkin' out, oh-oh, oh, oh

La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, oh

La-la-la-la-la

Ain't never gonna come

Ooh, you will learn the hard way now

Foolish one

Sittin' 'round waiting for confessions of love

They ain't never gonna come

And thinkin' he's the one, you should've been walkin' out

Foolish one

The day is gonna come for your confessions of love

When all is said and done, he just wasn't the one

No, he just wasn't the one

🫶🫶🫶

The question is which song is queerer to you! Queerer can mean whatever you want it to mean; you might consider a song queer because you think it was written that way, or because of Swiftian lore. It might be queer to you because of how you relate it to your own life. Maybe you think from a purely literary standpoint the lyrics have queer themes; maybe you're just thinking about vibes!!!

Put in the tags your interpretations or propaganda for a specific song! Tags will be used to decide what songs may be saved if there are extra slots in the next round!

[scummy-writes]

I do this often but sorry for just. Postin a lot, and not posting fully finished smutfics lately.

I'm being more self-fulfilling with what I am writing lately, and I joke about the piss fic a lot, but it's also random ships, random fluff, this and that.

However, I am painfully aware that smut is why the majority of the followers I have follow me. I am aware that a lot of you came from vamp, from me writing Isaac and Arthur, sometimes theo, comte, etc... and now i've flipped around to writing someone who, in comparison, is a creep and not at all the character types you guys came here for- and I'm writing weird smut that isnt really super sexy? Some of it was, but then some of it was me opening up a word doc and sharing my thoughts in odd ways.

I am... having fun. On ao3 ive been going back and forth with drabbles/ideas with a new friend. Ive written out hcs that were purely just for me and realized that very bluntly and very quickly, I've shared some sfw stuff that was also bluntly shown to be just for me. And while I am not looking at it going "my writing sucks", I am looking at them and feeling a bit lonely on here at times. I often feel like I am talking to a void. I don't know how to change that outside of posting detailed smutfics that focus on things I may not want to focus on right now.

Outside of Glimpses of Teal and Auburn, and outside of random drabbles/reqs/comms I make, I don't think there is going to be future fanfics I make of Isaac and Arthur. I love them, I love them a lot! But ive also explored a Lot with them. I've also written them for years. There is more I would like to write, I have random Isaac wips that I still think about very often, but other ideas hit me more. I would rather set expectations to a realistic setting, rather than make a vague promise that isn't guaranteed.

Thats been weighin on me a lot lately, especially with villains releasing. I can tell i am likely going to enjoy later routes, they're ticking off a lot of boxes on themes I like but typically don't feel safe exploring in other media, so then I know I'd be juggling three interests at once and thats very difficult for me. I really dont know how so many writers can writer for a multitude of fandoms at once, I feel like the max for me is 2, or a vague 3. (And realistically, its possible villains will just be a thing I enjoy consuming more than creating for).

I do have comms I am working on, and outside of those I do not know when I will have a normal smutfic again. I enjoy exploring other things, but again I do know that its not why a majority of you are here!! I don't say this as a "ill make one soon!" psa, but rather... I'm having fun. I'm aware its not everyones cup of tea, but its not going away anytime soon. If that's something that displeases you, I would recommend thinkin about just occasionally checkin in on my blog instead, or just asking to be on my taglist so you can just get pinged for things without having to follow me.

And, well. I am chatty. I like having distractions from irl, and sometimes I pop in here in burts of posts. I say sorry since i know the anxiety is Clear and Radiating off of those posts, and sometimes I just feel awkward about it.

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

A/N ::: Just a silly, fun little idea that occurred to me. All of the characters listed below are aged up and these characters are my own little HC's who would go along with this. If you don't think so, that's totally fine.

C/W ::: Sex toy (clit sucker), use of toy on F!reader, a bit of overstimulation but they're fine. It was a great orgasm. Scared mans - how does that even work for a dude?! I'd be happy to show anyone.

Thinking about some special boys who wanna make you feel so good that they buy you a schmancy little clit sucker for Christmas but it arrives late =(

They're checking their phone so much that you're like, "You alright, baby?"

They nod. "Yeah, just checkin' on something. I'm ok."

The delivery is finally confirmed, and he's up off of the couch like his ass was spring-loaded and out the door like it was an emergency.

"Ba-baby! The thing I ordered for you is here! It's here! Here ... open it!" He hands you the box, and you open it up only to find another box inside.

Your brow quirks, eyes narrow, and a small smile spreads across your face. "Iiiis this what I think it is?"

He beams with pride, "Sure's baby girl. You uh, you wanna lemme try it out on that pretty li'l pussy of yours?"

He drags you to the bedroom and lays you down on the nicely made bed, pulling both your clothes off. Laying down beside you, he starts to kiss you slowly but so deeply it makes your head whippy and cunt clench at the thought of what comes next.

You hear the quiet buzz of the pulsating head as he turns it on next to your ear.

"You ready, sweets? Open up f'me, pretty girl."

Spreading your legs, you get comfortable on your back while he drags it down over your breasts, the plush roundness of your stomach, your thick thighs, and finally he lays it on your clit.

You jump a little bit at the feeling of the immediate suction. You're not used to this. You're used to his mouth.

This little piece of heavenly equipment is nothing like his warm wet mouth. And while you'll always prefer the feeling of his lips enveloping your sweet little pearl, this feels pretty fucking amazing, too.

"That on the right spot? I can't totally tell from this angle up here, heh. 'M used to bein' right there."

Nodding, you reach down and adjust it more so it's covering all the right spots. "Feels good. It's a little cold, but I'm sure it'll warm up against my skin." You blush at it starts to feel better and better. "Hoh ... sh- ... fuck, th-that ... oh god, keep it right there but move it in little circles, ok? L-like you always do."

"Do you want the suction turned up? It has 12 settings!" It's fucking so charming how proud he is of himself for scoring you this gift.

"S-sure yeah, g'head. Turn it up. Let's see what this thing can do, eh?"

He pushes the button up. 2 clicks for now. He never looks away from your face, memorizing each reaction and where the little sucker is placed.

Your eyes AND hips begin to roll. He laughs, sounding almost a little nervous. "This um, this isn't better than me. Right babe?"

You shake your head no and continue to grip his hand with yours, gently guiding him. Your hips are not even a part of your body at this point. They're just moving on their own.

"How about more, hm?" 3 clicks.

Your knees try to clamp shut, but he's on top of you now, between your legs. "Uh-uh, pretty. Wanna see how you handle this."

"F-fuck, b-b-babe ... t-turn it dow-down. Please? Hah! Not ... fuck! Not used to this!" You're laughing and squirming like an insane person. The look in his eyes can't be too different from yours. You're sure that you both look like a couple of maniacs in the throes of this little experiment.

"Whas'sat? More? Well, ok. What my princess wants, my princess gets. 3 ... more ... click-suh."

"OH FUCK! FUCKFUCKFUCK!" Your body tries to fold up but his large hands keep you down as best they can. "D-dow-downnnn! Hah! Ple- hoh sh-shit!"

You start to feel that familiar warmth spread through your abdomen. It started there, spreading down into your thighs and up to your face like the sun itself is kissing your cheeks. And that tightly wound coil that started out as nothing more than a limp string has you nearly bursting at the seams.

"G-uhh-nuhh ... hoh god, hoh god, hoh god ... you're ... e-evil! Your mouth was perfect and w-why did you ... oh my fuck ... c-cuh ... Cumming!!"

The dam breaks. Your body is nothing more than a shaking, wet (sweat & other fluids) mess underneath your lover.

It takes a while for the twitching and twinges to subside. But when you're able to compose yourself enough, you pull the bastard beautiful toy from his hand and climb on top of him, straddling his waist.

"You're so hard, nearly all the work is done for me. Now, baby, you started me at 1, yes? Let's put this on 3 and see how well you handle it." You smiled at him, turning the little sucker back on.

"Heh, hon-sweet-babe ... this isn't even meant for cocks, is it?"

"Welp, we're gonna find out, huh?"

Katsuki, Aizawa, Kiri, Izuku, Shinso, Dabi, Shoto, DENKI,

Connie, Reiner, Jean, (Erwin & Levi, but only if they're feeling particularly playful)

Aki, Denji

Nanami, Geto, Gojo, Choso (when he's feeling brave ; )), Yuji,

Baji, Mikey, Draken, Takemichi, Chifuyu, Atsushi, Souya

@mydarlingdahlia HOW TF DID I FORGET ITTO!!!!!

