#did we tell y'all mom was very negative about the idea of us using a cane the day after the birthday party?

[euclydya]

ok. no i get it. ok

[sleepdeprivedactor]

The Fog Chapter 7

As the days went by, Mike and Annie started to get used to the company of Alli, Lilith, Kenny, and Charlotte. Although none of them were legal adults, they acted very mature for their age. Mike suspected it was because they were traumatized. Annie smacked him on the back of the head when he suggested that. Her brother always had a messed up sense of figuring things out. Although never saying it out loud, Annie agreed with her brother. The other four did seem a bit traumatized. Kenny flinched whenever someone touched him, and Char was really clingy towards Alli. 

Alli was the easiest to talk to. She always asked everyone if they were okay or needed help with anything. She was like the mother of the group. Whenever someone had a question, she was the first to answer.

Lilith was the most serious. She only talked to Kenny and Alli. She tolerated Mike and Charlotte. She basically Ignored Annie whenever she tried to talk to her.

Kenny was very pessimistic. Whenever anything went slightly wrong, he always had something snarky to say.

Charlotte was very mature for being only 11. She was also very smart. She mostly talked to Kenny. She seemed to like Annie, but wasn’t a fan of Mike.

The LaSol siblings had spent a week living with the other four, and Mike was starting to worry that they’d be trapped in the woods forever. Annie tried to assure him that they would find a way out soon. Mike didn’t believe her.

“An, it's almost been a week. Don’t you think we would have found some way out by now?”

“Come on Mike. Don’t be so negative.”

“Well someone has to be realistic here! It's like you don’t even want to go home!” “Mike, Please. You know I want to go home. But i’m trying to make the be-” The doorknob to the room they were in clicked open, and Kenny peered his head in.

“There you guys are. Thought you got eaten by a monster or something.” He said with a chuckle. “Anyways, Alli wants us downstairs. She thought of an idea for some stupid group therapy session or something. I don’t really know.”

“Well what if we don't need therapy?” Asked Mike.

“Listen squirt, I've observed you the past couple days you've been here. You need it. Both of you do, actually.” he said, pointing at Annie. “Now c’mon. Let's go.” 

The three made their way downstairs, where the others were. Alli was sitting on a folding chair, while Lilith and Charlotte were sitting on the small couch. Annie took a seat next to Lilith. Mike and Kenny sat on the floor. “Hello losers. You're probably wondering why I'm gathering you here today.”

“Get on with it, Als. I got work to do.” Lilith said with a sigh.

“If by work you mean moping around like a little shit, then that can wait. Out of all of us here, I think you're the one here who needs this most.”

“Shut up.”

“Nah. Anyways, who wants to go first? Tell us what's been on your mind? Say a bit about yourself?” Alli looked around. No one spoke. “Fine, if none of you want to say anything, then I'll go first. Hi, everyone, I'm Alli. 17. Nothing much has been on my mind recently, other than the fact that y'all need serious help.” She looked around. The others looked at her, unamused. 

“Okay…I guess I'll go next. Buon giorno losers, I’m Kenny. 13. And I'm stressed because Char’s a clumsy disgrace who’s gonna get us all killed.” Char glared at him, and Mike laughed.

“Okay, okay, this is starting to get interesting. Hey, I'm Mike. I just turned 14 a week ago. I’m kinda worried about my mom, but I know she’ll be fine. I’ll be home with her soon.” Annie turned away when he spoke about their mother. It was a touchy subject for her.

“This is stupid. You all know who I am. And you all know I'm not doing this. I’ve got work to do. Redhead, come with me, I need your help with something.” Lilith grabbed Annie’s hand, and dragged her out of the room. Alli Sighed.

“Don’t worry Als. Lilith will come around eventually. She may build up a tough exterior, but she’s got a soft heart. I know my cousin better than anyone, and I know secretly she does care.” said Kenny. Alli tried to force a smile. 

“Yeah, you're right. Now who wants to help me make food?”

Chapter 6

Chapter 8

[emachinescat]

Being traumatized doesn't make you weak: A closer look at MacGyver 5x12

I shared a truncated version of this on Twitter but wanted to share it here, too.  I am rankled because of the toxicity around the last episode, and the show in general.  Here are some thoughts on the matter:

I am astounded at the amount of people accusing Mac of being a wimp or a “pussy” (derogatory word, by the way) or of having no self-respect because he is staying with Desi after what she told him in 5x12.  People are acting like he’s pitiful, weak, and less of a man because he chose to further explore his relationship with Desi instead of leaving her.

BUT HERE’S THE THING.

Mac isn’t settling with being a rebound.  He is trying to explore how he and Desi work, and if they are compatible in a living situation.  He’s testing the waters, trying to help discover if Desi truly is using him as an emotional stand-in, and if they can become something more.

(On that note, no, I do not think at all that Desi should have lied to him, and I do not like the idea of him being an emotional stand-in, but at least the fact that she is worried that’s what he is to her shows that she doesn’t want to treat him like that.  It doesn’t make it right, and I do think this is another nail in the coffin of their relationship, but I don’t think it makes her the horrible person some people are trying to paint her as.  Anyway.)

Also, it is not OOC for Mac to ask Desi to move in after the open door conversation with Riley, and the writers have absolutely not abandoned that conversation.  There will absolutely be another reckoning.  In this situation, Mac is actually doing something kind of smart (at least smarter than proposing): He is backing off from the idea of marriage and is trying to feel out their compatibility.  He’s no longer jumping headfirst into a lifetime commitment.  Yes, moving in together is a huge step, but it isn’t marriage.  And that is progress.

And then there’s this: People who complain about the ways Mac has changed as a character seem to forget the hard truth that loss, pain, and change, well, change you.  Mac has lost and suffered so much.  Of course he’s going to be more subdued, rash, moody, and clingy!  This guy already had abandonment issues.  In the space of a few years, he has found his absent dad, lost him again, found and lost his aunt, had his morals tested by discovering his mom’s part in Codex, lost Jack, and has had several teammates and friends leave, die, or betray him.

I can tell you from personal experience that people who suffer from abandonment and losses often do not make healthy relationship choices.  They are so afraid that they are going to lose someone else that, as soon as they find someone who is willing to stick by them, they cling on stubbornly, regardless of the quality of the relationship.

It doesn’t surprise or anger me at all that Mac stays in a toxic relationship.  It doesn’t make me think any less of him as a character.  I actually really appreciate seeing him struggle with the same issues I have because it makes me and my pain feel seen and real and valid.

People who have lost so much or feel abandoned aren’t weak.  They are terrified of being left again.  So with all that Mac has lost, it would actually be OOC if he didn’t cling to Desi like he is.  I do fully believe, though, that Riley is going to slowly help him regain his sense of self and his confidence, and help him realize that he doesn’t have to settle with someone who stays.  He can find (much like I did, with my husband), someone who stays AND makes him feel safe, wanted, valid, and happy.

Mac’s character arc is honestly one of the most realistic and well-handled aspects of the show.  He has shifted from being a relatively stereotypical male action hero to a real person with actual repercussions for the pain he’s been through, and I am living for it.

Please, even if you aren’t a fan of his character arc, MacDesi, or where the show is going, don’t perpetuate the idea that a sensitive, hurting, or traumatized individual is weak or stupid (I saw one post call Mac and idiot and then immediately explain that he’s an idiot because he has no self-confidence).  It’s such a damaging and hurtful mindset to people who deal with these issues, and it’s so, so toxic.

Personally, at the end of the day, even though I do ship MacRiley, if Desi’s character were to develop and both she and Mac were to learn what an emotion is and how to communicate it, as long as Riley too was happy, I wouldn’t be devestated if Mac and Desi ended up together.  Because honestly, I’m not watching the show for the ships.  I’m watching it for the amazing characters, actors, stories, and MacGyverisms!

Though, let's be real, it's VERY obvious from the writing, interviews, acting, and common tropes (another post on that coming soon) that MacRiley is going to be end game, so please y'all, push for season 6 so we can see that happen!

Finally, please consider this: Although we love MacGyver so much, it still is, at the end of the day, a work of fiction. This hatred, negativity, and toxicity is so unnecessary and damaging. I hope that we can learn to at least agree on one thing - that we love this show, and don't want it to end. <3

Thanks for listening to my rant. The chaotic, toxic state of this fandom has been weighing heavily on me for months now, but the posts I saw today accusing a traumatized person with abandonment issues of being weak were the last straw.

Actually, one final thing - there are people saying that MacRiley is never going to happen and that Riley has been relegated to a background character with Desi at the forefront, more important, because 5x12 focused more on her. I think these people have very selective memories, considering that Desi was barely in 5x11 at all, and that Riley was one of the two main focuses of that episode! This has less to do with the rest of my rant, but it bothered me too, and I wanted to address it. Thanks for sticking around this long!

[wannaliveattheholidayinn]

Ok, But Seriously, I Have Thoughts

I have... really mixed feelings about this episode, so I'm gonna talk about those feelings. And if my feelings about zep as a show and this season come out during that... so be it. (Seriously, this got long. I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry). Also spoilers for the new ep below the cut, but y'all should've been able to guess that

- I... Zimon seriously deserves just so much better. We saw them as a couple together for three episodes, and they honestly weren't explored enough. Zimon... and this is a very personal opinion, but they really do strike me as a couple who never fully leave the honeymoon phase... like ever. Like, of course, they'll fight and disagree on a lot of things, but they also can have adult children, and just kind of act like newlyweds even if they've been married for over twenty years. And again, I know that's a very personal opinion, but I mean... we all knew c/arkeman was gonna be endgame, and it just feels like zimon was never given an actual chance.

- However, I do very much appreciate that their breakup was not messy, there's still clearly a ton of respect for the other on both of their sides, and that Simon is okay.

- "We didn't belong together." No, you fucking did.

- I am not going to stop writing Zimon fanfic either. In fact, this might spur me to write more and work harder on writing Zimon fanfic.

- Rose. Fucking. Deserves. Better. I'm not even gonna elaborate on this one. We all know it.

- Despite the fact that I fucking hate c/arkeman and that it was very, very rushed... I'm giving acting and singing props to Jane. I Melt With You is a song that's extremely personal to me. It helped get me through a point in my life where... I was constantly feeling at war with others, myself, and even felt unsafe in my own home (something I still feel today, no matter how irrational I know it is). I just generally feel a strong connection to every version of the song bc of that, whether it's the original or the Bowling for Soup cover (that was in Sky High!), and... Jane just has a way of making me feel safe when she sings. So, I really, really loved her cover.

- Um... yeah, I'm gonna be real, I don't like the idea of Max having powers. I don't know, I just think it kinda changes the whole original concept of the show, and I'm not a big fan of that...

- Simon! Simon working on changing SPRQ Point!!!!

- I do not really like how they handled Simon's racial bias/systemic racism in coding storyline *after* episode six (aka it only really being mentioned in passing, not being further explored, etc.), but,,, credits due where it's due I guess? I like how they handled him going to Danny Michael Davis, and how DMD listened.

- Sidenote, I kinda find it weird we as a fandom don't refer to him as Danny... it's Danny Michael Davis, DMD, or fucking Willy Wonka jokes. Makes sense I guess.

- Um... the writing was just... so lazy. Yeah. It's... really sad, I think that the show would've benefitted from even one less ep. But on the other hand... lazy writing is lazy writing.

- I think it would've been better - honestly - if Zoey's feelings of loss hadn't been connected to Max in a romantic way, but in a platonic/familial way. We didn't see a ton of their friendship, and yeah,, I hate Max, but there are a few moments there where you can see a legitimate friendship that's really sweet. I also think if they had maybe explored Zoey's fear of losing Simon as well as Max and centered the finale more on Zoey telling Simon about her power, it would've just been a lot better.

- But... honestly, after I just aired out all my issues with this episode (and the season too kinda),,, I honestly liked it. I hate that Zimon broke up and I just generally hate cl*arkeman but... this ep had some really great moments. Zoey and Mitch were beautiful to see again. Mctobin, Davidemily, and Mo x Perry were all absolutely my favorite parts of the episode. Hell, I'll even admit I... well I don't wanna say laughed considering I was so close to crying, but I let out a weird, breathy noise resembling a laugh when Zoey just blurted out she and Simon had broken up.

I don't want to say it was a bad episode, because I did honestly, enjoy ~parts~ of it... but... it wasn't even that cl/arkeman happened, I knew it would, but how it did... it just honestly (my g.od i need to stop writing that word) seemed like they were trying to kill off or like... fucking quash *any* hope Zimon shippers may have had,,, and the writing was just so fucking lazy, I just...

I started the show after dance one night because my teacher showed us the Help! number bc he was an extra in it. And I had already been intrigued by the few ads I had seen for it. So, my mom and I watched it, and we loved it. So we kept watching. And it was good! It was really good! Sure it could be cheesy, but... that didn't matter. I latched on...

I don't know if, ZEP is gonna get renewed, and if it is, I don't know if I'll watch it if/when it does. I latch on to shows really fucking hard when I do latch on. It's why I keep rewatching The Good Place and why I'll never forgive Freeform/Disney/Marvel for canceling Cloak and Dagger. The way I latch onto things is probably a bit unhealthy. And the fact of the matter is, despite everything, my overwhelming feelings about ZEP are positive. And I latched on. I'd honestly do it all over again.

I have a lot of feelings about this fandom and this show, both positive and negative. Still, I love it. Unconditionally. Ultimately, I don't care if Zoey ends up with Max or Simon (though, seriously, she and Simon are made for each other). It's a good fucking show, ships shouldn't be everything that matters.

