#day that i was originally supposed to graduate i run into someone that was the partial cause of my last major manic break/ptsd episode

[comfycozycrossfox]

the universe is REALLLLY funny . it’s SO haha funny.

[topguncortez]

The Professor | Epilogue

previous part | masterlist

synopsis: Jake surprises you with a trip back home for Christmas, and you just hope this family holiday goes better than the last time Jake took you home.

word count: 3.4k

warnings: age gap, power imbalance, mentions of smut, mentions of parental death, mentions of past break-ups.

It really didn’t feel like Christmas. You hadn’t ever felt really Christmas-y in years past, but this year, you really didn’t feel like it.  Maybe it was because instead of seeing snow covered streets, you were looking up at palm trees. Or maybe it was because you weren’t at home, surrounded by the people you loved. For once, you were sad that you weren’t coming home from class to see Santa’s Village thrown up in your living room. 

For the past two years, you had flown back to Boston to spend Christmas with Lucy and Zeke. She had graduated from Boston College with her degree in English and was teaching at a local high school. Her and Zeke had tied the knot in a small wedding ceremony with just a handful of people present. It was very Lucy-esq and you were happy to be there every step of the way for them. After the wedding, You and Mrs. McAndrew placed bets on how long it would be before Lucy got pregnant. You said it would be less than a year, and you weren’t surprised when she had called out back in March telling you that she was due sometime in January.  

Pushing the door to your apartment open, you were met with Tybalt and Benvolio sitting on the kitchen counter like they always do when you come home. You felt like Tybalt was awfully lonely during the day, so you adopted the little orange tabby cat to keep him company. 

“Hello my loves,” You said, setting your backpack down and picking up Benvolio, which caused Tybalt to meow at you, “Do you bite your thumb at me?” Tybalt simply jumped off the counter and stalked his way towards the living room. You kissed Benvolio’s head, before setting him down on the floor. You went over to the stack of mail that was sitting on the counter, and thumbed through the various bills and Christmas cards you had gotten. You noticed one from both Kathlene and Nancy. Amelia had sent hers out the first week of December, which was just a printed picture of her and her husband Link in the middle of Africa. 

“Oh! You’re not supposed to be here,” You looked up from the Christmas cards and noticed Jake walking into the kitchen. 

“Well, I live here. . .” You said but Jake shook his head, walking to you. 

“Yes, I know,” He greeted you with a kiss, “But, I have a surprise for you, and I didn’t want you to see.” 

“I kind of have PTSD from your surprises.” 

“It’s not bad, I promise,” Jake said, “And I am sorry I didn’t have time to wrap it but. . .” He placed two tickets in front of you on the counter. Your eyes widened as you grabbed the tickets and looked at him. 

“You bought plane tickets?”

“I did,” Jake nodded, “You were upset about Lucy and Zeke not being able to come here and worried that you wouldn’t be able to afford going back home. So I talked to my parents and said that I wouldn’t be coming home this year. I’m going back to Boston. . . with you.” 

You smiled, and wrapped your arms around Jake’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss, “I gotta go pack,” You patted his chest before running off to your shared room. 

Things with Jake had gone surprisingly well in the past two years. After he practically showed up on your doorstep, the two of you had talked about your relationship. It was as easy as breathing when he was around, and you had never felt more at home with someone (besides Zeke and Lucy) in your life. It felt like he was the missing piece to your puzzle, and he felt the same. He had put in his notice at Boston, and was in the process of selling his house to move out to California with you. Rooster and Bob thought maybe Jake had a stroke, cause he was never a man to just quit his job and move like that, but Jake Thomas Seresin was in love. 

Jake originally was renting a small little apartment on the other side of town, but that only lasted about two weeks. He was spending most, if not all his time with you, so you just had him move in. It was easy for Jake to find a job with his accomplishments and recommendations. He was an undergrad english professor at Berkeley. You were still working hard and studying under Doctor Hoffman, who was a lot like Jake with her teaching methods. She wasn’t an easy professor, and didn’t let you just get by in her class with Bs and Cs, she expected As, and you were working hard to maintain such grades. 

Jake’s mother never seemed to beg the two of you to come home for the holidays. The past two thanksgivings you and Jake had driven down to LA to spend with his sister Amelia (she, just like you, didn’t want to go home to Texas either) and then last Christmas was spent in California with Lucy and Zeke. Of course, Olivia Seresin wanted her son and his girlfriend to come home, but she understood it. She knew that both of them were scared to come home after everything that happened the last time. 

— — — 

It was like nothing had changed in Chestnut Hills. The streets were covered in white snow, it was ridiculously cold outside. You were happy to be home for the holidays, but man do you miss the warm California sun. Jake had told you he rented an AirBnB for Christmas, so the two of you could have some privacy and not infiltrate Zeke and Lucy, or Bob and Miranda’s houses. The house was actually not too far from where Jake’s old house was, and he made sure to drive by it. He chuckled seeing the snowmen in the front yard. 

“Guess some kids live there now,” Jake said. 

“Lots of room for them,” You smiled, and grabbed his hand. 

“I know,” Jake kissed the back of your hand, and continued on driving to the house, “We gotta get a bigger place. No room in the apartment for kids.” 

You were taken aback a bit. Jake hardly ever talked about kids with you, “I-I guess, yeah. A one bedroom apartment isn’t very suitable for children.” 

“No,” Jake pulled the rental SUV into the driveway, “They need a yard, somewhere to run. You ever think about relocating when you’re done with the program?” 

“It’s crossed my mind,” You nodded, getting out of the car. Jake waited for you in front of the car, and grabbed your hand, walking up the steps towards the door, “Where did all this baby talk come from?” 

“Don’t know,” Jake shrugged, and opened the front door. You didn’t say anything else as he helped you take your coat off and then hung it up. He kissed your cheek before going towards the kitchen, probably going to open a bottle of wine that the owners left. 

Jake, however, did know why he was asking you, and it had to do with the small black box that was tucked in between some socks in his suitcase. He had been holding on to his mothers ring for nearly two years now, and knew it was time to pop the question. He just wasn’t 100% sure on how to do it. But, luckily for him, he knew exactly who to ask. 

— — — 

“You’re asking my best friend for her hand in marriage and you didn’t think to tell me before now!?” Lucy exclaimed as she stood in the doorway of her house. She still lived in the same house that you once shared with her. Slowly, her and Zeke were fixing up the college party house into a nice cute little cottage. Jake gulped and looked down at her very swollen belly, “Oh, do not use my pregnancy as an excuse, Mr. Seresin.” She moved out of the way from the door, and let Jake walk into the house. 

“I meant to tell you, it’s just that there’s not a lot of space in the apartment to get away from her,” Jake said, taking off his coat and sitting on the couch, “How are you?” 

“Huge,” Lucy said, sitting down on the other end of the couch, “When are you going to do it?” 

“Tonight, Christmas Eve. Everyone is coming to the house. You, Zeke, Bob, his wife, Rooster and his new girl.”  

“Oh! You should do it while we open our one gift!” Lucy clapped her hands, and went into detail on how Jake should ask for her friend’s hand in marriage. 

Back at the house, you were busy cooking away with Zeke. You were thankful that Jake let you kick him out of the house while you and Zeke cooked. Over the years of living with Jake you came to the realization that he, in fact, could not cook. He could follow a recipe pretty well, but it wasn’t the same. Zeke had his mother’s touch type of cooking, that got along well with yours. The two of you were like a well oiled machine as you worked around the kitchen. 

“What do you think they are talking about?” You asked, mixing the gravy. 

“Beats me,” Zeke sighed, “They can’t have that much in common. Hell, I can’t believe you and Professor Seresin-” 

“Jake.” 

“Shit, sorry,” Zeke shook his head and you laughed, “Been two years and I still call him ‘Professor Seresin’.” 

“It’s hard to get used to.” 

You could basically hear the shit eating smirk on Zeke’s face as he asked: “Do you call him that in-” 

“I am not having this conversation with you,” You laughed, and took a sip of your wine, “I’m gonna check on the dough for the rolls.” 

Jake had given Lucy the ring box before leaving her house so she could wrap it. The sun was down, and it was only a matter of time before guests started showing up at the house. Everything smelled great as Jake walked through the front door. The house felt warm, and cozy, the fire cracking in the fireplace, and Christmas music playing throughout. He walked upstairs to find you sitting on the bathroom counter in front of the mirror, in nothing but your bra and underwear, doing your makeup. He smiled as he leaned against the door. 

“What are you doing?” Jake asked, and you jumped, looking up at him in the mirror. 

“My makeup, duh,” You said, finishing putting mascara on your eyelashes, “The lighting in here is amazing. I need lights like this at home.” You climbed down from the counter and walked over to him. You kissed his cheek before going to find your dress for the night. 

“Well maybe we should build a house with a mirror like that in it,” Jake answered. 

“Maybe we should,” You stepped into the green colored dress, “Can you zip?” Jake nodded and came behind you to zip it up. His fingers brush ever so lightly up the bareskin of your spin, sending a shiver down your body. He placed a kiss on your neck and gave your ass a squeeze. 

“All good,” He said, a smirk on his face as he stepped away from you. 

“Thank you, baby,” You said and turned around to face him. His hands rested on your hips, holding you close to him. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the doorbell, “Oh! Get dressed, I’ll go greet the guests.” 

Jake fixed his tie as he walked down the stairs to be greeted by the laughter of guests. Rooster was the first to notice him, and said something to the girl next to him, before getting up and walking over to where Jake was. 

“Bagman!” Rooster said and hugged his friend. 

“Rooster,” Jake said back, “Where’s-” 

“In the kitchen,” Rooster answered, “Her friend says you’re gonna pop the question? Who would’ve thought that you would be marrying your student.” 

“Not my student anymore,” Jake corrected, “Who’s the girl?” 

“Lys,” Rooster nodded over to her. She stood up from the couch and walked over to where Jake and Rooster were standing, “This is Jake, that professor friend of mine,” Jake shook the girl’s hand. 

“So you’re the woman who is strong enough to deal with Rooster and his awful Hawaiian shirts,” Jake pointed to the Christmas Hawaiian shirt that Rooster was wearing. 

Lys giggled, “I guess I am. Your girlfriend is the sweetest by the way.” 

“Speaking of which, I’m gonna go find her,” Jake smiled, “Nice meeting you.” 

Jake could easily hear your laughter as it floated out of the kitchen. You were standing next to Miranda, who was holding a small child on her hip and Lucy, who was sitting down in a chair. Jake walked over to you, and put his arm around your waist, pulling you into him. You smiled, and leaned against his warm chest. Lucy couldn’t help but smile at the two of you. She had watched you for years run and try to escape the holidays, but now, you embraced all that came with it. 

It felt great to see a table full of food and your best friends sitting around it. Jake sat at the head of the table, you on his left as Zeke sat on the other end. Everything felt right, except for the way Jake was acting. He had been very touchy and affectionate towards you, until Lucy had called him away to help with something. When he came back, he was acting weird. It made you think back to the very first holiday you had spent with him. The heartbreak in which that holiday ended for both of you. 

The conversation flowed smoothly, as you sipped your wine and listened to Rooster tell the story of his very first Christmas with Bob and Rooster. Like you, Rooster didn’t have much for family and he wasn’t talking to her godfather back then, and Jake had invited the two of them to come home with him. Rooster was so overwhelmed that he didn’t tell Olivia that he was allergic to pecans, and he felt bad if he just threw them away. 

“So he ate the whole thing,” Bob said, laughing so hard his glasses were falling off his nose. 

“And. . . went back for seconds,” Jake added in. 