And anyone else you want, my lovelies!

Taglist ::: @millennialmagicalgirl @darkstarlight82 @arlerts-angel

[dynamic-power]

Galladrabbles: Secret

Thank you @too-schoolforcool for this week's @galladrabbles post! This was a fun little one to write.

-----

"Ayo, Debbie. Can I hide this here? Just until tomorrow." Mickey held up a ring-sized jewelry box. "Your dumbass brother is suspicious. Keeps checkin' all my hiding spots."

Debbie eyed the box curiously. "You know you've already married him, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fuck off. It's not a ring. It's a key. I just got off the phone with the agent."

"And?"

Mickey just grinned and nodded, so Debbie jumped up, shrieked, and hugged her eternally-grouchy brother-in-law. "You got the house!"

He lifted her and spun her in a circle. "We got the fuckin' house!"

[storiesofsvu]

A Dangerous Game Ch 21

Emily Prentiss x reader Warnings: language, i think that's about it.

The following week you honestly felt like the heaviest weight had finally been lifted off your shoulders. You started to realize just how down you’d been and were now eternally grateful that it hadn’t been any longer. The next morning you were sat at your desk wrapping up paperwork when a coffee was discreetly placed onto your desk, you glanced up to barely catch Emily striding through the bull pen on the way to her office. From across the room Garcia managed to catch your eye, a wicked grin on her face as she glanced between the two of you.

*

That evening when you got home you were cursing yourself for having not bought groceries, having nothing edible but eggs in the fridge when there was a knock on the door. Your faved penne primavera with extra garlic bread on the side and a mini lava cake all fresh and hot and fully paid for. You scooped up your phone while digging into the bread,

‘You don’t have to buy your way out of this ya know. I already accepted your apology.’

‘Think of it as a double hitter. I… wanted to make sure you were eating.’

‘Turns out my appetite is back in full force this week.’

‘I’m glad. Enjoy your dinner.’

‘Thank you.’

You spent the rest of the evening texting, making each other laugh, watching the same shows from different houses before finally saying goodnight and crawling into bed.

*

You were almost running late the next morning, racing out the door and practically directly into a delivery man, the most gorgeous bouquet of roses and lilies you’d ever seen in the package. You had just enough time to leave them on the entry way table before running to the car, your phone buzzing in the cup holder the moment you sat it down.

‘Don’t worry, those ones are from me.’

You managed to slip into the elevator at the BAU right before the doors slid shut, letting out a breath when you noticed it had managed to trap you and Emily alone together.

“Thought I said you weren’t in the dog house.”

“Still allowed to spoil you, aren’t I?” She replied with a shrug and you laughed, “I’ll stop if you want, it’s just… making me feel a little better about the whole thing. I want to make sure you know how much I actually do care about you.”

“I do.” Smiling, you leant in, kissing her cheek softly, “thank you. They’re gorgeous.”

Emily had just enough time to squeeze at your wrist before the doors slid open and you went your separate ways.

*

Halfway through the morning Derek rolled his chair over to your desk, a bakery box finding home on top of it.

“Brought your favourite.” He greeted and you looked over at him with a small smile.

“You don’t need to feed me Derek, I ate breakfast. But thank you.” You lifted the lid to find that he did indeed get your favourite and began picking bites off the muffin.

“Just checkin’ in.” He replied with a shrug, “you know you have been in a helluva better mood this week.”

“That’ll happen when you manage to escape a toxic ex and get to sleep in your own bed again.”

“You really hate Seattle that much hey?”

“I’d rather move back to Florida.”

“Ouch.” He surveyed you for a moment, practically studying you to see if this was some kind of cover up or if you were actually doing better.

“What?” You laughed.

“Nothing.” He shook his head, “just, whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. A smile looks good on you.” He squeezed your shoulder affectionately before wandering back to his desk and it took all of your willpower to not look over to Emily’s office. You could feel her eyes on you and a few minutes later when you risked a glance up in her direction you found them still on you, doing your best not to laugh as she blushed. You shot her a quick wink and returned to the paperwork at hand.

*

Penelope managed to coerce you into drinks on Wednesday after work and you were thankful it was just the two of you, you knew she was likely going to grill you and that would be almost impossible in front of anyone else from the team. You’d settled in with your third drink when she finally couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Okay, so I take it from the very improved mood this week that you’ve talked things out?” She asked, a wicked grin on her lips.

“We have…” you took a sip of your drink, “she explained everything, a very big apology was given that I accepted.”

“Oh please tell me you’re back together, you have to be back together, you’re just so friggin cute!”

“I dunno if I’d call it ‘back together’.” You laughed, “but yeah, we’re like, officially together now.”

“Oh thank god!” She squeezed at your arm, “so when are you gonna tell the rest of the team?”

“I… uh.. once we figure out the politics of it I guess? At this point we’re just like, not sneaking around.”

“But the sneaking around kinda makes it hotter, doesn’t it?” She smirked and you laughed.

“Yeah I’ve gotta admit, sometimes it does, knowing someone on the team’s in the next hotel room so you’ve gotta stay quiet…. Adds some spice.”

“And spice is something the two of you most definitely have.” She smirked and your eyes widened.

“I told you to fast forward that shit!”

“Didn’t need to listen to any more than I’d already heard sunshine. I knew daddy issues were a thing, but I’ve always kind of wondered how that would translate to lesbianism.”

“Well you’re welcome for educating you.” You replied dryly, rolling you eyes before taking another sip of your drink.

“All teasing aside, I am really happy for you.” Her hand slid across the table to squeeze at yours, “you deserve happiness and love and you’ve found that, even if it kinda went to hell and back on the way.”

“Thanks Penelope.”

*

You let out a soft sigh, scrawling your signature across the bottom of a sheet of paper before flipping the case file shut and pushing your chair back. Crossing through the bull pen you knocked on the door jam of Emily’s office, pausing a moment before entering, flashing her a small smile.

“Papers fully filled out and everything documented.” You stated, placing the file down into her inbox.

“Thanks.” She smiled back at you before you turned to leave, “hey… good work today. No one else could get through to that girl.”

“Thanks.” You shrugged, turning back to her, “I’ve always been good with kids despite not having the desire to want my own.”

“No?”

“My track record with family isn’t exactly great.” You laughed, leaning against one of the chairs in front of her desk.

“Me neither.” She chuckled in response, “but just because you had shitty parents doesn’t mean you’d be one.”

“I know.” You smiled softly, “but with this job? The hours alone are enough to make me feel bad much less the risks and baggage we bring home.” Your brow furrowed as you realized something, “oh… we’ve never talked about this… it’s not a deal breaker or anything, I just don’t see it being a great idea.” Emily smiled softly, looking up at you.

“There was a time I entertained the idea, but like you said, it wouldn’t be easy with this job. Besides, you know how whiney Sergio gets when I’ve been gone a while, I can’t imagine an actual child.”

You barked out a laugh at that, the smile remaining on your cheeks as Emily’s lips curved into a knowing smirk.

You were acutely aware that outside the office you were being watched, you could feel the eyes on you but weren’t sure who they belonged to. It was Derek, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the two of you through the office windows.

“What’re we staring at?” Penelope asked, settling in beside him.

“Wilson’s been in there too long for just dropping off paperwork.” He replied without looking away.

“Well, she took the interview with that last vic, maybe they’re talking about the case?”

“No.” He frowned, “they’re way too casual for that. Look at the way she just laughed.”

“Aww.” Penelope smiled.

“A week and a half ago Wilson was going through hell.”

“And now Emily’s making her smile, that’s a good thing.” She nudged at his side with her elbow, “I mean, just look at them, Wilson should spend the rest of the afternoon in her office.”

“Why are you so happy about this?” He finally managed to drag his eyes away from the office to look at the blonde.

“Because they’re so freaking cute! Just look at them,” she gestured toward the office, “you can’t tell me they’re not crazy about each other!”

“Baby… Prentiss fucked her up royally, you can’t be okay with this. Wilson was a wreck while we were in Seattle…”

“Oh my love,” she squeezed at his arm, “you have it all wrong.”