I began lurking in this fandom when I was fifteen. I began posting fanfic for it when I was sixteen. I'm almost seventeen now. I was planning to get Tumblr when I was seventeen. I also knew I wouldn't forgive myself if I hadn't made my presence here known if it didn't get renewed.

I want to thank @simon-haynes because, uh, holy fuck, I adore you. Running a blog for fandom is something I couldn't even fathom, especially when a large portion of the fandom doesn't like your ship. I legitimately can't believe you followed me.

Thank you to @jennakang. You are, honestly, one of the best writers I've ever read from. You were so incredibly supportive of my writing on ao3, despite the fact you didn't know who I was, and that really meant the world to me. Thank you so much for your contributions to the fandom. Also, uh, fun fact, I was the anon who, after you expressed the want to write the quarantined Zimon fic, sent in that ask that was like "please do!" and also "hope I'm not being pushy about this". I don't know if you remember that at all, but your response meant the world to me.

And uh, lastly @myheartissetinmotion. Um, wow. I know we barely know each other, but I can honestly say, you have been my anchor for this whole show. I love both your Tori content on TikTok as well as just zep content you do on there, and how you wrote her into zep on ao3. I personally like to think of you as the pioneer of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Tok. You were pretty unbiased when it came to ships on there, and that made me feel safe in a place where there were virtually no zimon shippers. Your content was funny, and I always found myself laughing or screaming "accurate" at it. I know, I'm the nuisance who every few months DMs you about something zep related, but I hope you know, you made me feel both seen and somewhat appreciated in this fandom. I cannot thank you enough, Isabella 💗

I know Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist may not be ending. But this still oddly feels like the end of an era. I'm not leaving the fandom, I plan to keep posting fanfic for it and everything. I just want everyone who may be reading this to know I love this fandom and I would not take any moment here back.

Also, this is me formally asking for a link to a Discord group chat since I know it exists but I'm too scared to actually ask any of you for it directly.

[g0ldengubler]

chapter two~a mysterious night

(*i do not own this gif*)

A/N: aaaaaaa i know i know i went from a really long chapter to a filler, but at least y'all get some backstory to how Y/N feels and thinks! thank you guys so much for the love on chapter 1! it seriously means a lot :’) also, i’ve been asked about a taglist and that was the one note i completely forgot about. i’m unfamiliar with them so if someone could message me what taglists are and what its purpose is that would be amazing! don’t worry though, those who have asked about it will be put on once i get to it, just ask for your patience. ok, enjoy the next chapter :)

Category: fluff

CW: there’s a bit of smut in here and mentions of weed and hangovers, but other than that it’s just a pure fluffy filler :)

Word Count: 2065

before you read | last chapter | next chapter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up the next day feeling so/so. You didn't feel hungover because you were smart and had lots of water in between drinks, probably because your mouth would get dry whenever you got even more high. You look over to the other side of the couch and see Spencer, still asleep. He was hugging his book bag like he did on the jet when he took a nap. You quietly get out your phone and check up on anything you might've missed, which even though you had a lot of notifications from tweets and story updates, nothing was there for you to click on it quickly and check it out. You open your photos app and look at the pictures and short videos you took from last night. You always documented every party, every time you hung out with another human being, because those moments meant a lot to you. You didn't get them often in life.

You swipe along, remembering how the night ended. After Spencer got out of the bathroom, everything went back to normal, like that little thing he did never happened. You finished the game and then Garcia got up with Morgan and they started dancing to the music that was still playing. They invited everyone else to get up and dance, too and that you did.  You danced with Spencer, but not in a seductive way. You were both being goofy and doing stupid moves that made everyone else in the room question you. You were even showing him ones that people do online and he wasn't getting it at all because he doesn't use social media. It was so hilarious you almost peed your pants from laughing so hard. If this was a sober event would you laugh that much? Probably not, but you couldn't help it. Jj was passed out through the whole dance party and Emily eventually did as well, snuggling with her. When you looked over to see them, they were still in the same positions they were last night.

Garcia walks in with some tea and Advil. "Oh good, I had a feeling you'd be awake!" She whispered.

She hands you a very colorful mug with pink and purple tie dye pattern and unicorns all over it. You told her thank you and took the Advil. "Oooo, pumpkin spice my favorite!" you said after taking a sip. "I had a feeling," she said, "You give me fall vibes through and through."

"Are you sure you're not a profiler as well, Penelope?"

Garcia chuckled. "I mean, when you work with them for over a decade, some it rubs right onto you."

Slowly everyone else woke up and you helped Garcia handing out the aid. Spencer woke up last and as you handed him his Advil and tea, he spoke raspy, "I haven't had a headache like this in months."

"I'm sure you'll live." you said, roughing up his hair a bit more than it already was. You check the time and your phone and stood up quickly. "Hey, I'm sorry guys I know we were planning on going to breakfast but I feel more tired than I should so I think I'm gonna go take a nap at my place."

"I can give you a ride." said Spencer.

"Yeah, that'd be great, Thanks Spence!"

You say goodbye to everyone and thanked Garcia for a wonderful night. She promised that this night can happen again with the girls on Friday night and you were all in for it. You walked out with Spencer and got in his car and drove home. It was quiet at first. You kept looking over at him, thinking about last night, wanting more of his touch, even more than his touch. You needed him, but you knew that it probably won't happen again.

"So, you remember anything about last night?" you asked him, trying to be normal about it but you could feel yourself failing.

"I do actually," he said, "I never knew this about myself, but even as messed up as I was, my eidetic memory still worked."

You began to blush as your eyes grew a bit wide. So he remembers what we did then? You thought to yourself. You were silent again the rest of the way there. You were pretty close to your apartment when all of a sudden you felt a hand rest on your thigh. You look up to see it was Spencers, but you didn't flinch. You didn't want to be obvious and ruin everything. You stayed quiet until he spoke, "I also remember the fun we had in Garcia's room."

To your surprise, you were already back at your place. You went to the back to grab your bags and went to the passenger window. "Thank you again, Spence!"

"Anytime you did a ride, I'll be your chauffeur!"

You both smiled and you waved goodbye. You started walking to the front door when Spencer called out for you again. "Y/N wait!"

You turn around, confused as to what he was gonna say. You didn't think it would be...

"Call me when you wake up, I have something planned for us tonight if you're down."

A Couple Hours Later

"Spence, don't stop!"

He kept going, not going off beat as he made you scream for him. You could feel your stomach in knots. You were ready for him. You needed him inside you. He was making you scream, begging him for it. He gave you a dark smile. He was really enjoying the sight of you so helpless and being a little brat.

You could  tell he was close by his cock twitching.

"Spencer I'm close pleeeasseee!" you beg.

"Cum for me.  Be a good girl and cum for daddy." he growled.

It was building up and building up. You were ready....

*Ding Ding*

You wake up to your phone going off. How long had you been asleep. You slowly grab your phone and see that it was 3pm. Not too bad you guessed. You saw you had a couple of text messages from the BAU group chat, sharing the pictures from last night. You remembered what happened on the way home, yet you couldn't remember  the dream you just had. Shit, you said you'd call him.

You go to the group chat and click on his name to call. As it rings, you get nervous as to what he had in mind of doing.

"Hello?" (A/N: Think of that one audio on tik tok where he starts of with saying hello and then it goes to 'baby hotline' lol)

"Spence, hey! It's Y/N."

"Oh hey Y/N! I have something fun planned if you want to hang out tonight."

"What's that?"

He was quiet for a moment, then spoke again but sounded unsure of himself. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure if you'd find it fun. It might be boring but um...would you want to get high and walk around DC?"

You thought for a moment. This wasn't a bad idea, but part of you was kind of surprised that he asked you. He could've asked Jj or Emily or Garcia since she was the one who gave you the pens. Why would he ask the newbie? Then you remembered that he said he remembered everything from last night...

"Sure," you said, "sounds fun! What time were you thinking?"

"Let's say 10pm? You know that park that's on Jefferson?"

"Yeah, I remember seeing it when I gave myself a little tour of the city."

"What?!" He sounded shocked, but he could've just been playful. Why would anyone be shocked at you? "You did a tour by yourself?"

"Well yeah silly, I gave myself a tour the day before my first!"

"Ok, that's it. Our walk around the city will now be an official tour and I'll be your official tour guide!"

You let out a little laugh. "Ok, "pretty boy", I'll take you up on that."

"Great! I'll see you there at 10!"

You said your goodbyes and hung up. Spencer sounded more confident than when you first met him. You thought that he would be the shy and awkward type that would take days, even weeks, to ask someone to even hang out with him, let alone go on a date. Wait, was this a date? No. A date would be like fancy dinner with expensive wine and then either going somewhere after that or back to either place and have sex. This was just two friends getting high and hanging out, you finally convinced yourself, Like anyone, even Spencer for that matter, would like you enough to take out on a date.

So now, you had 7 hours to not overthink and play in your head how you think this would go. This was the time to pretend like it was just something in your planner that you wrote down to do for the day. You wondered why you were so flustered and nervous to hang out with someone, acting like it was a date. Did that little scandalous event you had last night really affect you that much? You told yourself to snap out of it a few times before going into the kitchen to make yourself something to eat.

Once you had your food, you grabbed a beer and headed to the couch to continue rewatching Murder, She Wrote on Netflix. You didn't watch much tv, but when you do it's mostly crime shows, Rupaul's Drag Race, or old sitcoms like Golden Girls. Murder, She Wrote had always been your comfort show. It something you went to when having a bad day or you were nervous about something. Anything negative you felt, you turned on the show and think about living like Jessica when you retired. Moving to a small town on the east coast, writing stories and making friends with everyone. The more you thought about it, the more you realized that you wanted to be like Rossi, too.

And there you were, for 3 hours hours before you took the remaining four you had left to get ready.

10pm-Jefferson Park

You make your way into the park. It was chilly, dark, and peaceful, something you admired about the night. You had gotten ready before, but didn't do anything special. You wore your grandpa sweater with black mom jeans and your vans. Your makeup was your everyday, wings with a nude pink lip. You didn't dress so exciting because you were just hanging out with someone, so you didn't worry about it much. Sitting on a bench waiting, you start to play a game on your phone to take your mind off from running in circles. After ten minutes, you heard your name being called out. "Y/N?"

You look over to see Spencer, long hair and all. He wore a brown sweater with jeans and black converse. He almost looked like he was ready to head into the BAU at anytime, which you thought cute of his aesthetic. He came over by you, hands gripped to his book bag strap, smiling awkwardly but with a bit of excitement.

"Hey, Spence!" you said, waving at him. He just stood in front of you as you talked for a minute.

"Did you walk here?" He asked.

"Yeah," you said, "I live pretty close to here actually. Didn't realize that until tonight."

"Oh really? Me too! I just live half a block away."

You both awkwardly laughed and then went awkwardly silent until he said, "Um, I know a spot we could sit at before we start walking."

"Lead the way, Doctor!" you say as you get up.

He takes your hand in his and runs for a bit. You didn't know he was gonna drag you along, but you could tell that from that moment on, this was going to be a ride; A fun ride full of adventures.

[yee-fxcking-haw]

What Happens Next?

A/N: Here’s part four y'all! Please please tell me what you think. I’ve been very excited for the reactions to this chapter! A million thank yous to anybody who has been reading, asked to be tagged, commented, liked, reblogged, any of it. Thank you so so so much!!

Summary: We finally find out what the hell Bucky did.

Warnings: The big angst. Language.

Part one | Part two | Part three

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Part Four

At The Dance Hall.

You take one deep breath before turning around to face him again. He’s still sitting on the curb, posture crumbled and pathetic.

“I’ll catch a ride home with Shelly, take your time and call me when you’re home” Molly says, you turn to argue but she’s already walking back to the building. You want to call after her but you honestly don’t have the energy. Molly can take care of herself, you don’t have to worry about her making it home ok.

You walk over to James quietly, your heart is already racing and you feel your stomach twisting into knots.

“James?” You say with a small voice.

He jumps a little but keeps his head down, he wipes his eyes quickly like that will somehow keep the fact that he’s crying a secret. He jumps to his feet and straightens out the blue dress shirt he’s wearing. Of course he’s wearing blue, it wouldn’t make sense for him to wear something that doesn’t make his eyes stand out. Why would the universe do you a favor and have him wear something that doesn’t accentuate your biggest weakness? The universe apparently hates you, that’s why.

“I’m ready to talk.” You say, steadying yourself slightly.

His eyebrows raise and you see a glimmer of hope flash across his face. Even after crying and being punched in the jaw, he’s beautiful. The puffy lips and red cheeks honestly only make him prettier. Fuck him for that.

“-but I have rules.” You continue. You don’t have any rules, but you want to make it sound like you mean business. His face falls back into a slightly more anxious look.

“We’re going to Annie’s, you’re buying me dinner, and we’re driving separately.” You say, making them up as you go. He owes you dinner at the very least, considering how much he took from you. Annie’s is a little diner down the road. It’s usually busy enough to have a private conversation without being overheard, and you hope by keeping it in public you’ll feel compelled to not cause another scene.

He nods carefully, “I uh- I don’t have the bike. I got a ride with a friend.”

“Get in the damn truck then.” You say, turning on your heels. You don’t want to give yourself any time to rethink this. The only goal you have is to get this done as quickly as possible without putting your heart on the line again. He scurries after you, not saying a word. You swing open the door with a huff and jump into the driver’s seat. He quietly slides into the passenger seat like the truck is made of glass.

“Do you want me to drive?” He asks softly.