“Oh my god,” Lys laughed, “What happened?” 

“The good thing about all this is that I don’t swell up like a balloon when I have pecans. . . No, I just shit my brains out for days.” 

“No!” Lucy scrunched her eyebrows. 

“It was so bad, he passed out on the toilet from dehydration,” Jake said, “Amelia went in to check on him and screamed so loud we thought there was another snake in the house.” 

“There was a snake. . . but it was attached to Rooster,” Bob said and everyone laughed even harder at that as Rooster tossed a piece of croissant roll at him. 

“So, long story short. . .First Holidays at the Seresins is no longer a thing,” Jake said and took a sip of his drink. You also sipped your drink to try and hide the awkward glance from Lucy. You were sure that Jake had told his friends about the disaster of the first holiday you had at the Seresin house, although it wasn’t as comical as Bradley’s pecan mishap. 

“Why don’t we go do our one gift,” Lucy said, trying to ease the awkward tension, “Lys, I’m not sure if Bradley told you but the ol’ tradition around here is that you open one gift on Christmas eve. Y/N’s parents started it and it kind of has become a thing among the whole family now.” 

“Oh I love that,” Lys said, “And yes he told me, and hopefully, I can out-do his gift giving.” 

“He tell you one year he gave me a box of condoms. . . but the box was already half empty,” Bob said, pointing at Bradley. 

“Is this just tattle on Bradshaw day?” Bradley rolled his eyes. 

You chuckled, “Everyone go ahead in, I’ll start picking this up.” You stood up from your seat and collected your plate and Lucy’s. 

“I’ll help,” Jake said, and you looked at him somewhat surprised. It was the first time he had said anything to you since sitting down at the table. You nodded and picked up Zeke’s plate before heading to the kitchen. Everyone slowly helped bring in the plates and extra food from the dining room before making their way to the living room. 

You and Jake worked in silence as you put the extra food in containers and loaded up the dishwasher. You were a bit scared of saying anything, not knowing what Jake was feeling. That was one thing that hadn’t changed over the years, was Jake’s ability to talk to you about his feelings. He had somewhat opened up to you, but it was like trying to thaw snow on a negative degree day. It was going to take a long time, and patience, which you were willing to give him. 

There were only a couple of dishes left to dry and put away, “I can get the last of these. Go be with your friends. I heard Miranda say that Lucas brought you-” 

“Walk with me,” Jake said, taking the rag out of your hands. You looked up at him, his green eyes were unreadable but his voice was soft, “I told Bob I’d help Lucas build the train set that we bought him tomorrow. Walk with me? Please.” 

You nodded and Jake took your hand, leading you out the backdoor of the house. Lucy heard the door shut and she smiled, looking at the gift box in her hand. 

“What’s that look on your face?” Zeke asked his wife. 

“Nothing,” Lucy sighed with a smile, “Let’s open gifts!” 

“Aren’t we waiting for Y/N and Jake?” Rooster asked. 

“No, they’re a bit busy right now,” Lucy said and gave Rooster a knowing look. He was a bit confused at first but Lys nudged him and then pointed to her ring finger. Rooster’s mouth fell open in an O shape and then he smiled. 

You wished you would’ve grabbed your coat before going on a walk with Jake. It was cold, but the feeling of his hand in yours was keeping you somewhat warm. The snow was falling, making a warm glow from the street light illuminate the night sky. Nights like these reminded you of your mother and how much she loved the snow. You knew Berkeley was part of her dream, but you sometimes wished you never left Boston for this very reason. Jake was humming some song under his breath as he led you down the dark street. 

“Where are we going?” You asked, as Jake stopped walking outside of his old house. 

“Here, and before you ask, I already talked to the owners,” Jake answered and you giggled, “Do you remember the first time you came over?” 

“When you kissed me and kicked me out? Yeah, I remember,” You said and Jake winced. 

“I am still so sorry I did that. I’m sorry for everything that I did to you. I was such an ass and you didn’t deserve any of it,” Jake said and you took a step forward, caressed his cheek with your hand. 

“I forgive you,” You said and Jake grabbed your hands in his. 

“The reason I kicked you out that night was because I was scared. That kiss. . . it was different than anything I had before, which I know sounds like one of those tacky romance novels you read in the bath.” 

“Hey, Boys of the Mason-Dixon is a good book.” 

“Sure, baby,” Jake winked, “But that kiss, that night actually, I realized I wasn’t going to live my life without you, and it scared the ever living fuck out of me,” He let a tear escape from his eyes as you already had tears falling down your cheeks, “When I left you at Thanksgiving it was because my mom gave me this,” 

Jake let go of your hands to pull out a ring from his pocket. You gasped and covered your mouth with your hands, “She knew then what I was trying too hard to fight. . . that I am so deeply, madly in love with you. And it might’ve taken watching you walk away from me and move across the country to realize, but Y/N L/N,” You choked back a sob as Jake got down on one knee. 

“I never want to know a day where you aren’t mine. Will you please, marry me?” 

You dropped to your knees in front of Jake, and grabbed his face in your hands. With your thumb you wiped the tears away from his cheeks, and then leaned in to kiss his pink lips.

taglist: @zetasaturno99 @tallrock35 @bioodforbiood @mak-32 @cherrycola27 @drunkangels @fuckyeahhangman @the-winter-marvel33 @oldnatgwenaccount @cm27078 @xoxabs88xox @paige-alexandra-may @ereardon @marantha @callsign-phoenix @bradleybeachbabe @manunitedgotbruno @mulletmcghee @moonvr @nagygreta @cherryobx @callsign-joyride @blue-aconite @books-for-summer @violyn20 @lilylilyyyyyy @p1nkbarbi3 @princessofglitterland @hallway5 @thedroneranger @chaoticweirdogeek @abaker74 @auroraboreallisfine @materialgirl01 @fandom-princess-forevermore @averyhotchner @thedaredevilsgirl @shelbycillian @currentlybradshaw @mavesiceroo @emptyloverofmine @lovingjakeseresin @thegoddessc @techni-coloured @shawnsblue @captainmarvels-blog

note: okay, this might be the official goodbye to Professor Seresin. . .MIGHT. . .

[voidsentprinces]

So there's a group of entertainers called Vtubers. People who use virtual avatars or characters to stream games and things to entertain with. As with any medium i.e. movies, games, tv, etc. There are always going to be big groups. Your Playstations, Xboxes, and Nintendos if you will. Far as I can tell there are three big groups Hololive, Nijisanji and Vshojo.

Recently, Nijisanji has had an increasing series of graduations (a retirement where the talent's character and content is stopped completely, a series finale if you will, a show end) including, most recently, the graduation of the talent Selen Tatsuki. The chronological of public events are as follows, from my attention at least. Selen posts a song before Christmas that is a Cover of someone else's song. She got the go ahead from the Original Artist to cover said song, wholeheartedly. Management greenlit it. The Original Artist told both Selen and Management that it was fine to cover and post. Within a few hours of being up, Management takes it down. Selen voices a complaint cause like, what the hell guys. Everything was on the level. Selen suddenly goes silent on social media. Twitter is updated that she is in the hospital for an accident. Another few weeks of radio silence. People are asking on an update about her health. Suddenly, her graduation is announced and there is no stream for it.

Fast forward to her previous account, some (see also most in some cases) talents don't start out with an agency, Dokibird. Who reveals that she had been bullied in the company to the point where making an attempt on her life. Which left her hospitalized, additionally previously, as a talent you want to try to think of community events and stuff to entertain your audience. These can take the form of movie nights, tournaments, etc. As it turns out, all the projects she tried to get off the ground that was communicated with the management of Nijisanji were accepted and green lit and were suppose to be paid for by...you know...the corporate company running things. Had to come out of her own pocket to the ending tune of appoximentally $200,000. Additionally, additionally, Nijisanji accused Doki (Selen) or ill advised behavior while working with them as well as not getting proper copy right approval for the song that was posted previously that was then taken down.

As the original artist confirmed that Selen had gotten permission. We can assume the statement released by Nijisanji is slander in an attempt to paint a horrible picture of a previous employee. Legal action had begun to take place against Nijisanji on the side of Dokibird. Nijisanji releases merch sales that includes a voice pack that Doki had worked on for the character of Selen despite all that had transpired. In, what I can only describe as the Blizzard Entertainment move of "Look at this shiny new product, ignore the drama going on over there". But, her fanbase and a large part of the vtuber community as a whole was not having it and backlash ensued. Doki called for no backlash or inappropriate behavior towards talents still working with Nijisanji. Because people gotta eat and there is no ethical consumption under capitalistic society. The other talents still working with Nijisanji are just doing their jobs and trying to keep their heads above the water. It is the management, investors, and board members of Nijisanji that should been held accountable for their actions against Dokibird.

Such actions include:

Being aware of the bullying taking place and being complacent in doing nothing about it

Greenlighting projects, making her pay out of pocket and then cancelling them a week or even the day of said project's event

Taking over her twitter after she had been hospitalized from the attempt on her own life and posing as her to make it seem like "business as usual"

Calling her EMERGENCY CONTACT while she was IN THE HOSPITAL! And DEMANDING she retract any negative statements about them taking down the COVERED SONG VIDEO that they AGREED TO, GREENLIT and she got the original song writer to OKAY THE COVER TO POST

Despite the legal actions behind closed doors, Doki was content with leaving the other livers out of this. And pursuing Nijisanji the company, legally, and quietly. Without further involvement until the case was over. So she can move on and begin to heal herself after such emotional and physical turmoil from the aforementioned attempt.

Enter, today. Doki was content to just continue streaming and move on with her life. But then, Nijisanji scheduled a stream to drop just before Doki went live. Where they had multiple talents read off a scripted response to Doki's actions and MAKE PUBLIC! DOCUMENTS THAT WERE TO REMAIN PRIVATE IN COURT PROCEEDINGS FOR THE CASE AGAINST THEM. WHICH WERE MADE TO SHOW NO ONE ELSE! BUT DOKI AND NIJI'S MANAGEMENT/LAWYER TEAM. That held PRIVATE INFORMATION including but not limited to: Her real name, address and perhaps even her MEDICAL RECORDS. But we're clearly shown to whoever wrote the script and then Nijisanji decided to broadcast this knowledge to the entire internet while using their employed talents as voice boxes to communicate this to the rest of the community.

Thats right. Documents that were suppose to never leave the court system or filings. We leaked. By the accused company. Willingly. Live. Where it can be traced back to them easily. To THOUSANDS. While forcing their talents to read off a script in connection it.

That's what the fuck, they did today.

[mephinomaly]

[TL] PYSCHOBREAK/Chapter 5

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Adonis: UNDEAD have been able to expand our range of activities due to a subsidiary called HELLSING.

I believe that now we can provide sufficient service to satisfy every customer.

Though, I am a little lonely since we are working separately from our real senpais.

Koga: It’s just for now. It was like this for a while when they graduated from Yumenosaki.

We’ve just gone back to it.

Adonis: I’m still lonely either way. There’s nothing we can do though, as this is the best possible solution for the problem we’re having.

This way, we can continue our usual idol activities, whilst simultaneously figuring out who is the mastermind behind the AIIE experiment.

Then we can discover the truth, and resolve the main issue we are having.

After that, we will have to decide on what to do.

Koga: Thinkin’ ain't our job. No point buildin’ bridges that are gonna be burnt down. All we can do is focus on the problems in front of us.

Hopefully nothin’ goes to shit this time.

Adonis: This is a dangerous path to walk. We have no choice but to try our absolute hardest.

Koga: Yup. We need t’find who's pullin’ all the strings before this becomes a reallll problem.