Back inside the office you were finally turning to leave, knowing there was only one tiny pile of paperwork sitting between you and the ability to punch out when Emily spoke again.

“Hey… uh.. you have plans tomorrow?”

“Just this little thing called work.” You turned back to her with a grin and she laughed.

“No, I meant tomorrow night.”

“Not a thing.”

“I meant it a couple of weeks ago when I said I wanted to actually take you out…” She began hesitantly, sucking her lip into her teeth.

“Are you asking me on a date Agent Prentiss?” You grinned, moving back closer to her desk so your voice wouldn’t carry through the door.

“Yeah. I am.” She let out a breath, unsure why she was suddenly so nervous, “and I’m really hoping you’ll say yes.”

“If we weren’t getting stared down by Garcia and Morgan… I’d be kissing you right now.” You chuckled, “of course it’s a yes.” She smiled warmly at you, a light shade of pink tinging her cheeks, “you sure this isn’t just about that dress?” You asked and she scoffed.

“Oh c’mon.”

“Your brain short circuited when I opened the door that night and you cannot deny that.”

“Fine.” She grumbled with a smile, “but this is about me wanting to take you somewhere nice, you deserve it.”

“As long as it’s not too fancy.” You teased.

“Pinky promise I won’t order for you.” She smirked back and you laughed, playfully rolling your eyes, “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Sounds perfect.”

*

At the end of the day Emily was stuck a little later than she’d planned, a phone call with the director taking loner than expected and a little bit of extra paperwork because of it. She was finally emptying her inbox, tossing the folder into her outbox when there was a knock on the open office door and she looked up to find Derek stepping into the room.

“Hey.” She greeted, “thought you’d taken off already.”

“I was about to, but I didn’t want to leave without talking to you first otherwise this’d be eating away at me all night.”

“What’s up?” She asked, sitting back in her chair and Derek let out a heavy huff, dropping into one in front of her desk.

“Don’t be mad at Penelope… it’s thanks to her that I’ve been fully looped in now.”

“Okay?” She raised a brow.

“You and Wilson.” He sighed, “I was confused, and honestly a little upset to see how civil she was being to you, I didn’t think you deserved it from her, but now I know what really went down. Emily… I really hope you’re doing the right thing here, and for the right reasons. I know that your personal life and what you do outside of this office is literally none of my business, but I was also witnessing first hand when Wilson hit her absolute rock bottom breaking point. And I don’t ever want to see her that low again, so if you hurt her, again, and for real, you’ll never be hearing the end of it from me.”

“I don’t have a single plan in the world to ever pull something like that again, especially to her. And I’d expect you to, I’m glad she’s got you in her corner.”

“She doesn’t have many other options. This team is her family, like it is for a lot of us. I wanna make sure she knows that and that she doesn’t leave because something went south between the two of you.”

“I just…” Emily sighed, chewing on her lip, “I didn’t know what to do so I went with the first instinct I had. I didn’t know how much time I had, how close Dewald was. I didn’t want her to get hurt or killed just because of her association with me.”

“And you suck at communicating your feelings sometimes.” Derek stated, and while he was right, there was a teasing grin on his lips that she couldn’t help but huff a small laugh out at as she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve made a promise of open communication for what it’s worth.” She defended and he laughed quietly, “I just needed her safe…”

“Emily, I get it, I really do. That kind of a case? An unsub who had history with someone on the team, who made it very clear they were coming for you, and that meant her. You were flashing back to Doyle. It makes perfect sense that you wanted to protect her as much as possible, even doing it the way you did. You even made sure that Dewald would know, and then shipped her out of state just in case he didn’t believe it. You didn’t tell her about it because you were afraid she’d pull a you and take it on herself and end up getting herself killed. Hell even if you didn’t realize it, your subconscious did and this time we caught the guy and no one got hurt.”

“Yeah…” she murmured.

“As mad as I was before, I understand it.” He let out a breath, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you happy? Like truly, really happy?”

“More than I ever have been in my entire life.” She replied, a soft smile on her lips.

“Make sure she knows that. Because that girl cares about you more than anyone in the world.”

“I know.” She nodded, “and I will. She means the world to me.”

“Good.” Smiling, he pushed to standing, “I’m happy for you Prentiss, really.”

“Thanks.” She watched him start to leave the office.

“Oh, and promise me one more thing?”

“What?” She asked with a small laugh as Derek turned back in the doorway to face her.

“For the love of god could you two maybe keep the jet sex free in the future?! I’ll never be able to sit on that couch again.”

Emily felt the colour drain out of her face but the mortification was immediately usurped by wanting to get one in over Derek, a smirk breaking out on her lips.

“Alright, no mile high club. But I can’t make promises about what you might overhear otherwise.”

“What does that mean?”

“Remember back when she first joined the team and we were out in Atlanta? You complained on the way home about not getting any sleep thanks to someone else in the hotel being too noisy…” She grinned and Derek made a face of disgust with a grimace.

“That’s it, I’m bunking with Wilson for the foreseeable future, keep you two apart while we’re on the road.” He quickly backed out of the office, not wanting to hear anymore, leaving Emily laughing.  

__________

@mickey-gomez @momlifebehard @melindawarnersgf @itisdoctortoyousir @emilyprentiss4life @somethingimaginative17 @temilyrights @alexxavicry  @daddy-heather-dunbar @aliensaurusrex @rustyzebra @ilovemycrayons @mandy-asimp @thegrantwater @leftoverenvy @kades95 @dextur @m00nkn1ghts @supercriminalbean @daffodil-heart @msvenablesbitch @its-soph-xx  @going-gray @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece @hopelesslyfallenninlove @peanutbutterprincess  @kdaghay @emilyprentisssluvr @lex13cm @awolfcsworld @zizzlekwum @emobabeyy @riveramorylunar @s1ut4nat @midnight-sapphic @scorpsik @thisisraes @prentiss-theorem @unsubologyy @strongsassysexysloane @svushots  @overtrred28 @happenstnces  @sapphicprentiss @heidss @geekyandgay98 @pagetboobstarcomments

[ajaxslibrary]

Foolish One - Gojo Satoru x Reader

a/n: this little piece popped into my head listening to Taylor Swift, and each bit is themed after the lyric that prefaces it

-

My cards are on the table, yours are in your hand

I've long given up hiding my affections for Satoru. Most people don't recognise my reactions and the ones that do won't be fooled by my faking. So, I give up.

I cut my eyes from my book to him when he walks in the room. I tilt my head when he speaks. I set aside what I'm working on when he tries for my attention.

Satoru though treats me the same as everyone else. Carefully guarded, a jokester, a tease.

Chances are tonight you've already got plans, and chances are I will talk myself to sleep again

Of course, Satoru is going out drinking with some of our co-workers. I should've known.

It's okay. At least I have my own company. That's all I'll ever truly need. Bound to always have only my own words, thoughts, and company. I've gotten used to it.

I'm okay on my own.

That's what I tell myself at least.

You give me just enough attention to keep my hopes too high

"(y/n)-san! Oi~! Wanna try this mochi? I got it from the new place in Shibuya!" Satoru jogs to catch up with me on my walk to the train station. "It's matcha with red bean filling."

"I- yeah, sure. I like mochi."

An understatement. Mochi is my favourite sweet. Satoru knows that. He never offers me anything else. Unless he takes me to ramen for a meeting.

He holds out a piece of mochi for me and I take it tentatively. I love mochi, I love red bean paste, but... I don't like matcha. I take a small bite.

"This isn't matcha."

"Is it not?"

I can tell from the small smirk that Satoru already knew. It was just sweet red bean mochi, my favourite, dyed a matcha green.

I can't help the way my heart starts to beat a little faster in my chest.

"Is it good? Is it good? I haven't tried it yet, does it have the mochi master seal of approval?"

I feel heat rise to my cheeks at the thought he wanted to know what I thought of the mochi before trying it himself.

"It's good. The last place was better, but this is really good."

"Score! Thanks, (y/n)-san!"

And the voices say "You are not the exception, you will never learn your lesson"

A little box is waiting on my desk. Tied up with a pretty bow, the tag of my favourite sweet shop on one of the tails. My heart starts pounding when I hear my phone go off with Satoru's text tone.

'You like your present?'

A giddy smile crosses my lips and I race to open the box. Three red bean mochi and three sesame mochi. He knows me too well.