Your face immediately pinches into a disgusted look. You slowly turn to him, sticking the key in the ignition as you do. You sit there for a second, staring daggers at him, daring him to ask some other dumb ass question. His eyes shoot to the floor and he buckles his seat belt to make himself look busy.

“Sorry. Stupid question.” He mutters, shaking his head a little.

You don’t answer him, you can’t without yelling again. You know James doesn’t mean anything overtly sexist by offering to drive, he’s just trying to be a gentleman. He also doesn’t know about the truck being your father’s, so you keep your mouth shut. However, he knows that if you can do something, there’s no way in hell you’re going to let a man do it for you, so he should have known better than to ask. You roughly shift the gear and whip out of the parking spot. You see James turn to you out of the side of your eye, you shift to drive with the same harshness and nearly peel out of the parking lot. You hear him try to choke down a laugh. Irritation rises in your gut and you take a sharp breath in.

“What?” You snap. Whipping your head to look at him, you quickly realize the mistake in doing so. He’s got that gorgeous smile on his face, even with a welt on his jaw, he’s absolutely stunning. That bastard.

“Nothin’… Sorry.” He says quickly, pulling his smile back down to a straight line.

Sickening regret fills your gut, you’re supposed to be making him smile, not making him feel guilty for doing so. You remind yourself of why things are this way now, it’s not your regret to feel, it’s all on him. You find your way to the diner easily, it’s really just a streat and a right turn away. You pull into the diner, the parking lot relatively empty. The lights on the sign make your heart ache, your dad used to take you and your mom here for breakfast once a month. You adored coming here with them, making the diner an extremely special place for you. Is it a good idea to give James the ability to tie a negative memory to it? For a split second you consider changing locations, but you’re combated by how truly exhausted you are with running from this conversation.

“Let’s fucking get this over with.” You throw your seatbelt off and swing your door open. Your stupid dress gets caught on the seat on your way out and you fall flat on your ass. Your tail bone aches and you’ve definitely scraped your elbow. You sit up on the ground and brush your hair out of your face. James comes around the front of the truck quickly, obviously concerned about your dramatic fall. He doesn’t look concerned though, his lips are pulled into his mouth and his eyebrows are pinched together like he’s trying his darndest not to laugh. Despite everything, the confusion, the hurt feelings and the anger. You just can’t help it, watching James try so hard to keep it together tickles you. A laugh bubbles out of you, trying to kill it by covering your mouth. Then James finally cracks and it’s all over. You squeeze your eyes shut and it sputters out of you, your hand falls to join your other around your stomach.

You throw your head back and let yourself laugh as hard as you can, James lets his deep laugh mix with yours. You have to be drawing attention, but oh fucking well, you two should be used to it by now.

“First day with the new feet?” He jokes. You place your hands on the ground beside you and look up at him, trying to give him your best bitch face. It doesn’t last a second, he’s still giggling like he’s in grade school and it’s contagious. You fall back onto the pavement, letting the laughter take over your body. What the hell is wrong with you? Has it just been too long since you’ve laughed like this? Is your body just making up for lost time?

“She’s fine, I promise, just got tickled is all.” You hear James say and you don’t bother to look up. You don’t want to face the poor strangers that have just spotted some loon laying on her back in the parking lot while she’s laughing hysterically.

You hear him shift so he can sit down next to you, still laughing as he does so. You let your eyes open and take a deep breath in, using your hands to still your stomach, praying you can compose yourself even a little bit. You sit up and sigh, giggles still pouring out of you slowly. You lose yourself in the laughter and let your head fall to his shoulder.

“You ready for that dinner I owe you?” He asks with a teasing voice, “-or do I need to call the paddy wagon for you?”

You both let yourselves laugh again, the feeling so familiar and safe. Just then, as you’re both settling down from your laughter, your heart is absolutely crushed by a ton of bricks. You feel your face crumple, your throat tighten and your chest start to ache. You could have had this all along. You could have had this at prom, and every day after. Nauseating paranoia creeps into you. It’s so easy to get lost in him again, so easy to forget that he’s the asshole that ruined highschool for you.

Tears threaten to fall now, your heart aches at the thought of all the time lost between you and this boy you were once falling in love with.

“Why’d you have to ruin this?” You ask with a broken voice, tears making hot trails down your cheeks.

He takes in a slow, shaking breath.

“I’ve hated myself for it every day since.” He nearly whispers.

You don’t answer, just wipe your tears and cross your arms over yourself.

“There hasn’t been anyone else. I don’t think there ever will be.” You can’t help but look at him after he says those words.

His bright eyes burn into you, you want to trust him. You even feel yourself doing it for a second. You can’t, not again… right? He can’t have the chance to hurt you again, but dammit you want to throw your arms around him and kiss him like you did on the rooftop. You look back at the ground and hold on tight to yourself, wishing you could squeeze yourself out of existence.

“What the hell happened James?” You ask, tears falling again.

Prom

You had snuck into the house very late last night, your mom fast asleep, she was gone for work by the time you woke up this morning. At least you were able to avoid her being nosey about your whereabouts. You’re driving yourself to Prom, much to James’ dismay. He argued when you first proposed the idea, but quickly understood that riding on a motorcycle in a dress was not reasonable. You plan to bring a change of clothes with you for any after prom activities. Though, you don’t know if you’ll even make it to Prom in the first place at this rate. You huff around your room, throwing clothes everywhere, searching desperately for your one good dress.

Shit, fucking shit. Everything has gone to shit. Molly isn’t coming with your dress. As soon as you got home last night you called and told her everything about yesterday, absolutely thrilled to share the events of the day with your best friend. She promised to bring you a blue dress to wear to match James’ eyes, but Molly just called to tell you that she lost track of time and can’t bring you the dress. So what the hell are you supposed to do? Of course she lost track of time, why would she fucking be here for you? Your anger at Molly is growing exponentially the longer you go without finding your dress. How could she? How could she be so self centered after she promised to be here? The only dress you have is a gingham one that your mom picked out for you at Macy’s. It’s a simple black and white checkered pattern, not flashy at all, but neither are you. Tonight is supposed to be special though, tonight you’re supposed to feel pretty. You try to convince yourself that it’s your fault for being so last minute, that Molly isn’t really to blame. The last thing you need is to show up all flustered and pissed off. James deserves better than that.

Your heart stills for a moment at the thought of him. That’s what this is about, once you get there and see him, once you laugh with him, it’ll all be ok. The dress won’t matter, Molly flaking on you won’t matter, the only thing that will matter is you and him. Your shoulders fall slightly, tension oozing out of you.

“Ok.” You sigh out loud to yourself.

Then you see it, the damn dress. The corner of it is peaking out of your dresser. You dive for it like it’s capable of running away from you. You snatch it out of the drawer and shake it out. Shit. It’s so damn wrinkly. Your mom has an ironing board somewhere, but you don’t have fucking time. God, why did you wait so long to start getting ready. You’re bad at this stuff, that’s why. Twenty minutes left, you’re supposed to be there at six. You can do it. You throw the dress on, then face yourself in the mirror. The pinched waist of the dress really is flattering, and gingham suits you quite nicely honestly, offering you slight relief.

Your hair and makeup, shit. Brush your hair, mascara, lipstick. That’s it right? Molly told you one time that there’s three critical pieces to looking put together, you’re certain it’s those three. Your mom has to have the mascara and the lipstick, you at least have a hair brush. You hike up your dress and sprint to your mom’s room. You do your very best to put on the mascara and the lipstick, mostly just dabbing it on your lips to give you a little color like Molly taught you. It really does make a big difference, it’s obviously not really prom worthy, but again, it’s not your thing. You give yourself a shrug that says “good enough” and run back to your room.

Shoes. Oh shit. The only clean pair of shoes you have are a pair of cowboy boots that you’ve been saving for a special occasion. They’re not really a step up from your regular boots, but at least they’re clean. That has to count for something. You snatch them from the closet and stick your feet in them roughly. You flatten your skirt, pull your hair over your shoulders and stand in front of the mirror once again. The dress and the boots actually don’t look too bad, and the light makeup goes well with the look. You’re certain Molly would be throwing the fit of the century but that’s too damn bad. You could be wearing a real prom dress that matches your date’s eyes, but somebody got busy.

You did it, sort of. You’re not in overalls, you have makeup on, and you’re actually on schedule. The nerves eat up your insides slowly, wondering if James will think you look alright. You find comfort in his words from last night. You’re the most incredible thing he’s ever seen, and that was when you were wearing men’s clothes. That’s what he wants, something different. You’re jolted out of your daydream by the sound of a car door shutting. Shit. It’s your mom.

You quickly grab your keys, doing a hastey double check in the mirror before tearing into the kitchen and out the front door. It’s already getting dark, which makes you feel like you’re more behind on time than you actually are. Your mom is getting out of her car and her jaw drops as soon as she sees you.

“What in the hell is going on?” She asks, absolutely shocked by your appearance.

“Don’t have time to explain! Going to prom!” You holler back at her.

“Will Molly be there!?”

“Yeah I’ll be home eventually!” You hop into the truck, starting her up immediately, taking a deep breath. A pang of sorrow hits you as soon as you hear the engine rumble. Your dad should be here, telling you that no guys deserves a dance with you, telling you to be home by ten, to be safe, that he loves you.

“Have fun baby!” She shouts, confusion laced in her voice.

You swallow the tears to smile and wave at her. He wouldn’t want you sad tonight, and something tells you he would like James a lot. You cling to that thought as you pull out of the driveway. For your mother’s sake you don’t start speeding until you’re around the corner, but once you’re there you floor it. James told you to meet him right out front, which should be easy enough. He’s always easy to spot and you’ll probably be one of the last people there so it won’t be too packed outside.

Now that you’re in the truck by yourself you have time to really grasp what you’re about to do. You’re going to prom, this is about as likely as Molly going hunting. Like always, the nerves start raging inside you. Every bone in your body is begging you to turn around and go home, but you push it down. You can’t keep living like that, you have to be able to come out of hiding at some point. If anybody is going to help you through it, it’s James.

Your mind wanders back to last night when he dropped you off. Your goodbye had been long and dreadfully romantic. You had kept your arms around his neck for as long as you could, you had kissed goodnight several times before actually tearing yourselves away from each other. He had walked his bike to the end of the street to start it to avoid waking your mom up. Before he did so, he placed one last kiss on your forehead and told you that he’d be dreaming about you.

Incredible would be an understatement for the way he makes you feel. You can tell he’s changing the way you think, he’s slowly chipping at your walls after just one afternoon. It’s terrifying, but you want him to do it. You want to feel alive like you did yesterday, you want to cling to him and the way he makes you feel.

Soon you’re turning into the school parking lot. All the pastel dresses and hand-me-down suits crowding the door, filing into the gym so they can enjoy the pinnicale of their highschool careers. You can’t help but roll your eyes at all the girls hanging all over their dates. You scan the groups of people for Molly or James, you feel your stomach tighten with anxiety. Big groups of people aren’t your thing, especially when they’re all so well dressed.

The front door, he said to meet him at the front door. You drive around to the front of the gym and park your truck. You run your hands over the wheel nervously and bite your lip. They’re just people, they won’t notice you. Once you get to James it will all be fine. You take a deep breath and close your eyes, swallowing your fear to open the truck door and hop out. You walk towards the door with your head down, occasionally glancing up to try to find James. You can’t see him by the front door so you start to panic a little.

Then you hear it, his laugh. That deep, wonderful sound echoing behind you. Relief floods your body, your shoulders drop and you turn your head to find him. When you see him you swear you could faint. He’s so damn handsome, now in a dark blue suit with a matching tie, sharp looking white dress shirt underneath. His hair is slicked back perfectly and his smile is as bright as the sun. He’s walking with two other guys, neither of them Steve. You should have known Steve wouldn’t come, if he’s as much like you as you think he is he’s avoiding this event like the plague.

“James!” You try to yell over the people between you two, but your small voice is obviously drowned out because he doesn’t even look.

You open your mouth to say his name again but your voice catches when three other people come up to James and his friends. Three very pretty girls, to be exact. It almost happens in slow motion, one of the girls throws her arms around his neck and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. He keeps smiling the whole time. You feel your heart crumble in your chest, a horrible sick feeling settles in your gut.

She’s stunning, blonde hair and long legs. She’s thin and elegant, make-up so skillfully done it looks like she’s glowing. Her dress is a beautiful light blue… like his eyes. Your stomach flips, you feel like you can’t breathe. He places his arm around her waist as they walk towards the building. She’s his date, it’s obvious. He was never meant to take you, he probably assumed you just wouldn’t show up. Well, here you are, watching the boy that said he’s falling in love with you walk another girl into prom. If there weren’t so many people around, you would be crying.

“Bucky!” You yell again, not even meaning to. Your body is desperate for his attention, you hope by using his nickname he’ll realize it’s you. Your heart aches at the memory of him telling you to call him by his nickname, how he said he liked it when you said it.

His head finally snaps towards you. The look in his eyes only makes you feel worse, he just looks confused. He doesn’t look happy to see you, he does not look at you the way a man should when he’s said he would dream of you. You draw closer to him, anxiously glancing at his friends and his beautiful date. Are you just misunderstanding? Are they just friends? Did he just intend to hide this part from you? What the hell is going on?

“I’m sorry I’m a little late, I couldn’t find a dress in time, this is all I have.” You say, gesturing down at your dress, becoming very embarrassed of your boots.

He just stands there with the same confused look on his face. His friends look just as confused, the three girls turn away to giggle together. Heat rises to your cheeks and you ball your fists as the other two guys turn to join the girls. They awkwardly shuffle away, obviously trying to put space between you and them.

“You’ve got the wrong guy sweetheart.” He says with a cold voice.