Adonis: …But I'm the one pulling all the strings.

Koga: Huh? The hell you mean? It's someone else, not you Adonis! You won't even kill bugs.

Adonis: Do you remember the dream we had during the experiment?

Something strange happened in that dream, though it was slightly different, it was still a retelling of the past.

So called “vampires” were delinquents who rampaged the town and were a threat to the peace.

Those “vampires”, their mastermind, was me, Adonis Otogari.

Koga: That’s just what past Sakuma-senpai said. There ain’t enough evidence t’come to a conclusion, so you’re fine.

Adonis: Umu. That’s why the vampires’ tyranny did not stop.

Hasumi-senpai was supposed to use the authority of the student council and lead Deadmanz in order to vanquish the delinquents.

But in the dream, the vampires were still running wild.

They were originally Sakuma-senpai’s devotees, but then it seems they became devoted to the new leader, and only listened to what I said.

Koga: So their new leader was, Adonis?

Are ya tryna get on the same level as Sakuma-senpai?

Adonis: No of course not, I don’t have the charisma for that. There aren’t any other suspects. Whilst the dreams were distorted, I don’t believe Sakuma-senpai would make a mistake like that.

If Sakuma-senpai said I am at fault, then it must be so.

Koga: Do you believe God is always right? Is that what you think of him?

I mean, I’m interested in what’s goin�� on too but it was jus’ a dream at the end of the day. What we gotta focus on is this majorly fucked up reality.

Adonis: …Is this really reality? Or is this a dream too?

This strangely doesn’t feel real. My head feels as if it is stuffed with cotton.

Koga: Well, this is really weird so I get it. We’re here, alive, and our souls are here, so—

We’ll keep livin’ here in one way or another.

Rei 2: —You two finished talkin’?

Koga: ...

Rei 2: Okay cool~. Bouzu’s followin’ along perfectly as per your instructions.

It’s still hard for me t’speak all old man-like which made him a tad suspicious.

But, whatever, no way that guy can guess what’s happenin’ next with us.

Adonis: That’s true. Thank you for your hard work bearing with Hasumi-senpai’s interrogation, Sakuma-senpai, Hakaze-senpai.

Kaoru 2: ...

Koga: Oi, you don’t hafta show respect to those things. Well, you’re the typa guy who speaks kindly to a harmonica, so guess it doesn’t matter.

Fake Sakuma-senpai is alright, but fake Hakaze-senpai doesn’t even talk t’us, let alone look at us—

No need t’respect someone like that.

Kaoru 2: Hey, so–

Could you not talk to me so much? I’m not into dudes so I’d rather not put in any effort to dealing with them~♪

So there’s no need to talk to me. Just do your job and there won’t be a problem, right?

Koga: W-wow… Somethin’ weirdly nostalgic ‘bout this version of Hakaze-senpai.

Guess the AIs are replicatin’’ us from a while back. Do ya think this fake Hakaze-senpai still acts like a playboy?

Then I should probably call the fakes somethin’ different in public, so Playboy ‘n Vampire Bastard.

Rei 2: Do what you like.

By the way. Bouzu wasn’t just there to interrogate us, think he’s actin’ as a messenger between us ‘n the RhythmLink higher ups.

Looks like they’re lovin’ what we’re doin’ lately and are makin’ us go on tour.

So we’re goin’ all around the country, singin’ for the fans who love immoral, radical us.

Rock, rock, rock ‘n roll ♪

Nice~. Dream come true, ain’t it, Wanko?

Koga: …The person I want to sing with ain’t you.

Nothin’ I can do about it. Until we know who’s behind this, I gotta just play along.

But, remember this - you try anythin’ funny, I won’t hesitate t’crush you.

This makes me sound like Adonis but… I’ll protect UNDEAD.

[ ☆ ]

Chapter 4

Chapter 6

[scrapperjoe]

Doesn't making keichos character disabled defeat the original purpose of him?

Yeah this ones a tricky one that's been on my mind. Huge spoilers for talks of abuse and ableism. Keep in mind this likely will not be the best written since its before work and stuff.

Yeah its no doubt that keichos introduction shows him to be verbally abusive towards okuyasu, and holding ableist beliefs at that, which is... Hm, not the best choice for making a disabled character, especially if you consider okuyasu autistic like i do. So why make him disabled?

The original theme of the au was to heal from trauma and abuse, a theme very much in my own life. Id also forgotten "wait cant josuke just heal him" before id put medical research into this so, yeah. Anyways... I thought, "hey, if he wasnt dead, him and okuyasu could willingly work on their relationship together!" Emphasis on willingly. Because keicho has minimal use of his legs and such, in the early days of his recovery he'd have to rely on okuyasu to help take care of him. (By the time keichos finally discharged okuyasus near graduation, don't worry.) The time apart with keicho in the hospital allowed them to rework their relationship in a less heated setting, and having to rely on okuyasu more, someone he once looked down upon, really shifted the dynamic and you can see things are working out more healthily between them while the both of them also seek counselling and had jotaro act as a middle man in the early days of the au. Even when okuyasu becomes a parent, keichos past abuse is NOT swept under the rug because okuyasu has several boundaries set in place such as keicho not being allowed to punish or yell at the kids no matter how fatherly he mat feel towards them. He is still just the uncle, and okuyasu doesn't want them to go through what he did.

And now for what this post is actually supposed to be about! As i mentioned, the aus core theme was different at the very beginning, but does try to tackle many complex themes because i can. And you guessed it, ableism is a hot topic! Ill admit it, i hadnt originally thought of it cause my autism brain thought, "wow, nijimura bros alive!" But as ive done research ive really been cracking down on how to handle this. Ive put in much medical research and what its like to live with what disabilities and conditions he has such as being an amputee, nerve connection issues, chronic pain (i actually live with chronic migraines myself), brain damage, organ transplants, etc...

Making keicho disabled and having josuke heal him was NOT to punish him for his abuse. Not in any way. If anything, it more so puts him in a state where he quite literally cannot run away from his issues and has to actually face them with CHOICE. The spwf faced the nijimuras with whether or not they wanted to stay together or split apart because of their complcated relationship, and they both chose to stay. Anyways... With keichos character who was depicted with low-key ableist veiws, hes undoubtedly going to deal with internalized ableism up the wazu. Im not going to go into way too much detail with that because if you're disabled you know what it's like. But there's a LOT of him trying to overcome it with the years. When they were finally home together for the first time in years keicho finally got to see okuyasus survivors guilt for himself and that was one big hurdle. Keichos self hatred at that time was adding to it and once he saw just how badly it was affecting okuyasu without realizing it, boy that had to freaking change. But every hurdle after that wasn't a hurdle, it was more like climbing steps of a stair.

As we all know, recovery is no straight line. A lot of times people will wish theyll be their former selves, but a lot of times that's an unreasonable desire. Keicho has a hard freaking time accepting that. He keeps pushing himself, wishing his recovery was faster, in turn actually pushing himself back. Over time keicho has to learn his limits which is a very bitter battle. You make advancements but then you go back a bit. With josuke and okuyasu doing so much for the family keicho often feels less than, and like he should be doing more. He pushes himself to do all the chores in the house even if it means puking from his migraines or wearing his stumps to the point the friction in his prosthetics start to bleed. Because we all know keichos as stubborn as a mule. The family is very adamant about getting him to rest, and i know i joke about them having to tape him down to the couch, but this feeling is a very real part of us who live with internalized ableism. Our society is so rooted in production and everything, that it can just be so hard to accept that our brains and bodies are simply incapable of doing certain things... What's more is that with keichos fluctuating condition its hard for him to keep a job. But even when he feels like crap, the family reassures him. Cause when your body won't let you do much more than bring up laundry without being in immense pain, or can hardly let you read for fun because of brain fog, it can be hard.

And because i worked it for josuke only to partially heal keicho because keicho told him specifically not to heal him, keicho obviously has disfiguring burn scars. And with his prosthetics and mobility aids, it goes without saying that he gets nasty looks and people staring at him. Those whispers around him when he goes into public. Those that lead him to often cover up even during summer time, that have the kids have to stand up for themselves and their own family at school because they get picked on because they have a VERY non traditional family. Those stares and comments can make him feel sub human, doctors constantly offering facial reconstruction surgery, and the way people can treat others is just... Appalling. Its taken keicho YEARS to feel comfortable in his own skin. From not getting that jarring feeling every time he looks in the mirror, not having to shower with a shirt on, not wanting to peel his skin off, etc... It was a bitter battle of self love. A bitter battle that sometimes he loses. But when that little hyakuko would play with his missing finger, boy did he feel less like a monster and more like the human that he is... Not to mention body positive josuke always being there to help him out. Since crazy diamond cant heal himself, josuke has lots of scars and stitches on his body from old stand battles and the sutch, and even if his scars arent disfiguring like keichos, they at least make him feel less alone, and okuyasu just being happy he's alive is always something that makes him feel better.

Overall, the au is centered around the theme of overcoming trauma and abuse much like my other works. In this case keicho is overcoming his old self and the abuse hed once done. And as time goes on, he does grow and evolve, becoming at least a somewhat better person and more understanding of others. Himself? Come on, its keicho. But no matter the hardships, when he sees how okuyasu has grown up and the happy family hes been able to have, and let alone keicho be part of it, its made all the hardships worth it. Disabled people are not a tragedy. Stop treating us like it.

[wraithlafitte]

Ohhhh boy. Lots of inflammatory things being said in the tags 😰 Homeschooling is not abuse and can work very well for some families. Saying or implying that homeschoolers as a monolith are religiously indoctrinated, uneducated, unsocialized “weird kids” is a very harmful, ignorant thing.

I was homeschooled my whole life. The only formal education I ever received was when I went through 2 years of community college to get my high school diploma/AA degree. I can’t speak for the rest of the states, but in Washington we were required to take a standardized test at the end of every school year that measured our academic progress. I was almost always in the top 1% of students in the state.

I was the type of homeschooler that was allowed to “run wild” with no specific class time enforced by my mom. Unschooled, we call it. Since I and my sisters are ADHD, autistic, and several types of mentally ill, a standard schooling system was never ever going to work for us. Believe me, my mom tried. She could not get me to sit in a chair long enough to be taught anything, especially if it was something I wasn’t interested in, like math.

My mom was of the opinion that we should be able to learn whatever we wanted and were interested in. She didn’t want us to be constrained by the typical 8-subject school curriculum. And I can say, with confidence, that I was equally if not MORE educated than my peers because of this. Until I got to university this year, I was usually the person with the most knowledge (depth and breadth of topics) in a room of my peers.

All I did as a kid was read books (I often read more than one per day), watch TV (although the types of things I was allowed to watch was regulated by my parents), and play outside. I participated in NaNoWriMo for several years, starting when I was 11 or 12. I haven’t stopped writing.

We did attend a few co-ops, where I interacted with a lot of homeschoolers. I never ONCE met someone who was uneducated because of being homeschooled. I met people who were dumb, sure. But there are dumb people in public school.

The point I’m trying to make here is that homeschooling being regulated is kind of against the point. I firmly believe that if there were subjects I was required to study, and curriculum my mom was supposed to follow, that I would have had a miserable and unsuccessful childhood education experience. I cannot stress this enough, if I had been sent to school and/or had a more structured schooling environment, I would have gotten really bad grades and built up a reputation as a bad/lazy/unmotivated kid, because of my hyperactive ADHD. I would have been bullied for being awkward because I was undiagnosed autistic. (Lo and behold, when I eventually did go into public school part-time, those exact things happened, and they are still happening in university to some extent. I have run into more problems with my formal institutional education than I ever did at home.)