I whip out my phone and type up a quick response, thanking God that the racing of my heart and the happiness overflowing from it can't carry over text.

'Yeah, thanks'

I know he doesn't love me the way I want him to. He's the strongest, surely he's above love.

But oh, I can hope.

Foolish one stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love that ain't never gonna come

It's a dance we do every day. I check my email, half-hoping to see a beautiful, melodramatic, wonderful love confession from Satoru, he swings by my office to say hi, I try to keep my caged heart from escaping through my throat as he smiles at me.

And oh what a smile.

It's a dance we do every day. I've long memorised its steps.

Because every day my half-hopes are disappointed. Every day he says hi and gives me a beautiful smile that makes my heart beat faster. And every day it takes everything in me to not profess my undying love to Gojo Satoru.

Don't know what to call this situation but I know I can't call you mine

I take a deep breath as the weight of Satoru almost presses into me. Contact undoubtedly prevented by infinity. I glance over to look at him and he grins.

"What are you working on?"

Satoru is draped over me, his lips right next to my ear. I'm hyper-aware of him now.

"Um, I'm working on, ah, working on a lesson plan for one of my students."

Satoru shifts as I talk so one arm is dropped down the front of my torso.

"(y/n)-san," I can hear the frown in Satoru's voice when he says my name. "Do you not trust me?"

I do. I trust you with my life. That frightens me.

"I trust you." Completely. Utterly. Wholly. Entirely. I trust you.

"Why did you get so tense the moment you knew I was here?"

I hadn't noticed. But I know why.

"Because if I let go then I will break. I will not be a burden."

He does not need to know how I love him. I know. And that is enough. That must be enough.

'Cause when my head is on your shoulder it starts thinkin' you'll come around

I lean my head onto Satoru's shoulder on the train. Well, almost. He laughs at me.

"Tired?"

I don't give a proper answer, just a quiet mumble. Then I feel a tingly warmth cover my body, and my face makes contact with soft, warm fabric.

"Sleep well."

I think I say thank you. It must have sounded strange, because Satoru chuckles before responding softly.

"You're welcome. Now rest, I can protect us both."

You will learn the hard way instead of just walking out

The dance stops abruptly. Satoru doesn't swing by my office to say hi. And he doesn't smile at me when we pass in the hall.

There's mochi on my desk though. From the new place in Shibuya. I take a tentative bite of one, and it's matcha with red bean filling. Maybe last time was an accident.

I can't stand matcha.

Satoru knows that.

When my phone goes off with his text tone, I glance down, ignoring the warning beats of my heart like an ominous drum.

'I'm sorry'

Oh you haven't written me or called but goodbye's screamin' in the silence

I break as soon as I'm home. I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to vomit. I want to cut my hair off. But more than anything else.

I want to die.

There aren't many things I hate in this world.

I hate matcha. I hate failing. I hate watching a student ignore my teachings. I hate feeling disregarded. I hate when people go back on their word.

But more than anything else, I hate goodbyes without words.

And there are many things I love in this world that cannot love me in return.

I love sweet red bean paste. I love mochi. I love ramen. I love pocky. I love coffee. I love seeing someone progress. I love being protected. I love protecting others.

And more than I love anything else, unfailingly, unswervingly, unconditionally.

I love Gojo Satoru.

[punsmaster69]

14/NOV/20XX

paps is feeling much better, but it's probably for the best that he doesn't jump straight into his usual routine immediately.

undyne refuses to train with him until she's sure that he's completely healthy again.

he's pretty upset about that, but he's not letting the time go to waste.

paps and frisk are up there hanging out in his room.

they're doing a puzzle, i think.

said it would be,

"QUITE THE UNDERTAKING."

they've been planning this for a while, apparently.

——

those two've been up there a while.

haven't seen either of them in about three hours.

wasn't kidding about it being an undertaking.

...

maybe they're just really bad at that puzzle.

——

"knock, knock."

"...Why's he saying it out loud?"

"HE JUST DOES."

"IT'S SO THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE TO 𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘜𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠 KNOCK."

"...knock, knock."

"YOU CAN COME IN!"

sprawled out over the floor was probably a couple thousand puzzle pieces, a few piles of them, and about half of a picture.

"...wow."

"It's taking forever."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY IF IT'S BORING YOU, FRISK."

"Wouldn't still be here if I wasn't enjoying it. I'm in this for the long haul!"

"seems like a.. unique form of torture."

"SANS, WE USED TO DO THESE ALL THE TIME TOGETHER!"

"you did most of 'em."

"NOT TRUE! YOU HELPED."

"OH, WAIT! DID YOU COME IN HERE FOR SOMETHING?"

"just checkin' in. need anything?"

frisk looked between two identical pieces.

"A bigger brain..."

"WE'RE DOING ALRIGHT, I THINK."

"ok. good luck on your torture."

"IT'S NOT TORTURE!!"

——

"knock, knock."

"FRISK, CAN YOU PLEASE MOVE THAT PILE?"

"OKAY, YOU MAY ENTER NOW!"

"heya."

"brought some appy slices."

"APPLE SLICES ARE A SOPHISTICATED AND MATURE SNACK! DO NOT CALL THEM-"

"Thanks for the appy slices, Sans!"

"....THAT."

"seems like you got out-ruled. you gotta call 'em appy slices now."

"I WILL NOT."

"i take it you don't want any, then."

"WAIT! I DO!!"

"gotta use the right name."

he sighed.

"SANS, COULD I PLEASE JUST HAVE THE.."

"APPY"

"SLICES?"

"...THAT STUPID GRIN ON YOUR FACE IS EXACTLY WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO!!"

"it's just like when you were a babybones..."

"What? You took care of Papyrus as a baby? I knew you were older, but I figured it was by like, two years."

"nope. seven."

"Wait, that means..."

"...Papyus, you're-"

"DON'T SAY IT."

"he's old."

"AM NOT!"

"ancient. decrepit."

"NO!!"

"he's falling apart as we speak.."

"GET OUT!!!"

he took the plate of apple slices, pushed me to the door, and closed it behind me.

——

.....

they're still up there.

how they have the attention span to do that for so long is a mystery.

every time i bring water or snacks up, it's looked like they're getting closer and closer to being done, though.

——

the absolute pain radiating off of frisk and paps upon discovering there was one piece missing...

it was devastating.

......

turned out, the piece was just in the box.

anyway, the finished puzzle's neat.

it's a big townscape, with a bunch of tiny details and scenes and whatnot.

pretty cool.

pretty big, too. sorta taking up a lot of the floor.

but they don't wanna destroy it just yet, so they're just..

sitting around the finished product.

waiting for the sadness of packing it up to dissipate, i guess.

"you could just glue it together."

"THAT COMPLETELY RUINS THE POINT OF A PUZZLE!!"

"THE POINT IS THAT YOU HAVE TO PUT IT TOGETHER TO SEE THE IMAGE!"

"NOT JUST HAVE THE WHOLE THING."

"Sucks to get rid of it, though."

"....IT DOES.."

——

both sat and stared at it for a while.

frisk eventually made the first strike, tearing up a corner and shattering the pieces everywhere.

"Nothing lasts forever!! Puzzles be da-"

"Danged!!"

"..sure. whatever that means."

following suit, paps started ripping pieces off as well.

"NYEH!! THERE!"

"..Yeah, Nyeh!"

"NO, NO. PUT MORE FORCE BEHIND IT!"

"Nyeh!!"

"MORE!!"

"Nyeh!!!!"

"PUT YOUR ALL INTO IT!!!"

"NYEH!!!!!!!"

"PERFECT! YOU SOUNDED VERY COOL!!"

——

that puzzle apparently really tuckered paps out.

(although, maybe it's partly because he's just barely getting over his cold.)

didn't even have to read to him before he went right to sleep.

[lollipencil]

What If Gus Was Not A Goldfish?

This was going to be a prompt until I realised "I really want to write this one". Bonus points to anyone who can work out what Gus now is before the end.

Enjoy and be gentle. ---

Slowly, the familar voice of Elbert Humperdinck began to rouse Steven. The soft bounce of something landing on his mattress woke him fully. "Morning Gus," Steven mumbled, softly scratching the white crescent-like splotch on his little orange head, "My little one-eared wonder."