Sweetheart?

You study his face, waiting for the laugh, for any sign that this is some horrible joke.

“Wh-what?” You ask, voice breaking.

For a split second you see a flash of sadness in his eyes, so brief you almost miss it. Does he pity you? Was your whole afternoon together just because he felt sorry for you? It couldn’t be. It was all so real. The laughter, the understanding, feeling his skin against yours. Just hours ago you were both lying naked with each other on a rooftop, pressed against each other without any desire to ever part. Where did that electricity go?

“Bucky, what are you doing?” You ask, desperate to understand what’s going on.

“James come on, they’re starting the music and I want to dance.” The gorgeous blonde says over his shoulder, walking around to place her hand on his chest, the other coming up to smooth his hair.

“Are you lost honey?” She asks, looking down her perfect nose at you.

You’re definitely going to be sick.

You shake your head no, stuttering incoherent sounds.

“I just- I thought I was um- I thought I was meeting somebody here.” The words tumble out, your voice small.

“Do you and James know each other?” She asks, voice condescending.

You try to say yes, but James cuts you off.

“No, I don’t think so, she’s just confused.” He says the last part like he’s trying to convince you of it too. He gives you one last confusing look then turns away, placing his hand on his lovely date’s waist.

“Come on, doll.” You hear him say to her.

That’s what does it. Hearing him call her the name you’ve grown to love. That sends you over the edge and pushes the tears out of your eyes. You feel your heart crack and all you want to do is run after him. You want to sob, fall down on the concrete and let yourself cry until your voice is gone. You watch him walk away from you, your place filled by a girl better suited for him. It was all a fucking joke, it had to be. He’s probably going to tell all of his friends about it once they’re inside. How he took the poor little hick girl out to Coney Island, made her think she was special, then played her like a fiddle. Would he tell them you’d slept together?

You want to run to the truck, but the most your body is capable of is a tired walk. Your chest is being eaten alive by a burning heartache. Your head is swimming with confusion and a horrible, painful thought keeps screaming at you. You’re not special, you’re not different, he was just bored. He needed the thrill of having somebody hopelessly want him the way you did last night, somebody he could string along with no resistance. Of course, he can’t be seen at prom with you. A boy like James needs a girl like the one he’s with right now, it’s just the way things are. You are not a girl like that.

You reach the truck, letting all the people around you blow past you in a blur. You climb into the cabin pathetically, slumping into the seat. You close the door and don’t spare any time before letting a sob rattle your chest. How could you be such an idiot? It was always going to end like this. He will always want a girl like her and you won’t ever be one. Even if you brush your hair and put on a dress. That only begs the question, what about yesterday? What about when he kissed you the first time? Both of you bathed in that ethereal evening light, unable to keep your lips off of each other. Before he kissed you he’d said you were the most incredible thing he’d ever seen. What the hell happened?

A knock on the passenger window jolts you out of your pity party.

“Open the door.” It’s Molly.

Silently you reach over and pop the lock. She throws the door open and gets in quickly, slamming it closed behind her.

“What happened?” She asks, trying to keep her voice calm but failing.

You look at her with a loud sniffle, rubbing your eyes with your hands. Your make-up is all melting off with the tears, but it doesn’t matter.

“Well, first my best friend flaked on me after she promised me a blue prom dress. Then, I didn’t have anybody to do my hair and makeup so I did a shit job of course and I had to wear this stupid dress and these hideous boots.” You say, voice breaking. You hadn’t thought so little of your appearance when you left the house, but seeing James’ real date has changed your mind

She starts to talk but you cut her off.

“Oh just wait, it gets so much better. As soon as I got here, I couldn’t find you or James. I found James soon enough though, with some gorgeous girl all over him. She’s got on a perfect blue prom dress and he seemed so thrilled to have somebody like her on his arm. So it was all a joke! It was all a fucking joke Molly. He didn’t mean what he said yesterday. He asked me to prom just so I could show up and be comedic relief for him and his perfect friends! I sure can’t wait for the whole school to catch wind of this.” You finish your rant with another deep sob. Your fist involuntarily flies at the dash, landing with a loud crack.

“I’m so sorry, I should have been with you.” She says gently, probably scared to say anything else.

Your chest tightens, yes she should have, but now is not the time to bring Molly down with you.

“Where’s Eddie?” You ask, inquiring about her date.

“With his friends. He’s not that cute anyway.” She says, brushing it off.

“Molly don’t let me ruin prom for you. Yeah it’s a heartless prank, but I’ll be alright. I’ve seen worse.” You say, wiping more tears.

She sighs deeply and moves her hand to tuck some hair behind your ear. You want to slap her hand away, but you welcome the kind gesture reluctantly.

“I’m not going back in there without you, and I know you’re not going back in there, so let’s go get some ice cream and go to my house. My parents are gone for the weekend, so the record player is all ours.” She says, trying desperately to win you over.

You look out at the streetlights that are blurred by your tears. You glance over at Molly, realizing how beautiful she looks. Her dress is a light lavender color and soft brown hair is curled flawlessly. You can’t take this from her, she gets to go to prom.

“No, I’m going to drive you to the door, you’re going to go in and have a good time. I’m going to go home, I want to be with my mom.” You say. You hope playing the mom card will get Molly to stop arguing.

“Is that what you want?” She asks with caution.

“Yes, you’ll regret it if you don’t go in. I know you will.” You sigh, “I’ll be fine, really.”

You shift the truck into drive and slowly bring Molly to the door. You realize how tired you feel, body drained from feeling so much all at once.

“Are you sure about this?” Molly asks.

“Molly please just go. I’ll see you Monday.” You don’t even look at her when you say it. Your eyes are glued to the pavement.

“I’m so sorry…” She barely whispers it, then gets out of the car. You watch her walk away, her chocolate curls bouncing behind her.

You feel somewhat guilty for lying to her, you don’t want to be with your mom, you just want to be alone. You let the tears fall again now that you’re alone. The parking lot is dark and empty now that everyone is inside, having the time of their lives no doubt. Your attention is grabbed by two bodies tumbling out of the gym.

Of fucking course, it’s James and his wonder woman. You sit frozen in place as you watch her cling to him. Sick, festering jealousy fills your stomach making you want to floor it and run them over. You never turned the headlights on so they don’t even notice you sitting in the truck. They walk with their backs turned to you, James has his hands in his pockets and he’s looking down. You hear her let out a high, squeaky laugh. Thank God her laugh sucks.

Then her hands are on his shoulders and you absolutely want to scream at her. Tell her to back off, that he’s yours, but you can’t, because he isn’t. Then her lips are on his. All feeling leaves your body, and all you can do is watch in horror as she kisses him. His hands stay in his pockets but he still kisses her back. He doesn’t look thrilled to be kissing her but he doesn’t exactly push her off of him. Then again, why would he? Something snaps inside you and you and you become entirely fed up with all of this bullshit. You throw the truck in reverse and tear out of the parking lot. They can have their fucking moment, she’ll eventually learn who James really is.

The Following Monday

People ignore you, people sometimes stare at you, they laugh at your boots and your overalls. You evoke those reactions from people, it’s a fact of life. Today though, today it’s like you have leprosy. This is what you need on top of everything else. After the shitshow of prom, you went straight home and stormed upstairs. You promptly cried yourself to sleep, then spent the entirety of Sunday holed up in your room. Your mom had brought you tomato soup for dinner, asked if you wanted to talk, then left you alone when you gave her a short “no”. She doesn’t ever like to pry, she always gives you room to come to her when you’re ready. After your dad passed you both found that to be the easiest way to be there for each other.

You woke up this morning with no motivation to even come to school. James has well and truly broken your heart. All you can do is think about that afternoon. Everything that happened with him felt so natural and easy. Being with him felt so safe. When he kissed you, you felt it in your entire body. You even let him know your entire body. You gave him so much of yourself, you gave him things you’ll never get back. Just to have him pretend he never knew you in front of his pin up girlfriend. It makes your chest ache in a deep and hollow way. You know you can’t go on forever like this, just longing to relive that afternoon. You want nothing more than for him to run up to you, hold you in his arms in front of everyone and tell you how sorry he is. You want him to explain that he was just being stupid, you want him to tell you that he does love you, that you are special. You want to know that he meant every word he said that day, but you know you’ll never have that.

You haven’t spoken to Molly yet, you haven’t even seen her. She isn’t in any of your morning classes with you, but next is lunch and you always sit together, so you’ll have to endure that pitiful interaction. All around, it’s hell. Any accidental eye contact you’ve made has been met with the other person almost urgently looking away. In history everyone around you had placed a desk between you and them, nobody sitting directly next to you. It all leaves you to wonder once again, what the hell is going on? Surely it can’t be what happened at prom, people would tease you for it, but not ostracize you.

You walk to lunch with your eyes glued to the ground, trying your best to keep your head ducked to avoid any more stares.

You hear your name whispered harshly and jerk your head towards the voice. It’s Molly, she’s standing in an empty classroom motioning for you to join her. You roll your eyes. You stomp into the room and she shuts the door behind you.

“Has anyone said anything to you yet?” She asks urgently.

“Uh, no, people are hardly looking at me actually.” You say, “Why?”

She sighs while giving you a very troubled look.

“It’s bad.” She whispers.

“What’s bad?” You ask, panic rising in your chest.

“Everybody thinks you’re nuts.” She says bluntly.

“I’m sorry, what?” You ask her, disbelief evident in your voice.

“James told his friends that you’re a stalker. That you’re obsessed with him and that’s why you showed up at prom acting like he was supposed to be your date. He even told them he was scared to go to school with you, especially after he caught you driving by his house one time…” She stops when she sees you start crying.

So this is it. He’s graduated from spit balls and whoopie cushions to ruining somebody’s life completely. James had stolen his friends clothes from the locker rooms, told people it was pajama day when it wasn’t, all harmless fun. This time, you suppose he needed more of a thrill. You just happened to be the perfect victim.

They all think you’re crazy, not just odd, they think you’re insane, now only Molly and James know the truth. What is the fucking point? Is he really that sick? The confusion crushes you. How the hell did let this happen? He was in love with you, he adored you. He littered kisses on your body and promised you a romance you’ve only dreamed of. Now he’s out to destroy your reputation and humiliate you completely.

“How- how could he?” You ask Molly, begging her for an answer she can’t give you.

“Molly it doesn’t make any sense, he was so amazing, he was everything I’ve ever wanted.” You let out a sob and sit on the table behind you.

All Molly can say is that she’s sorry, she’s so sorry.

“The guidance counselor is going to ask to talk to you, I guess news reached the principal. I overheard him say to the vice that stalking can’t be tolerated. I’ll go with you, I’ll help you explain everything, I can-”

“No Molly. This is mine to deal with.” You say, gathering yourself up to take a deep breath.

You’re going to take this one on the chin. There’s only two months of school left anyway. Fuck everyone, especially that asshole James Barnes. Of course you’ll tell the principal and the guidance counselor the truth, but you know you don’t stand a chance at them believing you, not when James is on the other side. He’ll get out of this, just like everything else. You’ll be left to deal with the looks, pointing fingers and the whispers. All you have left of James now is the memory of falling in love with him, contrasting harshly with how much you hate his guts now.

@b-o-n-e-daddy @lillsrecs @all-art-is-quite-useless @brownlee-22 @peace-love-hobbitness @pinknerdpanda @supernaturalwintersoldier @can-i-sin-right-now

[day6andetcetera]

A B O U T M E :

Tagged by: @prettywordsyouleft

O wow what a pleasant surprise brb fangirling in the corner cuz my fav blog/fanfic writer tag me aaahhhhhhh btwily

1. It's your birthday! What did you ask for and did you receive it?

uuuhhh it's been a long time since I've got a birthday gift, the last one I remember getting was a DSLR camera my dad gave as a early birthday present for my 15th birthday, I asked for a semi-DSLR like the one my aunt has cuz it'd have the same controls as a regular digital camera.... But my dad thought it'd be better if I'm accustomed to a professional camera what was he thinking idk 😂. O and my best friend gave me a stuffed animal (puppy) for my 16th and some of my other friends gave me some pretty stationaries, yeah that's the last birthday gifts I got

2. What was the last song or album you listened to?

TDC: Eternity from TXT's recent comeback!! I really loved their comeback, like everything is just *chef's kiss* they really keep raising the level every comeback just ugh I love them. Also Sara Bareilles -She Used To Be Mine

3. What is your go to snack when you're hungry or bored?

Well it depends on what my parents already have at home and what I'm craving, so usually it ends up being orange wedges or dates(and other sorts of dry fruits) for something healthy. If I'm craving something savoury or something borderline spicy, then nimki (controversial opinion:store bought nimki+Nutella= best thing ever, don't hate me for this) or chanachur ( jhal muri 🔥😋) or Mama noodles with poached eggs if I'm hungrier than usual (Google mama noodles BD), if I'm craving something sweet then chocolate (if my dad decided to buy some🙃) or Masala Cha (just Google "doodh pati chai" in case you're confused) and no it's not chai latte

4. What's your morning routine?

During weekdays (pre-covid) I'd *try* to wake up and get ready for school at least an hour before my mom cuz she's sick so I don't try to bother her too much. Also I happen to be very disoriented the 1st hour and a half after waking up in the morning, so imagine trying to make your breakfast and school lunch in that state yikes I don't even know how to cook MAMA NOODLES ALL THE WAYY~~~~. Nowadays, my mom and I wake up around the same time and make breakfast together, sometimes my dad helps too if he manages to wake up a bit earlier. Then after breakfast we do our own chores around the house. I'm starting to hate how everything changed cuz of the virus just.... ugh it ruined so many things for me.