I realize that I am an ideal success story- I went from absolutely no education structure to graduating with my AA degree at 18 with a 3.8 GPA. (Not to brag, but I had a 4.0 until my depression got really bad in my final quarter 😌💅) I was also very privileged to have two college-educated parents, one with a doctorate. And despite my parents being conservative-leaning Christians for most of my life, with a liberal uptick at the end, I was not religiously indoctrinated. My parents always encouraged us to think for ourselves, and that was the whole point of our unschooling.

And I am absolutely not saying that there weren’t issues with my schooling— I barely did any STEM as a kid and was unable to pursue a STEM degree now, in university, because I chose to avoid it like the plague when I was younger and it would take me too long to catch up on coursework now if I want to graduate at my original planned date. But in no way am I lacking in STEM knowledge— I am a computer science minor and I do very well, if not better, in those classes than the humanities I am familiar with.

The good vastly outweighed the bad. And if there had been strict regulations on how my parents were allowed to educate me, I would not have been the success story that I am. (It is perhaps also worth noting that I am now a leftist lesbian Christian-skeptic. My parents encouraging us to learn on our own allowed me to come to, and be comfortable with, my own conclusions about the world and my place in it.)

The notion that homeschoolers have these insurmountable gaps in their education and socialization is just insane. Most homeschooled people, even the ones who come from a conservative Christian background, go on to be very successful adults. We are independent, free-thinking problem solvers that can fit into any field.

I also have 10 cousins who are/have been homeschooled the trad-Christian way, and there are some who are breaking free from even that. The independence is a key part of being homeschooled that allows us to develop critical thinking skills that would otherwise be far less honed.

Regulations will not keep kids from being indoctrinated into a way of life by their parents. They will not help kids receive education in the manner that will best suit them. I don’t know what kind of regulations OP wants, and perhaps the standardized testing system in WA would be enough for all 50 states. But the stricter the regulations, the closer we get to a homogenized American-centered worldview. Then we’ve made a full circle, haven’t we?

PS. the “unregulated homeschooling” behavior some of you are describing has nothing to do with actual homeschooling and everything to do with parental neglect and abuse. Which absolutely should be kept an eye on and taken care of, but doesn’t have anything to do with what homeschoolers are being taught by their parents.

homeschooling in the US needs to be regulated but this is one of those conversations that immediately gets crushed by extremist conservatives and even well-meaning liberals will pipe up to be like "well some homeschooling is good!" when that's absolutely not relevant. regulation will not change anything for the homeschooling families who are serious about their children's education. the people who need to be regulated are the fringe extremists

[draganwhorror]

Can you share the synopsis or chapter for your original stories?

Uh...sure? I guess? I suppose if anything ever pops up that's similar, I'll know my ideas were taken from someone here on Tumblr. 😂🫤

This one was for a paranormal/supernatural mystery I had brewing (and have a cover for) Moon Hollow, a small town tucked away in the mountains of Pennsylvania, is home to an array of supernatural beings. Harper Winters is one of the few witches in town, but she prefers to keep to herself, staying inside and working on crafts with her faithful familiar, a sentient spell book named Belladonna. When Nemea, the nymph who runs the flower shop, dies mysteriously, the townsfolk come to Harper for answers. Believing it to be a curse, Harper reluctantly takes on the case with Belladonna by her side. But when more creatures start dying, Harper finds herself racing against the clock to solve the mystery of the strange deaths. Can Harper expose the truth, or will the evil that lives in Moon Hollow claim her as its next victim? This one is for a story that originally started as a fanfic back in the olden days but was never finished (I also have a cover for this one) Sparrow Jayne used to feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Then she met Sloan Travers… Recently single Sparrow is living large. She's got a great career, a cute studio apartment, and a loyal Akita named Jinx. Enter Sloan, a gorgeous, charming bartender who instantly draws Sparrow in and makes her feel special. When she agrees to move in with him, that's when things turn ugly. Trapped in an increasingly violent relationship and afraid to tell anyone, Sparrow discovers what it means to truly be broken. Can she escape with her life, or will Sloan Travers be her ultimate downfall? **Warning: This book deals with sensitive subject matter that may be triggering to some readers. It is intended for readers 18+ only

This one is for a story that was kinda inspired by Supernatural, but I felt it was probably too ambitious to do anything with Arrietty McNevin is dead. On the eve of her high school graduation -- one week before turning eighteen -- she took her own life. The name calling, the pushing and shoving, the being spit on… it all became too much for her. Throw in a single mom who didn’t care and a medical condition that caused her to sweat excessively, and Arrietty’s life wasn’t much to write home about. Waking up in Purgatory, a wasteland filled with corrupted human souls and nightmarish creatures, Arrietty struggles to survive while looking for some way to escape and move on. If she dies in Purgatory, she’ll cease to exist. When Tasya Markowitz, one of the cruelest girls in school, lands in Purgatory with no clue as to how she got there, Arrietty must find it in her heart to protect the one person who made her life a living hell. Can Arrietty unravel the truth behind Tasya’s sudden appearance in Purgatory, or will both girls suffer a fate worth than death? And this was the beginning of some rambling story idea I had involving the rapture, and I thought it would be fun to write it in first person narration You know that saying from the T.S. Eliot poem that goes, "This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper?" Yeah, you know the one I'm talking about. Well, I'm here to tell you that's a complete crock of shit. The world did end, and it ended with a loud fucking bang. In fact, I'm pretty sure God, or whoever lives in the sky castle up above, decided he was tired of the way things were going here on Earth and threw a major temper tantrum. Fucking asshole. I know I sound bitter, but you'd be pretty pissed, too, if you were one of the Left Behind. Yep, that's what I'm calling the ones who survived. The Left Behind. You see, here's what went down: God, or whoever, threw a major hissy fit. There was a lot of bright light and a disturbing amount of what I can only describe as thunder intermingled with the thumping bass of rap music mixed with the screech of a train coming off the rails. Yeah, it was crazy loud. I thought… well, I didn't know what I thought at the time. I was scared out of my mind. And when people started disappearing, I knew it was the end times. Even though I'm not a religious person and don't believe in going to church, I prayed. I prayed hard that I would be one of the lucky ones. I wanted to go to Heaven, or whatever special place there may be for good people after they die. I was a good person. I knew I was. I'd never murdered anyone or robbed anyone. I may have done some stupid shit, but, damn it, I was a good person. Unfortunately, I wasn't good enough. I suppose being a Left Behind is better than being one of the Damned Ones, though. I'd rather be stuck on whatever is left of the Earth instead of suffering for all eternity in some sort of Hell. I just wish I knew for sure what was on the other side, y'know? Is it all puffy white clouds and angels and beautiful lights? Is it your own personal version of Heaven, like spending all of eternity in a library filled with books? Or a never-ending party with good music, good beer, and good friends? I just wish I had been one of the Chosen Ones. Yep, even the good people have a nickname, courtesy of me.

[the-whispers-of-death]

really struggling to come up with the names of the potential band members but ik i want one of them to be sylvester's ex/mārītes mother. and i want all of them to have latvian names because its more fun that way for me.. but hmm... ((realizing i.. never gave syl a last name rn too lmao))

imagining these 2 highschool sweethearts who went into uni together, and a year or so after graduation had mārīte. imagining they werent married then and were planning on it later on in the year. only for the mother to cheat on him with someone else and just dump the poor child onto him and run for the hills.

maybe the mother had been the classy loudmouth punk of the group, imagining her with a bright mohawk and piercings and a buncha tattoos. i want her to play the bass as well. has consumed every substance she could get, being an utter menace to society. i wanna say shes still alive. still out there. but sylvester never bothered to contact her again after that sorta betrayal of trust. like it was around a 7 year long relationship and one day you just find out your partner cheated? yeah nah.

one name is sticking out to me for her tho. Līva. its both a latvian name *and* the name of a rock band from like the 70s. so i think it could fit her nicely.

but yk. any good band also needs a vocalist/frontman. imagining this as a surprisingly mellow, chilled back stoner type of dude. classic dudebro energy.

imagining him still being friends with sylvester. maybe even childhood friends who grew up together. lowkey mārītes uncle/second father before stone came around. the guy who will *always* have his friends back no matter what. golden retriever friend and is just happy to be there and to hang out with his friends as they fuck around.

i want him to lowkey look scrappy and messy but still overall presentable enough to bring back home to meet the parents. like. shaggy from scooby doo. yeah. but with a mullet

fun fact theres a latvian name generator online. and. after like 5minutes it spat out Ainārs at me and. yeah.the name also reminded me of a radio host that was always reading out the news so im both claiming that name for him and headcanoning that after the band disbanded, he ended up working for the radio studio. and also fun fact: that was originally supposed to be sylvester's job before i changed it. so. maybe before he went into IT, they both did a gig as show hosts

so. yeah. Līva and Ainārs. plus bonus Sylvester lore sprinkled in

~ rusty

Stone: Let me fight Līva.

Me, trying to hold him back: NO.

Anyways, I love new OCs and new lore. Thank you for this food.

[midnapanda]

(drill sergeant voice) You there! Person in the notes of that one post where, in the tags, you said you wanted to care about your OCs more! Drop and give me 5 or more things you like about your OCs!!!

(OR NOT. No pressure if you don't want to!)

-someone whose OCs are their hyperfixation and is trying to give you an opportunity to think about your OCs again + just really likes hearing about other people's OCs as well :]

You are the nicest drill sergeant ive ever met wowie...

I might not have 5 concrete things, but everyone knows i can ramble a Ton if you ask the right question (which. I, in a spur of the moment, have decided, you have. sorry in advance <3).

I was originally planning to "write" a story and build a world for these 2 characters I drew up one day. Their "placeholder" names (by that i mean theyre kinda stuck with these names forever lol) were Vivian and Raphael. They originally had design elements with locks and zippers, Vivian with a locked choker, and Raphael with a zipper cheek piercing. I tried to make those design elements sorta magical, like Raphael could literally zip his lips shut.

Then i completely scrapped those design elements in favor of giving them tangible weapons or powers. Vivian with these magic hoop earrings that could expand, and she could do hulahoop tricks/combat with. Raphael basically just had lightning powers.

THEN then, I think I kinda staved off giving Raphael much to stand out with..? My most recent focus (from maybe a year or so ago lol) was on Vivian and her backstory, of growing up in this sorta cultish palace where girls are raised to conform to traditional western ideals of femininity and beauty. The head of the palace acts like this sort of controlling mother figure for the girls, telling them how they should look and act, and shunning them should they disobey or retaliate.

I had Vivian find herself trapped in this place, not raised in it, but basically getting adopted into it. She rebels against a couple of things as a kid, but is mostly ok with following "the rules" until things start getting harder for her. Eventually, the "graduation" (or rather, the only way to escape) from this palace is through marriage to a man, and this is Vivian's breaking point. She runs away somehow, or she gets exiled idk, and that's where her story is supposed to begin.

OH and uh. There was gonna be flower theming with the palace. I think I called it the Perennial Palace because the lady running it was basically attempting to achieve eternal youth or something. Also alliteration lol.

And on your wedding day, you get a big flowery, petaly dress to wear. Cause y'know full blossom or bloom or whatever.

[tlplayground]

Nagao Kei - MIRROR | Lyrics Translation

I love this so much!!

Already loved it the moment Nagao posted the preview the day before the release, but at the same time I was a bit wary too. What if I don't like the full version (this is just me not wanting to get my hopes up too much lol).