Gus mewed almost silently before jumping down and pawing at the ankle restraint. Seeing as nothing was out of place, Steven unshackled himself and followed Gus to his foodbowl. Once dressed and eaten himself, he idly pulled up his phone as Gus continued munching away. "Hello, Mum. It's me. Just checkin' in," Steven began as Gus tucked in, "I got your postcard, putting it up near Gus' bed now."

Pausing to admire it, Steven continued: "Yeah, it's very nice. He is fuming, though. Keeps asking why I don't take him anywhere nice. Maybe one day, right?" As if knowing he was being spoken about, Gus turned to look at Steven as he left for work. "Anyway, Mum, all's well here. Not too bad," was the last things Gus heard before the door closed.

---

Once the panic of the nightmare had passed, Steven flopped back on his bed, laughing. Gus meowed from his own bed as Steven just kept laughing. "Ok, ok, ok," Steven kept reminding himself, "I'm ok." By the time he'd calmed, poured out breakfast for them both, and stuck on a documentary, Steven noticed something was up with Gus.

His ear was back and his eyes wide. "Something up, sweetheart?" he asked as he got closer. "Meow," Gus sounded almost guilty. "Oh, it's ok," Steven cooed, putting down his bowl to offer a cuddle.

At once, Gus pressed his head into Steven's neck, his ridiculously soft fur soothing the remaining tension in his shoulders. "Yeah, it's ok. Hey, you know what, mate?" Gus' ear perked up. "I'm not working today, and my date's not for hours yet. Just you and me for the rest of the day, yeah?"

---

Tears tried to well up in Steven's eyes as he opened his door. Gus was there, waiting just beyond where the door swings open. Steven walked inside, closed the door, and set the box of chocolates on the kitchen counter. Then he sat down on the floor and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Mew?" Gus' wide eyes appeared in his peripheral. "What's happening, Gus?" Steven asked softly after a moment's silence, "How did I lose two days?"

Silently, Gus gently pushed his way into the the gap between Steven's thighs and chest, and looked at him. Even with tears blurring his vision, Steven could make out each little line in Gus' eyes. Slowly, Gus blinked at him. Steven blinked back at the same speed.

Gently, Gus headbutted Steven, rubbing his head back and forth on that one spot. A shaky breath rippled through Steven as he closed his eyes. And let the tears flow.

If at this point Steven had kept his eyes open, he would have noticed Gus looking at him with understanding and concern, before shifting to determination. As it was, he only noticed him moving away, before meowing loudly. "What?" Steven choked out, blinking tears away. Gus meowed again and looked down at his paw. Thinking Gus might be hurt, Steven shuffled towards him. And he noticed it.

Scuff marks on the floor under a table. Looking up, Steven could see a single wooden board out of place. As he pulled the table and began to climb up, Gus walked off for a nap.

---

Steven's day was getting worse by the minute. First, he gets fired. Next, his reflection starts talking again, claiming to be the servant of a god. Then, he is chased (again) by a giant bird-skull headed mummy. And now, here he was with a woman he was allegedly married to.

And, to make matters worse, the police were there.

In contrast to how calm he was with Layla, Gus did not like the officers at all and was very clear about that fact. Not that the officers seemed to notice. At least, until they tried to arrest Steven.

Steven almost gasped when Gus leapt in front of him and hissed at the officers. He'd never heard him so much as yowl, let alone hiss. One of the officers sneered slightly and began to press forward. Then Gus opened his mouth wide.

Tentacles and a mass of fangs emerged, wrapped around the screaming officers, and pulled them inside Gus' mouth. And down his throat.

Silence echoed around the flat. Steven didn't even think he'd screamed, he just stared at the space where the officers were. As if they would pop back up and laugh at their little practical joke. From the corner of his eye, Steven could see Marc, eyes bulging as he too stared. (And, if they had looked to their left, the kettle would have shown a completely different reflection reacting).

Suddenly, Steven began to laugh. His cat had just become some lovecraftian creature and ate two people. In a weird way he almost wasn't surprised. Why not?

The sheer force of his laughter drove him to his knees, and just kept coming. Even the sound of Layla cautiously climbing back inside couldn't stop it. "Meow," Gus innocently mewed as he climbed up onto Steven's shoulders and began to purr.

Eventually, the giggles faded into gasps and the occasional wheezing chuckle. "I don't think Gus is a cat," Marc's voice quietly stated.

Finally, something they could agree on.

[candymothxxx-archive]

Sorry you're struggling with things atm ;; is it okay if we send asks/HC prompts? I want to know more about your take on Valentino

Hey, uh! Don't worry about it! No one's responsible, I just like to be transparent and stuff so if it seems like I'm not active, people know why. And also because I feel like it's good to admit when you're not feelin' hot! So other people that aren't feelin' hot know they're, at least, not alone in that. Brain chemicals and moods are not super controllable, you know? Anyway, thanks for checkin' in! That's kind of you. c:

And, yes, of course. Though I seem to be having ISSUES ongoing with this heckin' blog that I've never had with a tumblr blog before. [sticks it into a pear wiggler machine] So I ask for patience if I don't see it or reply immediately to an ask! Takes a litttle bit of fighting.

So much so that I have two asks in my box right now that I can only see if I refresh frequently in the askbox, lol. From an old HC meme that I'm not sure is, like, time relevant anymore to answer???

AAAAAAAAAAAA

Always welcome though, the asks. Or posts or whatever you're into, promise. All my stab energy is for tumblr.

[jo3ydr3w]

FictiveTale Introduction and Chapter 1

We have in our system a running joke about developing a fictive of Grillby, and we thought it would be fun to make an AU for Undertale where all the characters are fictives of characters in the game. 

Warning for heavy use of swearing, and if you’re not into sansby (Sans/Grillby), this AU is not for you.

Italic is Devan, Bold is Kate, and Strikethrough is Grillby.

Pronouns: 

Sans (Classic) - They/Them

Devan (Alter in the system Grilby is in) - It/Its

Kate (Alter in the system Grilby is in) - She/They

Grillby (Classic) - He/Him

Froggit (Underfell) - They/It. 

Toriel (Classic) - She/Her

Undyne (Underswap) - She/Her

Mettaton (Classic) - They/Them.

Chapter 1 under the cut.

🎥 & 🕹

Grillby turned the box over in his hands. 

Are you sure you want to do that, dude?

Devan! Shhh! He's fronting. Let him make his choices.

Shush, Kate. I'm just saying Grillby don't know nothing about dying hair.

Well, I'm sure Grillby can ask Sans if he does need help.

"Yeah, Kate's right. I can ask them for help if I need it, but I think I can manage on my own for now."

Alright, dude, but I'll be checkin' in on you.

"Okay, Devan." 

It felt like no time had passed when he heard Devan's voice again. 

How's it-yooooo that looks so cool! And here I was worried it would come out awful, and you'd have to go to Sans to fix it.

Devan!

I said it looked cool, Kate!

"Should we go show Sans?"

Uh, yeah? Come on, dude; they'll love it!

Yeah, and you guys will match now!

What do ya mean, Kate?

Sans has theirs as white to match their source, and now Grillby has orange to match his source.

Oooooh, yeah! You guys do match! Now you def have to show them!

"Alright, alright, we can go visit them."

Hell yeah!

Language.

Let's go...

Thank you.

Grillby shook his head and started to head towards the door. 

Dude, it's kinda cold old.

It's right. You should grab a jacket.

"Right." He grabbed a light jacket and quickly put it on. "Now, let's go see Sans." He started to head out. 

"Hi, Grillby!"

His head turned to the kid crouching on the ground. "Hello, Froggit."

"Hehe, hiiii, how's your boyfriend?"

Grillby sighed. "For the millionth time, Froggit, Sans is not my boyfriend."

You wish they were.

Devan!

"Well, are you gonna see them?"

"Yes, would you like to join us?"

They hopped, or rather, attempted to hop. It quickly fell and landed on their face.

They should stop trying to do that.

For once, you and I can agree, Kate.

"I would love to join you!"

"Then follow along, Froggit." Grillby smiled and started to head to Sans'. 

"Okay!" Froggit followed behind. "What do you think we'll do today?"

"I'm not sure. Sans is full of surprises."

Froggit laughed. "Yeah, they are."

Grillby knocked on the front door. "It's Grillby."

"And Froggit!"