5. What mythical/cryptid creature would you be?

uuuhhh idk really, Phoenix sounds cool maybe that

6. How do you interact with someone that you don't like?If they haven't really done anything wrong to me or mean with me then I try my best to be nice with them, cuz irl I usually judge people too harshly at1st glance . Since I don't want to be like *a bitch* to everyone I meet, I try to interact a little with them to see if my preconceived ideas about them were accurate enough to actually not like them. If they are, I still try to be nice to them, but I try to keep distance from them and not interact more than necessary.

7. How do you define a toxic person?

Someone who is fueled by hate and exhausts you emotionally, affects yours emotional and mental state negatively. A human equivalent of a blood sucking leech.

8. Have you ever been to a concert or fanmeet type of event? If not, would you want to?

Idk if it counts or not but I did go to a concert "technically speaking" but it non-kpop and school organized. Earlier in spring, our school hosted a "Battle of the Bands" after many years where bands from different local schools participated and 2 famous bands from our city were invited as guest bands to perform. This was my 1st concert and it was an open air concert, they literally built an actual stage on our basketball field and the audience were on the football (🇺🇸soccer) field. This became one of my best memories from my last year of high school ❤️ (even tho the pandemic really screwed me over but 🤷‍♀️ what else can be done right?)

9. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?

I sort of do, cuz if you research and calculate well enough is does give an insight into people's characteristics and compatibility with other people really well, but I don't think it's a good for like predicting people's future and stuff, also I think astrology has more to do the seasons that are related to each of the signs rather than the constellations of your sun sign.

10. If you only had one sense (hearing, touch, sight, etc...), which would you want?

I can barely function properly with all of my working senses how'd y'all expect me to work with one???? But if I had to choose, it might be touch.

11. Who is your favorite celebrity or idol?

Sushant Singh Rajput (rest in peace 😔), Park Jaehyung of Day6 and Bebe Rexha okie I'll stop before this gets too long

12. If you could talk to your favorite celebrity for a limited time, what would you tell them?

If it's someone I really admire, for example Day6 / Stray kids, then firstly I'd try not freak out and have a normal conversation with them and tell them how their music has helped me and how as their fan I recognize their hardwork and I'm proud of them and their efforts and that I want to see them as they can possibly be in this lifetime.

13. I'm taking you out on a date and it's your choice. Where are we going and what are we doing?

This is assuming that we've known each other at least as friends/ as acquaintances so I'd go for a lunch or coffee date followed by movie at a theater. I want a date where we can talk to each other freely and listen each other's ideas, life stories, etc. Like really getting to know each other as much as possible.

14. Do you like sweet or savory foods?

Sweet!

15. Do you have any band merchandise or merchandise from any of your favorite artists? If so, what?

Nope, not yet. I'd prefer to buy stuff like that with my own money when I have a job

Tagging: (if you you don't want to do this it's okay) @phyziks @minniemao @wonpeeler @soft-black-teabag @baby-bumblebean @sllkicker @sungjinparkian @goodwriterwithbadhabits @taeguboi @moonriseth @tiernamente and if anyone else is interested, consider yourself tagged!

[slasherscream]

poly billy and stu celebrating holidays with their s/o?? from birthdays (theirs) valentine's day, christmas, etc love your blog sm!! it's my favourite 🤩🤩

A/N: anon this is such a cute idea thank you for sending it in. 

     billy loomis x reader x stu macher

                                                     ——————– 

Let’s start with the top’s birthday. So Billy? He is an iconic mix of bitch and bastard. Meaning that he is absolutely pretending to hate his birthday. Or at least is exaggerating on the point of how much he wants “everyone” to forget about it. Because … and I mean this ….god help you if Stu and you ever forget or listen to him when he says “don’t do anything”. It would be a fucking nightmare of which you would never wake if you both did this. 

Luckily Stu already made this mistake one year before y'all were all together and he knows. The first year you’re together Billy is going through his regular shtick of bullshit. You pull Stu aside privately later and ask, “so are we doing anything for his birthday or are we listening to Billy.”

Stu gets….the most distant far-off look in his eyes. Like he’s a man that’s come back from war and just got drafted again. He’s never grabbed your shoulders harsher, “We have to do something he’s lying.“ 

So you do something. The good part about Billy’s birthday is he’s actually not hard to please. Start the day off right with an acknowledgement. So you do a movie night the day before. This way when midnight hits you can pause Halloween and he will almost start yelling at you before you guys whip out obnoxious colored party-horns and start trying to blow them to the beat of Happy Birthday. He is rolling his eyes but deeply pleased as he was already contemplating ….revenge of some sort at 11:55 (please god make Billy chill out for one day). 

He is not lying about not wanting anything big though. He really only wants to celebrate with you and Stu. Don’t throw him a party. He won’t be mad per-say but he won’t be like pumped or anything. Will end the party early or will make you and Stu sneak off with him. This is #His Day and the focus will be #On Him. 

His Mom used to make him a cake every year and Stu, as his life-long best friend (and now boyfriend), totally remembers the tradition. He's just not capable of baking or cooking. But he tells you and hopes you can do it and you can (if you're bad at baking too let's just imagine with you and Stu both working hard you can...achieve....something). Surprising Billy with the cake would make him feel #Soft.

Honestly he's spending the whole day acting tough and pretending he barely wants to do anything but?? He loves it and loves that you're both 100% focused on him and making him happy. He's just a brat. But ignore him while he's scoffing about you guys both kissing his cheeks at the same time he's having the time of his life. He just wants to cuddle and watch movies and for no one to go anywhere. 

If you want to go Big for Him one year or something the best thing you could do is put Rich Boy Stu's money to good use and get him autographed shit from Horror Icons. Or original props from movies. He'll lose his fuCKING MIND. Finally breaks his lame "cool guy" act for 0.5 seconds. 

Stu doesn't play hard to get and he doesn't play mind-games (with you and Billy, that is). Y'all know damn well he wants a big fuss made about his special day. He also wants a big party. It's super easy to make him happy on his birthday if you just remember that unlike Billy he wants this to be as over the top as fucking possible.  

Wake him up with breakfast in bed screaming happy birthday at the top of your lungs and he jumps up like a kid on Christmas Morning. Yes....this is #His Day....pay attention to HIM. 

Give him lots of presents! He's easy to buy for! New clothes. Stupid jewelry. Horror shit. New voice changer box. He just likes receiving gifts. They don't have to be expensive ...just have him open a lot of packages and he'll love it.

Do a surprise birthday party. It's not a surprise in any way at all but watching his face light up when he walks into his fucking house at the end of the day and half the highschool pops out like "surprise!!" is so fucking worth all the hassle that you and Billy have to smile at each other. 

Billy has thrown him parties before but they're more of just...huge get-together’s. Like highschool(TM) parties where you're too cool to decorate. You? Not a pussy. You deck out the whole house and Stu loses his fucking mind. Knows you are the cause of this and kisses the shit out of you. Dips you and everything. Billy is protesting because, "Hey I blew up half these fucking balloons" ...don't be a piss baby it'll be your turn in like thirty seconds. 

Fourth of July?? Stu has the most illegal fireworks he could get his hands on so they’re. …. pretty illegal. They’re the asshole neighbors that set them off like weeks before the 4th and if you weren't fucking them you'd want their heads on a platter. As is? Eh.....you're fucking them so I guess this is the neighbor's problems- They always forgive because Stu's family throws the greatest fucking barbecues day of.

St. Patrick's Day? Time to get fucking WASTED. You are wearing green aggressively because the one year you didn't Stu pinched your ass all day long. Even Billy joined in when he saw how feisty and annoyed it was making you. Stu is still doing it but you...tried at least, RIP. It's the tradition now. 

Valentine's Day?? billy vc: love is a neurochemical con job. But don't worry Stu will not allow him to be a bastard about the day because he's affectionate and loving. Stu knows how to celebrate the day perfectly. This is his time to shine! The Most Obnoxious Boyfriend. Everyone else is jealous. Flowers? Delivered in the middle of class. Huge chocolate box that is also #Expensive? Have fun putting that in your locker (he's sweet so he's actually gonna put it in his car for you once you've had a few)! Would pay the Band Kids to Follow Billy and s/o around MOSTLY to annoy Billy but also to be cute. They're playing the fucking .... they're playing this. Billy is so angry but..... like.... his inner possessive loves being made a fuss over publicly so whatever. Maybe he won't kill the band kids for this. You're not an ungrateful cretin so you clap and laugh. 

Billy does get Stu a gift ...something not really...Valentine's Day-esque but something he'll like. Like a horror-themed bong (i'm so sorry y'all this man obviously is smoking weed). You wrap it in pink, heart themed paper for him which he didn't know you were going to do and he is going to get you for that ...later...in the bedroom. But Stu loved it so whatever. 

You? At the exact same time you and Stu present each other teddy bears. His teddy for you? Cute and fucking...Huge. Yours?? Fucking horror themed.. made to be gore-y and bloody looking. He gasps, obviously touched, "Babe!". Gonna get made out with so hard.... How are you so cute and funny? He loves you!! It sits proudly on his dresser. 

What do you get Billy?? He really does dislike the Holiday because he thinks people who use this as the day to show they half-ass care about their s/o one day a year deserve death and despair. He will give them that death and despair. So what to give him then?

Stu pretended to be too busy planning for Valentine's Day to plan any murders with him which pissed Billy off even more the week prior. He was busy planning Valentine's Day. He was planning the Normal one they'd have with you and the more private, bloody one they'd have later that night killing couples together. Icing on cake? You pitched in by helping Stu plan it and by picking out new knives for them to use during. They're #Pink in a way that is obnoxious but the quality is amazing and you say, "it's your Valentine's Day knives!!! Just to use on Valentine's every year. Do you like them?"       billy choked up: it's fucking .... alright 

Got em'! The only way you can make the night better is letting Stu and Billy have sex with you when they get home. They're high off the kill rush and Billy is pleasantly-surprised that Stu did a really good job of planning everything alone. They're covered in blood and feeling love-dovey. Let's all do heavy eye-contact missionary tonight

April Fools is a mess and it leaves all of y'all mad at each other for a solid fucking week. Everybody gets got. Nobody can trust one another. Nobody should.

Thanksgiving is not a happy time for Billy. He doesn't like spending it with his Dad because while he's ...so good at misdirecting or #Avoiding Things He Doesn't Want To Deal With it gets very hard at this time of year to not get mad at his Dad. He's for some reason never going to hurt his Dad who he could easily blame for his Mom leaving?? But he won't. Though he's very angry during this time of the year. His Dad will try to do anything and he just shuts himself in his room. Doesn't even wanna go to Stu's house or your house. It would just make him feel .... weird, upset, like he's intruding... jealous, even. It's kinda sad. He won't even pick up your calls that day. You and Stu don't even have to sneak into the house. Billy's Dad quietly let's you in and you go upstairs and just hold him together. It's a solemn holiday because it's like the start of reminding Billy about his Mother abandoning him. 

Christmas goes kinda the same way tbh but he's ....trying to make an effort to not be as big of a bummer since Christmas is a little more significant than Thanksgiving. He knows you and Stu actually enjoy the holiday season. He tries to distance himself in general during this time because he just doesn't know how to be anything else. It's actually kinda sad because most of Billy's emotions if they're negative wind up manifesting as anger but he's genuinely depressed as shit. 

Things are different when you all move in together because now he's also not trying to spend the holidays with the literal reminder of why his life sucks (his cheating ass daddy). Plus you and Stu are determined to give him new Holiday experiences to replace the ones that make him feel so shitty with nostalgia. He's grumpy the first Christmas you guys spend together after you're living alone but not angry the way he's been at Christmas times' past. Improvement.  

The Christmas after that? Doesn't cringe once seasonal music starts playing in stores. Ghostface killings get a little less violent and frequent (he's not using them to cope as soon as it gets cold). Getting better. The Christmas after that?? You can get him to help you decorate. He helps you and Stu with the tree. He makes cookies with you. You watch horror themed Christmas movies and some regular ones (you cannot be a movie tyrant during the holidays, billy-). Christmas after that? You all send out a "family" Christmas card. You and Stu are in ridiculous sweaters and Billy is in one of solid red but he's wearing a Santa hat. His arms are crossed but there's the slightest smile on his face. You each have an arm around him. You all look happy together.

Now ..... for the big one: Halloween. Thought I skipped it? Hah! Best for last. This is their happiest time of year. They are so ready for this shit you have no idea. It's disgusting how ready they are. It turns October and Stu drops this video in your three person chat. Billy replies with a devil emoji. Disgusting?? You know you're in for a chore of keeping them in line for a whole fucking month. They will be doing MISCHIEF. They will be doing SHENANIGANS. Both MURDER and OTHERWISE. They're teepeeing houses. Cars. They're stealing candy from kids like dicks probably. Or laughing at people who are doing this. They keep the kills to Halloween night though. A whole month of just planning so they can do something big and terrible. You have to be looking after them extra during this time because they're so excited they are ...not ...doing that. you: you guys please drink some water i haven't seen you move in hours billy and stu: billy: holy shit it's been- stu: babe please make us something to eat we haven't had anything since yesterday :(((( 

Fucking dumb idiot disease. If you're living together?? God help you, you used to only have to see them get hype as fuck. Now? You must experience it 24/7. Halloween prep starts emotionally? Once summer ends. They want to deck out the house to the nines and you’re just gonna have to piss now staring at/being aware of the over-sized plastic spider Stu put on the back of the toilet. 