But turns out I worried over nothing. As shown in the preview, of course there's Nagao's strong and clear vocal, which I've liked since the moment I heard FuKeiZai's Tsugai Kogarashi cover. But turns out I also really like the arrangement, lyrics, and story.

When I first read the video description, I was quite surprised. The original concept of the song actually came from Nagao himself!? It's a really pleasant surprise. Also the theme of trying to conform to society's expectation and losing sight of yourself really hits home tbh lol. And the release timing nicely fits the moment fresh graduates are starting their first week of work.

Anyway, congrats on the original song release and thank you Nagao!

The concept of the MV itself is interesting, it's like a video manga. So I will be posting the TL for both the lyrics and manga below (the post got too long lol, posting the manga TL on a separate post). Please listen to the song and go through both, the lyrics and story are so good and I think many people can resonate with it.

Lyrics translation:

You, who live in the mirror You’re the image I’m after, You’re the definition of correct after all  I kept on asking the questions which answers I couldn’t see As if imitating, I merely kept on dancing

The right way for me to be has been deeply ingrained within me I fixed every quirk of my body one by one I got further away from the figure in the mirror And I’ve come to hate myself for it

As time goes, I don’t know what’s right anymore What on earth am I supposed to believe Surely everything has their flaws The closer I get to you The more everything falls apart

MIRROR answer me Show me the right way for me to be Tell me now Show me the image I longed for There’s nothing The broken mirror is not true This unsightly you Is no longer needed

I came to notice that correctness is not clearly defined So I fixed a fake smile on my face Seeing people going through the days over and over It’s so dreadful, I could only run away

No matter how, I always Wanted to be something I thought that’s the right way to be So I was drawn to it Since when Did I get things so wrong The closer I got to you The more I lost everything

MIRROR answer me Show me a clear figure of myself Tell me now Of this person who can no longer be anything anymore

MIRROR answer me Show me the right way for me to be Tell me now Of the figure I cling so hard to There’s nothing The mirror shows me nothing This unsightly you Is what’s true right now

TL notes below

I'm not that satisfied with my translation this time, but since I don't think I can work on this next week, I guess it's better to just post it now than leaving it as a forever WIP.

To me, the song tells a story of someone who's trying to chase that image of "correctness" in her mind, only to realize that the more she does that, the more she's losing herself. In order to be able to move forward, first she has to accept who she actually is, be it the good or the bad.

Anyway, that's my interpretation. I found it interesting how often 正しい (and its related forms) which means "correct", as well as 姿 which means "figure", are repeated throughout the song. It really emphasizes this "image of correctness" the MC is after.

At first I wanted to convey this, to try to find words that could be used multiple times on the translation to show the focus on this "image of correctness". But I realized that in English it sounds quite unnatural, especially because different context and sentence sounds better with different word choices. So that's how this translation came to be.

This time I tried to focus more on conveying the meaning. I think some sentences still sound a bit janky, but I feel the more natural sentence options kinda lose some context, so I'll take the more janky translation this time.

[allsignspointtosunnydale]

Series 3 thoughts.

This marks the first post on my All Signs Point to Sunnydale Tumblr blog. So, I've just finished series three and I want to share my thoughts on what was so great about it and what wasn't so good about it. Spoilers, obviously! Don't read if you don't want series 3 spoiled.

What wasn't so good about it:

The more episodes I watch with Oz in them makes me think. "Wow, he really shouldn't have been part of the main cast". This is absolutely nothing to do with how Seth Green was in the role of Oz, it more or less seemed that the longer he stuck around -- the less the writers knew where to go or what to do with him, come to think of it... that could've been one of the reasons why Seth left after series 4.

Wesley, oh dear god, Wesley. He suffers with the Oz problem (being that the writers don't know what to do with him), he gets killed off way too early and we don't get to really know him apart from Cordelia having a crush on him, him being Buffy's (and originally Faith's, before she went rogue) watcher, what was he even doing in Sunnydale High? Maybe he was an assistant librarian if for some reason Giles was absent, none of this was ever explained and then he gets killed off at the end of Graduation Day (pt. 2)*. He returns in Angel, of which I can hope means more development of his character.

*In fact, the original plan for Wesley was to have him killed off in Graduation Day (pt.2). At least he returns in Angel.

The Zeppo: If I ever rewatch the series, I might give this one a miss as I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the episode. I'm starting to think that Cordy had a reason to not like Xander (at least in series' 1-3).

Whatever the hell Buffy and Angel's relationship was (and how most of the quarrels that they had were solved by the end of the episode) and how she rejects her friends help.

Earshot: The weird plot about the school dinner lady being the killer fused in with Jonathan threatening to take his own life, those two things are two dramatically different things and it is sort of a whiplash between funny and "oh god, this is horrible". The timing of the episode was pretty bad, by a saddening coincidence, the original airdate was meant to be a few weeks after the Columbine massacre, but it was held off until September. You might ask, well, what did they replace the episode with on its original run, episode 14: Bad Girls.

Snyder: In a way, I was kind of glad when he was eaten by The Mayor. He was hilarious in Band Candy, though! It does help that Armin Shimerman has fantastic comedic timing.

What I liked:

For as much as I don't get Faith, I understand why she is the way she is. Someone who has been let down for almost her entire life, someone who has had a rather dysfunctional home life, she is bound to try and find someone who gives her that family that she has desperately missed, and she thought she'd found her father-figure in the shape of Wilkins (the Mayor). Well, not quite, seeing as he was the sort to be all nicey-nicey when it suited him meant that, with a father figure like that, who would need one anyways? Maybe I'm coming to like Faith as a character, seeing as she was representative of the path that Buffy could've gone down if she didn't have any positive influences in her life.

Band Candy: One of my favourite "funny" episodes. I thought it was hilarious to see Giles not acting as serious as we were used to seeing him. Who'd've thought that Joyce and Giles had a fling in this episode, and to see Snyder finally let loose!

The Mayor's transformation in Graduation Day (pt. 2) - A fantastic use of CGI for a character that just seemed to be written for the sole purpose of needing a bad guy at the end of the series, series 2 was Angel (as his Angelus side) and series 1 being The Master. I loved how Harry Groener was in the role, he totally made me hate Wilkins and that was what was supposed to happen, he did it so well.

Getting reintroduced to Chantarelle/Lily: In the episode "Anne" where Buffy runs away from home to live and work as a waitress in Los Angeles, we get reintroduced to Lily (formerly Chantarelle in series 2, episode 7: "Lie to Me") and this time, she has a new boyfriend -- Ricky, who is homeless and suffers with Benjamin Button syndrome meaning, he looks older than he really is, by means of body-switching? Chantarelle could also be the homeless woman walking down the street saying that she is nobody too? I think this episode effectively touches on how difficult it is to forge an identity for yourself in your teenage years, where you feel invisible and unimportant.

Favourite episodes: Helpless (episode 12), Anne (episode 1), Choices (episode 19), Band Candy (episode 6)

(PS: Hmm, I really don't think it would've worked out between Wesley and Cordelia).

[percontaion-points]

Covet chapters 36-39

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Chapter 36

I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to say to that, so I just smile and nod. This mate thing—even if we’re just friends—is surprisingly hard work. But, also, not.

Chapter 36 summary: The next day, Grace tries to ask Hudson more about the crown at the library. He says he doesn’t know much, but Grace said it sounded like he did last night. He insists that his dad is obsessed with it, and much of that knowledge he picked up via osmosis. 

He then kind of tries to get back to their ethics assignment, but Grace gets angry with him. He kind of provokes a fight by insisting that he’s answered all of her questions, while she says that he knows exactly what she’s talking about when she says that he’s “closing her out”. They fight about this until Grace slams the book closed and storms out.

Hudson follows after her, but when they get back to her room, she says that he doesn’t have permission to enter. However, the fool that he is, keeps trying to get in until there’s painful welts all over his body. Grace feels bad for him and tends to him. 

He says that he's been feeling kind of put out since last night, when she kicked everybody out of her room. She says that she was overwhelmed with too many vampires mansplaining things to her. Hudson goes on to say that he kind of misses from when he was in Grace’s head, but not at the same time. 

Chapter 37

But he doesn’t walk away, and he doesn’t ignore what I said. Instead, he looks down at me with those dark eyes of his, eyes that are anything but cold and removed, and answers, “Too fucking much.”

Chapter 37 summary: Later, as Grace is leaving class, she texts her friend Heather, who is obviously still in California. Grace feels bad that she had originally asked Heather to come up to Alaska over spring break, but pushed that off until graduation. But with Cyrus' presence there, she can’t have Heather there as well. So she makes a paper thin excuse, and Heather gets offended and stops responding. 

As Grace walks towards the lake, she sees Jaxon. Things are painful and awkward between them, and Grace accidentally asks what happened between them. 

Chapter 38

“Cyrus is calling in favors left and right and getting angrier if those favors aren’t delivered at the moment he demands them. The Circle is decimated—the witches and dragons have aligned against the vampires and wolves.”

I have no idea why nobody is siding with the vampires! None whatsoever! /ALL THE SARCASM

Because every student in the entryway and common room is frozen in anticipation as three wolves move in on Hudson in an ever-tightening circle.

Chapter 38 summary: Grace then changes the topic and starts to complain about how she feels like she’s drowning in schoolwork that she’s being expected to catch up on in order to graduate on time. Her main source of ire is history class. She obviously knows the human side of history, but now she’s learning that there’s this whole other side. And she’s expected to know all of it in simply a few more weeks. 

They then begin to talk about the looming war that’s being spurred on by Cyrus. Granted, Jaxon doesn’t say as much, but he might as well have. Things are bad, and Cyrus is intentionally making things worse. Jaxon wants to go out and find the crown. He thinks that it’s silly, but he dislikes the thought of Hudson (and Grace by extension) being in prison even more than the thought of going on a potential wild goose chase. 

They say their goodbyes and part ways. But inside the school, Grace finds a couple of werewolves about ready to throw-down with Hudson. 

Chapter 39

This time, both brows are up as he glances down at his shoulder. “Does mange run in your family?” he asks as he brushes a tuft of wolf fur off his shoulder. “Because if it doesn’t, you might want to see someone about that.” 

All three wolves growl this time, so loud that the sound reverberates through the room.

Teachers? Lol who are they?!

And then, to add insult to a whole heap of injury, he pats the guy on the head and says, “Good doggy,” before dusting his hands off and walking straight toward me.

Chapter 39 summary: Grace naturally wants to jump in to save her mate, but Jaxon has come back and physically restrains her. Tells her that jumping in now would only make the situation worse. 

So Grace is forced to watch as Hudson taunts the wolves until they finally snap. It takes up too much page time, without anything of importance actually happening; it’s maddening. Finally, one of the wolves draws blood from Hudson, which prompts him to finally attack. He physically lifts one of the wolves and swings him like a bat into the others. But then he doesn’t drop the boy, and slams him into the wall. Again, where the fuck are the teachers? The thing continues on for a while beyond this, but Hudson makes it seem like child’s play, and that he has better things to be doing. 

[xandrawritesvt]

Better Left Untold

CW: horror fiction, stalking, victim blaming

Hello! Thank you for coming in, please do not mind the mess. Cleanliness escapes me more and more these days, I’m afraid. Oh, the box of papers? All in good time. First, I should let you know why I asked you to come here, yes? That will require a bit of explanation.

I have spent my entire life, ever since I was a young man, in pursuit of the supernatural. I have gone on ghost tours, slept in haunted hotels, hunted for cryptids in swamps and backwaters, and walked through ancient ruins. And when I failed to find anything supernatural, I contented myself with the imagined horrors of literature and film. And then, suddenly, I found the truth.