He playfully sighed. "And Froggit."

The white-haired teen opened the door. "Yo, Grillby, bro! And my little man Froggit. Get in." They moved out of the way. "I have the funniest plan for today. The others are already here, so we can head out soon." They led the two towards the parlor.

"What are we doing today?" Froggit hopped closer.

Sans grabbed their fluffy coat. "You'll see. Okay, everyone, let's go! Follow me." They headed out the door, and the others quickly followed.

"I-I'm not sure about t-this, Sans." 

They patted the questioning friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Undyne. You don't even know where we're going yet."

She sighed. "That's why I'm nervous."

Grillby moved towards them. "Sans wouldn't put us in danger, Undyne." 

She laughed. "Yeah, your right. They wouldn't hurt a fly. Anyone would be lucky to get with them." 

Sans laughed. "Eh, that's far from true."

"No, it's not, right, Grillby?" She winked towards him.

Ooooh, shit, she knows!

Everyone knows, Devan. Grillby isn't very subtle about it.

Grillby felt his face heat. "R-Right! Anyone would be more than lucky to get with someone as awesome as you."

And as pretty, and as handsome, and as beautiful, and as perfect, an-

Grillby, you're inner world monologing.

Ah, shit, thanks, Kate.

Sans laughed. "You're too nice to me, Grilbz." They stopped. "Here we are."

"U-Um...I don't understand, Sans." They turned their head towards Toriel. "It's a mo-oh, haha! The joke is that we should climb it!"

They smiled. "Yep, today's adventure is climbing a mountain." They started climbing up the base. "You guys up for it?"

No one seemed to move.

I will. 

Really, Grillby? I know you like them, but this could be dangerous.

Devan is right.

"I'll go with you!" Grillby stepped forward and started to climb with them. 

The others started to follow.

"It sounds fun!" Grillby felt a pink-covered arm wrap around his neck. "At the very least, we can film a video or two."

"Yeah, Mettaton." He removed their arm from his neck. "That's the spirit."

He hurried to try to catch up with Sans.

"Puppy love much?" Mettaton moved closer to him. 

Play dumb, Grillby.

I have to agree with Devan here.

"What's 'puppy love,' Mettaton?"

At least that sounds believable.

Thankfully, Kate.

"You don't know?" Grillby shook his head. "It's like...when you're tiny and think that the little kid that sits next to you is the entire world without even really knowing them, except with you two, you're best friends, and...wait, are you out to them yet?"

"I'd rather not talk about this..."

"Wait, wait, wait, you mean you told me before you told your literal best friend? Wow, Grillby, you must really be in love with them then."

"I'm not in love with them."

"Not in love with who?" 

Grillby shuttered as he heard Sans speak. "What?"

They moved closer. "Who is it that Mettaton thinks you're in love with, but you're not?"

SHIT.

Please tell me we're not coming out this way.

Fuck no, Kate.

"Just a girl from school."

Nice save, dude.

Thanks, Devan.

"Oh, yeah?" They leaned closer. "Come on, I'm your best friend. You can tell me who it is."

No, you can't.

Fuck no.

"Maybe later. It would change a lot of things if I told you right now."

"Oh? Well," Sans placed a hand on his arm. "I'll always be here for you, okay? Don't rush it, and hey, if you don't ever feel ready to tell me, nothing wrong with that either. I just want to see my best friend happy with the right girl, yeah?"

Ewww, girls. 

Hey! 

I'm just joking, Kate!

I know you mean romantically, Devan. Don't worry, I feel the same with boys.

Yeah, but they're strong and stuff.

Girls can be too!

But they're not as pretty as boys.

Guys, you're being a bit loud...

Sorry, Grillby.

Yeah, Kate and I are sorry.

"Yeah, the right girl." 

Sans smiled. "You'll find the right one. I promise." They started walking ahead of him again.

Mettaton sighed. "How long have you known them?" Grillby shrugged. "It's more than long enough to know they won't react negatively to you liking men."

"Who likes men?" 

Grillby turned his head towards Toriel. "Oh, uh, n-n-n-"

"We're here!" Sans waved their arms. "We're at the top of it, everyone."

He smiled, then furrowed his eyebrows as Toriel giggled beside him. "What?"

"I understand what you and Mettaton were talking about now."

"You do?"

She leaned in close. "You like them. You should say it!"

"Yo, Grillby!" Sans ran over to him. "Look! There's a huge hole here. Who wants to go in?"

He ran close to the hole. It looked rather deep. "Why no-" His foot snagged, and he tripped in.

"We're jumping in? Okay!" Sans took a running start before jumping in. "Come on, guys!"

The others started to jump in after them.

"Ugh..." Grillby felt his body hit a soft pile of...fluff? He went to grab a chunk of it, flowers? He rose to his knees and slowly got up, leaning against the...wall? It felt like stone.

He heard a thump. 

"Grillby?"

He turned his head towards the voice. "Sans? Are you okay?" Grillby took them by their arms, moving them out of the flowers. 

They slowly stood up. "Where...are we?"

"I don't kno-" His head jerked back to the flowers as the others appeared in the flowers.

"That hurt very badly." Toriel stood up, her legs still shaking. "But I think we should go on." The others let out the best sounds of agreement that they could.

"Okay, come on!" Grillby smiled as they started to walk through the area.

Sans laughed. "Always up for an adventure?"

He felt his face flush. "Always."

Toriel held back a giggle as she walked by Sans. She placed a hand on their shoulder, stopping them, letting Grillby go on a bit further ahead. "I think Grillby likes you."

They laughed. "Of course, he does. He's my best friend, Toriel."

She shook her head. "Romantically, I mean."

Sans stopped laughing. "Tori, I don't think you even know Grillby anymore 'cause he's straight."

Toriel took a step back. "You can't see it?" Sans shook their head. "Hm...I see." She started to walk ahead.

They blinked a bit. That was weird.

Did Grillby like them romantically? Nah, Toriel was overthinking it. 

He was just their friend.

They started to walk again.

"Guys..."

Sans' head turned towards Grillby.  "What? is i-" His eyes focused on the entrance of a small house. "You're kidding me.."

The group headed into the house, finding the insides to be in shambles.

"We should fix it up." They turned their heads toward Toriel. "If none of you want to help...you can go ahead to whatever lies beyond. "

"I'd love t' help ya, Toriel." Sans smiled. 

"Me too!" Grillby raised his hand. 

Toriel clapped. "Good! Now, let's clean up these vines." The group started to clean. 

"Fuck.." 

Grillby turned his head. "Are you okay?"

"Got a thorn stuck in my hand." Sans held up their hand.

"I'll get it out." He held their hand, examining it. "Okay, it's not that deep, so I can pull it out. It's gonna hurt, though."

"Just do it, bud."

"Okay.." He gently tugged the thorn, making the piece pop out. "There we go. Thankfully, you're not bleeding, and we're basically done with the cleaning."

They smiled. "Alright, let's head out."

Most of the group started heading toward the basement, but Toriel and a few others didn't. "Well, we'd like to stay here for a bit. The rest of you can go on."

Sans nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Come on, Grillby, come on, guys!"

Grillby smiled and made his way down the stairs. "You're coming too, Froggit?"

It nodded. "I don't want to miss the adventure!" 

Sans laughed. You won't. You won't miss the adventure."

The group walked until they felt ice crystals under their feet.

Froggit tried hitting one, but it only bent. "Wow! That's so cool! Come on!" They hopped along the path. "Look up, guys!"

Grillby tilted his head.

Holy...

Devan...

Crap.

The ceiling had icicles coming down. 

He changed his position and suddenly saw a light rainbow going through it. 

Woah.

"Let's keep going." Sans started moving again.

The group continued. 

Froggit poked at Grillby. "Look! 'S like..our Snowdin Town."

He started to look around. 

It did. 

Maybe...

He started to investigate the town, along with the others. 

There it was.

A rundown abandoned bar-like building.

"Hey," Sans stood next to him. "You should bring your bar back, dude. Tibia, honest, I think it misses you."

Grillby laughed. "Yeah, I missed it too. Want to go in and look around?"

They smiled. "Sure." They held open the door. "Fire first."

"How cordial." He went inside and started to look around the dust-covered bar. "Well, it's a start."

"Why don't I help you clean it up?"