Everything is spooky. Cobwebs everywhere. Black! Orange! Pumpkins! Outside decorations that are actually scary as shit. They're the haunted house on the street that gets #Talked About. They're gonna go murder the shit outta people later but early in the night?? The kids that manage to walk up to the house?? Get fucking...the Mother-load of all candy. The brave little bastard dressed as a ballerina-fairy-princess?? Fist-bump. Billy does not much like kids but all the kids who get to his door? You deserve this. Full-sized chocolate bars and bags of candy. Maybe even a dollar or two. Stu is actually great with kids and is the nice one who guesses all of their costumes. Somehow can guess the weird ones accurately? 

Once that part of the night is over they go out and just wreak total fucking havoc. Halloween in Woodsboro is a nightmare. They're having fun at least! This is their Christmas and they love it. Babe         babe don't wait up. They tell you as if you couldn't fucking guess?? They're not home till the wee hours of the morning and they're dead-exhausted but they had the time of their lives. 

                                                     ——————–

[frogoat]

Venom and Eminem

I've recently had a few people ask me my opinion on the song 'Venom' by Eminem for the soundtrack of the titular film. So here we go:

Despite perhaps not being top-tier in terms of his best work, Eminem’s Venom song does hold more merit than might be thought from your first listen. 

For those only familiar with his early hits or present day charting singles, Eminem frequently utilizes more than one persona for his various songs: Eminem (the Rap God), Marshall Mathers (the man behind the facade) and Slim Shady (the dark and offensive Evil Twin). 

Through his early career the artist became mostly associated with his Slim Shady persona, partly because of which songs became hits and which lyrics drew negative media attention and partly because he encouraged it and even enjoyed it. 

Over the years, he's come out with many songs discussing his meteoric rise to fame, his poor handling of the popularity and the scrutiny of media associated with living in the public eye. His marriage fell apart, he was banned in places and demonstrated against. He was a villain because he gave into his dark impulses and didn't care who got hurt as a result. Sound familiar?

Venom started out as a villain who gained popularity exceptionally quickly and was later transitioned into an anti-hero as a result. Often described as an evil counterpart to Spider-Man, the combination of the alien symbiote and former journalist turned obsessive Spidey stalker Eddie Brock, Venom never actually corrupted it's former host Spider-Man. In fact, until Eddie came along the symbiote was merely a glorified tool, an extension of the hosts will. Under Eddie's influence Venom suddenly became a fearsome malevolence that hurt and killed those in their way without remorse and justified and rationalized their actions so as to never blame themselves. 

'Ever since I came along From the day the song called "Hi! My Name Is" dropped Started thinking my name was fault 'Cause anytime things went wrong I was the one who they would blame it on The media made me the equivalent of a modern-day Genghis Khan'

--Guts Over Fear

Further into his career, Em tried to transition himself into a more sympathetic light, with more singles and album tracks focusing on his personal struggles and private life, while still maintaining the harder edge and unapologetic attitude that made him famous. In terms of trajectory, this very much mirrors Venom's repositioning into an anti-hero in the comics. In more recent times we've seen Em address his own status as a villain in the industry including attempts to make amends with such songs as 'Headlights' and 'Bad Husband' as well as more vulnerable songs like 'Walk on Water' and ‘In Your Head’. 

‘Hailie, baby, I didn't mean to make you eighty/Percent of what I rapped about/ Maybe I shoulda did a better job at separating/Shady and entertaining from real life/But this fame thing is still the hardest thing to explain/It's the craziest shit I/Ever seen, and back then it was like I ain't even/Bothered taking into consideration/You one day being older and may hear me say things/I didn’t (A) mean and (B) just ain’t me/’

--In Your Head

There's almost a one to one comparison between the character of Venom and the artist Marshall Mathers. Eddie blames others or deflects responsibility for his behaviour, as Em often dismissed criticism of his foul and offensive lyrics as just his art - the work of his evil other half, Slim Shady- not intended to be taken seriously. Both became overnight hits, both became more sympathetic overtime and both seemingly flit between the role of villain and anti-hero in their respective mediums and in the eyes of fans.

The song Venom itself makes for a microcosm of themes. The song starts by claiming it's for those who've been given a 'raw deal' and are feeling angry. This can be read as referring to both Eddie Brock and Marshall himself when they were at low points in life. then we are introduced to a few themes with 'When something's in your mitochondrial/ 'Cause it latched on to you' conjuring images of the alien symbiote and 'Knock knock, let the devil in, malevolent/ As I've ever been, head spinnin', this medicine' using the symbiote as a metaphor for his past drug dependence and bad behaviour. These ideas reoccur throughout the song, with shifting meanings as the song progresses. 'shoulda been dead a long time ago' can also be read as referring to both Em's near death experience via overdose before going sober and Eddie Brock's attempted suicide and/or cancer diagnosis before finding the symbiote.

 The chorus makes reference to the erratic behaviour of both Eddie and Marshall with ' Venom, (I got that) adrenaline momentum/ And I'm not knowin' when I'm/ Ever gonna slow up and I'm/ Ready to snap any moment I'm/ Thinkin' it's time to go get 'em/ (W-w-when they get bit with the-)/ Venom'. There's also not-so-subtle references here to the adrenaline rush a person feels when using certain drugs, which also describes the way Eddie feels when empowered by the alien symbiote. 

Another commonality, Venom and Eminem are known for using descriptions of over the top violent acts, often for humourous effect. The humour is also juxtaposed against the dark themes of the song or the actions taken. This can be seen to address the power fantasy of both Eddie Brock’s newfound abilities and Marshall's fame and influence, which inevitably results in them abusing their abilities and status. Tell me that doesn’t remind you of anyone else?

'Then I wait to face the demons I'm bonded to/ 'Cause they're chasin' me but I'm part of you/ So escapin' me is impossible/ I latch onto you like a—parasite/ And I probably ruined your parents' life/ And your childhood too/'Cause if I'm the music that y'all grew up on/I'm responsible for you retarded fools/ I'm the super villain Dad and Mom was losin' their marbles to/ You marvel that? Eddie Brock is you/ And I'm the suit, so call me—/ Venom'

While the symbiote is initially used as a way to talk about the dark side of Marshall's personality, fame and former drug addiction, by the song’s conclusion he admits that despite his decade of sobriety and efforts to change, the darkness always resided within him. Unlike Eddie Brock, Marshall is taking responsibility for his actions. However, if Em is the symbiote suit, then he's granting great power, and it's up to the audience ('Eddie Brock is you') to use it responsibly.

Or maybe it's all just a catchy song to sell records?

[granpafrisbee]

Truth or Dare Part 1

Warnings: Cussing                    

Word Count: 3,752 (it’s gonna get longer tho)

Pairing: Bucky x OFC           

Masterlist

Summary: After going to Italy and avoiding any romantic relationships for pretty much all her life Joey comes back to the U.S. to move in with her life-long best friend, Sam Wilson, and his two closest friends from college. Joey’s met Steve but is apprehensive to meet the elusive Bucky, whom she’s always missed despite having visited Sam consistently throughout college. Once she meets him, however, she wonders how she’ll be able to run from love when they share a bathroom.

A/N: Hey, so I'll be updating this most Wednesdays. I'll try my hardest to stay regular. 

I wrote this using an OFC bc I cannot work my brain to replace my name with fucking Y/N and I know I'm not the only one. (I always end up reading it as fucking "yuuhnnumm"). I am fully in love with Zazie Beetz so our OFC is completely based on her except maybe a lil chubbier because why not. Really for the apartment just picture the layout of the New Girl loft.

I always have a confusing time picturing characters in fics so I'm gonna lay it out for y'all. Steve is full nomad, them honey brown locks and the full beard. Joey's hair is natural like Zazie so often wears it. Bucky is just Seb in fall/winter 2017 because I am weak for the I, Tonya press tour look. Sam is Mackie's classic look. The rest of the characters can be left to the imagination.

Also  I mention good music so listen to that if you want. Please let me know if you like this and follow my hot garbage tumblr.

Special thanks to @buckybarnesxoxo for asking to be tagged!

the AO3

Stay Sexy

It’s the bathroom that really impresses Joey. She believed Sam when he said the apartment was nice. On seeing it for the first time when moving in, she discovers that her best friend is distinctly incorrect. A working sink is nice. A proper heater is nice. A nearby laundromat is nice. This loft, this four-bedroomed palace, is exquisite in comparison to her previous abodes. The kitchen has all its necessary appliances. There are a washer and dryer in unit. The walls are thick enough that if Sam was stabbed in his neighboring room, she would maybe hear it. Four bedrooms with their very own closets. All of these have her speechless as she tours around. However, as stated above, it’s the bathroom that is killer. The idea of sharing said room with three men is maybe one of the more foreboding aspects of her new sweet digs, but once she sees the giant clawfoot shower and tub, she is sure the positives will heavily outweigh the negatives.

She immediately slides down into her new porcelain palace. She’s a medium height at 5’6”, and even she has to point her toes to touch the far end of the tub. She sighs comfortably and is already planning an essential oils combination for her first real bath when the door swings open and her fantasy is interrupted by one her new roommates. He’s the one she hasn’t met yet but Sam and Steve have shown her plenty of pictures. His hair looks soft and well-coiffed and he wears a tank top under an unbuttoned striped short sleeve button down. Rather than judgment appearing across his abnormally handsome face, he smiles like there was nothing else he could have expected when entering the bathroom.

“You see I specifically told Steve to get a bathtub that doesn’t come with a human.”

“Oh no, you got it all wrong. I’m actually a ghost here to haunt you but hygienically. Instead of boo, I say floss.” She says without a beat and he nods, very seriously, in response to this.

“You know I’m pretty sure I just carried in a bed to our fourth room that might be more comfortable than the tub, but who am I to judge one’s preferred sleeping arrangements.” His quip is followed by another fantastic smile, and based on the past ten seconds of her life Joey is absolutely sure that this is her kind of human.

She smiles back and extends her hand from the tub. “Joey.”

“Bucky,” He shakes her hand and nods again.

“You guys brought up my bed? I told Samuel to let me handle that shit.”

He laughs and scratches his beard, “Ah just gave me another opportunity to show Sam how much stronger I am than him. And Steve the chance to show up both of us.”

Joey chuckles and silently appreciates how Bucky balanced his dig on Sam with some light self-depreciation of himself. Although it would be unrealistic to pretend that anyone was stronger than Steve. The man is built. “Seriously though, I’ll come help y’all out. I’m not gonna be the useless roommate.” She gets out of the tub and starts out the door.

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that, I think Sammy’s got that title covered, Darlin’.” He follows her out and therefore doesn’t see her face cringe at the pet name.

She considers calling him on it when Sam yells from the front door, “I know you’re not in there besmirching me to my very own best friend Barnes,” He enters view sweaty and smiling, “And I especially know she wasn’t participating, because she is my best friend and therefore automatically on my side.” He wraps his arm protectively around her shoulders causing her to shrug away from him with her nose scrunched.

“Consider our friendship on sabbatical until you take a shower, Wilson.” Joey continues backing away.

“Jesus I always knew your personality stank but I guess the inside always comes out huh.” Bucky mirrors Joey’s disgusted face as he walks towards the door.

Sam rolls his eyes, “Not funny.” Although the involuntary “Hah!” Joey lets out at Bucky’s comment seems to contradict his statement. Sam just flips her off.

“Thank you, Doll. You see Sammy, even your best friend thinks I’m right.” Bucky mocks as he heads back outside.

This time Sam sees her face twist in reaction to the nickname. Misinterpreting it he grumbles, “Oh come on there’s no way you can smell me from over there.” He starts to head to his room, presumably for deodorant.

Joey follows Bucky downstairs to help with some more furniture moving. Steve is outside their building, ass in the air, bent over picking something up. “Damn Rogers,” Joey calls out appreciatively, “If I knew I’d be getting a view like that I would have shacked up with you years ago.”

He stands up, holding up an entire bookshelf on his own, further challenging the poor under armor shirt that is being stretched to hell on his giant frame. “Hey killer, thanks for joining us.”

She picks up a lamp and smiles at him, “Well I figured you guys needed the extra muscle.”

His smile is bright against his beard as he walks into the house with the ease of a man who isn't carrying a bookshelf.

The four of them finish loading their sporadic furniture into the loft and the afternoon fades to early evening. An old but amazing and huge high-quality leather sectional provided by Steve’s mom. Sam’s flat screen, whom he’s named Esmeralda, and may or may not have a near sexual attraction to. Bucky’s records and a player that’s older than any of them, plus a big wooden dinner table his Dad handmade. Steve’s varied level of completed canvases and paint stuff. Joey’s shelves and chairs she found on the side of the road her senior year in college. A mix of plates, bowls, and utensils have been loaded into varying drawers and cabinets. As well as cooking instruments, although, beyond Joey’s waffle iron and an old cast iron from Steve, it’s all Sam’s. Everyone’s personal boxes and furniture is piled in their own rooms.