The story of my discovery begins with a blog post. I was searching the internet for recommendations of new books to read. Eventually, I stumbled on the blog of one LibraryLady95. Her “About” page described her as a graduate student studying library science who loved to read fantasy, science fiction, and horror. She was, it seemed, a kindred spirit, someone who loved to search for mystery and the unknown. I decided to read LibraryLady’s latest review, which was of a book called The Green Shadow. Her review began like this:

Imagine the early works of HP Lovecraft with half the imagination and none of the talent (and let me tell you, dear reader, that is saying something). A married couple, the Johnsons (because why come up with an original name), are stalked by a mysterious figure in a green pinstripe suit and matching fedora. The wife sees him first, of course, and is immediately disbelieved by everyone, including her husband. By the time Mr. Johnson realizes his wife was telling the truth it is too late to save her, and he becomes implicated in her death. The book ends with Mr. Johnson on the run from the cops and stalked by the man in the pinstripe suit.

It’s a boring and predictable plot with cardboard cutouts for characters. Just once I wish I could read a book where the hysterical female character is believed by the man she married. For fuck’s sake, they were married for five years! At this point, the author is making the husband look just as bad as the wife.

The one thing I will say in the book’s favor is that the man in the pinstripe suit is actually a really well-designed villain. He always appears when Mrs. Johnson is alone. At least, he does at first. Later, he starts appearing when others are with her. And yet our heroine is the only one who ever sees him. This continues until her eventual death, at which point Mr. Johnson begins seeing the mysterious figure.

The figure also has a very menacing appearance. He is unnaturally pale, and his eyes are always hidden by the shadow of his fedora. His smile is the most terrifying thing about him, though. It is described as inhumanely wide and completely toothless. I’m not going to lie; this description gave me the chills. Personally, I would have liked to have some explanation as to where this horrifying apparition came from, but I don’t suppose that I can expect that level of worldbuilding from a writer of such middling talent. Although, I suppose there is something to be said for keeping the origin of the figure a mystery.

In any case, horror fans, I do not recommend picking this book up. It is poorly written, and whatever ability to scare that it might possess is hampered by a predictable plot and stale characterization. There are much better books that deserve your time and money. I will hopefully get to one of those next week.

The review struck me as a bit hypercritical, and I felt that dunking on Lovecraft at the beginning was unnecessary. Still, I shared some of LibraryLady’s complaints about the state of horror fiction. I decided to follow her blog and see if any of the other books she read were to my liking.

A few weeks passed, and LibraryLady posted some more reviews which were more positive. I found some of the books she recommended to be to my liking. Others were not. But I genuinely found her insights to be helpful and poignant. Then came the post that would catapult LibraryLady into internet fame. It began like this:

Ok, I’m not sure if this is some shithead’s idea of a prank or what but something kinda freaky just happened, and I need to talk about it somewhere. It happened on the way tomy local bookstore. When I got off the bus, there was a man in a green pinstripe suit and fedora looking directly at me and smiling. I don’t know who this guy was - I couldn’t see his eyes because of the hat. He appeared to be tall and Caucasian. He was only there for a second. I blinked and he was gone.

Whoever this was, I don’t know how you figured out where I was going, but if I ever see you again I’m going to report you to the police. This crap ain’t funny. If you were a fan of that shitty book, then I’m sorry that my opinion offended you so much that you had to go out of the way to freak me out. Don’t do it again.

The post was flooded with comments, most of them sympathetic, although some posters accused LibraryLady of making the story up to gain attention. Within a few days, she was being discussed in social media venues of all sizes, usually by small groups of fans and occasionally by her detractors. For the most part, I stayed out of those discussions. Years of moderating cryptid forums and folklore sites had taught me that arguing on the internet is a headache and hardly ever changes anyone’s mind.

Now, obviously, this incident itself is not the discovery I spoke of earlier. Strange men cosplaying frightening monsters do not constitute the supernatural. I should know: in my search for the strange, I have read many stories like that one, and they almost all turn out to be a prank or some half-baked attempt at viral marketing. At the time the post was made, I half expected the whole thing to blow over in about a week. But a few days later, LibraryLady made another post. It read:

I saw him again. This time I was still on the bus, looking out the window. He was just standing on the sidewalk, staring out at the street, smiling. Was he waiting for the bus to come by? This wasn’t even the bus to the bookstore; this was the bus to work. Does he know my work schedule? Is it the same person? Have I been doxxed?

I called the police, and they said they couldn’t do anything without more proof. Well, what the fuck am I supposed to do? I guess I’ll try to snap a picture of him next time and prove to them that I’m not crazy.

And P.S.: to all the assholes online that are saying that I’m making this up for attention, fuck you. I’m terrified as shit and I’m just looking for someone to believe me. I make plenty of money from work, and my blog is plenty popular already. I am not so desperate as to pretend to be stalked, and fuck you for thinking that I am.

This post intensified the online debate. Things got heated as LibraryLady detractors questioned whether posting about these incidents on a blog was proper behavior. That kind of victim blaming thing always ticks me off, so I broke my rule and engaged. Immediately the detractors accused me of being a white knight and chaser, of taking LibraryLady’s side to get into her pants. And I didn't even receive the worst of it. Facebook pages and Reddit threads erupted into flame wars. People threw disgusting insults back and forth.

At that point, I simply tried my best to disengage. I cultivated a truly prodigious blocklist and sequestered myself in the sites I moderated. I took refuge among other cryptid enthusiasts, ghost hunters, and seekers of the unknown. I thought I could ignore the phenomenon safely and check back in later. And had things stayed in the realm of them mundane, then that was what would have happened. Instead, the LibraryLady controversy gained the attention of the other users of my online refuge. A most peculiar article from her blog appeared on one of my most frequented forums. It reads as follows:

I think I might be losing my mind. Like, I think I might seriously have something wrong with my brain. There is literally no rational explanation for what I have seen.

I saw him again. He pressed himself up against the window to my office. He was staring at me and smiling, and I swear to God, his mouth had no teeth, just like the man in that godawful cursed book. I work on the third floor. There is no ledge outside my window. There was literally no physical way for him to have been standing there, and yet there he was.

I took my phone out to snap a picture of him, but when I clicked the shutter button, he was gone. I have no proof. No way to convince anyone, not even myself. Was he real? Did I imagine him? I think I feel sick.

This post floored the entire LibraryLady community and the detractors alike. Critics made vindictive posts claiming that they had been right all along and that this was a transparent attempt at getting attention. Supporters chimed in with concerned and encouraging messages, urging LibraryLady to see a therapist. Many of them called for an end to the stigma against mental illness, posting links to websites for support groups and encouraging others to speak up about their own problems.

As for me, I wasn’t sure what to believe. Did LibraryLady make it all up? Did she suffer a mental breakdown resulting from the trauma of being stalked? Or was something truly sinister following her, driving her into some impossible to understand trap? My whole life had been spent in the pursuit of the unknown and the strange. Was my search concluded? And if so, at what price? Certainly, I always knew that if ghosts and hauntings really existed, they could be dangerous. But that danger was part of the fun. Now it seemed sinister, a force that turned me into a perverse voyeur of someone else’s suffering. I felt a deep shame reading LibrayLady’s posts, but I had to know for sure what was going on. My curiosity was damning me to hell.

About a week after the third post, LibraryLady made what would turn out to be the last post on her blog. What she posted would provide me the proof that I had always craved, but at a terrible price:

He is here with me. He is in my house. I have seen him. He is real.

I came downstairs to make breakfast, and he was standing in my kitchen, smiling his toothless smile. He looked at me, and he took off his hat. I saw his face for the first time. He has no eyes, only smooth patches of skin where eyes might otherwise be. I knew then that my stalker was not of this world.

I ran upstairs to my bedroom. I barricaded the door and tried calling the police, but my phone doesn’t work. It won’t respond to my touch, and the entire screen has been taken up with an image of his eyeless, toothless face. The same goes for my computer - I can’t message or email anyone. The only thing I can do is post to this blog. I think this is what he wants me to do, but I have no idea why. If you’re reading this, please send

And there is where it ends. No one has heard from LibraryLady95 since then, and because she was always very careful about her anonymity, we have no way of knowing who she might be and if she is alright. But a few weeks after that last post, I saw the man in the pinstripe suit. I continue to see him everywhere I go. I have seen him on my commute home from work. He has watched me in the grocery store. He is even here with me right now. Don’t bother to look for him. No one has ever seen him but me. Not yet, anyway.

You see, I have a theory. I believe this man, this apparition, is hunting me. He chooses his prey based on those who hear his story. At first, it was simply the characters in the book. Then, he moved on to LibraryLady. Now, he is hunting me. And if I am right about my hypothesis, having heard my story, he will soon be hunting you.

I do not expect you to believe me. I simply ask that you take my research, which I have collected in this box, and add to it if you, too, become hunted. If I am wrong, you have nothing to fear from my words. But if I am right, what I have collected may very well save your life when my story comes to an end and yours begins. Author’s note: this was originally published under my IRL name on a newsletter that only had one email and that I am shutting down later today. I’m placing it here in order to share it with a wider audience. Many thanks to the twitch writing community for the feedback that made this story really glow.

[tripthelightfandomtastic]

its my first wild wednesday of my senior year of college!!!! im taking a film class this semester and the TA sucks, so i’d like to imagine messing around w your hot, frat boy, film major TA Josh (circa highway tune era). im an english lit major and the film bros at my university are the bane of my existence, but theres something about having a little enemies to lovers with frat boy!Josh that just makes me want to throw all my morals out the window…

As a film school graduate, I completely understand how fucking annoying film bros can be. Holy fuck the way they get PISSED if you say, "I just don't think Quentin Tarantio is a good writer." I used to do that just to make them mad lol

I'd like to think you and Josh would have to do a scene together for one of your classmates short films, seeing as they didn't know of anyone else to ask who would be willing to help out. Josh is boarder line decent to get along with when you aren't talking about film, but the moment someone brings up Kubrick you want to punch him in the face.

"Kubrick was an amazing director!"

"He got a great performance out of her-"

"Um, do you even know the bullshit he put Shelley Duvall through for The Shining?!"

"By making her stay up for days on end with no sleep, and gaslighting her into thinking everyone on set hated her."

"It's still a good movie."

"You're a dick." You roll your eyes as you look over the shooting schedule, the two of you rehersing in Josh's off campus apartment. Running lines with Josh was nice most of the time, he was a good actor, it shocked you he wanted to be behind the camera instead of infront of it. You on the other hand, were just doing a classmate a solid in hopes that they would run your audio for your short film. "This script is fucking awful." Josh whispers frustrated from trying to figure out a non cringey way to read lines from a wannabe horror movie. "Yeah, its pretty cheesy." You agree, flipping through the pages of bad dialogue consisting of clichés, corny one liners and awkward flirty dialogue that only proves the guy who wrote it doesn't really know much about women.

"So what's the plan here? Your character is the killer, predictable, and I'm the helpless victim, sexist, and you're taunting me with a knife that I end up stabbing you with, wow how original." You sigh tossing the script on to the coffee table, turning to face Josh on the couch as he writes in his script. "It really does need some changes." He agrees as he continues his scribbling. "What are you writing?" "Some notes on dialogue, I'm thinking something that flows more naturally than, 'Oh no, you were the killer all along?' Something a little more exciting." Josh explains.

Josh moves closer to you on the couch, "So how am I supposed to move, I go from having you against the wall, to you pushing me to the ground?" Josh asks confused, "Well, you could choke me and I could pull a knife?" You suggest, Josh's eyes light up, "Do you know how to be stage choked?" He asks, "No? Do you?" You answer curiously.