SAY YES

Grillby felt his face heat. "S-Sure!"

Sans laughed. "Alright!"

Oh my god, it's just them and me!

"I'll check under t see if there's anything under, and you can start on the top."

"Sounds good to me, Grillbz." They started to use their sleeve to dust off the bar counter. 

He looked up at Sans. "Well, that works."

"Yeah, it does." They lazily dusted one of the seats and sat down. "Find anything?"

"Just some aging alcohol. Which, I guess, is good?"

"I would view that as good, but that depends on who you ask."

"Yeah, most of us can't drink, though."

"Legally, but we can physically."

Grillby rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sans, physically, we can, but it also doesn't mean we should."

"Never said we should, Grillby." Sand laid their head on the bar.

"Oh, Sans," he laughed. "Um...Sans?"

They looked up. "Yeah?"

"I can tell you anything, right?"

Sans smiled. "Of course, you can. I've told ya that before."

"Well...I've been hiding something from you. I...I...." He felt his legs give out and crumple onto the floor. 

"Grillby?" They rushed over to his side. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

He laughed and felt his face pressed against their shoulder. "No, I'm not hurt. I...I'm gay."

They wrapped their arms around him. "It's okay. I'm right here."

And they sat there. 

As Grillby cried in their arms.

Never leaving him.

It felt like the entire world had passed when the noises finally ceased from him.

"I...I'm okay now."

"Why don-" 

"Hey, guyss!" They both look up to see Froggit. "Are you staying here too?"

Sans looked at Grillby and then back at Froggit. "Yeah, we are. Why are you staying? I thought you didn't want to 'miss the adventure?' Yeah?"

"Yeah, well, this place is super cool! Plus, why not hang out here and help the others rebuild the town?"

Grillby smiled. "Yeah, I'm excited to rebuild!"

Froggit looked around. "I can't believe you already built an entire bar! This is why you're so cool, Grillby."

It started to attempt to hop out of it. "I'll leave you two here! I'm gonna help with the inn!"

Sans laughed. "Good luck, bud."

It closed the door behind them.

Grillby.

They're still holding you.

Don't mention it if you want to keep them holding you.

"Ah, shit, I'm still holding you. Sorry, Grillbz."

Don't let go. I need you.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He smiled.

I love it when you hug me.

Please keep hugging me.

They chuckled. "Alright, how about we crash here for the night? Yeah?" He nodded. "Great, come on, cuddle up close. We need t' stay warm after all."

[nogling]

As someone who used to work for Blockbuster in a town approximately the size of Hawkins - yeah, those hours are pretty much what we were open, ten years later.

If anyone would like some rough idea of what an average weekday and weekend shift would look like, keep reading:

Weekdays were usually dead for the first hour, hour and a half of the opening shift, so the first hour or so is devoted to processing any overnight returns (making sure the right tape is in the case, making sure they’re rewound, checking them in), restocking anything the closing shift didn’t do, and facing tapes. (Facing tapes was mostly just making sure all the shelves were neat and in the correct alphabetical order. Depending on how reliable your other shift was, this could be a fifteen minute job or a four hour job.) You could expect a mini rush around lunchtime - nothing super stressful, and an even mix of checkin and checkout.

The next rush was around 3:30, and it was always a pain in the ass, because it was kids. Kids can destroy a video store in less than five minutes of unsupervised time.

4:00 - 6:30 was cleaning up the disaster that was the after school rush and handling the after work crowd, which was usually not too bad. It would be steady from 8ish to around 9:30, where it would promptly die…..right up until 10 minutes before closing, where you’d get the stragglers and the people who have no concept of other people’s time.

Weekends tended to be steadier - Friday and Saturday nights were the busiest. There was always a post-church rush on Sundays. Friday and Saturday late nights were also where you’d get the Fun Customers - the ones who were drunk or high or both.

The 80s saw the beginning of the “you only work 39 hours a week, so you’re not full time”, and retail has always been terrible. There is a good chance that holidays are mandatory, but overtime is something to be avoided At All Costs. Retail schedules are notoriously inconsistent - feel free to have Keith play favorites on shifts.

Things that happened All The Time, and will provide a great deal of realism to any fic:

1. “Can you check the returns?” This is one of the best ways to guarantee that the staff hate you. We do not want to dig in the giant bin. Chances are the tape you want isn’t in there anyway.

2. Rewinding tapes is more fun than you might think - the rewinding machines are fast, and most stores have four or five of them.

3. You Must Check Every Case - people put the wrong tape in the box all the time. We had people return home videos, other video store tapes, you name it. Statistically, at least three boxes will come back empty.

4. Everyone will argue over their late fees. Some people will be so angry about it they will throw things at you. Laminated membership cards can cut you if flung at high enough velocity, ask me how I know.

5. The store will receive tapes before their release date - one of the perks of this is that generally speaking, employees get to watch them before they hit the floor.

6. The plastic clamshell cases are made of the cheapest plastic imaginable, and it is poorly cured. It is then wrapped in the cheapest vinyl to ever exist. This combination leads to the unique tackiness of every surface - they’re all just vaguely, mysteriously sticky, and the more sun exposure they get, the worse it becomes. Because they’re sticky, they’re also filthy. If you get busy, or get slammed with a bunch of returns, your hands will be black with grime by the time you finish processing them. (The only job I ever worked that was filthier was cash handling, because cash is also disgusting.) There is a distinct smell associated with those clamshell cases, and it is very difficult to describe.

7. There’s a good chance that the computer does not calculate change - you would be expected to be able to do the math and count back change. Closing out a cash drawer probably also involved a paper ledger.

8. Every video store had a new release section - depending on popularity, tapes would stay on the new release list for 3-4 weeks.

9. Inventory shifts are awful. Everything in the store has to be scanned and counted, and it must be done overnight. This is Not Fun.

Just saving this for my own writing purposes cos I can never remember what time their store is open and apparently I've let Steve get off work early way too many times lol

[slowpoke272]

"invisible man" by ralph ellison

finished: september 20, 2023

well, it has been a while. for one thing, this was a lengthy, dense read. i wanted to take my time with it... but i also have been reassessing the process i've created for myself with this blog. i enjoy looking back and reading some thoughts on what i've read, but with every book i read and then put down, i can't help but feel i am creating an obligation for myself by creating a system where i must read, rate, review, and then proceed to the next book. i liked the task initially, and i do think it helped me digest some reads in the beginning of the year, but the last few books i've read, as i near the end i start to feel a sort of dread that i'll have to find the right words to represent this book well, or even just what i thought of it. the reality is, most books i read take weeks to digest, some even longer, and i don't wanna box myself or authors' works in by demanding a review upon finishing. i don't know. i figured when i started this blog it wouldn't be forever, and i didn't want it to feel like an obligation. i know nobody cares or reads these entries, that's fine, that's a relief if anything, but even to write to later reflect on my own thoughts, it's becoming a burden.

so where do we go from here? i've thought of maybe moving this to instagram. i have seen several friends and creators make quick "story" reviews of books when they finish, giving them the space to share anything important about the book, it doesn't seem as cumbersome. i think i like that idea because then it would allow me to create a story highlight and i could still easily keep track of everything i've read in a year's time.

ideally, i would like to see this blog out at least through the end of the year, but i don't know. i guess i just need to acknowledge to myself to allow for imperfection. it's something i struggle with on a global level: striving for perfectionism. i start off these meaningless projects sometimes just for the sake of self-reflection, but then i end up creating a formula that eventually fatigues me as it feels like a chore or a burden because i feel like everything i produce has to be uniform. i wish i could channel this trait into something more useful.