Joey sits on the kitchen island as the boys lean against it, all sipping the cheap beer Joey bought as penance for them carrying her bed in. She takes that moment to appreciate the weird chain of events that got her where she is now. She and Sam have been friends since grade school. They went to different colleges but remained good ol’ buddies throughout. When they graduated Joey traveled around and did an apprenticeship with an Italian glassblower. Sam went to Culinary school, and when he graduated the second time around Joey was offered a job with a world-renowned blower (god she will never get tired of calling her profession that) stateside. After little luck finding a two bedroom inexpensive enough for the two of them, Steve, one of Sam’s old college buddies Joey had met many a time during visits, mentioned his friend's dad owned a couple lofts in the neighborhood they were looking in. Sam toured with Steve and Bucky and the three of them signed the lease that day. Sam called Joey that night and announced he was so confident that he forged her signature. He was insistent that it was the best option they’d find, all Steve is a good guy and fellow artist, and even Bucky is sometimes bearable but don’t tell him that. Steve paints and sketches in his free time and works as a personal trainer to pay the bills. Joey knows he isn’t passionate about it, but with his perfect body and matching attitude, she is sure he is fantastic at his job. Sam is starting at a new restaurant with a name Joey can only pronounce thanks to high school French. A plus for living with Sam is that he brings work home with him. Although Joey had visited Sam plenty over the years and even struck up a solid friendship with Steve, she always seems to have missed Bucky. They had never met but she knew he was a language major with a focus in Eastern Europe and Russia. Sam had told her Bucky translated English books into Russian and vice versa and made more money than he should. Earlier Joey had heard him curse in some sort of Slavic tongue when Sam “accidentally” dropped his end of a coffee table on Bucky’s foot. She also had heard a few stories about Steve and Bucky’s childhood, the rambunctious troublemakers lived up to every tall tale. As the four nursed their beers she felt confident that this was going to be a very important group of people in her life.

“Joey?” Sam snapped her out of her thoughts.

“What?”

“Barnes suggested we get more beer and pizza and invite some friends over. Are you down?” The three men looked at her expectantly.

“I say hell yeah. Who are we calling?” She looked down at her watch and was surprised to see it was only 6:30.

“Well there are the couples, Nat and Wanda and Thor and Bruce,” Steve suggested.

“I told Shuri I’d pay her in alcohol if she set up all the tech shit,” Bucky adds.

Steve nods, “Now that you mention it, we should probably invite Tony, he’s the reason we got this place.”

“Tony means at least Rhodey and probably Pep, Clint is a must, and if we invite Wanda we should call Pietro too.” Sam finishes his beer and scrolls through his messages.

“Brunnhilde and Okoye are in town too.” Joey hops off the counter and recycles the empty bottles collecting on the island.

“Alright you guys decide who to invite, and I’ll go get libations and sustenance,” Bucky grabs his keys.

“With the list we’ve got you’ll need some help, I’ll come with,” Joey volunteers.

Bucky smiles vibrantly and nods towards to Steve, “You okay babysitting Rogers?”

“As long as Killer doesn’t mind your unreasonably picky ass,” Steve’s retort is so quick that Bucky and Sam raise their middle fingers simultaneously at their aggravator.

Joey and Bucky decide to start off to the pizzeria three blocks away and pick up the beer on the walk back. The walk begins in mildly uncomfortable silence.

“So… you’re picky?” Joey asks to spark some sort of conversation.

“Nooo..” Bucky’s defensiveness creates an endearing drawl, “Those two pompous asses just don’t understand that I like my pizza simple. Margherita pizza is a fucking gift. Who am I to screw it up with a bunch of American bullshit?” He gestures widely as he speaks.

“You’re kidding right?”

Bucky’s must have misinterpreted her smile as he quickly responds, “Alright I’ve been judged enough in my life, I know you lived in Italy and-”

“No, no, Bucky!” She grabs his forearm, “Margherita is my favorite! I ate it all the time in Italy, judgment-free.”

“Jesus Christ Doll, where have you been all my life?”

She smiles and they continue a brisk pace to the pizza place. “How did you know I lived in Italy?”

“Ah, I know plenty about you. Sammy talks about you non-stop, has since I met him. Steve even thought he was secretly in love with you until he hung out with you in person.”

This makes Joey raise her brows, “Really? Wow. What, if I may ask, ultimately caused him to accept our relationship as extraordinarily platonic? Was it the sibling-like side hugs? The lack of sexual tension in our banter? The fact that I knew him during his first mustache phase?”

“Are you telling me there was a skinnier mustache than the one we know and mildly tolerate?”

“I’m talking Prince but pubescent. It was so thin models asked his mustache for dieting tips. It was so thin his first girlfriend thought he had an eyelash over his top lip. I mean you would’ve thought he drew it on with a ballpoint pen. In fact, it’s very possible it was. Just because I never saw doesn’t mean he never-”

Bucky is laughing uproariously, “Please, please, you’re killing me. I’m gonna need pictures as soon as possible.”

“No can do. I will recite the epic of the mustache homer-style until the day I die, but any physical evidence shared will prompt an all-out war between Samuel and me. That is just something I can’t afford.”

“Oh now I have to see them. What’s your secret shame, sweetheart? Bangs? Braces? Please tell me it was an emo phase,” As he lists off he starts walking backward, the goofy smile didn't dim once.

“I’ll never share, but trust me when I say if you find something behind my back, I’m sure Steve will be more than willing to share some pictures of your past. Emo phase is a good guess, but if I didn’t know any better I’d say that was a projection, hmm?”

That does a good job of replacing his smile with pursed lips and a quirked eyebrow, contemplating his next move in this battle of embarrassing adolescence. “Steve would never betray me.”

“Don’t be so sure, all men have their weaknesses,” She smiles deviously.

“Oh yeah, you gonna seduce him for a picture of me in eyeliner?”

“First of all, I would seduce Steve for much less so thanks for confirming my emo theories. Secondly, I may not know Steve like you do, but I know him well enough to see that seduction would hardly prove fruitful.” She holds the door open for him and they both bask in the practically orgasmic scent of the pizzeria, “Steve is so suspicious of anyone who wants to sleep with him that he’d see through me. My method would be to trick him to do some sort of high school ‘Where are they now?’ portrait. He’d be so inspired he’d paint your lined eyes and black, I’m guessing, over parted hair in a second.” The line is moving slowly and he admires how she never lowers her volume or hides from strangers eyes.

“Damn, Doll, you’re good.”

“I minored in manipulation.” The store isn’t too packed for Saturday night and Sam Cooke is playing lightly in the background. She’s nodding her head and he’s mouthing along to words and when they both realize this they share a smile at the music.

“So Steve is a suspicious mind in your book?” She chuckles at his reference.

“I’m not the biggest drinker and neither is Steve, so when Sammy went hard when I visited, Steve was always good for a tipsy talk. The poor guy has the same self-esteem he must have had in high school. Unlike us three cool cats Steve will show me pictures of his past self. I know you were there through it all, but just because the outside changes doesn’t mean the inside follows suit. I have seen the most dedicated and gorgeous women throw themselves at him and yet he remains sure that she was ‘just being friendly’. It’s actually impressive.”

“I know what you mean. To be fair though a lot of that is just his college girlfriend. She really did a number on him.” He runs a hand through his hair but doesn’t hide his contempt for whoever she is.

Solemn surprise covers Joey’s features, “I never knew. Never met her on any visits.”

“She wasn’t big on him talking to other girls, probably hid him anytime you came around. Although that isn’t my story to tell, I’m sure the punk will tell you about it sometime.” She follows his eye line down to his shoes. He’s drawing stars with the tip of his shoe, a tic she’s just noticing.

“What about you? You have a girl hiding you away, distracting you during your collegiate years? She the reason our meeting was so unluckily delayed until today?”

He thinks about the answer for a second or two. “Nah, no anchor to this ship. At this point, I’m just convinced Wilson just didn’t tell me you were around because he knew you would like me more than him.”

“Well turns out I like Steve better than both of you.”

He puts his hands up and reassures her, “I don’t need to be first, Sweetheart, just as long as I’m on your radar.” As he lowers his hands the song changes and they simultaneously recognize the song, both begin humming the initial notes. “Penny & The Quarters fan huh?” He asks.

“Nobody, baby, but-” she sings before quickly turning her attention to the cashier, “We’ll have two large Everything Pizzas and one large Margherita.” Facing Bucky again she smiles and drops another line that makes his heart race, “Just for you and me, huh?”

The pizza is out quick, and a trip to the local gas station provides them with more than enough beer. They continue discussing music, Joey is surprised at their similarly irregular taste. He describes his favorite Etta James songs, but can’t forget the Simon and Garfunkel song that he thinks is his first love encapsulated. He lists his top three favorite rappers after ranking contemporary folk bands. She adds in her opinions sporadically, and he apologizes twice for dominating the conversation when they get in the elevator.

She is being honest when she says, “There’s nothing I want to hear more than whatever you’re going to say right this moment.” He thinks that every lyric in every song he’s just listed doesn’t have shit on that sentence.

He’s about to tell her so when an alarming large hand last minute catches the elevator as it closes. The doors open to the Thor and Bruce. The couple is the lynchpin of every good party, from rager to kickback. Thor is the greatest hype man in history but is never hammered, probably because it would take two handles of tequila to get him there. Bruce is much more chill but a secret god at beer pong, not to mention he always has weed. Bucky’s favorite part of their presence always happens when Bruce is particularly high and begins a lecture on some sort of subject no one else understands. He isn’t exactly captivating, especially not to anyone far from sober although his passion is palpable, but Thor will plop down on the couch next to him and watch him like he’s the only thing in the universe (while rubbing Bruce’s neck to keep him from getting too wound up). Bucky loves those guys.

“Looks like we arrived just in time, wouldn’t you say Thor?” Bruce shakes Bucky’s hand and smiles at Joey.

“Of course! I was worried we got too much pizza, but now that you’re here Thor I’m sure you’ll help us with any surplus.” Joey sets the pizzas down before Thor pulls her into a bear hug.

“Joey, you know I never leave a damsel in distress,” Thor agrees as he sets her back on her feet.

Joey’s eyebrow playfully shoots up, “Who are you calling damsel, Odinson?”

“In this case, definitely Sam. I’m surprised he even let you order out.” Bruce answers for his boyfriend.

“My love is right in my insinuation. Never ever have I seen you anywhere near damsel status Joe.” Bucky watches their interaction with curiosity.

The elevator dings and Bucky asks, “This may seem like a dumb question but how do you guys know each other? Just through Sam?”

Joey picks up the pizzas as Thor holds the door open, ”Thor’s siblings and I were all in a group home together as teens. I’ve known this big lug long before he was the Nordic party god we see before us.” Thor laughs and he and Bruce go to greet everyone inside.

“Are you telling me Thor hasn’t always been a blonde beefcake?” Bucky whispers in Joey’s ear as they set the pizza and beer on the counter.

“Sadly no, he’s looked like that since I met him. I just like making that joke because he’s too humble to care.” She makes note that he doesn’t question the foster home part of her story. She wonders just what Sam has told him about her past.

People start to crowd the food and drinks, so Joey and Bucky greet everyone who has arrived. Nat is there sans Wanda, who is at home sick. Bucky knows this means Nat will be leaving early. Pietro made it despite his ill sibling, but he still looks pretty sick of the conversation in front of him. Shuri and Clint are mid-argument about the chicken and the egg when Bucky thanks them for coming. Clint gives him a smile and points to a fake succulent on the table and mumbles, “Got you guys a housewarming present,” before returning his attention to telling Shuri that the Chicken is the obvious choice. Shuri tells Bucky she set up the wifi and the apple tv and Clint doesn’t even register that she’s talking over him. Bucky kisses her cheek and hands her a beer.

Steve is sitting with Bruce and Thor on the couch, all of them engrossed in conversation and pizza. Sam is chopping fresh onion for his pizza when Bucky asks, “These are the few you could bribe to get here?”

“These losers are the only ones without any plans on a Saturday night,” Sam says without looking up.

Clint and Pietro both look up and say a simultaneous, “Hey!” Before turning their attention back to their conversation.

“T’Challa and Nakia are in Paris. Brunnhilde has a gig tonight. Okoye hung up on me when I said pizza and beer. Parker has an exam. Tony named six events he was invited to tonight and would’ve kept going if Steve hadn’t hung up. Pepper and Rhodey are probably plus thing one and two wherever Tony ended up at. Thus, this motley crew is all we got.” Sam sprinkles his diced onion on top of his already spilling slice and when he bites into it his groan stops the conversations surrounding the apartment.

“Lame. Your intestines are not going to be thanking you for that monster you are devouring under the alias of pizza.” Joey makes a face as he continues to stuff his face.

“Like eating just mozzarella and basil is enjoyable at all,” Sam dismisses her and joins the rest of their crew.

“Heathens,” Bucky dramatically admonishes their friends, “You ready Doll?”

This time he catches the tightening of her expression at his comment, ”Born ready.” They both grab a piece of their untouched pizza and taps crusts in cheers.

Part 2

Part 3

Thanks for reading!

[happys-crazy-queen22]

Negative To Positive Part 2

The last part to Negative to Positive. I hope you all enjoyed it. I really like writing this story.

Happy Reading Dollies.