The two of you end up rewriting most of the scene completely, a flirty back and forth where the killer doesn't reveal his plot but simply distracts the would be victim with seduction, "And then I stab you in the gut, telling the audience that I figured it out when you referred to the very first victim in the past tense when no one else knew that they were dead yet. It makes my character seem like less of the ditzy bimbo and more of the Nancy Drew type." You add. "What you don't wanna be a bimbo? I love bimbos." Josh smirks, "I bet you do. I have no problem playing anything, I just hate lazy writing." You justify.

"I took stage combat last semester."

"Of course you did."

"Hey, it was a good class, and obviously very helpful now."

You can feel yourself blushing, this is stupid, like where am I supposed to look? He's so close to me, do I look into his eyes? That's too intense, maybe his mouth, oh, his lips are pretty, no no that's weird, he's gonna get the wrong impression, I'll just look in his eyes, his stupid, big, brown eyes. It was not lost on you that Josh was cute, fuck, he's the cutest guy in the whole department, and him holding you like this and this close is not helping.

"Okay, whatever nerd, just show me." You sigh exasperated, moving closer to Josh. He brings his hand up to you, "Okay, so in stunt work, all of the responsibility of selling it is on the 'victim' in the scene, so you gotta make it look realistic." Josh explains as he gently places his hand on your throat adding zero pressure. "So you don't squeeze at all?" "Well, only a little bit, but just here, on the sides of your neck, not your actual windpipe." He says, his hand gently squeezing. "Oh yeah, that feels...fine." You say as you look him over.

"So what do I do?" You ask him softly, Josh's eyes search yours, "Uh, you can um, put your hands on my arm and my wrist, make it look like you're trying to push me away?" He suggests. You bring your hands up to his forearm, leaning back against the arm of the couch as you place your hands on his forearm and bicep, squeezing the muscle beneath for effect. Oh? That's nice, hm, a little muscle there, what a suprise, you think to yourself as your eyes look over his arm. His fingers give your throat a gentle squeeze, bringing you back to his eyes, "Does that feel okay?" Josh asks gently, his fingers applying just the smallest bit of pressure. You can feel your heartbeat slamming in your chest and your stomach doing a flip. "Y-Yeah, uh you can squeeze a little harder, if you want?" You say bringing your hand on top of his on your throat.

Josh's eyes look to your neck as he feels your hand, helping him tighten his grasp just a tad more. "I don't wanna hurt you." Josh whispers, his eyes looking into your eyes, "You aren't. It's, uh, nice." You say softly, his hold semi affecting your voice. "That's my line, 'I don't wanna hurt you', remember? I think you wrote it." Josh smiles shyly as he moves in a little closer. "Oh," you chuckle nervously. Fuck he's cute, "Maybe I am more of the ditzy bimbo type." You respond quietly, a subtle rasp to your voice. Josh smirks as he looks at your lips and back to your eyes, "I do love bimbos." He whispers as he brings his lips to yours, kissing you gently.

His kiss is soft, warm and gentle, he tastes sweet, like cinnamon, and his lips are softer than you thought they'd be. You kiss him back and soon your hands move to his shoulders, pulling him close to you. His hand lets go of your throat as he lays more against your front and between your legs, his hand in your hair.

His tongue enters your mouth and you can't help but moan into his open mouth, his fingers scratch gently at your scalp as he pulls your hair so he can kiss at your neck. You grind against him, wanting to bring him even closer still, "Fuck, Josh." You whisper as you pull at his shirt, slipping your hands to rest on the warm skin of his back underneath. "Do you want to take this to my bedroom?" Josh asks slyly, kissing and licking up your neck. "Yes, please." You whine, he pulls away, getting up and picking you up to take you into his room.

"I swear to God if there is a Pulp Fiction poster in there-"

"Let's just stay out here then."

[allywritesforfun]

{The Letterman Jacket} Dreamnotfound

summary: I got this idea from this tweet, all credits go to the original poster. I also added my own twist to it <3

trigger warnings: I think swearing? I honestly can't remember, I edited this at 2 in the morning

regular masterlist

taglist- i will be posting more dnf <3

anon list

George left his house in a rush. Every morning he always slept in, no matter how many alarms he set to wake him up. This morning he was lucky that he left his blinds open the night before, otherwise the sun would have never gotten him up.

He rushed out the door without a second thought. His hair was left unbrushed and he wore his decent looking pajamas. He ran outside and sighed, realizing that he would have barely enough time to make it to school. If he sped walk and ran across some crosswalks, he should get there right as the bell rang.

George must’ve been really good at math because the bell rang a second after he set his backpack down on the ground, leaning up against his chair. He took a minute just to breathe, it's been a while since he had to run most of the way to school.

The teacher was still getting the lesson set up and allowed the class to talk for a few minutes. George took the time to prop up his phone and do his best to fix his hair. You could tell by the way he looked that he didn't attempt to get ready today. .

He felt the eyes of his assigned table partner, Dream, on his body, fixated on his movements. He tried to ignore him at first, but Dream started to tap his finger against the table to get his attention.

“Can I help you?” George asked the boy next to him.

Dream pretended like he didn't know what George was talking about, “Hm? What did you say?”

George huffed out, “I can feel you staring at me. Quit it out…it's weird.”

“I’m not trying to stare!” Dream exclaimed. “You just had your arms all over the place and it was hard to focus on anything else.”

George rolled his eyes and finished up fixing his hair. He reflected on his morning with a shiver, realizing that it wasn't cold enough outside for the heat to kick in the school. The classroom was freezing and the thought of the heat never gonna start made him shiver and discreetly rub his triceps, trying to warm up.

“Cold?” Dream asked.

George nodded, “I-I was running late…again. I didn't think to grab a jacket so I just have this black short sleeve that I slept in. I didn't think the room would be this cold.”

Dream leaned forward in his chair and shrugged his jacket off. He folded it nice and neat before offering it to George, “I have a sweatshirt underneath my letterman jacket. You can take the jacket if you’d like. Maybe it will get you warmed up enough to last the day?”

George pushed the jacket back at him, “It’s friday, aren't you supposed to wear that to spread awareness for the game?”

“My presence alone reminds people of the game. You don't see many 6’3, hot, all-star receivers on the team besides me don’t you?” Dream bloated. “You can just give it back to me at the end of class.”

“I don't ever go to the games,” George answered. “I prefer to stay at home, away from the people.”

Dream offered his jacket again, “Take the jacket, George. You’re gonna be cold all class and then you’re not gonna focus and keep shivering and then I won’t focus. It's for the better of our education if you wear it.”

George thought about it for a second; Dream was right, if he never warmed up, then he wouldn't focus and he needed this class to graduate. “Fine,” George took the jacket from Dream’s hands and slipped it on. It was big on his smaller frame, but warm nonetheless, “Thank you. This is very thoughtful of you.”

“You’re welcome, George.”

George putting on the jacket might have been more distracting than being cold. This was his first time ever wearing someone else’s jacket and made him feel fuzzy on the inside. Which was weird to him because it was Dream’s. Dream was just an asshole, stuck up football star that only was popular for his looks. George never thought much of him besides when they needed to discuss a chapter or two of the reading assignment…until now.

The longer George wore Dream’s jacket, the more it grew on him. George started to love wearing the jacket; It brought a sense of security and warmth to him, which he had never felt before in the school.

Class went on and George found himself snuggling into the jacket. He had his hands in the sleeves, making paws and hugged himself. Dream was right, it was way better than being cold.

George looked at the time as the teacher wrapped up the lesson, one minute til the bell rang. He packed away his notebook, pen, and reading book. Just as he was about to give Dream his jacket back, the bell rang. George looked over to Dream, who was already up and walking out the door.

“Wait!” George called, running out the door. A few feet ahead he saw Dream talking with some other boys from the football team. He decided against interrupting their conversation. It would've been awkward and Dream, the star of the football team, probably wouldn't want to explain why he gave some boy his jacket to wear.

George continued to his next class. He planned on giving it back during the next passing period, or at least by the end of the day. His next class was a science class. The teacher was giving a lecture on genetics, but George noticed that everyone seemed to be whispering. He pushed it to the back of his mind and played it off as the lesson not making sense, but he soon realized that they weren't listening at all to the lesson.

Everyone was whispering to each other while looking at him, some even pointed. He sunk down in his chair a little bit, confused. He did his best to pay attention to the lesson and went back to hugging himself with the jacket…

…the jacket. He never took off Dream’s jacket. He was so warm and comfortable in it that he forgot to take it off and hide it in his backpack. George felt the girl behind him tap his shoulder.

“What?” He turned around and accidentally snapped at her.

Ignoring how hostile George was, she asked, “Are you dating Dream?”

He shook his head violently, “What? No! Of course I’m not! Why would you think that?”

Her table partner leaned in and answered, “Well you’re wearing his jacket. We all thought you might have started dating him…or decided to be open?”

George shook his head, “How did you know it was his jacket?”

“It has his last name on the back, Taken?” She answered. “All the boys have their last name on the back.”

“God damn it!” George cursed under his breath and whipped the jacket off, setting it on the ground next to him.

George didn't put it back on for the rest of the day. He hoped that only his class would notice and not say anything, but it was clear by the end of the day that everyone knew that he had Dream’s jacket. George tried to catch Dream in the hallway, but he must’ve been embarrassed because he walked the other direction or turned down the opposite hall.

He ended up taking the jacket home. He just could never catch Dream. Not knowing what to do, he called his only friend, Wilbur.

Wilbur was quick to answer, “Dream Taken huh?”

George sighed, “It’s not what it looks like!”

“You know, I had a feeling that you would call.”

“Let me explain,” George started. “I was late this morning-”

“-Like every morning.”

“And I didn't bring a sweatshirt to school and I was shivering and it was distracting both of us first hour so he offered it to me to wear for the class but he must’ve forgotten and I didn't take it off for the next class and now everyone thinks we’re dating! I have answered so many questions today, Wilbur! I didn't think I would ever get this popular!”

“Why did you forget to take it off, George?”

“W-What?”

“You kept it on for a reason didn't you?” Wilbur asked. “If you hated wearing it then you would have taken off, but you didn't. Do you have a thing for Dream?”

George flopped back on his bed and combed his hand through his hair, “I didn't think I did but… Dream was always this annoying football kid to me. Today he showed me kindness and that he cared and… and I noticed his beauty. He’s so handsome, Wil. I never thought about it till today. His frame is the perfect size, his muscles bulge out but don't take over his body, his hair perfectly falls over his eyes, and now that I think of it- he has the softest hands.”

“He’s an asshole, George,” Wilbur reminded him. “A narcissistic asshole.”

“Wilbur, can I be honest? I don't think he is,” George admitted. “I think he just puts on that persona because he’s an all-star. He never gets the chance to relax and be soft with people, but he was with me today. I’m… I’m attracted to him.”

“After one day?” Wilbur questioned. “You wore his jacket and- do you have the jacket on now?”

George sighed looking down at himself, shamelessly wearing Dream’s jacket, “Yea… I wore it for the walk home. It’s cold out.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“No…” George answered faintly, Wilbur could barely hear it.

“You know I support you, yea?” Wilbur answered. “If you wanna go after Dream, then I’ll be here for you. I just think you’re going about it the wrong way.”

“Thank you,” George replied. “How am I gonna get this jacket back to him? I can't do it during school with everyone watching and I work this weekend…”

“Do it after his game,” Wilbur suggested. “Get him to meet you behind the bleachers or somewhere secret and no one has to know.”

“Will you go with me?” He asked. “I’ve never been to a game before.”