on top of dealing with life in general and some medical stuff, i'm just tired and i'm experiencing a period where i don't want to share all that much. maybe that's also where this is coming from. i know the likelihood of anyone else reading this is extremely low, especially anyone i know personally, but i don't think that matters to me anymore. this is going to sound silly, but i was devoted to twitter since its inception; i shared a lot of myself on twitter through the years, and the platform adapted to my different styles of what i wanted to share through the years as i changed and evolved. that is, until this most recent rendition, "x," which i consider the official death of twitter. this billionaire scum changed so much about it already, but changing the name and the logo was effectively the nail in the coffin for me. so i've left what was formerly known as twitter, and even though i hadn't been tweeting much anymore, the tweets i read and the way i interacted on the platform, i've come to realized, had a profound effect on the way i moved about the world, in a social sense. that's gone now, and although there's threads, instagram, and the occasional checkin with facebook, it feels like a part of how i expressed myself is no longer here. so i guess i've kind of been mourning what is now lost in my world, but also taking the time to reflect on why something silly like a social media platform meant so much to me in the first place. it really does feel like losing a person i was close to, and even though it was a terminal case that whose "death" was anticipated months before, i'm still mourning what it meant to me. and i'm starting to re-assess what i want to share with the world and what i want the remaining social media platforms to mean to me. i don't know if i will ever have a twitter again. twitter was everything good about social media, to me. it was my xanga years mixed with my livejournal years but presented with precision so it was always easy to digest any thought. i know this must sound f#*(%& insane to anyone, but it's how i really feel. i actually haven't the slightest idea why i'm even sharing any of this.

getting into the actual book i just completed... i guess as a white woman in 2023, i'm empathizing with the narrator in invisible man. i can't ever fully know what it's like to live as a black person in 1930's harlem, or even in 2020s, but i can understand where he's coming from the more i gain knowledge. there's a lot to unpack with this story, i know that's true for most books that i've read, but this book hit notes about my county and its people that i don't think any other book has been able to do, in such an eloquent manner, at that.

some parts of the book were a bit hard to follow and dense for me, specifically some of the preachy stuff, but overall this is a very important story to be told in american literature. i am bummed that i didn't read it in high school, i think it was only part of the "AP" english curriculum, but i think the topics and themes covered in this book should be discussed and digested by all young americans. i'm sad and mad for the narrator, i admire his drive and this story was such a ride full of so many ups and downs. just when you think he's landed somewhere, doing something he's truly passionate about that he feels he's making a difference in the world utilizing the resources available to him... wham. another pothole to take him out. i really loved this book for the rawness it presents, but i hate how on the nose it is, even in the year 2023.

i'm not sure if i'm gonna rate this one, or anything from here on out, or where i go from here in terms of this blog. i hope this isn't my last post, but who knows. i'm still figuring it all out.

[caminotravels]

Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 21km

I woke up super early , so I decided to prepare myself and get ready for todays walk . I packed my backpack and covered it in a raincoat as the weather is still calling for rain . I will stop at the first cafe and have a coffee just to get me going and then head off . I have 22 km to walk today and hopefully that blister has settled down and will not puff up again .

After my coffee I headed off in the dark . There we many pilgrims out so I just followed them till out of the city . The first 4 km was city but then it moved to trails . It was actually a lovely walk this morning . The rain held off so you could walk in the cool but not wet . It continued on trails , a few hills but nothing like the previous day . I really enjoyed this first 10 km . Finally a cafe came into view and I was needing food to give me that extra push to finish the day . I had empanada chicken filled , a sweet treat and an americano . Just the amount of food to keep me going but not weigh me down . The place I am sitting has a beautiful back patio with kiwi vines everywhere . Very pleasant place to have a coffee for sure . Now it is time to complete my walk , I have 11km to go .

I stopped for another coffee at 15km . Though I regret it as it is so crowed and everyone just pushes you about . There is no quiet place anymore , just too many pilgrims on the walk . Looking forward to meeting up with Sam . Only 6 more km to go .

Finally made it to town and met Sam at the bar for our afternoon wine . My foot was so sore , that blister just will not give up, plus my arm that I broke , which had been amazing this whole journey just decided today that it wants to ache . So I was so ready to arrive and rest up . The only problem now was hotels have this new online checkin and send you a code with the lock box which has the key to your room . Well , I never received the information , so we spent the next hour and a half sending messages and waiting for a reply . If it works it is a great idea , when it doesn’t it is so frustrating . Such a bad experience but finally after 90 minutes we got a response and got a code for our room . All I want is a shower and rest up for a while . Soon we we go out for dinner , but right now it is time to rest my weary bones . Dinner can wait ..

[williamsanderson123-blog]

5 Characteristics of Successful StartupTechpreneurs

Startuptechpreneurs are amazing people. Sometimes you wonder what they are made of. You might ask if their DNA is made up of hard work perfectly linked to a chromosome of luck. They just seem to succeed in everything that they do (and rake in a lot of money).

No they are not sent by alien civilizations and they also fail in some of their endeavors. They just seem to have a little of every talent needed, have 101% gusto to do what they do, and have a laser-guided focus to achieve their goals.

In the early days of their companies, be it in a garage or from their dorm rooms, these successful startup founders wore a lot of hats. They are like the Energizer bunny doing the jobs of the chief operating officer, doing product design, recruiting people, and even managing PR. It is crazy how they managed to do all the duties and through their unique talents, they achieved success.

Here are some of those characteristics that help them go on with their venture, succeed with it, and make it grow:

Leadership

This is the most crucial characteristic of a successful startuptechpreneur. Leadership means they served as the spark to a bright idea and transformed the dream to a reality. The leader is the starting point. He or she finds the best people to be part of his team, lays down the foundations, think of the overall strategy, and even finds the office space.

The founder of a startup is the kind of guy who invites other people to start something different and start a new company. The founder is the activator who thinks out of the box. He pursued the idea and turned it to something useful for other people.

Jason Jacobs who is behind RunKeeper is a good example of this. He was sweating it out in a marathon back in 2007 when he thought that people needed something simpler than the Nike+. To achieve his goals of providing an open platform for health metrics, he recruited other people to join him and started a new company.

Flexibility

Bright ideas are just bright ideas. When you start to churn something they do not necessarily produce something great. Founders of startups know this and easily adapt to the circumstances. If you want to get to the top, you must know how to blend with the startup culture and be creative to get the funding you need.

Your ideas are your dreams but this dream should be pliable enough so you can help shape solutions to the problems of consumers.

 Kevin Systrom is the co-founder of Burbn which is the predecessor of Instagram. The app which has millions of downloads today did not start the way we know it. It was first designed to be a geo-location app where people can checkin and a platform where they can upload their photos to share with friends. The first idea though did not take off well. Systrom and his team had to pinpoint the strongest trait of their app. They found out that it was the photo uploading aspect that was hitting it off so what they did is get rid of all other features and moved on. Kaboom! Look at Instagram now.

 Discipline

It is great that you know how to adapt to the flow of things, but success also requires discipline. Imagine an overwhelming need to attend to the gazillion things that need your attention. As a startup founder, you must learn how to structure your work so everyone knows his or her roles and

responsibilities while you focus on yours.

Discipline will help you find out what the problem is. It helps you keep your team working like a well-oiled machine. Discipline also determines how you spend time with work and still have enough time for family and friends.

Eric Reis who is the guy behind TheLeanStartup.com, teaches people how to find a sustainable business by equipping them with the right attitude, philosophy, and the discipline necessary to succeed.

Strategist

All successful startups always has a great strategist behind them. It is like having a magnet that attracts all the metal flakes from the sand. That is how they work. From all the noise, they can strategically get the relevant and useful things for them.

A good strategist can come up with a name of the company that will be easily remembered by people. They can come up with products that are unique. They have that magic to push their product to the market and let consumers see the real value it can bring into their lives. Aside from these, a strategic founder can pick the ideal business partners, understand the competition, see the weaknesses and amend them before they become a problem.

Who can be a better example of this but the late Steve Jobs. The founder of Apple might be the best strategist of our generation. Steve Jobs understood that people look for something more than computing, and people want to be entertained, want to be creative, and want to be liberated. The genius launched products like the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. He produced hit gadgets one after another that catapulted Apple to become the most valuable company today.

Focus

Successful startup founders may have a hundred items on their to-do list everyday but they know which ones must be prioritized. Focus is like the sniper alter ego of your discipline that scopes the targets and make failure as not part of the options.

Some people might start something great but give up after a few months. You will see them starting on another great idea the next time you see them and then another the next time you bump into them.

Great techpreneurs know what things to drop on their to-do list. They drop down any distraction and only focus on the essential things that will spell success. The other less important items should be delegated to the other members of the team since trying to do everything is counter productive.

Khalil is a dynamic, creative, intelligent, hard-working entrepreneur and a firm believer in the power of technology to impact and improve livelihood in developing countries. His vision, dedication, and principles set him apart from his peers, – Mustapha Usman CEO of Africa Infotech Consulting