Four months later. "Halfdan we have to go, she's in labor". You hurried to the closet to get the bags. "I'm coming , I'm coming". He came through the hall, with a shoe in his mouth, trying to get his jacket on. "Take your time, I think she can wait for you to get ready with out a accident". You giggled at your husband. "You think this is funny"? He muffled through the shoe. "Yeah, if I had a video camera, I could show this to our child". "This happen the day you were born, your father acting silly". Halfdan chuckled. "Okay I'm ready, lets go get our baby". He grabbed the bags from you and kissed you temple. Waiting in the waiting room was nerve racking. You had butterflies in your stomach. Not getting much sleep the night before, was not a good idea. Halfdan and you sat up the whole night blushing and talking about the baby. Thats all everyone could talk about. "Y/N, you okay"? Halfdan asked handing you a coffee. "Yeah, just sleepy and excited". You smiled. "Me too, I can't believe this is really happening". "I know, it feels like yesterday we started dating". "We been through alot together". Halfdan took your hand in his. "We have, I couldnt ask for a better husband to journey through this with". You said as you sniffled back the tears. You laid your head on his shoulder, slowly drifting to sleep. "Am I to late"? Harald asked Halfdan. "No, she's still in labor". "She's out of it". Harald nodded to Y/N. "Yeah, we stayed up late, not knowing when the baby will come". He shrugged. "You both need your rest, cause for at least eightteen years you get no sleep". Harald and Halfdan laughed, trying to not to disturb you. "Halfdan tell your brother to keep quit". You said droggy. "Sorry babe, shut up Harald". Halfdan said playfully. Harald chuckled. "Nows not the time to sleep, you have a baby coming". "I know, I feel like I could vomit". "Its the nerves". Halfdan and Harald said together. "I'm going to the bathroom and getting a soda, y'all want anything"? You asked as you got up. "No I'm good". Harald waved off, Halfdan shook his head no. As you walked down the hall a rush of nausea hit you. "Oh Gods". You busted through the door to the bathroom and spewing in the toilet. Holding your hair back, you threw up again. Wiping your mouth off, you flushed the toilet and stood there thinking. You were late, but it could be from all the stress. So you went to the gift shop and got a pregnancy test, to be sure. It felt like it took for ever for the thing to take.  Two bright little pink lines showed up. A huge smile came to your face. Knowing it was possible for you to carry a child. You stuck the text in your back pocket. Wanting to tell Halfdan after everything settles down. "Y/N you okay"? "Yeah couldnt be happier, we're having a baby". "I know, the nurse said she was pushing now". "She's pushing, oh my God". "This is really happening, like really". You hugged Halfdan. Harald saw the test as you hugged Halfdan, he secretly smiled to himself. "Mr and Mrs. Black"? The nurse came in. "Yes thats us". "Congratulations, its a boy". Halfdan and Harald celebrated as you wrapped your hand around your stomach. Halfdan came and kissed your lips, his hand wondering down your back side. He picked at the test. "Whats this"? "It has two pink lines". "Y/N"? "I'm pregnant". You blurted out. "What, how". He said dumb founded. "I guess it happen when we wasnt trying and all the focus was on the baby coming". "I've been feeling sick but everyone said it was nerves so I figured it was too". "I'm going to have two babies at home"? He stood there shocked. "Yes". "Are you happy"? "I'm so happy, I couldnt ask for more". "This is what we wanted, and we have received". "Two babies". Harald gasped. "Two". Halfdan mouthed to him as he hugged you. "Mr. and Mrs. Black would you like to meet your son"? She handed you the baby. He was so cute and small. He had blond hair, little chubby cheeks with a little birth mark on his arm. "Halfdan he's beautiful". "He's our son". A tear fell from Halfdans eye. Harald was looking over your shoulder, crying. "What will he be called"? "Journey". You looked at Halfdan. "I like it, it tells him that it was a very long journey for him to get here and that he is very special to us". "Hello Journey, I'm your mom and this strong man over here is you dad". "We love you and cant wait to start this life together with you". "You are very loved by your family and we can't wait to show you the world". Halfdan softly spoke as Journey smiled. "We did good". Halfdan kissed your head.

Eight months later. "Journey, meet your little sister". Halfdan held Journey close to you as you held the new baby. Journey poked at his little sister, she stirred around and Journey smiled. "I think he likes her". "I think so too, I hope they have a great bond when they get older". You laid your head on the pillow as you looked at your family. "They will, Harald and I can teach them about bonding". He chuckled. "Oh Gods, I can see it, them running around trying to kill something with a stick". You and Halfdan laughed. "I'll leave that part out, I promise". "Good, I don't need another pair of you two". Giggling you couldn't stop smiling, the Gods have gave Halfdan and you the best things in life. Journey was the most wanted thing, he came at the perfect time. You were starting to give up on the whole baby life. but knowing that you had this much love you would have done it sooner. Meadow was a very grateful surprise, they both were. She thought you that you were able to get pregnant and are able to bring more of Halfdans and your children in the world, it just takes time, patience, forgetting about the stress and dont try to hard cause everything you want will come. You wouldnt trade your family for anything in the word.

[colonel-crapshot]

ISLAND Episode Two

Crunchyroll is determined to make me look at Maihime's cousin's ass 

Friend:  [Aliens.jpg] Fanservice

I mean, there are worse asses to stare at in this life. But there is more to it than just the booty.

Normally I'd say something demeaning about myself but I can't have an opinion of my own ass since I can't look at very well and even if I could it would probably be a resounding "Meh"

AH AT LAST WE PAN UPWARDS FROM THE BOOTY

Friend: My eyes are up here

Funny thing is we are facing her back and even when we get some of her face her eyes aren't in sight

Also, she's apparently a fucking vampire

A disease? You mean VAMPIRISM?!

"Soot blight syndrome" aight. I'll bite, THE FUCK ARE Y'ALL SMOKING HERE THAT THE SOOT MAKES VAMPIRISM?!

Aight lady you're fast balling a lot of things at us. And no, we're not going to contract vampirism to keep you company as a "Prince of the night"

Well that's an opener. Granted it follows neatly on from last episode so I can't complain

OH LOOK. A FLIER FOR THE MAID JOB. I WONDER WHAT SHE'S DOING AFTER SCHOOL TODAY

... you know thinking on it. I might be able to understand a slightly more territorial policy like the one Mayor Butthurt propogates if they have cases of FUCKING VAMPIRISM on the titular Island

OH COME ON SETSUNA. THIS IS LAUNDRY FOR A HOUSE OWNED BY A WOMAN (or at least with one woman known to be present) KNICKERS WERE ALWAYS GOING TO BE PART OF THE THINGS TO HANG ON THE LINE

It's not like you went into your own undergarments drawer and procured them

GROW UP

You were mopping anyways. A spill isn't the worst thing to happen

Half the usual and he's got at least one 10,000 yen bill present

I mean, failing all else they are making sure their maids get to fucking live off of working for them

Sweet christ they were a unified chorus

You should go to the shrine library to get them checked for evil spirits

Well no-one can say he isn't putting his back into it. Completed the days work AND it's still very sunny outside

Must be like early afternoon

Maybe ask your Vampire princess once she's roused from her slumber with a fresh bag of AB negative

Odd that the library would be closed at the end of a school day. You'd have thought that they'd have someone at least holding the fort for the inevitable bout of students who'd want to get some studying done

Granted I appreciate Setsuna trying to seek the information elsewhere. Though I do wonder if he'd even recognise the kanji for Soot Blight Syndrome if he just read it in the library and might misread it and be left scratching his head

The library on the Island might well have the resources to research their island specific vampirism

Oh shit an Oonusa. I’ve no idea what one DOES with an Oonusa. But dat be it

... Aight child. We need to have a talk about the abuse of the Gods powers for assassination attempts

"Let's go to my honey zone in the library." Assassination doesn't work so well when I know what you're up to you know?

Wonder what Mayor Butthurt's game is adopting a sodding shrine maiden

Granted this COULD be yet further hammering in the idea that this guy is a douche nozzle. But I'd like to think better of this. I've seen Visual novels with asshole characters actually having reasonable motives for acting in such dickish ways

Good grief. Who'd go to burn down a freaking shrine of all places?!

I suppose the Three Families in Urashima are something of the driving force behind the Barbatossian "NO! OUTSIDERS! EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!" which probably would make people a little miffed at them

OH BOY. STORY TIME

Okay. That's a nice dodge of the pendulum of bullshit. Well done Sara

I think Loli Maiden’s name is Sara anyways

OH BOY. INCEST LORE

Friend: WHA

THE ISLAND HAS INCEST LORE

Friend: https://i.imgur.com/GleCwqI.mp4

JESUS. I mean... to some degree I understand. BUT CURSING MONSTROSITY UPON THEM?!

Friend:  Hits red button and runs away

This is a long ago thing

They're not trying to champion it. But still, I respect the nope

Uh huh... interesting lore

Kinda counter to our boys instructions that "Setsuna must die"

Friend:  Oh I know you'd be going into convulsions if they had championed it. My nope comes from that sort of lore typically being used as edgy drama-bait rather than legitimate storytelling

Luckily this is lore and they were rather swift to go over it and the repercussions of it, or more so the repercussions of both it and jealous women

Friend:  Hand still hovering over the red button

The thrust of the lore is the idea that since Rinne topped herself the Shrine Maiden who cursed her said "Yo. She'll be reborn later in time, and if y'all can re-unite I'll undo the curse." Which seems to be good since it won't be incest at that point and they can let their love go about itself

RATHER than "INCEST" and hoping that we all press 800 nope buttons stacked atop one another and fire ourselves into an alternate dimension where we can keep watching it

That's convenient. I mean granted the library on the Island probably WOULD have books about their local vampirism disease

"I'm ready, so lets do this." Oh, you've finally finished setting up your honey trap? 

I don't have the heart to tell her that she REALLY should do this when her hopeful victim isn't present and aware

Oooh. Are we getting actual plot or is our Shrine Maiden ACTUALLY more cunning than an upturned cup of milk

"The reason why you exist." I could have given you that reason ages ago with Sex Ed 101

Tab A into Slot B, jostle as necessary until goop. Wait 9 months and hopefully a sentient potato falls out of Slot B

BECAUSE SHE HAS READ THE SCRIPT SETSUNA

OH SHIT SHE MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN THAT CUNNING

That was your plot armour reacting to potential plot ending events

You're being awful rude, Setsuna. 

You know there can be more than one maid for a house. Whilst it may not necessarily NEED more than one maid since Setsuna pretty handily did everything before the sun was even close to setting

Oh look. Vampire princess

She set out incense when she was setting up a honey trap to murder me

Get with the program Rinne

Setsuna, you can't drag people in for an interview. Even if they're leaving in a huff

LOSING MEMORIES AND CAVING TO YOUR PARENTS BULLSHIT ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS! I CAN MAKE MORE MEMORIES. IF YOU GIVE IN TO YOUR PARENTS ISN'T THAT THE END OF YOUR FREEDOM?!

D'aw, that's nice Setsuna. You haven't put your best foot forward about it though

... GOD FUCKING DAMNIT SETSUNA.

At least you're reflecting upon your acted self importance

That's not a bad way of looking at it Rinne

"It's destiny." There's been a lot of that talk. I wonder if we're going to get a story I like where Destiny gets fucked and Setsuna forges himself a relationship of his own choosing. Or if Destiny in this is actually benign and just wants to help get lovers get into a healthy romance rather than one made of nope

"You'll remember soon enough." I thought you didn't have much in the way of memories from before you hurtled counter to time either?

Ah plot summer break

The ultimate hand wave to highschoolers gallivanting about at all hours

Why must you push Karen's buttons Setsuna?

I mean. YEAH, I DID. But 1,000,000 YEN?!... granted Setsuna did get a hefty paycheck even at half of the rate he would normally get it seemed

Yeah. I'd imagine your mom wouldn't take kindly to Mayor Butthurt's bullshit. Especially if she's anything like the basis for some of your personality

It may well have been 5 years ago honey but you don't sound exactly over it

He's been on Urashima for like 3 days Karen, how do you expect him to know the best places to be

I'm not even sure how far 1,000,000 yen will GET you. Assuming that you can even convince someone with a boat to take you there

HEY I WAS FUCKIN' RIGHT. HE COULDN'T READ IT ON HIS OWN

Still does put the idea of this vampirism and its things into check. Do wonder though why Rinne doesn't take the anti-vamp meds

"You went on a secret date with Karen?" If by "secret date" you mean doing the sodding shopping, then yes, secret date

Christ, you sound almost spurned for someone who was TRYING TO MURDER ME YESTERDAY

Ooooh. Cutting right to the thick of it. I like you Setsuna

CALLED IT

I'm unsure about how... wait. I think I get it. They were originally persecuted for cutting them off from the mainland and they put in those ideas to help assuage the peoples rightful ire

Aight I re-read it and it lost me again

Still I can see Karen's idea that Rinne contracting it is just an excuse. But by the same token IT'S FUCKING VAMPIRISM. YOU DON'T WANT THAT SHIT SPREADING

But by the same token. HOW HAVEN'T THEY DIALED UP THE MAINLAND AND ASKED FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE?!

"To protect the island" I can see how cutting themselves off protects the mainland. But not the island

Setsuna, come back to earth with us. YOU CAME FROM THE FUTURE! YOU TOOK THE NAME SETSUNA SINCE IT'S ALL YOU REMEMBERED THE REST WAS ALMOST WHIMSY

I mean... maybe? But on a different note, like 90% of that was twisty turvy nonsense

I'm gonna go back and listen again

Nope. Still don't get it

SHE ISN'T A VAMPIRE

Aight, that makes sense

D'aw that's sweet that she wants Setsuna to save Rinne

Nice. We're gently kicking the "Prophecied couple" routine in the head early

Less nice, Setsuna that's not a great way to approach it

... I mean granted I'D probably do it that way, But still, not good. I mean heck, Rinne may well have something more going on rather than just thinking "I'm the Rinne reincarnation."

Ooof! That looks like it hurt

Oh good. Mind palace. Not actual speech

Alrighty. He's handling this better than in his mind palace

You're awful hooked on this idea of Destiny, Rinne

... THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS LADY! LETTING THINGS REMAIN AS THEY ARE WON'T KEEP SETSUNA AS "YOUR" SETSUNA

Good thing is. She's aware that she ISN'T actually a vampire. Bad thing is: She thinks that if things remain as is then everything is fine

Aight, this is proving interesting

Even if I don't get their idea of Island prosperity

Link: ISLAND Episode 2