Wilbur sighed, “I would if I could, George. But I have to play in the band so I’ll be on the sidelines all game. I’ll be there though, just not with you.”

George sighed and ended the call. The only way he was gonna give this jacket back was to go to that game alone. He looked at the time. He had a good three hours before the game started. He knew he had to get there earlier to catch Dream and talk to him.

George laid into the jacket, breathing into it.

Dream smells so good! He smells like home and heaven rolled into one!

He kept the jacket on the entire time getting ready. He grew an emotional attachment to it. Without it on, he felt naked and exposed. He decided that it didn't hurt to wear it at home where no one would know.

He checked himself in the mirror one last time; this was the first time he has ever cared about what he looks like going out. The closer the time got to leaving, the more anxious he felt. This small exchange was a huge deal to him.

He played out multiple scenarios in his head. He really hoped that he didn't hurt or offend Dream by wearing it to class. Dream probably didn't want to see him and burn the jacket all together.

He disregarded these thoughts on his walk to the stadium. Dream would never react that way, at least not with him. The more he thought about it, the more he theorized that Dream left class early on purpose. He had a feeling that Dream wanted him to have the jacket. But at the same time, maybe he never meant for people to see George wear the jacket.

He lost his train of thought when he could see the stadium in the distance. He slipped the jacket off and held it in his hands. There would be nothing more embarrassing than walking into the stadium wearing it.

He paid for his ticket and walked inside, overcome with different sensations. To the right of him was the smell of fresh hotdogs from concessions. He heard a teacher yelling in the distance about a raffle going on. The band was warming up under the bleachers.

The bleachers themselves were filled. George didn't realize that they were playing his school’s rival team tonight. All of the bleachers were filled with students, teachers, families, and some people from the community. It was so packed that people had to stand in the aisles.

George was not about to go sit next to some random families and especially not with his peers after today’s commotion. He decided to wait by the fence gate to the track field that was wrapped around the football field. George got there earlier than he thought, there were only coaches, waterboys, and referees on the field.

He held the jacket in his right arm and his phone in his left. He was gonna text Wilbur about how nervous he was and how he wanted to back out, but he remembered that Wilbur would never see it anyways.

He sighed and leaned against the cold, steel fence. As the sun went down, the air only got colder and a light breeze danced over the bleachers. George again, was freezing, but he learned from his mistakes and kept the jacket in his hands.

The ground started to vibrate underneath him. He looked back and saw the football boys running out onto the field. He backed away a few feet and looked for Dream. Dream was near the end of the boys, running along with the flag holders.

Just as he was about to pass George, he slowed down and locked eyes with him. “George!” Dream quickly stopped and took the jacket from George’s hands and unfolded it. “What are you doing without a jacket again! It's even colder than it was this morning and it's gonna keep getting colder!” Dream didn't let George move as he placed his jacket around his shoulders and made sure that it made a warm, protective blanket around him, “Keep this on! You’re gonna freeze to death if you don’t! I’ll come find you after the game okay?”

Dream smiled and waved at George as he ran off to catch up on warm-ups. George wanted to stop him and tell him that he needed to take the jacket so that he could go home, but that smile put George in a trance. It was the most beautiful smile that he has ever seen and he wanted to see more of it. The only way to do that was to stay. So George stayed right by the fence like Dream wanted him too.

George understood a little about football, the basics and stuff that Dream would try telling him about. At first, George had no reaction to the game and it was more that he was waiting for the game to be over; however, the more the game went on, and the more the crowd grew louder, and closer the game got, George felt himself getting excited for the game. He discovered this underlying passion to support the team. But it really wasn't the team; He wanted to support Dream. George would only cheer when Dream did something good, like catch the ball or run really fast.

Everytime that Dream made a touchdown, he would celebrate with his teammates and then lock eyes with George. With everytime he looked over, he held the contact a little longer. It was hard for George to see Dream’s smile from so far away, but he could feel it. He felt the warmth and happiness that Dream gave him even when Dream wasn't near him.

When the team’s defense was playing, Dream was on the bench either talking with coaches or getting water. Everytime he got water, he was never focused on the game. Instead, he stared at George and took in the pretty boy in front of him. He loved watching George slowly get more into the game and the sparkle in his eyes as it went on. If Dream was lucky enough, George would look over at him and they would give little waves to each other and spoke through hand signals that only they could understand.

George proudly wore the jacket over his shoulders, not daring to fix it from where Dream placed it on him. That was George’s validation. Dream wanted George to wear his jacket and he didn't care who saw. All he cared about was George staying warm and feeling good, and it showed.

The game came down to the final seconds. Dream’s team was down by one point on fourth down with just enough time to get a play in. The teams went back and forth calling timeouts, trying to organize the perfect plan to win. There was a solid forty yards that Dream’s team needed to get a touchdown and win the game, the play had to be the perfect play.

Dream lined up on the yard line, getting as far forward as he could without passing it and causing a flag. He anxiously rubbed his hands together, going through the play one last time in his head. He looked over at George who instanously calmed his nerves with a simple thumbs up and a faint “you got this.”

The second the football was tossed back to the quarterback, Dream took off, directly to the right and ran down the line. He realized that the defence had staked their players on him in layers and that he would immediately get tackled if he went forward with the coaches plan. He ran back towards the quarterback, “Sapnap! Ball! Ball! Ball!”

Sapnap and Dream have been secretly working on this play for weeks. In case they ever got into a situation like this exact one, they knew what to do. Sapnap listened to Dream’s voice get closer and closer. At the right time, he tossed the football up and behind him without looking, causing the crowd to gasp. The crowd, including George, went crazy as Dream ran out from nowhere and caught the ball in the air and immediately tossed it to the middle of the field, where Sapnap was completely open. Dream threw the ball a little short, but Sapnap reached out and grabbed it with one hand before it slipped away. Dream sprinted up the left side of the field and only looked at Sapnap, who was directing him on where to go. Sapnap brought his arm and the ball to his ear and launched the ball in the opposite direction of where Dream was going, just like they had practiced. Dream did a v-cut, turning in the direction of the ball, leaving his opponents behind him and caught the ball in the endzone.

Touchdown

The entirety of Dream’s team sprinted out on the field as Dream and Sapnap celebrated the success of their play and the big win of the night. The team huddled around Dream and Sapnap, but Dream managed to break away from the group. The team let him be and continued to celebrate with their all-star quarterback.

Meanwhile, Dream was jogging towards George, discarding his helmet and gloves, and hopped over the fence, collapsing in George’s arms. Dream was breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath from the amazing play. Dream has never run that fast before and it was all from the adrenaline. Dream engulfed George in a tight hug, maybe even too tight, but George didn't care. George returned Dream’s energetic and sweaty hug with as much energy as he could.

“That was amazing, Dream!” George yelled through the crowd. “I’m so proud of you!”

Dream still had adrenaline rushing through his veins and acted on it. He grabbed the back of the collar of his jacket, which George was still wrapped in, and yanked it forward, colliding his lips with George’s in an unexpected rush of passion.

George did his best to kiss Dream back with the same amount of passion, but he was too surprised and smily to kiss Dream back the way he wanted to. Dream quickly pulled away and kept his hands on George’s shoulder, “Damn you look so fucking good in that!”

“T-thank you!” George stuttered out, his mind still cloudy from the kiss.

“I have to go to the team meeting, don't you dare move!” Dream impulsively laid a quick peck on George’s lips before running away, “And don't you dare take that jacket off!”

taglist: @anarchyanon @nightmarefox15@gray-moon2 @pixviepie @theblueblub

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Buddie Moodboard - Harry Potter AU

AKA... I'm vibing with the fictional universe, but the author can stick it forever and always. Anyway, my knowledge of the franchise is very much limited to the movies. But I still got some HP vibes from Oliver in Into the Badlands, so that's how we ended up here. Basically, this is supposed to be set some time after the original HP storylines, so HP and gang are no longer around. I just can't with crossovers. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Cheers!

Eddie Diaz is in for a grand surprise when, one evening, someone crashes through his roof. Because that certain someone is no other than Evan “Buck” Buckley, his childhood friend and “Wizard Extraordinaire” who took a rough fall from his broom during a chase.

Buck is enthusiastic as usual to see Eddie after all those years, but Eddie finds himself confronted with the life he left behind. Because Eddie is also a Wizard, but he chose to live in the Muggle world with Shannon and raise their son Christopher there together. Christopher did not show any signs of possessing magic yet, which is why Eddie wanted to wait for the right moment to talk to his son about the Wizard world.

Though his plans are out the window. After all, there's no denying in the magical world anymore after Christopher saw Buck crash through the ceiling riding on a broom. But that's not even the worst of it: Magical creatures are suddenly finding their way into the Muggle world in huge masses – and they seemingly set their eyes on Wizards, Witches, Squibs, and Muggle-born.

Buck and his friends aid those people to the Wizard world until the issue is cleared up, and it's safe for everyone to return. Which is the reason for Buck's sudden “visit”. Together, they fetch Isabel and Pepa. Thankfully, Eddie's abuela never got rid of that ugly old boot in her garden that's actually a Portkey.

Once in the Wizard world, Eddie has to have some many conversations with his son regarding the matter. But Christopher is rather enthusiastic about it all. Though Eddie also has some catching-up to do.

As it turns out, Buck did not become an Auror as they both dreamed of doing one day. While he went through training, he found that it wasn't right for him. In recent years, there have been more and more political undercurrents within government agencies that called for a stricter separation of Muggle and Wizard world for “matters of safety for both sides”. And Buck never found himself in agreement with that. As a result, he winded up joining an independent group of Wizards and Witches that seeks to safeguard particularly the Muggle world, no matter whether it's Muggles or Wizards choosing to live there.

Said independent group soon makes its appearance, or rather Buck's “new family”. So Hen, Chimney, and Bobby wind up escorting the rest to the Diaz family that decided to remain in the Wizard world and have since cut contact to everyone who followed Eddie's decision to go to the Muggle world. As a result, a very awkward and painful family reunion is in place. Thankfully, Eddie has Buck to support him alongside his grandmother and aunt.

With a heavy heart, Eddie chooses to leave Christopher with his family. He feels obligated to help Buck's friends to get to the bottom of these strange phenomena and keep both worlds safe for the sake of his son. And he will have to admit, casting magic again after all those years does feel good.

The surprises don't end there, though. On their travels, they run into Maddie, Buck's sister. She eloped from Beauxbatons with her then boyfriend Doug right after graduation and wasn't seen for years. Buck is overjoyed to have her back after all those years. But he notices that something is up with her, though Maddie won't talk about it. Nonetheless, she comes along on their journey.

As their journey continues, Buck and Eddie are in for some tough conversations they failed to have back in the day, when Eddie decided to leave the Wizard world. Buck was the only one beside his grandmother and aunt that supported Eddie. Still, that meant the former best friends fell out of touch soon thereafter. While Eddie said Buck could come visit, he never did. Now that they are back together, both men find themselves struggling with their complicated feelings. After all, there was a time when they were more than just friends, but didn't act upon it.

More truths come to light when Buck and Eddie go off on their own and wind up investigating an abandoned house that is protected by a strong magical barrier. They suspect it may have to do with their mission, which is why they work together to break the barrier. Inside, they find the ghost of a boy named Daniel, whose memories of his life are fading fast. And that ghost seems to hold a strange connection to Buck that may shed some light on a past some people may have known existed but erased.

Though that is not the only trouble ahead of them. After all, the connection of both worlds Buck and Eddie live in is in dire danger. And so, it may take more than a magic spell, an unbreakable bond if you will, to fend off the evil ahead...

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